kapachino

Category: personal

  • Friday Night

    This time last week I was sitting at a table in Methodist’s cafeteria, talking to some co-workers and getting ready to head to my hospital room for bed. A hurricane was making a straight shot for us.

    At this time in two weeks I will be married, soon to head to a hotel room at the airport, and then to Kauai from there (with stops in Dallas, LA, and Honolulu).

    But tonight I am lounging on the couch, exhausted after a busy day at work and hours of traffic, wasting the time I should be wedding planning on Geni.com and getting ready to head to my twin bed in my parents’ house to cuddle up with my dog, preparing for another weekend of work.

    Good night, everyone.

  • A-Z

    I got this meme quite awhile ago from Spring, and I’m using it not because I necessarily need some blog fodder, but because I so enjoyed reading her entry that I thought it would be fun. It’s taken me awhile to complete. Don’t get your expectations up, though, that doesn’t mean this is going to be good or anything.

    A: Attached or Single? I am very happily engaged. See that picture in my header? That’s David, my fiance.

    B: Best Friend? Becca Hoelscher. That’s her married name. I met her my freshman year of high school and followed her to Tabor College. We went to church together and also played soccer together both places. She lives in Wichita now, and I miss her all the time. Here we are together at the beginning of August, pre-baby:

    And now she has new little boy, Elijah James, born September 6. No pictures yet.

    C: Cake or pie? Cake, especially of the chocolate variety. I don’t really like pie, but I can tolerate a few bites. I don’t like the crust.

    D: Day of choice? By all accounts it should be Saturday, which has for a long time been my only day to sleep in. On Saturday there is still one more day off to look forward to. But oddly, I think I enjoy Sundays more. I love my church, and it just seems like more of a day to relax and be with family than to get errands done.

    E: Essential item? My FranklinCovey planning system. I think I would have a panic attack if I lost it.

    F: Favorite color? I love blues: Carolina blue, steel blue, Air Force blue, cobalt. I’m also really into sage green these days. At the hospital on Fridays we are allowed to wear any color of scrubs that we want, so I bought a pair that are light pink. I have had many people (all female!) tell me that it’s my color.

    G: Gummy bears or worms? I’m not a fruity candy eater, but given the choice I’d take the bears, because they’re cute.

    H: Hometown? Houston, and I will remain here indefinitely. (Side note: Please don’t talk bad about my city in my presence. I will take it personally, no matter how irrational that is.)

    I: Favorite Indulgence? Pedicures, or Dutch Chocolate Blue Bell ice cream, or maybe just letting Cleo lick my feet.

    J: January or July? July, because I hate being cold.

    K: Kids? Definitely, in ten months we’ll be expecting our first one. Just kidding, David!

    L: Life isn’t complete without? Jesus, love, family, and all that good stuff.

    M: Marriage date? October 3, 2008. Wow, that’s close. Deep breaths.

    N: Number of brothers and sisters? Two younger (and cooler) brothers.

    O: Oranges or apples? A good orange, I think. Or sliced red apples with caramel. But bananas top them all.

    P: Phobias? Live shrimp and roaches.

    Q: Quotes? Here are a few that I like.

    “We are prisoners of hope.” -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

    “At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.” -C.S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory”

    “The Mississippi’s mighty; it starts in Minnesota at a place that you can walk across with five steps down. I guess that’s how you started; like a pinprick to my heart. But at this point you rush right through me and I start to drown.” -Indigo Girls, “Ghost”

    R: Reasons to smile? I have the day off tomorrow. I’m getting married in a couple weeks to the man I love. My entire, wonderful family will be there. And also: “He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32

    S: Season of choice? Summer! I love the warmth and the laid-back atmosphere. But I like all the seasons, really, in their own way. Even winter, because of the cute clothes and my birthday.

    T: Tag 5 people? Anyone, but I’ll call out a few people for fun:
    MagsMac – I want to see more personal posts from you!
    David – Because that would just be awesome.
    Tabaitha – I think you’d have fun with this.
    Sarahthe – You always have something interesting to say.
    Megan Kline – Something has to tone down all that seriousness going down on your blog!

    U: Unknown fact? This is a tough one. Between my parents, my brothers, and my fiance, most things about me are known. But here is one: I like to sleep with my fingers stuck in my eyes. Kind of in the corners. I have no idea why, but it is comforting.

    V: Vegetable? I dislike them. Do potatos count? Alright fine, broccoli. With lots of cheese.

    W: Worst habit? It’s STILL texting and reading while I drive. That New Year’s resolution didn’t last, so I’ll probably re-resolve it next year.

    X: X-ray or ultrasound? Never had an ultrasound, so I guess I can’t answer this question. Clinically, they view very different things.

    Y: Your favorite food? That’s so hard because I love food. I’ll go ahead and say cereal, or quesadillas, or fried rice, or chicken cordon bleu. Is it cheating to pick more than one?

    Z: Zodiac sign? Aquarius. I didn’t know anything about it so I looked it up on astrology.com. Apparently I’m a humanitarian, self-directed, organized, mentally active, loyal, and appear “aloof and detached [but] inwardly sensitive and caring.” I’m with them on those…but I’m also supposed to have a “cheeky attitude,” be a vigorous, zesty individual, thriving on the unexpected, harmlessly “mad,” and I also have “rigid opinions.” Well, so much for astrology.

