What's been going on...

It has been a while since I have updated, so I am going to try to condense things as best I can.

Starting where I left off...

Jon's parents came in the last weekend in February to help celebrate his birthday (which was February 28th).  We had a great time! Friday night we went to eat dinner with his parents, his uncle Jeff and his wife Mandy and their daughter Maddie, and also his uncle Jimmy.  We spent the rest of the weekend with his parents and had so much fun.  On Monday I took Jon to eat at Texas de Brazil.  We could hardly walk out of the restaurant because we were so full.  I think Jon had a great 27th birthday!

at Pappasito's with Jon's family

at Texas de Brazil

The following weekend we went to "Texas Mardi Gras."  It was basically a texas country music festival in a huge warehouse.  We had fun, but it was very crowded!  We found some new bands we like, and of course Jon came home and downloaded some of their music!  One thing that was similar to Mardi Gras in Louisiana was the fact that girls were flashing left and right for beads.  It was worse than actual Mardi Gras in New Orleans! I was a little shocked and annoyed at the same time!  Sommer and Michael met us there to watch the Eli Young Band.

My granny turned 100 this year!  She is a Jehovah's Witness so she does not celebrate holidays, including birthdays, so we had a "family reunion" in order to celebrate the milestone.  It was great to see all of my family, especially my granny.  Happy 100th Birthday Granny!

Jon and I have become pretty good friends with a girl I work with, Adrianne, and her husband, Ruben.  They actually just got married on March 21st here in Fort Worth.  It was a beautiful ceremony and reception and Adrianne looked gorgeous.  I am so happy for them! 

Congratulations!

a few of Cook Children's H/O nurses

Jon and I went to our first pro-basketball game this month.  It was so much fun!  Jon's uncle set us up with a man he knows and we got some pretty awesome tickets to the Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat game!  It was a great game and the Mavs pulled off a win right at the end!

This was definitely shortened, but I am going to try to stay on top of updating more.  We are headed to New York in 2 days, so I will definitely be posting a blog about our trip!

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Life has been pretty much the same...working, sleeping, hanging out with Jon on my days off.  Recently Jon and I have each been faced with a difficult decision.  To make a long story short, Jon is not totally happy with his job.  He is homesick often because he has not made any friends here in Fort Worth and his parents and all of his friends are back home.  It makes it harder on him when I am working and he doesn't have anyone to hang out with.  So Jon decided to apply for a job here in Fort Worth in hopes to be happier (shorter drive, hopefully nicer people at work, and maybe make some friends who live in Fort Worth).  He went for the interview, and  is still doubting staying here.  There are a lot of things that are causing him to want to move back home and a few things, mainly hopes, wanting him to stay here.  He is trying to weigh the pros and cons and come up with a decision this week because he will have to let the new job he applied for know if he will accept or not.  Then based upon his decision, I will have to decide what to do.  If he wants to stay, hooray, no decisions for me. If he decides that home is where he really wants to be, then I will have to decide if I will stay here alone or move back home.  I do get homesick and miss my family and friends often, but I do love my job and the hospital I work at here.  I don't feel that I will find a job back home like the one I have here.  I have also made friends here who I enjoy spending time with, so I am not as homesick as Jon.  I hope and pray that things will work out here in Fort Worth, but I want what is best for Jon and what will make him happy.  It worries me and makes me stressed out, but I have to put my faith in the Lord and believe that He will direct Jon's decision based on His plan.  

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."   Psalm 32:8

Valentine's Dinner at Piranha Killer Sushi 

After Jon's residency graduation we drove to Broken Bow, OK to relax for the weekend with some friends from back home.  It took us way longer than we expected to get there and we were both very tired.  We hung out on Friday and made smores by the campfire and got in the hot tub for a little bit.  We called it an early night, because we were both pretty tired from the eventful day.  We woke up Saturday and made breakfast before we went on a hike.  It was pretty chilly and Jon and I were not totally prepared for the cold weather, but it was still fun and so pretty!  I was pretty tired after the hike so I took a nap.  That evening we hung around and ate some dinner and then visited with everyone by the campfire.  It was nice to sit around and relax without worrying about things (besides the pups, because we had to board them).  We left pretty early on Sunday morning and I slept most of the way home.  It was nice to be able to relax all weekend, although I was tired a lot.  

