25th = BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!

So I aged a year on Saturday...and I can't even lie...I'm so excited for this 25th year of life. I know I'm still young, but my 24th year was awesome, and I'm super pumped for the 25th.

Brad made me feel like a princess for my birthday. He surprised me with a massage...my very first ever...and it was phenomenal! He sent me to an address and when I got there I found out what I was having done..I loved it! I thought it might be weird..but I think I might be addicted! We then went to grab lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, and before we went Brad's boss allowed me to pick a purse out for my birthday. I picked a beautiful purple purse that I love! (Rue Princess is the line, check them out they are great!) After lunch I went home and enjoyed hanging out until Brad finished with work and then we headed out to dinner at Austin Land & Cattle! That's our favorite steak house, and it's cozy, and I LOVE it! It's a special occasion kind of place, that's only the second time we've ever been there since we've lived in Austin. It was perfect!

Saturday morning on my actual birthday we decided to sleep in and just spend the day together. We did some Christmas shopping and then some friends came over for dinner. Seriously, i twas my favorite birthday so far I think! Thank you sweet husband, for the perfect weekend!

Now, we're up in Indiana and so excited to spend time with both of our families for Christmas! We just got here today and it's so great to be here! Our trip is shorter this time because we both have to get back to work, and it was an unexpected blessing to get to be here for Christmas, so we'll take the shorter trip!

One quick fun story...
This morning our flight left from Austin at 6:10am...and Brad had warned me that he might want to leave pretty early, but I had NO IDEA. We left home at 3:10 this morning (meaning we were up at 2:30am) and arrived to the airport before even the American Airline staff were at the counter. Not joking. We stood and waited to go through security because we couldn't check our bags without the people. Seriously. However, as grouchy as this made me and for all the grief I gave him...we had ZERO complications with travel. Point Brad.

Hope you have a blessed Christmas! Remember that this is the season where God provided us with our only hope for salvation when he sent us Jesus!

Confession.

Fact: I LOVE receiving Christmas cards! I love the pictures, and the letters, and the pretty cards and overall I just love them!

Confession: I do not send Christmas cards. So if you are our friend or family...I apologize. It's definitely our goal for next year.

Fact: I LOVE giving Christmas gifts!

Confession: I am a LATE shopper. We're going shopping today to finish out what we can. But I can almost guarantee that I'll be shopping next week when we get to Indiana. :)

That's it for now! It's my birthday so we're headed out to Christmas shop! :) Hope you all have a fantastic day!

Gym membership. WHAT?!

Alright..so today when Brad left for work he asked me to go to some gyms today to talk about membership prices. So I was all.."SURE I'd love to." We've been talking about this for months..and I'm starting to see the jiggly parts and I'm not all about that.

So...after my haircut, I picked up a sausage mcgriddle (because what says gym membership like Mcdonald's?) and headed on my way.

Time Out: My stylist had told me not to go to Lifetime Fitness if I was content at one of the other gyms...because I'll never be ok with them after I see a Lifetime Fitness.

Time in: I obviously didn't listen to my stylist, because the first gym on my way home was Lifetime. I stopped and went in. BIG MISTAKE. Jason, my ever so kind tour guide, showed me the AWESOMENESS of lifetime. I use that term not at all lightly..I mean that place is like a resort. It has a salon, spa, pools, big screens in the locker room, rock climbing, raquetball courts, basketball courts, a GINORMOUS "fitness floor," and like 80 workout classes to choose from. IT'S ALSO UNBELIEVABLY CLEAN. Seriously. I mean I am not at all motivated to get in shape..but just walking in that place made you feel ready to get PUMPED! Then Jason reveals the price to me. Now, obviously I have never had a gym membership before..and really I had no idea what to expect..so when he dropped the number on me, I was all "wow...that's not really that bad." I told him I would have to talk with Brad and get back to them. Then I called Brad...his response was "WHOA, that is REALLY expensive." Shoot. I mean I was ready to do it..all in..let's get in shape. So that was my first stop..and obviously I'm in trouble because now every gym has to compete with this.

