i am really loving these two songs from glee right now! little songs that perk me right up!

a review in pictures

busy busy busy. it may not seem so to the outsider but i have been on a non-stop road of studying like a mad woman. then i go to a study group. then i come home and study more. it has become to be a little on the crazy side. so i promised myself and my husband that i would take a step back and relax just for tonight....then hopefully i stop writing crazy notes everywhere and dream about exam questions.

so what am i doing on here?? thought i would take a moment and review what i have been up to this month. but because i don't want to write anything down, i thought i would just post some pics...because frankly i am too tired to think! he he he.

happy new years to us. because it was gorgeous out we went skating.

this is mark's look out in the distance pose. 

had fun making heart shaped pancakes with a pancake pen i got for christmas

photo-booth fun at my grad

we can be classy.....

....and maybe not....

 our annual christmas celebration that has now become our new years celebration

jeaninne got our group picture...i took the action shots...here is us playing games...i think we got a little giddy at the end

 

 love this little guy. so easy going and this is not an insult although mark takes it as one: he looks like charlie brown with his round head and big eyes....CUTE!

 the ice cream cake i made for our anniversary....yummy!

but maybe i should have let it freeze a bit more as when i attempted to open it....

the chocolate oozed out....lol

 

someone got his cast wet...but gotta admit it was looking good...

recasted again and all is well in the world....

till next month!

love 

6 years

our anniversary came and went this year. six years. when we got married i still wanted to celebrate this anniversary. the date of the wedding was organized by people that had opening dates available and when family would be able to come. but the day that we became a couple, i think that is pretty special and a reason to celebrate.

however with all the hussle and bussle of last week it sadly wasn't the priority. we had company, my brother had surgery AND got discharged from the hospital, and mark is helping coach basketball. needless to say our nights and days are jam packed.

i had a small present made (which i think i am going to utilize again so must keep that underwraps) and i made tandoori chicken with homemade ice cream cake (i know, pinterest and me can get carried away). but by the time it was complete and cooked mark had to go back to school and coach. AND i think doing all that stuff may have just made us feel bad that we really didn't have the time to celebrate the way we wanted.

BUT if we do look at it another way. that week:

• we got to see my cousin and take her out to one of our new favourite restaurants that serves an amazing african buffet.
• we ate the ice cream cake many times through out the days AND really what is more fun than to have ice cream for breakfast?
• we appreciated the importance of being there for people that need us, and in return made sure to be there
• i realized that in the thick of a mess i have a person that i can depend on to help me out (i actually already knew it, but it was reconfirmed again)
• AND i lost the leftover meal that i made that day and for some reason neither of us knows where it is, so it may be a fun surprise to figure out where it ended up...hopefully it doesn't smell too bad at that point! he he he.

although i love celebrating the day we do have a lot of special time with each other. and that is something that i will appreciate all the more as these hussling days are likely to increase more than decrease as we get older.

love

A new love

For a girl who doesn't drink coffee I am really loving my biweekly dates at second cup that involve a hot chocolate or frozen hot chocolate and my crne study book.

Love

Imperfection

I think that sometimes in the most imperfect times one can really get a glimpse of perfection. My life can be a little messy and as organized as I try, right now it is slightly adventurous and disorganized. That being said, I have seen amazing strengths and bonds during these messy times.


Two of theses strengths are pretty special.

My Brother:
My brother had a slight mishap on Sunday. And by slight I mean bad. I am not the greatest with X-rays but even I can read his. He got into a hockey mishap and slammed into the boards resulting in a spiral fracture of both long bones in his right calf. Asking about spiral? Think about twisting a lid on a jar but that lid is my brothers bones. And these bones are not meant to twist so they break. Ouch.

So I walk into the ER see my poor little brother on the stretcher and just feel horrible. He has been through this before breaking his back 12 years earlier. How much can this one guy take. But what I saw was amazing strength. He did not weep or give himself a pity party (I can't see this writer doing the same). He took his pain meds, he listened to the doctor and just took everything a step at a time. Once the pain was under semi control I even saw him tell a few jokes and laugh a little.

