A Taste of Home

As we posted before, there are definitely times where we get to missing home. So, it is always nice to see something that reminds us of Pittsburgh. One of the things we see most often is Heinz ketchup. So, a big thanks to Heinz for making the worlds best ketchup, it gives us something to remember Pittsburgh by.

Do Something Productive!!

            So being on this night schedule is a bit overrated. My body has completely gotten used to sleeping all day and staying up all night. It sucks. I’m tired, nauseous, and always confused about what day it is. Thank God for facebook (did I really just say that??) or I don’t know what I would do with myself on these long lonely nights. Someone needs to kick me in the butt and tell me to do something more productive!

            Recently, I’ve been getting more motivated to start up with drawing and painting again. I’m by no means a great artist, but it is one of my favorite escapes…just turn on some music, get in my zone, and focus. So tonight, after all of my other night shift facebook friends finally signed off between 2 and 3 am, I thought, OK, what now? So here I sit, at 0620 am, feeling quite proud of myself for doing some artwork instead of wasting more time facebook stalking! 
            Here’s a peek at my rough draft of Calvin that I worked on tonight (I can't figure out if it is cute or creepy...I'm thinking so far kinda creepy) along with some other drawings from the last few months! Sorry Ker, it’s the best I could do at 5am…

My rough draft of Calvin...the only way you can really tell it's him is by the tongue sticking out :)

More close up of  his face

My first drawing that I did for my painting class this past summer...this lead to many attempted and failed paintings :(

Clover!

Random owl.

Contemplating Life

Yesterday Mike and I were walking Clover around outside of our apartment complex.  As we were coming around the bend, I spotted a middle-aged woman up ahead walking from her car with her elderly mother on her left hand and a heavy shopping bag in the right. It’s weird how instincts kick in before something even happens, like the time a tennis ball came flying at the side of my face and I caught it left handed without glancing up, or the time Mike knocked over a wine glass to my left as I was mid conversation to my right and my hand magically and gracefully stopped the glass without hesitation. Maybe I just have super power reaction time. Anyway, the minute I saw the old woman’s foot step over the curb and onto the grass, I immediately threw Clover’s leash in the air and said “shit”, only seconds before I saw the old woman turn her ankle and fall to the ground. We sprinted over to them, although Clover had different ideas of why we were running to this interesting person who was having fun “rolling” in the grass… As I did a quick head to toe assessment to make sure she was stable before helping her get back up, my heart tore into two pieces for this old woman and her frazzled daughter. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but when it comes to old people I turn into a big curly-haired puddle, which is followed by a half hour of analysis over who these people are and what their story is and whether the old woman is OK. Should I knock on their door tomorrow? Bring them cookies and a bottle of prune juice? Maybe double check to be sure that this lady, who states she is post two brain surgeries and who gets back up, stubborn as ever, brushing me off and saying “I know how to land…the best place to land is here, on your butt,” did in fact only bruise her butt.

Long story short, I think this just reaffirmed why I am better at pediatric nursing and why I will just stick with picking up broken old women from the curb instead of wiping their butts and seeing their sad eyes every day. When it comes to pediatrics, it’s easier for me to think to myself when a child falls down, “Alright kid, buck up. Quit whining, you’ll be ok.” But an old man or woman with their cute sad eyes and embarrassed stubbornness just melts my heart.

            These days I have found myself contemplating life and the future too much. I don’t know why I always do this, but as soon as I begin one thing, I always want to know “what is next?” My sister Keri gave me good advice after my last blog post about missing Pittsburgh, and I know she’s right - I just need to live in the moment by enjoying and appreciating each day that comes instead of wishing it away by wondering what to do to get to the next step in my life. It’s silly to always wonder these things that are mostly out of your control because you miss so much of what is right in front of you.

            One of the big things I have been trying to figure out is where I want my nursing career to take me after our adventures with traveling are over. I’ve had multiple talks lately with different friends who are in the nursing profession and I am actually relieved to discover that I’m not the only one feeling a little lost! There are more nurses than I realized who are trying to figure out where their path should take them, and what they truly have a passion for when it comes to nursing. So many more of my friends are starting to feel burnt out with floor nursing and all of the “joys” that come with this life of a staff nurse. I know that despite all of the shit (literally) that we as nurses deal with on a daily basis, we do make a difference. More importantly, I’ve learned first-hand that there are patients and families who are placed in our lives for a reason. Those kids and parents will forever remain in my memory as individuals who helped to shape me and make me the nurse and the person that I am today.  Through watching these kids fight death, and at times not succeed, I have learned a whole new strength and determination and hope that has changed me. This reason alone is enough to continue to motivate me to do what I do and to be thankful for each of those kids who has made an impression on my life and who keep me reminding myself, “this is why I am a nurse”.

