4 lovely years!

Chris & I celebrated 4 lovely years of marriage yesterday!

It's hard to believe that it was 4 years ago we started our journey together...time flies!

My sweet husband had these beautiful roses delivered to work for me yesterday.

We were so tired after work yesterday we ordered Chinese food from our favorite place down the street & stayed in.

It was lovely!

I am so blessed!

Sadie, the circus dog

This is my first attempt ever at loading a video...hope it works!

Chris recently taught Sadie to jump through a hula hoop for a treat.
Occassionally she'll mistakenly do it with no treat involved.

The 2 of them are incredibly amused by her trick, so I videoed it!

Enjoy!

new do...

I got my hair cut last week before we headed out of town.

I was in the mood for something a bit new & different.

Eboni at Aveda was amazing & understood just what I was looking for!

I don't really like the picture of me in general,

but it gives you an idea of my new do!

Over the weekend, we were on the lake so much I made little effort to style it.
This week, I've tried to work on making it look just right.
I decided today that I couldn't do it with out a straightener.

So, I visited Target (I never need an excuse to visit Target anyway!), and found this most fun green straightener...

So far, it's been a good hair day!

I HATE deer...

Yep, you heard me...I HATE deer.

I hate very few species of wildlife outside of snakes (ahhh!), spiders (ewww!), roaches (gross!), and mosquitoes (because they bite me!).

Now, I'm officially adding deer to the list.

I visitied our garden on Monday after being out of town over the weekend only to find that some obnoxious deer had eaten everything in my garden.

He ate the tomatoes that were just getting big,

he ate my tiny baby squash just coming on the vine after the big, beautiful yellow blooms,

he ate my zuchinni (I did salvage one!),

and he ate my cantaloupe vines.

In case he wasn't full & happy enough he came over & ate the beautiful hostas I had planted in our front yard.

Not only were they beautiful, but I put a lot of hard work into planting them & that's when I encountered the horrible poision ivy that left me itching like a mad woman for a week.

Enough said...I HATE deer!

4th of July fun!

We enjoyed a great weekend with lots of 4th of July fun at the Tarr's place on Lake Hartwell.It was nice to have a getaway from home to enjoy all sorts of fun...

evening boat rides on the lake,

hours & hours of Sea Doo riding (I learned how to drive...soooo fun!),

laying in the sun on the dock,

grilled hamburgers and hot dogs,

Boo Boo's fresh strawberry cake,

homemade vanilla & strawberry ice cream,

shopping for 4th fireworks,

laughing with family,

watching the annual tradition of the Tarr men shooting off fireworks (for almost 2 hours!),

homemade barbeque pork,

fresh blueberry pie,

my very own cookie dough pie (I posted the recipe last month & it's sooo easy & very delicious!),

reading,

sleeping,

watching Sadie swim in the lake!

Pretty much, it was a wonderful weekend!...glad to be home though to catch up on some things around the house.

lovely weekend...

It's been a lovely weekend!

For the last month, we've been at home 2 of the 4 weekends, and I've been at work the other 2 weekends.

We have really enjoyed having a weekend at our home!

Here's a recap...

*We got to sleep until 8 a.m. (that's become late for us)

*I made blueberry pancakces for breakfast yesterday.

*We went to the Durham Farmer's Market & picked up some fresh corn.

*Shopped at Kohl's-Chris got jeans & a new polo...I got 2 new shirts!

*Went to Target-Chris got shampoo (less exciting)...I got a new dress (far more exciting)!

*Made our monthly trip to Sam's Club-not much exciting there except that we got a great price on filet mignon...looks like we'll be eating good for the next couple of months.

*just chilled out at home for a few hours

*went to a movie!

*did some much needed work in the yard together

*slept until 8 a.m. again today (2 days in a row-that never happens!)

*enjoyed sipping my coffee this morning while getting ready

*went to a lovely church service

*had lunch with lovely friends on Franklin Street

I'm looking forward to mingling school work with some relaxing for the rest of the afternoon.

Back to work tomorrow...

just not much to say...

I feel like I'm in the mood to blog, but have nothing interesting to say!

So, check out this delicious looking pie I found on one of my favorite blogs (This Mama Cooks).

I'm planning to try it for the weekend of the 4th!

Cookie Dough Pie15 oz. ounce package of Original Chips Ahoy Cookies
8-12 ounces Cool Whip
2 cups milk

Quickly dip cookies in milk, shake off excess liquid, and layer
in 9 inch pie plate, breaking cookies to fill any gaps. Once
the first layer is complete, top with a thin layer of Cool Whip.
Repeat twice more making last layer of Cool Whip a bit thicker.
Garnish with chocolate syrup if desired.

