First Day

Today was my first day of class of the Spring semester. I started off the day by going to the hospital in Radford that I'll be doing clinicals in this semester for OB. We had a 2 hour orientation of the documentation program that they use. There was a lot of information to get to know, but it was also really cool how much information will be right at my fingertips on each patient. After that my teacher took us on a little tour of the birthing wing of the hospital. Then I had to go to school to do a checkoff (catheters). Not too fun, but I'm glad it's over with! Tomorrow I'll have an actual day of "class."

I made Minestrone Soup last night. It's really good and very healthy. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions (2 small)
1 cup diced celery (2 medium stalks)
1 cup diced carrots (2 medium)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or thyme leaves
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 cups undrained Progresso® diced tomatoes (half of a 28-oz can)
4 cups diced green or yellow zucchini (5 small)
1 cup uncooked tubetti pasta or other small tube pasta (4 oz)
2 cartons (32 oz each) Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In 6-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until garlic begins to brown. Stir in onions, celery and carrots; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
Stir in rosemary, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, pasta and broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat.
Cover; simmer about 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with cheese.
10 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each)

New recipe and 6 miles

Last night I tried a new recipe, basic beef stew with carrots and mushrooms. It turned out really well. I did leave out the mushrooms because I don't like them and added some turnips instead. If you're interested in trying it, here's the link: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1142004

This morning, Sarah, Nicki, and I ran 6 miles on the Huckleberry; another milestone for me and Nicki. I hope to be able to increase a mile each week to be prepared for the Blacksburg Classic on February 20th.

Yay matching curtain!

I have been trying to find a shower curtain to match my bathroom walls. The walls are lilac and everything else in the bath is ivory. So I needed something purpley to spice things up a bit. Apparently no one makes purple shower curtain or at least none that aren't hideous. So after much searching, I decided to make my own. Now the only question that remains is, do I make a matching curtain for the window in there?

Last week, I finished puzzle number 2. Within the hour, Gizmo and Alice had knocked it off the table and were playing with the pieces. Oh well; at least I got to finish it.

Last Tuesday, on the way home from Sarah's Tuesday morning prayer gathering, I got rear-ended. Nothing too terrible but mostly an inconvenience and my neck was little sore for a few days.

The cardio and aerobics class I signed up for the rec center has been going well. I really like that it involves weights; I've always been a big fan of lifting, but it's kinda hard to motivate yourself to do it at home. Today I ran 5 miles with Sarah and Nicki. Sarah is trying to get me to run the Blacksburg Classic (10 miles) February 20. I wasn't sure if I would be up to the challenge, but today's 5 miles really didn't feel too bad. So I'll see and make a decision soon.

This weekend, Justin and I went to visit his family in Mechanicsville. We had a scrumptious meal as always at Maggiano's on Friday night. Saturday I got to meet up with one of my friends/roomates from college who now lives in Richmond, Natalie over lunch and (a little) shopping. I miss her a lot; wish she had chosen Roanoke instead of Richmond but I know it's a good fit for her.

A week from today I head back to school. I'm not sure if I'm ready for all of the craziness just yet but I'm definitely ready to get another semester over with so I guess that means I need to actually start the semester...

So I still have about 2 weeks off until class starts up again. I went to class briefly on Thursday to do my check off for restraining someone and have been reading (some of) my assignments for the coming semester. I’m taking 4 classes this spring: Anatomy & Physiology part II plus lab, Essentials of Maternal/OB Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, and Health Assessment for a total of 14 credits; much better than the 17 last semester. I’ll be keeping you posted throughout the semester on how it’s going and what I’m learning.

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to keep myself from being too bored by reading, doing puzzles, cooking, exercising, and hopefully not too much Facebook. Speaking of exercising, I’ve signed up for a class at the local rec center. It’s a cardio + weight lifting class, an hour long, twice a week starting Tuesday. Hopefully I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew. But I'll keep you posted as well on how that is going. For now, I just have to say, Happy birthday Justin!






Puzzle #1

10 things for 2010

Many people make a New Year's Resolution on this day every year, but instead I have come up with a list of 10 goals for this year. I am counting on you all to help me! (Especially #10)

1. Run in at least 1 race.
2. Work out 3x a week
3. Visit my sister, wherever she is.
4. Visit Amanda in Boston.
5. Blog at least twice a month.
6. Go to Rehoboth beach with Sarah.
7. Read 10 fun books.
8. Try one new recipe a month.
9. Take Public Speaking :/
10. Stop biting my nails!