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Head over to my photo blog to get a glimpse of the Gonzales Fam. :) You all were beautiful!

Blog Neglector

Hey everyone (that is still interested enough to come around to check out my blog...:)) Sorry I have been a major blog neglector in the last couple of months. I would love to say that its because I have just been too busy with all these amazing things to blog, but really....its just that life, post nursing school, is really just rather...normal! :) So here's a quick (no-pic-this-time) synopsis of whats been happening lately:

*Work is still great. I love my job. Yes, we do have hard days but mostly, our days consist of bringing a new baby (or 2!) into a family that is SO excited to meet them. I am rather bummed because I will be switching from days (on which I have been training) to nights (for which I was hired). I put in a request to move to days very soon after I started working, so prayers that a spot on days opens up for me SOON are MUCH appreciated. Why do I not wanna work nights? Obviously the sleep issue, plus the not-getting-to-see-the-husband thing, plus you have to work more weekends on night shift because they are currently short 2 people. Stink. All that said, I really do feel like I'm getting the hang of this complicated thing called the labor and delivery of a baby. Some people have asked me what a normal day is like. Well, I can give you a general idea of how my last day at work went...
2 boys and a girl born (with my help :)) during this 12 hour shift. 1 c-section, 2 natural. One long delivery, one VERY short.
Things I do during my day: start IV's and draw blood for lab work, get consents signed, prep for surgeries, watch a monitor (of baby's heartbeat and mom's contraction pattern), check for dilation, help mom with pushing, take care of baby and mom following delivery...and on and on. Lots of fun.

*We have begun the planning for our next vacation. I'll keep you in suspense until my next post to tell you where. We CAN'T WAIT! We're going in late May. A couple of clues: we'll need coats/not a warm location, we'll need our Pass-a-ports (as Ricky Ricardo called them in "I Love Lucy"). :) Any ideas?

*I have been in the mood to save time/money lately. This has lead me to change internet plans, electric companies and my doctor. I'll let you know if changing helps! :)

*Jake the dog celebrated his 4th birthday. Still crazy, but I can't imagine our little family without him. He was at Matt's parents the day of his birthday and they celebrated by giving him some "Frosty Paws"--ice cream for dogs. (Yes, that really exists.) He loves it at their house. :)

*Precious Finley turned one month old yesterday. My college friend, Taylor (Stewart) Jackson is an AMAZING photographer and will be taking their family pictures this Friday. I cannot WAIT to see them. :) I'll post the link once she puts them up.

*We're spending time this weekend with the Musslemans. This family is the one that: I babysat with from the time that their (now 12 year old) daughter was 7 months old; let me bring my boyfriend (my now, precious husband) over to babysit with me (everyone thought they were CRAZY to let a girl in high school bring her boyfriend over to babysit); use to be the owners of our house that we now live in; are great mentors and friends. I'm so stinkin' excited!

*I'll post new pics soon on my photography website. Its fallen off the radar lately! Soon there will be pics of the super cute Gonzales Family, and some pics I'm taking this weekend of the Hendricks extended family. :) Can't wait.

Hope everyone is doing well. More pics will come soon! Have a great week!

Our New Little Love

First off, some of you shouldn't even try and pretend that you didn't click as quickly as possible to this blog when you read that title, thinking you might see news about a new little one in the Lee family. :) Sorry...not this time. :)

Last weekend, our family welcomed a precious little girl! Meet my new niece, Finley Erin was born! She is 9 lb 3 oz and 21 inches of beauty. We enjoyed a great weekend with my family and I have spent the better part of this week up with my sister and her family helping to take care of Finley's older sister, Avery, while her mommy and daddy were still "at the doctor" (as Avery called it) with new baby Finley.

Soon I'll post a few of the pics I took of her before I came home...but here are just 2 for now.

And of course, Big Sister, Avery.

Marathon Post

Instead of doing each of these things as their own post, I decided to combine them...so get ready for my super long post. :) Things posted will be: Jodi's Birthday Party, Our Shower Renovation, and Erica's Wedding!! Hang on!

