I Feel So Close to You Right Now

There is no better surprise than a SUS surprise.  This weekend Arden and Alex pulled together quite a reunion with twelve members of SUS '12 arriving in DC; it was even Nate's first time on the East Coast.  "Jelly" pictures are always an important part of reunions and in true SUS style it took us a while to get our act together.  Yes I am still in scrubs and no those are not my usual Saturday night clothes (I came straight from work).  

Many mornings Ben, one of our fearless leaders, would tell us to eat four doughnuts and go ride bikes.  On Saturday night that theme was alive and well, but in our case it was go out dancing and eat doughnuts.

Monday I put together a potluck for new and alumni Bike & Build riders (big thank you to Arden and Alex who let me invite everyone to their apartment).  The event was a huge success ... swapped quintessential stories from the road, ate some food and longed for warmer days so we could go on longer bike rides.

PIOSUPSDR: RN Edition

As a kid, were you one to sleep with your pajamas inside out the night before a big snow storm?  Did you beg you parents to let you bring a spoon to bed so you could put it under your pillow?  My sister and I were definitely those kids and I cannot comment to how successful either was, but I do remember some snow days as a kid.

Fast forward several years and we arrive to early this morning, like five in the morning early.  While I might have hoped for snow days in the past, working at a hospital has changed my opinion.  Clinical staff are expected to show up to work, even if multiple feet of snow have fallen.  Nurses, techs and doctors may be forced to stay onto the next shift until replacements show up; I know some people who were stuck at the hospital for two or three days last winter and that is why people are encouraged to bring an extra set of scrubs and a toothbrush if snow is in the forecast.  Thankfully the weather wasn't bad enough to trap people at home and the calvary made it to the hospital on time.  

From all sorts of social media posts, it looked like it was a rough commute for everyone who needed to report to work this morning.  Thankfully I only live a few miles north of the hospital and I had the foresight to drive to work (several co-workers were concerned I had ridden my bike).  While we were crawling along at 15-20 mph, I will take my 25 minute commute over a three hour one any day.

A quick street view before I headed to bed.  While the weather reports are predicting 2 inches of snow, we will have to wait and see how much will need to be shoveled.

Wheel You Come With Me Across the US?!?

I am excited to announce that Bernard and I will be heading West again, but this time on a different adventure.  In August, we will be part of the Bike and Build's Inaugural Drift West ride.  Realizing that many people cannot take an entire summer off, B&B created two, three week trips; one on each coast.  Drift West, just like it sounds, kicks off in Portland and then takes rider throughout Washington State.  

 

In order to keep everyone abreast of fundraising and training news I have decided to resurrect Wheel You Come With Me Across the US.  The blog will also make it easier for you to track our progress once we hit the road.

So what are you waiting for?  Head over to my donation page and throw some dolla bills my way.   I need to get a jump on fundraising $1500!!

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - B. Franklin

Rainy Saturdays are sometimes the best.  While you cannot probably do not want to head to the farmers market, you can grab a book, sit in a coffee shop and read the day away.  I arrived WAY too early in DC for an afternoon of beer tasting so I headed over to my favorite/first secret coffee shop for some breakfast. 

Last June we were supposed to do a grand beer tour of DC, but due to scheduling and illness it was put on hold.  Today, however, everyone had some free time so we decided to conquer two local breweries.  First on the list: DC Brau.

While there was no official tour today, we still got our four free samples and were able to wander around a large part of the brewery.  Everybody's Instagram game was way better than my own, so most of these pictures have been stolen. 

I got most of the motley crew together for a photo.

Erica was the only one, however, brave enough for a dance video!

Next stop: Atlas Brew Works. 

Look at all those kegs!!!
Most of us opted for the flight of beers so we could try everything on the menu. 

On a side note there is no better way to break up an afternoon than with some corn hole.  Thank goodness Vonnie was with us because Todd and Christine had never played before and I always forget the scoring rules.

The day was a total success and we all got to explore two new places and try a few new brews.   Until the next great beer adventure!

New Year's Resolutions

As the rest of the world was getting dressed up and chilling champagne bottles, the nurses and techs of 11 East were pulling out stethoscopes, checking on patients and wearing some festive hats (we also popped some bottles of sparkling cider. 

As the new year starts up I have decided on a couple of SMART resolutions:

1. Read 2 books a month
2. Cook two new things a month
3. Do one touristy thing a month
4. Make a 2015 Dance Video
5. Step up the blog game

Looking for a few things to incorporate into your life?  

Check out Elite Daily's Resolution Remix: 15 Things to Stop Doing in 2015.

A Different Kind of Christmas

For the last several Christmases my family and I have headed down to Florida to spend the holiday with my grandparents and aunt.  This year, however, things are a little different as nurses on my floor are not able to take vacation the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Years.

Clearly hospitals don't shut down for major holidays, so the floors try and make things as festive as possible (we have the pinkest tree you could ever imagine).  Check out this expertly normal sinus rhythm made out of garland.

 

And this one turned their PPE into a tree

Last night my co-workers and I kept our eyes on the sky for Santa and his reindeer as they passed over the Charm City.  I must have been in a patient's room because I missed him.  I decided to bring a little holiday spirit to the unit, just like I did at Halloween.  Tonight the staff will be having a potluck dinner at 2 o'clock in the morning the day after Christmas.  Insert hashtag here i.e. #nightshiftproblems #nurselife #needcoffee #letsgo

 I went to five stores (no joke) to try and find a Santa hat, but had no such luck.  As a result, I piecemealed together a festive headband and went to work armed with candy canes. 

On the home front, I decided to forgo the typical Christmas tree and grabbed a poinsettia and some glitter dusted flowers (who knew this was even a thing).  Also pro tip: wait until Christmas Eve Eve to get some cheap decorations and lights because everything is WAY marked down.  The joy of not having any kids is you an delay the festivities and really get into the 12 days of Christmas (the 12 days between Christmas and the Eve of the Epiphany).

Thanks to modern day technology I got to "hang out" with my family after waking up from a much needed "nap."

A little Christmas humor for ya:

Baltimore is VERY good at getting into the holiday spirit.  Christmas lights are brought to a new level between Hampden's 34th Street and this version of A Christmas Story's leg lamp.

Apparently the aliens, along with the Three Kings, made it to Bethlehem.

Also one of my favorite songs to come out this year was Silent Night with Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson.  Also am I the last one to realize that Reba's is Kelly's Mother-In-Law?

I hope everyone is having a great day and Santa was good to you all! 

Merry Christmas Eve!!

As I caffeinate for an evening shift, I came across this AMAZING video which takes a new spin on an old classic.  The pun was totally unintentional, but works well as Velocity makes all things wheel related. 

Want to see how much time you have until Santa heads to your neck of the woods?  Head over to the NORAD website to check on his progress and see how many gifts have been delivered so far.