Friday Five

TGIF!!!

This year is seriously flying by; its already almost the second week of march?? Crazy.
Well I am super ready for the weekend, we are going to try to make a day trip to Dallas tomorrow to go to our niece Abby's 3rd birthday party. Hopefully nothing crazy comes up at Michael's work today that would cause him to have to work this weekend. We have not had a free weekend to go to Dallas since December, so we are waaay overdue. Anyways, since its Friday, and I am trying to avoid the pile of paperwork sitting in front of me here at work, here's 5 random things that have been going on around here the past few weeks.

1. I got to babysit Garrett while his mom went to a Bat Mitzvah (for the girl she used to nanny). He was not feeling the best, but we still had fun. We took Gaius on a long walk, and Garrett spent lots of time eating/drooling on all the toys :).

 Lucy and her mom did some shopping down south that day, so they stopped by to play for a little bit too! Love these 2 babies!

2. I spent last Saturday hanging out all day with my little sis! I had some gift cards from Christmas and needed to do a little bit of updating to my wardrobe, so we spend the day at the mall :). Kristen has a pretty great sense of style (which I inherited basically none of) so I try to do most of my clothes shopping with her. Plus, we haven't had the chance to hang out in awhile, so it was fun being able to spend the day with her. I'm so glad she lives in Austin!

3. About 2 weeks ago, me and Kristen went to a deaf social club event at Starbucks. She is taking ASL for her foreign language at ACC, and one of their assignments is to attend 2 events per semester. I just wanted to go so I could practice more and see if I am retaining what I am learning. It was mostly people from her sign language class that were there for the hour we were able to stay for, but I was encouraged at how much I actually understood! I told Kristen that I want to try to go to the next event with her so that I can keep practicing.

4. Michael built a shelf!
He got the idea from my Uncle John, who builds a little shelf in the pantry of every house he lives in to store cans in an organized and neat way. We didn't have a clear wall big enough in our pantry for it, so we decided to build it in our little "midget closet" in the kitchen. He worked on it the day that I was babysitting Garrett, and I think he did a pretty great job! Now that I have this shelf, I can buy endless amounts of canned goods :).

Now I need to clean out and organize that mess of a closet behind him! It's pretty gross right now :(

5. I have been running a lot lately; and by running I really mean jogging at a moderately slow pace? haha, but seriously, I can't believe I have been able to keep it up this long and I can feel my endurance building up quite a bit from what it used to be. I have been jogging at the park at least 2-3 times a week with Gaius, and have been very surprised at how much I enjoy and actually look forward to it! Who woulda thought?

Happy Weekend!

Friday

What an interesting Friday it was yesterday. We had a few patients this morning for lab draws, and the rest of the day was just going to be catching up on paperwork, phone calls, etc. Basically uneventful.

All those things happened, but we also had several visitors. Two from families of patients who have passed recently, and one from a patient who is currently in remission. The first was the son of a patient who passed away on Tuesday. He just wanted to stop in and say hello and tell us stories about his dad and reminisce about when they came here almost weekly for several months. The second was the wife and sister-in-law of another patient who passed away about a month ago. This patient had come to our clinic for treatment for almost 2 years and hearing of his passing was hard for all of us here at the office.

The last visitor was a happy visit from a patient who finished treatment early in the summer and has since been in remission. It is so fun to see these patients come back and to see that they are recovering well. I love to hear the changes that have occurred since their last office appointment and that they are healthy and full of life. It is so encouraging and gives me hope.

It is so humbling to me when families of our patients come back after they have passed. It does not happen often, and usually it is from those who came often or for long stretches of time. Selfishly, it gives me closure, especially in those cases when the patient or family was one that I considered a little more special than the rest. Hearing these family members tell stories and reminisce reminds me why I do what I do. It reminds me that this earth is just a temporary home. It reminds me that in spite of myself, God can use me in ways that I do not even recognize in the lives of my patients and their families. It also helps me remember that finding a balance in how close I get to these patients and their family is important, but to not let it hinder the way God wants to use me.

What a great reminder today of many things, but mostly that God has a purpose for my life and to cherish those I love every day.

Today I....

Was so productive!!

I took the day off work, and got so much done today at home (which is a great feeling). I originally took off for me and Michael to go camping, but its still 100 degrees here in Austin, so we decided it would be better to go when it cools off just a bit. Plus, having a Friday off every now and then is just a great idea.
Since we nixed the camping trip, I decided I was gonna tackle some of my to-do list for the weekend!

