Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Guess who's employed??
This girl!! :-) I have been trying for a few months now to get my foot in the medical field door and it happened yesterday! Looking around, I found a place in Billings called Tender Nest which is a family owned and operated nursing home. The home that I worked in yesterday has 12 female residents who were super sweet to work with. I worked 4:30-9 and felt great about this opportunity!!
I just wanted to share my excitement! :-) YAY!!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Maui trip
I left for my long trip with my mom on April 2nd, which is my dads birthday. I got to spend his birthday with him and a few days with some old friends before our adventure started on Thursday night. My mom had worked all day and then was preparing herself for sitting on a stuffy plane for 6 hours. Probably not the best thought out plan! Regardless, we made it to Honolulu and took a taxi to our old military hotel. It was a room to sleep in for the night and discovered it was the hang out for pigeons in the morning. These pigeons sounded like they weighed two tons and just sat out our back window calling out to the world. Lol. Talk about a wake up call. That morning, we traveled back to the airport where we caught our inter island flight to Maui. I wish all flights could be that quick. Twenty minutes from take off to landing. Fabulous. We got our convertible, directions to our resort and we were on our way.
We didn’t really do anything on our second day but go to the grocery store and sit out on our back patio and enjoy the weather and some wine! The one downside to our resort was that it didn’t have a restaurant OR a bar. So everywhere we went, we had to drive. I don’t mind driving, but I would loved to be able to walk to and from dinner . . . or even the bar. ☺
Day 3 is when the fun started. We had our massages at the Grand Wilea resort just a few miles up from where we were staying. This was a little slice of what it’s like to have a boat load of money! We got pampered in their hot tubs a massage later. After all of that was done, we had a nice water front lunch at the hotel bistro.
We drove back and later that night went to a luau. I started having some sort of reaction to the sea shell necklace they gave me and then it spread to my shoulders and back. Some people think it was the sun, or lotions, or allergic reaction. We aren’t really sure. Come to find out, it’s what is called Howly skin. My good friend Gretta used to live in Hawaii and I described this to her and she said it’s a reaction to the sun. It’s a moist, hot environment and my skin did NOT like it. ☹
Day 4 we had a helicopter ride.
It was a cool experience, but I’m not sure I would do it again any time soon. I felt too vulnerable feeling like a bug. Mom really liked it and had a great time, while I was sort of freaked out the entire time. We got some pretty spectacular shots and views and a dvd of it afterwards.
Day 5 was Tuesday, our relaxing day. We sat on the beach because all of the vacationers (who had kids and were loud ) were gone from our resort so we spent quality time down on our little private beach. We found some sand crabs and they entertained us. My father-in-law had flown into Maui that night and we met him for dinner at a local place called Café o’lei. It was a hoppin place, but it was too loud to really have any kind of conversation for the three of us. Regardless, it was a fun to see him and have a nice dinner with him.
Day 6 was our road trip to Hana. We were first thinking that we would drive it, but then we got talked out of it. Instead, we took a tour bus( that only sat 12 people ) up there. And we are so glad that we did it that way. We were told that the driver doesn’t get to see any of the beauty because they are so concerned with the road and how tight and narrow it is. This way, we got to sit and watch beauty go by. It started at 7 am and we got back in time for dinner at 5. The road to hana isn’t about the actual trip TO hana, it was more of the journey around the island to see the different places. I think my favorite part was what I called the Dr.Suess tree’s. They are actually called rainbow eucalyptus. It looked like someone threw paint all over the trees.
We saw some pretty waterfalls, but I think once you’ve seen one, you’ve probably seen them all. It was nice to be able to sit back and listen to the driver tell us all about what we were passing. At lunch time, we stopped at a local nursery, where I got bit by mosquito’s, but only on my right foot. My big toe, my 2nd toe, my ‘ring finger’ toe and then my pinky. I was pretty miserable for the next hour or so, but I am so thankful I brought my cortisone cream with me that day. The day ended with a nice dinner and packing our bags to leave paradise and go to Honolulu. I didn’t really pack because I knew that I could repack when we go to Honolulu.
