A Taste of England

In June, we celebrated our anniversary by going to England!  Ok, I should clarify, this was a last minute trip opportunity since Andrew had a last minute TDY to assist with an English Exercise with the military helping.  So, of course, I decided to travel along for 8 days of it! Not bad only having to pay for my airfare! We stayed mostly on Mildenhall AFB.  But, we had a half-day in Cambridge and a full day in London!  I had just a "taste" of London and I definitely want to go back!

 Just being dorks! We took the "Original Bus Tour".  I definitely recommend it.  We had just one day but we were able to see most every major site. 

 This city was crazy, but amazing, to drive through. 

 We just happened to be there during the "Pride in London" parade.  We didn't really get to see the parade but it did change the routes for the bus tours which made the day extra interesting with having to be patient with the traffic. 

                                              Driving under Tower Bridge!

 Tower of London

 They did a neat guard change while we were there.

 

Ignore my expression but this ended up being one of the coolest parts in the tower!  We got to see the crown jewels with virtually no line when we went!

 Picture of the London eye.  Didn't have enough time to do it (and to be honest the tickets were crazy money!) but we got to see most of London on the bus!

 The Natural History Museum!

Enough pictures yet?  Just kidding.  I have tons more pictures but didn't want to bombard the reading parts ;) Also I didn't have any pictures of our visit to Cambridge (which was also extremely fun) or Mildenhall and Lakenheath.  Any specific questions about them I can answer though.  The bases themselves were....interesting. hehe.  Mildenhall was by far the worst laid out base I had been to haha but we had fun a couple of nights visiting their Galaxy club and shooting some pool.  One of the days they also had some AMAZING fish and chips.  HUGE cod fish and fries, yum!

Overall, the tour bus was awesome.  It was a hop-on-hop off bus that allowed us to drive past all of the major London sites and get off when we needed to.  We didn't have loads of time, and the traffic made it difficult, so we did what we could.  We did get off and do the Tower of London.  A must!  It really was amazing to see that kind of history.  We also got off to explore Big Ben and see Westminster Abbey up close (didn't get to go inside sadly).  Then we got off and did some of the Natural History Museum (my pick obviously plus it was free!).  I had wanted to do the British museum but there was no way with the parade route blocking off part of the regular "museum route".  We got to see a lot and can't wait til we can go back and experience more!

It was a really fun trip.  Used the pound as currency (ouch!), got to experience both air bases there, and drove on the left side of the road.   I experience it so much, in fact, that when I picked up the car at the airport I went left around the exit roundabout.  Whoops!  Haha it was a flight back from London so maybe they just thought I was British and made a mistake lol. 

 It is just amazing all of the adventures we have already had while being stationed here!  An unforgettable 6 year anniversary!

Love always,

The Andersons

Valentine's Day on the Slopes

Amazing. Bucket List.  Snowy.  Germany Fun. 

I mean how else can I describe our Valentine's Day Adventure 2015?

This year for Valentine's Day I made Andrew be in charge of planning what we would do.  It was a 3 day weekend and I subtly (or not so subtly) gave him many suggestions of what I thought would be fun.  We had originally planned on doing something much different, but since that fell through the hubby came up with this.  He had some buddies from his shop who had planned on going snowboarding and he figured it would be the perfect time for somebody more experienced to teach us.  Not going to lie, I was super resistant at first to the idea. 

So we booked everything and ended up spending two nights and having a two day lift pass in Feldburg, Germany.  Instructions were minimal to say the least! We didn't have any lessons and it was a "ok, watch me do this" type of instruction and then us left to do our own thing. What better way can you learn snowboarding?!? Ha ha.  It did end up being good for us! Practice really does make perfect so just getting out there, falling 100+ times, and just learning through experience is the way to go.  We had tons of fun and traveled there in our car with us, three of Andrew's buddies, and the snowboards strapped to the top.  Fun times!!!

