What have I been doing for the last week?

Nothing of enough substance to take pictures of! I have been back in town enjoying my super flexible summer schedule and what have I been doing? Lots of laying in bed from 8 pm to 10 am the next morning, planning my next adventure (Errrrm... Philly and New York?), binge watching The Office, child rearing (not my own), and planning my sister's bridal shower/bachelorette party. I'm crafting a lot- I even learned how to weave (!) which was one thing on my summer checklist so I'm feeling pretty good about myself. It's been nice and relaxing not to have to rush off somewhere or feel guilty about not studying at any given moment, but being so free after leaving John is also kind of painful in it's own way. I usually have to jump right back into school at 100 mph after my visits, so I don't have time to mope around, but this time I have all the time in the world to mope around.

So I've been feeling kind of down. But today was beautiful, sunny, and a warm 70-something degrees, and I had a great day, making the cutest cake topper for my sister's bridal shower (which will be revealed after this weekend), babysitting (aka laying out on pool chairs while she plays in the pool), and going to the dollar store and Sushiland with Kathie. We ended the day doing Blogilates, and now I'm showered and back in bed about to binge on some more The Office. How great does that sound for a summer day? Totally great.

Hooray for summer! Here's to recharging and not feeling burnt out!

Another picture of us because this post looks so empty without pictures and also because I love us! This is from when we went out in Charleston. Sorry for the love fest, but I just think we are just the best.

Charleston, South Carolina

Over the weekend, John and I went to Charleston, SC to celebration of his birthday and the beginning of summer! It was super hot and so extremely humid, that we had to walk into a store every block to cool off. I think we may have looked crazy because we were so sweaty compared to everyone else, who must have been used to the southern heat, because some people were in long sleeves and pants!

Charleston is a sweet little city on the coast, deeply rooted in US history with remnants of its old-timey charm still hanging out amidst a newer wild party scene. There is so much history in Charleston. I think John and I were both fascinated by the plantation style homes and the idea that slavery existed HERE some 200 years ago. After watching Django Unchained last year, I think we just always think, "Wow that was really messed up." We went to the Charleston Museum which was the 1st museum in the US and there were actual shackles and slave tags there. So crazy to think of how those were intended to be used. On the drive into Charleston, we listened to the first 45 minutes of the audio book 12 Years A Slave, and found ourselves holding our breaths because it was so intense. 

Anyway, the trip was so much fun. It was a perfect combination of beach and city and summer sun! Here are some pictures of our fabulous adventure:

Post-eight-hour-drive at Sullivan's Island. So happy to be out of the car!

At Folly Beach. We rented boogie boards and had a blast trying to catch a few waves. Each time either one of us caught a good one and rode into shore, we'd stand up and turn around as if saying, "Did you see that!!!???!" and look for the thumbs up of approval from the other person.

One of John's buddies from college lives in Charleston so we headed out to King Street, the hub of Charleston's nightlife and restaurant scene. We ate at O-Ku and then found our way through a couple of rooftop bars. I think Charleston is a popular place for bachelorette/bachelor parties and birthdays, so people get seriously dolled up for the occasion. 

View from the tip of downtown Charleston.

Our meal at Hyman Seafood, an old seafood/dry goods market turned restuarant. Their walls are lined with pictures of all the famous people who've eaten there and all the tables  have little placards saying which famous person had previously eaten at that table. We left feeling uncomfortably full.

On the left John is wolverining, and on the left, our drive across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

We drove through both North and South Carolina and apparently they are famous for their peaches! We stopped to get gas and there was a farm stand right next door, so I got some and binged on peaches for the remainder of my stay.

This weekend was such a fun adventure. Thanks John for letting me come along on your birthday fun!

Summer Kickoff Adventure!

One of our meals, NAAN PIZZA! Not very the healthiest, but made at home.

Once again, I find myself in the middle of horse country! I'm pretty much doing the usual (only we're trying to eat out less and healthier- I even got John to try cauliflower the other day. What!), but it's June now, so it's a bagillion degrees and the air is humid and thick. I tried to go to the park yesterday to read outside while John went to work, but I gave up on my walk from the house to the car. The air is hot and thick which makes breathing just a chore. Every time I go to the east coast during the summer, I always pack shorts and tank tops, but I forget how truly awful it is to be outside, so I end up being cold because everyone spends all their time indoors where it's air conditioned.

I'm not naked.

