Interview

1. What is your leadership/ management style?

1. I'd like to develop into more of a Transformational Leader, but currently identify best as a Participative (also called Democratic) Leader.

1. What are the most important values you demonstrate in your role as a nursing administrative supervisor?

I seek to promote positivity among staff by demonstrating encouragement and servant leadership. 

What is the best advice that you have ever received in your professional career?

If you come up against a difficult situation you've never experienced before and don't know the answer or what to do, always choose what's best for the patient, and you'll make the right decision every time. 

What is the one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

The ability to always come from a place of "yes". By that I basically mean being open to considering all ideas. It doesn't mean you have to try to implement every idea presented to you, it just means not automatically shooting down an idea right away (coming from a place of "no") and always valuing the input of your team. 

Is there a behavior or trait that you have seen derail leadership careers?

lack of compassion 

What do you do to ensure your own leadership growth and development?

Advancing my professional degrees, maintaining a self-care routine, and keeping up to date via professional journals and podcasts. I also enjoy attending leadership seminars- they are renewing and inspiring!

Continued education (such as a BSN) is highly recommended and encouraged in today’s nursing community environment. Do you feel that nurses should always continue their education? Why or why not?

Yes, I feel nurses should continue their education to promote nursing as a profession. It also fosters lifelong learning and improves patient care. 

What are the major challenges that you currently face in your leadership role?

Two major challenges I currently face are boosting morale (though staffing is improving, patient ratios were so tough for so long that the feeling of being overwhelmed still lingers in the hearts and minds of staff), and working to identify with the needs and desires of different generational groups (current staff spans from Baby Boomers to Generation X to Millennials- and they all have differing needs, values, and desires to feel fulfilled in their work). 

I’m sure you deal with conflict on a daily basis. How do you handle conflict?

I remain calm and diplomatic in the face of conflict. I keep in mind that there is more than one side to any given situation, and try to actively listen and gather all the information I can in order to make the best decision and facilitate a positive outcome for all involved parties. 

In a recent email, LHN’s Interim CEO stated that there have been more than 60 new hires in the network. Have you noticed a positive change in staffing? If so, in what ways? 

I have noticed positive change as evidenced by lower patient ratios reflected in daily staffing grids. Some of this is due to the addition of Agency and Passport Program nurses, and we do seek to get to these better ratios through non-contract employees in the future. 

What advice do you give to nurses going into a leadership position for the first time?

Have confidence, but know your solution isn't always going to be the right answer. Listen earnestly to your team- they are full of great ideas because they are the ones doing the work- then use your judgment, experience, and discretion to come to the best solution/conclusion. 

What is your short-term and long-term vision for the employees under your supervision?

My short-term vision is retention and recruitment of staff members. If we can do that well, it will enable us to achieve the long-term vision of a high level culture that associates are so attracted to that they come to seek out being a part of our team (as opposed to needing to heavily recruit or require use of contract help). My vision of a high level culture is one full of respect, professional collaboration, highly engaged staff, and a lot of "we" language that indicates an openness to and value of everyone's input into how things are run- no matter their position or job description within the organization. 

Any final thoughts/comments related to nursing leadership and management?

It's challenging, sometimes even scary, but people need and want good leaders. Do your best every day, treat your team well, and your patients will be treated well in return!

Choose Your Own Adventure

i consider all the angles.  i analyze and reanalyze many times before i come to the decision or conclusion.  sometimes i do this during plain-old-mind-wandering time.....i fantasize that life could be like a "choose your own adventure" book (remember those?).  
some things that may have happened if i'd chosen an alternate page:

-if i hadn't finally learned to guard my heart, i might actually know my dad and either like him or hate him, instead of just being indifferent when we talk.
-had i gone to valpo u. as hoped, i could be living as a near-old maid in northwestern IN/chicagoland area.
-were i able to capture marty turner's heart as i'd so in wanted in jr. high, we would both be completely miserable right now.  doc's and nurse's schedules don't gel well.
-if sally hadn't suggested doggy treats, i may never have learned that not all men betray, and that some of the really special ones are loyal even to the bitterest of ends, and that i deserve that sort of loyalty.
- had i dated dan: 1)i wouldn't love him this much 2) would've learned how to cook by now b/c he wouldn't have stood for it this long!
-if i hadn't worked radio while going thru nursing school i would be very narrow and only know about one industry.
-had adam and i gone to walmart instead of meijer for the christmas shopping, i may not have reconnected with suzels and the bethie!
-had i just been a stubborn teen and not responded to mom's letters we may not be such great friends now. 
-if heather and i had chosen taco bell instead of powers, my husband may never have noticed me.

see?  that's fun!  what are a couple of your favorite "what-if's" or alternate endings?

