Archive for December, 2009
2009 a year in review
01. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Went on a cruise. It was so amazing!
02. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I dont think that I made a New Years resolution this year, and next years I fully intend to achieve!
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not that I can think of, my cousin adopted a baby though!
04. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, My uncle Dan. Miss him. And my Meyah, my baby.
05. What countries did you visit?
United states and Mexico.
06. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A Nursing Degree.
07. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 14th, I married the best man in the world.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I didnt give up with school, I have worked really really hard to keep it going.
09. What was your biggest failure?
Losing Meyah, I have so many things that I think of as regrets with her. I wish that there was more that I could have done.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a nice ovarian cyst and that led to the discovery of my little fibroid friend.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Iphone
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My Husband. Even when things have been rough he has managed to be on his best. He is amazing.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Pendleton. Just cant believe someone would do those things.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets to all of our travel-cations.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My Husband coming home from the sandbox.
16. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Happier, more secure, and way more educated.
17. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Nothing, I think I accomplished everything I set my mind to. Although I wish I had been able to spend more time with my Meyah.
189. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Crying, and missing people.
19. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?
With my husbands family!
20. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?
With my family!
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I fell more in love. I fall more in love with him every day.
22. How many one-night stands?
None! Im married!
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Two and a Half Men is always my favorite.
24 Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No, still hating on the same person. And feeling sorry for him.
25 What did you want and get?
To go on a cruise!
26. Want and not get?
More time with my hubby
27. What was your favorite film of this year?
I just dont know, I loved so many movies this year!
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
For my birthday my husband came home from Iraq, and we spent the weekend exploring the big city. Then we headed to the beach to stay in a beach house for a couple days! I turned 25, and feel the best I ever have!
39. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If my husband had been able to stay home.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Old navy and white scrubs!
32. What kept you sane?
My friends and family, blogging, and going to the gym.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I love hearing about Angelina Jolie.
34. What was your favorite video game of the year?
Wii Sports!
35. Who has made the most cameos in your dreams this year?
Nursing school.
36. Who did you miss?
For the majority of it I missed my hubby. Still miss Big boy.
37. Who was the best person that you met?
My Mother-in-law.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Your past always has a way of sneaking up on you, and it is just better to face it with patience as possible.
New years resolution
Typically I dont write resolutions but this year I feel there is one in particular that I have a burning desire to achieve.
This year my resolution is to become a better wife to my husband, to learn new ways to love him, and to pick my battles more carefully.
2009 was an amazing year for us as both friends and as a couple. We had some trying times bit mostly we laughed and loved the year away.
2009 was awesome but my resolution is to make 2010 even better!
My “AH HA” moment!
At my yearly physical my doctor decided to run a bunch of labs, most of them just standard, but others just to see.
The break down:
Cholesterol- Fantastic
Thyroid-Functional (Darn!)
Glucose- Fantastic (despite my attempts at killing my fasting levels by having a sweetened Ice tea!)
Vitamin B12- Deficient (AH HA!)
So what is vitamin B12 deficiency? B12 is used in the body to make red blood cells, and can make you feel weak and tired. Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products like milk, cheese and eggs. I eat none of those. Eggs kinda gross me out, Milk makes me sick, and cheese is kinda disgusting too. As such I am now deficient and have been forced to add the vitamins into my diet.
But what a revelation!
Christmas with my inlaws
This year was my first year as a married woman, and as such we spent these holidays with my husbands family. Little did I know that my skills as a nurse (student) would be needed. My husbands grandfather started having a flare up of his CHF and was having some painful breathing. I was impressed at the amount of knowledge that I was able to recall while doing a quick assessment on him. Ultimately he was fine and I realized how very much I need to have my stethoscope with me always. I felt handicapped without my ears.
What all do you keep in your trunk? I am now fully equipped with a good emergency kit and also my spare ears, so those incidents where I need them.
The rest of the holiday went off without any issue and it was wonderful getting to see all the cousins and the Nephews. We were incredibly honored in being asked to be the oldest Nephews Madrina/Padrino at his first communion. What a priveledge!
