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

Visiting Grandma

Well its about past time to update this blog, whew time certainly flies by. I just came back from a long run along the river and it was such a beautiful time. The sky were crystal clear blue, the temperature about 50 degrees and a perfect breeze swept over the river. I actually moved my bed over near my window and now I can see boats passing down the river as I fall asleep each night (and morning). I returned back from Minnesota a couple days ago and as usual had a wonderful time visiting my family and friends. One of the highlights was seeing my Grandma Audrey. After seeing Braydon's Grandpa a few weeks ago and Grandma Audrey this past weekend, I am reminded what a special place grandparents have in our life. Their wisdom, character and experiences provide so much insight and inspiration to live a life to the full. Visiting with these two special people I was also reminded of my Grandma Barbara who passed away about 7 years ago, her death was so sudden and rocked my family. She still holds a special place within me and I attribute so much of my loving nature, joy and peacefulness to her. I hope one day I can be as wise, thoughtful and influential as Davedaddy, Grandma Audrey and Grandma Barb.

Well, I'm off to work soon, I work four more days, have a couple days off and then Braydon is coming to visit for Easter. We are planning to attend an Easter service at St Patrick's Cathedral and also go on a evening cruise on the skirts of Manhattan.

One last thought: I guess I've been hidden in a bubble of Scandinavians....I never realized the extent of celebration St Patrick's Day draws in America. This is a view from my apartment window, walking to work on St Pat's Day I was bombarded by green people, green beer and green dogs...craziness.

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"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

-M. Scott Peck MD

Rain, rain go away!

Well it has certainly been a 'weather shock' after spending a weekend in 75 degree weather, I was greeted with 40 degree rain for the week. There's quite a bit of flooding and power outages across the area and half of my hospital unit is actually closed due to flooding! It looks like the weather should start getting nicer in the coming days. I've added a few more photos to remind me (and you!) of the beautiful sun and warmer weather that is (eventually) on its way . I'm looking forward to working three more days and then going back home for a long weekend. I haven't seen my family for a little while so it will certainly be nice to catch up with them all.

I'll update a little more later! I'm off to run some errands and then back to work :)

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"Hear with your ears, listen with your heart."

Delray with Davedaddy

Well, I can't believe just three days a go I was leaving work, packing my bags and heading on a plane to Florida. This past weekend flew by but was an amazing time. I'm getting ready to head back to work tonight, now with a refreshed mind, sun-kissed checks and so many great memories dancing through my head. This past weekend I visited Delray, Florida to meet Braydon's grandfather. Davedaddy (his grandfather's coined nickname) is as sharp and kind as they come, he turns 90 this June and is an inspiration to all.

Above and below are a few photos with Davedaddy; we all became close friends very quickly!

Braydon and I ran on a beautiful parkway each morning; we passed by many ornate houses, meticulous landscapes and sun-tanned senior citizens. We always stopped on the beach to catch some sun rays before heading back home.

Davedaddy sure knows how to wine and dine, this is at a french, seafood restaurant called 'The Gazebo.' All the waiters wore tuxes and there was a chandelier as big as me in the dining room.

We were able to spend one day with the whole crew: Deke (Braydon's dad), Braydon, me, Davedaddy and Boo (Braydon's mom). We looked at scrapbooks, went out to eat, chatted and just enjoyed our time together.

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"When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning,

by dreams that need completion,

by pure love that needs expressing,

then we truly live life."

-Greg Anderson

Congrats to Brandon and Amy!!

MY BROTHER GOT ENGAGED!!

On 2/22/10 while the sun was rising in Talum, Mexico a wonderful lady was asked to be my dear brother's one true love!

Excitement does not even begin to describe my feelings for the engagement of Brandon and Amy. Not only do I have such a great time with these two but the happiness, joy and peace that Amy brings to Brandon absolutely illustrates true love.

Above is Brandon, Amy, Braydon and myself at home celebrating my dad's birthday. You can also see our wonderful turf n' surf dinner; Dad with his perfectly grilled tenderloin and Amy with crab legs the size of her arm.

I literally just woke up from a 24 hour sleep, I'm currently drinking some coffee and getting ready for a long run along the river...its sunny and 40 degrees outside, almost like summer! I leave for West Palm Beach on Friday...cannot wait!

Love to you all.

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"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."

-David Viscott

Skating, smiles and snoozes

Greetings!

Wow, its been a while since I last updated, once again the past few weeks have flown by and swept me away with it. On my last post we were in the middle of a snowstorm, fortunately it only lasted a day and actually brought beautiful weather with it afterwards. I just got off a plane from Minneapolis and am once again gearing up for another few days at work. The next week should be a nice break from my previous stretch of working 6 out of 7 days, this time around I have a few observational experiences, days off and seminars in the mix. A week from this coming Friday I'm heading to Florida to visit Braydon's parents and grandfather, I am counting down the days until the beach, warmth and time with family.

My past time at home was wonderful, as always. It was a shorter trip, spanning about three days, but I seemed to pack in just as much as usual. Among the highlights....celebrating my dad's 58th birthday with a wonderful surf and turf fare, watching the olympics, skating with my dad, bailey and braydon (see pictures below), going to church, running around the lakes with Britt and Annie (we did 12 miles yesterday--just like the good old days!), eating at a great Indian restaurant with my dad (called Chin Dian Cafe in Northeast Minneapolis--I highly recommend it), meeting Braydon at work for lunch, and of course relaxing and napping too!

As many people know, one of the things I miss the absolute most from home are my animals. I have this great love for my three pets and I dearly miss them here in new york city. So I've dedicated a few pictures to those lovely creatures...above you can see Biggles and Gus cuddling, below are many pictures of my family's golden retriever, Bailey.

Bailey was soo excited to be out on the ice, chasing pucks and sliding around. I call him an 'old man' but he definitely showed us his younger side that day! Speaking of young, look at my dad--on the 30 anniversary of the 'Miracle on Ice,' he showed us that he still has the skills Herb Brooks (and many others) taught him a few moons ago.

The past three years have slowly but surely converted Braydon from a Southern, Virginia boy to a winter-loving, ice-skating Minnesotan man.

Wow, what great pictures and great memories. There are many things I miss about Minnesota, but the authentic, traditional winter must be towards the top of the list. Call my crazy but I love it when the wind bites my lip, the ground crackles under my feet, the cold freezes the outdoors, and the snow transforms the world into a great playground.

Love, peace and joy.

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"If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people."

-Thich Nhat Hahn

Snowmageden

I hope everyone is surviving the snowmageden (that’s what the weather man used to refer to the recent snowy weather). Above is a current picture of the snow outside my window, luckily I'm all cozied up in my room: heat on, candles on, oven on, smile on. Yesterday I made it out on the last airplane to NYC from Minneapolis (I think for a few days due to the snow!). I was bummed to leave Minnesota a few days early but glad to make it back to work on time. Apparently the news anchor said that today is the worst day of the year (so far) for airplane travel!

On Sunday I returned from a weekend in Lutsen, Minnesota (a Northern Minnesota town that hugs Lake Superior and has some of Minnesota’s largest ‘hills’). Eight of us headed up to a villa that sits on Lake Superior. We downhill skied, Nordic skied, snowboarded, played charades, laughed, and had a great time together. I’ve posted some pictures from the weekend.

View from the gondola

Braydon before our first downhill run, ''on top of the world''

The two of us

Me nordic skiing

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"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

-Danish Proverb