Calisthenics

I have a whole new respect for our brave men and women of the military. I love the guy at the end who kind of gives up and just jumps up and down. Bless his heart.

Texas Christmas and other such news

Well I've been meaning to blog forever and start out with something like, "Now that the holiday craziness is over it's time I should be blogging again," but really, in February you can hardly use that excuse anymore. So excuses aside, here I am again, finally.

We had a great Christmas by the way and I actually got two whole days off from work, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Will wonders never cease! I had to head right back on the 26th, but we won't go into that. And of course, in true fashion, I have no photos to document that we actually did indeed celebrate Christmas. With no kids around and after 10 years of marriage, I guess things just start to look the same every year so I tend to forget to pull the ol' camera out. I'm sure someday I will be better at this. But I digress. We had our lovely traditional fondue dinner on Christmas Eve, made more enjoyable by the presence of some new friends that are in Ian's program. Christmas day was also a wonderfully relaxing day that we spent at Ian's Dad's house. One interesting note was we actually had snow on Christmas day, the first in several decades apparently. Ian said of course it figures since it was his first December here (he's not a big fan of snow see). I did get a picture of the snow falling, but of course failed to document the actual white stuff on Christmas morning.


(This is the view from our back porch, one of my favorite things about our apartment.)








Ian didn't have to head back to school until January 19th, so we got lots of time to hang out and be lazy together. It was just heavenly to have him around so much. New Years celebrations this year were highlighted with a visit from Ian's little brother D-man. He came to stay with us for two nights. The first item of business when he arrived was Ian took him to Target and purchased what is most essential for boys hanging out together while I was working--Nerf guns of course. They got all the proper gear for an all out battle, hindered only by the close proximity of our small apartment. Needless to say, they had a little fun.

Here's the pair of them.











And here's Ian battling D-man into submission. The kid's hilarious--he thinks it's absolutely hysterical if you hit him in the face with a dart. It's really quite entertaining. You can relax on the couch and keep him in hysterics by firing one dart after another. Again, I remind you that this is perfectly acceptable behavior for a sister-in-law (he had safety goggles on after all).












On a side note, I am happy to report that I actually made a resolution in 2009 and kept it all the way until December. I made a goal about my temple attendance and I actually reached it! Woohoo! I think that's my first ever completed new year's resolution. I am now well on my way to not keeping any new resolutions for 2010, but hey, the year is young.

So Ian is now back in school and it's back to the same old grind. School, work, clean, bleh, etc.


And to end, more Texas bumper stickers:

"Illiterate? Write for our free brochure"

And of course, "Gun control means using two hands."

By the way I officially declare the Texas state saying to be "Oh, bless your heart" followed closely by "I'm fixin' to ......" These phrases fit surprisingly well into many types of conversations. Try it for yourself.

This and That

Some of you may have noticed an absence of astute political commentary on Ian's blog. I thought I'd fill you in a little on what he has been up to. He's off studying tonight, so I looked around a little.

Here's an article he's reading:
And why is the equity premium a puzzle?
The answer is totally scintillating, of course, but ask Ian to tell you about it. He explains it better than me.




And here's the white board in the study:


Does this make any sense to you? I mean who needs a PhD in economics to understand that? Isn't it totally obvious?






And what is his wife doing while he's off laboring and working to understand the exciting world of economics? Oh I'm being completely productive. While thinking of how I should be unpacking those last two pesky boxes, or folding laundry, or decorating for Christmas, or I don't know, anything productive, I'm watching a teeny bopper movie on Netflix and eating the last of the mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving. I am so underwhelmed with myself. Sheesh.

By the way, Thanksgiving was great. Ian actually took a break for a day and we hung with his Dad and family.

Ian desecrated, I mean carved, the turkey for us.
He's so good at that. Oh my poor husband has lost his butt, never to return I'm afraid.




