February Update

Sometimes I honestly forget that I have a blog. I only recently remembered because of my friend SCarr's post about the goings-on in her life. If for no other reason, click on that link so you can see a picture of her cat with a piece of bread on its head. Made me laugh FOREVER.

Anyway I thought I should update my readers on the goings-on in MY life.

The New Years resolutions are going fairly well. I've kind of got into a routine of going to the gym; last week I went 4 times. Even yesterday Paul and I did yoga together. Love that I can do stuff like that with my husband! We have 3 knitting sessions scheduled at a local studio here in Coeur d'alene (yes I said we - Paul's doing it too. Have I mentioned that I love that guy?!) so I'm finally going to learn how to knit. I've gotten in the pool a few times for classes, but not for swimming laps, but my fire for swimming has been relit and I can't wait to get started. One credit card will be paid off this month but the other financial goals have been slow to get going. Weight loss: meh. Still working on it.

The pups are good - Stella turned 1 year old this month. She is showing some signs of skittishness around unfamiliar people and places, which I don't like. We've tried to socialize her quite a bit but when she sees our neighbors she barks at them and when I take her to work she is really nervous. We'll have to just continue exposing her to different places and situations. Kobe is still fluffy and cute. The pups are friends sometimes, but Kobe still hates it when Stella bites his ears.

Work is going well - nothing has really changed in the last few months other than I've started considering looking for a job closer to Bismarck (probably Minneapolis) so that we can be closer to my family and friends. I love North Idaho but I have no ties here so I'm not really sad if we leave. I'd rather have the chance to see my mom more often!

Well I can't think of anything else that's happened recently so I'm going to close. Hope all you guys are having a great February!

New Years Resolutions 2012

A new year is upon us so of course that means new resolutions. First let's take a look at my resolutions for 2011 and see which ones I worked on (and hopefully achieved!) and which ones were epic failures:


1. Take a photo every day for a year.  (FAIL)
2. Run one mile without stopping.  (FAIL)
3. Read 30 books. (MET)
4. Pay off two credit cards. (working on this - but still FAIL)
5. Hike five trails in Idaho and/or Washington. (FAIL - did only one)
6. Organize continuing education documents for work. (MET)
7. Lose 90 pounds. (FAIL)
8. Learn a new craft or hobby. (FAIL)
9. Prepare one new recipe each week. (this was more of a success than other resolutions - but still FAIL)
10. Eat more whole grains and vegetarian protein. (MET except that now I'm eating poultry and fish)
 11. Travel to a state or country not previously visited. (MET - Colorado)


As you can see I didn't do so hot. Probably due to the fact that I didn't print out this list and about a week after I wrote these I forgot about some of them. This year I plan on printing out this list and posting it on the fridge as a constant reminder of my goals. A lot of the resolutions I had last year I still want to complete this year, but I plan on being a little more specific to make them slightly more attainable. Wish me luck! Here goes:


1. Running: Be able to run one mile without stopping by December by gaining 0.1 mile of distance each month (ie run 0.1 mile without stopping by the end of January, 0.2 by the end of February, etc.)
2. General exercise: Complete 30 minutes of any type of workout at the gym or outside (classes, swimming, machines, etc.) 3x per week or more.
3. Weight loss: Lose 5 lbs a month for a total of 60 lbs by the end of the year.
4. Swimming: Be able to swim 1500 yards without stopping by December
5. Debt: Consolidate student loans to one payment and a lower interest rate.
6. Debt: Pay off 2 credit cards and Honda.
7. Leisure: Read 30 books, with at least 15 of them being ones I already own.
8. Leisure: Learn how to knit.
9. Money: Set a budget for entertainment/dining out at $350 per month and stick to it.
10. Home: Speak to a mortgage lender about financing options for purchasing a house.


I tried to set attainable goals relevant to my 10 year life plan, which is what the "experts" say you should do.

2011 was a great year. Here's hoping 2012 is even better!

Ellensburg, WA

The last few days I've been in Ellensburg, WA filling in at one of my company's buildings that doesn't have an OT. In case you're wondering Ellensburg is just short of being in the middle of nowhere.