Day 7 we traveled to Honolulu. Got to our hotel at 10:30 and spent the rest of the day walking around downtown. I really wanted to go to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, but we don’t have the time. I guess if you go, you are supposed to get there bright and early at 7am so you are guaranteed a ticket to get in. It was too late for us and we don’t have the time or place to store our luggage tomorrow. ☹ I’m sad about that. However, we did find an apple store among the other very high end stores in downtown Waikiki. There was a Prada, Louis Vutton, Gucci, Tiffany’s . . .the list goes on and on. So anyway, we found an apple store and I was so excited because a month or so ago, I dropped my iphone and it cracked on the back. Looking around Billings, they’d have to send it out and I would be phoneless for two weeks. I wasn’t about to have that. So 33 dollars later, the apple store in Waikiki fixed my broken back to my iphone and I am one very happy customer.
When we had dinner with Don on Tuesday, he had also suggested we go and see a Banyan tree that is a few hundred years old and is absolutely amazing. We found it walking along the beach and those words don’t even describe it. Our bartender at the bar we stopped off at before our walk down the beach had said that the hotel that the tree sits in the back of, brought in a “tree whisperer” to talk to it because it was losing it’s leaves. The tree told the whisperer that people weren’t talking about her anymore because they had moved the bar away from the tree. The tree also told this whisperer that there was a something blocking her roots! By goly, there was a huge cement block that no one knew of. It was pretty amazing. So now, they have a restaurant, a bar and a pool by this big banyan tree and she is growing again! What a sweet story! ☺
Our flight home to Seattle was on Friday, the 13th and it didn’t seem nearly as long as getting there. I had charged my computer to watch quite a few episodes of Felicity and before we knew it, we were landing in Seattle. I had a quick sleep then left around 11 am on Saturday morning to drive to Billings with Nicole. It was a quick drive, but I’ve made that drive so many times now that it goes by quick. Peter, Nicole and Malachi stayed the night with Brad and I on Sunday night and left early on Monday to make it to their new home in Wyoming.
I had a great time with my mom but was so happy to come home to Brad. ☺
We didn’t really do anything on our second day but go to the grocery store and sit out on our back patio and enjoy the weather and some wine! The one downside to our resort was that it didn’t have a restaurant OR a bar. So everywhere we went, we had to drive. I don’t mind driving, but I would loved to be able to walk to and from dinner . . . or even the bar. ☺
Day 3 is when the fun started. We had our massages at the Grand Wilea resort just a few miles up from where we were staying. This was a little slice of what it’s like to have a boat load of money! We got pampered in their hot tubs a massage later. After all of that was done, we had a nice water front lunch at the hotel bistro.
We drove back and later that night went to a luau. I started having some sort of reaction to the sea shell necklace they gave me and then it spread to my shoulders and back. Some people think it was the sun, or lotions, or allergic reaction. We aren’t really sure. Come to find out, it’s what is called Howly skin. My good friend Gretta used to live in Hawaii and I described this to her and she said it’s a reaction to the sun. It’s a moist, hot environment and my skin did NOT like it. ☹
Day 4 we had a helicopter ride.
Day 5 was Tuesday, our relaxing day. We sat on the beach because all of the vacationers (who had kids and were loud ) were gone from our resort so we spent quality time down on our little private beach. We found some sand crabs and they entertained us. My father-in-law had flown into Maui that night and we met him for dinner at a local place called Café o’lei. It was a hoppin place, but it was too loud to really have any kind of conversation for the three of us. Regardless, it was a fun to see him and have a nice dinner with him.
Day 6 was our road trip to Hana. We were first thinking that we would drive it, but then we got talked out of it. Instead, we took a tour bus( that only sat 12 people ) up there. And we are so glad that we did it that way. We were told that the driver doesn’t get to see any of the beauty because they are so concerned with the road and how tight and narrow it is. This way, we got to sit and watch beauty go by. It started at 7 am and we got back in time for dinner at 5. The road to hana isn’t about the actual trip TO hana, it was more of the journey around the island to see the different places. I think my favorite part was what I called the Dr.Suess tree’s. They are actually called rainbow eucalyptus. It looked like someone threw paint all over the trees.
