The End of NaBloPoMo and Friday Mornings

Well, November 30.  Can you believe it?  I can't!  I wasn't sure I would be able to stick with it, but I did.  I posted on here every day this month.  And it feels pretty good to accomplish that goal.  Some days it was just pictures or a short sentence, but it was something every day.  I'm pretty sure I posted more this past month than the whole time I've had the blog. :)  I'll do better in the future.  I'm thinking a realistic goal will be once a week...shall we see how it goes??

Anyways, I've wanted to post about this all month, and things kept coming up.  So, today, I'm going to.  Can I just tell you all how much I love Friday mornings?  Seriously, the best day ever!  I usually work 8a-8p on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, which means I have Wednesdays and Fridays off.  Seriously, such an awesome schedule, right?  Anyways, despite working back to back 12 hour shifts, I can never seem to sleep in past 8:30am on Wednesday mornings and can never fall back to sleep.  Lame!  But Fridays, Fridays are a different story.  I usually wake up about 8am, look at my phone, bask in the glory that is Friday morning, roll over and sleep til about 10:30am.  Seriously, how blessed is that?

I love knowing I don't have to do anything on Fridays.  I can sleep in, lazily find breakfast and just relax.  Today for instance, I played on my phone and watched Netflix on my computer, not even getting out of bed until noon.  Then, once out of bed, I simply relocated to the couch, where I stayed for much of the afternoon.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not totally lazy on my days off.  Wednesdays I usually go grocery shopping, etc.  Friday is my day!  My roommates are at work, the house is quiet, and I can relax.  Sometimes I'll do laundry, but there's always Saturday for that.  So today, I worked on my rec therapy blog (a story for another day) and did a bunch of rec therapy stuff to rekindle my passion for the profession (because work this week kind of killed it).

So there you have it.  My absolute love of lazy Friday mornings, that quickly become lazy afternoons and evenings.  Happy weekend everyone!

I Love to See The Temple

What better way to spend a day off than to go to the temple?  It was absolutely wonderful and I felt such peace as I sat in the house of the Lord today.  I love these two quotes:

Packages

So, one of the best things about online shopping is when you actually get the stuff delivered!  Last week I ordered some Christmas presents for my niece and nephews and they arrived today!  I was so excited!  Even at 8:20pm, after working 12 hours, I was still more excited to open up the box and see what I ordered than eat dinner!  And, side note, those kids are going to LOVE their gifts!

So, thank you all for your advice about my latest purchase!  I loved the idea of a gift certificate, but they didn't let me do that.  So instead I opted for a new set of silverware and a knife set.  I figure it will go well with all the stuff I can make using the KitchenAid.  :)  I can't wait to get it and try some new recipes!!

Advice Please!

Okay, friends, I am facing a serious dilemma here...advice would be greatly appreciated!

Last week I splurged and bought a KitchenAid mixer at Kohls.  [Can I insert here how excited I am!?!]  Anyways, with that, I got a bunch of Kohls cash to spend.  And if I use it online before midnight tomorrow night, I can use the 20% off code and get an even better deal.  Awesome right?

Except for one thing, I don't know what to buy. I rarely have this problem at Kohls.  I love Kohls!!  But I don't really need more clothes.  There's not a pair of boots that I am in love with.  I could get a few fashion scarves, or earrings.  Or kitchen toys. Or a new silverware set (my cheap walmart set just isn't that great). Or a down-alternative comforter.  Or something else???

Help!!!!  If you had Kohls cash to spend, what would you get and why???

Sunday Thought

I kinda like the idea of posting a spiritual thought on Sundays.  It helps me stay focused on what really matters and think about how I can apply the gospel to my life daily.  Tonight, I thought I would share one of my favorite youtube videos, from a talk given by Elder Busche.

I'm also including the text, because what he has to say is so powerful!

Therefore, I want to share with you a vehicle, an instrument, that I developed some time ago for myself and for my family. It can assist us to reach our focus as we read the suggested vision of true discipleship as a Latter-day Saint. It helps when, from time to time, we ponder and seek identification with the following thoughts:

* Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.

