Holy Moly. Did not realize I missed a month of blogging. I guess it was pretty crazy last month that I didn't get a chance to write anything.
First off, February was a bit nuts. The hardest part of it was losing a patient on my birthday and feeling pretty bummed out about it. It's never happened before after all these years and then boom, it just happened. What's interesting is the previous day my coworkers knew it was my birthday coming up, and jokingly told me I need to work hard on my birthday (since we get time and a half for working on our birthday). Who knew that's what really happened! The worst experience is to lose someone that you're taking care of, regardless if it's your birthday or not.
After going home and feeling pretty bummed out, I pretty much stayed in bed most of the next day. It was going to be a slow day. The only plan was to go out for dinner and that was that.
But who knew my friends had planned to do a surprise birthday party for me. Totally did not expect it. There were a few clues that I figured something was up....I swear I picked out a car in the parking lot that looked eerily familiar to a friend's, but wasn't too sure as I couldn't remember her plate. I only recognized the model and colour, but it was a bit dark so it was hard to tell.
I walked into the restaurant and was directed to a table. Well, a big room I guess. With a big table full of my good friends. I was totally shocked. Nevertheless, it was a great birthday surprise that those closest to me had taken the time and effort to put together. I really cherish each and every one of them.
Then of course it was Chinese New Year, the year of the dog. WOOT! Got some red pockets once again.
February was also the month of a shopping spree at Swarovski. I'm not sure how much I spent in there, but it was mostly birthday gifts for other people. Because of that, and I unknowingly spent it during a promotional time frame, I ended up getting a bunch of free gifts. Free sparkling wallets, free crystals, free pen, a 20% discount, and a sparkling umbrella. Yes, I went wild in that store. While ordering the gifts online, I had the option of shipping it to store or home. I chose the store option and it was pretty convenient.
That's when I also discovered the Swarovski Crystal Society, a paid membership where you get various store promotions and upcoming events, as well as a yearly sparkling gift, and one admission to the Swarovski Cristallwelten museum in Austria. I was in for the yearly sparkling gift. One little decoration can cost upwards of $80. So I figured why not?! Let's try this.
I did receive the gift in the mail. Let's just say Swarovski does an amazing job with shipping and delivery. You wouldn't even know it's by Swarovski but it's neatly and discreetly packed to the point that no one would think to take whatever was in that package.
Some great news: I finally got my specialized certificate in the mail! So it's official: I passed. I thought all this time they emailed the wrong person and was waiting for an "Oops, sorry we emailed the wrong candidate" email. But fortunately that didn't happen; the initial email was right. I was just being paranoid. It came with a specialized pin to wear to work and wherever. Unfortunately even when they tried to protect the certificate from the pin, the pin still went through the thick layer of cardboard, and made a couple of holes in my certificate. Oh well. Looking forward to framing it soon.
Didn't realize but there is just over a month away until the next conference, which I'm still prepping for. I was hoping to get this all done by the end of the month. So far, it's a work in progress. But I know the data collection is going to be a pain. Graphing the data isn't so bad if I knew how to use Excel. I'll have to figure it out soon. Fingers crossed.
Recently I got my eyebrows done. It was to help a friend as she's starting out in her hobby/business. And I never really liked my brows so I guess it was a chance to make it look better. Microblading is the new in for brows. For some reason I thought it was similar to a mini hair transplant. I had no clue it was about cutting the skin superficially and injecting dye just under the skin to create the semi permanent look (i.e basically a semi permanent tattoo). I really need to get with the times. It's currently healing but it makes my brows look super dark. Eventually it will fade, but this week has been torture as I'm trying to hide my face from everyone. So if you see me avoid eye contact with you, it's not because I don't want to see your face. It's because I don't want you to see my brows while they're healing :P
Next up? Some eyelash extensions to complete the look. As well as a follow up to fill in the brows. And then doing my nails before a trip (although I really hate the feeling of it, but it looks cool). Oh right. And buying a set of new tires. Forgot about my car for a moment. If you're wondering, Genny is doing fabulous. She just needs a new set of heels. WOOHOO!!!! Got to throw away the crap ones from Steelcase Tires.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY to all the ladies out there! I am probably 10 minutes late but oh well, still counts.
This brings me back to just over a year ago. One of the strongest women I know of is my mom, who had to go through that terrible side effect of cataract surgery, and then suffering a hematoma in the brain from a fall because of vision issues. A year later, she is doing much better. She's always had this independence in her, that it was weird when people did stuff for her. But she's been much better since that day and is now stronger than ever. She still cooks, cleans, takes the grandchildren out, does her chores. It was almost like the injury never happened. It's a huge miracle when it comes to her recovery; a huge blessing from above.
Take the time to thank your loved ones around you because things can change in an instant. Don't live with regret. Always treasure them while they're still here for you.
