Hello Roxie.

I promised a post devoted entirely to our recent change in address. Blah. Hopefully some quirky anecdotes will also come to mind to make this post somewhat interesting.

Well, the good news is we moved, we love our new place, and we're not bankrupt. Hallelujah! (For those of you who have not had the pleasure to move recently, it's expensive. Mostly due to my desire to "nest" and decorate with things I did not yet own. Also paying double rent for half a month as well as a new security deposit. Bah humbug.) But we're happy and God has provided such a great home for us for our remaining time in Davenport.

Our move was rather smooth- we had everything packed in boxes and four of us completely loaded the moving truck in 3 hours. Thank God for Joe. (Had to put that in here in case he or his wife ever have the desire to read my blog). Then the three menfolk went off to classes and told a few of us lady folk that we could "maybe start unloading the truck if we wanted to. But we didn't have to." So, we decided to unload the entire thing while they were gone. We got close. There was one couch and maybe five-ish boxes left to unload when they came back. They were surprised and pleased nonetheless. The rest of the afternoon/evening consisted of the girls organizing the house (I still can't find juice tupperware container, several cups, etc etc etc.)

The boys were busy entertaining themselves with their efforts to assemble a small curio cabinet. I'm pretty sure the whole house was organized before they put it together. (Actually, I'm sure of it. Because they never put the display light in correctly. It's just hanging from the top of the cabinet. Ah, oh well).

The day after we moved I was back to work. Nothing gets done during my days on shift, so it's prodigiously wonderful that Josh's mom showed up the next day to assist with the transition. (If you are reading this, Daniel Luttrull, can you tell me if I used that word correctly? 'Prodigiously.' I defer to you in all things writing and/or english.) She is one stellar woman and we are very grateful for the time she spent out here- spoiling us with good food, gifts, and her presence. Also, it must be mentioned that she brought Roxie home to us. It's been good to have our rat back- she is adorable and snugly and a great little fur ball to have around. Currently she is lying between Josh and me on a very soft blanket (which she has claimed as her own. You should see her little begging face whenever I move her off the blanket so I can actually use it.)

She is also wearing a Christmas sweater. Some website said yorkies don't have the undercoat needed to keep them warm in the winter, so a warm garment is suggested. I think if yorkies didn't have what they needed, they would all be dead by now. However, I found some cheap dog sweaters at Target and she looks so stinking cute in them that I went back and bought more. Yes, I'm ridiculous. Also, I hear dog owners begin to look like the dogs they own. To allow this to happen more quickly, I chopped my hair down to a long shag. I am beginning to see the resemblance...

Pictures of our new place are posted on facebook thanks to that delightful Mrs. Pattengale (ooh... the elder Mrs. Pattengale. Sometimes I forget that I am now Mrs. Pattengale as well. I don't expect to be called that until I have a 5th grader that has friends over to the house. Any younger than 5th graders and they'll probably have to call me "Mrs. P." Pattengale can be such a difficult word for the little ones. But not much more so than Potteiger. Shoot, 35 year olds still can't get that one correct.)

As it is, I'm off to make dinner for my husband. (But mostly for myself because I'm ravenously hungry and that silly man is not. More for me! :) Catch ya later, folks.

Laughing in the Stairwell

I have been amiss in my blogging, or rather, lack of. Most likely because my life is not all that interesting. I work, my husband goes to school, we love each other. Not too much you would want to read. However, my sister likes my posts, which is really enough to pull me back to the computer once again and try to think of interesting thoughts. Side note, the title of this post is because my husband just chased me up three flights of stairs with me shrieking and laughing all the way. And since I woke up with absolutely no clever ideas this morning, a good name for this post was pretty hopeless.

Here we go:

I am very proud of my husband. He just started his fourth trimester at Palmer yesterday- and for me, time here in Iowa is flying. (He says it's not going quite as fast for him, but he IS studying all the time, so it's quite understandable.) So, the big news for him is that he was chosen to be in a rather prestigious group on campus- The Guides. I'd explain more, but it's kind of top secret. Not really, but I'm struggling with how to explain what they do. Basically, you will see them at every campus event in matching suit and tie whispering into wrist walkie-talkies. (Minus the walkie-talkie detail. That was my own imagination.) The point is, my husband is wonderful and I'm proud of him.

I love my job. The word love being defined as "I'm thankful for the income and since I have to work, I'm glad for the job I have." Perhaps I will do some comparisons to help you understand why I went to OB and why I am glad I did.

