Highlights

Yesterday was a wonderful day! At work I was SO productive and I lucked out with the timing of everything. As soon as I was finished with one resident, another was on their call light and I went straight there. I got everyone up and dressed, two people showered, one man ready for his appointment, and all my charting done in only four hours! Some days I definitely feel like I’m running around everywhere getting half of what I need to done, so days like yesterday are very affirming. 

Nannying was also a blast! Finding slugs and skipping rocks with one ninja and one “my little pony”. The usual. 

When I left work, David texted me to meet him and Santo at the neighborhood park. I got out of the car and Santo ran over to me full-tilt, his tail wagging so hard that he could hardly go straight. That will never get old! He ran and ran with his dad and we enjoyed the stunning evening. He’s so tired this morning he hasn’t even moved an inch.

At 6:30 we drove to a new area of town to see “Kingsman, the Golden Circle” at Cinetopia. It’s a movie theatre with living-room seating, table service, and a full menu! 

So fun!! I saw a couple women carrying out blankets when we left and I am SO copying them next time. Genius. Also, the new Kingsman is excellent!!! Choreographed action, interesting plot, lots of self-deprecating humor, and PUPPIES!!!! Highly highly highly recommend. Plus prince Oberon from GOT is in there alongside Channing Tater-tot and a bunch of men in tailored suits with accents. Holding puppies. Ahem. 

Typing this up while I drink coffee in my scrubs, about to head to work!! I hope everyone has a lovely Saturday!! ❤️❤️ 

Ice pack of death…

David took Santo out for his walk on Wednesday, and he attempted to improve Santo’s mood by putting his rain poncho on. I bought this for him at Target and I think it’s SO adorable and I love it so much. Santo and David share a dissenting opinion.

“Curse you.” -Santo

On Wednesday night we finally had our date night! Our friends from Missoula sent us a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory and to the movies, and we are splitting these into two separate dates this week.

Much photography skills. Wow.We had the crab dip, gumbo, veggie burger, and Red Velvet cheesecake between the two of us. David brought home half of his gumbo, I brought home half of my burger and we only polished off about a quarter of the cheesecake haha. Their serving sizes are no joke!

Thursday morning I finally got to return to OHSU to volunteer again! Thankfully, I did not slice my finger off right before I needed to leave. I had a physical therapy appointment beforehand so I had no knife-wielding time. I’m absolutely loving it there. If you’ve ever wanted to volunteer, I can’t stress it enough! Find anything you like and I guarantee there’s an area where your help is needed. I’ve been volunteering every week for years now and nothing gets me out of a funk faster than realizing I can still be helpful even when I’m not feeling my best, and nothing enhances my mood more when I’m already feeling good!

Plus, I mean, I get to wear that chic blue polo. Blue polos are so hot right now. The woman I volunteer with is so amazing! She remembered that it was my birthday last Friday even though I’d only met her once, and she brought me a card! She also knows the names of everyone on our floor and it inspires me to pay extra close attention to the people who surround me.

The four hours of volunteering absolutely flew by, and my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten anything since 5am! I drove to a Starbucks that’s between OHSU and the house where I nanny to get some grub and read for a while.

The last paragraph on that page struck me so much that I had to take a picture. I feel it perfectly sums up for me the balance I am trying to maintain between my desire for a family and to be a physician. I love it when an author can take a vague feeling you’ve had for years and sum it up in just a few sentences. You read it and just think yes. 

Nannying went wonderfully, Kai was feeling really well yesterday so we played superheroes while Stevie had another playdate.

When I finally got home (I was out and about for over 12 hours yesterday) I sat down on the couch to enjoy a Black Butte porter and watch an episode of “The Killing”, the new show I started on Netflix! I also grabbed an ice pack for my leg and Santo settled in next to me. He was sniffing the blanket that was sitting on top of my ice pack, so I picked it up and held it close to him so he could get a good look. He leaned in to sniff it, and the instant his nose touched the frozen surface he bolted from the couch and started cowering on his bed like I’d hit him or something!

