Ouch

The pain beat us down.

Oh they're going to a Huki'lau

It was early (4 am) when I drove them to their plane before it took off for Hawaii. My parents made it through two flights, three airports, and unsettling airport food for breakfast. They left Baby Doll with me. I felt like we all deserved a pair of wings.

Fall Ball

I forgot how much Max felt like smiling.

Blood Moon

Sunday: hot chocolate My Struggle: new charting; Stork Bytes, change scrubs, short walk to OR, side of labor and delivery not often seen, emergency hysterectomy after c-section, epic view of the super blood moon over the trees in my driveway.

So Much Happiness

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.

With sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.

When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.

But happiness floats.
It doesn't need you to hold it down.

It doesn't need anything.
Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.

You are happy either way.

Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.

Everything has a life of its own,
it too could wake up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the soiled linens and scratched records…..

Since there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. 

You are not responsible. You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it, and in that way, be known. 

Poem: "So Much Happiness," by Naomi Shihab Nye from Words under the Words (The Eighth Mountain Press).

Strong Women Empower Each Other

{You are an absolute pleasure to have in my life!} 

Thirty minutes before I was supposed to be at the wedding in the woods site...

{I hurried over to the Zermatt Carousel from the condo where we had spent the night}

{with Nicole tying my bow after Laurie finished my hair and makeup...}

{and benches in a small alcove which felt like a sanctuary of light and form}

{to see Naomi's idea of painted animals paired with a second time bride} 

{with these strong women by my side.}

I strongly believe that whatever I do in life, from the mundane to the meaningful, I can give it my all. 

Don't waste the opportunity to make an impact.

A well thought out, meaningful compliment with passion and fire and genuine enthusiasm behind it has the power to be remembered for years to come. 

Some of the best compliments that I've ever received have had nothing to with being called beautiful, hot, pretty, sexy, cute or gorgeous. It feels so much better to hear that I'm respected for my intelligence, passion and tenacity. 

Like Olivia: her sense of humor is wicked! She could definitely be a comedian besides an inspirational photographer.

{Laurie is so creative! I'd love for her to give me some tips on painting sometime...}

I must say that they have the most gorgeous eyes! They really show how kind-hearted they are - Olivia bought my dress for today.

Naomi: her passion is contagious.  The world needs more women like her. 

Heidi is one of the funniest people I've ever met!
I always feel awesome after chatting with Nicole!
They make me want to be a better person. 

Their curls looked beautiful and totally match these sisters vibrant personalities!
Kelli is so empowering! I love how down to earth she is, her kindness really shows in everything she does. 

Their outfits looked great on them. They looked determined, in-charge and ready to kick some booty!

And my mom - I really admire the way she handles her beliefs and ideas. She's a positive influence in my life and means a lot to me. 

{They all make life look effortless!}

{I don't know how they all juggle everything they do with such ease! They're some kind of superwomen.}

I love and respect my friends and want to let them know that I value them for so much more than just their looks. What's the best compliment you've ever received? 

Rustle Up Some Fall Fun

We met at the hospital

Gordon

Hi!

B

I had a patient who had been incontinent in her wheelchair, and he had stopped to help me clean up the mess. He really loved my smile, and I liked his eyes. 

After a few more months we were happily dating, learning things like how Gordon hated guacamole and I loved it. 

Like led to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ❤️ 

824 days later

He popped the question

& I said

Yes!

And now we'll be married tomorrow! 

Join us...

Open Heart

We both started new careers and new jobs, changed bed pans, and anticipated a future in that big hospital on the hill. Years later, I stayed on. Through chopped down trees, mellow winters, and nursing school, we witnessed the sunrise and set with our hearts open. 

{He proposed}

Reminiscing

{Hale'iwa}

We drove from Honolulu to Laie in a hazy jet lagged stupor, dizzy and giddy all at once. Somehow we gravitated to the newly finished Marriott where we walked the beach, shot photos, rode pennies to the cultural center, and sat with Max while Markus drew a sketch of Shaka. We climbed back in the jeep and drove onto Sunset Beach where I crushed over the landscape and muted hues after we dropped our bags off and watched the sun dip into the Pacific Ocean.

Pins

On the first day after summer’s end, I watched a maple leaf take flight. We talked about people who are left paralyzed after injuries, said thank you for a fractured bone and waited for his turn for surgery.

Before

After

Jammin'

http://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk

Broken

He suffered and swelled on the flight home. No amount of hugs, chocolate, or words could mend things either. I played a song on the radio to comfort him after I took him for X-rays at Instacare, then said he hadn't stopped playing even with a broken radial displaced. Brave. Broken.

Starry Nights

I fell asleep under the stars and woke in the dark quiet of my bedroom.

Markus & Beau

We spent the last Saturday of the season eating waffles, Getting Air, finishing and starting new hockey games, polishing off Cafe Rio, buying smoothies, and wishing we could have summer all over again. 

.

Grand Rapids

In the end, there was lunch. Four games played, the two he played in were won. Slashing caused him to have a bruised wrist and watch one game. The other he tried to play in but was in too much pain. 

Darlin's

These two have known since they were born that the best thing to hold onto in life is each other. 

Girl Night craft provided by Olivia 

Circles

Twice a day he raced outside and set the net in its place on the front driveway. I happened to peek out the window when he put the net out in the morning and noticed the leaves snap in the wind. I went back to reading the day’s headlines: Russia offered more military supplies to Syria and a new record pressing plant opened in New Jersey. We circled back to where we came from.

Things At Work

​

Your Most Important Thing at Work
(From Staff Meeting today)

• ​To make a difference in someone’s life.​​
• ​Be a valuable part of the unit.
• ​To know that I matter and that my patients feel the same.
• ​Be the change I wish to see in the world!
• To constantly be learning and growing.
• ​Be a part of a great team, that makes this most important day spectacular!
• Feeling like a contributor.
• ​Feel like a valuable contributor.
• Make a memory in someone’s birth experience.
• To take the best possible care of our patients.
• To be a part of a super amazing miracle
• Safe and happy patients.
• ​Helping people with one of the most important part of their lives.​
• ​Learning and working with fun co-workers.
• ​Giving the best care to my patients.
• ​Learning skills and working well with co-workers.
• ​Making best days.
• ​Being the best and brightest team we can be.
• ​Learning to be a great L&D RN.
• ​Caring and giving to my patient the best I can.
• ​Helping co-workers, patients and doctors and learning.
• ​Becoming better each time I work!
• Being a team player!
• ​Positivity!
•   Help others get a family.
• ​$--Making a difference.
• ​Our great team.
• ​My friends.
• ​Taking care of moms and babies.

Paycheck 

• Having a family is the most important thing in my life.

Everyone Smile

Monday: cereal, walk, vacuum, downpour, two hockey practices, reading in the car, pick up jerseys and jackets, team pictures, noodles and leftovers.

Those Summer Nights

Ninety plus degrees Friday. In lieu of swimming we ate Olive Garden and stayed in air conditioning. Work, skate store, bookstore, grocery store. We ate dinner in the backyard. Chicken, corn, watermelon, and a pan of noodles. Last of the lazy summer nights.

Life Isn't That Serious

Thin green beans fried in the skillet while I chopped tomatoes, onions, and a mushroom. In another pan, onions caramelized next to crispy skinned potatoes. As usual, I remembered my mother’s kitchen at breakfast time when she fried potatoes with onions and peppers alongside a pan of scrambled eggs. After the breakfast dishes were rinsed my Cousin, Grandma, and I walked down the busy road next to their house where the trees grew thick and the river lay flat.