* When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God.

* In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take.

* First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don't permit anything to detract you from this awareness.

* You cannot communicate with God unless you have first sacrificed your self-oriented natural man and have brought yourself into the lower levels of meekness, to become acceptable for the Light of Christ.

* Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul.

* Pause to ponder the suffering Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the awareness of the depth of gratitude for him, you appreciate every opportunity to show your love for him by diligently serving in his Church.

* God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.

* God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us--everything will fall into its place.

* Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.

* When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.

* Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.

* If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.

* Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.

* Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.

* Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction.

* You want to be good and to do good. That is commendable. But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost. Then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do.

* The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.

* Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve.

* And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better.

Thus, we prepare all the days of our lives, and, as we grow, death loses its sting, hell loses its power, and we look forward to that day with anticipation and joy when he will come in his glory.

Lazy Day

Ahh, the weekend!  After a busy week, it was nice to just relax this afternoon and evening.  I realized (again!) how important it is for me to take time for myself and relax and rejuvenate.  If I'm always running around--work, social events, everyday errands, etc--I get burnt out so quickly.  So after working at 8am the last 4 days, it was nice not to set an alarm this morning!  I still got up by about 8:30, did some dishes, and went shopping.  Yay for being productive!  And then the rest of the day was spent relaxing, watching Netflix, etc.  And now I'm ready for another week to start!

Black Friday

Can I just say that I am exhausted?  And no, not because I spent the day shopping...because I spent the day at work!  Luckily, I got paid time and a half, so it made the 12 hours shift totally worth it.  :)  Unfortunately, it means that my brain is shutting down and this may be a less-than-thrilling post. :(

I had contemplated getting up this morning and going shopping for a few things before heading to work at 8am, but when my alarm went off I knew there was no way I was going to make it anywhere before work.  So I snoozed the alarm for quite a while, got ready, and managed to clock in at exactly 8:00am.

I did make one Black Friday purchase at work--buying some new games for our department.  I knew it was crazy, but after my morning group I ran over to Target (which was busy, but not as terrible as I expected).  Unfortunately they were out of one of the games, so I had to just order everything online and pay shipping, but it still came out lots cheaper than I would have gotten last week.  So it was totally worth it!

Tomorrow I plan to continue my Black Friday shopping, buying fabric for work.  We tie fleece blankets for a service project and I've got some good coupons to use, so I might as well.  And if I'm going to be out, I might just need to stop at Kohls and see if there's anything I need, right?

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all had a wonderful day with your family and loved ones and were able to reflect on all your blessings.  Today was a great day for me- work for a while and then spend the afternoon and evening with family!  Life is good!

Like most people, today's post is going to highlight some of the things I'm most grateful for in my life...

- Family: I have an amazing family- parents, siblings, siblings-in-law, niece, nephew, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc.  I know that no matter what happens in life, I have people that love me and care about me and will help me out.  I am so grateful for the friendships I have within my family and for the good times we celebrate together.

-My Job: I feel so incredibly blessed that I can go to work to a job that I absolutely love every day!  I know I say it a lot, but I truly do love what I do.  Being a recreational therapist is one of the best decisions I've ever made.  It is such a wonderful opportunity to go to work and see people in crisis, and to be able to help them through that in some small way.  I also have amazing coworkers and value those friendships.

-Mission: Going on a mission is also one of the defining moments of my life thus far.  I learned and grew so much in those 18 months and met so many wonderful people that I still think of frequently.  From companions to investigators to members, that time shaped my life and helped me realize who I am and what I can become.  I'm grateful the Lord allowed me the opportunity to serve as a missionary in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

-Positive Examples: I have so many wonderful role models in my life.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who are dedicated to what they do, compassionate and willing to act and serve.  I have no doubt that the Lord leads us not only to where we need to be, but also to the people we need to be around, whether to learn from them or help them in some way.