*Please excuse the frequent use of the word shit in this post. Thank you.*

What I imagined in my head if Clover had gone to help out :) Sorry, I'm better with pencil and paper...

Missing the 'Burgh

       The last few days of work for both of us have been a little rough, and I know for myself I occasionally wonder why in the world I am doing this. Today we had a mini discussion about future plans even though we are only a month into this. This past month has flown by and I know the next 4 will go even faster with the holidays coming and everyone being busy. Anyway, we have to start to think about things sooner or later, and although our plan is to travel for at least a year, who knows what will change or how! We started to talk about where we might like to go after March 19th, or if we decide that traveling isn't for us, then what happens next? There are many times that we find ourselves missing Pittsburgh and our friends and family, and I always find myself comparing little things here with the familiar things back in the burgh.
       After reading a comment from my friend Bethany and sharing with her the things we miss most about Pittsburgh, I started to tear up a bit as I recalled part of that long list. It is always nice to bring these things back into memory when times here get a little more challenging and we start to miss our friends and family back home. So for the heck of it, and as sort of a catharsis for Mike and I, we decided to reminisce, build this list together, and share it with all of you!!
    

 What we miss most about Pittsburgh:

Skyline at the Pirates game this summer before we left

Spending time with our friends. The Steeler's. Steeler's parties. Our 40 inch HDTV (especially for the Steeler's parties). Having friends on holidays like Halloween. Mike's old comic book store, Phantom of the Attic, and discounted comic books. Bellefield.  Riverview park. The strip. Our favorite restaurant, Girasole. Having sharp knives. Seeing Harry Potter every year on opening night with the Lubinskis. Gas cooking. The skyline. Fall leaves. The LIVING ministry. Being part of ALIVE (the ministries biggest yearly event). The Children's Home (this job gives me a new appreciation for my old job). Pumpkin patches. One lane streets. Giant Eagle. Qdoba. A backyard. Video games. My collection of  books. Dinners at Aunt Jane's. All of the new babies. Having a hair salon. Small groups. Quinn and Rose on the radio. Light up Night with friends. The old Honda Civic. The farmers markets. Mike preaching Wednesday mornings at Light of Life. Pot holes (oh wait, just kidding). Clover's favorite kennel. My painting class. Charles' awesome surprise parties. $5/free popcorn Monday's at South Side Works theater. Working with friends. Going to lunch with friends. Taking walks with friends. Having face to face conversations with friends. Pretty much all of our awesome Pittsburgh friends :)

Mike's 28th birthday surprise and his friends who made his cake :)

        Now clearly, we could continue that list forever, but those are some of the highlights. And, there could also be a list of what we DON'T miss about Pittsburgh, but those would be mundane things like rush hour bridge traffic, trash on the sidewalks, and owning a home that won't sell...but those things just depress everyone, and what we need now is to smile as we remember all of the good things about the place we love and miss...Pittsburgh!

Light up Night 2006 - Charity, Jess, me and Beth

ALIVE 2008 - Liz, me and Kelly!

Puedo Ir Al Bano?

           San Antonio is filled with so many different cultures! Obviously, one of the main languages here is Spanish, and I have already had several Spanish speaking families and patients that I have cared for at my new job. Since I haven’t really brushed up on my Spanish since my one mission trip years ago to Mexico, and prior to that my Spanish classes in high school, I think it’s about time I learn a little more than hola, me llamo Katy. Quieres agua? Que es la hora? Yo tengo mucho hambre! Chicle en la basura. And, Puedo ir al bano? I mean, when am I going to ask my patient’s Spanish speaking mother if I can go to the bathroom? And why would I be telling someone to throw their gum in the trash can? The only reason I remember that is from my 8^th grade Spanish teacher repeatedly yelling this at kids like Steven McDowell.