I hate seeing my brother vulnerable, probably just as much as he felt. But it just reinforced that I would do a lot for that pesky guy. The one that used to interrupt me when I was playing with my friends, bug me with games of copycat and beat me up a little when I could no longer beat him up. He is awesome. He has such a warm spirit, with so much love to give that you really can't help but give back to him.

And I got to see someone else in an extraordinary light as well:
My Husband:
I am slightly biased, I know. He he. I knew he was great taking care of me when I am sick but I saw a really cool bond between him and my bro. As soon as I called him to tell him about my brother, he was right over at the hospital. He jumped right in to make Jim comfortable, take off the skate on his left foot, and make sure the doctor was covering all the bases with X-rays. When the leg needed to get set and my brother was put under, they shooed all of out of the room but my husband settled into the back with no intention of leaving Jimi's side until it was absolutely necessary. Even discharged, He was helping him get dressed and making sure his computer gear was organized so that Jimi could access all the things he needed.

What can I say. I am a lucky lucky girl to have two incredible men in my life. I know the next few months are going to be tough on you Jimi. But know I love you. You are a hard worker and you are a strong person inside and out. And although there may be times you will be sick and tired of being housebound just know you can call on us. I will listen. And you know that you have a good friend in Mark. I don't know what happened in Vegas, but I like it. You guys have an amazing bond and I know Mark would do anything in his power to help you.


Crumby things happen. Downright horrible. And although I always prefer for nothing bad to happen at all, if it didn't I would not be able to see the strength in the human spirit of people who contribute so much to my life.

Little things and grateful

I feel quite boring. I study. And then some more and then some more. Ugh.

But with all of that there has been some happy moments.

Food: pasta dinners, frozen hot chocolate, and trying out some Asian fusion, fondue
Friends: study group laughs, games day/new years celebration, dessert and giving belated xmas gifts
Family: holding hands before one falls asleep, visits in the hospital with some smiles, laughs...always laughs, facetiming and miraculously talking to my dad for 45 minutes past his bedtime.
Misc: talk of future travels, homemade crafts, loving your current job, watching movies, warm winter weather continued.

Love

So I know this person...

So I know this person...
They had their first week back to work last week...
During that week their was a flu warning...
And someone this person knew had the flu...
And this someone that had the flu puked all over this person I know...
And this same person that I know went swimming with a group...
But this person I know forgot their swim trunks...
And they needed to assist someone out of the pool...
So this someone I know had to jump into the pool with their clothes on...
This person I know had a rough week...
From an outsiders perspective it can be funny to laugh about...
That is what I did with this someone I know...
They laughed in return...
But I am wishing for a better week, this week...

Love

The big accomplishment.

Yesterday was my graduation party. I celebrated with my peers and friends at a hall, decorated beautifully in blue and purple. There were centerpieces, a DJ, a photobooth, and a candy bar. We had speeches from CARNA, our faculty, and our students. We had a full course dinner, with three different kinds of meat, perogies, potatoes, veggies galore and dessert. It was fantastic and we got to finally celebrate together and not by ourselves driving home from our last shift.

But what was I most excited about you may ask? I spent at least four hours in high heels (maybe 5-6??). The first time I have ever worn heels before in my life. Well atleast these kind of heels that have the spiky end. I walked in them, sat in them and even did some dancing in them until my little toes couldn't take it anymore.

I don't know how people do it, seriously. Sure there were perks, like making direct eye to eye contact with Mark, being one of the tall ones, and they sure were pretty shoes (ha ha ha). But the pain at the end of the night! And I wore the shoes that my bridesmaid's wore to my wedding. How could I subject them to that horror and pain (although I know in my heart that at least two of them didn't mind since they love and live in shoes like that). The other I am sorry but atleast we were smart enough to bring flip flops, unlike my smartness last night where i was barefoot.

