Oddities

I get toothpaste in my eyes entirely too much.

Last night there was a patient brought in by the sheriff's office that had, during a police chase, ran into a family's home around dinner time, yelled for help, and then ran out again.  I thought that only happened in movies?  Apparently not. I picture the family all sitting around the dinner table, forks stopped in mid-air, mouths open expectantly....I bet that family locks their doors from now on.

Also, there was an accident brought into the ER by boat during the day.  The hospital is on the water and has a dock, and the patient was brought by in by boat, they radioed ahead and the ER crew met them on the dock.  How cool is that?  I guarantee that never happens in the Rocky Mountain region, or is even an option on the electronic charting there.  We have the options EMS, POV, Police, Wheelchair, Walk In or Boat here, and it is pretty cool. 

The other night at work a Spanish-speaking patient came in with the name Conojo.  I called him Senor Conejo for a good long while, before the ER doctor told me that I was, in fact, calling him Mr. Bunny.  Apparently the pronunciation and accent on those Spanish words is very important.

Last night a patient, when asked what his allergies were, told me "anesthesia". 

My fellow nurse gave me the one-eyed Willy look last night when a seizing drunk patient came in that delusionally thought she was miscarrying, and amidst the tears she asked us to tell her something happy about her life, and I replied that she had the only flat screen tv in her room in the whole ER.  Honestly lady, I don't know your life.  A flat screen tv is always a positive in my life, and by the looks of it, was the high point of your night as well.

I got really excited when I drove by the community college message board that always has the new classes listed and I thought I saw "YODA 101".  I am signing up for that!  I thought.  Upon closer inspection it was, in fact, YOGA 101.  Bummer.

 

Notes from Last Nght

Frst off, for all of you nurses out there wondering, ginger ale will not flow through primary tubing.  Just FYI.  Also, the 'i' button is sticking on my keyboard so if it s absent, that is why.  Last night I was dong a quick mental checklst of my patients.  I do that sometimes (constantly) to make sure I remember who is in what room and what is going on wth them, and when the last time I saw them was and what treatments they are currently receiveing.  Last night at one point my thought process went somethng like ths: "Room 5 is an allergic reaction, meds are infusing, she is fine.  Room 6 is a laceration, wating for the doctor to sew that up, need to get lidocaine out for him, 8 needs a repeat CBC drawn, and 10...10??  I haven't seen 10 in an hour!  Shoot...10, 10, 10 what is that one again??  Oh yeah, they are fine...they're dead."  Then I realized how horrble that sounded but I was pretty ok wth it.  That is a sure sign I am not a "new nurse" n the ER anymore.  I hate typng with this sticking i button, it is like typing with a speech impediment.  Kind of like how my adrenaline used to start pumping and I would get excited when I heard sirens, and now I dread it because if the sirens are on it is most likely a)going to be gross b)going to be alot alot alot alot of charting.  I think these are also signs that I have worked too many nights in a row.  Tonight will be 5...I am an idiot.

PS - petit fours and fruit and chocolate tarts are the best 1am snack ever!

Just another night of chaos

Holy crow.  Last night was long.  Somehow between the amoxicillan, vomit and blood, twelve hours passed.  Sometimes it is hard to remember there is a world where things are happening besides the world of the ER.  Kind of like when you are in school, and you can't imagine people doing anything else, any where else.  My stomach is upset from too much chocolate cake between the hours of 3am-6am.  I don't even like chocolate cake but I thought it was hilarious to smear on my teeth and then smile at my co-workers with.  I like to warn people of the dangers of meth-mouth with realistic looking side-effects.  Last night I also met the scariest drill sergeant ever, complete with approximate 7 foot frame, tribal tattoos and perma-frown.  He scared me half to death and made me want to talk in third person and salute him when I gave him report on his recruit.  Something along the lines of "This RN thinks you should be nicer to your poor little recruit...and this RN just pooped her pants!".  I wonder if he gets that reaction everywhere he goes.  Probably. 

