38yrs

Well, if you thought the 38yrs meant years old...well, you were wrong. It does mean 38 married years though! Today is our anniversary. We started out young, dumb, hard working, ready for any challenges, and ended up almost in the same place only not the "young" part! But we did go from this pic on Aug. 31, 1974..
To young parents who went on to have 4 of these....crazy little guys!
Sweet boys!
Crazy boys who grew up to be wonderful men.
Men who grew up to have these amazing kiddos of their own. It hasn't always been smooth sailing..many times rough waters try to drown us. But love, determination, team work, and maybe a bit of craziness has helped us to endure. Thanks for the amazing ride...now on to 39!

The Unexpected

Our Monday's have been a bit slower lately. One of the surgeons who usually has a work day has quit our hospital. Monday I got up as usual and headed off to work expecting to be doing just that....working...scrubbing on cases like usual. We had many of our staff there thinking the same thing. But with a light schedule and a rule that we're not allowed to just stand around we had to find things to do. Some had required inservice items to complete. I was already done with that. Donna was planning on leaving early to go for her first radiation set up...getting tattooed, measured, all the other things that she needs to do to be ready for next week when the actual treatments start. I asked if she would like a support person to go with her...What the heck, why not? So we headed off to visit this place and an ordinary day turned into an unexpected outing. We were able to talk and laugh and catch up on the ride over to Wooster. After it was over we went for a nice lunch..another unexpected outing. We haven't had an afternoon of just relaxing and talking over lunch in forever. Thanks Donna for letting me have this unexpected day with you! Next time it will be one that won't involve a stop here first...I promise..MY TREAT!!
Gee, you are so welcome...
Nurses don't like being the one in the gown that opens in the back and makes you freeze! DJ you look good, but I'll look forward to the day when this won't have to be your wardrobe!
Working in surgery we are exposed to radiation during different procedures. We take precautions to prevent being over exposed. After all the years Donna and I have worked in these conditions...wearing lead aprons for hours..it's ironic that now getting "over" exposed will be a method for a cure.
The tech showed me the room where the magic happens.
Scary looking, but life saving.
After all the medical stuff was done we headed out to this cool and fun place for lunch and browsing. It's called the "Pine Tree Barn"...they have 3 floors of beautiful furniture, clothes, purses, decorations for all seasons (they were setting up for the fall season..too fun!) and they have the nicest little restaurant there with beautiful views to enjoy. I should have taken more inside pics!
We chose to sit on the balcony to enjoy our lunch. The sweet waitress took our pic! Donna looks great! (If I had known I was going into public today I would have done my hair before leaving for work! Wearing a hat at work is the pits!)
We saw these guys running over the yard. I heard the food was fresh but sheese! I opted for the ham and swiss wrap instead of the chicken salad!
To start out with a medical destination and end up on a misty, cool afternoon on a balcony overlooking beautiful fields and scenery...
And this delish lunch...it made a scary, not fun looking destination into an unexpected fun afternoon...rain and all!

Time? Not On My Side!

When Jack was this age...I was too. Only I was 6 months ahead. We didn't know each other yet. He celebrated many birthdays before meeting me and I celebrated many birthdays 6 months ahead of him. Today is another birthday for Jack. Happy Birthday Babe! My sweet #2 son sent his Dad a birthday card and gift. It was his usual perfectly funny card and at the end the final statement: "Well, aleast you're not as old as Mom!" (very funny Craig, It's a good thing I love you!) It made me think back to when we were deciding on a wedding date. This weekend was the first choice but Jack wasn't 21 yet and we decided to wait another week. I thought it was sooooo funny back then.
When we were this age: 21...I made fun of the fact that I was 6mo. older..I had to sign for things before we got married because I was 21..I laughed..you just said: "One day you will not be happy to be older"...I just laughed. I mean, seriously, weren't we going to be 21 forever? Us old? Heck no! Time marched on. I was 30..you were 29...I didn't laugh...I was 40...you were 39...I didn't laugh...I was 50..you were 49...I cried...now you are 59 and so am I. For now.
Well, time might not be on either of our sides..as you said this morning, "I'm not chasing 60...I'm dragging 59!"...so am I and I hope we have a ton more birthdays to enjoy, laugh, (make fun because I'll always be older!) and the most true statement of all time: "Paybacks are hell"...Oh to be 21 again!

