Here is a picture I took of myself yesterday after work. I was going to get one of my roommates to take it but she was asleep. Thank goodness for photo timers. For fun, I have also included a picture my Aunt recently sent of me as a wee tot.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Nurse Sarah
Here is a picture I took of myself yesterday after work. I was going to get one of my roommates to take it but she was asleep. Thank goodness for photo timers. For fun, I have also included a picture my Aunt recently sent of me as a wee tot.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Banana Bag
I feel like I have been hooked up to a BANANA BAG this week. What is a banana bag you ask? It is a bag of IV fluids that contains vitamins and minerals to replenish a deficient body. I know it is only thursday, but I have had such a great day today (and the past few days) that I cannot help but relish.
Monday: I woke up early to drive back to Charlotte for an interview at the YMCA. It went well, and the employer will look for a position for me. She even passed my information on to a bunch of her colleagues to see if they had a spot that was more fitting to my schedule. She then allowed me to take a free spinning class. So much fun! I had two delicious meals, one being Flying Biscuit with a friend, another was homemade indian food from one of my bff's new boy friends. He has made a good impression on me... Or my stomach at least. I hung out with my wonderful roommates Kate and Bekah in our BEAUTIFUL NoDa home. I still cannot believe I live in such a place. It blows my mind. I had the best night of sleep I have had in weeks.
Tuesday: Relaxing morning with fresh French pressed coffee from the comforts of my own home and yogurt with blueberries. Yum. Then a run downtown where a homeless man gave me a medal. I chose to believe that it was a kind act that ministered to my character. A man with nothing saw me and was compelled to scrounge the bottoms of his napsack for a keepsake. That is beautiful! The only hang up of the day was that my key to our building didn't work, which just meant I had to go back to visit Bekah at work to get hers. Then I decorated my room with lattice, a window, and the old desk; I am going for a cottage/vintage feel. Bekah came home early from work and we chatted while multi-tasking. We ate leftover indian cuisine for dinner, waited on Kate, and then faced the storm to go to Church. The message spoke to all of us, and we laughed as things said in the sermon paralleled conversations we previously had with one another. I was convicted about areas of pride in my life and how I view "my calling". It was a good reminder that what I do in the future has little relevance to how I live my life now. Life is not about what I can do, but how I respond. Good stuff!
Wednesday: Woke up early to go for a run with my friend Michelle and then came home to make a journal to give to a Raleigh roommate for her trip to Africa. I had lunch with another friend in which I killed some pride. It was a bit scary, but I figured the cost was worth it. Pride has no place here. And guess what? It wasn't bad at all, it was freedom. I drove back to Raleigh and ran some errands. Sarah and her boy friend had made a delicious blueberry cake that I got to taste, and then I went to bed.
Thursday: The BEST day of all. The banana bag of all banana bags. I started my day with some meditation on the fact that I am not defined by what occupation I have, or what role I play, but that it is how I respond. I was given the opportunity to work in the ICU and absolutely loved it! Perhaps it was my outlook, or maybe it really was a good fit. Who knows. When I arrived I went into the break room and listened to discussion. I was told to follow a nurse named Veronica (she is from Nigeria, very cool!), but when the charge nurse announced this at the meeting, Veronica's bulging eyes indicated that no one had informed her about this pairing. I was a bit concerned that it would not be fun or go well, but I was determined to respond out of joy. I asked V about ICU and if her children were going to be nurses and she told me she told them all never to be. I asked why and she said it was because her job was stressful, and that she wasn't paid nearly enough. She said I should continue my education and not stop at being a nurse... that I should be an CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist), or a Nurse Practitioner, or a doctor, but that I should never be a bedside nurse. She told me she didn't like teaching either. All of that was a little discouraging, but I pressed on. There wasn't too much for me to do because ICU nurses only take care of 1-3 patients at a time, enabling the nurse to provide for most of the needs. I decided I was not going to sit