Ready for 2013...

Soo, i know its a day or two early, but I honestly will not get around to it if its not done now... So this is my last blogging post of 2012!

Its been and interesting year to say the least- much experience with "getting my feet wet" in the real world. I can say that I am much better at dealing with budgeting, dealing with insurance, paying bills, working full time, and attempting to still live a rather exciting life on top of being a "lame adult." There are a few less boring things I accomplished this past year, including, but not limited to:

-Celebrate NY's eve in another country
-Become addicted to pinterest
-Road trip the great river road with Joey
-Travel with my big mama
-Take "me days" and not feel guilty about it
-Save the house from being burnt down... please refer to most recent blog
- Develop my skills for thrifting
-Take my cooking skills to a whole other level
-Become completely and utterly obsessed with my dog
-Start jogging
-Live and thrive closer to the lake
-Become an even bigger coffee snob
-Catch every episode of "the new girl"
-Be confident in my RN skills
-Do 2 preceptorships with my cardiologist to raise awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension
-Dance my heart out in the night life of Boston with two of my best friends :)
-Begin to realize that its to lower some of your expectations
-Get a little bit more sleep



I think thats a pretty summary of what i've been able to do to attack for 2012. I am proud of myself for many things, but know that as a person there is always so much more room to improve all around. I haven't quite developed my list for 2013, but its more of a continuation of this past years accomplishments, just taking them to the next level.

Its always interesting to see where life's irony will lead my next. I'm ready-- lets go 2013!

Puerto Rico

Recently back from the tropics!

So if you are so inclined to dig back in the archives of this blog--I took a trip to a trip to the great great wilderness of Canada on a 6 day canoeing trip, the lessons I learned were put into list form, which truly worked out fabulously. I recently (November 1-8) was visited the potential 51-st state, Puerto Rico. Talk about a drastic choice in vacation destinations! ha, guess it keeps a person well versatile.

My mom and I always talked about traveling once I was done with the horrendous act of the nursing school situation... well a year and a half after, we made it happen. It was kind of a fluke that we decided on PR, but when tix are $300 round trip, its fairly hard to pass up :)

Instead of me blabbing my faces off with the deep details (which typically happens) I will recap in numbered fashion-- ready, set, bazinga--

1. There is a significant difference between a junebug and cockroach. First night unpacking I was washing my face, as i was drying my face with the towel I saw something large and brown squirming in the corner of the back bathroom. I called my mother in the room to help of observe with me- she educated me that this bug was much too large to be a those buzzy buggers that hit your windows on summer nights. Mom flipped in her own way, while i threw on my super girl cape and grab some tissue to squash the thing. Yeup, much more crunchy that a junebug.

2. I always fail to bring either my pjs or toothbrush with me on trips. I did my absolute best to ensure all needs were fufilled... Uh-huh still forgot a toothbrush. So i just didnt brush my teeth for a week, let the natives get a real good look at the typical American ;)

3. Mariachi music gets old quickly...

4.There is nothing more awesome than going to bed hearing both ocean waves and the coquey (island frog).

5. The cabana boys on the beach specialize in deep tissue massage, serving long islands, and looking like Ryan Lochte... maybe more like cheesy hawaiian shirts serving overpriced alcoholic beverages, and speaking with puberty.. how sexy.

6. Salt water on freshly shaven legs makes you want to scratch your epidermal layer off- until you convince yourself its just an amazing sensation of island life.

7. Don't be alarmed by long curly haired individuals with feminine build not wearing a shirt, its just a Puerto Rican man who looks like Tony Little from the Gazelle commercials! (check pix to right for reference)

8. There is little to no sidewalks on PR roads and when you got to cross a busy road-- being over precautious gives your identity as extreme tourist away. If you want to look natural, just walk in between the cars at any given time you will.

9.The language barrier makes it impossible for any puerto rican to pick up on my hilarious sense of humor... their loss.

10. You CAN mix fresh pineapple juice, lime, rum, and jalepeno into a shot glass and make it taste amazing!

11. Fresh PR espresso is like a multitude of choice angels singing to and hugging your tastebuds-- and it is a really good idea to drink at 9:30pm at night. Leaves for a rather exuberant late night....

12. Life's irony hits me in the strangest places- last bus back to Ocean Park (where we stayed) had 4 different people from Wisconsin, and 3 were from the milwaukee area... rock on cheeseheads!

13. I have how pantented the accronym "ADC" as "after dinner coffee."

14. If you don't keep Patty Slattery entertained for long enough her attention diverts to hunting dirty bus station rats in the shadows.

15. Melvin (our PR tour guide) knew who Aaron Rodgers was and quoted "discount double check."

16. Our condo is crawling with kitties because the owner rescues them and lets them live on the premise. I named the gray tiger cat that greeted us each and every time we were out of the gate "Doggy." One of the few cats i considered cool.

17. Celebrating Election Day in PR is as follows- all businesses close, everyone is given the day off to hang at the beach, drink booze, and soak up the beach scene. Its almost like a giant Superbowl party. My apologies to anyone who had to endure the infinitely crabby and pissed off tone that America gives on the same day.

18. Ever wanted to become an awesome driver? PR will teach you quick... minimal road signs, "suggested speed limits," small street perimeters, etc. What should have taken 40 min took the Slattery chicks close to 2 1/2 because of the political caravans and such driving conditions. Political Caravans: everyone hanging out the windows, blasting latin pop, waving flags, honking in celebration all at 65mph. Simple solution: gps--couldn't detect local positioning. Smart phone navigator: same problem. Fail. We made it, just soaked up the scenery a little more so than the average. At least people are happy.

19. PR are about a decade or 3 behind in their local fashion. Big trends in island fashion: fanny packs, boom boxes,rat tails, and crocs. Triple threat: Guy at beach with rippling biceps with full sleeved tats strutting his stuff rocking out to his music coming out of his brown leather fanny pack, pulls out a beer from same pack, walking the beach in his green crocs, finally an 8 in rat tail to wave goodbye to you as he walks past. Bad ass.

20. Two words of advice: crack kills. No matter what culture you live in, put that business under some threads. Yes, I am talking to you waving blonde locks pretty surfer boy with freshly shaven legs. yuck.

21. Cop lights flash green and blue, no obnoxious red.  Also they may have them off while following you, but you are not required to pull over until you hear the siren . Nobody was pulled over in the discovery of this finding, i promise.

22. The potholes in the road have to be similar to what people consider moon craters are like. One should never attempt to conquer or you're guaranteed flat tires, hurting noggins, and frustrated emotions.

23. Puerto Ricans are genuinely the most friendly people of almost any country I've visited... however you can escalade from friendly-creepy rather quickly. For example: Christian is a guy I met while swimming in the ocean. After 7 min I already knew he studied at anthropology at a Christian Science school in Illinois, his profession is a "natural athlete" (whatever the hellz that means!), he's in favor of Obama, his dad lives in Florida, we stayed at a nice condo, it is very impressive I am a nurse, I look a lot like my mom, I do have strawberry blond curly hair, yes my swim suit is ralph lauren, and i apparently have a nice smile. No, i don't need you to catch me when a crasher takes me under water- i can handle a little salt H20 in the face. El Creepo- bleh :P

24. Way to go Green Bay-- our condo was fully stocked with all Georgia Pacific Products. Thank you for all your hardwork and service Uncle Dave and Tom.