We did actually go outside this weekend though: we pool-crashed one of John's friend's apartments! One thing they have a lot of here are pools. It's probably a combination of a lack of natural bodies of water and that it gets reliably hot enough every day during the summer, that nearly every apartment complex has a pool and probably a good number of single family homes. John just got a water proof case for his phone so we tested it and his phone still works so that's good. Our fingers got too cold from the water after a while that we couldn't use the touch screen, and the case got foggy over the lens because the inside of the case was warmer than the pool. We snapped a couple of memorable ones still. John didn't wear sunblock against my advice so he looks like a lobster now (on his shoulders and back). It's sad because he is in pain, but funny because his biggest worry is having his friends realize he is not invincible.

There's a couple things here that they don't have here that I am already missing. The first is little coffee shops. I've totally been spoiled rotten in Seattle with a coffee shop on every other street corner! Yes, I realized this before, but I didn't realize the magnitude of how much Starbucks is taking over the world. I searched for "coffee shops near me" on my phone today, and I got 3 Starbucks and a Jamba Juice! Starbucks is convenient and you know exactly what you're getting, but I try to go to mom and pop coffee places as much as I can. But I had no other option so I'm sitting in a Starbucks right now after buying a lemonade and getting a refill of water, using their wifi for 3 hours. Was it worth the $3? I'm still not sure...

The other thing they don't have is Asians. Not that it matters- it's just an observation. Yesterday, I was sitting in the cafe at Barnes and Noble using their free wifi when I saw 2 twenty-something-year-old Asian girls. I even did a double take because they stuck out so much, which made me realize that I stick out that much. It's probably because I don't actually see my physically body and face walking around here in this environment. I haven't felt discriminated against, but I have gotten long stares from elementary-school-aged children on 3 separate occasions in the past 2 days. I really don't mind as long as no one is being mean to me!

Can't wait to go outside again.

Seahawk Sighting

A little over a year ago, I told John I was concerned that if I ever ran into a Seahawk out of context, I disappointingly probably wouldn't be able to recognize them. I could probably recognize their name, but without their helmets and jerseys on, I would be at a lost! I jokingly told John I was going to start following them all on Instagram so I would actually know what they looked like. I also told John then that I should always wear make up because you never know the day that you will run into a Seahawk player.

Everyone, today was that day.

(NFL players, they're just like us! Waiting in line at TSA and waiting for the train!)

It was at the airport in a crazy long TSA line. I had just gotten my boarding pass and ID checked so I went to go wait in line to put my stuff through the x-ray machine, when I noticed a big tall black dude with a hoodie on getting his ID checked. Uh, he definitely looked familiar, and he definitely made eye contact, but looked away. He got in the line for the x-ray machine one machine over, so we were facing each other while we loaded our things onto our own conveyor belts. Yes, we made eye contact like 5 more times. I quickly google-imaged Kam Chancellor. Yes, it looked like him, but was this wishful thinking?! Finally, he took off his hoodie to go through security which exposed his big muscles. Okay, I was 90% sure this was Kam Chancellor! I was about to grab my stuff from the machine and go over to him to say hi or something, when a TSA guy grabbed my bag and told me I'd have to wait while he put it through again! I anxiously waited for my bag while I tapping my toe and watching possibly Kam Chancellor walk away and out of sight! Finally my bag came through and I booked it, almost running in the same direction I saw Mr. Chancellor go (uhh, I swear it also happened to be the direction my gate was), while simultaneously calling John to tell him what I thought was happening to me. John tried to look him up on twitter in case he'd posted anything about his whereabouts, but John came up empty. I saw Mr. Chancellor 100 yards in front of me, but I had to go to S gates which required taking the train. Do I run and catch up to him or wait to see if he was taking the train too?! I did the latter, and it turned out he was taking the train also!!! I boarded the train right after him, by this time I was seriously shaking. I knew he wasn't trying to make a scene, but I just had to say hi.