Day 7 we traveled to Honolulu. Got to our hotel at 10:30 and spent the rest of the day walking around downtown. I really wanted to go to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, but we don’t have the time. I guess if you go, you are supposed to get there bright and early at 7am so you are guaranteed a ticket to get in. It was too late for us and we don’t have the time or place to store our luggage tomorrow. ☹ I’m sad about that. However, we did find an apple store among the other very high end stores in downtown Waikiki. There was a Prada, Louis Vutton, Gucci, Tiffany’s . . .the list goes on and on. So anyway, we found an apple store and I was so excited because a month or so ago, I dropped my iphone and it cracked on the back. Looking around Billings, they’d have to send it out and I would be phoneless for two weeks. I wasn’t about to have that. So 33 dollars later, the apple store in Waikiki fixed my broken back to my iphone and I am one very happy customer.
When we had dinner with Don on Tuesday, he had also suggested we go and see a Banyan tree that is a few hundred years old and is absolutely amazing. We found it walking along the beach and those words don’t even describe it. Our bartender at the bar we stopped off at before our walk down the beach had said that the hotel that the tree sits in the back of, brought in a “tree whisperer” to talk to it because it was losing it’s leaves. The tree told the whisperer that people weren’t talking about her anymore because they had moved the bar away from the tree. The tree also told this whisperer that there was a something blocking her roots! By goly, there was a huge cement block that no one knew of. It was pretty amazing. So now, they have a restaurant, a bar and a pool by this big banyan tree and she is growing again! What a sweet story! ☺
Our flight home to Seattle was on Friday, the 13th and it didn’t seem nearly as long as getting there. I had charged my computer to watch quite a few episodes of Felicity and before we knew it, we were landing in Seattle. I had a quick sleep then left around 11 am on Saturday morning to drive to Billings with Nicole. It was a quick drive, but I’ve made that drive so many times now that it goes by quick. Peter, Nicole and Malachi stayed the night with Brad and I on Sunday night and left early on Monday to make it to their new home in Wyoming.
I had a great time with my mom but was so happy to come home to Brad. ☺
Monday, April 16, 2012
Catching up
For Christmas, Greg and Christine ( Brads oldest brother and his wife ) gave us all tickets to go to Spring Training down in Arizona for the weekend of St. Patty’s day. It was a great time spent with family, however quite the headache to make it down there.
Brad and I woke up early on Friday morning to make the attempt to get to Seattle from Billings. Honestly, we didn’t think we would make it, but we did. However, making it from Seattle to Phoenix would prove to be the harder flight to make. We spent the morning trying to get on flights and it wasn’t working. Once Greg and Chris and the kiddo’s made it to the airport, we brainstormed on what to do. We all tried to get on a flight to Tucson together, but only I could make it on and Brad would try to get on the phoenix flight later. Greg and Chris and I made it to Tucson and rented a car and made the 3 hour drive to Phoenix, found the house that Don and Ferol bought and got settled all while waiting to see if Brad made it on a flight to us. Chances weren’t looking very good and my folks were ready to put Brad up in a hotel for the night so he wouldn’t have to sleep in the airport. Instead, he made it on the last flight to Phoenix and got in around 1am.
The next morning, we were woken up by Esther and Jadon running down the hall at 7 am wanting someone to play with. Esther politely knocked on our door and asked if we would get out of bed to play with her and Jadon. Lol. It’s hard to resist that little girl. We eventually got up and started our day. We walked down to the park to play with the kids for a little bit and then started our way out the door to the baseball game.
The game itself was good. As always the Mariners lost, but it was a wonderful experience and fun times had by all the Irelands. After the game, we drove to Grandma Ireland’s house to celebrate her 89th birthday and Kaley’s 28th birthday. Two St.Patty’s day girls. I think it’s quite fitting that Kaley married and Ireland boy when her birthday is on an “Irish” holiday. ☺ We had pizza and cake and celebrated and had great family time then it was time to make our way back to Apache Junction to sleep.Greg, Don, Brad and I all woke up at 3am to venture BACK to the airport to try and fly back to Seattle. We got on to Seattle but once again, it was going to be difficult to find a flight that wasn’t full anywhere to Montana. Brad and I brainstormed before and thought about maybe getting on a flight to Bozeman and renting a car or taking the bus to Billings, but THOSE flights were booked full and it was going to cost an arm and a leg to rent a car. Next option was to just have Brad try and get on a flight and I stay back with my parents till I could get home. We couldn’t even do that. So we gave up, called my mom and she came to pick us up.