25 Church's chicken doesn't just exist in the Northern midwest.

26. Someday I will marry myself and spend a week at the Pommerosa Coffee Hacienda for my honeymoon. It will be a week spent sipping amazing coffee grown and processed on the same plot of land, listen to the coquey sing, eat bananas from the trees, walk around the lush rain forest, listen to Kurt from Dusseldorf (owner) talk about coffee for hours, and soak up the mountainscapes. How Romantica.

27. I made it the entire vacation without falling on my hind end-- highly impressive.

28. Do not not attempt to take booze through security-- instead save yourself the money and confiscation and buy yourself liquor at the duty free store on the other side of security. They even throw in a sweet free travel bag.

29. Popping my ears for 7 days: in a plane, in the ocean, or drivin gin the mts.

34. Conch is not just a giant shell you make loud noises with, but a classic PR seafoodyou eat ina massive heap of mofongo.

35. When looking for souvenirs for your loved ones back home, "Condom World" is not the wisest of places to purchase some fine PR gifts.

36. It took almost a whole week, but we did finally spot a coquey.

37. Never let Patty Slattery convince you to walk over a mile and a half (1 way) to the grocery store to get $40 of fresh produce and a gallon of water. We didnt even touch the sweet potatoes that were purchased.

38. It is ok to drink the water. Its not worth sweating over.

I would do this all over in a heartbeat. I am so proud of my mom and I for making this happen as we had always dreamt of doing. I am oh so blessed to have not only a a great mom, but an extraordinary best friend. Also, I am so fortunate my health allows me to travel so much. I say it on a daily basis, on it never gets one-suck it pulmonary hypertension! I feel as though I am not only traveling the world, but dominating for all PH people alike when I can stand at the base of Punta Serra and sip great coffee and breathe with ease and think to myself, "life is sooo beautiful." Always hanging on to hope and faith.

Well I am in the process of making an early turkey day meal for two of my fave boys so I should get back to the kitchen, but this was a great way to reminisce just a few short weeks ago. Gotta get back to work on those cornish hens and loaded mashed potatoes.
Do yourself a favor today and think about your favorite vacation. Close your eyes and think about the memories. Be thankful for those.
PS- for more pix, check out FB.

Ridiculously Thankful

Somedays I feel as though my life experience should put me in an exhibit at the Milwaukee County Zoo for everyone to gaze upon and see what the wild "Lauren Slattery" is getting herself into now...

November is the month about being thankful, it should not be singled in on just one day that you eat turkey until you enter a trytophan-induced sleeping coma. Let me enlighten you as to why today was a fabulous reminder to be thankful for the little things, but first a little background...

Once upon a time,

When we signed our lease in May, the landlord stated he was going to be putting in a new front stoop because the one that was present was a death trap to anyone who did not to the deep nooks and crannies of the sunken concrete mess. Well, it took until this past week for the contractors to show. Today was the day they were actively pouring and laying the concrete.

I was busily playing my second life's role as "kitchen diva" and making some quinoa and fish dinner later tonight. I turned the burner on to the high setting to get the water to boil faster. The contractors have been using our power source through an extension cord running from the 2nd story front window and we've been paying frequent visits to the fusebox in the creepy basement because my kitchen appliances can't keep up with the worker's power tools. So, our flat was built in the 1940's and still has very much of the same old charm, which can sometimes mean you need to keep doors shut in order to keep the place warm. I attempted to get my coffee pot to brew my normal cup o joe and it wouldnt turn on, therefore I knew it was time to run to the basement and check the fusebox. I left the quinoa on the burner to boil and closed the door behind to keep the heat in and ran down the stairs to fix the power. By the time i got back upstairs, to my chagrin, the kitchen door was locked. Oh joy. 

Puppy was loose in the house, pot was at a steady boil, and there i stood helpless outside the door. I no cell phone, shoes on, and i looked as though i rolled out of bed. My immediate reaction was to knock on the neighbor's door downstairs. No answer. I went outside to talk with the contractors to see if i could barrow a phone. They were up to their knees in concrete and the most help they could provide was letting me barrow one of their cell phones. So i have a phone, now what?! I haven't memorized any phone numbers since I was in 3rd grade talking to my friends on the landline... Luckily I talk with Joey frequently enough that I do know his phone number in my memory. He was working so all I could do was keep calling, hanging up, and recalling. After 9x's i decided to try and figure out the next plan of attack.... try to break into the neighbors garage and see if they had a ladder. FAIL. They are smart people for locking their doors!...

All i could think at this point was the fire dept would let me into my black and crispy kitchen from the burnt quinoa.... and poor Jordy probably would've been so afraid of the smoke and fire alarm he would've took a dump on the couch....i guess i was smart enough to have renter's insurance at this point... as i stood in the front yard in my socks watching the contractors pour concrete God sent me a sign. There was big white van with a large multistory ladder on atop the roof across the street driving slowly past the coffee shop. I think adrenaline took over cuz I don't know where I mustered up all the energy to do so, but i ran across the street on the cold Wisconsin November pavement and knock on the ladder man's window. He was on his phone. I will never once again take advantage of the midwestern folk's friendly charm! He rolled down his window, hung up on his current phone call, and asked me what the matter was. I explained to him I locked myself out and the only option at this point was to try and crawl through the front window where the extension cord from the contractors snaked up into our indoor outlet. I can only imagine he felt so very compelled for me with my squirrel's nest hairdo, muddy socks, and anticipation to NOT burn the house down. He parked and brought his magical ladder to the front yard with no hesitation aside these contractors. I ran to the garage to grab a baseball bat, just in case. 

I am so very thankful I did not inherit my dad's fear of heights because this would've been the most opportune time to be set up for failure. Also, I was thankful for having recently hiked at Wyalusing State Park and their very steep trails filled with ladders along the western Wisconsin bluffs. The magical ladder man offered himself to climb up and I said, "No thats ok, I will take care of this one!" I hiked my sweats up, put the bat through my front pocket on my hooded sweatshirt, hoisted myself up the ladder to the window. Luckily, i did not have to break a single thing, the screen and window slid smooth as butter right on up. Also, thank you to my mother for instilling the love for cardio within me because I was able to fit through the window. I did accidentally knock the fake tree by the window on to the chair , but thats the most damage done. Once I was safely within the window, i waved down to the ground and thanked the wonderful, magical ladder man for his services and bolted for the kitchen to get the quinoa off the burner.

To my surprise, the grains were cooked to perfection! Holy sheisse. I ran to my phone because i was receiving a call from Joey simultaneously. I plopped myself on the couch to take a breather and voice the whole story to my boyfriend. Wow, how freakin ridiculous. We both agreed it is necessary to have an extra set of keys made and placed for safe keeping for such instances. I think Joey was proud of me for: 

1. not breaking any glass 

2. not breaking into the neighbors garage

3. not burning down the house

I decided to finish up my original cooking and share my "being thankful" story for you fine people out there because it is something that can never be emphasized enough. I think this whole 15 minute time of panic, my little brother was smiling upon me from up above when that ladder miraculously appeared. I often times tell my patients "its never over, till its over- you have to keep fighting and hanging on to hope." I felt as though I actively lived what i preach this afternoon. 

As I am taking a break at work later this evening, I am going to enjoy the hellz out of my quinoa and fish while i inappropriately giggle at myself for the whole story of how my dinner came to be. Amidst a sigh of relief, I am so very thankful that there is someone up there keeping an eye out for my ironic and ridiculous antics. Someday when i meet God i know its going to go a little like this: we'll be at a slight distance from each other and we will both throw our heads back in hilarity. He will then proceed to tell me, "you were one of my special humans that brought many a smiles to my face." Story of my life.

