Synfully Delicious

Experiences in Geriatrics: v. 2

2012-02-01T09:03:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when your elderly nursing home resident literally cannot hear a darn thing and they don't feel good.

I'm still alive.

2012-01-30T09:24:00.011-06:00

I hate not blogging. I love blogging, I really, really do. But with clinic 3 days a week and class stuff and work, I have not found a good balance for including it yet this semester.
But I am still alive and here and trying to keep up with all your stories.

On Friday we did a little bit of cake tasting at Buttercream Cakes..it was a very enjoyable experience :)
No word yet on what we're going to do for our wedding cake--we still have some researching to do.

I also randomly got a new phone-my first smartphone!! I wasn't supposed to upgrade until April but I thought maybe I could stop in the Verizon store and see what my options were. And then I left with a grown up phone, instead of the 12 year old's phone (as described by the Verizon guy).

It's a motorola droid bionic.

Now, I figured out how to get a Harry Potter ringtone (LOVE) but I'm not on the up & up on cool Apps-any rec's for me?? For all you healthcare folks out there-I downloaded epocrates and micromedex which are already awesome.

I worked all weekend after that and it was busy at the hospital-we have a lot of patients with some very interesting psych. issues. If HIPAA didn't exist this blog post would be way more interesting. It was fun to work with one of my besties Britt-Britt though! Working with your friends makes such a difference! On Saturday night I tried to spend the evening watching Dateline Mysteries but I kept falling asleep-it was pretty pathetic. And since yesterday I have developed a curious erythemic area on my chin that has worsened and starting itching. I have really sensitive skin so it could be anything-I am just hoping it goes away before clinical tomorrow!

And last night (in between some super secret wedding crafts!) I went to say goodnight to Orrin and he threw up all over my arm :( He refused to eat dinner which is not unlike him, but he has been running a fever ever since.

This week will again be a busy one with clinic, class, and wedding To-Do's. I am definitely looking forward to the weekend to celebrate a birthday and catch up with some friends!

In the meantime, I hope these photos touch your heart as much as they did mine:

I neeeed a smoosh-face kitty!

truth.

Happens at least twice a week.

a little cake-spiration

Experiences in Geriatrics

2012-01-24T19:15:00.000-06:00

I now have 2 full days of my geriatrics (old people) clinical under my belt and coupled with my hospital nursing and assisted living nursing assistant experiences, I've come to the conclusion that the elderly are to be treasured. It is never a dull moment in the nursing home, and while I cannot fully practice a thorough and logical interview and assessment with these people, I am fully entertained. In the past 2 shifts alone I have encountered-

a conversation which included both decubitus ulcers and gel nailpolish.

a patient's blood sugar continues to drop to dangerous levels overnight not because he isn't eating enough, it's because there is no colby cheese at the nursing home.

an elderly man scooting himself in a wheelchair wearing a sweatshirt of a kitten hanging from a tree with a bold "hang in there" printed at the top.

constipation. constipation. constipation. constipation.

all "organizations" are stingy with their heat because they want to make a profit instead of take care of ol' folks. the patient that believes this is going to be sleeping in his shoes tonight because his feet are so cold and if "they" don't let him, he's walking his 97-year old self 30 miles home in the middle of January.

"does it hurt?" asked by me in the most straight face I could muster, to an elderly patient with a big toe the size of a golf ball with an ulcerative, oozing growth on top, following a full physical exam focusing on said toe and leaving the room several times to have other providers see the toe as well. his response "somebody said somethin' about my toe! is there somethin' there?"

Edna*** has all the hard candy. If you need some, she's got it. If you have some, she's going to take it.

It takes 12 processes to make a vase.

A patient saving bandages from her oozing ankle wound to be sure the staff knows what the drainage looks like. Notice I said bandages (plural).

Several stories from patients literally falling and they couldn't get up.

I think I have an interesting semester ahead.

***All names and patient identifying information changed for confidentiality

Life Management

2012-01-19T09:55:00.001-06:00

It's Thursday of the first week of my semester, which is always super overwhelming for me. For some of the new readers lately or if you haven't seen my blog before, I am a nurse and grad student getting my doctorate and ~~more importantly~~-I am planning a wedding for this coming August! Needless to say, my life is hectic. And it took me until my last year in grad school to figure out how to take care of myself and manage my time so I thought I would share a little about what I have learned.

{1}. One of our instructors the other day said Americans aren't human beings, we are human doings. We are crazy-bots always on the go, slamming coffee, skipping sleep and not exercising.
The easier-said-than-done solution? Make time for it. I am guilty of thinking I don't have time to go to bed early or to go to the gym. But we make time for the things that are important to us.

{2}. Let go of perfection! This one is hard for me, especially concerning school. I always feel like I have to conquer my to-do list ASAP and then get to the fun stuff later. don't do this. Unless it is absolutely critical, learn to prioritize and go from there.

{3}. Every single day you must do 1-3 things just for you. This includes taking a nap, going to the gym, getting a massage, or reading a for-fun book or magazine. Don't just take a half hour at bedtime, take a few little Me-Breaks throughout the day. Your mood will change and your friends will like you more.

{4}. Speaking of friends-I have learned that you have to make the effort to keep them! It's so easy to let our busy lives take control but it is SO important to make time on a regular basis just for your girls. A few of us spend every monday night together for dinner and TV (usually something Bachelor related) and it has been awesome having something to look forward to each week.

{5}. Remember what is important in life and don't let "duties" become more important than that. Take a day off of work and lay on the couch if you're feeling overwhelmed with your schedule. Make time for the little ones in your life before they grow up so fast and you miss it. Spend a weekend making your home cozy.

Whatever it is that makes your heart happy-just do it. Everything else will work out just fine.

Wedding Wednesday: Sh** Brides Say

2012-01-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

All I have to say in response to this video is that I apologize.

(I actually did find this on pinterest...Pin! Pin! Pinning!)

Dear Monday..

2012-01-16T16:36:00.001-06:00

Dear Monday, you are the beginning of my final semester of graduate school. I am beyond thrilled.

Dear Martin Luther King Jr., today is your day. Although it should not be the only day of the year we remember your brilliance.

Dear Weekend, it was nice to spend a few days in Two Harbors for a very Ortman Christmas get together. The droopy Christmas tree did its best to stay up for us!

making Lefse

"Christmas" morning

Dear Hunger Games Book, I can't believe I plowed through you in just a few days. Such a good book!

Dear Preceptors, please, please be good to me this semester!

Dear DNP Project, I really hope it will be over soon.

Dear Pete, I know I'm crankers with you lately but it's only because you're annoying. And I love you :) Thanks for helping with the soup for the girls tonight.

Dear Lifetime Fitness, thanks for kicking my butt at FIT class this morning. I really needed to be reminded how out of shape I have gotten!

Dear 2012, I am so glad you're here!!

Twitter What?!

2012-01-12T20:04:00.000-06:00

I never thought the day would come but curiosity has gotten the best of me.

I signed up for Twitter.

Here's the problem-it's like a foreign language to me-I don't get it! What's with the #-marks? How do I change the background? I need any and all tips and advice!

I think this is me: https://twitter.com/#!/SyndalPeterson

I feel like a twidiot (twitter idiot).

Currently

2012-01-12T09:19:00.001-06:00

{Current Book}:

I haven't started it yet but plan to today-I have to finish it by Monday when Spring semester starts! (Is it any good??)

{Current Playlist}:

Rainforest Lullabies and Lifescapes calming sounds of the sea.

They help me sleep and focus.

{Current Color}:

None but my grand plan for tonight will be Sally Hansen's Commander in Chic

{Current Food}:

A small cup of coffee soon to be followed by some Chobani Greek Yogurt.

{Current Favorite Shows}:

The Bachelor-it's crazy but oh-so-good!

Parenthood- Pete & I are watching via netflix.

{Current Needs}:

$$$$ (please?!)

{Current Triumphs}:

Making it to my final semester of Grad school!!

{Current Banes of my Existance}:

My NP certification exam coming up this Summer

{Current Celebrity Crush}:

Yes.

{Current #1 Blessing}:

I'm healthy, I have a job, and a place to live.

{Current Indulgence}:

Seeing as I was going through a 12 hour bout of gastroenteritis yesterday, I've been sipping on a lot of ginger ale. Pete came home early from work yesterday to bring me some :)

{Current Outfit}:

Still in my jam-jams and a large sweatshirt. It's hard being me.

{Current Excitement}:

What else but an event we have planned for August 4. 205 days away.

{Current Mood}:

Dreading having to get back in to a routine with school and working out next week..but happy that it should all be over soon!

{Current Favorite Quote or Verse}:

"Meat is for the man. Bones are for the dogs."

a quote from a very wise co-worker.

{Current Favorite App}:

The one on the smart phone I don't have yet. I can't upgrade until April!

{Current Favorite Product}:

Maybelline Lash Stiletto-my absolute fave mascara.

{Current thing that makes me feel weird}:

I added this one because it makes me feel so weird.

Does your nailpolish chip? Not anymore!

2012-01-05T08:19:00.000-06:00

Feast your eyes (and nails) on this:

This is Essie's no chips ahead top coat polish-it's supposed to prevent chips for up to 10 days.

and guess what? It works fabulously! I am not exaggerating--my nails usually chip after 1 or 2 days. I painted my nails on Saturday and today I still have no chips! I will never again use another top coat!

I'm wearing Zoya in Yasmeen. It's very purpley.

Zoya is doing another promo for 2 free nailpolishes by the by.. Enter code ZOYA2012 at checkout.

you are welcome :)

2012 Looking-Forward-Tos

2012-01-04T11:03:00.000-06:00

I'm not making resolutions this year. Sure, I typically set monthly goals, but I'm not putting any more pressure on myself to strive towards being how I want to be. That's something I work towards regularly, not just between January 1 when I make the resolution and January 3 when I break the resolution. So instead of sharing my goals for the year, I've decided to share all the wonderful things I am looking forward to this year.

{1}. The most obvious- Getting married on August 4. We are 213 days away, and yes-I will be continuing to remind you exactly how many days away we are on a regular basis. I just know that the day is going to come together just beautifully and I absolutely cannot wait to wear my dress. I really think it's going to be the best day ever.

{2}. Oh dear God-I am finishing Grad school this year! My official date of commencement is May 11. I-can't-wait!!!!

{3}. I'm actually looking forward to my clinicals this semester. I have three preceptors-one in geriatrics, oncology, and primary care and so far they all seem pretty spectacular. They have actually taken a genuine interest in what I am hoping to get out of the clinical and they are doing their best to be sure my learning experience will be maximized. My primary care site has a heavy focus on holistic health care and complementary therapies which I am really excited about.

{4}. Pete & I get to start searching for a place to live together. As long as I am able to work full time again (hopefully as a Nurse Practitioner but maybe as an RN for a little while) after school is done, we will be looking for an apartment most likely. I would love to get a house right away but the finances just aren't there yet. I love living at my parent's house and being able to see my nephew Orrin everyday, but it will be oh so nice to have my own space again.

{5}. Our mini-moon after the wedding. We can't afford a full blown honeymoon so we decided to try to plan a mini-moon and then we'll do something amazing like Hawaii the following winter or something. Pete's ideas are getting a cabin in Door County or Hayward or something..I thought it would be kind of cool to visit Canada. It's hard to pick a mini-moon that isn't too small or too big. I would love to go to the Keys or something..if only for the key lime pie-it would be worth it.

{6}. Getting my finances under control. I'm usually pretty good with my money but with how busy my semester was and how little I was able to work, I ended up pretty broke these last few months. It's a pain in the neck to worry about debt, bills, school, and saving for a wedding all at the same time.