We stayed two nights at a "hotel".  Really it was definitely more of a bed and breakfast type place.  The place had about 7 rooms and we were greeted by a hostess.  She spoke very little English but she was super nice!  It was pretty funny when we had to call her on the phone (since we were getting in late as we drove about 5 hrs. after they got off work)and hoped she understood what we were saying!  But, I have to say...BEST BREAKFAST EVER!!! She had a whole spread for us ready by 0700 both mornings.  I wish we had gotten a picture because there were eggs, fruits, fresh bread, cheeses, smoked meats, orange juice, and even peppers! Super yummy. 

Outside of where we stayed.

Inside the hotel, house, place?

Our room...cute, right!

Then for the main dinner night there we pretty much drove around until I happened to spot a possible place down behind some trees in one of the villages we passed.  Luckily it had the lights on or we would have missed it! This place even had English menus which made things much easier to order:) Very delicious as well.  I had smoked trout with a cranberry spread and toast.  Definitely ended up being the best dish:) Did I mention a delicious apple strudel for dessert? YUM.

By the end of the trip, well really after the first day, we were super sore (just like we were warned).  Honestly it took quite a few days to get over feeling like we got hit by a train!  By the second day of snowboarding we had already gotten better and even tried some new slopes (the first day we mostly were on the blue slopes).  It was a fun group to go with I am glad we had someone to show us the "ropes" (luckily they had been there before).  What a memorable trip it was! We are already planning another snowboarding trip! Can't wait to see what new adventures we try in the future.  Snowboarding...check!

Love,

The Andersons

Where Has She Been?!? {Part 2}

Picking up where I left off...read about that here...I will continue all of my updating from the past months leading into where I am now! Prepare for another long one! After summer ended I started my FINAL, yes final, semester of school for my bachelors.  All these years later I am finally finished I cannot even tell you how good, and strange, it feels.  It has been a long time coming and now it was my chance.  Anyways, I am getting ahead of the story.  

August-October:
I concluded my final nursing classes to conclude my baccalaureate degree.  I was taking leadership & management, nursing trends and issues, NCLEX review, and nursing practicum.  It was a great semester because it just had a different feel.  The first 6 weeks of class there was a TON of paperwork.  If I have to write another annotated bibliography before a few years have gone by I may just die! Not to mention the 1000+ NCLEX practice questions we had to complete before a deadline. While it helped me prepare did I mention all of of this paperwork, questions, etc. were due the day before Andrew left for Germany?  Yep, I was a little panicky that week.  Luckily I worked hard and was able to finish basically everything well before the due date.  

Some of my classmates and I. Final Semester!

October-November:
Then, just like that, Andrew left on October 21st, 2014 for our new PCS in Germany.  I had already started my long term care practicum and knew things would be crazy anyways so in a way it was perfect timing as far as schooling. Now onto my senior nursing practicum.  After a flurry of weeks filled with class and paperwork we all finally got to the part we had been waiting for.  Practicum.  A time with no classes, although still lots of clinical paperwork, and working full time in the hospital.  I had gotten a taste of it during my two internships on med-surg and ICU, but this was much longer.  Starting the middle of October we had 40+hrs in a nursing home (under a charge nurse), then we had 192+hrs in an acute care section, and 24+hrs in a focus area in the hospital. We all got to put our first two choices for sections and most everyone got where they wanted to work.  Very exciting stuff for senior nursing students!  

