Sunday Funday

Clearly, I'm writing and post-dating three separate posts for one day. Sunday was such a busy, full day that I wanted to put different things into different posts.  After the huge, filling lunch with Keenie, Juju, and family, I drove out to Denton to meet my dear friend Brittnye and her husband Evan (and their daughter Avery).

We walked around the square and got some old-fashioned ice cream.

Then I locked my keys in Ross' truck.  That was fun. It took an hour to get them back and by then, sweet Avery was so worn out from the heat and excitement. She took a late nap and Evan's parents watched her while Brittnye, Evan, and I drove out to Lake Roy Roberts.  It was still hot out at 7:00pm (then again, I didn't mind it much because you expect it to be hot in Texas in the summer).

The water was the perfect temperature. Not cold, but not bath-water warm. The three of us floated and talked and lost track of time. It was a gorgeous night to be outside. No bugs, either!

It's so great to catch up. I can't believe it's been 10 months since I saw these smiling faces!

Southbound 35

What the hell am I doing down in Kansas City

Know damn well it ain't where I belong, no no

Think I'll quit my job come five o'clock

Find my lonely way back home

Well, my baby said just what are you trying to prove here

Really want to leave me here all alone

Said I'm tired of staring at this ocean full of Yankees

I'd rather be in Texas on my own, oh yeah

Now we were southbound 35

We were headed down the road

Hit the border by the morning

To let Texas fill my soul

To let Texas fill my soul

*lyrics from "Southbound 35" by Pat Green (who, by the way, went to the same church we did in Ft. Worth)

*Disclaimer: I did not actually leave Ross to move back to Texas. He had to work tax-free weekend, but I already had PTO scheduled and plans to go to Texas, so I drove down by myself for a few days.

Work in Progress

Work often overwhelms me these days. I used to be able to work 4 days in a row (sometimes even 5 and, about once every 6 months, 6 days in a row). At the ripe old age of 25, sometimes I wonder if I'm already burnt out. Even worse, sometimes after working 3 days in a row, I'm afraid that as tired and as frazzled as I may be, I don't even know the meaning of "burnt out" yet.

I remember in grade school we had a ceremony for a 2nd grade teacher who had been working at the school for 25 years. I remember thinking, "that's way longer than I've even been alive!" That still blows my mind. So much happens in the first 25 years of your life... what happens the next 25 years? Am I destined to be doing the same thing day in and day out 25 years down the road? Dear God, I hope not. 25 years in the same place STILL blows my mind. 25 years ago, I was just a baby!

I've been out of school for over 2.5 years. Work is no longer a fun novelty, it's work.

Sometimes I think it'd be nice to do something that doesn't involve interacting with others. (I know, I'm antisocial enough as it is). But then I see aunts and grandmas stepping in to help an overwhelmed dad and a baby who has lost her mom.

I see strong, patient mothers who are dealing with the tragedy of not having a normal pregnancy, delivery, or newborn baby, yet they sit with their child every day and know more about the baby than the doctors or nurses ever will.

I get parents thanking me so much for taking care of their baby and requesting that I take care of their child every day I'm here.

And I'm thankful I have a job that allows me to witness the best (and worst) sides of the human condition. I get invited to baby showers when a long-term kiddo is getting close to going home. I frequently lend an ear to overwhelmed parents (and realize my life isn't so bad after all).

It doesn't happen every day, but sometimes when I'm not running around like crazy, catching up on charting, or trying to problem-solve a patient's latest problem, I get to sit down and snuggle with a baby. I get to feed someone their very first bottle. I get to carry them outside their rooms when they become "portable" and can remain stable without oxygen. I hear babies cry for the first time, I see them smile accidentally, and I get to watch them find their hands and reach for my face when I talk to them.

I do love the perks of my job, and usually when I'm bragging about a baby's latest accomplishment or cute moment, Ross tells me that this is the perfect job for me. As for now, I'm exhausted and looking forward to another few days off.  Texas, here I come!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

...Back to work I go. Four things are keeping me from sinking into a terrible mood about working 3 in a row starting tomorrow:

1.) I just had an entire week off... my longest vacation in 10 months!

