A Visit to Seattle

For my school break, I got to go to Seattle to see my best friend, Ashley, and her new little boy, Bennett. There are not words enough to express what a perfect break it was for me! After all of the fun that we had in Vegas, Aubrey decided that she was definitely going to need to come, too!

I got to Seattle on Friday, and the fun started immediately! Ashley, Bennett, and I went to lunch, and then went shopping to obtain the ingredients for a delicious dinner of grilled pizza. It was my first time trying it without Jason, so I was a little on the nervous side, but it turned out great! Ashley and Doug just bought their first house, and it is absolutely beautiful! It reminded me of being back in Danville, growing up with my best friend, just like old times. It was so nice to feel like I was HOME, even when I wasn't.

On Saturday, we got up, I made Omelets for breakfast, and then we got ready for a long day out. We decided to go via ferry to Poulsbo Island, which is a Norwegian village. Little did we know, it was the Viking fest, and MAN did the people come out of the woodwork for that event! It was hilarious trying to find parking, all while dodging creepy dudes dressed up as vikings! We made our way over to one of Ashley and Doug's favorite restaurant, where I proceeded to have, without doubt, some of the best seafood I had ever tasted. I had pan-fried oysters, and they were so incredibly delicious I'm STILL thinking about them! We walked around for a bit, then Doug and Ashley took me on a driving tour of Seattle after a ferry ride back. I loved it! It was so much fun for me to see where they used to live, where Doug works, where he went to school, and even the little restaurants where they loved to eat when they lived downtown. (Jub Jub!) :) We went home, and watched a movie, all while recovering from our long day out. Bennett was SUCH a good baby, I was shocked. He mainly slept, and when he was awake, he was as happy as could be!

Sunday, Aubrey came to town! She had a wedding that she had to shoot on Saturday, so we needed to wait a few days to have her grace our presence. Ashley and I got up, and went to the airport to pick her up. After we got home, we turned around again, and headed back to Seattle to visit Pike's Place fish market. I had heard about it many, many times, but I never imagined it could be so neat! The amount of fresh fruit and vegetables was astounding, and Aubrey and I were in awe the entire time we were there. It was such a huge appeal to the senses, and it was one of the many times during my visit that I wished that I lived in Seattle! We picked up a few souvenirs, as well as some ingredients for dinner the next night. For dinner that night, we had pulled pork sandwiches, and they were delicious!

Monday, we did even more sight-seeing. Ashley, Aubrey and I went downtown and revisited Pike's Place, then did some driving through different neighborhoods looking at all of the awesome architecture. We stopped for a late lunch, and then picked Doug up after work. For dinner, we made an incredible meal of Linguine with Clams in a White Wine Sauce. It was absolutely to die for! We rightfully dubbed our vacation "Food Tour 2010"! That night, we played games, and just relaxed, enjoyed each others company.

Tuesday, Aubrey did what she (mainly) came to Seattle for, and took a ton of pictures of Bennett. They turned out beautifully, which isn't terribly difficult, seeing that Bennett is a perfect, beautiful baby! The girls went to lunch, and enjoyed a BUNCH of different types of seafood. Doug was jealous that he couldn't be there to enjoy it with us, but I guess that's what happens when you have to work! We drove around getting the various ingredients for dinner, and when we were at Whole Foods, we found some delicious types of salt! I bought a Lavender-infused salt that has bee utilized VERY often at my house since. It's amazing! We made grilled salmon and asparagus, mushroom rice pilaf, and chocolate chip cookies for dinner. To say that we indulged is truly and understatement! Tuesday night, Aubrey was able to catch some pictures of the entire family, and they turned out BEAUTIFULLY. I even know the picture that I would blow up in my house if it were my family! :)

Wednesday, sadly, brought the day that we had to go home. Ashley took Aubrey and I to breakfast at an incredible little restaurant in Queen Anne, and I'm still thinking about the Espresso French Toast that Ashley got! It was sad to say goodbye to Ashley and Bennett, but I was so grateful that I was able to have such an amazing visit. Spending so many days with Ashley and Aub just further instilled the gratitude that I have for my best friends. Few people are lucky enough to have even one lifelong friend that is there for them regardless, but I have two. Ashley knows everything about me. She is reliable, loyal, and level-headed. She is kind, and I always know to take her advice. Over the years, she has proved to not just be my best friend, but to really be a sister to me. I love her dearly, and miss her so much when we aren't near by. I'm so grateful though, that when we talk or see each other, if it's been 30 minutes, or 30 days (which it never is, that's far too long to not talk for!!), it's as if we haven't missed a moment. We never run out of things to talk about, and Ashley can always finish my sentences. I love love lover her. Aubrey hasn't had the pleasure (hehehe) of being my friend for nearly 16 years like Ashley has, but already, she has proven herself to be the type of person you rarely find. It's not rare to find me in tears from laughing about a funny text conversation we're having, and few are the times we have any sort of exchange without one of us breaking out into some serious fits of laughter. We have many of the same interests, and I frequently say one key word, and her response will immediately be, "IIIIIIII Know!!!" There have been too many times to count that Aubrey has used to the key to our house to grab something from the freezer we share, and I come home to a completely cleaned kitchen, with her response as, "Well, I knew you were busy at school, so I figured it was the least I could do to help you out a bit". Hazen loves her dearly, and I know I can always trust that she'll take great care of him. Aubrey is the kind of friend that anticipates one's needs before you even need to say a word. Needless to say, I'm one lucky girl to have 2 best friends who also get along so well. Life has afforded me many blessings, and these two ladies are among some of my greatest. Love you guys!

