Annoyingly, upbeat-happy again.

Dare I say it?  Life feels good again.  After a bout of not knowing what to do, second-guessing my decisions, being quite poor, and feeling all around sorry for myself, well I sort of feel normal again.  Like whistling, singing, being annoyingly upbeat-happy again.  Glory hallelujah!

The job is going great.  I'm working full-time, which sounds quite corny to be grateful for, but man - it feels good to be busy again.  And on top of that, I'm working days AND doing my intended job - being a horsey nurse!  WOOT!  I'm being trained in anesthesia right now.  I have quite a bit of experience in small animal anesthesia, but horses are a whole different game.  I spent yesterday running my second case by myself.  I sweated and cussed, but I'm very happy to report that I did not crap my pants, as I usually feel like doing.  I'm not quite sure what's more nerve-wracking than a 1300-pound horse waking up and rolling off the table in the middle of surgery...  Please dear Lord, don't EVER let that happen to me!  But, I'm getting better and more confident, and dammit I'm gonna keep knocking horses out!

As I reported last week, my Mudda was here for the weekend.  It was so good to have her here.  I miss home like crazy.  I know I say that a lot.  Just so you know...I will continue to do so.  My brother and dad are at Deer Camp this week.  I can't think of it because that seriously makes me want to cry.  Some of the best times of my life have been hiking around the woods with my dad, looking for deer.  Or riding on the back of a tailgate with my brother, looking at the mountain changing colors.  And lest we not forget unforgettable (drunken) campfires and stories!  NEXT YEAR I WILL BE THERE!  And I literally just got a text from my brother - HE GOT A DEER!  I'm going home in November for a long weekend and there will be DEER JERKY!  WOOT!

So that's all I have for this random blog post today.  I never title my posts until I finish them.  I figure the title will come to me then.  I feel like naming this one, "Hodge-podge" or "Nothing substantial to blog about but I know you all get pissy when I don't blog so here you go!"

I love you, my five followers.  And looky - I have pictures for you!  xoxoxAC

The Coast.

More Coast.  It's delightful.

The Mudda and I at Cannon Beach in front of Haystack Rock.

Pretty...rocks.  I think.

Patrick!  Sadly, we did not see SpongeBob.

And lastly, Fall is just about here.  Bring.  It.



Mom's Here!

My mudda is here.  In Oregon.  Right now.  ------>  YAY!

I brought my mom to my favorite little coffee shop in Oregon.  She's reading her Kindle and I'm typa-typing on my laptop.  Yesterday I drug her up the Oregon Coast.  It was fun and beautiful and just...wonderful.  We spent most of the day on the beach with our jeans rolled up, walking in the salty water.  The sun was out and it was pretty warm with a decent breeze.  It was a good day.  We finished up with some super delicious seafood...crab cakes and stuffed salmon.  And a beer for me.  Man, wheel me home in a wheelbarrow because I was a stuffed, happy girl last night.

I'm already dreading saying goodbye to her tomorrow.  I do that - think and plan ahead.  Dread and plan ahead?  Going home or having my family/friends come see me is great, but it reminds me of how much I miss all things home.  I've fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest and things have gotten easier, but home is home.  I miss it.

I have pictures of The Coast but I hadn't really planned on blogging today so I'm unprepared.  I'll make it happen this week, though.  And tell y'all about my job.  It's going good.  I'm feel like the clouds have parted and I'm getting back to that annoying, happy girl again.  Yesss!

Gotta go.  MOM'S HERE!

Decision. Made.

I made a decision.  All by myself - just like a big girl!  I am staying put.  For now.  I never wanted to truly leave the horse hospital.  I wanted to make it work since it was what I had pushed so hard to obtain in the first place.  And dammit if I'm not gonna make it work!  I ain't skeered!

I'll no doubt continue to butt heads and bitch about the doctor, but that sort of comes with the business.  Honestly, I respect him.  And all the others.  It takes a lot of schooling to get there.  And what do you get?  Craptacular hours, sick animals that don't understand and can't communicate, know-it-all clients, and sassy, smart-mouth nurses that push your buttons.  Of course I'm not one of those sassy, smart-mouths.  Nope.  Not me.

Thank you to everyone that emailed, texted, or phoned in your opinions.  Bless your hearts for caring so much about me.

I won't let us down.

Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezy

I miss easy.  Just like everyone else, I miss those days when my parents just told me what to do.  "Eat your peas."  "Don't touch the car."  "Stop hitting your brother.  He was adopted."  Okay that last one was a joke.  I never hit my wittle baby brother!

I'm faced with tough decisions about work right now.  I've worked so hard the last couple years to build something great that it's basically what my world centers around right now.  So when it's not going as planned, or I'm given options...well, I panic.  Me?  Overreact?  Whaaaat?!  HAHA!  Yeah, yeah...I overreact.  I know I do.  I just chalk it up to being passionate and really caring about something good.  Or at least that's how I justify calling my mother five times a day and freaking out.  I love you, Mudda.  And dammit, Dad!  You're retired!  Why don't you ever answer my phone calls?!

