Something smells good!

Labor day weekend was marked with music, little sleep, and sunshine. Can't complain. Except about that cold that ensued over my past three days following. Again! Please no! Advil and Tylenol PM, cough drops and kleenex hit and linger on my pallet unwanted. So in between hot baths and naps I take to the kitchen to cook something filling. I find that I crave clean food more when I'm sick than not, beats me!  

Instead of the original chicken soup I cooked up a nice batch of Chicken eggplant stew, topped with a pesto drizzle. 
I found a similar meat-free veggie packed recipe in my favorite cookbook Plenty by London Ottolenghi and cut and clipped in my own preferences, rich in flavor and hearty in stock.

Quick and dirty recipe:
Simmer together water, chicken breast, wine, spices and herbs for about 30 minutes. Take out chicken breast. Add chopped eggplant, carrots, onions, really any other vegetable you want. Simmer again 25 minutes. Add chopped baby tomatoes, garbanzo beans, shredded chicken and simmer 10 minutes more. Top with a dollop of pesto (trader joes has a  delicious jar with strong salty notes) and drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread. Eat and be satisfied.

Must wear the proper cooking dress! Courtesy of Peanut and Anthropologie.

Broski

So fortunate to spend part of my weekend with my brother!
Sad to think it was only the second visit in a year from the guy, but hey!

Though he towers over me with a strong presence, I still must say he's my little brother.

Some favorite things about my little brother:
1. Always knows how to make me laugh
-Throw back photo

-Antiquing in SODO. Found some 1947 pinup calendar tear outs for the wall

2. Unique sense of interests, keeps the day spontaneous. We spent hours in this large auction house marveling at our treasure hunts.

-Show one: Snoop Dog aka Snoop Lion at Showbox. Then off for a day at Bumbershoot. Think that this will start a new tradition. 

3. Good taste in music. One thing we do share in common is a like of music. 

-Throwback from Hawaii trip 2013; gelato!

4. Shares my snack tooth. He knows how to appreciate a good meal, fine drink, and the prep work it takes to get there. We shared an amazing Italian dinner at Cuoco.

Work is still work, but so much more

Often times I think about what it means to be a caregiver. So rudimentary it is; giving my care to others. Yet when I am absent I have time to ponder how precious the work I call my career is. Being a nurse is a tremendous honor, at times a saddening passing of time, but most often it is a thrilling adventure that keeps my mind sharp, my hands busy, and my heart open. 

Happy Anniversary to Me! This past month marked my one year as a RN. What they said was true. So grateful to work for such an amazing hospital surrounded by amazing support, caring for many from different walks.

Waking up at 3, 4pm can be a downfall at times. But hey check out the daily sunrises I can watch!

Nothing makes reading about drug-eluting stents, and EKG waveform changes more enjoyable than one of Seattle's capital coffeeshops.

The alarm sounds, the lunch is packed, the badge is swiped..the day (um night) starts..work is work. But what inspires me daily to feel that what I place my mind, heart, and hands on each day is more than just a calling - lub dub, lub dub - knowing that caring for another brings you outside yourself, sets your heart in the "right here". Lesson on the job: Live in the now, and enjoy it. 

 Nursing is an art:  and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit?  It is one of the Fine Arts:  I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.  ~Florence Nightingale