Place in freezer 2-3 hours before serving.

Serves 6-8

role reversal...

I had an opportunity for a bit of a role reversal today...

I got to be (or more aptly put, had to be) a patient.

WARNING: What follows may contain graphic words and thoughts that may turn readers off!

I have had a plantar wart on the bottom of my 3rd left toe for about 6 months now.

When it first appeared I didn't know what it was & for a while it didn't hurt.

But, then it got larger & much more painful.

I self-diagnosed it as a plantar wart & I was right!

My friendly dermatologist froze it for me on 2 different occassions.

It would get better only to return with a vengence in a few weeks.

I finally decided to consult a podiatrist.

It's a bit odd being 25 & needing to see a podiatrist!

I went for my appointment this morning & after looking at it, my new friend the podiatrist told me the best plan of action would be to remove it.

Like any good practitioner should do, she counseled me on the risks associated with the "surgery" as she called it.

I consented & off we went...

The first step was numbing my toe & thank goodness for that!

I've always wondered what the ethyl chloride anesthetic spray I use on my own patients feels like.

Now, I know that it's VERY, VERY cold.

Then I got a digital block.

I'm amazed that I could have just one single toe numbed up.

That was the worst part because I could feel a little stinging when she injected the medication under the skin on top of my foot (ouch!).

Then, perhaps the strangest part...she put 2 tourniquets on my toe.

Who even knew they made tourniquets for the toe!

(I'm probably more amused that most since I'm a nurse.)

And thank goodness my toe was numb by then, because the "scooping" as she called it began.

I could only feel pressure.

She applied a powder to help decrease the bleeding (apparently toes can bleed excessively).

The lovely nurse help pressure and the wrapped my toe up with an absurdly large bandage which I have to leave on until tonight.

They encouraged me rest my foot as much as possible today and soak my toe for the next few nights and then minus the small hole in my toe, I'll be as good as new!

Now, now---I don't do well with "resting", especially when I'm working the next 3 days & have lots to do.

I'm trying to be a compliant patient, but it's not easy.

It's not fun being the patient, but it's good for me to be on the opposite end of the bedside occassionally.

Now, some might think this is disturbing, but I take pictures of everything.

How could this be any different & how could I go without a picture...

Don't worry too much-it's still bandaged!

While I had my foot up, my sweet little Sadie girl was laying near by keeping a close eye on me.
When she wasn't napping that is...

a 1st time for everything...

Sometimes that's a good thing & sometimes it's not!

I certainly wish there had not been a 1st time for my encounter with poision ivy.

Last Tuesday & Thursday I worked on digging up the mounds of day lilies on either side of our front porch.

I've never liked them there, and usually only a handful of them bloom.

I dug them up, turned the soil, added some Nature's Helper, and replaced the lilies with more beautiful hostas & Purple Queen .

Somewhere in the process, I exposed myself to some poision ivy.

I grew up in the middle of a wooded area surrounded by farm land.

I never got poision ivy there!

Funny I should encounter it now...

It's not really funny though...

my right arm looks horrible,

and it itches like CRAZY which is making me CRAZY.

I'm self-treating my ailment with a concoction of creams and Benadryl.
I had forgotten just how sleepy Benadryl makes me, so I'm trying only to take it at night.

I can't wait to be itch-free again!

ABCs of me...

A - Age: 25
B - Bed size: queen
C - Chore you hate: does school work count? if not, folding laundry
D - Dog's name: Sadie
E - Essential start your day item: a long, hot shower; a glass of orange juice; I like coffee on days I can sip on it slowly in my pjs
F - Favorite color: green
G - Gold or Silver: silver
H - Height: 5'3"
I - Instruments you play(ed): flute in middle school, xylophone & cymbals in high school, piano for a long time
J - Job title: Oncology Certified registered Nurse
K - Kid(s): not just yet!
L - Living arrangements: our lovely 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooom home
M - Mom's name: Catherine
N - Nicknames: Babe, Starr, Lovey Fish (my dad has always called me that!)
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: nope
P - Pet Peeve: rude people
Q - Quote from a movie: "There's no place like home." (The Wizard of Oz)
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings: Cheri (22), Abbey (19)
T - Time you wake up: 5:45 if I'm going to work, usually by 8:00 if not
U - Underwear: gotta have it!
V - Vegetable you dislike: beets, collards, turnips
W - Ways you run late: getting lost if I don't know where I'm going; losing track of time while getting ready---I'm usually on-time though
X - X-rays you've had: dental
Y - Yummy food you make: I'm becoming infamous for my molten chocolate cakes, but really I love to cook more than bake
Z - Zoo favorite: elephants (don't know why---I've always like elephants)

Why I love my job...

