Moving to Days

Just a little post to mark the wonderful occasion that I will be moving to day shift this month.  Can't wait! :)

Planning for Hawai'i!

We are busy planning for a trip to Hawaii with our good friends, Joe & Joanna Lacanlale.  On Sunday we skyped and talked about different things we were interested and doing and decided to split our time between the Hilo and Kona side of the Big Island.

We are going to rent vacation homes for our stay.  This is something we have done for awhile.  You get more space, it is usually less expensive and you feel more like you are experiencing the surroundings more than if you are up in a tourist dominant hotel spot.

Some of the activities we may do are:  scuba diving (for Joe and Joanna), snorkel, check out the white and black sand beaches, Hawaii Volcano National Park, swim with the manta rays at night, hike, rent bikes, visit a coffee plantation and possibly one of their microbreweries.

We are so, so excited!  The last time Rob was in Hawaii was for Spring Break his senior year at West Point.  The last time I went, I was a freshman and college and was visiting a friend. 

 I am SO looking forward to spending a vacation in Paradise with my love!!

Recent Updates

Life has been slow & fast all at the same time!

I can't believe how fast time flies but at the same time, it can feel like a standstill.

Right now, I just started working a second job with Banner Staffing and it has been interesting getting in extra shifts at a different hospital (and the pay is great which has helped with Rob still looking for a pastoral job).  It has made me appreciate my home base, JCL, so much.  We have such an awesome unit with really great people. 

Rob is still busy turning in job applications.  Currently, he has one out with a church in San Diego/La Jolla that we are excited about but trying not to get too excited...you know how that is?

I am on day 2 of my study plan to take the CCRN.  I was going to do before the holidays but then my photography business kinda took over with a life of its own but now that it has slowed down for a week or two, i have taken time to sit down and map out a CCRN study plan and stick to it.

As far as the photography, I have loved it and will continue but think I am going to pull back to 1 to 2 sessions a month.  I would like to get in a class or find a mentor and grow that way too.

Rob and I are planning a May vacation, we are thinking Zion NP/Bryce/Monument Valley area.  Can't wait to get time away with my love & work on landscape photography-my first photography love ♥

Also in May, we will head to Colorado for Brian Jr's high school graduation, wow! 

Guess thats all that is new for now :)

McFarrens of Roanoke visit the McFarrens of Phoenix

Today wrapped up a wonderful seven days of Joe and Heather visiting us for a week in Phoenix!  They decided a few months ago to come out for vacation and also run the PF Changs Marathon before Joe left for Africa in April for nine months.  A couple months of talking and planning...and here they were!

They arrived Friday morning and we immediately headed to Matts Big Breakfast for, well, breakfast!  This is a well known and popular breakfast spot in Phoenix with waits up to two hours.  We got there, had a 5 minute wait, and they put us in the prep kitchen room.  One that you normally have to reserve!  While we were waiting and eating, the crowd grew and we could quickly see the wait build to over an hour.  Granted, the food was delicious and homemade but I would not wait more than 30 minutes for a table there, personally.  It was a great meal though for the five minute wait :)

Afterwards, we headed over to the Convention Center to attend the PF Changs Marathon Expo.  At the Expo we explored all the booths and tried samples, got PF Chang gift cards, tshirts and just had fun.  Afterwards, we grabbed drinks at Heritage Square then headed home.

Saturday was a lounge day and overall rest day to prep for the race.  That night, Heather and I went to a painting class at the Art of Merlot in Scottsdale and painted Van Goghs "Wheatfields"  What a beautiful painting...

Sunday was race day!  Joe ran his fastest marathon time and Rob, Heather and I had fun running the Mini Marathon, which is 5.4 miles.  That evening, we grilled steaks and relaxed.

Monday morning found us up and headed North to Flagstaff for the night.  We hung out with Vicki and Jim, cousins of the McFarrens, and then stayed the night at a hotel in Flag that night.

Tuesday we spent the day exploring the Grand Canyon South Rim.  It was such a beautiful day and we had so much fun!

Wednesday we had another lounge day and that night had a movie and game night.  We went through three movies and finally crashed around 11pm.

Thursday, i had to head back to work but Joe and Heather headed to Gold Canyon Golf Resort for a night just to relax together.

Finally Friday rolled around and it was a sad day because Joe and Heather hopped a plane and headed back to Indiana.  We had such a great time with them and makes me wish that we lived a bit closer.  Lots of laughs and memories. 

2012 Amanda's Year In Status

Refinishing Project

Right now, Rhonda and Gary are out here visiting us and I thought this would be a great time to work on a couple pieces of furniture I have had sitting at the house waiting to be refinished!  I have never refinished a piece of furniture and wanted to do it the first time with someone with experience.  We took a look at the furniture and headed to Lowe's yesterday to pick up what we needed.  Today we started.  Uhh...yeah!  It is a lot of work!  Here are some pictures from Day One.

Day One:

Day 2-3

Well, I thought I had taken pictures of these three days but apparently I didnt because I cant find them!  Anyways, it was just a lot of stripping away layers of paint and sanding.  Would I ever do this again?  Probably not! 

 I would start with a piece of furniture that already had the paint removed but I will never strip furninture of paint again (unless, it was a piece that I just couldnt imagine life without...but still, i dont know).  It was very hard work and definitely took a lot of patience and motivation.  I think having a time limit helped in some ways (it kept us motivated to keep going) but it also was an impending deadline and so we spent long days (especially the last day) to finish. 

All in all, i think the pieces turned out beautiful. I love them!  Love the color, love the way the hardware looks updated and beautiful with a simple layer of spray paint.  I still need to clean the glass of the vanity some more and apply a wax to the wood to really give it a shine but right now, I just enjoy looking at it.  Thank you Rhonda SOOO much for keeping me motivated and taking on this project.  I had no idea what we were in for but you did and you still agreed to help me and taught me a lot along the way.  Thank you!

Summer coming to an end?

These last couple weeks we had Rhonda and Gary with us after we returned from San Diego and I think they might have brought some of the cooler temps with them from Indiana!  Granted, Indiana is still warm but they are starting to experience some of their fall temperatures.  In fact, Joe and Heather took the girls to a bonfire last week, so it was cool enough for that!

We have been loving the cooler weather!  Last week, I drove to and from work with the windows down.  It is amazing that 88* can feel cool to this Phoenix body!  We can't wait for the cooler temps, the ability to open the windows and turn off the continuous a/c. 

I'm sure Sonora cant wait either as she loves to spend her mornings sitting on the couch outside checking out the backyard and listening to the noises of the neighborhood. 

Well, I need to cut this short as I am getting ready to start a weekend of work.  I am trying to have a positive outlook on this weekend and be ready to grow personally and professionally and remember that God gave me this natural ability coupled with education and training to take care of His people. 

I am also 1/2 through with Week 5 of the exercise program Turbo Fire by Chalene Johnson and I am loving the program, the results and Chalenes contagious encouragement...even through a television!  This is a 20 week program so I am not there yet but am already seeing results so I can't wait !  After this, I plan on starting her Chalean Extreme program (which focuses on weights and toning not just Cardio) and do the Hybrid program of Turbo Fire and Chalean Extreme.