About Me

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Phoenix, Arizona
Growing up my initials were OP, which was pretty cool in the 80's, right? Then I got married and my initials got updated to match our very texting obsessed era that we now live in (and shake our heads at)...OMG. For those who are texting illiterate, I'll spell it out..."Oh, My God!". I pity the girl whose initials are W.T.F. (I won't spell that one out. You can Google it or email me for an explaination on that one!)

10.11.2010

4 in 1

Four days in Tucson in one blog post.

Here's a few of my favorite shots from our trip to Tucson where we were pleasantly surprised with cooler weather and a FREE 4 night stay at the RV resort. Turns out the resort was closing on the day we left so they let us stay for free. It was a relaxing and beautiful trip. We enjoyed exploring Tucson as we drove to the zoo, a garden park, RV dealerships, a transportation museum, the mall. Basically, enjoyed spending every minute together. :)
"Where are we now, Mommy?"






Morning coffee and blue skies.








My happy campers!









Peaceful artistic gardens at Tohono Chul Park.

Striking yet simple pink wall and blue skies



Tucson is a great place if you can't get enough cactus and stone and blue skies






A lot of relaxing and coffee drinking.








Some train watching






Panther watching



Rhino relaxing




Beautiful



GREAT mexican food



AND......


four sunsets in a row just like this



10.06.2010

Not just any baby....

She is beautiful and perfect in every way.


I love her and every funny face she makes.






God knew what He was doing when He made babies.
My heart explodes for love for her and the amazing people who made her.
Yes, I'm crying now, thank you.
:)



10.01.2010

Thirty-Five

How interesting is this!?
A conjoined Gerber Daisy! This was in the bouquet of flowers that Brian got me for my birthday.
Have you ever seen anything like this before? Pretty wild, huh?





So, I had yet ANOTHER birthday.



That's okay. I'm happy with life and if this is how it goes when you get older, then, bring on the years!



I was a bit sick with sinus junk so I look blah in the picture even with the candle light. Oh, well.


We enjoyed birthday dinner at BJ's. My brother and sis-in-law gave me a gift card. I had the California Club Flatbread Pizza. It was soooooo good! Thank you, Luke and Liliya!







A few days before my birthday, I was in California and celebrated my birthday along with Liliya's birthday at my dad's house. We took lots of baby pics and enjoyed chocolate cake and red wine. It was nice. Thank you, Dad and Nancy!
















Since my birthday last year I have (in no particular order): gone to nursing school, done more school work than I ever thought possible, said goodbye to my mom and sister as they moved out of state, bought a travel trailer, felt pretty darn proud of myself, got my RN license, celebrated birth and life of my neice, celebrated our second wedding anniversary, listened to lots of talk radio, became Certified as a Hospice and Palliative nurse, been moved to tears more times than I can count, graduated with my Associates Degree in Nursing, 2 trips to California, and lots and lots of dreaming and planning for our future.
Life is MORE than Good!























Baby fun

Ruthie is 3 months old now.


Isn't she cute!?



She's so fun!

We love to love on her.
That's big sister, Anna, giving Ruthie a kiss.

Ruthie is learning how to grasp now. Isn't that fun, Anna?!


9.09.2010

Retro Camera

I love this app on my Droid. Coolest pics ever.















9.07.2010

Keeping busy

Since school is now a distant memory, I have moved on to new and fun things!
Don't ask me where I got the idea to start making headbands and clips, but I did. And boy, did I!





















I will slip into my "office/craft room" and easily make 5 clips in less than an hour. It's been fun to wear them and give a few away.

I did this with beading jewelry a few years ago and made TONS of earrings and bracelets. I tried to sell some but after the obsession came to an end, I just donated most of what I made to Goodwill. Then I ended up going to total opposite direction and decided I would no longer wear any bead jewelry and only wear pearl stud or real (fake) diamond stud earrings. I have been wearing the same 5 pair of earrings for over a year now. I just love the simplicity and sophistication of it.

I can't say how or when this current obsession will end. I'm just enjoying the ride.

I've been doing a little cooking and not as much picture taking.

Frustrating how life sucks up most of your energy and your day.
We want to get out and play more but we have to .....work.
You, too?! So, you know how I feel.
We really need a vacation but I have this little distraction that takes me away for a week at a time.....

I got a nice visit with her when she was 3 weeks old and now I'm returning to see her at the end of September. She will be 3 months. My husband understands this obsession and the fact that THIS ONE will never end. Love her :)

So, one day, my husband and I will take a vacay together....soon, we hope. I still haven't been to the beach but having a new niece kind makes up for that. :)

I sort of lied earlier.

School isn't a distant memory. I have sorta been getting more education.

I took ACLS and am certified now! That's Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Means I now know what's going on during a code and (gulp) may help out! I am starting a class on Identifying Cardiac Dysrhythmias. It's just a few hours a week for a month. I can't help it. I love learning about the medical field. Someday I will work in the hospital setting again, I just know it. Once this darn economy bummer thing gets better and hospitals decide to start hiring us "new" Registered Nurses. Since I've been working full time now, I've been getting alot of great feedback from people. I feel like I'm pretty darn special and I have alot to give as an employee. I am becoming more and more motivated in my thoughts on where this career can take me. Only UP! I do not want to stay in the same place in life or in my career. I don't mean place as in location. I mean, as in hierarchy. Is that bad? I have big ideas about what I can become. And now that I have my RN, I can achieve those goals. Bring it on!

I will be 35 this month. I love it. I have so much energy and excitement and confidence right now. I think all that was tempered in my 20's by fear. Fear of what I knew or didn't know. Fear of what people thought. Fear that I didn't know what I thought. Fear of being single the rest of my life.

But now, life is full and complete. And where it isn't, I know how to make it that way.

I was watching the movie "Yes!" Man today. I LOVE it! I totally feel like that right now. Bring it on! Korean lessons, guitar lessons, flying lessons, bunji jumping.....I want it all.

Patience. My husband has it. I am learning it. I'm still pretty spontaneous but he is helping me be more level-headed. We research and think through alot of my big ideas or my big "I want this now!" moments. We are perfect together. We are so very different. He catches my enthusiasm and is up for my many ideas and plans. But he is a very slow rolling rock. I think that's what I need though. (although, sometimes when he is at work, I suddenly decide to paint the bathroom and buy new bathroom fixtures!)

I also keep busy by watching my friends lives and kids via Facebook. What would I do without it? (I'd have to get out and make new friends! Yikes!)

And then, of course, there is Delilah. She is a year old now. She's still barely 5 lbs despite all the soft food we feed her. That's fine though. She's perfect. Here she is wearing (tolerating) a teal duct tape bow I made for her.

This is just too funny. It's a mirror image app on my cell phone. She's holding her fluffy green frog in her mouth.

This is getting long. I should blog more often. I just have to add one ironic part to it all.

Despite all the energy that I write about having.....I have dust on my shelves and clothes that have been waiting weeks to be hung up!

There ya have it! Now you know how I've been keeping busy.

8.23.2010

Why I love Skype
















Flower power




I saw how to make these on a blog but I guess I didn't save the blog so I can't link back to it. Bummer. But I am so happy about how they turned out. So easy and so cute. I wear headbands all the time and have WAY, WAY too many of them. I consciously stopped buying earrings and other jewlery about a year ago and seemed to have (unconsciously) replaced my obsession with headbands.
































The pink one is really red felt. The others are satin. I utilized some ribbon and beads I had around the house.

These were made on my first attempt. I only allowed myself to buy 3 different fabrics at the store but now, of course, I want to go back and get ten more!