{7}. Being done with my DNP project!!!! I'm currently working on the huge paper for it..I'm up to page 65 and have probably 20-30 to go but I'm almost there!!!!

{8}. Celebrating all year-graduation, bridal showers, birthday parties, bachelorette parties-it is going to be a FUN year! The world better not end before I get to have my special moments.

Ring-Bling link-up!

2012-01-03T10:56:00.001-06:00

C Mae is hosting a link up today for us girls to show off our ring blings or share our dream rings..I can never pass up a chance to share how in love I am with my engagement ring!

I have a Tacori ring and it has been my dream ring for as long as I can remember! I was SO surprised that Pete actually got it for me.

mine is the middle one

this was from our engagement session.

these next few were from the day we got engaged last May.

I love love love the details of this ring and the glam-antiquey feel of it. I'm allergic to gold so it's a platinum band.

We picked out our wedding bands already and while we could not afford the matching Tacori band, I am very excited to be able to share with you my beautiful wedding rings after our special day August 4-only 214 days away!

NYE 2011

2012-01-02T12:04:00.000-06:00

All we need is pictures.

me & Stene all fancied

fat snowflakes

a margarita bowl

Stene's hubby Jake & my soon to be hubby Pete

all the girls: Jamie, Stene, Katy, me

silly masks

some dancing

and sillyness

and stealing cheese bread

my besties

Katy & Michigan-Marc

a good dance party..until Jake got us kicked out ;)

The Good, The Bad, The Fabulous! 2011: A Year in Review

2011-12-30T10:54:00.005-06:00

{the good}

Ringing in the new year with some of my bestest friends. A tradition of ours.

Seeing Ben Folds in concert..love him!
Seeing Shrek: The Musical with Pete for Valentine's Day
I was awarded a (small) research grant for my DNP project.
We saw Usher in concert!

One of my besties Stene's sweet baby girl Farrah turned 1!

A super fun pontoon birthday party and some really good summer days out on the lake

My nephew Orrin turned 2!

A vacation with Pete to Florida to celebrate the end of my second year of grad school.

{the bad}

starting out the year absolutely out of my comfort zone freezing in the woods.

Struggling in my clinical learning how to function with a speculum. And then I cried in front of my instructor at clinical. (p.s. she was supposed to come back on my last day of clinic and she never showed!)
Witnessing first hand how annoying people can be at the gym. I will blame them for my inconsistent motivation for working out this year.
I gave up Coffee for Lent..and got very sick!
Minnesota was plagued with 8000 inches of snow last winter

{the fabulous}

Gaining confidence in my skills. and Learning new ones.

You know you're a Nurse Practitioner Student when....
Synfully Delicious turned 1!
I had my last first day of school!
Nights out with friends

An Amazing girls trip to Napa/Sonoma, CA: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, & Day 4

We got engaged and started planning our wedding!! Definitely the absolute highlight of my year!

2012 is going to be an even more amazing year!

New Year's Eve: a movie review.

2011-12-28T13:30:00.001-06:00

Don't worry-I won't ruin any plot lines for those of you who haven't seen it. But I do want to caution you-this movie was.so.very.bad. Terrible.
The cast was great, but I'm not so sure they were all great together.
I did see Valentine's Day last year and did not enjoy that one either. This time around I was hopeful. Here's my humble bullet point review:

I love New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve in Times Square is classic. But the movie did not really portray anything amazing about it. In fact, it didn't look as fun and glamorous as I thought it was supposed to be.

I wanted to not like him, but Zac Efron is a cutie. And given enough screen time, his parts with Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie could have made so much more sense and been so much better.

The rest of plot lines simply did not flow. It was predictable and the sappy parts came across as way too cheesy-and not even in a good way. I just think they were trying too hard and it felt like it came out of nowhere. There was absolutely no character development, no anticipation or backstory whatsoever. It was hard to care about the characters.

With that said, it's an easy movie to watch. And the outtakes at the end are pretty good. However, the girls and I agreed that the outtakes were better than the movie itself.

I was disappointed and I'm not even sure this would have been rent-worthy. Go see the Muppets movie instead-that one was way better.

My Christmas (in pictures)

2011-12-27T09:28:00.000-06:00

me & Orrin on our way to Uncle George's for Christmas Eve dinner

Uncle George cutting the bacon wrapped beef tenderloins we had for dinner...SO good!

Orrin loved opening presents

Orrin & mommy 12.24.11

My last Christmas as a Peterson

new jammies from Santa!

Sena's ginormous pink calculator..lol

Sophie works at Office Max so she got everyone's gifts from there.

Grandma Weber's Christmas cookies

The apron we had made for Grandma Weber..a quote she loves to tell us all the time!

After a long weekend of wine and eating and wine and eating and wine (and eating), I was ready to crash. I was supposed to work Christmas day but got cancelled so I got to spend the day with family even though Pete left for Two Harbors to be with his family. At the end of day I got in my new pajamas from Santa (holiday penguins-~~mom~~ Santa didn't do such a terrible job this year) and made some yummy ghirardelli hot chocolate I got from Pete and finally watched some Lifetime holiday movies I had waiting on the dvr. It was perfect. And yes, that is Luke Perry and that movie was really cute.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T09:38:00.000-06:00

An ornament/magnet our amazing photographer Jen made for us!

every year Pete makes an ornament for us and this was what he came up with for 2011

Today we're making cookies and heading out for dinner at my Uncle George & Aunt Shirley's..I'm so excited for the gift I got them (what did I ever do without Etsy??) and tomorrow I will be working but will come home to family at my house for Christmas.

I'm excited to see what Christmas Eve pajamas Santa came up with this year..I didn't give ~~my mom~~ him any direction this year. And Christmas Eve pasts have proven that without specific instructions, I tend to receive XXL pajamas made of solid pastels. It might be interesting....

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Wedding Wednesday: Flower brainstorming

2011-12-21T09:13:00.001-06:00

I love love love flowers. I love having them around, I love visiting the arboretum every summer, I love taking pictures of flowers..you would think I would have some sort of idea what I want for my wedding right?? Umm..nope. I'm so confused. I'm in the process of starting some consultations with florists in the area and I'm having to think about details I didn't even know I had to think about. And I am terrified about the cost.
Should I research what might be in season for the wedding? How much is reasonable for a bouquet?
Initially to save some money, we decided we were just going to have bouquets for the girls, and corsages and boutonnieres for our family. We weren't going to use flowers for any other decorations. Now I'm not so sure. Do florists typically provide vases too? I know I want some bling on it too..probably a brooch. What does the flower girl use?
So much to think about! Here are some of my ideas (totally price naive btw)..

these purple orchids are exactly the color purple I am using in the wedding. But I've heard orchids can be temperamental and very expensive.

Ideally, I'd like something with a more romantic feel. I absolutely love peonies, but again I hear those are temperamental flowers too.

a few dahlias might be pretty too.

I like how boldly colorful this bouquet is (sans crazy long fingernails!)

I think I love this one!

this is kind of cool for a boutonniere that's not too girly.

freesia? These are cute.

Needless to say, it's a bit overwhelming. In a good way. I will take any and all advice any fellow brides out there have!

One of my favorite things about Christmas

2011-12-20T09:58:00.000-06:00

is this skit from SNL. I loved it back in the day and I was super excited they brought it back last weekend when Jimmy Fallon was on. I had a feeling they might so I made sure Pete woke me up to catch it!

p.s. check out Horatio Sans before and after!

Dear Monday..

2011-12-19T09:05:00.000-06:00

Dear Monday,

Just the fact that you are what you are, I feel like I have to be doing something school related. I don't know how to relax on a monday. I even woke up at 7am.

Dear Christmas,

You are so very good at sneaking up on us every single year! It's not my fault that we are not having a true Minnesota Christmas this year though..there is absolutely no snow and we hit over 40* yesterday..that's still flip flop weather!

Dear Orrin,

You looked so handsome in your outfit to see Santa last week. And you were so nice to offer him a sucker!

I love your curls but oh how I wish your mom would get your hair cut!

Dear weekend at work,

Thanks for being busy enough to go by really fast. It was a good weekend and it really is awesome to work with people you actually like. Makes such a hard job just a little less hard.

Dear Dexter Season Finale,

OMG! OMG!!!!!!

Dear Pete,

I've been freaking out a bit over living with you and having all my stuff moved around. But please take my teapot out of storage!

Dear dirty humidifier,

I may have some form of COPD as a result of weeks of breathing in your dirty cool mist. Pete's in charge of cleaning you so it's not your fault, but my severe headache, chest pain/tightness, and cough are still pretty bad this morning.

We will be posting a tutorial on how to properly (Pete- the key word is PROPERLY) clean your humidifier so that you're not breathing in poison all night long!

Dear Hallmark/Lifetime/ABC Family Channels,

Your holiday movies are pure cheesey goodness. I just can't get enough!

Dear Special K Bars,

You are delicious. It might be worth being fat to eat you every day.

Dear Pete,

Stop making me fattening treats.

Fill in the Blanks Friday

2011-12-16T10:36:00.001-06:00

Linking up with the little things we do..

{1.} My most favorite "little thing" is my kitty loving the christmas tree.

{2.} I'd give anything to be able to eat as much as I want and always maintain a weight about 20lbs lighter than my current weight.

{3.} I can't believe I only have 1 semester left of grad school. Going through these 3 years has felt like a lifetime and I do not remember what I ever did with myself before school. But in retrospect, it actually has gone by pretty fast.

{4.} The one thing I'd like to achieve today is umm..I'm not sure. I have a few weeks off before next semester starts and I don't know what to do with myself. Christmas shopping is done and I don't know how to do nothing.

{5.} The last thing I want to do today is think about working all weekend, although it does feel good to be back at something in my comfort zone.

{6.} If I were writing my own blank today, it would say: my most favorite thing about my left hand is:

I'd never miss an opportunity to obsess over my ring. Even after being engaged for almost 7 months I still stare at it every day.

{7.} My favorite candle scent is usually something cinnamoney..cinnamonish..cinnamonen...cinnamon like?

Wedding Wednesday: Save The Date Holiday Card

2011-12-14T13:51:00.000-06:00

I was waiting to be sure these have started circulating to family and friends first before posting..but here is our Save the Date/Holiday Card courtesy of Shutterfly:

Pete's Birthday & Secret Santa Weekend

2011-12-12T09:01:00.000-06:00

Last thursday was Pete's birthday. Orrin helped to make him a cake..

Little did we know, the icing we were using was actually gel food coloring.

and we opened presents.

On Friday night we went out to Chino Latino to celebrate with friends.

we had a pretty large group so things were a bit chaotic but still fun

and there were sake bombs

we were the only ones left at the end of the night who went out afterwards for a little dancing..I can always count on these girls to keep the party going!

On Saturday we had our annual Secret Santa get together..we've been doing this for several years now (I think this was year 6 or 7 for us) and as some of us have started having kids, they're included now. It's kind of crazy to see our group evolve this way but I love it, and I love that we have our own little traditions!

Farrah - Steney's daughter

Farrah and Bella (katy's daughter)

me, Stene, Katy, Nikki, and Jamie

I'm a bad blogger and didn't take any pictures of the food or gift openings or anything else! Not even the cute leopard print coat I got for Farrah!

Guess what?! It's my LAST week of the semester!! I am SO pumped.

It's Friday!

2011-12-09T10:50:00.000-06:00

..and I bet we all feel like this:

Tonight we're celebrating Pete's birthday with friends and tomorrow is Secret Santa night with the girls so it's bound to be a good weekend!

Happy Birthday Fiance!

2011-12-08T06:32:00.000-06:00

Today is Pete's 28th Birthday! Happy Happy Birthday to the most amazing fiance ever! I love you and I am so excited to celebrate tomorrow night! xoxo

Fondue Part 2!