Ultimately, my never-ending thanks to that random magical ladder man for not questioning my motives and spotting for me as I climbed up 2 stories to a flat just as I had left it.

Whew.

Take a moment and see what Mr Harry's class is thankful for (take special note of Jacob's illustration of his dog)

lounging

I am going to make this a quick and happy little post because it is getting a lil later and i do work early... Let my just recap how the perfect Sunday goes:

1. wake up at 11:30AM, after getting close to 12 hrs of sleep.
2. Make brunch with your best friend. Even better, its pancakes and bacon.
3. Watch an the Packers dominate, after attending the Badger game the day prior. Gosh i love wisconsin football.
4. Meander around Kohls with your 30% off coupon and go. to. town. Note: i NEVER go shopping- this is the first time since probably May and i only saved $150.
5. Froyo :)
6. Hug my two fave boys.
7. Recipe hunt on foodgawker and pinterest.
8.. Go to bed reminding myself that theres only 9 more days until i will be lying on the beach with Patty Slattery in another country :D

The older i get, the more i realize how much i enjoy lists. They are just so practical and really make a logical flow of thoughts. I very much have Hillary Johnson to thank for this one. If she could have her whole wall be a giant white board, she would fill it from ceiling to floor. There is just so much satisfaction is crossing off things from a list-- just such a visually stimulating pleasure. Sometimes i wake up and make a to-do list and i'll put tasks such as "brush teeth" and "enjoy coffee." It is completely and utterly setting yourself up for victory! Win-win-win-win-win.

A little smile cracker that happened today amongst the daily insanity of being a cardiac RN, one of the nephrologists called me specifically to tell me "You are a good nurse." Made me grin like kindergartener who just secretly stole 2 birthday treats and got away with it.

Ah yes, last inkling-- I am very proud of Joey. He took a job as the assistant HS boys swim coach at a school in Tosa. Can't wait to see the swim meets and watch him in his true element!

Well, if you've made it this far in the post, you are doing much better than i would've anticipated. I have a cute yellow lab lying on my feet and snoring away with another early morning to come. Good night world, you sure are a beautiful place, filled with beautiful people.

Shifting from the Graveyard

Just so everyone knows, I am aware that the title of this post does sound slightly morbid/halloweenish, but let me explain, this is my night off from working night shift the last 3 weeks. This only slightly skews your normality of what time of day it truly is...So what does one do when they have been awake for 6 hrs and its midnight???! Umm, of course you make a ranch pork loin in a dutch oven while watching reruns of 30 Rock :) Also note, I have to limit my movement because it is hard to keep quiet in a 1940's, creeky floored upper flat while your best friend and boyfriend are attempting to sleep. Oh life's challanges...

Now, what could i possibly blab to all you fine people out there about that is more exciting than going out and rocking out a great autumn Thursday?? I recently read my friend, Katie's, blog that talked about how narcissistic the idea of blogging is. So true. However, I  choose to write about my life experiences to hopefully enlighten my loved ones that they are in fact, very normal people when compared to Lauren Slattery. In layman's terms, i write to make people smile. And so it goes :)

I woke up on Sunday with a strange feeling of maturity. Maybe it was the fact that I am now in my "mid twenties" vs. the early??... The big 2-4, ha. I am still an infant in most of my everyday life. Have to wait one more year to legally rent a car. It was most definitely a type of birthday I learned something from. One of those that reminds you of how freakin fortunate and truly blessed person is. Without too much detail, a greater part of the weekend was spent on the road to attend a funeral and visiting family in the hospital. Tends to put a good perspective another year of life.

Individuals are all so hardwired to keep on the crazy, busy lifestyle-- and for what??! This is a huge pitfall of mine that I have been working on very intently since this summer. Let these words sink into your mind, "Stop the glorification of busy." Kinda says it all. Why does my 2-do list for the week have to get accomplished in 4 hours? I know I am fully capable, but is it worth it? What did I solve? Yes I felt so very productive, but the next day I end up lollygagging around and get nothing else done, pretty much because I have nothing to finish at that point in time. When you lay it out in words like this it makes my mind boggle. Maybe its the fault within my inner RN thinking (as well with many of my co-workers and friends), you get so involved with the care of other people- you can't remember the last time you peed.  Why did I ever make myself that busy, I enjoy things so much more when there's no pressure. Guess its will continue to be a work in progress--! at least its one I can seen myself advance in doing so.

There's some of my inner crainial inklings of my mind. I did get to celebrate a little birthday time on Friday night... actually it was how perfectly how I envisioned it. It was me, Melissa, and the boys. There was no for sure plans until about noon of the same day-- but it was the old Whitewater crew hanging out and just talking. We eventually meandered our way down the street to the British pub- it was perfect. Dancing with Mitch Kroll to Mungo Jerry, everyone toasting to good times and your birthday, constant laughter, my cuz Aaron's failed ipad, the typical 0300 Toppers delivery.... awesome memories.

I was at the dog park one afternoon and was talking with my posse of regulars. One of the guys adopted his puppy around the same time we got Jordy and we were discussing how impossible it seems to envision your life a month prior, without the pooch. There's nothing that makes me giggle more than watching a cold, wet dog nose make a shirtless Joey squirm... or memories of the first vet trip with Jordy being batted in the face by a cat and followed by taking a dump in the corner of the exam room. My favorite is coming home after a long work day to a dog who wags his whole body and can't even stay on his feet cuz he's so happy to see you. I sincerely hope I am as cool as my dog thinks I am :)

That's all i got for now. Do my a favor, and make sure you get out there and enjoy the orange and yellow trees. Its so flippin gorgeous this time of year!!

                                             (just to make you crack a smile)

feelin warm and fuzzy

Here are a few things during today that i immensely enjoy....
1. waking up at 11:30am
2. Talking with my mom on the phone
3. Going on a sip and stroll with the pooch with my pumpkin spice coffee
4. Enjoying the beautiful autumn colors on lake drive
5. watching the waves crash from up on the bluff in Joey's arms
6. Dark chocolate sea salt caramel bars from Trader Joe's
7. The count down on my smart phone says "35 more days" until vacay in Puerto Rico
8. a quiet afternoon house nap

If you couldn't tell, last night was my day off. Gosh, I sound so pathetic when i go to work for one day and all i can think about it my next day off, maybe thats called being fully adjusted to being an adult. Nonetheless, life is going just peachily. I can't believe its almost October, that means my birthday is a little over a week away. You're talking to a soon to be ancient aged woman here, the big 2-4. I still remember the day of my 10th bday. I had a great day at school, brought dirt cups for my bday treat, get off the bus with a big grin on my face to come home to my mom's note that said i had to mow the lawn.... on my double digit birthday.... i was only mildly depressed. Hopefully my 24th bday is a little better than my 10th. Thanks a lot mom, you're such a punk.

I don't understand how people could not love this time of year. I went camping at Gov Dodge State Park with my college crew last weekend and it was gorgeous out! Afternoon hikes with the dogs, gorgeous colors, grilled food, sitting by the fire at night, everyone attempting to stay warm... so relaxing. And just to make the week more exciting, nothing beats catching up on all the new season premieres of Grey's and The New Girl with a tie blanket and cup of warm chai :) booyah.

