Nurse In the Neighborhood

I have an interesting neighborhood where I am surrounded by a lot of single women who live by themselves. Most have children that are grown up from a previous marriage and grandkids to keep them busy, but it has allowed me to form alot of friendships with these women even though they are 25-40 years older than me. And for Jay to be on call for anything heavy that they need lifted :)

The relationship that has the most highlights is with Pat. My guess is she is in her mid 60's. She lives down the street and is alone with her wheat terrier dog named Bailey. We met shortly after we moved in due to the dogs. I stop with Chance on our walks whenever Bailey is out and the dogs play. Pat also goes on middle of the night walks between 11pm and 1am with Bailey because she doesnt put Bailey on a leash and likes to walk him when no one is out. If I let chance out front at a late hour they end up running into each other. Pat is full of stories about Bailey, who is her pride and joy. Any run-in with her results in at least a 30 min conversation about the dogs and the latest neighborhood drama. She does not bring up her personal life that often, but will occasionally let something slip for me to piece together. I learned tonight that she was in a car wreck 8 years ago with her neice and it has caused her alot of physical problems. I was able to refer her to 3 doctors and give her phone numbers due to the profession I work in. She looked at me in awe, that our random meeting had turned into a prayer answered. She kept shaking her note pad with the numbers I wrote down saying that I was an angel and that our frienship was sent from God. I knew that when I met her there was a reason, and I think that God has shed some of that reasoning tonight.

Pat sent me home with a tomatoe and 3 peppers from her garden, but the best thing that I took away from the conversation was how I was able to help and to see the relief that spread across her face when she realized that she had someone who could help point her in some of the directions she needed to go for her health. The comfort I was able to provide reaffirmed why I want to become a Nurse.

NCTC pleeeease let me in to your nursing program!


-- Heather

STARBUCKS

We learned today that the girl who works at Starbucks may not be a happy employee, but she sure can read really well. We went to starbucks to order a couple of drinks and then Jay decided he wanted a dessert, so we ask the girl behind the drive-thru speaker what desserts they have. She says through the intercom in a completely annoyed tone: "ugh, hoooold on" ........ " ookay we have.....", and goes on (we kid you not) to list about 30 different desserts. We got 20 in and could not remember what the first 15 were. I was crying laughing because the girl was so annoyed that she had to read the list again and because unknown to us, there were close to 3o items that we had to sit there and listen to and then not be able to remember once 5 more had had passed. We almost asked her to repeat the list again as a joke, but then she might have blown a gasket and come through the speakers with claw hands. I feel bad for her, and I hope that starbucks gets a complete drive-thru dessert list soon.

Spring Is Sprung

Spring Is Sprung
The Grass Is Riz

I Wonder Where the Flowers Is?
Everything is signs of Spring

Little Boid Is On The Wing

My Boid ain't that Absoid!

I Thought The Wings Was On the Boid!

-- My Grandad quoting his High School Teacher.

Well, I had a great birthday complete with dancing lessons and long awaited patio furniture! All of it was a surprise by Jay. The birds find the furniture a perfect target to poop on though, so its me verse them with my water sprayer on jet. That jet setting can hit a bird from 40 feet away!

Spring has been here for a while and with summer upon us, the plant life on Windbrook is in full swing. After spending countless hours out in the yard: flowers are in bloom, trees are trimmed, the grass green, and my contact dermitis is back. yes, its back. If you knew me last year you are laughing because I had contact dermititis last year, twice, and had no idea where it came from. This year however, I have found the culprit.

Exhibit A)

This is the raging vine of poison ivy that has been growing along our fence since we moved in 2 summers ago. It also has pretty white flowers that bloom in the spring. Mom thought it was pretty too, so I decided to trim it up this past weekend.

Exhibit B)

A close up of the leaves on our vine

Exhibit C) A picture of real poison ivy. See the resemblence?!

Exhibit D & E) The rash on my forhead from where the leaves touched. Other areas are affected too, but this was the funniest idea we could come up with at work

We are still trying to figure out how to kill the vine because it is so huge. I am more amazed at how the people that lived there before us did not know that that
was growing there. So, if you are ever out in your yard and a pretty vine with flowers catches your attention, make sure you don't touch it before you are sure it isn't going to be a spitting image of the first picture of poison ivy you find online. :)

-- Heather

Dad

Today you found your way

The skies are not grey

It is such a beautiful sunny day

Heavens gates parted and swept you in

You tried so hard but your time had come

The suffering needed to be done

Your heart fought to stay for those you love

But it was no match for the love from God above

Gone to young for my heart to understand

To fast for all the memories I wanted to make with you to end

I will greatly miss you dad, dear friend

Love,

Your #2

Outback

This weekend we went to eat with some friends at Outback Steak House, but this wasn't just any Outback. This Outback came with your own waiter fished straight from the waters of Australia. We sat down to eat and the next thing we know, an Australian accent is asking what we want to drink. We all stared at him thinking "yea this has to be fake", but no, no this was not. He explained that he was the real deal and proceeded to (seriously) use the following sayings over the course of our meal with a thick Australian accent:

• "Sure thing mate"
• "What can i get you mate"
• "You two look like a couple of hungry bloques"
• "Sweet az man" (which sounded like something else)
• "No worries"
• "Alright then"
• "Too easy"

We are pretty sure he just walked in and said "I need a job" in his naitive accent and was hired on the spot. His real reason for being 'in the states' is to make it on the pro-golf tour, but until then he is bringing the outback to our back door. So thankyou Austrailian guy at outback; that was the most authentic meal ive had in a long time.

Our Child

This is our puppy-dog Chance. We don't have any children (yet?) so he is it! He has the funniest quirks and is the sweetest dog ever. He will be a frequent guest on our blog.

His 'call signs' are the gobs of hair he leaves behind and the de-squeakered, de-stuffed animal piles made wherever he has been last . Chance knows how to dink the door handle until you let him in or out and has an addiction to toothpaste in which we enable every morning when he quickly appears at the sound of the toothpaste cap opening. He will drag you out the door the second he knows he is going for a walk and will jump on the bed with you if he even thinks the glance you just gave him could mean "yes". Our day always gets better when we come home to his excited face and his famous wagging black and grey fan tail.

Finally!

Welp, I finally decided to do a blog! Jay and I have been married for over a year and half now and I still find myself laughing at the things we get into, so hopefully anyone who reads this blog does too. Thanks for reading and letting us share the randomness that we consider normalcy.