February

I know I know I've been a bit of a slacker. February has been a semi-uneventful month. However, I did get some HIGHLY entertaining pictures.

Valentine's Day--Single Awareness Day--Ugh

This holiday and I have a love/hate relationship. But I decided this year to celebrate love all together. Its a must tradition that I make sugar cookies and eat them. Since Weston and Catherine are on the other side of the country--they are my cookie making buddies--Ty, Bailey, and Drew helped. Lots of screaming, stolen bits of cookie dough, sugar highs, and flour everything, but it was a blast.

On Valentine's Day Cheryl and I went to see the Vow. Yes, We stared for a few hours at this cute boy. But I didn't complain at all. Cheryl and I took some crazy pictures and a spa treatment done. I have the some of the best friends. Girls day completely needed! From The movie I stole some cupcakes and went to Highland to see some more people I love. My dad surprised me with Roses and an ITunes gift card. If you haven't noticed I love roses. Hugs all around with some dinner and lots of sugar ended a great night at my parents house. 

Love Pretty Flowers

My friend Deanna also had her first MMA Professional Fight this month. She totally kicked butt!! A bunch of people went from work. The rest of the fights were amazing too. One of the guys came out in flaming Pink everything. Super scary to be honest. One fight had the two fighters beating the crap out of each other with blood everywhere. Neither of the fighters woud go down. Amazing. 

It's been a SLOW Snow Month. But amazingly calm and quiet when it has snowed.

Snow at Midnight

Even Pete Got Out for Show & Tell this Month

Another great event--spending the weekend at my parents' house. Sometimes the best vacation is the simplest one. I went to hang out with my sisters, eat my moms cooking, sleep, shop, watch movies, and basically step back from my crazy life for a little while. Plus my sisters are insane and keep me entertained. Plus lets face it, who doesn't love being tackled by their sisters. 

Aren't They Pretty!

Making the Brownies 

For Years my dad has stated he has yet to taste the ultimate brownie in the house. So I've taken on the challenge. I will find the recipe and make this ultimate brownie. This is my determined face.

The Ultimate Brownie Challenge

Yeah, I did a lot of this over the weekend. Home helps me relax and sleep more I guess.

Poor Heather, Mark got a hold of my camera.

I can't believe February is over!! March has some big adventures planned. 

Love III

Sometimes all I need is a hug. Thinking about love today this thought came up. Yeah I'm still addicted to Pintrest. I know of no better way to let someone know you love them by giving them a hug. Hugs for me mean a lot. Hugs mean love. A quick but powerful way of telling me you care.  Hugs for happy occasions. Hugs for tears. Hugs just because. Hugs for comfort. Hugs for no reason at all. I could always use a hug. I bet you could too! To simply show you love, give a hug.

Love II

Little notes. I'm not that eloquent with words in person. I usually stumble and make an idiot of myself.  Little notes mean a lot. In my cedar chest I have a box of little cards, texts, notes, and sayings from my friends and family members. Even silly little valentines are a fun to make someones day and remind them you care. Today I will leave a note or send a simple text to remind them I care. 

Love

Wow, THANK GOODNESS January is over. I will not miss it much at all.  Oh wait single awareness day is just around the corner. Have I mentioned that Valentine's Day is just a sad reminder to those of us who do not have a date, that wait we STILL don't have a date :) Yeah I haven't been a fan since 7th grade when the boy I like gave my friend candy and balloons instead of me. SO instead Valentine's Day has become more about eating starburst jelly bellys and any chocolate I can get a hold of. 

This year I want to be different. With my focus on hope, I want to try something. Each day in February, leading up to Valentine's day, I will post about love. Which is of course why we celebrate Valentine's Day to begin with. I will post about something I love or a simple way to tell someone I love them. Hopefully, this will give me a better understanding of what love is in my life at my current stage. Soo let's begin. 

Work today was different. I oriented one of our new nurses.  I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the way I became an ER nurse. I have confidence in my skills, my knowledge, and my ability to do my job when tough situations. I remember being TERRIFIED to walk through the ER doors. Now work is just a second home. Tonight was different. Tonight I was a part of two very different cardiac arrests. One man came in and there was nothing for us to do.  The other was a kid who had fighting chance. Work has taught me a lot. But mostly importantly its taught me to love the time I have with family and friends. Life can change in a moment. While I often forget how important this is, being apart of it it what I love most about my job. It's also the hardest part. Love for me today means to step back and realize how truly short and amazing life is, and the time I have to live it. 

