Kansas City!

This week has been the best birthday week ever!  J and I have birthdays just a few days apart and for whatever reason never seem to spend our special day together.  Literally, in 5 years we have celebrated our birthdays together ONE TIME.  So last Thursday I was chatting with him on my way into work and we both realized we were off that weekend.  This seriously never happens lately so we kind of joked about me flying out the next day but left it at that; a joke. 

I went about my night at work and J texted me later that next day flights on Southwest would set us back nearly $900.  So that was that.  I forgot about it and went about my day (night) at work.  The next morning when I was driving home from work I couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of being able to visit J.  It was almost our birthday week and we hadn't gotten presents for each other yet.  I texted J (who was already at work) and asked if we should just do it and consider it our birthday gift to each other.  He was on board and I also realized I still had a $100 Southwest gift card to use up.  So I booked my flight and flew to Kansas City that afternoon!  The flight was totally full so it was somewhat of a miracle that I was able to purchase the last direct flight in Kansas City that day just 9 hours before I flew out!

Kansas City was actually a really fun place to visit.  There is a possibility we may move there next year, so it was fun exploring the area and contemplating where we may like to live someday.

We hadn't seen each other in 2 months!!  Best impromptu vacation ever!!

Rings

Today is a shitty day so I thought to myself "hey rather than bitching, who don't you post about something fabulous and happy?"  Which leads me to my rings. 

J and I picked out my engagement ring together.  While I think this may be taboo to some couples, I had an idea of the type of setting I liked and wanted to be involved in the process.  J knows me well and always does a great job of picking out gifts for me, but he was open to choosing a ring together.  Last July we went ring shopping together and I fell in love with what later became my engagement ring.

We found this beauty at Ben Bridge.  It's a Scott Kay setting and we choose the diamond separately.  It was actually really fun looking through the microscope and seeing each individual diamond and evaluating its cut and clarity.  I loved how thin and delicate the band was and immediately knew that this was the one.  I found out later that J purchased the ring the next day although I had to wait until nearly Thanksgiving for the proposal!  Way to make a girl wait!

Soon after we got engaged I began looking at wedding bands which was a lot more work than I had anticipated.  I knew I wanted a thin band with diamonds, but finding one that matched my setting was kind of a nightmare.  Eventually I found a diamond eternity band that was thin enough to match but still had enough sparkle without taking away from my solitaire.

Love them. 

New Purcahses

My family is going to Myrtle Beach next month for vacation.  I have been looking for a big beach hat for a couple of months now and finally found one yesterday.  Behold, my new hat:

It's kind of obnoxious, no?

I also purchased this giant beach bag.  For $11.  Seriously.

And last but not least, this fabulous dress from Francesca's Collections (they have a website but we are lucky to have a faaaabulous store in Vegas that is 10X better).  It has horses on it, which is kind of random, but I love it :)

Goodbyes

Just got home from dinner with friends to say goodbye to Lindsay and Tony.  It's hit me hard that they're moving away because Lindsay has been such a big part of my life out here in Vegas.  We started our nursing careers together, working in the PICU and kind of hating our lives for awhile there.  We have supported each other through so much together.  Divorce, death of loved ones, hard situations at work, family drama, engagements and her wedding just last week.  It is so hard to make good friends and when you find those people, you just know that they are meant to be in your life for more than just a season.

Our time in Vegas is slowly starting to wind down.  Our other good friends just moved to Texas for residency, and with Jonathon away this summer it's hard not to feel alone at times.  I am hoping we can make the most of these last months here and keep in touch with the friends that we have made along the way. 

A sad day to be a nurse

The world lost a very special little girl last night.  I had the pleasure of taking care of her for nearly 9 months while she was in the hospital and got to know her family very well during that time.  They are truly the most kind and loving people and they took such great care of her.  She was only able to be home with them for a couple of weeks but I feel so fortunate that they were able to have that time with her. 

This little lady challenged me.  I was nervous caring for her in the beginning.  She was significantly premature and was born with multiple medical problems.  We had many scary nights together where I worried if she was going to make it through, but each time she would bounce back and get a little bit stronger.  Nothing was ever easy for her and in her short little life she underwent numerous major surgeries and setbacks.  Despite all of this, she was such a sweet little girl and always had a smile on her face.  I feel like I am a better nurse after having taken care of her.

My heart hurts for her family and for everything they have gone through in this past year.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Rest in peace Miss Katie, you are so loved.