When my patient sees me, she: (ICU) Drools and I use a suction catheter to remove the drainage from her mouth and throat. (OB) Smiles, albeit tiredly, and discussion about her newborn baby commences.

When my patient needs to use the restroom, she: (ICU) Poops in the bed or the bedpan, which I will later rinse out. (OB) Walks to the restroom and uses it.

When I have free time at work, I: (ICU) Rarely have free time, but perhaps will eat some Lorna Doones. (OB) Again, rarely have free time, but will sit in the rocking chairs holding babies in the nursery.

I think the most difficult part of the transition to OB is the lost ICU prestige. ICU nurses get that special nod from doctors or other nurses- they know a lot, handle emergencies, deal with life and death decisions everyday. Now, at the hospital skills fair, I am met with a snotty look and frequently hear, "Oh, you're fifth floor? You will never do this, you don't need to know about it." My response? Don't ever bring your laboring wife to my floor. (This is said very menacingly of course.) Oh well, I am thankful for my job and the help I provide to new mothers on a daily basis. Prestige or whatever else is just gravy.

The big life change we are anticipating right now is moving. Later this month we will be moving to a new residence- a cheaper, larger, closer, wondeful-er duplex. We can't wait to have a basement where Josh can set up his chiro table, a dining room separate from the kitchen, a yard, a one car garage etc etc. The move and new abode will be a separate blog in the future, obviously. Also, when we move? We get Roxie back. Our poor pooch has been traveling around the country from home to home, waiting for us to move into a rental that allows her to join. Word on facebook chat is that she got herself a husband by the name of Prancer. (Apparently, he has yet to figure out she's an it. We'll see how long it lasts once Roxie comes clean.) We are excited to get our dog/rat back.

Also, Christmas is coming! I have been ready since July, so I'm getting pretty pumped now. Today I bought candy canes to sneak into Josh's lunch tomorrow. To let HIM know that Christmas is coming. (To be honest, he knows Christmas is coming and he's a pretty swell guy for letting me be as Christmas crazy as I am. I already dragged him out Christmas shopping, made him watch Elf, danced around him in the kitchen singing carols in my best Etta James voice, and purchased a tin of Christmas popcorn. He says as soon as we move I can put up the Christmas tree, but to not let our mothers know because they will think we are ridiculous.)

I am so psyched to be alive right now.

They're Getting to Me...

Today must start with a confession: The "Palmer People" are getting to me. I'm not referring to the Palmer students who go out partying. These people are everywhere and their lifestyle does not hold any fascination for me. I'm referring to another type of Palmer student. I'm talking about the vegans, the vegetarians and the people who make their own vanilla extract out of vanilla bean and vodka.

When we first moved to the Quad Cities, I was amused by the large group of people who spent hours discussing their latest work out routines and the evils of medicine and processed food. Then, after half a year, my amusement grew an edge of irritation. I'm going to make a cheesecake. I'm going to make it with NON organic dairy. And you know what???? I'm not making it with skim products. Shoot- because you commented on how fattening it was, I'm going to make it with Vitamin D products- and will probably throw in an extra cup of sugar just so you can really gripe about how awful I am. And then I'm covering it with chocolate sauce and real whipped cream. Boo yah.

But today, I bought agave nectar. Because someone at Palmer told me it was better. And I get excited when I'm at the store and see organic products- though I'm not willing to shell out $3.50 for the organic eggs when I see the "unhealthy" dozen two shelves down for $1.70. And Josh is trying not to cry every night he comes to the table for dinner and we have another meatless meal. Not that we're becoming vegetarians. In fact, the other morning our breakfast at IHOP included ham, sausage, and bacon... And I stole some of Josh's after I ate my own. But slowly, we are changing.

I buy the whole wheat unsweetened cereals off of Walmart's top shelves- you know, the cereals old people buy to keep them regular? I get pumped even thinking about going to our local health food store- you know that smell when you walk in? The one that health food stores have? We use the salad plates as our dinner plates now. I feel slightly guilty when I pour creamer into my coffee (not guilty enough to stop.) The point is, Palmer is making it's mark on me. And perhaps with time, when new Palmer students move to town, they will look at me with amusement.

For the record- my holdout... They still haven't made me exercise. I mean, I probably will at some point. But it will be when I want to- when I decide I'm good and ready. And I will probably do that whenever Palmer tells me to...