2011-12-06T08:18:00.001-06:00

I was just searching to find the last time we did fondue because I know I blogged about it but I can't find it. It was fun reading some of my old posts though :)
Last night was my turn for the girls to come over (we rotate each week) and by request, Pete made us some cheese and chocolate fondue again.

This is what we learned last night -
Frozen turkey meatballs from Target are the bomb.
Fontina cheese smells literally like a dirty diaper.
Make sure your fondue pot is hot before you transfer the cheese from the pan. It will cool and thicken immediately and then you have to wait for it to heat up again. Having it all in front of your face without being able to eat is somewhat tortuous.
Save room for the chocolate part because that's the best.
The Sing Off holiday special included several songs that were not holiday related. It was kind of irritating but it was still pretty good. Anybody watching the Michael Buble special tonight??

Today was supposed to be my last day of clinical at my primary care site so I got up at 6am and started on some coffee, showered, did a cute little braid in my hair....and then I got my phone to throw in my bag and saw that I missed a text message. From last night. From my preceptor. Cancelling today. dang it.
I felt better when after saying I was having some chest tightness Orrin offered to kiss it for me to make it better.
And now I have some extra time to blog, do homework, and make time for some other stuff today so it really is a good thing. And today it is snowing really fat snowflakes.

I guess you just have to be here to believe me. You can't really tell in the picture.

December Goals

2011-12-02T08:59:00.001-06:00

First of all - let's see how I did on my November Goals..

{1}. Not one single item will be bought (for myself) that is clothing/jewelry/shoe/handbag related.
I don't want to talk about it, but I accidentally bought a cardigan one day and boot socks.

{2}. My measly little paychecks (from giving flu shots!) will all go towards paying off my credit card. Make at least some contribution to the wedding fund.
I'm going to give myself the green for this one, even if I wasn't able to contribute to the wedding fund. I have been paying off my debts though..very slowly.

{3}. Work out at least once a week. (yep, it's gotten that bad lately).
BAM- did it! Sounds stupid, but with my schedule I am not very good at making time for this.

{4}. Make time for at least a small breakfast most days of the week, especially M-F.
I think I did this. I don't remember not eating breakfast so I will count this as green.

{5}. Sleep at least 7 hours each night for the rest of the month (otherwise I already failed this one!)
There might have been a few nights where I chose not or was unable to enjoy 7 full hours but for the most part I've started getting to bed earlier, making my early mornings just a tad easier.

{6}. Compile our address lists to send out Save the Date holiday cards.
Done and Sent out today!

{7}. Get all bridesmaids fitted and dresses ordered.
Done! Can't wait to get them all in and see them together! I let all my girls pick their own dress which could turn out very cute or very jankity.

{8}. Decrease coffee to 3-4 days of the week, begin to phase out pop.
I've been doing good on the pop thing..coffee is down to 5 days/week. We'll get there..

{9}. Spend one hour on non-school related reading most nights of the week.
I'm very good at doing non-school related activities.

{10}. Complete edits to my project paper. Outline rest of the literature review and chapters not yet started.
Nope..put it off yet again. But I did start some of this last night.

December Goals

Work out at least 2 days per week. Baby steps, people.
Pay off half of my credit card balance.
Contribute to the wedding fund.
No more using store credit cards, even after they are payed off. Cancel that Younker's one..
Set up meetings for floral and cake consultations.
Complete my final edits to my project paper and turn it in to my advisor.
Bring my engagement ring in to the jeweler's for a cleaning and inspection.

Thoughts on Thursday

2011-12-01T14:41:00.002-06:00

{1.} I am loving my new slippers Pete's mom got me when we were out shopping on Black Friday.

They're Muk Luks which I think is a Northern deal. I love them.

And yes, I'm one of those crazy girls that wears leggings as pants and my sister said I looked like a figure skater. I'll take that as a compliment.

{2.} We received our application forms and started talking graduation in class today. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time. I am so anxious for ~~my own personal hell~~ my graduate degree to be complete! Only 162 days until May 11, 2012. What a glorious countdown.

{3.} I got a random phone call from a woman I didn't know today and the message she left me was that she wanted to talk about something fun for my wedding. I'm running out of people who actually want to continue to hear about the wedding, so even though I would normally not call this person back, I did because I love talking about the wedding. Turns out she wants to give me a bridal package makeover and teach me how to do makeup with Mary Kay products. I'm still not sure who she is or how she got my name and phone number, but I am going to milk being a Bride as long as I'm allowed.

{4.} Christmas decorations were dragged (drug?) out of the basement this weekend and they make me so happy. We finally hung up the ornament wreath Pete and I made last year. We got ornaments after Christmas when they were on clearance so this baby was all wrapped up for almost a year.

You can find how we made it HERE.

I have a bowl of ornaments..

a little mini tree with a mini tree skirt..

here's our regular Christmas tree that Pete cut down in the woods..

and the stockings my Grandma makes for the family.

As you can see, after 15+ years on the family, my stepdad Ray has not been officially inducted in to the family. It may be sad for those of you that don't know my family, but after my dad left we un-crocheted his name on that first stocking and stuck that piece of tape on there for Ray when he didn't have one. We joke that it'll be easier this way for when the next guy comes along.

{5.} Orrin has been absolutely freaking out over wearing diapers lately. He's a little over 2 years old and he's fine once it's on, but he screams bloody murder during every diaper change. Any moms out there know what this is about??

{6.} Thanks so much for all your help last week when I needed advice about getting a videographer for the wedding. After a lot of thinking and debating and going over the budget, we realize we can't afford anything, but we're going to go through with it anyways. We just figured that if we didn't get one, we would probably wish we had. So I'm meeting with Joel again tonight with WeddingsMn and signing a contract. Pete can't make the meeting so it will be all up to me to decide on the package and our coverage for the wedding day (muahahaha). (Just kidding-I'll be reasonable). I'm very excited and happy we finally made a decision!

I have class the rest of this week, a slumber party on Friday night after participating in the 12 Bars of Christmas in Minneapolis, and then finishing Christmas shopping this weekend. I am continuing to ignore my upcoming site visit next week..

A Very Ortman Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T10:11:00.000-06:00

For Thanksgiving I went up to Two Harbors, MN to spend time with Pete's family.
I always have a hard time being away from my family for holidays, and although this was my 2nd Thanksgiving away, I was really sad the night we got there.
It did get better, but it didn't really help that I started getting sick with a bad head cold while I was there too and had a bunch of homework to get done. I felt bad spending time by myself while everybody else was playing games together (not because I was missing games-The Ortmans are way too intense for me when it comes to competition!)
So because my head was a little foggy ~~and I had a bit of an attitude the first day~~, I didn't take any pictures of Thanksgiving day, or the night we spent at the shack in the woods.

On Friday morning I even went Black Friday shopping for the very first time in my life with Pete's sister and mom. The mall in Duluth opened at Midnight, people! We got up and got there by 7am and it was heaven for the first hour and a half - hardly any people. Then it slowly became a madhouse.
We weren't after any big ticket electronics, but there were some great deals at other stores. We had a serious problem at Younker's. I didn't even know what a Younker's was, but by the time I got outta that store I had 5 different receipts for purchases 10 minutes apart and a store credit card. woops.
It's amazing how fast you become one of those people.

The last day we were there we went to Bentleyville. It is an amazing outdoor lights display that is FREE, and they give you cookies, hot chocolate, popcorn, and you can roast marshmallows by the fire. It was so cool.

By the time we left it got pretty cold, although it is SO weird that we don't have snow on the ground right now.

We went home, ate pizza and drank wine to warm up, and then Pete & I were back on the road home. We rolled in around 12:30am and spent Sunday getting ready for the week. After a few days away I am having a very difficult time staying focused for my last few weeks of the semester. It's like giving a recovering alcoholic one drink. It might have been better to not lose momentum, even if it felt oh so nice.

Wedding Wednesday: A videographer?

2011-11-23T12:08:00.001-06:00

Throughout the wedding planning process, you learn what kinds of things are truly practical, affordable, and reasonable for the kind of wedding you are hoping to have. I am definitely one of those brides that given an unlimited budget, I could max it out.
Along the way Pete and I realized 2 things that we sort of knew before, but it wasn't quite so real until it actually happened to us : 1. weddings are expensive. NO joke. 2. we can't afford any of it.

So I had to give up the idea of a cute little trolley driving me and my bridal party around. It was too expensive and we are planning to go straight to the reception following the ceremony anyhow.

There will not be beautiful orchids at the church, at every centerpiece, and throughout the reception. We will supplement with home made poms.

Our invitations will not be elaborate boxes with flower petals scattered throughout. We will most likely be designing and putting them together ourselves.

God only knows what we will end up doing with our food and cake.

The very last thing on the list that we will either scrounge up the money for, or drop completely: A videographer. I never really thought I wanted one for the wedding until I started seeing some beautiful videos brides in the blog world have posted. Initially, Classic Puppy Love posted her video and I became obsessed.
Yes, we will have beautiful pictures of the day.
But with videography we will be able to capture the flow of my dress as I walk down the aisle and during our first dance. We would be able to relive our wedding vows every anniversary. Speeches from family and friends can be watched over again when we realize we don't remember anything that happened that day.
It.is.so.cute.
Pete isn't convinced, and neither is our budget.
We met with a videographer last night and he is really the only viable option as far as pricing goes, but it still is pushing it.
For you brides out there: did you have a videographer? do you think we'll regret spending our money on one?

Fears

2011-11-22T09:47:00.001-06:00

This semester has been rough on me. I feel like I've been handling it a lot better than I might have in the past but I can't tell if it's a symptom of some form of Senioritis, being that I should graduate this May. I've adopted this attitude of 'Just tell me what to do and where to go.' Whatever it is I'll just be there and do it and get it done. I'm still staying as organized and prepared as I can be, but I've stopped freaking out if I don't turn in assignments at least a week before they're due. My focus is on my clinical skills and learning how to be a practitioner at this point. The rest of the stuff is important - to a degree. I'm not bashing nursing theory or research. I am just starting to feel the pressure of having to graduate and find a Nurse Practitioner job within the next 6-7 months.

There is a lot riding on me doing well. Pete and I need to somehow fund this little wedding we're having next August at the same time we're finding a place to live together. I need to get back to working. In order for that to happen I need to: A. Graduate. B. Pass my boards. C. Find a job. Any one of those things I feel like can fall through at any moment. And then my plan will be completely messed up.

I can continue working as an RN through the summer to help with finances if it comes down to it.

I just want to graduate. And pass my test!

2012 could be the best year ever. All I know is that my stress (both good & bad) will not be decreasing any time soon.

Our first Snowfall

2011-11-21T08:20:00.001-06:00

So living in Minnesota people literally think we have snow year round. Truthfully, that might not be too exaggerated, but we have been spoiled this year! We didn't get our first snow until Saturday-much later than normal! And although I've lived here my entire life, the first snowfall is devastating everysingleyear.

it started off like this..

-and turned into this. Relatively speaking it was a nice snow fall. I think we got less than 2 inches and the only annoying part was the ice on the roads. Us Minnesotans should be pros by now but I read there were over 200 crashes between noon and 2:45p when the snow started.

But for the most part we will drive in over 2 feet of snow and survive.

Orrin got to go sledding for the first time (last year he was absolutely terrified!)

I am not a winter person and I am sorely reminded of this every early morning I'm out scraping off my car. I'm going to be cold until May.

I slacked this weekend. On homework, not on fun.