I took Gaius for a good walk at the park (which he badly needed b/c we have been neglectful parents this week).

After the post-walk bath, so handsome!

I spent a good part of the day working on refinishing an awesome desk I found on craigslist. I am gonna use it for a sewing table. Its perfect because it fits in the corner at the top of our stairs, its sturdy, and it has lots of good storage space. I'll do a post later about the process and the finished product when its done, but here's a sneak peak of what it looked like before I started working on it.

Michael was off too and he planted a tree today!

Besides the desk and dog walk, I also did a load of laundry, folded clothes, and cut out fabric for some upcoming sewing projects. And the best part of it all is that I still have 2 days of weekend left!! I think I should take off on Fridays more often :)

Friday Five

Yaaaaaaay for Fridays!

I'm pretty sure that today is going to crawl by as slowly as possible, mostly because we are leaving tomorrow for vacation! We are going to Michigan (don't even get me started on how much I love this place, I could ramble on forever) and I CANNOT WAIT!!!!

Anyways, here's 5 random things that happened the past 2 weeks (our lives haven't been all that busy which is very nice, so I don't think I can come up with 5 things from just this week)

1. I helped throw a surprise bridal shower for Julie Claire Morrison -almost Williams!
I seriously love this girl, and while I am really happy that she is gonna marry Josh, I am also very very sad that she will be moving to New Mexico where his job is :(. Gaius especially is going to miss her babysitting him when we are gone! But it was a really fun party, and her new sister-in-law had an awesome game that I am totally stealing for future showers that I help host. :)

2. Me and Michael saw The Sound of Music at Zilker park last Friday night.

It was a live musical at the outdoor theater, and everyone brings a blanket to sit on the grass. That was the first time we have been to the yearly musical and it was pretty neat! Next time, we decided that we need to get there a lot earlier because it was already extremely crowded when we showed up (and we got there an hour early!).

3. As of last night, my house is completely clean AND  all the laundry is done! Go Me!

This may sound like no big deal, but I have been very lazy with housework lately, so it was pretty bad. Since we are going out of town, I figured it would be nice to just get it done so we can come back to a nice and clean house. 

4. We had dinner with the Nixon family on Wednesday!

One of my favorite things is hanging out with this precious baby girl and her parents :). 

5. I'm not sure that I mentioned it, but WE ARE GOING TO MICHIGAN FOR A WEEK!!
I. cannot. wait. :)


Hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll be sure to post lots of great pictures when we get back!

Friday Five

Yay for Friday! And yay for being in Austin this weekend! This week ended up being a little busier than I expected, but some really fun stuff happened! So here's 5 of the top things that occurred this week :)

1. Lucy Kate Nixon was born!! 

This was very much a highlight of the week. Her mom and dad have been praying for her a long time, and were actually told by doctors that it was very unlikely that they would ever have biological children. But thankfully, God is bigger than medicine, and proof of that arrived at 1:01am on Wednesday!

2. On Monday, I went to a new women's Bible study. They are going through the Beth Moore study of James. Becky Shaver (from my church) is leading the study. She lives pretty far north, but we only meet once every 2 weeks instead of every week, so that makes it easier. The group is a mixture of all ages and everyone is at a different stage in life. So far it seems like they are super sweet and fun. I am so excited for the fellowship that I have been missing since the last time I was a part of a Bible study. Even though we have only met once, I can already tell that this is going to be an excellent study and I am very much looking forward to what God will teach me! 

little baby watermelon!

3. Our garden is already producing! We have harvested 4 tomatoes and lots of green beans. There are 4 peppers that are getting pretty big, and tons more tomatoes still growing. Also I found a little baby watermelon this week! Michael is especially excited about the watermelon, and the plant seems to be doing well despite my doubts :).

4. We went to First Thursday on South Congress last night with our friends Haley and Drew.

On the first Thursday of every month (hence the name), South Congress has this thing where most of the shops stay open late, and there are several areas where people set up booths and sell all kinds of things. Its pretty much all local craftsmen/women selling clothes, jewelry, soap, art, etc. Several of the restaurants have live bands, and the food trucks stay open as well. It is a very "Austiny" thing to do, and pretty fun. We ate pizza from Homeslice, and I ate my first cupcake from "Hey Cupcake." (not as good as people rave in my opinion). 