That night Ian's little brother came to spend the night with us. He's so fun to hang out with. He and I went for a walk to the little lakes in our apartment community to feed the ducks.


(Good thing there weren't any boogers in my nose.)







Oh, and D-man found the lake. I was being totally lax in my parenteral overlooking duties. Mom's may not let their kids fall in streams, but sisters-in-law can right?











Turkey day was great, now Christmas here we come! (After finals of course.)

Things that make you go, "Hmmmm?"

A recent conversation I heard at the grocery store: (in the juice aisle)

Boy: Let's get this one
Girl: Uh, noo. Why would we get it at 2 for $5.00 when we could get one for $2.69?



My fortune cookie:










Not sure if everyone would agree with this one. Perhaps? Hmmm.



Move over Alfred Hitchcock:

When I drive home from work, there is one intersection that always looks like this.









Why this one intersection? Why so many? This shouldn't be creepy, but darn Hitchcock if he didn't make it downright unnerving.











Texas bumper stickers:

I've made it a habit to store in my memory bumper stickers I see driving around Dallas. They seem to be of a different strain than in California. Here's the latest (seen on a big truck):

"Let's get squirrely."



Getting more than I payed for:

We recently purchased some cat food online. When we opened the box there was something extra.









WEE-WEE pads? Why would they send us WEE-WEE pads? Did someone think, "Huh, let's just throw in some WEE-WEE pads for good measure?" And furthermore, just what am I supposed to do with said WEE-WEE pads? My conscience dictated that I call the place. I left a message saying I got something I didn't pay for, but they never called me back. Do I actually have to spend the money to send back WEE-WEE pads when it was their mistake? WEE-WEE pads? Does anyone need some WEE-WEE pads?

And finally,


Exploring new places:

Found a new road,










Now that is just cool. Something to aspire to, to live on Chevy Chase Ave. Imagine the exterior illumination on that street!

Holy cow I live in Texas!!!!

This is what I say to myself at random times because it's all a little surreal still. But, Texas, here I am. It has been kind of a rough adjustment for me, but things are starting to feel a little more settled now. Of course, I think PMS then a week of the flu conspired to make the transition that much more difficult, but I digress.

Things didn't exactly go smoothly from the beginning. My saint of a brother Matthew can attest to that. Getting here from California was a bit of a chore to say the least. I had already driven Ian down here to live with his Dad while I stayed in San Diego and looked for jobs. I found one quickly, thankfully, but then I faced the task of packing and moving by myself. Lots of wonderful people helped me on my way, and I finally got to moving day. Matthew flew in the night before. The elders quorum showed up in force to help pack the truck. First snag--the rental truck wasn't big enough. We had to go back and get a bigger truck, it ended up being much bigger. But, we finally got everything packed and two wonderful friends stayed up till wee in the morning helping me finish up. They even scattered rose petals around my truck as they left. Oh how I miss them.


(It did not look this happy and organized)





We left early (well, sort of early) the next morning. Matthew drove the rental truck and I drove our Chevy truck with two whining cats in tow. At first things weren't so bad, then--second snag. The rental truck starting emitting dark smoke somewhere in the middle of Arizona (a bad sign) and Matthew pulled over. Long story short, the truck was a no go. We had to call for a tow. Meanwhile, pulled over on the side of the road in the Arizona desert, my poor cats were really not looking so good. I tried to leave the truck on with the AC, but then the truck started to over heat. I was kind of starting to freak out (in a calm way of course) and didn't know what to do. Matthew made the executive decision. I kept going while he waited for the tow truck (for a very long time). So to make a long story even shorter, they ended up having to move our stuff to a different truck and Matthew ended up driving all night long after the swap. We kept going, but in the end we took 3 days instead of two to get to Dallas. Oh I owe my brother big time. As soon as we got to Dallas, I drove him to the airport so he could head off to work. Thank you, Matthew, more than I can say.

(I thought I had pictures on the road, but they're on my cell phone, so sorry.)