2011-11-14T08:34:00.000-06:00

The weekend went fast didn't it? I decided to do fun things instead of homework and now I'm playing crazy catch up today instead of working out right now. Priorities, right?
On Friday, Pete & I decided we needed a little bit of time to ourselves that did not include sitting in front of the tv. It had been forever since we actually went out just the two of us, mainly because of trying to save money but with everything that has been going on lately, we thought it would be important to make time for it. We went to Akita and had some super delicious all-you-can-eat Sushi..yum yum yum!

our sort of yummy drinks. Pete insists his blue tsunami tea is very manly.

Edamame..soooo good.

just a couple of the rolls we inhaled.

Fun fact: the day Pete & I got engaged, we had lunch at Akita.

On Saturday I woke up early for work. It had been a good 6 weeks since I had worked the floor so I was a little nervous. All of my patients were (busy) Oncology patients and it was sort of a crazy day, but it felt good to be at work again. It sounds crazy, but sometimes you need a different stress than school stress. It was nice to be in my comfort zone again, as opposed to when I'm in clinic and feeling like an idiot for 10 hours straight.

Straight from work I went over to my friend Stene's so her, Katy, and I could pick out their bridesmaids dresses (updates on that soon!)

Afterwards we went out to the Wild Onion to eat and have a drink and we ended up staying there dancing until closing - 8 hours after we arrived!

Jamie (next to me) just recently had her 3rd! baby, so she was excited to get out for a night.

I was the only non-mom of this group!

Jamie, Katy, me, Stene

They played Cupid Shuffle and Single Ladies - those songs will always make a night out worth it for me!

Fun fact: Pete & I had our first date at the Wild Onion. No, we did not stay late enough to get on the dance floor.

On Sunday I was a little slow moving (see details above) but Pete & I had to get ready for Pre-Thanksgiving at his sister & brother in-law's house. They do a friendsgiving every year and we were in charge of desserts. Pete made a pumpkin pie (blek!) and I made up a trifle. Somebody called it a tri-heaven though, so I think I'm going to start using that!

I'm known for doing ~~trifles~~ tri-heavens for holidays in my family and they usually turn out pretty tasty. This Thanksgiving one was layers of spice cake, cheesecake pudding, whipped cream, and cranberries. It actually turned out pretty yummy!

Last night we (calmly and adult-like) discussed our wedding guest list and watched The Walking Dead. The only thing I forgot to do this weekend was any little bit of homework-sounds like a successful weekend to me!

Poison

2011-11-08T06:38:00.000-06:00

1. I love Scrubs.

2. I love this song. It is definitely on the wedding playlist. Right after the Cupid Shuffle. You cannot listen to the Cupid Shuffle without dancing even a little bit.

3. I was so excited when they did this song on the Sing Off. Pure magic!

Dear Monday..

2011-11-07T13:12:00.001-06:00

Just found another blog to love! Link up..this girl is so cute!

dear monday, how nice it was to sleep in until 7am today and have enough time to wake up, have a coffee and banana, and have enough motivation to go to the gym for Strike class. Talk about starting off the week right!

dear instructor of strike class, your arms are amazing and I have never known a woman to have such spectacular traps! I wish I had your body, which is why I try to take your classes. However, I can never keep up!

dear deers of the woods up north, I hope you got away from those mean hunters!

dear Pete, I really hate the idea of you shooting a deer. I really hope you say a prayer for it each time like you said you do.

dear November, nothing personal-but I can't wait to get this month over with. I can't wait for December/Christmas/Break from school!!

dear Orrin, I am so proud of you for eating half an orange for me at lunch today! Everyone believes you are so picky, but I will always give you the benefit of the doubt.

dear DNP project, you can burn in hell. I am almost done with your paper and I will never look back!

p.s. DNP project, I feel that previous statement was a bit harsh. You've just been a big pain in my neck for the last 2 years and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sorry about the burning in hell part.

dear weekend, thanks for hours of good sleep and good episodes of 48 Hours: Mystery. It was perfect me-time.

dear 48 Hours: Mystery, thanks to you I'm not sure I can trust anyone in my life, and if I am ever murdered I now know there is a pretty good chance that the local police department is going to completely screw up the investigation!

it's the little things when all you want to do is cry.

2011-11-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

Don't worry, I'm just being a bit dramatic. Due to stress and sleep deprivation, I have started to make crying one of my favorite hobbies. Ok, maybe 'favorite' isn't the right word, but it sure is happening a whole lot more than I'd like. However, my week has not been as bad as I am acting.

- Remember my horrible day at my pediatric clinical a few weeks ago? I am not so fond of my preceptor. She is not very personable or approachable. But, on thursday it was the first time all semester I did not get any negative critique from her, and she even said she thinks I am doing a good job. The bad-attitude Syndal wants to say 'whatever, I've been working hard this whole time,' but the hopeless people-pleaser Syndal is pumped that I finally got some praise from her when I've been struggling with this clinical. I just have to get my final site visit over with my instructor and I am home free.

- I have been so incredibly tired this week. I have been dragging. I was supposed to get up early this morning to do flu shots at work, but at the last minute I was given a chance to change up my schedule a bit. I slept from 9:30p until 8:30 this morning thanks to my sleep mask and my Graco sweet slumber sound machine. I had some restless dreams, but I really needed to have that extra time to lay in bed and not have to wake up when it's still nighttime. It made me so happy.

- Today is a baby shower for one of my sweet friends Carolyn. She is a fellow DNP'er in grad school with me and she has been going through sort of a rough time with this pregnancy. I'm so excited to be able to spoil her a little bit today, even though Pete always thinks I gift way too much. Her little baby should have these adorable, handmade burp cloths from etsy more than I need to pay for an open bar at the wedding (that's a whole other post!)

- It has been cold here in Minnesota. I've had to scrape ice from my car windows in the mornings. But it is nice to be able to lounge in scarves and Pete's giant sweatshirts. And fall time means TV shows that I never have enough time to keep up with, but I sure am good at trying!

- Our Save the Date holiday cards are here! I'm so excited to get them mailed out on December 1st!

- This little boy makes me happy. I'm the luckiest Auntie in the world.

November Goals

2011-11-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

{1}. Not one single item will be bought (for myself) that is clothing/jewelry/shoe/handbag related.

{2}. My measly little paychecks (from giving flu shots!) will all go towards paying off my credit card. Make at least some contribution to the wedding fund.

{3}. Work out at least once a week. (yep, it's gotten that bad lately).

{4}. Make time for at least a small breakfast most days of the week, especially M-F.

{5}. Sleep at least 7 hours each night for the rest of the month (otherwise I already failed this one!)

{6}. Compile our address lists to send out Save the Date holiday cards.

{7}. Get all bridesmaids fitted and dresses ordered.

{8}. Decrease coffee to 3-4 days of the week, begin to phase out pop.

{9}. Spend one hour on non-school related reading most nights of the week.

{10}. Complete edits to my project paper. Outline rest of the literature review and chapters not yet started.

Halloween through the eyes of a Toddler.

2011-11-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

Orrin just turned 2 about a month ago. He can say trick-or-treat and happy halloween. He loves candy. He loves pumpkins. He doesn't quite understand the concept of costumes or dressing up. To him, he's just putting more clothes on and playing. And even though I'm a halloween hater, seeing Orrin get all excited about the pumpkins and the candy and ghost window stickers makes me like it just a little more.

painting a pumpkin!

he loved it..he was so focused! gives me hope that maybe he doesn't have ADHD.

the finished product, complete with googly eyes.

Orrin as a pirate for Halloween.

This is how he poses for pictures so we have to sneak photos now so his eyes will stay open.

mommy & Orrin pirates for Halloween.

he absolutely refused to wear the hat except for like 3 seconds; long enough to steal a photo!

The Walking Dead: Spoiler alert!

2011-10-31T11:22:00.002-05:00

Have you guys been watching the new season??
I am so surprised how in to this show I am, but it is so good!
I wasn't sure how far they could really take this zombie apocalypse and make us still care about the characters but I think this season has been just as intense as the first. I've read a few other articles from people that think not much has been happening yet, but I think SO much has happened, especially in character development.

Shane - He's the guy that is kinda bad but you think he might be good, but really he does things that aren't so noble. Pete likes his muscles, but that's besides the point. I knew when he was shaving his head at the beginning of the episode, he had a little bit of evil in his face. Now the question is - did he shoot Otis out of selfishness so he could get away? Why didn't he shoot him in the head so he wouldn't have to suffer while all those zombies tore him apart? Was he really thinking of getting Carl the medical supplies so that's why he did it? I really hope Rick never finds out about him and Lori.
Carl - More and more we are having to watch the characters face the decision about whether or not living through the apocalypse is better or worse than being dead. Knowing what I know about medical issues, thinking about this poor child being operated on (by a veterinarian!) in a house, in somebody's bed, makes me want to hard-core hoard antibiotics, painkillers and sedatives just in case. And P.S. -I'll give you a little secret about healthcare: You never tell your patients, and definitely not you're patient's parents in the case of pediatrics, that a. have never done a procedure or b. you're a veterinarian and not a surgeon. You always act like you know exactly what you're doing.
Andrea - she needs drop the attitude. She's being super rude to everyone because her sister got bit and she wants to die. And also that other lady? Why would she not learn to use a gun??
What I want to know - how come this farm house seems to be free of any walkers? Why do they seem not short for food at all? How are they going to get a post-operative Carl back on the road?
I haven't read the comics and don't plan on it. I want to see how this all un-folds without having any idea what might happen because they can take it so many directions. Will Shane go out on his own? Will they find Sophia? What about Lori & Rick's relationship? How long before they find something that might be hopeful?
I am SO hooooked! Happy Halloween!

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-10-28T12:48:00.003-05:00

Link up!

1. When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer or a kindergarten teacher when I grew up.

2. As an adult, my dream job would be a stay at home mom working part time with Bride magazine or The Knot.

3. When I was younger I wanted to be just like the 6th grade girls in my class. They wore eyeshadow and taught me to do the butterfly.

4. The childhood Halloween costume that I remember most was when I was Albert Einstein.

that would be me in the middle - I think around 3rd-5th grade-ish?

I had an index card that said E=mc2

5. My favorite childhood toy was probably my popples or crash test dummies.

6. The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I ...got sent to the principal's office in 4th grade when my friend convinced me to hide behind the garbage can at recess so we wouldn't have to come in. I think it was the only time in my life I ever got in to any trouble and I don't think anything even happened.

7. I get daily inspiration from all you amazing bloggers out there, Pinterest, and etsy.

a good reminder!

2011-10-27T05:56:00.000-05:00

I need to post this on my door. And in my bathroom. And on the refridgerator. And in my car.

And then I need to actually do it.

I had some great workouts at the beginning of the month and then I just stopped going. I think about it a lot. That should count for something. I just have a really hard time justifying using that time every day when there are so many other things to do for school and making time to pick up shifts for work. I have a much better balance this semester then I have in the past but I need to remember to take care of my body too, and that includes maybe not working out if it is interferes with a solid amount of sleep. Those 7.5 hours are like gold to me and with all my stress and anxiety, I've become such a prissy sleeper that I hate to skimp out on any quality rest I can get. I know I feel awesome when I do my regular work outs so I just have to make it my routine again!

What do you guys do to keep it fun??

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Photos!

2011-10-26T06:17:00.001-05:00

The time has come to reveal our photos from our fun shoot with Jen at the beginning of this month! We met at Minnehaha Falls in minneapolis to take our photos and while it was fun, it definitely took me some time to warm up to the camera. Jen was so fun to work with and is very helpful for those of us that feel really awkward staring at your fiance's face for hours and then making out in front of other people, all in the name of a great photo! If any of you are looking for wedding or family photos, you should definitely contact her! She is an amazing artist!

