today I met Nienie.

Today was an amazing day. I woke up just like any other Monday and I will admit, I was not exactly thrilled to be going to the College of Nursing Professionalism Conference. However, today I got to meet an amazing woman. Her name is Stephanie Nielson... commonly known by her blog, the Nienie Dialogues.
During her keynote address, Stephanie told us her entire story, specifically focusing on the nurses she encountered throughout her recovery. It was a touching experience. For those of you who don't know who she is... she is a burn survivor who uses the blogging world to lift and inspire others to overcome challenges in their lives. (Check out the Nienie Dialogues)

Nursing Moment: Both Stephanie and her husband were in a plane crash and sustained serious burns with many months of recovery. Stephanie’s burns covered about 83% of her body. Due to the severity of her burns, she spent over five months in the Phoenix burn unit recovering enough to be able to go home.

In the time that Stephanie spent in the hospital, she became very close with the nurses who were caring for her, to the point that they were “closer than sisters”. According to Stephanie, the nurses who had the biggest impact in her life were the ones who were the most “real”; it was those nurses who were open, completely honest, and yet still showed compassion to both her and her family who motivated her to heal and recover. When the nurses treated her as someone who was going to get better, someone who would one day have a life outside the hospital, she was able to maintain hope.

After her presentation, I knew that my life had been changed. Its hard to try and give a synopsis, but the spirit in the room was so strong. The things she said about nurses, about being a patient, about being a burn victim will forever change the way I see and interact with patients. I had a newfound desire to really try and understand my patients, to love them fully, and to get to know them on a personal level so that I can provide the best care possible. Being a nurse is so much bigger than all of the physical things like IV’s, dressing changes, and medications. In my future career, I have the opportunity to change someone’s life, to help them recover and heal when experiencing illness or disease. I have that power and it’s up to me to decide what kind of nurse I want to be.

She's an amazing woman with an amazing story. It was one of those times where you turn around and look at your own life and everything is put into perspective. I am so blessed to be who I am, to be where I am, and to have the gospel in my own life. How did I get so lucky?

Birthday Festivities

Last week I turned 22. I don't know how 22 years of my life happened so fast. All I know is that when I was in high school, being 22 years old means graduating from college. At the time, it seemed so far away... yet now it's here!

I'm lucky to have such amazing family and friends to make my birthday such a good one! Apparently, everyone had similar thoughts about what I wanted. I got all sorts of fun, new kitchen toys (cooking is one of my most favorite leisure activities),

an awesome sewing basket complete with some sewing essentials (a newer interest),

and then a Target gift card. Oh the possibilities!

Then this weekend, Mark and Laci hosted us for a birthday curry night... it was so tasty. Seriously, the best curry I've ever had. It changed my life.

Then, of course, a birthday is not complete without a hearty serving of chocolate cake!

P.S. In case you were wondering, the BYU basketball team dominated SDSU this weekend. In San Diego. 80-67. Sweet victory was ours. Go cougs! We may or may not have ordered Papa John's, hung around, and just enjoyed the game. We're not quite sure why... but Laci felt some kind of need to study after the game. Apparently she forgot it was Saturday.

I love relaxing weekends.

and then there was snow...

This past weekend was the "Myer/Boud Family Annual President Day Weekend Ski Trip". Quite the name for quite the vacation. This year we stayed up at a cabin outside of Heber and spent Friday, Saturday, and Monday skiing at Park City. We couldn't have asked for a better break from reality, especially to spend time with our family.

I took a lot of pictures...I tend to do that. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend.

Awesome snow sports. I don't know what this is called, but we saw some people doing it and decided to pull over and watch them for a while. I'm putting it on my list of things to do at some point in my life.

We spent lots of time hanging out at the cabin. After a long day of skiing, there's nothing better than taking a hot shower, putting on PJ's, and hanging around with good friends. Also, laughing a lot. It's pretty much all we did all weekend. Lots and lots of laughing.

...and crocheting.

There was also some foosball playing,

some cuddling,

and some dancing about when MJ got a HUGE bug on her. She almost resorted to stripping in an attempt to rid herself of the disgusting creature.

There was fun to be had,

dogs to be played with,

naps to be taken,

smiles to be shared (as well as some fruit),

and some evening yoga sessions to finish up the day.

On Saturday we celebrated Luke's 12th birthday! He was a little embarased by the "I'm on a Horse" Old Spice shirt. It was kind of cute.

That night, I made Luke a rootbeer(his favorite beverage) birthday cake. That's right, there was actual ROOTBEER in the cake. It was actually quite tasty.

My mom and her dog.

Mia protecting Riley during her nap.

Card games galore.

I asked them all to smile... even Mia joined in.

Sunday was my birthday and we got to celebrate by playing in the snow!

...and eating Cafe Rio salads. One of my favorite dinners.

Later that night, we drove down to Provo to visit with Grandpa Peter and Grandma Renae. They are some of my favorite people.

I love amazing, family-filled weekends.