How old do you think I am? OR You know you're old when...

I don't like being called ma'am. Especially from people who are at least 20 years older than I am. It makes me feel like my mother. Do I look like a ma'am to you? I don't have one gray hair. A patient's family member called me this today. If I'm going to be called something, I'd prefer the following (all of which I've been called):

Sugar
Darling
Honey
Sweetie
Cutie
Dear
Gingie

However, the above mentioned family member may have some insight into my life and have a right to call me old because I recently bought one of these:

 

In my defense, I made a New Years resolution to take my multivitamins daily again. I went and bought huge bottles of them at Costco and it is a pain to get the pills out of each bottle at night. So I separate my pills out once a week. Like my parents. Even though they're old, I'm not ready to be a ma'am.

A first for many

Last week was Restaurant Week in Columbus. Many of the pricier restaurants in Columbus offer a set price ($20-30) for an appetizer, entree and dessert. Since I love food, this is a great week for me. Chris expressed interest in going to Level, a restaurant/bar in the Short North and upon seeing a menu, several others wanted to go. We decided on Friday. Later in the week, Rauchelle informed us it was a gay bar. We still went.
11 Mormons went to the gay bar. 6 guys, 5 girls. It was a lot of fun. We sat upstairs where there were some couches and tables. The rest of the people at the restaurant was a mixed group so we didn't feel out of place.
It wasn't strange until we went to leave.
As we walked downstairs, Candace heard this:
"Here come the straight people."

Another guy heard this,
"He's definitely straight."

I walked downstairs. I've never walked into a room full of so many guys and known that they were probably checking out my guy friend and not me. Oh well.

As we gathered outside, one of the girls in the group asked Candace if she noticed that there were a lot of guys downstairs.
Candace: "Well, it is a gay bar."
Girl: "Oh, that explains a lot."

Anyways, a good time was had by all. I think. The food was delicious. And most of us experienced a gay bar for the first time.

 The night got off to a strange start with Bryce crawling across the table to eat humus from Alan

 

 

Their last night in town before leaving for South Africa for 5 weeks.

Because I love when people burst into "song" and dance AND Glee

Oh Glee, why are your songs so catchy? I'm glad the Italians love you too. Although their dancing isn't that great.



I like the little girl singing on her parent's shoulders.

2000-2009: A review

I'm too lazy to review year by year, so here is a general view, in mostly chronological order (I omitted repeats):

Moved out of my parents house
Drove across the country
Moved into dorms and shared a room
Started college
Had fun roommates
Picked a major
Moved into my first apartment
Met my sister for the first time
Pulled all-nighters 
Had crazy roommates
Fell in love
Studied a lot
Bought a car
Voted in my first presidential election
Worked as a night custodian
Skiied 28 times in one winter
Went skiing the day I learned I tore my ACL and needed surgery
Watched a movie in a cave
Became a TA for a professor
Drove across the country with someone I loved
Visited the Spam museum, Corn Palace and Mt Rushmore
Got the job I wanted in a research lab
Learned to use a Mac
Streaked lots of petri dishes
Saw best friends get married
Went on a church history trip with my extended family
Hiked a mountain
Did a Mormon pioneer trek
Had my heart broken
Went to Vegas but didn't gamble
Bought a tent
Visited all the national parks in Utah
Graduated
Got a job
Went to Disneyland
Saw the Pacific Ocean
Drove through a blizzard
Moved to a new city
Had a health scare with a parent
Went to Italy, Switzerland & France
Called in sick and visited England, Ireland & Scotland
Got promoted
Saw friends have babies
Had Lasik
Played a prank using 300 phonebooks
Rode an elephant in Thailand
Saw the skyscrapers of Hong Kong
Went to Walmart in China
Fell out of love
Got tired of my job and wanted a new career
Applied to nursing school
Moved to Ohio
Went through the Temple
Started nursing school
Jumped into rapids on a white water rafting trip
Learned to knit & crochet
Went to Punxsutawney, PA for Groundhogs Day
Graduated and passed boards
Got a job
Drove a stick shift van all over Portugal and Spain with 5 of my favorite people
Had monkeys attack our car in Gibraltar
Sat on a camel in Morocco
Got OSU season tickets
Repelled down waterfalls in Costa Rica
Had my first code blue at work
Visited ruins and picked up a stranger in Guatemala
Snorkled along the barrier reef in Belize
Watched a patient die
Feared I had a stalker
Saw a concentration camp in Germany
Did a Sound of Music tour in Austria
Visited our nations capital
Rode a bullet train in Japan
Learned to sew
Gained a roommate
Bought a plane ticket to Brazil, Argentina and Chile

Here's hoping I'll have another great decade!

