The Dumps

Depression.

That was the diagnosis handed down to me by the fellow in the Department of Family Medicine on a random Monday afternoon.

I've long thought that mental health was an illness, a disease. Something that you couldn't rub some dirt on or suck it up. You needed to be appropriately treated, just as you would the flu or some virus.

But the thing is....

I never thought it would happen to me.

It's been an odd time since I was given that diagnosis. I've been placed on some medication and I've spoken with a counselor. I think I'm doing better. I think.

In the meantime, I'll keep improving. I'll get better and slowly find my way back into the light. Back to my happiness.

But I won't be ashamed. 1 in 5 adults will experience some type of depression this year.

That's a big number. That means there are a lot of us dealing with this illness. And it is nothing to be ashamed of.

So today, I'm sharing my story. And I'm going to continue to get better. And eventually, I'll hopefully be feeling like myself again.

But in the meantime, I'm going to give myself a little TLC and do what it takes to be healthy again.

Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all who have served. I'm proud to be a family member of those who have served our country and allow us the freedoms and liberties we have today. 

God Bless America

xo,

j

October Book Review

So it turns out mixing a full-time job, a social life, a puppy, and sleep makes for little free time to sit around and read books!

That said, I've still managed to fit a couple into the month of October!

So I'm happy to share my three reads from this month!

I mentioned this book a few weeks ago and was finally able to finish it! I really liked it! It started to drag a bit toward the middle/end, but it wrapped up well! It was an ending I wasn't really expecting and was actually quite sad. But I liked the suspense of the book and how the numerous characters tied together. But a word of warning, it is about a plane crash so it definitely isn't a book to pick up if you're looking for a fun, light read. 

Who We Were Before follows a family in present and past tense. It tangles the history of a couple, and how things went wrong, with their current struggles. This book tugged at the heartstrings a bit, as you feel for this couple and what they are going through. I found myself rooting for them and hoping they could work it out. The epilogue of this one tied things together, but I still found myself wanting more of an explanation or closure from this one!

I think the theme of my October books was sad and dreary, because Evelyn, After didn't get much better. This story follows two couples, intertwined by an affair and the scandalous aftermath. I found myself quite sad reading this one, as I wanted so much more for each character. It really left me unsatisfied, so here's hoping November's books get better!

If you have any good picks I should read, let me know!

xo,

j

Decisions, decisions

So when I graduated from the University of Iowa MHA program in May, I immediately began my administrative fellowship with the University of Iowa Physician group here in Iowa City. It's hard to believe I've already been here for 6 months!

But recently, my boss has begun asking me what I'd like to do once my fellowship ends.

My answer: Who the hell knows?!

And it got me thinking about the bigger question in life: how do we ever know what we want to do? Sure I decided I wanted to do healthcare administration. But even then, there are a MILLION routes and choices I could take. I could be a physician recruiter, I could work with IT, I could be a finance guru, I could work on strategic planning, I could do so many different things.

So how do you choose? How do you choose a job, a city, a house, and more?!

For me, I'm starting to figure out what I like and more importantly, what I don't like. So I know that IT and finance aren't the routes for me. So I'll keep trying new things. And eventually, I'll figure out what it is I want to do and I'll begin applying for those jobs.

But through all of this, I've realized the most important thing I can do is to be happy. So I'll keep looking until I find something that I love. And I'll apply that to every aspect of my life, not just my career. I'll live in a place I love and surround myself with people I love.

And I will do my best to make sure that I am as happy as I can be every damn day:)

So even though my route there may be a little unconventional, I'll figure it out. And I'll be sure to love every moment of the process.

I hope you find your happiness too.

xo,

j

Life Lately

Some days, life hits you like a ton of bricks. And other days, it's all sunshine and roses. Well life lately has been a perfect mix of both:)

I've been doing dates with my cousin's little kiddos. For the older munchkin's date, we headed to get our nails done. This time, the little munchkin and I went to the Children's Museum in Iowa City. If you haven't been there yet, it's a must! We had so much fun!

She was all about the grocery shopping and showing me what she picked!

They have different 'stations' and she loved the hospital. I just couldn't stop laughing at her with the walker!

But I think her favorite place might have been the music room! So much fun to run around and make all the noise she wanted!

Later that week I got to go pick the kiddos up from daycare!

Before heading to the park, we sat on the ground and watched the train go by! We even worked on our numbers by counting the cars that went by! It was a pretty long train and we stopped after 30:)

In the midst of all that fun, I threw in a wine night with Hocus Pocus and some of my favorite co-workers!

You can clearly note that is my dog by her interest in the wine:) Like owner, like puppy... (the saying is still applicable...right?! Ha!)

Halloween weekend I headed up to Milwaukee to visit Lindsey! I met Lindsey in grad school and after we graduated, she headed to Milwaukee for her fellowship and I stayed in Iowa City for mine! So this was my first trip to visit her and we had a blast! We also think we won best costume:)

For Halloween night, I went out to trick or treat with the munchkins!

We went as a patient, an elephant, and a doctor! They are at a perfect age to experience the magic of Halloween and it is so fun to be a part of watching their joy!

I mean how cute are they?!

And speaking of cute....

A friend of mine just had a baby and I got to go steal some baby cuddles! He was so precious and I love getting to hold him and catch up with his Mama!

And finally,

Tuesday of last week I headed up to Dubuque for work! I was able to sneak away for lunch and took my sandwich over to Fenelon Place Elevator for an awesome view of Downtown Dubuque and the river. It was a perfect place for lunch:)

So that is the past couple weeks condensed into one big post!