It's about 3 hours from CDA (3.5 if you go the speed limit) and 1.5 hours from Seattle, so it's not too bad. I got to stay in a hotel and eat out for every meal courtesy of the company which was nice. And for work it's been stressful because I've had to catch the OT dept up on a weeks worth of paperwork in three days. I've been doing my typical OT duties (evaluations, treatments, progress notes, and discharges) and all the computer work and paperwork is the same as at my building, so it hasn't been terrible.

The best part about this facility is the rehab team. While I love my coworkers and think they are invaluable, at my building I'm the youngest therapist with the next youngest being 12 years older than me. At this building there is a physical therapist who is 27 and a physical therapy assistant who is 28. I never realized how much I miss being around people my age. I've kind of clicked with them in two days of working together, which is awesome. We went out to dinner last night and had the best time. I wish I could transport some of them back to my building in CDA.

So today after work I leave to go back to Idaho and back to my typical routine. I've missed some of my patients and I've missed the familiarity of my coworkers, office, and building. But I'm glad I did this because I met some fantastic people.

Next week I was supposed to come to Ellensburg again to fill in for two days but in order to do that I would have to reschedule a major dental appointment AND I would miss seeing my former student while he's in CDA for a job interview! Therefore, I think I'll have to pass it up.

See you back in CDA!

October!

Can you believe it's almost the middle of October already? I feel like time just flies by. When I was a kid my dad used to say that time got faster when you got older. I never believed him until the last couple years. It seems like it goes by so fast you don't have time to stop and reflect about what's going on in your life. Maybe that's just me.

This past week I've been sick with a cold. It started in my throat, moved it's way up to my sinuses and now has set up camp in my lungs. I always have lung problems when I get sick, so now I can expect to have a cough for a few weeks. I don't mind being sick so much; of course it sucks. But I hate working in health care and being sick. I feel like my patients are disgusted and appalled that I would come to work sick, and work with them, who are usually even sicker. Of course I take extra precautions to avoid contaminating anyone, but usually people look at me like I have the plague when I cough near them.

I haven't posted a picure of me in awhile, so here is one of me. Sick. With dogs. In my pajamas.

Hopefully the cute doggy faces will deter you from looking at my puffy one. Nice hair too.


Paul is still working at the Casino and liking it. He drives a golf cart around and plays with computers. What's not to like? Stella turned 8 months old this month and Kobe turns 9 next month. Kobe continues to pretend that he hates Stella, but every once in awhile they'll play together. And by play I mean Stella will knock Kobe onto his back and he will struggle to figure out how to get away.

At the end of this month Paul and I are going to a Halloween party themed "Pimps and Hos." We do not have costumes yet, but I will be sure to post them so everyone can see how ridiculous we look.

My mom is upset that I didn't post any pictures of our garden this summer. I can take a picture of what it looks like now, but it's pretty ugly. This years harvest was quite modest, but tonight I'm making eggplant parmesan with the eggplants and some of the tomatoes we grew!

Speaking of dinner, the husband will be home soon. Better get my apron on!

Updates

Sorry I've been on a blog hiatus for a while. Just haven't had the motivation to blog I guess! I did think it would be a good idea to tell you what has been going on in the West household.

Paul is starting work on Aug 30th at the Coeur d'Alene Casino as an IT tech. We are both so relieved! And thankful. There are so many people looking for work it's really a weight off our shoulders to be lucky to have two incomes.

Stella turns 7 months old on September 2nd and Kobe turns 9 on November 8th. Feel free to send presents.

I've had a lot of health issues that have come about in the last couple of months. Without getting too much into it I'll just say that a lot has changed, health insurance is amazing, and it's incredible that things may not be functioning in one's body and one might not even know it.

In lighter news, I have a lot of fun stuff coming up. Paul and I are taking the dogs and going camping at a campsite at Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced Ponderay surprisingly) from Sept 9-11, which should be funny. Kobe will probably bark at everything! The four of us will be sleeping in a tent. Hopefully it isn't miserable. I also am going to Gig Harbor, WA with my co-workers the weekend after the camping trip for a continuing education class on edema (swelling, or water retention). The people I work with live for alcohol and are tons of fun, so I'm looking forward to it.

