Project 12: September

{Our second anniversary dinner celebration. Quality photo, I know}

Welcome to Project 12- a fun little monthly post where I get to recap my month and you get to tell me about the highlights of yours! 

DATES/TRAVEL

1. Hyden, Kentucky for graduate school orientation. Now that my secret is out, I can talk freely about why I was in Kentucky (which I mentioned last month). The program I'm attending is a hybrid program based out of there- hybrid meaning I will visit Kentucky twice (once was in August/September) and then I'll visit again for clinical intensives in about a year. The hybrid part comes in because I am able to do most of the coursework and clinicals in my home community. Talking about my trip to Kentucky really needs to be its own post because it was so amazing. I realize that sounds cheesy but I have never ever left a place after only 72 hours with the sense of community and pride that I felt after leaving Kentucky. It was truly amazing and I still feel like I'm processing it all. 

{This was nicknamed "The Barn" because it used to be one, and it was where  most of our 

classes were held during orientation}.

2. Tucson, Arizona, Guajardo wedding. This was a wedding for the history books y'all. I flew straight from Kentucky to Arizona and was ready to get my wedding on. This wedding was extra special to me because it had my best friend in it, she looked gorgeous, her groom cried harder than she did (awwww), and it was just a beautiful day. I was also the matron  maid of honor (I'm going with maid because matron just sounds so old), and even though I was nervous for the extra responsibility, it was SUCH a privilege to be by her side. Carrying her 20 pound train around for pictures though.... (just kidding Carolyn, I loved it). There was good company, great food, good drinks, and a fun dance... really, what more could you ask for in a wedding??

{The glowing bride}

{I've got the best wedding date around}

4. Basalt, Colorado. My old college roommate and I hopped in a car and drove to the beautiful mountain town of Basalt Colorado. It was a bittersweet weekend as we reunited with old college friends but under tragic circumstances. It was so good to get out of the city and we saw some beautiful fall colors! 

{Those mountains though!}

5. Girl camping in Frisco, Colorado. A friend from work and I spontaneously decided to go camping one weekend so that we could see fall colors. We only went for one night but it was oh so fun and beautiful! The weekend was full of good conversation, beautiful colors, and yummy food (do you notice a trend here?) I am the biggest fan of spontaneous one night camping trips in the mountains! 

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. I FINISHED MY WEDDING SCRAPBOOK. That achievement deserves every single bold and italic letter that it can possibly get. A year ago in my "Fall Goals" post, I challenged myself to "begin my wedding scrapbook". Months and several failed attempts later, I found myself totally overwhelmed with $30 of scrapbooking supplies and no idea where to start. Cue, grad school. I knew that if I did not get this scrapbook done before starting grad school, then it wouldn't happen until I finished which is at least another two years. That means that I'd be close to my 5 year wedding anniversary without having printed a single wedding picture. That definitely didn't sit right with me so I forced myself to buck up and get to work. 

{The front cover!}

Now, here's the real truth. I hate scrapbooking and only did it because I like the finished project. I LOVE how it turned out, but I still hate scrapbooking. I truly feel like I spent all of September working on this project. If you'll notice, Alex and I didn't go on very many dates this past month and it was because I would be trying to finish a page or two of the scrapbook and then it would be too late to go anywhere. He was totally understanding about it, but it definitely cut down on the quality time we had together before school started. I am so thrilled that it's done though- it's a huge relief and I've had a blast showing it to family and friends. I eventually hope to put it on the blog, but I've gotta show a few more people in person first :) (Thanks for all of you who encouraged me to keep at it. Amanda, thanks for all the help!) 

2. Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Our second wedding anniversary was this month and you can read the letter I wrote to Alex here. We both thankfully had the day off from work and were able to spend it together. We took an early morning walk in a park by our house and sat by some fountains while we reminisced over the past couple of years. We then enjoyed breakfast together followed by one of our favorite dates- walking around at Costco and Ikea. We enjoyed Panda Express for lunch, went home and napped and played some games and finished off the day with endless shrimp at Red Lobster. If it sounds like all we did all day was eat, well, you're kind of right. It was a simple day full of delicious food and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

{The view on our morning stroll}

{You haven't had a cinnamon roll until you've had this one from Denver Biscuit Company.

