Wicked and Nashvegas...

This weekend has been another hectic, busy, stay on the go kind of weekend. It started with our trip to Nashville for a few hours on Friday so John could take a test for his job. A few days before John had told me he had to go to Nashville and I was SO pumped!!! 1. Nashville is one of my favorite cities 2. I lived there for 6 years and miss it so much! 3. I haven't been back since May, when I moved away :( 4. All of my friends and my brother are in Nashville 5. I was off on Friday so I could totally tag along with John!!! So needless to say I couldn't wait to be back in that city if only for a few short hours. While John was taking his test I got to have lunch with Katie and Stephanie, my good friends and co-workers from St. Thomas! I had the best time at lunch catching up with Katie and Stephanie and it made me realize even more how much I miss them!!! Those are two of my friends that have been there with me through crazy/ tragic/ hilarious/ sad/ happy/stressful times of my nursing career. We really do have a bond and share common experiences that I don't have with any other people in my life. We caught up on nursing stuff of course, but also about life and that's what I love. They are more than friends at work, they are there to be friends throughout the walk of life and I really love that about them both. The second I text them saying I was coming to Nashville they both instantly agreed to have lunch and cleared their schedules to make time to see me and I really appreciate that kind of friendship. Even though we haven't seen each other in a few months we always pick up right where we leave off and always find something crazy to laugh about. I wish I could bottle up their sweet spirits and carry it with me back to Chattanooga on days at work when I really need good co-workers to have my back or just to keep me company on my days off when I wished I could see them. Since that isn't possible, I will just have to keep visiting and hope they come visit me soon as well! :) Our lunch made me so thankful for great friends and even better company!!!

So after lunch in Nashville, I tried to see my brother before we left. Unfortunately he was busy getting ready for a Wedding he was DJ-ing later that evening which I understand. I'll see him again soon! So since Chandler was busy that afternoon John and I headed back to Chattanooga to get ready for Atlanta the following morning. We also got to go pick out some cute fall decorations for the apartment which I was thrilled about! It's fun decorating for each season now that I am married and we have our place. I'm definitely in the Fall spirit now!

Saturday morning we woke up and headed down to my parents house to see Wicked later that evening. Before Wicked, we went to eat at Flip Burger which is an upscale/ trendy/unique burger spot. If you are ever in Atlanta it's a MUST, the food is great and the milkshakes are so good too! Then we went down to the FOX theatre in downtown to see WICKED!!!

I have been to the FOX only one other time when I was younger for a concert so I hardly remembered it. The FOX is absolutely amazing!!! It's such a beautiful building and has so much history behind it, it really is such a neat place, it looks like a old elaborate castle and the ceiling looks just like a blue night sky with clouds moving, it's hard to describe but totally stunning! Wicked was just as great too! John and I have never been to a big Broadway play so we didn't know what to expect. Wicked was wonderful! The actors/actresses were so talented and had amazing voices. Also, the bad/good witches played their parts so well. The best part was when the bad witch flew up in the air and was singing , it looked just like a scene from the Wizard of OZ! the Wizard was really cool too. This play exceeded our expectations and we hope to see more, hopefully even go to New York one day and see one there! Wicked will be hard to beat though, I recommend it to everyone! We had such a great time and so glad my parents went with us!

This morning we went to my church home and we were so thankful to see Don, our preacher back at church after being out for several months in the hospital. Don means so much to me and my family, he is the best preacher I know and we also married John and I! He is so selfless and genuinely cares about each person around him and makes you feel like your the only one that matters, that is truly a gift when in reality he has a church of a thousand members and is known all around the world. So glad his recovery is going well and he couldn't speak but a few minutes today at church because he is still really weak but I'm glad we were there to see him on his first Sunday back! We also love going back to visit because I know everyone there and everyone is always so glad to see John and I, especially the small group my parents are in. After church we went to eat wings and watch the football games. My poor Braves and Falcons lost :( Glad the Titans won though! John's 49ers also won so that makes for a much more pleasant day at the Denniston house! Such a great weekend with friends and family...I'm truly blessed beyond words!

Always on the go...

So I am extremely behind with my blogging, I try but John and I really have been super busy! I feel like when I'm not working we are always out of town lately. It's a lot of fun to be on the go because we both LOVE to travel. However, I'm also enjoying these two non-traveling, working, hanging around the house kinda days in my PJ's. The only thing that's missing is my husband though! John is away for seven days doing a project for his job in Decatur and Huntsville, AL. I got to tag along the first two days with him which was fun but had to come back to work this Sunday so I didn't get to stay long. I miss him SO much! I guess when we got married we never even thought of the next time we would be without one another, it just seems so weird now being apart. It definitely takes me back to the year and a half we had a distance relationship and I am so thankful we no longer have to worry about that anymore! I can say that I can't stand staying at our place without him. I'm already really paranoid and a big baby when I stay alone somewhere. It's a wonder I had my own apartment in Nashville for two years all by myself! I can't sleep good at night and am worried the craziest things will happen, lol. Crazy? I know but I really freak myself out and always have.

