Quick update

I'm back in South Carolina

moving back in is a pain

cleaning is no fun at all

I miss my MN roomies

goodbyes are so hard for me

school starts in 4 days

....

but I'm thankful for it all.

Thanks for everyone who made my summer a blast!

Going to bed--I'll write a "real" post soon! :)

No Easy Decision

As this summer comes to an end, I am suddenly realizing just how many important decisions I have to make in the next few months. Where do I want to apply for a job? In what state? Do I want to work first or go straight to graduate school? Which job will most prepare me for my future? Do I want to live close to home or take a leap and move far, far away? What will happen to my relationships with people if I do happen to move away? All of these questions have been running through my mind constantly...Tonight, I found some scripture that I think I will rely on for a quite a while, though. I thought I would share:

Proverbs 2:6-9

6For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Biscuits and Gravy

One of my roomies showed me this video and I just HAD to post it. Lady A is the best, but this song is ridiculous! Gotta love a little Southern "charm..."

"Biscuits and Gravy"

(spoof of Lee Brice's 'Love Like Crazy')

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

Hugs and kisses,

Hailey

So long sweet summer

So, I leave Rochester in 12 days and as the end approaches I realize it's a very bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I hate to leave here. I've fallen in love with my roomies, my co-workers, my patients, all of the random/fun things I've been doing, and all the learning I've done along the way. On the other, I'm more than ready to return to my home and all of the familiar people/things that come along with it...I can't believe it's been 10 weeks already! It's been real, it's been fun, it's been real fun!

This summer has been a summer of:

tubing down the Root River

dancing in the living room

Mall of America

bicycle-riding

hip-hop dance classes

drunken Pedal Pubbing

"that's what she said"

late night phone calls

tiny moments of home-sickness

Free Pie nights at Baker's Square

Helen Keller jokes (shhh)

nursing humor and geekiness

rooftop bars

BBQ eating

picture-taking

Apple Pie Shot-taking

12 hour shifts

wine-tasting

sun bathing

pedicures and nail art

random trips to ColdStone

Ben and Jerry's

downtown Minneapolis-clubbing

balloon-popping

Shark Week!

movie nights

sweet patients

long distance love-letters

'Mayo'nnaising

so much more!

Catching Up!

Let's catch up! I haven't written since Webb was here, so let's start there! I'm so glad he got to come-I'd missed him so much and it was really awesome to have such a big piece of my "home life" here with me! :)

Here is some of what we saw/did while he was here:

-Went to Thursdays on First, a local festival right here in downtown Rochester every Thursday. There's lots of cute vendors, yummy food, and decent entertainment every week "just because." It was fun showing him around where I have been living for the past couple of months...

-Went to Newt's for a yummy burger-his trip wouldn't have been complete without it! He approved :)

-Valleyfair (a themepark in Shakopee,MN), where we rode tons of rollercoasters and successfully exhausted ourselves the entire day! :)

-Went tubing down the Root River in Lanesboro, MN. We almost died a few times, but it was a blast. Something about floating down river while Webb held onto a rock for his dear life is just hilarious to me. haha!

-Took Webb to the church Jarah and I have been going to...awesomeness.

-Ate at Victoria's, Rochester's best Italian venue. Had the most amazing piece of Italy everrrr :)

-Saw Toy Story 3 in 3D...It was soooo good. We're kids at heart, what can we say? I still can't believe ANDY is going to COLLEGE, though. Geez, we're getting old!

We did lots of other random stuff, too, but I just wanted to hit the highlights. To be honest I think we could have done absolutely nothing and I would have been perfectly content.

Spending the week with him spoiled me quite a bit...Being away from the people you love makes you realize how blessed you really are.

I have found someone I can laugh with, cry with, be mad with, share with, care with, miss with, love with, and most of all HAVE FUN with--and for that, I am so very grateful :)

No more "sweet talk" for now, I promise! I'll write again soon....take care until then!

Weekend Ramblings

This weekend was pretty low-key, but very relaxing and much needed. Jarah and I started it off right by getting pedicures (which were also VERY much needed...) :)

We also grabbed Chinese for lunch and went shopping. Currently, I'm trying to decided what my "Summer Splurge" is going to be. I told myself before I came here that I was going to save A LOT of money, but allow myself to buy something that I would normally never, ever spend money on. So many options. haha. Here are my ideas so far...ahhh, it's hard to decide!:

Summer Fossil Watch (Stella)

http://www.fossil.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product____22009830?imagePath=ES1967

Coach Poppy Op Art Glam Tote (in brass/khaki/bronz) :)

http://www.coach.com/online/handbags/-handbags_features_newarrivals_1-10551-10051-5000000000000015027-en?t1Id=62&t2Id=5000000000000015027&tier=2&LOC=LN

Anyways...Highlight of the weekend was going to see the movie "Grown Ups"...It is absolutely hilarious. I literally laughed the entire time...Go watch it if you haven't already!