Jen featured some photos of us on her blog a while back, and to see the rest of our engagement photos go to jenniferaphoto.com, click weddings, then clients, then password: petersyndal

We were also so ecstatic to have our engagement session featured on another wedding blog this past Monday!! That post can be found here: A Northwoods Wedding

Can I make a career out of being a Bride?

Hi, my name is Syndal and I am a Halloween Hater.

2011-10-24T10:12:00.000-05:00

I'm not afraid to admit it - I'm just not a big fan of Halloween. I don't really like scary things and I don't really like children wandering the cold, dark streets soliciting for free candy.

I don't get excited for orange & black (they were our high school colors anyways and I still shudder when I think of our black and orange band uniforms - complete with capes and cowboy hats)

And that cobwebby stuff people put all over always sticks to everything.

I am the grinch of Halloween and I don't mind it. Somebody's gotta do it and I like to save all my excitement and energy for Christmas. I LOVE Christmas.
Anyways, even though I have a general disinterest for this holiday you better believe I will take a gazillion photos of my nephew all dressed up because he's adorable. But, my sister's boyfriend is having a housewarming/halloween party next weekend and I'm stuck for ideas!

I could not dress up at all, which is fine by me. But Pete loves Halloween and wants to do costumes.
I don't want to spend the money - costumes are expensive if you buy them!
And I'm also not the type of girl that will dress like a playboy bunny.
So what should I do? Cop out and wear my scrubs? Search the basement for my old Cat in the Hat costume? Cut holes in a sheet and say Boo?

I'm stuck. Any ideas for cheap costumes??

A Recipe: Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken

2011-10-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

I made this a few weeks ago and it was super easy and as I was eating it by myself, it lasted me to the point where I ended up throwing some away because it was getting too old and I just had too much!

I got this recipe from Pete, who sent it to me from work. Hence, the US Bank banner thing..

the main ingredientses (shout out to Tre from RHNJ!)

throw all that stuff in the crockpot and 5 hours later add your block of cream cheese. mix it all up. the chicken seriously shreds without any effort.

The recipe says to serve it with rice, but I found it makes a great chip dip or taco filling.

I also used medium hotness salsa (I usually cannot stand much spice) and it did not have any spice to it so you can definitely adjust this recipe to your desired hotness.

Laugh out Loud

2011-10-22T10:36:00.002-05:00

Found this on pinterest and got a good chuckle!

Pumpkins & Great Girl Friends

2011-10-21T10:07:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we carved/decorated our pumpkins! I was determined to try to paint some pumpkins like I've seen all over Pinterest. It did not turn out quite as lovely, but it was fun and worth it to avoid pulling out all the nasty pumpkin guts.

Saving the seeds for roasting (which I am currently munching on right now!)

trial & error was the theme here..

those are supposed to be leaves.

Pete made the one on the left & my sister made the anime face on the right

Pete's Jack Skellington

Frankenstine

our pumpkin patch, as Orrin calls it

I also just had to give a shout out to my friend Britt -

After my terrible day last week she made me a cheer up bag of goodies!

that kitten calendar is SO cute!

She is such a great friend to me and it was so sweet of her to do this for me!

After a long week of classes I am looking forward to the weekend. I might be a bit lonely with Pete going up north for deer scouting and Orrin spending the weekend with his dad, but I have more than enough studying to get caugh up on (unfortunately) so I'll have plenty of quiet time - something that's a bit of a scarcity lately!

My weekend took great care of me. Thanks, weekend.

2011-10-17T10:45:00.000-05:00

Friday night was superb. I went out for a few drinks with one of my besties Stene and her hubby Jake. We decided to try Uptown, which is typically not our scene. We went to Chino Latino first and had some sushi and I had a couple few flirtinis. Then we wandered to some rooftops and other random bars I had never been to.

Farrah was at home with Stene's sister so mom & dad got a night out!

Saturday I continued my studyathon-homework-extravaganza. When Orrin woke up from his nap, Pete & I took him to Afton apple orchard.

Orrin loved going on the tractor ride

we then enjoyed some very sugary apple donuts.

That evening we went straight over to a surprise birthday party for my mom who turns 50 next month. She's a red hat lady now. She wasn't totally surprised though because she actually got a birthday card from someone in the mail that couldn't make it to the party. People don't know the meaning of surprise! I think she still liked it and I left the party several hours before her.

On Sunday Pete and I had to rush to church (we are always late!) because we are now proud new members of Good Shepherd Lutheran church where we are getting married next year, and yesterday was the official reception of new members.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready for the week, doing laundry, and decorating pumpkins (stay tuned..)

Bad Day? Me too.

2011-10-14T11:10:00.000-05:00

I feel like everyone lately has been having some miserable 'off' days.
Guess what?
I had the most terrible day ever yesterday.
One of my instructors came to watch me at my pediatrics clinical site (also known as a site visit) and I was nervous because I'm so anxious about doing this pediatrics thing. Well what could be the worst thing you could ever do in front of a teacher in graduate school?
That's right. I cried.
Between her and my preceptor both taking turns drilling me, I was so anxious and overwhelmed and tongue tied. I did not do very well. I could feel the tears behind my eyeballs and I held it in until she said the one thing that will always make you cry when you're trying not to cry - "so what's with the tears?"
I thought it was kind of 'mean girl' of her and I was so embarrassed. The last thing I want to do is appear unprofessional and immature. And because we had several patients not show up, she is going to come back another day to see me with more patients and do it all over again.

On my drive home I completely contemplated giving it all up and getting a job at Target.
Red's not really my color though.
But what a nice thought that was.

I met up with Michelle (MOH) last night to help her pick out a dress and it was obvious we were both not having a good day so I felt bad about that too. Pete let me skip the church social for new members and then at 10pm he got me not one, but two pieces of pie (I couldn't decide which kind I wanted) from Baker's Square and we watched some of Kim Kardashian's wedding.
I guess I'm pretty lucky.
Unprofessional, but lucky.
Today I am just trying to study until my brain shatters so that maybe I won't look like such an idiot the next time she comes.

Good News: Today is Friday and although I'm broke, I'm not going to work. I'm going to get caught up on school work, watch a few of the 48 Hours: Mystery shows I have on my DVR, and then tomorrow I'm going to pick and eat dozens of apples at the orchard.

Wedding Wednesday: A Wedding Fair!

2011-10-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

On Sunday two of my best girl friends (& beautiful Bridesmaids) were subjected to the Wedding Fair Expo with me at the Minneapolis Convention center!

I had a few things in mind that we haven't made decisions for, such as invitations, cake, miscellaneous decorations, flowers, and possible transportation options.

There were so many different vendors there, and a million and ten people crowding them.

It was so much fun to be the bride and feel special and look at all the beautiful place settings and dresses and cakes and flowers and colors and sparkles! It was magic. Weddings are so beautiful and I am having the time of my life planning mine!

The entrance was gorgeous- like this but pure pink.

pretty idea for flowers..

cakes & cupcakes - delicious art!

I didn't get any closer to making decisions on the things we don't have yet and I've got junk mail coming out of my ears but it was so fun to envision my big day with the girls and even start rough drafting the bachelorette party.

Stene & Katy- love you guys! thanks for being the bestest girls ever!!

Before & After: Working Out of My Comfort Zone

2011-10-11T07:00:00.017-05:00

Those of you who watch Wheel of Fortune still understand my title (shout out to Blaire & the old ladies I used to take care of!)
Last week I tried not one, but two new classes at the gym. I was very proud of myself. And very sore, even today.

On Friday I went by myself and tried the Zumba. Everyone's been hyping about it and I YouTube'd it a few times and decided it was not for me. It didn't look like a workout and I was sure I would look like a fool doing it.
I was right about one thing - I'm pretty sure I looked like a fool.
But I was oh-so-wrong about Zumba's ability to own my cardiovascular system.

I wore my heart rate monitor and I was in zone 3- zone 4 the majority of the workout (for those of you who know your zones) and I burned just about 600 calories in one hour. I was sweating and huffing and puffing but I had so much fun. I was a little unsure in the beginning of the class because the instructor was bleach blonde and a little orange. She turned the lights down low and music way up, and she could shake her booty like it was going out of style - & let me tell you, as long as she's doing it, it ain't never going out of style! She made it so fun and we all looked ~~ridiculous~~ awesome trying to keep up with her. I know that the classes differ between instructors so I'm looking forward to squeezing in a few different class times to find one I could try to make a regular thing. Maybe one day my hips won't lie just like the instructor's.

The very next day ~~even though my legs were broken~~ I was feeling great and I met up with Pete's sister Carrie to try the Strike! class. It was a cardio kickboxing deal with a little bit of weights thrown in. I wasn't sure what to expect but Carrie said it was her favorite class and I decided that if Carrie likes it, it must be something that will kick my butt real good. And kick it, the class did (get it?! kickboxing?) Another fun workout that was definitely high in cardio, but you can use weighted gloves if you'd like and incorporate more strength in to the class if that's what you're looking for. We did do quite a bit with the body bar though.

I think I would do this again.

For a busy girl like me, being able to make time for workouts that are actually fun can be a huge challenge. I'm so happy that I pushed myself to try something new even though I wasn't really sure about it-I have way more options for class workouts to try to squeeze around my schedule! We are only 299 days from the wedding-I better get to steppin' (literally!)

Pinehaven Farm

2011-10-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

On Saturday (when I thought we were just going to Gerten's) Pete took me to Pinehaven Farm in Wyoming, MN to look for some pumpkins. It was a weird fall activity considering we hit 85 degrees that afternoon.

I knew he was trouble!

Tractor ride to the pumpkin patch

what we went home with..the little ones are supposed to be good for roasting the seeds! I eat pumpkin seeds year round so I am excited for that!

Yesterday we gave Orrin one of the little ones so he decorate his first pumpkin. He's still too little for carving...

with a little bit of help....

he made a pirate pumpkin!

it's the little things..

2011-10-07T08:21:00.042-05:00

little things that I am happy about this week:

I'm hoping I made a breakthrough with my preceptor yesterday. I was a little more conversational with her and tried to be a little more independent with patients. I want her to start to trust me with patients by myself and also be a little more friendly/a little less socratic in her teaching methods. My anxiety runs high when I'm around her!

I'm excited to have some girl time this weekend....Wedding Fair here I come!!

Our weather has been gorgeous this week. Sun and temps in the mid-80's. It would have been more perfect if I had the time to play outside. I'm not really in the mood for a Minnesota winter this year even if I do get to snowboard a little bit. I already have to leave an hour or more earlier in the morning to get to class and clinical because all the road construction around here.

My gym aspirations are beginning to return, although my schedule makes it difficult to follow through. I may be gutsy enough to try a zumba class later this morning. I may chicken out.

No description necessary.

I snuck over to the clinic the other day where I'm doing my project for school (I created folders of stuff and got some books for cancer patients who have young kids-I'm working on making sure an assessment will always be done so patients will always get the help they need for their kids) and about half of the stuff I stocked was gone! I'm hoping that means that staff is actually giving this stuff out to patients. This is good news. I'm going to send another ~~annoying~~ encouraging email.

Another sneek peak of our photos from Jen. I sort of stole this from her page but I am so excited to see our pictures!!

Today is Friday! We love fridays (when we don't have to work the weekend)-I need to get caught up on school work and just chill out from the busy week. I'm excited to spend the afternoon at starbucks, listening to sounds of the sea on my ipod, and be super productive. Happy Weekend!

It's Back!!

2011-10-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

I will never understand why this pop is seasonal. Until then, I am hoarding this stuff.

What have I been up to?

