Fun at the Circus

On Wednesday Josh and I felt like a kid again when we went to the circus! It was the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Bellobration. It was a Bellobration because the main character was a guy named Bello whose hair stood straight up. That part was pretty cheesy, but the performances were awesome and often breathtaking! Plus, we were in the fourth row so we saw everything up close. Warning, lots of pictures that follow!

Feeling Thankful

The last week or two has been pretty busy and crazy at work! It's at times like these when I am reminded to be grateful for the good health I have. As of recently our unit has been trying to specialize in high-risk obstetrics (it a money thing). This means we have been seeing pretty sick people or people with just crazy stuff going on. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've seen! But seeing these things has helped me realize how thankful I am to have the health and situation that I do. When I feel like my life is rough, I realize that my life could be much harder or difficult. What can I say, my job can be quite challening at times, but it is also so rewarding to know that I am helping these people who need it the most. (Plus, I never tire of seeing a baby enter the world!)

DEEP DARK SECRETS

I've been tagged again, by my sister Kim. The topic of this one is

DEEP DARK SECRETS!!

The rules are to post 6 items about yourself (habits, traits, deep dark secrets, etc.) on your blog, then tag 6 more people to do the same.

Here I go:

1) I have a bad habit of biting my nails (fingers, not toes!). I think it stems from when I played the violin in school and we couldn't have long nails. I know it's gross. I've been trying to be real good lately by clipping them or filing them. Wearing nail polish helps too.

2) I'll just move on to another bad habit: I crack my joints. Habitually. And pretty much all of them. I'm talking fingers, elbows, neck, back, toes, ankles. My knees and hips crack too, I feel like an old lady! It's turned into a physicl need for me because if I don't crack them I feel all stiff and tight, and they'll end up just cracking on their own anyway.

3) I don't consider myself a picky eater, but there are certain foods I don't eat. Here is a list of some of them: Onions, unless they are small and cooked so they're soft. I dont' like them crunch. Green Peppers, can't stand the flavor! Cantelope, I don't know why. Every once in a while I'll eat some just to see if I like it yet, and I never do. Honeydew, same as cantelope. Red meat (as in undercooked), I like steak, it just can't be red and bloody. Gross! Dark Chocolate, unless it's mixed with something like in a peppermint patty.

4) I fall asleep at the drop of a hat. I've never had a problem falling asleep and feel sorry for people who do. Once I lay my head on the pillow my body's automatic shut-down system kids in and I'm out. The times my shut-down system gets my into trouble are when I fall asleep during movies, during conversations with my husband, while I'm studying, while I'm at work, while I'm in the waiting room at the dr.'s office, while I'm driving (that's never happend yet, thankgoodness, but there've been times I feel like I could fall asleep!). And it doesn't matter how much sleep I've had....if I'm relaxes, not moving, it's quite, and/or it's mid-afternoon or night time, that equals the perfect recipe for me falling asleep.

5) I suffer headaches every time I go running or have a hard work-out. Don't know why. I stay hydrated, I try to stay relaxed, I warm up and cool down, I take ibuprofen. I've seen a couple dr.'s about it and they don't know why either. I still like to run though, it's a good form of exercise and a great stress reliever, so I just suffer through the headaches.

6) I'm terribly affrais of tornados. I've never seen one before, but I used to get frequent dreams about tornados. For this reason I will never live in tornado alley! Some may argue that Chicago is in tornado alley, and there have been some in the suburbs here, but so far I feel pretty safe being close to the lake and in the big city. And at least my building has a basement!

Sorry those weren't too juicy. :)

So I don't think I'll tag anyone this time around, but if you want to do this, feel free to and hav fun! I'd love to hear about your Deep Dark Secrets!

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! Josh has clinicals but got done early, I had to work, and we didn't get any trick-or-treaters. But we don't ever expect to. Makes it easy for us. :)

We did have a ward Halloween Party last Saturday and this is what we dressed up as:

Captain Josh and his sidekick cat. (I know, doesn't make much sense. We weren't creative enough to get matching costumes.) I was wearing a tail, you just can't see it.

