...mmm....doughnuts....

I just finished eating dinner about a half hour ago and turned to Justin and said, "Ooooh, I want a doughnut right now. That sounds sooo good, doesn't it?"

So what does the man do? 

Gets up from the table, heads toward the shoe rack, and states, "I am going to go get you a doughnut."

What.

Best. husband. EVER.

This whole readily-willing-to-get-up-to-fetch-me-the-foods-of-my-hankerings thing makes for at least one good thing to look forward to one day when I have a little bun in the oven...

Update: He brought home EIGHT of 'em so we "can have a nice breakfast tomorrow."

Observe:

Yes.

NPR

Slow Cooker Spectacular!

So as I previously mentioned, I've been hoping to add a bit more variety to the blog...hence, I've decided to add a new theme: slow cooker recipes! Due to Justin's and my more than slightly abnormal schedules, eating dinner together has become a luxury for which we have become very grateful when we get the chance. During our first year of marriage (...when I didn't have a job...), I had lots of time to experiment with food and ease into the job of preparing meals for us. I look back fondly on those times when I would spend literally HOURS preparing and experimenting with various elaborate recipes. Sadly, since returning to school, I haven't had as much time to dedicate to making meals, so things have gotten more basic around here (think sandwiches, casseroles, and oh so many Crockpot creations).

However, I when I stumbled upon this recipe, I jumped at the chance to attempt making such an elegant main course, Crockpot-style. For the heck of it (and with the excuse of sort-of-not-really-but-really-yeah celebrate Valentine's Day), I also threw this creation on the menu with the intention of healthifying (yup, that's a word) the entree up with some easy steamed green beans and plain baked potatoes. 

This seriously was not at all difficult.

It took probably 20 minutes max, and that was only because Justin came home from running errands right in the middle of me mixing stuff....and was talking to me....and I have great difficulty multi-tasking in the kitchen so I there were many pauses and re-thinking what I had just done throughout the process.

Thus was my attempt at creating a nearly-completely-slow-cooker-prepared meal...

Why, hello there.

Much to the behest of my husband, here I am writing a blog post. 

Confession: I am a terrible keeper of memories. 

Justin and I have had at least 9874525374 conversations in the past few months regarding this here little blog o' mine - mostly him reminding me that many years from now, when I want to remember what was going on at this point in my life, I will smack myself in the rear for not documenting things. 

And he's right.

Right now I'm married. 

Have been for nearly three years (!). 

My husband went back to college for pre-requisites for medical school.

He already has been accepted into the incoming class of a particular school for fall 2012 (yay!). 

I'm also in college. 

Again.

However, I've traded my Spanish literature textbooks for stethoscopes and scrubs in pursuit of a future in nursing.

I also worked for nearly two years at the local hospital as a receptionist, navigating my way into the world of healthcare and all that it involves, only to end up back at my alma mater in search of earning a BSN. 

That job ended this past January, when I literally could not fit in enough hours of the day to keep working that job along with a full-time academic schedule.

So, I started working at a retail store downtown...and I love it.

We also happen to live downtown in a loft - and it. is. AWESOME (I share this feeling with Justin on a nearly daily basis).

Justin and I have weekly "donut dates," during which we walk to a local coffee shop / bakery / restaurant, order coffee and a baked good / breakfast food, do a little devotions, and catch up with each other. 

Sometimes we also walk our dog down the streets of downtown late at night when nobody else is around.

Due to my schedule and lack of extra time to cook, my beloved 6qt Crockpot has become one of my greatest material possessions. 

That's just the general idea of life these days. Sadly, I've really missed out on documenting the little memories that are too soon forgotten because I haven't been keeping up on this blog. I know I've written several times about making theme posts, writing on a more regular basis, etc. but I haven't followed through. 

Final exams

However, the music of this lady, this guy and this movie have been keeping me company as I chug along. 


Freedom = Thursday


Bring it, finals. 


NPR

another good reminder

"Do not spoil what you have today by desiring what you have not. Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."
- Epicurus


NPR

sympathetic nervous system series....or not

Remember when I said I would do a post each month about things that make me happy? You know, right before I went on a two-month sabbatical to re-configure my whole life because nursing school stuff was setting up camp in all the boxes and lines of my planner?