 This should be enough reason for you to come visit me in Colorado. I'll be waiting.}

3. I ate the biggest pizza I think I've ever seen. But really, check it out! In case you're wondering, it's some sort of stuffed take and bake madness from Papa Murphy's. And our friends helped us eat it. 

{It's more like a pizza-calzone or pazone if you will}

BOOKS/MOVIES

There are none to tell you about because I literally did my scrapbook every.single.waking.hour.

SOME FAVORITES 

This surprise wedding dance will always and forever be my favorite. 

One of the most controversial things I've ever posted, but something I felt/feel super strongly about. 

This study only reinforces what I've been telling Alex {and anyone else who I can get to listen} this whole time. 

And finally, need a laugh? For some reason, this video cracked me up. 

P.S. Before I sign off, I just wanted to let you know that I'm co-hosting The Circle this month with Kiki from In Its Time Blog. If you guys have never joined in, either with a post of your own or by reading the posts, you are seriously missing out. Also, if you don't know Kiki you really need to. She is encouraging, great at creating community, and one of the greatest people I've met in the blog world. This month our topic is self-care- how do you take care of yourself and make sure that you don't get stressed out? Blog? Do mani-pedis? Go run? All of the above? It's a topic I'm super passionate about so I hope you'll make your list and join us on Wednesday October 21st! 

How was your September? 

Project 12: August

So I'm not sure how it happened, but it's already over HALFWAY through September and I'm just now sitting down to write the recap of August. I really just can't figure it out how that happened! 

DATES/TRAVEL

1. Taylor Park, Colorado. Every year Alex's family takes a trip to Taylor Park- a big reservoir and surrounding area that's a few hours outside of Denver. There are a lot of trails to dirtbike, the reservoir to fish/boat in, and just spectacular beauty to enjoy. 

{the view from the reservoir... gorgeous or what??}

We were able to join his family for this trip and it was a great time. I actually enjoyed dirtbiking for the first time, relaxed on a boat trip out on the reservoir, ate delicious comfort food, and played games. I could say a lot more but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

2. Blue Pan Pizza & Little Man Ice Cream. 
If you are in the Denver area, you NEED to try BOTH of these places. If you're not in the Denver area, a promise of dinner and dessert at these places is more than enough to make it worth a trip to visit me!

{It just had the cutest little decorations!}

Blue Pan Pizza is famous for Detroit style pizza. You didn't know there was such a style did you? (Or am I the only culturally ignorant pizza consumer?) If you're like me and don't know what Detroit style pizza is like, it's a square pizza that's cooked in deep dish and the main thing you need to know is that the cheese gets carmelized around the edges. Need I say more? 

{*drool*}

Little Man Ice Cream is famous here in Denver and me and the husband just got around to trying it out. We waited 45 minutes in line, and that isn't atypical. I got a cup of salted caramel pecan amazingness and I'm not going to write anymore because that should be enough to convince you to come try it for yourself. If you need further persuasion let's just say that they offer free swing dancing lessons on Saturday nights and everyone comes and dances outside on their cute little patio (see picture below). It's just the most fun place ever!  

{How cute is this place?? The milk jug looking thing is the actual ice cream shop!}

2. All you can eat sushi lunch date. 
Alex had been wanting to do all you can eat sushi for awhile so I finally agreed to go with him after he offered to treat me out of his allowance money. I was reluctant for a long time for very good reason. If you've never been to all you can eat sushi (usually offered during the lunch hour), there's one thing you need to know- whatever you don't finish you pay FULL price for on top of the fee you're already paying (usually around $15-20 per person). This means that you have to be extremely careful with your ordering so that you don't land up with a whopping bill. 