These are the pumpkins we carved:

I also have eaten WAY too much tasty junk this past week. Now it's back to exercise and vegetables because Christmas goodies are just around the corner!!

**Savannah Smiles**

Today I took a walk down memory lane and watched my favorite childhood movie, Savannah Smiles. I'm sure not too many people have heard of it, but for some reason I loved it! When I was between the ages of perhaps 4-6 I watched this movie probably a hundred times! It's about a little girl who runs away from home and ends up with some jail-bird escapees whose hearts soften and they fall in love with the little girl. I don't know why but I had been itching to watch it again and it finally came in our netflix. I wanted to see if it still lived up to my fond memories, and it did. :)

Happy Sweetest Day

Saturday was Sweetest Day!

Most of you are probably wondering "what the heck is that?" Well, out here we get to celebrate an extra holiday every 3rd Saturday of October! I know, jealous, huh.

As the name implies, it's a day to celebrate the "sweeties" in your life. Last year I heard people talking about it and thought they were saying "Swedish Day," so I really had no idea what they were talking about. But this year I confided in my dear friend Wikipedia and learned it's a holiday only celebrated in the Great Lakes region, and it was created by candy companies in Cleveland 84 years ago for the sole purpose of increasing their candy sales. Their idea was just never widespread.

Seems kind of funny to me, since candy companies are making a bundle on Halloween candy this time of year. But it's a fun excuse to think of your sweeties, it's like another Valentine's Day in October!

Working Together

For the past two weeks Josh has been doing his hospital rotation in labor and delivery, one week of night shift and one week of day shift. That means he and I had the privilege of working together for a few days this week!! It was fun, and probably the only time in our lives we'll work together. :) He got to see and experience a lot, including all the craziness we get at the University of Chicago. He saw the good, the bad, and the sad things that go along with having a baby. He helped deliver several babies and got to scrub in for a couple c-sections. He scrubbed in on a c-section I was the circulator nurse for and it was so fun for me to see him standing next to the surgeons wearing his sterile gown and bloody gloves, all doctor-like. He learned he doesn't like surgery as much as he thought he would, and he still doesn't want to be an obgyn. In fact, after his first day in L&D he said "I don't know how you can stand doing what you do, IT'S GROSS!!" Yes, that's true. Having a baby isn't the prettiest thing. It was fun that he was able to meet the people I work with and could see what I do at work and what I have to put up with (it's not always easy being a nurse). But he learned a lot, and one of my co-workers gave him such a nice compliment when she said he'd make a great doctor because he was so nice to the patients and actually talked to them like a person. I'll have to agree!

Good Bye Warm Weather

Here in Chicago we were pretty spoiled for a few weeks while it was unusually warm. I was wearing shorts and sandles up to ealier this week. The leaves weren't changing color yet. In fact, last Sunday the Chicago Marathon was cut short due to the dangerously hot temperatures. Apparently people were getting dehydrated and passing out everywhere. I think it was the hottest Chicago Marathon ever.

But then literally over night, in just a few short hours, our weather completely changed and the heat is nowhere in sight! It's been in the 50's and 60's and a little rainy. I guess it's time to say good by to flipflops and short sleeves and to say hello to:

sweaters

socks

down jacket

hats and scarves and gloves

flannel pajamas

thermal underwear

This time of year also welcomes the fun things of fall:

falling leaves

reds, oranges, and yellows

pumpkin pie

apple

cinnamon

Halloween candy

the smell of warm fireplaces
pumpkin patches

(these pictures are from last fall)

I love autumn time! Everything about it is so fun. I hope to enjoy everything about it while it lasts. Because then winter is just around the corner and I know it will come fast.

Sick, or Slacker?

