A new adventure!

Well, it's been forever since I have written and a lot has happened. My husband Bill happens to be an assistant manager for Edwin Watts Golf Shops. We have always had many discussions about his occupation at which is he wildly successful. We always discussed how I wished Bill had the same career ambition, motivation, and drive as I had. Well, all I have to say, is be careful what you wish for. In the spirit of being ambitious, Bill applied for a manager position in Tallahassee. He applied and we waited to hear....

I heard that he had applied and I had mixed emotions but I chose to go with it. Well, low and behold Bill got the job, we are moving to Tallahassee. As soon as I got the phone call from Bill, I was immediately nauseated and I proceeded to melt down all the while pretending to be thrilled for him. Truth is, I am very happy and proud of him and this is a huge step for him. He's trying to make our life better and he's a better man for it.

So on to Tallahassee we will go. This will be a great adventure and I look forward to see what's down the road for us. Until then, please pray for us. I will keep you posted.

Enjoy your view!

Bring on Obama!

Whew, I'm glad all the political bull is finally over! We finally got it right, we voted for the RIGHT guy! I can't tell you how happy I am that Barack is our guy! I was at the gym early Tuesday morning watching the Today show as they started with the importance of the election, the importance of voting, and what our country would be like under McCain and Obama. They painted two very different pictures about how each would take their turn at one of the "most powerful jobs in America." God Bless them.

They showed Barack Obama actually casting his vote with his family in tow. I literally got goose bumps, and they very rarely happens to me. It then hit me, the magnitude of what he was about to accomplish. He's amazingly intelligent, articulate, eloquent, mesmerizing, and enormously popular. With all that being said, he also appears very down to earth and NORMAL. His life appears stable (as stable as it can be in the public eye), and free of drama, his family intact, and his vision for America spot on. We will see what the future holds for him. His life will definitely change, his family uprooted, and his beliefs and ideas challenged. He's up to it though, I'm excited to see what he has in store for us.

I heard on the news this morning, "To the Victor, Goes the Mess." Yes, he has a mess on his hands, but I'm confident he will clean it up for us. Plus, we also get Michelle and those beautiful little girls who will no doubt make some wonderful memories while in the White House.

GO OBAMA!!!!

A learning experience

I truly believe that learning experiences can help in defining you as a person. They are both rewarding and frustrating at the same time. They can break you down then turn around and build you up in the same setting. It's interesting how people handle learning experiences. By definition, they are just that "an experience where you learn something new or something different." How you handle your learning experience is your choice.

That being said, I welcome learning experiences for the most part. I know I am far from "knowing it all" and I like to learn different things. Being as though I'm very impatient I like to learn them yesterday as opposed to a natural learning curve. In fact, I'm very hard on myself if I'm taught something one day and I can't nail it the next day. It's like I'm disappointed if I'm not great at it right off the bat.

I had to give two presentations at work yesterday and the first one sucked more than the second, nonetheless, they were both pretty pathetic. Granted, it's new material for me at work, but I have been doing presentations for my company for about 15 months. I just froze up, I didn't have answers for questions and my speech was rapid and my thoughts disorganized. I am laughing now as I recall the presentation.

So I will chalk it up to a learning experience and attempt to do better the next time. The good news for me is the next time is tomorrow. This brings me to one of my favorite quotes my baseball player Mo Vaughn, "Pressure comes from fear, and fear comes from no preparation." That quote speaks volumes and so tonight I will prepare as well as I can!

Wish me luck!

My Chi Town Pad

I happen to be in my favorite city this week for work. I arrived in Chicago this afternoon feeling both excited to be returning to this city and anxious about the massive amount of work to come. All in all, the good definitely outweighs the bad.

I am staying at a different hotel that doubles as apartments that can be leased on a month to month basis. It's odd but in staying here, I feel as though this is my apartment in the city. Since I have been coming here for work I have envisioned myself having a condo here. I could honestly see myself living in this city and embracing the Chicago Lifestyle. Chicago is addicting, the magnificent mile is inspiring, and the hustle and bustle of city life is enticing.

So for this week, I will pretend I am a resident of downtown Chicago and all that goes with it. I realize this thinking is juvenile and silly but dreams have to have a starting point, right??

So I will continue to play the dream in my head and eventually these dreams will turn to reality. We will see how things play out, and time will tell what story will come next.

Enjoy your view, I certainly am!

"Making Mountains out of Mole Hills"

Bill always tells me, "Autumn, you make mountains out of mole hills." I think the statement is always so funny because I over analyze everything and stress and worry about everything. On the contrary, he doesn't analyze, stress, or worry about anything. That's why we are a good match. I'm sure a good portion of him thinks that things will be fine because I will take care of it and I usually do (whether I want to or not!) He also takes care of me which is really important.

I want to get the chores done in 1 or 2 days, he says "they can wait." I have a never ending list of things I need to get done on my days off and he prefers watching tv or college football on his day off. I worry about how much money we have, how much money we spend, and what bills are due when. I budget everything. He has money, he will spend all of it, period. He doesn't worry about about budgets or expenses. I truly believe he feels being the "banker" is my job and I willingly accept it.

He's handy, I'm not. I worry if something breaks how we will fix it? He says, "don't worry I will fix it, don't make mountains out of mole hills." He thinks I stress too much about everything and wonders why the hell I can't "slow down." He wonders why I work so much and why I just can't relax and lay down when we're at home watching tv. I don't know we are just so different we are alike and it's great.

It's both interesting and frustrating to see how we handle different things on different levels. Differences aside, we do have a lot of fun together.

Variety is the spice of life.

Arnie's Place

Every once in awhile I'm truly in awe of someone or something. It might be a new person I get the pleasure of meeting who's been through a lot or has a unique story to tell. It might be a celebrity we see around town or it might be a new and exciting place we get to go to.

Bill and I had an amazing opportunity yesterday and we took full advantage. We got to play golf at Bay Hill here in Orlando. Now, for some that's not too exciting. For Bill and I, it was pretty awesome. Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill is rich with history and it's an erie feeling just walking through the clubhouse. The walls are lined with numerous photos of Arnold Palmer and other golfers and sports figures. You can actually "feel" the history walking on the grounds. It's just amazing, I wonder if he's actually inspired as he walks through his club? What does he think of? Does he just sit and reflect? Is he amazed with how his life turned out?

The clubhouse itself is dark, older, and maybe even a bit musty but every table in dining room was packed and the golf course was jamming. We got to play by ourselves which was a nice treat and just experience the course. I guess we are easily amused or maybe just really blessed that we get to go to places people can only dream of.

We also went to dinner last night at BB King's jazz/blues restaurant in Pointe Orlando. Now, I don't listen to BB King, not a big jazz fan, and I know him more for being a spokesperson for having Diabetes than attending any shows/concerts he has put on. However, Bill and I were looking to try a new restaurant and we happened to pick BB's. The food was AMAZING and the atmosphere was wonderful. We will definitely go back there again.

As I sit here typing, I would have never imagined we would have gone to Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill and BB King's for dinner....two totally different worlds. Diversity is a great thing though, it makes one well rounded!!

Enjoy your view!

Hot Chocolate Kinda Day

It's gross here...it's raining and slightly chilly. Fay is still lingering around the state of Florida. To deal with the ugliness of the day, this afternoon I have a cup of hot cocoa and I'm curled up with my computer and my dog laying on my bed. As I sit here on my bed returning emails and arranging meetings for next week in California I realize I'm in a really good place.

It's funny what is comforting to me. I like feeling in my safe home and I feel cozy just sitting inside hearing the rain, watching the wind, and having Summitt at my feet. The only thing that would make this better would be if the rain were snow, I was sitting in front of a fireplace, and I had my whole family with me.

Oh to live where it's cold.....all in due time I'm hoping....but for now I love my life.

Enjoy your view

Fearing Fay

As everyone now knows there are multiple tropical storm, hurricane, and tornado warnings that are issue to most of the state of Florida. Today is the day we are supposed to get the worst of it. Yes, we are having strong winds along with slight drizzle of rain but that's it for us right now.

I admit, I'm slightly worried because of previous years of living in Florida and the hurricanes that have it multiple times. I am ready though. We have canned goods, water, batteries, flashlights, and candles. I am beginning to feel like my mom a bit, but it's all good.

Bill's way of dealing with the hurricane is to have a "nap party." He has been sleeping on and off for the last couple of hours. He has asked me a few times in the last hour, "where is all this rain we are going to get?" I tell him to be patient we are slated to get it. It's funny how different we are when it comes to dealing with things. I am more of a prepared person, he is more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy. Oh well, it works for us.

