Hello from the other side.

Mic check, one two, one two...anyone out there? Can you hear me?

Well. This is embarrassing. It's been quite the journey since I last updated the bloggity blog, so here's a little one. Sorry for the picture reposts from Instagram, I'll try to be a little more original next time. Maybe I'll start posting more often since I actually have a life now that doesn't revolve around school.

As an update from my last post, I got a nursing job! As I suspected, it wasn't in the ICU as I desired, but on a medical-surgical floor. Honestly, it has been great and has far exceeded my expectations. I've already been able to shock a patient, push some scary cardiac drugs, and grow leaps and bounds as a nurse in a very short time. I have SO much to learn, but my experience has been wonderful so far. Also, I'm realizing that the part of this job I thought I was going to hate the most - small talk with families and patients - is actually one of my favorite parts. Some days it's hard being an introvert, but it's so nice to help their day be a little better and there are many ways to educate and share my knowledge, which is the best. I'm a teacher at heart, so it's perfect!

I still have two weeks of my new grad nurse residency program before I'm on my own as a nurse (!!! a real! live! nurse!), and will be switching to nights this weekend. I had two weeks of general orientation to the hospital, then a grueling, oh so grueling, five week class that was harder than all of nursing school combined as well as one 12 hour shift each week on my unit. It was a lot of education over a short amount of time and I was not expecting the class to be that hard or for there to be so much homework involved, so I'm glad it's done. I learned a lot and I'm so grateful to have done it, but holy shit. I am done done done with school for now. Then I had a month or so of working days with a preceptor, which I finished this week. Then end is near!

During that hard five week stretch, Devin got almost all her teeth and I started hating her jusssssst a little. She got six or seven (?) teeth during that time and she was just a beast throughout. She missed me, I missed her, she just wanted to nurse 24/7, and I'm a mean mom who wouldn't give her medicine even though everyone told me to constantly. But! We survived! And she just has a few teeth left to go. I am very glad that I'm still nursing her because I have no idea how we would have survived without it. What do other moms do?!

Another harrowing situation we just survived was hand, foot and mouth disease! I thought she had gotten a yeast rash or something, but then it moved from her thighs to all over and she didn't even have a rash in the diaper area. There were two nights that were easily the worst nights she's/we've ever had and I ended up having to sleep in her room so that Vince could have her in our room because I had to work the next morning. I woke up often to her screaming, because she didn't sleep either night. But again, we survived! Some of the blisters are peeling off still and her feet are gross, but she's back to being a happy clam and up to her old wildchild antics like climbing on tables and sneaking into the chicken coop.

Vince has been working one day a week and staying home with Devin, which I think has made all of this transition better. He's still trying to figure out what he wants to do when he "grows up", but for now we're all in a good place. I'm finally done with homework and all the extra stuff that goes along with learning, and we're all so ready to just relax and enjoy life. We've been able to do a lot of little activities we've always wanted to do like taking picnics, going to the park, going swimming, etc. Somehow all those things went to the wayside and we were only able to focus on surviving so it's nice to actually live now. I've worked so hard for the last five years to get to this point and I'm relieved to finally say, "I'm a nurse!"

Starting our seedlings.

I learned so much from my gram growing up, like how to whip together a fast and filling meal, how to can in-season food, and how to do a job right the first time. Unfortunately (and fortunately) with gardening, it's a learning experience that is impossible to do right the first time! So in a way it is freeing to just try things out and see how it ends up.

We are starting our seeds way late this year, but hopefully it'll work out anyways. Last year the growing season went way longer than usual (thanks global warming!) so maybe that will happen again this year?

I was hoping to incorporate Devin into helping me, but as expected, her almost 15 month old brain was way more interested in eating dirt and crushing egg shells! So I let her do that while I planted everything.

I couldn't find some of my supplies so I'll be doing more starters in a few days, but we have about 60 for now. We have a really large garden area and I'm not expecting all the starters to survive so I'm doing a lot! Always the pessimist.

