Nashville

Greetings from the city of music! Braydon and I arrived in Nashville this past Friday and are thrilled to get to know our new nephew, he is such a sweet, calm baby.  Not to mention, relaxing with my brother and sister-in-law is amazing, what a blessing it is to have them as family.

 Braydon and I have explored Nashville a bit too.  Here we are at a public park going for a hike and playing some frisbee.  Tomorrow we plan to visit the Honky Tonk and see more of the downtown culture.  All the old brick homes with sprawling yards and white pillars makes me feel like I'm in an old southern movie.  It's an incredible place!

 Betty Ashton is a professional harpist and lulls Harrison to sleep.  It is such a treat to hear her beautiful music.

 Braydon is so great with the little guy, I wish I could candidly videotape his dancing and singing to Harrison.  He's awesome at entertaining him and lullabying him to sleep :)

We so wished we lived closer to Aaron, Betty Ashton and Harrison but we are certainly making the most of our time together.

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"And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen."

-Terri Guillements

Happy (Belated) Birthday to two special guys

This is a belated but important birthday announcement to two guys who entered my life in the past two years and have made an extraordinary impact on my life.

Outside of my own father and husband I must say these two guys are coined "most influential" in my life over the past two years, and it just so happens they share the same birthday.  One turned one year old and the other ninety one years old.

Despite the huge age difference they both have remarkable and inspirational displays of unconditional love, joyful character and dedication.

Davedaddy is by far the most wise, loving and committed elderly man I have ever met; his dedication to his family is unremarkable.  He inspires Braydon and I to instill family values in our lives and has given us direction and wisdom to raise our own family.  Davedaddy's presence brings peace and joy to anyone he surrounds, not to mention he is the most adorable elderly man I've encountered.

And then you see where this is going....now you may say, how (or why) would you compare a puppy to an honorable elderly family patron?  Well, there really are striking similarities between these two men.  Not only do they show absolute unconditional love and joy to everyone they surround, they have made such an incredible impact on my life.

As mentioned in a previous post I am an animal lover, so it comes as no surprise that I often compare animals to people.  Honestly, Bear and Davedaddy embody so many of the same characteristics of joy, selfishness and love, it seems only fitting that they share the same birthday.

Bear on his way to the dog park

Davedaddy and I in Florida this spring

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"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

-Morrie Schwartz

These are a few of my favorite things

This past weekend was so wonderful; spending holidays with my husband, family and church is certainly one of my favorite things.  I cherish the energy and love that comes when we all come together.  

Just for fun I thought I would share a few more of my favorite things from this weekend...and just life in general:

Fresh fruit, how I missed you over the winter months.  Obviously there are no berries growing in the unthawed Minnesota ground but with warming weather creeping in, prices on fruit are starting to drop and they are finally affordable.  yum!

Braydon and I agree that we have never seen a dog love his toys as much as Bear.  Not only does he love playing with them, he loves taking care of them.  He is often sitting on the couch licking the fur of the animals, he brings them around the house with him and takes them to bed too.  Watching his joy and happiness when he is cuddled up next to these stuffed toys is one of my favorite things. 

While I'm on the subject of Bear, I might as will continue and add one more favorite thing...Bear's accessories.  Braydon already knows that he is in trouble when we have kids...they will certainly be well dressed and well accessorized.  This duck harness is one my personal favorites.

This is the picture Braydon drew on my Easter card this year.  Now I probably should have gotten his permission to use this but I think he will understand.  Something I love about our relationship is our ability to just be ourselves together and sometimes just be childlike.  I've always said that Braydon has an amazing ability to make me wholeheartedly laugh.  I can't even explain how he does it but day after day he makes me smile and laugh.  One of my favorite times of the day is when Braydon wakes up for work; no matter the day of the week or how well he slept, he gets up and starts singing.  It always brings a huge smile to my face.  

I love flowers, I am always amazed how such a beautiful creation can come from a little bud. My personal favorites are Easter lilies, their smell is incredible and I suppose I'm a little partial to their name too as my middle name is Lily.

This may seem a little strange that this book on my list of favorites  but I love studying oncology medicine, I find it so incredibly fascinating and the more knowledge I attain the better nurse I become.  This is my personal favorite resource.  

Although Braydon and I are looking to move into the suburbs to begin a new chapter of our lives, I will always look back fondly on my time spent living downtown.  I have so many "favorites" in downtown Minneapolis....from the endless amounts of restaurants to try to the diversity in people, the convenience of living, to the access to running paths and of course all our friends living close by....I don't think I can choose a favorite, I just love it all.

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"Love is a symbol of eternity.  It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end."

-Author Unknown

Chocolate Malts

Growing up in our family household a popular question was, "Can I have a midnight snack?" A midnight snack was actually at about 8pm before bed and usually consisted of a chocolate malt. My dad would bring out thehershey's chocolate syrup and Bryer's vanilla ice cream and stirred up a delicious concoction. Midnight snacks weren't just about going to bed on a full tummy, it was a comfort food that brought smiles, pleasure and comfort.

For the past 2 years I've worked the night shift as a nurse. I find it a special honor to tuck in my patients before bed and being there for them throughout the night. Early on in my career, I had a patient ask me, "can I have a snack before bed?" Looking at his frail body, I said, "Of course! What would you like?" He smiled and said, "I could really go for a chocolate malt, but I'm sure you only have saltines or something like that." Reminiscing on the comfort and pleasure I experienced from the chocolate malt during my childhood and then looking at this terminally ill patient, I just couldn't say no. Using some creativeness, I mixed up vanilla ice cream, milk and hot chocolate powder and then sat with the patient while he savored the malt. When he finished he said with a smile, "that just made my day." All I could think was that measly chocolate malt made your day? Leaving his room, I realized it was so much more than the malt that brought him such pleasure; it was the fact that I showed him I cared, that I was there for him and wanted to comfort him...the same reasons why my dad's chocolate malts were so special to me.