So I will continue working from home and Bill will continue sleeping. Our thoughts and prayers are for everyone in the state of Florida as we deal with Fay....

I married my dad....

It's true that every little girl at some point in their life has asked their dad to "marry them." Most girls want to find and settle down with someone similiar to their dads (that is if you have a good dad). Well, Bill and my Dad have similiar traits...they both enjoy golf, football, their families, and they are both kind, level headed men with lots to offer.

However, on Saturday I learned of another trait they have in common...they are BOTH BABIES when it comes to giving blood. Bill had to have some blood drawn for his upcoming physical and I offered to draw his blood for him. I told him to meet me in the ER and I will draw the blood, it won't take very long and he can go run his errands. Let me just tell you...that was a BAD DECISION on my part. Bill did infact meet me and I had him sign all the paperwork that they wanted (insurance, guarantor information, emergency contact info etc.) In the mean time, I gathered my supplies and went to escort Bill to an empty room for the blood draw. He informed me that he "should lay down for this." As I turn around, I see that Bill is sheet white, hyperventilating and he is sweating profusely. Although inappropriate, I start hysterically laughing at him and I said "Oh just lay down, you will be okay and we will be finished in no time." I help him onto the bed only to notice that he has soaked through his shirt and he's now pouring the sweat and getting more and more white. The whole blood draw took all of 2 minutes at most and the recovery much longer. After the blood draw Bill took small sips of orange juice and the color slowly started to reappear. He felt much better after the OJ got into his system and realized that the worst was over.

All I could think about throughout this whole ordeal was how my Dad does the exact same thing. It's something about needles, blood, and the combination of the two. Funny how two grown men can drop at the sight of their own blood coming out of their own bodies!!!

Guess I won't suggest that they participate in the next blood drive!

Maternal Instinct

When I was growing up, I was pure tomboy. I owned dolls but rarely played with them, I owned dresses but it was a chore to wear them, I despised tea parties, and I didn't play dress up. I was most comfortable in running shorts and a tee shirt accompanied but a baseball glove and cleats. I exceled at sports and I was up for any kind of "game." While I was a young kid I never dreamed about a lavish wedding and/or raising a family complete with a white picket fence. That's just not how I envisioned my life.

While I'm a married adult with a house, mortgage, dog, and all the responsibilities that go with it. Most folks would think that the kids come next in the equation. It's funny, I don't believe I will have kids. Bill and I have had numerous discussions about this topic. The end result is me saying that I'm too selfish and I lack the maternal instinct that my friends with kids happen to be graced with. I think people are born with that maternal and paternal instinct that goes with child rearing. I'm sure it can be a learned trait as well but you either have it or you don't.

It's funny as I sit here writing this in the Orlando International Airport sipping my starbucks there are kids chaotically running around being yelled at by their parents. Some are choosing to obey their folks and others are treating it as free for all. Yep, this definitely makes me think that kids are not for me. I like being responsible for me and Bill. Trust me, I have my hands full with Bill as it is!!! Although, I feel as though I am decent and safe with kids, I think I know what's best for them and would keep alive in my company then politely return them to my friends and/or their rightful owners.

In a way, I feel sorry for my parents that they won't have grand kids from me and Bill. I think they understand though, and they will have grand dogs! I'm honestly hoping that my sister with have quite the brood. She wants something like 5 kids, can you imagine? I will be an awesome aunt and they will be fun to be around.

So to my parents and all the folks that choose to be parents, my hat is definitely off to you. God Bless You!!!

Only in Orlando

Okay, so Bill and I decided we are gonna go to the new Aquatica Water Park near Seaworld today. We have a 70% chance of rain but we decide to chance it and have a memorable day at Aquatica. We get there at precisely 10:20am only to find out that there is a sign saying "Aquatica, we are at full capacity and we will reopen at 3:30pm." I'm thinking only in Orlando would the theme park reach maximum capacity by mid morning. Honestly, who would have thought that we needed to be there by 7:00am to be granted admission and get a good set of beach chairs by the wave pool. What is the world coming to?
We decide to drive by Wet n Wild only to find the same result...figures. So we head to the Marriott World Center to lay by the pool and have a relaxing dip. It was Bill's idea and a good one at that. We actually spent a few hours there, went to lunch and did some shopping. It was a great day to spend with each other. We don't get too many of them but we try to make the most of each day off we have together.

"The two miracles I pray for"

Wow, what people I get to meet. So I was having a not so good day yesterday. No one thing inparticular happened to send the day into a tail spin but a series of little things that upset me (this is where I'm supposed to breath in, breath out, and move on right?). So as I was stewing about these things that were about to put me over the edge; my annual review, the massive amount of work that lay ahead of me, and how I don't have enough time in my day to do what I want. I was just overwhelmed.

So the latter part of my day included following the transport staff around northwestern memorial hospital to see if they are using the lift equipment. Great, that's just what I wanted to do. Well, that was a blessing in disguise for me. On one of our second rounds picking up patients for transport I discovered this frail, elderly looking man, with jaundice(yellow) looking skin,a catether in his bladder, multiple IV lines protruding from both arms, a tube in his nose, and two chest tubes coming out his left side. He says, "Are you here to get me?" To which, I reply "Yes, Sir we are going to bring you back to you room. He says, "Okay, I'm ready for the ride."

As we got to talking, I discovered that this man was a "short timer"(his description) he described his battle with cancer and how his time on this Earth was going to be shortened. The Doctors he said had my wife call in our friends and family because they don't know how much longer I will make it. He said it's okay, I have had a great life and a great family. My eyes were teary and I just listened. He said, "I'm praying for two miracles, do you want to know what they are?" I said, sure tell me and I will pray too. He said, I'm praying that the CUBS win the World Series and that I WILL be around to WATCH them. Through watery eyes, I just smiled and started laughing. I said Man, I hope they win too and I hope you have the best seat in the house. When we got him back and settled into his room I shook his hand and said it was nice meeting him and I enjoyed the visit. I told him to look forward to the "Fall Classic" and Go Cubbies. The reality is the man will be lucky if he makes it another month. The strange irony is that this man is 57 years old, the same age as my Dad.

The man has been on my mind for the last day and a half. I pray for he and his family every time I think of it. It's ironic, I was mopping around for a good portion of day yesterday having a pity party. Then I met my patient who is dying of Cancer and he has a great attitude. God has a good way of slapping in the face with a healthy dose of PERSPECTIVE.

I truly hope that the Cubs Win the World Series however, if they don't I will never forget this patient and his two miracles. If perfect laid plans existed the version would be something like this. The Cubs would be winning in the 7th game of the World Series against the Red Sox and my patient would be sitting in heaven pain free aside Harry Caray singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Does it get much better?

1 down, many more to come

It's amazing that Bill and I have been married for one year. It seems to have flown by. We have learned a lot in that one year. We have experienced some amazing moments and some challenging moments all in all, it's been an awesome ride.

We were able to get away this weekend, just the two of us which was way overdue. We are very busy with work and various responsibilities so it was nice to just have some time "to get away from our lives." I'm very proud of our marriage and wish everyone gets to experience this kind of happiness. Everyone deserves to feel this way.

Enjoy your view!

Projects

I really like to do projects. Let me rephrase that, I'm on overly fond of actually doing projects but I love the outcome when the projects are finished. I feel as though Bill and I have done a lot of projects around our house to make it better and I'm proud of that.

While I'm away this week in Texas Bill said that he was gonna do some projects and surprise me. I like surprises but I asked him what he was going to do to make sure that it is a project that we had previously discussed and it's what we both wanted. He told me and I agreed that it's a great project for him to begin. Bill then informs me that he knows the way to my heart. He said it isn't candy, home cooked meals, jewelry, or romance but it is chores being done, errands being run, and projects completed. I laughed for a minute but he is totally correct. When that stuff is taken care of that means that it is one less thing for me to have to do.

I love coming home to a clean house, laundry done, food in the fridge, and Bill and Summitt waiting for me. Not a lot to ask for! I have suddenly realized that I have turned into a grown up....scary.

Enjoy your view and good luck on your upcoming project!

An old friend

It's always fun to forge friendships and then part ways, and catch up with friends of the past to see what they have been doing. Well, you always want them to be successful and happy in whatever they have chosen to do. When I lived in West Palm Beach I befriended the golf writer Tim Rosaforte. We lived in the same area, we played tennis, and I became friendly with his family. He's a great guy, good personality, very generous, and a great family man.
Whenever I turn on the TV to watch a golf event, more times than not I see him commentating. Personally, I think that's pretty impressive. He's good at what he does as well. I decided to write to him and try and catch up. I wrote him a letter tell him how impressed I am with him and wanted to know how his family is and such. I'm not sure he will write back to me or get in touch with me but at least he knows that I was thinking of him and I am proud of him.