Saying good bye was harder, much harder. I cried for about 100 miles while driving away. I have married into such an amazing family and saying goodbye to my Mother-in-law made me feel like my heart was breaking.
Only 6 months until Graduation and hopefully everyone will be able to make it up here!
The countdown to the big move is coming…….172 days!
Santa Cruz wharf
We met this gentlemen while walking on the wharf, he looked exceptionally friendly…. Until he turned and flew towards me!
Leaving in baby red
I wish I had taken a picture of how full we managed to get our little car, we are packed all the way to the brim! I dont think that my MIL (Mother-in-law) could have sent us with any more wonderful stuff! We have a cooler full of curtido, pupusas, and cola champagne. Its fabulous!
Now its time to start the long drive home. The very long drive home.
Im not ready to say goodbye, evidenced by the fact that it is almost 3pm and we still havent started driving. Pray for good weather for us please!
Merry Christmas!
We are spending Christmas at Disneyland with my amazing Mother-in-law and one of the Tia’s!
Pictures to follow!
Hope everyone is having a great Christmas day with family!
Other traditions
Some things make me homesick, one thing in particular at this time of year. That thing is a smell, and a sound…combined they make up the holiday for me.
Cinnamon rolls and the noise of the mall. My family has a tradition of going to the mall every year on christmas eve and we sit and watch the crazy last minute shoppers.
This year is different. This year is the hustle and bustle of the in-laws household. Cousins comng over, family talking, and kids laughing. Lots of kids laughing! That has to be one of my favorite smells in the world.
And even with all the wonderful sounds and fabulous smells, I miss my family. I miss my puppies, and I totally miss the smells of my holiday traditions. Next year we will have to learn to integrate…..but we will be at NewHome, so I guess I will be tasked with ways of bringing both of our traditions into the house.
What are your holiday traditions?
Grades…
I freaking rocked my grades this quarter! Including a 3.9 in my OB clinical! I am so jazzed! This quarter was so hard and I really am proud of how well I did!
Yippeeeee!! Time to celebrate!
Almost have my land legs back….
After spending 11 days at sea and loving the waves rolling back and forth, I am having some difficulty re-integrating into the regular land.
The Hubby swears that I will get my land legs back soon, I cant wait!
The cruise was so much fun, and if it werent for the BIG MOVE coming up then we would have booked another one. I strongly suggest a cruise, strongly!
Me and the Radiance of the Seas!
This was on the beach at Cabo San Lucas….I miss it already!
A brief look at Nursing School year one!
During my first year of Nursing school I worked Full time and went to school full time, I did my Mental Health rotation and got to be restrained, and I learned alot in simulation including accessing Ports, Catherization, Chest tubes, IV’s, CVAD, and assessments.
Now here we are with 4th quarter just around the corner and I cant believe everything Ive learned…
What was the most important thing you learned in Nursing School?
Watching the sunset
And when the sun goes down.....
There is just something magnificent about watching the sun set over the beach. A couple weeks ago while playing in San Diego, Hubby stopped and we ran off to the beach to watch the sunset.
After living in the Northwest for so long there are some smells that remind me of here, the smell after the rain, the smell of water nearby, etc. But after spending the last few weeks in San Diego I can say that there is a particular smell in the air when the sun goes down over the beach.
I think that the beach is my peaceful place. I couldnt imagine living away from it.
Things Ive learned in Mexico- day nine at sea
Today we spent the day resting and relaxing and watching for whales!
Nothing huge to report!
1. I can take a Tequila shot, if its good Tequila
2. PATRON is not a mexican tequila and is only made in the states.
3. Tequila was first made in the town of Tequila and thats where it got
Its name.
3. Mr. Cuervo and Mr. Sauza were the first to implement the distilling process of Tequila.
4. One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila…floor, really does seem to be the magic formula.
5. No matter how hard you try you drink the water.
6. The ocean in mexico has the softest beaches and the warmest watet I have ever felt.
7. If you thought you were getting a good deal from one of the vendors then you are being scammed.
8. Doing the exchange rate makes shopping more difficult, but if you just read it in pecos it will freak you out that you are spending 300 for a coke!
