so close I can taste it.

Wowzers, 40 days! I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that if some little things don't get done, it's not the end of the world and the wedding will STILL be amazing :) We finished the ceremony music selection and the DJ list yesterday and those are mailed off, along with the details sheet for the photographer so they know what shots we want and where. I'm trying really hard not to freak out and over diet the next month, but it is so hard to do! My final dress fitting is Friday, along with the Monument Ave 10K Saturday. At least work prevents me from over doing the running and exercising because I simply can't run on days I work a 12 hour shifts.

So I have made a list of races that I want to do this year, and hopefully will do all of them (depending on what weekends I am working... we are required to work once every 3)

Monument Ave 10k 4/2

Ashland 10k 4/30

Carytown 10k 5/15

Patrick Henry 1/2 marathon 8/27 OR Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon 9/4

Capitol 10 miler 10/1

Wicked 10k 10/29

Richmond 1/2 marathon 11/12

Turkey Trot 10k 11/24

I really wish there were more in June/July, but I haven't found any yet I like.... suggestions??

Off to prep dinner in the crockpot... These cold days always make me crave crockpot yummy dinners! More later on what I choose :)

xo

whew!

Beau was begging for Lilo's bone, knowing that he had already finished his, so he just stared at it... he's so adorable I can't help but take hundreds of pictures of him...

With only 45 days to go, needless to say I haven't put aside much time to update the 'ole blog! Wish I could say that all checks were signed, but there's going to definitely be a push over the next few weeks to finish paying for everything. Time to live thrifty! Oh wait, that hasn't stopped since nursing school ;)

Speaking of which, I am LOVING my job. I love my patients, crazy or not, and feel like a sponge at work, learning more and more every day. My preceptor and I have been working very well together and she gives me the space that I need and is right there when I need her which fits for me perfectly. It has been an adjustment from working for a state hospital to a catholic hospital, but I feel it is the change that I needed and will love in the long run.

And running! I slacked off for a little while, but I am improving over the last few weeks :) I have logged 16 miles so far this week with my 5 miles Saturday, 6 Sunday, and 5 more today. Feels so good to be back in the groove since the weather is finally improved! It was in the 70s today, but is getting colder this weekend, unfortunately since we have plans for the Irish Festival this weekend. Guess we will just have to bundle up Saturday!

Is it crazy that I am already thinking about going back to school? I am playing with the idea of starting my bachelors degree in nursing next January, but after telling this to someone, they questioned me "why don't you just do the RN to MSN track?!". Hmm. Much to think about. If I do my BSN, I can remain with the same nursing school that I was originally with in which I know the teachers and feel comfortable. If I do MSN, I have to go elsewhere. Comfortable or new?? Always something that I have had a hard time determining....

We had an awesome time visiting friends in northern VA last weekend :) felt so good to just let our hair down and be "goofy" again together :)

Oh, and my poor cat Twix had to have major mouth surgery. The poor thing had gingivitis and ended up getting so badly inflamed that she had to have 9 teeth pulled. 9 FREAKIN TEETH! My poor little toothless twix! She has, however, become a whole new cat since they were removed. She is crazy as can be and finally has tolerable breath :)

Well, back to my movie :) I am so loving the freedom of no school and just relaxing with my babe every night... Maybe school can wait a little longer :)

xo

ps, John is about 2 months free of cigarets! I am SOOOO proud of him :)

My babies at the back door loving spring :)

i'm a bad blogger

I've been a very bad blogger. Laying around on this lazy Sunday morning, I thought to myself "wow, it's been forever since I've blogged!". So here goes, my crazy busy life...

First of all, has anyone had Sweet Frog frozen yogurt? OMG best new hot spot in Richmond, hands down. They have this amazing wall of frozen yogurt that you can mix and match whatever you like... my most recent was peach and chocolate mixed :) Then, you get to add whatever toppings from the amazing options. I personally LOVE the fruit/chocolate/nut/reese's pieces combo :) It's all I can do to ONLY indulge maybe once a week, but YUM!