Next stop: 24 Hour Fitness.
It's ok, it's in a strip mall in Round Rock which is pretty difficult to get to. The price is better, but I mean they don't have HEATED yoga rooms (have I EVER done yoga? not once.) and their pool is smaller, and the locker room isn't immaculate. Uh oh. They gave me a free week pass though, so ok. I'll talk to you later Adam.

Next: YMCA
Now this one..I'm all about. Mom and Sarah do the Y at home, and I love going to classes with them, so I've been really excited to price this one. I get there, and you can barely walk through the hallway, but there was a silent auction going on for an awesome cause so I'm totally ok with it. My tourguide, I didn't get her name, was very sweet. I liked her because she was friendly and honest and I liked it. Next thing I know, someone is interrupting our tour to tell her that her car had just been broken into. WHAT?! In broad daylight two cars were broken into the the YMCA's parking lot. I say thanks..and head on my way. A little scared.

Finally: Gold's Gym
I sign in and grab a seat on the leather couch. A leather couch I could have passed out asleep on if given 5 more minutes. Who puts a couch like that in a gym? Anyways, they make you fill out your fitness goals and how motivated you are to accomplish these goals. If you know me, you know I don't have fitness goals. I filled in something about losing weight and getting toned (sounds good right) and then mark myself as a 5 out of 10 for motivation.

In walks Cary my tourguide, who announces to me that he's not exactly pleased with my lack of motivation. He'd really like to see me at a 10...CLEARLY he doesn't know me. He then gives me a tour of the place, and I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed. It's very clean, lots of machines, classes to choose from, lots of good things. Then I do a personal fitness assessment. I have to choose which parts of my body to add fat to, and as you do it the girl in the picture gets bigger. WHAT? It told me my body thinks it's 28 years old..OUCH. My face thinks it's 12. I think I'm in crisis mode. Anyways, the price here was identical to 24 Hour Fitness, and like 2 dollars more than the Y, and I thought I got a discount from the hospital . Turns out you have to enroll through HR so that put that deal on hold.

And I'm done. NO more gym visits for me today. But dilemmas all around.
1. Why is Lifetime Fitness so expensive?
2. Why do I feel like I need all those crazy things? I have not played basketball in years, I haven't ever climbed a rock wall (though I would LOVE to), I've never played raquetball, and yoga and pilates aren't even in my vocab.
3. Why am I so intimidated by gyms?
4. Are we really going to do this?
5. How do people make this decision?

All this to say...I obviously won't be the one making this decision, because I am WAY to indecisive.

On the up side..other than Lifetime...they are all almost identical in price, and much closer to what Brad planned to spend.

Whoa. You might ask after reading this why we're even bothering with this? Here's the deal. I love to be active, but I do not like just going out to run. I do ride my bike, but if I just get home fom work I'm not going to do that in the dark alone. I also love classes that make you work. Brad loves to work out, and has wanted to join a gym for some time. So now is the time.

I'll keep you posted.

And we're back!

Back from Indiana..and had a great time!!

Will update soon with pictures and details.

Here's the news for this week...

IT'S SUPPOSED TO SNOW TOMORROW!! IN AUSTIN!! Are you kidding me?! I mean that's crazy. Up to an inch..I think the town will shut down if that actually happens.

Wanna know what's funny about that? The hospital's Christmas party is tomorrow..on the roof of the parking garage. We're gonna freeze to death. Love it. However, if we get stuck there because the ONE plow that Austin probably owns might not be able to keep up with it, at least we'll have food.

I LOVE SNOW THOUGH!! It would totally make my year if it snows tomorrow!

Also...Christmas is coming!

