Holding onto Winter {March Review}

Photo taken on March 28th, 2013 - St. Croix River (boarder between Minnesota & Wisconsin) - still so much SNOW!

March 2013

This month has been very busy, stressful, and a slightly frustrating, but I made it through. Time certainly has not slowed down and I cannot believe it is already April tomorrow (my birthday month!). I think there is truth to the saying that time doesn't slow down for anyone, with each month and year as I have gotten older I feel like life is moving so fast that sometimes I just want to press a "pause" button. As I enter into the transition between a college student and young adult, a transition to preparing for the next steps in my career, truly growing up it can be intimidating and overwhelming. I have now realized that I have to prioritize and understand that I can't do it ALL, ALL of the time. March 30th (yesterday) marked 2 full years of blogging (crazy!) and I love it, I love that it still is a space I can write of my journey and still be able to share and reflect both for myself, friends, and family (and maybe others!). I know in the past year my page-views have significantly increased, I have been writing more consistently, and a few more comments have popped up. I still am not asking for advertisers or sponsors, that's just not my thing. This space is a special place where it is available for those who want to engage but is also there to let me share. I hope that this blog continues to be a safe-place to share and connect with people and myself. 

Lasts: day of my GSJ course {here}, hopefully (fingers-crossed) snow of the winter season,...

Firsts: taking lab-draws from a patient, placing an IV, running with the hospital's IV team, spending clinical time in an Emergency Department, going for a night away with my mom to Hudson, Wisconsin, time during the school year where I spent more time in a hospital than in a classroom, real feeling of nervousness creeping in regarding transitioning into young-adulthood, going on meal dates one-on-one with everyone in my family in a one week span, paying off a credit card bill (or maybe that was last month...can't remember),...

What I've learned: this isn't the first time I've learned this but certainly has been come back into my life is how complicated and messy life can be and how imperfect we as humans are and with that there are some things that we will never be able to fully comprehend or understand, faith in a God that is bigger than human complexity but it doesn't always make it easier, patience and the way you approach all situations can be of the utmost importance, I need to hold close those moments and people that have entered my life that remind me regularly that nursing is the career for me and that I am smart and capable of getting through this transition and starting out my career, the little things are so important and that it is important to be able to slow life down just enough to notice those little things in life that make a huge difference,...

Looking forward to: nursing pinning, graduation, seeing where I'll be in 6 months from now// 1 year from now, change and transition into being a young-adult, all the snow melting!!!, post-graduation life...

What I'm missing: the sun (too much snow!), the warmth of spring and flowers and changing of the season, less stress, knowing what to expect, routine...

Faves: Spending time with my family over spring break and having all five of us in the same house again, going to Hudson with my mom, getting to spend time really being in the hospital and daily grind of it all, advancing my skills by learning how to do lab-draws and start IV's, the sun setting after 7 o'clock at night...

**See past installments of monthly re-cap {here} 

** See the entire series of posts regarding my GSJ course and my time studying abroad in Zambia, Africa {here}

** Read about why I blog and annual statistics {here}
** March {2011}, {2012}, {2013}

You know what's awesome, how faithful God has been to me even when it doesn't feel like it in the moment. I am still reflecting and thankful for Sarah's March 6th post {here} and lead me to {here} of her testimony and journey in her life and health. Life has been hard for me, (no not-open-heart-surgery-hard), but hard this month and this year in general. Sometimes it's hard to see where I am headed and that I am still on track. Then I read posts like Sarah's, I talk to a person at church, interact with a new patient at work, or I hear a song on the radio and it puts life in perspective. I truly believe God has a plan for my life and is control so much so that anything I could dream of is not even going to compare with what God has for me. I am really praying and trying to follow a path where I take life one day at a time, and be deliberate and honest with myself and others who join me on that journey. Life is fragile; working in nursing I realize this more and more every shift I spend in the hospital, and I want to live my life to the fullest depth and capacity it has to offer me. 

Happy Easter to everyone! 

I am thankful for the sacrifice and reason for this holiday night.              

Love this City {Minneapolis}

 

This is a glimpse of the Minneapolis skyline from the top of Mall of America's west parking lot. Photo {03/24/3013} 

Sometimes life gets busy, the weather is less than preferable, and I move too fast to every really spend the time to appreciate where I am. The crazy thing is that sometimes I feel like living here sometimes "there's nothing to do" or I get "bored" with living here...but in all actuality Minneapolis/ St. Paul and the twin cities area have so much to offer. We may be in the upper midwest in the middle of "no-where", but we have great sports venues, theaters & music spaces galore, alongside a comprehensive bike-way and walkways around the city in and around plenty of green spaces. I see it important to remember that I shouldn't judge this place I live and call my home as harshly if I'm not willing to take advantage of everything it has to offer. It's my job to make the "normal" exciting, different, enticing. At the end of the day I really love this place, and will always hope that I will have a place to come back to here. A day last week I decided to take a drive around this wonderful city and take in the sites and sounds to enjoy the sun (not warmth - maybe only Minnesotans can understand), and an unexpected day off .

A view of the skyline on the bridge over 35W on 2nd Avenue & 42nd Street South {03/19/2013}

 

Wherever you may be from I challenge you to fully embrace your environment, even if it's feeling more like January than it is feeling like March in the spring time, or even when everything seems "boring"...maybe look for a new restaurant, go out of the box and walk a block you've never walked before...you might find something new and fun that you want to add to your routine!    

