Honeymoon

We were originally going to take a cruise to the Meditteranean (France, Spain, Italy), but decided not to spend the time or money. We decided to spend a week in the Poconos. Nice, relaxing time. We had some decent weather. Mostly 60's, some rainy days. Which, was ok. We shopped a little on the rainy day, and spent most of it inside watching movies and taking naps.

Fist day there we went to Bushkill Falls. It is known as the "Niagara of Pennsylvania". It was no niagara, but was still fun. Lots of trails. We decided to do the hardest and longest of them all. It was a 2 hour hike, but very nice. Not many people do that trail, so we only saw two couples the whole time. We chose to do that one, cuz you see the waterfalls on that hike. The others you only get to see one or two, there five or six later on our hike we get to see.

This is one at the beginning. We asked another couple to take a pic for us. They did, that was nice.


This is overlooking PA. It was very serene to look out and see all the trees and no sound. Very peaceful.


The next day we chose to go horseback riding. It was fun. They had 45 minute rides, 2 hour adventure rides, and 4 hour rides. We did the 2 hour adventure ride. It was a ton of fun. We saw some turkeys, but didn't get pics of them. They have like 50 acres of land, and we go on a very rocky trail, up and down and even got to trot a few times. It was cool. I was hurting at the end, my ankles and knees, but after walking back to the car I wasn't hurting as bad. Two days later was another story. Actually what hurt the most was my sides. Probably from wobbling back and forth while on the horse. Oh, and they weren't even horses. They were mules. Mix between a donkey and a horse. They choose mules because they respond better to commands. It was still fun.
This is us on the trails!

My horses name was Cherokee. After we were finished they told us to let the horse go where it wants. It will chose the feeder it wants to go to. Well, my horse had another plan. He was very strong. Frequently on the trail, he would stop to eat the flowers (which is candy to them). They didn't want us to allow them to eat, so they instructed us to pull their heads away and just continue on. I tried. There was no way I could pull his head away. Very strong!! And strong willed. At the end when he would "know where to go", he decided to go everywhere but there.

So, this is me trying to get Cherokee back to where he was supposed to go. I guess my ride wasn't over.


Just a fun pic of us at Friendly's. A restaurant with ok food, but great desserts!!


Last day there, we decided to rent bikes. We chose a place that had a brochure stating "Downhill the whole way, we'll pick you and bring you back". So we thought that would be great. Rent the bikes, ride along the trail (used to be old railroad tracks-now a nice gravel trail) downhill and enjoy the scenery. Not so much. We had signed up to do the 25 mile ride. There was a 10 mile ride, but that didn't seem like much, so we went with the 25. Turned out, It was a 2% grade, so iti felt flat to us. Plus, about mile 15 or so, for about 7 or 8 miles, we had a head wind. It was so cold, and it felt like we were peddling backwards. I swear we weren't moving, but we were.
This is us stopped along the road somewhere near the beginning. It was neat scenery, very fun, even with the wind. I would do it again.



Another fun picture, but just look at the trail, very nice!!


This is one of my favorite of the scenery. I wouldn't mind getting this blown up and put in a frame!!


The End. It was 5 days of bliss and we were ready to get back home. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast. It was neat, but not our bed. Plus, she made some interesting breakfasts. Most were good, some were not.

A Few More

Let me know when you get tired of these. For now it is just work again. Hopefully in June I can start working only 36 hours a week (fulltime and what I am supposed to be working) instead of the 48 or 60 I have been, and will be for a few weeks.
We don't have anything planned for the summer yet, but are starting to think of a few things. Maybe camping or something fun. We have talked about going to Williamsburg, VA. It is a ton of fun and lots of history. Can't wait. I will leave you with a couple more pics to enjoy of the wedding.


Mara and I before the wedding


Getting Ready


Cutting the cake. Don't you love the BIG green catering truck in our pictures. Silly people.


Butterfly!! They didn't go far after we released them. They are very tame and just stayed on my finger. I found this one on my dress.

A couple to leave you wanting more...

New Name

So, I noticed on Jeffrey's blog, he did a cool name thing. Check to see how many people have the same name as you. So, since I am recently married, I checked with my new name. Results below:

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= many have your name?

Here is a cool pic of us at our wedding. Of course, more pics to come. We head home tomorrow (Monday), then off to our honeymoon on Wednesday. We were thinking of doing some name change errands on Tuesday. We will see what we can get done.

Can you believe it??

The countdown is almost complete. We are home and just running the errands that need to be done. We are getting really excited. Can't wait!!

Guests start arriving tomorrow.

Festivities start Friday and go through Sunday. Wow. Just a couple days away till that happens. Tomorrow I get my final fitting for my dress, men pick up their tuxes. Yeah.

Making some welcome baskets and wrapping some gifts. Fun, fun, fun!

I have been pretty tired, but I think that is mostly because I am awake in the day time, switched back to west coast time, and just getting rest from working SO much lately. This vacation time has been nice. I have actually had time to do some leisure reading, took a few naps, and haven't felt rushed.