Continues

January seems to continually be a crappy month for me now matter what year it is. But I have done a few things:

My sisters went to their fancy dances again. I had fun getting them all prepped. Kalli has some amazing amounts of hair that I had fun with. Pintrest is going to help with me a lot. Both girls are so pretty. Wow I can't believe how old they are!

I was involved with a code where we worked a teenager for over an hour.  The code went perfectly. We had a great team in there. But it still brings tears to my eyes thinking about her family saying goodbye. I will never get use to watching these young kids lose their lives. 

We've been short at work again with people coming and going. So I've been working a lot more lately. An overworked Melmer always is entertaining for everyone else.

Because I've been working so much I've gone over my limits. I use to be able to recognize them. Lately I've thrown off my balance and its affected me. On my way to work one day I lost focus and ran into someone.  I'm lucky the only thing I had leftover was a bill and my headache. Could've been a lot worse. Needless to say I've shed a lot of tears this month. Lets face it mostly this week. 

What has saved me is my gratitude blog. Keeping track of some goals. Failing at a bunch of them. But Finding one small thing to be grateful everyone does one good. Even if a crappy month never seems to end.

Hmmmm

Where have I been this month? I know. January really hasn't been horribly exciting for me. Detoxing from all the fabulous fun December was. January has been full of the feeling, "UGH!" I know I still haven't told you where I have been. Well, I've been :

Here: http://megottawrite.blogspot.com/

What can I say its adjusting my goals to be more realistic. But I'm doing well on many of them. Not so well on the others.

Here: http://pinterest.com/mkelmer/

Yeah I'm addicted. Its a problem really. SOOOO many cool things to explore. Oh well another challenge to my time management.

Here: Catching up on sleep and adjusting back to the night schedule. Its been a process for sure. I got use to sleeping like a normal human being for a few weeks. My bed and I are now best friends again.

And where else but here:

I've been working extra crazy like a madwoman at work. There are a lot of changes going on at work and some bug changes for me as well. I'm excited to move forward but also anxious to do it. Everything is up in the air right now and I'm working to find ground right now. Oh well. Its surprising because I'm usually not this patient. Maybe its my old age kicking in finally. I honestly don't know what is going to happen but the changes are what I need. 

January has been a great chance to recover and start new things. Once again I took on too much at one time but I'll adjust :D and take the baby steps I need. What have you been up to this January?

Beginnings

I've thought a lot about what I am going to accomplish in 2012.  Often I try and tackle too many big projects. Biting off way more than I can chew.  Last year had a theme of Simplicity. I am going to build on that. To enjoy the simple daily things I experience everyday.  The things I want to accomplish this year will help me focus on this concept. 

1. Complete my 365 Gratitude Photography Journal: Everyday I will take a picture that expresses an event, idea, person, or object I am grateful for that day.  I will post daily with a story and picture.
2. Complete the 365 Standard Works Challenge
3. Attend the Temple Weekly doing my own family members
4. Complete the Canyonlands Half Marathon in under 2 hrs: Running by the program created
5. Pass the CEN: By studying 20min each day
6. Pass the CPEN: By studying 20min each day
7. Apply to Grad School in Maryland and San Fransico
8. Read one book per Week: 20min a day Before Bed
9. Deposit $3,000 into my Savings account: Putting $11 a day into savings
10. Learn and Perform Ful Symphonie Espanol Concerto each day when not at work. 

Simple things I can control. Simple Daily things I can accomplish. Wish me Luck. I'll track my Progress on my other blog!

http://megottawrite.blogspot.com/

While I have a list of projects to keep me motivated, I've been thinking a lot about what theme I want to have this year. I will continue my Idea of Simplicity. Enjoying the little moments. However, Hope is the theme this year. Christmas Eve I was sitting by the Christmas tree and had the impression that Hope if is a large part of Christmas. Christ came into the world to bring us hope. I give into discouragement and frustrations way to easily. I give up expecting things and just give up in general. While I can adjust my expectations I really need more hope.

President Uchtdorf always seems to have a talk about my theme. I love how he defines hope in his talk.

Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. Hope sustains us through despair. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice even when all seems dark around us.


Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’ … Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination. 

Hope is my Theme for 2012.