Enjoy your view!

Working Smarter vs Working Harder

I have always said that I would rather work smarter than working harder. It's not that I don't enjoy to work, I really like it. I feel productive. Most people that know me say I'm a workaholic and I just smile. We both know they are right when they say that, I know I am too. Now I work with a great group of people, some I'm more fond of than others but that happens in every work place.

This week in Texas has been challenging from the get go. I like challenging and I am up for it. However, this first few days I'm about over it. I work with these three women who think they are better than everyone else I work with. It's okay if they think that but they should really keep it to themselves. They also happen to be three people who work harder than working smarter. They routinely put in 12-14 hours a day of busy work and they brag to everyone just how much they are working. Well, knock yourselves out, I mean who wants to be meandering the halls of a hospital at 10pm just looking at rooms. It's actually humorous to see them together and the little "ego boosting" clinic that they put on for each other.

Oh well, that's why there are different ways to skin a cat. I just prefer the easy, fast, intelligent way rather than the long, drawn out, difficult way. Go figure!

While the Cats away....

Bill is out of town this weekend. He went to visit his childhood friend in Tallahassee. I'm really glad he got to go, he was really looking forward to it and I'm sure it will be nice for him to be back in Tally.

While he's gone I will catch up on a few things that need to be done around here but mainly just have some much needed "me time."

Like most folks I know my life is extremely busy with "must dos" and "have to get tos.'" Sometimes it's hard to find time for luxuries but I will this weekend....I'll treat myself.

Humbled

Every once in awhile I get a kick in the ass or get knocked down a peg or two and it reminds me to "breathe in, breathe out, and move on, practice patience, and be grateful for my life. This week was definitely humbling. I spent the first part of the week in Delaware. Fair enough Delaware is not a huge state and I didn't expect much.

I worked with my coworker named Patsy, she's been with the company for about as long as I have, lives in Texas, has a slow southern draw, and is even slower to grasp most things. That being said, I really enjoy working with her...for short periods of time. First we met at BWI, her plane was late and she couldn't find me in the airport, after me being on the phone with her for literally 45 minutes trying to direct her to where I was she finally showed up. We go to get the rental car (the one she rented) and she turns to me and says, "Oh Autumn, I brought the wrong paperwork, I don't have my confirmation for the rental car." I just started laughing, thinking to myself, God what a long week this will be. We finally got the rental car.

So as we are driving to Delaware, Patsy proceeds to practically ride the break on the highway. I am not good for long car rides, my stomach gets a bit queasy. So I asked if I could drive and she proceeds to tell me that's a great idea because all this traffic is making her nervous. Great! We finally made it to Delaware, checked into our hotel and met our other coworker. We actually worked that night into the night and got back to our Hotel about 5am. We were exhausted and Patsy claimed she was going to sleep the day away.

The Hampton Inn allowed us a late check out at 12:00pm. I woke up around 10ish and proceeded to putz around my room. As I called Patsy's room around 11:45 to see if I could get the keys to put my bags in the car there was no answer. I proceed to walk to her room where I bang on the door and there's no answer. So I go downstairs and have the front desk call her again, and I try her cell phone. No answer. Again, I go and beat the hell out of her door. It is now 12:00pm and Patsy comes to the door in a tee shirt, pajama pants, and her hair all astray. She asks me why I am banging on her door while she's trying to sleep? I then tell her that it's now 12:15 and we need to check out. She can't believe that we need to go now, the front desk called her as well and said that she needs to get ready as soon as possible because they want to have her check out and clean her room. She tells me to occupy myself for the next 30 minutes and she will call me when she's ready to leave the hotel! Go figure.

As you would imagine our next two days were a hoot as well. Well, I start telling my mom this story and it dawns on me that I really need to relax, breathe in, breath out, and move on. The reality is I am 29 years old, and Patsy is 62 years old. We are on different wave lengths. I'm sure when I am 62 I will be similiar to Patsy in my thinking.

So I wrote a note thanking Patsy for working with me this week, and I let her know it was nice to work with her. She humbles me, makes me realize that I don't have to go a million miles an hour, I can relax a bit. Maybe if I did slow down a bit I would enjoy things like Patsy does, she's forever pointing out beautiful flowers, great sky scapes, and huge buildings. She's too funny.

Until next time!

Hanging with the Oldsters!

This week I am in Pennsylvania in a town with population of little to none. Honestly, this town is probably the smallest town I have ever set foot in. We are working in two long term care facilities in neighboring towns. Now, I am an ER nurse by trade. I enjoy the adrenaline rush of being in the ER and not knowing what will come in the door next. I thrive on that. I enjoy being busy and I welcome an organized chaotic environment. Let me tell you I have experience none of that this past week. It's been down right boring.

The only redeeming factor in working with the folks employed at the long term care facilities is that I also get to interact with the residents who are between 100 years old and dead. However, they are so cute. While in the facility I smile and greet each resident I make eye contact with. Some are entertaining and others are confused and combative. What a mix! I have always been attracted to the elderly folks and I have always been older in spirit than what I am in years. I like hearing their stories and listening to them speak of their kids and grandkids. Some are more interactive than others.

Today their big activity was Bingo! As we were there the activities coordinator was helping the nursing staff round up the residents to bring them to Bingo. There is no better sight than 5 eager and excited elderly residents in wheelchairs packed in a elevator waiting to go to Bingo. The place was a buzz because it was Bingo today. As I peeked into the Bingo room to see all the people at tables the activities coordinator asked if I wanted to help call out the numbers. I said I would have loved to but I was really there to work and I didn't think it would look too good for me to be calling Bingo Numbers while I was on company time. Seeing their faces just made my day.

I'm sure Bill and I will eventually occupy beds at some assisted living facility in the distant...distant future. All I can hope is that we have our health, sense of humor, and each other.

Here's to the oldsters!!!

Christmas Lists

Alright, so everyone who knows me has described me as either anal, organized, structured or a combination of any of the above. I will admit it, I like structure I like to have a plan and stick to it. I love having a list and checking things off them as I accomplish them. I don't know I just function really well with that. So I decided to email my family asking them for their Christmas lists. I thought now is as good a time as any to get started. I travel a lot and sometimes in my spare time I get to go shopping at stores that I don't have at home and I see different things I want to pick up for different people.

Everyone has heard of "Christmas in July." Well, I wanted to start with "Christmas in June." You should have seen the responses I got from my sister, mom, and dad. I don't believe Bill has opened his email for a few days so he didn't get my emails yet. I'm sure he will give me his normal response, "Auty, are you really serious about this?" My sister responded with "Are you crazy? Christmas is so far away then proceeded to ask me what I wanted for my birthday. I don't want much for my birthday-in fact I can't think of one thing. My mom proceeded to call me anal with a laugh and again wanted me to produce a list for my birthday. However, my Dad's response was the BEST of them all. He had said that he thought I was submitting my Christmas wish list to my parents and he was straight up SHOCKED that I had beaten my sister to the punch in submitting the list. I died laughing. For those of you who don't know my sister for every birthday, anniversary, christmas, or any holiday that would require gift giving she always comes up with this MASSIVE list of things she MUST have. It's down right hilarious some of the stuff that she desires. It's the running joke in my family. Traditionally, I am one of the last folks to submit a list of wants/desires for any kind of gifts. I like to get gifts but I love to give them more. I always come up with "Oh, I don't really want anything this year" or "I will let you know what you can get me then I just forget to submit a list or something like that.

I'm serious about wanting my family to give me lists for Christmas. I usually do really well with a direct, specific, and detailed list. I'm not great at just random things that I think people would want or like.

I was missing my sister a lot this week so these emails seemed to hit the spot with her wacky sense of humor and her personality. It's fun to reflect on the past with my family. We are lucky to be so close!

P.S I love you

I'm pretty behind the times as we have just rented the movie P.S I love you. I had heard good things about the movie from a few folks so I decided to give it a chance. Let me tell you it's one of the better movies that I have seen in a very long time.

The message in the movie is both moving and inspirational. It puts things into perspective pretty quickly. It really makes you think about who is in your life and the role they play. It really makes you take a hard look at your life and how you plan to spend it. Different things are important to different people.

It's true everyone in my life occupies a spot in my heart. Some have more space than others, but nonetheless I wouldn't be the person I am without the roles they have played in my life.

I highly recommend this movie.

Crackberry and Corporate America

I finally broke down and decided that I needed to get a Blackberry. It's odd my professional world used to consist of Emergency Room Patients and Bed side manner. Now, I have added Corporate America to the mix. My days now are filled with numerous emails, phone calls, strategic planning meetings, and pre implementations.