For my 40+hrs at Trinity Nursing Homes I was mostly on the Alzheimer's Unit which ended up being a very interesting experience for me...and then on to the core practicum.  I chose, and got to work, in the Intensive Care Unit.  It was an amazing experience.  I learned so much because the ICU is a place where once you learn things you might not see anywhere else in the hospital makes it seem easier, this included working with ventilators, drip rates, post-CABG protocols, hemodynamic monitoring, and much more. My preceptor(who was great!), something like my own personal nursing supervisor who teaches me, was also frequently on the trauma team so I also got to respond to any traumas in the Emergency Room while I was on shift.  I even had my first code blue! It was exhausting, since I worked 12.5hr shifts (which I actually do prefer) and switched back and forth between days and nights. The most tiring was the week I had 5 night shifts in a row after working 2 day-shifts two days prior! In between this crazy schedule I also managed to squeeze in my 24+focus hours.  I decided to do them on Labor and Delivery (so I got two 12hr shifts on the unit).  It was...interesting. By the end I just knew it wasn't for me.  I loved the adrenaline rush of helping with delivering the babies and helping women through labor I just know critical care is where my heart lies:) All in all it was some crazy (awesome!) weeks.  However...this schedule ended up suiting me just fine:D

November to December:
Since I had so many shifts (all of which were 12.5hrs.) it meant I was one of the students who finished all of my hours pretty fast.  In fact, I had calculated it when I first got my schedule and realized I would be done the day before Thanksgiving! It got me thinking, I wonder if I could visit Andrew before I have to be back for my final classes, etc.  Turns out the timing, and price, was perfect!  For $700 I could fly to Germany and back for 9 days leaving the morning of Thanksgiving.  It was a crazy time finishing my final day shift in the ICU and then leaving the next morning for a very long travel days( I got in that Friday morning. But it was so worth it to see Andrew after only 6 weeks.   

So what did we do while I was there?  Do something on my bucket list of course!  We went to Disney during "Christmas time"! This included a road trip from Germany through Luxembourg into France!  All part of the fun:D

 The Disneyland Hotel in Paris

 Mainstreet

 Our amazing meal of cod fish and ratatouille

 Inside the new restraunt

 My favorite ride-Crush's Coaster! So sad it is only at this Disney Park

 The Phantom Manor

 Andrew said it was a "Dani Sized" door

 We had a blast! I mean we are pretty much "those people", you know.... the people with no kids yet and go to Disneyland.  What can I say? We are uber Disney nerds.  We had two day hopper passes (they even had military discount!) and didn't even have time to go down into Paris (that will be a whole other trip).  I wish we had gotten pictures of our hotel, but it was a perfect location on the outskirts of Paris.  Right outside our hotel was a little pizzeria and seriously it is some of the best pizza I have ever had (since Romania that is).  It was soooo good! Nothing you can get in the states that is for sure.  The park itself was closer to the size of Disneyland in California.  They had several different rides (like Crush's coaster and the curious labyrinth), some named different (like the Phantom Manor), and others that were better (like space mountain 2)! We also splurged by going to Remy's Bistro in a Ratatouille themed section of the park.  So good! Going during winter when it was Christmas time was just incredible.  The parades, light shows, decorations, the whole feeling made it feel like a very magical Christmas.  We had a blast!

Next up: Part 3...December to present time!

Love, 

The Andersons

Playing Catch Up

Where has the time gone?  I just realized I haven't updated for almost two months.  Sorry about that delay...last time I promised to post pictures of the new place (well you will have to wait till my next post to see those). Where to even start with my catch up?

  Well, one of the most fun things Andrew and I have done was go to Mall of America back in September.  It was a blast! I had been the year before but this was his first time.  I was already going to Minneapolis for a XC race so Andrew and I just made our own arrangements. Because Andrew is Air Force we got to stay at cheap lodging on an air station right next to the mall!   We left Thursday and stayed until Sunday.  I raced on Saturday but we were able to just bum around such a big city.  Minneapolis, Bloomington (where the mall is), and all the surrounding areas are just huge!  I never realized how diverse Minneapolis area is.  

We got to play for a couple hours at the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park in the mall (if you know my husband he was in his glory!).  Too bad he missed seeing the avatar there :)  We also got some good shopping in as well for my benefit.  Overall, it was a really fun 8 hr road trip, a great race, and a fun location to stay at. 