Cake Walk

My salad was a hit last night, but there was a slight miscommunication in the delegation department for the co-worker's going-away party, so it ended up being my salad + 5 cakes.  That's it.  No drinks, main dish, appetizers, soups, casseroles, or anything like that, just a red velvet cake, a carrot cake, two chocolate cakes, a chocolate and vanilla ganache marble cake...and a salad.  Best going away party dinner. Ever.

This salad rocks my socks off

Last night was buuuuuuuusssssssy.  So busy that somehow I did not manage to make time for myself to pee throughout the night.  I always get into my car after work and then realize I have to go to the bathroom so bad and I have been holding it all night and I am always surprised I make it home to my bathroom without my bladder bursting.  I have stopped at Hardee's before on my way...I never knew I had such capacity.  So, speaking of skills I didn't know I had, I totally feel like a domestic goddess right now, I got off of work late (busy trying to irrigate an old and festering insect stuck in someone's ear canal), came back to my apartment, changed clothes, found my recipe, went to the grocery store, bought all the ingredients, came back, candied pecans, made apple cider maple vinaigrette and chopped up red onion, apple and goat cheese, packaged everything to take into work tonight along with 2 bags of baby spinach, emptied the dishwasher, reloaded it and cleaned up the entire kitchen....in...one hour and 13 minutes.  Impressed?  I am.  Tonight at work we are having a potluck for a co-worker that is moving, and I was assigned salad duty.  Here is the recipe, I ripped it out of a Southern Living at the dentist's...it is phenomenal.

Spinach-Apple Salad With Maple-Cider Vinaigrette

Hands-on Time: 20 min.; Total Time: 50 min.

YIELD: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Sugared Curried Pecans

• 1 (6-oz.) package pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Maple-Cider Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2/3 cup olive oil

Salad

• 1 (10-oz.) package fresh baby spinach, thoroughly washed
• 1 Gala apple, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 (4-oz.) package crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. Prepare Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°. Toss pecans in butter. Stir together sugar and next 4 ingredients in a bowl; add pecans, tossing to coat. Spread in a single layer in a nonstick aluminum foil-lined pan. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until lightly browned and toasted. Cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes; separate pecans with a fork.
2. Prepare Vinaigrette: Whisk together cider vinegar and next 4 ingredients. Gradually whisk in oil until well blended.
3. Prepare Salad: Combine spinach and next 3 ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with desired amount of Maple-Cider Vinaigrette; toss to coat. Sprinkle with pecans. Serve salad with any remaining vinaigrette.
Note: Pecans may be made up to 1 week ahead. Store in an airtight container. Vinaigrette may be made up to 3 days ahead. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-apple-salad-with-maple-cider-vinaigrette-10000001940915/print/

Hi ho, hi ho

Getting ready for work, got 5 in a row coming up here.  If I get ready fast enough I might have time to make it downtown to get a soy carmel frapuccino before I head to...the circus?  I still don't know what to call it.  I am sticking with my choice of Blake after the first episode of the Bachelorette and William is my second.  Well, I need to go pack my dinner and get ready.  Hopefully tonight is amazing.  I don't think I have ever described work that way, but there is always a first, right?

I missed the previews.

I just went and saw Bridesmaids.  It might have been the funniest movie I have seen in years.  I know I exaggerate, but I am not this time.  I laughed out loud throughout the whole thing.  Literally.  It must have been senior citizen night because my friend and I were the only people there under 65 I think.  They made me laugh even harder because they kept loudly whispering stuff to each other like "Is that the groom's mother?" in regards to the 23 year-old looking bridesmaid.  Even if you are deaf, use some common sense.  Good thing the movie was so fantastic because it was a fiasco getting into the theater.  The ticket lady gave me the wrong change not once, but twice (I am no math genius but I knew something was wrong when I used my $50 birthday bill for one student ticket and only got back two $5's), then the manager had to be called, the cash-box counted and re-opened...but I kept my cool.  Then the theater mixed up the movie posters outside what theaters the movies were playing in, so we sat in Something Borrowed for a good 5 minutes before we realized it wasn't a preview, and then when we finally made it to the right theater, slid past all the old white-haired baby-powdered  geriatrics and into our seats, the air conditioning went out.  Only a really really good movie could make up for all of that...and the free passes we got in consolation.