-Faith: I am eternally grateful for my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, for His Atonement and his Church.  I know I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and cares about me, and is guiding my life.  I am thankful for that eternal perspective and guidance amid the trials of this mortal life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Eve and Jokes

Okay, I don't know that this really counts as a holiday, but I'm going to say it does.  I worked 12 hours today, and then decided I wanted to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  So I did.  Then I decided I wanted to take some to work tomorrow.  So I made some more (non-gluten free--because I don't share my gluten free stuff with just anybody).  And now the last batch is in the oven and I'm getting ready to head to bed, so that I can go to work tomorrow.

But, on this Thanksgiving Eve, I thought I'd share some of the fun jokes I told my patients today.  One of the girls I used to work with sent them to me (Thanks Jill!). Hopefully it gets you into the Thanksgiving mood.  I'm pretty sure I shared at least the first one with you earlier this month, but I think they're fun, so you get them again!

Q: If April showers bring May flowers what do May flowers bring?
A: Pilgrims!
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Q: Why did the turkey cross the road?
A: It was the chicken's day off.
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Q: Why do turkeys always go, "gobble, gobble"?
A: Because they never learned good table manners!
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Q: What sound does a space turkey make?
A: Hubble, Hubble, Hubble.
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Q: Why did the police arrest the turkey?
A: They suspected it of fowl play.
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Q: Why did they let the turkey join the band?
A: Because he had the drumsticks
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A turkey farmer was always experimenting with breeding to perfect a better turkey. His family was fond of the leg portion for dinner and there were never enough legs for everyone. After many frustrating attempts, the farmer was relating the results of his efforts to his friends at the general store get together. "Well I finally did it! I bred a turkey that has 6 legs!"
They all asked the farmer how it tasted.
"I don't know" said the farmer. "I never could catch the darn thing!"
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Q: What's the best dance to do on Thanksgiving?
A: The turkey trot
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Q: What kind of music did the Pilgrims like?
A: Plymouth Rock
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Q: Who is not hungry at Thanksgiving?
A: The turkey because he's already stuffed!
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Q: Who is not hungry at Thanksgiving?
A: The turkey because he's already stuffed!
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Q: Why do pilgrims pants keep falling down?
A: Because their belt buckles are on their hats!
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Q: How do you keep a turkey in suspense?
A: I'll let you know next week.
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Q: Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
A: The outside.

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Q: Why can't you take a turkey to church?
A: Because they use such fowl language.

Day 20

Woo-hoo!  I have successfully completed 2/3rds of NaBloPoMo!  Impressive, right?  Well, today I was going to post about how RIDICULOUS work was this morning, but it ended up going pretty well, so I guess  I won't complain today--but possibly later this week.  :)

So, instead, I thought I would share some of my favorite funny quotes from Pinterest.  Everyone needs a laugh now and then, right?  Enjoy!!

Aunt Andrea

Over the past several days, I've got to spend lots of time with my nephews and niece.  I figured it was about time they got their own post on my blog, because they're just that awesome!

Little [T] had a rough couple of days, but I sure did enjoy rocking him this past weekend.  He's still pretty little and so we can't really "play" yet, but once he's a little older, I know he'll quickly discover just how cool Aunt Andrea is.

Then today I got to play with [M] and [L].  We watched the Hunchback of Norte Dame and ate lunch and num-nums (of course!).  And we obviously played on my phone.  Afterwards, she didn't want me to go home, so she barricaded us inside.  Luckily Momma moved the shoes and I was able to escape.

And, because no post would be complete without a picture of all three of them, here's [L] trying on my jacket a few weeks ago.  It makes me smile every time I see this picture.  He was talking up a storm today, and was very cuddly!

Isn't being an aunt is the best!?!

A Sunday Thought

I was blessed to serve a mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  I loved it!  It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was also one of the best and most wonderful times of my life.  I learned so much and grew so much during those 18 months, and I truly believe it has shaped my life forever.

On the mission, we usually had lunch with the members.  After lunch, either my companion or I would share a short thought or scripture with the family as an expression of our appreciation for the delicious meal.  One of my favorite things to share was a quote by C.S. Lewis, from his book Mere Christianity, which I still keep in my Portuguese scriptures and read at least once a month.