Inhumanity

I will never forget the first time I saw mans' inhumanity toward fellow man.  It was a baby.  A small, sweet, surely innocent soul who had no choice in the manner of its suffering. Many more times since, I have witnessed a similar theme. This changes a person.     For me, due to my experiences, so many things are not about religious or political leanings any longer. Or, perhaps due to my intrinsic nature, they never were. No matter the context, once you see bootprints on a person's head, allegedly put there by folks that didn't agree with how that individual preferred to dress, or act, or live out their gift of time here on this earth... Well, you see how ridiculous man can be. And it makes me cry for my fellow man, and how mislead they are.  Because the perpetrator- also my fellow man, they believed in something as well...so strongly that they were compelled to act as they did.  I can't forget.  And very few things will evoke more sadness in me.   You see things your mind can't unsee or undo. You change.

Fathers Day

i was about 9 years old.  

my dad was in state to visit with my brother and i.  he was to take us on a vacation.  the plan was to stay in hotels, and swim in their pools, and just drive here and there, seeing "things" and doing "stuff"...whatever it is people do on summer vacations in the Midwest.

the day prior to our departure, my mother made an attempt to gather contact information: what was the plan?  what phone numbers could be reached in the event of an emergency? 

the usual things folks ask, i guess, when their children are heading off on a trip.

yet, my father wasn't casual or usual about this line of questioning.  he became very agitated.  he tried to argue.  they sort-of argued, right there in the middle of Court Street.  i was only a little embarrassed, wondering if anyone saw or heard.  but, mostly, i was nervous about Dad's agitation, and how it might effect the plan.  he took my brother out after that exchange, with and old friend of Dad's and his sons (just a boys' thing, no girls allowed!), delivering my brother home later to prepare for the Big Trip.

the next day, the Big Day, i was all packed and ready- likely earlier than necessary.  but, hey, i was excited for my special vacation with my daddy- what girl wouldn't be?? 

i watched and watched out of that dining room window for hours, teeming with anticipation.

at some point in the waiting i realized the truth.  but, especially for an optimist like myself, hope always springs anew, and faith always prevails.

when the phone rang, i knew before it was even answered.  but i did have to hear it for myself.

"Hi, Daddy, when will you be here?"

He told me he was already back in Arizona.  Plans had changed.  Vacation was canceled.

i didn't cry.

i went to the McDairmant's house.  i felt safe there. i had fun there.  i always did feel good with them.

we began to play, and things were going as normal.

we were outside, i had some sort of ball in my hands, like a beach ball or kickball.

and then the question was asked:  "weren't you supposed to go on vacation with your dad today?".

i tried, but the tears could not be held back.  i could not stop them.  i used the ball to cover my face.  and then, when i realized that this wouldn't be sufficient enough a shield, i just dropped it.  and i ran home.

the humiliation and shame was overwhelming.

though the the actual problem of my failed visit with my father was disappointing enough in itself, i remember feeling more ashamed about not being able to suppress my emotion.

i have been who i am for a really long time.

The attached photo is one that makes me happy. It's from a lot of years ago, but it's the only one I have of my Father and myself, and my stepmom of sorts. Bless you, Bonnie.  Thank you for making sure Mel is so well cared for.

Bean

This is my favorite coffee cup. A gift, of course, that represents my fondness for the warm beverage as well as a nickname that I'm rarely referred to by these days. Bean was a moniker my husband came up with when we were dating. My initials were LLB, so this was an offshoot of the retailer LL Bean, finally shortened to Bean. It became even more fun when his brother started dating another tall brunette also referred to by her people as Bean (her actual last name) for years before we'd met her. 

Everyone at work called me Bean as well. And I can't quite remember anymore why it wore off, or when most people stopped calling me by the nickname. But it was fun while it lasted. And every time I use this mug, my heart does a little flip, I grin to myself, and I remember younger times before all of our hearts got a little heavier with experience and loss.

A Gatherer

I am a gatherer. I gather in beings that are not mine, and I nurture them. 

Then I free them. Because I have loved them just enough, and as they needed. 