  • Seeking Beauty Advice

    If you have gotten married recently, or if you’re just really good with makeup, I’d like your help please. I’m not sure what to do about makeup for my wedding.

    First, let me tell you what I do now:

    Face: after washing my face and moisturizing, I apply a translucent powder and light foundation to my T-zone, just to even out my complexion. I have this blush by Nars in the shade of “Madly,” but I usually only put it on for special occasions.

    Eyes: I use a primer by Benefit called F.Y. Eye, then use this duo eyeshadow by Nars in the shade of “All About Eve.” It’s very natural looking. I apply the matte shade all over the lid, and the shimmery one to the corners. Then I add mascara.

    Lips: Mary Kay’s Satin Lips, or just chapstick.

    The whole look is very natural and subtle. Take this recent conversation between David and me:

    David: You look different today. What is it?
    Me: I’m not wearing makeup.
    David: Oh yeah, that’s it.
    Me: I’m going to look like this sometimes. You know that, right? Do you still think I’m pretty?
    David: I couldn’t even tell what it was that was missing! You always look the prettiest.
    Me: OK, thank you.

    David hasn’t asked for many things regarding the wedding, but one thing he has mentioned several times regarding my appearance is that he wants me to look like myself. The other week I went in to the spa and had a facial (because I’ve always wanted one and figured this was a good time to treat myself – and yes, it was very nice but I’d take a pedicure any day over another one of these) and while I was there I had a cosmetic application to see what I would look like if I had my makeup professionally done. Outcome: I looked fake. Did not like it at all. So, I’ll be doing my own makeup thank you very much.

    Any recommendations? If you’re married, what did you do for your wedding?

  • My First Hurricane

    When I was younger and I first learned that my mom had lived through a hurricane, I was in awe. I couldn’t believe she had survived. I think that in my mind, hurricanes were more like massive tornados.

    Nowadays, we have hurricanes in the gulf like every other week. If one comes our way, to most people my age it is an excuse to get off work and have a hurricane party. Unfortunately, if you work in a hospital that is not the case.

    I’m a member of the “ride-out” team on my unit, which meant that when I went to work on Friday, I packed a suitcase and wasn’t allowed to leave. I was told that I had to work a 12-hour shift, which I am not used to. Ordinarily, around 3:30 p.m. I would have been leaving the hospital for a weekend’s break (considering I worked last weekend and have to work next weekend). Around 4:30 p.m., still working, I said offhand, “Whew. Now I remember why I don’t work 12-hour shifts.” The 60-something year-old nurse walking by then asked me, “And how old are you? Honey, suck it up. I’m at least 30 years older than you!” Another lady walking by said, “They just don’t make ’em like they used to.” When I mentioned this exchange to David, he said, “Did you tell them, ‘You don’t understand, I get tired a lot?’” I think he was making fun of me too. Whatever.

    I made it through my shift, then went down to the cafeteria to eat with some of my fellow nurses (including the 60-something year-old nurse who I’m really quite fond of and calls herself the grandma). It was during this meal that I was enlightened to a whole lot of unit gossip and history that I was unaware of. Stuff that I will NEVER share with the internet, no matter how interesting it is.

    I was pretty much beat after dinner, so I headed to bed. I was lucky that I actually had a bed to sleep in. I shared an unoccupied hospital room with another nurse from my unit:

    We just got new mattresses on the beds, too. I had felt them with my hand and they felt pretty nice, but let me tell you that sleeping on them was a different story.

    There were exactly two positive things about sleeping at the hospital: 1) I got paid for the entire time I was there, and 2) the commute was significantly easier than usual. In the morning I took a measly shower, threw my hair up in a wet bun, and walked down the hall to begin what I thought would be another long shift.

    I was starting to go crazy being trapped in that place, and I really didn’t want to stay another night there. Thankfully, someone from the recovery team was able to make it in. I gave everyone my biggest puppy dog eyes and made noises about how this was already my 5th day to work, and I’m getting married in three weeks and have a lot of work to do, blah blah blah, and they let me go home! Of course, the precondition to that was that I promised to come back for my regular shift on Monday.

    Main Street, right outside the medical center, on my drive home:

    I drove straight to David’s house, where his whole family and some friends were gathered because his was the only house in the area with power. I collapsed on the couch. After dinner, back on the couch, I was falling asleep and David made me decided I should go home before dark. At home, I went straight to my bed around 8:30 p.m., and slept hard for about 11 hours. I feel so much better today.

    Apparently it stormed pretty bad last night. I thought the worst was over, but this morning our streets were flooded and we discovered more leaks in our roof. We took a walk after things started to get better.

    The view from our front yard, after the water began to recede:

    Cleo and I on our rain walk:

    So I’m just hanging out today, wondering if I’ll even be able to make it to work in the morning. I’m hoping not, due to the flooding and the curfew, but I’m not getting my hopes up. My thoughts on the whole ordeal? Hurricanes are not fun, and I hope this is our last one for a long time.

  • I Don’t Like Ike

    Not only did I have to cancel my bridal shower for Saturday morning along with other appointments regarding wedding planning (which is kind of a big deal when it’s only three weeks away and I work next weekend), but I will also probably be stuck up at work on Friday night by the looks of it. I’m on the “ride out” team at work, so I have to pack some clothes when I come tomorrow and, if things are bad outside, stay here until someone can come relieve me. The ONLY good thing about this is that I will get paid overtime. Totally NOT WORTH IT.

    Here’s hoping that Ike leaves us alone.