Thank goodness I was called off of work on Sunday because again I was pretty tired.  Today Jon convinced me that I needed to go to the doc, so I did, and I am sick! The doc gave me some meds and I got a shot in the hip (yea, hip! I should have questioned the medical assistant but I didn't)  :(  I had to call in to work tonight.  The doc said I need some rest (after the weekend of resting you think I would be rested out but apparently not)  I have been pretty busy and somewhat stressed out lately, neglected taking care of myself I guess.   So I plan on laying low the next two days so I can recuperate and take care of the kiddos who are truly sick and need some TLC.  Until next time...

The cabin in Broken Bow, OK that we stayed in.

Hiking along the river.

When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others.
- Eda LeShan

Jon's Residency Graduation

When Jon and I were getting close to graduating nursing school he found out about a residency program that Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX offered to graduate nurses.   He was very interested since he definitely wanted to work in a critical care setting and he loves to learn!  He did some research and asked a few people about it and decided to apply.  After applying he heard numerous "horror stories" about how hard it was and that not many people make it through, but that if you do make it through you can work anywhere afterwards.  He thought long and hard about it and decided to apply and give it a shot.  He got an interview and we made a quick trip over here (not to mention I forgot his nice clothes for the interview).  Despite his casual attire they loved him and offered him a position on the spot, which apparently is unheard of.  He was beside himself but wanted to make sure this was the right thing to do so he weighed the pros and cons and decided to go for it.  So as soon as he accepted, the pressure was on me to find a job in the DFW area! :)  Luckily Cook Children's wanted me!  So we made the big move over here and in September Jon started the program.  After 15 weeks of class and work, 9 tests, many hours of studying and long work/school weeks, he was finished, and early might I add.  He did so great on all of his tests and during clinical hours that they let him out on his own early! I know it was a hard program to complete, but he sure did make it look easy!  I am so very proud of him!  I never had a doubt in my mind that he couldn't do it (he's the brains of the pair).  Hopefully now our schedules will be close to the same and we can enjoy spending time together again!  Congratulations Jon on completing the residency program, I am so proud of you!

I'm so proud of him!!
All the SICU Residents
      All the residency students

Family Time

Jon's parents came to stay the weekend after Christmas.  Sunday night we decided to go out and do something fun.  We went to eat at the Flying Fish (which is delicious by the way!), and then decided to go to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX to see an ICE exhibit.  We packed all our warm clothes, because we heard it was pretty chilly where all the ice was.  We got there and we were having so much fun just looking around the place that we almost didn't make it to see the ice before it closed.  Jon and I got the blue parkas they offered us, so that we could slide down the slide.  We went into the exhibit and it was so cold!  They said it was 9 degrees in the rooms!  BRRRR!  It was so neat.  They had tons of ice sculptures, from bears to Christmas ornaments, to Santa, and a gingerbread house, but my favorite was the nativity scene.  They also had 2 huge slides that you could slide down, and that was a lot of fun, except I quit sliding 3/4 of the way down and had to scoot to the end :)  After we felt like we had frost bite and had finished going through the exhibit, we thawed out by walking around the hotel and checking out all the cool stuff they had there!   We had a really fun time and it was a nice closing to the Christmas season!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I have posted anything...Life has been somewhat busy lately.  Where did I leave off...Thanksgiving....well after (and even before) Thanksgiving people start getting ready for Christmas.  I am usually one of the ones who has most all of my Christmas shopping complete by Thanksgiving and I can't wait to get the tree the day after.  This year was not that way.  Jon and I did not start Christmas shopping or get a tree until December 19th!!  I was not in the Christmas spirit this year.  I don't know why.  I did everything I could to get in the mood...listened to non-stop Christmas music, watched my favorite Christmas movies (Elf, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story), decorated the apartment, wrapped presents, etc.  I just felt like all of these tasks were a hassle instead of an enjoyment.  The only reason I can come up with as to why I felt like this about Christmas was because I was missing my family and Jon.  We didn't get to see each other much before Christmas, and were only able to spend Christmas Eve and half of Christmas Day together.  Big change from our usual 24/7 being together!  I can't say that I was a scrooge the whole time.  Once Jon and I packed up the car with all the presents and our luggage and loaded up Charley and Annabelle and headed to Louisiana, I got super excited! I sang Christmas carols the whole 3 hours! Christmas Eve we spent time with Jon's family and then pulled a late night at my parent's house opening presents and playing games with my family.  It was so good to spend time with the ones I love so much!  Christmas Day we ate lunch at my grandma's and then went to Jon's mom's and ate again! Delicious!  I was able to eat all the goodies I missed out on at Thanksgiving.   Overall Christmas turned out wonderful, and I am very thankful that I was able to spend it with those that are close to me!