So I have also been working on my DIY wedding goodies the past few weeks, including my shell frame which I painted a off white then glued shells that John and I have collected over the past few years and this will be over the picture frame "guest book" for our guests to sign at the wedding! I love love love this idea to showcase the "guest book" frame as something to hang on the wall, instead of the traditional guest books that get put away and never looked at again. It also makes me feel very crafty to do things like this for the wedding and putting my personal touches here and there :) There are a few others but life has been CRAZY the last month with the new J-O-B!
I have also gotten hooked to making granola all the time, even John has developed a love of it, too! He has been snacking on that more than he does on sweets now, choosing that for desert sometimes instead of ice cream... SO incredibly proud of him and the lifestyle changes that he has been making recently... including QUITTING SMOKING! We hit the one month Thursday that he has quit and I couldn't be more proud! He has become a gum-o-holic, but I'll take that any day over cigarettes! He is also working out with me at least 2 times a week and about to run his first race with me in a month at the Ukrop's 10k. SO proud I could burst! :)
So, my new job is amazing and I love love love going to work every day :) I have been working for 5 weeks now as a registered nurse and couldn't be happier with my life decisions I made to make it where I am now in my life. Over the past few weeks, we went through computer charting training, hospital orientation, and super preceptor where we got to practice all the skills that we didn't have the opportunity to do in nursing school. Of these, I got to place foley catheters, straight cath, NG tubes, OG tubes, IV starts, blood draws, central/PICC line pulls and dressing changes, Code Blue, tube feeding, blood administration, PCA pumps, and much much more. It was a great experience and I feel like just practicing and watching those things over the last few weeks will help to give me the confidence I need when I hit the floor for real starting TOMORROW! My first week of work and I am scheduled for 44 hours! Hit the ground running I suppose :) 3 12 hour shifts await me, along with a basic arrhythmia class to perfect my knowledge of EKG strips and recognizing different heart rhythms since all patients on my unit are on telemetry monitors. Needless to say, this is part of why I have been such a slacker on blogging, because I have been brain dead after work from the mass knowledge being crammed in ;) Did I mention that I LOVE my job?!
And to top everything off, only 69 days until the wedding! It's been rather cute to see Prince William and Kate's count down on TV since theirs is one week before ours :) Bet she hasn't done ANY DIY stuff for theirs! We started marriage counseling a few weeks ago and it has been very helpful and eye opening and I really think it is going to help us to be a better couple. We are both getting so excited about the wedding and I can't wait for it to finally get here! I had my first dress fitting yesterday and got all pined up for my alterations to be made and will pick up my dress April 1st! We also got a necklace yesterday for me to wear with pearls and shells that I fell in love with. The bridal shower is next Saturday and I am so excited to see all my girl friends that I haven't seen in forever :)

So back to my lazy Sunday... seems like everyone is napping except for me in my house! I think I'll catch up on some reading until John wakes so we can go for a run... Happy Sunday everyone!

absent minded at times.

First off, we have finally decorated for Christmas! We actually got a REAL tree this year, which the smell is AMAZING, but good Lord the needles keep falling! Especially with the crazy cat running under it.... My parents, sister, and nephew came over last night for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday. I was really really REALLY excited about making a butternut squash soup that I adapted from a coworker's recipe that she shared with me. We ate this, chicken with pomegranate (not the best thing I have ever cooked...), and orzo. The soup was SO easy to make!

Butternut Squash Soup

3 tbsp butter

3 medium butternut squash (cubed)

5 cups chicken broth

1 medium white onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tbsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup light cream

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 4 minutes. Stir in cubed squash and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and cumin and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add light cream and salt/pepper to taste. Stir well and serve!