My first experience with all you can eat sushi was going with my husband (then boyfriend), his brother, and their friend. Me + 3 guys who thought they had unlimited stomach space turned out to be a horrible combination. They ordered wayyyyyy more than we could finish so we landed up sneaking some rolls to the table of military guys next to us, and I may or may not have taken some rolls in my purse to the restroom to flush them down the toilet. I didn't eat sushi for a year after that. 

Now you'll understand my hesitation. Anyway, this time it was only Alex and I and we ordered our sushi carefully and enjoyed ourselves. But consider yourself warned if you ever try all you can eat sushi. 

3. The Piano Guys Concert 

This was a gift to Alex and I from my in-laws and can I just tell you it was uhhhh-mazing! It was at Red Rocks Amphitheater which is one of the top concert venues in the world, it was a beautifully warm night, and they happened to be filming the concert that night for a DVD so everyone was extra loud. 

Their shows are the perfect combination of beautiful music and stunning graphics with a good dose of comedy thrown in. If you don't know who these guys even are, check out The Piano Guys website. If you ever have a chance to see them in concert GO GO GO! 

{Um... HOW COOL is that?!}

4. Travel to Kentucky. 
So this trip is related to my dream as a 15 year old coming true. Last month I said that I would reveal the dream and its fulfillment in September, but certain things that are beyond our control are making me wait about another month to share the news. I'm sorry to keep y'all hanging! Spoiler Alert {because my husband thinks everyone is going to be let down}: I am NOT PREGNANT. 

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. My brother and his girlfriend came and stayed about a week with us. I love having people over, and this really was just the best kind of company. We went Water World (our local water park), Elitch Gardens (our local amusement park), and the local county fair rodeo. 

{We look like the rodeo-going crowd don't we?}

{Post water park excitement}

{My brother and I}

{Aren't they just the cutest?? I'm totally a creeper}

We taught my brother's girlfriend how to drive stick shift (Rose, you did so good!), played hours worth of spades, and laughed at Youtube videos. It was time together with my people and I enjoyed every.single.second.of.it. 

2. A few days after my brother and his girlfriend left, my other brother came into town and spent the night at our place. It was good brother-sister bonding time, AND he played his guitar for me. Win win if you ask me. 

BOOKS & MOVIES 

-MOVIES-

She's the Man. I made Alex watch this with me and he didn't like it nearly as much as I do. Growing up in a house of boys and with all boy cousins except for one, I feel like I can relate to this movie. I was always trying to prove that I could hang with the guys so I find it pretty entertaining. Apparently there's a similar movie put out by Disney channel that is the same story line but instead of soccer the girl dirtbikes... Alex likes that version better. Pfffff.....

-BOOKS-

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I've been hearing for years (literally) that this book is excellent. It has accompanied me on many trips but always got pushed to the bottom of the pile and never got read. Well I can finally say that I read it and it lived up to the hype. 

I finished the book on a plane and thank God the man sitting next to me was asleep drunk (not kidding), because I was quite literally sobbing as I finished the last pages. It's a beautiful story of redemption, forgiveness, and no other book has brought me to such tears. That being said, the story is heart wrenching and I found it hard to read at times because it was so painful. It won't be on my list of read-agains (not many books are on that list), but I'm so glad I finally read it and would absolutely recommend it to anyone. 

SOME FAVORITES

One pot spicy thai noodles is our most recent favorite dinner dish. I am all about things in one pot and this is a winner. But don't be like my husband and use the maximum amount of sriracha sauce AND chili peppers unless you want to die. The night we ate it, I ran with tears streaming down my face and ripped open the refrigerator door only to discover that we had no milk. "Alex, did you drink all the milk?!" Alex calmly replies, "Yeah, there was only a little bit". Me- "A LITTLE BIT IS ALL I NEED." I finished my dinner in misery. The next day the spice had calmed down and it was more enjoyable. I am on an asian kick lately so if you have any asian recipes send them my way! 

This letter written to the girl who wants to adopt (that's me).

