Happy Birthday to....Me!

Yep, it is true. 27 years ago today I was a very blessed child. Born healthy into a loving family. Isn't that what we all long for but do we ever think about ourselves as being that child. Oh the things I have been through. Many happy, some scary, few devastating, and all life changing.

So, I think back to all my other 26 birthdays and remember how excited I was on my birthday. What about the birthday parties! I remember my Mom planning my parties out to a tee. I had some pretty phenomenal parties. I can remember one very clearly, like it was yesterday. I remember most of them but this one just really sticks out. For some reason my parents always thought it was really cool to act like it wasn't a big deal but then would go all out and I would be so surprised! This one particular party, I was in 6th grade and as usual it was kinda blown off....so I thought. Mom picked me up at acting class, of all places, and we headed directly to Kay's bakery off Summer Avenue. This was the Folks Folly of cakes. If you got your cake at Kay's is was going to be elaborate and perfectly matching the theme. For the life of me, i can't remember the cake theme but I remember being amazed! With the cake in hand we headed directly home where my party would start in a few hours. When the garage was revealed to me I found a party wonderland. Lots of color, lots of balloons, and even a pinata! We had so much fun. We were suppose to have a scavenger hunt but the rain called that off. Insead we just had fun! I am pretty sure some of you attended this party and if it wasnt this party what about the party at Skateland off Mt Moriah where my cake was also of the chain...3 layer yellow cake with clowns dancing around.....BEAT THAT! haha

So this year my wonderful husband wanted to have a party for me. :::awwww::: It was just with family but it was perfect. I loving having people over. This year the attendees were: My wonderful mommy, my grandmother and grandfather, my mother and father-in-law, my brother-in-law and three newphews. I dont know about them but I had a great time. We grilled kabobs and had birthday cake. Which brings me to another story.

Saturday at exactly 10:50, Zach's phone alarm went off. All he said was "Welp, I gotta go. I will be back". I kinda knew it was something that was a suprise since it was my birthday weekend but I had no idea what was going on. 30 minutes later he arrived with a white box. AHH, a birthday cake and it was not from Wal-mart! My love had a cake made for me at Emilieghs Bakery.

Happy Birthday Nurse Erica

This year for my present Zach and my Mom went in together. They gave me the Usqueeze from Brookstone. This is the cadilac of foot massagers and the perfect gift for anyone that stands on thier feet for 12 hours. I so thrilled. It almost makes me want to go to work just to come home to it! Thanks Zach and Mom!

"Hotty Toddying" again...

Oh how we love a perfect day at the baseball game.

I can really get into some SEC baseball. This past weekend, we enjoyed a few days at the ball field. Ole Miss Rebels vs. Alabama something. It was exciting as we took the lead and then let Bama come back. This is approximately when Zach got mad and we left. Only to find out the Rebels came back to win!

Saturday, great game. Perfect weather and good company.

Thank goodness I worked on Sunday...I think it was 9 to 18 bama. YUCK!

Since we sit in the right field with all the college students, it gets very interesting. There are a few traditions that started a few years back when Zach and I were the college students. My goal is to get a few of them on camera for you guys...us guys...next time.

Ole Miss baseball May 2006

Ole Miss Baseball March 2009

Goodbye Nights and Hello Days!

YEAH! I am finally on a real person schedule, one that is much better for "newlyweds", one that allows me to sleep normally and not be a walking zombie 3 days a week and one that I love!

(if you catch Zach, you should ask him some stories of me nursing in my sleep!)

I have been working the night shift for 1 year and 3 months as of last Thursday night. I would go in at 6:45 p and get off around 7:30 a. It made for a very sleepy and grumpy E. I would lose two days to work one and I ate all night long even when I was off! ;) Let me just layout a "normal night". I would go to work, get report from the day nurse and then run around getting my stuff done for 4 hours. Then the rest of the night I would be kept busy doing paperwork and keeping my crazies in the bed. The hard part about night shift is that you are your only resource. There are no Doctors running around that you can "clarify" and order. Pharmacy is not there to help you distinguish that horrible writing. Dietary is not there to get you food for the patient that has been sitting in the er for 14 hours and still has not eaten. Your nurse manager is not there to step in when you need some help with a combative patient or a leaking wound vac. I can appreciate the night shift and I feel like I have served my time.

