thanks, mom and dad, for the movie recommendation, "the pursuit of happyness". i put it at the top of my netflix queue and watched it tonight. inspiring to say the least.
i'll admit that i'm easily impressioned by movies...i become absorbed and empathetic from the get-go. this movie was no exception. very moved by the story of this man who pressed on to make a better life for himself and his son...very moved by this level of perseverance. my life isn't so bad at all. i've never had to work as hard as he did to reach a goal. maybe i'm not reaching high enough. consistently. it's not to say that i don't work hard at what i do. but i am not facing true adversity. i am not that challenged.
i'm sure by admitting this i'm just welcoming a trial of sorts. for me, though, there's no satisfaction without growth. there's no growth without a bit of discomfort.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
work, work, work...
The last several shifts at work have been money-earners. That means, when I finally come home, I say, "Boy did I earn my money today."
We had an absolutely full unit until yesterday, when the mass exodus began. 15 patients went home. That's half our unit! That's also a lot of work. I sent 4 of those patients myself...plus took care of twins, plus did baby bloodwork, plus monitored a 35-week pregnant mom, plus waded through the discharge paperwork for each mom and baby sent home (that's 8 charts), plus didn't eat lunch until about 3P...anyone feeling sorry for me yet?!!
It's days like those that leave me feeling restless for something different. My favorite way to solve the "restlessness" problem is to make a change. My favorite changes tend to be big ones. I need to learn to be satisfied with more subtle improvements. Like, why couldn't I just take up exercising? It's really good for me, I probably would have more energy to handle intense shifts and two busy kids, I might even drop those last ten "baby pounds". Or, maybe I could just pursue some additional certifications in my current specialty. If I pass a national certification exam (that the hospital would reimburse me for), I not only earn an extra $1.50/hr, but I get to sign my name: M Collazo RNC (not just RN). This is very impressive, and I'm sure I would enjoy this accomplishment. Or, I could pursue the clinical ladder in my hospital. This is a way for nurses to earn additional money by presenting proof (i.e. lots of writing) of their clinical skills and judgement. One can earn up to $4.00/hr extra. Both accomplishments and switching to night shift allow me to potentially earn up to $10.00/hr extra than my base pay. This is significant.
All I can think about, though, (and this is where the big change is) is when should I make the switch to critical care so I can start down the path toward anesthesia school? Should I apply this fall to switch specialties? Should I wait till the beginning of the new year? Maybe I should wait until we've worked through the new business for a bit. A completely new specialty would definitely consume a lot of my attention initially, and that might not be wise at this point. Lots to think about, better yet, lots to pray about. There's my answer right there. Acting on a dilemma (in this case, my recurring wanderlust/restlessness/need for change) always decreases the anxiety, so I guess prayer is a wise place to start.
Life was so much easier when I was 8...the biggest dilemma at this point in the summer was what outfit I'd be wearing on the first day of school.
We had an absolutely full unit until yesterday, when the mass exodus began. 15 patients went home. That's half our unit! That's also a lot of work. I sent 4 of those patients myself...plus took care of twins, plus did baby bloodwork, plus monitored a 35-week pregnant mom, plus waded through the discharge paperwork for each mom and baby sent home (that's 8 charts), plus didn't eat lunch until about 3P...anyone feeling sorry for me yet?!!
It's days like those that leave me feeling restless for something different. My favorite way to solve the "restlessness" problem is to make a change. My favorite changes tend to be big ones. I need to learn to be satisfied with more subtle improvements. Like, why couldn't I just take up exercising? It's really good for me, I probably would have more energy to handle intense shifts and two busy kids, I might even drop those last ten "baby pounds". Or, maybe I could just pursue some additional certifications in my current specialty. If I pass a national certification exam (that the hospital would reimburse me for), I not only earn an extra $1.50/hr, but I get to sign my name: M Collazo RNC (not just RN). This is very impressive, and I'm sure I would enjoy this accomplishment. Or, I could pursue the clinical ladder in my hospital. This is a way for nurses to earn additional money by presenting proof (i.e. lots of writing) of their clinical skills and judgement. One can earn up to $4.00/hr extra. Both accomplishments and switching to night shift allow me to potentially earn up to $10.00/hr extra than my base pay. This is significant.