Things I Done Did!

This weekend was not packed with a ton of fun..but I did make a dent in my project list. I'm trying to get some things done before fall and one of my "to dos" is painting and cleaning out the computer room. I took a before pic but the room is very small and it just didn't do it justice. It hadn't been painted since we moved in 11yrs ago so it was high time. It went from yellow to a very pale blue. It freshened it up but the painting was the easy part..the sorting and throwing away of papers and junk is the killer! After a day of inside work Jack decided an outside activity would be just the ticket. He got a good campfire going, some hotdogs roasting, (along with some burgers too!) and I was grateful to just sit back and enjoy the cool night around the fire. Of course Jack laughed at my jacket and laughed again as I eventually went inside and brought out a blanket to wrap up in...I'm a wuss...sorry! But it was fun and relaxing and it led into a great rest of the long weekend. The computer room painting would wait until Monday when I had some time off to finish it.
I finished off my meal with a roasted marshmellow...How do you take yours? I love mine on the burned side but you can have it your way on the just warmed and soft side!
Sunday turned into a rainy, cool day and I decided to bake and cook a few things...like these tastey chocolate nut loaves and then I just continued with these items:
Stuffed peppers
Homemade veggie soup. These will make dinner on Monday and lunches for me all week..I love homemade soup!
Today was a rare gift. I had the day off due to low census. It made my weekend longer and I was able to sleep in a bit. I got up around 7ish and headed outdoors to walk around and enjoy the misty, cool morning.
In the back yard the sun is just getting over the Creepy Woods...Oh, please don't laugh at my tiny garden. We planted very late and decided to only do tomatoes and green peppers. They are growing nicely and we've had a few tomatoes...but it does look silly in that big yard!
This little monster is just one sweet potato vine..just one..grows like crazy!
My trip around the yard wouldn't be complete without seeing these little nasties back again. Web worms....they make these sacks full of worms that coat the branches of the trees. They don't go on the pine trees..thankfully. If I would remember to try and treat the trunks in the spring, I might not have to look at them...Yucky!
Besides painting the computer room I decided I would shampoo the livingroom carpet. I'm moving out furniture and I turn and see Eddy...I think he thought it was for him..a completely cleared out room with just the sun pouring in for him to bask in. That would be a big NO...he did make an exit when the machine fired up.
What's Squeak's take on the whole dog thing? She could care less..she's a cat...we are her slaves.
As I sat in my freshly painted computer room I looked out the window to my left and saw the last spec of this day and my long weekend come to a close...goodnight!

A Week Already?

I can't believe week has gone by since my last post. It was a busy week as usual. Here are a few snipets. No, I did not go off and join the circus! These are the tents in the hospital parking lot where we had our annual summer lunch picnic. The hospital gives us a free picnic lunch every August. I didn't have my camera with me so Jack dropped it off for me. I had already eaten so no pics of food, or people. I just snapped the cool looking tents that I thought would look great here at home..I have tent envy!
Thursday we had our woman's meeting at Church. The Relief Society asked us to bring 3 things in a bag that would give a story of us. Since we are getting to know the newest members better it was a fun discovery. I found out things about people I thought I knew well. It was very fun. Here was Deb looking wistful as we tried to guess what she had brought. I found out we have many artists, writers, and even a black belt in karate!
When it was my turn of course I had my camera! I love how we react when getting snapped. Just look at the young lady in the back with her hands over her face. Why are we so sensitive? Well, if you're like me you don't like the "true" image that is reflected...every winkle, bulge, double chin and any imperfection shows up. I used to really be camera shy. But now I realize this is me and I don't want to go through life without anyone knowing I was even here! I don't want pics of my family not to include me. I'll still think in my brain that I'm good to go..but when I see the snapshot I will still smile and think that I'm really OK....sort of. Ha!
I've been taking photos all year at work to put together for a video I'm doing for operating room nurse week in November. Everyone has been wondering why I'm always clicking a pic here and there. Many times they are very camera shy. I think they will be surprised at the moments I've captured. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we do love our jobs! But a work pic without this pic would be incomplete. The almighty "locker room" shot. We have the smallest locker room ever. It even has two bathroom stalls in there! We have to dress in hospital laundered scrubs so we all cram in there in the morning trying to dress without knocking the person across from your locker into theirs! Fun times! We are not shy people either!
Can you tell Donna's locker from mine? Everyone has their most valuable possessions featured on the front...pics of family and pets!
No video about my workplace would be complete without a shot of what goes on after the patient leaves for recovery. Yes, those tables, lights and floors all need cleaned. Each and every time we all pitch in and help. I always say that the mop has a universal handle..it fits everyone's hands! We've even had a Doc or two grab one and mop up. Thanks Rhonda for not being camera shy!
Now here is someone not camera shy. Dr. B is always commenting about my blogging and challenging me to include him. No problem...you ask, I snap! Is this your best side?
Nah, I think this is his best side..wouldn't you want him to fix your knees..hips...shoulders...? You name the bone, he can fix it or replace it! We are very lucky to have such a good orthopod here in our small hospital. (His partner is very good too) We are rated one of the top hospitals in Ohio in joint replacement. No brag...just fact!

