The Smell of Earth

Two weeks ago I started planting some Boxwood shrubs along the south fence of my backyard. I bought some for the north fence, too, but the blizzard last week derailed the plan to plant them for a couple days! Today's 80 degree weather, however, was quite conducive to yard work. Plus, all the moisture in the ground from the melted snow made digging holes in the clay that is my backyard much easier!

Now no laughing, I know they're little. They were actually on sale at Home Depot and will eventually grow to 3 feet high, which will be a nice hedge along both fences. Plus, it'll be cool to watch the house and yard change with time. I know I'm not going anywhere...


And what a great day today was! I got off work this morning - we all got our butts kicked last night. 1 ATV fatality, 3 stabbings and 2 gun shot wounds. And that was just in trauma! The rest of us (I was in peds) spent all night trying to empty the ever-refilling waiting room. Anyway, I got home and slept for a couple hours and then planted all 8 shrubs on the north side. I even got the lawn mowed and the garage cleaned out.

I've decided that my favorite smell of all time is earth. Especially after rain. And I really got to inhale deeply while digging all those holes. There just nothing as natural as nature.

Weather

Monday I slept with the windows open.
Monday night I drove to work in rain and hail.
Tuesday morning it took me 3 hours to drive home in a blizzard.
Tuesday night I called in to work because I-25 was closed all the way down to the Springs due to snow.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be 60 and sunny.
Gotta love Colorado.

Snowy Birthday

My Happy 26th turned into a very Snowy 26th! But it was good nonetheless. The Beeneys and Michelle came over for dinner - we had steak and potatoes and salad and strawberry shortcake. Yummy!
Joshua found the spoon especially tasty.


Although it wasn't the big party I had last year I think I liked this birthday better. Good food, good conversation and good friends are my favorite. And I got the best birthday present ever! Michelle made me a book full of pictures of Colorado wildflowers that she's taken over the years. It's beautiful! And the clothes from the Beeneys will of course come in handy, too!

We've been having weird weather here in Denver. It's nice for a couple days and then it gets nasty and snows again. And it's always different down in the Springs at work than it is at home. I was driving home this morning in rain that turned to snow that turned to bad wind, and ended up at home in Denver to sunny skies. Keeps me on my toes!

And speaking of work, the new job is going well. The ER is the biggest in Colorado - 68 beds! And we're the 7th busiest in the nation by numbers alone. The first night I worked was the night of the tornadoes in southern Colorado. We got 4 choppers in an hour and ended up with 6 trauma alerts. Not to mention the 3 people I sent to the cath lab for heart attacks and the 2 we had to intubate for respiratory problems. Whew! I was told that we daily see anywhere from 3-4 hundred patients! But with that many rooms and lots of nurses it doesn't seem too bad. And these guys are so well-staffed! The nurses complain about being short, but they have no idea how good they've got it! :) So far I kinda like it. I think I might stick around for a while...

Me Next!

After 5 great weeks working down in Orlando, it was time to see the rest of the family! And what better reason than Bob's BFA show! His work was fantastic and it was amazing to see how many friends and family came out to see him. I think over half the gallery visitors were just for him! I've already commissioned him for a tea set like the one he had on display. I guess that
means I'll have to pay for his work now... It's definitely worth it!


The weather in GR was nice, but Dad and I couldn't resist a snowball fight. I think that all of us had a little kiddo in us - probably because we were so excited about Katie's new baby! It was nice to celebrate Erin's birth while we were all together. Nice timing, Kate!


A great bonus to this trip was seeing all my college roommates. Missy and Erin live in GR and Jenn and her family drove down from Canada for the weekend. What an awesome opportunity to catch up! We went shopping, had dinner at our favorite restaurant - Seoul Garden, drank chi at the Fish House and played Wii sports. (There's a video that may still end up on U-Tube. Sorry, Erin and Missy!) The amazing thing about this group of friends is that even though we only get to see each other every couple of years, and we don't email very often because all of us are horrible at it, whenever we're together we pick up right where we left off. We all know each other so well that it just works, no matter where we all end up.


Oh, and I didn't forget the next tonsil picture! Although this one is less vocal cords and more just silly. Love you guys.

Another week in Florida

Saturday Mom and I had a girls' day. We went and got manicures and pedicures and went out for coffee. Fun! And then Mom and Dad had their "Mane Event" fund raiser auction for school. They looked so cute!Sunday we drove down to Nettles Island to visit Uncle Hank and Aunt Merideen. We walked on the beach and had lunch. It had rained in the morning so the sky was cloudy, but the water was very warm. Mom and I got our toes wet and looked for shells.

And last night was my last night at Fish Memorial. We had a potluck and weren't too busy, which was nice. This is Robyn, one of the nurses I became friends with. And the director said I could come back whenever I wanted, so maybe I'll have to do this again next year! But for now I'm just so excited to go see Bob's show and hang out with the family!

Florida

The purpose of coming down to Florida for 6 weeks was to get away from the snow and cold of Denver, but I didn't know it would be this much of a vacation. And even though I'm working full time down here, I'm very much relaxed.

I get to spend time with Mom and Dad.
I get to sit out on the deck and read in the sunshine.
I get to go to the beach.
I get to see Dad excited over new bromeliads.
I get to laugh with Mom over stories from the ER.
I get to sleep.

Last week Dad and I drove down to Tampa to visit Tropiflora - the biggest nursery I've ever seen. Millions of colored plants filled the net-covered buildings and Dad was like a kid in a candy store. It's a joy to see him so passionate and knowledgeable about these unique plants.



Last Wednesday I drove up to New Symrna Beach and soaked up the sun. The water was a little chilly, even for my taste, but I listened to the gulls and squinched my toes in the cool sand and was warmed by the rays.



And last night I finished my first "real" quilting project. It's a little cheater quilt that I made for Mom's charity auction, but I did it all myself - even the binding! Now I'm starting one that Mom and I pieced together for a friend's new baby. Mom said she was shocked by my interest; I told her it was genetic.

Super Bowl!

Is it really a super bowl party if it's just you and your parents watching the game?


Of course it is!


Mom and Dad and I ate yummy snacks like potato skins, shrimp kabobs and bean dip and watched the Colts beat the bears! Yeah Indianapolis!!


Even Mom got into it (a little). It was fun and a good game. However, I wasn't impressed with the big "Superbowl" ads this year...