All I can think about, though, (and this is where the big change is) is when should I make the switch to critical care so I can start down the path toward anesthesia school? Should I apply this fall to switch specialties? Should I wait till the beginning of the new year? Maybe I should wait until we've worked through the new business for a bit. A completely new specialty would definitely consume a lot of my attention initially, and that might not be wise at this point. Lots to think about, better yet, lots to pray about. There's my answer right there. Acting on a dilemma (in this case, my recurring wanderlust/restlessness/need for change) always decreases the anxiety, so I guess prayer is a wise place to start.
Life was so much easier when I was 8...the biggest dilemma at this point in the summer was what outfit I'd be wearing on the first day of school.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
happy thursday.
more work on the website today...it's really coming together. we just might make that aug 31 deadline yet. "go-live" here we come.
ian and i like to joke about those various cliche phrases used in the business world such as "go-live", "for all intents and purposes", "at the end of the day..." (as in, "at the end of the day, what really matters is blah blah blah"), and one of our most favorites "have a good one!" so, we've been teasing each other about the aug 31 go-live...maybe we should have a special celebration or something.
today was a beautiful sunny day...mia insisted on getting out the bubbles and would scream if i didn't let her dip the wand in the bottle. miss independent.
nemo spent the entire day dressed as spiderman again...we also listened to the colby's clubhouse record about 10 times.
ian and i got a little date tonight...first he went to tai chi while i drooled over scrapbook supplies in this very cool little store i discovered last week. it's called paperdoll, and they specialize in card-making supplies...lots of great patterned papers and mini-books and rub-ons...a lot of stuff i hadn't seen in some of the other stores in town. they all have their own little personalities, that's for sure. after my brief shopping stint, we met back up and ate dinner at la bonita taqueria on alberta. our favorite mexican place, for sure. i had fish tacos (yum) with the most fresh tasting pico de gallo and guacomole. ian and i both like to drink cokes when we eat mexican food...they just go together. we finished the excursion off with a frosty. cheap dessert that i never get tired of.
a good day had by all. 5 more sleeps till we leave for our trip!
ian and i like to joke about those various cliche phrases used in the business world such as "go-live", "for all intents and purposes", "at the end of the day..." (as in, "at the end of the day, what really matters is blah blah blah"), and one of our most favorites "have a good one!" so, we've been teasing each other about the aug 31 go-live...maybe we should have a special celebration or something.
today was a beautiful sunny day...mia insisted on getting out the bubbles and would scream if i didn't let her dip the wand in the bottle. miss independent.
nemo spent the entire day dressed as spiderman again...we also listened to the colby's clubhouse record about 10 times.
ian and i got a little date tonight...first he went to tai chi while i drooled over scrapbook supplies in this very cool little store i discovered last week. it's called paperdoll, and they specialize in card-making supplies...lots of great patterned papers and mini-books and rub-ons...a lot of stuff i hadn't seen in some of the other stores in town. they all have their own little personalities, that's for sure. after my brief shopping stint, we met back up and ate dinner at la bonita taqueria on alberta. our favorite mexican place, for sure. i had fish tacos (yum) with the most fresh tasting pico de gallo and guacomole. ian and i both like to drink cokes when we eat mexican food...they just go together. we finished the excursion off with a frosty. cheap dessert that i never get tired of.
a good day had by all. 5 more sleeps till we leave for our trip!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
entrepreneurial update...and other stuff
nemiacreative.com is coming along...keep checking on our daily-hourly, really-progress. talk about learning as you go. we are so fortunate that ian is patient and resourceful...the process of building the site, designing and redesigning each piece, the business details...it's all very tedious. and he manages to do it all in the company of a very active 5 yr old. the little boy in question is dressing as spiderman these days. he sings the spiderman theme songs constantly (the one from the 60s cartoon series and also the one from the electric company...thanks to netflix and youtube!!), climbs all over the furniture and even attempts to suspend himself in narrow spaces. he shoots webs at strangers, but then when they say "hey spiderman!!", he yells back "i'm not really spiderman, i'm just dressed like spiderman!" (i do not get this kid...he seems to want the attention, but has a hard time playing along. very literal about things.)