I have been reading about the FLDS lad that escaped a few years ago. Since the raid has been in the news of the polygamist ranch in Utah/Arizona area, I have been following it. I heard about this girl that escaped and wrote about her life. So far, very interesting. I can't believe these women live like that. The book is really good. I feel bad for all of them.

Oh, Shaun and I also went and got some (more) engagement pictures. Our wedding photographer wanted to meet with us ahead of time, to get to know us, so we can get to know him, and he can see how we do in front of the camera. He said we are naturals and very fun. He is excited to do our wedding. He even had a viewing ready for us the next morning. That was today. We had chosen about 14 really great photos. We ordered one for the wedding. It will be on display as guests arrive. It is REALLY good. I can't wait for the wedding photos. He is a ton of fun, and a great photographer. We made the right choice.

Matter of fact, so far we have been very pleased with almost all the vendors that we chose. We will have to see how Saturday goes. So far, it looks good. See you there!!

Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon

Ok.

I am gonna do it.

Seriously.

I am.

I found someone at work that wants to do it with me, so we will train together. The run is August 31, 2008 in Virginia Beach, VA. I will start training after the wedding/honeymoon. That will give us three whole months to train, plus a couple weeks. Of course, I haven't started running yet, but I will, give me time. Right now I am still working crazy hours. When we get back, I will have two weeks for 60hr weeks, but then will be done with that. Then, I will pick up a shift when I want, maybe 1 or 2 a month, not a week like I have been.

This is a good thing. Not doing it to lose weight (great if I do), not doing to get healthy (great if I do), not doing it to get in shape (great if I do). I am just doing it! No goals, other than to do it!

Now, Shaun is supposed to be gone for a month in Aug. Aug 11- Sept 11th. So, he won't be here to see me run, but I did promise him, there will be others! This is not the end. Just like the last few years haven't been the end. Just took a little break. I am ready to come back.

On a side note: 10 days to go till the wedding. I work the next couple days, then we leave early Saturday morning (7:50 am) to head home to WA. We are getting so excited. Everything is done and ready except the things that have to be done in the days right before the wedding. So, we will have a busy week, but it will be fun! See you all in just a few short days!!!

Before and Afters

Here are some of the updates that have been keeping us busy, and away from bloggerland...

Before: This is a view of the Living Room Wall. We decided it needed a color on it. Although, we didn't want to make the entire room dark, we did want a nice bold color.

After: This is what we chose. It is the background of the accent chair from our living room set. You can see it in the picture as well. We love it.


Before: This is view #1 from our extra bedroom. It is a burnt orange color. Very drab. We live on the terrace level, so we are partly below ground. Having this room dark, with the little bit of light that did shine in, made it feel very small.

View #2-same room.

After: This is our new room. We call it the yellow room. Very pale yellow (although the picture doesn't portray that very well) with a soft green for accents. It is very soothing, and I just love being in here.

View #2 of the yellow room. This pic gives a better idea of the yellow.

Before: This is our entry way. Very small. Soon as you enter, you have to turn left into the condo. We needed to spice things up a bit. All the walls are this very plain creme/off white color. As you can see, we also have a white (-ish) brick wall. Something needed to go here.

After: Voila. We have a beautiful stresses finish, hand-painted table. It is beautiful. Now, the color on the wall, is not that vibrant. It is called "Salsa Diane". It matches the pink/red in the flowers on the table, and just adds to the entry way. Something that says...."welcome to our home" Eventually we will have a mirror on the wall and maybe some candles. For now, still very plain, but plain with color!!

Another view of the table/wall.

Those are some of the things we have done around here. Trying to add our own touch on things. Of course, I am not sure the condo likes it very much, cuz it spoke back to us a couple days ago. Our kitchen sink has clogged up. I have tried plunging, I have tried Drano, I don't know what to try now. I have an email into our association manager. I think these pipes might be covered under building maintenance, because our pipes connect with our neighbors pipes. They left a note on our door asking if we had been having problems. Of course, they just assumed it was OUR problem and proceeded to tell me that WE needed to call and get it fixed. I am sure it was my fault, but that is NOT the point. It all started after I made Shaun his carrot cake. I put the extra carrot scrapings down the drain....I used the garbage disposal, but apparently it wasn't enough, I don't know. I will keep you update on that saga, as more news develops.

As for now, Shaun's Dad and sister will be coming to visit. Deanna (his sister) has graciously decided to throw me a bridal shower, so that is Saturday. I can't wait. I even have a friend from work coming too. Yeah! They come tonight, so I had better get some sleep, so I am well rested when they get here! I am off for two days, I am SO excited!!