When the train finally stopped and everyone was heading for the escalators, I turned to him and asked, "Are you Kam Chancellor?". He smiled from under his hoodie and slightly nodded his head while saying "Yeah". I freaked out a little bit and we boarded a packed escalator so we were stuck right next to each other for 2 floors worth of escalator. I asked to discretely take a picture since I knew he wasn't trying to be seen. He very graciously complied and suggested it be a selfie. Then I told him I was eyeing him at TSA, and he said, "Yeah, I saw you. You can kind of tell when fans want to say hi". He also said he doesn't try to make a scene, so that's why he keeps his hoodie on all the time and keeps busy on his phone. I kind of just stared at him in awe, not saying anything else, until he said, "What's your name?". OMG I COULD HAVE DIED. "CHRISTINE," I said, sticking out my hand, "ITS SO NICE TO MEET YOU." He asked me where I was traveling, and I didn't want to intrude so I didn't ask where he was going, but he actually ended up on the same plane as me! Only he was in first class. Ugh, It was so exciting. I was so proud of myself for being able to identify him. I don't think anyone else at the airport realized! Or if they did, at least they didn't approach him. I was so high from it, I couldn't sleep on the plane at all.

Anyway, moral of the story: follow football players on instagram because it's hard to know what they look like under their helmets. Also, always wear makeup because who knows when you'll run into an NFL player.

Yeah, I was like 2 escalator steps above him which is why we are comparable heights.

P.S. You are one cool dude, Kam Chancellor. Thanks for not shutting me down.

uh I am half way done with nursing school?

Jenny and I on our last day of our first year of nursing school!

Ummm... I'm not sure how this happened, but I am done with my first year of nursing school! It's a complicated mix of emotions: accomplished because I finished what most older students consider the hardest quarter of the program (or at least so I think. We'll find out when grades come out), excited to start all my summer projects, relieved that I get a break, and almost sad the program is going by so quickly. I didn't start feeling melancholic about the program being over until our med-surg professor made a little speech before the final, saying how we had such a great group dynamic, and telling us to support each other because there is a lot of lateral violence out there. If this year flew by that fast, what's to say next year won't?!

Another thing I've been realizing is how unprepared I will be for the workforce when I'm done with school. Nursing school is intense, and there is no way any 2-year program can expose you to everything you might encounter in the real world, let alone, have you become comfortable with it. By the end of clinical this quarter, I was kind of like, errrrr, I haven't gotten to do all my skills I learned in interventions yet!! I know I still have another whole year, but honestly, I think nursing school teaches you a lot of theory, and the majority of actual 'nursing' work you do will  be on the job training.

This year has been so crazy fun and challenging. Now it's time to bum out and rejuvenate before September comes!

How Kathie and I celebrated the start of summer- BOGO Chipotle on their outdoor patio!

Dear blog

Dear blog,
I've missed you. I know I haven't written in you in a whole week. It's finals week and I hope you understand. Below I left you some pictures from what I've been doing (or rather, things I've been eating) between my studying. I'll write again soon.
Love, Tu

Dinner (and a little bit of shopping) break with my sister at Cedar's

Early Father's day breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe

Ice cream window at Hello Robin

Summer to-do list

Shopping for succulents

Every spring while I'm drowning in school, I make mental notes to myself about all the things I'm going to do when summer comes around. Usually, they're random things that come to mind at random times so my mental notes become so disorganized that I forget all of them and eventually find myself bored during the summer. I don't want that to happen this year. I want so much on my (fun) to-do list that I am using every last ounce of summer before I go back to school for the last time in a long time! So I'm going to start compiling a list of all the fun things I can do. Future me, reference this!

1. Plant things. I planted some things last year with my sister, but most of them died... Sad! I'll try again and again and again until my thumb turns green. Plants will probably be from Grocery Outlet, and we'll have to go to Goodwill in search of some pretty pots!
2. Playing outside. Summer is the best in Seattle. It's 70 something degrees everyday and not humid. And there's bodies of water everywhere! I want to swim in the lake, paddle board, kayak, and try paddleboard yoga with my roomie. Also, drive into the mountains and hike. 
3. Buy an NCLEX study guide book and read it. This is probably the least fun thing on my summer to-do list, but I feel like I might as well do something to brace myself for next year and the NCLEX which is going to sneak up on me and surprise attack me. 
4. Clean the house. I mean, seriously deep clean the house. Like take the utensils out and wipe out the drawer and turn it upside down and watch all the dust fall out.
5. Pick up a new craft. Weaving? Calligraphy? I haven't decided yet, but this would look so good in the house and would it be great to be able to address letters like this?
6. Travel. I'm going to go places.

There should be more on this list, but again, I don't know where all my mental sticky notes are. For the next 9 days though, I will be buried in books and powerpoint slides. Hooray for the near end of my first year of nursing school! I can hardly believe it.