I found another job at a small animal hospital.  I wasn't getting the hours I needed at the horse hospital, and it was a little rocky from the start.  The new place is a super-duper high tech, state-of-the-art specialty surgical center.  It's stability, benefits, a tiny bit more money, organization...  Sigh.  Everything I could want in a job, right?  Hmmm.  So I turned in my notice at the horse hospital.  They asked me to stay and try to better my schedule, but I felt like I should make the safe decision this time and move on in two weeks.  Then last night I get called into an emergency horsey surgery (my FIRST!).  It's crazy, frantic, there is blood everywhere, I'm dripping sweat from running around, the obscenities are flinging...and man on man, it is AWESOME.  I leave at 4 AM laughing at the absurdity that is my life and fall asleep hard.  When I wake up this morning, I have a message from my surgeon to call him.  I panic, wondering how I messed up last night.  But instead, I call and am told that the main tech is leaving the hospital and I am wanted.  I'm wanted!  I impressed last night.  I have the makings to be an amazing nurse.  I'll get guaranteed, full-time work.  I'll be utilized.  "Adrienne, I want you to take over and be my right hand..."

And cue, "What the hell am I supposed to do with my life?"  Ever since I started this journey, I knew I wanted to work with horses.  I knew it.  Aside from loving them my entire life, the medicine is tricky.  I find it much harder and trying than small animal medicine.  But, I loved the small animal side too...  I feel lucky that at least I have options right now.  I know how fortunate I am to even have a job, but man...I just want easy for bit.  Just a while!  Mom and Dad, tell me what to do!!!

So here I am.  Sitting at Starbucks.  Wondering what to do, where to go, who I should be.  Decisions, decisions.  And to think yesterday I was wondering if I should eat pasta or not.  HA!  Aside from that fun, I went home for a long weekend.  It was glorious.  I went and explored Portland a bit last weekend.  It was glorious.  And my mom will be here a little over a week to visit and witness the fun that is my life right now.  It shall be glorious.

I'm sorry for not updating my blog more often.  It's not that I don't think about it and feel guilty, but I still basically hate writing unless it's about happy, funny stuff with strawberries and unicorns and things.  I mean who doesn't love that stuff?!  Either way, I'll talk about my decision on here shortly...if my head doesn't explode first.  Good times!

Love ya'll.

xoxoxAC

HOME!

I'm going home TOMORROW!  Tomorrow, tomorroooow, I love ya, tomorrooooow!  It's only a daaay awaaaaaay!  And that was my best "Annie" impression.  TA-DAH!

Yep!  Flying home tomorrow!  Cannot even express how excited I am.  I can't wait to hug my family and friends.  I'm pretty sure I'm gonna cry.  Then I'm gonna sit down on the ground and hug my big Pinner Buddies and yell at El Gato Loco.  Afterwards, I'm going to drink some homemade beer, consume loads of red meat (that someone else cooks!), and just relax.  It's going to be great!  I'm already dreading that it's only going to be four days...

So that's my news.  I have more culinary creations to share like pesto eggs with avocado, and chicken pesto pizza with spinach and mushrooms, but I have to go.  I have to go pack.  Because I'm going home.  HOME!

xoxoxAC

Just Food

In as many ways that Oregon has been hard for me, it's also been very good to me.  Oregon is a funny place.  There are dreadlocked-hippies constantly hitchhiking along the freeway (which is totally legal here, mind you), a certain tolerance (eh...and promotion?) of marijuana, and an affinity for recycling that borders on obsession.  And that's a pretty short list of the oddities that I've encountered here.  I'll spare you my thoughts on the transportation system.  I'm not sure I could get through that rant without smacking my palm against my forehead multiple times.

One thing that is easy here?  Living a health lifestyle.  With Whole Foods and Trader Joe's on every corner, Fred Meyers that carry bulk beans, rice, and lentils along with all things organic, and an insanely aesthetically pleasing landscape that you can't NOT explore...well, living healthy has never been so simple.

I tend to cook pretty healthy for myself, but I've taken it to whole new levels here.  I'm even cooking VEGAN MEALS.  What?!  Yes, this red meat-eating, Bud Light-drinking redneck chick has been branching out.  I still eat meat, but usually just chicken.  And that's pretty rare even.  My diet mostly consists of fresh produce, rice and beans these days.  It's been good for me.  And I always loved creating and using colorful, pretty food.  Oregon has just made that super simple for me.

So here are two pictures of my latest culinary creation.  Lime chicken tacos with spicy chipotle sauce.

All organic.

And all delicious.

I marinaded the chicken, and made the chipotle from scratch.  The only two seasonings I have in my kitchen right now?  Salt and pepper.  I haven't had mayo, ketchup, mustard, butter, or anything of the sorts since I moved here.  I know!  What's happening to me?!  I've decided to try and embrace this crazy notion of enjoying food.  Just food.  So far, so good.

Don't think that I've completely changed my ways, though.  To say that I won't be dining on my family's BEEF and enjoying some homemade beer when I go home next week would be the understatement of the century!

Current Digs

I happen to think this post is going to be super boring.  Basically I have some pictures of where I'm living at the moment.  I think my mom will like it, though.  Because moms like this kind of stuff.  "Oh!  Baby's house is so cute!"  I imagine her saying that while clapping.  Love you, Mudda.

Behold!  The entrance!

Behold!  The kitchen!

What?!  A room that nobody uses!  Complete with dusty floor!

Wonders upon wonders!  A messy bedroom!

Behold!  Another shot of the messy bedroom!

I really do like where I live.  The house is only about eight years old, but it was designed to look about a 100 years old.  This includes antique shower faucets and door handles that you have to jiggle, lift, and swear at to get to work.  Good times, good times.