We had the great pleasure of taking a weekend to visit counsins in KY - the kids loved it (and so did we :) I got to go to a craft fair with my so very talented sister in law! Yes, I'm talking about you Bess! She makes the cutest stuff - I could easily fund her fabric adventures if my bank account had no limits! Plus we had several hours of chat time, which was fabulous. It was one of my last weekends of freedom from work until we leave for the wedding in CA, so it was so wonderful to get away from life and the kids even survived the road trip without too many complaints.Thursday, November 12, 2009
KY
We had the great pleasure of taking a weekend to visit counsins in KY - the kids loved it (and so did we :) I got to go to a craft fair with my so very talented sister in law! Yes, I'm talking about you Bess! She makes the cutest stuff - I could easily fund her fabric adventures if my bank account had no limits! Plus we had several hours of chat time, which was fabulous. It was one of my last weekends of freedom from work until we leave for the wedding in CA, so it was so wonderful to get away from life and the kids even survived the road trip without too many complaints.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween!!!
Pumpkins!
Tigger!
Aurora!
G.I. Joe!
Oh my! Master S was, I think, Duke? from G.I. Joe, apparently it was the thing to be among the boys his age this year, Miss Lilly was of course a princess, Big D could have cared less what he was, but I think he has discovered a LOVE for chocolate! It was a great time, lots of candy, and a great neighborhood turnout - all I have to say is that in about 10 years, this neighborhood is going to be crawling with teenagers! Now that's scary! Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!
Miss Lilly with her good friend at the preschool Halloween party on Friday - aren't they cute?!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Brown Country State Park
Indiana is a great place for fall leaves - gorgeous! That about sums it up ... but, there is a place just south of us, about an 1 1/2 hours away that is 'known' for its leaves in the fall, so we decided to go check it out. It is a great state park - one that I think we'll go back and spend some more time at. There is a lodge and cabins with an aquatic center and lots of hiking, biking and horseback ridding and summer camps in the summer. Since we only had an afternoon, we decided that this time we'd do a little, 'easy' .75 mile hike with the kids ...
(This is at the entrance - a covered bridge!)
Isn't it incredible?!
I've never been in a deciduous forest like this - hardly a pine tree in site - it was so beautiful, and peaceful to watch the leaves fall and hear the wind move the trees. I've seen it plenty of times in the movies, but it really was incredible to experience it.
Well, about 2 hours later and many hills and ravines later, we realized that we'd gotten on the wrong trail ... apparently we ended up on the 'rugged' 2.2 mile trail, not realizing this until it was too late to turn back. I knew we were in trouble when we passed a man hiking the other way and asked how far to the trail head, and he responded 'you'll have plenty of daylight to finish'! Master S and Miss Lilly were troopers and did awesome, Big D on the other hand was not. At one point he was screaming and throwing a tantrum (what am I saying, I think that was the whole last half of the hike), so J.D. put him on the ground, where he threw himself back on the leaves and screamed. A group of young Japanese students were behind us and came up to him on the ground and kind of circled around him and pointed at him, commenting on how cute he was ... ha, ha! Wish I had a picture of that! Big D was not so amused. J.D. definitely got his workout for the day in, because he just wanted to be held (it was nap time) and didn't want me ... amazingly! Thank heavens J.D. was there with us. But, we made it and if nothing else now know that we can take the kids on that kind of thing and survive!
(This is at the entrance - a covered bridge!) Isn't it incredible?! I've never been in a deciduous forest like this - hardly a pine tree in site - it was so beautiful, and peaceful to watch the leaves fall and hear the wind move the trees. I've seen it plenty of times in the movies, but it really was incredible to experience it.
Well, about 2 hours later and many hills and ravines later, we realized that we'd gotten on the wrong trail ... apparently we ended up on the 'rugged' 2.2 mile trail, not realizing this until it was too late to turn back. I knew we were in trouble when we passed a man hiking the other way and asked how far to the trail head, and he responded 'you'll have plenty of daylight to finish'! Master S and Miss Lilly were troopers and did awesome, Big D on the other hand was not. At one point he was screaming and throwing a tantrum (what am I saying, I think that was the whole last half of the hike), so J.D. put him on the ground, where he threw himself back on the leaves and screamed. A group of young Japanese students were behind us and came up to him on the ground and kind of circled around him and pointed at him, commenting on how cute he was ... ha, ha! Wish I had a picture of that! Big D was not so amused. J.D. definitely got his workout for the day in, because he just wanted to be held (it was nap time) and didn't want me ... amazingly! Thank heavens J.D. was there with us. But, we made it and if nothing else now know that we can take the kids on that kind of thing and survive!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Appleworks
Master S had fall break last week - two days off of school. So, we decided to go check out some of Indiana. We found a great place between here and Brown County called Appleworks. Its an orchard that has a pumpkin patch in the fall with lots of activities for the kids. This is Big D checking out the kid size tractor.
