709. feeling the anxiety being lifted
710. surviving the Stroke Certification Joint Commission interview "show me where to find this and this and this and this in your patient's chart."
711. enjoying my patient last week, a cute (but confused) older man
712. jogging longer than we ever have before (last week) and running faster than every before (today)
713. perfecting my smoothie making techniques
714. more decluttering (and making more money at garage sales)
715. blooms on two plants that I radically pruned last year
716. flowers from our back yard sitting on our kitchen table and computer desk and bathroom counter =)

717. seeing my friends' servant hearts as they plan, serve, cook, clean, lend, build fires and love one another
718. getting to know new friends
719. our tired little dog spread out next to Chris in the morning
720. Ray's perseverance to start our fires and his talent at tending to them
721. pillows delivered to our tent by friends who came late (we forgot ours at home)
722. Psalms read by the fire
723. sitting in a camp chair at 0700, knowing there is nothing that has to be done that day
724. a dry tent despite LOTS of wind and rain
725. watching cool lightening storms
726. camp fire breakfasts!

727. and "Hobos for dinner"
728. Ticket to Ride by lantern light
729. head lamps!
730. sunscreen
731. a day not dictated by the clock
732. a beautiful afternoon on the beach
733. conversations about prayer
734. learning from a good book - Calm My Anxious Heart
735. when my hair still smells like camp fire smoke even after been washed
736. sleeping very well since Chris game me his ear plugs - i woke up and was like "storm? what storm? really? you thought the tent was going to blow away?"

737. coming home and having tons of energy, cleaning our dog and the kitchen
738. smooth, shaven legs
739. and newly painted nails (both due to the tons of energy status post camping)
740. sun kissed cheeks and noses
741. writing in a friend's journal, with his permission, of course, of the days events

ohhh ... and ...

742. camping!

743. puttering in the yard
744. working my tail off on a day shift
745. an hour phone conversation with a friend
746. accepting my sad feelings of leaving
747. and making this list to remind me of the blessings I have, not of my perceived losses

Per usual, inspiration found here

the beauty of today

today the sun was up and the house was sleeping when i prayed "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"


today i seemed to gain some perspective, wisdom from above

today I pushed an old man's hand into a mold a dozen minutes before his body left this earth.

today I realized that worry is exhausting

today I know what I have, making what I don't have insignificant

today I completed tasks as they were presented, and now I go on my lunch break entirely caught up

today I have the desire to break free from the bonds of my to-do list.

today I choose love

today, I want to know and experience the beauty and mystery of my Savior.

Happy Monday!

(it's my Saturday and I'm going to rock it)

683. Our little dog. It is possible he is my favorite thing. ever.
684. a kinda crazy quick day trip to Milwaukee, making it seem more accessible
685. the Schumann family gathering to celebrate my grandma's 85 years.
686. my grandma's lady friends with clip-on earrings
687. the youngest cousin, growing like "corn in June" (must be a WI saying)

688. watermelon
689. the smell of watermelon
690. the color of watermelon
691. the taste of watermelon
692. little drops of watermelon juice
(yes, I just did that, and it was fun)

693. eating on the picnic table my grandpa made
694. safety in a storm.
695. an easy fix to a random power outage (oddly enough, the night before the big storm)
696. encouragement during good, long runs
697. new work shoes = not-so-aching feet
698. thinking about Baby Ely. have I mentioned that one of my besties is pregnant? and it makes me happy
699. looking for cool gifts =)
700. my dad
701. and my father-in-law
702. two days off!

703. my husband, aka the perfect smoothie maker
704. "24" date nights with a friend (sad that they will end soon. considering using skype ... not seriously, though ... but maybe)
705. a good talk about parenting with Chris, for when the time comes
706. counting down the days til China and family that i want to know better ... 22 days and a wake-up
707 & 708. learning and trusting

Coming Home

It's 8am when I come home, the sun's warmth already chasing away the coolness of the night.
Our little dog wants to play and then calmly waits for his food, like we practice every morning.
I watch him run around the perimeter of our yard, then jump over the hastas near the gazebo before coming to the door.
After pancakes or oatmeal or sometimes ice cream, I sit on the couch and invite the little dog up with me and read of the total love of my God, a rhythm that helps me sleep.
And then, finally, I climb into our big bed and, if I am lucky, my husband is still there. I have been pretty vocal about how much i love these moments and I know that if he can, he will stay long enough for me to fall asleep.
His hand finds mine and my head finds the spot between his shoulder and neck that is made for me.
He warms me as my cold feet find his and he hold me as my body releases any left over tension from the night.
I sigh.
Sleepy. Content. Warm.
Home.

a nursing post ... 'cuz that's what I'm doing tonight

671. Realizing that I was done with every 30 minutes vitals/neuro assessments ohh ... about a couple of hours ago

672. doctors that know my name
673. patients that know my name
674. when a co-worker who makes good coffee tells me that she just made a pot
675. remembering to do things before getting a call or a love note from the charge nurse
676. knowing where supplies are
677. understanding that the "i made a difference today" moment does not happen every shift; sometimes it is "just a job" and that's okay.
678. quiet nights
679. and nights when i tally how many times i tell my patient "no, you can't smoke. in fact, you need oxygen and you could blow up if you smoke."
680. the sun rising
681. being able to park in the ramp at the hospital
682. Interesting conversations.