So I have much to catch up on, my next blog I hope to write about our trip to the beach and talk about John turning the BIG 3-0 and celebrating my Mom's B-day as well! It was such a fun trip!

Also, this Thursday night John comes back in town so I'm counting down the days! He has to go to Nashville Friday for a test so I will go also since I'm not working! I'm SO excited! I haven't been back to Nashville since I left there at the beginning of May to move back home for a month before the wedding. It seems surreal being gone for so long but I can't wait to be back!!! I LOVE that city and mostly some of the people in that city! I can't wait to do lunch with some of my good friends and hopefully see my brother as well! It will be great even if it's just for a day...I'll take it! Then we come back to Chattanooga Friday night so we can head down to Atlanta on Saturday to go see Wicked with my parents! I'm really looking forward to it! Wicked is playing at the famous FOX theatre in Atlanta and I have never been to a broadway-like play so I can't wait! See... we really do stay on the go but we wouldn't change a thing about this hectic-stay on the go life we have! Hope everyone is doing well! More updates to come soon!

A Sweet Tooth's Heaven...

John and I are both sweet tooth's. We love our desserts and I always consider it the best part of any meal. However, we don't often eat dessert because we are trying to stay in shape and usually avoid the temptations if all possible. We joined a gym here in Chattanooga and have been going a few times a week. We have been doing really great and I think it helps when you can motivated each other. So one day after we worked out we were soaking up some sun at the sports facility pool and that's when the sweet tooth craving hit...we both wanted ice cream and were going to do anything to get it. Yes, we went to get ice cream after leaving the gym which totally ruins all those calories we just worked off. With that being said, we also both got cotton candy ice cream. We are A: sweet tooth's at heart and B: just big kids! Got to love it. Anyways, after ice cream I think the sweet tooth bug stuck with John because a few hours later he was begging me to make one of his favorite desserts, a cheesecake. John will never admit he is a sweet tooth but he REALLY is, sometimes even more than me which says a lot! So I planned on making him my first ever attempt at a cheesecake and thank God my Mom is such a wonderful cook that she has an amazing cheesecake recipe that is out of this world! I rolled up my new bride sleeves and was determined to get this cheesecake right for my husband. Lucky for me it turned out great and John has been enjoying a piece every night lately. So I will share this great recipe that has been in my family for so long...thanks Mom for all the great ideas and good cooking genes!!!

Mom's Famous Creamy Vanilla Cheesecake:

First what you'll need-

- 5 (8oz.) packages of soften cream cheese. I use the Philadelphia cream cheese and let it sit out for a few hours so it softens.

-1 1/2 cups of sugar

-3 Eggs

-2 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

-1 box of graham cracker crumbs

-fresh strawberries (optional)

First, to make the crust take 1 2/3 cups of the graham cracker crumbs and 1/3 cup of melted butter. Combine the crumbs and butter together stirring well.

Then, press the mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 10 inch spring from pan.

Bake the crust for 5 mins. on 350.

For the cake: Beat cream cheese at high speed with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar. Then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

Stir in vanilla and pour onto crust.

Then bake the cheesecake at 350 for 40 mins. Turn oven off, open the door partially for 30 mins. Let the cheesecake cool while in the oven. Cover and chill 6-8 hours before serving. Garnish with strawberries (optional).

If anyone tries it out let me know how you like it! It's delicious! On another note, please pray I get over this awful sinus infection I have had for a few weeks now. I was put on antibiotics and got a steroid shot but still can't seem to feel better. On a happy note, Happy Two Months of Marriage Bliss to my wonderful husband!!! It has been so wonderful and can't believe it's been 2 months already!

-A Betty Crocker in Training

My Hair Dilemma...

So HAPPY Friday everyone!!! Got to love Friday's, especially when I'm not working! Can't wait to enjoy another weekend with my Hubby!

On another note, I've been stuck in a hair rut... Yes and it's driving me crazy! I wanted to keep the same style and longer length for my Wedding because changing it around the Wedding would have just stressed me out. If I changed it who know if I'd even like it...so I played it safe and LOVED my hair on my Wedding Day!!! We all know that my hair doesn't usually look that good though. I don't get to style my hair everyday and it's usually up most days when I'm at work so I have the "nurse do" going on.

After the Wedding I thought I would do something different and I needed a change. But I just haven't come up with any ideas that I'm excited to try. I have had this same style for a while and I like to change it up every once in a while but can't settle on anything in particular. My hair is the longest it's EVER been for the Wedding and I like it long but it takes longer to straighten it everyday since my hair is now frizzy/curly (thanks to puberty years ago). If I do keep it long I would like a different style to it but I feel like with long hair there aren't many ways to change the style up. I have considered going shorter too but that makes me nervous. LOL I don't know if I'd like it but one of my good friends recently cut hers short after her Wedding and it looks GREAT! It's chin length and it's adorable on her. I wish I was brave to take a big risk like that!

