It's an every day goal to be happy and comfortable in my own skin and one song that reflects this is by Brett Dennen, called "The One Who Loves You The Most."
The song has a very simple, folksy sound to it which is one of the reasons I like it. I really like the lyrics of this song, especially the last few verses -
When you forgive your imperfections
And you've auctioned all your clothes
And you look to see your true reflection
You will be the one who loves you the most
You will be the one who loves you the most
You will be the one who loves you the most
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Greased Lightening
My day off of work has been spent dealing with my car. Therefore, the song of my day is 'Greased Lightening' from one of my all-time favorite musicals, Grease. I can recite the words and arm movements of this scene from the movie and am not ashamed to admit it!
The trouble with my car started a few weeks ago when the right passenger seat flooded with water. And when I say 'flooded,' I mean standing water was on the floor of the passenger seat. I cleaned it up, attributed it to the air conditioner drain being blocked by leaves or something and haven't had a problem with it since. However, on Friday afternoon, when I was trying to get to a wedding, the car would not start. Everything turned on, but there was absolutely no sound coming from the engine. Uh oh. BIG uh oh. I had to improvise and ended up taking the L to my brothers and basically hijacked his car.
I tried jumping the car on Saturday with my roommates boyfriend (no luck). Today my dad came down and we tried changing out the battery (no luck) and looked at all of the fuses (no luck). So. My car is now all by itself at a dealer in the city. The tow truck driver who came was an elderly guy who looked exactly like the guy who played the basketball coach on One Tree Hill. He called me 'kid' and 'little thing' and asked me why with an Irish name like mine I live up on the Northside instead of the Southside. I told him I was a transplant but that I might have to move if the Cubs keep up their terrible act of being a baseball team.
I suppose if my biggest problem is my car not starting then I am doing pretty well :-).
The trouble with my car started a few weeks ago when the right passenger seat flooded with water. And when I say 'flooded,' I mean standing water was on the floor of the passenger seat. I cleaned it up, attributed it to the air conditioner drain being blocked by leaves or something and haven't had a problem with it since. However, on Friday afternoon, when I was trying to get to a wedding, the car would not start. Everything turned on, but there was absolutely no sound coming from the engine. Uh oh. BIG uh oh. I had to improvise and ended up taking the L to my brothers and basically hijacked his car.
I tried jumping the car on Saturday with my roommates boyfriend (no luck). Today my dad came down and we tried changing out the battery (no luck) and looked at all of the fuses (no luck). So. My car is now all by itself at a dealer in the city. The tow truck driver who came was an elderly guy who looked exactly like the guy who played the basketball coach on One Tree Hill. He called me 'kid' and 'little thing' and asked me why with an Irish name like mine I live up on the Northside instead of the Southside. I told him I was a transplant but that I might have to move if the Cubs keep up their terrible act of being a baseball team.
I suppose if my biggest problem is my car not starting then I am doing pretty well :-).
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
American Honey
A song that makes me think of innocence, youthfulness and a simple life is 'American Honey' by Lady Antebellum.
This song fits my night last night because while I have been a nurse for two years, I had never had a to face a patient's death head-on. Yes, I have had patients that I have taken care of pass, but it has never happened under my watch. Last night was different. I was getting ready to go into one of my patient's rooms with some medication and on my way their call light went off. As I walked into the room and greeted the patient's family who had arrived since the last time I had been in the room I asked what I could do for them since the light was on. While asking this question I realized that something was clearly not right with the patient and while the family had been feeding the patient just moments before, the patient was no longer breathing. I won't go through the details, but this patient died. Thankfully the patient and their family had previously made the decision to make the patient a DNR/DNI (do not resuscitate/do not intubate) and the patient was able to go peacefully and very quickly.
My innocence as a nurse, and as a person, has been lost. I knew that the day would come when a patient of mine was going to pass while under my care - in this profession it is inevitable - but I would never have guessed that it was going to happen yesterday with this particular patient who had had me laughing the whole day. Thankfully, it is a situation in which I can know with my whole heart that there is nothing that I could have done to have changed the outcome and I can believe that it truly was their time to join the Lord.
I grew up with a simple, naive life. I have lost loved ones. I have now witnessed a man take his last breath. This first 'hands-on' experience with death will be one that I do not forget.
