Spring has sprung at the Richards' house

Girls' Trip

We went to the women's retreat that was put on by BBC this past weekend. We had a great girls' weekend just me, my mom and mom-in law. It was so nice to spend some good quality time with them. We even had some time to do some power shopping before we came home. Thanks for going with me, Mama Deb! That would have been a very lonely ride without you! We decided we might need to make it a tradition. I actually just unpacked my suitcase a few minutes ago (two days later) :)

Finally!

Finally-- Got some nice frames for my diploma and class picture!
Finally--Got those items in the frames!
Finally--Got my sweet hubby to hang them for me!
Finally--Got one little area of the office that is all mine!

Second day

We decided at the last minute to run to Tuscaloosa and ride at Sokol Park today. We knew they had several trails that should be great. We pulled up and were getting out all the gear when another rider asked us if we had ever ridden here before. I guess we did not look experienced. haha oh well! He told us he had just taken a path that would be good for us and had just finished re-marking it for an upcoming event. He even gave us his personal map which was a little different from the one we had printed at home. So we loaded up and headed out. Here are our before pics:




We headed out on a simple dirt path thinking that this would be so much fun and we could totally handle it. Ha! WRONG!!! This path was INSANE!!!!I don't know how people ride that thing. At times it was extremely windy and narrow!

This was when we had just started out:

This was the scariest part of the trail. Can you see the fear on my face :) needless to say, I walked my bike through this part (well, I walked my bike through ALOT of the trail)

Come on guys! We can do this:


After we finally found the truck again (thank goodness we were following the marked trail or we would probably still be in those woods!), we decided we were starving so we headed to Newks and got some lunch/supper and took it and had a picnic on Bama's campus.


We then got back on the bikes (even though our backsides were protesting loudly)and road around the campus. It was so nice and much more on our skill levels. Here are some pictures of us in front of the stadium. So nice to actually get to see the campus without the crowds we usually fight on game days.




We finally made it back home. It was sooo nice to shower and get that outdoor, sweaty, dirty smell off. Haha! I think we will def be feeling this tomorrow! Probably going to need a hot bubble bath.

First Ride

So we went on our first ride on Friday afternoon. Jim had to work but Tara was able to go with me and Stephen. We started at the Blakes house and road downtown to the riverwalk and rode about 5 miles. I literally thought I would die after the first mile but by the time we got to the river my legs started getting better. It is such a beautiful place to ride and great trails. We went back to the Blakes and took a break until Jim got home then we set out and did the same path again. We were so proud of ourselves that we actually made it 10 miles on our first day! Our legs and butts were KILLING us!!!

The riverwalk:


Before the ride:

Sad Face

This is what I found when I came into the house after work today. So sad! The bikes are just sitting there begging to be riden:

This is the forecast for the next few days. Come on weather!!! It was perfect last week. Now we just have to wait for some decent weather so we can get out there and ride!! Please!! We need warm, sunny and not so windy weather!!!!

Our New Hobby

So we have been talking about buying bikes for several months now. My wonderful/fabulous parents (Hey mom and dad!!!) have been into cycling for awhile now. Love to meet them for a weekend but hate to see them hop on their bikes and take off and leave us behind. We both have been trying to be more active and our knees will only allow so much. Yes, I know we are only 26 but we each have knees that are older than that. So we had been talking to the rents about bikes and what we would like to get when we had the extra funds to put into this. I had explained to Stephen that if I did this, we were going to do it right. I did not want to get a cheap bike that would not be comfortable to ride and end up sitting there and us never using it. Our friends/partners in crime, the Blakes also decided to get bikes. So after a little research and help from our all knowing resource, Dad, we headed out today after church to do some shopping. We took the truck, you know, just in case. We found exactly what we have been wanting and they were both on SALE! Cha-ching! Load them up! So after looking at everything in the store and riding around the bike section this is what we decided on. We then tried on all the helmets. Of course Tara and I were trying to match them to the bikes and to the potential outfits we would be wearing while riding. We then headed over to the rest of the accessories and got a few more essentials like the wonderful padded bike shorts. Yes! We did get some. But don't worry, I will be wearing regular shorts over them. Sorry, I just cant wear them by themselves. After dropping a chunk of change we all loaded up and came home. We were hoping to head to the river tomorrow after work to ride some but I think it may be too cold. What happened to our nice warm/sunny weather? Hope it comes back soon because our bikes are sitting here begging to be ridden. You will have to check back later this week. Ill try to get a few pictures if we get to ride at the river at sunset. We have talked about packing a picnic and going there for supper if the weather ever decides to cooperate.

Dinner Mess Up

So tonight I made tater tot casserole which has been made famous by my favorite tv family, the Duggars. I decided to only make half of the recipe since its close to the weekend I didn't want to have leftovers that would go to waste. Well, I came home from work and had a quick workout. Then I hurried into the kitchen and started getting it all together. I threw it in the oven and started cleaning the kitchen. As I was washing the last pot and wiping down the counter, I decided to check on the casserole. I opened the oven to find a disaster. It was completely burnt on top and cold inside. I immediately realized I had the oven on BROIL and not BAKE!!!! Oh no! It was not edible. I don't think that Mama Duggar would have been very proud of the little hissy fit I threw in the kitchen . I dumped it all into the garbage and got all my clean bowls and pans out and re-made the whole thing. Good thing I had only made half of the recipe before. I had just enough to re-make it. Well, we finally got to sit down and eat and it was really good. Stephen loved it and there is just enough for one more serving let. I was just glad to get something on the plate at the end of a very long two weeks. Im still on call for one more night but Im off of work tomorrow and plan on having a relaxing day. Im going to get my hair cut and then have a girls night planned. Ready for the weekend!

