I am thankful for opportunities to be able to get away, relax, and enjoy things that are special to us. We decided last minute to take a trip to Santa Fe, NM. Life is hectic. Sometimes I welcome it because it brings wisdom, but there are times it brings stress and various other emotions that hinder us from enjoying hard work and from enjoying each other. Fortunately, we were able to get away for a few days and just renew our spirits.

We arrived in Santa Fe about 2:30 and grabbed lunch at Upper Crust Pizza downtown. It has been voted the best in Santa Fe and was even featured on the Food Network! We definitely understood why. The flavor was amazing! We had the Margarita pizza-the mozzarella was so fresh and the crust was amazing! It is worth the price, but I would suggest getting a small pizza, which was 10″. We had the large, but ended up having three very large slices left. You can choose to eat inside, which is very nice, but we opted to eat outside on the porch area. We got to enjoy the weather but also see all the interesting people walk by.

We saw the oldest house and church in the United States, we walked around downtown to look at the shops and see the local art festival that was going on. The culture is amazing and the art is so interesting! Although I am not artsy at all, I do have an appreciation for it  and the people who express themselves in that way. Speaking of art, we had the opportunity to enjoy the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. We enjoyed her art and we also enjoyed a short documentary about her life and work. It was nice to learn more about who she was, not just what she painted.

We enjoyed several restaurants! 
If you enjoy true mexican cooking try The Shed. It is true Mexican cooking, they use blue corn tortillas which are smothered with red and green chile. YUM! This is what Paul ordered!

 If you are wanting something sweet, try: The Flying Star
If you want chocolate in its purest form, try: Kakawa Chocolate House
It is an interesting and unique shop, full of chocolate treats and chocolate elixirs made by the owner. He has taken chocolate recipes from historic recipes that span the time period from 1000 BC to the mid 1900’s AD. The owner definitely has a passion for what he does and I am glad because the chocolate elixir I tried was out of this world!

On Sunday evening, we decided to join Santa Fe on celebrating their 400th anniversary!  The local symphony played a t Fort Marcy ballpark where those attending brought their own blankets or chairs to sit on and got to eat the food of the local vendors while listening. We were SO excited, but it began to rain and although we endured about 45 minutes of it, we decided to make the trek back to our hotel to enjoy a warm room and dry clothes! It was so fun despite being rained on!

Before we left on Monday, we drove to Estrella Del Norte vineyards. The owner was so inviting and kind and we got to enjoy the company of an older couple from California. It is peaceful and so worth the 20 minute drive north of Santa Fe to Nambe.

  It was fun and exciting to say the least! We took in each beautiful moment and just enjoyed each other immensely!

Now back to studying and clinicals…..

Blessings, Robyn

Romans 12:9

The last thing I wanted to do yesterday was go into work. Even though it was only going to be 4 hours of my time, it seemed like an eternity. I was beat down by the busy week I had in school, I was stressed because my house was a wreck, I needed to clean the bathroom, finish doing a load of towels, not to mention study for an exam on Monday, and spend quality time with my husband because I felt like I haven’t seen him since school started. I will be honest, I was about to call in and cancel, but didn’t.

I begrudgingly lifted myself from my comfy bed, changed into work clothes, kissed the husband good-bye and headed into work. On my way I thought of all the negative things I didn’t like about the floor I was assigned to, not a great way to start a shift.   

It was a busy day. 17 patients all needing vital signs, some needing water refilled, others needing to go to the bathroom or needing a bath. I had nurses calling out things they need me to do, trash cans needed to be emptied,  I had families that needed to be comforted and some that needed grace. Why am I here today?

I was there yesterday to comfort and pray for a man in his late thirties as he deals with the reality that he needs a heart transplant. He pours his thoughts out to me and he pours his fears out to me. He cries. He wants life. He wants to live. His family is in Louisiana. He is alone. But I let him know he is not alone. I am here! The Lord is present even in your crisis! HE is your life! HE is in this room! HE knows your fears. HE is grieving with you! I went into his room before I left so I could say good-bye. I can’t get him out of my thoughts. Jesus, give him strength.

I was there yesterday to walk  with a man in his seventies down the hallway. He was precious. He pushed himself to go further than he did the day before. And guess what?  He did. I witnessed it. I rejoiced with him, his wife and his son. I was there yesterday to rejoice and encourage.

I am glad I was there yesterday. I didn’t want to be at first. When I become a nurse, I hope I never forget to rejoice and bring comfort. I know that there will be days that are not ideal, but ultimately I hope to never lose focus on what the Lord has called us to do.

I love His calling for His people.

