Philly

Sometimes I forget how nice it is to get out of the city. Even for a day, even for a few hours. And since I have never really traveled on the east coast, there is so much I need to see while I call myself an "east-coaster." Man, that still sounds weird. So...in attempts to make my way through the major east coast cities, meet Philly.

Brennan and I made a day trip with some friends to take in an art show. We had a great time and packed in all of Philly's sights.

 The Liberty Bell. I am definitely lacking in history knowledge, but I think this is a pretty big deal. 

 Us in front of Liberty Bell.

 Independence Hall.

 City Hall.

 Cue Rocky theme song. The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Although we didn't have time to actually go into the museum, we did run up the stairs. Brennan refused to put his arms up like Rocky for a photo opp. He's too cool for school.

 Channeling my inner Rocky. 

 George Washington monument.

 Brennan by the Native Americans.

Me and my buffalo.

It was a short trip, but we had a great time. I didn't actually get photos from the art show, but it was wonderful and full of inspiring paintings. Next on my list, D.C. :)

Wrapping up 2012

Before I move on to 2013 and all it awaits, here's the rest of 2012 that I couldn't leave out.

I'll start with my Thanksgiving redemption of 2012! Last year I tried to make it to the Macy's Day Parade and experienced a huge NYC FAIL! This year we did much better.

Happy happy Thanksgiving! No tears this year, but I did still miss my Mom's stuffing.

I had a Christmas party with the amazing people I work with at Bellevue. Love this job, love these people.

I threw a surprise birthday party for Brennan with our greatest friends out here and, of course, ice cream cake!

Home for Christmas. Always. My beautiful country home. This will always be one of my most favorite places in the world.

Hoodin' with the kids. 

Brennan trying to be the best uncle ever. I think he succeeded.

Lots and lots of family time! 

Many winter walks and fun memories with Brennan's fam. (I'm lacking pictures in this area!)

Christmas kitty. (I also don't know where my other Christmas pics are!)

But, I did find this one! My man and snow. Looking good.

We are blessed beyond measure. And now back to NYC. Back to school, work, life, and many many more adventures. I have a feeling it's going to be a big year. Stay tuned.

Mom visits NYC!

My momma came to NYC for the first time. I'm so proud of her! Her trip was cut short due to Hurricane Sandy, aka, Frankenstorm. But we packed a lot in to two days! We went to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, 9-11 Memorial, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and a Broadway show. We of course ate some great food and did some shopping. I wish she could have stayed longer, but we had a blast!

On the ferry to go see the Statue of Liberty!

Hanging out on Liberty Island, listening to the audio tour. I love this picture of my Mom. She looks beautiful, carefree, and having a blast.

Liberty Island.

In front of the lady.

Watching some awesome skating at Rockefeller Center.

Hanging with Matt at Rockefeller Center.

Brunch at one of our fave spots.

 

 Brunch with my babe. I think we are good looking couple, no?

This is where we saw the Broadway play Peter Pan and the Starcatchers! 4th row! It's the story of how Peter Pan became Peter Pan. I loved it! It was so fun!

Bellevue

I have now been at my internship at Bellevue for about a month or so. It is incredible! Most people have heard of Bellevue either through One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, or knowing that it is the oldest operating hospital in the nation. It's quite a fantastic place to work and I'm so grateful that I am gaining this experience.

I'm working in the outpatient psychiatry unit on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. The team is comprised of four social workers, two nurses, and a psychiatrist. We have 68 patients with a severe and persistant mental illness, mainly schizophrenia, and we deliver all services, medications, counseling, and help with daily living out in the community where these patients live. I have learned so much about schizophrenia and severe mental illness, which has forced me to confront many of my own stereotypes regarding this disease. Schizophrenia is so debilitating, yet with the proper treatment and medication many can live high functioning lives and teach all of us about the bias and stigma regarding mental illness.

