Dear All,
I got to spend this past weekend with my family and it reminded me how important they all are. Last week presented with a personal ultimatum, I guess you could say. The decision was made to remove certain people - or - a certain person from my life. It was a difficult decision, and one I have struggled with for far too long. But when you put into a friendship all the things that one should, and they aren't reciprocated, I suppose you have to ask yourself why you're letting someone pull you down and keep you from enjoying life and growing as a person. A situation I would have written Grandma about, and I know exactly what kind of response I would have gotten. Grandma was the greatest supporter of me, and she was always the first to show me how proud she was, where I had gotten and where I was going. Long story short I spent the weekend in South Dakota, where for once I just took time to relax and appreciate all the people around me. No workouts, no stress, not even any makeup! It was a much needed "staycation" and it made me feel completely refreshed when I returned home to Omaha. There is nothing Omaha can throw at me that my family can't get me through. I have the greatest family in the whole entire world.



And then there is Omaha; the monotony I now know is the real world. Get up, go to the gym, to work and home...to bed and do it all over again. Mix in some eating, a little tv, maybe some laundry and it's usually just the same thing day after day. I love my career, but many days - especially in our current economical situation - don't usually like my job. I love my patients - for the most part - and that's usually what keeps a smile on my face. What I don't like is being micromanaged, being consistently held under a microscope to be told only what we're doing wrong. It's exhausting, and eventually, nobody even cares to try anymore. But things will get better, and tomorrow will be better - it will - my Grandma told me so. Until then, I'm just waiting until tomorrow.

My goal today is to get through this week. I work 10 hours shifts all week and have a list of things to do nearly every night. Should keep me busy and get me to the much anticipated weekend sooner. I'm looking foward to the camping trip I have planned with my family in Des Moines. It's definitely just what I need, In fact, I think it's what everybody needs. According to my brother, the Miller Lite drinking starts with breakfast, and I intend to keep up. I'm more excited for this weekend than I have been for anything in a long time and it has been entirely too long since I have seen Jason, Tonya and little Miss Hannah. Tonya and I have big plans to catch up on life, even though we spend hours on the phone doing exactly that. She's the best sister in law in the world though, I owe my life to her for some of the things she has gotten me through. My brother is good at a lot of things, very smart, too...but I think one of his greatest accomplishments was finding her, followed closely by that perfect little angel I get to call my goddaughter. Many people come and go in life, I'm lucky to have a brother that I know will always be my brother, always be my friend and always kick the ass of whoever tries to eff with his little sister.

It's entirely too hot here. 85 degrees at 5 am, and what feels like 227 percent humidity. I don't think I should be expected to do anything but throw on a swim suit and float around in a pool all day. But that won't pay the rent, so to work I go, saving limbs and lives, one doppler at a time.

Love,
Kristen