so long from the usa.

my favorite 18 days of every other year have come to a close.

so long olympics.

you rocked it usa.

can't wait for 2016- rio baby!

disability.

disability(n): a concept that i am fascinated with;

a driving force instilling passion in my nursing work;
the reason for individualism. 

aren't we all disabled in someway or another?

too good not to share.

be thankful for yourself and your body my friends.

in all forms and in all ways, we are pretty darn incredible.

same love.

too good not to post.

if you didn't see this.

you must watch.

obsessed.
and JT reunited with nsync- i feel like a giddy preteen all over again.

powerfully sexy.

(via)

You know what’s really, powerfully sexy? 

A sense of humor. A taste for adventure. A healthy glow. Hips to grab on to. Openness. Confidence. Humility. Appetite. Intuition. Smart-ass comebacks. Presence. A quick wit. Dirty jokes told by an innocent-looking lady. A storyteller. A genius. A doctor. A new mother. 

A woman who realizes how beautiful she is.

Courtney E. Martin

where i'm going.

back to the grind in the bay.

loving life.

humans.

for the past few months now, i have been contemplating and looking into public photography as a way to document my time and feelings about san francisco and its people.

my experience with the population at san francisco general hospital and the various community sites that i have worked in have peaked my interest in giving the marginalized and homeless population a voice and a face.

i have a dream to go out and document this population in their natural day-to-day environment while maintaing my own safety and gathering small life lessons, histories, and quotes from the people.

humans of new york is a very similar concept to what i dream of doing.

super interesting, huh?

lessons i'm learning.

1. there is a reason why people are where they are in their life- take time to ask about it.

2. let the world tell you no- try until you have exhausted all else.

3. if something is a priority in your life you will make time for it- if not, you are choosing to not make it a priority.

4. surrounding yourself with others that differ from you will allow you to grow- comfortability comes in facing the unknown.

5. personal time is more valuable than the world makes it out to be- reconnect with your reality.

6. taking time to 'just be' is the best time you can take.

I think we realize a little more 'something' about ourselves each time we extend ourselves to others. take time to do it this week.

news now.

the addition of a tv in close proximity to my bed has thoroughly propelled my love for news and fascination with keeping up to date on the happenings in medicine, community health, and unfortunately all the tragedies that are happening around the world right now
(kidnappings, bombings, foreign affairs, homicides- really world, really?).

(via)
a few of my favorite sources, in addition to television coverage and occasional newspaper pick-up.

the new yorker (fave source for lay-person medical articles)

cnn (iphone app)

the every girl ('in the know' series)

the new york times (duh)

and near and dear to my heart is this story {(1) & (2)}, making headline news in the bay area this week.
this sweet man was my very first patient as a student nurse.
he was a well loved, humble homeless man that was struck last year by a hit-and-run driver suffering a traumatic brain and spinal injury resulting in paralization and absence of speech.
the community in north beach and his family back home raised over seventeen-thousand dollars to airlift him with a nurse back home to be with his family during his recovery.

see there is a little hope out there.
happy friday friends!

pursuit of happiness.

on a daily basis here in the city,

(san francisco to be exact)

i find such happiness.

my career seems to be coming together,

my living situation is the best,

my opportunities seem endless,

my creative desires are being met,

my social tendencies are perfectly provided for,

and this city is the mecca of all that is fun for the twenty-something.

(the only really BIG thing missing is the boy. 

none-the-less, i continue to remain blissfully in love with him from 400 miles away.)

(via)

in my consistent pursuit of happiness and contentment, i have found three things that i absolutely love.

farmers marketing.

picnicking.

yoga.

three simple, fairly inexpensive, and refreshing ways to celebrate the everyday.

i highly suggest adding these local adventures to your weekly routine.

what makes you the happiest everyday?

boston strong.

today is the two week mark since the boston bombings.

for some reason, the boston bombings hit me harder than any of the other large terrorist events in my life so far.

maybe it was because of my age,

my current big city independence,

recent attendance at the slo marathon with many close people participating,

my previous admiration for with mass general hospital and it's staff, 

or position as a budding nurse that can't help but imagine what that would have been like if i was a nurse there.

whatever it was, it's been on my mind and i have thoroughly been invested in the news follow-up.

so i just have to share these.

 stay strong boston.

you will not soon be forgotten. 

i can't wait to come see you someday.

::: if you are at all inclined, here is an article (why boston hospitals were ready) that i absolutely love from one of my favorite medical writers, atul gawande:::

passionate.

i would consider myself a passionate person.

i can be the most stubborn, tenacious, and persistent person when were dealing with something that i am passionate about and i have recently been introduced to a whole new level of

'emily wants to save the worlds children/ travel bug/ be a strong female/ make a change'

type of thing.

the other day, i attended a lecture on human trafficking,

(usf puts on the most incredible speaker series and guest lecturing)

primarily women and children,

both for labor and sex,

domestically and internationally.

get your attention?