Jon and I by our Christmas tree :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving almost seems to be overlooked these days.  As soon as Halloween is over, all you see is Christmas trees and Santa Claus everywhere.  Thanksgiving is a time to rejoice and be thankful for all that He has given to us.  Thanksgiving was a little bit different for me this year.  In the past I have spent the day with family, eating, napping, and watching football.  For a few years I visited my sister and we had a Thanksgiving dinner for all of her friends who couldn't go home for the holiday.  This year I have entered the "grown-up world" and I have to work tonight.  Jon went home to spend time with his parents and friends, and that left me here to have dinner with Annabelle and Charley before I go in to work.  I was a little sad at first, but I made the most of it.  I bought Charley and Annabelle some Dingo rawhide/chicken treats for them to feast on while I ate my dinner.  They loved them!  She went and hid so no one would take her treat away, and he gobbled his up in seconds.  

I did my best to replicate the dinner I would have had at my grandmother's house today.   I bought a rotisserie chicken (closest thing to a big turkey I could come up with) and some mashed potatoes from Target.  I bought some green bean casserole and cornbread dressing from Central Market, and I made the infamous peas and cheese.  Every year we make a dish we have named peas and cheese.  It sounds and looks disgusting, I will be the first to admit that, but it is, by far, my favorite thing to eat at holiday dinners.  It's basically butter and velveeta cheese melted then mixed with green peas and mushrooms with some sugar and cayenne pepper for seasoning.  I love it!  I even had some Crystal Light peach iced tea!  For dessert I bought a mini apple pie, and I don't think it was the fact that I wanted dessert as much as it was the fact that the mini pie was so cute!  My dinner was good, but it wasn't the same as being home with all of my family.  It made me realize that not only is it about the big dinner, but most of all the precious time you get to spend with your family.  

This Thanksgiving I am very thankful for the life He has given me and the people He has placed in my life.   He has blessed me with an amazing family, a wonderful boyfriend, loyal puppy dogs, and sweet friends.  I have a job that is very rewarding and gives me the opportunity to care for people who need it the most.  I love everything about this life!  Thank you Lord!  

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High….
Psalm 92:1 

Precious Time

I have had so much fun this past weekend!!  Jon and I finally had a whole weekend off together!  Friday I made dinner, red beans and rice, and we hung around the house because Jon had worked that day and was pretty sleepy.  Saturday we woke up bright and early and ventured to Dallas to the museum to see the King Tut exhibit.  It was very interesting!  After the museum we went to the Northpark mall and did lots of shopping.  I was just looking for a dress for a Christmas party, but Jon racked up on some clothes!  We were there so long and we never even made it to the second level! We drove back to Fort Worth and went straight to Joe T Garcia's!  It was exactly what we needed after walking all day, and it was delicious, as always!  That night we just hung around the house because we were both pretty tired from the busy day.  Sunday we woke up and made pecan waffles..YUMM!  Then we went to see Role Models, which was hilarious! Since we went to the matinee movie, we had the whole afternoon left to do things.  We couldn't come up with anything to do besides eat! :)  Jon was in the mood for some barbeque and we wanted to try some place new, so we went to Red, Hot, & Blue.  It was just what we wanted! Perfect!  We came home stuffed and laid around on the couch and watched the American Music Awards.  Monday we woke up and planned on making German pancakes, but we didn't have all the cooking supplies we needed, so Jon made us a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits! (If you didn't already know, we love to eat!)  We spent the afternoon looking for Christmas trees, but we never found one we really liked.  I did get a pretty wreathe for the front door, which I am super excited about!  We ended our fun weekend curled up on the couch drinking homemade hot chocolate and catching up on Grey's Anatomy.  I couldn't have asked for a better weekend or someone better to spend it with! 

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  

- Dr. Seuss

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

So it's been about 3 months since we have lived here and I am finally meeting new people and making new friends.  Unfortunately every time I have the chance to go out with new people Jon has to work, but we are trying to plan something when he can go too!  

