Tomorrow morning Brett leaves for the Regional American Chemistry Society meeting in Indiana. He is presenting his research work and poster at the meeting as well as sitting at an ISU booth to recruit students and graduate students. He is leaving around 6:30 tomorrow morning, so I will be home alone all day until I have to go to work. Then when I come home from work in the morning Brett will still be gone and I will sleep at home alone all day on Thursday. Then I will wake up Thursday and go to work all night and when I get home Friday morning Brett will still be gone and I will sleep all day by myself. And how is this different than any other day when he is gone at school and I am sleeping at home all day by myself, or at work at night you might ask? BECAUSE HE WILL BE IN A DIFFERENT STATE, not just down the street at school. Ever since we spent 10 weeks apart when I was in Illinois as an intern, I have dreaded being apart again. I mean, what if something breaks on my car and I don't know how to fix it, or if something starts leaking in the house and I don't know what to do, or what if it storms, or what if I don't have hot water because something went wrong or the AC stops working.....I mean think of all the things that could possibly go wrong!!
And so, if you read this, think of me as I am home alone sleeping with my 2 cats, as my wonderful husband is away being all smart. I think I will survive.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Starved Rock State Park
On Saturday I woke up at about 6:30 (way too early) and was just wide awake. The idea for us to go to the State Park for the day just popped in my head. I wanted to get outside and get out of the house for awhile and do something just the two of us. So we got ready for the day - packed some water and headed out! The park is about an hour drive north of our house. Pardon the gross, sweaty pictures - it was hot out! We hiked/climbed/walked/waded in waterfalls for about 4 and a half hours or so. We walked in the water beds, through mud, over rocks, over sticks, under trees. Overall it was a fun adventure together. The only sad thing was when I was walking through mud trying to balance on a log, the camera fell out of my pocket right in the mud. It still works, but the shutter is a little slow to open and close when you turn it on and off. Enjoy this post loaded with pictures!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The last month....
This last month has just FLOWN by, and in some ways, not much has happened, but in other ways, a lot has happened. Pardon if that makes no sense at all. The month of May: Brett finished his first year of grad school with all A's and a paper accepted for publishing with some research he was working on in the journal, Nanotechnology. It hasn't actually been published yet, and he is not the only author. He also started taking a summer class which isn't all that exciting thus far, and is doing research things the rest of the time. I am still working, and the hospital still has really low census everywhere, with some units closing at times because they have no patients. On the 26th we celebrated our 4 year anniversary. I worked the night before, so I slept all day while Brett was at school. That night we went out to eat and then relaxed at home the rest of the night. Brett got me these beautiful peruvian lilies. They are still blooming and are gorgeous!
The month of May also brought on more bathroom renovations. We (and by we, I mean Brett) were trying to finish what we started in the bathroom last July.
We tore out the whole floor and wall paneling. To make the floor actually level, Brett used shim type things to level it from wall to door. Then put a new floor in, and then what is shown in the last picture is glueless linoleum. It is so weird to walk on that floor and not have it squeak! Currently the bathroom has a sink/vanity, mirror, toilet and cupboard in, and the existing shower - I just don't have a picture of that yet. There are a few wall pieces that are not in yet, but we ran out of time to finish before our company came Memorial Day weekend. It needs those wall pieces and trim left and then I think that it is! Brett is kind of waiting until it is not 90 degrees outside because to glue the wall paneling on we need to have the windows open so we don't get high/pass out :) I'm so glad to have a handy husband like Brett. He also put in an exhaust fan, switched the outlets, moved the toilet back about 3 inches (to remove the silly little thing that was behind the toilet which served no purpose), and moved the sink plumbing just a tad to work with the new vanity. Who knew I married a chemist AND a plumber and electrician. When it is all finished, I'll be sure to take more pictures. I also planted a few flowers in the backyard.
I WAY underestimated the amount of space I had for plants/flowers. I only used about 1/4 of the space in my little "flower garden". But what is there looks nice so far! Next year I suppose I will expand it a little more. Dan and Kiki Jongewaard and baby Gabriel came to visit over Memorial Day weekend and I only have one picture to prove they were here! It was a lovely visit. We spent time snuggling and playing with Gabe, showing them around Normal, just visiting, relaxing and playing games. So thankful they took the time to visit us all the way in Illinois!