Remodeling

Shaun and I are trying to make a few changes around here. We love our new place, but want to add a fresh coat of paint and change things up a bit. I have been keeping him pretty busy.
Our plans:
1. Paint spare bedroom. We decided on a pale yellow. Shaun has some green curtains from his barracks room that will work perfectly in there. We bought a small futon to go in there. Found a small desk from Wal-mart that will go perfectly in there. Most things will be white, but the futon is tan/blue/white. I think it will go well.
2. Paint entry way for color and design. We found a great table at overstock that we ordered. Can't wait for it to get here. It is an antiqu finish, kind of white/cream with some hand painted flowers. Not too much though. We have a brick entry way on one wall, and right now, all the walls are a cream/off-white color. Very bland. Things blend into the wall very easily. So, thinking of painting it a nice mauve color, to bring out the flowers and spice it up a bit. I love accent walls!
3. Shaun wants to build some nice shelves to go in the living room. He has been drawing stuff up for a month now. He has got it all planned out, but I think this one has to wait until after the wedding. It will go on our carribean blue wall.
4. Paint our bedroom. Want it a soft, pale blue. Almost white, but blue. We have a blue/tan/cream colored quilt. Also found some tan curtains that match it perfectly. In order to lighten the room, we need to make it softer. Right now there is a burnt tan on the wall. Its ok for now, but needs to go!

In general, all the walls need something.

Some long term goals:
1. Paint kitchen. Right now all the cupboards are white, but on the inside a bright teal color. It is pretty neat, but I have a pink/black/white kitchen, so I want them pink. Yes, I have discussed this with Shaun, and he is ok with it, but he gets to approve the pink color first!
2. New floors in bathroom. We have this small (1 in x1 in) tile floor (both bathrooms) and they are icky. I think if we take them up, and find a nice flooring that will stay cleaner (easier to clean will do), then it would be way better. Maybe even the kitchen floor too. We'll see.
3. New sliders/windows. They aren't that good. They will do for now, and maybe for a couple years!
4. Some yard work, in the small yard that we have. Want to add some flowers and take out some ugly stuff that is there.

I think that about sums things up!!! Looks like we have lots of stuff to do!

Almost had a night off...

Shaun came home early. We enjoyed an early dinner, and some much needed cuddle time. Was about to head to Target to look at some stuff, then to Lowe's to do paint shopping.


Ring. Ring.

(Look at Caller ID-Hospital where I work) I was thinking to myself, Hmmm, they gonna ask me to come in tonight. I am already working 5 days this week, so I didn't want to go in.

Mary (charge nurse): " You on your way in? (It is about 7:30 pm at this time, regular shift starts at 7pm)

Kathleen: "Uh, no" Thinking, is this your way of asking me to work tonight?

Mary: "You are scheduled to be here"

Kathleen: "No, I am off tonight, I work tomorrow night"

Mary: " I have you on the schedule, we really need you."

Kathleen: Looking at my calendar-"Sure enough, I screwed up. I guess I am supposed to be there. I guess I will be there in a few."

Mary: "Thanks, see you when you get here."

So, turns out, Shaun and I didn't get to go to Target/Lowe's last night. I had to go to work. Luckily I slept most of the day, so it wasn't bad. The only downside, I had to leave. I never get to Shaun anymore, its getting really hard to leave in the evening.

But, I like my job, and the time passes pretty quickly. Last night was no exeption. I had a busy night, and the time flew. However, it was almost too busy the last couple hours. I had a very busy pt, that kept all my time, not allowing me to see my other pts (who were all admitted-waiting for beds on the floors). I don't like it when that happens.

Oh well. I am home now, and tonight I get off. So tonight we will go to Target/Lowe's and do what we wanted to do last night.

Fun Times!!

Wedding Update

Well, 4 weeks to go now. I had an awesome time at home. Jen threw me an amazing shower. I was so excited to see everyone who came. I know many of you missed it-shame on you. Kidding. You missed a great shower, but I know you are planning to come to the wedding, so can't wait to see you there!

I got my dress all fitted. Even had to take an inch off each side. That was nice. Now, I just have to try to maintain that size. Of course, it is the size I have been for weeks/months now, so it shouldn't be too hard.

I think we have everything all planned. We made some consultations with some people. Most aren't used to working with the Bride so far out from the wedding, but it was the only time I will be there between now and the actual wedding. Gotta make some changes when you live across the country. They have all been very accomodating.

**Actually wrote this a while ago, then forgot about it...sorry folks!!**

Bridal Shower

This weekend is my bridal shower(today actually). I got into town Thursday night. Yesterday was filled with wedding chores. We had to approve flowers and finalize those. We had to apply for marriage license. We had to get tuxes squared away. And then some little odds/ends here and there. Lots of fun.
Today is the shower, my final dress fitting. I know it is early, but there isn't any other time I will be here to get fitted, except the week before. So, I think this is it. I will have to try to maintain my weight (which shouldn't be too hard, I have been doing that for months now-just not the weight I want to be at.) so I can fit into my dress in 6 weeks.
I don't think very many people are able to make the shower, so it will be small and intimate, but that is ok. I understand bridal showers aren't exactly on the top of everyone's to-do list, and it is Easter weekend. Oh well.
I am off to my fitting with my bridesmaid, Suzy. She has been hanging with me all weekend. How great it is to spend time with one of my best friends, that I get to see about 2-3 times per year (if I am lucky).

