Currently: May 2015

In the blink of an eye, it is the middle of May. Man oh man. I will never cease to be amazed how quickly time passes. I graduated just about one year ago.  (Already?!?) Here is what is currently going on with me--

Reading: I'm looking for some new summer reads. I've been reading "Something Borrowed" on my kindle for about the 10,000th time. 

Eating: Dairy and wheat free most days. Except when this hunky man shows up, and sweets talks me into burgers and cheese fries. Just kidding! But not really. 

Planning: May-June-July-August. Many fun things coming up, including, but not limited to: a trip (or two or three) home to Louisiana, a wedding, a baby shower, friends to visit, babies to visit, Houston to see Train, Taiwan with Aaron, New Orleans to round out the end of the summer. And possibly getting my last 2 wisdom teeth out in July. Possibly. 

Saying: "Hi, I'm Connie, the nurse practitioner! I'm going to come see you today! *smile*" I've been working some extra shifts, and I am proud to announce that I am finally able to glance at an immunization record and determine whether the child is under immunized or up to date on their vaccines. It only took me 8 months, but I've been doing a lot of check ups lately, so I'm getting plenty of practice in. I still keep all my cheat sheets with me, because my memory often fails me.

Needing: New tennis shoes. I have worn holes into my current pair. 

Learning: How to use the machines at the gym. I've tried nearly all the group workout classes, and now I have moved onto the machines. Yung walked me through a bunch of the machines last week, because I don't really know how to use them. Is anyone else intimidated by using the machines? Or maybe it's the muscle-y men that always congregate around them? Who doesn't think the Hulk is a little frightening?

I also took my first Pure Barre class yesterday. Another item checked off my 30 before 30. It was a very good experience! I am planning to commit to a personal Pure Barre challenge later this year, so I'll blog about it separately then.

Feeling: Ready to tackle the summer. Just living the life and not turning back. 

Much love always,

Conconlin 

Sometimes

Sometimes, you just have to stand in line and wait for an hour for Meshack's Barbeque in Garland, Texas. It was good, but I still believe Sammy's BBQ is the best BBQ...in the world. Plus, they have the yummiest potato casserole and spinach salad ever.

Sometimes, you just have to say ya'll. I stopped consistently saying ya'll when I moved to Malaysia in high school. It is now fully integrated back into my vocabulary.  I grew up in Louisiana and have lived in Texas for over almost 11 years, so I think it is okay.  I have to talk more than I've ever talked in my entire life at my current job. Cutting a syllable here and there saves time and energy.

Sometimes, it's better to do something on a whim that you didn't plan for. That way, there is no time to be nervous or talk yourself out of it. Like taking a boot camp class outdoors. Yung and I arrived at the gym a few weeks ago, only to find a big sign that said to head back outside. Our class was going to be held outdoors that evening. The good thing was, the weather was amazing! It was sunny and cool. I checked an item off my 30 before 30. Last week, the class began with a one mile interval sprint run, and ended with another mile. How am I ever going to run 13.1 miles when that was a big struggle?!

Sometimes, you have to end the night at Steel City Pops with an old friend.

Sometimes, you just have to see what it is like to have 4 dogs in one house. It's also fun to pretend like you are running a doggy obedience class and line them up by size. We gotta work on their smiles.

Here's to the last weekend in April. I'm ready to say goodbye to the spring showers and welcome the summer sunshine!

True Love

I was sorting through my closet today, and I found this:

Note the stain.

Many of you know that I am very clumsy when I eat. My family knows it the best. It is pretty hilarious how many times I will drop something on my shirt, swipe a sleeve in my food, or go so far as to spill my drink in my lap. Some call it being a slob. I call it enthusiasm. I just get so excited about food.

A couple weekends ago, Yung and I decided to get crawfish. Crawfish in Texas does not quite compare to crawfish in Louisiana, but it is still pretty delicious.  We went to lunch right after we worked out, so we were more than ready to eat. Apparently, everyone else in the Dallas-Ft.Worth metroplex was in the mood for crawfish as well, because it took almost an hour for our food to be served. By then, we were already planning what to have for dinner. 

Mistake #1: No bib. This fine seafood establishment did not offer bibs. No problem. I grew up eating crawfish. I know how it is done. Even though I was starving, I did not want to seem like too much of a pig. I tried to eat slowly and peel my crawfish carefully.

Mistake #2: Being so happy about the crawfish and relieved that my blood sugar was no longer dangerously low aka letting my guard down. Half way through our meal, I decide to glance down at my top. It was COVERED in crawfish splatter.

 "How did this happen????" I exclaimed in horror.

 I was being so careful. I could not comprehend what I was seeing.

Yung said, "It's not a big deal. We'll just wash it when we get home."

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!" (that was me)

In my moment of distress, I dropped a whole crawfish right onto myself. That would be the remnant of the stain you see pictured above.  It slipped right out of my fingers and landed on  my shirt like it belonged there. 

And without hesitation, Yung takes his ENTIRE crawfish covered hand and wipes it on the front of his very clean sweatshirt and says, "There. Now we're the same."

If that's not true love, then I don't know what is.

Girl's Night

Last night, I had some very refreshing girl time with these sweet friends:

They have been in my life since the very beginning of my nursing career.  Three of us were in undergrad together, and all of us began our first professional nursing job on the same unit within a year apart. If you count the years, we have accumulated between 6-8 years of friendship between us. Now that I have switched jobs, our catch up sessions are few and far between, but they are so important to me. I'm telling you...if we wrote a book and combined all of our thoughts regarding work happenings, life as a nurse, raising children, raising puppy dogs, comparing raising kids and dogs, breastfeeding, co-sleeping with your infant/toddler, love, heart break & loss, family hardships, and Netflix finds...it would pretty much be the best thing ever. I guarantee it would be truly educational, and you would not be disappointed. You would ultimately be entertained, a little horrified by the honesty, but in the end, your stomach will hurt so much from laughing, that it will all be worth it.