TOPIC #1:
On Aug. 5th, we celebrated the birthday of our sweet friend, Jodi! We had a great time of fellowship and fajitas! BIG thanks to my husband for allllll the work he did getting ready for the party and preparing all the food (since I was still at work that day and didn't come home until after the party had already started!). We had a wonderful time and were so blessed to get to celebrate a great day and a great friend!

The partiers: (Please excuse my disheveled look--yes, I'm still in my scrubs!)

April, Jodi and Blythe

We definitely had a house full of little girlie girls! (Plus one more...precious Sarabeth didn't make it in this pic!)

TOPIC #2: The Shower Renovation

This is our gorgeous master bath. I love it.

This was the shower BEFORE. I HATED it.

During:
And....AFTER!!!!!

Closer up: Notice the cut-out shelf and (look closely to see) my shaving step about 12 inches from the floor! See where the diagonal cut is on the floor?..that's it.2 more shelves, plus its kinda hard to see the border detail, but its roses...we love it.The whole renovation was an ordeal in itself (including them getting about 30% finished and having to START OVER!!!)...but in the end, its beautiful!

TOPIC #3: Erica's Wedding
...Was beautiful!! She was (of course) a beautiful bride and we had a ton of fun that day. The weather was perfect, the food was wonderful and the couple was glowing. I don't have a ton of pictures from that day, but here are just a few.

The gorgeous bride and me. :)

It was SO good to see all my nursing school friends again!! Everyone looked so beautiful. I had a great time catching up with them! Wish I could see you ALL more often!

So sad that I didn't get a good pic of me and the husband at her wedding...someone accidentally left my camera at home. Boo. But picture or not, we had a great time. Congrats, Erica and David!

At least I had a few good pics to go along with it! Other news with us: Now working in my rotation in postpartum. Don't love it as much as I did nursery, but its still good and I'm looking forward to heading onto L&D starting in September. Also...we're just 4+- weeks to meeting our new niece!!

Thanks for sticking in there for my super long post!

New Picture Post!

Make sure to visit my photography blog for my latest photo op...maternity pictures my beautiful sister with her family! :)

This Face!

How could anyone resist it?? :) Not much of a post today---but I just HAD to put this picture up. I love it too much!

Can't wait to see her tomorrow! I'm headed up to take maternity pics for my sis--only 7 weeks until we meet Avery's little sister! Have a great weekend!

Always. Sometimes. Never.

I ALWAYS ...

thank God for the fact that my job includes helping people welcome new babies into their family.

make Poppy Seed Chicken (minus the poppy seeds, AKA "Chicken A La Yum" in my house) for families with new babies.

prefer regular over diet ANYTHING. I would rather get less of the regular than be able to have more of the diet.

have to have milk with cookies.

have been better at finding bargains in regular stores, rather than getting "great finds" in discount stores.

do the grocery shopping for our household.

would rather be wearing sandals than 'real' shoes.

miss Kadesh every July when K3 week comes around. (Kadesh is a life-changing summer camp at ACU for high schoolers. I was a camper as a teen and a group leader when I was in college.)


I SOMETIMES ...

leave the dinner dishes in the sink "soaking" overnight (or the next whole day).

enjoy doing a swim workout more than a gym workout.

wish I wasn't this tall.

wonder if the "twins" gene will carry through to my generation like its suppose to.

plan my dinner eating in order to be able to get dessert (and have done this since I was a small child).

miss going to Chapel at ACU everyday. I miss the singing.

think it would be fun to do the photography thing as a "real" business. :)

wonder if I gave up my chance to be really GREAT at one something because I was so busy being ok with just being 'ok' or 'good' at a bunch of things.


I NEVER ...

thought I would meet my future husband at my high school.

knew how much love I could feel for my niece (soon to be nieces)!!

thought I would end up owning the home I grew up babysitting in. :)

eat: Brussels sprouts, (or sprouts of ANY sort), asparagus, sauerkraut, really stinky cheeses, sushi, or anything with a main flavor of vinegar (dressings, chips, etc.)

doubt my move to nursing.

enjoy getting up early. (early = before 8.)--That is unless we're boarding a plane for a vacation. See the next sentence....

could be on a vacation with Matt for too long. Our vacations always go by too fast.

get tired of hearing the words, "I love you." from my husband.


WHAT ABOUT YOU?!?!
(post inspired by various ACU friends.)