Love,
Ann
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Happy Birthday, Paul D.!
Happy Birthday to the best grandfather a girl could ask for! Thank you for all of your support throughout the years...
Love,
Ann
Love,
Ann
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Colby's Giant Water Bowl
With as hot as it has been the past few weeks, I've been spending a lot of time in and around my backyard pool. Being the loyal pup that he is, Colby tries his best to keep me company when I'm out in the backyard. However, he can only last a couple of minutes before he starts panting and gasping in the summer heat. On many occasions, I've tried everything I can do to get him to get in the pool to cool down, short of just throwing him in there. He refuses to get in, and for some reason he seems to prefer to hang out in the air-conditioned house over the 100+ degree backyard.
Now something you must understand about Colby is that he is a bit narcissistic. He believes that everything that happens in this world revolves around him. For example, whenever I open my refrigerator, he automatically thinks that he is going to get something to eat (usually cheese or carrots, which is the only non-dog food he typically gets to eat). As another example, every time I grab my purse and open the door out to my garage, Colby gets excited and darts to the car, thinking he is about to go for a ride. And, of course, whenever someone comes over to my house--friends, the bug man, UPS delivery people, etc.--Colby knows for sure that they have come to see him. So, naturally, Colby would find a way to make the backyard pool all about him.
Nope, it's not a pool at all. It's a giant water bowl for Colby! At least I don't have to worry about him getting dehydrated any time soon...
Now something you must understand about Colby is that he is a bit narcissistic. He believes that everything that happens in this world revolves around him. For example, whenever I open my refrigerator, he automatically thinks that he is going to get something to eat (usually cheese or carrots, which is the only non-dog food he typically gets to eat). As another example, every time I grab my purse and open the door out to my garage, Colby gets excited and darts to the car, thinking he is about to go for a ride. And, of course, whenever someone comes over to my house--friends, the bug man, UPS delivery people, etc.--Colby knows for sure that they have come to see him. So, naturally, Colby would find a way to make the backyard pool all about him.
Nope, it's not a pool at all. It's a giant water bowl for Colby! At least I don't have to worry about him getting dehydrated any time soon...
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Not Just Another Nurse...On a Billboard
This past week was Nurse's Week. To celebrate, I worked the maximum numbers of hours that UAB nurses are allowed to work in one week...60 hours. Yes, a total of five 12-hour shifts. I may be crazy for volunteering to work all of that overtime, but it sure will be worth it when I get that paycheck!
Every year during Nurse's Week, UAB Hospital has various events each day to celebrate their nurses. On Tuesday, there was the annual Nursing Fair. The Nursing Fair is basically just a bunch of vendors advertising things nurses may be interested in, but the highlight of the event for me is always the free stuff (pens, candy, and even a sticker that I got to wear for the rest of the day that said "Not Just Another Nurse"). Some of my co-workers and I ventured over to the Nursing Fair during our lunch break on Tuesday. While at the Fair, we were each handed a copy of the 2010 UAB Nursing Annual Report. Not really the most thrilling piece of literature, but I figured I would save it and read it during one of those rare moments that I had nothing better to do. One of my co-workers started flipping through the booklet, and all of the sudden she exclaimed, "Look, Ann, it's you!". Sure enough, there was a picture of me hard at work in the booklet. Here's a link to the online version of the Annual Report, in case you're interested.
When I first saw the picture of myself in the booklet, I had no recollection of having my picture taken. After racking my brain for a little while, I finally remembered. It was about 3 or 4 months ago, and I was assessing one of my patients at the beginning of my shift. A guy from the marketing department at UAB came up to me and asked if he could take a couple of photographs of me listening to the baby with my stethoscope. I said sure, and I do remember signing a consent form to be photographed. This is where it gets a little fuzzy, but I seem to remember the guy saying that he was only going to be taking pictures of my hands. At the time, I didn't think the camera was close enough to only be capturing my hands, but I figured he knew what he was doing. Maybe I made up the part about him only photographing my hands. Obviously, he captured more than just my hands. Knowing what I know now, I probably should have spent a little more time getting ready for work that morning...
After getting a few extra copies of the Annual Report so that I could provide my co-workers with autographed copies, my co-workers and I left the Nursing Fair and headed back to the unit. I got busy getting back into my work routine, and I quickly forgot about my newfound fame.
Now, skip ahead to Thursday morning, driving to work. It was just a typical commute to work. Until I approached my exit to get to the hospital. Something on a billboard caught my eye. I did a quick double-take while driving and realized that what had caught my eye was a picture of...myself. Yes, that same picture of me from the Annual Report was plastered on a billboard for all of Birmingham to see:
Okay, so maybe I've exaggerated a tiny bit about just how big the picture is, but still...that's me, on a billboard. I had absolutely no clue that my picture was going to be printed in the Annual Report, much less on a billboard! And to tell you the truth, if my co-worker had not pointed out the picture of me in the Annual Report, it's very possible that I could be oblivious to the fact that my picture is on a billboard--a billboard that I pass every day on my way to work. I guess it will get less weird seeing myself on a billboard as time goes by, but for now it's still pretty wild!