5. I bought some fabric for a new sewing project! It's a present for my cousin Hannah who turns 8 in a couple of weeks, so I can't reveal what I am making (just in case her mom reads this before I give it to her), but I can let you take a sneak peak at some of the fabric. I think its pretty fun!  

Friday Five

TGIF!! Man this week has flown by! I have really enjoyed getting more into this online journaling lately. I never have been one to write a lot, but its fun to write out what all has been going on and have it all in one place to go back and read later, plus have pictures!
Since I have been on a roll this week with my blog, I figured I could do a Friday post with 5 random things, but a making it a little different. Instead of just doing things that happened this week, I'm gonna post about things that happened the past 2 weeks. Really its just an excuse for me to finish my updating, but that's fine with me! :)

1. This really really really cute puppy came over the other day to play. His name is Nuckles, and he belongs to Michael's friend Daniel (d-mart is his nickname). I don't remember what kind of dog he is, but its a cute kind. I told Michael that our next dog needs to be one of these. :)

2. We went to Dallas to celebrate Grandmother Grysen's (GG) 80th birthday. We also celebrated all the other March birthdays too just so no one felt left out. There was a lot of family there since people from Michigan and Arizona came in, so that was a lot of fun seeing relatives that we don't see that often. We went to the zoo, played at the park, watched a slideshow of grandmother growing up, and ate lots of good food. Both of our nieces have turned 2 and they are talking up a storm and at a really fun age right now. 

3. Tonight I am having a girl's sleepover with our Sunday school class at our house! I am really looking forward to pizza, snacks, movies and talking. In case you were wondering, no, 26 is not too old to be having friends over for slumber parties. I hope I never grow up ;)

4. The puppies got their summer haircuts! I don't have any pictures, but they look soooo much better. They were getting pretty shaggy and getting hair everywhere. Plus its been a nightmare lately trying to bathe them and get stickers out of their hair after visits to the park. We shaved all their hair off and its crazy how much smaller they look!  I know they have to feel better too with it being so hot outside lately.

5. I got to have a coffee date with Rachel for some catch-up time and got to hang out with Amber for an evening for the same thing! I love getting to hang out with good friends and just talk about life. I think girls just need more fellowship than boys, and I don't make enough time for that sometimes!

Welp, that's all for today, hope everyone has a great weekend!

  

Friday Five

Yay for Fridays!! This week has been a pretty good week at work, nothing too crazy, but Im still always ready for the weekend :). Especially cold rainy ones that lend themselves perfectly to working on some sewing projects and reading. So here's 5 random things that happend with us this week.

1. We went and bagged up our very own super awesome dirt (that was also only $3 per bag) and if the weather clears up a little bit tomorrow we will be starting our very own backyard vegetable garden! (you know, just so we can call ourselves true "austinites")

2. We heard from our foster-dog coordinator that she may have found a home for Ranger! Its an older retired couple that would be able to be at home a lot with him, and give him lots of attention. Hopefully it works out!

3. I thought up a really fun sewing project to accomplish this weekend. It's of course for my nieces, so even if I have a little trouble and can't finish all of it this weekend without guidance, I still have until March before we go home again. I have kinda been a terrible aunt, and didn't get anything together for the birthdays in January, but hopefully late is better than never!

4. My friend Cassell had her baby over last weekend, and last night I took them dinner and got to squeeze that little one! He is sooo cute! This was her second baby, and she was amazing and did it all without an epidural. She said she was pretty proud of herself but that she would never do it that way again lol.

5. Valentine's day was this week! I already posted a picture of our dinner that night of the heart-shaped pizzas. Since it was a Tuesday, we just stayed at home and watched a movie with our dinner and spent time together. It was pretty nice. I got some beautiful pink roses, a box of chocolates, and a Joann's giftcard. Such a good hubby.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Friday Five

Yay for Friday!! So here's 5 random things from this week.

1. Doggy Daycare: We found a nice place that is right next to our house to take the dogs to every once in awhile when we want them to get really worn out (with no effort on our part). Plus its good for socialization too. This place is brand new and we were pretty happy to find it. They went on Wednesday, and when we picked them up, they were so worn out! The owners are really sweet and said that our pups had a great time. I wish we could take them every day!

