Hump Day

Haven't had a green smoothie in a while and thought I was due...I forgot how tasty these are!  I've tried several versions, but this one is by far my favorite.

Tropical Green Smoothie

1 frozen banana, sliced

1.5 C frozen fruit (I used the mango, peach, pineapple, strawberry blend)

1 C non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt

2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Enough water to get everything blended (I used about 1.5 C)

 

 Even Lon likes this one and he absolutely HATES pineapple (I know, crazy right?)  It does have a lot of fruit and some people might look at that as too much sugar, but I have to mow and trim the yard this morning so I need some energy (and motivation!).  Since our yard is one big slope from front to back that will be my workout today.

  Here's the latest harvest from our little tomatoes plants (which are wild and crazy now) we got as a housewarming gift.  They are super delish...especially the Sun Golds (orange cherry tomatoes). We finally have enough basil to make our own pesto, too.  Lon is the pesto pizza king and he makes his own crust!  One of our favorite meals.  Yummmmm....

  Well, I guess I need to finish this smoothie and get outside.  One of the one days we've had in a long time (and are going to have) without rain in the forecast. Where is Fall????  This humidity sucks.  Guess I'll appreciate my cooler, drier weather that much more when it gets here.  Happy Hump Day!

30/30 Hoop Challenge

Well, I started another challenge for myself. Beginning Friday, April 1st, I am challenging myself to hoop for at least 30 minutes for 30 days. So far, so good! Friday I worked my first 12-hr shift as a Nurse Tech (shadowing a nurse with multiple patients) so I did 15 minutes before work (to wake up and get some hoop-energy) and 15 minutes after I got home and showered (to relax and hoop the stress off). Yesterday was my Cool Tricks in Coolidge Park class...two hours of learning new tricks in 65 degree, sunny, breezy goodness! Even got my first sunburn of the year! :)

Lon met me down at the park, we had a picnic (a la Subway), walked all over downtown Chattanooga, checked out the Saturday River Market, wandered back to North Shore and popped in on some live music at a local brewery (out back, in the sunshine, of course!). Great day!!!

Today is gorgeous once again. Did some homework, made some super yummy pumpkin-oat-blueberry pancakes for breakfast, played with my hoop and we're heading out for a walk shortly. One more week until NO MORE HOMEWORK!!!!!

AND....just found out Friday I'm getting some sort of 'major award' (hope it's not one of those sexy leg lamps...I have no place for it!) The cool thing is the awards ceremony is on my birthday! (It's from school...Hats Off to Excellence Award Ceremony...sounds impressive, doesn't it?) So, I'll let you know what it is once I find out. Yay!

Here's to a fantastic week!

Bliss

[blis]

n.

1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy.

2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.

Phrasal Verb:

bliss out Slang

To go into a state of ecstasy.

I love Spring. Period. End of story. Fall is a close second, but the fresh air, birds chirping, new leaves and flowers, shaking off the cold/dullness of winter, opening the windows again, warm air, cool breezes...what's not to love? Oh yeah, the pollen (esp. here), but I'll deal with it. Totally worth the trade-off! This spring is especially exciting...why, you ask? You know me...I'll tell you!

Well, this spring not only am I graduating nursing school and starting a new career, I've also been taking hooping classes and am in LOVE with this new blissful activity! As I'm writing this, I only have 42 days (6 short weeks!!!) until RN Pinning/graduation. Ahhh...so close. The weather is gorgeous and life is good. In fact, it's so good that I signed up for another class. It was 'reward/celebration' for finishing my last clinical (on Tuesday...I'm done!) This class will be held in a beautiful city park on the TN River and is a two-hour workshop that is all tricks. How fun! The last class of my current March Hoop Dance Madness is tomorrow morning and the Cool Tricks in Coolidge Park is next Saturday. Perfect!

The benefits of hooping/hoop dance are numerous. I feel better. Lon has noticed that I'm standing straighter and using better posture. I feel amazing when I hoop and when I come home from class. My clothes are getting looser...yay! (Too bad I'm not a fan of shopping...I'll muddle through somehow.) I'm laughing and smiling more (and hopefully spreading that to others). It's such a huge stress reliever (even when I didn't know I was stressed!) It puts me in a good mood just talking/blogging/researching about it! Crazy, right?

