The Magic of an Ordinary Day

gone fishin'

We are headed back to the Jemez mountains but this time are not going to the lake and the campgrounds; instead we are going to the many roadside camping places they have in the mountains and camp there.  This is one of Don's favorite places.  One way faces a meadow, the other way is in the forest. The trout stream flows through it.  This is our destination today.

Right after I have a "lengthy" physical exam and drug test for my new job.  I suppose they will have me lift things since lifting patients onto aircraft is required.  I remember feeling the need to go to the gym the last time I did this full time.  Hope it all goes well.

Today is Dwayne's birthday as well!  I already got him a new fly rod which he can't wait to start using.  Hannah got him a bunch of assorted fishing things and just went crazy wrapping his presents last night.  It was so cute!   He has always been the rock of this family, back when Dick was ill and now with my job crisis and millions of times in between... he's just always there, always supportive and strong.  I am the luckiest person in the world.  Happy birthday, honey!!

Pancakes

Can you stand another food post?

I love pancakes.  I remember getting pancakes for supper at home and thinking it was so special.  (Turns out we were just poor.)  Whatever the reason, I have always loved them but have always been a complete failure at making them from scratch, and that has always bothered me.  I know, I need to get a life if being a from-scratch pancake failure is a lingering disappointment.

But I decided to give it another go a few weeks ago and I am so glad I did.  I have been really into food blogs lately and discovered this recipe for blueberry pancakes at the completely delightful blog Smitten Kitchen.  They are, without a doubt, the best pancakes I have ever had.  Period. My family agrees, and even Hannah (who is not a huge pancake eater) ate several.

I think the trouble I was having was that I could not get my hospital corner, type A self to leave the batter all lumpy and glumpy like I was supposed to. 

I'm more of a crepes kind of girl where I can put everything in my Kitchen Aid and whip it up for a good, long while. 

At any rate, the other thing I am crediting to the success of the recipe is buttermilk.  And the light brushing of the melted butter on the skillet so you don't get grease-soaked pancakes. 

 

They were just perfection on a plate, and in fact I am making them again for dinner tonight.  I'm getting hungry just looking at them.

Plan A

Plan A was to go to work with PHI Medical, a flight company that operates fixed wing and rotor (helicopter) medical transports across the country.  And I got the call today---I got the job!  Let's hear it for Plan A!!

Amongst the new challenges awaiting me at this job include but are not limited to:

• Working within the tiny confines of a helicopter. The good news is that the trips are short.
• Trauma and scene response.  Meaning we can land on the road, scoop someone up and transport them to the hospital.  That's all new.
• Forty-eight hour shifts.  Which is attractive on one hand but can go very bad when you get your ass whooped on busy days.  I'm actually looking forward to the 48 hour shifts, and the highly suggested "safety naps."  Any place that tells me to take a nap... I'm all over it!
• The usual "I need to be the best since I'm the only nurse out there" anxiety that goes with flight nursing.  It's always there, and it always keeps you on your toes.
• Ten days of flight school in Phoenix.  Over my birthday.  Why not, I spent my wedding anniversary in Pahrump, Nevada teaching ACLS?
• The usual proving myself/fitting in segment of a new job, with the added bonus of the macho environment of the EMS world.  Sigh.  That's okay, this time I'm ready for it.

I'm just walking on cloud 9 today!  I really wanted to stay in flight nursing am so happy it is working out for me. 

a new era

Hannah's first day of kindergarten!  She's in school for real, riding the bus, gone all day... all that brand new, nerve-wracking stuff (for us anyway).  Hannah could care less.  She just wanted to ride the bus.

The day started beautifully.  This greeted us when we opened our bedroom blinds...

The light was incredible.  The whole front yard was bathed in this fabulous orange-y light.  Stunning.

So on to getting Hannah ready for Kindergarten, which I am soooooo grateful to be able to do fully, rather than a rush job before work (which it would have been a week ago).  So she was all fed, packed and ready early and we headed down to the bus stop.

When the bus came, Hannah immediately scrambled on it without a backwards glance.  Papa had a harder time, but was glad to see her enthusiasm for things. 

then she settles in...

big smile and she was gone!!!

I hope she has a great day.  Our visit to the kindergarten last week went well, and her teacher seemed great and the school is highly rated.   I'm sure she'll do well.

I'm going to have fresh cookies for her when she gets home, though.  Just because I can. 

 

Back in the Kitchen

One of the things I have missed the most this past year has been cooking for my family.  I love to cook, and try new things in the kitchen.  I've also found out this last year (through meticulous examination of my diet) that a lot of preservatives in foods were the cause of many of my headaches.  So scratch-made is the best thing for me, but I had difficulty finding the time to do that.

