The Money We Couldn't Spend

Fifteen years ago, I lived in an apartment with my good friend Lisa.  We were both completing our Junior and Senior years of nursing school at the University of Iowa.  Conveniently, our boyfriends lived together in the same apartment complex just down the hall from us.

We have so many wonderful memories from those two years living together.  Since the day we met in our first college class she has been a dear friend of mine.  What is even more enjoyable is that whenever the four of us get together, it's always a great time.  I cherish our lasting friendship.

While we were living together, we collected our cans and deposited them, storing the money in a plastic zip-lock bag.  By the end of the two years, we had collected about $40-50.  We decided we would spend the money the next time we got together.  Then life happened.

Robert and Lisa got married, we got married and well, we moved away from each other.  That plastic bag of money stayed stashed in the console of Justin's truck.

We still got together every once in a while, both having season tickets to the Iowa football games we spent many games together, tailgating and cheering for the Hawks.  When we would get together in Oskaloosa or Des Moines, we never seemed to remember the money we had stashed away so it never got spent.

One particular tailgating experience, we were with the Nelson's and some of their friends from Oskaloosa.  After a few cocktails, we decided to order pizza from Wig and Pen, (delicious pizza by the way!), because we were tailgating across the street from the restaurant.  Justin called in the order and surprisingly we had the truck with us so decided to finally use the money we had been saving all those years.

He walked across the street to the restaurant and came back with two large pizza boxes, a grin on his face and ALL the money left in the zip-lock bag.

Apparently the pizza order was ready for "Dustin" when he got there but nobody came and actually collected money from him.  After waiting at the restaurant for a while, he just walked out.  (It's always a joke of ours that his second name is Dustin).   So we weren't able to spend the money that day. It went back into the truck console for another time.

Then Robert and Lisa started their family, followed a couple years later with Justin and I starting our family.  Then, life got busy.

We would still get together every few months, attending our little one's birthday parties, meeting each other at the Tulip Festival or just going out to dinner.  We never seemed to remember the money. It moved with us from Iowa City to North Liberty to Clive, (where we lived with  my aunt and uncle until we bought our first house).  Then it came with us to Urbandale, back to Clive, up to Ames and now Granger.

Last Summer the Nelsons moved into a beautiful house in Oskaloosa.  This house is perfect for them and I know they are very happy there. We ventured down for a day/night and remembered to bring the money along. We ordered pizza and finally used some of it as a "congrats on your new house" party.  We decided that after our house was completed they would come up so we could spend the rest of the money.

This past Saturday we finally made time to get together. It was a beautiful afternoon. We spent a ton of time at Jester Park which I love more and more each time we go there.  The kids were entertained on the playground for a while and then enjoyed the natural playscape before we decide to do a little hiking on the trails (we have never done this).  We may have gotten a little off the trail, (does that surprise you?), and Alena got a little poison ivy on her leg but it was a fun adventure.

For dinner we really wanted to do Texas Roadhouse but even at 4:30 PM the wait was nearly 2 hours (seriously!?), so we tried out a place my cousin raves about.  It doesn't have a great selection for kids but I loved the salad I got.  I was in such a hurry to get hydrocortisone cream for Alena's leg when we stopped at home that I forgot to grab the bag of money...

So the money remains.  I guess we will try to spend it again next time...

The 5 Kiddos

Whew, What A Week

It's been an emotional, crazy busy week; one of those weeks where you have no idea what day it is or what you are supposed to be doing but you keep trekking on.

Code Blue:  Every two years, I have to renew my CPR certification.  It's been years since I've had to utilize these skills but it's required for my job. When I was an ICU nurse, I was also ACLS certified meaning we learned what medications to push, when to shock a patient, and more advanced skills that we intervened with when needed.  I was involved in many Code Blue situations while working as a nurse, but surprisingly only performed chest compressions one time.  I can still remember exactly what room I was in...

Becoming a nurse practitioner, I doubted I would ever be involved in a Code Blue situation.  I was completely wrong.  Dialysis patients are fragile and since I've started this position nearly 6 years ago, we have had a handful of patients we have had to call 911 or code blue on.  I was never at the unit during these times however

Lat week, I happened to be walking out of the office heading to the dialysis center next door when I heard the Code Blue call over the intercom. I ran in and immediately saw chaos.  I quickly assessed the situation, realized my patient didn't have a pulse or was breathing and started chest compressions.  Thankfully the hospital has a Code Blue team so soon after that, about a dozen people ran into the unit to help assist with the code.  It took a good couple days for me to get those pictures out of my mind.  I would be OK if I never had to do that again.

