ohmigod, it's so perfect.

not to repeat myself, but do you love Our Labor of Love as much as I do?
Why must they live in Atlanta?

Fantastico

I have a crush.
a blog crush.

no, wait, a nurse crush.

whatever. both.

If anyone works anywhere close to childbearing families, you should read this.
If anyone is building families, or is even thinking of doing so in the near or distant future, you should read this.

This Labour & Delivery nurse is so. on. the. money. with her views and EVIDENCE-BASED information about the childbirth process. She might just be my new hero.

She is certainly exactly the type of nurse who I aim to be one day.

So, Without further ado:
NURSING BIRTH

Sometimes, one must embrace cynicism

A goal of mine was to be less sarcastic and skeptical...

Carl Smart via ffffound!

but sometimes, what can you do?

A bad day.

I have been lucky, I think, to escape this for so long. Death, I mean. Nobody in my life has ever died before, unless you count a great-oma who passed at the age of 99, when I was around ten. I had met her only once, but I cried anyway. a lot. The idea that I got to wake up tomorrow and be with people that I loved and do things that were fun and see things that were beautiful and learn, and she didn't, was absolute proof to me that the world was a cruel, cruel place.

As I have grown, I have come to accept death, as a concept. My great oma was not likely sad to leave this earth. there is only so much to see and do and learn and love. Only so much time for being with. The world becomes a lot smaller when the people you love are gone, as hers were, and when your body is much older than the self trapped inside. Already, nursing an often elderly population has shown me this time and time again. As often as not, an older person is ready to go when time takes them.

This weekend, a girl I knew died. I don't know how, at least not yet, though rumors and speculation are certainly prevalent. She was young, under 25. She's gone, so in a way it doesn't matter so much, the how. Or it shouldn't, anyway. Except that it does.

I first heard the news around two this afternoon, and shock overcame sadness. But a few hours later, and man, am I sad. Sad because she will never again see people she loves, do things that are fun, see things that are beautiful, or learn. Sad because I won't see her around anymore. Sad because it could have happened to anyone. Sad because you really, really, just never know.

This girl was not close to me, exactly. Her position in my life lay somewhere between acquaintance and friend. With a few others, we bonded over a difficult experience in school, then parted ways, perhaps having fulfilled our purposes for each other. I had a genuine liking for this girl, but never enough in common with her to remain close.

flabbergasted, I am. Sad, but sad from a distance. Needing to make meaning. Wishing safety, fulfillment, and happiness to all others in my life, so that they may go on seeing people they love, beautiful things, learning, and having fun. Feeling a (selfish?) need to gather my friends and family closer, to keep them near. Tired of speaking in cliches.

pretty.

via ffffound!

ooooh, aaaaah

As I look through all things wedding-decor related, one thing (other than giant balloons) that I keep coming back to is banners. Love, love, love.

so you can imagine how I melted when I saw these engagement photos at Our Labor of Love.


And these aren't even pretty banners! they're cheesy, used-car lot banners, which just goes to show the creative genius Whitney and Jesse posess. When I first came upon the OLOL blog, I spent more hours than I care to admit in their archives (the smilebooth is my favourite, and an idea which I will absolutely be stealing for my own wedding. so much more fun than a normal photobooth!)

Ridiculous Ranunculus

I planted two gorgeous ranunculus (ranunculae? ranunculi?) in my red planter box, and this bloom is nearly the size of my fist. I had no idea ranunculus could get so big! this one, fully open, was being abused a little bit by the wind and rain, so now it will live out the rest of it's days on my bedside table.

What you are about to see will shock and amaze you

I finally took the time to take photos! not good photos, by the by. Rainy day photos in a hallway with one tiny, east-facing window. But photos! proof that I did, indeed, do the thing that I said that I did!

the trim and doors didn't get done. I didn't have enough trim and door paint left over from the living room. I actually kind of like the cream and green together, it looks very vintage-y. However, I will be painting them, just because of the current status of their paint jobs. (I refer you to this post)

In other news, here is the status of my to-do list:(items in bold are done because I don't know how to strike through in blogger)

1. order transcripts for anthropology elective and have them sent to the university so that they don't kick me out of nursing school.
2. Buy dog food.
3. Clean out storage closet, put up a craigslist ad or two. (fake Christmas tree, anyone?)
   
4. 'Mow' the 'lawn'*, buy and pot a plant or two, stick solar lights in ground. (still have to borrow a weed whacker)
   
5. Do something about the caterpillar tents in the apple tree. I forsee some mighty delicious pies this year, if I could only find an apple sans worm holes. (I did my best, anyway. some of the tents are too high for me to get at)
   
6. Paint the hallway (green, like the living room). Bedroom, too, if I get on a roll (white, for simplicity and to take advantage of all the pretty light in there). (maybe this week)
   
7. While I'm at it, organize the bedroom bookshelf. maybe make Kraft paper sleeves for all the books.
8. Snip some blossoms from the (plum?) tree that's only sort-of in the yard to swoon over indoors.
9. Consider applying for a job so that I can feed myself for the next twelve months. (right. good idea.)
   

Sick sick sick.

Boo Hiss. I have a cold.
The hallway is done, but sick old lazy old me hasn't uploaded the photos yet, and I'm not going to now. Later, maybe. For now I am going to take a bath (with a cold&flu bath bomb from rocky mountain soap company), drink a pot of tea with lemon and honey, and read one of five (five! for forty dollars!) books I picked up from the used bookstore this afternoon.

goodnight, all.