American Girl

Oh, how fun it was to be an eight-year-old again!  I had the complete joy of going to the new American Girl Store here in the DC area.  It was so much fun, especially since I went with my friend and her five-year-old.  Little miss was sporting an original American Girl outfit complete with the matching outfit for her American Girl doll.  It was precious.

We got there around 10:30, and the store was already buzzing with activity.  There were moms with their daughters, ranging from one-year-olds to young teens.  Most girls carried an American Girl Doll or a Bitty Baby and some, like my friends little girl, had matching outfits.  There were even moms who had their own dolls.

We walked into the two-story building from the outside entrance.  We immediately saw the multiple displays of the historical dolls and all the outfits and accessories for them.  I made a beeline to Kit, the doll that I had decided to purchase.  There she was, clean and new in her box, much unlike my gently loved Kirsten from circa 1992.  We picked her out and selected a few pre-determined outfits and accessories for her (I made a wish list at home because I knew I would be too overwhelmed at the store).  Kit came home with her accessories, her birthday dress, her school outfit, her school supplies, and her school lunch.  There was also a bistro restaurant on this floor complete with pink linen.  Tucked in the corner was a room labeled, “Personal Shopper.”  Whoa, I do not think I will need that service, but if the situation calls for it, I will know where to go!

We proceeded to go downstairs where there was even more to enjoy.  There we found the doll hair salon, Bitty Baby section, and the collection of My American Girl dolls, accessories, and clothing for girls (modern clothing and accessories).  There are so many combinations of hair/eyes/skin that a little girl can pick out a doll that complements her own features, down to braces and underwear!

One thing I liked about going here was the bond between mothers and daughters.  I could see how excited both sides were.  No temper tantrums, no “gimmies.”  Just pure understanding on both sides of the importance of this store.  I was so happy to have shared this experience with my friend and her daughter.  I hope to be able to take my daughter there some day, but until then, any one have a little girl I can borrow?

Our Garden

Ever since we became homeowners in 2008, we always planned to plant a vegetable garden.  That plan always fell short right before the execution phase.  This year, in spite of quick planning, we went for it.  We purchased many different fruit and vegetable starter plants and planted them in a small square of land in our back yard.  The total area is about 10’ by 5’.  We planted cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, a variety of peppers, strawberries, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkins, and watermelon.

We planted with ever-loving care and tended to the garden with Miracle Grow plant food.  Since it does rain here a lot (shocker!), we did not need to worry about watering too much.  Much to our astonishment, our garden BLEW UP!  I mean, it was crazy how much this little plot of land was able to feed and house so much!

The largest part of the garden was the two pumpkin plants.  I measured one continuous vine to be about 20 feet long.  Darn thing even snuck through the fence into the neighbors!  Needless to say, we had to cut it back some because it was suffocating the rest of the garden.  Here is a picture before we trimmed it back.

We have lots and lots of growing tomatoes.  They are still green and I can imagine the day that they all decide to turn red.  I have already been looking up recipes for canning these things.  I don’t want any to go to waste.

We also have some peppers getting ready to grow up!  I think they will make a lovely salsa when paired with the tomatoes.

When I was trimming back the pumpkins, I found two rip cucumbers hibernating under the leaves.  We used them to make a wonderful Greek meal that night.  I was so proud of those two cucumbers!  Want to know something ironic?  I don’t even like cucumbers!

How to Save a Life

Sometimes it feels like the world is against you.  Sometimes all the complaints and negativity is enough to make you throw in the towel.  Sometimes you wonder, “Why do I give my sanity, happiness, and life to others who just complain and use me?”  These are some thoughts going through the minds of a nurse daily.  I know I think them often.  However, tonight something happened that has affected me greatly.