around so I started asking everyone on the unit. Slowly, they all started to give me tasks. At 12 I went with V to a meeting and she became more and more open to me. She pulled a seat next to her and included me in conversation. She was nice from the start, but I began to feel more like a welcomed presence instead of a her seeing me as a pesky student. At 1 I had my evaluation with Yolanda, the 5th floor nurse manager, and was very encouraged by that as well. Just like everyone else I meet, she too gave me career advice, telling me to work at the bedside for a few years before trying to specialize or go back to school, and how to make myself marketable. I listened with a grain of salt, because I know I can't take everyone's advice. My favorite part was when she commended my current status. She said that both of the nurses i work with said I was eager to learn and doing very well. She told me that the patients all loved me and one had even talked to her about me and told her things she already knew (probably about how I was a student, etc). So cute! After the meeting I went back to the ICU with even more fuel. I took an initiative and started performing tasks before I was asked. V warmed up to me even more, and began teaching with greater depth. She told me about the patients conditions and encouraged me to think critically. I really liked the ICU and fit in well there. It was clean, organized, quite, and warm :) As a nurse, you have to constantly be thinking and making decisions. Everything isn't black and white. Towards the end of my shift, V was impressed with my observations and gave me a high five. She told me that usually they don't need Nursing Assistants but that I was a huge asset and she wanted to talk to her nurse manager about getting me on board. She told me I was going to be a great nurse. I always thought I would be bored with how much you sit and watch your people in the ICU, but I found it refreshing. My body wasn't dead tired when I got home from work! Instead, my mind felt like it had been stimulated. I also wasn't exhausted from dealing with people. I got to talk to my patients a little bit, but it wasn't a constant bombardment of emotional support, anger-determent, or mere entertainment. I also go to practice my spanish today with one of the new admissions. I was very surprised by how much I remembered from so long ago. It was so much fun!
Monday: I woke up early to drive back to Charlotte for an interview at the YMCA. It went well, and the employer will look for a position for me. She even passed my information on to a bunch of her colleagues to see if they had a spot that was more fitting to my schedule. She then allowed me to take a free spinning class. So much fun! I had two delicious meals, one being Flying Biscuit with a friend, another was homemade indian food from one of my bff's new boy friends. He has made a good impression on me... Or my stomach at least. I hung out with my wonderful roommates Kate and Bekah in our BEAUTIFUL NoDa home. I still cannot believe I live in such a place. It blows my mind. I had the best night of sleep I have had in weeks.
Tuesday: Relaxing morning with fresh French pressed coffee from the comforts of my own home and yogurt with blueberries. Yum. Then a run downtown where a homeless man gave me a medal. I chose to believe that it was a kind act that ministered to my character. A man with nothing saw me and was compelled to scrounge the bottoms of his napsack for a keepsake. That is beautiful! The only hang up of the day was that my key to our building didn't work, which just meant I had to go back to visit Bekah at work to get hers. Then I decorated my room with lattice, a window, and the old desk; I am going for a cottage/vintage feel. Bekah came home early from work and we chatted while multi-tasking. We ate leftover indian cuisine for dinner, waited on Kate, and then faced the storm to go to Church. The message spoke to all of us, and we laughed as things said in the sermon paralleled conversations we previously had with one another. I was convicted about areas of pride in my life and how I view "my calling". It was a good reminder that what I do in the future has little relevance to how I live my life now. Life is not about what I can do, but how I respond. Good stuff!
Wednesday: Woke up early to go for a run with my friend Michelle and then came home to make a journal to give to a Raleigh roommate for her trip to Africa. I had lunch with another friend in which I killed some pride. It was a bit scary, but I figured the cost was worth it. Pride has no place here. And guess what? It wasn't bad at all, it was freedom. I drove back to Raleigh and ran some errands. Sarah and her boy friend had made a delicious blueberry cake that I got to taste, and then I went to bed.