Happy Monday everyone!

xo,

j

Life Lately.

WOW has it been a week (or two). 

Crazy how time flies, so here's a life lately for you.

I've started up with Hot Yoga again. In all my life (aside from my swimming days) this is my favorite workout!

So I decided to try Barre in a room where Hot Yoga just ended. 

That makes it warm. And Barre is hard. So when I went and laid down on the bathroom tile halfway through class, I thought I was just out of shape. 

Turns out that night, I got hit with a nasty stomach bug. That kept me out of commission all week. 

This would have been fun if I could have caught up on my TV shows and gotten things done, but life doesn't work that way and I was confined to my bed. 

So it was a very uneventful week for me last week! I recovered enough to head home from my Grandpa's 90th birthday party!

He's in the middle with most the grandkids and the great-grandkids!

On my way back to Iowa City, I brought a family member's dog back. Kenni rides in the kennel if it's just me, because she doesn't quite like car rides yet!

Think someone wanted her to come out and play....?!

Louis spent most of the car ride like that. Poor Kenni was stuck hiding under the flower blanket. 

On Monday night, I got to pick these cuties up from daycare. Since I didn't have car seats, we headed across the street to the park for some play time!

They were loving the swings and I was loving them:)

On Tuesday, Kenni headed to the groomer. This is her 'before' picture. She clearly was NOT wanting to pose for the camera. 

And here's her after. I love my little naked mole rat!

Check out the Halloween bandana (from the groomer) & the Pumpkin on her collar!

Thursday at work, I headed up to the Helipad. We're taking pictures around campus in our new shirts for a marketing program! 

Check out that view!

We had to get a group photo with the Iowa Helicopter!

So that's a little bit of life lately from this little nugget and I!

Happy Friday!

xo,

j

What's Up Wednesday

This week has been crazy, fun, busy, and I am so looking forward to the weekend!

Hope you all have had a great start to your week:)

This week, I'm eating a whole lot of.....

Weight Watcher's Meals! 

Anyone else out there slowly have the pounds creep up on you?! Well I've decided I'm going to do something about it! I make my own breakfasts and lunches, but sometimes, it's nice to come home and have something easy! So that's what I've been eating this week!

What I've been reminiscing about....

My Vail vacation! The weather here is finally cooling off, so it's definitely reminding me of the perfect weather we had this trip!

What I'm loving....

This weather! People just look at those next couple days! 65, 73, 72, and 68 degrees! I'm in heaven!

What I've been up to....

Get togethers with co-workers and friends. I've been so lucky to work with people that I can now call my friends, both in my current job and in previous jobs! How lucky am I to have people that make it so fun to go into work?! I got together with this group last Friday night and I have a dinner planned this week with another friend!

What I'm dreading...

First, I'm dreading winter. With fall comes the promise of snow and cold weather, much quicker than I'd like. But what I'm really dreading is heading home for the Holidays and knowing that this precious peanut is not going to be there. After 14 and a half WONDERFUL years, our sweet Mulligan passed away. She lived such a wonderful life, was spoiled rotten, and always was loved. It was tough to see her the last few months, as you could tell she was in pain and would soon be saying goodbye, but that still can't prepare you for the heartbreak you feel when you lose your pet. She was my first puppy and the reason I knew I wanted another dog (since she was the family dog, she didn't travel to Iowa City with me)

Goodbye sweet girl. Rest easy

What I'm working on...

New Bedding! I graduated from grad school in May. And I'm still using the bedding I purchased in undergrad. It was super cool at the time, but now I question what I was thinking! 

So, I've decided it's time to upgrade and get some adult bedding. So I've been working on researching bedding to get the look I want, that will last me a long time! I want something versatile and I'm loving the all-white look!

I'm leaning toward this white, ruched set from Pottery Barn! Now I just have to figure out how to dress it up, because we all know white needs an accent color or two! If you have any suggestions, let me know!

What I'm excited about...

Reuniting with this crew! So many friends are coming back for our programs annual Healthcare Symposium, the MHA Golf Outing, and Homecoming! After graduation, almost everyone moved away to head off to their respective jobs in new places, so the thought of having some return makes me very excited:)

What I'm watching...

If you missed my entertainment post, where I recap all my new favorites, check it out here!

I cover all my favorite TV shows that started back up last week!

What I'm listening to...

As I type this I'm listening to 

Mariah Carey and some Christmas music! It was 52 degrees out on my bike ride this morning and I've decided that's cold enough and I'm ready for the Holidays!

What I'm wearing...

Last Friday it was Scrubs!

Now this is an old picture, but on Friday, I biked to work shortly after the rain ended. I thought I'd be fine. Turns out the mud and puddles I biked through thought otherwise, and I had a GIANT mud stain coming up my backside. So I got to wear scrubs all day! They were pretty comfy and I was pretty happy:)

What I'm doing this weekend...

Cheering on these guys! It's homecoming weekend so I'm excited to see everyone back in town to cheer on our Hawkeyes!

What I'm looking forward to next month...

October means Halloween!! I love celebrating and decorating for Holidays! So much so, that I even got Kenni a Halloween collar and costume! She'll be rocking the collar starting Saturday, so I'll share pictures soon!

Finally, my favorite fall recipe...

Okay y'all. If you haven't tried Shay's (Mix & Match Mama) Taco Chili you are missing out! It's a new favorite. I've made it for myself, I've made it for friends, I'm going to be making it for family! It's an all-around awesome recipe that everyone from the kids to grandparents and everyone in between will love!

Well that's all! Happy Wednesday everyone!

xo,

j