Well that's all for now! Hope all my faithful readers are doing well!

My Summer Reading List

Currently I'm in the middle of reading Jodi Picoult's book Sing You Home which so far is ok, not as good as some of her past books such as My Sister's Keeper and House Rules. The book is centered around a music therapist who has several personal tragedies that eventually falls in love with another woman, which adds a bunch of other problems in her life. Let's just say that most people she knows aren't that accepting! (I'm getting most of this from the dust jacket description as I'm on page 121 out of 466.)

In the meantime I have a bunch of books on my waiting list at the library and for my kindle. They are....

I actually own this book and have never read it despite it's insane popularity. Well, the movie comes out soon and it looks good, so I need to read the book before I see the film version. Even if I'm the last person in the world to do so, I WILL read this book soon!

I love World War II fiction.  22 Britannia Road is about the women and children who are left behind when their husbands go off to fight in the war. Focusing on one woman and her son in Poland, the book describes the negative effects war can have on individuals and  families alike. I hear this book is really good and I'm excited to start it. It will probably be the book I read next as I have it on two week loan from the library!

A psychological thriller about a woman who has amnesia. Kind of like the film 50 First Dates but not a comedy by any means. I'm excited to read this because I haven't read a page-turner in a while!

This book is described as being a little bit of everything: love story, adventure story, political/ethical story, and self-discovery story. This book is also described as being one of those books that is full of metaphors and symbolism, which sometimes isn't my cup of tea. Depends on how it's done really... The story must still be intriguing. This book is at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, which is usually full of fluff, so it must be ok.

Was it suicide or murder? This is the question Beatrice tries to answer when it comes to Tess, her older sister who has died. An emotional thriller full of suspense. Reviewers tell me to have a box of tissues handy!

The first of two non-fiction books on my list, I feel like I want to read this memoir by Jaycee Dugard primarily to appreciate my own average, uneventful life more. Isn't that the reason why we love to read about other people's tragedies? So we can say, "Wow, glad I didn't have to go through that"? Stories like this make me want to be more thankful for the things in my life that I normally take for granted.

What we're doing to the Earth's oceans makes me want to puke (did you know for every 1 lb of shrimp harvested from the ocean, 4 lbs of other animals die?) so I'm hesitant to read this book. I love seafood and the last book I read about the food industry and ocean fishing made me become a complete vegetarian. But knowledge is power and I want to know what I can do. Support sustainable fishing!

So there you have it. My summer reading list. Now if you excuse me, Paul and I are going to get Chinese takeaway and watch Tangled.

Ironman Recap

Last weekend Paul and I volunteered our time at an Ironman runner's aid station. We had no idea what to expect and ended up having a pretty good time. I for one was expecting one booth handing out everything, but turns out the booths line about 100 yards of the running path on both sides and each booth hands out one thing. The stations were handing out: ice, gel (runner's fuel), water, cola, pretzels, cookies, fruit, potato chips, wet sponges, and sports drink. We ended up at the sports drink booth!

Our job was to fill paper cups with a large swallow of sports drink, hold it out to runners, and yell "Perform!" as they ran by so they knew what our cups had in them. (Perform is the specific type of Gatorade/Powerade that Ironmen and women train with).

At the beginning it was super exciting every time a runner came through because they were few and far between. Everybody would cheer and give them words of encouragement along with whatever you were handing out. But about half way into our shift the runners were coming in droves and it was kind of hard to keep up. It was also really hot as we were standing in the direct sun by the lake. I tried to keep in mind that even though I was getting sunburned and felt dehydrated, at least I didn't have to travel 140 miles with my body like the runners were doing!

All in all it was a great experience and I'll probably do it again next year. The only bummer was that we didn't get T-shirts because they ran out and I was really looking forward to having an Ironman T-shirt! It's the small things.

Another really cool thing was that my coworker, Tom, placed 7th in the local finishers. Pretty amazing!