Well, I hope you have something in your life that makes you feel, well, for lack of a better word...blissful. No wonder so many hoopers use that word in everyday life. That's what it does. Makes you feel blissful.

Plan for the day: Study for Test #4, walk in the park, hoop, study some more, maybe venture to the thrift store for some new duds, enjoy every minute as much as possible. :) That's a good list for a sunny Friday, right?

Test 2...done.

High on cold medicine is not my ideal way to take a test, but I feel pretty good about it. I'll find out how right (or wrong) I am in test review in about 30 minutes. The weather has been gorgeous lately and we've had our windows open for almost a week now. The power bill should be much kinder to us next month! Getting excited about what this spring is bringing. A hoop class, completion of a long-time-coming goal, a new career...and beautiful spring weather!!! Last year we didn't get a spring...went straight from winter to summer. Yuck. 2011...it's gonna be a great year! :)

(Later that same day...)Wa-hoo! I was right...had good reason to like that test. Made an A! Two more and the final...and then (dum da dum dum DUM!) The NCLEX.

Summer is officially over...

...as far as I'm concerned and I couldn't be happier. Well, I guess I could, but who couldn't once in a while. BUT...we've actually been able to turn the AC off and open the windows and doors! FINALLY! We did have to turn the air back on for a bit tonight, but at least the mornings are cooling off nicely. School starts Monday and I'm ready...very ready to get this ball rolling and done with. Nine months til the NCLEX! (RN Licensing Exam)
Lon is currently working on an exciting project and I'll let you know when it's a go. Good stuff, good stuff....And Paul is coming next weekend for a visit! Yippee!!! I love my little brothers and can't wait for Railer to come hang out with us! Hopefully we'll be able to head his way and check out NY before too long. I've never been to the NE (or the NW) and would love to see both.
Guess that's it for now. Just so happy the 100-degree weather has broken I don't know what else to say. Happy Friday!

Got the itch again!

No, not that kind of itch!!!! The open-road-itch. We've been doing a little too much 'research' on RV's, travel, RV parks, cities on our radar, (cooler) weather elsewhere, etc. Too much heat and humidity here. Butterflies about starting school after a 4-month break. The 'Bible Belt' has run its course with us...

Don't worry...we're not moving again...yet. Still have one more year in school (and on the lease). Then a year or two of working for experience. But after that...we're mobile! We still adore our cute little town of Chattanooga. And once the weather cools off a bit and we're able to enjoy the out-of-doors again, the 'itch' will settle down. But cabin fever, record high temps with no current end in sight, and stress about working less and studying more...well, they can get a girl ready to start fresh.

Enough of that...time to get ready for work. Oh! I did do something this weekend very unlike me...I finished a school project early! It's due sometime mid to late semester and I finished it yesterday...woo hoo! One less stress.
Happy Monday!

Weekly or Daily?

Congrats Colleen and Paul!!! Married 08/08/08...we love you guys!

See...my idea of posting regularly meant 'weekly updates'...but as you can see, that's not good enough for some people (Christine!). So...here's what I don't have to report: I was hoping to get my final grades, but that hasn't happened yet (yes, I'm impatient too which is why I'm responding to Little Miss Impatient's request!) I have not yet been down to AL for my girls' weekend with Mom (that's coming up next weekend). I haven't started my fall semester, so no college craziness to report. Hmmm....what I can report is that the humidity has broken for a few days so we've actually had some 'fall-like' temps in August! Awesome, but since both of us had to work the last few days, we've had yet to enjoy it (other than not sweating on the way to work). But I'll take it because it's so much better than summer temps year round...good luck FL...I hope you get a winter this year!
Well, I hope that appeases you for a few minutes...oh, and Christine...like my shirt? Recognize it? ha, ha, ha! :)
Oh yeah...and I'll post more frequently than once a week, okay? I promise.