Thankfully some friends have agreed to be Bachelorette-watching buddies of mine, so tonight I am going to catch up on the season premier.  We all have our votes in for our favs based on the bios and head shots, and we can amend our choices after the first episode only.  We shall see if my dentist makes my cut.  Here are our current choices for posterity:
La: Dentist (forgot his name already)
S: Ryan P.
Ortega: West

Back to work tomorrow night, I keep trying to think of something clever to say I am going back to, like the chopping block, or the grindstone, but nothing is coming to mind...back to the linoleum and fluorescent lighting?  Back to the patient rooms I know better than my own kitchen?  Back to...?  Hmmmmm, I will have to brainstorm on that. 

Now that I am an adult

I am debating on whether or not I should watch this cycle of The Bachelorette.  I only want to watch it if someone else watches too, so we can compare notes and laugh.  The rest of America doesn't count, it has to be someone I know personally.  I went to the ABC website and looked at all the bios...apparently every one of them wants to visit Hawaii.  On a good note the tattoo count on all of them is generally low.  I always like to pick out a favorite for myself.  This time I am going to go with the dentist from Steamboat, CO, even if he has veneers.  There was another cute one, but in his bio he quoted Arnold the whole time.  Not hot.  I really shouldn't be judging these guys on their head shots and tattoo counts, but...there are worse things to be guilty of. 

Now that I am quarter century old, and am mature enough to have purpose in my life, I decided it is not lame if I think a good night consists of staying in and watching the original Star Wars trilogy.  Before, when I was 24, I would have seen that as a lack of social life, but now, since I choose to do it with my purpose-driven life, it only makes it that much cooler.  Before nerdy stuff was just nerdy, now since it is a conscious decision, it is quirky.  BIG difference.

Ok, here is the cute dentist.  And if he turns out to be a huge jerk, remember, this is based solely on superficiality.

                                                               http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette/bio/blake/773068

Sounds legit to me...

Wanted: One housekeeper/chauffeur/personal assistant.  Activities would include cooking, cleaning, laundry (including folding delicates), scheduling social events, updating my resume, assisting in my search for new jobs, driving, grocery shopping, bill-paying and correspondence.  Physical requirements include being able to run 15 miles while carrying 130 pounds (roughly me and a backpack), unscrewing stuck lids, reaching high shelves, and killing insects in hard-to-reach places.  Also, may be required to sleep outside my bedroom door at night after I watch a scary movie.  Payment includes room and board, (room being your choice of either the utility room or the screened-in patio), grateful smiles, appreciative high-fives, and the occasional root beer float for a job exceptionally well done.  British accent preferred.  Those with past training in special forces, FBI, and CIA will be considered first.

subconscious messaging?

I had a dream last night about hot wings, and now I really really want to eat some. 

I am debating on whether or not I should clean my patio before the family comes out to visit in a few weeks...but the visible inch of pollen on everything kind of puts a damper on things...(the members of La's family all suffer from horrendous allergies).  I honestly don't think it is even worth it.  If they want to sit in nature during the two days we are cooped up in my apartment before we head beach-ward then they are going to have to go out to the "Bird Preserve and Nature Sanctuary" aka The Swamp my apartment complex is situated around.  My favorite part about the swamp might be the multitude of signs everywhere that say "No Diving".  Honestly, I would LOVE to see someone dive into a swamp.

Go shorty...

It's my birthday!! It has officially been 25 years since I have been on planet earth, in this beautiful Milky Way galaxy.  It is easy and tough to believe it has been that amount of time...Spent last night at The Bohemian in Savannah overlooking the river with good friends...there was shopping, cheesecake, facials, a Harry Potter marathon, one hot dress, Greek food, slushies from Wet Willy's (if you know what that place is than you know what I mean...those suckers are roughly 190 proof methinks, just don't get the "Attitude Adjustment" one, the mango is much better), masquerade masks, cobblestone streets, dancing, queen bed with four (four!) huge down pillows and a fur blanket and a 3-foot high bottle of Grey Goose...and that was just last night. 
     Today (post-iced-grande-soy-carmel macchiato) we drove down to Tybee Island and watched the men and women's EVP pro-volleyball tournament.  Sitting in the warm sand in my beach chair under the umbrella in my swimsuit feet from the ocean watching beautiful half-naked men run around and dive in the sand?  Yes, please.  I couldn't think of a better 24-hours of birthday celebration than what I was blessed with to welcome-in and celebrate my first 25-years on earth.   Muchas gracias.