2009 in review

Pounds lost: 5 (I think my parents scale is just very forgiving-or my invisalign diet is working!)

Countries visited: 5

Guatemala

 

Belize

 

Germany

Austria 

 Japan

Sewing projects completed: 1 (a "sleeping bag" for my trips-hotel sheets gross me out)

Marriage proposals: 3 (from patients at the hospital-I know, I'm a lucky girl)

New roommates: 2


I'm sure there's more, but I really only remember my trips. 


Plans for 2010: Learning to sew, Brazil and Argentina (so far).

My blonde moment of the year

My car is having issues and it is getting fixed up near my parent's house. I had to work today so last night I borrowed my mom's car to drive back to Columbus and was just going to drive back after work. I also had to bring back a large bookcase so it worked out that I took my mom's car as it would not have fit in my small car. And I had some Christmas presents to unload. I didn't bring much in terms or clothes, personal items etc with me, as I had stuff at my apartment, and I was going back to my parents in less than 24 hours. Anyway, so I left last night and drove through a small blizzard on the way down to Columbus. I unloaded the bookcase, dropped off some mail and headed home. It was around 10:30pm. I got out of the car and it was then that I realized...

I had no key to my apartment.

I had switched keys with my mom and never taken my apartment key off my key chain. I have given copies of my keys to friends, but unfortunately for me, they were all out of town. I was technically homeless for the night. I had brought a pair or clean scrubs with me, but that was about it. I hadn't even brought pajamas. I thought about calling into work, saying I was sick, and then just driving back to my parents. I then remembered one friend who might be in town. Luckily she answered her phone and was at her apartment. So I didn't have to sleep in my car. Hooray!

p.s. Thanks Milkadoll! You're a lifesaver!

To Whom It May Concern

Dear Fellow Airline Passengers,

I know that since the airlines have been charging to check bags, you've been trying to limit yourself to carry on bags only. Me too. Perhaps you've even learned how to pack less. Good for you. However, the airlines say one small piece of luggage and a "purse size" bag (aka one that fits under your feet). That doesn't mean two pieces of luggage, both of which you put in the overhead bins. If you're carrying two bags, put one under your seat. I'm sorry that you don't have any more leg room-it's coach, get used to it. Or don't bring the second bag. And don't put your heavy coat in the overhead bin so I can't even fit my small suitcase up there. Sit on your coat or use it as a Snuggie.

Sincerely,
Me

p.s. This experience makes me want to stick with international flights.

Brace Face OR An Expensive Diet

I got "braces" the other day. Invisalign to be exact. And because people have been asking, here's the reason: I have a gap between my two front teeth that was getting worse and putting weird angles between the other teeth (I'm a nurse, not a dentist, so I don't know the technical terms). I was always getting food stuck in them too, which is embarrassing. In fact, I'm pretty sure that my teeth is the only thing keeping me in the singles ward.
Anyway, I got Invisalign. On the top teeth only. The first couple days my teeth hurt quite a bit. Especially when I had to put it back in. You have to take the trays out and brush your teeth everytime you eat. And the more you take them in and out, the more it weakens the trays. Did I mention how much it hurts to put them back in? Who likes to brush their teeth more than 4 times a day? I don't. So now I only eat three meals a day. They have to be small, so I don't get too hungry too soon. No more snacking. The past two days at work I've had to turn down free food. Do you know how hard that is for me? I've never been on a diet before, but it feels like one now. And I had to pay a lot of money to be on it. Only 11.5 weeks to go...

And then there was heat.

I finally turned on the heat for good yesterday. That's right. I made it to December 5th.
How? I'm not sure. My apartment just hasn't been that cold. I've turned it on briefly when I've had friends over, but have always turned it off as soon as they left. And I had blankets that kept me warm. And I haven't been trying to save money for traveling, in case you were wondering.
Why did I finally decide to turn it on? Candace (my roommate) moved back from North Carolina and it seemed like the right thing to do.
So, welcome back, Candace. Thanks for preventing me from shivering for the next 3.5 months.

God Bless America

Where else could you get all of this:

3 printers
1 Play Station 3
2 BluRay players
3 PS3 games
15 DVDs
1 iPod speaker system
1 router
1 Paula Dean pots & pans set
2 Pyrex 20 piece sets
2 Crock Pots
2 hand mixers
1 mini chopper
4 towels
3 pairs of Express jeans
15 Wallflowers
1 cardigan

...for about $1000 in one day (in 8 hours, to be exact)?

5AM
Black Friday 2009
Walmart
Medina, OH

Our end haul