Conference:  Alena had her second Kindergarten conference this week. Justin was quick to remind me we only have 24 more conferences to go...Her competitive nature has helped in her reading and she is enjoying it so much!

Passing Out:  A couple nights ago, I was away for a girl's night out and Justin was home with the kids. He wasn't feeling well so went to bed right after getting all the kids into bed and he was asleep when I got home.  Around midnight, he woke up and was sitting on the side of the bed. I am the lightest sleeper ever so I woke up right away.  He has a history of doing weird things in his sleep, (taking pictures off the wall, putting on clothes thinking it is morning, etc).  I figured he was having one of those moments and asked him what he was doing.  He mumbled something and I sort of giggled because he often talks nonsense during these moments too.  He mumbled again and I still didn't hear him. Finally for the third time, I understood "I don't feel good."  He said he was going to sit there for a bit so I laid back down.

I then felt him stand up and watched him stand in the doorway of the bathroom, with his hands on the door jam.  The next thing I know he is falling backwards. He clocked his head on our platform bed and was out cold!  After screaming at him, shaking his head and checking his pulse he finally came to.  Scary episode #2 of the week.  He is still experiencing concussion-like symptoms.

Freezer Meals:  I've always wanted to attend one of those freezer meal get togethers and had the chance to this week.  Over the past year, I've been getting together with a group of friends in Ames once a month.  Typically this involves cocktails, dinner and chit chat but this month we decided to do something different.  We met at a Hy-Vee in Ames and prepared 5 freezer meals.  The experience was much different than I thought it would be and I'm not sure I would do it again but the company was great and we did have a good time.

Joey:  I know many have been following this emotional story. I am so sad to hear of her passing but as Rory's post states, she is home and no longer suffering.  I cried many tears after one of his posts this week.  I love his writing and his photography and there is no doubt I will continue to follow his blog.

http://thislifeilive.com/a-dream-come-true/


MIA:  Our furry child is missing.  He sometimes gets outside but is always waiting on the deck for breakfast in the morning. He didn't show up this morning.  And he still hasn't appeared.  This is not good.  I'm not ready to have THAT discussion with my three kiddos yet.  (Milo, I'm sorry for all the times at yelled at you when you chewed up my flip flops, or scratched my woodwork, or pooped on the floor or dug your nails in my carpet.  Please come home!).

From doing chest compressions, watching your husband pass out, possibly having to tell your children their kitty is gone and a family member having surgery, I am ready for things to slow down.

Who is ready for next week?  Me!

Hearing

Can you imagine what it would be like if you couldn't hear?  You would miss out on those high-pitched giggles from your children, whispered sweet nothings from your spouse, and the joy of hearing your preschooler's first music concert.

I have two deaf dialysis patients, both whom I've gotten to know fairly well.  Lately I've realized what a challenging life they may lead, living in a world where technology and communication is developed for those without any hearing impairment.

Both of these patients lost their hearing when they were very young so living as hearing impaired is all they know. Ironically both are parents, and at least one spouse is also deaf.  Can you imagine not being able to hear your child crying?  How challenging would it be to sleep at night, knowing you wouldn't wake when your little one needed you?

They say that when you lose one sense, your other 4 senses kick in and make up for it.  Possibly they had a different sense that was stimulated when their little one was in need.

So many of us multi-task when talking to someone.  Being hearing impaired would be difficult because you would need to utilize your hands for communication.

One of my patients sends and receives text messages from friends that have videos of them signing messages.  She said this is her primary way of communicating with friends, along with text messages and emails.  I suppose this is an example where technology has possibly helped expanded her ability to communicate.

I primarily communicate with her by writing messages. I grab some paper, a pen, and start writing.  I always have to allot extra time for her as communicating this way takes twice as long.  She is able to read lips but has some difficulty with this.

I can't help but wonder that she is missing out on so much, not being able to hear the world around her.  Specifically, she is not able to listen to music. I find listening to music so enjoyable and I turn my radio or Pandora on whenever I have a chance.  However, I've read that the hearing impaired can feel the vibrations of music which still allows them to "hear" the music.  Beethoven was still able to compose music even as his hearing declined which again emphasizes the significance of our other senses.