Tonight I made one of my favorite things from one of my favorite cuisines: Vietnamese Noodle Salad.  Blame it on the Anthony Bourdain episodes I was watching last night: they kept going back to Vietnam and eating noodles. 

   

So here is the recipe, adapted from  Epicurious.com:

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

• 4 oz thin rice noodles
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce 
• 1 carrot, coarsely shredded
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 English cucumber, julienned
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• siracha sauce to taste 
• fresh cilantro for garnish
• chopped dry roasted peanuts for garnish
• Chinese style roast pork loin, grilled and sliced

 

Soak noodles in hot water 10 minutes, then drain in a large sieve.

Cook noodles in a 4-quart pot of boiling water, uncovered, until tender, about 1 minute. Drain in sieve and rinse under cold water until cold. Drain well and pat noodles dry.

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, siracha sauce (if desired) and soy sauce in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.  Add vegetables to sauce and let sit for a few minutes.

Layer in individual bows the vegetable mixture, the noodles, meat and top with cilantro and peanuts. 

Note: the "Chinese" style pork loin was simply a pork loin with a quick marinade with Teriaki sauce, grilled.  I use Soy Vey, it's preservative-free and very tasty.   

So there you have it!  It is perfectly tasty, fresh, cool for a warm day and I was done with the whole meal (outside of the 30 seconds it took for me to pour the marinade over the pork loin ahead of time) in 40 minutes.  If you are a fan of Asian cuisine like me all of the condiments are in the pantry. 

Enjoy!

a week off

That's something I haven't had in a long time.

I finished up my job early, turns out.  The owner offered to let Friday be my last day (paid in full until the last of the month, of course) and I pondered staying in a hostile work environment vs. taking that vacation I never got this year for a whole three seconds before I decided to go ahead and make Friday my last day.  It was a no-brainer.

So I had a short day, met with Hannah's kindergarten teacher (who seems like she will be very cool, even if she is a Vikings fan) then met some friends down at the local watering hole, the Lazy Lizard for some drinks and live music.  They are awesome people.  Last night could have been an awful night, but instead it was fun thanks to good friends. 

So I have no plans for next week except to walk my daughter to the bus in the morning and pick her up at night.  I'll actually get to cook meals for my family spend time with them!  Our camping trip will be planned out and properly shopped for, not a bunch of shit thrown in the truck at the last minute.  I'll actually pick up my camera again and do things I like.  What a concept.

If I don't hear from the flight company by Monday or Tuesday, I'll contact the hospital to go back to work there. I'm good with either one. 

Man, it feels good to be home again.

changes

I have been going through a lot of changes in  the past weeks, and have been very stressed about my life.  The condensed version is as follows:

• After a year at my position, I continue to be deeply unsatisfied with my job and am unable to function in that office environment.  I resigned my position last week.
• I don't have another job lined up at this point.
• I have gone on two interviews at another flight company, but feel rusty from having spent the last year in an administrator role.  I left the interviews feeling less than confident.  It is a hot-shot fixed wing/rotor company and the learning curve is huge. We'll see if I make the cut.
• I have a plan B, which is to return to the bedside.  Yes, there are frustrations but there is that down-deep feeling of making a difference in your daily work which is completely missing from my job now.  The people from my old unit have made it clear they would love to have me back. 
• Dwayne, as always, has been my rock. I came home from work with "that look" on my face last week and that was all it took for him to say "just quit.  we'll make it work."  He's awesome.

So there it is in a nutshell.  I'm going to miss the people who really matter, and ignore the people who are trying to make my life more difficult before I leave. 

I'll always treasure the friendships I have made, and value those people more than I can say.  The things I have learned have enriched me as a person and a professional and I will never forget them. 

So my future is on hold for now.  We'll see what happens next.

Backyard Campout

Hannah and I had a backyard camp-out yesterday.  It was a beautiful late-summer day out: not too hot, clear, slightly breezy.  So we set up one of our tents and had a Mama-daughter overnighter. It was fun.

So I got out the yellow tent, which I like because there are doors one two sides, therefore no climbing over each other to get out.  Hannah is holding the tent stake bag as I'm pushing the stakes into the ground when she says, "Mama, you need a mallet."  Huh?  Where did she get that?  Turns out she was exactly right and one rubber mallet later she was pounding in tent stakes like a pro.

It's exhausting work...

She is really a natural at tent-pitching, my girl.

So here we are with our tent and two of the four "guard" dogs we have.  And I use that term loosely since we have labs.

So we headed out with a big bag of popcorn and some beverages and had some hammock time before tent time.

(this one is courtesy of the auto-timer on my camera)

She had to have her entourage of animals and books and we spent time reading, telling stories, eating popcorn and looking at stars before going to sleep.  What a great night.