Settling in to our new apartment has taken me forever, but I like our new place. It's smaller, so storage solutions have become increasingly creative (found one up high for the cats). It's nice and cozy though and we have a great view out back. One downside is the electric stove. I'm so used to a gas stove I struggle with that one. I've had to air out the apartment at least three times so far cooking dinner. Live and learn--eventually. (Pictures to come, when it's just a little cleaner.)


As for my job, well, that's probably been the hardest transition of all. I loved my job in San Diego. I loved my coworkers and everything was so comfortable. Here's some shots of my goodbye party--I miss them so much!






Anyway, I'm kind of back down at the bottom of the totem pole and have to work my way back up again. I have to cover at two different hospitals in the same health system to be able to get hours and I have to work every weekend. Blah! I have to assert myself all over again and prove that I really do know what I'm doing. I have felt so incredibly uncomfortable. I suppose that's when growth happens. Sigh.



On a side note, we can wear scrubbs to work here. I've never had that option before. We have to wear a certain color to designate that we are dietitians. Of course, the two hospitals I cover require different colors for their dietitians. I just know I'm going to get mixed up and show up in the wrong color one of these days. I HATE shopping, so the scrubs thing works out well for me I think. I will say it feels weird to look down and see you are wearing turquoise pants to work, but oh well. I felt so energetic the first time I wore them. Wearing pajama bottoms and running shoes at work made me feel like I should be super speedy or do lunges down the hall or something. Don't worry, I just contented myself with walking down the hall really fast instead. Here's me in my super scrubs with my super dietitian binder and wonder calculator.

(I was going for the super hero look, but I think I just look like something smells really bad.)

Things I've noticed so far about Dallas:

-my hair doesn't like it here
-drivers are terrible, really terrible
-pedestrians don't wait for lights
-Greenville (a road) is pronounced "Greenvull"
-Cowboy's jerseys are available with ruffles and sequins

Also, in a two to three block radius of our place there must be at least 5-6 liquor stores and several stores called Condoms to Go and my personal favorite (of store names that is), Condom Sense. On the up side, two, count them two Targets within 5 minutes. Yee haw!

Well that's all for now. I know it's November again, but I really am going to post more now. More to come as I learn about Dallas!












My fellow young women leaders in San Diego felt it was only fitting to send me to Texas with a proper Texas Do. We didn't have a Bump-it so we had to make do with a toilet paper roll. Phew! Now I'll fit in!

IT'S THE END OF NOVEMBER??!!!???

How did this happen?! Is it seriously almost the end of 2008? I'm afraid I've gone back to my old trick of putting the blinders on and trudging forward with whatever life throws at me, only keeping in touch with those that are right in front of my face. Sorry for the extreme neglect of my blog. I'm sure you can imagine the same sorry state of my personal journal. So anywhoo, where to begin? I guess I'll give the extremely shortened, highlights version. It actually should be pretty short since we are really not all that interesting. I must mention, since I spoke of it in a previous post, that I did finally finish organizing my stupid file cabinet, and have even kept it organized these many months and kept the infernal piles at bay! Little Bella was extremely helpful with this process. This is hardly noteworthy news, but an accomplishment for me anyway.

As far as the summer goes, it was mostly spent studying. I studied pretty much every night after work for the CNSC exam, which stands for Certified Nutrition Support Clinician. It is a test for doctors, nurses, and dietitians that certifies that you are specialized in IV nutrition and tube feedings, with all of the associated complications and management concerns. This is useful to me as I pretty much work exclusively in the ICU and it looks good on a resume. Studying was tough, but I really learned a lot and it was all applicable to what I do every day. I got a few study breaks here and there with Ian's family visiting and of course a wonderful visit from my dear sister. The weekend with Jess was definitely my best weekend EVER! We had a blast. She treated me to way more than I deserved and we had so much fun just hanging together. We had a great laugh in the fancy hotel bathroom where you could actually see through the glass to the person next to you. If I had been doing my business next to anyone but my sister I would have been mighty uncomfortable!