Cochlear implants are becoming more and more popular.  I love watching videos of little ones after this surgery, when the implants are turned on and they hear their mother's voice for the first time.  What a joy to see what science can do.

https://youtu.be/ZDD7Ohs5tAk

These situations help me realize we cannot take our health for granted.  We should cherish our ability to hear the sweet voices of our children, the off-tune singing of our spouses, the welcome bark of our dogs, and alarms that sound to signal danger.  Our lives would be much different if we couldn't.

A Basketball Weekend

Last weekend was full of basketball.  We attended our first Woodward Granger sporting event when we headed to the girl's basketball game at the high school.  Alena had signed up for a dance clinic and performed at the halftime of the game.  She had a great time and it was cute watching all of the performances.  This was my first trip to Woodward.  It was weird sitting in the gymnasium thinking that this is where we may watch our children play sports.  I still love the small town feel of this school and we were able to mingle with our neighbors that live directly behind us during the game.

Saturday morning, Alena had her first basketball practice.  While I entertained two 3 year olds, I occasionally caught a glimpse of her working on different drills.  She was one of only 3 girls who went out for basketball and by far the tallest of all the kids.  I'm sure the other kids will catch up to her soon.

We went home quick for an early lunch and then headed to Ames for the Women's Iowa State basketball game.  Alena was chosen to be the Honorary Captain for the game which meant she needed to be there ahead of time to participate in some special things. She was able to be in the locker room with the team and coach, tour the training room and media room and get her picture on the big screen with her name announced. She was so excited and had a great time.  What a special day for her!

Media Room

Men's Locker Room

Clone Cone!

We ended the weekend by enjoying another sport, football, with a little Superbowl Party.  This was one of those weekends where I am exhausted come Sunday night but it was all worth it. We squeezed a ton in and everyone had a fabulous time.  I am ready for some outdoor activities though-come on Spring!

A few random pics of our adventures this winter:

Swimming at the "Pirate Pool" (We will definitely do this again next winter)

This boy refused to stand still for a picture...

She loves ice skating!

Picky Eaters

Dear Mom and Dad,

I apologize for every time I complained about what you made for dinner.  And for every time I said "yuck" when you placed my plate in front of me.  And for refusing to eat the meal you prepared for me.

Love,

Me

Karma stinks.  I know I was a picky eater when I was growing up and I'm sure my parents hated it!  I've heard my little ones complain about what I made for dinner many, many times and now I know exactly what my parents went through!

As I've gotten older I've tried more and more foods and love them. I can't help but think that maybe if I had just tried more when I was younger, I would have developed a palate for many more things.

Toddlers are picky eaters.  I know few toddlers who aren't and I think it's pretty normal.  I accept that I will have to deal with the pickiness.  What's even more challenging with my three kids, is they all have different palates.

I decided many years ago that I was not a short order cook.  I meal plan every week and what I make for dinner is what you eat.  The only exception is on left over night, when the kids can decide to eat left overs or choose something else, (usually PB and J or grilled cheese).  I always make sure that each child likes one component of the meal, whether it is the main dish, the vegetable or another side.

I have many go to recipes, some all my kids love, others one or two like, and a few that none of them care for, but Justin and I really like.  I also try new recipes all the time, listening to feed back from the family to determine if they are keepers or not.

There are some days my kids eat great and other days that are hit and miss. One week they may love something and hate it the next week.  They do understand that if they don't eat much for dinner and are hungry later, they will eat their dinner.  Some may think this is harsh but honestly it's helped my kids be a little more adventurous with trying different things, and many times once they do try something, they realize they actually like it.  We don't force food down their throats or make them finish their plates.  However, the words I can't stand hearing 15 minutes after the kids leave the table and Justin and I are finally finishing up the dishes are:  "I'm hungry!"

It helps that my kids are exposed to a lot of different foods at school.  They have all been great eaters at school.  It used to drive me nuts that A loved the broccoli that Chef Carlos made at school but she didn't like mine!  I secretly wanted to pull Carlos aside and ask him his secret to making broccoli my child would eat!  (Ironically a couple weeks ago I steamed broccoli and not one of my children wanted to try it-L used to be my "little tree" eater!  They all agreed to finally try it and they LOVED it!).

I love trying new foods and recipes and hope my little ones will continue to be excited about trying something new.  Most importantly, if I can incorporate them into helping me make meals, they are even more likely to try something they had a hand in making.  Hopefully their palates will continue to expand as they get older!

Phone Went A Swimmin'

So, today my phone decided to go swimming. She had tried to do this a few times before but never quite made it all the way in.  This time she slid right into the potty at TJ Maxx!