A little break

I get a little break from working so many hours. Next two weeks I will only be working full time hours. That is 36 hrs, three 12 hour shifts (night). I am headed home Thursday for my bridal shower and get 6 (much needed) days off.

Funny thing, I actually feel guilty for only working 36 hours. Like I should be trying to fit more extra days in. I know that is crazy, but the thought has crossed my mind.

I know I NEED these days off, and I DESERVE these days off, but still can't help but feel guilty. Oh well...I am sure I will get over that quickly, when I am headed home to see my family/friends. Yup, will get over that REAL quick!!

I can't wait. So I guess 90% excited and can't wait/10% guilty. That isn't much at all, easy to silence that guilt!! :)

DONE!

Night Shifts

Grrr.

That is all that I can say.

Grrr.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't picking up extra shifts and working 5 nights a week (12 hours each night). But, right now, we need the extra money.

I am really looking forward to coming home for my bridal shower in a couple weeks. I fly home Thursday and come back on Tuesday. That will be a really nice break for me. In addition to having 6 days off (in a row), I only work regular full time hours both those weeks, none extra. So that is also a nice break.

Then, 5 weeks after that...Shaun and I fly home to get married. We can't wait. We are getting really excited. We are hearing about more and more people making reservations to come. Alot more from his side of the family are coming, than we originally had guessed. Which is way exciting.

I get three weeks vacation for the wedding/honeymoon. That will be so nice!! We were going to spend a week cruise in the Meditteranean, but when we bought our house, some priorities changed. We cancelled that expensive trip, and decided to take a nice, relaxing week in the Poconos, at a really nice Bed and Breakfast. Hiking, relaxing, swimming, relaxing, horseback riding, relaxing, shopping, relaxing, hottubbing. I think you get the point.

Then it will be back to night shifts, but I am only picking up extra shifts into June. After that, it is only fulltime regular work hours for me. Except an occasional extra shift, here or there.

I know this crazy schedule is only temporary, but it sure stinks while I am doing it. I don't get much done around the house, and I am so tired on my days off. But Shaun is great, he picks up the slack for now. I love that man! He is amazing. And soon, he will be my amazing husband. I can't wait!!! :)

Anniversary

Today, Shaun and I have been together for one year. We have exactly two months to go before we say "I do!"
Nothing major planned. I worked last night, and Shaun works all day. When he comes home, we will go out to dinner and go see a movie. That is our excitement for now.
Countdown for the wedding, we really can't wait for that. I am sure the next few weeks will just fly by.
I get to fly home in a couple weeks for my bridal shower. Yippee!!

Goodbye Sadie

Well, we decided we would put Sadie up for adoption. Some things that made us decide:

1. Puppies are supposed to make you happy, she was making us more frustrated from day-to-day than anything.

2. She wasn't learning. Either that, or we didn't know how to train her. Dachshunds are very stubborn, require a lot of time and training. Neither of us were able to make changes to our schedules to allow more time. We weren't home nearly enough to train her the way she needed trained.

3. She is young, and will learn with a new family better now than later. We figure if we waited, she may still never be trained (since our lifestyle wasn't changing) and then she would be a year old dog that wasn't trained. Most people would rather adopt a puppy that needs training than a dog.

4. Neither of us were really attatched to her. I think mostly because of the reasons above. She was cute, but most days she was frustrating. Rambunctious and destructive at times. Some days were good, others were bad. No consistency.

5. She was bored. It isn't fun staying at home alone all day, and when we came home, we played with her for a while, but not enough for her liking.

So, we put her in the Baltimore Sun and after about 6 hours, we had over 8 inquiries. The couple that adopted her had been looking for a dachshund for a couple months. Looking for the right dog. They have two dogs already (Sadie loves other dogs) and she is a work-from-home type. They like to go everywhere with their dogs and if the dogs can't go, they stay with her mother, who is a dog trainer.

Sounds like they have a huge (1/2 acre) fenced yard for her to play in. Really, we couldn't have asked for a better couple. They seemed to like her immediately. Of course, who wouldn't? She is super cute.

I know this is sudden, but I know we are all better off.

Bye Sadie! Have a great life!!!!

Threatening Mesages

Kidding. But I did get this message from an anonymous person stating that I needed to blog. So here I am. Blogging.

There really hasn't been too much going on. I have been working 5 or 6 days a week. I love my new job in the ER. I am almost off orientation. Actually one more shift. However, all my preceptors have been completely bored since I have been so self proficient. I really like it.

Last night I worked 3pm-3:30 am, as a transition to night shift, shich begins next week. Yeah. I am not sure how I will like it, but I am trying to look at it with a positive attitude. I haven't done straight nights in about 5 years, so it will be a change for me.

