Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I made a very tasty dinner the other night. I have made it many a times before, and it never fails, so thought I'd share. I don't think I've ever tried my hand at making lasagna from the ground up, but these lasagna rolls are definitely easy and delicious.

If you'd like the recipe, click here.
Enjoy!

Dad + Daughter Trip

This is a l-o-n-g overdue post, but important, none-the-less!
Ok, so back in the Fall of 2012 Dave and I were watching a movie, and I was surfing the Internet looking at job opportunities for Nurse Practitioners. Omaha is a tough city in that it is saturated with Nurse Practitioners, so the need for us isn't that great, and when there is a need, well typically it seems like the employer would like us to have experience (which I don't have quite yet)!
Anyways, I stumbled upon a Nurse Practitioner Fellowship position at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and it just resonated with me. It was where I wanted to be, it sounded like a major growth opportunity, and I could be back working with my cancer patients! It also sounded very vigorous and competitive. I, of course, don't let many things hold me back though, and decided I was going to apply--even if I didn't get it, I could at least say I tried.
So, January 2013 rolls around and I had to send in lots of documents. Transcripts, resumes, and letters of recommendation. I think I even had to take a personality quiz. I get it all turned in, and I get an e-mail asking for possible times that would work with my schedule to setup a  phone interview. I, of course, take the first spot that fits with my schedule, and the first thing in the morning.  Now, I don't want to go into this interview blind, so I enlist my good, good friend, Kirstin, to help prep me for the interview. We spent days going over questions, and answers, and all the in between. The day arrives, and one of my professors told me to dress up like I was going to the interview, so I of course did. The phone rings, I answer it, and I don't remember how many people were in on the interview, but it was definitely a group interview. I felt like the phone interview had went well. So, I did what everyone else did: waited. Waited for one week before I got a call from Houston, Texas asking for me to come down for the face-to- face interview. I am so excited at this point, I can barely even talk on the phone. Somehow, I make it through the phone conversation and call everyone I know to tell them the good news!
The bad news at this point was that my hubby couldn't get off work to come with me. The good news was that when I asked my Dad if he wanted to come with me, there was no hesitation, and he was in (even if it meant we both had to pay $700.00 for the flights). What a good Dad :) So, we book the flight. We plan all the details out, and we are ever so excited! I don't even know if I have ever been on a sole Dad/Daughter trip, except maybe a softball tournament back in high  school? Either way, we were both stoked at this point, and had an absolute blast!
We get down there a few days early, so we could get acquainted with the city, and did some site-seeing. I also got to see my good friend, Melissa, her hubby, and her two adorable daughters for a backyard b-b-q! I met Melissa when we were in Nursing School together at Creighton and ended up working with her for three years at Bergan on the Oncology floor, we had a blast when we got to work nights together!  She was a great host, and her and I were both so excited at the thought of being reunited! 
Soon enough, it was time for the big interview. I barely slept the night before, I practiced my interview questions over and over again, and overall felt prepared and ready to puke (hey, I get anxious)! I had three different interviews, the first with an HR person, the second and third were panels. I left feeling great about my interview, I hadn't really stumbled on any questions, and overall felt like it was a great experience, and enjoyed meeting the people there.  I wanted the fellowship so badly. I also knew at the same time it was highly competitive, and there would only be three picked at the end of the process.
I wait and wait to hear. I actually get an e-mail telling me that while the panels enjoyed interviewing with me, I wasn't selected. Saying that I was devastated is an understatement. I moped around the house for a week, I was so sad. I kept replaying the interview questions, there was nothing I could think of doing differently. I was at a loss.
At this point, the only thing that made me feel better was applying for as many jobs as I could. Since I was hoping to get this Fellowship I had stopped applying elsewhere as I didn't want to burn bridges. I think I applied for 25 different jobs in about three days. I was determined. If MD Anderson didn't work out, I would find something that would. I even applied for a few different Nurse Practitioner jobs at MD Anderson because I didn't think anything could hurt at this point.
Are you ready for this next part? Exactly two weeks after I had received that e-mail saying I wasn't selected, I get a call from Houston, TX while I am driving. I don't want to answer it because if it is about a job at MD Anderson, I wouldn't be ready to start fielding interview questions, I let it go to voice mail. All of the sudden, one new voice mail. Well, of course, I have to listen to it immediately. I start listening..."Hi, Molly this is Jacquie with MD Anderson and you had interviewed for our APN Fellowship Position, if you are still interested we are offering it to you, give me a call!"
Shut the front door. I can't even breathe at this point. What is going on?!?! I call Dave at work and literally tell him, "I have no idea what's going on but MD Anderson just called me and offered me the Fellowship." Dave replies, "Wait, what?" It took him a minute to register. I said, "Well, what do I say?!?" Dave replies in his calm, collected, typical self way, "Well, isn't this what you have been wanting since October?" I reply, "Yes." He says, "Well, then I think you need to call them back and tell them "Yes!" I agree. I call my HR person back, trying to stay calm, trying to stay collected (yeah right), and she tells me how excited she is to have me on board and if I need anything to call her. I believe my favorite line from her was when she told me, "Girl, you are coming to the big H! Get ready!" She was so sweet.
And, that is the story of my journey to get to MD Anderson. If you want to know more about my fellowship you can click here. If you want to read more about MD Anderson, you can click  here. And, if you want to see the pictures from my awesome Dad/Daughter trip you can scroll below! Thanks for reading!

