A Week of Thankfulness: My Job

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I will be spending my Thanksgiving taking care of some of God's tiniest miracles. Of course, I would be lying if I said I would rather spend my Thanksgiving at work than with my family. But if I can't spend Thanksgiving with my family, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend it with than some sweet little babies. Since I will be spending my Thanksgiving at work, I've decided to reflect on how thankful I am for my job today.

My job allows me to do what I love everyday, which is caring for some of the tiniest and most fragile human beings. I am always amazed by the strength of these tiny babies. My job also entails helping the parents of these tiny babies understand what is going on with their child and helping them learn how to care for their baby in the hospital and after discharge. I also enjoy this part of my job. One day last week at the end of my shift, I was telling a baby and her parents goodbye because I knew the baby would be discharged before I returned to work. The mother of the baby started crying and hugged me before I left. Moments like these remind me that what I do really makes a difference in other people's lives. I love that I have a job that allows me to make such a difference.

My job is not always easy. There are many days that I just wouldn't be able to make it without my co-workers. Whenever I am having a bad day, my co-workers seem to always be there to help me out, put a smile on my face, and make my day a little easier. In nursing, co-workers are often more than just co-workers--they become more like family. My co-workers and I have experienced this fact in a very real sense this past week as we have dealt with the unexpected death of a co-worker. This tragedy has brought us all so much closer as we have grieved together and shared so many memories of our beloved co-worker. I am thankful for my work "family", and I am so lucky that many of my closest friends are also my co-workers.

I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving, and I hope that you are all able to take some time during this Thanksgiving holiday to reflect on everything you have to be thankful for.

A Week of Thankfulness: My Education

Beginning in kindergarten and continuing all the way through graduate school, I was lucky enough to receive a strong education that prepared me well for my future. I attended a Catholic grade school and high school that helped me grow in my faith while I received a good education. I continued on to a Catholic college--the same college that my parents and my older brother attended. It was there that I received the education that would allow me to succeed in the career that I love--nursing. It was also there that I met the people who are now some of my closest friends. After entering the nursing profession, I made the decision to further my nursing education by pursuing a master's degree from UAB. I completed my master's degree a little over a year ago. Although I am not currently using this degree in a formal position, I am glad that I was able to complete the degree early in my career so that when I am ready to move into a more advanced nursing position, I will be prepared. I am thankful for the education I've received throughout my life because without this education, I would not be where I am today.

A Week of Thankfulness: My Faith

When I was just a few weeks old, my parents gave me a great gift by deciding to have me baptized into the Catholic faith. Their Catholic faith is important to them, and they wanted to share this faith with me. Of course, at that time I had no clue of the significance of this decision they made for me. As a child, my parents helped me grow in my Catholic faith by sending me to Catholic school, teaching me about the Catholic faith at home, and bringing me to church every Sunday. As a teenager, I reaffirmed my parents' decision to have me baptized into the Catholic faith through the sacrament of Confirmation. I love my Catholic faith. I have a great appreciation for all of the traditions of the Catholic Church, and I always enjoy learning more about my faith. In both the happy times and the hard times, I can always count on my Catholic faith to be my strength.

My parents were so kind to find the pictures from my Baptism and scan them and email them to me quickly so that this post would have a special touch to it. Here are more of the pictures they sent me. First is a picture of my family and the priest who baptized me. The next picture is me with my godparents, my Aunt "Pud" and Uncle Herman. The last picture is me with the priest. By the way, the gown I am wearing in these pictures was worn by my father at his Baptism thirty-three years prior to mine.

A Week of Thankfulness: My Home

Recently, I made a post about how lucky I am to have two places that I can call "home". I love each of my homes, and I feel welcome and safe in each one. Purchasing my first house last year was a bit of a scary experience, but I have not once regretted my decision. I love spending time at my house and out in my yard. It's such an awesome feeling to own a house and to take pride in that house. I have learned over the past year that owning a house is a big responsibility, but it's worth it when that house begins to feel like a home. Although I love spending time at my Birmingham home, every once in a while it is nice to go home to Mobile. I always feel welcome when I am home in Mobile, and I get to spend time with so many people that I care about when I am there. I am thankful for these two wonderful places that I love, and the fact that I can call both of these places "home".