Would you like fries with that?

I am too tired to write anything...interesting, other than we played McDonald's drive thru on the patient call bell system last night.  I ordered a frosty (are those McDonald's?) and a sausage biscuit, the other nurse ordered a 10-piece chicken nugget, and the patient (previously lethargic and somewhat unresponsive) chimed in that she wanted carmel and chocolate.  Ok, so not something you would order at McDonald's but it was good patient-nurse bonding all the same.  Sometimes when you want to run as far away from your patients as possible the best thing to do is try to find something you have in common and bond over it.  Last night with that patient, our bond-in-common was a desire for drive-through at 3:45am.  Whatever works, right? 

For those of you that don't know the patient call bell system is the system that is in the ER for the patients to call from their room to the nurse's station.  It is usually called to ask for more pain medicine or something similar, but when the staff goes in and cleans the rooms we sometimes (accidentally) call the nurse's station and we get a huge kick out of pretending that we are at the drive through and we place huge orders of food.  Kind of lame I know, but you gotta make some fun if it is not coming to you, and it often doesn't in the ER.

Lazy bones

I have done nothing productive in the last 24 hours except pluck my eyebrows and empty the dishwasher.  I will be happy when this every-other night business is over. 

I am inordinately excited for free dinner tonight...is it weird that I still get super-pumped for free food and free t-shirts?  Oh well.  There was something else to that I would have thought I had outgrown by now too...what was it....oh yeah, wrecking on bicycles.  Hmmmm.  I guess you never outgrow some things, like sitting on your dad's lap or licking the mixer thingys after making chocolate chip cookies.  Also, I hope I never outgrow being goofy.  Some things I keep waiting to outgrow, like biting my nails (gross, I know), being scared of E.T., and sleeping with my teddy bear my high school boyfriend gave me...(come on, he is the perfect size, super soft, and smells good).  A little silly I know, but who cares?  At least I don't have one of those stuffed animal nets up above my bed filled with beanie babies...or do I?

What's in a name?

So working every other night is kind of tough.  At least I get dinner out on a drug rep on Thursday night before I head back to work again...that will start my night off right at least!

It is beautiful and cool here right now, and is warming up to about 75 during the day.  Maybe a little on the cool side overall but I love coming home and opening my porch up and getting the fresh morning air circulating in my apartment before I fall asleep.

My sister and fiance are getting a puppy this summer, I sent her a suggestion list of names last night.  I thought they were fantastic and creative but she wasn't as excited as I was about them.  Here is the list:

Mr. Collins

Harris

Origami

Walter

Quigley

Jean-Claude

Diego

Voldemort

 

I love naming things...people, cars, pets, stuffed animals, eye-makeup color combo's...I have the best name for a rabbit, ever since I was little I wanted a little gray or black rabbit and I wanted to name him Hush.  Isn't that the best name ever for a little bunny?  It would be kind of retarded if I got myself a rabbit right now, so I am going to hold off until I have kids as an excuse, but Hush is a great name, am I right or am I right?  I think Moses is a good name for a whale, specifically humpback, and I also like the names Zero and Orbit for a dog.  I told Banana I am sending her a list of puppy names every day this week, so I will be brainstorming more tonight.  Later gator.

Gula Gula

I watched Salt last night.  Even though Angelina Jolie is beautiful on the red carpet, she looks like a green bean on acid when she runs.  It was kind of distracting.  Back to work now....