anyway, back to the business...the running spiderman commentary is a bit of a distraction for ian, though i think he has just learned to tune nemo out. and not that nemo is trying to engage ian (well sometimes he is), it's more that nemo is entertaining himself loudly in the background.
today we set up a couple e-mail accounts through our host site (homestead.com), and we even set up our paypal service. we will be able to accept credit cards through paypal without having to open a separate merchant account (yay....less hassle!) and our clients will be able to pay us with credit cards or their own paypal account. the cost is fairly minimal, 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction.
i worked on writing nice descriptions of each piece in the holiday collection while ian sketched out a map for the ordering process...multiple pages, multiple links...all very virtual and time-consuming to set up.
this afternoon i took a break and drove out with the kids and vivien to babies r us to look for a new stroller. up until today, we were using a $20 umbrella stroller from fred meyer, which worked well enough, but was not very enticing to go out on walks with. i still wanted something lightweight and similar to a cheapy umbrella stroller, but a little more substantial. i found a nice graco model in a trendy chocolate brown...very easy to fold and open, and the best part is the handles. they come right up to my waist...so no more bending over to push the stroller. the cheap umbrella strollers are definitely sized for short people. this one was made for people over 5'2"!
the other motivation was my upcoming travel adventure with the kiddos. this stroller is perfect for travel.
so, travel. august 28 is fast approaching, and nemo and i are getting excited. he knows the trip is a week away, and i think he gets the concept of that much time. i did a little prep shopping today, and since i have the next couple days off of work, i'm going to try to have most everything organized and ready.
we don't have much of an itinerary, except to spend lots of time with the canups and grandma and grandpa...we get to meet molly the puppy, too. nemo is excited about that for sure. i'm looking forward to going through old pictures and old stuff...would really like to visit with grandma randall....maybe even my old elementary school so nemo can see where mommy went to kindergarten. we are very much looking forward to this trip! pray for safe and peaceful travels.
anyway, back to the business...the running spiderman commentary is a bit of a distraction for ian, though i think he has just learned to tune nemo out. and not that nemo is trying to engage ian (well sometimes he is), it's more that nemo is entertaining himself loudly in the background.
today we set up a couple e-mail accounts through our host site (homestead.com), and we even set up our paypal service. we will be able to accept credit cards through paypal without having to open a separate merchant account (yay....less hassle!) and our clients will be able to pay us with credit cards or their own paypal account. the cost is fairly minimal, 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction.
i worked on writing nice descriptions of each piece in the holiday collection while ian sketched out a map for the ordering process...multiple pages, multiple links...all very virtual and time-consuming to set up.
this afternoon i took a break and drove out with the kids and vivien to babies r us to look for a new stroller. up until today, we were using a $20 umbrella stroller from fred meyer, which worked well enough, but was not very enticing to go out on walks with. i still wanted something lightweight and similar to a cheapy umbrella stroller, but a little more substantial. i found a nice graco model in a trendy chocolate brown...very easy to fold and open, and the best part is the handles. they come right up to my waist...so no more bending over to push the stroller. the cheap umbrella strollers are definitely sized for short people. this one was made for people over 5'2"!
the other motivation was my upcoming travel adventure with the kiddos. this stroller is perfect for travel.
so, travel. august 28 is fast approaching, and nemo and i are getting excited. he knows the trip is a week away, and i think he gets the concept of that much time. i did a little prep shopping today, and since i have the next couple days off of work, i'm going to try to have most everything organized and ready.
we don't have much of an itinerary, except to spend lots of time with the canups and grandma and grandpa...we get to meet molly the puppy, too. nemo is excited about that for sure. i'm looking forward to going through old pictures and old stuff...would really like to visit with grandma randall....maybe even my old elementary school so nemo can see where mommy went to kindergarten. we are very much looking forward to this trip! pray for safe and peaceful travels.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
good intentions...
Not only a great little Randy Travis tune, but what seems to be one of my prevailing weaknesses...related to blog posting, anyway. I guess not too much is new around our house.
