A Wild Pair

I'll start off by saying that I am such a plane Jane when it comes to clothes. I try really hard to spruce up my wardrobe but mostly find my comfort in solid T's, hoodies, and yoga pants, that is when I am not wearing solid colored scrubs to work. I feel like such a rebel when I wear funky patterned socks with my scrubs....haha! I know, I am pathetic and I will get to the point now.....
Last week, the inside heel on one of my solid black, nicely worn in Dansko clogs broke (yes, I wear those silly nurses clogs....and not only to work). I tried for a few days to keep wearing them but it got to the point where it actually was painful.
Anyhow, I knew that if I took them back to Nordstrom, I could replace them. My first intention was to exchange them for another solid black pair but, being that I am trying to venture out of my comfort zone...I decided that I should order a funky pair like some of the nurses that I work with. I kept going back and forth with getting another black pair but, after almost an hour in Nordstrom I finally picked a  blue/black marbled pair and went with it. Not very funky but definitely a step in the right direction.

My size was not in stock so I had to place an order and wait for them to be shipped. Ughhh!
I don't usually order shoes online but being that I had already seen them in person and tried on another pair in my size at the store, what could go wrong???!


After three days of checking the mail...they came!

OH NO!!!! What is this?! So, NOT what I ordered! Is this a true sign that I need to be more adventurous? Can my personality pull these off? I tried them on.....nope, not liking them at all.

Back to Nordstrom they go and back to basic black I go! :(

My First 5K

Let me start off by saying that I am surrounded by active runners and athletes.  I live in prime runners community. When I first moved into my neighborhood, I wondered what all those water coolers were doing on the benches that surrounded my neighboring communities. At any time during the day, my commute down Stonebridge Drive has runners of all ages and all paces. I kept reading facebook posts of people posting their 'time' and training for their next race (because they do this all the time….oh whatever!). I got a little jealous, to say the least and finally put my mind to it and decided to sign up for the Hot Chocolate Dallas race with my oldest daughter, Sydney. I didn't even know how to get started so I just continued to work out and add running into my workouts.

When I first started running (or attempted to run, rather), I read people's running stories….thinking how that didn’t interest me and I didn’t see myself ever officially running a race. But the more I read and the more posts I saw on facebook, the more I became interested and wondered if that was something I could actually do. I've been on a health kick since boot camp, so I was looking for a way to keep in shape and get the same energy and strong legs, for that matter, that all my running friends have!

As Sydney and I ran each week, I experienced some easy days, but also harder days. Becoming frustrated is simply an understatement on how I felt at times….even 3 days before race day I didn’t think I could do it.  The more I huffed and puffed and ended up walking more than running, the more I thought “what in the world am I thinking?” or “there is no way I can do this”. The more this happened the angrier at myself and at running itself I became.  It seemed I could hit the 2 mile mark and simply give out and have to stop and walk. I wanted to run a 5K, not walk it. And that was what I was determined to do. As far as “training” for my first 5K, I’m not sure if that’s what I should call it. I mean, it sounds so official-like…but, I’m just a girl who runs….with her kids….on a paved road…thru neighborhoods. I’ve never called myself a runner before and it seems to me that I’m just running a 5K; it’s not like it’s a marathon or anything like that.

On race day....I was freaking out!!!! Again, thoughts flooded my mind, seriously, I had never run in front of anybody, what if I fall? What if I can't finish the race? What am I doing this for...on this freezing cold morning?' Okay, breathe….I had a plan and I would stick with it. Race was to begin at 8:00 and we wanted to arrive by 7. I had picked up my race packet two days before. I had my clothes laid out and my alarm was set for 5:00.  I wanted plenty of time for my morning coffee and breakfast: my anytime snack of peanut butter toast with a sliced banana. It’s filling and full of protein and carbs...it's just what I needed! As we took to the starting line,  I was already breathing heavy and trying to calm myself down and focus. Slow and steady wins the became my mantra.  I repeated it over and over to myself.  I looked over at Sydney, gave her a hug, and wished her a good race. And so we began.

As everybody quickly ran out of site, I tried to keep my pace steady and stay focused.  It wasn’t long before I began to pass other runners who were starting to slow down.  I soon began to tune all of that out and just concentrate on my own pace and remember that I was doing this for me and for me only. The first mile actually went pretty smoothly.  My pace was steady and I felt good.  I was having fun. The second mile, I slowed down abit, but tried to keep my pace steady. I was fearful of tiring too quickly and I seriously wanted to run across that finish line! By the third mile, the adrenaline kicked in even more and my pace became faster. Did I mention that Sydney was way ahead of me and out of my sight at this point. My official time was 41 min 11 seconds…slow compared to others, but it was actually a personal best for me. I feel pretty good about my finish. I know this is all pretty silly and sounds like I should have been preparing for and running a marathon, but I suppose to me, in my little neck of the woods, it was. And now, I can say I DID IT!!!