I served it with a dollop of sour cream on top and some basil sprinkled and it was delicious and such a beautiful orange color! I loved it so much so that I just had a second bowl for lunch today and will probably do the same tomorrow :)

So on to today. I feel SO incredibly stupid and have no excuse but my absent mindedness. I had my Surfn Santa 10 miler this morning in VA Beach, so after scurrying around this morning, stopping at several gas stations trying to get gas (or a OPEN gas station), we were on the road for our 1.5 hour drive to the race. At Williamsburg, about half way there, I discovered that in our hurry, I had totally forgotten my running shoes. I mean REALLY? REALLY? How does a person leave for a RACE and forget her running shoes? So, needless to say, we turned around and drove back home with my tail tucked between my legs like a dummy. Oh well. There's always other races, but I was pretty excited about this one. I need to sign up for another, but definitely need to wait until money isn't so tight, so it may be a little while. I better keep motivated! The good news is that John is running the 10k this year with me on April 2nd!!! I'm SO excited he has committed to this and we begin training in January!

I did have a cool, new experience yesterday at clinical :) I put in my FIRST NG tube! For the non-medical peoples out there, this is a nasogastric tube placed in the nose, down the throat, and into the stomach either to administer tube feedings or medications, or to relieve distention from "back-up" or undigested food due to a blockage somewhere along the GI tract, among many other things that could be wrong. This poor 18 year old chap had a belly so distended that he looked 7 months pregnant. I initially was in the room to just assist, but the nurse asked if I wanted to do it, which I responded "well, I never have...", and she said "ok, you can do it now!" AHH! I was definitely shaking and nervous, but did it with no problem! Very exciting for me, not so much for my poor patient. Hope he is feeling better today...

Also, we went bowling Thursday for the annual memorial bowling tournament for my grandfather. My grandfather passed away about 8 years ago around Thanksgiving, and since he was such an avid bowler, every year our family, both here and in Cincinnati, OH & Charlotte, NC, all go bowling. Whoever gets the highest score gets to hold the trophy thru the next year, in which we use one of my grandfather's old bowling trophies. It's a pretty cool tradition, but I unfortunately did not inherit the bowling gene. I am a HORRIBLE bowler! But the shoes are pretty fun :)

Time for some studying for my exam Monday. Only a presentation, one clinical, and one final exam left to get through after Monday! The suspense is killing me!

xo

back to reality.

So! Yes, it's been quite a while since I last posted. John's wonderful grandmother, Maw-joe, passed away a week ago today and it has been a heck of a ride the last few weeks. We went to Radford, VA the Friday prior to visit because we had been told that "it won't be long", etc for quite some time. But, as was her nature, she fought her way through the entire weekend! John and I came back Sunday night because I had an exam Monday morning, then returned to Radford right after my exam (a 3.5 hour drive). About one hour after we arrived, she passed away very peacefully and when she decided she wanted to. After that, it was a whirl-wind of a week, viewing Tuesday, funeral Wednesday, Thanksgiving Thursday, back that night and back to work all weekend for me. All well worth the craziness, because I know I was right were I needed to be, supporting John's family and doing everything I could to help them. Maw-joe did say on Friday, when she was last responsive to John and I, "Love ya" just as she always had when we visited her, and I know he and I will cherish that forever.

So back to reality for this chica! And, ONLY 2 WEEKS LEFT OF CLASS!!!! Thank God! The end is truly in sight, and man it looks good! Some how, after studying MAYBE 2 hours for my exam last Monday, I managed a 98 on it, better than I have done in forever. I think that Maw-joe was sitting right next to me taking it for me because I can't remember one question on that test.

10 mile race in Virginia Beach is this Saturday! The Surf n Santa 10 miler! Even though most of the girls I had planned on running with have decided not to run, I still have a couple to buddy up with :) And the schwag for this race is awesomeeee! Probably not a great idea for me to have taken a week off from running while I was out of town this past week, but I ran a little over 6 miles with dad yesterday and felt pretty good after. My knees definitely started aching about mile 5, but I think the 10 miler Saturday will be fun and not too hilly. We shall see how it goes!

Off to do some NCLEX reviewing, especially since I am planning on taking it in a month! Must.concentrate.now.

xo

B

I may not be able to get out of bed tomorrow...

I saw this at Fresh Market the other day and had to take a picture.... What the heck is that and what can I make with it?!