Since this post has gotten entirely too long, I will have another post about our Starved Rock State Park adventure next!
The month of May also brought on more bathroom renovations. We (and by we, I mean Brett) were trying to finish what we started in the bathroom last July.
We tore out the whole floor and wall paneling. To make the floor actually level, Brett used shim type things to level it from wall to door. Then put a new floor in, and then what is shown in the last picture is glueless linoleum. It is so weird to walk on that floor and not have it squeak! Currently the bathroom has a sink/vanity, mirror, toilet and cupboard in, and the existing shower - I just don't have a picture of that yet. There are a few wall pieces that are not in yet, but we ran out of time to finish before our company came Memorial Day weekend. It needs those wall pieces and trim left and then I think that it is! Brett is kind of waiting until it is not 90 degrees outside because to glue the wall paneling on we need to have the windows open so we don't get high/pass out :) I'm so glad to have a handy husband like Brett. He also put in an exhaust fan, switched the outlets, moved the toilet back about 3 inches (to remove the silly little thing that was behind the toilet which served no purpose), and moved the sink plumbing just a tad to work with the new vanity. Who knew I married a chemist AND a plumber and electrician. When it is all finished, I'll be sure to take more pictures. I also planted a few flowers in the backyard.
I WAY underestimated the amount of space I had for plants/flowers. I only used about 1/4 of the space in my little "flower garden". But what is there looks nice so far! Next year I suppose I will expand it a little more. Dan and Kiki Jongewaard and baby Gabriel came to visit over Memorial Day weekend and I only have one picture to prove they were here! It was a lovely visit. We spent time snuggling and playing with Gabe, showing them around Normal, just visiting, relaxing and playing games. So thankful they took the time to visit us all the way in Illinois!
Since this post has gotten entirely too long, I will have another post about our Starved Rock State Park adventure next!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Nocturnal and more
Not only does the word nocturnal apply to me as a night shift nurse - it also applies to the raccoon living around our yard and the neighbor's yard! I don't know how long ago it was when we first saw the raccoon, but Brett was about 8 feet away from it just staring at it and she was not moving. We have occasionally spied her around during the day as well, just waddling like she owns the place. Then last Friday when we were outside doing some yard work, Brett walked into the garage to get the ladder down and there she was, on the top shelf in the front of the garage in some wire fence parts - stuck. Eventually when we walked away she found a way down and walked back to her home - under the neighbor's shed - visible from our driveway.
Today while I was downstairs folding some laundry Brett was upstairs on the couch reading. All of a sudden he yells at me to come upstairs and says, "You don't see this everyday." In our front yard was the mom raccoon and three tiny little baby raccoons. The mom was trying to herd/carry them to their new home. Anytime she would get a little far away from them, they would screech. I ran into the house to grab the camera - and here are a few of the results!
In another news story: today I was riding my bike uptown to run some errands and as I get a few blocks away from our house (to the south) there are some trucks on the road and I notice some chain link fences being put up on the east side. Turns out, for about a 3 block by maybe 2 block area they are demolishing everything, houses, trees, and are going to put up a 300 bed town house, complete with pool and parking spaces. For those of you who have been here before - the houses that are coming down are those that are really quite junky and usually have trash and beer cans and bottles on the lawn. It is kind of spooky in a way to go past there now. The houses are marked with these green stickers, windows and doors are missing, everything is vacant. Apparently it is going to be completed in 2 years. So, for the next 2 years there is going to be construction down the street. Thank goodness we don't live right across from it or I would never sleep during the day! Hopefully in the end it is an improvement to the neighborhood - because lets face it - those of you who have visited have all commented on how nice it is that we live where we do, and not 2 more blocks to the south :)
Tonight was a beautiful night out, so we made a little fire in our fire pit and enjoyed it. No pictures of that - it was too dark. Sunday we got out our bean bag toss game and played that and then grilled out with Sarah and Josh. I am loving the nicer weather! Brett is taking a few days off from school before he hits the research hard and starts his summer class. Today he golfed with a friend from school, also named Josh. Tomorrow, he has plans to work hard on putting up more dry wall in the frame around where the basement door used to be, and around the shower! Maybe when Dan and Kiki come in a few weeks, it will be complete! According to my weather bar on my web browser here it is supposed to get to a high of 89 tomorrow. I have my eye on this hammock that is sold at Menards. It is one that is on its own stand since we don't have 2 trees to put it between. You can't find it online - but it is in the store! And it is green!