One of my previous youth group leaders wrote about the dreaded t-shirt drawer . You know, the one that you and your husband either ignore or fight about. I loved her post because one, it made me feel better that I'm not the only wife that has fought about something as stupid as how to fold a t-shirt, and two, gave me some really concrete insight and wisdom on communication in marriage. 

How was your August? Or do you even remember it because it's almost October? Do you have any good asian food recipes to share with me?? 

Project 12: July

Project 12 is a monthly recap of our lives where I talk about dates, notable events, and other fun things. Summer is just flying by and am I the only one that can't believe it's August already?? 

DATES/TRAVEL

1. Arizona! Going to a resort in Phoenix, Arizona has become a yearly tradition with my husband's family. We went the first week of July and it did not disappoint. It was a week full of reading, relaxing by the pool, naps, and water volleyball. We also gave In-N-Out business err'day. If you have never taken a relax and do nothing vacation, I highly recommend it. It was a much needed break from real life and responsibilities, and we came back refreshed and ready to take on our busy month! 

{This is 90% of what I did on vacation}

{This is the other 10% of what I did on vacation} 

{I think cacti are beautiful!}

2. Camping! Camping in a certain reservoir of Colorado has become a yearly tradition with my family. We rent a boat, go fishing on the lake, spend time around the campfire, and enjoy each other's company. The extra special part of this camping trip is that we went with my parents and my Mom and Dad took it upon themselves to bring all the food and cook most of the time. Can I just say how glorious that was? You don't truly understand the work that goes into camping until your parents aren't doing it for you. 

{I just love this picture of my hubby!}

{It doesn't get more perfect than this}

3. Girl camping. A fellow nurse friend and I both had a random Monday off and decided to go camping. It was the first time that I've done a quick camping trip with a friend like that. When we got to our camp site, we had a blast opening her new fancy tent and exploring all the features it came with, including the collapsible rain flaps. We opened said rain flaps and forgot about them for the next few hours. Over the next few hours we finished setting up camp and cooking dinner over the fire. It was pouring rain almost the entire time and when we finally finished our dinner, we were chilled to the bone and looking forward to our dry tent and clothes. Except... we had forgotten to close the rain flaps and we climbed in the tent only to find two lakes of water on either side. The water had wet part of our bedding and clothes, but there was enough dry stuff that we decided to stick it out the night. We both later admitted that had things been any more wet we would have suggested packing up and heading home. Despite the rain fiasco, we had a great time and would do it again. Moral of the story- DON'T leave your rain flaps open. 

{#selfiewin. Our tripod was the chair}

{It rained and rained. And rained.}

4. Girl time. I was able to bring dinner to my sweet friend who just had the most precious baby. I got to hold her sweet little girl for three hours and loved every minute of it. I will always and forever accept invitations to come snuggle little ones. I was also able to catch up with my old college roommate; we hiked, ate lunch, and shopped a little bit. If you're wondering how good of a shopper I am, just head on over here to find out.

{My former college roommate}

5. Spaghetti Factory. This is probably one of our favorite places to go to dinner, and I've mentioned it before. However, this month was different because I  found out that they are no longer serving my favorite dish. I'm not sure if this is happened to you but it's quite devastating news. It also happened to fall on a day that had been filled with a lot of stress and tears, so it was bad timing. We might be going there less now. How do I get my favorite menu item added back on? Anyone? 

{Downtown Denver during our date}

NOTABLE EVENTS 

1. Alex's first interview for Physician Assistant school. I can't even tell you guys HOW notable this event was. He has dreamed of becoming a PA for over 5 years now, and has worked tirelessly pursuing this dream. Interviewing for acceptance into schools is a step  he has never reached before, and we are praying that it yields fruit. He has 3 more interviews in the next month (that we know of)... if you think of us would you pray? Pray for his actual interviews, and wisdom for us as a couple to be able to make the decisions we need to make. 