I can do this!!!!

I have been blessed with the ability to juggle the things in life that matter to me. Yes, it is possible to be a working mother, soccer mom, PTA mom, domestic housewife (yes, I clean my own house) and still have a social life. One of the things I struggle with most, is guilt. I think that having a job outside the home adds another layer to the guilt that every mom feels.
 I have really struggled with is finding a true mentor in my current work place - someone who I look at and think that I want to be exactly like her. In the field of nursing, that can be quite challenging but, at least I do know the type of woman that I want to be...she's not perfect, but she works hard. She is a good nurse, wife and mother. She honors the Lord in all she does and raises her kids with dignity and love. All of this comes with sacrifice.
I find it quite comical that people often approach me and ask me ‘how I do it all?’ I find it funny because a lot of people see the ‘calm, cool, collected’ me that has it all together when it comes to balancing motherhood and being a somewhat workaholic. How can people think that I do this so easily? Only my husband sees some of the frantic episodes that occur more frequently than you think. So I'm going to burst your bubble...I can’t always ‘do it all’, but instead I have found what works for me. Fulfilling my dreams to become a nurse came with many sacrifices. Some sacrifices were not a big deal and others were painful.
 How did I become OK with that you might ask? A lot of prayer! I am the first to admit that I can be one of the world's worst about taking things into my own hands instead of waiting for God's direction. I recently had one of these times...I leaned heavily on my own abilities and ended up frustrated. I did finally come to a point where I came on my knees to God, asking for his path for my life. I'll admit that the answer I got wasn't exactly what I expected, but God granted me with a true peace about it.
So when you see me working double shifts, getting up for boot camp at 0500am, volunteering at the kids school and rushing home to have dinner with my family…know that I am grateful for every minute of it.

How To Be Cool In A Minivan

It wasn’t until I traded in my minivan for the big SUV that I kept hearing people say….they will never, ever drive a minivan. Secretly, it was the single best decision we’ve made since the birth of our three children. Well crap, after 10 minivan driving years, I felt the same way and upgraded to a large SUV but, sad to say that I miss it.
Before the big SUV: there I was, lined up in the school parking lot, alarms going off, automatic doors opening … anything I could do to locate my silver dodge caravan in a line of 20 others just like it. But I loved it. The convenience, the leg room and all the ‘happy’ kid features.

When I had my van, it’s true…I felt like such a “MOM” but I was proud of that. My kiddos needed the room for all their sports equipment, folding chairs, and many different toys. I can’t even tell you how much I miss the trunk that keeps groceries from rolling all over the back seat. It could be the next best thing to sleeping in late or getting all the laundry done.

I realized that it is NOT the minivan itself rather than some of us mommy-van drivers that have given it such a bad name.
So, in honor of my minivan and other minivan mommys out there, I have come up with some things, that can help the ‘coolness’ of the minivan come back.
1. Get a sunroof, if you can. They automatically make the van more appealing….at least for the driver. 2. A van, car, SUV…whatever….please stop putting stickers on the car, including “My kid is an honor roll student,” the acronym stickers with black letters on the white oval to indicate your favorite beach or school, or the sport stickers—including, but not limited to the ones that look like a ball has broken your window and you chose to leave it there.
3. Keep your van clean, nothing is worse than opening that sliding door and having juice cups, snacks and toys fall out…yep I’m guilty of that one.
4. Under no circumstances is it ok to sing and dance to loud music in the van…so not cool. I’m guilty of that one too! Heehee
5. Do anything you can to have date night with your husband, or a girls’ night with friends, and NOT drive the van. Your cool factor goes right out the window when you step out of the minivan with your new hairdo and high heels.

That being said, it doesn’t matter what you drive. Any car can be cool if you want it to be. A minivan is a minivan no matter how often they change the body style or come out with new colors….and if you ever have the chance to own one, you would see why they are sooo cool!

Coffee Break

I have to say that my night shift experience has been a great one. At night, your fellow coworkers are your only resource and it's amazing how strong a relationship can be when you are helping each other get through a very long, sleepless night. It was nice to be home during the day, sleep in late, and be home when the kids came home from school. Fresh coffee at 0200am, getting silly at 0400am and eating dinner for breakfast have become daily traditions but, a "normal" sleep schedule will be very beneficial. After over ten years of sleeping all day, juggling moods, becoming addicted to caffeine and trying to balance my bowel patterns......I am officially on day shift and I could not be any happier! I look forward to many new adventures and SLEEP!