I was on the golf course last Tuesday and I had no way to check my emails. I had received a phone call from a coworker citing explicit instructions on making travel plans and informing me of where I needed to be for the first two weeks of June. As I listened to the message I made a mental note of what I needed to do when I got home. Well, when I got home I had 17 emails requesting my attention. One of which was an email from my boss on the importance of being available by phone. For the most part, I am available by phone but I do need to respond quicker to my emails...which led to the purchase of the "Crackberry."

It makes me feel slightly grown up to own one. We will see how it all turns out. I will keep you posted...as if you really wanted to know.

Have a safe memorial day weekend!

Band Wagon Fans

The world of sports is a crazy place. I truly believe that sports can unite people and divide them in the same breath. People will stand around the water cooler and discuss 9th inning heroics, championships won and lost, the greatest upsets, the underdogs, overrated and underrated athletes and teams alike. Then the heated debates set in, Redsox vs Yankees, Cubs vs Sox, Yankees vs Mets etc...you get the drift.

There is one thing that does really bother me about sports teams and sports fans. I can't stand Fair weather fans and Band Wagon Fans. I can't grasp the concept. Maybe I don't understand it because I don't fit into either category. I love sports, I'm a huge sports fan and I'm rather knowledgable about certain teams. I loved the Braves when they sucked and everyone made fun of me for liking them. They were at one point bottom feeders, losers if you will. They couldn't hit anything, their pitching was horrible, and their roster didn't possess any one "superstar." Enter Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux, Murphy, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and all of a sudden they become contenders. They are winning and everyone is suddenly a fan of the Atlanta Braves. Funny how people flock to winning teams. The Braves are okay today, nothing too spectacular but I am still a fan.

Take the Boston Red Sox. My Dad's family is from Western Massachusetts, we are Red Sox Fans. I can remember as a kid watching ESPN televise Red Sox games, living in Florida we rarely got to see them on TV so when we did we made a night of it. Sometimes my mom would make us hot dogs and we would have a "ball park dinner" featuring hot dogs, beer (for my dad), peanuts, and sometimes soft pretzels. We loved that we could see the Sox play...Mike Greenwell, Tony Pena, Tim Wakefield, and Wade Boggs. They didn't possess near the talent that the modern day Red Sox have but they were fun to watch. They were usually in last place and the laughing stock of the league with the "Curse of the Bambino" and all. They always posed the question, "When would the curse be lifted?" When would the Red Sox finally win the World Series. Fast forward a few years, the Sox now have 2 World Series Rings and all of a sudden we have a "Red Sox Nation." Where were these fans when they were losing? Was Fenway sold out during those years? Funny how everyone now loves the Red Sox!

Last but certainly not least. You all know that I have verbalized my eternal love of the Chicago Cubs. It's no secret that I have been a fan for years. Remember I loved them when they were in last place year after year, no mention of post season, let alone a contention for the world series. So after a long week of work, I decided to go to TGIF Friday's have some lunch, grab a beer and watch the Cubs game. It's funny as I watched on TV, Wrigley Field was full to capacity with standing room only to watch the Cubs. They still wear the same uniforms, the positions are the same, and the games are still held at Wrigley. I can remember watching the Cubs of old, you know the Cubs that couldn't buy a win, the stadium wasn't sold out and the fans weren't as numerous. The biggest difference between the Cubs of Old and this year's Cubs is that the Cubs this year are WINNING! Yep, they have won 7 of their last 8 games, they are 10 games above 500 and they are in FIRST PLACE. Isn't it funny when the Cubs are winning the whole state of Illinois turn into Cubs Fans. Maybe Barack Obama should start sporting a Cubs tee shirt on the campaign trail. He is after all, the Senator of Illinois. Wonder if he likes the Cubs or the Sox?

So I hope I get to see a game or two in my travels to Chicago. I am trying to get tickets for my next visit. It appears that many of the games are sold out. Not to pass judgement but I wonder just how many of those tickets were purchased by bandwagon fans?

GO CUBS!!! THIS COULD BE OUR YEAR!!!!

Wisconsin

It's true that I don't know a lot about Wisconsin. I am here this week for work and my visit has been interesting. I know where Wisconsin is on a map. I enjoy watching the occasional Green Bay Packers Game in the snow. I know Wisconsin is famous for it's cheese. I also know that people here have midwest values and funny accents.

What I didn't know or realize is how incredibly beautiful it is here. I am staying in Fond du Lac, in the southeastern region of Wisconsin. Let me tell you the land is unbelievably gorgeous, farm land forever, rolling hills, and bright blue cloudless skies. I'm sure the scenery is quite different in the dead of winter but I was in awe upon my drive up from the airport.

It's kinda funny because I had a crazy morning trying to fly into Wisconsin earlier on Monday. I had missed my flight due to idiots posing as TSA employees at the security line. As a result of that my patience was already shot and I wasn't in the most pleasant mood when I arrived. However, when I arrived (safely) it was like God was sending me a message, take a deep breath and enjoy the view that he has created. It was like he was telling me to take some time and really relish this incredible landscape. I know why they call it "God's Country." Now, Florida is nice and I live in a great area but it pales in comparison to Wisconsin. The good news I can enjoy both places regularly.

I know some may think the above sounds corny and the description doesn't appeal to everyone. It's just what I get to experience on a regular basis and it always leaves me asking this question "Is this really my life?" Kinda scary.

Enjoy your view! I will enjoy mine as I'm looking out my hotel room!

TSA Employees

This week I am scheduled to be in Wisconsin for a new facility that we are bringing on board. I was originally pretty excited for two reasons, first, I am going to be in charge of running this facility and second I haven't been to Wisconsin before. I enjoy traveling.

So I get to the airport at 5:30 for my 7:00am flight. As I finish checking in and round the corner to proceed to the security check in I see a huge mass of people milling around. Upon closer examination I see this huge amount of people are standing in line waiting to go through security. Are you kidding me? It's 5:30 in the morning and the place is packed. So as I join the line I figure this will take longer than I expected but I will be okay.

Fast forward 1 hour and 30 minutes I am just now getting up to the front of the security line. As I make my way to the front of the line, I see they have exactly 4 lanes open for people to go through. Again, are you kidding me? It's monday morning one of the busiest traveling days, there are tons of people in line and yet we only have 4 lines open....C'mon People! So, I eventually get through security and when it's all said and done I get to my gate at 7:15am. Yep, I missed my flight but I was handed a postcard typed message from Airtran apologizing to me for me missing my flight and IF I wanted to write to TSA about my experience this morning regarding my delayed trip through security I was more than welcome to.

I honestly believe that TSA will hire anyone off the street. If you have a pulse, and you submit an application you are bound to get hired. You need NO training. Gosh, it's just so frustrating dealing with these people.

But nonetheless, I will breath in, breath out, and Move on.

Disney World

My mom, Bill and I got the pleasure of going to Disney this weekend with my cousins and my aunt and uncle visiting from Philadelphia. It truly is the "happiest place on earth." Whenever I go there, I look around and every single person is smiling and appearing genuinely happy. It's magical and they do a fantastic job at keeping the magic alive.

It was the first time that my cousins had been on an airplane and it was their first time at Disney. It was awesome to see the park through their eyes. They are so pure and unbroken, it's as if they see all good in people without casting judgements and/or blame. It was neat to see the excitement and experiences register on their faces. Pure joy!!

All in all, we had a GREAT time with them. It always leaves me wanting to spend more and more time with them. In a way, I'm sad that they live so far away and we don't get to see them grow up. However, the visits are always nice.

Time Change

So this week I happen to be in Dixon, IL. This is a small, quaint, sleepy little town. Dixon's claim to fame happens to be that this is place of Ronald Regan's boyhood home. We drive by it every time we come as if we expect to see a huge change in it's structure. One of my coworkers absolutely loved Ronald and Nancy.

I don't mind coming here, the people are welcoming, the hospital is nice and I enjoy shopping in the little boutiques downtown. However, every time I come here, I have a hard time adjusting to the time change. I don't know why, it's only 1 hour behind Orlando to which I'm used to. Last night I must have woken up 7-8 times checking to see what time it was. So if it was 3:00am, I look at the clock and immediately think "Okay, it's 3:00am here it's 4:00am at home, wonder what's going on? Why do I do that? I know what's going on at 4:00am, everyone is sleeping...duh. What the hell?

No where else does the time affect me like this. I go to California and I'm not affected by it, and it doesn't bother me. So today as I go to work and I periodically check the time, I will wonder what everyone is doing at home....can't help it.

