Little Bear, Twins Game, St Olaf, Nurse Braydon, Lucia's

Due to my lack in previous posts, I'll continue to update a bit more from the previous few weeks. I absolutely love the photograph above, I took it on an evening stroll with Braydon to Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream Parlor. The church is so beautiful at night and is just a block away from Braydon's condo--something tells me we will become regulars at Sebastian Joe's when we are married :)

So for a few more highlights of the past few weeks....two weekends a go Braydon and I had the great pleasure of checking out the new Target Field, and what a gem it is! I've posted a few pictures below of our time at the game. We spent the game rooting on the twins and catching up with my high school friend, Adrienne, and her boyfriend, Wyatt. Unfortunately, after the game I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning...but that's a whole different story.

I also had the pleasure of showing Braydon around my old stomping grounds at St Olaf College. We went down to watch a track meet and during our stay I showed off the beauty of Olaf. Below is a photograph of the St Olaf chapel and one of the main common grounds.

It seems so strange that just a short year ago I was studying away for my final exams and a student nurse in clinicals. So much has changed in a year, especially my professional scope of nursing practise...one year a go I couldn't give a medication without permission from a RN, now I'm treating acutely ill bone marrow transplant patients, placing IVs, caring for chemotherapy reactions and actually being a teacher (rather than a student) to the people around me.

The next few days of my weekend consisted of regaining my strength from the food poison bug....a big thank you goes to Braydon for being my nurse...it felt a little strange being the sick one.

Little Bear is now two weeks old and I've attached below an updated picture. I cannot wait to meet him in person (only 4 more weeks!). A little more about Little Bear...he is an apricot toy poodle from a breeder in Northfield, MN. He will be about 7 pounds when he is full grown, I cannot wait to snuggle with him, walk him, play with him and dress him up in little coats and costumes (I am already planning for him to match Braydon at the wedding with a baby blue bow tie). I absolutely love animals and I think I'm going through withdrawal here in nyc...

Lastly, I love this photograph of Braydon and I below; we are sitting outside of Lucia's Bakery in Minneapolis. It is my, and my mother's, favorite restaurant/deli in Minneapolis; it also happens to be the site of our first date. This picture was taken after meeting up with my mom, dad and brother on a Saturday morning for coffee and breakfast. I cannot wait to make something like this a weekly routine. I love catching up with my parents and brother, and of course sharing Braydon with them all too...it brings such happiness to me.

Well off to work, peace and love!

PS. I'm working on a wedding website for Braydon and I so look for that coming soon!!

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"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

-Ghandi

Loong overdue!

Hello hello!

My goodness I do apologize I have neglected this blog for quite some time. Since my last posting I've traveled home twice and so much has transpired!

First and foremost, Braydon and I have chosen a wedding date...10/10/10! What an easy date to remember! It would be my Grandmother Barbara's 79th birthday...so in a small way it is our tribute to her. I will go more in depth in wedding plans later but for time being: the wedding will be at Braydon's parent's house outside of Roanoke, VA. We are hoping for a beautiful fall day so we can be married outside on the dock. Braydon's dad will be marrying us and we hope to have an intimate crowd of close family and friends. Minnesota friends and family: do not worry, you will not be left out of the celebration! Later in October we will have a reception for the Minnesota gang :)

Also of great excitement...we are getting a puppy! He is an apricot toy poodle and was born while we were visiting his breeder. The puppy will be named Bear and we are so excited to meet him this June. He is the one on the far left in the picture above.

I've got to get going to work but in the mean time I will share a few pictures from my first visit home...there will be more to come!

Braydon and I in Loring Park on our way to a night in downtown. The beautiful Basillica is behind us.

Braydon and I at my mother dear's birthday party.

Brandon and his two girls: Biggles and Amy.

Amy and I showing off our rings--we joke that the boys went shopping together :)

Bailey being groomed by his mama...look at his face! Can't wait for Bailey Bear to meet Little Bear.

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"We can have a positive attitude towards life, or a negative attitude. We can focus on the good or we can focus on the bad. Keeping a positive mental attitude is one of the keys to success.

The choice is always up to you!

Braydon+Jenna=Engaged!

