Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Guess who's back in town?

Hey all, late night greeting to y'all. I'm back in Denver, flight landed at a nice early time of 12:00 am Denver time...ugh. But I'm back settled into my little living space, unpacked my bags and am gonna read a bit more before hitting the hay. (I work the next three so I'm staying up late) I'm re-reading the 7th year Harry Potter book, slower this time, for the fun of it and to see if there are things I missed the first time through...I can't wait till that movie comes out which is now not until the summer of 09!!! WTF?
Busy day tomorrow before work, I pick up my now tailored bridesmaids dress, get a hair cut and brow wax right afterward and hopefully have a little time to grab a few groceries. Then off to work! I'm excited for Juli's wedding, it's only a week and a half away.
Well, not much to write, just wanted y'all to know I'm back in Denver. Watched Hillary's speech at the DNC on TV at the airport. It's all so motivating to hear them all yap on on screen. But what will they do if they are elected to office? How will they "put their money where their mouth is"? And how am I supposed to know? It's a lot to think about really...

Monday, August 25, 2008

Secret Weekend

Hey ya'll! Greetings from the weekend. I'm actually in Michigan! I know, I didn't say anything before but I was surprising my little sis Juli for her bachelorrette party. So, as hard as it was not to tell everyone on my blog that I was headed back home, the secret was kept, even by my mother! Juli was very surprised and the weekend was fun filled with camping, tubing down the Manisttee River and drinking beer! We got rained on in the beginning but it dried out and the sun was shining by the time we got on the water. It was a fun way to celebrate the end of Juli and David's singledom.
I'm hanging in Michigan until Tuesday evening when I fly back to Denver for 6 shifts then fly back to Michigan for the wedding. It's a lot of flying back and forth, but the tickets were cheap that I found for this weekend, and there's only one bachelorrette party for my little sis. It was well worth it!
Well, what else is new? How about Obama's choice for VP? Biden...anyone else see this as interesting? Not for any political issue but for the name? Obama Biden....hmmm. I was really hoping that Hillary would come out of nowhere and surprise us all! The DNC is ongoing back in Denver as I type, not that I planned on venturing downtown at all...but the hospital was all on alert, sending emails about being ready to come in in case of an emergency. Maybe I'll run into Obama at Target this week...he could shop there, you don't know! (c:
Well, sounds like Joc and I are going to head to Grand Haven for the day, she originally took a half day today but just extended it to a full day. So, we'll make the most of it!
It's really good to be back in my old stomping grounds, Cooper was excited to see me (and I her) and it's always nice to see my mom and sisters. All in all, another great weekend.
The air is a bit cooler, the sun is setting just a touch earlier, and I can tell that summer is making a slow exit. Hard to believe, but August is almost over!
Hope you all had a good weekend, I'll be seeing many of you in a couple weeks. Be well!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Airborne Toxic Event

Funny name for a band, I know but jeez, are they worth it to check out. If you like bands such as Dashboard Confessionals, Pearl Jam, or Glen Hansard (the dude from the movie Once) etc, you should check these guys out. Their songs tell stories, they have an eerie resonance that rings out in every one of their tracks. They are foot tapping, head rockin', jump around dancin' good. So far, my favorite song on the album is "sometime after midnight", it's a story pretty much everyone can relate to...l-o-v-e it. If you are a rock fan, you will not be disappointed by their tunes. They have a myspace page and are available on iTunes too. A fellow nurse at work turned me on to their CD last night at work and I bought it when I got home and haven't stopped listening to it and dancing around my apartment since I woke up. It's a CD you put on and keep re-playing until another band like this comes along. It moves me, obviously.
On another note, haven't been up to much this week, I did check out the Museum of History and Science on Monday. It was your average museum but they did have a whole section on dinosaurs and pre-historic stuff. They had fossils that were found in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming areas and that was pretty cool. To think, the dinos were roaming the same areas of Denver I am but that's probably true about the mid-west too, but it was interesting. I've been working the last couple nights, have tonight to go then off for a long weekend, a girl could get used to these weekends off!
Before I say adios, I want to also mention a book I've become absolutely in love with. It's laugh out loud funny and an interesting, attention grabbing story line. "The Spellman Files" by Lisa Lutz. It's a series about a PI family, the Spellmans, told from the older daughter, Izzy's perspective. I've been really enjoying it and don't want it to end. I literally laugh out loud numberous times in the book. And, there's a follow up out to it too, so I have big plans to get that one as well. Check it out if you liked books such as "Bridget Jones" and "The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing".
Ok, those are all the plugs I have for you. Have a good weekend!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Crawl for Cancer