The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’ 

The gospel truly does change us.  It changes our lives.  As Elder Holland talked about in the last conference, once we have a personal, meaningful experience with the Savior and His Atonement, our lives are forever different--changed for the better.  We can't ever go back to who or what we were before.  In some ways that is easier; in other ways it is hard.  But in every way it is better, because we are becoming more like the Lord, and as we do so, He will empower us to overcome the difficulties of this mortal life.  I saw this principle in action countless times on the mission, and see it in my own life, and am so grateful for it.

"I'm Pretty Tired"

I was sitting here tonight, thinking about what to post.  A lot has happened in the last two days, and luckily everything worked out and is going to be good, but all I could think of was how tired I was...now that I actually allowed myself to relax!

This is what popped into my head:

Forrest Gump: [running] I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours. 
[he stops and turns around] 
Young Man Running: Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something! 
Forrest Gump: [pause] I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now. 


My dad and my brother say this sometimes, and having spent the last two days with my brother, I can totally imagine him saying this.  In fact, now that I think of it, I'm almost surprised he didn't say it as we were leaving this afternoon to come home.

Personally, I'm glad to not only be home and but also to have a few days off work to relax.

Good night!!

Friday Lessons

Another day off, only this one didn't quite go as planned.  For today's post, I will share just a few lessons from today (in no particular order)...

1.Expect the unexpected
2. Gluten Free bread is worth every penny (as are the cookies!!)
3. Family is always there for you
4. Friday nights with your twin sister don't happen nearly enough
5. Being flexible is sometimes the best thing you can do

Happy Friday Everyone!

Halfway and the day I didn't have my computer

November 15!  Wahoo - we've made it halfway through NaBloPoMo and I've posted every day!  Some of the posts haven't been super exciting, but each one has been written the day it was posted about something that I was thinking about or doing that day.  Which, I must admit, is kinda cool.  Here's to the next 15 days...and hopefully a stronger resolution to post regularly even after NaBloPoMo is over.

Today I realized just how much I use my computer at work...because I couldn't.  The IT guys are doing something about something and somehow migrating stuff over and it's somehow related to something corporate is doing....and I clearly don't understand all that technical stuff.  But I got in to work today and had a big sign no my computer screen that said "DO NOT LOG ON!"  Okay, I thought, I can handle this.  I just won't use my email, which isn't that big of a deal because no one emails me anyways.  But then I realized I couldn't print out the midnight census, and get the update on how the patients were doing...and I was going to have to wait for meeting to get that.  No biggie, I thought.  Then I realized I couldn't see if we had admits over night, so I didn't know who to get assessments ready for or notes prepped for.  Well, that can just wait til after meeting too, I decided.

So I prep the notes I had for the patients I knew about, and planned my activities for the day and went to meeting, where I got the old school version of the census.  Groups proceeded as normal, and I did the assessments, and filing.  I finished SO early!  So then I helped my supervisor with some things, and filed a few more documents, and still had about 45 minutes before my evening groups.

Usually, I like this time because I can work on finding and creating new interventions, or putting together the shopping list, or working on the history pages, or any number of projects...all of which require the use of my computer!!  Bummer! Don't worry though, I did find something to do, and looked through a coworker's binder of activities in hopes of finding new ideas.  But, I realized, I do use my computer a lot for my job, and I'm excited to have it back next week!

A Day Off

Yay for a day off!  I love my work schedule.  Working back to back 12 hour shifts is hard, but having Wednesdays off totally makes up for it.  Nothing like a relaxing yet productive day to mark the halfway mark in the week.

Today was probably more relaxing than productive, but hey, it happens, right?  Plus, it was a fabulous day.  Sleep in (til about 8:15am is all--but that's a story for another day!), relaxing morning, taking my time getting ready, lunch with a good friend I used to work with, working on a rec therapy project this afternoon, and then dinner with my sister and some friends.  Pretty sweet, right?

