Friday Fun-day

Erik took me on a wild and crazy adventure on Friday! Ok. It wasn't wild or crazy, but it was fun!
He decided that we would drive to Osoyoos on Hwy 33 and then loop back on Hwy 97. It was an all day affair that was quite enjoyable for all of us except for Erik's burnt right arm. As you can see from the map below, it was quite a long drive... but well worth it.
Our first stop was Kettle River Provincial Park. We really only stopped because our stomachs were growling and I was getting snarky. It was a beautiful little spot and I'm glad we did get to see it. The pictures really don't do it justice. My camera isn't the greatest so it doesn't pick up the depth of color that we were actually witnessing.



This picture makes me wish I had a horse. I have always dreamed of riding through the rolling hills. The Man from Snowy River was that inspirational for me... Jim Craig certainly left an impression.

Above is a picture of Osoyoos from a lookout that we stopped at. We drove through Osoyoos and Oliver, but didn't make an actual stop again until we reached Penticton. Erik attempted to go swimming on the south end, but it was far too windy so we went north to the other lake. The weather was just gorgeous and Erik did make it into the water and swam for about 45 minutes. Unlike Erik, I usually only swim when I cannot handle how sweaty I am getting... and I can handle a lot of sweat.


The day may me think of when my family used to go for drives together. With the current gas prices you don't really go for drives just for fun anymore, but it was a lot of fun... and we did it before they rocket up again for summer.

Scrap Fabric

I have decided to try sewing. I have been looking around and have found some little things I would like to try out. They are pretty much fake quilting. I was wondering if any of you have any scrap fabric lying around. If you do... I'd like it. Please. With a cherry on top. I don't feel like going out and buying 1/8th of a yard over and over only to cut it up into smaller pieces. Mom, I know you have some. Shawna, you're bound to have some from your gift bags lying around. Aunties?? Anyone??

Self Check-Out

At the grocery store yesterday I decided that I am not a fan of the Self Check-Out stations.

I think there is something communal about food and this includes grocery shopping. I love grocery shopping. I expect it to take a while. Erik and I usually walk there together and then poke around. I don't mind standing in line and making a bit of small talk with the cashier. Just yesterday I was complimented on the hat I was wearing and the bread I was buying. No self check-out could have done that.

I feel as though the self check-out is taking something away from grocery shopping. It is giving us an opportunity to become even more distant from our neighbors. Sad.

That being said, I have a confession: I have used the self check-out. But that was only because I used to DREAM of being a cashier. I used to play store in my parents garage which served as out pantry. I worked at a thrift store a couple summers ago and that was my favorite part... and we didn't even have the bar code beepers... I had to type in every price. The beeper... now that, my friends, is the best part!

Turning off the Flash

Erik and I visited his sister's family in Minnesota last Christmas (2007). Little Truen was just a couple months old at the time and I snapped these two photos one after the other and this is what happened in the time it took to turn off the flash.

Circa 1955

Look how cute my dad was. Aww.

Cross-Stitch Update

It has been a painful process, but I think I'm enjoying cross-stitching. Scratch that. I AM enjoying it.

I have pulled apart many miss-counts, twisted my thread too often, pulled some stitches tighter than others, and done the wrong color in some areas, but I am seeing progress. I think that is what I really enjoy about it: progress. At first it is a bunch of little lines on the fabric. Then the lines become "x"s. Then the "x"s start to make a picture. I enjoy the (sometimes) rhythmic in and out. Well, I guess it's not that rhythmic as I am constantly taking out stitches and redoing then. It's amazing to see how if you look at the first couple rows and colors I did you can tell that I really didn't know what I was doing, but I think I am really getting the hang of it. I sometimes cross-stitch for so long that the squares start swimming and I cannot see what I am doing. I just guess where I am supposed to go and press on rather than stop like I should... I have learned that is bad. Swimming page = making quadrilaterals other than squares. It also = twisted thread.

Cross-Stitch is frustrating too though. I can work for three hours and get this much stitched...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A bit depressing, but it works. After all, it's progress.

While You Were Sleeping

Night shifts are such a drag. I don't mind them while I am at the hospital, but coming up to them is awful and coming home is awful. I cannot sleep during the day and then when I am "re-adjusting" I just get overtired and don't sleep anyway. What a drag.
I was talking with my sister's friend, a nurse, who was telling me that she enjoys night shifts because she "gets to be awake when everyone else is sleeping". She thinks it's a fun little game she plays with everyone else. I tried to play this game. It lasted for all of 10 minutes.

I had a patient this week who made me tear up on multiple occasions. She was in her late 30's and had just been diagnosed with cancer two weeks prior. She had surgery to remove her uterus, ovaries, part of her colon, and half of her stomach to remove 95% of her cancer. The doctors aren't sure if chemo and radiation will be effective to remove the remaining cancer. On top of that, she had a spinal leak from her epidural and had to remain flat on her back for three days.
This woman was incredible! She was such a blessing to me in the days I cared for her. I don't even know how to describe it. She cared about me and invested in me and she was the one whose life had just been flipped upside down. She asked many questions about me and my family and remembered everything I told her even days later. She made a point of thanking me every time I came in to help her with something. Her face would light up when I came in the room and she would be so excited to show me the balloons, cards, letters, dvds, books or trinkets she received from people.
Watching her family dynamic was beautiful as well. Her sons would read her book to her because she couldn't focus on the words when she was reading. They would rub her feet with lotion, fan her face, wash and brush her hair, read her the cards people sent her, and help out as much as they could. The oldest told me how hard it was to see his usually active mom (a marathon runner) confined to her back in bed but that he would do whatever she wanted to show her he loved her.
The husband was a real gem too. He was creative in how he cared for her and met her needs. He made her wiggle up the bed so she could hang her head off the top. I held her head while he got a basin of water and we washed her hair over the side of the bed. On my second day I came into the room to check on her to find that he had crawled in bed beside her and was singing to her and rubbing her hair.
I don't think I will every forget this little family. They were truly amazing.

Breakfast for Dinner

On the menu for tonight: Bacon and Eggs.

Yummy

The Need to Create

For years I have been taught to think rationally and to logically come to conclusions. There has been one correct answer to every question. Sometimes that answer is hard to find, but you can use the process of elimination to reach it. I have been told exactly how to express myself and how to interpret information.

I've been feeling as though I need to express myself creatively. Maybe not even express myself, but I've been wanting to challenge myself, or learn something, or do something to be proud of. I can't quite explain this nagging feeling to be more. To stretch myself. Maybe learn how to express myself a different way. I want creativity to be a part of me and a part of my life.

Suffice to say I want to try something new.

Because of this I have been doing a lot of baking. I made Mrs. Reimer's Cinnamon Buns a couple nights ago. They were delicious! Not nearly as good as Mrs. Reimer's though. Those are unbeatable. I have also made many cookies. Although they are gratifying to make... and to eat... they aren't very kind to the waistline.

I have also decided to start up cross-stitching. We'll see how long I am motivated with this. I am looking for something small to start off with. Then we'll see if I can commit to something a little bigger. Something worth keeping... or giving away.