i was just checking out my friend, bryan's blog (he was one of 5 neighbor boys at 998 apt.) when I realized how much I miss those guys. I realized, upon reading his blog, that Bryan passed the Bar exam.. and that I had no idea if Brendan or Costa did.. and how I have no idea what's going on in any of their lives! After a year of practically living with them, I'm a little bit saddened by this. I used to be a part of their daily lives (whether they all liked it or not;0)).. as they were just a short staircase away, and now i'm down to seeing them every three months when I'm back in MN :(. Though I'm so very grateful for my current adventures, i do miss running up the steps and spending the evening visiting, debating, or watching whatever lame-o reality show brendan had on. I miss hearing my name being called out from the back yard.. i miss dollar burger nights at the nook and shamrocks. i miss the house parties and outings around St. Paul. basically, i miss, but am even more thankful for the incredible year at 998. what a blessing!!!!!!!!!! cheers to the continuation of dollar burgers with Lindsey and the boys even though no one lives at 998 anymore!
thanks to my parents, here are a few pictures of the scene i described in the previous blog! :) click on pic for a bigger view...
i heart home!
....finally HERE in Baltimore and oh, the nostalgia is kicking in!
After living (or what felt like vacationing) on the west coast of California for the summer, where every day felt like a perfect late-spring afternoon, it was a bit of a shock to head east and find mid-west-like humidity and the tail end of the dog days! For some reason, I blindly assumed that the weather would be cooling and that fall would be starting. Either way, I decided I really couldn't complain about a few weeks of humidity knowing full-well that I'd escaped an entire sweltering, mid-western summer. So.. I decided that I would attempt to gracefully tolerate the rest of the thick-aired summer of Maryland.. (that's if you call sweating the minute after stepping out of the shower, graceful)! But, what other choice did I have?
Its now mid-October and it finally feels as though fall is making its seasonal nest on the east coast, so I'm trilled! The windows are open and the air is crisp as the sun peaks its head over the bay, gently warming the afternoon and leaving the evenings cool as it buries itself in behind downtown earlier and earlier each night. My cozy, chocolate brown turtleneck sweater has made its first appearance of the season, I'm teaching myself how to make pumpkin everything out of real pumpkin, and I can once again enjoy an outdoor workout. ahhh...
But something is missing....
I sit in a small, old, beautiful row home in "The Historic Federal Hill" neighborhood, reflecting on life (meh, its my day off). I hear the rumbling of machinery outside the front door. The construction of new, gigantic, luxurious, 21st Century-esque condos-attempting-to-look-like-row-homes forges on every day. These monsters continue to mutate and tower over the neighborhood, blocking whatever view anyone had of downtown, slowly creeping forward with an eventual goal of hoarding the view of the bay, as well. Despite my (obvious) frustration by this, the noise of the machinery is eerily familiar and leaves me feeling curiously... at home. They remind me of what I'm missing.. harvest.
Fall is harvest.
Fall is Dad in the fields and Mom's beautiful yard.. corn shocks bustled at the end of the deck, hay bales, pumpkins, gourds, and beautifully flowering fall-colored mums warming the yard. Climbing into the combine, squeezing into a space not intended for 20-somethings and spending time with Dad as he explains how long it takes for the machine to cut the dried stalk, husk the ears, and harvest the corn (or beans). Occasionally, he lets me sit in the big seat and steer! He can tell me how many seeds he planted in the spring, and can thus the estimated number of bushels he's harvesting this fall. Heck, he probably knows how many kernels, too! I've always wondered if all farmers think in those terms or just my adorably quirky, detail-oriented father.
Fall is a clear night, star-studded sky, cool, crisp air with the dust and faint smell of the husk of the corn. The fan of the corn dryer running, the whooshing of the corn and beans as they fall from the auger into the bins for storage. The distant lights and sounds of the machinery running late at night. Watching my brother work side-by-side with my father to bring in the crop. Taking the dinner that Mom made out to the fields so the boys can eat. Sitting on the deck, enjoying the weather and time with one of my closest friends, my mom. Its those every day moments, those memories, that will forever warm my heart and nurture my dream to some day live across the road with my amazing husband (still waiting for that one) and beautiful children (and them, too) who really know and adore my parents as much as I do.
Fall is remembering how special it was to grow up in a small community like Central. The opportunity to know almost everyone in school. To have teachers who taught your parents, know your grandparents, siblings, and cousins, too. Where the football game is everyone's Friday night plan and Homecoming is the excitement of the season. The parades, marching band, pep-rallies, TP-ing, window-paintings and more. Planning festivities, getting involved in as much as possible, and working at the store your classmates' parents own. Who graduated from the same school as you and your parents; who were once doing all the same things and thus encourage their young employees' school spirit and involvement. Where the school's photographer (another classmate's parent) takes pictures of the class prank (an old boat painted in school colors and left in the middle of the parking lot) and includes it in your package of pictures from the dance.
