It's Been A Year

Wow. 2012 already! I have been seriously slacking on this Blog.

Here's what happening...

1. We are adopting a dog this week--his name is Baxter & he is a chiweenie. We will see how Vegas (the cat) will react to this.

2. We have been searching for houses/exploring the idea of building a pre-fab house. Time will tell what we decide.

3. We both started a new job in 2011. What a year of change!

4. We are psyched that the Patriots are going to the Superbowl.

Alas, A New Post!

It's been quite some time since I updated this blog. Tomorrow is my last day at my current job. I will miss my co-workers but I am really looking forward to this opportunity with a new company, a fresh start! I'll still be doing hospice, which is what I really love.

Tom & I are going away for the weekend and I am so excited! We are headed to a B&B in North Conway, NH. We even have a jacuzzi in our room! It'll be nice to just get away for a few days and unwind. I'll be sure to take some pics.

Here are a few recent pics I'd like to share.


Yummy dinner I made one night.


Vegas loves Tommy's laptop case, hence the nickname she has earned "Cat-top"


Failed attempt at dinner...set the smoke detector off twice!


Kitchen got so smokey, we had to open a window in 13 degree weather...oops!

Sick and Tired Of

Having one of those I'm "Sick & Tired" of days. I am sick and tired of coming home after a long day of work and cleaning, and cleaning on the weekends, and having to figure out what to make or pick-up for dinner. That's how I was feeling a little while ago. Then, I began reflecting on this attitude of mine. I started feeling guilty and began asking myself, "How can you be angry when you have so much to be thankful for."

I know at times we all feel overwhelmed and exhausted and "tired of" the same old same old. I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. A loving husband who cares for me & is home with me every night, wonderful family who love and support me, friends who would drop everything in half a second if I ever needed them. I have a job in this AWFUL economy, a job that I REALLY like.

With that being said, I work with people every day that have 6 months or less to live. Working with people toward the end of their lives, really makes you reflect on your own life. Bottom line is, life is TOO SHORT to spend any time being miserable or feeling sorry for yourself. God has a plan for me, for you, for everyone and I really believe in my heart, he won't give us anything we can't handle.

As I was cleaning off the desk in the spare room, feeling frustrated today, I came across an old "fortune" from a fortune cookie laying on the desk.

It read, "Ask yourself this question: "Is my attitude worth catching?"

So, I ask anyone who is reading this blog entry today to please reflect on that question. I know I will...

Back to cleaning and organizing around the house. Planning on doing so with a BETTER ATTITUDE.

Many Changes

So many changes have happened since I last blogged. On September 2nd I started my new job as a Hospice RN Case Manager. Basically, I am responsible for a group of patients in nursing homes, assisted livings, and private homes within the community. This is end-of-life care and requires lots of travelling. I don't mind the travelling, as there is mileage reimbursement, and it is something so different than what I was doing before. I really enjoy getting to spend more one-on-one time with patients, work with an interdisciplinary time, and have more autonomy within the practice. This is really what I have been hoping to do since I graduated nursing school.

I will be orienting with more experienced nurses' over the next few weeks. So far, I am really enjoying my orientation process. There is a lot of new paperwork, policies, and procedures that I am learning about. I even did a few assessments myself this week.

In other news, Tom & I will be celebrating our one year anniversary on Sunday! I can't believe we have been married that long already! I think we are going to have a low-key day, which will hopefully include cake & ice cream (LOL!) I am so proud to call Tom, my husband and I look forward to seeing what the future will bring for us. I am hoping for at least 70 more anniversaries :OP.

Until next time...

Our New Car

Drumroll please! At least we have picked out our new car. I picked it up from the Dealership yesterday. In case you have not heard, it is a 2010 Pontiac G6. We got a great deal & low financing, and I seriously couldn't be happier with it.

Things I love about the new car:
1. It is a GORGEOUS red. I named my car "Rose" because of it's color
2. It has the radio buttons on the steering wheel
3. It has an 'info' button that tells you (% of oil in your car, miles, tire pressures, etc)
4. It has cruise control (we really could've use it on our road trip)
5. It has I-pod hookups
6. The cup holders are really close so you don't have to reach so far
7. It has a lumbar support button to firm or soften the area of the seat touching your lumbar spine
8. It has A/C (the Blazer's A/C was broken & with this heat wave, I couldn't be more grateful)
9. It has a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty
10. Tom & I bought a major thing together & are building up our credit even more!!!

Roomies Reunited

Nicky (my bestest & roomie from college) came to spend Thursday & Friday at our house. Last night she arrived around 4:30 pm, then we caught up for a bit & went out for dinner. Tom, Nicky, Steven (my brother in-law), and I ate at this place in Pawtucket called the "Garden Grill." It was so fabulous to have an entirely vegetarian meal...and actually have more than two items to select on a menu. It's officially my new "happy place." We had grilled sweet potato wedges for an appetizer. I drank a ginger lemonade that tasted heavenly. Main course was a butternut squash quesadilla (butternut squash, black beans, avacado, and vegan "cheese." It was honestly AMAZING. After dinner, we all took a ride to whole foods and bought these decadent vegan cupcakes with about a mile of frosting. YumTastic!

Today, Nicky & I woke up around 7:30, had a cup of coffee, went to Stop & Shop, ate brekkie, then headed out for a walk on the bike path. Then we took a ride to work to pick up my check, then to the bank. Next, we headed to Jackie's Galaxie for lunch. We ate avacado sushi rolls & Yasai sushi rolls (a mixed veggie sort) and had some nimche (lettuce, basil, bean sprouts in a rice wrapper with peanut sauce). After lunch, Nicky treated us to some fruit smoothies from the Coffee Connection. Finally, we went to the Wrentham Outlets for a few hours & shopped around a bit. It was a GREAT GREAT GREAT day. Sadly, Nicky had to leave around 4 pm :O(

Tonight, Tom & I went to a Hyundai dealership and priced out some vechicles. We have come to the conclusion that we are going to buy a car instead of an SUV b/c it is more fuel efficient. We will keep the blazer, which has 4WD for the winter time. So now we just have to save a little, then we're so buying a car. Still not sure what type though. Perhaps and Hyundai Sonata???

We also took a ride to Walmart tonight to pick up a few things, then went back to Stop & Shop to do some grocery shopping. And, alas, we are now resting. Have to get up for work early tomorrow...

A Quick Weekend Update

Friday, everything was back to normal. My mother-in-law and I did our normal Friday shopping & prepared a fabulous meal for the guys when they got out of work. It was great.

Saturday & Sunday we spent at the campground where my parents have a seasonal site. A few of my other family members were camping there, too & it was so great to just relax and have a WHOLE HOLIDAY WEEKEND off...the first entire holiday weekend off in over two years!