hi, my name is rachel

One of my favorite rotations in nursing school was my psychiatric clinicals at the VA hospital.

And not because I learned a whole lot, but man alive we sure had fun.

I was shaking like a leaf the first day thinking that I was going to be attacked or something crazy would happen. After spending a few hours on the locked down unit, I learned that even though there were some looney tunes, it was better to be their friend than to be scared.

There was one patient in particular who only took a liking to half my clinical group. And I was one of them. The first time he met me, he asked what my name was and acted super disappointed when I told him. I asked why and he said, "your name isn't Julia. It's Rachel and you're from the Biblical times, not the modern world".

And thus, Rachel was born.

I went by that name for the entire rotation, and even my fellow classmates called me Rachel. "Rachel, may you do this? Rachel, will you be on my team? Rachel, you're so Biblical. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel".

It was the funniest thing ever.

I wish these pictures from my phone were better but they were illustrations he drew for me. The message says "my little Indian girlfriend with the sky blue eyes".

If only I could have all the funny moments with him on video. He would do exaggerated tai chi exercises, stare at you to no end and say that if he couldn't touch, he'd have to show his love in another way (I know that one sounds totally creep worthy, but it was so funny). He also made a list of 8 girls (4 from my clinical group; 4 random names) paired with 8 people from the Bible (including him) and wrote 8+8= forever.

During graduation, we voted on senior superlatives. I was chosen "most likely to get hit on by a psych patient".

And I couldn't have been more honored.

Gotta love all my friends at the VA psych ward!

time for meds

Sometimes nurses need meds too.

This is what we do on night shifts in the wee hours of the morning.

My friend Joni and I went around and passed out peanut butter m&m "meds" to everyone on the unit. We were laughing so hard carrying around paper plate trays and distributing the goods.

And yes, that is me in all my glory at 3:20 in the morning. What can I say.

911, what's your emergency?

Oh, just that I'm an idiot.

Somehow I called 911 in my sleep this morning.

I was in dreamland recovering from a night shift and when my alarm went off, the screen on my phone said "emergency response activated".

I didn't think much of it except that my phone was probably spazzing out. But then I got a voicemail saying to please call if it wasn't an emergency and let them know I was okay.

I'm sure the lady on the other end thought I was nuts and have a brain the size of pea when I called her all groggy and confused.

Either things aligned perfectly and my fingers pushed the 9 and the 1 in just the right sequence, or I really have lost it.

Maybe I was having a nightmare and needed help.

*Post edit: I just discovered that I activated the emergency response feature on my phone. Stupid smart phones! Thank heavens I'm not totally crazy.

the best customer service around

I have to give a round of applause to Zappos. I have always thought so highly of this company and have been a loyal customer since high school. You can't beat free shipping both ways, a great product selection, friendly staff, and a package delivered to your doorstep one day after ordering.

When I looked through the mail a few days ago, I had a letter from Zappos. I thought it was a little strange since I haven't recently ordered anything. When I opened it up, this is what I found:

Apparently my mom and I ordered a gift certificate almost six years ago and it was never used. That's right! If you zoom in closely, you can see that the issue date was 12/24/04. I was dumbfounded that 1) a record of it was kept, and 2) Zappos took the time to send an actual letter and uphold the original purchase so many years later.

My goodness, what an awesome company! Who does that these days? I have always had positive experiences with Zappos in the past and receiving this made me want to give my pennies to them even more.

With forgotten money now to spend, I immediately hopped onto the website to look for some new shoes. Shoes will always be a weakness of mine. When everything else changes, at least your shoe size is consistent.

I found these lovelies:

Adorable, and kind of quirky. I think the colors are so fun together.

And these:

images via zappos.com

I love the buckles and I'm leaning toward this pair.

Zappos sure is smart. I think they know a little secret.

A happy customer returns.

happy feet

Here are my feet this morning after coming home from a night shift.

And let me tell you, they were happy.

I'm orienting as a nurse now and some days I leave the hospital feeling totally inadequate. I felt so proficient working as a tech. I knew the job, and I knew how to do it well.

Now I have a whole set of new tasks to complete, more responsibilities, and a different role to adjust to.

Wouldn't it be great if you could go from novice to expert with a snap of the fingers?

My shift last night was just what I needed though. I worked with an awesome nurse and we had great patients. We were really busy and I had the chance to work on so many different skills. I loved it.

And even though I know the learning curve will be steep for the next five years, bring on the lifelong learning.

I love being a nurse.

(And my fun socks helped too. Thanks to my mom whose white socks never see the light of day & makes sure my sister and I always have a good supply of bright patterns . Love it!)

yum-o

Have you ever tried a Banbury Cross creation? You are missing out if you answered no. This bakery makes everything tasty, specifically donuts.

I remember going there as a little girl before dropping my siblings off at school. We'd always take the minivan (gag!) through the drive-thru and I'd get a handful of donut holes. I thought it was so special. Now, ages later, they are just as mouth-watering as they were then!

