'Tis the Season to Be Busy, but Good Busy

'Tis the Season to be Busy. Fa la la la la la. La la la la. Life often seems to be busy. Sometimes it can seem like a feat in itself to balance everything, but so many great things going on in life. I don't mind being busy, especially when I'm spending it with some great people. People I care about, people that make me smile, and people who will be in my life for quite some time. New experiences everyday along the journey. Here's to another good week in the life while I look back on a handful of things.

'Tis the season for "The Nutcracker". Mom, Dad, and Granny B came up to Omaha to see "The Nutcacker" with Chance and me at the Orpheum. I went a few years ago with my parents, when it was performed by a ballet ouf of Denver. This year, we had the pleasure of witnessing a mighty fine performance by Nebraska Ballet. It ended too soon. Many fun comments made amongst us about the show, enjoyed each others' company, and had a great Saturday afternoon.

'Tis the Season for "Grandma Mary" to come back home after her knee surgery and recovery. Spunky lady that is just like family. Living with her for three months was right where I was meant to be in life for so many reasons, but now the time has come for life to take me somewhere else. I have one more really great friend to stay in touch with and visit now, which is always a wonderful feeling.

'Tis the Season in my life right now for a few "see you laters". Not just good-byes, but "see you laters". I worked my last two shifts at The Egg and I with many smiles, kind words, and meaningful people. I got to talk with Maia, my little miss hot chocolate I have mentioned before. She and I have agreed to be pen pals, and one day when I am up in Omaha I hope to join Maia, her mom, and grandparents one day for brunch. It has been a joy getting to know their family, and they are ones I won't forget. Grandpa even gave me a hug before he left that day. I asked her Mom to take a photo for me before they left.

I was also blessed by very kind words from the Mens' Bible Study I have been serving every Wednesday morning for the past few months. They gave me card, said a few words, a few hugs, and wished me luck with my future endeavors. One even teared up a bit, and that just touches one's heartstrings.

'Tis the Season to enjoy one another's company, even if that means simply sitting on the couch next to one another not doing much of anything else. It's always nice to have those moments, short hours, and afternoons of simply lying around. Good for a person. I know I keep pretty busy, but I do take the time we all need sometimes to let my body catch back up and my mind to refresh some.

'Tis the season for red bows. Here's a lovely little shot I took of Mary and Hope with her cute little bow. I may miss that little stinker a little bit. We got that little girl potty trained in no time, and she is a great comfort for Mary. Sure a little stinker at times, but aren't we all?

'Tis the Season for bundling up. The first snow I've walked through in over a year. Sure, it's pretty. Man, oh man though some of that cold Nebraska weather that comes with it can be a bit overwhelming. One day Hope and I got all bundled up and went on a little walk to the mailbox. That was fun.

'Tis the season for spending time with friends. Chance and I met up with Matt, Nicole, and little Sebastian one morning down at the Papillion Egg and I for brunch. We all looked so cute, and it seriously did feel like a little Sunday brunch. Great conversation and enjoying one another's company. I don't see a whole lot of these two, but every time we are together I reminisce about the day Matt and I really started to become good friends. Nice to have some of those friends you can meet up with after a few months and still be the best of friends.

'Tis the season for red toenails with a few snowflakes. One of the first days living with Mary, we went and had our nails done together. Seemed fitting that one of my most recent days with her that we go together again. She had a manicure, and I went for a pedicure. Only the second time now that I have repainted my nails after moving back from American Samoa, where I didn't paint them once. Before that though, I hardly went a day without some polish on my toes. It's kind of fun, and I figured why not go festive this time. 'Tis the season. :-)

'Tis the season for a new job, new town, new room, and old roommates. I have started my job at the Good Samaritan Society - Linden View in Syracuse, NE. I am liking it a lot so far. Done some training shifts, and even did one regular shift solo already. Nice variety in my work, the residents are great, and I'm excited to be helping out here. I have moved to small-town Syracuse, NE. Not quite as small as Newman Grove, though. haha I do enjoy my small towns, but I'm still less than 45 minute drives from both Omaha and Lincoln, which is handy. I am living with Andy and Karena, two of my great friends. Karena and I were neighbors three years of college and lived in the same apartment our senior year. It's fun living together again, plus I can walk to work. This new adventure shall be great, and below you can check out my new little room. A bit random, but still many pieces of me.