Ever since this one experience, I have made dozens (if not a hundred) chocolate malts for patients, and they always seem to bring the same response. I've realized there are small, special moments in life that bring an incredibly lasting and loving impression. Whether it is taking the time to do something nice, or learning someone's name or simply making someone a chocolate malt, I've found these little things can make such an incredibly huge difference.

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During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. "Absolutely," the professor said. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. ~Joann C. Jones

It's a busy time of the year

I think I should re-title this post as "it's a busy time of life;" if one of my friends or family members isn't getting married then they are having a baby, or a new house or achieving some other monumental life event.  I suppose being twenty-something is a busy decade.

Just to provide some evidence here's what Braydon and I have going on over the next 6 months...

 Our second nephew was just born: welcome to the world Harrison Ward Mayo! And our first niece is due in May...Reese Scottlyn Andrews.  Five friends are getting married: one in Wisconsin and four in Minnesota. My brother-in-law, Jordon, is getting married in Florida.  A great couple from our church just had a little boy: welcome Hudson Herbert!  My best friend just bought a house.  Our condo is on the market and our house hunt is in full bloom.  We are planning trips to Nashville, Virginia, Green Bay and "up north" Minnesota.  Braydon and I are running the Twin Cities Marathon in the fall, and training all summer for it. 

In addition Braydon and I are working full time, taking care of our own child....Bear, and having so much fun just living the life as newlyweds.  Being twenty-something is certainly busy, but its incedibly exciting and I could not be more joyful for it.

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"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

~Erma Bombeck

Mind, Body and Soul

The Healing Gardens, a view from a window at the Frauenshuh Cancer Center--a medical institution focused on healing the mind, body and soul for cancer survivors.

Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are three faiths molded by a trinity.  All three religions have beliefs shaped by a higher power God, a spirit within the believer and a physical human being or savior.  While I believe in the Christian God, the holy spirit and Jesus Christ, I find it absolutely fascinating that three of the world's most prominent religions share the common structure of a mind, body and soul trinity.  There must be something we can take away from this clear similarity.

Back in nursing school our program's philosophy centered on holistic nursing.  We were taught to care for a patient's mind, body and soul.  We were to not only to assess patient's pain, vital signs and heart rhythms, we were also taught to ask how are you actually feeling?  How are your spirits?  Tell me more about how you are coping.  We learned that in order to fully understand a patient's condition and the care needed, it was essential to understand the patient's emotional, physical and spiritual state of health; here I cross another stark example of the mind, body and soul trinity.

In order to truly be fulfilled and joyful in life, an individual needs to fully engage their mind, body and soul every day.  Just as Christianity must include God, Jesus and the holy spirit or how my nursing assessment must include a patient's physical, emotional and spiritual state in order to be complete, we must also find ways to connect and fulfill our mind, body and soul in order to truly live.  

 My own personal mind, body, soul trinity looks something like this:

Mind: Every nursing shift I learn something new, whether it is a new medication and its side effect profile or how to support an individual with a new cancer diagnosis; the vastness of the medical field forces me to challenged my mind.  My husband also provides me with unending emotional support for my mind.  His unconditional love, relentless support and wise guidance provide me with the emotional stability my mind needs.

Body:  Running has always been a source of release for me.  Running not only keeps my body healthy and in-shape, it allows me to experience nature, the world around me and gives me time to process thoughts and feelings.  

Soul:  My belief in Christianity makes my soul complete.  Everything from the peace provided by prayer to the guidance given in the Bible to the love from Jesus Christ puts my soul at rest and gives me confidence in my duty and place in this world.

The only time I feel genuinely joyful is when my mind, body and soul are all being fulfilled.  While its so evidently painted in our world's religions, it's taken me quite a while to come to this conclusion.  I certainly have tried only focusing on the body component or only focus on my mind, but I have continually found myself frustrated, hardened and un-satisfied.  I encourage you to find your own, unique fulfillment of the mind, body and soul trinity and hope you discover the same satisfaction, peace and joy.

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"What can you ever really know of other people's souls-- of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles?  One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands."

-- C.S Lewis

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

This Wednesday my mother dearest is turning 60 years old.  Now, I'm sure she doesn't appreciate me announcing this to the whole blogging world; however, this quiet, humble, selfless lady deserves one huge shout out during her birthday week.  So excuse me for a moment while I jump into bragging about one lovely lady.


Through out the years people have coined me as a 'daddy's little girl.' My athletic ability, my gentle demeanor, even my physical appearance all take after my dad.  Very rarely have people noted or have I referred to myself as being like my mother.  The truth is I have yet to 'take after' my mom, and its for the fact that her grace, love and strength are incredibly difficult to emulate.  My mom is the most selfless, compassionate, generous person I have ever known.  Now, you must be thinking of course a daughter would say that of her mother; however, if you were to ask any of my friends, family members, teammates or classmates, I honestly know they would agree.

I've heard many people say, "Ugh, I can't believe I'm turning into my mother."  I would be utterly honored to say that I've turned into my mother.  I can only hope and dream that someday I will attain the unconditional love, relentless support, and enduring strength of my mom.

Mother Teresa once said, "Love until it hurts and then love more."  Through great times and difficult times my mom did just this.  My brother and I both tested the limits our mom's love.  In truth, I don't know how or where she found the persisting love and patience she gave to us; all I know is that I would be humbled and honored to someday give a fraction of this love to my own children.

Happy 60th Birthday Mom, you truly are the best.

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"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

~Abraham Lincoln