{The morning he left. His shirt is for a team in Albuquerque, NM which is where his interview was}

2. I planned my very first bridal shower and bachelorette party. I have never done this; I've only watched my mom plan about a dozen baby showers and helped plan a couple bridal events but I've never been the one in charge. All I can say, is MAJOR PROPS to all y'all who are good at it and enjoy it (Mom, I'm talking to you). While I was honored to be in the spot where I plan everything, it was also a lot of hard work and something that I'm not really made for. That being said, I'm pretty proud of how everything turned out, and knowing my friend enjoyed her weekend made it all worth it (look for a post recapping the events in the next couple weeks). 

{The beautiful bride}

3. The fulfillment of a dream I've had since I'm 15 years old happened this month. I can't tell you what it is yet, but I'll hopefully be making the official announcement in the month of September. I'll be announcing it on Facebook and Instagram first, so follow me there if you're not already. Sorry to leave you hanging, but I promise it's exciting news and will be worth the wait. 

DISCOVERIES

1. The ability to make a decision is vital. And I'm not talking about whether you want pizza or pasta for dinner. I'm talking decisions that affect other people and life changing decisions. I'm currently reading "The Best Yes" by Lisa TerKeust (more on this book next month), and it is so good because it addresses how as women we are often unable to be decisive. She explains how this impacts our lives, our walks with the Lord, and more importantly examines how to be in a position to make good and godly decisions. As I planned the bridal shower and bachelorette parties, I was forced to be the decisive one. This put me considerably out of my comfort zone, but also reinforced the lessons I'm learning in my book. I was also forced to make a life changing decision during the middle of the month in a relatively short amount of time. Had I not been reading this book, spending time in the Word, and seeking godly counsel, this decision would have been a lot harder to make. 

{Time with Jesus at the airport}

BOOKS & MOVIES 

-MOVIES-

Max. This Disney movie is about a soldier's dog who is taken out of active duty and has a hard time adjusting to a regular life. It was one of those lovely feel good movies (thanks Disney), that had a sweet story line. At the end of the movie they explained all the roles that dogs have played in our military throughout the years- it was really interesting to learn about all of it. If you're looking for a solid family friendly movie to watch with your kids or spouse, this is the one. 

-BOOKS-

Rescuing Ruby by Linny Lee Saunders. This was by far my favorite book in a long time- I read it in less than 24 hours! The author is the wife of the pastor that pastored at a church I went to in high school, and the story details the miraculous rescue of their youngest daughter, Ruby. When Linny's husband, Dwight, and daughter, Emma, discovered Ruby on a missions trip to Uganda, she was 13 months old and weighed only six pounds. Six pounds you guys. Many newborns are six pounds or even more. Everything that is known about medicine to this day said that this little girl should not have survived, yet today she is a thriving toddler that is hardly recognizable from her first picture (the cover on the book). This story tells of the power of God and will inspire your own journey to a deeper faith and a stronger prayer life. I could hardly recommend a book more- order your own copy on Amazon. 

{This is one of the few books that I've actually purchased. I'm more of a library gal.}

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jaime Ford. This is a historical fiction novel recommended to me by a friend at work. Historical fiction is usually not my thing but the captivating story about a Chinese boy and his love for a Japanese girl (something that was strictly looked down upon at the time) kept me interested. I learned a lot about the tensions that were around in the time of World War II, and there was just enough romance and suspense to keep the book moving along at a good pace. If you're one for historical fiction or just a good romance, this one is for you. 

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. This book was recommended to me by a coworker and is the true story of a young Hmong girl, her experience with American doctors, and the clash of two cultures. The young girl, Lia, was diagnosed with epilepsy at a very young age and was subsequently in and out of the hospital most of her life. In the Lia's Hmong culture, seizures were viewed as a holy experience in which she encountered gods and other spirits; essentially, her seizures were a privilege. Lia's doctors prescribed medications to stop her seizures, but her parents wouldn't give the medication as directed because seizures were seen as a good thing. This book details the drastic collision of cultures, and gave me a completely new perspective on providing culturally competent care. If you're in the medical profession, I can't recommend this book enough because it shows you how going the extra mile to understand a patient's culture will make a difference. In Lia's case, it was the difference between life and death.  