So with visits and studying, that pretty much rounded out the summer. I took the actual test mid-September. Then I had to wait 6 weeks for my results. And the verdict was.......Ta Da!!! I Passed!!!! I actually did pretty well on the test and was super happy to be done with it. I'm now certified for five years. Yea!! So now I've been super busy at work and have actually been recently promoted to Lead Clinical Dietitian. It sounds more official than it really is, but it will provide some new opportunities and learning experiences for me. In fact, my manager will be leaving for maternity leave in a few months, and I will be filling in during her absence. I can't imagine how I'm going to fill her shoes, but I'm sure the experience of trying to do just that will be good for me. Now that I have a new position at work, I feel it is a good time to get some new work clothes. I asked Ian his opinion on the matter and he very wisely agreed that some new work clothes were definitely in order.

Other than that, there is really not much of interest to report. After my test, I've spent the months trying to catch back up on the rest of my life (obviously haven't caught up so well as you can tell by my blog). I made a long to-do list after my test that I'm afraid I'm still working on. The problem is I keep starting over on the first three items: clean, laundry, grocery shopping. I never seem to get to the rest of the list once I get home from work and get those things done! It is so darn frustrating! I love to imagine a day where I actually do everything I mean to, exercise, go to work, make dinner, practice violin, study scriptures, do some project around home--meanwhile keeping everything clean and laundry done and folded. Oh will there ever be such a day? I despair of it ever occurring. I'm afraid my motivation begins to dwindle about the time I hit the snooze button for the third time. Aaach! Save me from myself and my to-do list! Oh the frustration!

As for Ian, since I'm sure you're wondering, he is doing pretty well. He's still a bit underweight, but he's up over thirty pounds from his lowest, which is a huge improvement. He's still riding the same old roller coaster with health concerns, just different hills, but he manages well and is working full time and keeping very busy.

So now the official kick-off of holiday season begins and we're gearing up for the big Turkey day at our apartment. We are so grateful for the blessings we have, especially for each other and our families. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you come back and visit the blog again. I'm determined to be a better correspondent! Love to all. I'm finally going to bed now. I've got stuff to do tomorrow....er today.

Hmmmmm

That's me trying to think of something to blog about. Yep, you heard it here first, we are officially BORING! Ok so let me give you the update. Me--well I work. Yep, I think that's about it. Ok, so I am trying to get in a little more running again finally, and though violin has slipped horribly down on the priority scale, I'm still trying I guess. Oh, and I think I'm entering the third month or so in my saga of trying to reorganize my file cabinet. My shredder can only take so much you know. We both get overheated very quickly. Enough about me. As for Ian, he is doing pretty darn good. He is up about 25 pounds or so from his lowest point and making progress. He's working again and eating real food which is certainly a plus! All in all I'd say life is about normal, well normal for us anyway. How uninteresting is that!

So I will say a little about this weekend. Some of you may know about the U.S. Open? That big golf tournament right? Yeah, I know nothing about golf, but anyway, the Open is happening just down the road from us. Everyone is all abuzz about it. We went out to dinner on Friday and saw all these people in their cool golf hats that had obviously just come off the golf course. They were all in town just for the big event. When we were leaving the restaurant there was a large group of them out front visiting. As we passed them I got the strongest urge to yell:

"I live here! I live here! Hah, hah! You all have to fly here to visit Torrey Pines, but I can go whenever I want to. I'm not a tourist, I live here!"

(We live in an apartment next to the building with the green roof.)

Rest assured that I did not actually make this announcement out loud, but I do have to say that I am incredibly fortunate to live in a place that so many people like to visit. Yeah, it can be crowded and the houses are built entirely too close together, but you can't beat the weather and the ocean, well, it's the ocean! We are truly very lucky. So come visit family! We live in San Diego!