A Week of Thankfulness: Colby

I can't even express just how thankful I am for my little Colby. Colby came into my life exactly a year ago. Just in the short year that I have known him, he has brought so much joy into my life. Whether I've been gone for 15 hours or 15 minutes, Colby always uses every ounce of energy he has to let me know he's excited that I am home. After a long day at work, I look forward to returning home because I know my sweet dog will be there to greet me with excitement. Colby can always manage to put a smile on my face no matter how sad or low I am feeling. Whether he's barking at the sprinkler or attacking the vacuum cleaner, there is never a dull moment with Colby around. Colby is just the perfect little companion. We love to snuggle up on the couch and watch all of our favorite TV shows together. Even though he is a bit of a bed hog, I feel secure having my dog right next to me when I'm sleeping. I think Colby and I are perfect for each other, and I feel so lucky to have ended up with such a sweet and perfect little dog.

A Week of Thankfulness: Life

Today, I am thankful that I have been blessed with 26 good years of life, and I am grateful for the many more years that I hope to enjoy. This week, my co-workers and I were reminded of just how precious life is through the tragic loss of a co-worker who died in an automobile accident. This tragedy has reminded us all that life is fleeting, and none of us knows how long we are given in this world. We must live each moment to its fullest, and not allow ourselves to become overly concerned with petty things. We should never let a day pass by without telling the people who mean the most to us just how much we care about them. We often forget how fragile our lives are. It's a shame that it takes a tragedy like this one to remind us, but may we all remember to live each day to the fullest, and live it as if it were our last.

A Week of Thankfulness: My Parents

I know I have already spent some time reflecting on how thankful I am for my family, but I think I should also spend time reflecting on how thankful I am for my parents, in particular. My parents have done and continue to do so much for me, and I'm pretty sure that I never thank them enough for everything they do. As a child, my parents made so many sacrifices for me and my brother so that we would have everything we needed to grow into successful and respected adults. They could have lived in a nicer house, drove nicer cars, and gone on nicer vacations, but they sacrificed all of that so that my brother and I could have a good Catholic education and grow in the Catholic faith that they gave us. My parents always met our needs, but also taught us the difference between needs and wants, and never spoiled us by giving us what we wanted. There are so many occasions that I remember telling my mom during the summer that I wanted a certain toy, and her response was always for me to put it on my Christmas list. That taught me a lot about patience! As an adult, my parents are always the first two people I turn to when I need advice. I know that I can always count on them to support me in all of my decisions, even when my decisions are not easy for them to hear, such as my decision to move to Birmingham. As I have grown, I've realized that they are not just parents, but also friends. Whether I'm discussing the latest episode of Glee with my mom or going to a Dave Matthews concert with my dad, I am always happy when I'm with my parents.

Mom and Dad, THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU! Two things I know I don't say nearly enough...

A Week of Thankfulness: My Family

It seems like the Christmas season begins earlier and earlier each year. This year, I noticed Christmas decorations going up, Christmas commercials on the TV, and radio stations playing Christmas music all by the first week of November. Don't get me wrong...I love Christmas as much as the next gal. But I also love Thanksgiving, and it is a shame to me that Thanksgiving often seems to be overshadowed by the Christmas season. I think it's important that we remember the meaning of Thanksgiving, and take time to reflect on the things in our lives for which we can be thankful. To get myself in the Thanksgiving spirit amidst all of the focus on Christmas, I have challenged myself to write short reflections on the things in my life for which I am thankful. I plan to post one reflection every day until Thanksgiving Day. This challenge is more for me than for anyone else, but I hope you enjoy reading about the different things I am thankful for. I encourage you to also take time over the next week to reflect on the things in your life for which you can be thankful.

Today, I would like to reflect on how thankful I am for my family. I have two parents who have made sacrifices for me my entire life to ensure my happiness and success. I have an older brother who always supports me when I succeed but is also there to encourage me when I don't. I have a grandmother and a grandfather who always make me feel special. I have aunts, uncles, and cousins who are always interested in hearing about my life. I enjoy being around my family, and I love the fact that my family can always find humor in every situation--even in the most difficult of situations. Most importantly, I appreciate the fact that my family members are always there for me, and I know I can rely on them. While my family is a far cry from "normal", I couldn't imagine being born into any other family.