I'm not just another nurse. I'm a nurse on a billboard.
Every year during Nurse's Week, UAB Hospital has various events each day to celebrate their nurses. On Tuesday, there was the annual Nursing Fair. The Nursing Fair is basically just a bunch of vendors advertising things nurses may be interested in, but the highlight of the event for me is always the free stuff (pens, candy, and even a sticker that I got to wear for the rest of the day that said "Not Just Another Nurse"). Some of my co-workers and I ventured over to the Nursing Fair during our lunch break on Tuesday. While at the Fair, we were each handed a copy of the 2010 UAB Nursing Annual Report. Not really the most thrilling piece of literature, but I figured I would save it and read it during one of those rare moments that I had nothing better to do. One of my co-workers started flipping through the booklet, and all of the sudden she exclaimed, "Look, Ann, it's you!". Sure enough, there was a picture of me hard at work in the booklet. Here's a link to the online version of the Annual Report, in case you're interested.
When I first saw the picture of myself in the booklet, I had no recollection of having my picture taken. After racking my brain for a little while, I finally remembered. It was about 3 or 4 months ago, and I was assessing one of my patients at the beginning of my shift. A guy from the marketing department at UAB came up to me and asked if he could take a couple of photographs of me listening to the baby with my stethoscope. I said sure, and I do remember signing a consent form to be photographed. This is where it gets a little fuzzy, but I seem to remember the guy saying that he was only going to be taking pictures of my hands. At the time, I didn't think the camera was close enough to only be capturing my hands, but I figured he knew what he was doing. Maybe I made up the part about him only photographing my hands. Obviously, he captured more than just my hands. Knowing what I know now, I probably should have spent a little more time getting ready for work that morning...
After getting a few extra copies of the Annual Report so that I could provide my co-workers with autographed copies, my co-workers and I left the Nursing Fair and headed back to the unit. I got busy getting back into my work routine, and I quickly forgot about my newfound fame.
Now, skip ahead to Thursday morning, driving to work. It was just a typical commute to work. Until I approached my exit to get to the hospital. Something on a billboard caught my eye. I did a quick double-take while driving and realized that what had caught my eye was a picture of...myself. Yes, that same picture of me from the Annual Report was plastered on a billboard for all of Birmingham to see:
Okay, so maybe I've exaggerated a tiny bit about just how big the picture is, but still...that's me, on a billboard. I had absolutely no clue that my picture was going to be printed in the Annual Report, much less on a billboard! And to tell you the truth, if my co-worker had not pointed out the picture of me in the Annual Report, it's very possible that I could be oblivious to the fact that my picture is on a billboard--a billboard that I pass every day on my way to work. I guess it will get less weird seeing myself on a billboard as time goes by, but for now it's still pretty wild!
I'm not just another nurse. I'm a nurse on a billboard.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Maybe I'm More Like My Mother Than I Thought...
Most people agree that my dad and I have a lot of the same qualities. We're both pretty laid back and calm about most things, we both love listening to music and we even have similar tastes in music, and we both have an amazing sense of humor. Don't get me wrong--my mom has a lot of great qualities too, but I really seem to have inherited most of my dad's qualities. Lately, however, I have come to realize that maybe I am more like my mother than I originally thought. You see, my mom LOVES to be outside working in her yard. Growing up, the only time I can really remember my mom being inside the house was when she was sleeping. I clearly remember on multiple occasions my dad practically having to drag my mom inside because it was thundering and lightening, a hurricane was blowing through, or it was so hot that he feared she would suffer a heat stroke. The woman just loves to be outside. You may remember my posts last year about my backyard landscaping project, and how much I enjoyed working in my new yard. Now that spring has sprung and everything is greening back up, I am back at it. I often find myself spending hours upon hours outside--pulling weeds, cutting the grass, weed eating, edging, fertilizing, watering the plants, or simply just admiring my yard. And--if I do say so myself--it is pretty admirable these days.
My mom definitely passed the yard work genes on to me. I guess I'm more like her than I thought! Of course, I must give some credit to my yard work supervisor:
A lot of the plants in my yard are close to blooming, so stay tuned for more pictures of some pretty flowers!
My mom definitely passed the yard work genes on to me. I guess I'm more like her than I thought! Of course, I must give some credit to my yard work supervisor:
A lot of the plants in my yard are close to blooming, so stay tuned for more pictures of some pretty flowers!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Hanging on to My Mid-20s...By a Thread.
Earlier this month, I celebrated my 27th birthday. Initially, I was dreading this birthday. To me, turning 27 meant entering my late-20s, and I'm just not ready to be THAT close to the big 3-0 yet. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that, technically, 27 is closer to 25 than it is to 30. In preparation for my birthday, I began a poll and asked my friends, co-workers, and acquaintances if they thought that 27 was considered mid-20s or late-20s. The general consensus was that 27 is still mid-20s, but just barely. I'm okay with that. Suddenly, I felt more comfortable with turning 27, and I found reason to celebrate my birthday, not mourn it.