Time for bed here, but what blog post would be complete without pictures of Marshy and Parker? :)
Today while I was downstairs folding some laundry Brett was upstairs on the couch reading. All of a sudden he yells at me to come upstairs and says, "You don't see this everyday." In our front yard was the mom raccoon and three tiny little baby raccoons. The mom was trying to herd/carry them to their new home. Anytime she would get a little far away from them, they would screech. I ran into the house to grab the camera - and here are a few of the results!
In another news story: today I was riding my bike uptown to run some errands and as I get a few blocks away from our house (to the south) there are some trucks on the road and I notice some chain link fences being put up on the east side. Turns out, for about a 3 block by maybe 2 block area they are demolishing everything, houses, trees, and are going to put up a 300 bed town house, complete with pool and parking spaces. For those of you who have been here before - the houses that are coming down are those that are really quite junky and usually have trash and beer cans and bottles on the lawn. It is kind of spooky in a way to go past there now. The houses are marked with these green stickers, windows and doors are missing, everything is vacant. Apparently it is going to be completed in 2 years. So, for the next 2 years there is going to be construction down the street. Thank goodness we don't live right across from it or I would never sleep during the day! Hopefully in the end it is an improvement to the neighborhood - because lets face it - those of you who have visited have all commented on how nice it is that we live where we do, and not 2 more blocks to the south :)Tonight was a beautiful night out, so we made a little fire in our fire pit and enjoyed it. No pictures of that - it was too dark. Sunday we got out our bean bag toss game and played that and then grilled out with Sarah and Josh. I am loving the nicer weather! Brett is taking a few days off from school before he hits the research hard and starts his summer class. Today he golfed with a friend from school, also named Josh. Tomorrow, he has plans to work hard on putting up more dry wall in the frame around where the basement door used to be, and around the shower! Maybe when Dan and Kiki come in a few weeks, it will be complete! According to my weather bar on my web browser here it is supposed to get to a high of 89 tomorrow. I have my eye on this hammock that is sold at Menards. It is one that is on its own stand since we don't have 2 trees to put it between. You can't find it online - but it is in the store! And it is green!
Time for bed here, but what blog post would be complete without pictures of Marshy and Parker? :)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Before & After
It has been raining around here lately. A LOT. Just thought I would throw that out there.
We have lived in our house for almost 10 months now. When we moved in, the backyard was kind of disgusting. It really was. I wanted to share the before and after pictures, because we (and when I saw we, I mean mostly Brett) have put in a lot of work on this yard.
The yard was hard dirt, rocks, full of sticks, lumpy, and hardly any grass. You can see in the picture where that cage is. The previous owners took that with them and left in its spot just dirt and holes from their dogs. After a lot of work, some of which I have posted about before - we have this:
These pictures are taken just about a year apart too. I took the first one when we came and made an offer on the house last April. I just took the 2nd one today (hence the rain). The spot right in the middle that you see is where we had a fire pit this past fall. We left some bricks there and so some grass got killed. A few weeks ago, we over seeded everything and rented this flatter outer thing. HAHA. I am sure there is a proper name for it, but basically it is this big drum with water in it that you push and it flattens out dirt lumps.
We are so ready for some sunshine and warm weather around here!Friday, April 1, 2011
April Fools
So I've been thinking of something interesting I could blog about for April Fools day, but I really don't have anything to trick anyone about. This afternoon when Brett got home from school and I was still in bed since I worked last night and we were talking, and I said: I have something to tell you....I'm pregnant. And he just kind of looks at me and goes, "what?? how did that happen?" And I just burst out laughing :) And my April Fools joke lasted 2 seconds..... no people, I am not pregnant.