Overall, its been a pretty chill week just hanging at the crib. I am slowly developing my little posse of people at the dog park during the afternoon. Everyone there is so down to earth and in love with their dog, you know your always in good company. We've had Jordy almost 3 week too. He's a pretty darn well behaved pup thus far. He met his brother, Reggie, last weekend. Good times. Its so easy to tire him out and he sleep so well at night after that. I always hear "a tired dog is a well-behaved dog." No taking for granted! At this point, i am just blabbing so i am going to curl up on the couch and catch a snoozer here, but hope everyone's enjoying their day, stoked for the weekend, and at ease with life. If not, you can follow my rules as a nurse. I always tell my patients my 3 simple rules:
1. No falling
2. No fires.
3. Keep your clothes on.
Bottabing-bottaboom. 

 Peace out :)

New love

Soo, ever since I was a teeny tiny little girl, i have had one dream. Unlike wanting to become an astronaut or artist like most children, I just had one simple desire. That was to own a dog. I adore my parents to no end and I couldn't have asked for a better up-bringing, but they severely lacked in the Fido Dept. They always told me as a child, "you can get a dog when you are an adult." Lamecakes. When you're 5 yrs old, being 20yrs old does not seem possible in such a simplistic mindset. I decided to rebel. In my own brilliant mind, I had a scheme to get a furry, happy, and tailwagging dog.  Now,  I am about to share a secret from my childhood that I am not particularly fond of, but I am told its freakin hilarious. Ready? Ok.... My grand Plan: Go outside, stare into the direct sunlight for a long period of time, go blind, and get a seeing eye dog. Bingo, its flawless.  I remember being out on the front porch and my mom came up and shook my shoulders saying, "LAUREN! Why on earth are you doing that?!" Yeup, never got my pooch.

Well, it finally happened... no i didnt get a seeing eye dog, but I did do my good deed and rescued a pup from the humane society. I was very close to love at first sight. I had been looking at just about every HS in the Milwaukee area, on what seems to be an hourly basis. Joey and I debated names for awhile and finally settled on either "Driver" or "Jordy." We love our GBP. I texted 5 random people for a vote, and "Jordy" won. I saw Jordy online at the Rock County Humane Society on Saturday night, and was at the shelter the following afternoon to pick him up. I was nothing but smiles ALL trip long. I had dreamt of this day for so long! I went to the local petstore to pick up all the supplies. It got to be rather pricey because I decided to prepare for the worst because I had not a clue on what this 50lbs and 1yr old lab/terrier would be like in my house. I bought all all my dog supplies for their sheer strength. Kong toys, an indestructible collar, leash for a dog up to 80lbs....

The whole ride home i couldn't stop petting him.  We got home and I showed the puppy around the house and then we set out for a stroll in the neighborhood. OMG. I woke up Monday morning with shin splits and sore arms, Jordy has the exact attention span from Dug the dog in the movie "UP." I guess I hadn't fully put it together that this dog had never really seen the outside world aside from the limited trips to the running pen at the shelter. Squirrel! Bunny! Little Kid! Water! Tree! Tree! Tree! Squirrel! Football being thrown! Uf da. I literally had to make the dog sit and hold him so he would stop wheezing from choking himself for our 2 mile walk. I wish i could get that excited about anything in life....! ha. Ok, so we have to work on a leash to do.

I was waiting for Joey to get home to introduce him to our new addition. I was baking pumpkin bread, I decided to become distracted by the dog and sliced my pointer finger on the rim of the can, leaving my with a bleeding finger for over an hour. I waited and waited and waited, and still bled. Ok-- maybe its time to get it checked out. We went to the ER and saw the waiting line. I was rather hesitant knowing it would be till at least 1AM... while checking in at the front, I asked an EMT standing next to me if my finger needed stitches. He stated, "no." that was that, joey and I agreed to head out and go get frozen yogurt instead.... I guess this is where my life's irony steps in... I wait nearly 24yrs to get a dog, slice my finger super deep that same night so I can't pet my puppy, call it a false alarm at the ER, and got delicious frozen treats instead. Just a little "Lauren twist" on the evening....

Joey broke him into swimming at the beach yesterday. Apparently, he took off after a seagull shadow and was hard to catch after that.  He also came across another female dog on an empty beach, did his little dance on her hind quarters, and stole her ball right after. Typical guy :P

Its been a learning experience everyday since bringing Jordy home. Today we took him for his first trip to the dog park for some doggy socializing...what a great place to meet other dog lovers. And he only humped 7 other dogs... we're sure proud of our boy...

You could probably call me an insane dog woman or just simply infatuated with my puppy...Whatever the case, I am stoked to finally know that there is a creature out there that can keep up with my boyfriend's energy level. Yeeesssss.

Hi fall, i've missed you.

Happy Saturday all you gorgeous people out there-- soooo,

You are probably welcome to call me more nutzo than i normally am, but I just got home from work after being paid to creepily watch people sleep and returned to my house where the temperature was close to 58 degrees. Typically, that is ridiculously chilly for a house, but this morning I can't wipe this big goony grin off my face because I have finally settled into my passion for fall. It comes at a different time every year, but I believe after such a fabulous weekend in the UP for Labor Day, I have finally came to the conclusion that summer is done. I know more hot days will be on the way, but right now I am completely and utterly content sipping my warm chai and marveling the morning sunshine through the dining room windows listening to the wind chimes.

I have a very exciting and hot date with myself planned for later today. You know those afternoons alone where you belt your guts out to Stevie Knicks' "Edge of 17," wear comfy clothes that don't match, get sidetracked by 5987439 separate things, clean everything, light candles, watch "Night at the Roxbury," and eat yourself completely silly on freshly baked dark chocolate espresso cookies. Oh wait, I'm the only one that considers that the ideal day alone! If your name is Lauren Jean Slattery, this is utterly heaven. Ahh :)

At this point I should probably attempt to get some sleep so I can be a normal human later tonight and the rest of the weekend. I guess in general it doesn't matter that much because I have never been "normal." Because really, what is "normal?" This question has been pondered by many theologians and philosophers without answers.  That's ok, its better unanswered. Ha.

Go rock your weekend.

Down and Dirty Weekend

Greetings to all you fabulous readers who find my life slightly more exciting than attempting to get yourselves motivated for another work/school week after another way too short holiday weekend :)

My father told me this weekend that I should blog more because apparently its the talk of his work day with his co-workers. Boy, talk about a bunch of boring, old fogeys ;) (Note: all the fellow Pioneer Credit Unioners know how fond of them I am) Anyways, I decided now would be an appropriate time write because I am tucked away in the beauty of the back in the woods in the UP during a massive rain storm. Bingo. Plus, its now 9:53PM and i have just started to begin to sip my coffee-flavored liquid motivation. Here goes.

Friday: I decided it was the perfect night to take some PTO (i.e.- night shift+full moon= nutzo patients that dislike sleeping). The Labor Day weekend plans were for the Slattery's to host the Janzen's for their first ever weekend living the yooper life. Slept the day away to prepare for a rather filled evening. We hit up Waterloo for Joey's youngest brother's high school football game. Sitting on the bleachers watching all the teeny boppers made me miss that time of my life for a split second-- No worries, hang out with your friends, mom has dinner ready on the table every night, no bills, no rent $ due, so little responsibility. However, i would never trade what I have now for being 16yrs old again. Ohh, to be so naive and inexperienced in my sheltered sweet little high school life. The night ended with a Waterloo HS victory and road tripping into the wee morning hours.

Timing:

We hit the road from Waterloo, WI at about 11:15PM. 