As far as updates as to why I haven't been posting? 

 Eat, Sleep, School, Run, Repeat

Pretty must that explains my life.  Never in my life have I been as busy as I am in nursing.  I love it!  But it is so time consuming, stressful, and just all around different.  I may have to dedicate a blog post sometime about being a nursing student.  For those of you going or have gone through the nursing program already-I salute you!  So much work, so many crazy days, but so worth it in the end:) But what is at end for me now is cross-country.  I have finally completed my four years of eligibility running in Division II competitively. I am so sad, and yet relieved to focus more on nursing.  Mostly just sad.  Although...I do still have track-that I might not be as sad when it is over:)

That's all I have time for, for now.  Hopefully you will see me posting within the next to mush haha.  Next stop- On to Iowa for Thanksgiving!
 

Love, 

The Andersons

P.S- Did I mention this counts as a bucket list for us? Even though I have been own my bucket list was to take Andrew!

A month in photos

A month.  You read correctly, one month since I have last posted!  Shame on me.  I always get on others about "updating their blog" ,but look at me.  I am always wanting more people to read my blog and see what is going on with our little family.  Looks like I really need to get back on the horse in this whole blogosphere.  

I do have an excuse though.  When we were in Moab (during our stay with my parents) our camera got wet during our river rafting trip-go figure.  That was awesome by the way.  Anyways, the touch screen got broken so we sent it back to get a new camera. Which we are still waiting for. I definitely want to show you all some of the pictures I took during my month stay with family in Utah.  So for now here are a couple highlights from this past month:

First off, the end of May I went alone to go visit my parents in Utah.  That sweet little girl you are seeing is my little sister( now as a big 6 year old)!  She grows every time I see her.  Sami is the only picture I have of my family but she is just a taste of how big my siblings have gotten.  I got to see my little sister Juli graduate high school.  Sent Paul off to the MTC to start his mission in Guatemala.  John towers over me in height.  Little Mark is not so little either as he has almost caught me in height at 12 years.  

As I also mentioned Andrew and I got to visit Moab.  We have never been but it was beautiful and we got to experience the best of it by river rafting.  We also stayed in a one room cabin (how sweet is that?) I will probably save this trip for its own separate post.  

Next up was a trip to Rexburg on our way home.  What a cutie, right?!?  Yes of course I was talking about my beautiful niece, but that guy is something else too hehe.  Seriously though we had the awesome chance to visit my brother and sister in law with their new baby, Chloe.  We got a couple days with them playing games, meeting Chloe, seeing the King Tut exhibit in Idaho Falls (I loved it of course), and even went on a tour of Destinations Inn.  

We do have some sad news in the bunch.  After much prayer and contemplation we have decided to put an application in to try to move down town.  Really there is no housing in downtown minot but the university does offer some teeny apartments for married students.  Its a deal that financially makes sense.  With Andrew's BAH he gets, it is worth some sacrifice to save money towards a future down payment on a house or adoption.  These are things we have considered in what is best for our family.  Sadly the only real downside is having to rehome our precious pups.  We did find a home for Maia already on base and I know she will be taken good care of!  No news yet when will get in housing, but even if it isn't till next year it would be worth it!

The next pic you see is of me at a petting zoo at the state fair!  The North Dakota State Fair happened these past two weeks and we loved it.  I had never been before and had been dying to go.  Who would of thought the prices would be comparable to Disneyland? Luckily we went last Tuesday during military appreciation day and rode all the rides we wanted for free from 1-3.  Since a ride is usually about 5-6 tickets per person and each ticket is $1 you can see that we enjoyed it even more.  We went to a petting zoo, saw pig racing, saw a HUGE pig, went on rides, got a giant pickle for me, and even went through model homes.  It was a blast.  

Looking back I guess the hubby and I are super lucky to have all these adventures together:) Until I update again, which I promise will be soon.

Love Always,

The Andersons