Inherent Goodness

I'm relaxing at home this morning after a long work week. Suddenly, the garage door starts to spontaneously operate. Very random- up, half down, back up, all the way down, etc. I'm kind of creeped out and trying to decide if I should just disable it. I peek outside several times and don't see anyone but a little kid, kicking at the ground, waiting for the bus. Finally I get brave and head outside. A man walking 2 beautiful dogs waves and yells "hey!! I think this is yours!", and holds up the garage door opener we lost last week. Apparently he has been clicking it on all his dog walks lately, trying to find the right house. People are better than we think. Mostly. Thanks, awesome neighbor!! 😁

P.S. I even got to play with the pooches a little, which made it even more perfect. 

How I Became A Bitch

I didn't write this. More borrowed words. But I'm glad someone did, and that I can use their words to share and explain. 

I never thought of myself as someone who thrives on chaos and crisis. But after all those years, I do know that I'm a person who manages such things rather well. I also know that it did truly change me.  I'm pretty sure I allowed it to affect my family and other relationships along the way.  I'm also glad that I switched out from it when I did. Now is the healthiest I've felt in years. It makes me want to be even healthier. And it drives me to support my ER brothers and sisters even better than I could when I was in the thick of it. Here's to all my favorite bitches! Don't let yourself get too hard, and stay well. 

Working in the ER changes you. 

It is unlike any other place in the hospital. You are dealing with a constant stream of people who are having some kind of stressful event in their lives.  We may not think it is a crisis, but for them it is. 

The ER never ends. It never closes. Its 24/7.  There is never a break. It can be quiet one minute and chaos the next. You can be dealing with a stubbed toe and in rushes someone with a gunshot wound or a cardiac arrest We live our life on the edge.

You are dealing with everyone from A to Z.  Many of the people who frequent ERs are living dysfunctional lives. They bring that dysfunction into the ER with them. They can be drunks, junkies, criminals, the homeless, the mentally ill, the neurotic.  We deal with violent drunks, drug seekers,  homeless people who haven't bathed for months, out of control psych patients, manipulative people who can turn on a dime if they don't get what they want.

We work in a chaotic environment of ringing alarms, yelling patients, ringing phones, overhead paging... When it ramps up its overwhelming.

You know all of the above going in, or at least you think you do.  When you choose to take a job in the ER, you are the kind of person who thrives on chaos and crisis.  Bring it on.

Here's the thing about the ER that people don't get: It is not like ER on TV.  We are not constantly dealing with a car accident, a shooting, a cardiac arrest.  We get critical patients. Often. That's actually the fun part of my job. Ninety nine percent of the time it is routine, dull even. 

My job is the everyday world of the ER: the abdominal pains, back pains, chest pains, mental health, etc. etc. etc. that make up the daily operation of an ER.  Its boring really.  Its predictable.

Being an ER nurse, you see a lot of tragedy.  Tragedy in the form of suffering people with cancer who are dying, terrible chronic diseases or conditions, unwanted elderly people..  People die.  Families suffer.  It is sad.

Then you see people who are such ineffective copers that a cold sends them over the edge and into the ER.  They are the type of people who will never have their own doctor.  There lives are such chaos that the concept is foreign to them. 

Every day you deal with drug seekers in their various forms.  They lie and manipulate to get what they want.  You learn to recognize them a mile away.

Then there are the just plain mean people. You learn just how many of them there are in the world. They yell at you, verbally abuse you, threaten you, may try to hit you and succeed. They are the out of control people down the hall yelling at the top of their lungs because they didn't get what they wanted.

All this changes you.  Hardens you.  Makes you cynical..  You develop a shell that protects you most of the time. It changes your view of people, the world.   It exposes you to things most people don't see. It gives you a perspective on your own life and how it ain't so bad.

Being an ER nurse is so very difficult.  You cannot understand how difficult unless you do it. The only things that saves you is the occasional thank you, the thought that you made someone feel better or participated in extending someones life at least enough to get them out of the ER.

Last but not least, you will work with people who are hilarious, smart, dedicated and some of the nicest people you will ever meet.  They keep you coming back.

Fight Song

Tonight on Social Media I've seen lots of Notre Dame pics and posts. 

The Notre Dame fight song is the same tune as both my elementary and high school fight songs. 

Though I was a cheerleader, I can't recall the words of my own schools' fight songs. 

That's because my mom taught me a parody to the same tune many years ago in our church's parking lot, and they're the only words I've been able to associate that tune with since. 