He refused to come back up on the couch for the rest of the night, and once he was done cowering he just shot me dirty looks for hours. HE IS THE WEIRDEST. I slept in his bed last night (yes he has his own queen-sized bed) and we got 8 hours of snuggle time in so I think he forgives me today. My goodness.

I just got home from CNA-ing this morning, and now I’m typing this while I eat lunch before I head out to nanny! David and I are going to a movie tonight, date night part two!! Also, be on the lookout for a “cook-up” how-to this weekend on the blog, I need to do a bunch of food prep so we can have healthy options around all next week. Have a great Friday!!

 

 

Thank you’s + getting caught in the rain

Yesterday morning, after my doctor’s appointment, I came home to listen to the new Thomas Rett album and write some thank-you notes. It’s been quite enjoyable writing them, each new name brings up another memory from the wedding.

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I got them all done, now all that’s left is to address them and send them out! Once I’d put my gratitude on paper, I leashed up Santo and we headed out for our walk. It started raining quite hard while we were in the middle of our route, and Santo does NOT like the rain. His mode of operation when something is happening that he doesn’t like is to just. stop. moving. entirely. He froze. It took me minutes of coaxing to get him moving toward home again, and the construction crew across the way was getting quite a kick out of it.

Once I’d gotten him home and dried off, he snuggled up next to me on the couch.

“Sorry mom…”

While we snuggled, I started a new book! It’s called “Oxygen” and my dear friend Steph sent it to me all the way from Montana. It’s a thriller about an anesthesiologist who’s patient dies on the operating table, and it combines all of my favorite things! Suspense, medicine, and reading. Boom. Plus, the author practices as an anesthesiologist so it’s very accurate and it’s fascinating to read about the schedule of a hospital from within the confines of the physician’s brain.

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Then, just like usual, I drove to work! Kai slept most of the time I was there and Stevie had a friend over, so I didn’t really do very much. I unloaded the dishwasher, picked up a bit, checked on all the boys every so often, and read my book. Days like that always make me feel a little guilty…I’m getting paid to sit and read?

When I got off work, it was time for tap class! I had totally forgotten about it yesterday, so we had to postpone date night so that I could get my tap on. We started learning a routine yesterday! I need to find a place to practice outside of class. My tap shoes will scuff up our hardwood and I doubt L.A. fitness would be very pumped about me banging around in metal-soled shoes in their studios.

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When I got home, David and I finished season three of Broadchurch! It’s all over now, how will we ever go on?? The third season sticks in my head all day long, and makes me wonder how I can raise boys someday so that they go out into society to be good men. You’ll know what I mean if you watch it.

Today I’ll try to go to another Zumba class, hopefully the music for this one works!! Then it’s another afternoon of nannying in which hopefully I’ll feel more useful than a bump on a log, and THEN date night. Like, for real this time. Cheesecake Factory is calling my name!!!

xoxo

Pap smear party oh ya oh ya

First of all, here are some highlights from the last few days!

On Sunday, my parents came over to watch the Cowboys game with us. David is a HUGE Cowboys fan and I love eating food and having people over so it’s a win-win. Our friends Keith and Ingrid were in town and my parents joined us as well, of course! Santo was in old-man heaven.

He loves his nana so much. For some reason I’ve been saying “mimi and poppa” lately to him. As in, “mommy works late tonight but mimi and poppa are going to come hang out with you!” Maybe I’ll have our kids call my parents that?? No clue where it even came from.

Working backwards…because I forgot to mention…Saturday we did a mini brewery tour!

Rogue definitely is the best beer I’ve tried at any brewery so far. Atmosphere isn’t the best, but I loved EVERYTHING on that sample tray. Will be back! If you like stouts and chocolate…the chocolate stout is just delectable.

David and I also remarked upon our semi-matching wounds.