What about you?  How did you spend your Wednesday?

Discussions

Tonight I had some pretty awesome conversations with my roommates--about life, about history, about controversial social issues, etc.  It was great!  We all shared ideas and thoughts and opinions openly and honestly and intellectually.  Later, I remembered this quote.  I am so grateful for where I am in my life, for the people I am surrounded by and the lessons we are learning and discussing together.  I have no doubt that the Lord has a hand in guiding our lives and leading us to exactly where we need to be.

A day in the life

Today was a pretty busy day!  Slightly overwhelming at times, but overall really good.  I've been wanting to do a post about work and a typical day there, but decided to just do it today.  So even though today wasn't entirely normal in terms of schedules and whatnot, the general gist of it is pretty representative of what I do...

6:50am - Alarm goes off.  Promptly hit snooze

7:00am - Alarm goes off again.  Promptly hit snooze again.  Get a text message.  Learn that the other rec therapist is sick and it will be just me today.  Try to go back to sleep.

7:10am - Alarm goes off again.  Promptly hit snooze again.  (Are we noticing a theme here?!?)

7:20am - Get up, get dressed, pull the hair into a pony tail and grab breakfast.

7:40am - Leave for work

7:56am - Clock in.  Yay for being early for work!!

8:00am - Print the updated census, update our patient board, check the daily theme, prep assessments that need to be done on new patients.

8:10am - Talk to supervisor about a plan for the day

8:15am - Treatment team meeting for the Geriatric Unit

8:40am - Finish creating a plan for day.  Fill in the staff and get coloring pages and "This Day in History" page ready for the geriatric staff to do with the patients.  Plan 11am group.

9:00am - Adult treatment team meeting

10:00am - Adult Unit 2 Exercise group in the gym.  Mondays is arms, so we did some stretching, worked with the resistance bands and had free time.  Complete one assessment with a patient during free time.

11:00am - Geriatric intervention group on the unit.  The theme is social skills.  Lead a discussion about the top 8 social skills from the last 2500 years.  Try to keep patients calm.  Play Social Skills Jenga with patients, and have them name social skills as they pull out blocks.

11:50am - Prep my notes.  Essentially this entails filling in the details that are the same for every note- date and time of group, group facilitator topic and patient name--for my two morning groups.  Score assessment I did during the exercise group.

12:10pm - Head to lunch.  Because it's been a crazy day, and I know I need a break, I go out to eat.

12:37pm - Clock back in.  Yes, 27 minute lunches here... I'm getting good at calculating just when to clock back in... Head to my office and prep the notes for my adolescent group.  Plan my two adult intervention groups.

1:10pm - Adolescent group in the gym.  Same plan as before, but more free time.  Play with the kids during free time.

2:00pm - Adult Unit 2 intervention group on the unit.  Play Taboo.  Discuss various social skills.  Take library book requests.

3:00pm - Adult Unit 1 intervention group on the unit.  Discuss the Social Skills handout.  Play Jenga.

4:00pm - Head back to the office.  Finish prepping my notes from my afternoon groups with the two adult units.  See the rec therapist that was covering the evening groups!  Fill her in; help her plan activity night.  Write notes, write notes, write notes, and write notes.

6:00pm - Head upstairs and organize the notes and various other paperwork that needs to be filed into patients' charts.

6:20pm - Start filing the paperwork in the charts.

6:40pm - Realize that if I don't leave soon, I'm going to go over hours.  Put the papers back into the "To File" box and head back down to my office.

6:45pm - Clock out and head home!

And there you have it...a day as a rec therapist at the psych hospital.  I guess I left out details like the conversation I had with a patient about how she needs to go home because she's been in "treatment" too long and has her job she needs to get back to or the patient who purged after dinner and said it was an "environmental hazard" because she puked in the middle of the room or the patient who just kept saying "3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 3 hours, 3 minutes, 3 seconds" over and over.  But you know, those are minor details. ;-)

Honestly though, I absolutely love my job!  I work with some pretty awesome people (staff and patients alike) and have so much fun.  It's so rewarding to watch people work through the crisis they are facing and realize their worth as a person.  Despite the sometimes chaotic moments, I wouldn't trade days like today for anything!