We stayed at a hotel near the airport and hung out with Nicole the next day. It was so nice to see Nicole and her son Malachi. It’s so fun to see Nicole and spend time with her. She is one of those friends that you never run out of things to talk about and she is always willing go out of her way for you. I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life. Needless to say, I’m stoked that she is moving to Wyoming and will be THAT much closer to me. Instead of a 16 hour drive, it’s only a 7 hour drive, with Denver close for shopping. ☺
Brad and I made the choice to take the train home since the next day was going to be our 2 year anniversary , we may as well spend it together and NOT in an airport. It was quite nice actually. We splurged and got a sleeper car with all of our meals included. Once we started moving, our train car supervisor guy came through and gave us two small bottles of champagne and told us there was orange juice as well. So to start our trip home, we enjoyed some Mimosa’s. The first few hours we went along the water front up to Everett and went through the mountains during dinner time. This was a much better way to spend our anniversary than with my parents OR in an airport being frustrated. We spent our evening hanging out, talking about our trip and just enjoying each other for our FIRST anniversary together.
It was quite the task to sleep on the train. We had a fold away bed that was nice, however it was a little bit bigger than a full size bed . . . with two full size adults sleeping on it. Hard. We woke up in Montana and the actual day of our anniversary and had breakfast with a nice elderly couple. After breakfast, Brad made the attempt to shower, over our toilet while the train was moving. Lol. Not something you get to try every day. After lunch, I tried and boy is that hard.
We made it to Malta, Montana at about 3pm where one of Brads army buddies was there with our car to pick us up. Malta is far up north, close to the Canadian border and a 4 hour drive from Billings. It was very nice to Eddy to come and get us, as that was going to be the hardest part of getting home. Malta is also a one stop light kind of town, so a rental car was out of the question as was a bus ride. Thank goodness for friends.
Overall, it was a nice quick visit but it went from a 2 day visit, to a 5 day long trip. I guess that’s the life of an Ireland.
My next adventure is only a few short weeks away. I’ll be flying to Seattle to stay a few days with my parents and then my mom and I are off to Hawaii for a greatly over due mother daughter vacation. I love that I have such a wonderful relationship with my mom. No one can replace her, nor would I want her to be.
Brad’s parents came out for a quick visit on the 28th of March and stayed for a day and a half. Don hadn’t seen our apartment yet and wanted to see where we lived and called home. We showed him around, filled up our beer jugs down the street at our local “beer store” as brad likes to call it. Played a few games and hung out. Ferol and I went to a fabric store to get some fabric so I could make a wall hanging. I am a new sewer and my mom bought me a pattern that was difficult for a self taught beginner sewer. SOOO, I am bringing my new fabric and easy pattern to seattle so my mom can teach me there. Thanks Ferol for the fabric. I’ll share the pictures when I have a completed project.
So my next post will be about my awesome trip to Seattle and Hawaii.
Brad and I woke up early on Friday morning to make the attempt to get to Seattle from Billings. Honestly, we didn’t think we would make it, but we did. However, making it from Seattle to Phoenix would prove to be the harder flight to make. We spent the morning trying to get on flights and it wasn’t working. Once Greg and Chris and the kiddo’s made it to the airport, we brainstormed on what to do. We all tried to get on a flight to Tucson together, but only I could make it on and Brad would try to get on the phoenix flight later. Greg and Chris and I made it to Tucson and rented a car and made the 3 hour drive to Phoenix, found the house that Don and Ferol bought and got settled all while waiting to see if Brad made it on a flight to us. Chances weren’t looking very good and my folks were ready to put Brad up in a hotel for the night so he wouldn’t have to sleep in the airport. Instead, he made it on the last flight to Phoenix and got in around 1am.