This song fits my night last night because while I have been a nurse for two years, I had never had a to face a patient's death head-on. Yes, I have had patients that I have taken care of pass, but it has never happened under my watch. Last night was different. I was getting ready to go into one of my patient's rooms with some medication and on my way their call light went off. As I walked into the room and greeted the patient's family who had arrived since the last time I had been in the room I asked what I could do for them since the light was on. While asking this question I realized that something was clearly not right with the patient and while the family had been feeding the patient just moments before, the patient was no longer breathing. I won't go through the details, but this patient died. Thankfully the patient and their family had previously made the decision to make the patient a DNR/DNI (do not resuscitate/do not intubate) and the patient was able to go peacefully and very quickly.
My innocence as a nurse, and as a person, has been lost. I knew that the day would come when a patient of mine was going to pass while under my care - in this profession it is inevitable - but I would never have guessed that it was going to happen yesterday with this particular patient who had had me laughing the whole day. Thankfully, it is a situation in which I can know with my whole heart that there is nothing that I could have done to have changed the outcome and I can believe that it truly was their time to join the Lord.
I grew up with a simple, naive life. I have lost loved ones. I have now witnessed a man take his last breath. This first 'hands-on' experience with death will be one that I do not forget.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Hey Jude
This past weekend was a great one!
In summary - Friday I worked and when I got home my two great friends from college and my roommate were at my apartment waiting for me. Saturday we walked around, hung out, went out to dinner and then had a little party at the apartment with a bunch of other friends from school. Sunday was all about relaxation which involved playing frisbee and swimming at the beach, eating yummy home made pasta salad, walking around the Southport Summerfest that included Mike & Joe (an awesome coverband that we used to go see during college) and some delicious Dairy Queen.
Sunday night was also the first night of two Paul McCartney concerts at Wrigleyfield.... which meant that I sat on my porch and rocked out to old Beatles hits. I've always wanted to hear Hey Jude performed live by the Sir Paul McCartney and I have now crossed it off of my bucket list!!! There is nothing like hearing one of your favorite songs by the legend himself!
Because of this concert, the song of the past two days has really been any song by The Beatles.
I was thinking last night about what Mr. McCartney must think about when he reflects on his life. It really is unfathomable to me. I wonder what the highest point and lowest point of his life is. How does he even begin to remember all of the places and experiences that he has had? What is it like to know that you played such a significant role in the history of music and pop culture? I mean, really, he is just a guy, just one person, but his name will live forever. How does a mere human being even begin to comprehend that? That's all just some food for thought.
Good night!
In summary - Friday I worked and when I got home my two great friends from college and my roommate were at my apartment waiting for me. Saturday we walked around, hung out, went out to dinner and then had a little party at the apartment with a bunch of other friends from school. Sunday was all about relaxation which involved playing frisbee and swimming at the beach, eating yummy home made pasta salad, walking around the Southport Summerfest that included Mike & Joe (an awesome coverband that we used to go see during college) and some delicious Dairy Queen.
Sunday night was also the first night of two Paul McCartney concerts at Wrigleyfield.... which meant that I sat on my porch and rocked out to old Beatles hits. I've always wanted to hear Hey Jude performed live by the Sir Paul McCartney and I have now crossed it off of my bucket list!!! There is nothing like hearing one of your favorite songs by the legend himself!
Because of this concert, the song of the past two days has really been any song by The Beatles.
I was thinking last night about what Mr. McCartney must think about when he reflects on his life. It really is unfathomable to me. I wonder what the highest point and lowest point of his life is. How does he even begin to remember all of the places and experiences that he has had? What is it like to know that you played such a significant role in the history of music and pop culture? I mean, really, he is just a guy, just one person, but his name will live forever. How does a mere human being even begin to comprehend that? That's all just some food for thought.
Good night!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Melody
I did some me-time shopping and walking around the city today. It is something that I love to do, walk around the city and people watch and window shop and see what there is to see.
The song of my day was "Melody" by Kate Earl.
The song is about keeping a song forever in your head and never being alone because of the music you spend your day with. Whether the song be a legit song or one that you make up, it keeps you company. When my roommate is at work sometimes it becomes a long day of being alone, but, as this blog is about, I like to give my daily life it's own soundtrack.