Arrive Bark River, MI at 2:45AM

Official bedtime: 4AM

Saturday: Woke up with heavy eyes and a big ole grin. There is no better feeling than waking up to the glorious sunshine in Michigan woods. I slowly meandered along the trail between the two houses to greet my parents before everyone else woke up. The set up had the kids in one house on the neighboring property to the original place we built where the "old folks" resided. We started off the day with some breakfast and made a quick run into to town to buy groceries for brunch the following day. My cousin Eric had shown up with one of his buddies to hang out for the afternoon. The parents happily took the day to four wheel while leavingthe kids to kayak and swam the great Lake Michigan.

Twas an absolutely gorgeous day to be out on the water. Official head count for the kids: Joey, Greg, Matt, Eric, Adam, and me. That equals loads of testosterone and Lauren. Seldom do I ever have an afternoon that I  wade in the river to catch crawdads, attempt to dig up a shipwreck in Lake Michigan, have mud fights, and sing Rhianna. My mom professed about a year ago that she purposely never bought me dolls while i was growing up, she said its more fun hanging with the boys. Rock on mom, you're right. After close to 3 hrs of hanging in the water we headed back to shore. My dad had impeccable timing because right as we paddled in, he pulled up with the trailer. 

Dinner was a complete delicacy. Grilled food galore. Ribs, corn on the cob, veggies, and beergaritas all brought together with great company. The evening closed with a classic sit down around the fire pit telling embarrassing childhood stories and ridiculous jokes. Quick and easy to fall asleep that evening.

Sunday: Woke up to eat another fine meal to power our afternoon. Matt went hard to work cooking the tequila shrimp as it is traditionally prepared at La Estacion in Waukesha. I was not warned the first time he set the pan on fire with the blow torch, therefore the screaming can not be totally blamed on me :) Pile on the fresh fruit, swedish pancakes, and garlic scrambled eggs and call it a power meal. We all discussed options for the afternoon activities. The parents proceeded to road trip to Munising to tour the pictured rocks while the kids four wheeled.

The "Janzmen" and i were pretty upset about being forced to fourwheel on a beautiful 70 degree day. Let me just begin by mentioning how difficult and painful it was to move this morning. I felt like i had aged 70yrs overnight. I must have been so tense in my hands and wrists while driving that it even hurt to button my pants while getting dressed. The pain was oh so worth the 5hr round trip! It was so exhilarating flying over the moguls into the dust trails. We made it to our halfway mark to the Cedar River tavern where we got something to drink and threw some horse shoe for a bit. I road with Joey for about half the ride back. It was a slight break for my sore back, except my abs started to hurt because i was laughing so hard. In all, it was a 55mile + round trip that left us all dirtier than ever. Each of the guys looked like they were growing five oclock shadows that started at their eyebrows. ha. And i look like i attempted to snort campfire ash. 

I hadn't felt that good after showering since our 6-day Canadian boundary waters trip last summer. Mustered up enough energy after that eat rare steak, play light up frisbee in the dark, and sit by the fire with everyone. Boom. Another successful day.

Monday: Today was bittersweet in knowing that summer is ending, but freakin sweet being able to hang on to the memories made this weekend. It was the most perfect type of day to lay low. It began to pour outside and we spent some of the later afternoon watching it come down on the front porch, as well as nap my brains out. I would once again like to thank the Janzen clan for making the drive to hang out for a rather boring and losery weekend with the Slattery's at the Simpson Place....

Tomorrow's back to the mothership (commonly known as Aurora St. Luke's), but as long as I am awake tonight I am going to soak up that of my childhood roots and familial upbringings of the northern woods. There's something about this place that will always keep my coming back, every time I am up here I realize how much i adore it. There is so much of my little brother that is alive up here, especially in the summer. Brings one back to home plate before the at bat begins again. Now I just have to try to bring some of this inner peace back to the south. One more relaxing sleep ahead of me, now that is has taken me close to 3 1/2 hrs to finish this post. 

I also would like to thank all of those people out there who were working today including the all branches of the armed forces, firefighters, emts, docs, RNs, health care workers, cooks, etc. You guys are rock stars. For as bad as the world may seem to be, I will forever remain a glass half full kind of individual, partially because living a life without that mentality sucks, but also because it would mean that i would berunning low on coffee, and that would be horrendous. Yeah, we'll just skip the pessimism altogether :) 

Easy Breezy Beautiful Saturday Afternoon

There is only one way to wake up on a Saturday post a 13hr day the night before, and thats SLOWLY. Today was perfect :) I woke up at around 0900 for a bit to hug Joey before his 12 hr day and then that awesomely restful sleep part 2, where all my dreams are beyond me in strangeness and you wake up completely refreshed. Done and done.

I woke up around noon to the ever so relaxing whistling of my "don't worry be happy" ringtone. The first thing i noticed when i opened my eyes was a wagging black tail. Aww, Reggie.  I walked through the dining room into the living room to wake up a bit and the breeze and sunshine through the windows was so perfect, it didnt take me long to get my butt out the door. I had left with the intentions of walking the dog and soaking up the weather. Along the way, i ever so easily convinced myself to swing by my fave alterra to replenish by soon-to-be-deceased coffee stock at home. I parked Reggie around a tree just outside and went inside to get my beans. I was checking out and ordering my iced coffee, when i bunch of people sitting at the bar next to the window got up and started looking concerned. The lady sitting outside where I tied Reggie was also out of her seat. I quickly ran outside to see what the ruckus was, praying that it wasn't something the dog did. I saw a man sitting awkwardly on the curb next to the tree and dog with a bunch of people asking if the old man was ok. For a little bit i thought he tripped over the dog leash and went plummeting to ground where hit gluteals caught him.... I was relieved when i was informed that he had just gotten to close to the curb and stumbled over his own feet. ok, partial problem solved. The real problem was getting the man up. He reminded me of a few of my elderly patients that have difficulties using their hands to pull themselves up. Before i knew it, i was snapping quickly into "RN-ACTION!"

With the help of two other people we easily got this man to his feet. My first question for him after he was stable on his feet was, "are you ok?" He informed me with a smile that he was. My second question to him was, "are you lying to me?" He looked at me with the same goofy grin and said "yes." The woman whom was with the man informed me that he probably was lying, but i further assessed the situation. He walked fine, and just had a couple scrapes. Mission accomplished and closed. I felt like a good Shorewood citizen and proceeded to smile as the dog and i kept moving along.

It was super peaceful strolling among the beautiful neighborhood houses. Thats one of the charming qualities about Shorewood, every house is so unique and unlike the next one. We ended the walk with a trip to Atwater Park  and we sat on the grass and watched the sailboats do their thing over the bluff as i sipped my iced coffee. Gosh, what a perfect way to start a day... wait, there's one other thing that Reggie informed me would make the day just a smidge better. This big black dog rolled all over in the grass and then proceeded to shake off all the excess grass clippings all over me. Icing on the cake :) Thanks, pooch.

A lot of the walk i was running thoughts through my head. I feel so gosh darn lucky to be where I am at this point in my life. The endurance, stamina, motivation, friendships, profession, etc. I have been told a number of times by my father, that i have my Grandma Slattery's perspective of life. I wish I would've gotten to meet her at a point in my life i remembered. From what i understand, she was nothing but love to the world. Nothing was ever as good or as bad as it seemed. She was a pediatric nurse that continued to work through her diagnosis of metastatic bone cancer until about a week before she was promoted to full time angel. What a woman :)

I kept thinking to myself how awesome it feels to breathe, and feel the lakeside breeze. Maybe this is just a calming before the storm when i start work at 3pm?! hahaha- whatever the case, i will take it and run.