Over the past couple of years, I have learned an important lesson about family--blood is not always thicker than water. Through my job, I developed a special bond with three sweet babies--Piper, Henry, and Rosemary--and their parents, Heather and Gary. Such a special bond that I am known as Auntie Ann at their house. I have also developed a special bond with Piper, Henry, and Rosemary's new little sister, Penelope, since I am her godmother. When I moved to Birmingham 4.5 years ago, I had no family here. Now I do, and I am very thankful for my Birmingham family. While we may not be related by blood, I feel that we are family in every way that counts.

I am grateful for all of my family members who love me for who I am, regardless of my quirks and imperfections.

The Great South Bend Adventure, Part Six: Chicago is Full of Interesting People

I hope everyone has enjoyed the recaps of my great South Bend adventure. I think I have hit all of the highlights of the trip. And, through the past five blog posts, I have shared pretty much all of the pictures I took during my trip. However, there are a few more photos that I would like to share with you in this sixth and final blog post about my trip to South Bend.

As I was walking through the streets of Chicago, I encountered many interesting people. In the interest of making a funny blog post, I snapped photos of these people when they were least expecting it. That's the beauty of having an iPhone. You can discreetly snap photos of interesting people, and they never have a clue about what's going on. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to some of Chicago's finest:

First there's Mario and Luigi, who apparently like to text when they're not busy killing their enemies.



Then there's this lovely young lady who was sitting next to us on the "L". Bless her heart.



We also spotted a Blues Brother across the way just casually waiting for the "L".



And then there was this old French maid. What, you've never seen a French maid walking with a cane before?



And finally, my personal favorite, Teddy Ruxpin. Try walking down several blocks in Chicago with this giant teddy bear following you and see how freaked out you get. Poor Teddy. He looks so forlorn. I guess kids these days just aren't interested in talking bears that have cassette tape decks in their backs.



Oh, did I forget to mention that I was in Chicago on Halloween?

The Great South Bend Adventure, Part Five: Chi-ca-go!

On the last day of my trip, we made a day trip to Chicago. I come from a long line of Chicago lovers, so I was very excited to see Chicago for the first time. Before the sun was even up that day, we were at the South Bend train station boarding the train to Chicago. After a couple of hours on the train, we arrived in the Windy City!

First things first, we went to see Wrigley Field. My dad and my brother are diehard Cubs fans and, in fact, my great uncle, Claude Passeau, used to pitch for the Chicago Cubs. Needless to say, if my family found out that I was in Chicago and did not see Wrigley Field, I would be disowned. So seeing Wrigley Field was pretty much the number one priority for our trip to Chicago. Now of course Wrigley was locked up tight and the Cubs' season was over when we visited, so we only got to see the outside. But I was still excited. Here are some pictures from Wrigley:







And of course I had to take a picture with Harry Caray:



We also went and saw the giant "bean" in Millenium Park. When you look at the bean, you can see the Chicago skyline. Here are some pictures of the "bean":











We also got to stop by Garrett's Popcorn Shop to buy some bags of popcorn. That was definitely the best popcorn I've ever put in my mouth!



And a trip to Chicago wouldn't be complete without some Chicago-style deep dish pizza!



I enjoyed just walking through the streets of Chicago and seeing all of the tall buildings. But it was very cold in those wind tunnels!









Before we left Chicago, we went to the Signature Lounge, which is on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. I was able to get some good pictures from that view:





The women's restroom at the Signature Lounge actually has the best view of Chicago:





Sometimes it pays to be a woman!

The Great South Bend Adventure, Part Four: Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame!

The college Kevin, Colleen, and I went to--Spring Hill College--does not have a football team. Actually, Spring Hill had a football team until 1941, so the running joke at the school is that Spring Hill's football team has been undefeated since 1941. Anyway, one thing about my South Bend trip that I was really looking forward to was all of the game day activities on campus, since I never got this type of experience in college. So what if the Notre Dame football team is more awful than usual this year...I was still ready to cheer for old Notre Dame! I had a great time learning about all of Notre Dame's game day traditions and experiencing the game day excitement.