The next morning, we were woken up by Esther and Jadon running down the hall at 7 am wanting someone to play with. Esther politely knocked on our door and asked if we would get out of bed to play with her and Jadon. Lol. It’s hard to resist that little girl. We eventually got up and started our day. We walked down to the park to play with the kids for a little bit and then started our way out the door to the baseball game.
The game itself was good. As always the Mariners lost, but it was a wonderful experience and fun times had by all the Irelands. After the game, we drove to Grandma Ireland’s house to celebrate her 89th birthday and Kaley’s 28th birthday. Two St.Patty’s day girls. I think it’s quite fitting that Kaley married and Ireland boy when her birthday is on an “Irish” holiday. ☺ We had pizza and cake and celebrated and had great family time then it was time to make our way back to Apache Junction to sleep.Greg, Don, Brad and I all woke up at 3am to venture BACK to the airport to try and fly back to Seattle. We got on to Seattle but once again, it was going to be difficult to find a flight that wasn’t full anywhere to Montana. Brad and I brainstormed before and thought about maybe getting on a flight to Bozeman and renting a car or taking the bus to Billings, but THOSE flights were booked full and it was going to cost an arm and a leg to rent a car. Next option was to just have Brad try and get on a flight and I stay back with my parents till I could get home. We couldn’t even do that. So we gave up, called my mom and she came to pick us up.
We stayed at a hotel near the airport and hung out with Nicole the next day. It was so nice to see Nicole and her son Malachi. It’s so fun to see Nicole and spend time with her. She is one of those friends that you never run out of things to talk about and she is always willing go out of her way for you. I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life. Needless to say, I’m stoked that she is moving to Wyoming and will be THAT much closer to me. Instead of a 16 hour drive, it’s only a 7 hour drive, with Denver close for shopping. ☺
Brad and I made the choice to take the train home since the next day was going to be our 2 year anniversary , we may as well spend it together and NOT in an airport. It was quite nice actually. We splurged and got a sleeper car with all of our meals included. Once we started moving, our train car supervisor guy came through and gave us two small bottles of champagne and told us there was orange juice as well. So to start our trip home, we enjoyed some Mimosa’s. The first few hours we went along the water front up to Everett and went through the mountains during dinner time. This was a much better way to spend our anniversary than with my parents OR in an airport being frustrated. We spent our evening hanging out, talking about our trip and just enjoying each other for our FIRST anniversary together.
It was quite the task to sleep on the train. We had a fold away bed that was nice, however it was a little bit bigger than a full size bed . . . with two full size adults sleeping on it. Hard. We woke up in Montana and the actual day of our anniversary and had breakfast with a nice elderly couple. After breakfast, Brad made the attempt to shower, over our toilet while the train was moving. Lol. Not something you get to try every day. After lunch, I tried and boy is that hard.
We made it to Malta, Montana at about 3pm where one of Brads army buddies was there with our car to pick us up. Malta is far up north, close to the Canadian border and a 4 hour drive from Billings. It was very nice to Eddy to come and get us, as that was going to be the hardest part of getting home. Malta is also a one stop light kind of town, so a rental car was out of the question as was a bus ride. Thank goodness for friends.
Overall, it was a nice quick visit but it went from a 2 day visit, to a 5 day long trip. I guess that’s the life of an Ireland.
My next adventure is only a few short weeks away. I’ll be flying to Seattle to stay a few days with my parents and then my mom and I are off to Hawaii for a greatly over due mother daughter vacation. I love that I have such a wonderful relationship with my mom. No one can replace her, nor would I want her to be.
Brad’s parents came out for a quick visit on the 28th of March and stayed for a day and a half. Don hadn’t seen our apartment yet and wanted to see where we lived and called home. We showed him around, filled up our beer jugs down the street at our local “beer store” as brad likes to call it. Played a few games and hung out. Ferol and I went to a fabric store to get some fabric so I could make a wall hanging. I am a new sewer and my mom bought me a pattern that was difficult for a self taught beginner sewer. SOOO, I am bringing my new fabric and easy pattern to seattle so my mom can teach me there. Thanks Ferol for the fabric. I’ll share the pictures when I have a completed project.
So my next post will be about my awesome trip to Seattle and Hawaii.
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