A recap of the last few weeks...Nemo and Mia recovered from yucky colds and are back to their busy little selves. Nemo visited the pediatrician this week for his five-year-old checkup. 44 inches (75th percentile for height...this ki d's going to be 6 feet tall!), 44 pounds, normal vision (no color blindness), he can hear (good to get confirmation of this since we must ask him at least a dozen times to follow directions), meeting all developmental milestones...ready for kindergarten in September. Ian did ask for some tips on how to teach him to blow his nose...Mia can imitate this one quite well, but Nemo can't seem to grasp the "blowing out" concept...he always ends up sucking all the snots back in. Yum. He ended the appointment with a whopping three shots...poor kiddo. Ian said he was very brave, and he got to pick out several prizes from the treasure chest. He woke up in the middle of the night, though, complaining of a sore arm. Sure enough, it was quite tender and swollen and hot to the touch. A little ibuprofen and Arnica oil rubbed in and I sent him back to bed.
Our trusty Honda demanded a new battery today...I demanded a new hair cut. Both demands were fulfilled with great results. I think I've got the hip mom style going on (read: short), but I like it a lot. It suits me well.
No new updates on our website yet, but we were able to purchase Adobe Illustrator with some Flex Reimbursement money, and Ian is teaching himself to use it...he has about 10 holiday cards and 2 birth announcements completed. I think August will be website construction month. "Go live" will b e first part of September, hopefully!
The last two weeks have seen some new additions to our living room...looking much less "bachelor like" these days, I have to say! The couch came first, and Ian's mom was kind enough to take the futon off our hands. Then, the beautiful solid walnut wall unit we found at a vintage store. It's American made, Danish style, 1960s...so very nice and making our humble home very cozy.
With the toasty weather this week, we've been enjoying the window AC unit that Ian installed in the kid's room. Our upstairs is quite small, so the unit cools down the whole space when doors are left open. We spent an afternoon at Grant Park in Portland...very cool old wading pool and "Ramona Quimby" fountains...this was, after all, the park she played in! Mia scampered around in her swim suit...Nemo made a new friend. This new friend happened to be one of the children of a woman whom I had been friends with in a mom's group several years back...when Nemo was still a baby. We're going to play at the park again tomorrow and reconnect a bit.
Movies I've seen lately: Hot Fuzz (hysterical...definitely Netflix this one if you haven't seen it), The Devil Wears Prada (this was on my queue, and for sure a chick flick, though Ian was mildly amused as he watched it with me!), Arrested Development Final Season (ok, technically not a movie, but I loved every minute of this program...brilliant writing), Unfaithfully Yours (a Criterion Collection edition of a 1940s black comedy...very funny, and classic, beautiful ending...not at all bitter...me or the movie!)
Books I'm in the middle of currently: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (this was an Oprah Book Club pick some time ago...it is extremely well written, and with the help of my dictionary, I'm adding to my vocabulary...lots of interesting words in this one), The Abs Diet for Women by David Zinczenko (straight forward, "non-diet" plan to rediscover my abdominals...according to the author, we all have them!), and Starting an Online Business for "Dummies" (abhor the title, but love the content).
Some great used music finds at Everyday Music: Bebel Gilberto "Momento" (love, love, love this music), Juana Molina "Son", Talkdemonic "Beat Romantic", and the latest from Keane. Also found an old Raffi record "Baby Beluga" for the kids.
Some great garage sale finds: large terracotta pots 4/$1, wrought iron garden ornament $1, large Buzz Lightyear toy $1, cool old crocheted pillow that is now my desk chair cushion $2, antique "Kraft" cheese box $2 (great for holding my scrapbook supplies).
The final highlight of the day: Nemo found a pair of Spiderman flip flops at the consignment store where we have ongoing credit. His first pair of flips...he still has a little trouble walking in them, but he loves that he has a pair and I have a pair.
Whew...that's quite the update, and all for now.