Fall is remembering the blessing of growing up with an amazing group people, of life-long friends. "To the end of time..."
Fall is.. my roots, my home, and though I won't be making it home during autumn this year, the memories are so vividly cherished that I can relive it any time I close my eyes, or write a silly nostalgic blog, or hear value-destructing construction outside the front door of my small, big-city home.
Introducing Andrea!
A beautiful friend with whom I grew up in De Witt. Andrea and I have potentially known each other since the early years of elementary school when her family relocated to De Witt. We really got to know each other and became friends in middle school and have been friends since. Upon graduating from high school, Andrea went to the U of Iowa, and I to CSP in Minnesota, so its been a long time since I've gotten to spend this much time with her.. I really am cherishing it and she was correct in her prediction that I'd love her friends! They are also great people. 
(Mariah, Lisa, Laura, Andrea, Ellie.. and I forget her name.. :-/)
(Andrea, Mariah, Mona, and I)
I've also been gifted a great roommate whom i met by "chance" through craigslist.org when i saw her posting looking for a roommate (but really I saw it right after I'd begged in prayer to find a good person to live with!). I've even managed to get involved in the local young adult Catholic crowd in the neighborhood, too, which was something I knew I needed to do for my heart's sake and my life as a new Catholic. I'm also hoping to volunteer as nurse at a local non-profit clinic.
So, yes, life is good in Baltimore. Work is definitely challenging.. things were just starting to fall in place when three night shifts snuck into my schedule and messed everything up! :) Ok, not everything.. but its definitely threw me off. I was just starting to get the hang of day shifts when I had to work nights. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal but they do a lot more on nights than any other place I've worked. They draw "AM" or "daily" labs at 10 PM and proceed to replace the patients K+, Mg+, blood, and platelets as needed per the results of the "daily" labs. Its great because the day shift is too busy to do all of this but it sucks for the patients who'd like to do partake in that activity we call sleep!!!
Every shift that I've worked since I started on my own, I've had at least two patients who are confused and really sick, which has also been challenging. The nice thing about this hospital is they don't hesitate to order sitters. There's no restrain the patient "because its safer" (aka so we don't have to pay for a sitter) because they recognize that its much safer and actually usually problem-solving to just have someone in there with the patient!
Despite the first night shift, things are starting to fall into place and I'm predicting that if the hospital wants me to stay another assignment.. I probably will! I'm excited to have great co-workers and good physicians/residents/fellows to work with and I do appreciate the challenge of only depending on myself to get everything done.
So.. we shall see!!
As always, thanks for checking in.. feel free to comment or send an e-mail. I'd love to hear back from you.
Love to all,
Laura
hi all!
sorry i've not written much since the first update. our internet has been down... long story.. ugh.. but i'm currently borrowing someone's nearby wireless and its proven to be less than reliable (the nerve!) ;) So i just wanted to pop on and say that all is well. baltimore is lovely.. although i just spent the weekend in colorado loving life near the mountains, so who knows! spending time with andrea and her friends here has been a lot of fun. my roommate and her friends, also a great deal of fun!
great little church nearby where i attend evening mass on Sundays with the other young adult catholics in the neighborhood. it really is special to watch everyone walk from home to church.. feels like a small town. :)
weather is hot and humid.. bit of a change from the dry but perfectly warm, with a cool breeze, air in CA!
the hospital.. interesting. they reeeally expect a lot out of their nurses.. slackers need not apply! ;) not only is it primary care (aka: no support nursing assistant staff) but the nurses are pretty much in charge of everything. ie, they have to take each order from the chart and make sure its followed through. they aren't entered in anywhere (unless its a med) so there's no double-checking system. from consults to tube feeds, the nurse has to call them in or order all of the equipment, etc. the secretaries hardly do much at all! so basically its like you're doing everything without any support staff! kind of scary. terribly stressful at times but the other nurses are really helpful and actually work like a team so that's great! everyone's been really friendly.. most of the nurses seem to be young-ish (20's -early 40's). manager is GREAT! CNS.. also great!
so its definitely a better experience than that in CA.. the building is amazing, the technology is much more advanced, the physical environment is perfectly clean and organized, but i'm still realizing more ways to appreciate the overall system organization and safety procedures that are in place at united! yes, so.. all in all.. another good experience. :)
hope all is well with each of you.
will write more later.. oh and PS! i busted my camera during the move so thus no recent pictures. its currently being fixed in IL.
love and miss you
laura
ok.. i totally forgot to write an update! ha...
quick synapses since i left CA:
flew to MN, friend Amy and dog Chief picked me up at the airport. i stayed with amy and her boyfriend, Ben, who were great hosts for an entire week!
