weekends. and lots of photos.

the weekend before last, we went up to visit mema and grandad in NW arkansas. it's beautiful up there - reminds me a lot of wv. it made me miss my mammas and pappas acree and parsons. and barker, of course, who i hear little kt is choreographing a piece about. she emailed me some interview questions that she had mema acree ask mema barker. i love it. i'm glad she's doing a project on her. i remember when i was in the 5th grade, for my AG class i had to interview someone who was old, i guess (i don't really remember the point of the project). but, i know that somewhere i have a cassette tape with pepa acree interviewing mema barker about her life. i wish i knew where that was.

mandy and stuart with mema and grandad younger.

mandy, jenna and beth on the swing at mema and grandad's. (please note beth's cute little baby bump!)

mandy and stu at mema and grandad's. we still like each other.

it was a busy week - stuart in school, spending time at the VA hospital learning about internal medicine. he's not liking it much so far. hopefully he'll enjoy his time at UAMS better in the next few weeks. i have been enjoying the 2 weekend days and 2 week days i have off every week so far. i really can get a lot done if i plan it right! we've been experimenting with different dinners for nights that i work. lots of slow-cooker crockpot meals. so far we haven't been immensely impressed with my slow-cooker abilities, except for the bomb bbq chicken legs i made this past friday. yum-o. it was also the easiest one i had made yet... maybe that's saying something? :)

i LOVE my job. it's just perfect for me. cynthia, my preceptor, is such a wonderful teacher (and nurse!) and is helpful to me in all the ways that i learn best. she doesn't really throw me out to the sharks, but she definitely doesn't tiptoe around and hold my hand. i have been timid about starting IVs and drawing blood on my patients because, come on, they have cancer. and they're already in agonizing pain. the last thing they need is a new nurse to come along and poke all over them. so, i've been letting cynthia do most of the sticks. but this past week i got the courage to stick my first cancer patient, and i got it on the first try! it was even a patient who gets very anxious and is terribly uncomfortable with needles, and she hardly even noticed that i stuck her. it was either because cynthia was on the other side of the bed being silly and cracking jokes with her, or because i pre-medicated her with ativan, per the patient's request. ;) i'm getting ready to start week 3 of orientation, and i am already feeling very comfortable in taking patients, doing assessments and charting (cynthia says this is the real important stuff - skills you can always practice, but a good assessment and documentation are the backbone!). i'm also learning how to talk to doctors (all kinds - interns, residents, fellows, attendings, etc.). all around, i love it. quite fun, if i don't say. the Lord is good to provide! and not just the bare necessity (a job with a paycheck), but something for me to spend time doing where i can really pour my heart into it.

this past saturday we went to a razorback football game. fun times, although it was uncomfortably warm outside.

uncle stu and aunt mandy with cutie ava claire.

aunt kathy's razorback cookies.

eating bbq before the game.

miss ava claire.

it's hot.

the field.

pop and beth hanging out before the game.

in other news: my basil has just had it. i don't know if the creepy mushrooms were just too much for it to handle, or if it just got over-watered, or under-sunned, or who knows. but it's a goner. he got thrown out today. :(

clearly unhealthy basil plant.

the good news is my rosemary is looking awesome. and i cut him back all the time and just toss bits into various dinner dishes. RIP mr. basil.

this morning, as a treat, i made stuart some blueberry muffins from his favorite boxed mix (i'll have to work on a homemade version) in his new dinosaur muffin tin that he got as a wedding gift.

this one was his favorite.

they turned out pretty well!

if our little nieces (kara and anna) ever come back to visit our apartment, i will certainly make them something in this dino pan. they used to love dinosaurs... so we could make them some dino treats!

ok, that's all for now! love!