A recap of the last few weeks...Nemo and Mia recovered from yucky colds and are back to their busy little selves. Nemo visited the pediatrician this week for his five-year-old checkup. 44 inches (75th percentile for height...this ki d's going to be 6 feet tall!), 44 pounds, normal vision (no color blindness), he can hear (good to get confirmation of this since we must ask him at least a dozen times to follow directions), meeting all developmental milestones...ready for kindergarten in September. Ian did ask for some tips on how to teach him to blow his nose...Mia can imitate this one quite well, but Nemo can't seem to grasp the "blowing out" concept...he always ends up sucking all the snots back in. Yum. He ended the appointment with a whopping three shots...poor kiddo. Ian said he was very brave, and he got to pick out several prizes from the treasure chest. He woke up in the middle of the night, though, complaining of a sore arm. Sure enough, it was quite tender and swollen and hot to the touch. A little ibuprofen and Arnica oil rubbed in and I sent him back to bed.
We took Nemo to take in a great little fireworks show on the 4th...his first ever, and soooo much better than watching it on TV!! We were able to sit on the tailgate of the car, had the perfect view, and zipped on out as soon as they finished.
Our trusty Honda demanded a new battery today...I demanded a new hair cut. Both demands were fulfilled with great results. I think I've got the hip mom style going on (read: short), but I like it a lot. It suits me well.
No new updates on our website yet, but we were able to purchase Adobe Illustrator with some Flex Reimbursement money, and Ian is teaching himself to use it...he has about 10 holiday cards and 2 birth announcements completed. I think August will be website construction month. "Go live" will b e first part of September, hopefully!
The last two weeks have seen some new additions to our living room...looking much less "bachelor like" these days, I have to say! The couch came first, and Ian's mom was kind enough to take the futon off our hands. Then, the beautiful solid walnut wall unit we found at a vintage store. It's American made, Danish style, 1960s...so very nice and making our humble home very cozy.
With the toasty weather this week, we've been enjoying the window AC unit that Ian installed in the kid's room. Our upstairs is quite small, so the unit cools down the whole space when doors are left open. We spent an afternoon at Grant Park in Portland...very cool old wading pool and "Ramona Quimby" fountains...this was, after all, the park she played in! Mia scampered around in her swim suit...Nemo made a new friend. This new friend happened to be one of the children of a woman whom I had been friends with in a mom's group several years back...when Nemo was still a baby. We're going to play at the park again tomorrow and reconnect a bit.
Movies I've seen lately: Hot Fuzz (hysterical...definitely Netflix this one if you haven't seen it), The Devil Wears Prada (this was on my queue, and for sure a chick flick, though Ian was mildly amused as he watched it with me!), Arrested Development Final Season (ok, technically not a movie, but I loved every minute of this program...brilliant writing), Unfaithfully Yours (a Criterion Collection edition of a 1940s black comedy...very funny, and classic, beautiful ending...not at all bitter...me or the movie!)
Books I'm in the middle of currently: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (this was an Oprah Book Club pick some time ago...it is extremely well written, and with the help of my dictionary, I'm adding to my vocabulary...lots of interesting words in this one), The Abs Diet for Women by David Zinczenko (straight forward, "non-diet" plan to rediscover my abdominals...according to the author, we all have them!), and Starting an Online Business for "Dummies" (abhor the title, but love the content).
Some great used music finds at Everyday Music: Bebel Gilberto "Momento" (love, love, love this music), Juana Molina "Son", Talkdemonic "Beat Romantic", and the latest from Keane. Also found an old Raffi record "Baby Beluga" for the kids.
Some great garage sale finds: large terracotta pots 4/$1, wrought iron garden ornament $1, large Buzz Lightyear toy $1, cool old crocheted pillow that is now my desk chair cushion $2, antique "Kraft" cheese box $2 (great for holding my scrapbook supplies).
The final highlight of the day: Nemo found a pair of Spiderman flip flops at the consignment store where we have ongoing credit. His first pair of flips...he still has a little trouble walking in them, but he loves that he has a pair and I have a pair.