Yummers

I wish I was in New York so I could have the chicken from the Hibachi grill right now, with the fried rice and fish sauce.  I am sure there is a Hibachi grill open somewhere at this time in NYC.  I am starvin' Marvin.  When I wake up this afternoon or evening I am going to get some good grub.  Speaking of good grub, I ate fantastically in Folly/Charleston.  I am going to just list some of the food I had.  I love food lists.  Ok.  French fries with Hollandaise sauce (why did I not think of this combination before??), shrimp and grits, pickled wax beans, fried plantains, corn chowder, crab dip, Oreo's, Cajun fried peanuts, cotton candy, lobster bisque, fried green tomatoes, Caesar salad, penne pasta with sundried tomatoes, enough sweet tea to drown a horse in, mushroom and swiss burger, artichoke dip, fried butterfly shrimp, creme brulee, sweet tea bellinis, crab cakes, root beer, peanut M&M's, curry lemongrass chicken salad, wonton shrimp, wedding cake pops, carmel macchiatos, cinnamon rolls, cream cheese coconut birthday cake, margaritas, daiquiris, Izze pops, apples and cream cheese dip, Peanut Rolls (which I can never find) and baby cucumbers. 

Yep, I feel somewhat satiated now.  I love food.  Reading over that list it was a good thing we did so much dancing, otherwise we might have had to roll each other to the airport....

My ER Nurse Prayer

So, being inspired by Tina Fey's prayer from yesterday, I am going to write a nursing one of my own.  Here goes:


As I drive to work at night, oh Lord of all things Emergency, I pray to you:

I pray that the ER is busy but not too busy 

I pray that the doctor's handwriting is legible
May the drunks be friendly, and the baby mamas be willing to learn...and buy thermometers for home use
May patients urinate only in designated areas, and no where else

May it slow down a few times, and may there be chinchillas in wine glasses and talking dogs and babies laughing on the internet a plenty for us to enjoy

May the cafeteria food be edible, and the ketchup and ice dispensers full

May the psych patients be non-threatening, and may there be no vomiting nor diarrhea...at least in my rooms

May the policemen and state troopers be handsome, and the respiratory therapists knowledgeable regarding the use of an ambu-bag

Please let it not be a full moon, or that certain time of the month when all nurses are on their period because we all have the same cycle from working together so often

May the babies be healthy, the DNR's signed, ready and rampant, and the phlebotomists punctual

May the bodily fluid spills be contained, the patients English-speaking, and may every EMS patient come in with a working IV

May the ginger-ale and graham crackers runneth over, as well as the plastic silverwear and the styrofoam cups

May you give me patience when I ask someone what sort of animal bit them, and they reply, "my cousin".

Oh ER Gods, I pray for all of the above, but if you could even just manage one tonight, I would be grateful. Thank you.
Amen.

New Record

I just set a new land-speed record for giving report to the day-shift nurse, driving home, undressing, washing my face, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, putting my pajamas on and plugging my cell phone and getting into bed...all by 0711.  Considering shift change is at 0645, I find that an admirable feat. 

Annnnnyyyyyywwaaaaays, I saw this on a friend's blog and had to repost it I loved it so much.  My friend has daughter a little under 2 years-old now, and she posts regular pictures of her little piece of heaven for friends and family to ogle at and every time I see a picture I marvel at her perfect little human being self, so beautiful and full of potential, and it makes me look forward to the day when I have a daughter of my own, and makes me appreciate the relationship I have with my mom.  Anywho, she is the one who originally posted this poem by Tina Fey from her new book Bossypants. I fell in love with the poem's honesty and originality and tenderness.  Read for yourself, and thank you BHMM, you know who you are!  Also, apologies for the layout/paragraphing, not sure how close to original form this transferred
...

“The Mother’s Prayer for its Daughter” – Tina Fey

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not  the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,
May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half
And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.
Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes
And not have to wear high heels.
What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, You dammit!

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.
Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long,
For Childhood is short — a Tiger Flower blooming
Magenta for one day –
And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever,
That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers
And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,
Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,
For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,
That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.
“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck.
“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget.

But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Discombobulatoriation

Oh man, I don't know which way is up...trying to convert back to nights is tough...all night I tell myself I need to get up but my bed is just so soft and I am so comfy and warm that it just doesn't happen.  Last night I recall telling myself "You have to get up and do your blog!" but apparently that didn't work out either. 