2011-10-03T09:11:00.000-05:00

This past month has taken off and for that, I am grateful. School and clinical and wedding planning is a crazy business to be in. These are some of the highlights of the past few weeks:

School is going alright. I hate pediatrics but it's only because it's way out of my comfort zone. I love the kids and the babies. I don't love the parents asking me a gazillion questions. I am also not very fond of the physician precepting me. She likes to put me on the spot in front of parents and I look like an idiot not only to her, but the patients I will be seeing week after week.
I am pleasantly surprised to be feeling comfortable at my primary care clinical. I know how to handle most of those situations and I had to slap myself in the face to be sure I wasn't being overconfident. I'm torn about my clinic site thought. It is a great clinic and a great commute but I'm not really that impressed with my preceptor. It bugs me that she types her entire note in the room with the patient. She is looking at the computer screen the entire time. She also told me her patient satisfaction scores are not that great. hmmm.....
On that note, I should be getting ready to graduate at the beginning of May. Just 7 months away. Then of course, I have to pass boards. I'm not ready to think about that.
Pete & I took our engagement photos at Minnehaha Falls yesterday with that amazing Jen. Here's our sneak peek-

It would be a great photo if our faces didn't look so stupid. Pete was doing a pretty good job but I felt so uncomfortable and shy. I felt very awkward having to stare at Pete for several minutes at a time and kiss in front of a million people walking around us. I am hoping and praying we got some good shots!

Next Sunday there is a Wedding fair expo that I really want to go to! We have most of our planning complete except for a few details so I don't really need to go..but I'm a bride and I want to go! And try to win a honeymoon :)
I had to stop my training sessions with Abbie. I just cannot afford $75 an hour with her on top of my gym membership fee. It's also been very difficult to continue a good gym-going routine these days also..and my jeans have made sure I notice it :(
On the positive- New York & Co. had a sweet sale this weekend and their petite pants are the perfect length for me! I was sooo excited to have pants that fit well and show my feet! I'm telling you-spending a little extra for pants that actually fit the right way will change how you feel about pants.
Dexter started last night..what did you guys think? It was a little slow for me but we'll see what the deal is with Colin Hanks..

I'm off to get caught up on homework and tidying up around here..too bad I will be spending this beautiful day inside. Happy Monday!!

I heart blog swaps!

2011-09-30T14:21:00.001-05:00

A little while ago, Meg hosted a fall frenzy blog swap. Of course I signed up because who could not love making a new blog friend, sending them presents, and then getting presents from them in the mail?!
It's so much fun and although I got swapped with someone whom I already follow, I sure got spoiled by miss Elizabeth.

I think I said something about needing to be pampered and this girl got me some fuzzy slippers and fuzzy socks--I seriously live in fuzzy socks in the winter and I cannot wait to surround my little feet in these cozies!
I also got a super cute manicure set and a burt's bees hand cream set-um, you must have seen the results of my allergy test last year because burt's bees is on the very short list of products that don't irritate my whiney skin!
I love the sparkly picture frame and of course those earrings-I die! And a fall scented candle-just perfect!
Thank you so so much Elizabeth! I love my fall gifts!
You guys better check out Elizabeth's blog-it's one of my favorites!

My kind of holiday!

2011-09-29T06:35:00.000-05:00

Happy National Coffee Day!

And because I love you-
here's a coupon for FREE coffee at Dunn Bros.

And check out Caribou's facebook page for a coupon for free coffee there too!

coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee! yay!

Even though I'm busy....

2011-09-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

I had to make a quick shout out to my amazing friends who gave me an awesome weekend!

my go-to tv watching, wine drinking, chemotherapy administering coworker girls.

I had fun singing in church with you girls and devouring our food in a very un-ladylike-way-because-we-were-starving at Kim's wedding.

and these girls-there are no words.

Had a blast celebrating your birthday Nikki!

Orrin's 2nd Birthday!

2011-09-26T13:38:00.001-05:00

On Saturday my favorite little nephew turned 2. I cannot believe it has already been 2 years since he joined our family and stole our hearts. He is definitely ~~spoiled~~ loved so much and he had such a great tractor-themed birthday bash!

I let him open his birthday presents from me in the morning before the chaos of the party.

He got his own tool set so he can help papa work.

I got him a tractor shirt with his name on it from Etsy. Not sure why the capital I also has a dot above it, but W-sign..still cute.

Pete made his tractor cake the night before

With tractor wheel cupcakes

Opening presents with mom & dad

he made us sing to him twice, so he could blow out the candle twice.

Of course we all do whatever he tells us.

Orrin's big surprise-his very own tractor he can drive around the yard in.

Tractor obsessions are healthy, right?

Where am I? What day is this?

2011-09-20T10:37:00.002-05:00

I'm not quite sure which way is up these days and I would be unable to leave my house if I didn't have 2 calendars and a planner.
By the way-I have been reading all your posts about you guys just absolutely raving about those Erin Condren planners. Ummm..did you know those things are like fifty-bucks?! For a planner? Don't get me wrong-I love and need a planner probably more than the average person. But for $50?? Does this thing dispense gold coins or something? What am I missing?

I guess I'm old school..I use the regular old Mead planners and I thought I was being all cute with my zebra print cover. I got it from Target for like $9.99.

I have pockets and 2-page spreads for each month plus monthly tabs, plus space to write on each day of the week, plus notes in the back. The only problem I have is that the pen holder only holds small pens. What else would I need from a planner?

What's the deal Erin Condren? Who are you and why are your planners so expensive??

Um..did I just blog about planners?

Fall Bucket List

2011-09-19T12:53:00.002-05:00

Thank you Caroline for the idea!
Pete: you might want to bookmark this page or print it out. This is happening. All of it. Well, except for the maze. I hate mazes.

My little Study Buddy

2011-09-18T08:26:00.000-05:00

i iz on your books, distractin' your studiez

Me and Birchbox? We're pretty tight.

2011-09-14T13:29:00.001-05:00

Did you guys get your Birchboxes in the mail yesterday?
It's such a fun thing to get a pink box in the mail full of beauty samples! And as you know-Birchbox just turned 1 so we all got cute friendship bracelets.

yay we're friends!

I got LIV GRN parfum which smells really delicious.

Jouer lip stuff that's supposed to be plumping (no results with one use)

Pangea Organics facial cream-which I am excited to try. I've been on an organic kick lately, and my sensitive skin gets (and looks) really angry when I put junk all over it.

Inoco nail polish strips in blue glitters. I've tried (& loved) the Sally Hansen nail strips because it lasts so much longer than regular nail polish. However, it took me 40 minutes to do my toes. I'm interested to see if this stuff is a bit easier. It looks like there are more color options as well.

Did anybody get some different stuff this month??

Our Crazy Garden

2011-09-12T09:07:00.001-05:00

Being the outdoorsy type, Pete loves to garden. If anybody asks him, he will say he does it for me because I like flowers, but we all know better. Pete just loves to garden. And he spends many an afternoon poking around out there.
Last year "we" just did some flowers, and this year Pete decided to do flowers and to also build a vegetable garden. It's been so yummy to have fresh grown veggies all summer. However, the flowers have gotten pretty out of control. Like-a lot out of control. They are definitely crowding eachother for space and they've all grown way more than we anticipated.

This first set of pictures was back in July when I thought they looked pretty. The photos are steamy because it was so humid, and I was taking pictures because a storm was on the way and I was afraid our garden would be ruined.

And here is what the garden looks like now. Totally Little Shop of Horrors style.

Pete had to reinforce the trellis for the morning glories more than once.

those would be the veggies that are just about down feeding us.

Moral of the story: Miracle-Gro works.

My LAST first day of school!

2011-09-08T07:36:00.001-05:00

DNP School, Year 3

Yesterday was my last first day of Grad school! I am unbelievably busy this semester but hopefully that means it will go fast. Doing classes, my DNP project, clinicals, (attempting) work, and planning a wedding is kind of like insanity. Needless to say, I have yet to work out in the month of September. It usually takes me a few weeks to find my routine and make the balance.

So to my dear friends and family out there-I will see you when I emerge at Christmas!

Wedding Wednesday: I said YES to the dress!

2011-09-07T06:38:00.000-05:00

I have been getting quite a few questions about the progress of my planning and I have some very exciting news to report!
I bought my wedding dress and veil last Saturday!

I went to the Wedding Shoppe here in St. Paul for my very first bridal appointment. It's kind of the go-to place in the cities, and it's sort of a small yet very busy place so there was a limit to how many people could actually come with me. That was fine by me because I was beyond nervous. I barely slept the night before. My group consisted of my mom, Pete's mom, my sister Sophie, and my matron of honor Michelle.
I walked in and told my mom I was going to throw up. My mom then pointed out that that was why all the dresses were in bags.
It wasn't long before my excitement kicked in.
The dresses were so beautiful in real life! I met my consultant person Meg (who was awesome) and showed her my pictures and told her what I was looking for. I also shared my fabulous shoes which were then passed around the whole store (another post for another day!). She started pulling some dresses and we got to look at a few more to pick, so I let each person in my group pull one for me.
Every single dress I picked, including the one I have been obsessing about for months, did not look right or feel right. I knew right away which ones did not work and kept feeling like I was wearing costumes. Needless to say, there were several I did not even show my group. But it was SO fun trying on different styles and standing up on the pedestal and twirling around. I loved it.

The very last dress left in the dressing room was one Pete's mom picked out for me, and to be honest-it looked boring in the bag. Meg asked if I even wanted to try it on and my response was 'ehh. I guess.' Michelle was in there too and was not impressed with the dress either.

She helped me get the dress on and I remember it just...felt good. I didn't pay too much attention to the details and decided to go out to show the group. A few little details changed (sorry guys, Pete reads this!) and suddenly everyone started saying they thought it was the one.

The more I looked at myself in the mirror, the more I realized they were right.

I just felt so comfortable and pretty in the dress. And I did not want to ever take it off!

The dress was not at all what I thought I would pick. It wasn't anything I thought I was looking for. But after wearing it, it felt like it was made for me. And then they told me it was on SALE! It was just perfect.

I was delirious after that. People started taking pictures and I was trying on different veils..they could have sold me 5 more things after that because I was saying Yes to everything. It was a very surreal moment.

And because the dress was on sale, I have it in my possession.

Taunting me for 11 months.

But it is sooooo beautiful and I Love it so much! I am so excited!!

It's not Fall yet! One last Summery blog post!

2011-09-06T10:59:00.000-05:00

I know everyone is all excited about the cooler weather and pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters and orange leaves blah blah blah! I'm negative about Fall even though I plugged in apple cinnamon glade things yesterday and I am secretly loving being able to cozy up in bed at night. I'm only negative because school officially starts today and because Fall being here means that Winter is well on its way to haunt us here in Minnesota. Anyways, our last hot day was last week and we got to enjoy one last summer day on the St. Croix River with my Uncle George and Aunt Shirley. It was a spectacular day.

Orrin getting all sunscreened

Great Aunt Shirley teaching Orrin how to squirt my sister Sena's boyfriend Lee

he had so much fun

Orrin & mommy

Such a serious Captain.

me & Pete

Everybody bent over finding skipping rocks..haha

me, Pete, Sophie, Orrin, Sena, Lee

lounging

It was a super fun day and I think everyone but the drivers took a little nap in the car on the way home. It was the perfect end to a really fast summer! Thanks Uncle George & Aunt Shirley for taking us out!

Now we can talk about Fall again.

September is the Monday of months.

2011-09-05T09:44:00.000-05:00

Here in Minnesota, the end of summer is marked by the Minnesota State Fair. We are well known for our fair being an eating festival, with bizarre foods on a stick. I go every year even though it's pretty much the same thing every year. I went last week with Pete and my friend Britt with her boyfriend Erik.

yummy corn

us with a cardboard cut out of our beloved local weatherman Sven. Love him.