            So to start off on the right foot, I frantically researched events going on this weekend since I have 5 nights off, and after a couple hours of Googling Mike and I were off to embrace the diverse cultural heritage in our new city! Here’s a few pictures of each event to help you share our experiences with us. 

Friday night: Lebanese Festival

Me drinking some Lebanese coffee out of my dainty little cup

Yum! Baclowa!

Watching Lebanese folk dancing called Dabke

Capturing a little "Texan Lebanese" culture :)

 Saturday afternoon: Primaro Sabado en El Marcado

Mexican dance performers at El Mercado. Lovin' the Mariachi!

Inside the market - tons of fun stuff!

The shirt says it all :)

Mike's dream of becoming Nacho Libre is almost complete

We saw a bunch of Quinceineras on Saturday! So cute!

Saturday evening/night: Diwali Festival of Lights

When we got to the event, people were still preparing for the upcoming performances. Here, an Indaian woman is drawing a mandala in front of the "stage".

For the performances they had groups representing each state in India and showed how they dress and their dance styles. This woman was one of our favorites. She is representing Orissa.

Another group representing Maharashtra. They were amazing!

Floating my diya into the fountain.

A picture of the floating diyas.  I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate, but what they taught us is that Diwali (The Festival of Lights) is a holiday where they celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and lighting the diya's is a way to honor knowledge over ignorance, or to bring light where there is darkness. They say this is to bring hope and prosperity to all mankind.

Here you can see all of the lit diyas around the edge of the fountain.

Mike floating his diya

Sunday: Mission Trail

Mission Concepcion - built in 1740 and apparently the oldest stone church in the US. There are 5 missions total along the trail. The Alamo is one of them, and we decided to bike to two of the other 4 on Sunday.

Inside the sanctuary at Mission Concepcion. They still hold masses in this church.

Mission San Jose. My favorite so far! It was huge and had some awesome architecture.  For anyone who read Pillars of the Earth, you felt like you were there with Tom the builder :)

Cool little view through a few doorway arches at San Jose.

Watch out for the cactus roof!

Mike being nice and carrying my camelbak :)

The main doors leading into the sanctuary.

Getting ready to ride back to the beginning of the trail!

Our New Life

Mike and I at the Lebanese festival last night!

Our nephew Calvin!

            Where to begin. A lot has changed since the last time I posted…We drove through 7 states,  temporarily “lived” in 6 different locations, were blessed with our first nephew, enjoyed summer weather in Texas then fall in PA then summer in Texas then fall in VA then summer in Texas then fall in Texas all in 2 weeks, had a huge scare within my family, discovered the riverwalk, started new jobs, left all of our old friends, made a couple new friends, left a church we love and found a new church we love, saw the Alamo, bought our first book/comic book in 2 months, watched Dabke dancers and ate authentic Lebanese food, wiped out our finances, celebrated our first paycheck in over a month, got hooked on Twilight, learned to live life without cable and DVR, rediscovered how crazy being a nurse can be and how frustrating being a waiter can be, felt completely displaced, and finally, after all of this, began to feel a little more at home.

            So to sum it up, we’ve been through a lot. To go into detail about these things and more would leave you all putting saline drops in your dry tired eyes and wishing you hadn’t kept asking me to update our blog :) It has been an eventful couple months, with ups and downs (more than we had anticipated and a couple that we could definitely have done without), but it is all part of the experience and the adventure, and in the end these things have already made us stronger. My new friend and fellow traveler Lauren already has one previous assignment under her belt, and her advice is always helpful when I start flipping out. There are days that she reminds me, “this isn’t forever”, when one of us is having a crazy night at work. She also said that although it might not feel like it now, there will be a day when these 5 months are over and regardless of what happens next, you look back on the experience and you realize how you have grown as a nurse and a person. She said that though she did not see this at the time, she realizes now that she’s become more confident with all that she has done and learned, and overall has become a stronger person.

Enjoying the pool while we can

Me and Lauren, my fellow traveler!