March Is For...

I decided at the beginning of the month that March was going to be for a lot of things. March is for...

1. Catching up with friends.

2. Decluttering and organizing.

3. Painting my bathroom.

4. Getting healthy.

So I'm working on it.

1a. Thank you for everyone that met up with me so far for a walk, breakfast, dinner, movies, coffee, and phone dates. After the holidays and a busy January and February, I am glad to begin reconnecting with everyone, and can't wait for the rest of my dates this month.

2a. Cleaning out my closet is an ongoing task. So far, I have donated several bags of clothing to the Salvation Army. I'm a pack rat at heart. It's a really difficult quality to shake. 

3a. I've gotten so far as to prep my bathroom with painters tape, and paint 2 walls. I will share pictures when it is all done.

4a. I have started taking Juice Plus. If it becomes a long term thing, I will blog about it, and share some details. I am trying to mentally prepare to commit to the Transform 30 challenge (it's a cleanse) in the coming months. In preparation, I will slowly wean dairy and wheat from my diet. It's a slow wean. I have yet to have a funeral for my cheese and tortillas. So far, the only "healthy" change I have made is to re-integrate green smoothies into my diet.

Here's to the 2nd half of March-
Happy Spring!

Snow Day (Again)

Well, more like snow 1/2 day today, as I have to go into work at noon. I am loving the sight of the fresh powder, but unfortunately, the slush, mud, and ice that replaces the snow is a pain to drive around in. Here are a few pictures from last week's snowfall:

Ruby's looking more Asian in this picture than normal.

And here are a couple from our walk this morning:

Luckily, Professor has a built in fur coat, so he does not mind the cold. I did have to help him clean ice and snow that was stuck in his paws, though. If this weather continues, I see snow booties in his future! 

Colorado Love-2014

At the end of October, Yung and I traveled to Colorado to see the mountains and take a break from Texas.  As an extra bonus, we also got to visit with my college roommate, Leta, whom I had not seen since her wedding 4 years ago. (Yes, we did recently see her again from our most recent CO trip). Everyone should go to Colorado at least once. Just do it! Being up in the mountains is good for you.

Here are a few pictures (mostly all taken and edited by Yung) and daily highlights from our trip:

Day 1: October 24, 2014

After an easy 2 hour flight from Dallas, we landed in sunny Denver, Colorado. Our first day consisted of visiting Leta and her husband, spending time with her parents, exploring downtown, sneaking up to the clock tower, and eating dinner at Lime. We also caught a glimpse of the newly renovated Union Station and saw the capitol buildings lit up at night. 

Day 2: October 25, 2014

After a delicious breakfast and pictures at the Woods', Yung and I made the drive up to Estes Park and began our adventure. We stopped at the visitor's center where we got some advice on different places to hike and explore. Our big outing for the day was driving into Rocky Mountain National Park to Trail Ridge Road.  We made many stops on the way to take pictures and admire the amazing views. It got colder and colder as we drove higher in elevation. We ended the night with ice cream in a chocolate sprinkle cone. Ice cream is delicious even in 40 degree weather.

Day 3: October 26, 2014

Today, we hiked around Bear Lake and hiked to Bierstadt Lake. We saw such pretty views and it was so nice to be out in the midst of nature--away from our phones and computers. Our hike today was rocky, but not too much of an elevation climb. Our evening was spent being spooked at the Stanley Hotel (where The Shining was filmed). 

This guy belongs in the mountains!

I really love corn nuts. (Ranch).

 Day 4: October 27, 2014

We woke up today to temperatures in the 20s and knew we needed to buy some beanies or earmuffs or something; otherwise, we would have frozen our ears off. This morning, we went on our toughest hike. We climbed over 1,000 feet in elevation while hiking the Lumpy Ridge Trail to Gem Lake. We almost gave up, but I'm so glad we made it to the top and got to take a breather by the lake.

After a late lunch, we decided to try to be ambitious and go on hike #2. We drove back into The Park and headed back to Bear Lake. On our way up the mountain, we noticed that there was a lot more snow on the mountain tops, and then quickly realized that Bear Lake was completed snowed in! It was gorgeous, but super icy, so unfortunately, we were not able to do any more hiking. We went back and worked out in the hotel gym instead. Don't ask me why. We were high from the mountain air ;)

Day 5: October 28, 2014

Our final hike in Rocky Mountain National Park was in Moraine Park to Cub Lake. My favorite thing about this trip was that each of our hikes was very different.  We also rented bikes and walked around downtown during our last evening in Estes Park.

Day 6: October 29, 2014

Back to Texas with donuts in hand. So sad to leave, but we knew we would be back soon.

All of our hikes took about 3.5-4 hours. We took our time and stopped a bunch to take pictures. We are also inexperienced hikers, so I'm sure we (I) were moving a lot slower than we could have been. What worked well for us was eating a good breakfast, taking snacks out on the trail, and having dinner later. Although there were a few days where we just had a late lunch, and didn't get super hungry for dinner. Although neither one of us experienced true altitude sickness this time, we know it is a very real thing. The best way to prevent that is to stay well hydrated.

Last but not least, if any of ya'll decide to go to Estes Park (and you should!), please don't leave until you have some dessert at the Estes Park Pie Shop. I am still dreaming of the chocolate peanut butter pie. We went twice and took some back home with us. It was THAT good. Truth. Until our next adventure...

Much love always,
Connie