Chicago is More Fun.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go spend time with some good friends in Chicago. Our pal Jordan is going to school in Lombard and invited everybody up for a weekend of fun, pizza, and aquarium. (Of course, Josh and I went for the pizza. It's always about Gino's East.) Our party started out Friday night at Chipotle (another very good dining option. One of my favorites.) Then came movies, talk and a pregnancy test (for me- not Hannah or Chrissy. And, no, I'm not pregnant. Hannah thinks I'll be pregnant soon, but she is basing her thoughts on the fact we just got a dog. She says people always get pregnant after they get a dog.) Later us womenfolk moved our party to a hotel where we watched old episodes of Whose Line, ate chocolate bars, and fell asleep to giggles and conversation about boys. (Of course. What else would we talk about?)

The next morning the guys met us at our room to carry down our luggage. We figured this would make it look like they slept in the hotel too and were therefore deserving of the free continental breakfast. Our plan must have worked, because we all ate AND the girls didn't have to carry their suitcases. Smart, huh? Next we drove to some train station- this is where the boys and girls got in a fight. The boys parked their car in the last parking space near the train. Of course, they got out of their car and "helped" us girls look for a space. We ended up driving forever away out of town until we could find a spot that didn't sport a sign warning us we would come back to a hefty towing fee. Then we proceeded to ignore all texts and phone calls from three particular males until we were satisfied they were truly repentant. (Side note- they actually had to move out of their fantastic parking spot because they didn't have the appropriate parking pass. But, in reality, I feel more sorry for the girls- myself included.) All this fuss caused us to miss our train, so we filled in the next hour looking for a deck of cards to play Euchre.

Once in Chicago, we headed directly to Gino's East. Oh my word- this place NEVER lets me down. So stinking good. There really aren't good words in the English language to describe just how tasty our pizzas were. Of course, the flavor of the pizza was complimented by conversation and Euchre. After pizza, we walked around downtown, visiting the famous "bean," congratulating at least 10 newly married couples taking pictures, and walking within site distance of the Navy Pier before pooping out under a tree. Alas, it was then time to head back to Union Station and Jordan's apartment. The train ride included the following: getting the best seats ever and then having to move to another car, getting the best seats ever on the 2nd car, watching a girl get her face smashed in the closing doors of the train, gummy bears, kettle corn, and even more Euchre. Then a sad goodbye and Josh and I were off to meet his mother and brother for the duration of our weekend in Chicago.

Our time with Cindy and Mike was lovely- including hot tubbing with an older man that was quite angry when we turned the jets off (they were louder than a hurricane- seriously, headache levels), a delicious breakfast of the largest bowl of fruit EVER- topped in whipped cream that needed a bit more whipping, Ikea, more eating, and walking around a mall of gigantic proportions. The kind where I walk in and get so overwhelmed I lose any desire to shop. I know- it was actually that big. I suppose I shouldn't ever visit the Mall of America. Just saying. Then? Bowling, of course! We shared our seating area with two dads taking their 4 sons bowling. So lovely- they cheered for us whenever we got strikes or spares, and we cheered for them whenever they bumper bowled more than 4 pins down. Ah, I love kids.

I'm sure we did other things that are interesting, but at this point and time, I really want to go make tea and use my new jar of honey. With comb. (I'm such a sucker for honey with comb. Regular honey? Take it or leave it. But when I get to bite into a piece of comb and the honey just oozes out, filling every part of my cavernous mouth with sweet? How can that not be absolute. pleasure.) So, goodnight folks.

Four and A Half Pounds and Covered With Fur

This year, I have been longing for Christmas. Very early, I know, but I fell in love with our Christmas tree last year and this year it's going to be more of an event. Decorating the tree while listening to good old Christmas songs, drinking coffee and eating cinnamon rolls. Sounds wonderful, yes?

Apparently, Josh must have known all this. So my Christmas present came early. It has four paws.
I have now become a member of the rapidly multiplying group 'owners of yorkies.' Yes, I kind of judge myself. But she's ridiculously cute and we needed a pup under ten pounds. We had been planning on getting ourselves a pound puppy in November, but some friends of ours needed to get rid of their second yorkie and I had no puppy to hold. So, we now have a three year old snuggle bug named Roxie.

For the record: No, she doesn't like baths, but she does receive them quite frequently. No, she doesn't sleep with us. (Unless one of us gets up and leaves the house earlier than the other. Then she gets to lie on the bed ON TOP of the covers. I can't stand the thought of a dog being in our sheets. *Shudder.*) No, I don't carry her around in a purse. That would be another shudder. Yes, she is currently sleeping on my lap curled into a tiny ball.

Now, all I need is the Christmas tree.

