be merry.

Be merry. Very merry.

Spent the morning drinking coffee and opening gifts with my family. Went on a Christmas run without my pod. Reality hit me in the face when I found out that I had run my iPod through the washing machine the night before. Shoot. Off to my aunt's and uncle's house in Spanaway. Much food [my uncle's coconut macaroons!] consumption and lounging occurred. An evening of bananagrams rounded out the holiday.

My favorite received gifts: Macrina's Bakery recipe book [containing the recipe for my most favorite muffin of all time], a pillowcase hand-made by my lovely friend, Leah [made of the most comical fabric of all time], and a beautiful pair of earrings from UO [I may never take them off]. My other gifts were also beautiful; my family was too generous.

Merry Christmas! The meaningful reality of this holiday is that Christ was born to save. A wonderful gift of promise! [Luke 2:11]

sicky icky.

Starting to get sicky. No good. Called in sick to clinical today because I could feel my infectious-ness coming out of my pores. Not a day for me to be holding immunocompromised infants. So instead of holding babies at Children's, I'm working on an 8-hr case study on cystic fibrosis. Oof. Functioned throughout the day quite well. But, now, just hit a wall. A full day of clinical at Garfield High tomorrow bright and early. Oy.

Despite my bothersome throat, egg nog is in the fridge, and lemon-poppy seed muffins in the oven. My turn to host a fall quarter egg nog party and rack up as many domestic points as I can.

BRANDI CARLILE.

Karie, Julia, and I hopped over to lower QA last night where Brandi Carlile was putting on a FREE show at Easy Street Records. We got there 20 min before the show started which made for not the best view. Easy Street was packed by the time Brandi started singing, with people trying to look in through the front door. She was AMAZING. She and her band were even better than I could have expected.



A perfect night of free. Free bus ride, free concert, and free baguettes from essential baking company. Dumpster diving pay off times a billion.

purell bath.

Today I had a 5:15a wake up call, was out of the door at 5:30a, and was walking into Children's at 5:52a. I shadowed a charge nurse for the day. Really, quite boring in some respects for me as the observer, as I watched her make countless phone calls; negotiating bed space and accepting in new admits. Not much for me to do. I did, however, have the privelege of going with the MDs, ARNPs, CN, and med students on neurosurgery rounds, general surgery rounds, and RN rounds. Extremely interesting. Was one time that I, as a nurse, was able to interact with MDs for more than 10 minutes at a time. And, walking around the surgical unit with two young med students wasn't bad either.

Needless to say, after rounds, going into room after room, following the CN to room after room, patient after patient, I was literally bathed in purell. Countless pumps of purell. Too many to count. Upwards of a hundred [at the very very minimum].

But, then again, it's better to have dry, antiseptic-smelling skin, than some of the other options :)

Weekend flying away.

My weekend flew away.

It started on Thursday night with Sara, painting Tacoma red. Aaron, the piano player, was the highlight.

Friday turned into kickboxing, change the oil in my car, shop with my madre day. A pair of beautiful new boots was the highlight. Before I headed back to Seattle, we stopped at the Matador in downtown Tacoma to take advantage of $5 blackened fish tacos. Duty and a lonely Emerson hall awaited me in Seattle. Scattegories and oatmeal cookies were the highlight. Possibly the most worst duty night I have ever experienced awaited me. A night filled with 4 hours of sleep was the highlight.

Saturday was PA fun day at the pacific science center. Started the morning studying pedes and running back and forth to gwinn with BJ. Frantically making 14 sack lunches was the highlight. Bussed to the science center. Izzy in the rocket ship and the MJ lazer show were the highlights. A paper and 10 minute nap awaited me back home. Dinner and frantic paper writing ensued. A quick trip down to Emerson Coffeehouse, a cup of coffee, and live music awaited me. More studying and a trip to Rach's and Crissy's for extreme game night. Losing at Clue on the love sac was the highlight.

9 hours of sleep later, Sunday awaited me. The afternoon was spent at Bustle with J.Taylor and N.Nobbs. Rocket muffins from Macrina's were smuggled in. Homemade syrups from Bustle were the highlight. Stuyding ensued. Then an evening with Nicholas; feeding him chicken noodle soup and reading Dr. Suess. Needed studying and paper snowflakes awaited me on 5th emerson. A needed shower occurred, and here I sit. My usual can of sparkling water is my highlight. I barely have a grasp on what I will be tested on tomorrow morning at 0830, but all I really care about is going to sleep.

My weekend flew away.

Superstitious?

Superstitious? I'm not. BUT. I am tempted to celebrate with a needle to the face [or ear].

With the upcoming friday being friday the 13th, I am once again reminded about House of Tattoo and their superstitious deal. House of Tattoo, my piercing parlor of choice [in tacoma, that is], offers $20 [$13 with a mandatory $7 tip] above-the-neck piercings on friday the 13th. This is a deal advertised by word of mouth only. I have never taken advantage of it, but have never been more tired of paying upwards of $45 for piercings. I am tempted.

Galatians 2:20

To be as pious; as edifying; as relevant; as poignant. Oswald Chambers writes vividly, passionately, and frankly. I am impressed, inspired, convicted, and uplifted by his excerpts.

November 3 held words for me that were extremely relevant. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." [Gal. 2:20] These words mean the breaking of my independence with my own hand and surrendering to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. No one can do this for me, I must do it myself. The passion of christianity is that I deliberately sign away my own rights and become a bond-slave of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I do not begin to be a saint.