He broke his finger with an ice-axe while self-arresting as he was descending Mt. Hood. He never went in to get it fixed so now it’s all wonky. And he wonders why I get nervous about him on giant, icy mountains…

And now…back to yesterday!! How’s this chronology for ya…heh heh. I call it “I’m too lazy to use the cut and paste tool so here you go!” I made David and me a big breakfast of banana bread pancakes. It was his first day as a licensed pharmacist!!

He’s already impressed his bosses and co-workers so much that they request him in their stores. One of the staff pharmacists even calls him “super Dave”. I’m not surprised, he’s one of the most dependable people I’ve ever known! (Do you like my fall decorations by the way?? Homegoods is the best!!” The rest of yesterday was pretty standard. I tried to go to a Zumba class but the music wasn’t working so I did a sort of half-assed stair circuit. Funny how when I can’t do my planned workout it’s really hard for me to switch gears.

After the gym I had some lunch, did some reading, and headed to nanny! Little Kai man is having some health issues, so if you could keep him in your prayers that would be awesome. #NoMoreSickKids

This morning has been a bundle of laughs because..I got my annual Pap smear!! Woohoo!!!

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This might be TMI but I’m only sharing because it’s so important to get this stuff done! Before I had my first annual I heard HORROR stories about how painful/awful/embarrassing Pap smears were. I put it off for as long as I could. Then when I was finally brow beaten into it I walked in, put my feet in the stirrups, braced for impact and felt…literally almost nothing. Like it’s no big deal. The doctor was like, “‘I’m done!” and I felt so silly for being so worried. This second one was just as easy peasy. As far as embarrassing? Those doctors see about a million va-jim-jams a day and they could care less about seeing yours. True story.

For the rest of this rainy afternoon I’ll work on wedding thank-you’s, walk the old man (if he’ll tolerate the rain), and go nanny! Tonight is date night woohoo! Have an awesome Tuesday y’all.

 

23 Things I Learned When I Was 23

These are in no particular order and 99% of them are things that my parents or sister or husband have been telling me for years and years and it only took a little over two decades to sink in. I’m a gem.

1. Getting more than 5 hours of sleep is amazing. When we moved to Portland and I wasn’t a full time college student while working full time…I couldn’t believe how much ENERGY I had! I was like “what’s the deal?!?” Seriously…getting enough sleep feels so. freaking. good. Like I don’t need a pot and a half of coffee every day. It’s wild.
2. Put a set of hooks by the front door. Hang your keys on said hooks every time you get home. Save yourself hours of looking for keys.
3. New homes are easier to keep clean than old homes. All through college I lived in an ancient, drafty, big old house. I would clean that sucker once a week and the NEXT DAY it looked like it had never had a broom taken to it. I was like…ok is this for real or do people just have to clean non-stop to have a clean house? Am I just making excuses by saying it’s old and thus harder to clean? NOPE. Our new apartment is amazing! We clean once a week and tidy up after ourselves and it’s always clean. It’s amazing. I love it. I want to dip myself in glue and roll around on the non-gritty hardwood.
4. Having a dishwasher and a washer and dryer in my own home is everything I remembered it to be and more.  Never going back.
5. Pick the person who is kind to you even when they have every reason not to be. Marry that person.
6. Stop trying to force yourself to do forms of exercise that you hate. If you like Zumba and tap dance then do Zumba and tap dance even if you think it might not give you a superhero-esque body. Just a totally non-specific example.
7. Dutch ovens are the bomb.com. Best $30 I ever spent.
8. There is so much good television out there. Now that there’s Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, HBO, Starz, Cable, and so much more….companies can’t get away with making a crappy show anymore! I have a lifetime of TV shows to catch up on and I’m having so much fun doing it.
9. I need to spend time around kids to feel fully happy. Being a nanny is the best job in the world for me right now, I am so glad I didn’t give it up.
10. I would rather wipe someone’s butthole than scrape the old, leftover food from their dishes. I do both on a daily basis. This is an informed decision.
11. Santo likes to listen to NPR as much as I do.
12. Audiobooks make long commutes a bajillion times better.
13. I love reading true-crime books. It’s so macabre. But obviously I’m not alone because there are thousands and thousands out there.
14. You should deposit checks as soon as you get them otherwise there’s a strong chance that you could lose them.
15. Never, ever use discount brand shampoo. When we first moved here I had a “bad hair day” every day for like a month. I was using Kirkland shampoo and conditioner. Then I visited my sister and used her fancy-schmancy shampoo and my hair looked like a greek goddess. So I switched and now I have modeling agents hounding me constantly. It’s actually exhausting..maybe I should switch back.
16. IPAs are an acquired taste but once you start liking them there’s no going back.
17. Same with red wine.
18. It’s worth it to spend a little extra time and money on decorating your home. You should love the place you live.
19. Stop doing things you think you should like to do and start doing more of the things you actually like to do.
20. Living down the block from your parents is awesome. Highly recommended.
21. You have zero control over the timing of life. Zip. Zilch. Nada. You can have everything worked out perfectly in your mind and do everything “right” and then God will just be like…yeah, no. Slow your roll. As long as you’re working hard, trying your best to be a good person, and keeping your eye on the prize..it’ll happen. In it’s own time.
22. Speaking of which…save for retirement. Save for the unexpected. If you end up needing to go into a nursing home, you want to be able to afford a good one. And that shit’s expensive. Even if you eat healthy, exercise, don’t smoke, don’t drink heavily, etc etc etc…something can still go wrong. You can live way longer than you think you will. This isn’t meant to be dark or depressing but I work around a lot of older adults who did a really, really good job of planning for the future and now they’re getting really good care. But it costs A LOT.
23. Next time you think you’re super duper sad…make sure you’re not just hungry.