Jimmy is of course an "Emerald Club" member. So I got to pick out our rental car!

Jimmy and I getting ready to board our flight to Houston.

Lunch at The Black Walnut.

Jimmy and my early morning coffee run at the Bux :)

Before my interview. In the background is the Med Center, although it definitely does not do it justice.

Celebratory Margs after my interview!

I think this is Hermann Park? Jimmy?

A Water Wall that felt AMAZING on a hot day!

Sam Houston. Jimmy's favorite.

Grateful

Today's photo-a-day? Something I am grateful for. I was thinking about all of the things I am grateful for, and it just popped out to me to go snap a picture of our house. So grateful for a roof over my head, with running water, and a place to lay my head at night. Oh, and that light on down there in the basement? My study headquarters, so grateful for that room, where I can study distraction-free with a huge white board!

Fire pit!

Good Evening! We got to spend part of our night snuggled up to this warm fire. Something about a fire pit, it's just so magical!

Thanks for checking in!

Puppy and Nature

I am kind-of-maybe cheating on this picture since I didn't take it today. I took a few shots last night after an impromptu visit to Lake Zorinsky with my Hubby and Puppy.  Also, I'm not following any specific photo-a-day plan, rather adapting a few that I like. This one was inspired by finding a shot that was "Man and Nature." I figured my pup and nature was kind of like that! My initial thoughts were to get some good pictures of the sun going down over Lake Zorinsky, but my hopes were dashed when I realized it was a cloudy night. We still enjoyed a lovely little evening by the lake, taking the pup for a walk! 

What a sweetheart, huh? Hope everyone is enjoying Memorial Day Weekend! We have been pretty low-key around here, me, battling a cold/allergies, and Dave working hard on his end to program a game! Stay tuned tomorrow though, I think we are heading to the Rents for a little bar-b-q!

Photo-A-Day?

Wow. It has been a long while since I posted! There is so much to catch everyone up on, but for the next three weeks I am studying for boards! I wanted to do something creative and fun for when I take breaks when I'm studying. My sister-in-law suggested I do a photo-a-day. I loved the idea. So, Day 1, photo-a-day's name was "Morning." As I made my way downstairs to my Den to study, I brought with me a smoothie. I decided I wanted it to be my morning picture.

But, my friends, it wasn't just any smoothie--it was loaded with raspberries, blueberries, banana, and even spinach. A great way to wake my brain up for the day!
I got the recipe from here.
Just as a side note, I didn't use orange juice, I usually just use water in my smoothies, but it was still yum!
Thanks for checking in!

The Happenings

I think it's time to update this blog with the happenings of our lives since November...
So, here it goes...
The Rest of November: Happily celebrated Thanksgiving with Friends and Family. Derrick made the trek in and we hadn't seen him since he left for Residency, so that was a real treat to get to spend some time with him. Jacob made the trek, too. He loves one of our new favorite card games: Cards Against Humanity. Fair Warning: Don't play this game if you are easily offended. Just saying though I think we had at least 10+ people playing at Thanksgiving, and I should also mention some of those people we had just met that day and it was a blast. I digress. Anyways, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family in the afternoon and Dave's family that evening. Thank God I didn't have to worry about fitting into a wedding dress this Christmas :) But, overall it was a nice day, weather was great, and the company was great.  December: Ah, so many milestones in December. December 12th I took my last final at Creighton, and made out like a bandit. So, finished the semester. I baked well over 5 dozen cookies for a little side job for one of my Mom's clients for Christmas. I worked some Hospice shifts. Dave and I celebrated our 1 year Anniversary by booking a room at the hotel we stayed at and had our reception at, going to the Durham Museum, out for dinner downtown, eating our cake topper, and exchanging love letters. Then, there was Christmas. And, Santa was very kind, as usual. We had to Skype Derrick in on this Christmas though because he had to work, got to spend lots of time with Bubba Bear (Jacob), which was fun. Oh, and we traveled to Hills, Minnesota for a little family get together with my Dad's family. Then, it was off to go skiing for the end of December and beginning of January. We had a lovely time with the rentals and neighbor friends who came along. We rang in the New Year, gave Dave his first real skiing experience, Shopped, and drank Dirty Shirley's. Ah, and now back to reality. But first, Dave turned 30 on January 10th. We had his family's Christmas over that weekend, so we opted to celebrate this past weekend with friends, bar-b-q, and Scotcharoos. Clinical hours have begun for the semester. I am embarking on obtaining at least 300 hours, so I'm in clinic at least three days a week usually. Class starts this week, but we only meet 5 times, so take that for what it's worth (don't worry they are keeping us busy with discussion boards, conferences, presentations, etc.). And, I have started the job hunt, so I'll keep you posted. We are looking at all of our options, so maybe we will be moving to a city near you, or maybe we'll stay right here in Omaha. Either way, I'll try to do better at keeping you updated!