"When She Was Just A Girl

She Expected the World"

Coldplay.... You. Hit. The. Spot.

A little bit of Peanut, A little bit of Banana, A Whole Lot of Goodness

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Recipe

serves 2

2 bananas sliced and frozen
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup milk

Put oats in blender and blend until they're powdery. Add remaining ingredients and blend until there are no more chunks of frozen banana. Garnish with fresh banana slices if desired.

Banana Bread Recipe Not Included-Compliments of Lane Hagenau, aprondays.blogspot.com :)

Fall, Please Stay

I have had the past few days off (Thank you Lord for small blessings!) and way too much time on my hands for baking purposes. I have all of these yummy fall recipes that I want to try out and finally the free time to make them! 


Unfortunately (in this instance), I am a single lady, and in living alone I single-handedly eat everything I make...oh well:)


 Today was a cold and rainy day. I enjoyed the leisure of it really. 


I basked in it so much more after I had sat down with a glass of wine and could smell the wonderful aroma of pumpkin and pecan wafting through my sweet little apartment.


I discovered a new artist today while baking and listening to Pandora; Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. They are a mix of Indie and Rock and quite a wonderful mix at that, (song in particular, Apologies). 


It turned out to be a lovely, cold, rainy, fall day. Normally, those qualities don't quite fit together. 
In this instance, they do.

Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 
  

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottom of 9 x 13″ pan.  Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pour mixture into greased pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans.  Drizzle melted butter over pecans.  Bake 50-55 minutes.


Enjoy!

Send Me

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

Global Healthcare Missions = My Heart's Desire 

Chill

I Enjoy Wine.

I Enjoy Baking Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Crumble On Top.

Sometimes It Is The Simple Pleasures  In Life.

"Autumn, The Year's Last, Loveliest Smile."

-Anonymous

People say that time is a great healer.

Which people?

What are they talking about?

I think some feelings you experience in your life are written in indelible ink and the best you can hope for is that they fade a little over the years.

-Allison Pearson

Sweet Moments

I am convinced that I have one of the sweetest sisters around. 

She is beautiful, tender, kind, considerate, creative, and above all a woman that fears the Lord.

The sister I refer to is Faith and she embodies every beautiful aspect of her name.

 Faith is expecting her first child in early November. I have no doubt she will be an incredible mother. 

 She sent me this lovely card as a thank you for some things I had sent to her for the baby. The card is written from the perspective of the baby. 

 It is so simple and yet made my entire day and brings a smile to my face whenever I think of it. 

 I cannot wait to hold and love on this baby girl. She will undoubtedly bring joy to my life.:)  

A Productive Lazy Day.....

Today was a day to do 

A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y   N-O-T-H-I-N-G

I embraced each and every second of it. 

 Forms of relaxation look different to each and every one of us. 

Rest for me today was found in a cup of coffee in a comfy eclectic coffee shop in Nashville, the side by side companionship of a close friend, and the inspiration to write about my day to day experiences. 

I feel Renewed and Refreshed.

It was Time Well Spent.

Good for My Soul

 Laughter 

Sharing of Dreams

Refreshing Rest

 Constant Blessing

A Glimpse of The Beautiful Qualities that Epitomize my Friendship with Lane. 

Goodbyes

 My Farewell Night Shift Party. 

To Everyone on 8 North,

Thank you again and again.

Seeing the Daylight

Last week was my final Night Shift at Vanderbilt University Hospital on 8 North.  It has been an experience that I will not soon forget.  

I recently watched a movie entitled, Never Let Me Go, in which there was a quote I found myself resonating strongly with.  The quote stated, "Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly.  But I don't go along with that.  The memories I value most, I don't ever see them fading." 

-Kazuo Ishiguro.

In a way, that is how I feel about 8 North.  There were nights when I ventured into work crying and full of defeat before the shift even began. Yet, there were mornings when I would leave full of hope and confidence knowing that I had made a positive difference and impact in the life of another human being.

I saw life and I saw death. I came to recognize the power of the human touch and the peace that a listening ear can impart to another being. 

I was a part of victory and a part of loss in my patient's life stories.

I came to know my coworkers in an intimate way.  We worked in the trenches together and we experienced situations that many cannot understand or fathom; but we do, because we were a part of them.

Onto new beginnings. I start my journey now with Day Shift. I still have so much to learn. 

I will always hold dear my experience of Night Shift. It was one of the hardest experiences I have ever been through, and yet one of the greatest. It is a painful process to grow at times, but one that is well worth it. I have gone through the fire and have been tested and refined (Zechariah 13:9).

Thank you 8 North for teaching me not only about my own weaknesses and failings as a human being and a Nurse, but for the wisdom, hope, and strength you imparted and instilled in my character as well.  You will not soon be forgotten.......

Day 1: Self Portrait

30 Day Photo Challenge

Found this on my latest obsession, pinterest.com. If you have never heard of this website you MUST check it out! Beware though, it is very addicting:) Decided it was a fun thing to do and further touched on my love for photography! So begins the 30 day Photo Challenge!

Confirmed today, I am headed to Haiti in December 2011 for a Cholera Relief International Medical Trip With Mercy Ships......Great Things To Come

"Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams."- Henry David Thoreau

Reflection at the Greenway

Shining wonders, fields of splendor

How they sing your symphony

........................

Let the earth fear the Lord

And all the people of the world

Stand in awe, stand in awe

........................

In symphony with all created things

Sing a song that we were made to sing

Stand in awe, stand in awe

.........................

There will be no greater song

In the heights above or the earth below

Jesus, all for you

........................

Chris Tomlin

Endless Echoes of Kindness

At times I get frustrated with being a Nurse. I feel guilty admitting it, but it is simply the truth. People who are sick physically are many times ill in the spiritual and mental sense as well.  It can be a hard and grueling reality to care for people experiencing such severe trials in their lives.


I have come to see people in their most vulnerable state.  At times I can offer treatment and other times I can just offer a listening ear which is sometimes the best treatment they can have at the moment. A time where they can release their burdens, worries, and fears onto a third party. I as the RN step into their life for one moment but have learned that my impact will remain with them forever.


Today, I was running about town and found myself in downtown Nashville. I was approached by a woman that had been a past patient of mine.  When I had taken care of her she was involved in IV drug use and was given the diagnosis that she was HIV +.  I have learned to handle patients with diagnoses of life and death every day but she was dealing with this diagnosis for the first time. This is a disease that brings unimaginable fear and terror.


When she approached me today, she first asked, "Do you remember me?" Of course I did! How could I forget her? I embraced her and asked her how she was. She said to me, "Thank you for everything that you did." and as she said it, her eyes filled with tears. After a brief exchange I wished her well and we went our separate ways.


Today I was reminded of the great calling I have. I am honored to be a Registered Nurse.




"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." -Mother Teresa

The Meaning Behind The Name

It is who I am and will always be...I have come to terms with it.

Trying It Out

I have always wanted to try starting a blog. I frequently gave excuses such as, "I don't have the time to maintain it" or, "I need something creative for my first post." I have now given up on all of that silliness and decided to as Nike campaign ads say, "Just Do It". What better time to start chronicling the adventures of my life than right after my 25th Birthday! So here it goes! It is still a work in progress and it may be a giant bust, or it may be one of the better decisions I have ever made when looking back. Who knows what is next in Grace Ostan's life? To all who wish to follow along; enjoy the journey my friends.