Yeah, so much for that...

Well, here is the second installment of what I've now dubbed the sympathetic nervous system series!

Just kidding.

Did you get it?

It was a joke, okay?

Sympathetic nervous system = fight or flight = adrenaline rush....anyone?

Gimme-a-break-'cause-I'm-in-school-right-now-and-all-I-can-focus-on-is-physiology-stuff-because-it's-kicking-me. in. the. rear.

10 things that put a smile on my face

1. Living close enough to campus that I can ride my bike to class and get to the science center in two minutes flat

2. My 6 qt CrockPot

3. Justin's and my weekly doughnut dates that involve some devotional time along with a good cup o' joe, a baked good of some sort and/or a mammoth-sized breakfast entree

4. The $0.41 pumpkin spice lattes at work

5. Going on runs without obligation nor any pressure to look at my Nike watch every five minutes

6. The fact that the appropriate time to start listening to Christmas music and decorating for the holiday season (AND CHRISTMAS BREAK) is getting closer...and closer...and closer...

7. Re-reading Justin's account of his near death experience - SO funny! To clarify, no harm was done to Justin or the deer.

8. The 20-minute dance party that Justin and I had last night (this morning?) at 1:30am to the Tron and Fight Club soundtracks

9. Getting to know some pretty incredible and amazing fellow student nurses so far this semester

10. Having all of my weekends free from work once again!

What's bringing you joy and smiles these days?

 

NPR



as of late

What have I done since I last posted?

Oh, what a complex question.

First and foremost, a HUGE ENORMOUS GARGANTUAN CONGRATULATIONS to my husband on his acceptance into medical school! Talk about a sigh of relief for us and our future... It was such a big weight off our shoulders to finally and officially know that by this time next year he will for sure be a first year medical student. Although this may not be where he ends up going, it's still such a relief to have an option at all. He found out last night when we were both at work. When he called me after receiving the good news from the dean of admissions himself, it took all I had inside of me not to start screaming my head off and sobbing tears of utter joy right there in the very public, extreme echo-inducing lobby at my desk - though I did find out that my mother-in-law screamed enough for the two of us combined and then some when she got the news in the privacy of her own home.

Second, I successfully finished my first (and possibly last...) marathon! I say last not because the race itself deterred me from considering doing another, but rather the intense amount of training that went into preparing for the big event. While the whole experience on the actual day was incredibly fun, challenging, encouraging, motivating and positive, I'm not sure I can mentally deal with the preparation aspect again anytime soon. I told Justin maybe I'd do Chicago or something big in the future, like when I'm done popping out offspring and have fallen into a mid-life crisis of some sort...or maybe just once I'm done with nursing school. Anyway, I accomplished my goal: to finish. And finish I did after four hours and seven minutes of running with about a 9:30 minute/mile pace! That day it was like I was walking on clouds. The few days following, on the other hand, were like I had never walked in my life - hilarious to see, I'm sure, NOT so hilarious to experience. Knees buckling, with a gait like I'd just gotten off riding a horse for days on end....not a pretty sight.

Speaking of nursing school, that is what has mostly taken up my time since I last posted! While my nightly routine of bursting into tears from the overwhelming stress taking over my entire life finally subsided after the first month of the semester, that's not to say I haven't had a few freakouts here and there since then. Between going to lectures and lab every day, studying for exams, doing homework, attending study sessions, working on projects/assignments outside of class and going to field placement PLUS working three 8-hour shifts every week, it's no wonder I find myself either dreaming of my work phone's ringtone and everything seeming to take place in our school's science center. Yeah, I'm a nerd!

Justin's schedule hasn't been too friendly with him, either, as evidenced by this. I will say those doughnut dates truly are the BEST - I highly recommend them to any couple whether or not your lives are so hectic that you only see your spouse for a few minutes at best each day. We'll have to see if we can keep those up come med school...

So I'm hoping to come back to this a little more regularly than I have been the past couple of months. Regularly meaning at least more than one post in two months. After all, how else am I going to remember in the future what life was like now if I don't have anything to look back on? Wasn't that the whole point of starting this blog in the first place? Yes, I need to get back at this.

It's time get back to chasing some peonies.

NPR