Enjoy your view! I will enjoy mine as I spend it in the central time zone. I know I'm a dork!

Tori Spelling

Okay, so I finally got my copy of sTori Telling. Let me just tell you what a great book that is. My sister is the one who turned me on to it first. Okay, like many people I grew up watching 90210 and I have to say that Donna Martin (played by Tori Spelling) was my least favorite character. So how good could a book written by Tori Spelling actually be? Let me tell you it was FANTASTIC, I couldn't put it down. Finished the book in a day and a half. I highly recommend it.

It's written well, and it's compelling in a lighthearted kinda way. In it, she describes growing up as Aaron Spelling's rich, spoiled, only daughter. It's funny, you think "poor little rich girl" from Bel-Air. It appears she wanted to be the complete opposite of what she was. She's someone you could really relate to, strangely enough. All through the book I kept thinking, wow she's so normal.

I'm glad that Aspen recommended the book because I certainly wouldn't have been inclined to purchase it on a whim. Good choice Ap!

Question of the Day

Periodically I will be posting, "Questions of the day." Just random questions that pop into my head wanting to know the answers to. So today's question is, I wonder why my golf swing doesn't look as good or isn't nearly as effective as Lorena Ochoa's? Given the fact that she's the number one golfer in the world and she practices way more than I do might be one answer to that question. Who knows? I went to the Ginn Open here in Reunion this past weekend and I enjoyed seeing all the women on the LPGA.

I really like golf and I enjoy playing. It's very addicting, one shot could be the shot of your life and it may leave you wondering, "how the hell did that happen" The very next shot may be horrible and leaving you wondering "how the hell did that happen." However, in watching these girls play, (granted this is what they do for a LIVING, they are PRO GOLFERS) I was amazed at the beauty and of their games. Lorena Ochoa's swing is probably one of the best swings I have seen in my life and most shots are picture perfect. Go figure.

She's also pretty intriguing. Given all the fame and glory she has, it appears as though she doesn't thrive on it, she doesn't seem to soak up the limelight. She politely puts her hand up as if to say "thanks" she smiles and waves and they looks to the ground as though embarassed that she's getting all this attention. It's refreshing that she's so grounded and humble. She's not the typical athlete in our day in age.

So the next time I go and play, I'm going to try and swing a little better, harder, and see if I can get my game back on track. I would like to play more and see if I can improve. I'm rather athletic so I'm sure it can be done...get in better shape and see what happens.

All in all, I really enjoyed the weekend and am looking forward to the next tournament.

Take the weather with you

Okay, so I have heard a ton of Jimmy Buffett CD's, seen the man in concert and I know most of the lyrics to his older stuff. Yesterday on his way home from golfing Bill stopped by Borders and got me one of the most recent Jimmy Buffett CDs titled "Take the weather with you." On the odd occasion, I will recommend something I've seen or read that I'm passionate about but for the most part I'm not too big on recommendations. However, I strongly recommend you go out and get this CD. The songs are awesome and the lyrics have such a message behind them.

So as I'm in my car listening to Jimmy as I'm running errands I like one song more than the next. My all time favorite is "Breath in, Breath out, Move on." It's as beautiful sunny day here, not a cloud in the sky so I decided to walk around downtown Clermont for a bit this morning. Now our downtown is no booming metropolis, it's a cute quaint little downtown with a few restaurants and a few cute store fronts perfect for browsing. I had lunch at Cheesers Palace, a restaurant I discovered once when my mom was in town and we had lunch. I decided to stop in an grab a quick bite. The restaurant has all of 6 four top tables and 2 two top tables on the main level. Cute, and homey is how I would describe it. I had a greek salad which I must say was one of the better ones I have had in a long time.

It was nice to just have the morning to myself for a bit without the worries of work, or chores, errands, or responsibility. When those things do get me in a tizzy I will just say to myself or out loud if it's appropriate. Breath in, Breath Out, Move On.

Shopping

I'm not a huge shopper. However, it's like I get a huge satisfaction out of finding a great deal whether I need the item or not. Most times I don't need the item and after I get it and have it for awhile, I wonder why I bought it.

So today as I left the gym I felt the Target Super Store calling my name. So as I meander in, they are having tons of sales. Well, $150.00 later I am on my way out the door, I got a lot of neat stuff but I mean, did I need to spend $150.00? Mind you, I wasn't really in the market for anything.

Oh well, I am pleased with my purchases. I know that I definitely need to work though to justify these impulse splurges. It's a vicious cycle. I can justify it in one way because I'm helping support the economy, right? That's the story I will tell Bill, he'll love it.

Cubs

A Celebration upon Rocky Top

Wish I were on old Rocky Top down in the Tennessee Hills! Yes, that's part of the chorus of the infectious song repeatedly played by the University of Tennessee Band. I have to admit I sing along every time I hear it. Something about that song gets me moving. My dog's name is Summitt for crying out loud! I can remember in college at UF, I would beg my sister to go with me and see the Tennessee women's basketball team play UF. She happily obliged. UF usually got demolished but it was all to just see the legend Pat Summitt.

Last night, the Lady Vols won their 8th National Championship. The thought is purely mind boggling and Pat Summitt is purely a genious. I love watching them play, more importantly I love watching them dominate the rest of the field. Yes, it's true year after year their talent is astonishing and they always have a tremendous incoming class. This leads me to wonder, do these incoming freshman want to play for Tennessee for they see it as a dynasty or do they want to play for Pat Summitt? Or is it a combination of both?

Now my basketball skills were never the best, although I did play basketball in highschool. I was never the quickest girl nor the most talented on the team, but I have to admit that it would have been neat to play for Tennessee. It would be neat to say that you had the experience to play for one of the all time winnest coaches or one of college's greatest motivator/enforcer. Unfortunately, I have used all of my eligibility up and am no longer able to entertain dreams of playing for Tennessee.

So I say, CONGRATS to the Lady Vols!

Family

So we were in Massachusetts this past weekend for my Gramps' 90th birthday. The plan was the whole family was to fly up and have a surprise party for him on his birthday April 5th. He through a kink in the plans the week before by breaking his hip thus having surgery and buying himself some time in a rehab/nursing home type of place. Fair enough, we were all going up anyways.

So Bill and I left early friday morning so we could fly into Hartford relatively early and enjoy the rest of the day. As we were driving to my grandparents house I realized that not much changes in their home town, the houses all still looked the same, and the buildings were still just as I remembered them as a little girl.

We decided to stop in and see Gramps in the "nursing home" before we went to see my grammy. As we entered his room, his eyes lit up and he flashed that trademark grin which just tickles me. The look on his face as we entered the room was just priceless and that for me made the whole trip. We spent about 45 minutes with him, as he was chatting with us I started to tear up a bit because I'm not quite sure what the future holds for him and I can't imagine him not here. What a unique man.

We then went to my Grammy's house, she was happy to see us. She looked beyond tired and quite unsure of what's to come next. We were there to help her we stated and she was glad for the help.

That's what's best about my family, not only are we extremely close but we get together to help family out. We had a good time while we were there, it was awesome that the core of my family was able to spend time together given everyone's crazy schedule. I'm sure we will be up there several more times this year to help my Grammy.

Time will tell what the future holds for everyone involved, but I'm praying everything will work out just fine.

Old Friends Reconnected

Okay, so I'm not the most compute literate person on the planet. I know enough to get by, do my work, send attachments, upload and download pictures, and I can surf with the best of them. I'm not really up to date on myspace, bridge sites, and/or Facebook...until now that is. My friend Lucy constantly sends me stuff on this facebook page she created for me and when I spoke to her yesterday she said, "you aren't responding to messages I'm leaving on your facebook page." I didn't even know she was writing to me on that page. So I logged on to this facebook page and realized that I had several messages awaiting my response. Who knew?

So here I go, I dive into the facebook world. I even searched to see if I could find some old school chums, I figured what the hell they might be around. I found quite a few, and invited them to be my "friends" on facebook. One particular girl Eva Hartman was a friend I grew up with in SRQ, we went to school together and played sports in highschool. After a quick note to her she responded and we immediately were back to old highschool chums. She inquired about my sister and my parents, caught me up on her life and I did the same. Funny how the internet works, I haven't spoken to her in about 10 years and now facebook has reconnected us.

I'm actually enjoying the whole facebook adventure. I'm sure I'm one of the last people to jump on the band wagon and most have already been here and done this but nonetheless I enjoy catching up with others. I'll keep ya posted on my latest facebook adventure.