2. Meal Planning: This week is my first week for starting to meal plan. I blogged awhile ago about trying to waste less food and shop once a month etc. and that was working out ok, we have been doing very good with wasting less food, and the shopping thing was pretty alright. But the bad part was that it wasn't the healthiest thing that's for sure. Mostly because obviously fresh fruits and veggies don't last for a whole month. So I got a marker board from target for the fridge, a couple of magazines for new healthy recipe ideas, and have a pretty good plan. It has been so so so nice to come home from work and have the meal decision already made! I am trying to get us to eat better, which will be an ongoing process for sure. I am also trying to keep looking for new recipes to add to the ones I already have in my cookbooks for more variety. My plan at this point is to pick the meals on Sunday, write them out on my board for the week (with page numbers for the recipe) and then we are set! Plus this way, if Michael gets home first, he can start working on dinner, which is just another perk of this plan :).

3. New Year!: It's 2012 already! I was just telling Michael on Sunday that I am pretty excited for this upcoming year. I am not really sure why exactly, it has never really meant that much to me before, but I think that it is going to be a great year. I made a few resolutions (but I won't bore you with them), and I am pretty excited to see what God is going to do with us and in our lives this year.

4. Sewing: I got a sewing machine for christmas! Its kinda awesome. I have NO idea how to sew, but I started learning a little bit this week when Rachel came over for a play day on Monday. My first project is going to be covering the pillows on the futon upstairs. There is nothing wrong with how they are now, but its the easiest first project we could think of for me to try. Seeing as how I didn't even know how to turn my machine on when I got it, I figured I should start slow. I got one of them partially finished and so far so good! Stay tuned for project updates!

5. New workout routine: I have lost about 10 pounds since last august. That is not too shabby, but over the holidays, I ate a lot of food. (Don't worry, it was very good food). I also have felt like I have been in a bit of a "workout funk" doing the same stuff and feeling less and less motivated. I ran a race (the warrior dash) in November, and prior to that, I was pretty motivated to train for it. So now I need a new motivator. I kinda want to do another race like that and have toyed with the idea of running a tough mudder race, but I have heard that its kinda crazy hard-core. So maybe that won't work out. But I did download the training workout they suggest and have been trying out some of the exercises this week. And when I say trying out the exercises, I really mean doing 4 of them in a modified fashion lol. I am sooooo sore already which means they are working! But anyone who knows of other good workouts, just let me know :).

So that's been my week! Tomorrow we go pick up Molly (my in-law's dog) to keep while they are gone next week on a cruise, so that will liven things up around here. Have a good weekend!

Friday Five

Happy Friday! Here are 5 random thoughts from today/this week :).

1. There is not much going on at work this afternoon (the friday before the labor day holiday), so I have been playing on my new HP Touchpad. This thing is a pretty fun toy. Its basically like an IPad but with fewer apps, no camera, and it was a whole lot cheaper. It reminds me of a very large smartphone. In case you are interested, you can read about it here: HP Touchpad info

2. Wednesday we had Christmas in August at choir. I always love choir practice, but this week was extra fun because we worked on Christmas music and got to eat yummy food. Made me excited for December to come!

3. This weekend, some of Michael's family is coming to visit. They are coming tomorrow, and staying the weekend. It should be a lot of fun, and I am really glad they get to come!

4. We went grocery shopping this week. You are probably thinking, "ok, so what?" But this is kind of a big deal because we are trying out this new thing where we don't buy any new groceries until we eat all the food in our pantry/fridge. Why you ask? Well, I feel like we are really big food wasters. And I really don't like throwing away leftovers or other random things in the pantry that eventually go bad from never using them for months and months. It just feels like a waste of money because we were doing a lot of throwing away. So since we are trying to be a lot more diligent about our budget and saving for some things that we really want to buy/trips we want to go on, grocery shopping is going to become a once a month trip. At least that is the new goal. The only exceptions to this is for things like milk and eggs that are used very frequently. I tried to make a very good list and make a rough meal plan so hopefully this works out!

5. I got my wedding book in the mail! Finally after a year and a half of marriage (procrastinate much??), my BFF Brooke helped me organize all my awesome wedding pictures into a book on snapfish. It looks really really great (at least I think so)!


Hope everyone has a fun and relaxing Labor Day!