Thursday: The BEST day of all. The banana bag of all banana bags. I started my day with some meditation on the fact that I am not defined by what occupation I have, or what role I play, but that it is how I respond. I was given the opportunity to work in the ICU and absolutely loved it! Perhaps it was my outlook, or maybe it really was a good fit. Who knows. When I arrived I went into the break room and listened to discussion. I was told to follow a nurse named Veronica (she is from Nigeria, very cool!), but when the charge nurse announced this at the meeting, Veronica's bulging eyes indicated that no one had informed her about this pairing. I was a bit concerned that it would not be fun or go well, but I was determined to respond out of joy. I asked V about ICU and if her children were going to be nurses and she told me she told them all never to be. I asked why and she said it was because her job was stressful, and that she wasn't paid nearly enough. She said I should continue my education and not stop at being a nurse... that I should be an CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist), or a Nurse Practitioner, or a doctor, but that I should never be a bedside nurse. She told me she didn't like teaching either. All of that was a little discouraging, but I pressed on. There wasn't too much for me to do because ICU nurses only take care of 1-3 patients at a time, enabling the nurse to provide for most of the needs. I decided I was not going to sit around so I started asking everyone on the unit. Slowly, they all started to give me tasks. At 12 I went with V to a meeting and she became more and more open to me. She pulled a seat next to her and included me in conversation. She was nice from the start, but I began to feel more like a welcomed presence instead of a her seeing me as a pesky student. At 1 I had my evaluation with Yolanda, the 5th floor nurse manager, and was very encouraged by that as well. Just like everyone else I meet, she too gave me career advice, telling me to work at the bedside for a few years before trying to specialize or go back to school, and how to make myself marketable. I listened with a grain of salt, because I know I can't take everyone's advice. My favorite part was when she commended my current status. She said that both of the nurses i work with said I was eager to learn and doing very well. She told me that the patients all loved me and one had even talked to her about me and told her things she already knew (probably about how I was a student, etc). So cute! After the meeting I went back to the ICU with even more fuel. I took an initiative and started performing tasks before I was asked. V warmed up to me even more, and began teaching with greater depth. She told me about the patients conditions and encouraged me to think critically. I really liked the ICU and fit in well there. It was clean, organized, quite, and warm :) As a nurse, you have to constantly be thinking and making decisions. Everything isn't black and white. Towards the end of my shift, V was impressed with my observations and gave me a high five. She told me that usually they don't need Nursing Assistants but that I was a huge asset and she wanted to talk to her nurse manager about getting me on board. She told me I was going to be a great nurse. I always thought I would be bored with how much you sit and watch your people in the ICU, but I found it refreshing. My body wasn't dead tired when I got home from work! Instead, my mind felt like it had been stimulated. I also wasn't exhausted from dealing with people. I got to talk to my patients a little bit, but it wasn't a constant bombardment of emotional support, anger-determent, or mere entertainment. I also go to practice my spanish today with one of the new admissions. I was very surprised by how much I remembered from so long ago. It was so much fun!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Mike
Note: If you are a person who gets nervous when I talk about living in a city and the "what-if's", please do not read this blog.
I drove to Charlotte yesterday for an interview and am staying for a few days to hang out with my roomies, decorate, etc. This morning I decided I wanted to go on a long run down town, so I looked on MapMyRun.com for routes that other people had taken. I found a 10 mile route, but decided to alter it to make it shorter. The ran began at Freedom Park, so I drove to the spot, parked, put on my watch and Runner ID, and began my ran. As I approached a gas station on East Blvd about 5 minutes in (a nice, safe area of Downtown Charlotte), an old black man on a bicycle stopped near my path. He was trying to get my attention so I stopped. He had a smokey grey beard, baseball cap, and dirty bookbag. He appeared clean. He started saying something about how he was sorry to stop my running, but that he had something he wanted to give me. I was a little cautious, but there were plenty of people nearby, and a cop had actually just pulled up about 10 feet away to fill up his gas tank. The man introduced himself as "Mike", shook my hand, and asked me my name. I told him "Sarah" and he said, "I knew that. I'm psychic. Last girl I met I thought her name was Sarah too, but actually it was her daughters name." He chuckled and told me he had a medal for me. As he began unzipping his bookbag, he pulled out an old grocery bag. I told him I was nervous and he said, "I know I look like a terrorist, but I'm not. I just have something I want to give you. My daughter used to hand these out to people." Sure enough, he pulled out an old Kiawah Island Half Marathon blue medal. He told me how he was an x-military man and that he used to run but now lifted weights (he grabbed and flexed his bicep as he said this. I smiled at him. He told me to go get back to my run and that he hadn't wanted to interrupt me. I told him it was not a bother, and started off again. I dropped the medal off at Dilworth Coffee (Bekah was working). I told her I would explain the story later and continued on my way. I ran the next 7.5 miles downtown filled with thoughts of people, life, love, and God.
