45 things I feel I should tell.

Is it sad that I was so exhausted yesterday morning and didn't even remember that I posted a blog?

Oopsies.

For now I'm going to do something that is totally out of my realm....A questionnaire.  I'm 14 years old all over again.

1. What was your favorite food when you were a child? Spaghetti and more spaghetti.  Any kind, anytime...Well, especially my Grandma's, she is the absolute best at cooking.  Oh and if garlic is considered a food then that is a tie. (it is still the same today)
2. What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod? I'm so embarrassed about this but I'll be honest (and this playlist has been going on since college) -- "Use Your Love" by Katy Perry.  And I hate Katy Perry.
3. What is one of your favorite quotes? "When you love people and have the desire to make a profound, positive impact upon the world, then you will have accomplished the meaning to live." - Sasha Azevedo. This quote makes me so happy.
4. What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? Indoor activity, trying new foods.  Outdoor activity, bonfires on a beautiful night, cliff jumping, boating on the lake...
5. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?  Cleaning my room....Putting away clean laundry.
6. What is your favorite form of exercise? Walking/hiking through beautiful areas...Makes you appreciate the beauty in this world that we are so lucky to have.
7. What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?  Time of day - Afternoon, anything can happen.  Day of week: Saturday I guess -  Doesn't make a difference though when you're a nurse.  Month: April.  My birthday month and spring is such a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively).
8. What’s your least favorite mode of transportation?  Bus, I guess.  Too many weirdos.
9. What is your favorite body part? Do eyes count as a body part?
10. What sound do you love?  Rain.  And it also happens to be my favorite smell.

1. If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for? A party to celebrate life.  Good friends, good food and no craziness (well,  maybe a little)
2. If you could paint a picture of any scenery you’ve seen before, what would you paint?  If I were creative (in my dreams) it would be the gorges in Watkins Glen.  Waterfalls, rocks, streams that feel like they are going on for forever...I just can't even explain in words.
3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?  22?  Cliche.
4. If you knew the world was ending in 2012, what would you do differently?  Well, it didn't end.  And I wouldn't have done anything different..But I would have loved to have a child by then....Just because, if the world would end I'd want to get married and create offspring on this earth.
5. If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor? Anne Frank? Wisdom beyond her years.
6. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be? Anytime in the 1950's....
7. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?  How to sew.  I've wanted to learn for so long.  I'd also love to learn anything historical, and I mean anything.
8. If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be?  I guess the cure for cancer?
9. If you were immortal for a day, what would you do?  I guess what I'm doing now.
10. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?  I love the name Natalie because it's my grandma's name.  But Amy is my other grandmother's name so I'll keep it.
11. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you meet?  Anne Frank.  I'm sorry, but I love her.
12. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Invest for my children's future.
13. If you were reincarnated as an animal/drink/ice cream flavor, what would it be?  Animal - Dog, a Vizsla.  Drink, water.  Ice cream - Mint chocolate chip.
14. If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?  What's my future going to be like? 
15. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?  The little girl from "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn".

1. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?  Eliza Dushku.  Look her up.
2. What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom and wife.
3. When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?  Sadly, probably facebook stalking.
4. What would you name the autobiography of your life?  "It Goes On".
5. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?  Way too many.  And I'm too embarrassed to include the number one that came to my head.

1. Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad but it turned out to be for the best?  The breaking off of my engagement.  A blessing in disguise, a bullet dodged.
2. What was one of the best parties you’ve ever been to?  Any party that I threw in high school.
3. What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry or tear up?  "The Other Sister"....It hits home now that I'm working with kids with cancer.
4. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?  I guess deciding to move back to Utah.
5. What was the last experience that made you a stronger person?  Again, the breaking off of my engagement. 
6. What did you do growing up that got you into trouble?  I never got in trouble for it, but partying a lot in high school and throwing parties.  Oops.
7. When was the last time you had an amazing meal?  Way too hard to pick...I eat out so much and every meal is heavenly in my eyes.
8. What’s the best/worst gift you’ve ever given/received?  Best, something personal - a video made for me that included vids and slide shows.  Worst gift- A book that I hated and vitamins.
9. What do you miss most about being a kid?  Innocence, not having a job to tie me down...
10. What is your first memory of being really excited?  Christmas when I was 4 and I hit my sister with a snow shovel because she was about to open my fake laundry machine box.
11. What was the first thing you bought with your own money?  A down payment on my apartment and a mattress... It made me feel really grown up.
12. When was the last time you were nervous? Everyday of my life...But a couple of weeks ago, I had to call a rapid response on my patient.  Really scary.
13. What is something you learned in the last week?  I can be smitten again.
14. What story does your family always tell about you?  That I'm a nurse that works with kids with cancer.
15. At what age did you become an adult?  22 - I was kind of forced into it.