Well, Happy Sunday night all! I survived the weekend and boy did we have a good time! Maggie's co-workers in the outpatient cancer center at "the U" do an event know as "Crawl for Cancer" yearly. When I heard it was a pub crawl, I was all about it. It's actually a national event, and although Michigan doesn't have one, Chicago and Columbus do (Michelle, we'll chat about this sometime soon). Anyhoo, the basic premise is, you get a team of 10-12 people, pay the entry fee ($500 I believe) and on the day of, you start at 1pm at the designated bar, and at each bar your team is responsible for drinking 4 pitchers of beer (their choice..we got Coors Light). Anyhoo, the only real rules are that you start at 1pm and finish between 4 and 6 at the final place where there's live music, food and of course, more beer! There are also taxi vouchers that you get too, so there should be minimal drunk driving and a t-shirt. It was a blast, I'll tell you that.
We started at one of the gal's townhouse with breakfast and mimosas, just light drinking to rev ourselves up I guess! It was a steady downpour but ended up clearing up for most of the crawl. Then taxi'd downtown and got the first round. By the end, you're basically drunk and totally having a good time. I can honestly say I don't remember the last bar very well, except that I met some firefighters from somewhere in the Rockies (I think). I was flirting harmlessly and then we did some dancing inside to a live 80s band. Then Jonathan came and picked our drunk as*es up and I crashed.
We had fun, I'd say that if you ever get a chance to do this or are interested in it, do it! Get a group of friends and do it. (c: Chicago's is this weekend and Columbus does one in April...so expect a visit Michelle (c:
Well, I'm exhausted, have a cold and want to crawl into bed and sleep for a while. Hope everyone had a fun weekend, I can't believe August is two weeks from over! Jeez...time flies doesn't it?
I attached a few pictures, hope you enjoy
The Fluid Overloaders, just leaving our first pub...still sober (pretty much)...
At the second pub, Maggie and I grabbed a picture, she was already close to 3 sheets to the wind (she doesn't drink much anymore with the baby at home)
I'd let you guess but yes, Maggie is pretty toasted by this shot...I believe is our third or fourth bar, the groups were playing cups or something like that, where you line up with beer in your glass, you have to drink your's then flip your cup before the next guy can drink...it goes down the line until one team finishes first...Maggie became obsessed with the game, you can tell her excitement in this shot. I don't think she ever got to play, bummer!
This is at the fifth bar, The Celtic, one of our teammates who was responsible for getting our four pitchers knew the bartender, needless to say we had 8-12 pitchers between all of us ...I don't quite remember...

Thursday, August 14, 2008

TGIF

Well, almost.
I'm running late so this will be a quick hi and hello. Gonna work again tonight, then have the weekend off. It's official too, I extended my contract 1 whole week (c: to the end of September (so I can get the full housing stipend) and then head back to MI. So, my last day/night of work is Sept. 27th. I gave my apartment their ridiculous request of 60 days notice and will turn over my keys on the 1st of October, hit the road and hope to make it home in a day and a half....we'll see. But, that's all about a month or so away, so I need to focus on getting some of my day excursions done. Next on my list is that dog gone trip south to the Gorge and the Springs to take the cog to the top of Pike's Peak. I'm ironing out my details and should be headed there after Juli and David's wedding.
I need to get in the shower, so this is all I have time for today, gonna be a cool high 60s tomorrow, I'm so looking forward to that. Makes for great sleeping weather and running too!
Maggie is taking me on a Pub crawl Saturday, which I'm looking forward to a lot..it's a cancer raising drinking thing...I guess instead of Cancer walks and runs they do pub crawls...interesting (c: but definitely my kind of thing.
Hopefully I get some good pics of our day, talk to you all soon.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Too many to choose...