I must say, I have the best playlist ever.
I drove to Charlotte yesterday for an interview and am staying for a few days to hang out with my roomies, decorate, etc. This morning I decided I wanted to go on a long run down town, so I looked on MapMyRun.com for routes that other people had taken. I found a 10 mile route, but decided to alter it to make it shorter. The ran began at Freedom Park, so I drove to the spot, parked, put on my watch and Runner ID, and began my ran. As I approached a gas station on East Blvd about 5 minutes in (a nice, safe area of Downtown Charlotte), an old black man on a bicycle stopped near my path. He was trying to get my attention so I stopped. He had a smokey grey beard, baseball cap, and dirty bookbag. He appeared clean. He started saying something about how he was sorry to stop my running, but that he had something he wanted to give me. I was a little cautious, but there were plenty of people nearby, and a cop had actually just pulled up about 10 feet away to fill up his gas tank. The man introduced himself as "Mike", shook my hand, and asked me my name. I told him "Sarah" and he said, "I knew that. I'm psychic. Last girl I met I thought her name was Sarah too, but actually it was her daughters name." He chuckled and told me he had a medal for me. As he began unzipping his bookbag, he pulled out an old grocery bag. I told him I was nervous and he said, "I know I look like a terrorist, but I'm not. I just have something I want to give you. My daughter used to hand these out to people." Sure enough, he pulled out an old Kiawah Island Half Marathon blue medal. He told me how he was an x-military man and that he used to run but now lifted weights (he grabbed and flexed his bicep as he said this. I smiled at him. He told me to go get back to my run and that he hadn't wanted to interrupt me. I told him it was not a bother, and started off again. I dropped the medal off at Dilworth Coffee (Bekah was working). I told her I would explain the story later and continued on my way. I ran the next 7.5 miles downtown filled with thoughts of people, life, love, and God.
I must say, I have the best playlist ever.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wow
This gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. How beautiful is this? A homeless man came up and started singing with this musician. Wow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDmibnRyhj4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDmibnRyhj4&feature=related
Thursday, July 22, 2010
AWKWARD
I had a totally awkward moment today. I will preface this by saying that Duke Raleigh is a SMALL hospital. I have come into contact with almost every employee at least once, so it is weird when I notice someone new. This morning I woke up for work at the usual time but HAD to take a shower. Typically I take them at night, but I sweat profusely during my sleep last night... This also requires some explanation. We have pretty much decided to turn off the air conditioning because our last bill was over $200. Ridiculous! So instead we will sweat. For those who know me: NO. I have not been sleeping in my usual get up of sweat pants and sweat shirt with the hood over my head and 5 billion blankets. I have been instead sporting underwear and a tank top with a sheet. I am about one more night of sweat away from going completely comando. Sorry if that is "TMI". Despite the alteration of my morning routine, I still arrived at work early and was able to spend some quiet time in my car before having to clock-in at 6:45. If you are wondering why I didn't just clock-in early, it is because we are penalized if we work before our shift because we "weren't asked to come in early." As I was sitting in my car, another car speedily pulled in next to me. I made eye contact with the driver, who happened to be a young man dressed in casual clothing. I thought it was odd that 1. I have never seen him before, and 2. that he was dressed this way. The situation quickly turned awkward as I realized that my mental guessing game of who-he-was or what-department-he-was in, was accompanied by me staring. Let me rephrase that, it turned awkward when I realized the staring was mutual and that we had in fact, made eye contact. I hate when that happens and quickly looked away, hoping I would never see him again.