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan. This is a true story about the author, Susannah, and the month where she went mad. She went from a successful woman in her twenties to being completely delusional in a short time. The period of delusions lasted for well over a month, and the author remembers none of it. Through interviews with her doctors, family, and looking through her own medical records, Susannah recreates her story of diagnosis and recovery from a rare autoimmune disorder. I loved this book- it was fascinating, and the part I found the most interesting was that I had a patient with the same diagnosis as the author. Susannah's case was not diagnosed quickly and, as a result, spent three years before she was fully recovered. My patient was diagnosed within a week and was out of the hospital (completely normal and recovered) a week later. Even if you're not a medical person, this is a fascinating read. 

SOME FAVORITES

I'm so very thrilled for my blogger friend and her big news. 

The thought and post by a dear blogger friend about how we need to be more interruptible. Meaning that we need to slow down, and look for the opportunities to be Jesus to those around us. I know I'm guilty of always rushing around, and the thought of "being more interruptible" has stuck with me. 

We use credit cards, and I'm actually a big fan of them... IF (and that's a big if), you know how to use them right. My friend Amanda shared some great tips for using credit cards without going into debt.

By far my most popular and shared post ever was published this month. I wrote a letter to the parents of my patients and it was one of those posts that I wrote in just minutes. It's truly from the heart and something that I think about every day and wish all my patients' parents knew. 

How was your July? Is making decisions easy or hard for you? 

Project 12: June

Project 12 is a monthly recap of our lives where I talk about dates, notable events, and other fun things. June was another busy month full of lots of big events and fun! 

DATES

1. Pikes Peak- My parents were in town for Alex's graduation and the day after the graduation, we decided to drive up Pikes Peak. This is one of the few 14ers (mountains over 14,000 feet) that you can drive to the top of. We enjoyed the family time, loved the view, and saw a pregnant lady at the top not doing so well (all you preggos take note). My brother later educated us on how serious altitude sickness can really be (really serious), so it's a good thing to keep in mind if you're going to be headed to altitude this summer! 

{check out that dark cloud behind us! I'm glad we weren't hiking this time}

2. Camping! It's been rainy and chilly this summer but the later part of June things started to warm up so we decided to go camping. We were able to go with some of our best friends and we just had an absolute blast. We played spades and progressive rummy, fished, read books, relaxed, ate THE BEST PEACH COBBLER (see below), and shared our hearts around the campfire. Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was reading Scripture and discussing it around the campfire Sunday morning. I am so incredibly grateful for friends that encourage our walk with the Lord and are just plain fun to be around. 

{the lake where we went fishing}

{this girl is my sister from another mister}

{these guys are just the best}

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. ALEX GRADUATED!! My husband Alex has been in a radiology technologist program since he graduated with his bachelor's degree in 2013. It was a pretty rigorous two year long program that he enjoyed and learned a lot in. The only person more excited about his graduation than himself was ME. Now we're going to be two people working, have two incomes, and hardly know what to do with ourselves!

{so proud of him!}

2. I bought my first maxi dress! It's actually my first maxi anything (dress, skirt etc.). I've been so afraid of the stripes and the trend in general because I'm worried that it would make me look fat, but on a whim I bought a discounted maxi dress at Old Navy and I LOVE IT. I'm glad I listened to all you bloggers that encouraged me to take the leap because it is my favorite thing to wear now.

{please ignore the facial expression and fluorescent lighting. I had just woken

 up from after a night shift and was trying to keep my eyes open...literally}

DISCOVERIES

1. Yoga is the bomb.com. I think I've mentioned in an earlier post that I was really getting into yoga, but this month I took it to another level. I did the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge With Adrienne and LOVED it. It was a daily yoga sequence (that's right, every single day) that was so fun to do and complemented my running really well. If you're at all interested in yoga, either as a beginner or with some experience, I highly recommend you check out her Youtube channel. She has tons of videos and teaches in such a way that you don't feel bad about yourself. It's great! 