I always try to bring Margaret a treat each time I go to take care of her. Since I'm working the 8-3 shift over the summer, she gets a breakfast treat. This past week it was this cinnamon roll from Banbury.

Look at that baby! Yum-o! I mean, who wouldn't love a cinnamon roll the size of a mixing bowl? Margaret was definitely satisfied and licked her plate clean.

Go check it out. I promise you won't be disappointed. But don't say I didn't warn you - it can be a dangerously delicious place.

Which is not a bad thing at all.

It just means you get to go back more than once!

in the nick of time

image via hoglezoo.org

So tonight I went to a bridal shower for one of the sweetest gals I went to nursing school with. It was so much fun watching her family interact and seeing how happy she is.

I really wanted to give her tickets to the Hogle Zoo for a date with her future hubby. That's what I'd want to do if I had a boy.

But let me tell you, it was no easy task getting the tickets. And it was totally my fault. That's what I get for picking up a present two hours before the event.

I got to the zoo at 5:15 and discovered that the entrance closes at 5:00. Which means that no one was in the ticket office. Shoot!

Thankfully, there were three people who saved the day.

1) the nicest zoo goer who opened the locked gift shop door for me and said, "come on in for free".

2) the gift shop cashier who pointed me to the right building and told me who to look for.

3) the kind zoo employee who came out of the office to sell tickets to me.

I felt a little guilty walking around for those few minutes without having paid.

But I am so thankful to the three people who saved me from standing on the other side of the gate in a puddle of tears.

our fhe

Welcome to Monday nights at our house.

Where the best FHE around is watching the Bachelorette.

Really, this season has been a total hoot. The guys were hilarious. I loved all the practical jokes, cheese ball comments, and how fun every guy made each episode.

Tonight we geared up for the big finale.

Here was the spread + a yummy caramel apple and sparkling lemonade not pictured.

The night wouldn't be complete without a tribute to Kasey, the awkward, nasal improv singer who got a gorgeous heart and shield tattoo surrounded by diamonds on his forearm. We will always "guard and protect your heart", Kasey.
Here is the usual crew. I am not embarrassed in the slightest that a show such as this brought us together so many Monday nights for good laughs. We had to have a shot by the people of the hour, hottie Roberto and Ali. Thanks for the grand times, Beth & Elliott.
And I saved the best for last.

Chris L.

Oh my, is he my favorite or what.

He is the absolute sweetest guy, a total family man and such a class act. I may or may not have a huge crush on him.

Really Chris, come to Utah. I can convert you. And I'm okay with your tattoo since it's symbolic of your mom.

I didn't think it was possible for Chris to get better, but he did in every episode. I mean really, just take one look at him. And wearing a periodic table of the elements shirt? You're killing me! I am hoping with all my heart that Chris is the next Bachelor. I can't wait to see more where that came from!

image via abc.com

new ward

You may be wondering what this image stands for. Well, I'll tell you:

single saint, 33rd ward.

The rumors are true.

I joined the singles ward.

I know, I almost couldn't believe it myself.

I am giving it a solid two-month trial before going back to the home ward, and like they say at my very former alma mater, I am "fully invested".

I am even hoping for a calling (just not a teacher, please!).

Today was my first day. So far, so good. It will definitely take some time getting acclimated to the singles ward environment, but luckily I have a group of cute girls to go with and we're all in the same boat together.

May I just say one thing though?

I really don't know when 12 inches above the knee became the new standard for skirts and dresses. I could not believe the hemline sported by so many girls today at church. It's not like I am a self-proclaimed modest monitor, but really - save the short clothes for a day other than the Sabbath if you feel inclined to wear them!

23 is pretty great

I recently had a birthday. I really love birthdays. Not because of the presents but because I sort of have a thing for getting older. I love it! I think I'll enjoy adding a digit to each year of my life probably forever. Even when I'm 62, I'll think, "woo hoo, I'm sixty-two". You can't do anything about aging, so you might as well celebrate.

This year was no exception. After a fun lunch at Zupas and going to see Ramona & Beezus, we had my favorite enchilada dinner at home.

And these were the goods:

Anyone who knows me knows that I go weak in the knees when it comes to retro/vintage items. My cute gram gave me the retro-inspired salt & pepper shakers. We had seen these at one of our favorite stores, Broadbents, in Lehi. She remembered how much I loved them and had them sent my way.

The bowl and plate are both Pyrex. My absolute favorite! A girl can never have enough Pyrex (thanks Beth and Tara!).

That glass container is a fabulous glass milk bottle. I have been wanting one for some time now, but haven't had any luck acquiring one during my thrifting.

And finally, my parents gave me the Little Golden books. Do you remember these from your childhood? I sure do, and I love them. I recently dug through our bins of old books and set aside some of these for my future house. You can also find them at the DI if you carefully sift through the books. Usually they are around 50¢. What a steal!

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday lots of fun!