At 10 am I went down to the OR to watch a laproscopic gallstone removal. As I was waiting for the nurse, I saw that man again, this time dressed in scrubs and sipping on coffee in the OR. Greatttttt. I was rescued by the scrub nurse and went into the room to watch the hour long procedure which was actually pretty cool. The doctor made an incision in the woman's belly button, inflated her with gas to have better visibility, inserted three tools into small holes in the upper right abdomen, and used a video camera to navigate. The removal was done while looking at a screen, and the doctor "played around" with the camera and showed me all of the woman's internal organs. Guess what, a liver really looks like liver you would buy at the store. Gross, huh? The doctor was a nice older man with long hair who insisted on teaching me about 70's music during the procedure. It was funny. After he and the surgical tech stitched the woman up, I headed back to my floor to work. When I arrived to the elevator, I found that I was not the only one needing a lift. I was accompanied by an older gentleman with a linen cart, and of course, the young man from earlier, still dressed in his OR gear, and with a lunch box. We all got on in silence. The old man got off first, and then it was just me and the doctor man. I tried to avoid eye contact and kept glancing at the top of the elevator as if that would somehow make it climb the building faster. I have no idea why I was so intimidated/quiet. I am usually a talker and have no problem chatting up people I run into. He broke the silence and said, "I am surprised they let you get away with wearing Carolina Blue at a Duke Hospital." Instead of taking it is a joke I replied, "well actually I have to wear this color. It is called Ceil Blue." He then said something about how yes, the different floors and departments wear different colors to differentiate themselves. As the elevator stopped, I practically ran out and said something to the extent of "Have a good day." I then realized I had turned the wrong way and had gotten off on the wrong floor. Bahahaha. So dumb!!! I don't know why I acted like such a girl or was so awkward about it. I mean, he was just a cute, young, surgeon, right?? Jokes, jokes. But seriously, I do NOT act like that around strangers. I made myself laugh at how embarrassed I was. Anddd if I am being serious, I don't think I would ever be interested in a doctor. It is funny how the science of medicine is so foggy, yet many doctors appear to be black and white. I need more mystery in my life. Who knows though... I may still be a nun and collect babies from the foreign lands I visit :)
In other news, our new friend Ponni made us an amazing indian dinner tonight. Her and her fiance Kevin just moved to Raleigh from California so that Kevin can go to graduate school. They are really sweet and cute. I can't wait to get to know them better!
At 10 am I went down to the OR to watch a laproscopic gallstone removal. As I was waiting for the nurse, I saw that man again, this time dressed in scrubs and sipping on coffee in the OR. Greatttttt. I was rescued by the scrub nurse and went into the room to watch the hour long procedure which was actually pretty cool. The doctor made an incision in the woman's belly button, inflated her with gas to have better visibility, inserted three tools into small holes in the upper right abdomen, and used a video camera to navigate. The removal was done while looking at a screen, and the doctor "played around" with the camera and showed me all of the woman's internal organs. Guess what, a liver really looks like liver you would buy at the store. Gross, huh? The doctor was a nice older man with long hair who insisted on teaching me about 70's music during the procedure. It was funny. After he and the surgical tech stitched the woman up, I headed back to my floor to work. When I arrived to the elevator, I found that I was not the only one needing a lift. I was accompanied by an older gentleman with a linen cart, and of course, the young man from earlier, still dressed in his OR gear, and with a lunch box. We all got on in silence. The old man got off first, and then it was just me and the doctor man. I tried to avoid eye contact and kept glancing at the top of the elevator as if that would somehow make it climb the building faster. I have no idea why I was so intimidated/quiet. I am usually a talker and have no problem chatting up people I run into. He broke the silence and said, "I am surprised they let you get away with wearing Carolina Blue at a Duke Hospital." Instead of taking it is a joke I replied, "well actually I have to wear this color. It is called Ceil Blue." He then said something about how yes, the different floors and departments wear different colors to differentiate themselves. As the elevator stopped, I practically ran out and said something to the extent of "Have a good day." I then realized I had turned the wrong way and had gotten off on the wrong floor. Bahahaha. So dumb!!! I don't know why I acted like such a girl or was so awkward about it. I mean, he was just a cute, young, surgeon, right?? Jokes, jokes. But seriously, I do NOT act like that around strangers. I made myself laugh at how embarrassed I was. Anddd if I am being serious, I don't think I would ever be interested in a doctor. It is funny how the science of medicine is so foggy, yet many doctors appear to be black and white. I need more mystery in my life. Who knows though... I may still be a nun and collect babies from the foreign lands I visit :)
In other news, our new friend Ponni made us an amazing indian dinner tonight. Her and her fiance Kevin just moved to Raleigh from California so that Kevin can go to graduate school. They are really sweet and cute. I can't wait to get to know them better!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Dinner Experiment
Tonight I made dinner for Sarah and Sanj. I needed to use up some cucumbers, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, mushrooms, and bread. I call it Experimental Cooking #2.