2. The BEST peach cobbler IN THE WORLD. My friend had a recipe to make one in a cast iron skillet over the fire while we were camping and let me tell you- best thing I've ever tasted in my whole life. We all just took forks to it and finished it off in 15 minutes. It was the easiest thing ever to make and I really want to try and recreate it at home! 

{we were drooling at this point... quite literally}

{we devoured it}

BOOKS & MOVIES

-Books-

10 Curses That Block the Blessing by Larry Huch. Okay, so despite the very televangelist-y title this book was awesome. It was recommended to me by some people at a healing service and I couldn't recommend it more. It examines 10 generational curses that may exist/have existed in your family including anger, jealousy, and gossip. The author then goes on to explain how this curse over our can affect our day to day lives and he ends each chapter with a prayer you can pray to break the generational curse. I don't feel like generational curses are addressed much in today's culture, but this book shows that there is a lot of Biblical references to them, and Satan is using them today to devastate lives. The author of the book is a former drug dealer who got saved but then was still struggling with the same issues over and over until the Lord gave him the revelation about a generational curse. He prayed about it, broke the curse, and it has made all the difference in the world for him. That to say, if you are repeatedly struggling with something despite all your best efforts to improve, this book may really help you! I highly recommend it! 

Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist. This book spoke straight to my heart and word of the year (update on how I'm doing with my word of the year is coming later this week!). It speaks of having a generous heart and open table and how so much of life is lived around food and a table. It did make me wish that I was a better cook/more into cooking because her dinner menus were amazing while mine is always one of three dishes depending on the weather. If you have a passion for creating community and/or opening up your home, I suggest you check this book out! 

Becoming Nursey by Kati Kleber. This is a book that was written directly to new nurses and goes through different aspects of the transition from student nurse to nurse. It's a really hard and stressful transition but one I've mostly gone through by the time I read this book. There is a lot of nuggets of wisdom in it though if you are in your first year nursing and it was a quick, fun read. 

-Movies- 

This month, I saw my first ever animated film in theaters. I'm not really into animated movies (*gasp*), and generally avoid them but "Inside Out" looked way too cute. I had just come off of my first string of night shifts and was absolutely exhausted and fell asleep during part of the middle of the movie. But other than that little mishap it was one of the cutest animated movies I've seen and I really enjoyed it. 

BY THE NUMBERS

Miles run: 16. This beats May's count of 9. My goal at this point is 6 miles a week which is virtually nothing, but for me is plenty. Since I'm on night shift right now I hardly ever wake up before it gets hot which means I'm running in the afternoon in the heat or rain. I'm not a hot weather runner and basically want to die after 2-3 miles in the heat... those of you that live and run in the heat- HOW DO YOU DO IT?? 

New recipes tried: 2. Some friends made this white chicken enchilada casserole when we went to their house and it was delicious. I gave it a shot this month and it turned out SO good! A repeat for sure! 

This ground turkey sweet potato skillet was alright. Basically tasted like ground turkey and sweet potatoes; in a nutshell- wasn't anything special. 

SOME FAVORITES

This post on how to break your conflict cycles in your marriage written by Lauren, my newly discovered favorite blogger! 

This book that has put a fire in my heart for the orphan and a closer relationship with Jesus. I'll write more in next month's project 12 post but this book talks about the rescue of a baby out of Uganda. By medical standards, the girl should not have lived but she did and this story is a testament to God's amazing power. If you're needing something inspirational and motivating, this is the book for you. 

I wrote about one of my core beliefs and how I'm able to do my type of job. Every day I remind myself that this is not the end of the story 

And a little bit more of a life update over coffee where I share my heart and what's really been going on behind the scenes of life. 

How was your June? Have you gone camping yet? How about jumped on the maxi dress/skirt train?