As part of my "learning experience", I'm trying some seeds in eggshells and cartons this year. They can be put directly into the soil when it's time to plant so the roots aren't disrupted. I was supposed to poke a hole in the bottom and forgot though, so we'll see how it ends up. I'll be doing another couple dozen in eggs, so hopefully I remember to do those right.

So far the starts are acorn squash, mini cantaloupe, sage, leeks, basil, hot peppers, and celery. I totally forgot about the cherry tomatoes, so I think I'll just buy the starters from the local nursery because there definitely won't be enough time. I can also just plant those now with some walls-o-water. I decided to be smart and kept a record of the planting order that I can now make into labels!

The rest I plan on planting directly into the ground soon include carrots, radishes, potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, gold + green beans, kale, cilantro, cucumber, dill, and rosemary. I really want to can and dehydrate a bunch of stuff at the end of the season and dry a lot of herbs to use through winter because they are so easy to grow.

So that's it! Are you growing anything this summer?

Lovely Day

Today has been one of those perfect spring days, and it's only halfway over! This is my only day off this week with a 35 hour work weekend staring me in the eye, and the weather decided to provide some happiness. I picked up my DSLR for the first time in a long while and snapped some various lovelies around my backyard as I did some yard work. I'm about to go for a run, take a nap/rest time on the couch, then go mountain bike with some sweet ladies!

 

 Some of my pretty ceramic pots broke over winter!

A bee!

Our screen door doesn't close because the door is too small for the frame, so we use a paintbrush to keep it closed!

Full.

Life has been so invigorating and happy and challenging and tiring and full. There has been no time to sit down and write about my life because I've simply been living it. I wake up and go go go until I'm ready to lay my head on my pillow or relax with a book, and I've been enjoying it. That's how I want my life to be; full.

As you can imagine, after my miscarriage I was just...destroyed. I don't even have words to explain it. I allowed myself to sit with that for a few days and just feel it. But then I decided that instead of continuing to sit there I was going to fill my days with all the things that made me feel happy and alive and well. So I've been doing just that. I've been riding my bike, baking paleo brownies that are perfect, painting things 'Sunshine Yellow', reading books, driving fast with the windows down and my hair flying, applying for and starting a new job, playing in the rain, cuddling with my dog and husband, going to see one of my favorite bands, and tending to my garden that is producing so many strawberries I get a few to eat each day and still have some to share with the neighbors.

The thing I've been enjoying the most is exercising and feeling my body continue to get so strong. I'm physically seeing a huge difference in my body and it's such a fun thing to see new muscles pop up! It's also mentally clearing to get out and do something that requires some good concentration.

So with that, I'll leave you a ton of pictures and a promise to write again, but maybe not soon. I'm not sure. I'm busy living, folks.

I started to say that the weather has been really wet so there are tons of caterpillars, but then I remembered it's worms that show up in an abundance in response to rain. Either way, tons of caterpillars everywhere!

Paleo brownies that a friend posted on FB. SO GOOD! Better than any brownie I've ever had. Ever. After cutting them up I individually wrapped some up to keep in the freezer so I wouldn't eat them all in a couple days. Except I did because they are even better frozen since they don't freeze hard because of the coconut oil!

I bought a 1/4 cow! It'll go to the butcher the beginning of September and I'll have fresh grass-fed beef that was raised 7 miles from my house.

Everyone deserves a pair of pink shorts.

Yellow paint can #1.

I saw Streetlight Manifesto at Hard Rock Live in Vegas. I cried from pure happiness. I've now seen 4/5 of my favorite bands!

Strawberries for days.

Rain for days.

Date ride with Vince.

Books! That aren't on the Kindle! 22 so far this year.

We both loved the hideous carpet at the hotel in Vegas. 

Sedona.

Yellow paint can #2.

'Noatmeal' made from ground almonds, coconut flour, maple syrup, and an egg.

Sunday Farmer's Market. I'm too poor to buy anything more.

Diaper butt.

Painted the old sewing cabinet from my grandma. I was worried she'd hate it, but she loved it!

After the rain.