Sing with me:

Beer, beer for old Bippus High

You bring the whiskey, I'll bring the rye

Send those freshmen out for gin

Don't let a sober sophomore in

We'll never stagger

We'll never fall

We'll sober up on wood alcohol

As our loyal faculty 

Lie drunk on the ballroom floor

I can still perform an entire dance routine to that tune, but the words always remain as above. 

Stolen words

"I'm basically a huge coward about making new friends. I'm awesome at making acquaintances. But actual friends? As a grown-up? It all feels like such a risk. It's not uncommon for me to know someone for years before we decide if we like each other enough to make the transition from chatting in Target to actually being real friends."

http://www.rantsfrommommyland.com/2013/12/for-auld-lang-syne.html?m=1

Worth the read. I thought I only felt this very way because I got "messed up" somewhere along the way. I've blamed my work. I've blamed various losses of important people. I've felt I had even more to feel guilty about because I don't have a passel of kids I'm chasing after as a "good excuse". 

Turns out, I'm normal. I'm validated. 

Nature Friends

We've made lots of animal friends here on the island. The animals make us happy. 

These donkeys and goats live happily together in this spot between the grocery and our resort. 

They are kept in by the cactus fence, but lots of other goats and donkeys just roam about the land feely:

Adam got too close to these dudes for my comfort. I'm probably way too cautious, but the hospital here is tiny (60 beds. But they do have a hyperbaric chamber because of all the diving), and I have no idea how lifting out by air would work, or how long it would take to arrange transfer to a more equipped facility. I digress...back to the animals!

This cutie kept landing on my hammock one afternoon while I was out reading a book about the lives of strippers (free vacation reading, indulge me here!). There's also tons of hummingbirds and some butterflies. The next birds live at the eating place we tend to watch the sun set from more days than not, and where we spent our anniversary evening- Captain Don's. 

They don't really speak, but they squawk a lot. 

We also met this big guy at Captain Don's Habitat:

We didn't bother him much. He had some very pretty pals swimming below his coral perch:

Here's our view from our sunset spot:

There are also an abundance of small lizards of various sizes and colors. Here's one that was just now hanging out with me on our porch....

I don't like the ants or Mosquitos. They bite, so they don't get a blog feature. 

We do have a very special sweet girl we met down by the pool one night. 

She loves cuddles and detests almond milk. 

When we go inside, she sits outside our door and mewls for more attention. 

She's the favorite. 

Here's our favorite sign, on the grocer's door:

"Please put on your clothes before entering"

Guess there's a little bit of animal inside us all. 

Oh, and this guy is my favorite:

Bon Bini!

L. 

Time Outside

Swimming always makes me hungry. Good thing we stocked the kitchen a bit. The tiny fridge is the cutest:

The grocery store within walking distance is called Zhung Kong. It's very expensive. Eggs, bread, and beer are priced cheaply; meats, liquor, and fresh veg are much more than we're used to. 

So, back to swimming...

After we have pool time, there's a bit of work to be done:

This is where the lounging and swimming happen:

This entrance is at the back of our place. 

It takes you down the hall....

And into...

Which is beside...

The pool! We've spent a bunch of time in there. Haven't even been in the ocean yet. The pool is saltwater. The hot tubs are not. They aren't hot either. Which is reasonable...

Before you can switch from the pool to the jacuzzi, you have to rinse off so you don't mess up the sweetwater with the saltwater:

This shower is made from an old telephone pole somebody knocked down with their car. 

It's warmer than I'd expected. 

Next to the shower is my favorite, favorite part!

The library!! You can nap there. It's amazing. The print on the table decor says "EASY LIFE". 

I have to agree. 

Again, note the Ikea design. The owners, Anno and Sebastian, are from Holland. ;)

The books are in Dutch, English, or Spanish. All the magazines are Dutch, but I've enjoyed the pictures.

Today is our actual anniversary day. 

We will go out for dinner tonight at Captain Don's, which is just walking distance down the road. 

Pics from there, and more later!

All love,

L. 

At Home

This is one side of our porch. 

From there we can view the common courtyard:

It's breezy today, as I think it is most days. 

Our sitting area that you approach from the courtyard. It's at the front of the bungalow, around the corner from the table side of the porch. It faces our entrance:

The little window on the right is at the shower. 

A few more steps over on the porch is the hammock:

I haven't slept there yet, but I have slept here:

The red glow from the lamp shades has proven quite unflattering to my overall appearance. 

Left of the bed is inside seating:

You can spy the hammock outside the French doors!

Across from the seating is a wonderful piece. I'm sure this one isn't Ikea. ;)

Gorgeous! I wish the detail would show better. 