The setting was so beautiful - it was a little chilly, but the kids had a great time and we got some really great pictures with the leaves.
Master S' favorite was the slide - very dark and very fast! Once he got over climbing up and down the stairs (he is horribly afraid of heights) he couldn't get enough of it. He was so brave!
Miss Lilly just couldn't stop smiling about the ponies. We drive past a place that has horse back ridding on the way to soccer and she always asks if we can stop, so this was a perfect place for her to try it out and she loved it! Look at that grin ... it made her week!
They also had this train that went around the orchard and Big D could hardly stand it -- he kept saying, 'choo, choo' and 'train, train'. I think he could have stayed on that all day.
The setting was so beautiful - it was a little chilly, but the kids had a great time and we got some really great pictures with the leaves.Master S' favorite was the slide - very dark and very fast! Once he got over climbing up and down the stairs (he is horribly afraid of heights) he couldn't get enough of it. He was so brave!
Miss Lilly just couldn't stop smiling about the ponies. We drive past a place that has horse back ridding on the way to soccer and she always asks if we can stop, so this was a perfect place for her to try it out and she loved it! Look at that grin ... it made her week!
They also had this train that went around the orchard and Big D could hardly stand it -- he kept saying, 'choo, choo' and 'train, train'. I think he could have stayed on that all day.My favorite part was the pumpkin patch - when we drove up to it I thought, "wow - did they bring all these pumpkins in, just to have them on the grass?" Then I realized that they grew there ... having come from the west where a pumpkin patch is more often than not, a muddy, straw covered mess with pumpkins, this was almost like a fairy tale to me - yeah, call me a dork, but this is the kind of thing that I love about Indiana! Isn't it gorgeous!?!
Its Autumn Time
There are so many things to post about but so much to do around this house! So, I'll post these today and hopefully I'll find time to tell about our adventures this last weekend -- nothing like a Flora Family Fun Day to make the weekend delightful! Miss Lilly thinks I'm so silly because I'm LOVING the weather and the colors here in the fall. I keep the camera in the car so I can take pictures when I'm out and capture it to show friends and family. She just laughs everytime I pull over so I can snap a picture. It is unlike anything I've ever seen -- so beautiful. The burning bushes are huge - I didn't realize how many there were and how big they were until this fall when they started to turn red. I guess I thought they were trees -- apparently they grow them bigger here in the Midwest! The pictures below are from our neighborhood and the pics above from driving around town. Happy Autumn!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Challenges ...
Sometimes work is just more challenging than I want it to be. Like give you a headache, send you to the restroom cause your gonna be sick, I just want to crawl into my bed and sleep for several days challenging.
This last week was a good illustration of that - the 3 to 11 shift on Thursday evening was one of the worst I've ever had - funny how my worst shifts are usually those that involve a really sick patient (this one ended up in the ICU after emergency surgery that night). I think it's because it scares the pants off me to be taking care of someone who really needs my experience and expertise as a nurse and I never feel qualified!
I am always asking so many questions ... still!!!
There is so much to learn and experience as a nurse, to see, to feel, to do. It is amazing that even though I spent almost 4 years in school going to classes specifically for this, plus I've worked for over 10 years, and there are still so many things I'm learning.
Funny thing, that the people I view as being really good nurses, usually know more than the doctor (which means I have a looooonnnngggg way to go) and I don't mean book smarts or latest study knowledge, or current medical practice knowledge, but 'whole patient knowledge'. These nurses don't view themselves as knowing more, in fact they are usually listening in on rounds to learn more, but they have the hands on skills that doctors don't always take the time to have, the bedside stuff, the being with the patient 24/7 stuff. The kind where they do their assessment, talk to the patient/family, spend time in the room and they have enough experience to anticipate, to feel, to know.
These nurses know what the doctor should do before they order it, hence they, by the power of suggestion can be very influential. The best nurses know exactly how to say it 'right' and help even the most brand spankin' new doctors look incredible, without them even realizing what the nurse is doing for them.
Someday I'd like to be that way, although, I'm not sure I want to go through all that experience to get there, cause its a lot of mental, emotional and physical work that is hard. Did I say work and hard? Yeah, I did -- another one of those 'if you want it you have to work hard for it things'. Not sure I'll ever be up to working that many hours a week ... my kids & husband are too important for that right now.
That's the trouble with nursing ... its a love/hate relationship for me ... I love it when I help someone feel better, when I work hard and as a result someone gets the care they need, when I feel like I know what I'm doing and I can anticipate and help people before they ask. I love that! But, I hate being away from my family, I hate working Saturdays, missing soccer games and I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing or I don't have enough experience, or I don't work enough.