• I have a job!

• I don't dread getting up to go to work in the mornings.

• Today my patient's daughter asked if I would go home with them.

• I have the BEST co-workers...we are a great team!



• My patients often don't believe that I'm "old enough to be a nurse".

• I love my boss (and no, she didn't pay me to say that).

• My patients are so excited for me to meet their families & friends.

• I get to work the most amazing patients ever...people who are always making the most of a bad situation!

• My patients call me sweetheart, dear, darling, honey...

• I leave work every day feeling like I did atleast 1 small thing to help 1 person.

• I am proud to be a nurse!

• I fall asleep at night realizing just how blessed I really am.
  

home & then home again...

I have spent the last 2 weekends at home in Conyers.

I went home last weekend without Chris to see my cousin Benjamin graduate from Peachtree Ridge High School...

This weekend Chris & I made the trip home to see Erin graduate from our alma mater, Heritage High School...

For the week in between the 2 trips, Abbey was here hanging out with us. We've made it an annual tradition for her to spend a week of her summer here with us.

While Abbey was here we...
*made a trip to Carolina Premium Outlets to hit up the Banana Republic sale!
*rented "New in Town".
*enjoyed lunch at Shiki Sushi...I'm slowly warming up to sushi.
*went to see "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" with Matthew Mcconaughey.
*took an afternoon walk in the Duke Gardens.
*made delicious banana & white chocolate chip muffins.
*went to King's Dominion amusement park in Richmond, VA...so fun!

The past few weeks have been fun, but exhausting.
I'm definitely ready to spend some time at home catching up on things.

Here's the recipe for the delicious muffins we made:
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of mashed banana
1/2 cup of applesauce
4 tablespoons of honey
3/4 cup of white chocolate chips (optional)
Mix first 4 dry ingredients together. Mix last 5 ingredients together. Combine dry and moist ingredients and beat well.
Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes.
Makes 12 yummy muffins!

so much to blog, so little time...

I swear I'll be blogging again next week.

I have so much to blog about but so little time to do it.

We're headed home to Conyers for the 2nd weekend in a row so I pretty much feel like we've been living out of the car for the last 2 weeks.

I'm looking forward to my days off next week....

so much to catch up on around the house,

so much school work to do,

and of course lots of blogging.

See you guys next week!

the great state of Texas...

Mom & I had a wonderful time in the great state of Texas.

We loved spending time on the Riverwalk where the river is beautiful, the music is fun, and the food is spectacular!

We ate lunch Wed. at this excellent Mexican restaurant, Casa Rio, which we later learned was the 1st restaurant to open on the Riverwalk but was originally owned by Germans...crazy!

We of course couldn't forget the Alamo...

The conference was great, somewhat overwhelming, but great.
There were over 5,000 attendees, but everything was so organized we rarely felt like we were in the midst of that many people. At the opening ceremony, we had the opportunity to hear an inspirational speech by breast cancer survivor, Geralyn Lucan.
I can't wait to read her book "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy".

My presentation on Thursday went very well, and many people seemed very interested in my poster.

Here I am with my poster all set up.

We didn't get time to do too much shopping, and I didn't find many souveniers, but I did bring back something that I'm tickled about!

For those who don't know, I love children's books & I'm always on the search for books to add to my ever-growing collection.

I found this one & couldn't turn it down...it's sooo adorable.

From what we saw, I loved the city of San Antonio.
Perhaps I was most amazed by the beautiful array of tropical flowers.
I love to take pictures of flowers wherever I go.
Here are some of my favorite flower shots...

I'd definitely love to visit San Antonio again!

a year from now...

It's hard to believe that in a year from now we'll be moving into yet another new phase in our lives.

This weekend is graduation weekend at both Duke & U.N.C.

That means one more year and it'll be mine & Chris' turn to graduate (again!).

Although we don't know yet whether Chris will graduate in December or May of next year, he will be able to walk at the May ceremony meaning we'll both graduation on the same weekend!

I can't believe that we've been here for nearly 4 years...

the time has flown by!

We've found wonderful places to work & further our education,

we've found a church that we love,

and we've made the best of friends.

We have no idea what we'll be doing or where we'll be going a year from now,

but no matter where we go it will be hard to leave here.

This has become our home.

For now, we'll keep working & studying hard all the while waiting to see what's in store for us in the future!