Am I done yet

So today I had a mock graduation... not one of those meaningful, I'll remember this forever moments in life. However, it did mark the finish of my "playing nurse" and means that next time I walk onto the ward, I will be the actual nurse. When I sign my name on a chart I will be claiming responsibility for that patient. It was Aug 2002 when the first seeds of this nurse life began. I was in the hospital with my mother on a three day stint. It was the first time my mom was told her cancer was terminal. I remember how one of the nurses was doing a terrible job and I had the thought "I could do a better job than her". Then the next day, another nurse came on shift and she was great. I saw how the nurse's had immense influence on how a day transpired for the patients. They could make a day or ruin a day. I kept thinking about the two different approaches of nursing. It took several months of these thoughts percolating before I actually uttered the words, that maybe I wanted to become a nurse. I remember telling my mom and her laughing because she knew how much I hated blood, guts and pretty much anything to do with medical issues. Still, without even knowing it she taught me how to be the best nurse possible. I wish she could know that I actually carried through with the thought. It's taken 8 years for my "nurse" reality to unfold and I hope that in honor of my mom and all that she taught me I will always strive to be like that second nurse, the better nurse.

Wanted: Visitors

One of our favorite things about the house is the fireplace. The first week we lived here, we camped out on the floor in front of it. We had no furniture so the built in bench on the side came in quite handy. As much as I liked having a fire to come home to, I am not quite ready for it to be so cold that we have to start one already. Yet, the weather does not seem to care how I feel and by this weekend I am sure we will have a cozy fire to sit and drink tea in front of once again. Fires do make the winter seem enticing and just looking at the picture makes me excited for snow with all the sledding and skiing, the mittens and scarves. But mostly I posted the picture to advertise... it's nice and cozy at our house, so feel free to book your next vacation here!

When we first arrived in Germany, the hotel we stayed at, had a strict no pets policy. Seeing as how we came on New Years Eve we did not have a place our cats could stay. Leaving them in their kennel outside the hotel was an option but I am sure they would have frozen due to the fact that they are mostly indoor cats. Therefore we went with option number two and smuggle the cats in and out of the room. The hotel also had rules regarding the cleaning schedule, so we could only refuse their services every other day. I am sure this rule originated because of people like us This picture shows how we ended up transporting our cats in and out of the hotel, and yes both cats are in the bag. Luckily we found a shelter a few days later and were able to kennel the cats until we moved into our house a month later.