A Man named Carroll

Let me tell you about a man named Carroll, he's my "Gramps." Growing up we always called him Gramps and/or Grampy. He and my Grammy would spend the winters down in Sarasota as we were growing up. It was always great to see them. I know one isn't supposed to have "favorites" per say but Gramps and Grammy were definitely my favorite grandparents. During the winters, Gramps and Grammy took in as many of our softball games as they possibly could during they week. He loved to come and watch us play, he would get a hot dog or two at the park and the traditional bag of popcorn or peanuts to round out the meal. We would always hear how good the food was there.

No matter what request we had of him, he always obliged. He was great with us. I'm writing of him today as he is on my mind of late. He will turn 90 years old on April 5th. When asked how he's doing, his normal reply is "Well, I'm gonna make it another day." Two days ago, after just getting out of the hospital he fell and broke his hip. Being a nurse, I know that a broken hip in an elderly man is hard to overcome and the road to recovery is a long one. He had surgery and they placed pins in his hip, he seems to be dealing with the whole thing okay. When I spoke to him last night asking how his day went, I got the standard answer, "Looks like I'm gonna make it another day." He also informed me that he "still hates hospital food" and when asked about his nursing care, he states "I'm making them work for their pay this week." I just chuckled and thought, what a way to look at life.

I honestly don't know what the future holds for him. I honestly hope "he's gonna make it for another 10 years." Either way, I'm so fortunate to have had him all these years!!!

I love ya, Gramps!

Breath in, Breath Out, Move on....

I heard a great CD this weekend while at my parents. The CD was one of Jimmy Buffett's. I'm a huge fan of Jimmy Buffetts as I have seen him in concert a couple of times and I'm envious of his carefree island lifestyle. His songs are infectious and they make you want to head to paradise island.

So the 3rd or 4th song on this CD was titled "Breath In, Breath Out, Move On." I thought catchy phrase with a profound meaning. As you would imagine, the message is "stuff happens, breath in, breath out, and move on." I thought wow, that's what I need to practice. For those who know me, I have a tendency to react to things that are out of my control, and I also stress out about things that I have little to no control over. So instead of getting all worked up unnecessarily, I will practice the words on Jimmy Buffett. Who would think I would be looking to Jimmy Buffett for guidance in stress relief. Jimmy doesn't appear stressed in the least.

So here's how it will work, when I find myself getting worked up I will walk away and take a deep breath in and blow it out stating, move on. I will let you know how it goes.

Enjoy your view....
Breath in, Breath Out and Move On!!!

Peaceful Getaway

So we went to my parents house for Easter. Originally, it was supposed to be Bill, myself, my cousin Ryan, and his wife Laura. Unfortunately, Ryan and Laura didn't make it as they had Delta Airline Standby tickets and on Easter Weekend it's challenging to fly anywhere "Standby." The Standby ticket story I'll save for another time. However, to say the process of acquiring Standby tickets from Delta is easy is a gross exaggeration! The whole process was a nightmare.

So on friday Bill and I made our way down to my parents house. It's always nice to go down there. They have a beautiful home, my mom cooks amazing meals, and it's nice to just relax. Bill said on many occasions, "I feel so relaxed here." "I'm very content here." It's nice to hear from Bill as he works a lot and relaxation serves him well.

I think we both needed the getaway. I always say, it's nice to go on vacation and "just get away from my life" for a few days. We are back now and reality will soon set in, work, chores, errands, and the daily grind will inevitably reappear. Hopefully, we can get down there again soon!!!

Happy Easter to all!!!

Death and Taxes

So most people say the two constants in life are dying and paying taxes. Everyone unfortunately will die and everyone should pay taxes. Since I'm not ready to die, I figure I will try and do my taxes this year myself. Talk about a piss poor decision on my part. Let's just say I'm happy I'm a nurse and not an accountant. After struggling to do them the last couple of days and getting more and more stressed and angry I have decided to take them to Jackson Hewitt and let them complete the taxes.

So Bill and I have an appointment with Jackson Hewitt tonight to do the taxes. We will see how it will all go down. Bill says to me, whatever happens with the taxes, let's not try to stress about it. Which really translates into "Autumn, please don't stress about paying the taxes." Does the man know me or what? That's why Bill and I are so good together, I stress and agonize about EVERYTHING and he stresses and agonizes about NOTHING. Talk about a good balance.
I'm really trying not to stress about the little stuff, we'll see how I do.

Enjoy your view!

Going home

I believe Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz had it down when she was clicking her heels together and repeating "There's no place like home, There's no place like home." I genuinely believe that and today I get to go home. I will get to sleep in my own bed, cook in my own kitchen, and enjoy my own home.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy traveling and I get to see and stay at really awesome places but there is something about going home. I'm sure a thousand things will require my attention as I get home. I'm sure there will be chores, errands, laundry, and bills to pay but I'm happy to do all of that.

I believe I will be home for the next few weeks and I'm sure I will be itching to travel again but for right now, I'm ready to go home.

Enjoy your view!

Holy Cow! It's Chicago

Holy Cow, I'm in one of my most favorite cities, Chicago. I love everything about this City. The weather, the people, the CUBS, the buildings, and the food. I'm very lucky, I get to come here about every 6 weeks give or take as we have a contract to work with Northwestern Hospital.

Growing up, I loved everything about Chicago or what it had to offer without ever stepping foot in the city. As a little girl, I would watch the
Cubs on WGN every afternoon and pretend I was there in the bleachers watching Sandberg, Grace, Dawson, and Dunston...they were my heros. I was also very pleased to watch and listen to Harry Caray broadcast the games, he was the best.

Today I went to lunch at Harry Caray's here in the city. The place is a Mecca to Harry Caray as you would expect, loaded with Cubs memoriabilia, celebrity pictures, and Harry-isms. All I can think is he would be so proud to see his legacy continuing with such abundance. So in his honor, I will say "Holy Cow, the cubs are gonna be great this year."

I'm having a gratitude moment, I'm lucky enough to frequent a city I've been in love with for most of my life, I get to eat at Harry Caray's and walk around thinking, "God, I'm so lucky and blessed to be here and be taking this in."

Enjoy your view!!!

Content or Satisfied or Settled????

I'm having huge issues today, issues where my heart and my mind don't match up. Maybe the issues are magnified because I'm sick and I'm feeling shitty. However, nonetheless they are issues.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm doing enough with my life? I know I'm a walking contradiction, people tell me to slow down, not work so much, enjoy life. I tell myself that too but when I do, I wonder what else I can do to be successful. It's true, I bust my ass to be successful and make a good living but is it enough or in my mind will it ever be enough. I'm not talking about money specifically, but just my contribution to life in general.

I worry about me, I worrry about Bill, and I worry about us together. I mean that's natural, I want everyone and everything to be okay. I want us to make a difference Bill works hard and is successful. I work hard and I'm successful. Are we doing our best to be our best though? I constantly ask Bill to be on his "A Game", which essentially means being "the best person you can be." However, do I always bring my "A Game?" I hope I do, I want to be the best person I can be and give back.

I was watching Oprah's "Big Give Show" which probably prompted these questions and scenarios to appear in my head. Which lead me to ask the question, Do I really make a difference? I heard a quote on the show from one of the judges, (Comedian Chris Rock's wife). She stated, "Service is the rent we pay to live life." Profound and mind provoking, am I doing a service to anyone or anything? Often times, Bill and I come home eat dinner, watch TV, and go to bed. It's kinda boring and I'm constantly searching in my mind for things to do that are new and exciting. Bill works later in the evenings and he's usually tired and not really into doing much after a long day at the office but that doesn't mean that I can provide a service for someone and actually make a difference!

So make a difference I will. I am going to try and do something different, and make a difference in someone's life. That will hopefully resolve my internal conflicts in which my head and my heart aren't matching up.

Enjoy your view and make a difference!

Making a living or Making a life?

So okay, it's been asked of me in recent days, Can't you just slow down? Why do you work so much they ask? The truth is, yes, I'm a workaholic or so I have been told. I enjoy working, I feel useful and productive. I enjoy earning a great living and I enjoy making a great life for myself. I believe I can have and do both, make a great living and make a great life.

Truth be told, My job with Prevent, Inc is a great dream come true. I have many moments while working with Prevent where I just have to pinch myself and wonder if this is really work? I get to travel to some of my favorite cities, see some amazing sites, stay in nice hotels, enjoy different people, drink spirits in cool bars, and eat meals out til my heart is content. How lucky am I?

I still pick up shifts at the hospital near my house. Working at the hospital is definitely different from my experiences with Prevent, but I like it nonetheless. Nursing in an acute setting has changed in the years, but I'm still very challenged and I'm honored to say that I'm still in awe of the miracles I see performed in that ER. I still believe I make a difference in people's lives whether large or small.