Wedding plans are coming right along. We have most everything done. We are getting really exciting. I think it is only 70 days from now. I can't wait.

Of course, with me working all the time, and doing odd shifts, I haven't had a chance to see Shaun much at all. I really miss him, and I live with him. Is that weird? He was great, made me some dinner last night while I was at work, and brought it to me. What a great guy!

Sadie has been another story. We really like her, but she has had some hurdles we have had to jump. She is only 5 months old, but it very rambunctious. She does not seem to learn anything. She still is not housetrained. I know dachshunds are hard to train. Maybe we weren't ready for a dachshund. We should have gotten an easier to train dog. We have considered getting rid of her-adoption, not pound. We talked it over, had some outside advice, and decided to stick with it. I think she can be a good puppy, but we need to get her trained. We found a puppy class that we want to enroll her in. It is at Petsmart, 8 weeks long. It might help, but I need to find the time and budget for it.

Hmmm, what else. I hope that fulfills my blogging requirement. I will try harder to keep up, but when life doesn't throw you lemons, how do you make lemonade?

Bad Morning!

Not only am I gaining weight, see todays blog post at Kathleen's Weight Loss Journey, but I had bad dreams about my wedding last night. I couldn't shake them off. Then, to make things worse, my alarm wasn't turned on. Shaun set it last night, but apparently never turned it on. Luckily I woke up 7 mins after it would have went off. Just like I pushed snooze once, so I was ok.

Regardless, if this is how my day is going to go, I am in for a treat. I am headed to work in about 20 mins. I am working in the ER today, so I hope today is not a reflection of how my day has been so far.

I have a few more weeks in orientation, then I am on nights and working on my own. I am not sure how I will do on nights, but I am headed into it with a good attitude and great plans. I hope things work out ok. I am still trying to pick up as many shifts as I can to get some extra money, so I have been working 5-6 days per week. Yeah it sucks, but you get through it.

Off to work I go, here's hoping its a great day from here on out!!

Unexpected day off

Today I was cancelled. That is the draw back to working agency. One of the reasons I didn't want to work full time there. The first one to get cancelled, and sometimes not another shift somewhere else to replace it with. Grr.
So, today I have off. Which is good, but bad too. I sign up to work extra shifts so we can do extra things. If I don't work then, we have to budget and pinch. I hate that. Oh well. I can pick up another shift another time.
So, today is another lazy day. It is 1:30 and I just took a shower and got dressed. Yeah. Man those are nice. Well, I think we are gonna go to JcPenney. We have a gift card that we got for Christmas that has been burning a hole in our pockets. Hehe!
Starting tomorrow though, another full week of work. If I worked today, it wouldn't have made 6 days in a row and 60 hrs for the week. At least I still have one extra day on Friday.
Maybe I will make it outside to go for a walk. It is almost 40 degrees today, so no excuses!!

Flights Booked!

Today I booked my flights for both the wedding and the bridal shower. I am so excited. Wedding is now less than 100 days away. So much to do, so little time left. I have got some great people helping me with my wedding, so I have no doubt that it will turn out great!

Wedding is 100 days away!!

Wow, how did that happen. Seems like just yesterday we had 6 months to go, now we are down to 3. Crazy!

I still have so many "little" things to do. I tried calling all my bridesmaids last night to get updates, but they all have lives too. One of my 'maids is in three weddings, all about the same time. That is good and bad. Right now good though, because she is already out and about in all the craft stores. So, she has got some great ideas. I look forward to hearing about them.

We got the place, dress, caterer, the photographer, and all the major stuff. Right now, the only major thing I need to book, is a DJ. He is kind of important. That is my duty. Call. All I need to do is call.

It was nice just to make phone calls last night. I have been so busy and usually asleep by 9 (EST) that I can't call anyone. Yesterday though, I got about an hour nap on the couch before dinner, so come (normal) bedtime, I was able to stay up!

Work in the ER has been great, but tiring. It is very busy, and even more so on your feet all day than working in the ICU. Plus, I am still picking up as many shifts as I can with my agency to make more money. I am greedy. Kidding, we just have so many projects around our new house, that in order to get them done ( and make up for taking 3 weeks off in Dec), I need to work lots extra.

Our new house is great though, we love it. Yeah there are a few things to fix, that we didn't know about, but mostly things like leaky faucet, new toilet gadgets. Paint a wall here and there. We have a TON of ideas, but won't be able to put those ideas to the wall all at once. Takes time. We have to prioritize now. Can't just call up the maintenance guy and they come fix our problem. We have to fix it now. Oh the perks of owning a home.

If you haven't checked out my new blog, please do so. It isn't anything exciting, but I am trying really hard to lose weight, get in shape, and keep moving to be healthier. I would love to have all the support I can get.

I know the last three months just flew by, so I can only imagine these next three will too! So, I will try to keep things posted on here, during my whirlwind of wedding planning!