 

I wonder what I’ll learn this year!!!!

It’s just a flesh wound

Well I’ve had a pretty dumb morning! Excuse any future typos as I’m writing this with one hand.

My alarm went off at 7am sharp and I rolled out of bed, still drowsy from a great night of sleep. David hopped in the shower and I shuffled to the kitchen to make us some breakfast. I grabbed the bagels from the cupboard, sliced them apart with our big serrated knife and threw them in the toaster oven.

I set to work prepping coffee and feeding the beast until I heard the “ding!” alerting me that the first bagel was done. I walked over, picked up the knife that was blocking the toaster oven’s door, and opened it up. When I reached in to slide the bagel out, I burned my hand on the metal tray. Reflexively, my hand shot backward… directly into the blade of the knife I was holding with my other hand.

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Remaining totally calm, cool, and collected, I ran to the bathroom, leaving a trail of blood in my wake, yelling “David! Help me!!!”. I pounded on the door and David jumped out of the shower to get me all fixed up. Looking at my own blood and feeling the big flap of skin moving about made me 100% sure that I would pass out, so I lay down post-haste.

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After some Tylenol, pressure, a good cleaning, and a bandage…I’m better now. Although, if I bend my finger I can feel the flap of skin move and I instantly feel a wave of heat and dizziness. I called off from my shift volunteering at OHSU to avoid a) passing out while driving or b) passing out while helping sick kids. That would just be so dramatic and  ridiculous. “Oh you have cancer? Well I cut my finger this morning so…let me just conk out right here and make this about me ok? Ok cool.”

This is weird because I see gross stuff at work all day long and do totally fine! Blood, wounds, stitches, whatever! I guess it’s different when it’s your own blood or something, I don’t know.

So there’s my dumb morning for ya. I’ll just be here in bed with Santo, making sure to keep my finger straight. BLAH!

Life of a retired college student

My body and brain are so tuned in to starting school this time of year…I mean, for the past 20-something years of my life, that was the drill! Three months of summer, then September comes and it’s time to pack it in and get back to the books. I know this might sound crazy to some, but I legitimately love school. As I chat with my friends who have been making the early-morning walk to campus to do homework, going to study groups, hitting up the Rec to reduce stress….I feel so much longing! In school, I’m in my element. BUT. I need to make sure to enjoy this time too.