Here is what I made:
-Cucumber salad:
3 cups cucumbers, 1/2 onion, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 sliced tomato. Mixed & refrigerated
-Veggie Melts:
Three slices of bread, 1 zucchini-thinly sliced, 1/2 onion chopped, 1 cup mushrooms chopped, 1/2 bell pepper sliced (I used an orange one), 4 minced garlic cloves, 3 slices cheese (I used american), salt & pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, water.
With the skillet on medium heat, saute the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. After a few minutes add a little bit of water to the skillet. After the veggies are mostly cooked, add the zucchini to the mixture. Add salt & pepper to taste. Toast the bread. Put veggies and 1 slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread. If the cheese needs help melting, put it in the microwave for a fifteen seconds.
This meal was actually VERY flavorful. The girls really liked it and I was totally proud of myself! SUCCESS!!!
Here is what I made:
-Cucumber salad:
3 cups cucumbers, 1/2 onion, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 sliced tomato. Mixed & refrigerated
-Veggie Melts:
Three slices of bread, 1 zucchini-thinly sliced, 1/2 onion chopped, 1 cup mushrooms chopped, 1/2 bell pepper sliced (I used an orange one), 4 minced garlic cloves, 3 slices cheese (I used american), salt & pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, water.
With the skillet on medium heat, saute the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. After a few minutes add a little bit of water to the skillet. After the veggies are mostly cooked, add the zucchini to the mixture. Add salt & pepper to taste. Toast the bread. Put veggies and 1 slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread. If the cheese needs help melting, put it in the microwave for a fifteen seconds.
This meal was actually VERY flavorful. The girls really liked it and I was totally proud of myself! SUCCESS!!!
G-ma & G-Pa
I took a trip to Potomac this past weekend. It was great to spend some time with the fam. Check out this awesome itinerary:
Saturday:
6am: leave Raleigh with my mom.
6am-12pm: Drive, crochet, wonderful chats, eat, drink, pee.
12pm-3pm: Shop at a huge, overwhelming mall. Learned that I prefer Goodwill's size, limited selection, and price tags much more. Plus I think thrift shopping makes you experiment more with your style. Too many choices may not always be a good thing.
3pm-5pm: Traffic, showers, hotel check-in, get ready for dinner
5pm: Old-folks-style-early-bird dinner. Pretty good Salmon with a side of green beans. Dessert of cherry with chocolate chip oatmeal crisp.
8pm: attempt to do some homework on my computer only to discover that my cd-rom doesn't work on my Mac. Bummer!
Sunday:
6:30am-8:30: C&O canal 6 mile run with my Uncle and 14-year-old cousin. Talked about prayer, God, life, running, and food.
9am: Breakfast at the hotel with the fam. 1 Uncle + 2 aunts + 2 grandparents + 2 cousins + my mom
12pm-3pm: visit the Navy Exchange. A small Sears that was tax free. I accidently tried on bras in the men's dressing room... and then left my sweater in there. After we left the Navy store I realized I had forgotten it (my mom kept calling and pressuring me to hurry up. Doesn't she know you can't rush bra shopping?!), so she and my G-pa went back to collect my lost clothing while G-ma, Aunt Jennifer, and I shopped at a fancy grocery store. I got a yummy salad and all kinds of samples. Oh the Navy Exchange also had See's chocolate, the best chocolate ever.
4pm-5pm: first nap in a while. I could get used to this! Fell asleep to the twins (my mom and aunt) chatting on the bed next to me. Kinda cute.
6pm: dinner with the while fam mentioned above with the addition of one more uncle. We ate at http://www.mykonosgrill.com/ This was seriously the BEST meal I have ever had. No joke. I ate so much. The dessert was amazing as well. I now want to go to Greece. Also, our hostess had an amazing blue nail polish on; I am putting it on my shopping list!