friends from work met up at Cafe Latte friday AM for a some coffee, catch up, and baby-meeting! friend Caprice had her first baby girl: Sophia Michelle! :) love that name! here's a few shots of that.. thanks to all of you who made it. it was so good to see you all.. i miss and love the 4500's! :)
hung out with ben, amy, and the crew.. saw some crazy rock band :-/ here's amy and maureen jammin' out
my dear friend sarah got married so i was very excited to be able to make it! they are an amazing couple. sarah is an amazing friend.. their vows, which they wrote, were beautiful and heartfelt. even amy shed a few and that rarely happens! 
managed to squeeze in some breakfast time with jake at louisiana cafe.. and coffee with beautiful audrey! perfect!!
went to mass with jill, ben, lucy and the girls and had pizza at jill's afterwards where liz joined us.
then out with amy, ben, and crew.. again! :)
had a great night out with lindsey and dani (girlfriends from college).. the restaurant was seriously slow-paced but offered us the opportunity to have a lovely, long, and real conversation.
tuesday night the 998's re-united atop Brendan and Stacy's apartment on the roof-top deck which over-looked st. paul and minneapolis. gorgeous!! everyone was there! sam, stacy, brendan, lindsey, nate, emily, costa, bryan and kim! great food, beautiful scenery, and good friends... oh how i love the 998's! (pictures pending brendan sending them!).
wednesday amy and i got some burgers at the nook! :)
thursday i drove back to iowa.. got to see girlfriends from high school and their beautiful babies! saw hairspray with mom. went car-shopping. had some nice one-on-one-beers with dad. a great home football game. got to see grandma f, aunts margo and tracy, uncle murl, great-aunt diane, mom's cousin and her daughter shannon, cousins danielle and fletcher. had some good quality time with chloe :) bought the car. had dinner with mom, dad, uncle tom, and chlow. went to a friend of the family's wedding. drove to baltimore.
now i'm here.. its been great.. lots of good things to share and some bumps in the road but i'll get to those tomorrow!
i'm seriously done blogging for the day!!!
love!!
hello friends and family!
i know its been way too long since i've updated you!! i guess one thing i've come to learn about myself in the adventures of moving constantly is that i cannot blog unless there are no other pressures, tasks, anxieties otherwise weighing on me. if i've other things on my mind i just can't focus long enough to type much of anything and i must have a decent internet connection which isn't available in rural iowa.. i looked into it, argh... but alas here I am! Safe and sound in Baltimore, Maryland.
so where has life taken me in the past month?! oh where do i begin?
well, i know many of you were hoping to read about the week mom and dad visited in CA. We had a lovely time. have i mentioned that i've got some of the best parents ever? its just like hanging out with great friends whom i adore, respect, admire as parents, too! We started out in San Diego where dad had a work conference at the huge and beautiful Marriot hotel which looked over the bay and Coronado Island.
(as always, click on picture for larger image): 
here's dad checking out the view of the harbor and just to the right was the city! beautiful or what!
the first night there mom, dad, and i went, along with the rest of the people there for the conference, to the san diego zoo! had a great dinner, complimentary drinks (woo hoo), and did a quick run through of the zoo. it got dark pretty quickly so we didn't get to see much but here are pics of what we did do (rode on the gondola, hiked through the panda and gorilla area without managing to really see any of them, and enjoyed the great area where the dinner was held). 
The pics below are the pictures of the area we ate in.. how cool!!! the gorilla's eyes would go from dim to bright and back again. I decided this would be a totally cool place for a wedding reception. :):)
pretty cool, eh? so the other fun things we did? had dinner on Coronado Island! one night dad and i went out with his co-workers on the town! we were in the "gas lamp district" which is apparently the "happenin'" area for young adults. it was definitely interesting to be quasi-clubbing with my dad in san diego but a fun time. he has fun co-workers, too! after a near-death experience in a cab-ride home, we had one more cocktail at the great hotel bar and turned in for the night. 
the next day dad finished up his work stuff and the three of us went to the USS Midway Museum just a short walk from the hotel. i never thought i'd enjoy a museum so much!
Here are some pics of that.. 
these are the bunks in the "berthing" area for the newest navy enlisted. 
this is the chain used to raise and lower the anchor.. the huge anchor. 
mom and dad on my california patio! :0)
hmm.. other fun stuff.. here are some pics of my dear friend, sarah, from high school with whom i met up with in CA and had dinner with in downtown disney. my favorite picture is of us standing between the I and A at the end of the gigantic CALIFORNIA sign.. we be representin'! ;-)
ok.. i can't take much more of waiting for these pictures to download! hope you've enjoyed.. i'll write more later!
love to all,
laura