For the past 11 days I have been fighting off a bad cold and sinus infection. I even called off work one day, which I hardly do! Today I finally feel like I'm winning the fight! So this past week was a pretty lazy week. I didn't plan any dinners (I usually try to have food for specific meals I've planned) and we had little food in the house so it left us to be creative with our meals. My apartment needs to be cleaned, and I haven't exercised in SO long. I usually try to at least 3 times a week. I have kept up with my school work though, but that means I've just been sitting in front of the computer all day. I feel like I'm turning into a big blob! At the beginning of last week I really did need to sleep, but as the week progressed I'm not sure if my laziness was due to me feeling sick, or just being a slacker. Probably a little of both.

Today I went and had my crown lengthening done {which by the way wasn't too bad, once my little reaction to the novacaine passed~for the record, it is not meant to be injected into a blood vessel!~my mouth is just sore and it's hard to eat, the stitches are more irritating than anything} so now I have another excuse to be a slacker! ;) Tomorrow is a new day though, and I pledge to get back to my regular routines and will hit the gym first thing! And go grocery shopping.

We'll see about the cleaning.

Happy Birthday Josh!

Happy Birthday to my dear husband!! Yesterday he turned 28. I know, he's turning into an old man and I frequently remind him of it, but then again I'm only dragging 2 years behind. :) In honor of his birthday I wanted to list 28 reasons why I love him so much. I know there are many many more, but I'll just limit it to these 28:

1. He can always make me smile, even when I'm in a bad mood
2. He always helps out with the housework even though he's busy with school. He even does laundry and cleans the toilet!
3. He hasn't really gained weight since we were married, and he's got a great bod.
4. He likes to work out and that helps motivate me to work out as well, which makes me happy
5. He always scratches my back, even when he doesn't want to
6. He has a pretty good sense of direction and I trust that he won't get me lost
7. He is very smart but doesn't take work or school too, too seriously (just serious enough), and that means we are able to spend lots of fun quality time together
8. He loves to travel and he got me hooked on traveling.
9. He has a great smile
10. He loves to play with kids, and kids love him too
11. He is an animal/reptile/bug/plant expert. He studied biology books as a kid and also worked at the Phoenix Zoo, so whenever we're out hiking or camping or wherever, I can ask him a question about plants or animals and he'll almost always know the answer
12. He buys me flowers
13. He tells me I'm beautiful everyday
14. He never really sang growing up and doesn't really like to sing, but he will always join the ward choir if I'm in it
15. He manages all our money well and always tries to find better ways to invest it, and doesn't go out and spend it on frivolous things
16. He listens to all my complaints and frustrations and doesn't try to give me advice when I really don't want it
17. He always comes up with witty things to say
18. He always fulfills his church callings to the best of his ability
19. He's usually the first one to say he's sorry and he admits when he's wrong
20. He's very creative and can come up with fun little things all the time. He usually tries to do something creative for my anniversary or Christmas gifts. He's taken me on treasure hunts to find my gift and made me little books and poems.
21. He's strong and knows how to fight so I always feel safe with him and know he'll protect me from any "bad guys"
22. He never criticizes decisions I make and supports me with whatever things I want to do
23. He loves his family
24. He is a great teacher
25. He never ever yells
26. He likes to cuddle every night before we fall asleep.
27. He makes me breakfast in bed
28. He is fully committed to me and loves me more than anything in the world!


For his birthday he was busy all day with school stuff, but we did manage to go out to dinner to a nice Mexican restaurant that was supposed to have authentic Mexico City food. I thought he'd like it since he went to Mexico City on his mission. It was probably nicer than anything he ate in Mexico City though! I also made him cupcakes, he even got to blow out the "28" candles! And I got him exactly what he asked for: a bigger George Foreman grill with removable plates for easier cleaning! I am so excited for it!! We have a small George Forman, but it's so hard to clean so I hate using it. He loved it of course and said he had a great birthday. I'm glad he did, I love him so much!

Like the fancy wrapping paper? It was either comics or Christmas.