My life

I don't sleep real well most nights, by that I mean it takes me forever to fall asleep. I think I have become accustomed to sleeping during the day when it is light outside. Night time does funny things to your head and makes every problem you may have seem like Mt. Everest. It is a proven fact that patients in the hospital have more pain during the night and they die more frequently during the night. Most people blame stuff like this on Circadian Rhythms and such but I know the real reason...it is dark, what else are you going to do? I'm not a big fan of the dark as you all know. So when I can't sleep I imagine everything that has happened in my life and how I got to this point right this second. So here is what I came up with....

I left home very young because I was in love; moved in with my boyfriend who later proposed. We were married over a year later and moved to his hometown closer to his job. We were living in his hometown, knew we wanted to live down south so when the opportunity came up we moved to NC courtesy of his employer. We moved to NC without knowing anyone and ended up developing some great friendships. We bought a house and went to the beach frequently. I went to nursing school, mostly by accident. Things were bad at Pete's job so he quit and was unable to find another job. I was working as a nurse with a bunch of travelers and decided that didn't sound like such a bad idea. We put the house up for sale, said good-bye to all our friends, loaded the Explorer and took off for Connecticut.

13 hours in the car, which was packed, with 2 cats. I cried the whole time thinking about my friends. We stayed there for 3 months, Pete worked at Wal-Mart which was an interesting experience. We were 1 1/2 hour train ride outside NYC and we frequently went into the city, it was great. We left CT, lived with his mom in NY for about 10 days before heading on to Ohio. Ohio was a great experience; there was a lot to do, we had an awesome apartment (Polaris) and it was coming up on summer. We stayed here for 9 months, then the hospital said we had to sign-on or leave...I left. Again, leaving some good friends.

Our next stop was NJ ever though we really wanted to head out west. We were 30 miles outside NYC, about a one hour train ride. That part was cool, that was the only cool thing about NJ. We left after 3 months and came back to Columbus. Same apartment complex, same floor at the hospital and happy as can be except my friend had gone traveling out west.

We decided to stay in Columbus, both of us were tired of moving so we bought a house. Made another trip to NC to retrieve our furniture from storage and moved into our new house. The rest is history. No regrets but sometimes I do miss Wilmington, NC and wonder if that was a good decision. I'm sure it was but boy do I miss the beach.

This one thing I have learned, you know who your friends are when you move away.

Healthcare vs. Mother Nature

Once again the battle between healthcare and Mother Nature was evident at work. The sad reality is that we can work hard, use every intervention known and still fail. Sometimes Mother Nature just toys with you...you can leave after your shift and know you did everything right because your patient is doing so much better. Less than 12 hours later when you walk back on the unit the patient is dead. All that hard work and stress for nothing. The only gratification being you know you did your best and the family's appreciation for your effort.

Just proof that life is too short and you never know when your card is going to be pulled. Live life to the fullest and be happy; no regrets.

Lucky Brand Jeans

This is the semi-annual Lucky Brand Jean sale. If you have never heard of Lucky Brand Jeans I feel sorry for you; the sale is like a holiday in my world, better than most of the actual holidays I celebrate. Lucky Brand Jeans are expensive, like way to expensive for a normal person except during the sale which is when normal people like myself can afford a little bit of luxury. Why are Lucky Brand Jeans so special? It is the only store I can walk into a know without a doubt the jeans are going to fit my butt, waist, hips and thighs...not a small feat. Jean shopping is one of the most torturous events a woman can go through until you discover Lucky Brand Jeans. They have a men's section as well for all you manly men.

So today was spent with my friend shopping at Easton, not a bad day. A pretty good day actually. I ate Chipotle for lunch and had a Starbucks for dessert, wandered around Easton then came home and grilled food for dinner. This is my last day of vacation so I need to kick back and relax, just like my cat who is laying perfectly balanced on his back with feet sticking in the air. No he isn't dead, at least I don't think so.

Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas is an awesome city, almost as awesome as New York City. Everyone said 3-4 days is the most you can take of Vegas and then you are ready to head home; that is very true. It is hard to keep up with non-stop action in a different time zone. Of course the casino never closes but neither does the Strip. I thought it would be busier than it was but still crazy all the same. We walked from one end to the other which really doesn't sound like a lot but is. We did walk all at once but in shifts since the temperature was hovering around 100 degrees. Dry heat is still very hot. We saw all the casinos, went to some fabulous dinners, did some shopping and of course some gambling. All in all it was a great trip but I am glad to be home in our quiet house with just the two of us and the cats. Maybe this is another sign I am getting old.

We saw the Cirque de Soleil show Ka which I thought was by far the best but Pete disagreed. What amazing talent and choreography goes into these shows, definitely worth seeing. We were in the 3rd row which was nice but not necessary for enjoying the show. We ate at Emeril's restaurant and had the best meal we have ever eaten. What amazing food and the wine was spectacular. The gambling was good but after a while you get tired of spending money (I bet no one ever thought they would hear me say that).

We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris and watched the sunset and the first 2 rounds of the Bellagio fountains. After the sunset we went back down to street level and watched the fountains more. What is so amazing is that they play different music for each session; all the songs are choreographed differently for the fountains. It is breathtaking to see, the pictures don't come close to doing the experience justice.

It was a fun-filled, busy 3 days and I think we are both happy to be home and glad we went. Winter will be a great time for our next visit!

Anniversary

This is our anniversary week. Thursday June 15th at 11am we will have been married for 10 years. I know there were plenty of people who said it wouldn't last, that we were too young but they were wrong. I have been thinking a lot about how we met, how we fell in love, how we came to be married. I wouldn't change any of it. I think the important element for making a marriage work is to be friends first and always stay friends. You don't always have to like each other but you always have to love each other. You don't always have to agree but you do have to look at the other person's side and compromise. We were great friends before we ever became involved romantically. I don't know of anyone else who could put up with my moods and drama.

I won't lie and say there haven't been times I was totally disgusted and tired of being married; I think every married couple has to experience these times in order to understand what you have. The good times have far out weighed the bad times and I actually can't even remember the bad times. Giving up instead of talking is never the best way to solve a problem; open communication is always key for any relationship.

I don't know what I would do without Pete in my life. He is my soulmate, the rock that steadies me when I need to be steadied. He makes me laugh and sometimes he makes me cry but I love him.

So we are headed to Vegas on Thursday night to celebrate our anniversary. This will be our first vacation together in 15 months, long over due. I am excited to celebrate and also excited for the next 10 years of marriage.

The desert

I love the desert, probably because it is so different than what I am used to seeing when I look out the window. The desert has a mysterious quality about it...makes you wonder what happened here hundreds of years ago, who walked on this sand and dirt. The landscape is serene and almost gives a spiritual feel; there is nothing to see or watch yet it is captivating. The mountains out there are beautiful with all the stone and cactus protruding. It was a sad day helping my friend pack up and move away from this wonderful place. On the other hand it was wonderful to know she was moving back home. The heat was almost unbearable so neither of us will be missing that.

We had a good trip through Arizonia, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and finally back to Ohio. New Mexico is every bit as beautiful as you would think. No cactus but there are pine trees. Texas is every bit as untamed as you imagine with herds of cattle everywhere you look. The land is so flat you can watch a thunderstorm in the horizon and still have the sun shining upon you. Oklahoma is just flat farmland, not much to see. Missouri is a lot like Ohio.

I would love to live in the desert, or maybe just vacation there for a week or two every year. Living in the desert, I think I would miss the trees we have, I am a Yankee after all. The trees give off a certain smell in the summer that just floods you with memories and reminds you of what it is like to be young. Maybe a week or two would be enough of the endless sun and heat, enough to put your life back into perspective.