New blog and new journey

Hi readers!!
This is just a quick post to let you all know I have started a second blog. I will continue to write in this blog about my daily (well bi-weekly lately) life happenings. My new blog is about my weight-loss journey. I will post pictures, statistics, and weigh-ins. I will discuss troubles I am having and overcoming, and different work-outs I have done. Just a way to record my weigh loss journey. Please check it out when you get a chance. I welcome all readers, but please, be kind!!

www.kathleenisgettingsmaller.blogspot.com

Let me know if you read it, I like to know who my readers are! Thanks.

Birthday

Today is my birthday. I had to work, but it was only orientation, so I am home for the evening. Shaun has a great evening planned too. He baked me a chocolate cake, my favorite. Also he is making Lasagna for dinner tonight, which I had requested. After a nice dinner we will open presents and have cake/ice cream. Same way I always celebrated my birthdays when I was home with my family.
Other than that, pretty non-eventful birthday. Last one ever you know. I am 29 now. Isn't that what people try to claim the rest of their lives...."I'm 29" said the 41 year old. Hehe. Well, I really am 29, so I guess this is it.
It is 5:30 pm and I have yet to hear from anyone. NO friends, NO family has called to wish me a happy birthday. I did receive a very short email from one friend. Thanks. I am sure they are all waiting until tonight when they know I will be home...yes I am sure that is what happened. I can't imagine anyone forogt about my birthday. I received one card from my soon-to-be Father-in-law, other than that, no cards either. Yeah, that stinks!


(This wasn't supposed to be a pitty blogpost....I guess it is what it is!)

MOVED IN!!!

We closed on our first condo purchase on Friday. Went smooth. We started moving stuff in, but Saturday was our first night in the new place.

Also, had some house guests. Shaun's Dad and sister came to visit, and celebrate Christmas.

That was nice.

Down side...I got sick.

So I spent most of the time they were here in bed/on the couch. I wish I had felt better, to be a better host, but at least they understood.

Today (New Year's Eve) I worked, but totally should not have. I hate calling in sick. Of course, lesson learned. I got the losing end of that deal. Oh well. Next time I will just call in, relax, and get well. I will not worry about what is happening at the hospital and how much trouble I caused by calling in sick. Shaun said goodbye to our houseguests then went and did all the cleaning at the apt., turned in the keys, and bid farewell to rent. Woohoo!!

We are super excited. We also got some new furniture and are working on getting things put away and some decorative stuff on the walls! I will post some pics once that has happened. Of course, if you want to see pics, refer back to a previous post. There are about 5-6 good pics of our place, just with the old owner's things in it.

Have a Happy New Year! I hope 2008 is great for everyone! We plan to have a nice dinner, cuddle on the couch (while I fall asleep- I am so exhausted from being sick and working all day), maybe watch a movie, and ring in the new year!!

Christmas 2007

We are home in WA visiting my family. I came here on Dec 11, and Shaun got to come out Dec 20th. We are having a ton of fun. Mostly getting shopping done and trying to get it all done BEFORE Christmas gets here. Of course, we are also enjoying the vacation part as well, and taking many naps and just lounging around.
We have gotten to see many of friends. I wish we could see everyone, but I know with the holidays, everyone has their own family to see. Grrr. Just kidding.
Some plans for us...today is baking day. Promised Mom I would help out with the baking since I eat most of them. :) Then, some last minute shopping, we still have a couple things to buy. Hmmm, then what? I guess just more relaxing and enjoying this wonderful holiday season.
I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and the best New Year ever!!
When we head back to MD on the 27th and close on our first condo purchase. Of ocurse we have to move into it too so I won't be writing for a week or two. Will write again as soon as possible.

I have a job!!!