-Robyn

* photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/papyrist/2960548195/

Marla made Jonah’s family birthday celebration so special. She baked Jonah this wonderful cake and the addition of Diago was perfect. Growing up, my mom made quite a few of my birthday cakes. My favorite part was the way she placed all my Disney figurines on top! It is extra memorable when someone takes the time to personalize it. Anyway, Marla did a great job. We hung out with my parents, ate pizza and then let the super excited 4 year old open all his wonderful gifts. It is such a gift to be able to celebrate someone. It is more than just buying gifts and eating yummy chocolate cake. It is a time where you think back on special times with that person, rejoice in their accomplishments, rejoice in the way the Lord is orchestrating their life thus far and pray over the future of their life and their heart. Who knows what the Lord desires for Jonah, only He does. We are here to witness his life, to pray over his life, and to guide him in the truth of HIS word.

I still can’t believe he is 4 years old.
I’ve never seen a 4 year old want to open cards

I just love this picture. There is no doubt that Margie adores Jonah.

I can’t forget my love able River. He enjoyed playing with all the cool stuff that his brother got!

I love these boys.Paul and I are so honored that we get to witness their life. I sometimes wish I had a little boy because I want so badly for him to know how great Jonah and River are.

Many blessings,

Robyn

It has been such a beautiful summer! I have enjoyed it immensely and can’t believe school starts in less than two weeks! Until then, I do have a few things to look forward to! My mother in-law, Penny and my sister in-law Katy are coming to visit tomorrow until Tuesday! They also get to see Paul and I join our church! Such sweet times. Then, on the 30th, I am going back to Stillwater for a few days to see family and precious friends. I am going to enjoy my lasts days to the fullest!

Now a look at my summer from the beginning to now!

Great friends from school! This was the day after finals!

Me with my funnfetti cake that my honey made me

Josh and Lauren at the 4th of July parade!

I made cherry dump cake for the BBQ at Josh and Lauren’s for the 4th!

Fun nights with the Barnard’s

Loving my sweet nephews

Little E.T. 

I adore my husband!

It has also been a summer that has brought us new beginnings. On Sunday, July 19th, Paul officially became the youth minister for Oakwood Baptist Church. We have grown so much and have been blessed to meet so many encouraging people. Paul loves sharing the word and connecting with students, it has been amazing to witness. I am proud of him and honored to walk along side him through it all. I long for the Lord to draw hearts to Him.

I just wanted to post a quick catch up!

Many blessings.

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My sweet husband is constantly making our marriage so special and he creates so many sweet memories. He told me the day before our anniversary that he booked the Presidential Suite at the Embassy Suites here in town! The pictures are proof of an amazing room that we got to enjoy and lounge in. It was the perfect way to spend our two year anniversary. Thank you my honey for such a memorable way to spend our time together! I love you to pieces!

The pillows were amazing!

Jacuzzi tubs are the best! But beware, don’t pour too much bubble bath in the water, they will quickly overtake every square inch of space! ha!

We ate at Harrigan’s after we got ready at the suite. I had never been there before and it was really good! I loved the atmosphere most of all and our server was a doll! She took great care of us and took this wonderful picture. My husband looks so good!

We stayed up really late watching the movie “Sunshine Cleaning.” I really recommend the movie! We stuffed our faces with candy, popcorn, cheese cubes, and sparkling cider with raspberries! YUM! Well, we had high hopes of making it to the breakfast buffet that morning before the rush of guests and because it was only open till 9. BUT when the alarm went off at 7, the snooze button was hit, and it was easy to go right back to sleep. We woke up about 8:30 and ended up ordering breakfast to be sent up to the room and the picture above is what we ordered! It was so nice to enjoy it in our room and then retreat back into bed  to sleep for a few more hours!

We had the privilege of having a late check-out and this is when we were leaving our wonderful suite. I am so glad and blessed that we had the opportunity to do this, it was much needed!

I love looking back at our wedding photos, some of that day seems like a blur. My heart was full to the brim with love for this man and I was eager to just get away with him. Just him and I alone. Finally. I do find that sometimes my guilt sneaks up on me about things that I would have changed about my wedding day, in particular, how social I wish I would have been. I barely spoke or thanked people at the reception, instead I was clinging to the man that I was completely enamored with. But as much as I wished I would have hugged those I loved dearly a little tighter, or expressed my gratitude to those that put so much time and prayers into that day, today I am clinging even tighter to the man that I am still completely enamored with. I cling to him because he is mine. I cling to him because I trust him and feel safe near him. I cling to him so that I can hear that sweet voice that makes me melt. I cling to him so that I can be lead righteously by him. I cling to him because I am his.

