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!

extraordinary.

finding extraordinary in the ordinary.

thats what i've been trying to do for the last little while.

my life is pretty awesome, do you know that.

pretty, darn blessed i'd say.

here is my little list of those things that bring me extra happiness.

vanilla lattes.

magazine reading by a pool.

outdoor lunch dates with friends.

diet coke in the afternoon.

backyard bbq and wine nights.

pedicures.

snuggling with b.

bagels and cream cheese.

anytime with my girls.

new socks.

days at the hospital helping strangers get better.

small dinner gatherings.

homemade breakfast with my family on weekend mornings.

lavender, tea, candles, and calm music when i go to bed.

weekly quotes and verses with my b.

watercolor painting.

fresh flowers.

spontaneous nights of pure fun with my girls.

"Do ordinary things with extraordinary love." 

-Mother Teresa

feels like fall.

this is my obligatory post to wish you all a happy fall!

as you know, fall is my favorite season.

i love all the seasons but being in san francisco this fall is extra special so far. 

loving scarfs, hot tea, boots, comfort foods, jazzy old-school pandora stations, burnt autumn colors, fireplace nights in, and the feeling of cozy things everywhere.

as i sit here bundled up in a puffy vest and scarf, drinking my hot chai latte and studying, i can't imagine anything more 'fall'. 

loving this and excited for the beginning of a crisp new season (and of course christmas time in a few months!).

(my fall inspiration- see more on my pinterest)

as promised, i have begun my vision board and hope your new fall season is full of inspiration!

happy tuesday friends!

PS sitting in starbucks today and brian wilson walked in. STAR STRUCK. go giants!!!

vision.

recently, i have been inundated with newness.

everyday is a new thing, new person, new adventure, new lesson, new something.

i am at the peak of my 'want to change the world/healthcare/peoples lives/etc' and i promise myself daily that i will remember this fire that i have for nursing and carry it on into my life, despite the callous and jaded approach that many seasoned professional acquire.

i want change, hope, newness, and innovation daily.

i am flooding over with project ideas, healthcare practices, educational tidbits, and random thoughts.

thus, i have decided to vision board.

it think its my only way to narrow down my ideas and focus a little bit of my crazy creativity that i have pent up from all of the time that i spend doing scientific, technical, specific focus type school work.

this weekend, it shall begin and i hope to keep it as a way to collectively work towards all my goals and hopes. 

i found a few pretty awesome ones on pinterest that may serve as my inspiration.

more to come.

maybe you want to give it a try too?

happy visioning!

chinatown adventure.

when i was younger and i had too much energy, 

i got the famous 'go play outside until dinner is ready'.

now, when i drink too much coffee and decide to procrastinate on my schoolwork

i go outside willingly and head out on walking adventures around my place.

the other day was a chinatown day.

grant street.

loving the lanterns everywhere but not so into the smell of dried everything.

personal favorite of mine. all the murals were awesome.

little. things. everywhere. 

almost bought myself a little buddha. maybe next time. 

oh hey there, banksy.

chinatown. check!

have a fabulous thursday! the week is almost done!

successful failure.

have you ever heard of a 'successful failure'?

apollo 13 anyone?

well it seems that i may have the curse of successful failures recently.

the story goes something, like this...

plan: saturday giants game with abby and mia

problem 1: cheapest ticket after scalping and bargaining at the ticket booth... $40 for bleachers

problem 2: we are poor, recent grads so this is a no-go

idea: back to the marina to watch the game at a bar with abby's brother and friends

unexpected perfection: 10th annual union street bar crawl

momentary question: gay bar crawl? are we welcome with all of these people dressed as sailors and superheros? oh thats just the 'americas cup theme'. giants gear welcome too.

event education: $12, 6 bars, drink specials off the wazoo.

answer: union street bar crawl + giants game + massive nachos = yes please.

the rest is history.
but it may have included (and i quote) "huge pizza for 4-5 people" and six ranch dressings consumed 2.5 people (sorry mia). heaven in a pizza box.

happy 10th annual bar crawl.

it's the random, unexpected things that always seem to be the best.

(abby and mia- how happy are you that i already blogged this for you? - you're welcome)

tourist fail.

once upon a time i decided to go on a long walk, hike up the filbert steps to coit tower, and enjoy the views from the top then cruise back down to the apartment via the north beach area.

i set out with my canon, iPhone, sunnies, four dollars, chapstick, and my keys.

i started here at filbert and sansome.

already digging the views and surprisingly only a few blocs from my current apartment.

 climb, climb, climb (a decently big feat with my still 'kinda lame' knee).
more than 700 steps i hear.

views on the way up were incredible.

it was beautiful day across the bay and the homes on the way up were awesomely quaint and cottagey.

 oh hey there coit.

 into the city, the fog did roll and the overcast shadows on this amateur photographer were a little difficult (give me time).

 there is was, telegraph hill and all. 

a perfect sign and obviously i felt super edgy and cool taking this picture.

 more views out to the bay the further up i went.

and don't ask me why but i think these was my favorite capture of the day.

i love this city.

(took a few pictures here to do a panoramic too- cool, yea?)

oh, and then i got to the top of telegraph hill and to the base of coit tower and it was seven dollars to go up to the top (remember i only had four). so i bargained with the museum guide, tried to convince him that i was a student and that i should be let top to the top but no such luck. so i took that other fun way back through north beach, grabbed a coffee at the coolest little coffee/clothes shop, snuck into someones backyard to capture a few more pictures and headed home.

coit tower fail.

san francisco adventure success.

according to my iPhone.

in no particular order,

here are a few snapshots of my life these past few weeks.

commuting and working (student nursing). 1/3 done with nursing school!

 time with my super six. love you all.

a whole lot of olympic time. and yes that is a screen shot of the tv- those four couldn't be passed up.

 

 strolling thru the good ol' slo and enjoying a warm summer farmers night.

spent some great quality (super fun and relaxing) time with this little physical therapist. so cute.

you shouldn't be shocked by now that i have pictures of my foodie outings. yummm.

 the most colorful dump run ever. goodbye crapola of walnut. you have served us all too well.

 lounging poolside with B. nothing better than magazines, pool games, snacks, slurpies, and the boy!

 had the pleasure of attending some dear friends wedding (B was in it looking handsome). congrats j+k!

 celebrated the BIG 5 YEARS with my B!

no big deal, just my home.

home sweet home. yummy meals, great coffee, family time, shark week, backyard parties, you name it.

super random but i hope it pleases you followers;) 

enjoy your tuesday- semester three starts tomorrow!

goodnight my dears.