"You Know Enough"

What a wonderful Sunday!  I got to attend two sacrament meetings today- my own ward and my sister's ward.  Today was the Primary Program and my niece is a sunbeam, so I just had to go over and watch her, right?  It was so fun!  They go to a Spanish ward, which is always interesting.  I speak Portuguese and some Spanish (although it is definitely easier to understand the Spanish than speak it).  Marissa has been practicing her part and did a great job, even if she looked grumpy for some of the songs.  And they had missionaries in their ward!  How fun is that?  And then I had to run to work, which actually went pretty well.  For our service project today, we made thank you cards to send to veterans since today is Veterans Day.

Anyways, today I remembered this talk from Elder Andersen, "You Know Enough" from the October 2008 General Conference.  I was on my mission in Brazil when he gave this talk, and it's been a favorite ever since.  As I see patients come and go (and sometimes come again) at work, I am reminded of the power of our choices.  Faith is a decision we have to make, and have to continually remember and work towards.    Challenges will come, but because of the Atonement of Christ we can overcome.  Even when we don't have all of the answers, we can still know enough to move forward confidently in obeying the will of the Lord, and answers will come as we act.  We know enough!!

Happy Sabbath!

Really?

I was going to do an awesome post today since I had the day off and all that.  Guess what?  Not really going to happen.

What did I do today you ask?

Sleep in, lots of Grey's Anatomy, shopping with my sisters and niece and nephew, and fighting the feeling that I'm getting the flu. :(

Highlight of the day?

Teaching my nephew Lucas (who is the most adorable 18 month old ever!) to say the word "Really."  We were sitting in the car on the way to Kohl's this afternoon, and he was jabbering away.  I couldn't entirely understand what he was saying, so I just lean over and say "Really?  Really?  Really?" a few times and laugh and smile at him.  Pretty soon it's a game.  I say "really" and he laughs...and he says "eee---llll---yyy"  and I laugh.  Pretty smart little guy, don't you think?

Don't judge our appearances...
we had just gotten up
 last Saturday morning!

Snow Day

I knew it was supposed to snow today.  My family had mentioned it and I was prepared...prepared for it to snow a little bit while I was at work, look pretty, and possibly stick to the grass...but not cover my car in 4 inches of snow!

Now, spending most of my winters in Utah, I'm definitely accustomed to the snow.  I've lived in it, walked to school in it, driven in it, etc.  But every winter, every time we have a snow storm, I find myself asking once again "Why do I live in Utah?"

Don't get me wrong.  I like the snow... when I don't have to go anywhere, and I can lay in bed with my electric blanket and drink hot chocolate and read books or watch netflix.  No problem!  But when I have to scrape snow off my car, or deal with bad road conditions or less than skilled drivers, I'd appreciate it if the snow didn't exist.

This summarizes how many of my coworkers and patients felt about the snow today:

One of my patients told me to go skiing, and then I would like the snow...What do you think?  Do you like the snow?

11/8/12

No, I could not come up with a title for today's post.  Sorry.  Day 8 of NaBloPoMo and I've just about run out of things to say.  Not really, but it sure feels that way.  So, 8 random thoughts of the day:

1. I really don't like complainers.  Which is somewhat ironic, because I've done my share of complaining.  But I guess I felt that if I can make it work, so can you.

2.  12 hour shifts are getting longer and longer.

3.  I'm working on Thanksgiving and Christmas activities for work.  Today I came up with a Thanksgiving Bingo and am almost done with a Christmas Jeopardy game.  If we have to work on holidays and patients have to be there on the holidays, by golly we're going to have fun.

4.  I have mixed thoughts about working tomorrow.  One one hand, I love my job and don't really mind working 4 days this week.  But I have to work on the geriatric unit--my least favorite unit.  But I get to dress up (read: not wear gym clothes) so I'm kinda excited about that.  It's nice to feel professional now and then.  But it's still on the geriatric unit... lol :)

5.  My old coworker Jill sent me a bunch of Thanksgiving jokes this week.  They're kinda cheesy, but still made me laugh.  Here's one:

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?