* I love how he knows how to wear a suit. He knows exactly where the pant legs should sit, he knows exactly where the sleeves should sit, and he knows what button should be buttoned on the jacket. And plus he just looks so darn good in one.
* I love how he sits on the bed or floor every morning, pressing into the word, longing for communion with the Lord and I LOVE how he writes down the important tasks to be done that day.
* I love how intentional he is with people in his life. He is very good at seeing the needs of not just me, but friends and family.
* I love how he vacuums, it is legit. I also love that he cleans the house to help me out and that he makes the bed every morning.
* I love how puts his keys, wallet, and work stuff on the same place on the table every time he gets home from work.
* I love the way he is around me. It makes me feel special to know that he shares parts of him with me that he doesn’t share with others.
* I love our traditions. Morning kolaches. Movie and pizza. Marathon snuggling.
* I love the wisdom he gives me in all things in my life. School, work, life, Jesus.
* I love how expressive he is when he tells stories. His voice increasingly gets louder and his hands are always thrown up above his head at the climactic moment. Its funny to watch. Sometimes its funny to see the reaction of people around us.

I just love him completely.

I sure do love my dad and I sure do love this picture! Although we didn’t get to celebrate your birthday together this year, I will be sure to eat a cupcake in honor of you! ha! You are wonderful and I am grateful to celebrate another year of your life. You inspire me to work hard for things and never give up. You have a love for your family that amazes me and that inspires me to love even more! I wish I could give you a big hug today, it has been too long! I love you more than I can express! Happy Birthday Dad!

Always,

Your baby girl

I admit being a huge slacker on my blogging.  Honestly, by the time Thursdays role around, I am too worn out to do anything! This post will be short, but it is something that is so interesting to me and is so rad!

About 2 months ago, I had the privilage of sitting in on a lecture at Covenant and the topic was InterDry Ag. I was surrounded by wound care nurses and critical care nurses. We learned about a product that I really believe will speed the healing process in so many patients that have bed sores, shearing on their back side, skin infections or maceration of the skin.

That picture above is the product, InterDry Ag Textile with Antimicrobial Silver Complex.

This textile has a silver complex embedded in it which provides antimicrobial action up to five days reducing:

* Staphylococcus aureus
* Psedomona aeruginosa
* Candida albicans

It is used for managing symptoms of intertrigo (which is inflammation of of skin folds) caused by by moisture and friction between skin folds and other skin-to-skin contact areas. You cut away a piece of the textile, place it in the appropriate skin area, you need to leave at least 2 inches of the textile sticking out in order for it to appropriately evaporate moisture out of the skin.

How cool is that?! It has proven to be extremely effective and I am excited to see it used on more patients and that more nurses are learning about it. I had a patient this week who is suffering from a life-threatening skin condition and has maceration on both of her axilla skin folds and on her backside. Within one day of using it, she could feel a difference. It is encouraging to witness! 

I thought I would share pictures, but a lot of skin infections and rashes are pretty hard to look at. I thought I would spare all of you.

Blessings.

Robyn

Yes….this is for real. Not a joke. It does exist. And after this past camping trip, when I fell down trying to conquer what every woman attempts to do in the middle of the outdoors, I will purchase one someday (preferably before the next trip).

It’s called GoGirl…check it out for yourself!

HA! The things people come up with….

This year Paul, Max and I ventured to Copper Breaks State Park. I haven’t been camping a ton, but Copper Breaks  was definitely impressive! It had all the amenities you would ever need! We had a delightful pavilion that we relaxed and ate under, a beautiful view to take in, trash cans for every site, and even a water spout for every site! Endless supply of water for your dishing washing needs! I loved it and recommend anyone to go there!

There are definitely stories to tell, but I will keep them short! We decided to take our beloved family dog with us this year, not only so we could enjoy some quality time with him, but also so he could enjoy the great outdoors! Within the first 20 minutes of arriving, he had almost bitten through his leash, in two places!!! I was shocked and worried since dogs have to be on leashes. He did it because we weren’t paying enough attention to him while we were setting up our tent and getting things organized. One thing I learned about Max is he is very needy! He hates not being able to be right beside you or if he can’t see you. Paul and I adore this dog, but we think next time we won’t bring him along. I just felt bad because he couldn’t run around and have lots of fun like I wanted him to!

Another funny thing happened…we ended up leaving at 2 a.m. on Thursday morning because we couldn’t sleep for the 2nd night in a row and because our beloved tent fell in, not once, but twice! We were going to stick it out in the truck, but after about 15 minutes, we decided to pack up and go home! We figured, why not drive home and get rest in our own bed?! We couldn’t sleep because our tent not only couldn’t stay up, but inside it sounded like a tornado was coming! It was so loud and windy and the flapping of the tent drove us crazy! But the minute we stepped foot outside, it was hardly windy at all, crazy!!! Max was a trooper and I think he slept a lot more than Paul and I!
It was a short trip, but definitely fun! Hopefully next year we will have better luck and a different tent! ha!

Here are a few pictures, my videos wouldn’t upload!

Our Max striking a pose

Too cute!

Our glorious campsite

Our windy tent

I love that Paul likes to try so many new things while camping! Its so fun and delicious! Look at those ribs!!

S’mores and jiffy pop= a good way to end the day

We had a fire this year! No burn ban!

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