Riding the Elevator to the Fifth Floor

A new job is like a new beginning. Except with the old me. So, not much has actually changed except that I'm the new blood- once again at the bottom of the totem pole longing to work my way up. To be an accomplished nurse. To have fresh RNs look at me one day and think, "Wow, I hope I'm as good of a nurse as she is one day."

Also, different? I don't cry before I have to go to work anymore. Which is really a fantastic change. Pretty sure I could get used to that. Working in the OB is so completely different that the ICU (and here, all my nursing friends think 'duh.') But really, I am amazed by the change in the atmosphere. We have toddlers running through our hallways chattering about the "new bebies" and how cute they are. We have sixteen year olds, blissfully unaware of how their lives are going to change when they take this tiny baby home. And we have thirty-five year olds who have 32,000 questions, because they have a slightly better idea what is going on.

I am still in the honeymoon phase of work in the OB. But so far, it is looking like I made the right decision. My back isn't killing me when I get home from a 12 hour shift. I am not crying over the death of my patient or wondering if I would have saved a life if I had pushed the doctor just a little harder. No, it's not all fun and games in OB. Sometimes, the tragedy here is far worse than in the ICU. But it's rare. More common? The celebration of life. A nervous set of parents scared to death about this little life that is now their responsibility. The flutter in your heart when a six pound person quiets as your lift them from their crib. Charting with one hand while you hold a tiny, sleeping baby in the other.

I do not know the future. I have no idea where I am supposed to go in this life. I'm sure I would be scared to death if I saw the plans God has laid before me. But while He holds me here, I will be content. I will choose to learn and grow. And I will keep my life as a sacrifice before Him.

2 Bedrooms is 2 Bedrooms Too Small

I never realized how small our apartment is. Well, until we had family come to visit. (Side note: we hope they come again soon. :) My mom and sister came into town Tuesday afternoon with three children under the age of 3. And it was.... wonderful! I did learn within two minutes, however, how "unchildproof" my house is. But that is life and it is worth a few broken things to spend time with family.

The twins are five months old and I have deemed them absolutely fantastic as well as quite gorgeous. Their blue eyes are stunning and we're all holding our breath, hoping they will stay blue. They have moved to the smiley (and drooling) stage, so I acted like an idiot the whole week, always hoping for another grin and chortle. On a side note: they are looking more and more identical, so I painted their toenails different colors for a cheat way to tell them apart. Both mom and I had to check out their feet constantly.

Tuesday was spent talking, cooking, and catching up. My sleep habits are way out of wack recently (I'm going to blame night shift), so I actually fell asleep from 6-9pm. I hope they didn't consider me a rude hostess. I tried to stay awake, I really did!

Wednesday we went clothes shopping for the kids... This was tricky with three adults to even out the three kids. I now understand why Rachel can't get out of the house. Good grief! :) Shopping was followed by Christian's first visit to Chuck E. Cheese. We were more excited than Christian- until he saw the basketball hoops and the "key-tars" they were playing up on stage. Suddenly we couldn't keep him in the booth. He took two rides and then was very insistent that he only wanted to "play hoop! Basketball! Hoops! Hoops!" Simon should be proud.

Thursday's main event was the Quad City Zoo. Yes, I have been getting to go to the zoo a lot. Is it great? Yes, it is. It was fun to see the zoo through a child's eyes again. Helping Christian search for the animals in the cages, trying to help him pet the sheep, laughing as he asked to pet the tigers. It was a good time. The girls were pretty fantastic troopers as well. We messed with their nap schedules to be at the zoo all morning, but they're precious little things. (As long as their not both crying at the same time... they have fantastic lungs aboard those tiny bodies.

Favorite parts of the week: Watching Christian's face light up when one of the twins would smile at him. Hugs and kisses from Christian before bed every night. Selah's laugh. Jadah's dimples. Sharing conversation and a bag of corn nuts with my mother and sister. Christian's first poo-poo in the toilet. (Yes, that was a wonderful moment full of celebration).

It was a wonderful week.

Weekend Getaway. The First Ever.

I guess it is pathetic to be behind on blogging when it's only my second post. But I'm a busy woman. And currently I've been more interested in piecing my quilt than signing on the internet. I suppose late is better than never.

Josh and I finally had our anniversary get away a weekend or two ago. I mentioned the zoo and science center in my previous post. I'm very proud to announce we worked both into our schedule. I worked a twelve hour shift Thursday night, then we left Friday morning for the zoo. I am learning how to function without sleep for up to 36 hours. I think that is my record so far. On the way to Des Moines, we found this awesome eatery called "5&Diner." It was exactly the kind of diner I was hoping for, with jukebox, bar stools, and a server who reminded us of Vi from Grease.



