Church today was also pretty amazing! The sermon was about the power of the Bible and the pastor used the recent movie "The Book of Eli" to teach on the topic (which I plan on watching soon, btw). It was a really powerful message...Just what I needed to start my week off right! :)

Well, I'm off to bed for now. I'm working three 12's Mon/Tues/Wed and Webb is coming Wednesday so forgive me if I'm terrible at updating during the next week! Sorry this was such a random post...it's just how I roll sometimes! :)

Fun Stuff

Hey again! So , last night we celebrated Sarah's birthday. I just can't resist posting this picture of her in her cute little cowgirl hat from Whiskey Creek:

While Sarah was being a slow-poke getting ready (haha!), Chelsea, Jarah, and I had the most ridiculous photo shoot ever to pass some time. Don't judge: It gets boring here sometimes! :P

Today was awesome! I spent the first 4 hours on an acute psych unit...It was very interesting-very different from my unit, but interesting! Being there really made me realize how thankful I should be. Not only am I physically healthy, but I am emotionally healthy, too. I can't really say a lot, but let's just say that not everyone can say that. Not everyone lived a wonderful childhood surrounded by family and friends who love them...it's just really unfortunate. I pray that God helps these people work through the events of their past that still haunt them today. Today, I am so thankful for who I am, where I grew up, and the people who influenced my life in such positive ways.

All my love,

Tanning on a Tuesday

This morning I woke up feeling like a lazy bum after this food and fun-filled 4th of July! So...Sarah, Chelsea, and I decided to get up and go to the gym. On a whim, we decided to try a cycling class. Little did we know that this class was a RIDICULOUS one! I will probably be sore for a week, but I plan on going back Friday...it was a great class and thoroughly kicked my butt!!! (which I need!)

(Trying to avoid looking like this...lol!)

This is the gym that is provided for Mayo employees

(it's pretty sweet and {surprisingly} I have been using it a lot!)

After the gym I went to a local park and laid out at the beach.

It was relaxing, but it felt as HOT as home today!

Meanwhile, tomorrow should be a fun day. I have another day off and it is my roommate Sarah's birthday!

(Happy Early Birthday, Sarah!)

Also, I am SOOOO excited that Webb is coming to visit in a week and one day

(but who's counting?)

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

-1st Corinthians 13:7

Lazy Sunday Morning...

So, I was a slacker this morning and didn't get up for church (By the way, Jarah and I have found a really awesome church right here in Rochester and have been going. It's a little more non-traditional than what I'm used to, but we love it. There's a band and lots of young people-and everyone there is so welcoming that it just feels "right") :)

Anyways, I have been slacking in the spiritual department lately. It's been on my mind and it's something I need to work on. I woke up this morning read a devotion from a website I used to read every morning (and plan on doing again!)...devotionsforlife.org

This one really hit home for me, because I find myself trying to please others sometimes---no matter what the spiritual cost :/ ...I figured I'd share it!

Pleasing

We do not want to disappoint people, especially those whom we love. We try our best to please those at home, at work, at church and in our neighborhood. We will do all kinds of things to make others think well of us. Many times, we go far out of our way to help someone, even complete strangers.

But how often do we think about pleasing God? Is he on our mind? Are we thinking about him in everything we do? Probably not. Our first thought should be to make God happy – to please him, no matter what the world might think of us. We should realize by now that we cannot satisfy both God and man. You and I have to make a choice. Chances are we usually side with those around us rather than God because we know he will forgive us while people will not.

That is not the point. We should want to delight him so much that we do not care about the consequences of people rejecting us. Think about all of the saints who put him first, ahead of everything including their own lives.

Jesus came to earth not only to offer us salvation. He also came to serve as an example. As we go through this day, let us follow his way in pleasing the father despite the price. In the long run that is all that really matters.

Updates!

Random Pics from the Summer Thus Far:

(not necessarily in chronological order)

At Whistle Binkie's (or Dinkle Winkle or Winkie Distle...I just couldn't get the name right!!!)

The amazing ladies I'm living with this summer.

Bottom row left to right: Chelsea, ME, Sarah Latus

Top row left to right: Morgan, Jarah, Sarah Freiburger

Our first night out in Rochester. Out and about on the town-this is at Kathy's Rooftop Bar...

My Teddy and Webbster, the Build-A-Bear Webb made me before he left Minnesota (so sweet). One's a Brave and one is a Yankee, but I think they'll get along just fine ;)

Tubing in Welch, MN with the roomies. SOOOOOO FUN! Nothing is better than strolling down the river with awesome girls, lots of sunshine, and wonderful drinks! :)

Being silly in Forever 21 at The Mall of America...Had to practice some serious self-restraint there to avoid spending every last dime I have!

The roomies outside of the Mayo Clinic's Foundation House on the day we got to go on tours during orientation...

First Post EVER!!!

So, after hours of trying to set this thing up, I am finally posting my first post! I plan to update y'all on this summer up until now at some point, but for now I'll start with today! :)

Chelsea and I had a lunch date with Sarah, Matt, and Chelsea's parents at Newt's, a local burger joint here. This place is simply amazing. It's famous for it's Juicy Lucy, a cheese stuffed burger which could probably give you a heart attack just by looking at it...Nevertheless, it was wonderful!

After lunch, we decided to show her parents around Rochester. Here's the skyline in case you're curious where I'm living!

Chelsea and I downtown. Apparently, Rochester has the largest geese population in the nation during the winter, so goose statues like this one are EVERYWHERE downtown!

Next, we decided to take Chelsea's parents to a winery we visited recently. They were releasing a new wine, so the place was packed with people and there was a bluesy-jazz band playing. We enjoyed it just as much this time as we did the first! I could get used to this wine-tasting thing! :)

Well, that's all for now! Tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays, the 4th of July! Woooohooo! I'm kinda sad I can't be at home on the lake with all of my fellow Newberrians, but I'm excited about our roomie edition of cooking out and fireworks at Silver Lake...Update ya soon!