Lately my melody has been songs off of Adele's "21" album. I love the way you can feel the emotion of the song in the way that she sings. What's the melody in your head? Is it a song you've heard or a song that you've made up?
The song of my day was "Melody" by Kate Earl.
The song is about keeping a song forever in your head and never being alone because of the music you spend your day with. Whether the song be a legit song or one that you make up, it keeps you company. When my roommate is at work sometimes it becomes a long day of being alone, but, as this blog is about, I like to give my daily life it's own soundtrack.
Lately my melody has been songs off of Adele's "21" album. I love the way you can feel the emotion of the song in the way that she sings. What's the melody in your head? Is it a song you've heard or a song that you've made up?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Indescribable
I just got home from the most amazing trip! I took a long weekend trip to Denver, Colorado, where I visited with my little brother and got to see some of my extended family as well.
On Friday we walked around downtown Denver and Saturday was a packed day with hiking up a mountain at Chautauqua near Boulder. I have never hiked before, and I still can't believe that I climbed up a mountain! I climbed a mountain! The whole time I was just in awe. On Saturday night my brother and I were so exhausted that all we did was go see Horrible Bosses (which I highly recommend if you feel like laughing!). Sunday morning we got up bright and early and drove out (and up) to Mt Evans. What a beautiful location. The mountain was absolutely gorgeous with snow covered peaks, pure lakes, mountain goats, and mountain views for as far as the eye could see. We made a stop at the Red Rocks Amphitheater on the way back to Denver where we then had lunch with our extended family. It was so nice to see them-it had been almost exactly a year since I had seen them. After lunch my brother and I watched the end of the Women's World Cup game with some of his friends before heading over to the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO. I like Coors, but I have to admit, Coors has nothing on the Anheuser-Busch tour. Sunday night we hung out with a bunch of my brothers friends and just relaxed. Monday morning, yesterday, we had a really nice breakfast at a cute little cafe in downtown Denver before we went over to my brothers favorite bookstore. After browsing for a bit it was time for me to leave :-(.
I LOVED my time in Colorado - what an absolutely beautiful, majestic place. The song of my weekend is Indescribable, by Chris Tomlin. While looking at the mountains, and walking through them, I was in awe of God's creation. God's hands made those mountains and he painted the sunsets that I witnessed. He created the beautiful lakes and streams and views. God is amazing! While I saw this so clearly in Colorado, I know that His creation is beautiful no matter where I am - I just can't get complacent with what I'm seeing around me and remember that all of His creation is beautiful whether it's something that I see every day or once in a lifetime.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend -
On Friday we walked around downtown Denver and Saturday was a packed day with hiking up a mountain at Chautauqua near Boulder. I have never hiked before, and I still can't believe that I climbed up a mountain! I climbed a mountain! The whole time I was just in awe. On Saturday night my brother and I were so exhausted that all we did was go see Horrible Bosses (which I highly recommend if you feel like laughing!). Sunday morning we got up bright and early and drove out (and up) to Mt Evans. What a beautiful location. The mountain was absolutely gorgeous with snow covered peaks, pure lakes, mountain goats, and mountain views for as far as the eye could see. We made a stop at the Red Rocks Amphitheater on the way back to Denver where we then had lunch with our extended family. It was so nice to see them-it had been almost exactly a year since I had seen them. After lunch my brother and I watched the end of the Women's World Cup game with some of his friends before heading over to the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO. I like Coors, but I have to admit, Coors has nothing on the Anheuser-Busch tour. Sunday night we hung out with a bunch of my brothers friends and just relaxed. Monday morning, yesterday, we had a really nice breakfast at a cute little cafe in downtown Denver before we went over to my brothers favorite bookstore. After browsing for a bit it was time for me to leave :-(.
I LOVED my time in Colorado - what an absolutely beautiful, majestic place. The song of my weekend is Indescribable, by Chris Tomlin. While looking at the mountains, and walking through them, I was in awe of God's creation. God's hands made those mountains and he painted the sunsets that I witnessed. He created the beautiful lakes and streams and views. God is amazing! While I saw this so clearly in Colorado, I know that His creation is beautiful no matter where I am - I just can't get complacent with what I'm seeing around me and remember that all of His creation is beautiful whether it's something that I see every day or once in a lifetime.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend -
Half-way up Mt. Evans
Chautauqua
The view driving into the mountains!