Now before you question why I was using my phone while going potty, I wasn't!  I had her safely stored in my winter coat pocket, but she somehow snuck out and before I could catch her she was diving in feet first.

I quickly rescued her, said a couple swear words, (I'm sure the person in the stall next to me wondered what was going on), and hurried out of the stall.  I was planning to stick her under the hand dryer but there wasn't one so I grabbed a couple paper towels, toweled her off and hurried out of the store.

I was scared to even look at my phone because I knew it was toast so I just turned it off.  I remembered hearing if you ever drop your iphone in water you should put it in a bag of rice to help absorb the water and hopefully save your phone. I drove to Wal-Mart and sprinted to the rice aisle.

I had a decision to make. I didn't know what kind of rice I needed to get:  brown rice, white rice, organic...I decided to go with the old standby and grabbed an 84 cent bag of white rice.  Definitely my cheapest trip to Wal-Mart ever!  What's even more funny is I did self check out and picked the machine that would only take credit cards so I now have an 84 cent charge on my credit card. Justin will love that.

I opened the rice in the parking lot, pouring half of it out, and shoved my phone in the bag.  The only problem was I didn't really know how long I needed to leave the phone in the rice.  Plus, dialysis units and my office use my phone to get a hold of me during the day so I couldn't leave it off the rest of the day.   Of course I had no idea what the phone numbers were to these units so I could tell them my phone wasn't working...Who memorizes phone numbers anymore?  And what phone would I use to call them with?  Dang, what did we do before cell phones?

So I went to plan B.  Since I was out near Jordan Creek I ventured to the Apple Store.  They told me it would be an hour wait so I was FORCED to shop for an hour while I waited for them to look at my phone.

Finally an hour was up and the friendly Apple employee went to work on my phone.  Ten minutes later he returned saying everything was working except my phone thought the headphones were plugged in so I couldn't hear anything unless the speaker was on.  Hmm, well at least it was functional but I wouldn't be able to have any private conversations.  He said the phone could be replaced for $299.  Since it was still functional, I wasn't ready to give up on it yet!  He recommended leaving it off and in rice for the rest of the day to see if that would help.

I hurried to my car and shoved it back in the bag of rice before heading back to work.  After a couple hours I decided to turn it back on.  It still wasn't functioning correctly.  While at a dialysis center I had searched online "my iPhone thinks the headphones are plugged in" and surprisingly had numerous recommendations on what to do to help it.  (What did we do before the Internet?)  One suggestion was to suck really hard on the headphone jack. I did this and wouldn't you know it, all my sounds came back on and my phone is as good as new.

Whew, I didn't want to have to listen to the wrath of Deb, our office manager, who would not be happy when I told her I needed to have my phone replaced!

Another thumbs up for this Apple product. I have always stood behind my iPhones and iPads and have never had any trouble with them.  This just shows that maybe they are indestructible.  We've had  our original iPad for 6+ years now without any issues.  Each child has dropped it a number of times yet it still keeps going.  Ironically, the screen did crack last month but no child is to blame for it (ahem, Justin).  A nice guy in Madrid repaired it for a decent price and it's back to working just fine.

Don't worry, I sanitized my phone with about 100 alcohol wipes :).  Sorry Apple guy, I didn't sanitize it before I handed it over to you.  Oops!

Our Rose Bowl Experience

We never expected to make two trips to Southern California in 2 months but we just couldn't pass up this opportunity.

5 years ago when we were vacationing with my family in California, we decided to get tickets to the Rose Bowl with my brother and his wife.  I doubted our Hawkeyes would ever make it to this prestigious bowl game so figured we might as well see a game here while we can.  We cheered on TCU and Wisconsin, taking in the amazing atmosphere.  Justin and I mentioned that if Iowa ever DID make it to the Rose Bowl, we would be there. 

We aren't spontaneous people.  In fact, many people would be annoyed at the degree of planners we are.  From planning our meals every week, to planning our weekend 6 days in advance, we like to know what's going on and hate NOT knowing what is going on!  So planning this trip in a few hours the day they announced the bowl games was way out of our element.  

Weeks leading up to the game we didn't mention to many people we were going, for a variety of reasons. I did chit chat with one of my dialysis patients who was part of the Hawkeye team in 1959 who won the Rose Bowl.  He is one of the oldest living NFL players, (and quite stubborn), but a joy to talk football with!  

I had serious buyers remorse for weeks as well.  I am such a saver and HATE spending money. I rarely buy something unless it is on sale and really dislike spending money on myself.  Talking to many friends and co-workers leading up to the trip helped me realize that this was a trip of a life time and you only live once, (or YOLO as my BFF would say!).  