The game day activities actually began with our attempt to stay up until midnight on Friday night (or Saturday morning, whichever way you'd like to look at it) for the Midnight Drumline Circle on campus. To help us stay up so late, we went to an authentic Irish pub for some Irish food, music, and spirits. We enjoyed music from the band "Three Men in Kilts", which, as the name would suggest, was composed of three men...in kilts. Here are some photos from this experience:





By some miracle, I actually made it until midnight for the Drumline Circle. The Drumline Circle is a Notre Dame game day tradition that occurs at midnight on every home game day. The drumline of the Notre Dame band forms a circle outside the Main Building on campus and performs. It was about 30 degrees as we were standing there watching the performance. If you know me at all, you know that I love to sleep and I hate cold weather. So the fact that I went to the Midnight Drumline Circle on such a cold night is huge. Here some pictures of the Drumline Circle as proof that I was really there:





I enjoyed the Midnight Drum Circle, but I also enjoyed getting in bed after the performance.

After a few hours of sleep, we were back on campus for more game day events. I enjoyed getting to see all of the crazy tailgaters outside the stadium:





It was also fun to see all of the Notre Dame football players march to the stadium before the game. Before every home game, the entire football team goes to Mass at the Basilica and then marches from the Basilica to the stadium. Here are some pictures from their march. In the first picture, the short guy in the middle is Brian Kelly, the head football coach.





Another fun game day tradition is the Concert on the Steps. Before the game, the Notre Dame marching band performs their half time show music for their fans. Being a former band nerd myself (I played the clarinet in middle school and high school), I really enjoyed this concert.





Notre Dame has a group of ten male students that compose the Irish Guard. Apparently, selection for the Irish Guard is extremely competitive and exclusive. I don't really understand it myself, so you can read more about the Irish Guard here. After the Concert on the Steps, the Irish Guard Inspection takes place. Each Irish Guard member's uniform is inspected individually to ensure that it is presentable for the march to the stadium. The members stand at strict attention during the Inspection while people in the crowd try their best to get them to smile, or even flinch. Here are some pictures from the Irish Guard Inspection:







Finally, we got to watch the cheerleaders, the mascot, the Irish Guard, and the band march to the stadium right before the game. Here are some pictures from that parade:







We decided not to go to the game and go on a day trip to Chicago on Sunday instead. It turns out we made a good decision, since Notre Dame had an upsetting loss against the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (what kind of mascot is that, anyway?!).

Before I finish this post, I'd like to point out that Notre Dame is not without its own crazy football fans, like this guy who stood by us at the parade:



Go Irish!

The Great South Bend Adventure, Part Three: How 'Bout Them Apples?

Being the great organizer and planner that she is, Colleen developed an itinerary of activities for my trip to South Bend weeks before the trip. A couple of weeks before my trip, Colleen and I were talking on the phone and she was going over the itinerary she had created. She mentioned going on a tour of Notre Dame, doing all of the Notre Dame game day activities, and going on a day trip to Chicago. These were all activities that I was expecting and looking forward to. But then she mentioned spending an entire afternoon picking apples. Yes, like picking apples off of apple trees. I was a bit perplexed as to why this type of activity made it into the itinerary, but I decided not to ask any questions. I just assumed that this is what people in the Midwest do for fun. And when in the Midwest, you do what the Midwesterners do. But I was very curious as to how this whole apple-picking experience would play out.

So on Friday afternoon, we jumped in the car and headed to an apple orchard in Michigan. Michigan, by the way, is only 8 miles from South Bend. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was thinking that there would just be a few rows of apple trees, we would pick a few apples off of the trees, and then we would head home. Oh no. This place had rows and rows of apple trees, cherry trees, peach trees, and pumpkins. Here are some pictures I took at the orchard:









And what apple orchard would be complete without...a petting zoo?! Here are some of the animals we encountered at the petting zoo:







We even had our own personal canine tour guide at the apple orchard. Our tour guide met us at the front of the orchard and led us back to the apple trees. And then he sat down and ate his snack, an apple. Imagine that! Here's our tour guide eating his apple:



Probably the best thing about the apple orchard, besides the apples of course, was all of the great photo props:

















Okay, back to the apples. Here are some pictures from my first apple-picking experience:









So, we may have gone a little overboard with the apple picking. We left with 40 pounds of apples...



How 'bout them apples?!