We went to the little grocery today, so we could use the kitchen!

The kitchen shelves and mosquito netting make me happy: 

As does the framed picture of rocks, and the bamboo around the bathroom door:

There is a library at the pool, which is saltwater. The man here refers to "freshwater" as "sweetwater". 

I'll venture out, and show those next time. The wifi has been down since morning. Will be interesting to find when "next time" is. Gotta love the islands! ;)

I feel quite at home. 

All love,

L.

Almost there

I am on a Fokker 50, flying not so high above the sea.

In less than a half hour, we'll be in Curaçao, then it's one more time through an airport...one more time boarding a plane, and on to Bonaire. 

We've been flying all day, and Adam's luggage didn't arrive to Aruba with mine. 

We see on InselAir's in-flight magazine that there is a "Bonaire Bravas" named Kip-Tukkie. It is smoked chicken served from a rusted out Jeep. They have a Facebook.  Look it up. 

Slippers and Self-Care

When I graduated from nursing school, my cousin Paula gave me a pair of slippers as my gift. She is a very accomplished nurse herself. At first I didn't fully understand the significance of this gift. But I certainly do now. She provided me the gift of self-care, downtime, relaxation. I traded them out for my flip-flops on this first really cool, rainy Sunday of the season, and I relaxed the heck out in them.  Putting them back on always makes me feel happy. I've been teased about them in the past to the point that I just adopted them into the name "Floral Elfin Slippers". I know they're not stylish, but I couldn't care less. They're special, meaningful, sentimental, and good for my well- being. 

After a decade and a half, they're getting pretty worn. But I'll wear these puppies out till they're bare. 

No more waiting

I never followed up on my mother's pancreatic cancer scare. 

All I can say is it was just that: a scare. 

For this I am more than grateful. 

I know I was more worried than she. 

She's tight with JC, and that sort of faith goes a long way in the anti-worrying department. 

The Waiting

I wake without good reason in mid afternoon after only about 3 hours sleep. I am fully awake and don't even feel the usual Bendadryl Hangover I should have this early into my sleep. I text everyone I think might be at the hospital with Mom without response. I answer a few work emails, can't get back to sleep, so I shower and call the hospital in my hometown. Mom transferred to my hospital only about 10 min ago. We have equipment to do a procedure not available back home. I get my body and face around, and head to my workplace, once again grateful for the short distance from my driveway to the parking lot. The timing is impeccable. I reach my ER entrance exactly as the ambulance transporting Mom does. She is smiling and making little jokes. Her laugh infectious as always. The heavy doses of narcotics help a little. 

We go to room 416, and things go well. They move more quickly than I'd expected. I'm proud of my colleagues as I quietly observe them. I really don't know how they meet all the demands placed on them and still provide such a caring touch. 

One of my favorite doctors is admitting her. He does an excellent history and exam, and makes sure we understand the plan. I'm proud of Mom for being an excellent historian of her case. It makes me feel reassured and confident that things will go well even when I'm downstairs being a nurse myself later in the evening. But right now I'm not a Nurse. In this moment I am a Daughter, and Dr. Giant Smiles is reviewing the results of Mom's CT scan with us. This mass at the head of her pancreas, he says, is obviously concerning. Does she have any family history of tumors, he wonders. Outwardly I am nodding and stoic. This Daughter's insides are screaming. We didn't know there was a mass. We are just finding out, though I don't bat an eye. He is finding out that my Mom's father died of pancreatic cancer. Very concerning, especially given that information, he adds. 

Yes, Dr. Big Smiles. Very concerning. 

After he walks out, I cry. Then I cut it out, and remind us both that nothing is close to definitive. I am just a surprised Daughter who happens to be a Nurse sometimes. This can be a harrowing position on occasion, the knowing too much. 

First we have to get her thin blood back to a safe level to perform the procedure. Then the procedure will tell the specialist more. Then more waiting for the biopsies. 

Now, on 3 hours sleep in the past 36, I am in the waiting part.

I am home from too many hours in a hospital I love too much, filled with people who need my love so much. 

Now I switch from Nurse back to Daughter. And wait and pray and let myself cry since there is no one to see it. The crying will lead to sleeping. And when I wake there will be more waiting. And more Daughtering. And yet more Nursing. Because we do what we can during all the waiting. 

How I fought...without knowing what I was fighting for

It was my second semester of college. I was raw. My grandmother, who had lived with me from age 4 had passed on my brother's birthday, during winter break, the day after Christmas.