So yes, I probably put in way too many hours and work much harder than I really need to, but I really enjoy. The older I get, the more I realize I can't really sit still, my mind is constantly wondering what I will do next. I do enjoy hanging out with my husband and my friends, I don't miss out on much.

Work hard, play hard....a way of life!

Enjoy your view!

Family Affair

It's always great to be surrounded by family in good times and/or bad. Although, I can honestly say, I prefer the good times (birthdays, weddings, vacations, anniversaries, etc) over the bad (funerals, hospitalizations, etc). However, over the past weekend we had a bad occasion that gathered us all together.

Bill's Dad, David passed away last week and we had the funeral on Monday. Truth be told, he's been ill for some time and he's gotten progressively worse over the last few weeks. Safe to say he's in a better place now and it's the best for all involved. I'm sure the boys (Bill's brothers) will miss him very much but they have a wonderful bank of memories made with him to draw upon.

I guess it's true....Life really is a series of hellos and goodbyes. Cherish both!

Enjoy your day!

Wife

Yes, it's true, I am Bill's wife. That in itself is very scary to me, I enjoy being married and we have a great life together. I must say it's nice to be a wife but many times I wish there were two of me. Which led me to a brillant idea. I should take out an ad looking for an extra wife. Yes, that's right, I need a wife as well.

Bill tries to help when he can and has the time, but he's very busy too. So I decided, I need a wife to cook, clean daily, organize, straighten up, run errands, do chores, water plants, etc. I doubt anyone would really want this job let alone apply for it. However, if you think of it that's the job of a wife, all the above plus get kids to various locations at the same time, soccer, golf, tennis practice, ballet, dance, etc. Kinda scary.

I wish I had the time and/or ambition to complete all the duties of a wife. All this stuff just catches up with you and then you are instantly overwhelmed at all of the "stuff" that lies ahead. Maybe I need to plan a little better. That will be my goal for the month of March, to not let things pile up and then stress out when looking at all the stuff that needs my attention.

That's right, more planning and less stress. Bill's not sure I'm capable of not stressing about things that need completed but we will see...

Enjoy your view!

"Is a bell necessary on a bicycle"

When I first heard this phrase, I died laughing. Strange collection of words to put together. Well, I first heard this when my great grandmother whose name is Isabelle Leo told us her childhood chums would tease her about her name and ask "Is a bell necessary on a bicycle"? Aspen and I thought that was too funny. I share this story because on February 16th Gram Leo passed away at the ripe old age of 99.

Sad day for all who heard the news. The truth of the matter is she has been ready to go for the last 20 years. As kids, she has spent many winters with us, I think 14 in all. Everyone loved her, our friends and family always welcomed her arrival. She was Gram to most, and some called her Iz or Izmo. I have many fond memories of her when she spent those winters with us, she would eat green gummy mint leaves, orange slices, and pork chops with mint jelly. She would fold endless baskets of laundry and tidy up our rooms. We had a pool growing up, and she would do many laps around the pool deck for her "exercise." She loved to watch Regis and Kathie Lee with a cup of tea and a hearty breakfast and on Sundays she would watch Robert Schueller religiously (no pun intended). She and my mom were the best of buds, and my mom treasured those winters she spent with us. Another fond memory was when we took Gram to Franes Fashions where she would load up on new clothes, slacks, blouses, and some pearls. We always encouraged her to get brighter colors so we could see her coming. For the most part, she obliged.

I will miss Gram terribly but I also will cherish those great times and they will be with me forever. I don't know many people who can say they knew their great grandma let alone had a great relationship with her. She lived a great life, 99 years old is quite an accomplishment. I hope they are having a huge party up in Heaven and she is catching up with her husband and all her friends...they have waited a long time for her arrival. We will miss you and you know we loved you so much.

Enjoy your view!

Full Cycle

I feel as though my life has come full cycle in just 29 short years of being on this earth. I was born in 1978 at Baylor Memorial Hospital in Dallas Texas. Well this past week I spent working at Baylor Memorial Hospital in Waxahachie Texas. Same Baylor facility, different city. I chuckle at that and realize just how far I have come.

Now I'm not really a boastful person, however, I love my life and I'm very proud of the life that I have made. Granted, Bill and I now share everything about our life and what we have with each other. It's ironic how things work out. Before I met Bill, I was looking for the piece to complete my puzzle. I had a great professional life and I was just looking for someone to share my personal life with. I have a beautiful house and lots of great "things" but I was missing that special someone to enjoy all this with. Now I have him and we are doing remarkably well. Like everyone, we have bumps to work through but it's now done with more ease.

Who would have guessed that this baby born in Dallas Texas at a Baylor Facility would eventually get to return to Baylor a positive, productive member of society. Pretty cool!

Enjoy your view!

Car Shopping

I never knew that car shopping could be so stressful. I mean you are looking at beautiful new autos to purchase, bring home, and live happily ever after with them, right? Well, Bill and I are in the market for 2 new cars this year, not really anticipated but our cars are 10 years old and we are ready to have newer and more reliable cars.

Luckily, we have purchased one car (mine) an 08 honda crv and we have one to go with Bill's car. We did not encounter any trouble in purchasing mine, friendly sales staff, reasonable price, and the exact car we wanted. We had test driven the car one time, did our "homework" on price points, researched gas mileage, reliability, and reached at price point we would be happy with. All in all, a nice experience. Thank you honda!

Fast forward a few days, Bill and I go again to car dealerships and I am anticipating a similiar experience with the others. Not so much. We first enter the Nissan Dealership to look at the 09 Murano. First we are damn near mugged as we get out of the car. A pushy sales person runs over to us asking "is anyone helping you guys?". No, no one is helping us, as you saw we just are getting out of the car, so he shows us the Murano, very nice but not what Bill really wants. After sharing that with him, he then asked, "What can I do to get your business today?" well, we told we aren't looking to buy the exact same day we saw the vehicle, we are doing some comparsion shopping.

We then go to the Ford dealership to look at Bill's favorite the Ford Edge. He loves this car and will most likely get it. So another sales person comes out of the woodwork, informing us he's relatively new with Ford (since January) but he's willing to help us with anything he can. Bill drives the Ford Edge and is really pleased with it. He's choosing the model he wants, color, interior, etc. So for grins, we have the guy run the numbers again for comparison reasons. Much to Bill's dismay they aren't going to give him what he wants for his trade in and the sales person's price point is a lot higher than we want to spend. When we tell him we are unhappy with the price, he then says, "Well, what can I do to get your business today?" These sales people must obviously be trained to say that when people aren't happy with what they originally said. Like I'm gonna change my mind and give you my business today because you are going to go above and beyond the call of duty and give me this Fantastic Deal when I originally said I was unhappy with what you originally said. Does that make any sense?

So we leave and proceed to another Ford dealership because Bill really wants the Ford Edge. Here's the silve lining in all of this car bull shit. The third and final sales person is not pushy, non intrusive, doesn't ask for our business repeatedly, and is generally a really nice guy. Bill's struck the jack pot. He loves the car, likes the salesperson and is very happy.

So we will be bringing home a new Ford Edge for Bill. The best news of all is we are set for cars for awhile now. Thank god!

Enjoy your view!

Negative Results!!!!!!

My test results came back and they are NEGATIVE!!!! No chance of breast cancer. That's the best news I have heard all week.

I'm so thankful and I want to thank all my friends and family for all the thoughts and prayers!!!!

Enjoy your day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prayer Request

Today is the day I will get my results from my biopsy. I'm not horribly religious but I do have many candid conversations with God and I do pray frequently. I would appreciate any prayers and positive thoughts you could send my way.

In my heart, I believe the results will be good...it's just the fear of the unknown. Thanks for the prayers in advance!

I'll keep you posted.

Enjoy your view!

The next 10 years...

In the midst of a very benign conversation the other night. Bill asks, "Where do you see us in the next 10 years?" Every once in awhile we have these conversations where we come up with these "dream scenarios" of where we see ourselves and what our life would look like in the future. I asked Bill to answer the same question. When we did, our answers were very similiar.

We would both like to move pursue new beginnings, changes of pace, new scenery, and essentially a new start. He then asked, wouldn't we miss our friends and our family, clearly I said yes. But that's the beauty of being married, we are our own family. Truth be told, we would miss everyone but we could come and visit. Bill's family lives here and we rarely see them, they have their own things going on, marriages, kids, careers, and life. We see my parents when we can. My sister moved to Colorado to pursue her "new life" which is great, and truth be told we will see her once or twice a year as she too, has her own things going on.

Bill and I were thinking and talking about how great our life is now and we can't wait to see what happens in "the next 10 years."

Here's to being our own family!