I'm not going to get all political, but for those of you who know of Michelle Bachmann, you might find this scarecrow kind of funny. And scary.

So we spent the hot day walking and eating and walking and eating. And now it is September. Today we are ~~enjoying~~ experiencing the coolest morning in 101 days. As I sit here with my coffee all bundled up in Pete's huge sweatshirt, I am definitely aware that summer is over. I started getting organized for my classes this week and updating my calendar. Feelings of ~~panic and dread~~ excitement over my final year of Graduate school are quickly taking over. I picked out a first day of school outfit. And I completely wish we could have August part II and have another month of summer to enjoy. The back to school reality week is always the hardest and most overwhelming but it is my last fall semester! (knock on wood).

This semester I have: a Pediatric clinical in Andover, MN which is about 45 minutes away from where I live. And don't get me started on how frustrated I am with my preceptor who has yet to call me back about setting up a schedule.

My primary care clinical is in Hastings (another semi-long commute) and is a last minute change after my other preceptor could no longer take me as a student so I'm starting my hours there late also. I have yet to hear back about my schedule with this one as well.

And my project is crazy and not doing what I want it to be doing and the NP I am working with is not being very supportive anymore.

So I have my work cut out for me.

Here's hoping these next 16 weeks fly by.

Fall Frenzy Blog Swap!

2011-09-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

Meg is hosting a fall gift blog swap! I've done a couple blog swaps before and it is SO much fun to get a surprise in the mail and find some new blog friends!Entries are due 9/13 so go check it out!

The time I shot a gun and almost cried.

2011-09-01T09:54:00.001-05:00

The weekend after I got back from California I repacked and headed up north to Two Harbors, MN with Pete to spend some time with his family.

The first afternoon we spent enjoying the North Shore weather and visited some cliffs overlooking Lake Superior. I ventured to the edge and scared everyone when I squealed when a bee flew by!

Later that evening we met up with Pete's grandparents and cousins for dinner at Dixie's. Notice the deer head on the wall in the top right corner? There were christmas lights strung around it too. Welcome to northern Minnesota.

The next day was pretty much entirely out of my comfort zone. We went out in the middle of the woods to see their hunting cabin so Pete and his dad could cut down trees. Then Pete kept pushing to go shoot a little bit and I was very adament about not participating. I had never shot a gun and I was scared. But then his dad started showing me how the gun works, how to hold it, etc. and then Pete's mom tried bargaining with me. Those damn Ortmans pressured me and I shot the gun.

We did some shooting standing and then some lying down which was a lot harder. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought, but for some reason I felt really upset afterwards! I almost felt like crying and I wasn't sure why. I figured I have some sort of repressed memory about guns or I was thinking about Joe's death last year. Leave it to me to be dramatic about shooting targets in the sand.

Girls Trip to Wine Country: Day 4

2011-08-30T08:24:00.001-05:00

The very last day of our trip we reserved for spending in San Francisco. With our drive through the city on our first day we were pumped to spend the day there and see the Golden Gate bridge again! Too bad it was soooo foggy..you could barely see it! But-we learned that is why it was painted red. It was also super cold and windy! Brittney wouldn't let me change my clothes because she didn't want anybody to know we had luggage in our trunk :(

Ghirardelli Square.

a view of Alcatraz

we got Sea Salt & Carmel hot cocoas from Ghirardelli

On one of the Piers at Fisherman's Wharf

and we had to go on a trolley tour!

the famous Lombard Street

all the seals at Pier 39

we stopped for lunch and got some delicious clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl! Soooo good, but I ended up tossing my cookies in the airport bathroom just a couple hours later :*(

on the plane to go home :(

We had such a great trip and could have easily spent a couple weeks there to see and do so much more!

Girls Trip to Wine Country: Day 3

2011-08-25T11:33:00.001-05:00

The third day of our trip was a private tour with Ryan of Napa valley. It was so much fun, but very interesting to see how different Napa is than Sonoma.

Visiting Castello di Amorosa-a huge castle with imported Italian bricks and fixtures from the 14th century.

there was also a torture room which seemed a little gimmicky to me..

Ryan in the hot seat!

this was at Chateau Montelena

What we learned here is that Napa is much more pricey than Sonoma, with bottles costing over 100 buckaroos.

we took a burger lunch break! It was not a pleasant experience for me because there sooo many BEES flying around us :(

We ended our day at Mumm for some more bubbly!

we took a long drive back through the mountains..it was insane!

We got back a little later than planned, so we ate dinner at our hotel restaurant..this was a papardelle pasta with duck sausage, feta, and raisins? I couldn't eat it..not so good!

We again ended the evening with wine in the hot tub..this was the night we laughed until we cried over the dumbest things (2 girls. dead. rrrack 'em!)

And we were sad that the next day was our last!

Girls Trip to Wine Country: Day 2

2011-08-24T13:55:00.002-05:00

The second day of our trip was a full day group tour of Sonoma's finest vineyards! We had an amazing tour guide named Ryan who absolutely made our trip spectacular! Plus-it was like having our own picture taker there with us all the time!

Britt & me waiting for our van to pick us up at the hotel!

first stop- Kunde family estate vineyard. Soo beautiful, so much fun, AND-a bachelor had dinner in the caves one time.

barrels and barrels inside the cave

grapes!

You've gotta wear a fedora in wine country.

Next we visited Imagery estate winery which was unique for the artwork on their bottles and on their walls-so cool we each bought a special coaster :) We did tastings of several wines at each vineyard, despite it being 10am.

Then Ryan brought us to lunch at Sonoma plaza to try a Diners, Drive ins, & Dives featured restaurant- the Sunflower Caffe-which just so happens to be hosting an event with Ben F. (from the bachelorette) tomorrow and his wine :( If I were rich, I would SO be there!

we split a duck sandwich and an asparagus sandwich..YUM. I had never tried duck before but this sandwich was delish!

We then made our way to Jacuzzi family vineyards, and yes-they are the same people that made the whirlpool.

I just can't get over the views..these photos do not show how awesome it is!

not sure why they had this creepy rubber dude at Jacuzzi..with a helmet on.

the girls with our tour guide Ryan

I think this was in the bathroom before (or after?) visiting Gloria Ferrer for something bubbly!

when we got back to the hotel, it then took us a good hour to open up some wine (yes-wine, followed by some more wine, with a side of wine). Note to self: cheap-o corkscrews that cost $2 do not work!

and we spent the next few hours at the hot tub giggling and chatting..perfect day and perfect night!

Girls Trip to Wine Country: Day 1

2011-08-23T09:41:00.001-05:00

I'm back from my vacation (& blogcation) and ready to share our amazing trip to Napa & Sonoma! We were only there for 4 days, and if I had won the lottery I definitely would have been able to stay a few weeks. Those of you who have been in that area know just how beautiful the terrain is, and being able to visit so many different wineries was so much fun! Because there is a grip (yes- a GRIP) of photos, I'm splitting this up by each day.

We flew in to San Francisco and rented a car. We were SO excited to be able to drive over the golden gate bridge. These photos were taken through the sunroof of the car.

Little did we know-San Fran is actually a very foggy city and these were the best views of the bridge during our entire trip.

we got to drive a cute little ford focus and we stopped at In-N-Out Burger for lunch-it was pure crazy there! They went through over a hundred orders while we were there-but it was delish!

We stayed at the DoubleTree Hotel and they gave us warm cookies at check-in! We could have mice in our room and they would have already won me over with this.

Barrels outside our hotel.

We visited the Old Faithful Geyser in Calistoga, CA. It bubbled about every 30 min. and we built it up in our heads to be a huge, rushing surge of water that we were somewhat disappointed at how mild it actually was.

the scenery was spectacular.

and they had fainting goats with crazy sideways eyes!

Later that night we had a fancy dinner at a cute old house complete with pasta, bread, and of course-some vino. We went back to our hotel and crashed so we could be ready for our tour of Sonoma the next day!

Friday Confessional

2011-08-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

I Confess....that I absolutely love planning a wedding. I'm avoiding the very true possibility that I will face PWD (Post Wedding Depression) next year.

I Confess....that I cried yesterday after finding out my preceptor at Woodwinds bailed on me for this semester. Not only are we weeks away from when I should be starting, but I was also STOKED about getting an 'in' at Woodwinds because I just love that place. I will never get over it.

I Confess....that I am very pessimistic about this semester (see above confession).

I Confess....that last night I had a dream that a middle aged man came over to show me wedding dresses but instead of me trying any on, he just modeled them for me. I've been having dress anxiety for several weeks now.

I Confess....that I got a little emotional when I got home from work at midnight last night to find left over taco salad in my fridge from my parents. I've been feeling a little ignored lately (middle child syndrome) and my favorite is taco salad.

I Confess....that I am VERY excited for our girls trip! At wine o'clock on Sunday morning we are leaving for Napa Valley!

A Surprise Birchbox!

2011-08-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

Lucky me-I got a hot pink box in the mail yesterday....

Except I didn't order it!

I just had to open it anyways....

I thought I received this amazingness by accident. You see, I signed up for Birchbox back in May after seeing many lovely reviews. But then I got engaged and cancelled right away to save $10/month without ever receiving a box. I thought I got this by mistake but wasn't sure who it got charged to considering the account I used is now cancelled. It all made sense when Pete got home from work and was all excited about it, asking me what it was and my response was "oh, that's nothing. I think I got it by accident." To which he revealed he ordered it for me as a surprise! I did not know he knew anything about Birchboxes but sometimes he reads your guys' blogs! :)
Anyways-
I got some lovely smelling Kate Spade perfume called Twirl. It really does smell lovely. And twirly.
I tried out the Befine skin care samples-there was a scrub and a nighttime cream. I was excited because they are paraben free and use non-allergenic fragrances. Perfect for my sensitive skin!
The scrub was definitely a scrub-I think I would use something like that in the winter to keep my skin fresh. And the cream-so silky smooth and my face did not flare up all red or get stingy at all! It was a success and I'm excited to finally find some good face stuff that doesn't irritate my cute cheekies. Plus if you check out their website, their stuff is made out of like food & plants. That's kinda cool I guess.

Can't wait to see what I get next month! (Do I not have the best fiance ever??)

Wedding Wednesday: Dress Research

2011-08-10T09:03:00.002-05:00

Can somebody please tell Jim Hjelm he is not the master of the universe and his
dresses do not need to be in the $4000 range?! :( LOVE this dress.

I have an appointment at the Wedding Shoppe here in St. Paul on September 3rd to look at wedding dresses. I am sooooo anxious! I initially was going to try to avoid the wedding shoppe because I have been there for bridesmaids dresses and it's always so crazy hectic there. But this place is where everyone goes for a dress here in the cities pretty much, and I got a few recommendations from other brides who had great experiences there. Plus, my plan is to work a deal to see if I can get some sort of a discount considering I am bringing them 7 bridesmaids!

Pete sent me a link yesterday about why wedding dresses are so expensive because I've been having a really hard time deciding what my budget should be for a dress. Initially, Pete & I agreed that I should spend about $1500 on everything dress related-including alterations, veil, etc. But I've been freaking-out about our budget and I'm on the hunt to find the most amazing, yet least expensive dress possible.
Pete also does not understand why I have been asking his opinion on different styles, textures, and fabrics. I really want a dress that he will LOVE and love me in. And of course-the only dress I really love right now is a style Pete doesn't care for (fit-n-flare), and is a tad over budget. (This can always change once I actually try dresses on and see what I feel good in though.)

So I'm extremely anxious about trying on dresses and I'm not sure how prepared I should be. I've been printing out ones I know I want to try on but I'm nervous about working around this budget and my not-so great body image. I would much rather go by myself but Pete insists I need to make a thing out of it. So I'm bringing my mom, Pete's mom, possibly my sister, and my matron of honor.