Whew...that's quite the update, and all for now.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
so what do big boys do?
they ride bikes without training wheels, of course! nemo is officially a big boy in this category now, as yesterday was the big day. he had been talking about taking them off for awhile, and of course, pointing out the many bikes that didn't have trainers, but finally, both ian and i felt like he was ready. he had definitely backed off on the overuse of the brakes, and he was able to stand up while pedaling to get himself up a hill...also, going down a hill wasn't seeming very scary anymore.
so, we all agreed, and last night was a perfect night for it. 70 degrees, early evening, empty parking lot across the street...perfect. i was so impressed by how well he did. considering how cautious he was with the trainers initially, i expected this to take a lot longer. i worked with him at first, and he was very wobbly and nervous. he actually spent a lot of time talking while trying to ride, and i spent a lot of time reminding him to focus and keep his eyes in front of him...oh, and don't stop pedaling or you'll fall over!
but, we all know this is a dad's job to teach a kid to ride the two-wheeler, so ian gladly took over and nemo just kept improving! after about thirty minutes, ian was able to let go for longer and longer distances. we're still working on the starting, but today they went to the school playground (which has a very large asphalt surface) and practiced more...apparently he's excelling at the stopping part and catching his falls. i was so pleased with him mostly because of his attitude. he was truly delighted with the whole process and didn't get frustrated with the wobbliness and falling and having to have help...in fact, he'd smile and laugh when he fell, and then get right back up again. he may be on the cautious side, but he's willing to try. so proud.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
the last couple weeks...
i haven't been saying much lately, but daily life continues...some days kind of exciting, most ordinary. trust me...i like the ordinary days the best. anyway, the photos and captions should suffice to recap our last couple of weeks...
we had a week at the beginning of the month with wonderfully warm weather...we went to jamison park in the pearl district to play in the fountain and wading pool...we brought a blanket and set it out on the grass, ate snacks, relaxed...like being at the beach in the city!
of course, june 9th was a big day for nemo...birthday number 5, and the theme in decorations and gifts (galore) was CARS....nemo was very pleased, even though the original party at the park got rained out and we had to bring it indoors at home...ian scrambled to the store for "pin the tail on the donkey" and goody bags for the four kids and we ordered a big american dream cheese pizza...topped off with a yummy chocolate cake from jaciva's...the rain did not ruin the day!
oh, and right around this time, mia was learning where her belly button was...we're also working on eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, etc....she's a smart girl, this one.
another big day for nemo was june 15th, preschool graduation! he talked about it all week, even to tell me that he was going to receive a "certificate"...then, immediately asked me what a certificate was. anyway, the ceremony was very nice...they sang songs like "america the beautiful" and "this land is your land", and then they each had their names called while receiving the special certificate. nemo was pleased, and we are even more so as we're graduating on to tuition-free school for the next 13 years!!
we went through another week and a half of cool, gray weather, and just in the last couple days have returned to sunny, summer-like times...we've been relaxing outside, and today mia is finally starting to return back to her usual, curious little self...high fever and crankiness since saturday, but today mostly smiles!
we had a week at the beginning of the month with wonderfully warm weather...we went to jamison park in the pearl district to play in the fountain and wading pool...we brought a blanket and set it out on the grass, ate snacks, relaxed...like being at the beach in the city!
of course, june 9th was a big day for nemo...birthday number 5, and the theme in decorations and gifts (galore) was CARS....nemo was very pleased, even though the original party at the park got rained out and we had to bring it indoors at home...ian scrambled to the store for "pin the tail on the donkey" and goody bags for the four kids and we ordered a big american dream cheese pizza...topped off with a yummy chocolate cake from jaciva's...the rain did not ruin the day!
oh, and right around this time, mia was learning where her belly button was...we're also working on eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, etc....she's a smart girl, this one.
another big day for nemo was june 15th, preschool graduation! he talked about it all week, even to tell me that he was going to receive a "certificate"...then, immediately asked me what a certificate was. anyway, the ceremony was very nice...they sang songs like "america the beautiful" and "this land is your land", and then they each had their names called while receiving the special certificate. nemo was pleased, and we are even more so as we're graduating on to tuition-free school for the next 13 years!!
we went through another week and a half of cool, gray weather, and just in the last couple days have returned to sunny, summer-like times...we've been relaxing outside, and today mia is finally starting to return back to her usual, curious little self...high fever and crankiness since saturday, but today mostly smiles!
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