I also felt horrible that we were leaving our kids again in the hands of the grandparents who were probably still recovering from the last time we ventured to California, (which was like 5 weeks ago!).

Many people made the trip to CA just for the game. We decided to make the most of it and spent 5 days in this sunny place.  We were so lucky to plan our flight when we did because it snowed the day before and the day after we flew out. We had no trouble with our travels but did have to sprint in the Dallas airport to catch our connecting flight.

Our fight to LA

We spent two nights with my cousin Sheila, her husband, Thomas, and their daughter Grace. Grace is a phenomenal swimmer, (we're talking Junior Olympic champion and possible 2020 Olympic hopeful!).  I have always wanted to watch her swim so we watched one of her practices the second night we were there.  Outdoor high school swimming pools are just not possible in the Midwest!  

Having family there was a bonus as Sheila could tell us exactly where to go and what to see.  Our first day we ventured to Malibu and after seeing a couple beaches, we had lunch at Malibu Seafood. I ate here when I was in 7th grade, (22 years ago). It was special being able to bring my husband here.  After seeing a couple more beaches we went to the Malibu Winery for wine tasting. This winery was adorable with tons of seating and great tasting wine. Many locals brought in their own picnic basket of little snacks to eat with their wine.

New Year's Eve day we headed to the Port of LA where the USS Iowa is.  This was an amazing experience.  We arrived shortly after it opened and quickly saw the line was a growing.  It would have been an hour and a half wait to get on the boat where we were in line.  Ironically, we spotted a neighbor from 98th Street who we were able to join in line.  Shortly after that we were touring the boat.  

Seeing this battleship was quite an experience and I easily would have waited an hour and a half to tour it.  I loved viewing the living conditions, where meals were prepared and eaten, and FDRs bathtub.  This had to be installed before his trip across the Atlantic to meet with Winston Churchill and Stalin.  However, I was most excited about meeting Ernie, a WWII Vet who was actually stationed on the USS Iowa during the war.  I have a special place in my heart for our WWII vets, and proudly shook his head after viewing his pictures and memorabilia from his time on the boat. 

New Year's Eve was spent in Marina Del Ray with one of my best friends and her husband-it felt like college all over again!  

We were up early on New Year's Day to head to downtown LA. We decided to take the metro to the stadium to avoid the game traffic.  Surprisingly with all of the driving we have done in CA recently, we never had traffic issues and we both felt pretty comfortable driving in this state.  However, with thousands of fans traveling to Pasadena, we didn't want to risk anything.  The train ride was smooth and it dropped us off right near the parade route. 

We didn't get tickets for the parade for numerous reasons but I wanted to see at least one float live so we watched for a few minutes, taking in the whole experience.  We then started our walk toward the stadium which took us through beautiful neighborhoods with stunning homes before seeing the stadium and the golf courses that surround it.  This is all quite a site, especially with the mountains in the background. I remember being blown away the first time I saw it and just as much the second time. 

Two other couples we knew and us decided to purchase the tailgate package to avoid having to find a grill/cooler, etc for a tailgate.  The tailgate was well organized with yummy food and great beer and wine.  Looking back, it was quite pricey but again, YOLO!  I also was able to participate in a game of Bubble Ball soccer, which was something that always looked like fun!

A few hours later it was time to head into the game. With the recent shooting at San Bernardino, security was increased so it took a little longer to get into the game. I was impatient and snuck ahead in the line, leaving Justin in the dust. I wasn't about to miss the kick off of this game!

Yeah, the game stunk.  Honestly, all Iowa had to do was cover #5 like white on rice but apparently they didn't practice that!  At least the Stanford fans were classy, (much unlike their band!). It was still amazing to be there watching OUR team at the most prestigious bowl game there is! 

Our final day in CA was spent exploring Hollywood and Southern CA beaches (Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan).  After walking along the boardwalk for an hour and a half, watching a beautiful sunset and eating sushi, we headed to the airport for our red eye flight home.  Lesson learned:  A red eye flight home when you have three little ones to care for is NOT a good idea!  We spent the rest of the week catching up on sleep! 

I love a fresh churro!

What I loved most about the trip was seeing Hawkeye fans everywhere we went:  Malibu, Marina Del Ray, Hollywood, and all the beaches.  There was always a sea of yellow and black wherever we traveled which made us feel a little at home.  What a fun trip!