SO! I just got my tail handed to me at the gym. To the point of STILL feeling shaky over 45 minutes post-workout. This is all in the attempt to start toning more. I have lost the weight and am SO incredibly happy with that, but now it's time to tighten up a few spots that could stand a little work. My awesome workout buddy, Caroline (whom I have made her swear to never charge me for training when she becomes professional trainer some day), had me doing a whole series of squats, arms, abs, all with 1 minute intervals on the treadmill in between each set at 8.5 mph... the last one literally making me almost throw up. I had a "biggest loser moment". I was also thrilled to see that the pool is ALMOST done at my gym, so I will definitely be jumping in ASAP! Maybe my fantasy of triathlons are not too far out of reach ;)

Any who, heard some bad news today... John's grandmother (Maw-Jo), who was just this past weekend placed in a hospice-like facility, has taken a turn for the worse and is becoming more and more unresponsive :( I wish so bad that I could be there for the family, but between school and work can definitely not make it there until at least Thursday. Maw-Jo is a hilarious 80-something who I have so enjoyed getting to know over the past 3.5 years, watching her in her rocker gossiping about some good 'ole Radford juicy gossip, her loving heart for her family and her dogs, and has never skipped a beat with her tough love. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, along with John and his family as they handle it the best they know how to... together. I feel so blessed to have each and every one of them as my family :)

Busy month coming up!!!!!

~Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving morning

~THANKSGIVING!!! :) :) :)

~Mom, my niece, and my soon-to-be father-in-law's birthdays

~Surfn' Santa 10 miler in VA Beach Dec 4th

~Final exam EVER in nursing school

~NCLEX review

WHEW! Exhausted just thinking about it all, but I can't seem to stop staring at my calendar! My motto, keep busy and it FLIES by! Even more exciting is the new countdown until I start my new job as an RN :) Only 69 days!

And ps, only 172 days until I'm a married woman!

xo

My first half on my half!

I successfully completed my FIRST HALF MARATHON, with my 68 year old father, and on my half birthday! (yikes, half way to 28!) It was absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done, but I will definitely do it again. My time was around 2:20, but I'm still waiting for the results to be posted.... Next up, Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving day & Surfin Santa 10 miler on December 4th! Gotta stick with it if I'm going to make it a lifestyle for good! The best motivation to me is that I keep amazing myself with my accomplishments. I have been running now for almost a year and actually stuck to it (except a week here or there). I think I'll lay off running until next weekend, then start back up before the 10k since that is in only 12 days! I came across this quote and loved it: "Just like coffee, running is an acquired taste. And also like coffee, it can be quite addicting if you'rewilling to power through the initial bitter taste". Ain't that the truth!

So in my crazy nervousness last night, I made some Pumpkin Butter Oat Squares with Candied Pecans and OH MY were they delicious! I still haven't gotten tired of pumpkin, it's just such a perfect cooking element :) And the oat squares were a great treat for after the race!

Off to ice and nap a tad more... more later :)

xo

Here are a few shots from the race....

SO cold!

Last sprint for the finish line!

DONE! Next please!

HUGE weight lifted!

I got the most AMAZING news yesterday... I got hired at the hospital I wanted as a new grad RN on the post surgical and bariatric unit!!!!!!!!!!! A whole month prior to completing nursing school and I HAVE A J-O-B! I called John jumping and screaming with joy :) AND to make it even better, one of my favorite girls in nursing school is accepting a job on the same unit! Thank you God, because I feel so incredibly blessed :)

MORE awesome news, I booked a photographer for the wedding! Double whammy blessings, all yesterday! We had a phone interview Monday, and they told us someone else had inquired and talked about the same date, but they would give me first dibs if they tried to book because I had contacted them first, so sure enough, we got a call yesterday and had to make a quick decision... and I said YES to the photographer! ;) I'm a dork, yes, but a darn happy one!

The stars are aligned after much work and patience...

Only 3 days until the half marathon!!! I'm worried because I haven't run since Sunday, but I have been loading myself with carbs (PASTA PASTA PASTA!) and drinking tons of water, even going to add salt to my food the next two days (YUCK!) to help myself retain water a bit to prevent dehydration during the race... wow, I got hardcore all of a sudden!