One last comment before i close today's session of "What on Earth is that Slattery girl thinking?!" is how proud I am of a friend of mine. She received a double lung transplant at the end of June. She has been making leaps and bounds in rehabbing since then. One of the greatest sources of joy this life can offer is watching people get stronger in any and all aspects of their lives. Keep rocking Katie, you're amazing! :)

So as i end this random, yet light hearted post I would like to include a song to get stuck in your head so every time you sing it, you will think of me... please enjoy. And also, go rock the day.

spontaneity

Woke up this morning, clocking around 9 hrs of sleep. jackpot :). Not only did i bank a solid night's sleep, but i woke up next to a big ole pair of brown eyes. Brown eyes and big ole happy tail. I have since the beginning been in love with my brother and sis in laws lab/great dane mix, Reggie. We're dog sitting for the next 2 weeks. This is a huge teaser because once we have to give him back its only a matter of a month or two before I am going gung-ho in rescuing a fido. Can't wait :)

Its my midweek weekend and couldn't come at a better time. Last night had my sprinting on my toes, playing "Super RN" in every direction that I past (E.I. 9 hrs of sleep).  Its sooooo nice to wake up slow, enjoy some hot coffee, open the windows, and soak up the start of the day. I keep running through my head what i would like to accomplish today, but i am not going to make my typical list because then there's no disappointment or expectations for the day ;) Well thought out. ha

I will take care of a few bills- but thats pretty much mandatory. Otherwise the rest of the day is planned to take Reg for long stroll by the lake. Spontaneity is sort of the theme of the day. We'll have to see where it takes us. With that, I believe that is all my mind has to state at the moment. 

Take care people, be more productive than I ;)

Packers on my mind

I woke up this morning and thought to myself, "hmm its strangely dark in this bedroom." I walked out into the kitchen to realize its cloudy, rainy, and 60 degrees out. I have been awaiting a day like this for quite some time. The kind of day where I whip out my favorite whole bean yooper coffee and prep my french press as I stare out the window and awe as the world turns right before my eyes. It reminds me of fall time. Fall is my fave time of year, however i will enjoy every last day of my summer.

It is a Wisconsin summertime tradition to visit the State Fair. The idea of holding a state fair is slightly ironic because WI does so in city nicknamed "The dirty stallis." The official name found on a map is "West Allis." Let me allow Urbandictionary.com to enlighten your thoughts:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=West%20Allis
(apologies to my friends and coworkers who live in West Allis... it was a topic of conversation at the nurses' station one day and i thought it funny to share). It just seems as though it would make so much more sense to hold such an event in an area like Madison or Northeast Wisconsin because the agricultural community is must stronger in those surrounding areas. Whatever the case may be, state fair is a complete blast.

You will never find a a better place to eat horrendously hazardous for your health food and people watch. In attendance this year was the "Slatzen Haus"-hold. Thus being, boyfriend (Joey) and best friend (Hillary). The first stop at the fair is to the expo center, where you are given the chance to purchase just about any type useless junk/kitchy decor your wildest dreams could ever imagine. It doesn't take long to get my yearly fill of the expo center. I decided it was time to leave after we walked past a booth with dancing marionettes. The worker decided to start chasing Hillary and I with a cat puppet attempting to climb up the back of my calf as the worker started to geek out. Yeup, that was enough.

Next stop was food. Oh to glorious deep-fried goodness of foods you never thought deep-friable. Hillary was the bravest to try the talk of the media, "The Fat Elvis." This includes deep fried peanut butter cups with bananabread-like breading, topped with chocolate drizzle and bacon bits on top. I snipped my nose at first, and then i took a bite. Holy amazing, batman! Its that perfect combo of sweet and salty that makes your face smile :) Another honorable mention (none of us purchased) was the "krispy kreme bacon cheeseburger." So just imagine, 100% Wisconsin grade angus beef with slow roasted crispy bacon with melty cheese, in between 2 classic krispy kreme donuts. Gag. If that doesn't bring you to the ER with a massive myocardial infarction, you are invincible. Hands down.

To accompany the delicious food hitting your stomach, the people watching at this event is top notch. Official count: 7 fanny packs, 3 butt cracks, and 2 boob grazes. This was the first hour we were there. I stopped count after that with too much to keep track of. Proudly,  I will announce that there was only 1 sighting of a kid on a leash (Thank goodness). I don't care how cute they try and make those ropes that attach to kids, in the shapes of monkeys, frogs, kitties, etc. Its still wrong.

To end a fabulous evening of digesting, strolling, around and good times-- we ended at one of the microbrew tents with big screens to watch the Ally Raisman snag another gold on the floor routine. Rock on USA!  Just an all around fabulous evening.

Not only has it been a great day to lie around and sip coffee under a warm blanket, but it also sparked my excitement because today is the grand opening of Packer preseason. Oh freakin happy day! A beautiful start to a season full of cheeseheads, "go pack go's", Rodgers belts, and smiling Drivers.  What beauty.

Week full of Golds

Let me just begin by writing that I am not a TV watcher. Joey and I recently bought a TV back in May and before that I hadn't watched since I was still living at home with my parents in high school. That is close to 5 yrs ago without any real TV... (who had time for that in nursing school?!) Let me just tell you all the hours I've been in front of the boob tube since Sunday..... actually not, its kind of embarrassing.

how is ANYONE suppose to get anything done with the Olympics on??! Holy crap, I cannot get enough of the men's swimming, women's gymnastics, 2x2 sand volleyball, sychronized diving, and even the kayaking! its soooo motivating!

I was home this past weekend and my mom woke me up on Sunday morning at 10:30ish by yelling up the stairs, "Lauren, you're swimmer boy's on TV!" Ryan Lochte. Man, what a way to wake up in the morning :D That only started the day off. It took until about 2pm that my mom and I built up enough motivation from all the athletes in front of us to make it out for our 28mi bike ride all around Green Bay on the fox river trail. Some of my fave memories cycling are with my mom. We always love to hit up the trails in the country, play the music loud,and be really ridiculous and  obnoxious singing when its just us! I will proudly say we were surging almost the entire time we were out amongst the corn.

We made it home in time to eat grilled salmon burgers and nap. THEN it was gymnastics time. I stare at some of those 15yr olds and wonder to myself what it must be like to be that young and that impressive. Gabby Douglass, she is an inspiration to anyone. Her whole story about having to move away from her family to get professional coaching with a single mom and group of sisters at home... wow. She had mentioned after the all around tryouts the reason she smiles so much. She stated that she had been focusing on Scripture about "being confident." All those incredible versus we skim over and never fully meditate on. This girl is going to grow up into a huge role-model of so many young people. So cool :)

After my much needed beloved 3 day weekend was over I had to come back to reality. It was off to work on Monday afternoon. I got home Monday night about 8:30pm and as i was pulling up into the driveway, I found the grill out.... Joey making grilled chicken. Then i walked upstairs and found Hillary (my best friend who moved in with us about 2 wks ago) making veggies and rice. I had a huge grin flood my face :) They waited until that late to have family dinner with me! I have the two best housewives in the world! Hillary and I were talking last night about how strangely normal it feels to all live together. I think its the way the personalities mesh. It feels like such a healthy and positive environment. We love Shorewood :)

I was in a patient's room yesterday afternoon and I realized it is already August. That is so bizzare. We still have a 1/3rd of summer left, but it went so stinkin fast! I feel like i have to start planning for fall and where travel plans will bring. I have a few goals:
1. Jog a 5K
2. Travel with my big mama
3. buy a food processor (this will happen before then! ha...)
4. Stage for nursing status at Aurora
5. Finish the dirty whore trilogy: 5 Shades of Gray

We'll get there. For now, i just finished my coffee and am need of getting things done. I love these midweek weekends of random days off :)

Go rock the world folks.