(notforsalecampaign.org)

i would strongly urge you to take some time and check out this organization.

get involved, buy an item to support, or better yet read the book and become informed on todays trafficking state.

it's the number two most common criminal act in the world today.

crazy, right?

the organization and its staff were incredible, smart, diligent, and empowering.

it's worth you're time. for sure.

nerdy reading.

if you are on the market for a new good read and you love a little hospital talk,

i have just the thing for you.

read all three and love them all.

true stories from doctors and nurses as they face life, death, the first years, crucial conversations, and much more.

happy reading!

gumption.

gumption: (noun)

1. initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness

2. courage; spunk; guts

3. common sense; shrewdness

you can thank my favorite little, old movie character for this post-

mr. arthur abbott from 'the holiday'.

i never really heard this word being used before i watched the movie a few years ago-
immediately, i was attached to it and loved the idea that a 'leading lady' (in his terms) is always full of gumption.
a great reminder to truly be the leading lady of your own life and a push to tackle everyday with courage.
i want that little extra initiative, spunk, and shrewdness that makes my friends, family, and coworkers say...
'that emily, she's got gumption.'

(via)

a few of my personal favorite leading ladies with plenty of gumption-
eleanor roosevelt, ellen degeneres, meryl streep, michelle obama, jane addams, and mother teresa.

who comes to mind when you think of the word 'gumption'? any favorite leading ladies?
just a little thought for your thursday to challenge your 'normal'.
now get out there and make it a great day!

someday, this could be me.

as promised, here is my number one coffee-table book pick.

i ran into this book at barnes and noble the other day and i am completely obsessed.

watch the book trailer below and pick up a copy here.

doesn't it look totally incredible?

i thumbed through it... and it is.

i can't wait to be a nurse.

(this is high on my christmas list- you lovely readers. aka mom.)

p.s. on the agenda- flying to la to see my b for the first half of the week before heading home to celebrate thanksgiving with the whole family! wahoo!

opportunity.

"he believes that when you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, 

you do not slam it shut behind you, 

you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed."

(michelle obama on her husband)

(via my pinterest)

today i am thankful for my abundant opportunity, good health, life in the usa, and right to vote!

just a personal opinion- but quite frankly, why don't we put all of those millions of campaigning dollars towards medical research to find out more about diseases and cures rather than complaining about each other... 
just throwing it out there.

winter reading.

it's one of my new goals to read books more consistently.

i have a tendency to only read things that are assigned to me

and since i'm in the peak of school,

pleasure reading is few and far between.

here are a few that are on my list for my 6 week (yippee!!!) winter break!

if you have to cry, go outside- kelly cutrone (guilty pleasure)

the language of flowers- vanessa diffenbaugh (so many friends have suggested this one)

the immortal life of henrietta lacks- rebecca skloot (mom and classmate recommendation)

the spirit catches you and you fall down- ann faidman (top seller and professor recommended)

i want to start my personal 'library' just like my moms.
top five of all time?

do you have any suggestions?

please, do tell.

recommended.

i highly recommend finding the closest independent theater near you and heading out to see this film.

'the waiting room'

it's the story of the 'highland hospital' emergency room in oakland, california that serves a unique uninsured population.

trauma, routine care, surgery, everything comes through the emergency room doors at this hospital.

it's just plain great!

http://www.whatruwaitingfor.com/

this hospital very much mirrors my experience currently serving the population at 'san francisco general hospital.'

fascinating patients, incredible stories, jaw dropping histories, and daily battles. 

gets me so pumped up to be a nurse for the rest of my life.

p.s. it will be out on netflix in the coming months!

kony2012.

please watch this.

it's incredible and way worth your 30 minutes.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

now let'g go do something about it.

food for thought.

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the wordl’s wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation vou are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering.

If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all.

olvera st.

appropriately, i began my LA adventures with a sunday trip to olvera st.

and i'm sure that it will not be my last trip there.

it was awesome (and sooo delicious)!

took the roommates and we...

toured the first recorded house in los angeles (the 'avila adobe') and union station

shopped the street faire

perused the beautiful imported clothes

and ate the most amazing authentic tacos, burritos, taquitos, horchata, and jamaica.

honestly, incredible food and the live mariachis were super fun.

plus, i got to tacos to go. be jealous.

makes me want to brush up on my spanish and go back to south america...

until then adios amigos!