'Tis the season for season confusion. Take a look at this photo below.

What do you see? Snow, a few leaves, flip flops, capri pants, and red toes with a few snowflakes. Hahaha I just slipped my flip-flops on quick to go grab something from my car outdoors, and I thought it might be funny to take a photo. I feel that it sums up a bit of what Nebraska weather can be like. One day snowing, the next day sunny with a chance of shorts. After experiencing several days in a row in the single digits, 24 degrees sure does feel warm. Then, Mother Nature throws in an afternoon up in the 40s, and you're about ready to go for a swim. Okay, maybe not. haha Maybe go for a run outdoors again, though.

Speaking of which....

'Tis the season for a more regular exercise routine again. With a little bit of craziness lately, I did slip out of keeping a good workout in my daily routine. 7 days ago, I decided it was time to get back into the swing of things. Living at Andy and Karena's house I have a good room in the basement again for doing my workout videos, so no more messing around. Remember how much I enjoyed my exercise down in American Samoa? Sure, it helped that I sweat non-stop, but it honestly just became a fun hobby of mine. I enjoy being healthy. Once again not trying to lose any specific amount of weight. I've put some pounds since moving back in July (saving up for winter haha), but I simply miss the energy regular exercise was giving me. If I slim down a bit in the process, positive side effect, we shall say. :-)

I started up with the Insanity program on Wednesday. Three days straight made sure I got it in, and then slipped a day. Made up for that today. All day out and about in Lincoln, I kept thinking about going on a run. First thing when I came home, I put on those running shoes, threw on my sweatshirt and headband, and away I went. Told Karena and Andy I'd be back in  20 minutes or so. My goal was to run 2 miles, and by the time I pulled back into the driveway I had clocked 2.35. Woo! Next headed straight to the basement to catch up on my missed Insanity workout. Dig deeper! After all of that I have finally drudged up the energy to sit and finish this post I had started several days ago. 'Tis the season for catching up. :-)

'Tis the season for respecting the iPhone. My last weekend working at the bank, I managed to forget my phone on a shelf as I had been charging it. I have a key for the bank, but I had not been given security codes yet. Didn't want to mess with that, and I knew it wouldn't hurt to go without my phone for a few days. Sometimes you forget how much you use that little gadget. I only know handful of phone numbers by hear these days. I made it, though, but it was nice to have it back on Monday. Is always nice to go back to the "stone age" from time to time. :-)

Yet, it is fascinating what we can do with technology these days. Little Miss Molly (Mary's granddaughter) started video chatting me from Mary's iPad the other day. We had a nice little chat, and Mary was impressed that we could even do that. Molly did it all by herself. 6 years old. Oye. haha

'Tis the season for holiday parties. Karena decided to throw a little Christmas party at the house for friends. We had planned it a while ago, drew names for Secret Santa, and got together on a Saturday afternoon. Three guys and four gals, and we had a great time together. Once again, one of those days where you get a group of friends together that haven't all been together in a while, and you have a wonderful time like it was yesterday. We played a few boardgames, played some pool, ate some food, watched a Christmas classic, and chatted chatted chatted.

The girls - Jackie, Karena, Jessie, and me.

The boys - Tyler, Chance, and Andy. Being goofs.

'Tis the season for missing a bit of my tropical island weather. Found myself flipping back through my photo albums from Samoa. Forgot about this little gem of a photo that my beloved roommate, awesome friend, and island sister took of me. This was from our little photo shoot day in the apartment. I do enjoy this one of myself looking out the window at my mountain. 'Tis the season for finding a little peace and tranquility among the chaotic times of life.

Like I said, busy busy busy. Good busy, though. Balancing all things in life, enjoying the ride, and earning a few bruises on the way. That reminds me....

'Tis the season for falling on ice. Haha Yep, happens from time to time. My first day working at Linden View, I was walking up at 6:15am. Only saw a few ice patches on my walk to work, which I did my best to avoid. Slipped up a little, but then five steps.... FIVE STEPS away from the door, my feat fly up from under me, my butt smacks the ground as I biffed it on a patch of ice. Woo eee. haha 'Tis the season to be jolly. Fa la la la la la. La la la la.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Life is good. Doing my best to keep it all under control and enjoy every minute of every experience possible. Work, play, friends, family, health, and all happiness. Happy Holidays to you all!