9. If you speak Spanish the vendors dont hassle you and you get better service.
10. Sunscreen and hand sanitizer are a must while traveling Mexico!
Cruise day eight- Puerto Vallarta
I want to come back to Puerto Vallarta! It was a wonderful place to visit!
We went on a tour of the city that included a traditional Mexican Fiesta. It was wonderful to watch the dancing and we even ate some pretty fantastic food!
There were a couple of vendors on the fiesta site, the site was actually this wonderful family owned Tequila distilory. And the vendors included the usual crafts, some artists, and a man who was making handrolled cigars. It was very cool.
The tour was incredibly educational and we learned a ton about Tequila.
We walked around the city and grabbed a snack and a drink at Senor Frogs before hopping into a cab and heading back to the ship.
What a fantastic last port, and we still have two days left at sea!
Multicultural
So maybe its just me, but this restuarant term makes me stop and do some head scratching.
La= Hispanic/Spanish term
Oriental= Self explanatory
Bistro= French
I should have gone in to see what type of food they serve, but I was too afraid. I was picturing refried bean eggrolls with a side of Escargo.
Crazy, right?
Cruise day seven- Ixtapa
Today was a really early day and we decided not to purchase any tour tickets and instead we decided to wander the city ourselves.
We started by having breakfast at this little Cantina out in town and it was delicious.
We found a beautiful cross for our new home after the big move. And a bunch of little souveniers, and even a little more Tequila.
We were both exhausted from a long morning and so we decided to return to our stateroom and take a little nap.
Tomorrow Puerto Vallarta!
Cruise day six- Acapulco
Today we were in sunny Acapulco and we visited a bird sanctuary on a lagoon and then went to the Botanical gardens.
It took all day and we saw so many beautiful birds and even some lizards.
The highlight of the day for me was getting to visit the Turtle farm and see a ton of baby turtles!
We had lunch at Charlie and Carlos restaurant and after feeling fully stuffed we turned in for the night.
Camera shy
With as often as I whip out my Nikkon D40, the kids are starting to think I am a photographer! Some of them have even gotten quicker than me! I think that this little guy was done posing for my pictures and was tired of the camera snapping pictures of every adorable thing that he did!
Kids are so much fun to take pictures of. If I stand really quietly with the camera, I get some of the sweetest pictures of them! I am hoping to be able to get some of the pictures printed for the parents of these munchkins!
I am so thankful for my camera! I have thousands of pictures that I have taken and they all look so darn beautiful!
What type of camera do you use?
Cruise day five-at sea
Oh my god! What a great day of relaxing.
Today we got up around 8:30am and took a leisurely stroll, ate breakfast while watching the ocean and then headed up to the top deck to play a round of mini golf.
We spent the rest of the day dividing our time between the pools, jacuuzi, and napping.
Tomorrow we are in Acalpuco so we are turning in early to get ready for the day.
Harley and her Boyfriend
I am always amazed at the bond that dogs have with each other. These two have been attached since the day I brought Harley home. Its almost as if they are soul mates, and it is heartbreaking when you have to separate them. Harley whimpers and Dylan, well he screams like he is being tortured. Its so sad.
If ever one is getting into trouble, the other is never far behind. They snuggle together, and share their dinners. Its so sweet!
Dog love is adorable.
Cruise day four- Mazatlan
We went on a tour of some local artisans including some that made handmade wallets, sandals, belts, and horse saddles.
The particular artisan we went to also competes in a mask making contest annually. We took home two of the interesting pieces of art!
Then we wandered over to a tortilla factory and got to sample fresh homemade corn tortillas, deliciouso!
After that we went to a family owned tequilla factory, and learned how the tequilla is made, saw some huge blue agave plants and then sampled reposado Style Tequilla. It was smooth and rich and sooooo good!
Then lunch and some shopping.
What a wonderful day!
One tequila two tequila three tequila
Floor.
2 shots of tequila before noon at the tequila factory, and Im toast. But its 5 o’clock somewhere, right?
Too bad Tia Fabulous wasnt here, it wouldve been a party!
