Visit with Rachel E

July 11-Oops! Forgot this one, but don't discount the importance of this visit. Rachel E. and I have been friends since 2nd grade. Rachel now lives in Kentucky with her husband, Greg, and her daughter, Haley. Rachel and Haley came to visit Rachel's parents, who now live in Vancouver, WA (just a 2.5 hour drive from me), so I got to drive up for a visit on this day. We got to chat for a few hours and then went to lunch. We had Mexican food, just like old times in TX. :) We had fun reminiscing about those 'growing up' years.

The Wedding Day

Aug 23-Today, Andy and Kelsey got hitched! The wedding was just the right amount of tradition, silliness, fun and sweet to reflect these two. They were married in the gym of the grade school where they met (which is just down the street from Gwinn and Sheila's house). Gwinn (Justin and Andy's dad) officiated the ceremony and did a great job. The ceremony was very personal with stories of Andy and Kelsey growing up and with the vows they wrote. Popcorn and Capri Sun drinks were served to guests before the wedding started. Corban (Justin's nephew) was the ring bearer, at age 8months, and was pulled down the aisle in a red wagon by his mom and dad. Oscar, Andy and Kelsey's 4-mo. old bulldog, clad with a black bowtie, also served as a ring bearer. When the ceremony was over, Andy and Kelsey hopped aboard their blue tandem bicycle and rode to Gwinn and Sheila's house, where the reception was held. The reception was fun, at least the part that I participated in. I was the party-pooper and went home early since I had to work the next day. All in all, a great day!

Swimming

Aug 18th-I was visiting with my friend Genny (who is also pregnant) at church yesterday, and she was telling me about going swimming the other day with her husband. She was telling me about the wonders of being bouyant for a period of time. I found myself wondering why I had not yet been to the pool this summer. So, after work today, Justin and I went to the local pool. Wow! I wouldn't have said that I was uncomfortable with my pregnany, but after being in the pool for half an hour I felt great! Justin and I stayed in the lap pool and walked, used the kick board and swam during that half hour. When we got out (after nearly collapsing under my weight, which was no longer supported by the water) I felt so refreshed. We will definitely be doing that again!

New Hospital Receiving Patients

Aug 10- We moved patients to the new hospital today. It is neat to be a part of a landmark event. Today, Sacred Heart Medical Center opened its second campus in Springfield and began receiving patients. The ED started treating patients this morning. I rode over in the ambulance with my patient around noon. The trip went smooth and was uneventful. I had to 'admit' my patient to the new hospital, which meant entering and reviewing all doctor's orders and performing an admission assessment (basically a lot of computer work). There was a sense of excitement all day and although things were stressful at times (trying to find supplies, locating equipment, etc.) the overall move went very well.

Prenatal classes

August 4th-Wow! We can't believe it is already time to begin prenatal classes. Where has the time gone? We are just taking a basic prenatal class offered through our doctor's office. This consists of two, 2-hour classes one week apart. The first class was tonight. There were 9 couples, all having their first babies. I think Justin and I were the oldest ones there. :) Five of the couples are having boys, 2 couples are having girls and 2 couples (us included) are waiting for the surprise. The class was informative and good review for me. My doctor's nurse, Tracy, is teaching the class and she is a hoot. She is full of energy and obviously very passionate about her job.

I'm still blessedly not experiencing many uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms. People at work (who don't know me well) are now starting to ask if I'm pregnant. (You can hide a lot in scrubs). I had a patient the other day have to help me pick up something off the floor. I'm not bending at the waist so well any more. :) I'm starting the notice swollen ankles and feet after an 8-hr shift and I'm basically worthless when I get home from an 8-hour shift. But these are my only complaints at this point. I don't have any heartburn, nausea, excessive fatigue or back pain. I consider myself very blessed and do not take this overall good feeling for granted.

Camping

August 2-3; Our new favorite spot to camp is at Justin's parents house. They have 8 acres and the Mohawk river runs through part of it. We pull our motorhome (yes, we still consider this camping) under the trees about halfway into the property and set up camp. Justin's parents camp in their trailor close by. There is a firepit for all to gather around in the evening. Best of all, when we need it, there is indoor plumbing available 24/7 just a few feet away. :) The dogs LOVE going camping here. They do not have to be tied up. The can run and swim and generally exhaust themselves all weekend long. Best of all, they get to be around us all the time, as they sleep in the motorhome too. This is one of the rare times they get to be "inside" dogs.

Our purpose this weekend was to continue cleaning up/repairing/building for Andy and Kelsey's wedding reception just a few weeks away. We accomplished lots and had a great time visiting/resting in the evenings.

Visiting Family

July 15-21; My dad and grandparents came for a visit this week. We had a nice visit. My dad got to do some fishing in the Oregon rivers/lakes and enjoy the cooler temperatures of the northwest. Justin and his dad took my dad on a fishing/float trip down a local river, each in their own pontoon boat. This would have been a good trip, but at the end of it, my dad took an unintentional swim in the river and drowned his cell phone. Oops!

My grandparents got to spend some time with their three granddaughters (and their spouses) and their great-granddaughter (my cousin's little girl). I don't recall that we did many exciting things. I think we entertained ourselves by eating, running errands and napping. We did go pick blueberries one day. We washed and froze approx 25 lbs. of blueberries between all of us. Yumm! We will enjoy having blueberry cobblers/crisps during the winter now (that is, if I don't eat them all before). :)

On Monday, I went to work and my dad and grandparents headed back to Kennewick. My grandma vacuumed and straightened the house before leaving. I enjoyed coming home from work to a straight house. Thank you, Grandma!

Fireworks and spastic dogs

Justin and I decided we didn't want to stay out too late on July 4th, so we opted to stay at home and watch the neighbors' fireworks. The neighbors across the street and to the left of our house put on a big show every year. The guy has his pyro license and can purchase illegal fireworks at discount prices and his family goes "all-out." We planned to enjoy a few fireworks and then turn the A/C window unit on to drown out the noise when we were ready to go to bed. What we didn't count on was the response of our newest dog, Tucker. We were not home last year during the fireworks and had no idea that Tucker does not enjoy them at all. Even after a dose of benadryl, Tucker couldn't sit down and stay in one place. At one point, he tried to run through our glass door at full speed. Luckily, that glass was thick and held strong. Jake just wanted to bark at the fireworks, so he got a dose of benadryl too. After his dose, we could have lit his tail on fire and he would have just continued to happily gnaw on his bone. Since Tucker could not settle down, Justin and I decided to stay awake for the duration of the fireworks. We set up the hammock in the backyard and actually saw the best firework show I've ever seen. The first half hour was like the 'grand finale' of a community firework show. The fireworks were huge, frequent, and best of all, could be seen from the comforts of home. Around midnight the display was finally winding down and Tucker could finally relax a bit, so Justin and I called it a night and slept soundly.

June 2008

June 2008-The month of June passed without much flair. June 14th we attended Justin's work party at the Portland Zoo and then drove back to Springfield for Andy's (Justin's brother) graduation party. I went to visit my aunt,uncle, great aunt and grandparents in Kennewick, WA June 17-20. I had a nice, relaxing visit. I was able to do lots of reading and resting, the perfect vacation in my opinion. :) Work started getting busy. Lots of staff out for orientations at the new hospital, so they started providing incentive pay for other staff to pick up the "vacant" shifts. In spite of the incentive pay (and the daily phone calls), I was only inclined to pick up one extra shift every 2 weeks. :)