Trunk 'er Treat: Haunted Pumpkin Patch

Last night was the Trunk 'er Treat at Good Shepard Methodist Church. It was a blast as usual! This was our second year as part of the festivities and I can never find good inspiration for these so I thought I would contribute some pictures of the blogosphere.

 We used 6 pumpkins, 4 inside the trunk and 2 by our chairs, webbing, little plastic spider rings (that the kids could pick out of the webbing) and a glass jar and tons of candy! The kids really like to grab handfuls of candy!

Dillenger as one of our pumpkins! This is her second change of costume... Long story!

The plan was to have Dill sit in the car and be one of the pumpkins. It worked for a good portion of the night.

This was Dill's first costume... Also pumpkin, but she was really not liking the hat. She literally just moped around with the stem on her head.

Volunteering

Today I spent the day volunteering at the Aids Interfaith Network (someone made me, I am not that good of a person, though I wish I could say I was!). It was a great and humbling experience. I must confess that I was the world's worst volunteer. I did way more socializing than "volunteering."

During the morning I played Farkle with some of the patrons of the facility. This facility has an adult day care program. Basically a place where people can come throughout the week and spend time socializing, playing games, and also getting a couple home-cooked meals.  This provides respite care to family members who are the full-time caregivers of these people and socialization for homeless individuals who would otherwise be on the street.

After two rounds of getting trounced in Farkle, it was time for bingo. I have never played this competitively so I had some learning to do. One of the patrons S. taught me that you never clear your card until someone yells "Clear your card." Just because someone yells Bingo does not mean that they have won, they may have the wrong numbers covered by mistake and then if you have cleared your card you can't continue when the game resumes! The last bingo prize was a bag of white cotton socks. A man at our table St. remarked, "man, I want those socks. You always need some good socks." That broke my heart. Socks?!

I came home and decided I was going to bag up some of mine and Mr's warm clothes and donate them when I go back on Thursday. In about 10 minutes of shuffling around in the garage and closets I had 6 wal-mart bags full of clothes for the shelter.

Mr. and I are not fashonistas by any stretch of the imagination. But even so we have 4 closets in our house and all of them are filled to the brim with clothes. I counted in Mr.'s side of the closet he has 42 dress shirts! 42! (excessive I know and he doesn't wear all of them).

It is so easy for me to think about what I want that I don't have. Uggs, hardwood floors, a new car... But I was so thankful for today. Because it made me look outside myself and my problems and my wants and needs.

Volunteer your time, give an old coat to a shelter, bring a bag of food to a food bank. You will get more than you give. 'Tis the season!

Book Review: Life Would be Perfect if I lived in That House by Meghan Daum

In this book, a twenty something Meghan struggles through identity, self esteem, and unstable relationships but mostly her anticipation of greener pastures that cause her to fast forward through her college years and move more times than I thought were humanly possible. I am not into moving, I don't like change. However, the book is largely about Meghan being discontent with her life and thinking that the next lease will 'fix' her. 

It was entertaining.  Especially because (minus the moving which is again 3/4s of the book) that would be my life. The book made me think of a quote a heard once about how you can only be Happy in past tense. (Think about it. I get it) Towards the end of the book Meghan struggles with Happiness versus Contentment. Obviously Contentment being what keeps evading her.  

Good book. Worth a read. Especially if you struggle with discontent like me, or if you just like to move! 

Twenty Five

I wish I had written down somewhere at fifteen where I was going to "be" at twenty five.  Things that I wanted to achieve by twenty five, do places I would have gone. I wonder what my fifteen year old self would think of me today. . . I think she would be a little surprised that I live in suburbia, that I have a dog that weighs half what I do. But I think younger me would be happy that I am happily married and about to finish my masters. Younger me might be surprised that I have practically the same hair style and some of the same friends (true besties). I think to fifteen year old me twenty five must have seemed old just like thirty five seems so old to me.

I don't want to write out goals for thirty five just predictions or musings or something more likely just to look back on (if we still have Internet and I can still find this blog in 10 years)!

Predictions for 35 year old self

- For me and Mr. to be living in or building our forever home
- maybe the pitter patter of little feet or at least a couple better trained dogs
- to be working as a PA in a job where I am happy and fulfilled
- To be an aunt
- To live within a 20 mile radius of my sis and mom
- That I will have run a triathlon
- That I will be more fluent in Spanish
- I will have traveled to Europe again with Mr., Sis, and Bro-n-law
- I'll be confident enough to make crepes

What a precious thing life is. Can't believe I'm twenty five. Where has the time gone! I know that before I turn around it will be ten years down the road.

ER: PA school reflections

Mostly in the ER you see people on the worst day of their life. 
I put staples in a guy's head who woke up drunk in the ER and had no idea how he got there. 


I saw a guy who lost both his legs after being run over by a fork lift.


I had to tell a lady that for the fourth time she was having a miscarriage. 


Mostly in the ER you see people on the worst day of their life. 


I stitched up a 45 year old African American lady who had been in a car wreck. Her daughter had been driving and hit the brakes. The daughter was fine but my patient went into the windshield and we thought initially that her face was fractured. Luckily it was all just swelling and lacerations. I sewed up her lip and her hand. To pass the time, we talked about where I was from and where she grew up. A week later I heard "Dr. Longview" being called across the ER. There sat this beautiful lady in a white sundress. She had come back to have her stitches taken out. The swelling had gone down and I was able to see her pretty face. She told me thank you for talking to her and stitching her up so nicely. I couldn’t help it, tears started to well up. No one ever came back must less told me thanks before. It was so fulfilling to see someone look so much better, so much more whole and normal.  It was a wonderful experience and really helped my work in the ER come full circle.