Holy worst drive ever to the airport on Wednesday morning.  My poor friends had to be there by 5:15am so we left the condo around 4:30am and proceeded to drive into the worst lighting/thunder/rain/gale force winds I have ever seen.  We were all quiet with eyes about the size of salad plates crawling along in my little Honda with the windshield wipers going a zillion miles an hour, I was hoping that my car wasn't going to float away and I am pretty sure someone in the backseat voiced their concern that we would indeed be struck by lightning.  Luckily none of the aforementioned happened, and everyone made their flights. 

I miss them already.

Tonight it is back to work.  I was just at Wal-Mart and one of the worst things ever is when you see patients you have had or have seen in the ER out in public.  It's uncomfortable regardless, but when the person was in the ER for something relatively embarrassing or heaven-forbid for a psychiatric consult, it just makes it that much weirder.  I always avoid eye-contact and if anyone asks I always say I have a twin sister that is a nurse in the ER.  I saw about 8 ex-patients today, and their family members, and mostly just wanted to crawl into a hole.  Awkward....

bed

Really....sleeping in your own bed in your own room after even one night away is heaven, and in my opinion, generally underrated.  After sleeping in my car, on couches, in the condo twin bed, on the beach chair and on the patio furniture, my queen bed with the 4-inch memory foam mattress cover seems like a cloud of comfort after this past epic week.  After pulling an all-nighter last night, my bed is all I could really wish for today.  No matter how sad I am to see my friends leave or get back to the real world, there are always little things to be thankful for if you look hard enough...and returning to my own bed is one of them.

Daily protein

I got my daily dose of protein this am....I usually look before I eat but did not when I picked up a cinnamon roll and took a huge bite.  Note to self, if you leave food on the counter in the South only covered by a paper towel, it will be bug-infested in 24-hours.  The entire plate was crawling in little black bugs, needless to say the cinnamon roll was as well.  I spit it out but think I got in an adequate amount of protein for today.  I still have the heebie jeebies though....

OF average height...

I bought some shoes today, some platform wedges to be specific.  I am in love.  Cobalt blue is my color du été.  I just googled that.  It is summer in French.  Anyways, here are some of my favorite things for this summer, including my new shoes...

Presenting La's New Shoes from Aldo...

                                                                    Aldo Ellingwood

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g7qnWn5cL.jpg

Ecote Blanket Bag

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=20538492&navAction=jump&isProduct=true&parentid=MORE%20IDEAS&isProduct=true&cross-sell=true&guide-bn=true

                                                                   Abercrombie Renee Dress

                                                                                       http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=33946718 Ok.  That is all I feel like posting. 

25 year-old cougar??

Last night we had our first night being the "older women" socially.  At work and in our families we are still the young ones, but apparently last night on Folly beach we were cougars.  Eight colleges in Charleston graduated yesterday and we felt old surrounded by all the young hopefuls going out into the world.  It seems like just yesterday that was us, excited and scared to enter the "real" world.  Now when the young military school graduates offer to buy us drinks and tell us they love our freckles, we just laugh and shake our heads, glad that we still have "it" but definitely aware of the changing we have done in the few years since graduation.  I have been dreading getting older ("it beats the alternative" like my dad always says), but having some perspective and being more and more comfortable in your skin counts for a lot more than I thought.  All of us agree that we are not the 18 year-old college freshman girls that are so desirable anymore, but we are happier with ourselves now than we have ever been, and that is definitely worth something.

Beach Bums.

Today has been fantastic...slept in, walk on the beach, reading and nap on the beach, Top Chef marathon, now out to dinner and dancing.  So far the birthday cake we purchased for A on the first day has been our best purchase, it has served as late-night-snack and breakfast to all of us.  Who knew coconut cream cheese white 4-layer cake could be sooooo good in the morning?  Last night on the walk home two of us hid in an old boat and jumped out of the fog to scare the other two.  Then we stayed up late last night watching Sex and the City.  I am so glad to have girlfriends.  Tonight a Latin band is playing downtown, they played on Cinco de Mayo and were so cute and so good, we are coming back for a repeat performance.  Here is to hoping the blisters remain minimal!