Being a nurse is probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done and most days I'd probably tell you that I'd like to just walk away from it, but honestly - it has made me who I am and helps me recognize that there are forces at play in my life that are greater than me. Amazing how it has made me face up to feelings and situations that I would otherwise run away from and I keep doing it! Sometimes you just have to keep doing hard things, not because they get easier, but maybe (hopefully) because you get stronger.
This last week was a good illustration of that - the 3 to 11 shift on Thursday evening was one of the worst I've ever had - funny how my worst shifts are usually those that involve a really sick patient (this one ended up in the ICU after emergency surgery that night). I think it's because it scares the pants off me to be taking care of someone who really needs my experience and expertise as a nurse and I never feel qualified!
I am always asking so many questions ... still!!!
There is so much to learn and experience as a nurse, to see, to feel, to do. It is amazing that even though I spent almost 4 years in school going to classes specifically for this, plus I've worked for over 10 years, and there are still so many things I'm learning.
Funny thing, that the people I view as being really good nurses, usually know more than the doctor (which means I have a looooonnnngggg way to go) and I don't mean book smarts or latest study knowledge, or current medical practice knowledge, but 'whole patient knowledge'. These nurses don't view themselves as knowing more, in fact they are usually listening in on rounds to learn more, but they have the hands on skills that doctors don't always take the time to have, the bedside stuff, the being with the patient 24/7 stuff. The kind where they do their assessment, talk to the patient/family, spend time in the room and they have enough experience to anticipate, to feel, to know.
These nurses know what the doctor should do before they order it, hence they, by the power of suggestion can be very influential. The best nurses know exactly how to say it 'right' and help even the most brand spankin' new doctors look incredible, without them even realizing what the nurse is doing for them.
Someday I'd like to be that way, although, I'm not sure I want to go through all that experience to get there, cause its a lot of mental, emotional and physical work that is hard. Did I say work and hard? Yeah, I did -- another one of those 'if you want it you have to work hard for it things'. Not sure I'll ever be up to working that many hours a week ... my kids & husband are too important for that right now.
That's the trouble with nursing ... its a love/hate relationship for me ... I love it when I help someone feel better, when I work hard and as a result someone gets the care they need, when I feel like I know what I'm doing and I can anticipate and help people before they ask. I love that! But, I hate being away from my family, I hate working Saturdays, missing soccer games and I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing or I don't have enough experience, or I don't work enough.
Being a nurse is probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done and most days I'd probably tell you that I'd like to just walk away from it, but honestly - it has made me who I am and helps me recognize that there are forces at play in my life that are greater than me. Amazing how it has made me face up to feelings and situations that I would otherwise run away from and I keep doing it! Sometimes you just have to keep doing hard things, not because they get easier, but maybe (hopefully) because you get stronger.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Women's Conference
This weekend is general conference, when the prophet and other leaders of our church speak to us. I look forward to this as an opportunity to hear directly from the leadership of the church the things that they would have us do and focus on in our lives. So often their words are a source of inspiration, strength, and peace. Someday I hope to be able to listen or watch it in its entirety without interruption ... but there are things called work, and children that tend to get in the way of that. So, when I got to go to the Women's Session last weekend (held the weekend before conference for the women of the church - we watch it at the church) I enjoyed every minute of it, without interruption! These are some of the thoughts that I really enjoyed,
From Sis. Julie B. Beck, General Relief Society President:
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: “A wise man once distinguished between ‘the noble art of getting things done’ and ‘a nobler art of leaving things undone.’ True ‘wisdom in life,’ he taught, consists of ‘the elimination of non-essentials.’ ” President Uchtdorf then asked: “What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?” We can apply his questions to all Relief Society meetings and work.
President Eyring, 1st counselor to the prophet, President Monson:
"This society is composed of women whose feelings of charity spring from hearts changed by qualifying for and by keeping covenants offered only in the Lord’s true Church. Their feelings of charity come from Him through His Atonement. Their acts of charity are guided by His example—and come out of gratitude for His infinite gift of mercy—and by the Holy Spirit, which He sends to accompany His servants on their missions of mercy. Because of that, they have done and are able to do uncommon things for others and to find joy even when their own unmet needs are great."
From Sis. Julie B. Beck, General Relief Society President:
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: “A wise man once distinguished between ‘the noble art of getting things done’ and ‘a nobler art of leaving things undone.’ True ‘wisdom in life,’ he taught, consists of ‘the elimination of non-essentials.’ ” President Uchtdorf then asked: “What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?” We can apply his questions to all Relief Society meetings and work.
President Eyring, 1st counselor to the prophet, President Monson:
"This society is composed of women whose feelings of charity spring from hearts changed by qualifying for and by keeping covenants offered only in the Lord’s true Church. Their feelings of charity come from Him through His Atonement. Their acts of charity are guided by His example—and come out of gratitude for His infinite gift of mercy—and by the Holy Spirit, which He sends to accompany His servants on their missions of mercy. Because of that, they have done and are able to do uncommon things for others and to find joy even when their own unmet needs are great."
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