It is good to know that someone else felt the way that I am feeling now. I know that in a few short months I will probably look back on this and be so grateful for all of the good and the bad, not only with my job but with life. Though I am frustrated beyond end regarding the difficult bumps in our road, I also feel blessed (when I really take the time to analyze things) by all that we have been through and how we have had to rely on God during the good times and the crappy times. I also saw how family comes together in those crappy times, and in the long run, no matter where we are, how much money we have, what exciting adventures we undertake, the most important thing is that family loves each other and supports each other in every way possible. I know that we couldn’t have made it home to be with my parents if it weren’t for Keri and Angus, and I know (although I am a pain in the butt nurse-daughter) that my parents were grateful for our support while we were there and for my sister’s support and guidance from far away. I know this sounds cheesy, but it all kind of ended up as a big “circle of love” and it brought us all that much closer.

Me and Mike going to an auction...just kidding:)

Now that I said this would be short and it ended up being a rambling novel, I will close this blog entry by thanking you all for your thoughts and prayers, and by inviting you all to come visit, any day or any time – as long as you let us know ahead of time so we can buy an air mattress. If you can’t visit, care packages are always welcome or at least a card or letter or even just a picture! I guess I didn’t mention how our mailbox is always empty, and that we currently have only 3 pictures and 1 card to remind us of home and those we love :)  We miss you all more than you can imagine, but we wanted to let you know we are doing well, we’re enjoying Texas, and we will try to be better about keeping you posted as we learn more about this new city!

Our address for those who are interested:

5600 Babcock Rd.

Unit # 8307

San Antonio, TX 78240

Change of Plans

Things have changed a little lately. We re-evaluated our travel plans, the long distance, and the limited amount of time we would actually be there, and we will not be stopping in Boulder, CO. This really stinks because we were really looking forward to meeting our brand new nephew, Calvin.

We are sad we are not there for the first few weeks of the little guy's life, but we plan to head out Boulder around Thanksgiving to meet him. Which is probably just as well since by then he might do more than just eat sleep and poop.
So after an extended stay in Waynesville, MO, we are heading directly to San Antonio. A big thanks goes out to my brother and his wife, Steven and April, who put up with us for an extra few days as we got things figured out. Tonight we are hiding out in our room in a shady motel outside of Oklahoma City, trying to ignore the questionable stains. We got here this afternoon and got to stop in the city to see the National Memorial for the '95 bombing site - which is a really nice memorial - and to have dinner in the city.
We have had a good trip, seeing family and friends, but we are glad to be on the way to our new home. We are both tired of living out of suitcases. We are looking forward to seeing our apartment. We are just ready to "settle down" and start the next step.

Going Home

Packing up our little car to start our journey!

After a whirlwind of a week that was spent finishing work, wrapping up things with the house, and thankfully getting to spend time with our friends and family, we reluctantly said our goodbyes (with a couple tearful breakdowns in between), got in the car this morning, and left Pittsburgh. It was very difficult to leave the people we love, and a strange feeling for both of us to leave a city that has been our home for the last 8-10 years. But on the reverse side of this, it is very exciting to finally begin this new chapter of our lives together that we have talked and dreamed about throughout those 8-10 years in the ‘Burgh.
           Last weekend we still did not have a tenant to rent our house. We spent all weekend furiously cleaning and putting last minute items into boxes. On Sunday, with the help from our friends Beth and John Vassallo, we packed up almost all that we own into a U-haul, minus the carload that will be coming with us, finished loading it into storage, and shut the door to all of our possessions one last time. Beth and John were then gracious enough to welcome us into their home for this past week of transition from employed home owners to unemployed nomads, or as Mike likes to call himself, “retired”.
           Sunday night after moving things out, Mike and I went back to our house to try to pack our remaining essential items (which obviously included Paddy bear and some comic books) into suitcases, hoping to fit everything in the car with enough room for Clover in the backseat. After weeding through the first load and repacking until 2:30 am, we pulled out our old twin mattresses from the attic, a set of sheets from one of our bags, and a fleece picnic blanket, and camped out that night in our empty room. The next morning we got up and fit all of our bags in the car on the first try.

           Talk about feeling displaced – We went from living in our own home to camping out in it to being forced out to allow strangers to move in – it has been such an eye-opening experience. Our agent met with Mike and the tenant on Tuesday and the lease was signed for one year! We are now officially landlords…and homeless!

At Beth and John's house enjoying Friday night fondue!

