another week flown by

These past 2 weeks have flown by.  Like a skyrocket. Seriously.  As of Monday morning following Katie's wedding, my unit was put on mandatory overtime because we have steadily had around 100 babies between my unit and the neonatal ICU upstairs.  So, as much as we hoped it wouldn't happen, sure enough, mandatory overtime was started.  Last week I put in 56 hours at work.  I was absolutely dead by Sunday morning when I got home.  All I did last week it seems was work and sleep. 

This week hasn't been quite so bad, since I've just worked my usual 3 nights.  It's been busy with other things though, like trying to find renters for my house so that Greg and I will only be responsible for 1 mortgage payment when we're married.  We keep having potential clients come see the house, and we've been really close to nailing something down and then things don't work out.  We're on our 3rd client so far, and she'll be by to see the house this morning when I get home.  Hopefully "3rd time's the charm" will work out for us this time.  Although, I will admit, it makes me a little sad thinking I may never live in "my" house again.  It's just too small for me, the husband, and 3 dogs, but it's such a perfect little starter home.  I've loved my last 2 years in it.  It's the perfect little cottage home.  And as much as Greg keeps calling his house "our" home, I don't think I will truly feel like we are in "our" home until we buy the next one together.  His house is a total "guy's house" right now, and I'm not sure how much hard work and love I can put into to make it feel like "ours."  But we'll see.

In other news, my baby sister goes off to college in a week.  I can't even grasp it right now.  I may have gotten a little emotional yesterday as I was wrapping her graduation gift and writing her card.  Auburn seems so far away.  That's the good thing about Alabama.  It's a quick 45 mins down the road.  And not that 2 hours is sooo faaaar, but I still hate thinking about how little I'm going to see her over the next few months.  She's growing up, and I hope she loves her college experience.  But I also hope she doesn't forget about us back home.

Speaking of home, I came to realize the other night how much of a homebody I am.  Not the kind that never wants to leave her house, and just decides to be a hermit all the time.  But in talking with a good friend this week and contemplating her goals in life and decisions for post grad school, I realized how much I love this city I call home.  I've lived in Birmingham since I was 5 years old, and although I probably won't always live in Birmingham, it will always be home to me.  My mother was born and raised here, and my Nana lived in the same house from the time my mother was 3 months old until the day she died, at home, in the comfort of the people who loved her.  Nearly all my childhood memories took place here, from kindergarten through the day I received my degree in nursing....it was all here in Birmingham.  You would think I would be so sick of this place, ready to move away, go somewhere new, and just start fresh.  But I'm happy here because the people I care about most are all here.  Sure, I would love to travel across America and visit other cities.  My family went on LOTS of family vacations all over the US.  I've been to New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, Tenessee, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arizona....just to name a few.  Those cities were all great in their unique ways, but I can't picture home being anywhere else.

Anyways, all that to say, some people want adventure. They want to try something new, start over and see where life takes them. I always assumed eventually I would move away, but I'm surprisingly content right where I am.  My family is here. And to me, that's all that matters.