on being a nurse and why you should marry one

on being a nurse and why you should marry one

Jumpsuit: Madewell | Shoes: F21 | Purse: Target

Oh hey, blog, hey. I didn't forget about you, whoever you are that is reading this. I'm always surprised that when I log in, my stats tell me that I still bring in a good amount of readers even though it's usually radio silence over here. Maybe my regulars are just good old 'bots.

Is it just me, or did this year just fly by? Summer is winding down and there are lots of changes happening! I'll be starting a new job and after almost two years of renting in the city, I'm finally taking a big step in adulthood and am looking to buy my first house. Am I even allowed to buy my own house yet? In DC no less!

You guys, it's about to get rillll.

And on that note: storytime.

Ok. So as excited as all of the above sounds, I'm actually a walking bubble of fear. At any given point, I could burst and expose a huge side of weakness about me that I don't want anyone to know about, except here I am exposing it for the world to read. The thing is, I get it's completely normal to be nervous and scared about a new job. It's just part of life and about moving on to more challenging things. But in my profession, the expectations are set really high from the beginning where there isn't much room for mistakes. Mainly because the consequence is too heavy. The consequence is a persons life. And if you really let that sink in... HO-LY. CRAP. I'm pretty certain that during my first year as a nurse I would always say a quick prayer before getting out of the elevator. Something along the lines of Dear God, please don't let me kill anyone. And just to throw this one out to the heavens, I'd love to be able to eat sometime during this shift. Or go pee. Amen. 

Switching specialties and moving to a new unit is like starting from scratch. I think this is what I'm the most nervous about. I have to find a good balance between showcasing just enough curiosity while exhibiting intelligence yet not exposing too much for fear of it being translated to ignorance. And even though I'm more than two years out from graduation, I'm just beginning to muster the confidence to feel like I really know what I'm doing but more importantly why I'm doing it. Critical thinking skills, guys. You can't just write it in your resume. I always am so grateful to have those veteran nurses because their knowledge is never-ending. They are, no doubt about it, superheroes in my eyes. While others are busy checking emails in the morning and sipping their coffee at their desks, nurses have already begun their shift hours earlier, saved a patient who went under cardiac arrest, all while taking care of three other patients at the same time. This profession is great. It's meaningful and overly rewarding. It's also the wild wild west out there so really what I'm saying is: if you meet a nurse, know they are the best in the world. Snag one. Put a ring on it. Nurses are the next best thing after Beyonce.

marie goes to seattle

marie goes to seattle

Not too long ago, for no real reason at all, I got on a plane to Seattle. I told my dad I was heading over there and I don't think he thought I was serious -- and I don't think I took myself seriously either -- until the very last minute. The night before, 8 hours before the flight, I booked a room and car for under $150 for a 2 day stay.

It turned out to be exactly what I needed. A short getaway from life. And now I'm wondering why I didn't do this more often, or ever, when here I am -- still young enough with no responsibilities tied down to anyone except for my own self. I know this is going to sound entirely cheesy but the reality of turning 29 in just a few short months really opened my mind about how I spent my twenties. The only thing I regret is not doing more of the things I love.

So Seattle. There's so much to do and see. I guess it depends on what you're looking for but this city had everything I liked; culture, art [lots of it!], and character. On my first day, I spent a good amount of time at Pike Place Market. I went straight to Beecher's because they are known for having the worlds best mac and cheese. Not at all disappointing. You can also sit and watch them make their cheese and no exaggeration, there is so. much. cheese. I then found Rachel the Pig and had to get a picture with her. She's a famous piggy-bank named after an actual pig that won the state fair back in the 80s. It's only cool because the pig that won weighed some ridiculous 750lbs! And if you go to Pike Place, you can't leave without visiting the Gum Wall. I think I was most excited about this more than anything else. If you can get over how gross it actually is, you'll love it. Its colorful, it's fun, you get to leave your own wad of history, it's just kind of hilarious. You know what else I think is hilarious? That all the gum is taken off by hand when the walls are cleaned. How crazy is that?

I gave up coffee after nursing school but I had to go see the very first Starbucks. Even if you're not a lover of coffee, you'll get sucked in all the coffee hype. It's the city with the highest coffee consumption in the U.S. I thought DC had a lot of coffee shops because it feels like there is one on every block but Seattle -- they have it everywhere you turn. I tried the coffee at Seattle's Best and Tully's and I can't honestly tell you which one I prefer. They are all that good.

Of course you can't get the entire Seattle experience if you don't make your way to the Space Needle. It's some 40 second elevator ride to the top and once you get to the observation deck, it's a whole new world. If you're a wimp like me, you might feel really dizzy the entire time you're up there. I felt like I was fighting vertigo but the view was so worth it. It was worth every single minute of torture when I thought for sure I would throw up. Mount Rainier was my favorite thing to see. It's easy to spot anywhere from the ground but it looked much more regal from above. By the way, there's a bridge that literally sits on top of the water [so you feel like you're actually on the water, much like a boat I suppose] that you should drive across, if you ever find yourself in Seattle, with the coolest view of Mount Rainier.