Enjoy your view!

Family Weekend

It's nice to be surrounded by the people you love the most and love you the most. My folks are in town spending the weekend with Bill and I. It's always nice to have them around and do things around Orlando. We can do anything or nothing and have a good time.

Family is like comfort food, when you are down they are the ones you look toward for some relief, some comfort, and "to make everything alright." I'm blessed with a great family and a great life. I just need to remind myself of that daily....happy to be me and be in my position!

Enjoy your view!

Politics

Politics is a very sticky situation. It's one of those taboo things that shouldn't be discussed like sex, and money. Yet, somehow, someway it always rears it's ugly head come election time of any kind. Everyone is entitlee to their own opinions about politics and I certainly respect that. That being said, I rarely discuss politics in "mixed company."

However, at work, we got into the "old political debate." It's amazing to me the number of people actually "hate" those running for President. I mean, how could you actually hate a person you don't even know. I mean, you might "hate" their beliefs, morals, and values, but do you have to hate them as a person? I won't go into great detail my political party preference but those who know me, know who I like and don't like. But the comments I heard were downright ridiculous...Obama is black, "I don't want a black president." Technically, he's not 100% black, plus does race affect how one can run the Country? There have been many great "black" leaders in our time. My coworkers will say, Clinton is female. "I don't want a WOMAN president, my philosophy is, "Why the hell not?" There are tons of SUCCESSFUL WOMAN with high powered jobs in our country. It's time we have a different option, this is the 21st century. In some instances, women hold more powerful, higher paying jobs than men and they are praised for that.

People say, "I don't want Guiliani," he's a New Yorker. Well, whether you like him or not, he did survived a horrid situation while in NY during 9/11. People think John McCain is too old...hello weren't we trying to elect Bob Dole a few years ago, who is ancient and debilitated? Yes, John McCain is 71 years old, but he has his facets about him. They say Mitt Romney is "arrogant" I agree but in some instances arrogance is attractive and portrayed as "confidence." Wouldn't you want a confident leader heading our country?

I could go on and on about this , but I won't. The bottom line is everyone's opinion, morals, values, and ideas are different. So we should respect that and move on. With that said, Everyone in the upcoming election should honor their civic duty and VOTE.

Every Vote Counts!

Live for today...

As I lay in bed last night trying to get to sleep, I thought about how I live my life. It dawned on me that I'm constantly looking for the next day without really living "today" for all it's worth. I think that's how I get stressed out. I worry about too much about stuff that's out of my control to a certain extent.

So from now on, I will try my best to worry less, and live more. I need to do things that I really enjoy doing and not worry about "the next day" and I will start living for and enjoying "today."

How do you define emergency?

It's funny, have you ever thought what an emergency is to you? An "emergency" to a worried parent might be locating that missing child or to a squimish parent, a child's protruding broken bone. An "emergency" to a teenager might be finding the perfect dress or perfect pair of shoes for that once in a lifetime date that he or she will go on or it might be that he/she states, 'It's an emergency that I find my missing cell phone, how is anyone gonna call me if I don't find it? For an elderly man and his wife of 60 years, the "emergency" may be having their doctor on speed dial as their health is failing. For that patient in the hospital having just undergone an appendectomy, the "emergency" might having a nurse call their doctor to prescribe a different pain medication as the current medication isn't strong enough. For firefighters, the "emergency" is rescuing a family of four from a burning house. So as you can see, Emergency is different for everyone.

As I write about this, let me tell you how I define "emergency". A few days ago, while at my mammogram a "suspicious mass" was found for which I would need a needle biopsy to determine if the mass was malignant or not. Essentially, the difference between having breast cancer or not. Being a nurse, I know the different options I have. But that doesn't mean that to me, it's not an emergency that I am able to have the needle biopsy done as soon as possible. In my mind, I need this done "emergently" if nothing else for peace of mind or to mentally prepare for what lies ahead. (Don't worry I am having positive thoughts about the outcome.)

However, it seems as though the nurse of my OB/GYN doesn't share the same feelings I have about emergently getting in to have the needle biopsy done or else she would have returned my call today. I know she's busy but a call back would have been nice. So I will continue to make a pest of myself until I have my appointment for the needle biopsy. Which also makes me aware of just how much a patient advocate you have to be for yourself as you can quickly slide through the cracks of our wonderful healthcare system. So tomorrow, and the next day, and so on I will constantly call and get that appointment. I will let you know how it goes.

As you think about the term "emergency", just think about all the different meanings it has and how it effects all types of people.

Take time to enjoy your view!

Routines

I have to say that I'm a huge fan of one having a routine. Now, I know that some people would rather light their hair on fire than follow a routine. I like knowing when I wake up in the morning I am going to do X, Y, and Z. I have to have a plan or else I am lost.

I write of this, because I have the next couple of weeks off from Prevent, I don't go anywhere til the beginning of February. There is no routine in just being "off" for a couple of weeks. I know this sounds crazy to those who would love a couple of weeks so, well to me, it's horribly unproductive. It's like I need to do something or complete something, or have a "day at work" to feel productive. So, I will develop a routine for the while I am off. We will see how my weeks plan out...I will let you know.

Life lessons and Character Builders

Every once in awhile everyone needs a good life lesson. It just so happens that they often come when they are least expected and certainly unwelcome. However, with all life lessons, one must learn from it and move on toward becoming a better person.

I had a particularly difficult day this past week when a couple of people very close to me came down pretty hard on me. Yes, maybe it was deserved but not in the matter they delivered it. So I was pretty hurt, but it did allow me to learn from what they said and move on. These two people mean the world to me so the blows were hard to swallow but the good thing is I forgive, forget, learn from it and move on. These are the types of things that build character, and I can never have enough character!

On a lighter note, Bill and I have had a great time here in Keystone. We are ready to get home, but this has been a nice retreat from our every day life. Today, we are just hanging out with each other, watching football, and preparing to head home. Next week will be back to reality for us and I'm sure we'll wish we were back here in Keystone!

Enjoy your day!!!

Snow

Well, we are here in Colorado and it's been snowing since the day we arrived. It's awesome, and such a change of pace from the heat of Florida. We arrived in Denver on Monday, had dinner with my sister and her roommates then made our way up to Keystone. What would have normally take 2 hours to reach Keystone took us 3.5 hours as we were lost driving around Keystone trying to find our condo. Picture this, two Floridians driving in snow, in the pitch black of night, in a foreign town, with shitty directions to a condo we had never seen before. Talk about frustrating. But we made it.

The second day, Bill and I rented skis for our first ski adventure together. Let's just say that Bill didn't enjoy sking as much as he thought he would. With being winded, and tired in just walking to the gondola to go up the mountain we knew it was going to be a long day for him. We decided to ski together at first then Bill went in front of me and proceeded to fall multiple times. He skied down one half of the mountain and chose to take the chair lift down the other half of the mountain claiming that his ski days are over and he is now in retirement. I enjoyed sking down the mountain and did okay on the "green slopes."

My sister joined us the third day of sking and she took me on the "blue slopes" talk about a mistake. After multiple falls, I was sure that the blues were not for me. After being on the verge of tears and with multiple aches and pains after the many falls taken, I decided to suck it up, collect myself and try again. With some luck, I did much better after some lessons from Aspen.

I had decided that two days of sking were enough for me. I would love to come out and ski again, and I will I just need to gear up for it. But for now we are enjoying the company of my sister, the sights and sounds of Colorado and of course the diverse people out here. Oh to be on vacation.

A vacation from the vacation

So Bill and I are heading out to Colorado on monday. It will be great to get away, ski, enjoy each other, see Aspen, and just take in the wind chill and the scenery. However, have you ever wondered just how much stuff needs to be done before you actually go out of town on vacation?

It's like you need a vacation from the actual "getting ready" for vacation, then you need a vacation from your vacation when you come back just to recover and gear up to get back to the real world. Nonetheless, we will enjoy our time and say, "wow that vacation went flying by."

So off I go to complete my "to do list" of stuff needed to get done before this vacation....Did I mention I'm excited to go?

New Years Resolutions....

This year, I've decided I'm going to be happy with how I am. Yes, I would like to change certain things about myself. However, I need to practice being HAPPY with Me.

I'm looking forward to 2008! New adventures, New opportunities, New friendships, and a positive outlook. I will stress less, worry less, laugh more, and love more. I won't worry if things aren't "done the way I would do them" instead I will settle for "good enough is good enough" for everyone's sake.

I am looking forward to sharing the new year with Bill, I have a feeling that it will be great for us. I'm so incredibly lucky to have him in my life and he makes me very happy.

Wishing ya'll health, happiness, and much success in 2008.