It is officially one week past due for this post. So much excitement, love and joy has occurred and my blog has not quite caught up! I suppose I should start from the beginning…

Last Thursday night Braydon flew into New York City for an Easter weekend visit. Late Thursday night Braydon met me at NYU Medical Center on my break for a few minutes to say hello. He handed me a plastic easter egg detailing our first holiday (Memorial day) together, I gave him a hug and was back to my job. Friday morning Braydon picked me up from work and shared breakfast with me on the East River. We watched helicopters come and go, ships sail by and people scurrying off to work. Throughout the day on Friday Braydon surprised me with easter eggs outlining each holiday we’ve spent together. On Friday evening we rode a subway to Grand Central Station, walked through Bryant Park and Times Square and arrived at the Hudson River’s Pier 81 on the west side of Manhattan. The weather was beautiful; 65 degrees, clear blue skies with a soft breeze. We were a little early for our scheduled dinner cruise so we strolled along the pier together. Out of (seemingly) nowhere, Braydon asked me what I would think if he talked to my dad about marrying me. I looked at him and said, “Well, you haven’t…” Braydon quickly corrected and shared with me his time spent with my dad the previous weekend. They toured the new Target Twin’s Field and had lunch together. Long story short, my dad gave Braydon permission to marry me and become his son-in-law. On Pier 81, Braydon whispered a few ‘sweet-nothings,’ handed me one last easter egg with a paper stating, “Easter weekend 2010, we got engaged!” He knelt on one knee and showed me the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. With shock and awe, I quickly said yes while he placed the ring on my finger. We were on a quiet pier together when one man walked by with his dog and said, “congratulations,” it was the perfect acknowledgement.

Newly engaged, Braydon and I boarded the World Yacht Cruise, we planned to have only a cocktail on board, but to my surprise we had the ‘premiere’ yacht experience. The front of boat greeted us with a table for two, complete with a waterfront view and a full course menu including champagne. During the three-hour waterway excursion we wined and dined on delicious fare and viewed the whole shoreline of Manhattan. We called our parents from the top of the boat while we cruised under the Brooklyn Bridge and sailed by the Statue of Liberty. It was undoubtedly a night we will never forget.

The rest of Easter weekend was just as memorable. Saturday morning we ran along the river (on the shore we sailed by the previous night), and during the afternoon we traveled to the Chelsea neighborhood. We lunched at the Chelsea Market and walked along the ‘Highline,’ a restored railroad track turned into a public park. For dinner we ate at my favorite Mexican restaurant and enjoyed the NCAA basketball game too. Sunday we woke up early to attend the 7am Easter service at St Patrick’s Cathedral. We had Easter breakfast at Norma’s restaurant at Le Parker Meridian and took a stroll through Central Park. Sunday we joined all my New York family for dinner to share our excitement and joy. Our fairytale weekend came to a close but the enchantment continues. Braydon and I could not be more excited to start this new adventure together and are so blessed to share this happiness with so many family members, friends and loved ones.

Love and Peace

Braydon picking me up from work and enjoying breakfast on the river.

We're engaged! My beautiful ring below :)

Cheers! On our dinner cruise

Braydon calling his mom underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

Braydon in front of St Patrick's Cathedral.

Together in central park and stopping mid-run for a picture of the nyc skyline.

All the family celebrating the engagement!

“Once in a while love turns ordinary life into a fairy tale.”

-A quote given to Braydon and I from his mother on our engagement night.

Blessed

I'm pretty sure spring blossomed while I was sleeping last night. After days and days of rain, I walked outside and to my delighted surprise the lilies in front of my apartment building and the cherry blossoms lining the street all bloomed. Its sunny and 65 degrees and is supposed to stay this way through the weekend :) ....I'm very excited to say the least.

I woke up this morning with a persistent thought running through my head, "I am so incredibly blessed." Reflecting back, my college years were certainly enjoyable but the relentless bustle of running, school, nursing, job searching, working, etc shadowed my awareness of my blessings. Over the past 9 months I have stayed busy with work, traveling, family and friends but I also have had the chance to finally relax and just be. I've commented to some family and friends that I often feel lonely in NYC but even the loneliness has proven to be a blessing. I finally have time to sit back and reflect, to savor quiet moments, to see the little (and big) things that were so often missed by the hustle and bustle of my 'old' college life. Most importantly, I've noticed how undoubtedly blessed I am. Whether its my job that fulfills my life vocation, my family that fills me with love and support, my friends that provide company, my boyfriend who showers me with happiness or my faith that fills my every need--I am completely honored and humbled to say that I could not be more blessed. My life is certain to regain its business in the coming years, but I have learned the importance of savoring time to relax, reflect and never miss out on knowing how blessed I am...I hope you are able to do the same.

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"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

-Albert Schweitzer