The next day, I went to as many museums as I could. And let it be known that there's a plethora of museums to choose from. Museum enthusiasts, take note. I took a drive to Fremont in the afternoon to visit the troll under the bridge. If you can climb it, do it. It's neat to see this work of public art up close. Before I headed back to the airport to catch my flight, I walked around Olympic Sculpture Park. That was the spot for me, personally. I don't know what it was because it was an overcast day and standing at the top of the hill overlooking the water and mountains, it just seemed like for a few minutes, everything made sense. I think those realizations are important -- it's a good reassurance that no matter what we're trying to get away from, everything is going to turn out ok.

I think its safe to say that Seattle was good to me.

marie goes to san diego

marie goes to san diego

Back in February, I was offered an interview at the University of San Diego for a doctorate program I was interested in. Fun fact: the interview was for the NEXT school year?! What a tease. Anywho, there wasn't much convincing to be done because all I heard was San Diego and I was sold. My stay there was a whopping day and a half. I wasn't given much time to plan an actual stay but I had such a great time there that I packed the official visitor guide from my hotel with me on my flight home so I could bookmark all the places to see and do for a real vacation. 

The morning of my flight to San Diego, I remember the temperature being 18 degrees. But I couldn't pack a winter coat with me so I tried to layer as much as possible with outfits I could utilize on my short visit as well. I thought I was being clever but actually it was uncomfortable waddling around through security and getting in and out of the train. As if the commute to the airport wasn't bad enough, the worst part was waiting to board the plane and freezing in the process. But as soon I landed in San Diego, I stripped down to a tank top... it was 74 degrees! Sunny! Palm trees! And it was heaven. It warmed my skin and my soul. 

Of course the first thing I did was head over to In-N-Out because, you know, priorities. Why are those burgers the best burgers ever? And the strawberry shake? I ate outside, in my tank top [did I mention that already?] and I hate to admit it but I did order for two people even though I might have been by myself. San Diego, you know how to treat a woman right -- welcoming her with burgers and fries and strawberry shakes like I'm not trying to watch what I eat and be all organic.

I then spent the rest of the day walking around Balboa Park. There's so much to do and see in Balboa Park! The museums are all wonderful, the botanical garden is to die for, I met the coolest man playing the harp -- how often will you find a guy who plays hip hop music on the harp? -- I splashed my feet through the fountain and walked around with the most delicious bag of caramel popcorn in the history of caramel popcorn. It would have been the perfect date, really. 

The next morning, I woke up early with the intention of hiking Potato Chip Rock because you can't go to San Diego and not hike it. If you  have no idea what I'm talking about, go to instagram and look up #potatochiprock. The only problem was when I got there, I was told that I should be prepared to wait for hours for a picture on the famous sliver of stone that looks like a potato chip. From the people who were on their way down from the rock, I was told that the line was approximately a 3 hour wait. I had my heart set on this hike but I didn't want to be late for my interview that afternoon either. I left feeling disappointed but just another reason to come back, right?

Instead, I went to La Jolla's art and music library where I picked up a map to find the 13 murals scattered downtown. If you ever do this, be prepared to look behind buildings in places you'd least expect. Afterwards, I still had some time left so I headed to central San Diego where I grabbed a bite to eat at Waypoint Public because I had heard so much about it. It was hipster, by the way. I ordered the grilled cheese on sour dough bread with caramelized onions and sweet potato soup with cucumber water. It's like everything tastes ten times better in this city.  

The University of San Diego is actually a Catholic university. It's up in the mountains and it is breathtaking. I got there an hour early where a nice priest told me to see the Garden of the Sea. I tried to take a picture with my iphone but it just  didn't do it any justice. The Garden of the Sea overlooks the entire city of San Diego and everyone who knows anything about it will urge you to go when the sun is going down -- it has the most perfect view of the sunset. It's also famous because the Dalai Lama walks in that garden every time he visits the campus. I can't really describe it except that  I'm not sure I've ever experienced anything so peaceful. 

I started working on getting my license in California back in February. Apparently it's quite the lengthy process. I think it's safe to say that while I haven't made any concrete plans yet, the fact that I applied for an endorsement there is a step away from DC. I could see myself there, one day owning a little cottage with a white fence. I would plant lemon trees in my front yard. Have freshly squeezed lemonade all the time, bake lemon bars, muffins, cakes, and anything and everything else you can use lemons for. 

feeling good

feeling good

Jeans: Madewell | Top: H&M | Hat: F21 | Shoes: F21

Today was a feel good kind of day. 60s! We all needed this break from the cold. For me, the fact that I could ditch my winter coat for the day had me in all sorts of joyous feelings. It all started when I went to church today -- a new place I started going to called New Life but more about this later -- and the talk was about how we make others feel by the words we choose to say. I know there are people that have said things to me that I will always remember. Sometimes these words I remember are good but a lot of times, the things I remember are the ones that are hurtful. To be more mindful, we have to change our heart before we can change our tongue. And not to get too religious all up in here, I just want to leave you all with a message on being kind:

Be kind to your family. Be kind to your friends. Be kind to strangers. Be kind to yourself.