I craved connection. I craved home.

I had met Sam my first semester of college. He was my friend. We had people in common. Most importantly, people from my "real life". 

My people were important to me. My people were me. 

And the fact that he was connected to folks from my small community meant *everything*. 

We connected over these similarities. 

I do that with people. 

I am a sucker for nostalgia. 

One night, he did several lines of cocaine at a neighbor's house. He assaulted me a bit after. 

I didn't want to see him after that. 

That was smart of me. 

Unfortunately, he still wanted to engage with me. Because of his violence toward me, I had been avoiding him, despite his calls. 

I was summoned by mutual friends to help out with him in a time of distress, not a week later. 

I don't know why I agreed. 

It was not smart of me. 

When I arrived at the house, I was pointed to the room he was in. I'm still not sure why I approached, much less entered. He had said that he would speak only to me. 

I wanted to fix everything. 

I should have alerted law enforcement. 

I should never have gone there. 

But I was there. 

And I stepped into that room. And that was where I was. So, I dealt with it. 

I dealt with the fact that he had a loaded gun. 

I dealt with the fact that he wanted to end me or end him. 

I just talked to him. 

I talked to him about his family, and our mutual friends. 

I talked about things I knew he valued. 

I spoke to him of the things I sought and valued in my future. 

And, in time, he agreed to seek help from someone he trusted just enough. 

And we contacted that person via phone. And I went back to my dorm life. 

I never had contact with him again. 

I wish I could say that someone in that house had called the police while I navigated all this. 

But no one did. 

Perhaps they were as green as I was back then. 

Or perhaps they didn't care?

I never took legal action...for any of it. The previous assault, or the more resonating gun-to-my-head interaction. 

I was a kid. 

We all were kids. 

It is interesting, and sad, and devastating.

And confusing. 

And still, to this day, I hope he's okay. 

Still. 

I'm a sucker. 

And I believe that I'm okay. 

I-69 to I-65 to I-40...

...Or some route like that. 

Recently a coworker asked if I'd ever been to Memphis. 

I have been. I took a road trip alone when I was young. 

My fiancé at the time thought it was ludicrous. I thought it was wholly necessary. 

(This could, in fact, be the entire premise on which our proposed nuptials failed. The guy did not get me. Not for a moment.)

I wore a bandana on my head, and long, comfortable, flowy skirts. 

I stopped through Nashville for some reason, and changed clothes in a parking garage. That was my entire virgin Nashville experience...changing outfits in a parking garage!

I listened to whatever music I wanted. I talked to the truckers with my headlights. 

Once I got to Memphis, I was disappointed by: Sun Studios, and Saint Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I didn't even go into Graceland. 

However, I did recommend all these stops to my coworker. She will plan tours ahead. I believe if I'd done that, I'd have gotten a different outcome. 

But I planned nothing for my venture. Which is the key point of this tale. 

The entire thing was fully spontaneous. 

Which is why the events I remember most vividly were the most random. 

Near Sun Studios was a diner. They had eggs and toast. A couple of old guys with motorcycles were there while I got my grub. These guys told me *they* could show me the real Memphis. 

Of course they could, why not??  I knew tons of grizzly old dudes that rode Harleys. Most of them were my relatives. 

So, I went for it. 

It was perfect. 

I got the Graceland "tour" from outside the fence, no money paid. 

I got an awesome ride. I got tons of tips about local restaurants and points of interest. 

They told me about the best of Beale Street; where to stop, where to pass by. 

Perhaps I could have been assaulted, or abducted, or worse?  

Perhaps...but I wasn't. 

I would never do that now. But then?  Then it was perfect. And perfectly fine. 

There was a purity then. One that will never be recreated. 

And that's okay, as well. 

But I'm glad, more than glad, that I did that route, that way, that one time. 

Bathroom Remodel

The week my BIL died, we had water damage to our downstairs bathroom.

Our basement flooded sometime after. 

Last year, a tree fell on our house. 

All of these events brought projects. 

However, the past year after the tree has felt like a nonstop project to me. Now we are onto upgrades and improvements, instead of recovery efforts. 

Today I helped the mister with our master bath again. We've already done painting and new mirrors/light fixtures. Today was floor day. 

He's going to have to find a man friend to install the toilet at the end of this. He gets incredibly impatient with my weak body and mind. ;)

Today was fun!

Wet saw. Serious business. 

Do work, guuurl!

Not too shabby so far.

:)