Any tips on undergarments and shoes?
Wish me luck!

The hours I give to the Bachelor and Bachelor related shows

2011-08-09T13:40:00.001-05:00

Did you guys catch the premiere of the Bachelor Pad last night--all 3 hours of it?!

First of all-this show did not need to be 3 hours. I love "reality" tv just as much as you guys, but it was too much. Plus, I resent how trashy this show is.
I watched the first season not really caring too much about it but thought it was ok. Last night however, I was appalled with my former Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants.

I am so confused about how I feel over the Jake vs Vienna saga. During his season, I was on Jake's side. Then on the "breakup special" (as Jake refers to it as), I was totally on Vienna's side. At the beginning of the show, I thought maybe Vienna was just a little misunderstood. 3 hours later, I was back on Jake's side. I think the moral of this story is that I have no idea who these two crazy people are and I have no idea what truly happened between them so I might as well give it up. But don't forget about Kasey who decided he needs to guard and protect Vienna's heart even though she is "over" Jake. But he did provide the greatest line of the night- "Baby don't talk, it ruins my strength."

Remember Blake from Ashley's season?

Did I hear him say he wasn't really in to the girl with the tiara because she was a little too "thick" for him? Not cool. He can go away.

Oh, and Ames--sweet, kind Ames. You are way, way, way too good for this show.

A Saturday Morning in the Life of Syndal

2011-08-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

I've been up since 6am re-working this paper after finally having a meeting about my DNP project yesterday. I took a short break for breakfast and an episode of New Jersey Housewives and I am going to finally tackle the literature review part I've been putting off. In the next few weeks I'll be able to present my project to the clinic and finally start handing out the packets of resources for kids who have a parent with cancer. It is not happening the way I want it to, but I'm stuck with this deadline so we'll just have to make it work. The only way this project will stop being such a pain in the a** is once I finally finish it!

This is also the reason I have been avoiding blogger all week. I've also been a working fool, and Pete made me do a day of Habitat for Humanity the other day. I've been so tired.

August Goals

2011-08-02T20:43:00.002-05:00

{1}. Dear God, please give me the strength (literally) to workout at least 3 days per week for the entire month!

{2}. I will be logging what I eat every.single.day. Even on the weekends. I gotta figure out what I need to change and I am trying on wedding dresses next month!! eeek!

{3}. For the love of God-I need to finish my DNP paper. It was supposed to be done last week but I cannot focus on it to save my life. Funny thing about it-whenever I sit down to work on it, it is the absolute most perfect time to clean the litter box, check Pinterest, search for wedding dresses, blog, change the sheets on my bed, stare at my calendar, or watch Keeping up with the Kardashians.

{4}. Nag my preceptors for a final clinical schedule for the semester.

{5}. Seriously-NO target trips.

{6}. Put one paycheck in to the wedding fund.

{7}. Pay off my Napa trip.

{8}. Go to Napa Valley, CA with the girls!

{9}. Schedule a weekend to do engagement photos with Jen.

{10}. Get up by 8am every day so I can get stuff done!

July Goals Check-In

2011-07-31T09:54:00.002-05:00

{1}. Work out at least 3x each week. If you mean 2x per week, then yes! I give myself partial credit at least for sticking with it. Problem is, I had Abbie weigh and pinch me yesterday (for body fat %) and I'm UP 2lbs and 2%, while Pete, who has NOT been working out, is DOWN weight and %! :(

{2}. Limit eating out to no more than 1x per week. We have really started slipping with this one, especially this past week. I need to start meal planning. I think we did pretty good with this one up until this week.

{3}. Stop complaining about my birthday. I turn 26 (shudder!) on the 12th and it makes me feel sad and old. Especially since I live in my parents' basement. I complained all day on my actual birthday :( I'm over it now.

{4}. Spend no more than $50 on fun stuff, i.e. anything other than groceries or gas. I have a serious problem.

{5}. Clean my shower. It's never been done guys. Did it and ended up throwing out my shower curtain liner after discovering it was covered in mold! yuck!

{6}. Buy Stene some gray canvas Toms. I stole her pink sparkle ones-literally, I took them out of her closet without her permission and she really wants the gray ones so I think I owe them to her. Yes, they look like Aladdin shoes. But they are comfortable and sparkly! and- for a good cause which is the best part. And I like when things are kind of ugly that they are kind of cute at the same time. I'm working on it Stene!

{7}. Finish my DNP paper even though I have no idea what is going on with the project itself. At this point, implementation is on hold until Fall and I will likely be meeting this social work student who stole my project is starting this amazing program for kids of cancer patients so we can work together. The girl who turns everything in one week before the due date has missed this deadline. shoot shoot shoot. Still working on fine tuning the details and hopefully I can actually do my project this next month while I have a quick break from school.

{8}. Instead of drinking coffee 188 days per week, let's shoot for 4 days per week at the most. Again, I have a serious problem.

{9}. Get up before 8am every single day. I am setting myself up for success with this one for sure. I did not do this every single day, but I did pretty good most days. In fact, I got up at 5am yesterday just because I couldn't sleep. But it still counts for partial credit.

{10}. Do nothing wedding related. I need to take a break from obsessing planning and I have more than enough time to allow for the break. (399 days from today!!) Pete & I are out of control with being organized planners! We booked a DJ, a photobooth, bought our wedding bands the other day, and I made an appointment to go dress shopping. We're going to have this done by Christmas!

Something silly for your Thursday

2011-07-28T09:30:00.002-05:00

‎1 - Open Google Maps (maps.google.com).
2 - Go to (Get Directions)
3 - Type China as your starting point.
4 - Type Taiwan as your destination.
5 - Read step 48.

Remember we had that ungodly heat and tropical dewpoints? I got some great pics of my nephew Orrin playing in the sprinkler. The pictures start out foggy until my camera warms up to the outside temperature.

I can't believe this kid is almost 2 already!

Wedding Wednesday: The 'B' Word

2011-07-27T09:21:00.000-05:00

Budget. The single most stressful thing about planning a wedding. I'm one of those girls that has been dreaming about my wedding since I was 10. I've been buying bride magazines for years. I've been imagining every detail, every flower, the colors, the dress, the shoes.. Funny thing-I never imagined how much those details would cost.

Planning a wedding when it's for real is a totally different story. You have to prioritize and let things go you thought you absolutely had to have on the big day. You have to compromise with others. And you have to start a spreadsheet of expenses.

Pete & I have never argued so much since we got engaged. Sad but true. And it's about wedding stuff. We're learning to work together in a very real way and we're learning to share a bank account for all these expenses. I knew weddings were expensive, but I never thought I'd have an issue paying for it. We're planning for a wedding at a time when I'm working as a casual nurse (read: very part time) while finishing up my last year of grad school (read: very busy). We're both neck-deep in student loans and have no idea where we're going to live next year (that's another can of worms for another rainy day), much less have enough left over for a fabulous honeymoon. Pete's parents have been so generous and have offered a substantial amount which is amazing but the rest is up to us. My parents have not been so good with money so they do not have a set amount put aside for their daughters' weddings (there's 3 of us) and I've also been living in their house for free for the past 2 years so I could focus on grad school.
So we're doing as much as we can ourselves to prepare. I'm somewhat reluctantly applying for a faculty loan forgiveness program with my school-if you join faculty following graduation, they'll forgive up to 85% of your student loans over time. We have a coffee can for our coins. I'm working as much as I can this summer before school really picks up this fall. And we might get arrested the week before our wedding when we can't pay our vendors.

But it puts things in to perspective. Is it more important to have a wedding or to have a marriage? Should we pay for an open bar or for nicer wedding bands? Is it ok to have our wedding party drive themselves to the reception? Am I going to have to give up my dream dress so we can invite more people?

On August 4, 2012, just 374 days from now, Pete & I will be Husband & Wife. We're going to have babies and grow old together. I'm going to give him facials and nair his back and he'll do the dishes and grill hot dogs. That's what is most important underneath it all-facials and hot dogs, not harp players and elaborate invitations. Whether we spend $5 or $50,000 the day will be magic simply because it's our day. And somehow it will all come together perfectly. Somehow.

Tomato basil grilled cheese sandwiches-YUM

2011-07-26T10:15:00.002-05:00

Last night was of course, Bachelorette night with the girls (Glad Constantine left on his own-I was not feelin' it with him!) and we made a delish dinner! If you love basil as much as I do, pay close attention. I originally found this recipe through someone on Pinterest and I will definitely be making it again!

Step 1: Invite your friends over.

Step 2: Make margaritas.

Step 3: Gather your Ingredients

Thick cut French Bread (I used italian bread and cut it myself)

Roma Tomatoes

Provolone Cheese

Fresh Basil leaves

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt, Pepper (I did not add this and didn't miss it-there's enough flavor without it)

Step 4: Assemble

I did one slice of cheese followed by basil, then tomatoes with olive oil and vinegar on top. I put another piece of cheese over the tomatoes as well. I lightly buttered the outsides of the bread for cooking.

Step 5: Cook. A panini grill works best so you don't have to flip your sandwich

Step 6: Admire your gourmet sandwiches.

Then eat them really fast because they're so delicious-the fresh ingredients makes it a perfect summer sandwich!

Fill in the blank Friday

2011-07-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

Head on over to Lauren's blog if you wanna link it up!

1. One of my happiest moments ever was probably the day I got engaged. It was awesome. I wish it would happen all over again.

a tacori ring + ice cream cake = pure joy

2. Summer is wedding season and weddings are so much fun! I seriously cannot stop daydreaming about ours next summer! What I love most is seeing my friends get married-it's so weird to be doing these adult things but it makes me feel like our friendships are so much more special.

3. This summer has been going by way too fast, per usual. I've been wishing it away though so that I can have a break from school in August. Only to be replaced by working a lot, but my brain needs a break!

4. My summer food of choice has been tacos. I have been eating so many tacos and taco salads and nachos that I might just overdose. Except it's so delicious that overdosing would be impossible. I'm convinced I'm intolerant to Gluten, however. More of that to come once I do more research.

5. My summer uniform has been a mix of workout clothes and sun dresses. Pure comfort.

6. If I could spend the entire summer in one location I would choose somewhere crazy hot like Miami. I love the heat and I love a summer filled with sun and water and cool drinks at night.

7. My summer anthem is Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

Everyday I'm shufflin'

Watch the video-it's awesome.

Wedding Wednesday: Advice Wanted!

2011-07-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Pete & I met with Bellagala to decide on a DJ. We decided to book with them because we really felt comfortable with Nancy who talked us through the process, and we got a really great discount for booking early. However, Bellagala is kind of a one-stop shop for wedding vendors so we can get discounts if we contract through them for other services. I've never been married before, so I'm not sure what prices are appropriate though.

I really love that they can do hair & makeup for the girls and come to us-but the cost for hair & makeup for my bridesmaids will be $130. Is that too much to ask? I was thinking of offering to pay for hair as my "gift" and then the girls can decide if they want their makeup done.

Anybody have any invitation ideas? We want to be as.cheap.as.possible for invitations-to the point that Pete is convinced we should buy an inkjet printer and some cardstock and make 200 invitations ourselves.

I have no idea what is considered reasonable for flowers. We're only doing bouquets and boutoneirres. I think I (naively) thought this would be no more than a couple hundo. I'm thinking it might be more than that.

But-I am SO SO SO excited that with our discounts we can afford to have a guitarist at our ceremony. It will be so amazing! However, picking music has already been a chore for Pete & I because of our very different tastes and our very different ideas of how the wedding should be. He wants to be sappy and cry the whole time and I want it to be cute and fun..what's wrong with this picture? ;)