Spring is the Season {for TOMS}

 

source.

So, here's the truth there are a few things in my life that I pay for the real deal and TOMS are one of these things. The first pair I purchased was back before nursing started I mentioned it in this post {here}, the second I purchased last spring {here}, and now I'm itching to get my next pair. Mostly because my white pair I had to buy for nursing school are completely warn out and I actually replaced those with new Nike tennis shoes to give me better support throughout the time on the floor. Actually my other TOMS were almost nearly destroyed after Soundset music festival last summer when it spent 10+ hours standing in mud and hot sun where by the time summer finished there was a hole warn in the seam. Well...the real reason for this post is because now I have to choose a pair to buy; too many choices!

Pair 1: Grey Suede Women's Cordones {$79.00}

 

{here}

Pair 2: Platinum Metallic Linen Women's Classics {$58.00}

 

{here}

Pair 3: Earthwise Grey Women's Vegan Classics {$54.00}

{here}

Pair 4: Navy Umbrella Stripe Women's Classics {$54.00}

 

{here}

I'm leaning to one of the first three because they are the most different for what I already purchased in the past, however I really like the pattern of number four. It'll be a while before I make a purchase because I need to get a pay check first! What TOMS do you like?

GSJ// Zambia - One for the history books

Final Reflections - Zambia

Official grade posted to the registrar's office, the course is complete. I will have memories to last a lifetime. This will now be my last post on my January 2013 trip to a new continent, and country that I now hold a special place for in my heart. My hope that this is just one of many trips that I have to places far and wide. This trip provided an opportunity to grow personally and have a deeper and fuller understanding of the world and the people in it.

 

During my first week in Lusaka, I had the opportunity to volunteer and spend time at the Maluba House where I met some very strong women, and a strong girl fighting for her life. They recently lost funding for the adult wing of the hospice and only had a clinic and hospice home for children up and running. Unfortunately while I was there only one child was using the hospice home, it was between busy times for some reason. I was touched by the hard work and resilience that the women had that were working to provide care in this facility and how much love they had for the people of Zambia, many whom have been struck with AIDS/ HIV. The most significant relationship I made was with Hari a volunteer medical administrator from India who committed to a 2-year contract to work as the primary medical administrator for this site. I hope we will be able to reconnect at some point again.

   

(Left: Hari & I; Right: one of the rooms at the Maluba House - girls wing)

 

Another touching experience we had was visiting the organization Chikumbuso visit their facebook page here, and their website here. 

 

 

  

For some reason blogger is not letting me upload a video which makes me really sad, because these women sung for us between a few of them telling their journey and story in relation to Chikumbuso. It was beautiful. The organization is beautiful, and I'm glad that these women have found hope in a future, community to depend on, and a place that is safe for the children to go to school and get one solid meal a day. I encourage you to visit their website and see more of what they are all about, and you can purchase their hand-crafted products state side or donate to their organization. 

There are many more stories to tell, and things I learned from this trip even now two months later that I can reflect on, but none that can be totally articulated through this blog. I am blessed and thankful for the opportunity to travel and spend time there, and next time I go abroad; I will be very happy it will not be for class!

Friday...it's been too long!

source.

I need time to take a breath.
This week was filled with academic expectations,
work shifts at the hospital,
clinical shifts at the hospital,
no time to cook good food,
no time to breathe.

I dunno about you, but time and space for myself is the pathway to my success.
My stomach currently is growling due to the only intake I've had all day was a medium carmel late w/ soy, and a handful of raspberries & blackberries.
Friday really couldn't have come any slower, it was my first day off in over a week and I needed it.

The to-do list is long, but graduation is approaching and I need to keep taking life one day at a time.

Find some time to breathe this Friday!

Coffee Breath.

source via pinterest.

Monday morning. After daylight savings & PM tour at the hospital...let's just say motivation was severely lacking to get out of bed. However, when one chooses to wait until the last day to write a (final draft) of a paper...there was no choice but to get out of bed.

So. Thus, I have coffee breath, and went to Bruegger's Bagels. The only thing I think that was really able to get me out of bed, conveniently Caribou is right next door.

I have a few more photos and things to share about my trip to Africa that seems so long ago now, but priority of school and finishing this undergraduate career out strong ensues.

Happy Monday.

Movie Night.

 

moi. insta. pic.

So for the past two nights I have taken the liberty to relax and take advantage of the lull that has been for the past 24 hours. I know it won't be long before the list of to-do's changes finish-now's, and sleep will once again become a luxury. But, until then, I will enjoy this moment. 

There are certain movies in my life that I just love, and can't pass up, it's almost as if it is a familiar comfort food that just makes everything better. My list isn't long but here's a few I will watch forevermore, and even if if I had a horrible-no-good-very-bad-day will make me relax. 

1. The Parent Trap - "new" one, yes Lindsay Lohan 

2. Bourne Identity

3. Bourne Supremacy

4. Bourne Ultimatum 

5. Love Actually

6. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

7. The Sound of Music (1965) {later add-on...can't believe I forgot this one!}

None of these movies remind me of any person, so it's almost like they belong to me. No one can ruin them for me, I know how it begins, ends, and finishes. If I flip to it on T.V. I can start at whatever part its on. Not because they're the best movies I have ever seen, it's simply just because I like 'em for no other reason. 

When I saw Emily's {post} it pushed me to do one of my own. 

What are your fave movies?