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It’s pretty great that I can sleep in past 5am and get more than 5 hours of sleep on a very regular basis. It’s wonderful spending quality time with my husband without worrying about a test in the back of my mind. I have time to read any book I want. I can catch up on a lifetime of TV shows that I never had time to watch. I can walk Santo without also having to eat my lunch because I need to get back to class right after.

So, right now I am really REALLY missing school. And I’ll take a little time to do that, because hey emotions are valid. School and I have a decades long relationship! But we’re just on a break, so it’s time to go out and explore what else this crazy world has to offer. 🙂

So…what have I been up to for the past few days? Well, on Sunday I went to see the movie “It” with my parents. They are such troopers. They despise horror movies, but they knew I really wanted to go see it so when I texted them to meet me after work on Sunday, they were game!

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I read the novel in preparation for the film, so I went in with high hopes and a bit of trepidation. Would they turn this masterful novel into a slasher-fest? They did not disappoint. Very few horror movies are also artful screenplays, but “It” was. “It” explores the nature of fear, small towns, the lives of children, and the relationships between parents and kids. So much more than a jump-scare or gore-fest extravaganza.

I’m loving my nannying gig more and more every day.

They’re watching an ant colony go to TOWN on the carcass of a wasp here. Kai said, “that just seems a little rude.” Good point, kid.

I’ve been working to train my brain to really get in to the games and worlds they come up with. I don’t think we realize how hard that is, it’s amazing what kids can do! When they start playing make-believe, they are IN that world. I’m slowly starting to be able to join in…and it’s so much fun! Adults just have to get over the fear of looking silly or thinking about other things…which is super hard. Kids are so cool.

David and I also explored a new brewery….which just might be our new “go to” spot.

They have a stunning rooftop balcony that overlooks our favorite Portland neighborhood, really good pizza, CHEAP beer by Portland standards, and awesome music. In Missoula, Draught works was our spot. Any time we had an afternoon or evening off, wanted to celebrate something, forget a sub-par test, or whatever…we headed to the massive Draught works deck and enjoyed a brew. Will this be the new Draught works for us…? Time will tell. We still have roughly 14,000 breweries left to try.

Also…IT’S MY BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!!! I’ll be 24 on Friday…nervous laughter…heh heh heh. Doesn’t 24 sound like a legit adult?? Like I remember being Kai and Stevies’ age and meeting people who were 24 and thinking “oh that’s a grown up. That’s a big person.” I still have a ways to go before I think that too….oh man. Here we go!!!

Have a great Wednesday!!!

What day is it where am I who are you

The thing in the blog-o-sphere (gah did I just say that, I’m so lame omg) is to type up a “Things I’m Loving Friday” post…so today I wrote this whole post and then realized it was Saturday…doh! I work 7 days a week so I am really starting to lose track of my days…sometime I’m going to go to work and they’ll just admit me to the memory care unit. Friends, family, if I disappear come looking for me.

Who am I kidding, I so cannot afford that place.

AHEM.

Stuff I’m Loving Saturday!!!! Let’s begin!!!!!

1. Mascara

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Random and obvious, I know. Hear me out. Since I work as a nanny and a CNA there are very few things in my life that require me to wear real adult clothing OR do my hair and makeup. All summer long I’ve been simply putting my hair in a low bun and putting on face lotion and calling it good, but I sort of got into a funk where I really didn’t like how I looked! Not in a depressing “omg I’m so ugly” sort of way, but just looking in the mirror and thinking “meh”. I started taking two minutes to brush on some blush and mascara in the morning and I love it! Freshens my face right up.