Just spreading some truth on a feel good Sunday. 

the time i remembered i had a blog

the time i remembered i had a blog

Happy New Year! [or otherwise known as my last year in my twenties] And not a single blog post in 2014. That seems crazy to me. Partly because an entire year went by THAT fast but also because I can hardly believe that I made no time to document anything at all and so much has changed. But to all five of you who are reading this, here I am! A new year, a new blog, and am I going to blog like I've never blogged before to make up for lost time.

So many things happened at the end of last year where I had to stop and ask myself, "Is this real life?" And not particularly in a good way. It's not the best way to close up another twelve months but the nice thing about January is that it gives you the opportunity to start new. My main goal this year as a 29 year old is just to do things that will make me happy. It's such a cliche sound but it's been the missing piece of this journey through my twenties. Well, not completely, but do I have to be 100% accurate on here? ;)

I've started to go to ballet classes again and it's made such a huge improvement in my overall happiness. In the process, I've learned that my body at this age is nothing like it was 10 years ago. Like maybe my denial in having to purchase a leotard in a size large. I'm sure I'm too old to have hit puberty but where did these come from? Or the fact that my ankles are weaker. And I'm perpetually sore no matter how much I stretch or how often I go to class. It's a good bad feeling, you know? Like my old self is coming alive. Why didn't I keep dancing after college? It makes no sense. It's a nice reminder to slow down, get to know myself again, stay ambitious, but also make time to do the things I enjoy. It gets harder the older we get, I know. We are so caught up with everything else in life with trying to get ahead or even just trying to keep up.

So #Happiness2015 ... who's with me?

in which Pinterest makes me more marketable

in which Pinterest makes me more marketable

It's no secret that I am no cook. I can bake just about anything but cooking is an entirely different playing field. In all my life, I can probably count on one hand how many times I've been able to actually whip up a meal... and eat it. I went through a quick phase a few years ago where I started collecting cookbooks because I really wanted to learn. Which is funny because you would think that having that experience of living on your own would mean learning how to cook but the sad truth is that my boyfriend did most of the cooking when we lived together. The only thing I cooked that came out decent was tilapia, which I just smothered in breadcrumbs.

But then came Pinterest. 

Pinterest is, hands down, my saving grace. As many other women know, Pinterest has taught me to style my clothes, style my (non-existent) childrens clothes, plan where to travel, plan my (also non-existent) wedding, decorate my future home, attempt DIY projects and COOK! And the last one is pretty important to me because it's part of my quest to bettering myself as a whole. A woman has got to know how to cook even the simplest of meals. Plain and simple. 

That delicious looking meal up above is an orzo scallop salad. Just to paint a picture of how little I know about the art of cooking, I spent about 20 minutes in the rice aisle at the grocery store looking for orzo. I was going by the picture on Pinterest and correct me if I'm wrong but orzo looks like rice, am I right? After checking-- and rechecking-- the rice shelves, I took out my phone and tried to search for where I could purchase the elusive orzo and then it popped up. Oh, it's pasta?! It's pasta! You idiot! So yeah, the orzo was only an aisle away from where I was standing. 

The recipe is actually really simple. And for those of you that are seasoned cooks (haha, pun intended?) then it will take you the 20-25 minutes cooking time that the recipe calls for. If you're like me, then it may take you 20-25 minutes plus another hour. But hey, baby steps. One thing worth noting: I absolutely HATE mincing garlic. Other than that, this bad boy wasn't so bad :) 

Orzo Scallop Salad 

1/2 oz orzo (cooked according to directions on package)

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 cup of cherry tomatoes (halved)

1 orange bell pepper (diced)

1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives

1 cup of arugula

1 lb of scallops

While the orzo is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium- high heat. Saute the garlic for about 2 minutes. You just want to make sure you saute it until it's fragrant. When it's fragrant, go ahead and add in the tomatoes and peppers and cook about 5 minutes. The tomatoes and peppers should begin to char. 

Combine the orzo, tomato, peppers, arugula and olives with the remaining olive oil and vinegar. Season it with a touch of salt and pepper for taste. 

In a non-stick pan, sear the scallops over high heat. You can choose to grill the scallops too as an alternative. After 2-3 minutes, flip the scallops over to cook the other side but be careful to not overcook. No one likes hard scallops. Top the orzo salad with scallops and ta-da!