No cooking for this chica today, but I plan to make something delicious tomorrow night :)

xo

6 months until marriage :)

WOW how time flies! After feeling like the big day will never come and now being engaged for 1 year and 3 months... only 6 MONTHS until our wedding! Unfortunately, it will be just me and the critters tonight since John is headed to North Carolina for work, but it's still pretty special :)

AND only 6 days until the half marathon! I ran 5 miles today and was super sore after, but I blame it completely on the cold. Man that cold air hurts my joints! Thankfully, they are calling for 67 degrees next Saturday :)

On another note, we got a new stove! My landlord rocks. We emailed her to let her know that 2, yes 2, of the stove burners were not working (SO not conducive to my cooking addiction!) and her response: "Ok, guess we will get you a new one!" Score!

Anywho, enough for tonight... first Transitions test tomorrow and I have a LOT of studying to do. Good thing it's nice and quiet ;) After this, only 2 tests, 1 final, and NCLEX left for nursing school! 5 weeks left of nursing school!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life is such a count down these days... lots to look forward to!

xo

oh hai November!

BURR! The temperature only went up to the mid 50s today, a perfect start to November I suppose! Just makes it super difficult to pull myself out of my nice cozy bed...

I tried to start the day with a bang, sick of hearing my poor Lilo scratching, so I popped both the dogs in the bathtub (at 6am) and tried my best to relieve her of itchy skin and just clean Beau up (because I've discovered that boy dogs are just so darn DIRTY all the time!). After feeling so productive so early in the day, I made a Pumpkin Pie Monster, one of my many favorite treats from Angela at Oh She Glows, a perfect breakfast on the way to class & work!

Pumpkin Pie Monster

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp blackstrap molasses

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

2 large ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth!

I have added a banana occasionally when I am super hungry, which thickens it up nicely and fills me up more and longer! A girl from one of the units I work on frequently at work called me at work the other day to say "I just thought I'd thank you for telling me about Pumpkin Pie Monsters... They ROCK!". Nuff said :)

The rest of today was moderately productive after class... went for a 2 mile walk with the pups, cut the grass (hopefully the last time this year), weeded the front flower beds (hopefully without getting poison ivy like last time), studied a bit, and cooked dinner (Baked Chicken Parmesan) and some Buttery Apple Streusel Oat Squares... maybe a good desert with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream tonight?! The whole house currently smells like baked apples... YUM! John called me Betty Crocker... I asked if she was also a runner, then I would take the nickname ;)

Running in the COLD tomorrow morning... better get my fleece, gloves, beanie, and long pants out! Only 12 days until the half marathon!

Outer Banks weekend :)

So, my parents, fiance, and I went to the Outer Banks for the weekend to do some wedding planning and got SO MUCH done! Such a relief to get stress off my shoulders. Here is what was done:

Toured the house where the ceremony & reception will be held

Booked the catering with Good Life Gourmet (LOVE!)

Booked flower/decor with Embelishers (LOVE!)

Found a cake maker and designed our cake with Great Cakes (LOVE LOVE!)

Bought dad's outfit for the ceremony

We still have to get a photographer & DJ, but got lots of good recommendations while down there, I just need a little break to take in everything. It's amazing how STRESSFUL wedding planning is! Especially when you are doing it from a distance...

Anywho! I can't get enough of cooking these days! I made apricot & lemon chicken with orzo tonight. I was absolutely starved, probably due to dad & I running 10 miles this morning :) Less than 2 weeks until the half marathon! YIKES!

Apricot & Lemon Chicken

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 chicken breasts

cooking spray

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup apricot preserves

Mix curry, salt, and black pepper in small bowl. Rub all over chicken. Spray medium pan with spray and heat to medium-high. Cook chicken 6 minutes each side. Remove chicken from heat. Mix water, lemon juice, and apricot preserves for 2 minutes over medium heat in pan, scraping off bottom of pan yummy scrapings. Pour over chicken & serve!

YUM! Easy, quick, yummy :)

Off to catch up on some reading and listen for more trick-or-treaters knocking!

Happy Halloween!

xo