1. Hobby Lobby is SO decked out for Christmas.
2. Our lights/tree are up...though we blew a fuse so our outdoor lights aren't really working. Oops.
3. I made candies for our neighbors today. I'm super pumped about this.
4. We're having a cookie exchange on Satuday..I'm also super pumped about this.
5. Our small group is having a Christmas party on Sunday...
6. Followed by a Christmas party next Saturday
7. Follwed by another Christmas party the next Sunday
8. Followed by another trip to Indiana.

Whoa.

E-X-C-I-T-E-D!!!

Have a great night!

Thanksgiving is coming....

So I'm not really very interesting this week...my mind is FOCUSED!!

In 2 days we will be with family and I am just so stinking stoked!!

Sarah called the other day to tell me Emily wanted to talk to me..Em told me we can make brownies when I'm home, and when I told her we could maybe go to Monkey Joe's she responded with "that would be very fun." That precious child speaks in sentences..and Anna is trying to walk..I mean seriously! So that is where my mind is at.

However, one funny story of the week.

Last night as we got into bed Brad was watching something on ESPN and a song came on..

Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf.

I don't know if you know this song...but it's a pretty manly song..however...

Brad knows it from somewhere else..when it came on he asked

"Rach what does this remind you of"

To which I answered...

"DANCING WITH THE STARS - CODY AND JULIANNE AND THE PASO DOBLE!"

What have I done to that sweet man? That was from 2 seasons ago! I love it!

I then told him that this was definitely blog worthy...he told me I'd never figure out what song that was. Don't underestimate your wife's power of perseverance my love. Game on.

Weekends!!

It's the weekend! I'm excited!

This weekend means:
No work
Time with my love
Time with friends
Celebrating baptism with a dear friend
Rest
Football
One week away from Indiana
One week away from both our families
One week away from back home friends
One week away from the girls' shopping trip with my family
One week away from my dear friend's wedding
One week away from our precious nieces
Just over a week away from Thanksgiving
3 more shifts before I become a CCU nurse

I love this time of the year.

This week has been tough. I've been feeling a little under the weather, and I've been GROUCHY. I think I'm nervous. This job changing thing..though awesome...it's intimidating. I've been in this job since I graduated, I love the people I work with, I love my patients - and while I'll still be with the same doctors and the same hospital...everything else is changing. For those of you who know me, change is NOT on my list of favorite things.

In the position I am now I feel competent, sometimes even good. I love what I do and I'm confident that for the most part I do it well. But starting November 29th, I'm willingly choosing to know nothing again. It makes me sick to my stomach. AH!

Anyways...so I'm praying for peace. I'm depending on God because I know he's going to be with me in this...but whoa it's scary. And seriously..grouchy Rachael has got to go...I don't know what to do with myself. I was found out I was getting a patient the other day and I got all teary. I think my coworkers were at a complete loss, I am not one to ever be upset at work, so to see me cry is kinda shocking. I'm so thankful though, because when that patient rolled up..there were 2 nurses and 2 techs there doing my job so that I could take a minute to breathe. I love the people I work with. I love being a part of a team.

So that's my life story.
Have a great day!

Surprise!!

Woke up this morning, 4:45am, dragging and way not motivated to go to work.

Got ready, prayed that the Lord would protect my patients, my decisions, and my attitude at work today, and that it might be a nice day because every once in awhile you need one of those at work.

Headed out around 5:30 (LATE) and drove my tush there quickly! Listened to some Chris Tomlin Christmas Worship music - yea we have that cd early and I definitely like it! Prayed again that the Lord would bless this day because I wasn't feeling well and could tell my heart just wasn't there today.

Arrive at work- 5:57 am (MADE IT!) - my name is not on the list.

Go to resource office to see why - find out I don't know how to read a schedule..I don't have to be there until tomorrow. Ask if I need to stay - get told nope they're totally staffed for the day.

6:05 on my way out the door. WOOOOO!!

6:45 back at home with coffee for sweet Brad and ready to spend some time with my Bible, that I missed this morning because I was SLOW.

Thank you Lord for the undeserved surprise this morning! I will choose to find a blessing in the fact that I can't read! Hope you have a great day!