2.) I'm hoping my current primary patient will have learned how to eat from a bottle in the week that I've been gone. I missed my little nugget!

3.) At the end of my 36 hours, I get to go to Texas!

4.) I'm on a sugar high from the muffins I just made.

Recipe for a Happy Husband

Muffins that taste like donuts. Click here for the recipe. I made 2 dozen mini muffins, but I'd cut the recipe in half next time. Because you will eat the entire batch in less than 24 hours. Unless you have self-control. We don't.

Disclaimer: I told Ross he looked scary in this picture, and he said he's just frighteningly happy because the muffins taste so good.

Third Time's a Charm

Today was the third time I've run 3 miles without walking in less than 3 weeks!  That may not sound like much, but it's such an accomplishment for me. Back when I was struggling to run 2 minutes at a time without a walking break, I couldn't imagine reaching this point again. Today's run was on the slow-ish side, but I was more focused on finishing than running fast, and I was actually (relatively speaking) comfortable for most of the run.  I was still in Omaha so the slightly cooler weather and the early morning cloud cover helped immensely and I was even able to run up the 1/4 mile-long hill up to my parent's street at the end of the run!

I had set a goal to run 3 miles in under 32 minutes by the end of July, and I'm proud to say I met that goal last Wednesday!  Today's run in 35 minutes on hilly terrain was just the icing on the cake. Now I'm moving on to my 10k training plan for August/September and I'm so excited that I'm (knock on wood) ready to start working on more endurance. So far, the farthest I've run this year is 3.5 miles.  Hopefully that'll change in the next 3-4 weeks! Is it odd that I'm looking forward to lower-mileage speed work and increasingly longer long runs?

I've been listening to a lot of Glee songs while running, because they're so upbeat.  I particularly like this mash-up of Beyonce's "Halo" and the classic "Walking on Sunshine."

I love the opening lines:

Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
They didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

Granted, this song is about love but for some reason those words make me so happy to be running. I imagine myself pushing through those invisible barriers my mind creates when I feel like quitting and it reminds me of the walls I've already broken through in the last few months. Corny, I know, but whatever work, right?

Running is becoming a saving grace. Onward to my 10k!

Dad's Omaha Triathlon

I was so glad Ben's wedding weekend coincided with my dad's first Olympic triathlon today!  FYI Olympic distance means a 1.5 km (0.93 mile) swim, 40 km (24.8 mile) bike, and 10 km (6.2 mile) swim. The swim started early (6:15am), luckily we found my dad right before the race started.

About 5 seconds after this, he realized his wetsuit was on backwards

Luckily he got it fixed before he got in the water

It was a nice morning, and I'm sure the swimmers were a little chilly at first. My dad had steam coming off of him during his first transition!

Going strong after the swim!

T 1

Headed out for the bike ride

The bike course was hilly and the sun was out in full force. Not a cloud in the sky! I walked about a mile out on the course to see my dad over the last big hill. You know it's a hilly course when you shout, "Good job, last hill!" and people look at you with big, hopeful eyes and gasp, "Really? You're not joking?!"

Fighting the hill

All downhill from here (until the run at least!)

Sadly, we couldn't really go out onto the run course to cheer, but my dad said they had water stations every mile so hopefully they cheered the athletes on.  I didn't recognize my dad coming up the hill at first, and then I kept missing him with the camera. But I finally got a good shot. He finished strong!

I'm so proud of you dad! What an inspirational race.

The sun was cooking by this point. 80 degrees at 9am. Finishers were no longer soaked with lake water. It was all sweat!

In good spirits, trying to cool off

At my wedding reception, my dad gave a great speech and at one point he said, "I'm so proud of you. If pride is a sin, I'm going straight to hell." For the record, I think it's vanity that's a sin, and I'm just as proud of you, Dad, for not only finishing your triathlon, but finishing within your goal time this morning! You did more before 9:30am than most people do all week.