So, I had been thinking hard about what to do next. I wasn't sure I wanted to take another travel assignment, or work as an agency nurse, or become staff somewhere. For weeks nothing sounded like a good job for me. Of course I would have done another travel assignment if I hadn't found something that I really wanted to do.
I have been feeling like I want a change, but I couldn't decide exactly what that was, until this idea came into my mind. I thought about going on to get my bachelor's degree, but I don't think I am ready to commit to school just yet. I thought about getting a certification in Critical Care. I am pursuing that, but it didn't fulfill that want for change.
So a couple weeks ago, I was checking out the local community hospital. This hospital is about 1 block from our new home. I decided to check out the ER job openings. I had been thinking of getting back to the ER lately, so I thought I might apply to this hospital for an ER position. There are several positions open, most of them night shifts. Well, I got a call later that same afternoon for an interview. I was totally excited. I finally felt like I was getting the change that I wanted. So, even if I didn't get this job, I at least knew what change I wanted to make.
Well, I went in for the interview the next week. Met with the HR lady, then met with the administrator of ER. The manager of ER was at a conference, so I met with his boss. They offered me a chance to come shadow a nurse in the ER to find out if this is exactly what I wanted to do. I had worked in the ER before becoming a nurse, but it had been years. All through nursing school I thought I would work in the ER, but sometime during school, I changed to wanting to do Critical Care. Basically knowing it would be a great background, and a great base of knowledge. But, now I am ready to go back.
Yesterday was my shadow day. I arrived at 1pm, and it was very busy. Which is good, because they wanted me to see it "hopping" to know if it is something I feel that I can handle. I had a great day. The nurse I followed was great. She had been a nurse for the same length of time as I, and this was the only place she had worked. Over the last couple weeks when I have been talking about this hospital, I have heard nothing but great things. I knew it would be a good place to work. I personally don't think I needed the shadow, but they like all interviewees to check it out to know for sure.
I met with the manager about half way through, he gave me his spiel, and then told me we would meet again when I was done. I could stay as long as I wanted. I chose to stay 4 hours. Afterward, I went to his office to thank him for allowing me to spend a day in his ER. He asked if it was something that I wanted to do. I said yes, and he said "welcome aboard"
I have a job!!! Woohoo! I feel really good about becoming staff. I don't mind traveling, but since we are staying in Baltimore for a few years...I feel I want to take roots at someplace great. Now, when we decide to move back to the Pacific Northwest, I will have Critical Care and ER nursing under my belt. Looks really good on the resume!!
I start Jan 7 with orientation!! They only do orientation once a month, and all new employees are required to start with hospital orientation before starting on the floor. Good, because it doesn't interrupt my going home next week for Christmas!!
I am so excited!!!

So, we decided last night to head out to the mattress store and check out some mattresses. We have some LR, DR and a bed that we like from Room Store, but we need to buy a mattress to go with that bed. Well, after laying on lots of beds and going back and forth several times, we finally decided on the bed we just both love. Of course....it is one of the most expensive in the store. I guess we have high standards for beds. But, we do spend 1/3 of our lives in bed, so it might as well be a good one, that will last for years.
Well, turns out we liked one of the bed frames at the store too. It was discontinued but the floor model was in good shape, so we decided to get it. After all said and done, lots of discounts later (they were in the middle of a big sale) we got the bed for free. NICE!
So, now all we have to do is get the LR and DR and we are set with some basic furniture. I will try to post some pics of our choices as soon as I can.
Oh, and we get the bed on Thursday. Yeah. See, while I was on contract, my company was providing rented furniture for us. Well, I am done with that contract, so they come to get our furniture. We opted to stay at the apt for one month until we close on our house, but we decided we didn't need furniture. Now, we don't have to stay on an air mattress until we move, we get our bed sooner. Yeah!!
I can't wait, I am dreaming of better nights sleep already....zzzz! You can only imagine how good our rented bed's mattress was. Yeah, exactly!

Countdown

33 days to go!!

36 Days To Go

I bet you are thinking Christmas is only 33 days away. But, this countdown is for closing day for our new home.

We close December 28th.

I will be home for Christmas Dec 11-27th, with Shaun with me the 20th-27th. Then we close. Yeah. We plan to move that weekend. It won't be too difficult. We only have a few things here. TV stand/TV, and a small bookshelf. Everything else is rented or goes in boxes.

EASY!!!

So, we are super excited. I can't wait till it gets closer. I have never owned a house before, and this is so exciting.

Here are a few pics of our new place. We took pics while we were there for the home inspection. Of course all the stuff inside is the current owner's, but you get the idea.



This is from the Master Bedroom. Door to the left goes through closet into Master Bath.


View into Living Room from main entry Hall.


Sunroom


View from back yard. Lots of trails and green grass for Sadie to play in.


Kitchen. Also have a nice desk on the wall you can't see. It is very useful to have.


Another view of LR looking into hall. Room at end of hall is 2nd Bedroom. Master bedroom to the right at end of hall.


Dining Room, with solid Oak breakfast bar as well.

What do you think??

Wow!

I have been so busy lately. I can't believe we are just 45 days till Christmas. I can't wait. I get to go home and see my family Dec 11. I am so excited to go see my babies. I miss them SO much.

So, here are a couple things that have happened:

1) We have decided that we want to buy. We know we will be around Baltimore for a few years, since Shaun is in the ARMY. So, we started by looking on the internet. We met with a Long & Foster real estate broker. Then we started actually checking out these homes that we had researched onine. On our second outing with Pam (the real estate broker), we found the home that we want to buy. Most of the places were really nice and we thought would be great. But, once we stepped foot into this particular home, we knew it was the right home. I knew immediately, but Shaun had only looked at a couple other places, so he needed to see a few more to know for sure. It didn't take long.

So, we went home that night, looked over the numbers, and decided we wanted to put an offer down, we didn't want to let this place go. Sunday we placed an offer. One of the most nail-biting situations ever. Crazy. Well turns out another couple had placed an offer two days ago, and they were in the middle of negotiating, luckily we got in when we did. She asked us for our best offer, and it turns out it was worth it. Of course, we had a very stressful, anxious day of waiting, but we ended up getting the house.