This year, my birthday fell on a weekend, which gave me reason to celebrate not just my birthday, but my entire birthday weekend. And celebrate I did...all weekend long!
Here are some pics from the martini night birthday celebration with the girls.
Luna having a blast:
Steph G. overwhelmed with joy:
This year, my birthday fell on a weekend, which gave me reason to celebrate not just my birthday, but my entire birthday weekend. And celebrate I did...all weekend long!
Here are some pics from the martini night birthday celebration with the girls.
Luna having a blast:
Steph G. overwhelmed with joy:
Steph A. bi-winning with a cupcake in one hand and a martini in the other:
Me making my birthday wish:
The best friends a girl could ask for:
Thanks to everyone who made my birthday weekend so special! I'm so glad I got to spend it with some of my most favorite people!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
(Mis)adventures in Dogsitting
To all of my faithful blog readers, I'm sorry that I have been MIA for a few weeks. Well, it's not so much that I have been missing, but I really just haven't had a whole lot to say. Over the past few weeks, my life has basically consisted of obsessively pulling every weed that has popped up in my yard, fighting off a random bout of walking pneumonia (which, surprisingly, was nowhere near as bad as it sounds), and allowing my new DVR receiver to take over my life. Nothing incredibly blogworthy. That is, until I agreed to let my brother's dog stay at my house for a week, and consequently allowed myself to become outnumbered by dogs in my own home.
First of all, I need to give you a little background on my brother's dog. He's special. The dog, not my brother...although my brother has his special moments as well. My best guess is that the dog is missing quite a large number of brain cells. I love him, but he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. And the ironic part of all of this is that the dog's name is Einstein (my brother named him before it became apparent how...special...the dog is). We all have a hard time calling the dog "Einstein", so we usually just call him "Pup". A simple name for a simple pup.
When Pup arrived at my house, I soon realized that teaching him how to use the doggy door would be a major undertaking. It took a lot of treats, and a lot of me crawling around on the ground outside acting like a fool to get Pup to come through the doggy door. But, after a lot of practice, Pup finally mastered the doggy door. And this is what I mean by "mastering the doggy door":
As an example of how "special" Pup is, at one point during the dogsitting adventure he managed to lock himself in my guest bathroom. Unfortunately, I was not home when this occurred so I have no idea how long he was locked in the bathroom. But I do get a good laugh out of the mental image of Pup being locked in the bathroom while Colby was stretched out on the couch, enjoying having the house to himself again.
Luckily, Colby and Pup really get along great. When they are together, they are constantly playing like puppies. Pretty good for a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old dog. When they get tired from playing, they lay down and rest together. One night during the dogsitting adventure, Pup was so nice to serve as Colby's pillow:
I really wish I had a video camera set up to record what Colby and Pup did while I was not at home. Something tells me that they spent a lot of time rehearsing their...duet.
I'm sure my neighbors appreciated all of their beautiful singing.
Keeping Pup at my house definitely made for an interesting and adventurous week. Pup has gone home now, and Colby and I are recovering from our week of dogsitting. Who knew dogsitting could be so exhausting?
First of all, I need to give you a little background on my brother's dog. He's special. The dog, not my brother...although my brother has his special moments as well. My best guess is that the dog is missing quite a large number of brain cells. I love him, but he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. And the ironic part of all of this is that the dog's name is Einstein (my brother named him before it became apparent how...special...the dog is). We all have a hard time calling the dog "Einstein", so we usually just call him "Pup". A simple name for a simple pup.
When Pup arrived at my house, I soon realized that teaching him how to use the doggy door would be a major undertaking. It took a lot of treats, and a lot of me crawling around on the ground outside acting like a fool to get Pup to come through the doggy door. But, after a lot of practice, Pup finally mastered the doggy door. And this is what I mean by "mastering the doggy door":
As an example of how "special" Pup is, at one point during the dogsitting adventure he managed to lock himself in my guest bathroom. Unfortunately, I was not home when this occurred so I have no idea how long he was locked in the bathroom. But I do get a good laugh out of the mental image of Pup being locked in the bathroom while Colby was stretched out on the couch, enjoying having the house to himself again.
Luckily, Colby and Pup really get along great. When they are together, they are constantly playing like puppies. Pretty good for a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old dog. When they get tired from playing, they lay down and rest together. One night during the dogsitting adventure, Pup was so nice to serve as Colby's pillow:
I really wish I had a video camera set up to record what Colby and Pup did while I was not at home. Something tells me that they spent a lot of time rehearsing their...duet.
I'm sure my neighbors appreciated all of their beautiful singing.
Keeping Pup at my house definitely made for an interesting and adventurous week. Pup has gone home now, and Colby and I are recovering from our week of dogsitting. Who knew dogsitting could be so exhausting?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