I work in the critical care unit of a community hospital.  I am the charge nurse about 80% of the time.  As charge nurse, not only am I responsible for all the patients and nurses on my unit, I am also the first responder to any emergency in the hospital, what we call a “Rapid Response Team.”  A rapid response was called on a patient who had just been admitted to the medical-surgical floor from the emergency room.  She was not waking up and had low blood pressure.  Unable to arouse her, the doctor and I agreed that she needed something to help her wakeup.  She had received a narcotic, dilaudid, in the emergency room.  Narcan (Naloxone) is the antidote to opioids such as dilaudid and morphine.  Narcan (Naloxone) is specifically used to counteract life-threatening depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system.  The pharmacy sent a medication and the nursing supervisor drew up the medication in a syringe.  She rushed it to me and said, “Here is 10 mg of Narcan.”  I frowned and looked at the empty vial in her hand.  I said, “This is not Narcan.”  (By the way, the dose for Narcan is 0.4 mg.)  What the pharmacy had sent, and what she had drawn up, was Nubain (nalbuphine), a synthetic opioid.  Had this been administered to her, she would have possibly drifted into an even deeper sedation and possibly even into respiratory arrest.  This is called a near miss.  This medication error made it through two providers and I was the last set of eyes before it was administered to the patient.  In the end, I did give the proper dose of Narcan to the patient, and she woke up, mad as hell at me that her back was now hurting.

Not to sound too overly dramatic, but I quite possibly saved a life today.  And she will never even realize that.  But that is the life I chose, and I love it.

Welcome to the 21st century…

Well, we finally saved up the magic amount that was our goal.  We decided that we could no longer put off “important” purchases.  Therefore, last weekend, we were able to make two very fun purchases. 

First, we got an AWESOME vacuum.  I cannot even begin to describe how great this thing works, especially with Gabby.  I thought we were in great need of having our carpets cleaned because the old vacuum (7 years-old) would “work,” but it still left dirty spots.  We got the Electrolux Versatility.  I look forward to vacuuming now.  I am serious.  I love it.  We were shocked to learn that our carpets are in fact not gray, but off-white.  They look beautiful.

We also got a new TV!  We planned to purchase an LCD TV for years, ever since we moved to TN in 2008.  We always put it off, stating, “We’re moving soon, we’ll get one then.”  The 9 year-old RCA that we purchased right after we got married still works fine, but it is very dated.  Thanks to HH Gregg (they took over most of the old Circuit City buildings in the Eastern part of the States), and their 15% off Easter Sale, we got an LG 42" 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV!  Greg is out of town, so I picked it up and set it up all by myself!  The HDMI cables make a huge difference, even on the non-HD channels.  I love it!  I can watch TV without my glasses now!

Things I Love About Washington DC!

(though we do live in Northern Virginia)…

1. Greg’s Job
2. My Job
3. The Smithsonian Institution (the one’s I have been to include the Air and Space Museum, The American History Museum, The Natural History Museum, and The Museum of the American Indian)
4. All of the other cool free places to visit (Washington Monument, The White House,  The Botanical Gardens, The Capitol Building)
5. Rich history (Mount Vernon especially)
6. My house!
7. Ikea is just down the street
8. Potomac Mills is just down the street  
9. So many educational opportunities
10. It feels like being on vacation all of the time
11. Access to so many other East Coast cities (NYC is just 4 hours away!)
12. Everyone is from everywhere, so you don’t ever worry about being “not from around here”
13. DC Cupcakes
14. People love to come and visit sine there are so many cool things here
15. Urban yet rural too; there are so many nature preserve areas, rivers, and scenic drives

Top Things I Miss About The Pacific Northwest!

1. Family!
2. Tillamook Cheese
3. The Oregon Coast, especially in the winter…
4. Mountains (um, Virginia, 5729 feet does not count…)
5. Burgerville
6. Socks with sandals and cargo shorts in the winter
7. Subaru’s (oh, wait, I have one!)
8. Grandmas House
9. Diesel Suburban, no passengers, bumper sticker “Save the Planet”
10. Die-Hard Portland Trail Blazer fans, rain or shine, we love ‘em!
11. The traffic (I know, it still is heavy, but you haven’t seen NOTHING till you get to the I-95, I-66, I-395, I-495 knot in Virginia!)
12. “Breaking News” for 100+ degree days and 1”+ snow days
13. Pacific Northwest English
14. Lots and lots of Starbucks (17 miles to work, and I only pass ONE?!)
15. Seeing people in the rain, sans umbrella (thinking I am strange when I am the only one!)

Now, I don’t want any “woe is me,” the next edition will be the things I love about DC!