To see the recipe for tater tot casserole click here.

Bama Steak and Cheese

(This picture is from Mommy's Kitchen blog)

I was totally lost as to what to make this week so I got on one of my favorite food blogs, Mommy's Kitchen. I made the Bama Steak and Cheese sandwiches. They were so good and so easy to make. Literally took about 15 minutes from start to finish and loved only having one pot to clean. Stephen liked them too, of course he loves anything with bell peppers. There are enough leftovers for us to have a couple more sandwiches later this week. If you want to see the recipe, click here or click on the Mommy's Kitchen button on the side of the blog. She has a great site to look around for some ideas. I'm making her tater tot casserole tomorrow night. Ill let you know how it goes.

Happy Monday!

Found these on my desk yesterday afternoon. The note said, "Happy Monday! Love Mom and Dad!" Got to love surprises. Now just a few more days of being oncall then I'm FREE!!!! Ready for the weekend and some time off. Already have a girls only shopping trip planned for Friday night. Can't wait.

Sunday

I am still on call and had to work today. This is the first time I have been oncall that I actually missed church. Much better than when I worked every other weekend at the hospital and missed all the time. I worked all day and got off a little while ago. After I got off, we headed to the park and walked. It is so nice today! Love this weather. Trying to convince Stephen we need to purchase some tennis rackets and use the tennis courts down there but he is not on board yet. I was just glad I got him to go walking with me today. Just called in a pizza at Pizza Hut. Letting them take care of supper tonight. Instead of watching the Oscars tonight like the rest of the world, I think we will be having a Rock Band night. Time to show Stephen my skills on the xbox. I don't play too often because I hate to embarrass him cause Im just that good. Ha ha yeah right. Not looking forward to work tomorrow. The week seems so much longer when I have worked all weekend. Oh well, maybe Ill get to be off on Friday :)

Peanut Butter Brownies....and yes they are as good as they sound

Yummy Yummy gooey brownies

Whats better than peanut butter and brownies...ummm NOTHING! I found this recipe today. (By the way this picture is from the site where I found it. We started gobbling them up before I could get a picture of mine). I found this on my new favorite site Tasty Kitchen. Click here to see the exact recipe.

What you will need:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup self rising four

peanut butter chips
chocolate chips

Cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugar and brown sugar. Mix to combine. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix completely. Stir in flour. I added in a couple hand fulls of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips and folded them into the batter. Place in greased 9x9 pan or 8x8 pan for thicker brownies. (I used my "as seen on tv" brownie pan and it was the perfect amount). Sprinkle a few more chips on top of batter.

Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until edges or brown. Allow to cool if you can wait that long. We decided next time to try them vanilla ice cream! I sent most of the leftovers home with my brother in-law cause I knew that I would eat them all by the end of the day.

Get excited...

We are getting insulation in the attic!! Yea!!! Stephen is putting it in right now with the help of a couple guys. So excited to have a warmer house. I was supposed to be working all morning but my "homebound" patients are all busy and not home so Im going to have to work this afternoon and probably tomorrow after church. Oh well, got to pay those bills. Got to love being an adult :( . Im sitting here in my scrubs in case the oncall phone goes off. Cant believe we got up at 6 this morning and now Im just sitting here. By the way, there is nothing on tv on Saturday mornings. Watching Father of the Bride now and "blog stalking" as Stephen calls it. Also looking at recipe ideas for Easter. Think we are going to have Easter lunch at our house this year. No ideas what to make. Any ideas?

Super nurse?!?!

This is so NOT how I feel! For several weeks now I have been trying to advocate for one of my patients. He has no one else to stand up for him and is too weak to advocate for himself at this point. I have made call after call and sent faxes, notes, messages, etc. And nothing! Today was no different. I knew he needed more aggressive care and tried to communitcate that again. Yet again, I was told to leave a message and someone would get back to me later. Well, several hours later I call again and again and finally get an answer. They act surprised by his condition. Where have you been!!!!????? I was so angry. I have been stressing about this situation for weeks now and worrying all weekend when I know he is without help. I need to catch a second wind. Hopefully today did some good and the doctor will see there is a problem and try to do something about it. I just want my patient to get the care he deserves. I don't know why Im posting this but just need some outlet for my frustration and taking out on the MD's receptionist does not seem productive. Pray for patience as I continue to deal with this situation. Pray for maturity as I try to advocate for him and listen to my nurse's intuition. Ready for work to calm down so I can come home not be completely drained. I feel like I can't be the wife I need to be when I come home a zombie. Even though I had hit the treadmill this morning, I decided to workout again after work before Stephen got home from school to get out some frustration. Didn't want Stephen to be my next target. Trying to be more aware of that and not unload on him when I walk in the door. Notice I said trying. No where near perfect in this. Okay, time to do another load of laundry and head to bed and get up and start all over again.