Here are just a few more shots from the weekend...Start by reading the earlier post then come back to this one...there are only pictures here...

Looking good! The wetsuit, boots and jacket that come with the WWR...and it smelled pretty musty and BO-ey too..yum!
Joc didn't want to look like a banana like me until she absolutely had to...just a shot before we risked our necks!
A Lake about 4 miles from the summit of Mount Evans..pretty (yeah, that's snow)


Me at the summit..not too much going on here..Oh yeah baby! One more WWR shot. hard to believe you are just sort of out there for the water to get you, holding on by your feet and praying you don't fall in...we definitely got wet.

Holy freakin' fun!!!

Freakin' Sweet! Whitewater Rafting adventure, that's me up front on your left and Joc is second back on your right. It was so much fun and we got these sweet ass pictures, don't we look like we know what we're doing?!
Another rafting shot, this was part of the rapid known as Ditch the Guide, or the Double Jack knife, or something scary like that...we went in fast and hard (that's what she said!) and the adrenaline was pretty sweet. You can see from the pictures how fun it was, we have a bunch more too...we look like pros. Ha ha
Another trip we took was driving up to the summit of Mount Evans, at an elevation of 14,000 feet! gulp. it was waaaayyyy up there too. This is a picture of one of the lakes along the drive.
As we were driving, it was pretty overcast and misty raining on and off. It was about 60 degrees in Idaho Springs and a ranger's sign told us it was 40 at the summit...burr! I stopped to take this picture as we were driving. For those who have been to Ireland, think the Burren....lots of rocks, no trees (they don't grow at the higher elevations). Those glaciers sure did a great job of leaving these mountains behind.
At the summit, you can see that Joc was freezing, we were totally prepared, of course, both of us in flip flops and shorts Ha! At least we brought long sleeves... There were many bikers out riding up to the summit...and it's a long drive, took about 3 hours up and down driving, so you can imagine biking up hill for that long. I think we saw Lance Armstrong though..just kidding, but his friends were out there. Crazy mothers! (Some people's kids)

Now it is Sunday night, Joc is safely back in Michigan. Her trip was short and sweet, Fri-Sunday and back to work for us both. We had a blast WWR (whitewater rafting) and I don't think I'll pass it up again, it was fun, adventurous, nerve-racking and exciting all at the same time. The guides sort of scare you before you go, telling you what to do and not to do if you fall in, giving worst case scenarios and then as you are going down the creek (again, why do they call is a creek? You saw the pictures, does that look like a creek?!) they explain what's coming, what it will take from you and how to make it the best experience. I got a pretty big bruise on my inner thigh when the other guy we were riding with accidentally bashed me with his paddle (it was a rough spot and we had to get in the middle and my thunder thigh got in the way) and my foot felt like it might have been broken from being wedged in to prevent me from being bucked out and subsequently it was bashed by some rocks in the creek. It's better now, don't worry, I think it is just bruised. I recommend it for anyone looking for a fun time...no joke, it's a must do in life.
We also went to the Hot Springs in Idaho Springs (that's where we spent to majority of the time), it's about a 30-40 minute drive west of Denver, into the Rockies. The hot springs are historic, and were discovered by the Indians centuries ago. They were over 100 degrees...needless to say, we only stayed in for short bursts.
We also did the drive up Mount Evans, see pics above, and we took many more shots. Joc asked me what my favorite part of Denver is and I'm pretty sure it's the mountains. There is so much to do, see, explore and find in them. They span as far as you can see and they go forever. The city is a city, nothing special, but the mountains...man, if we could move those to MI, we'd be set! People were biking, hiking and running up the road to the summit and here we were, driving! But man, 14,000 feet...I can't run in that! I was feeling short of breath just driving!
But anyway, I've droned on long enough. Hope you enjoy the photos, I think I might upload more because there are a few more I'd like you to see.
Hope ya'll had a fun weekend!
Be well.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Hotter than the dickens!