Yesterday was my first day shift and whoa Nelly I had to hold on to my britches! It was a very fast paced day that made for what seemed like a short shift. From shipping patients off left and right to getting verbal orders from Doctors to even dealing with the meanest Dr, I made it through it all. I must say I was pretty impressed I was able to keep up with it all on day one. I loved having Doctors on the floor all day, dietary on my floor and even in the building, pharmacy at a desk on my floor and several managers there to step in! Whoa it is a whole new world.



That busy day was well worth it to come home to my smiling husband knowing we both were there for the night......

Happy Birthday Chance Man!

Friday March 13, was Chance's 2nd birthday. We all had a big time celebrating today with a Curious George Birthday party. Everyone had such a great time with good company and great cake!

He especially loved his card we gave him. It was a musical card that sang Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Chance man!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

As you know, the King's love Ole Miss Rebels!!!

Zach has been to every home baseball game so far but I finally made it out to my first against Austin Peay!

What more can you ask for, someone you love, the mid 60's and the sunset a brand new baseball stadium.

Hotty Toddy!

Life in a small town: Part 1

Okay, this has been going on for sometime now and today it just struck me different. Maybe it was the Doctor. Maybe it was the outfit. or Maybe it is just t- totally strange....atleast for this city girl.

For those of you who have been to my house completely understand the location of it to the hospital, the square, and the university. For those of you who are not sure, there are three main roads in Oxford. University Ave, Jackson Ave and Lamar. For the sake of you visual needs, Lamar runs perpendicular into University. University runs into campus. I live off of Lamar. The hospital is also off of Lamar 1.3 miles down the street. Well between the hospital and Lamar is two roundabouts that are over Hwy 7.

Ugh, finally onto the main point-

Ever since I started working at the hospital, I clearly have gotten to know the Doctors and point them out all over town. One of my favorite places is to spot them strolling down Lamar. I just don't understand. Why do they feel the urge to walk to work? I mean I understand exercise and all but the couple of Doctors who try to accomplish pre and post work exercise are the old overweight ones. So you can imagine that by the time they walk into the hospital they are sweaty, have that nice sweat-mixed-with-outdoors smell. I would not be a happy patient.

Well one Doctor that does this daily walk thing kinda is excused. He apparently does not have his licenses anymore because of multiple drinking and driving episodes...this is just the word on the street. And yes, he even walks in the rain!

The Doctor that I saw walking today--he is not excused, as far as I know. So he is an older Doctor that has been in town for years. He has pulled the whole leave my wife for my nurse and all that nonsense. I am kinda over the walking to work but let me just go into great detail about his outfit! OHHHHMYYYYGOSH! Starting from the head working my way down.
1. the hat...a WOOL "Ivy cap" that was plaid. Gag me with just that.
2. A white undershirt with an Ole Miss Sweater vest over it.....A collared shirt would have made the sweater in 75 degree weather more acceptable.
3. the most faded white jeans....you can ever imagine
4. TENNIS SHOES. Com'on doesn't he know you can't wear jeans and tennis shoes when you are trying to pull a more dressy look.

Even worse, his young nurse let him leave the house like that!

Oh, the details that never go unseen in a small town...I love Oxford.

Let it snow...puh-lease!!!

Well apparently it was flying around the news that we were to expect some snow in the Mid-south and North Mississippi. I had missed this big bit of info because we never watch the news here. So Mom came in town for a wedding shower and everyone at the shower was talking about rushing back home before the blanket of snow finds the roads...HAHA right, it never snows that much here.....

Well at 4:00pm Mom reports the snow to me....still no snow in Oxford. I don't know what it is about these places I live..I never, ever get snow! Zach happened to wake up in the middle of the night and felt the need to drag me out of the bed to see the SNOW! It actually did snow here in Oxford for a minute.

Before Church on Sunday I made Zach make a mad dash to the grove to see the snow. I convinced him that God would not mind us being 3 minutes late to Church since we were admiring his beauty. The grove was breathtaking and I can only imagine what it would have looked like if we got as much snow as Memphis did.

Here is a picture for all you Grover's!

I am glad that Mom got to play in the snow. So much fun!

Okay, I am over the snow....BRING ME THE SPRING!