Monday, July 4, 2011
God Bless America!
Happy 4th of July everyone!
Behind Thanksgiving, the 4th of July has always been my second favorite holiday. I love the barbecues, walking to the fireworks and finding a spot on the golf course, the 'ooos and aaaahs' during the fireworks, American flags hanging from every house up and down the street, the sounds of laughter coming from friends and families getting together, and the almost always great weather.
I grew up on a col-d-sac and we have some very good friends here. For as long as I can remember, we've had a tradition of getting together at either my house or one of the houses across the circle for dinner, dessert and games. We then all walk over to the fireworks and sit together. Afterwards we always end up back at my house whether we started there or not and have a personal firework show provided to us by one of our old neighbors who moved away but who will always be our neighbor at heart. The people who I spend the 4th of July with are my family - even though not by blood, we are by our friendships, memories and traditions.
This weekend has been full of fun bbqs. I worked Friday and Saturday and due to discharging almost all of my patients I got to leave my shift early on Friday - it was great! I got home and made Greek pizza and guacamole (not very American, I know!) with my roommate and her friend. After work on Saturday I went straight to my brother's apartment for a bbq and hung out with a bunch of kids from college and high school. I am now at my parents (got here yesterday) and last night I had a really nice time at a party thrown by our 'old neighbors' son, who was a year younger than me in school but who in the past few months we've starting becoming better friends again. It was an interesting party because while I recognized the majority of people there from high school being a year younger than me, since we're all out of college now it didn't even matter that I was older. All in all I'm very glad that I went.
Today! Today is the 4th of July so the song of the day is God Bless America. Sometimes I think that this song should be the nation's national anthem. I love this song. Is it weird that one of my favorite versions of this song is by Celine Dion, a Canadian?
I am very excited for today. This afternoon the party is starting across the circle and it should be a great time! I have to work tomorrow so I'll be heading back to the city tonight shortly after the fireworks - thank goodness I don't have to work Wednesday which means that I'll be able to survive tomorrow since it's just one lone shift :-).
Have a lovely and safe 4th of July! Take this day to remember our country's history (both good and bad parts) so that we can learn from our mistakes but remember to appreciate the things that make this country great.
Behind Thanksgiving, the 4th of July has always been my second favorite holiday. I love the barbecues, walking to the fireworks and finding a spot on the golf course, the 'ooos and aaaahs' during the fireworks, American flags hanging from every house up and down the street, the sounds of laughter coming from friends and families getting together, and the almost always great weather.
I grew up on a col-d-sac and we have some very good friends here. For as long as I can remember, we've had a tradition of getting together at either my house or one of the houses across the circle for dinner, dessert and games. We then all walk over to the fireworks and sit together. Afterwards we always end up back at my house whether we started there or not and have a personal firework show provided to us by one of our old neighbors who moved away but who will always be our neighbor at heart. The people who I spend the 4th of July with are my family - even though not by blood, we are by our friendships, memories and traditions.
This weekend has been full of fun bbqs. I worked Friday and Saturday and due to discharging almost all of my patients I got to leave my shift early on Friday - it was great! I got home and made Greek pizza and guacamole (not very American, I know!) with my roommate and her friend. After work on Saturday I went straight to my brother's apartment for a bbq and hung out with a bunch of kids from college and high school. I am now at my parents (got here yesterday) and last night I had a really nice time at a party thrown by our 'old neighbors' son, who was a year younger than me in school but who in the past few months we've starting becoming better friends again. It was an interesting party because while I recognized the majority of people there from high school being a year younger than me, since we're all out of college now it didn't even matter that I was older. All in all I'm very glad that I went.
Today! Today is the 4th of July so the song of the day is God Bless America. Sometimes I think that this song should be the nation's national anthem. I love this song. Is it weird that one of my favorite versions of this song is by Celine Dion, a Canadian?
I am very excited for today. This afternoon the party is starting across the circle and it should be a great time! I have to work tomorrow so I'll be heading back to the city tonight shortly after the fireworks - thank goodness I don't have to work Wednesday which means that I'll be able to survive tomorrow since it's just one lone shift :-).
Have a lovely and safe 4th of July! Take this day to remember our country's history (both good and bad parts) so that we can learn from our mistakes but remember to appreciate the things that make this country great.
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