Whirlwind of a Summer

Now that I am beginning to be able to let me feet touch the ground again, i thought it would be a nice little treat for EVERYONE to enjoy a little Sunday night leisure read--

So what exactly has happened in the last few weeks? That is a good question.
1. I finally have a sister!!
2. My best friend is moving in tomorrow.
3. I made some killer homemade clif bars.
4. I have roadtripped, seen, hiked, and cliff dived all of the beautiful Marquette, MI
5. Met up with the "International Cool Kids Club" in Wisconsin Dells
6. Watered Walter, my cactus (or whats left of him)

Lets talk about #1 b/c its my favorite :)
My brother and his fiance finally had their ever so classic "Slattery/Orlando Upper Peninsula Wedding." Melissa had been doing most of the planning about a year and a half and it couldn't have turned out any better. They used the Simpson Place (our family cottage).  The set up for the ceremony was in the front yard amongst all the gorgeous and green trees. Let me just say that Milwaukee/Southern Wisconsin was hitting some of the hottest weather I have ever experienced, and all the brown lawns and lack of rain we didnt have, the U.P. received. I can't remember it ever being that green and lush that far into summer. It added a beautiful ambiance to the whole weekend. The bride walked down the aisle to "I wanna hold your hand." All the monarchs were flitting amongst the set up. Let me just say, I don't think i've cried that much in a long time :) especially joyful crying. I am so proud and happy for my big brother. The other thing that was absolutely amazing about the wedding was the feeling of having Rob alive within the nature of the wedding because of location. My mom carried a white rose and placed it on the chair next to hers. I have soooooo many fond memories of my little brother at the cottage, its basically where I grew up with him half of our childhood, there was just this aura in the sunshine that made it feel like he was present. It was amazing having so many close friends and family for such an event.

It was so cool too standing up in the wedding because it was like you looked around, and so many of us were friends for so long- its so cool to watch where life takes all of us next. One of my favorite parts of the night was sitting by the fire with my parents and few cousins reminiscing the good ole Berth Farm days as kids. Corn fights in the hay mow, Aaron crashing the 3-wheeler into the side of the barn, good old Grandpa Berth and his german nature :) ohh the memories.

The next day after gift opening and clean up, Joey and I took off for Marquette MI for a mini vacation overnight. We ended up getting there around 11PM eastern time, which meant we ate late and found ourselves staying at the historic "Land Mark Hotel" in downtown Marquette. We were even able to talk our way into knocking off $40/night with our fine Wisconsin charm ;) I love yoopers, probably the friendliest group i know!

We took off late morning, hit up the co-op, got coffee, and found ourselves hiking in the rain up to Hogback Mountain. Holy beautiful!! You could see some glimpses of the Huron Mtns.  We ended up packing a loaf of bread from the local bakery and making pb&j up top the mountain. Haven't had a view that good to dine to since watching "The New Girl" last spring! The chipmunks were hilarious up there. They would scamper up one side of the steep rocks to snag the little pieces of bread we left them. We took a bunch of pictures and my favorite one was one with me in the top corner of the pix with God's Country all around me. It was a very uplifting moment for me because times like that i always feel so fortunate to have the health that i do. Part of it is drilled into me that this is my small contribution to Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness. Ain't never gonna tie me down!!

The next segment of the day dealt with cliff jumping at Presque Isle. It has always been on my bucket list to jump into the water from the historic black rocks in upper Michigan. I was nervous for this all day because I wanted to feel out the situation and make sure it was "safe" first. We went around 6PM when the work day was done and all the locals were around doing the same thing we were, dip into Lake Superior. There were approximately 10+ other jumpers. After i watched a little 5 yr old kid jump in twice and decided it was safe, haha. Joey and I jumped at the same time. Talk about exhilleration! As if the excitement of the jump isn't enough, you then get to figure out how to get yourself out of the alcove. I ended up swimming down a little ways to the shallow water and climbing out about 100ft down. Surprisingly, the water to very warm for being Lake Superior. I haven't even felt Lake Michigan down near Milwaukee that warm! Also, there is some ensured safety when your boyfriend (who was on the college swim team for 4 yrs) jumps before you. To say the least it was an amazing experience and something to cross off my bucket list.

Last night we met up with our friend, Amy, from Canada who took an exotic vacation to Wisconsin to experience our way of life. It was so much fun, but far too short lived. Especially when we were spoiled back in the winter with a weeks vacation in London, Ontario. We hit up Moose Jaw Pizza in the Dells and talked about life and laughed a lot. I can't remember the last time i giggled that hard. I love those girls and the wild conversations we have :)

It was a fabulous little week spurt of vacation. I am probably going to be missing that a lot this upcoming week when i am back to getting paid to creepily watch patients sleep while i save their lives. Thank goodness this full moon was over a wk ago... the lunar effect is no joke in a hospital. ha!

I hope everyone is staying cool and soaking up summer. I really feel like it is slipping away waaaaaaay too quickly. Then again, give me a time when summer wasn't fast!

PHenomenal Moments

Let me just begin by saying this: God has the most ironic sense of humor ever. Every time my mom and I attempt to make it home from a PHA conference, our plane flights always love to get delayed or canceled, its almost as if we should have never tried to leave in the first place.... dang another day in FL, extreme bummer. Anyways, we made it home with only a 15 min delay in time from Orlando to Milwaukee. Lucked out this time, but instead of me talking about the end of the trip, let's stop, rewind, and play this past weekend in chronological order....

Little Lauren RN was really feeling the need for a short vaca from all the long hours put in at St. Luke's Hospital. What better excuse could there be than running away to the 10th International PHA gathering in Orlando, FL (where only the coolest of all people meet up). Boom. decided and done.

My sassy-pants partner in crime mom came along for the excursion too. I found myself sipping my Alterra coffee and people watching, when i looked across at the bench seats in front of me and saw a bag that said "Accredo" on it. I then proceeded to ask the woman sitting next to the bag if she was going to the same conference we were. She smiled and said "yes, i am going with my sister, who was just diagnosed a few months ago." We befriended Samtan and Tsetan (native from Nepal, and now residing in the twin cities). Ready for the irony: Samtan is a psych nurse, my mom's a psych nurse, Tsetan is a nursing student, and I am a cardiac nurse. Holy nursefest! This was both of their first conference, and my mom and I couldn't have been happier than to chat their faces off about how much they would get out of this conference.

We made it to Orlando and checked into the hotel. My mom and i decided to meander our way down the road to find some dinner. What could be better than cold raw fish guts (AKA sushi) on a hot humid night?! We called it a night fairly early in preparation for an exciting day ahead of us.

Friday morning we made it over to the conference. We were walking around the expo center and met up with a couple of familiar faces. I was walking past the United Therapeutics booth, when i heard by name yelled out. I looked and found a very friendly face that i hadn't seen in months. It was Chris, my old nursing coordinator from the PH clinic and "medical mom." After all the bear hugs, she asked if I would be interested in speaking in Chicago this fall as a Tyvaso advocate and i gladly agreed, so we'll have to see where this adventure leads....