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was really awesome. It was right before the end of the semester, which made it slightly more difficult to celebrate, because we were really focused on finals, but Jason went all out! He and Hazen bought me a Kindle, which I have been wanting for a LONG time! He ordered it secretly, and I love it! It's a bummer, because I don't have TONS of time to read it, but any chance that I get, I love laying down and reading a good book. I read 4 or 5 books over my school break, and it was so nice. It makes me even more excited to be done with school! Hazen and I matched for church, and we went to my parent's house afterward for dinner. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful mothers in my life, and even more grateful to be a mother to my sweet little boy. Life just wouldn't be worth it without him.

Last Day of Clinicals!

3 weeks ago, I finished my last regular "clinical rotation" before becoming a Capstone student. I've had SUCH a good experience in my clinicals at this specific hospital. I was there 3rd semester, and I decided to go back for my 4th semester, 12 hour clinical rotations. We had 3 different clinical instructors due to various reasons, but we ended up with Dan Wood, who is honestly one of the smartest people I've ever met in my life! He was able to get me into some really neat procedures that I wouldn't have been able to attend otherwise, and I was given a lot of autonomy with drawing up meds, and assisting otherwise. It was seriously an incredible experience. It just goes to show how many different things I could do in nursing if I want to. I had a ton of fun with the people in my group, and I'm really going to miss not seeing everyone each week! I'll be happy to have my Saturdays back, but what I learned last semester will always stay with me!

Look Ma, I've got friends!

(No, we didn't coordinate our hands to look like that....)

Upon reading the title, one might think that I'm referring to Hazen having friends, but in reality, I'm talking about Jason and I! Of course, we're good friends with Aubrey and Jason, but we've recently become better friends with another couple that lives on the same side of the building as us, Keri and Jeff. They have two darling kids, Brooklyn and Boston. We had everyone over the other week for FHE and dinner. It was delicious! The kids played so cute together, and the adults had a great time talking and eating. Aubrey made Blue Cheese Burgers that rocked my world. I asked Jason to take a few pictures, and he went to town and took about 45 billion of Aubrey, Keri and I. It makes me so happy that we have good friends that live so close. It's so fun to go out on the balcony and talk for hours- I can't wait for the weather to get better, so we can do it even more! Here's to a summer full of fun and BBQs!

What have we done to our child?

A week or so ago, I wasn't feel awesome. I can't remember if I had a stomachache or a headache, but I wasn't feel 100%. I decided to lay down for a while to try to feel better. Hazen, seeing that I wasn't being myself asked me, "What's wrong, Mommy?" I told him that I wasn't feeling very well, and he informed me that he would make me feel better. He ran off to the playroom, and came back, bearing his Dr toy set. From there, he proceeded to LITERALLY give me a head to toe assessment. He listened to my heart, and said "Ba bum, ba bum ba bum" as he moved the stethoscope over my chest. He even palpated and auscultated my abdomen, and gave me a trusty shot in my knee and the palm of my hand. I'm trying to teach him proper shot-giving techniques. Teach 'em young, right? With a Dad as a firefighter, and both parents as nurses, this kid doesn't have any chance against growing up completely inundated with all things medical. Good thing he's a good sport, and a quick learner!

(For what it's worth, I felt much better after having my own little doctor check me out. I guess a little TLC is all I needed!)

Why I love this Man

I probably don't say enough on my blog what a stud Jason is. One of my very favorite things about him is what a phenomenal dad he is. He has managed to balance work, school, and keeping his family at the very top of his priority list, especially this past semester, and I am so grateful to him for it. Hazen absolutely adores his Daddy, and you can tell that the feeling is mutual. Jason is so sweet, because any time that I have to go to clinicals, he makes sure that Hazen is dressed wearing cute clothes before coming to visit me. I love that even though Jason HATES pink, he'll put Hazen in cute clothes that I bought for him, and that he knows I love. He even does his hair cute! Jason loves to take Hazen to the park, and I feel like no matter where I am, Hazen is in such good hands with his wonderful, patient, loving dad. I love you, Jason!!

Boston's First Birthday

Oh, a month or so ago, Boston turned one! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. I can't believe that Hazen was that young not too long ago, because Boston still seems so little. I get to watch Boston on Wednesdays, and we have a lot of fun together. Boston is such a good little boy, and I love him so much. Aubrey put on a SERIOUS party for him. The decorations were incredible, and the food was perfect. Unfortunately, I had clinicals that day, so I wasn't able to go, but Jason and Hazen went and enjoyed themselves. We bought Boston an annual pass to the Zoo, and we can't wait to use it. Happy Birthday Boston, we love you!