Thanksgiving, Family Traditions, and Uncle Chuck

I will be discussing a handful of things from life this past week. It’s an adventure finding a balance in life with family, friends, activities, work, and relationships. I’m still working on it, but I still strive to make the best of every day, enjoy the journey, and be happy. Here we go!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day was a bit non-traditional this year, but after my life on the island that doesn’t bother me one bit. As long as I am spending time with some people I care about, that is what truly matters. Our family wanted to spend the day with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Paula at Madonna’s Rehabilitation in Lincoln, where Uncle Chuck is currently staying after his ladder accident. Kyle and Rebecca are currently living with my parents, and it was nice to have the eight of us together despite the non-traditional circumstances.

Mom, Dad, Sheldon, Kyle, Rebecca, and I all met up in Lincoln for a little lunch before visiting Uncle Chuck. On my way into Lincoln, I noticed the sign for “Hi-Way Diner,” and I knew my dad would enjoy something like that. We decided that would be a good option for lunch, and it was definitely a place full of character. A few turkey dinners, one cheeseburger, one chicken wrap, and a couple of omelets made up the Stone/Boschen family feast for the day. We even took a ham and cheese omelet for Uncle Chuck.

At the end of the day, I found myself thinking about this quote:"We don't remember days; we remember moments." I remember the many smiles on this day spent with family. Uncle Chuck's smile when we all arrived to see him at Madonna's, Sheldon's smile when Dad mixed Shel and I up for a moment, Becca's smile when she won Blokus, Kyle's smile when he bit into one of my s'more treats, Dad's smile when we walked into the 24/7 diner full of character for lunch, Mom's smile when we made a wrong turn and laughed, and Aunt Paula's smile when she hugged her kids. Appreciate the smiles along life's crazy journey.

Hope (Mary’s little yorkie) and I ended our day by paying Miss Mary a visit at Brookstone Meadows, where she has been doing physical therapy after her knee replacement surgery. Was a little surprise for her, which was fun. Hope was also very excited to see her momma. I’m sure I’m fun sometimes, but she misses Mary. Another loving little family I have become a part of these past few months.

Visiting Uncle Chuck

I wanted to pay Uncle Chuck and Aunt Paula another visit down at Madonna’s. I decided Thursday morning would be a good time. It has gotten rather cold outside. It was 9 degrees out on my drive down to Lincoln first thing in the morning, but warm hearts to make up for it. He is making great progress. It has been only a week since my last visit, but he has more movement capabilities than he did then. Each step is a step for progress.

I asked Aunt Paula if she wanted me to pick up anything on my way in, and they requested some breakfast from McDonald’s. I don’t go there much, but for them I made the stop. I’ll admit it was fun watching Uncle Chuck smile as he ate that tri-tater and his sandwich. Aunt Paula was also very excited about a normal cup of coffee. Apparently whatever she has been drinking there isn’t quite the same. 

The nurses were running behind that morning, as we sat and chatted for a while over breakfast. It was already 9:10am, and no one had come in yet to start getting him dressed and moved as usual. Aunt Paula decided this morning would be a fun day for us to try and change him ourselves. By golly, we did it. Those nasty white stockings and all. Haha She did call in some nurse aids to help move him into his chair for transport, though, as he had an appointment for occupational therapy at 9:30am. We were only 1 minute late, too. Lucky for Uncle Chuck I also had brought some breakfast, or that may have been missing from the morning, too.

Nothing like jumping right in to make me assume this nurse role even more and feel really good about it. We all joked about it a bit, too. Uncle Chuck is quite the hard worker. Like I said he is making great progress, which is exciting. Little by little. I hung around during occupational therapy, where he worked his right arm, the one he has been struggling to move his hand much with yet this far. 

He finally did move his thumb and fingers a bit near the end, too, after the little exercise. Afterward, I helped him eat an orange and had some good chatting again. Then, it was time for me to head back to Omaha for work. I’m really glad I spent the morning with them and am looking forward to my next visit.

Final note for today. I'm such a klutz and dweeb sometimes. Somehow when I was at a gas station in Lincoln this morning, I managed to start shutting my car door on my head. Have a nice little mark for it, and it feels like a bruise on the inside. haha. Oh what fun... Makes me laugh though. I'm pretty put together most of the time, but I have my moments. I've been doing lots of research on my nursing school options and reaching out to people to keep moving forward. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!