Actually, this was 45 questions in total...But there you have it.

Delirious.

Just felt the urge to say to my two readers,

Hi, hello, I am alive....

I just got done with work and it is now 8:37 am.

Sometimes work can be crazy..Sometimes it can be really slow.  Sometimes it can be silly, and sometimes it can be sad.  Last night, it was slow silly and sad.  

And as you can probably gather from this post, I am delirious at this point from exhaustion.

Las Vegas took its toll on Cassie and I.  

But, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so there's nothing I can really tell you.

Just kidding, I'll tell you sometime soon when I am less out of it.

For now, here Cassie and I are pre-sunburn.

For now, goodnight for me/good day to all.

Lucky. Matt and Ali.

I think I post a lot about missing home, but sometimes it's inevitable.

My vacation request to go home for my brother's high school graduation got denied, and I cannot even fathom missing his graduation.

I'm going to try so hard to find a way, but it makes me really sad thinking I could possibly miss it.

Being a grown up sucks sometimes.

My little brother is one of my best friends.  I'm sure I've said it before, but having an 18 year old brother that still says "I love you" on the phone to his big sister, and wants to hang out with me and watch Teen Nick shows during his summer break makes me one lucky girl.

Matt is really one of my role models.  Thankfully I can say I look up to him (physically) but I really do look up to him in every aspect possible.  

Back in the day.

I am so proud of him for growing up in a tougher situation, and succeeding greatly thus far.

[He got into his top colleges, guys!!  I can proudly say I helped him a little with his admission essay ;) ]

I love being the oldest sibling and being able to watch my younger siblings grow.

I love having a little sister that is a hard working person, has an absolutely beautiful daughter and is about to earn her bachelor's degree all at the same time.

I love having a little brother that's over six feet tall and is one of the kindest people I know.

They are both going places in life.

Thank you mom and dad, for these amazing little siblings of mine. 

 I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Silver Linings & 25.

Have you seen the movie "Silver Linings Playbook"?  If not, you should watch it.

I'm reading the book now.  Anyone who knows me knows that (and I'm not kidding) I have a serious issue with not watching a movie unless I've read the book first.

I did NOT know this was a book.  But I loved the movie so much that I did it backwards; I'm now reading the novel post-movie watching.

Also, anyone who knows me knows that I have serious anxiety with comparing books to movies - I get scared to watch ANY movie that I have read the book prior-to, because 99% of the time it disappoints me and I'm shaking my head the whole entire time.

So far, I'm liking the movie better than the novel.  Cray, huh? (typo and it stays)

I'm going to incorporate two quotes I love from this movie/novel with the rest of this post.

(quotes in italics)

I am a twenty-five year old lady as of April sixth at approximately 3pm eastern time.  

But I prefer the term "quarter of a century" - It just make me sound way more distinguished.  Like I've acquired more wisdom, or something like that.

Or it could mean that I'm coming onto a quarter-life crisis, but let's hope I don't live until 100 (unless I'm super healthy and have cute great-great grandchildren).

Anyway, I think those older than I have been right about birthdays - It was really just another day for me.  I spent it with my best friend and we decided to be adventurous and go to the Tavernacle downtown.  I'm always down for dueling piano entertainment.  I guess all you really need is one best friend and it's a party!

I could go into a whole post about who I am, where I was compared to last year, but I feel like I've done quite a few reflection posts so you 2 faithful readers know where I am in life. 

"Have you ever noticed that life is like a series of movies?....Well, you have adventures.  All start out with troubles, but then you admit your problems and become a better person by working really hard, which is what fertilizes the happy ending and allows it to bloom."

 I am content.  I think that's one way to describe it.  I'm ready to work toward the next milestone; The next "movie" in life. Whether it be far or soon, I know I really want a family of my own-  Don't fret, don't freak out by that statement..But everyday I will try to better myself to prepare for that one day when I will be a wife and mom.  

An example of my working towards this goal right now incase you're confused/think I'm crazy:  My job.  Not only because it's a career and I am financially stable, but because I'm working with sweet, sweet chillens that test my patience sometimes.  And I guess you could look at my coworkers as my future spouses -  Like all coworkers, they can get on your nerves, but every day you still have to work together through it side by side right?!  Bad analogy, I know.

Side note:  I like to call my patients my "Chillens". It's just my thing.

"...and we talk(ed) about my love of clouds and how most people lose the ability to see silver linings even though they are always there above us almost every day."

It's hard to find sometimes, but there are silver linings every single day of our lives.  It's hard to look for them when life gets hard, but they are there.  Especially in the future.  Have hope and know you can look forward to the future silver linings  that you will find-  

That's what I will do for my twenty-fifth year on this earth.