What exactly is a dickens anyway? People say that and I don't think they know. Ya know? Like me, for example, I don't know. They say, "it's raining cats and dogs", now what does that mean?! If it were raining cats and dogs, people couldn't go outside at all, for fear of being clobbered by one. Truly interesting if you ask me, which you didn't, but you got my 2 cents anyway.
It has been warm here, Denver broke the record for the number of days in the 90s, I think it was 20 or something like that. It even reached 100 over the weekend, now that's just too dog-gone hot for me! Bring on the snow, bring on the rain, bring on the fall, just cool off a bit, that's all I ask! Ha, I'm a bit crazy today, obviously.
I have the worst pool luck it seems, I also have bad luck on the radio when I channel surf (which I do a ton of, ask Michelle or Joc they love it!) and I get to a song I like, it's inevitable that it will be ending as I find it, just my curse. The curse of Jenn Gable is what I call it. Well, it's now spilled over to the pool and the weather. All I'm asking is for a good couple hours in the sun so I can get rid of my farmer's tan for Juli's wedding. Every time, and I mean every time, I go out to the pool the sun is out, I set up my towel and I get all situated. It's great, I'm feeling the heat, the sun is cooking my skin (I know, I know, the skin cancer thing...I just really enjoy the look of a tanned bod) and then the clouds show up. They cover my sun! They inhibit my cooking. Today, was the worst, I was just dozing when it got quite gray out and I started to feel raindrops! For pete's sake! I can't get an hour of sun! So, I packed it up, cuz the rain cloud looked large and unfriendly, went back to my apartment and like a good student, started working on this week's assignment. Next thing I know, maybe 15 mins later, the freakin' sun is out!!! OMG! WTF?! lord have mercy! I give up!
The good news I suppose is that I finished my homework for this week, what a good dubbie I am! I have my dress fitting tomorrow and then I work for a stretch, then Joc arrives Friday. I have a good list of things we'll be doing too, including white water rafting! So, stay tuned for those pictures.
Oh, and my trip south to the Springs was not eventful at all. It was a one year old bday party for a kid I met once. I was invited, and there was free food, but we got there around 130, left around 6...I couldn't bring my bike, it's a long story. So, I'll be making a separate trip down another time. Don't worry!
Ok, I've gabbed your ear off, hope you had a good Monday and here's to the rest of the week (I'm raising my water bottle at you).
Talk soon.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Thoughts from my night

Well, I finally got what I've been whining about missing all this time, the crashing admission and subsequent code of my patient. The first 4 hours of my shift tonight were my definition of a great time in the ICU, for me, not my patient who did end up dying after we coded for about 40 minutes. It was very impersonal to me, I had not had the patient, didn't know him or his family so that always makes it easier. What really proves itself to me time and time again is, life goes on. I know this but am always humbled when it happens to me. We called the code at 2135 (935 pm) and I was standing at the window, looking at the mountains in the distance when a baby was born. (I knew this because they play music over the PA system every time one is born) So, in one hour in this hospital, one man died and another was born. Life; simple as it is but so very humbling to be part of the simple cycle.
Until next time...

Friday, August 1, 2008

It's Done and I got 100%!

I just wanted to put a post up about my project. I successfully finished the paper on Wednesday afternoon, no stressing out, no last minute running around, just typed her up proofread her a few times and posted. I felt pretty good about it, we studied Healthy People 2010 this semester and had to do a lot of research into our community (Kent County MI). In the beginning of the semester we had to choose one of ten leading health indicators from HP 2010 (mental health, responsible sex behavior, physical activity, etc) and focus on that all semester. I went with the responsible sexual behavior among adolescents and how it relates to HIV and STDs. It was pretty interesting, yes, often very boring and not always fun to research I think I complained more this semester than in the past but I learned, so what more can I ask for? I was quite excited to see my grade today and the teacher had pretty good things to say, she is even going to use the paper as an example for future classes! Yeah buddy!
Anyway, I had to let ya'll know and I can't fall back to sleep this excited (c: I work tonight then off to Colorado Springs tomorrow (about an hour drive south) and I'm looking forward to it. I'll post again Sunday or Monday.
Have a great weekend!