Sad? Or Glad?

Saturday was a "sad" to "glad" kind of day. The blow up of my oatmeal in the microwave first thing in the morning might make a person sad. Jack thought it was funny and needed to be a "blog moment". So to make him glad I snapped a pic. Then I cleaned up the mess..ate some oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh blueberries and realized I was now glad!
I didn't get any pics of "raindrops on roses" this morning...just raindrops on sage leaves. Waking up on a Saturday morning to lots of misty, cool rain could make you sad but I was glad and so were my plants to have had a nice soaking the last few days. I seriously thought I could hear the grass clapping for joy.
My car thermometer at 12:45pm said 62de...That could make you sad. Not me! I was glad for the relief from the heat we've had this summer. Most of the country has had heat and drought and the cool rainy day was so nice. The cool sunny day today is just as nice!
This sight makes me sad. A kitchen full of chaos. Jack always says when I cook I use every pan and bowl in the place. And he's right! In our Relief Society we were asked to make compassionate service meals to be frozen until a need arises. I made a batch of cheese stuffed pasta shells to be divided up in 2 person serving sizes. No matter the mess I make, Jack knows I always clean it up. 99% of the time anyway!
All's well that ends well...glad I finished an assignment...glad the kitchen is back in order....glad to go to bed!

Want To Be Pregnant?

We have a new OB department..all redone...all new...all pretty...and with it comes this beautiful operating room to do C-Sections in. Now that might not make you excited, but it sure does our surgery department. But mostly I have operating bed envy. This little number is so nice and new...and I want the big window in this room too. (it has a remote control shade) Today was the grand opening..we did the first C-Section in the new room. It all went smooth and hopefully it will continue to do so! I'll give you a little tour of our OB and when I'm done, maybe you'll want to get pregnant and come visit us!
We all went up to take a look and see how we are going to help our OB department learn to do their own C-Sections. That will be so nice for us when we won't have to come running in to do a middle of the night stat section. But much training and learning for them will have to take place and we are eager to help it all happen.
Everyone taking in the sights.
Hello Dr. L! Having fun yet?
When you're laying on the operating room bed you can look up and focus on this...no it's not the real sky, it's a picture that is turned on at the wall. I may just go up there and take a rest on a busy day!
The nurses station is nice and large. They also have a wonderful lounge area and locker rooms and sleeping rooms.
Beautiful photos like this one line the halls and patient rooms. They were taken by a local photographer of actual babies born here at SAM HO.
Yep it's me waving...my new whitening toothpaste must be working..see how bright my smile is!
This is a water feature in an atrium waiting area.
Another view of the atrium waiting area inside the department near the patients rooms.
Waterfall in the lobby.
A children's area with vending machines for visitors and kiddos.
This is Little Sam's Cafe...our big cafeteria is called "Sam's Cafe"..Our hospital is Samaritan Hospital and we always call it "SAM HO"...This little spot has fresh fruit, coffee, muffins, bagels, oatmeal, juice, milk, soup, etc..all free for family and visitors.
Ok, so I wouldn't want to be preggo again...but sitting in our new OB lounge with a fire going this winter and some hot cocoa from the Little Sam's Cafe might make me want to wait for someone in labor!
On a different note: Here are some of the trial bracelets from my old buttons. My Mom is so funny. She actually sent me a box of old buttons she had! They were mostly silver and I love them! Thanks Mom!