8pm: Went for an adventure by myself after dinner. I needed to walk... so full! I felt like my pops taking a stroll like this. Chatted with a friend from home.
Monday:
7am: "slept in", coffee and yogurt in the lobby, journal and Bible in hand. Great start to my day!
9am: round 2 of breakfast with the grandparents. Don't you love how older people find so much joy out of feeding you?? Haha.
10am: walk around my grandparents property. I love their little white fence, brick house with vines, and red barn. I hope that these buildings are preserved in time. Chat with my cuz.
11am-5:30pm: drive back. More good chats with my momma. Phone call with Miss Loffer=goodness. Lots of thoughts of future adventures swirling through my head...
6:15pm: Nog Jog with Marc. Good chats, too much heat, stomach cramps. I enjoy my new friendship with this running partner. He offers a lot of life perspective but not in a "I am so much older than you" way. I feel like he is an open older brother-ish.
8pm+: hang out with roomies, unexpected visitors, NC State ice cream eating, goodness. I really missed the girls while I was away. I can't believe there are only 4 weeks left of my internship. Weirddddd.
Saturday:
6am: leave Raleigh with my mom.
6am-12pm: Drive, crochet, wonderful chats, eat, drink, pee.
12pm-3pm: Shop at a huge, overwhelming mall. Learned that I prefer Goodwill's size, limited selection, and price tags much more. Plus I think thrift shopping makes you experiment more with your style. Too many choices may not always be a good thing.
3pm-5pm: Traffic, showers, hotel check-in, get ready for dinner
5pm: Old-folks-style-early-bird dinner. Pretty good Salmon with a side of green beans. Dessert of cherry with chocolate chip oatmeal crisp.
8pm: attempt to do some homework on my computer only to discover that my cd-rom doesn't work on my Mac. Bummer!
Sunday:
6:30am-8:30: C&O canal 6 mile run with my Uncle and 14-year-old cousin. Talked about prayer, God, life, running, and food.
9am: Breakfast at the hotel with the fam. 1 Uncle + 2 aunts + 2 grandparents + 2 cousins + my mom
12pm-3pm: visit the Navy Exchange. A small Sears that was tax free. I accidently tried on bras in the men's dressing room... and then left my sweater in there. After we left the Navy store I realized I had forgotten it (my mom kept calling and pressuring me to hurry up. Doesn't she know you can't rush bra shopping?!), so she and my G-pa went back to collect my lost clothing while G-ma, Aunt Jennifer, and I shopped at a fancy grocery store. I got a yummy salad and all kinds of samples. Oh the Navy Exchange also had See's chocolate, the best chocolate ever.
4pm-5pm: first nap in a while. I could get used to this! Fell asleep to the twins (my mom and aunt) chatting on the bed next to me. Kinda cute.
6pm: dinner with the while fam mentioned above with the addition of one more uncle. We ate at http://www.mykonosgrill.com/ This was seriously the BEST meal I have ever had. No joke. I ate so much. The dessert was amazing as well. I now want to go to Greece. Also, our hostess had an amazing blue nail polish on; I am putting it on my shopping list!
8pm: Went for an adventure by myself after dinner. I needed to walk... so full! I felt like my pops taking a stroll like this. Chatted with a friend from home.
Monday:
7am: "slept in", coffee and yogurt in the lobby, journal and Bible in hand. Great start to my day!
9am: round 2 of breakfast with the grandparents. Don't you love how older people find so much joy out of feeding you?? Haha.
10am: walk around my grandparents property. I love their little white fence, brick house with vines, and red barn. I hope that these buildings are preserved in time. Chat with my cuz.
11am-5:30pm: drive back. More good chats with my momma. Phone call with Miss Loffer=goodness. Lots of thoughts of future adventures swirling through my head...
6:15pm: Nog Jog with Marc. Good chats, too much heat, stomach cramps. I enjoy my new friendship with this running partner. He offers a lot of life perspective but not in a "I am so much older than you" way. I feel like he is an open older brother-ish.
8pm+: hang out with roomies, unexpected visitors, NC State ice cream eating, goodness. I really missed the girls while I was away. I can't believe there are only 4 weeks left of my internship. Weirddddd.
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