           I always tease Mike saying that he has gone from homeless minister to homeless almost overnight, but in a sense, this is reality. While we can in no way compare ourselves to the homeless and needy people that Mike and the LIVING Ministry care for, it is still a surreal feeling to not have a home. This week while I finished work and Mike wrapped up projects at our house, arriving at Beth and John’s house at all hours of the night, we found that this reality of being without our home became even greater. At the same time, it was also interesting how easily we found ourselves saying “Let’s go home” as we were leaving one place to go back to Beth and John’s. Why is it so easy for us to say this? Where is home? Like the saying ‘home is where the heart is’, we joked that ‘home is where Clover is’. But I know it’s more than this. When we go to visit Mike’s parents we say “home”, and as we traveled to Lancaster today to see my family and friends I still caught myself calling it “home”. I guess home truly is where the heart is. Even if we still own our house, it is an overwhelming thought that although we don’t live there anymore, we have multiple homes and plenty of people that love us who make that place home.

Saying goodbye to baby Julia

           I pray that at each of our stops, starting with San Antonio, we can make a home there for ourselves and that the absence of our friends and family won’t change that. While we remain close with the people that we love who are back “home”, I pray that we can make new friends and family everywhere we go, that we can be strong for each other and grow closer together in our times of loneliness, and that because of these things that we can, in turn, find it easy to say at the end of a day or long weekend out of town, “Let’s go home”.

Our test run with Clover to the kennel...I think we need to repack...

A New Adventure Begins

 One day in nursing school on my way home from class, I was walking along Bayard Ave. on a beautiful, sunny spring day. I don’t remember that much else about the class or what was going on in my life at the time, but I got an overwhelming sense of joy and a realization that I could do anything. I said out loud to myself, “The world is my canvas!” When I shared this story with Mike later that night, we were both laughing as we imagined walking past someone and suddenly seeing them smile and burst this out loud, but the phrase stuck ever since and we have found ourselves using it often over the years. As we have been getting ready, packing up our house and trying to tie loose ends here and there, we have seen God working in this process in amazing ways. There have been countless times that I loose faith, freak out and think ‘what the heck are we doing!?’ but as soon as times get stressful and a situation is completely out of my control, something is resolved and ends up even better than we could have imagined. It is then that I am reminded that we will be taken care of if we give our complete trust in God’s plan. He makes me feel so silly for even worrying in the first place.

            Ever since we began to make plans to travel, Mike and I have talked about starting a blog to keep our family and friends up to date with what is going on in our lives as we begin this new adventure. I wanted to start writing before we had any plans confirmed, but then I thought - Well, who really cares about all of this? Nothing interesting is happening yet.  It was a recent discussion with my friend Beth, an avid blog reader always ready to give advice or a recommendation from a favorite blog, which helped to encourage me to start writing.  I asked her what makes a blog worth reading and what captures the readers’ attention?  I’m by no means an amazing writer, and I’m afraid that what I write about won’t be funny enough or informative enough or even the least bit interesting.

 “But your life already is interesting…you’ve got all of these things you’re trying to figure out and you are going to be picking up and leaving and traveling around the country in two weeks!” Beth always has a way of making me feel like, a) I’m the most hilarious person she’s ever met, b) what I say really matters, and c) that my life is way more interesting then I find it to be. She’s one of the most encouraging and insightful people that I know. I guess those are all things that make her such an amazing friend!

            So after this reassurance from Beth to just write about us and people will simply want to know what we are up to, I realized that she’s right! This stuff is pretty interesting and Mike and I are both so excited to share with our friends more than just the basics of when, where, how long, and why? We hope that this blog can be a way for us to document our journey as we create new memories in different places, and that it can help to keep all of you posted on what is going on in the life of the Gallos! 

            So to answer those basics:

When: We will likely be leaving Pittsburgh on September 20^th and I will start my job on October 18^th.

Where: We will spend the weekend of the 17^th in Pittsburgh visiting with Mike’s parents and his family that live here in the burgh’. After this, we are planning to take a little road trip across the country to see my parents and our friends in Lancaster, head out to St. Louis to see Mike’s brother Steven and our sister-in-law April, then on to Colorado to see my sister Keri, our brother-in-law Angus, and to meet our soon to be born little nephew!! We are so excited for this time to see family and friends before moving on to SAN ANTONIO!!!

How long: My contract will be 5 months, so we will be done March 19^th. Then it’s on to our next mystery city!

Why: Because the world is our canvas!!