2. Santo’s New Dog Toy

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I heard a story on NPR about how dogs can get bored too! So naturally I started worrying about it incessantly and I turned to the solution-of-all-problems that is Amazon and put my credit card to work. This toy is so cool! The red blocks slide back and forth and the orange cones are moveable. You can hide treats in a different place every day and your doggo gets to dig around and look for them. Right now I stay with Santo when he does it because he’s not the brightest knife in the tool shed and he needs some help. But it still gives him another activity to do in the day! Now he has wake up time, breakfast time, walk time, chess time, dinner time, potty breaks, and snuggle-couch time. WOW I SOUND INSANE I HOPE SOMEONE ELSE THINKS THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR.

3. Sally Hansen Wax Strips

We are trying to save up for our honeymoon right now, and I got really tired of dropping $20-$40 every time I needed a wax. I saw these things at Ulta for five bucks and I didn’t really think they’d work but I thought, “well what the heck.” They’re so effective!!! You just rub them between your hands to warm them up and they are seriously so sticky it’s amazing. They even show you pictures on the box of the various body parts you can use them on in case you forget what “eyebrows” or “armpits” or “legs” are. I haven’t been to the waxing studio in months and I’m still on my first box…probably saved a ton of money by now. I’d calculate it but that requires math AND I’M ON A BREAK FROM SCHOOL.

4. Being married

Is this just a shameless excuse to post another wedding photo? Youuuuu betcha. But seriously, being married to David rocks. It’s like having a teammate for everything you want to do. He’s just so fun to hang out with. I cannot believe I can watch movies on Tuesday nights with my best friends (Santo is included, obviously).

Also, it’s my parents’ 36th wedding anniversary today!!! They’re awesome and set the bar for marriage and relationships crazy high…which I’m so thankful for every day because I knew exactly what to look for ;).

Have a great Friday/Saturday/whatever-the-heck day it is!

What I Ate Wednesday

I tend to only talk about or post pictures of the indulgent food I eat because, let’s be honest, that’s the good stuff that I’m going to remember. But sometimes I think that everyone does that and then we are sitting behind our computer screens thinking, “how the heck can people eat whatever they want all the time but I can’t?!?!” So here’s a typical, weekday, 24 hours of food! 

Breakfast is almost always some sort of carb with peanut butter and a banana, lately I’m loving English muffins! The combination of fat and whole grains gives me energy for the day and tastes delicious 🙂 

Lunchtime is when I start thinking about packing in those vegetables and protein. My weekday lunches are usually really boring: hard boiled eggs, a big pile of whatever vegetable sounds good, and something else..yesterday it was rotisserie chicken leftovers! 

This dinner does not photograph well, but I promise it was delicious!! Chicken breast stuffed with spinach, artichoke, and mozzarella with a side of riced cauliflower. If you haven’t tried riced cauliflower I’d definitely recommend it!! It tastes very buttery and is an easy way to sneak in even more vegetables into your day by substituting it wherever you’d use rice. If I want something more filling I’ll do half brown rice half riced cauliflower. 

Dinner was exceptionally light last night because I needed to save room for CAKE!!!! I used to eat cake for breakfast when I had it around because then instead of eating a meal AND dessert, you could just have dessert for your meal and save room. But I noticed on the days I’d eat sugar for breakfast I felt extremely shaky and anxious for the rest of the day. Not worth it! 

So there you go, folks! A typical, boring, workday set of meals. I keep it fairly light and healthy during the week so that I can enjoy the GOOOOD stuff when it comes around. I’m definitely not someone who can eat whatever I want and stay trim, but I don’t really think many people are and it’s okay to be realistic about that!! Have a great Thursday!! 

Tappy Hour

I had to re-write that title nine times before autocorrect would quit changing tappy into happy. And then the first sentence of this post, too. I’m really dedicated to my craft. ANYWAY.

Yesterday morning I got a little bit of work done on the computer before it was time to take the old man out. He was still wiped out from frolicking on the beach and it took me a few minutes to convince him that getting out of bed would make his arthritic little legs loosen up a bit.