PP

Today, while sitting indoors watching a Real Housewives of Orange County marathon due to the rain outside, us girls were introduced to the concept of a "push present".  None of us had ever heard of that, but we laughed as soon as we heard what it was.  Apparently it is a present for a woman after she pushes a baby out.  The woman on the show had a push present of a Bentley.  I like and don't like the idea of a push present...on one hand the baby should be your present, but on the other hand why not reward yourself for some hard work?  Hmmmm....I am going to have to add that to my first-date checklist...how do you feel about push presents?  Ha ha ha ha they wont be able to run away fast enough....

May 5

  Miss Cornhole Wyoming showed off her skillz on the beach today to a group of North Carolina guys...they laughed at her because she had never been to a "pig pickin'".  Um....none of us have ever been to a pig pickin'.  Apparently it is a pig roast.  Tonight I am going to try the MissChevious Rio eye shadow look in honor of Cinco de Mayo...Feliz Cinco de Mayo by the way...I will post a picture if it turns out reasonable.  Yay for girlfriends...the second best thing to sisters! 

Loverly

Made it to Charleston and found the airport and everyone's flights were relatively on time.   Also found the condo ok, and a restaurant that I had remembered from over a year ago...overall a VERY successful day.  The view from our condo is fantastic. We had Caribbean cuisine for dinner, fried plantains, guava mojitos, sweet potato fries...yum.  I knew today would be successful because yesterday was successful in a play-outside-with-your-friends kind of day but it was unsuccessful in the I-wrecked-on-a-bicycle-not-once-but-twice kind of day.  I really did.  I apologize to my two friends who were on the handlbars.  Mere flesh wounds.  Tomorrow starts a full week of fun - boat races, surfing lessons, baseball games, beach volleyball, good food...yesssssssssss (air-fist pump action here).

It's on fire...

The other night I went to get coffee at my favorite coffee shop.  The main street where the coffee shop is located was all blocked off and there were fire engines and people all over.  I was so irritated that I had to park on a side street and walk to the coffee shop, after already driving out of my way before work.  I was in a hurry and just wanted my double-shot soy mocha and to get over to work.  There were some firemen milling around, but no one really paid any attention to me. I was on a mission.  As I walked up the porch and opened one of the doors to go in, someone passing by yelled "Um, ma'am, you can't go in there."  "Why not?" I said.  "Because it's on fire." they replied.  Why didn't anyone stop me before I opened the door to go in?  So, needless to say my pants got grumpy that night at work because a) I had to park in the middle of nowhere and walk to b) NOT get my coffee from c) my favorite coffee shop which caught on fire so d) I wont be getting coffee there for sometime.  So silly.

Can't Hardly Wait

My girlies get here on Wednesday!!  Shopping, beaches, restaurants, dancing and adventures await!  We have a house rented a block from the beach, just outside of Charleston.  It will be so good to see everyone and show them my neck of the woods (kinda).  Lady Cha-Cha, we will miss you dearly but I am sure you are thrilled to have your man back from deployment.  Here is to our upcoming shenanigans!!! 

That's how you do a weekend

I  went down to Florida and on a few dates this weekend...and I survived!  I was so nervous...when was the last time I went on a date with someone I had never met before??  I don't think I have ever done that.  I am so proud of myself, no wardrobe malfunctions (that I was aware of, anyways), blood or vomit and the conversation was good.  That is success in my book.  While brainstorming ideas for dates, my friend came up with this gem, bless her little heart (see how Southern I am getting?) She suggested that the two of us (me and the guy) donate blood together.  I haven't laughed so hard at something in a long time and the best part was she was actually serious.  She said we could really get to know each other if we answered the 8 trillion questions together that they ask before you donate...Have you been out of the country in the last 12 months?  Have you gotten a tattoo in the last two years?  I reminded her one of the questions is "Have you had sex with a gay man before 1975?" and she said she thought that was an important one to get out in the open in any relationship.  I always liked when I got asked that question while donating blood in college and high school.  Um...no.  I wasn't even born for another decade...and a year.

Other activities of note in La's life this weekend included going to my first arena football game (where I learned the very cultured skill of shotgunning beer while tailgating), getting lost not once but twice at the same exit, watching the Blue Angels practice while sunbathing at the swimming pool, going to the Jax Zoo and Jax beach, and having my fill of delicious sandwiches and iced soy carmel macchiatos from Starbucks.  Successful weekend?  I think so.