Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you all have a special day full of thankfulness, family and (of course) yummy food. This morning I had the extreme pleasure of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I must say it was one of the top experiences I've had so far in New York City. The balloons were spectacular, the crowds were energized, the weather was beautiful and the little kids (and adults alike) were in awe. I've posted some pictures below of the massive balloons and a few from my stroll in central park as well.

The Mall at Central Park

Sponge Bob

The crowd between 67th and 68th Street

A big Pink Castle, with Princess and all

Miss America!

Some festive dancers

To infinity and beyond!

My personal favorite, Shreck!

Kermit the frog

Spiderman

Central Park on a November morning

Well I'm off for a run before a night at work, once again I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! If you are reading this blog, then you are most likely someone who has blessed my life--and for that I say thank you!

*********************************

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." -Meister Eckhart

Come on a run with me!

Many of you have heard me rave how much I love running a long the river here on the lower east side of New York City; I thought I would give you all a few glimpses of my daily run. So sit back, enjoy, and come on a little run with me....

Here is the first time meeting the river, just about three minutes from my front door, in between the two tall brown buildings is NYU Medical Center (my work!).

After about 5 minutes from leaving my door, you meet this lovely sidewalk hugging the east river.

After 5 more minutes, you cross a bridge and are met by this path leading to a boardwalk that continues against the river.

The path continues above.....

Next you leave the river for about 10 minutes and run on this path, it takes you by a running track, soccer fields, tennis courts, baseball fields, picnic tables and rest stops.

Now you cross under three of the central bridges connecting the East side of Manhattan to the other boroughs: The Manhattan Bridge, Queensboro Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.

Finally you reach Peck's Slip, also known as the South Sea Port, across from the river there is this square with quaint shopping, restaurants and even a christmas tree!

At the South Seaport there is also Pier 17, a great place with lots of sailboats, cruisers and tour boats. There is also a little shopping mall and lots of great restaurants. This is about 30 minutes into the run and is my turn around point to head back home.

So thanks for joining me on my run along the East River! I hope you enjoyed seeing a peak of my daily routine. More updates to come soon, my love to you all!

*************************

"Perfectionism causes you to ignore your accomplishments."

Life as an oncology nurse

Good Afternoon!

Or good morning....to me! I just woke up from (not joking) a 25 hour sleep...can you believe it? I worked 6 out of the past 7 nights, and let's just say I was a little bit tuckered out....holy cow. Well at least I feel incredibly well rested for one more night of work and then another visit home!

The past week was a great experience at work, I am gaining confidence and developing into a professional nurse. I am beginning to feel less overwhelmed and much more competent in managing my patient load and delivering care. My patients continually comment on my positive attitude, hard work, smile and dedication to their physical and emotional care. During the times of stress and feeling overwhelmed, it is certainly the patients that keep me going. The other night one man insisted that I take him home with me when I told him I would not be back the next night--he said that he had never felt so cared for and loved.

I recently joined the Oncology Nursing Society and now receive weekly newsletters and journal articles concerning oncology and nursing. I enjoy reading about new studies and advancements in the profession and area of medicine. The following quote was written by a contributing editor to one of the magazines, I really resonate with what she says.....

"Oncology nurses are an incredible bunch. It is difficult to imagine voluntarily entering a profession where one is faced with life and death, pain and suffering; fear and grief on a daily basis. They are on the front lines every day in the battle against cancer, where they deal not only with the physical aspects of cancer, but also the emotions."

I highlight this quote not to be boastful towards the oncology nursing profession but because it captures what the job is all about.... managing medical care and managing an incredibly wide variety of emotions. I really feel blessed to be apart of so many people's lives during times when there is much uncertainty, joy, fear, celebration and grievance. It's an up and down ride of feelings that keeps me on my toes but also fulfills and blesses my life.

*******************************

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" --Ralph Waldo Emerson

A whole new beautiful world

Sharing a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity's with Braydon's mom and Lauren (Braydon's brother's girlfriend)...yum!

hey!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the fall weather in your part of the country (or world!). It's starting to get chilly here...I forgot a winter jacket in Minnesota so that's definitely on my list of things to pick up while I'm home this weekend.

Braydon's mother, father, brother and brother's girlfriend were all in New York City this weekend, I had such a wonderful time spending a few meals together with them. On Friday night we all went for a tour at the NBC studios (with Braydon's uncle who works there). We actually ran into Bryan Williams (from the evening news), Jimmy Fallon and Whitney Wig, we saw the SNL actors and actresses rehearsing for the Saturday night show. We also went out to eat at a restaurant called the 'Sidecar' in midtown. This evening I went out to eat with Braydon's mom, a family friend and his brother's girlfriend at the restaurant Serendipity, it was such a blessing to catch up with them all and share quality time together.

Rachel (Braydon's family friend), Lauren, Jordon (Braydon's brother) and me

Work continues to go well, I'm still learning and being challenged but I've realized that's exactly why I love this job. I love learning something new every day and being challenged to think critically about each of my patients. Another challenge/blessing in this job, particularly at NYU, is my exposure to cultures from around the world. Some days I will have 5 different patients from 5 different parts of the world and will be working with nurses, doctors and nursing assistant from various parts of the world as well. This is all a change from the 'bubble' of blue eyed, blond haired Norwegians at St Olaf and in Minnesota. I've learned how to quickly discern the cultural norms and preferences of my patients and relay them to the patients treatment team. I've also been able to use my Spanish skills in quite a few instances. In addition to becoming culturally competent among world cultures, I am also learning the ins and outs of New York culture. A sweet, young, soft-spoken Scandinavian can easily be stomped on and disregarded in the hustle and bustle of new york city. I am continuing to learn the balance between being sweet, kind and gentle while being assertive, and confident. I have a lot more exposure to the world's people since leaving Minnesota, and although it is challenging at times, I am incredibly thankful and blessed that I have this opportunity to learn and grow from all the world's people.