Pilgrims!  Bahahaha :)

6.  I tried making Pao de Mel yesterday afternoon.  It didn't really work.  I mean, it tasted delicious but was all crumbly and whatnot.  Darn you gluten free flour!! I guess I'm going to have to keep experimenting.

7.  Confession: I didn't vote.  I realized too late when registration closed and since I'm still a California resident it just didn't work out.  Whoops.  That's the second presidential election that I've been allowed to vote in and am yet to actually cast a vote!  (Although, four years ago I was in Brazil on a mission, so it's totally excusable.)

8.  Yes, I realize this post may be a bit more cynical than usual... chalk it up to a 12 hour day at work and a headache... but I posted, right?

Hobbies

So I've had a few different people tell me lately that I need a good hobby, to which I (somewhat) jokingly respond that work is my hobby... Seriously, guys, I love my job!  The patients are fun, the staff is awesome and I love the freedom I get to do whatever interventions I think would be best for that day.  It's seriously awesome.  So work is more fun than it is work for me.  But... I only work 3 days a week.  So what do I do the rest of the week??  Good question... sometimes I can't really figure out where the time goes.  I mean, obviously the laundry gets done and the house cleaned and groceries bought, but beyond that?  Netflix.  Lunch dates with friends.  Playing with the niece and nephew.

Recently I've made an effort to be more conscious of how I'm spending my time. I've tried reading, baking, cross stitching, card making and piano playing.  I am also going to look into fixing up my old viola and trying to play that again.  I'm just not sure I've found it... you know, that one hobby that's made for me.  So, blogger friends, I am looking for your suggestions.  What hobbies should I try next?  How do you spend your days off?

Sugar Cookie Bars

Okay, okay, it's only November 6 and I'm kinda getting tired of this posting something original every single day.  It shouldn't be that hard right?  Well, expect some less exciting posts on days I work and some more creative posts on my days off... It all evens out right?

Seeing how today is election day, I should probably post about that, right?  Well, I'm not going to.  Instead, I'm going to post one of my favorite recipes.  Most of you probably know I have Celiac's disease, which means I can't eat gluten.  Gluten is found in anything with white flour, and a lot of processed foods.  My sister has started a blog where she posts a lot of her gluten free recipes.  It's pretty awesome...and whenever I don't know what to make for dinner I usually look there first.

One of the things I really missed when I went gluten free was sugar cookies.  Here is a recipe I adapted to be gluten free of a sugar cookie bar...

Sugar Cookie Bars
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
2 1/2 c. GF flour (I used 1/2 c. white rice flour, 1 c. brown rice flour, 1 c. tapioca flour and 1/2 t. xantham gum)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a jelly roll pan with foil, spray with cooking spray.
3. Cream butter, sugar and cream cheese together.
4. Add in egg and vanilla.
5. Add in dry ingredients.
6. Mix until just combined.
7. Press into pan (dough will be sticky).
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges begin to golden (remember that oven temperatures vary and yours may be done sooner!).
9. Cool completely before frosting.

These are the imitation Lofthouse sugar cookies that have been floating around pinterest, adapted to be GF by my sister Andrea but originally from this site:http://cookiesandcups.com/lofthouse-sugar-cookie-bars/

I like to frost it with my mom's homemade frosting and sprinkles.  :)

Doesn't it look delicious??

Anyways, my sister posted this on her blog, along with LOTS of other yummy recipes that you should check out.  Enjoy!!

Personal Mottos

Today at work we had a group about creating our own healthy lifestyle and how we each have the power to create our own lives.  No matter what happens to us, we each have the ability and power to act and not just react.  As I thought about what to post tonight, I'd thought I'd share a few of my favorite quotes with you, all from Pinterest of course! ;)   It's hard for me to to choose just one as my personal motto.  They are each amazing and represent different aspects of my life and valuable life lessons I've learned.

