Tuesday, July 31, 2012

one year

It's kind of hard to believe that it has been a whole year since my grandma, Shirley, passed away. In some ways it seems like it has gone by so fast, and in other ways I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting on her couch eating dinner and watching Wheel of Fortune. Oh, how I wish she was here!


Today we celebrated gram. My mom and I started out at the Bountiful temple. Usually we go to the Salt Lake temple, but since it is closed for renovation, my mom picked Bountiful. I'm pretty sure that was no accident because when we got to the celestial room, the stained glass and couches were all YELLOW! (gram's favorite color). It was so nice and peaceful to be there.

Then we went and got lunch at Zupas (another one of gram's favorite places we frequented). My mom and I are finishing the day off by going to the dreaded Jo-Ann's (gram's least favorite fabric place but one we always seemed to stop by weekly for notions & supplies).



It was a hard day for all of us, but especially my mom. Jenny gave her the beautiful sunflowers above (gram's favorite flower) and I gave my mom gram's favorite treat in a yellow bucket and some cheerful dish cloths with big oranges and lemons on them.


I have been so nervous for the past few days to happen because it brings back a flood of memories from last year - the final few days of gram's life. It has been a bit sad & surreal, but I am so grateful for all the fun memories I have with my grandma. Even though she is not here, she definitely still lives on!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

London 2012

I am loving the London games, especially the swimming, which is my all-time favorite sport. I am quite alright with the changes FINA made regarding swimsuits (the men's have to start at the waist, what a shame!)






I am certain the FINA panel must have been made up entirely of ladies. Bless them!

Monday, July 23, 2012

on cravings


My eating habits are kind of laughable. 1) I am SUPER picky - as in, I have the taste buds of a 2-year-old. And 2) I have a lot of cravings - and most of the time I give into them. Eek!

Here is some evidence:

The kids meal at Zupas - you really can't beat the grilled cheese, wisconsin cauliflower soup & a chocolate covered strawberry.


m & m cookie from Paradise. I don't know how they make cookies so white & soft & yummy.


Mini fruit tarts/fruit pizza - my newest obsession. I ordered a dozen the other day just because I could.


Banbury Cross donuts - probably my most favorite place to go and also where I have the least amount of self control. I can count the number of times on one hand that I have exited the building with just one donut (a.k.a. I leave with multiples and sometimes I'm a bad person and don't share).


Pizza of any kind. I have made mini pizzas from Rhodes rolls for the last three meals (which means I ate pizza for breakfast this morning, whoops!)


Funeral potatoes are truly divine. I made some at 11 p.m. the other week because I couldn't help it.


Texas sheet cake - my sister makes the very best.


The smoked turkey & swiss sandwich from the Dodo. Need I say more? It is out of this world!


Which is why at the end of the day, this pretty much sums up my feelings entirely...


Friday, July 20, 2012

 Has it been a long time or what since I last wrote on this little blog? I feel like there are thick layers of dust to brush off, but after a lot of serious thought, I have decided to rejoin the blogging world. Yesterday I started reading pay it forward stories online and had the sad & sudden realization that I hardly remember any of those stories from own life over the past year. Of course there have been lots of kind people who have come into my life and wonderful experiences - but I must have a horrible memory!! It was then and there that I decided my retro romance needed a little revival!

I'll briefly catch you up on what has been happening in my world since last JULY!


In the past year, I...

1) Fell in love & then back out.

For those of you who know the crazy story, what a road it's been. Even though there were moments where I felt like I was trapped in my own personal h-e-double hockey sticks, I am 100% glad for the experience. I can do hard things! And I am doing SO well now!

Plus, two really awesome things came out of all the hoopla.

a) My favorite purse of all time. If this doesn't scream Julia, I don't know what does. The colors, the fish scales - I get compliments on this a lot. Sometimes people make fun of me for the size, but when it comes to this bag, I honestly believe that less is not more. I carry around a ton of things!

b) I jumped on the Downton Abbey bandwagon. I love this show and am looking forward to season 3! I watched all of season two in choppy/illegal? segments online because I couldn't stand waiting for the episodes to air on PBS.




2) I got spectacles!

I had to face the sad fact that my eyes can't keep up with my age! My vision is 20/30, so not all that bad, but it was definitely enough to bother me. Kind of sad when you can't read the white board and things are blurry far away. I was in shock when I discovered what a difference a set of lenses make. The whole first week of wearing glasses, I had to keep bobbing my head up and down, playing the "now I can see, now I can't" game. I don't have to wear these all that often, but when I do, I love them. Go Ray Ban!

         


3) I finally finished the sexy hexy quilt. It was worth the wait!



And I started a new one. This print came out about three years ago and was so hard to find. I found the light blue & navy online and bought out all the shop had left. The red came from my stash, and the yellow from my sister's. I felt like I hit the jackpot when my sister gave me all her leftover yellow. It was impossible to find this print anywhere!






3) Ate in the hospital cafeteria pretty much every shift.

Why oh why does greasy food have to taste so good? And be so cheap? I can't help myself!







4) Got a new niece!

She is the sweetest little lady!



5) Stayed busy at work.

We have had lots of changes and just made the transition from paper to computer charting (what century are we in again?). Despite lots of crazy shifts, I am pretty positive that I have the best co-workers in the world and have found a lot of happiness taking care of all the little ones at work.



I also had a capstone student (someone who is in their last semester of nursing school and has to work with the same preceptor for a certain number of hours to finish up their clinical experience). My student was great and we had lot of fun and lots of laughs.


 She brought me an Anthropologie gift card on the last day (did she get to know me well or what!) and I had to laugh at the cute list she wrote inside, namely the seventh item from the top - a little on the OCD side. It's totally true, ha ha.



Well that's a wrap! Hopefully next time it won't take me so long to figure out how to use Blogger again or the next post might not be for another year!