On Halloween I was invited to go to Jessica's (she works at Cook on the 4th floor and went to college with Amanda and Gina, two girls I work with) house for a party before going out downtown.  We had a lot of fun!  We played a few drinking games which had us laughing all night.  We learned how to do the "stinky leg" and saw a bunch of promiscuously dressed girls out on the town.  Overall we had a really good time!

All the girls at Jessica's before we went downtown.

This past Monday when I got off of work I went to eat breakfast with a few co-workers.  I had always heard them talking about breakfast at Esperanza's, but I always doubted how good mexican food would be at 7 in the morning.  We all decided to go, and I quickly found out that mexican food at 7 AM is pretty good after all.  They had a few strange things on the menu,

 including cow's head meat and tongue meat, but I stayed away from those! I ordered something I could not pronounce that had chorizo in it, which I was told was mexican sausage.  I assumed it was patty sausage crumbled, but it was actually somewhat like chili mixed in with my eggs.  It didn't sound or look that great, but I really enjoyed it!  The dish is apparently one of the best things on the menu because 90% of the table ordered it.  

This past weekend I went out with Sommer and Tiffany from work, and a few friends of Sommer's.  Before we went out, Tiffany and I went shopping at Northpark Mall in Dallas.  It was a mad house!  There were so many people there that it made shopping not so enjoyable.  I did find some jeans, which I desperately needed, and Tiffany finally found a shirt right before we left.  So we met out later at Bone Daddy's to eat dinner and then went out downtown.  We first started at the Library, which was fun, although it was very crowded.  We then made our way to Houston St Club (I think that was the name of it), where they have a camera at the bathroom waiting line and a huge TV in the bar for all to be entertained.  You would be surprised how many girls go into the guy's bathroom, alone usually, because the girl's take so long in the bathroom!  It was fun to get out of the house and meet some new people!  I had a really good time!

Me, Tiffany, and Sommer at Bone Daddy's.

I'm very glad that I have accepted the invitations to go out with the new people I am meeting.  I have enjoyed getting to know them and meeting their friends.  I look forward to hanging out more often, especially when Jon can come and have a good time too!

Visitors

So, Jon and I have been here 2 months and have come to love it!  Jon's parents and our good friends, Matthew and Kay, helped us move in.  It was a job to say the least!  We moved in to a two bedroom apartment so that our friends and family would come and visit.  Our first guests were Amber and Devin.  We had so much fun when they came in town!  We went to the Dallas Zoo and then that night we ate dinner at P.F. Changs (one of my favs!) and then went out downtown.  We started at the Flying Saucer and then went Pete's Piano Bar.We had a blast!

  

Our next visitors were my parents and my little brother! We had plans of going to the Fort Worth Zoo but Hurricane Gustav ruined our outdoor plans.  We went to the mall and then to eat dinner.  We also made a stop by the water gardens in downtown Fort Worth the next day.  I loved it when my family came in town!  I always love their company!

 

A couple of weeks later Jon's parents came to visit, but I had to work.  I was only able to eat dinner with them before I went to work one day.  I know they had a good time, especially when they went to Central Market and racked up on some goodies!

* This picture is from a different time, but I didn't want to leave anyone out! :) *

I'm glad we have had so many people come to visit us, and I look forward to more people coming to stay!  We love having guests! :)

New Beginnings

I graduated from college in August and was ready for my "life to begin."  I accepted a job in Fort Worth, Texas and was anxious to move from home.  Jon and I packed our things and made the big move!  It was scary and exciting all at the same time! Scared of being an adult, totally on my own, with a new job/career, and my whole life ahead of me.  Scared of meeting new people and leaving all my friends behind.  Excited about leaving home (a little sad too), but ready to see what else was out there.  Now here I am!  I am a "real nurse,"  at an incredible children's hospital, and I work with great people! I couldn't be happier with my job!  Jon loves his job, and although we have totally different schedules now, we are adjusting.  Fort Worth is a fun city with lots to do.  Jon and I have slowly learned our way around, at least to the grocery store, the good restaurants, and the mall!  We are having a lot of fun in this big city!  Moving here was definitely a huge step, but I'm glad I took it!    Overall, I am very thankful that God has lead me down this path, and I am looking forward to what He has planned for me!

Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6