And one of my absolute favorites

No matter what happens in life, it will always work out.  Like I told my patients today, life isn't going to be perfect.  It's not going to be easy all of the time.  We'll probably mess up and have bad days and hard times. But we can choose how we respond.  So until we understand God's purpose for everything, I like to remind myself to "laugh at the confusion" and "smile through the tears" and remember that someday everything will make sense and God's will and plan will be unfolded.

Which are your favorites?  Do you have a personal motto?

True Friendship

It's past time for me to think about going to bed, but I am determined to post every day.  So again, it's going to be short... Oh well.  Today was an amazing day.  I slept in (probably because I stayed up way too late talking with a dear friend), went to my sister's, cuddled with my sick niece, went to my nephew's baby blessing, dinner with the family, and then a reunion with a bunch of people from a BYU ward.  It was busy and chaotic at times, but absolutely perfect.  

As I talked with Steph last night, I remembered this image I'd pinned on Pinterest, and figured it would be perfect for today...

Whether friends or family, I love being able to pick up right where we leave off.  I love that some of my best friends are my family. What better way to spend a Sunday??

Family

Today's post will be a short, picture filled one because it's a busy day!  I had a fabulous sleepover with my niece and nephew last night, and my parents are almost here too!  Tomorrow, is my newest nephew's baby blessing.  Good times, people, good times!

Playing last night

The Mouse

So, for today's post I thought I would share the following story of our pet mouse.

I came home from work on Sunday evening and my roommate Allie told me she had some bad news.  I was a little surprised and very curious.  But, I was in a very good mood and said, okay, well, what is it?  She kept darting her eyes back to the wood burning stove/TV area and I wondered what had happened.  But, Allie, knowing me all too well, told me to sit down.  As I sit on the couch, she proceeds to give me a play by  play of the afternoon.  Then, she says that as she and Rachel were sitting in the living room, they saw a mouse run by.  That definitely caught my attention!  A MOUSE?!?!?!

Blogger friends, let me tell you a not-so-secret secret about me- I don't like mice or other creepy little things!  I had my phone out and ready to send our landlord an email, asking what we were going to do about this little development and when.  Luckily, Allie managed to stay calm and told me that she and Rach had covered the hole in the fireplace where the mouse came from, and we should be okay.  Okay as in, sure, I guess, but remind me never to sit on the living room floor again!  Luckily Rachel is a little lot calmer and levelheaded than both Allie and me, and she sent a very calm email to the landlord.  She also went out and bought mousetraps the next day, which we set Monday night.

Fast forward to Tuesday night.  I get off work early (the benefit of working Sunday this week!) and come home to find this:

Our now dead mouse

Yep, that's right, I come home to find a dead mouse.  Just lying there with it's eye open and everything.  Being the mouse hater that I am, I avoided that corner of the living room all night...right up until Allie got home and bravely disposed of the little creature.  And we set another mouse trap (this time with paper underneath--we don't want mouse brains all over the floor!) and as of this evening, have been mouse free.

Let's just hope it stays that way...

The One Where I Explain NaBloPoMo

No dear readers, I have not disappeared... just gotten super busy the last little while.  But that's about to change, because I am going to participate in NaBloPoMo.  What is that exactly?  Here is a detailed explanation, but basically you post something on your blog every day in November.  Given my track record, it may be difficult...but I'm bound and determined to do it!

So today, I'm going to share one of my favorite quotes.  It's from the Dr. Seuss movie The Lorax.  Granted, I've never seen the movie, but I heard the quote once and it's stuck with me...

This quote always reminds me of work.  If you know me, this will come as no surprise, but I LOVE MY JOB!!  (I'll explain in another post!) But as much as I like it, it's still a very demanding and emotionally draining job.  You can't be apathetic in my job, you have to be passionate about what you do.  And so when I'm having a bad day at work, or wondering why the patients don't seem to be getting something, I remember this quote, and do my very best to care "a whole awful lot" and give 100% and things always seem to work out.