It is a 1400 sq ft condo. Terrace level. Open floor plan, very laid out. 2 BR, 2 bath. nice sunroom, and grass out back. (see #2 for the reason the grass is good) Big kitchen, Big LR. Big rooms, with walk-in closets. 2nd bathroom open to 2nd BR and hall. Laminate flooring thorughout ecxept bedrooms. All appliances included. We are so excited. We have home inspection on Saturday, so we will have photos to post then.



#2) We got a puppy!! Her name is Sadie. We had been talking about wanting a dog for a LONG time, but since we live in an apt it just made more sense to wait. Well, we couldn't wait any longer!! For some unknown reason, I started glancing at dogs online. I bought Charlie for $350 and I thought that was alot, but here the price of Dachshunds are $500-$1000. Plain rediculous. Well, I found a site online that sells dogs, and is a site that verify's the sellers identity through a credit check. Sadie was listed as $495, but I talked the seller down. So, the price was right and the dog was cute...we couldn't stop ourselves.

We talked with the owner on Sunday and she went to the vet on Monday, and she flew out to us on Tuesday. Basically the owner sent her in a crate with food/water, blanket and toy. We just had to go pick her up when the flight arrived. She seemed to take to us really easily. Ate/drank right away. The owner had even started crate/paper training, and she is doing really well with it. She is so little. Her parents were only 6 and 7 pounds. Right now, she is about 1-2 lbs (I put her on my scale at home) See pics below.

So much has happened.

Some photos of good times...

Me in San Fransisco with Mara. It was such a beautiful day. Although we had prepared for a colder day, we were pleased to have the sun.

Per 39. Lots of shopping, food and CHOCOLATE!!

Me and Mara, right before we board the ferry to Alcatraz island. That was the most amazing place. I loved it!!

This is me on the ferry, with San Fran behind me.

This is a typical cell at Alcatraz Island. Of course it is no longer a working jail, they had a few rooms made up like a typical cell in 1963, when it closed. Thye were so small. Inmates had to be in them for 16-23 hours per day. Everything they did there was a priviledge, and it had to be earned. I can't imagine.


Shaun and I in NYC. We had so much fun. My parents came to visit for 6 days, so we took them to all the toursity (is that a word?) spots.

Me and My Dad in DC

Me an Mom in front of the White house. (Actually, I think this is the back)

Me and my parents at a small bar/cafe for lunch in NY

I love M&M's, enough said...

Tagged!!!

I got tagged by Mara. Mostly because I haven't been posting, but I am sure partly because I am so cool. So, here it Mara...
10 useless facts about me, and 5 people to tag to do it too!!

#1: I sing along to just about every song, even if I have never heard it before. Oh, and I suck at singing. I might literally be the world's worst singer, but I don't care. I love to do it!!

#2: I am a chocaholic. Although many might know that, it seems to take control of my life. I get headaches ( I think anyhow) if I don't eat chocolate. Dark chocolate Dove promises are my FAVORITE!!

#3: I collect pigs. I have since I was in the 6th grade. However, I had to throw some out (even after just receiving them) because I had way too many. I don't collect as much anymore, but I still love pig things!!

#4: I love the CW. I watch almost all their shows. However, getting frustrated because they keep cancelling all the shows I love to watch. Currently watching Smallville as we speak!

#5: I go to the Wal-mart at least 4-5 times per week. Seems there is always something there that I need/want. For a while, we couldn't walk in the store without spending at least $25. I swear, I am responsible for most of their revenue. Hehe :)

#6: I have been so busy lately, I haven't been able to post. I swear, it wasn't because I was just lazy. I have been working a lot. Mostly so I could go to California to visit Mara, and then because my parents came to visit me for a week. I will highlight those stories soon.

#7: I check my email about 10 times per day. Is that too much?

#8: I am sitting here in my underwear. That is the glory of the internet. I can surf the web, buy things, and chat with people, all in my pj's or underwear. How cool is that?

#9: I am NOT a morning person. I hate getting up. It doesn't matter is it's at 5 am or 11 am, getting up just stinks. Of course, once I am up, I am fine. If I could go from completely asleep to awake for two hours, and skip the in between, life would be good...I think. Letely I have been getting up at 7 or 8 am, but morning routine is usually lazy time. Get up, go to couch, watch tv, take nap. That is, if I am not working. Grrr, work.

#10: I love what I do, I am a nurse...BUT....I hate working. I am sure most are that way. I work 12 hour shifts, and I hate it. By the time I leave to the time I get home, I am usually gone for close to 14 hours. That makes for a LONG day.

Okay, so not as good as I had hoped, but I hope you have enjoyed the weird, random facts.
5 people to tag...
Brandi, Natalie, Becky, Rachel, and Zoe

Have fun ladies. I would have picked Jeffrey too, but Mara already tagged him.