“Go away peasant” -Santo.

We had to make our walk super short because it currently feels like we are living next to the world’s biggest campfire. OH wait…WE ARE. The smoke and ash are insane and being outside for more than a small amount gives me a massive headache and makes me nauseous.

Every day we walk by the same house for sale and man am I starting to want this sucker.

The inside is even more beautiful than the outside (I’ve done some world-class creeping through the windows. Thanks neighbors for not calling the cops on me!!! 🙂 :)). The price is reasonable, the neighborhood is beautiful, and it’s brand new. David and I talk about it all the time. The only problem is that it’s sort of in a strange location on the street, right across from a different neighborhood that doesn’t quite match the aesthetic, and it’s been on the market for months and months. I wouldn’t want to buy a house that we would be stuck with down the line because nobody else wants it. Hmm.

The backyard even looks out onto a little nature area. Ahh. I digress.

When we got home I plopped my little tushie on the couch and did some reading! I have been letting my reading time slip away the last few days, and it’s something that is really important to me. Since I am not in school this year I want to read for at least an hour every day and I just need to make it happen. So yesterday I did!

I munched on the pad se ew that David had made the night before. Pro tip: marry a man who likes to cook. It’s awesome. Also, I am loving reading these short stories! It’s nice to be able to sit down and read an entire narrative in just a few minutes..instant gratification. Although my pal Ernest is pretty dark. Wowza.

Sometime after lunch I drove to the boys’ house! Unfortunately, their first day of school was cancelled since Oregon smells like a giant dumpster fire, so we just played around the house instead. Steven and I worked for a long long time on his halloween costume.

This was all his idea! He wants it to look like he’s been eaten by a dinosaur. Still a ways to go but I am seriously so impressed! I didn’t do anything he had the whole idea and told ME how to help! Wowza. His little brother wasn’t feeling too good and was napping on and off most of the time I was there. I think the smoke is getting to him, he said he felt really sleepy and that his head hurt. He didn’t have a fever so I just let him rest.

We also did a bunch of drawing.

Remember that time in second grade when you had your mind blown because you learned how to draw 3D boxes and stuff? Yeah, I pretty much peaked artistically at that moment.

Once it was time to go home, I ran home to feed the beast and switch shoes and then it was off to TAP CLASS!!!!!

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Gene Kelly from the past is my hall pass. Luckily, David has nothing to be worried about. Look at him. GAH.

Where was I? Ah yes. Tap!! I haven’t done studio dance since my freshman year of high school, and I have been missing it ever since. When I noticed the sign up for an adult tap class at the same place the boys do gymnastics, I couldn’t resist! All the women in the class have kids that do dance at the academy, and they were such a fun and friendly group to dance with. We went over basic steps, did some across the floors, and then learned a few easy combinations. My calves are already sore this morning! I can’t wait to go back every week.

When I got home, I enjoyed a slice of the lemon-blueberry cake I made on Saturday while I waited for David to get off work.

My mom taught me this trick: when you’re eating sheet cake, cut the bottom off. Then it feels like you get to eat two pieces of cake AND the top layer has a 1:1 cake-to-frosting ratio! It’s PERFECT.

When David came home we started season two of Broadchurch, but we managed to restrain ourselves and only watch two episodes. Wow. Adulting. He also brought me a nifty back brace from his pharmacy that I’m hoping will help my back out when I’m CNA-ing!

I have mixed feelings about back braces. When I see weightlifters using them at the gym, all I can think is “if you need to use a brace to get the weight up, you’re lifting too heavy of weights.” But the fact is, sometimes at work I AM lifting loads that are too heavy for me. Sometimes from odd angles. I think the extra support will be much needed, and I’ll still work hard to make sure my abs are strong and helping out. We shall see!

Today’s agenda includes some Pilates, reading, tidying the house, nannying, and of course hanging with Santo and hedgehog! Have a wonderful Wednesday!