Why is it that us girls have such a hard time with hair, or maybe I'm speaking for myself. I always feel like I try to change up my style but either the hairstylist keeps it close to what I had before or I just keep going to get the same thing done. I tried the Juvexin keratin treatment that straightened my hair for over 7 months and that was wonderful, no straightening which saved me time on getting ready. So maybe I should try that again??? Who knows!!! Ugh...why is getting the look you want so difficult?

So...I'd love any suggestions or just knowing that I'm not the only one in this hair rut. It's frustrating because I really need to get my hair done, it's getting out of control, but I want a specific style I am going for beforehand so I don't come out looking the exact same.

-A Bad Hair Day Girl

My 7D Gang Pictures!

Some of my 7D co-workers at my Wedding!

At my Wedding, love these girls!

Me, Krista, and Arlene at work!

Krista and I always had too much fun at work!

Love my night shift crew!

Gesma and I...this girl cracks me up!

The going away/bridal shower they had for me...so sweet!

I was trying to add pictures to my last post but I guess I wrote too much, haha. Here are some of the pictures of the wonderful nurses I was talking about...

My 7D Gang!

Sorry I haven't written a blog in a while. I have started a new job that has taken most of my free time lately. I got a job at Memorial hospital on a Cardiac short-stay unit. It's day shift which is SO much better than nights, I don't feel like a vampire anymore and it's totally new to me so I feel like a new grad nurse again but I'm enjoining learning and hope I will eventually be able to keep up on my own. Everyone has been nice so far and I'm just really thankful to have found a job so fast so I can help John financially in our marriage.

Even though I am happy about my new job it will never be the same...and yes I'll say it, I miss 7D! For those of you who don't know 7D is the pulmonary unit in Nashville where I started my nursing career and worked for over a year and a half. I worked 7 PM-7AM on night shift. It was such a crazy unit filled with critically ill and crazy patients all the time and was quite stressful being a new nurse and having 5-6 of those patients at night. Not to mention they put me to be in charge of the unit some nights just a few short months after I finished my orientation. I did not care for pulmonary or night shift or how over worked we all were. But there is one reason and ONE reason only that I would give up this new and improved job and go back to the trenches of 7D...My Co-Workers!!! Anyone knows that what truly makes a job is the people you work with and in my case it really made all the difference! These lovely ladies are the reason I kept my sanity and enjoyed going into work each night.

There's a peace I would get going into a crazy night just knowing that whoever I was working with would have my back and I had theirs. We would make it through till 7AM with all of our patients still alive. We could not have a better group of people on 7D who work so well together on night shift. It's like God put us all together for a reason and I really believe that! We have laughed together, cried together, been frustrated, had parties at work late at night, gotten early morning breakfast when we would get off, hang out outside of work, plot pranks to play on each other, and helped each other out without even being asked. I could have been caught up in a patients room and one of my co-workers would step in and look out for my other patients with out me even asking. We could communicate to one another without even saying a word. No one was ever afraid of rolling up their sleeves and joining you in a patients room to help out. We have had to call security many nights on patients and Rapid Response or codes some nights and the only way we and our patients survived were of the kind of nurses 7D had on the unit. The 7D nurses on nights are different than any other nurses I know... we had everyone's best interest at hand and tried to be the best nurses we could to our patients.

I will never forget the pranks we pulled on Rachel and Ben,Gesma dancing down the hall at 2AM, Katie and I greeting a patient with our antlers on around Christmas time, Stephanie and I pulling a patient up in bed one night, haha, Ben rolling his laptop around at 100mph, my patient who kept escaping out of her restraints, laughing so hard I cried a lot of nights, crying together when we had though nights and so many more! Those are the moments you remember and cherish. This is the reason why we all became friends so fast because we have been through so much together. I truly believe my nursing friends are the best friends I have. Nursing friends are different than my other friends. We share in a bond that no one of my other friends and I have. I could call them up no matter what time of day and know that they would genuinely be there for me whole heartedly. These are some of the most real and selfless friendships I know. You don't find friends like that anywhere else. I know that they understand exactly the way I feel and have been there with me through it all. I consider them some of the best people I know! I can't express the type of relationship we all have but they know what I'm talking about and know how special it is!

I have been so blessed to work with my 7D gang and I miss them more than they know. Thank you all for the good memories, getting me through the though time, making me laugh, and always being there for me and supporting me in what ever I had going on. Eight of my co-workers drove all the way down to my Wedding in Georgia from Nashville and that just meant the world to me, it truly defines who they are and how they would be there for me even though I haven't seen them in over a month. They drove back Sunday and some had to go into work that night. It overwhelms me with their kindness and making sure they didn't miss my special day. You don't find people like that a whole lot. You all mean the world to me, thanks for making my Wedding day and my time at St. T so meaningful! There are no other nurses I would stay up all night with and actually enjoy it. I wish I could come back to work with you all! I love you all and promise to visit soon!

With Love,

Yours Truly (A proud 7D nurse)