We proceeded to hit up some of the support groups of all different topics. I don't think any PH patient could be happier, than to sit in a room filled with other patients and discuss relevant topics related to their everyday lives. I loved listening and contributing to the various different discussions.... This trip, being my mom and I's 2nd, was more so beneficial from the networking end than the education. It was such a blast being able to put faces to names with all of the Generation Hope group too. I was able to meet Naomi and her husband Heath from Kansas. We shared our journey's about how we got to where we are now, and its just too funny to hear about all the misconceptions our brains tell us when we are undiagnosed. My favorite from Naomi was on her first date with her husband as they were hiking she stated, "Sometimes i randomly faint when I climb inclines." My own personal statement was, "I'm gonna be asymptomatic until i have a syncopal episode during a bootcamp class at the YMCA and bash my face on a treadmill." Yeah, not normal. Its completely in the human nature to rationalize PH symptoms and why a patient feels them.  This is part of the reason diagnosis can be so impossible to identify, until years later when symptoms are much worse. For example, I always told myself I'm just not in good shape for climbing mountains and thats why I was so short of breath and my heart was pounding when i was in South Korea climbing around one of the national parks while visiting my boyfriend. 

During the dinner presentation, we were educated on all the history of pulmonary hypertension is regards to research, medicine, outcomes, and future ideas. How freakin cool! The last 2 decades have been nothing but an explosion of amazing findings, and it only continues to look better. Its also pretty sweet touching base with the long term survivors that have had it for 20+ yrs, before treatment was even available and they were the first of all patients to trial IV flolan. A lot of these same people have families, work jobs, live normal lives, etc. Thats staring hope straight in the face! Rock on.

Friday night was probably my favorite time of the whole conference. It was the Generation Hope meet up. We were spoiled with fondu and great company. I got to see many of the people i hear from in everyday emails. I also spent a better part of my evening with the fabulous Colleen Brunetti. That woman really knows how to work things. She has a lot of various leadership roles in the PHA community and has some of the best input there is.  We very much think on the same cranial wave-length, so its awesome bouncing ideas and delving into deep conversation.  I also had the privilege of finally getting to meet Jenny. We live literally 20 miles from each other, but it took two years and a different state to meet up. She brought her boyfriend with her. Cutest and coolest couple I met that evening! I always loved the term Jenny used to describe herself has a "PH Warrior," such a down to earth individual. Let's say after the first day, i went to bed smiling from such an amazing day, and the types of interactions with people that i long for so often.

Saturday was another day filled with different seminars to get the mind thoughts rolling in different directions. I'll never forget sitting in one of the medically lead sessions about emergency situations. An elderly woman with PH raises her hand and asks the panel, "What do I do if they want to give me nitrates for chest pain?" (side note: Nitrates are a huge no-no for patients that are taking sildenifil or tadalifil. Basically the blood vessels are pre-dialated as a result of the medication and if they were to take another nitrate to relax the vessels even more, your blood pressure will systemically tank out.) One of the M.D.'s from Mayo Clinic says to the woman, "Just tell those EMTs or ER workers that I TAKE VIAGRA!" I think the whole room was filled with laughter.

A majority of Saturday my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of one of our fellow friends. Katie, who was unable to make it because she was put at the top of the transplant list, had received the phone call from her doc that they had a new pair of lungs for her. She was brought to surgery right away and has been doing fairly well since then. I am so stoked for her. This woman is in her 30's and was a marathoner, flight teacher, and just a super funny girl. I couldn't think of a more deserving person of such an awesome gift, to be cured. Its amazing how close you feel to people that are so similar to you, even though you've really only connected via internet or email. Keep Katie in your thoughts and prayers. Keep breathing easy and fast recovery Katie, we're all rooting for you!!

Sunday went by way too quickly, making it a slight rush to get to the airport. The breakfast presentation had a young kid who's best friend had PH. In his friend's honor, he climbed more than 5 peaks from all over the world to help raise awareness. Then to top it off, he and his family did the "50 peaks in 50 days" challenge, where they climbed to the highest points in all 50 states to recognize and help fight pulmonary hypertension. This kid has be about 17yrs old. I am just miffed at the energy and support of everyone.

My mom and i are going to do what we can to hopefully kick up a PH bike tour next summer. We sat in on a seminar that discussed how other members did various "PHundraising events". I always come out of these conferences so inspired. Last time, it solidified my decision to do the MS150 bike tour, this time I think i want to become certified to teach a spin class.  My goal and hope is to really do something over the next 2 yrs before the next conference to see what I had done in that time frame in regards to awareness. 

Overall, it was a rejuvenating experience once again to come out so hopeful. It also puts me back in my place for how extremely blessed I am.  To have the support and energy that I do is something I take major advantage of sometimes. I was diagnosed and treated within 6 days, that is completely unheard of... I was able to dominate nursing school at the same time i was able to learn how to mix remodulin... I went on a boundary waters trip to canada for a week... I get to work closely with other PH patients on a regular basis... i have the best family and boyfriend in the world... this weekend was a solidifying memory of the reasons i have to tell myself to shut up, slow down, and soak up what I truly do have. Everyone for that matter, everyone should stop and take a moment to simply breathe. We're all guilty of feeling sorry for ourselves, but in moments like that you need to allow yourself the chance to feel frustrated, kick a wall, take a deep breath, and know you really are ok. 

One of the strongest quotes i heard this whole weekend was a doctor talking about how sometimes PH patients are cursed because they feel their put in that position to think have to think that maybe their lives will end earlier than they anticipated. Only true to a point. The M.D. said "We were all born into life, and life is terminal." So when you walk out to get your mail today and not trip down the stairs breaking your neck or drive to work safely and avoid any type of car accident along the way or make dinner tonight without burning down the house.... do me a favor and smile. You were blessed with another day to dominate. Another day to get out into the world and make a difference. Another day to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful summer breeze. Another day to hug the people that love you. Enjoy it. Life was meant to be enjoyed.

With that i leave you with my last three favorite words: smile, breathe, thrive.

 

jump on it- jump on it.

So i realize i have been a little off my rocker lately in terms of keeping up with my journaling and life thoughts... the new year always kicks up so quickly that I hardly have time to shower and eat (2 very basic personal necessities). Here is a quick "brain-mess" for the later evening.

I am in such a strange place in life right now, but it seems as though all of my friends I graduated with are in very similar boats. This is the first time in close to 20 years that we haven't been in school, so its like you go to educate yourself for such a long time that once you finally get where you have strived to be for so long- you feel as though you're kind of "floating." Where do you go and how are you suppose to feel?

I had two good friends over today for dinner that I haven't seen in far too long. Its been about 6 months since we've been big girl RN's and tonight was the first time that we were able to sit down and discuss our experiences with each other. It was one of those nights that conversation is just great and all you can do is smile because its such a blast to see where life has taken everyone. I remember sitting in a B&N 2 yrs back studying my freakin med-surg book and listening to this group of girls talk about their jobs as nurses. I remember feeling jealous because they all went to school together, now working in the real world, and discussing life together.  All I wanted to do at that moment was take my massive book and burn it in front of the "Henke Nursing Center." Well guess what, I thought back about that moment tonight and smiled to myself thinking, "look, i made it." :)

It was such a refreshing feeling being with Jaclyn and Holly because it reminded me of how great the people in my life truly are.  And seriously what could be better than discussing life over a little Rochambo's?! thats correct, probably nothing.

Every month that goes by keeps getting to be a little less weird in the "planet of the adults," its just another one of those adjustment periods. I don't really know if life every isn't an adjustment period, but it currently is something that we've never experienced before. Guess all one can do is really just keep on keepin on.

And now... time for a lil lame brady inspiration...