Anywho, back to the zoo. Josh and I have found most zoos pale in comparison to the Toledo, San Diego, and Denver zoos, so we try to skip the comparison. I always feel like a child at the zoo- I'm so excited to see the animals; Josh is a little more like a grown up. He holds my hand and makes sure I don't run off. Also, he keeps me moving- otherwise I might be tempted to sit and watch the giraffes or elephants for hours. I did get him to take me through the aquarium and aviary twice, because I wanted to watch jellyfish a bit longer. My mind is so blown by those deadly little things.






We stayed at a fantastic little B&B near Drake University in Des Moines. It was our first bed and breakfast, so it was with trepidation we stood outside the front door, wondering if we knock or just go in. Our hostess solved the dilemma by opening the door for us. Hurdle one, down. Phew. Our room was fantastic- we had rented the master suite for two nights, so it came with a king bed, sitting area, and ginormous bathroom! The plan for dinner was The Cheesecake Factory. Unbeknown to us, it was apparently National Cheesecake Day. So the place was swarming. However, all cheesecake was half price. It was indeed our lucky day.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast with two professors who were visiting for a seminar at Drake. I believe the topic was ancient music. The only word to sum our our conversation is 'hilarious.' Nothing like an effeminate professor regaling us with stories of weddings gone awry, his miserable health, and blunders in traveling. Breakfast was followed by a trip to the science center. The two highlights were watching Inception in the IMAX and playing in the kids' activity center. I would like to report that we made better rockets and kept our dropped egg more intact than the other couple our age in there. Ha! We followed up our science adventure with Spaghetti Works and then a quick visit to the Italian Heritage Festival. I must admit, we felt like posers, so we left real quick. The rest of the day was consumed with napping, movies, and a 10pm run to Jimmy Johns. Subs so fast, you'll freak!

And then the next day we went home and I worked another 12 hour shift.

No Time Like the Present

My sister says she'll know more about my life if I blog. I asked her if she has ever heard of a phone. Obviously, from the fact I'm starting a blog, she won. I put off starting my blog for half a year because I didn't know what to call it. I still don't know what to call it, but time was getting away from me. Ergo, the title of this blog.

I feel that early morning is a good time to communicate- especially when I'm sitting on the couch listening to the birds and drinking my (very large) cup of coffee. Josh left for school about 30 minutes ago- I already miss him, but time will fly until he returns home. I grew up hearing the phrase, "A woman's work is never done." I never knew how true it is.

Josh is doing very well. He was just chosen to be a NBS representative (National Board Review). Chiropractors take 4 sets of boards to get their Doctorate and NBS is a rather popular review program. Josh's role will include advertising NBS and trying to get people to sign up for these reviews. His third trimester is going well- tests start in August, so it will get very busy then. He is in one palpation class and also attends club meetings for motion palpation, so he comes home from school wanting to "palpate" me. Get your mind out of the gutter- he usually just moves my neck around to see if there are any vertebrae that aren't moving correctly. Josh has also been spending a great amount of time investing in our marriage- learning to cook when I'm trying to sleep or get ready for work, helping me keep the house in order, working on being the spiritual leader etc. I think a lot of his efforts are due to a conversation we had a few weeks ago- we were talking about children and what kind of people we want to be before we have any. We recognized many areas we both need to grow in and decided to start changing now. I'm so proud of him.

I'm doing well also. I have two more nights in the ICU and then will start orientation in the Birthing Center. I'm so excited and yet so incredibly nervous. Starting over in a new area with a new knowledge base and new coworkers scares the living daylights out of me. Mom reminds me that God is enough- I cannot do any of this out of my own strength or ability. Thank you for the reminder, Mom. I'm trying to follow God's leading and find a workplace that brings contentment, satisfaction, and the opportunity to minister to a new population of patients. I am also excited for the schedule- Josh will have to sleep without me four nights a week now, but I will always get to be with him until 10:30pm- even on the nights I work. This will also allow me to participate more in our small group as well as other activities. I'm also hoping the new schedule will help me keep up with life. Currently, after my three twelve hours shifts, the house is a wreck, we're out of clean dishes and laundry, I haven't had devotions, and I'm too exhausted to care about any of it. This way I'll be home and able to keep up with all the small things that are so important!

Josh and I are going away to Des Moines this weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. We are so excited to get away and relax! We're staying at a small Bed and Breakfast and we already have several activities planned out (including the Iowa Science Center and hopefully the zoo! I love the zoo.) I have so much to do before then. I better go get started.