sunday ramblings

It's 5:35am and I have about 90 minutes left of my 12-hour shift. It's been a long night and I can't wait to go to sleep. Working nights isn't terrible. I will get to spend a few hours with my family this afternoon before coming back to work. But some nights can be a little slow and hence loooong. I still am amazed every morning that I have managed to be awake all night and actually function. I rejoice when I see the daylight start to come from my patient's rooms.

We were talking about taking a short vacation to the desert at the end of the summer. We all love pools and swimming and the desert is pretty inexpensive during the summer when it's 100+ degrees. We've also been promising the kids a puppy for, oh, years. Today reality hit that getting a puppy and going on vacation are about the same price and we can't do both.

Of course the kids are choosing the dog although Bean and I would rather have the vacation! I have a stretch of days off approved so my guess is we will be training a puppy and have a staycation instead. I know it will be worth the joy and happiness the kids will experience finally getting the dog they've been waiting for.

Being a nurse truly is a great profession for a mom. I just finished having three nights off and while the first day is more recovery from the night shifts before, I love the multiple days off with the kids without even thinking about work. Now I will work two nights and then have another three off. Not all weeks work out that way, but it's usually my goal to get a couple good stretches of days off each 4-week schedule.

I'm recovering from a nasty fall while trail running.

A photo posted by beana619 (@beana619) on Jul 26, 2015 at 9:31am PDT

It's not uncommon to trip a bit on a rock--and most of the time you can catch yourself. But not always. Last Sunday was my "not always". I tripped on a rock and flew forward, the brunt of the force going to my knees, especially my left one. I got pretty big abrasions on each knee along with massive swelling and bruising. Now a week later it still hurts to walk, although not as badly as the first few days. The bruising is an issue as well as the tightness of the scabs.

The worst part is I haven't run in a week!! And we know Mama Needs to Run. I'm hoping by Wednesday or Thursday I'll be able to run again without pain. I have a challenging trail half marathon in a few weeks and I need to get in a couple more good runs to feel solid for the race. I don't have any real goals except that I want to feel good the whole time and finish strong.

A photo posted by beana619 (@beana619) on Jul 30, 2015 at 8:28am PDT

In some ways summer seems to be flying, but we are all really enjoying it. My 11-year loves staying up til 11pm and sleeping til 10:30am. School is going to be a rough transition for her! I love slower mornings when I'm off or sometimes waking early to get my workout done and being able to still relax and enjoy a lazy cup of coffee afterwards because we have no where to be. Every summer I plan to have my kids continue reading regularly and doing some academic work--but the truth is, it never happens. I'm sure their teachers will thank me if I enforce it this last month of summer. I have great intentions...we will see if I can actually make it happen.

I'm off to finish my last patient cares for the shift and then off to sleep!

Happy Sunday.