Lately at work I have been having a hard time dealing with people. Not just people in general, but people who walk around with chips on their shoulders, come into work in the morning and definitely woke up on the WRONG side of the bed, people who question everything you do, people you treat others like dirt. Not just coworkers, but patients and families as well. I've struggled with how to deal with this. Being super nice and catering to their "needs" truly is exhausting. I've tried just brushing it off and not caring, which isn't working either. I can't not care. Trying to discuss the issue with the person backfired on me too. I got called "unprofessional". I've been talking to Brett about how to deal with this and just bouncing ideas off him, and praying about it. I've come up with a couple conclusions. It is not my job to please everybody - and truly no matter how hard I try, I will fail at it. Patients, family members, co workers. It will be impossible.
I cannot do this without God on my side. Trying to do something on your own without Him - does not work. Last Sunday at church we were reading from Jonah and one of the points that came up was why trials or storms in our life happen (like why God caused the storm to come up while Jonah was on the boat). He had a reason. Just like he has a reason for putting this "trial" in my life. It isn't to make me miserable or hate my situation. It is so I turn to Him and realize that I CANNOT get through this in my own way. Why did I become a nurse? What is it about my job that I love? . While this saying is true, and I like it, it reminds me that God is the only One who matters. My life doesn't revolve around pleasing others, although that may be part of my job and what God has called me to do, it is not the end result.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21. This was our verse for our wedding almost 4 years ago. We are still walking and listening for His voice in guiding our everyday lives, including being at work.
Enough deep thoughts for one day!
Lately at work I have been having a hard time dealing with people. Not just people in general, but people who walk around with chips on their shoulders, come into work in the morning and definitely woke up on the WRONG side of the bed, people who question everything you do, people you treat others like dirt. Not just coworkers, but patients and families as well. I've struggled with how to deal with this. Being super nice and catering to their "needs" truly is exhausting. I've tried just brushing it off and not caring, which isn't working either. I can't not care. Trying to discuss the issue with the person backfired on me too. I got called "unprofessional". I've been talking to Brett about how to deal with this and just bouncing ideas off him, and praying about it. I've come up with a couple conclusions. It is not my job to please everybody - and truly no matter how hard I try, I will fail at it. Patients, family members, co workers. It will be impossible.
I cannot do this without God on my side. Trying to do something on your own without Him - does not work. Last Sunday at church we were reading from Jonah and one of the points that came up was why trials or storms in our life happen (like why God caused the storm to come up while Jonah was on the boat). He had a reason. Just like he has a reason for putting this "trial" in my life. It isn't to make me miserable or hate my situation. It is so I turn to Him and realize that I CANNOT get through this in my own way. Why did I become a nurse? What is it about my job that I love? . While this saying is true, and I like it, it reminds me that God is the only One who matters. My life doesn't revolve around pleasing others, although that may be part of my job and what God has called me to do, it is not the end result.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21. This was our verse for our wedding almost 4 years ago. We are still walking and listening for His voice in guiding our everyday lives, including being at work.
Enough deep thoughts for one day!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Progress
My mom is here visiting in Illinois and while she is here we are conquering some projects I have been wanting to get finished, but needed help! One of those is my quilt that I started a couple years ago. We have made some great progress on it so far. We first had to go pick out the fabric that would be the boarders and inside strips. It is amazing how we found the perfect fabric at a totally different store than I bought the fabric for the squares.
This is the front of the quilt without any of the outside borders on yet. Next there will be a 3 inch greenish border, and then a 4 inch brown with blue border. and then the back and binding. I'll take more close up pictures later. It is looking really good!!
Also, Brett had a research symposium for graduate students at the college that mom and I went to see. He put together a poster of the research he has been working on this year so far. His poster was one of the best ones there!
When Brett tries to study or do homework, he usually has a little help from a certain someone..... who really isn't that much help at all, but is really cute!
This is the front of the quilt without any of the outside borders on yet. Next there will be a 3 inch greenish border, and then a 4 inch brown with blue border. and then the back and binding. I'll take more close up pictures later. It is looking really good!!
Also, Brett had a research symposium for graduate students at the college that mom and I went to see. He put together a poster of the research he has been working on this year so far. His poster was one of the best ones there!
When Brett tries to study or do homework, he usually has a little help from a certain someone..... who really isn't that much help at all, but is really cute!
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