Until next time, peace and love!

*******************************************

"The future depends on what we do in the present." -Ghandi

Happy Halloween!

hey all!

best wishes to everyone! i hope the week has treated everyone well. I feel like I'm once again living a whirlwind of a life, traveling back and forth from the little to the big apple. I was able to make another trip home for 4 days this past weekend. I had a great time watching the oles run at the MIAC conference race, hosting a Halloween party with braydon and spending some time with my parents and good friends. I feel so blessed I am able to keep and develop so many important relationships in my life, despite living in new york. I'm also able to develop some good relationships with my co-workers here in nyc. Nursing is such a team-oriented job, I am constantly learning from and building bonds with the other nurses on my unit. I have a pretty busy stretch coming up as I work 6 out of the 7next days! it should be tiresome but i really do enjoy being in the rhythm of working day after day. Here are a few more highlights from the past week:

As mentioned, on saturday night Braydon and I hosted a little Halloween gathering at his condo. It was a great time to reconnect with friends and get to know new friends a little better :) Braydon and I were a pilot and a flight attendant...I fashioned my mom's vintage flight attendant suit from many moons a go and Braydon wore a getty-up from his days in the core at Virginia Tech. On Sunday I went for a nice long run with one of my best friends--it was so peaceful and so beautiful...I definitely miss fall in Minnesota. On Sunday Braydon and I watched the Packers/Viking game and went to the Upper Room, a church service that I attended throughout high school and college. One of my old high school youth pastors spoke during the service--it was a nostalgic experience, both to be in the environment of the Upper Room community and to hear him speak. He talked about the importance of prayer and perseverance when hope becomes threatened. He gave a lot of examples concerning loved ones with cancer and terminal illness. While we are taught in nursing not to become too personal with patients, I have a personal goal that I will not become immune to their illness and suffering. I often find myself praying for my patients on my walk home from work or before I go to bed; quiet prayers allow me to feel for my patients and instill hope, yet maintain boundaries as well.

Well I'm off back to work, take care everyone and love to all until next time!

*****************************************

"The important thing is not that we can live on hope alone, but that life is not living without it." --Harvey Milk

My good friends Annie and Britt

My brother Brandon and his girlfriend Amy were amazing vampires...Brandon especially :)

MOMA

Hey everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying the start to another week! As I mentioned in the previous post, I visited the MoMa (Modern Mueseum of Arts) last week. I was especially excited to see an exhibit on Monet's water lilies but ended up finding soo many other beautiful works of art too! Every Friday night the MoMa has free admission (sponsored by our local Target Corp.), so I took full advantage of the offer (and would recommend you to do the same if you are ever around in the city on a friday night). Posted above is my favorite Monet water lily painting, and below....

Salvador Dali's famous clock painting.

Van Gough's starry night.
Monet's water lilies

Frida Kahlo's self portrait

Warhol's Marilyn Monroe

and me!

haha, it was a great time at the museum and I'm really looking forward to checking out some more museums in the near future. I also have a few other things up my sleeve that I'm hoping to accomplish while I'm here in NYC, including....seeing Wicked (a musical on broadway), going to the Today Show, seeing a concert at Carnegie Hall, going to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular and perhaps even a taping of the Dr Oz show.

Well I'm off to bed, take care all and God bless!

****************************

"Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new."

-Albert Einstein

A little more...

So I'm currently sitting at my desk, just having woke up from a day of sleep, watching the sunset behind the empire state building....seems a little backwards but it works for me :) I just finished up a stretch of three twelve hour nights this morning. I definitely have days at work that build my confidence and others that really challenge and test me; it was refreshing to have the past few days really build my character and confidence as a nurse.

As mentioned (and shown) in my last post, last weekend Braydon came to visit for his birthday. We had such a great time but the days certainly flew by us both. Here are some highlights (and some more pictures to take you a long...)

-On friday night we went to a restaurant called the 'Water Club,' its actually a restuarant on a boat docked on the east river. I run by the place almost every day so I was eager to try it out. Below is a picture of the restaurant and then in the back (the lit up circle) is NYU Medical Center.

-Saturday we hoped to beat the crowds and went early to Nike Town, Bloomingdales, Dylan's Candy Bar and other stores in the midtown area. I posted some pictures from Dylan's--perhaps the most amazing candy store in the whole world.

We came back relaxed and then watched the Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech football game (Braydon is a Virginia Tech alum), their loss was perhaps the only bummer of the weekend.

-On Sunday we went to Redeemer Church and then out to lunch with one of Braydon's friends at EJ's Luncheonette--a very cool 'old school' diner on the Upper East side. I was also able to show Braydon the unit I work on at NYU Medical Center. Sunday night we went out to eat at a restaurant called La Esquina. A few weeks a go I sat next to a man on the airplane ride back from home who recommended this restaurant. He told me that there is often a month wait list and that everytime he went he saw a celebrity. I posted a picture of the front of La Esquina--as you can see it looks like nothing spectacular--just a little diner. But when you go inside the hostesses take you behind a door marked ''employees only'' and walks you downstairs, past the kitchen, through another check point and into a restaurant that is described as 'a gothic vault ornamented with wrought iron gates and dripping candelabras.' We had some mexican tapas and enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant. Afterwards we walked around the East Village and explored the area.

On Monday I went back to work for a three night stretch, I have two days off and am back to it again :) I'm going to the MoMa (Modern Museum of Art) tonight to see an exhibit of Monet's water lilies (my favorite!). Take care!

****************************

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm... As you grow older you will discover you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others."

-Audrey Hepburn