I regress...thanks all for a wonderful party last night and fantastic end of school. it may have finally hit that i won't be going back to G-Mac again (or atleast for a awhile, never stop learning right?). AND the new beginnings are soon to come!

love

grateful post 2: all I need is a little help from my friends.

Tonight was something I really needed. My first official study group date with nursling Robyn. It was a great kick off to this weeks grateful post. This week has been a little daunting for me. It's my first week of no job (since I capped my vacation as over on Monday) and the panic has set in. Sometimes change just doesn't work for me and being unemployed is not something I am good at. But applying for jobs and waiting is not my strong suit either. And to top it all off with its January and I hate this month. Its my bluesy month when the Christmas high is over. What is a girl to do: Talk with ever supportive friends and family.

Who:
Robyn was most excellent at telling me what to expect, what I need to be prepared for and to embrace and do.
My parents ever encouraging and ever supportive. Always. Boosting me up when I need that extra boost.
Jeaninne for making me laugh and letting me express my fears.
Markness is most excellent to be there for my tears, give me a hug, and make me laugh and smile. Heart him so much especially during these times.
AND lastly
Myself. Tonight I just dug in my heals and started studying. Good start at embracing the new change in my life. I am feeling good, excited and ready, for the first time.

Love

grateful post 1

i was thinking about what i should do for my new years resolution. there is a lot of newness that is coming my way this year. some of it frightening and scary while other parts are exciting and adventurous. instead of going through the usual book reading, blogging, healthy eating, exercising mantra, i thought i would try something new.

atleast once a month (i would like to try once a week). i think i will write about the things in my life, whether it was actions, feelings, thoughts, people i have encountered and so forth that i am grateful for. that way, if i am feeling a little blue or anxious i can focus on the goodness out there!

lets face it a lot of bad things happen. AND i am not one of those girls to deny it. my life is not perfect and i love it for its messiness, as messy can be more fun and provide more learning and growth. i am not going to try to put on a display that everything is perfect but a little positive focus can be good. and i am sure i will do some venting every now and again!

so to start of the beginning of january i am grateful for:

skating rinks, running outside, talking with friends, fresh air, warm winter days, car washes, little baby snuggles, chocolate, popcorn, water fights, laughs with my partner, movie nights, kitty purrs, and the person that started this little mantra for me (my friend jeff) who quoted A.A. Milne on his facebook after expressing what he was grateful for: “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” 
love

First Run of the Season

For Christmas/birthday I asked Mark for running things so that I could run outside in the winter. Basically the cold and I do not see eye to eye. However my body doesn't agree with me when I decide to run the speed I left off in the fall, every spring. I am noticing it now as I get older. Grumble grumble. Lol.

I digress. So for the celebrations I got spikes, running gloves, jacket, and pants. No excuses. So what did I do today. I ran. And it felt really good. Mind you it was probably only -5. I don't know how great I will feel in the -20 or if I will ever consider it a possibility but today it was awesome. Cool air, few stars, clear skies, quiet, and serene.

It was love.

A new year, new beginnings and a new life!

Happy new year all! Hope all of you have embraced this lovely day with excitement and fervor! Myself I mixed it with a bit of musical madness, pancake shapes and a lovely skate outdoors with my partner! Really can't get better but it has....

Welcome to the world  new little nephew! I will give you a bit of anonymity as the webverse doesn't need to know all your details. Just know that many are very excited about your arrival. And you arrived at a perfect time to see your grandparents, you obviously couldn't wait to see them as they to you! There is so much love around you right now. Even though you are far from some, the love is there. I won't go all cheesy on you, I don't want to be that crazy aunt, he he. But I am wishing you a most exciting year that is ahead. It will be full of milestones, mischief, adventures, laughter and love (probably should be the case for all of us, shouldn't it).

So to the year ahead for the new little guy and all of us....make everything count!

Love