Many people suffering from schizophrenia see the hospital as a "revolving door." They may not be in treatment or taking medication, and then continue to enter the hospital when they have had a psychotic break in order to stabilize. They then are discharged having no knowledge in how to manage their illness, and repeat the hospital cycle over and over again. What makes the ACT team unique is that it allows these patients to live in the community, have a house, a life, and independence. We help them learn the skills necessary to live on their own and manage their illness outside of the hospital. We visit them in their homes at least once a week and deliver their weekly meds, teach them how to care for themselves, cook for themselves, and work on social skills, employment, and activities for daily living. It is such a personal and intimate service model that is so relational. It helps these patients have a life outside of the hospital, and where many people have given up and abandoned them because of this illness, the ACT team truly invests in their lives to help them achieve the life they desire to have.

And I'm meeting some truly amazing people. Like "Andy," an extremely intelligent man that experiences some intense delusions and calls the Pentagon regarding his most recent inventions. Or "Mary," who thinks she is Queen of England, a marathon runner, and best friend of Obama (she is none of those things). Or "Lou," a cute Vietnamese man that refuses to wear his dentures, and is nervous of everything, especially the sun. Every single day I leave work having no idea what just happened. I often wonder if someone is secretly video-taping me as I have these incredibly strange conversations and experiences with these people. It is intense, amazing, and wonderful work, and I'm so glad I'm a part of it.

The thing I love the most about this model is that these patients are no longer alone. They have an entire team that cares for them and builds a relationship with them in order to see them well. They can rely on someone to help them when they need it, yet they also have some autonomy and ownership over their illness. They are no longer isolated and they do not need to spend the rest of their lives in the hospital. I absolutely love it and think this work is so important.

All in the heart of New York City. How beautiful is that.

**I wrote this post before Hurricane Sandy came and forced Bellevue to evacuate all patients due to loss of power and flooding. Bellevue, the largest hospital in the city, evacuated over 500 psych patients to various hospitals throughout New York City. Mental health workers are amazing. But, there are many patients and staff in the midst of crisis. Please pray for them. Bellevue will hopefully be up and running soon.

Fall in NYC

I love fall! It is my favorite season, which makes it hard to be away from Minnesota. I love the leaves, cool weather, and coziness of home. This is when I miss the valley, my mom's chili with bread bowls, and the warmth of sweaters and scarves. But, Brennan and I were able to take a trip upstate New York and soak in more of the country while we house-sitted for some friends and watched their dog, Sam. Ah. Country in the fall. It's the best.

This was the little dog we were watching. I love him! I need an animal in my life.

Overlooking the Hudson. So beautiful.

It was perfect. A great break from the city, which is definitely necessary once in a while.

And we got to see a mini corn maze.

Ah, a witch boot!

And I've also been soaking up the pumpkin lattes and pumpkin waffles. I love fall!

Weenie Roast

A couple weekends ago B and I went to BDDW's Weenie Roast and Archery Invitational. Our friends Reid and Craig both work at BDDW, an upscale furniture showroom, and invited us to this event. The dress was garden formal, which prompted me to buy a new vintage hat, of course. There was free food, drinks, and lots of archery!

Now, there is something you must know that made this day oh so special for me. Brennan is a natural athlete. Well, he's pretty natural at almost anything. It's quite annoying (and real attractive), but mostly I tell him it's annoying so he doesn't get a big head.

But, archery, not his thing. Who knew? It was shocking how little Brennan knew about archery and how unnatural he truly was at it. He knows I love him so I can talk about him in this way. It was great to finally have a leg up on him in something, because here's the shocker folks, I was quite good! Man, it makes me so happy just retelling it.

To prove that I am decent at archery...we went on the jeep safari ride and I shot myself a deer right in the head and won a BDDW mirror! The deer was fake, otherwise this may have been difficult for me, but it sure was a rush! Woohoo! Check out the pics of our fun day!

B and I in our garden formal. 

Jeep safari ride!

My winning shot. Look at that form, the precision. 

I love hot dogs and I love this big slab table idea. 

Alex does not let pregnancy slow her down.

My mirror! Oh so pretty! And FREE!

I think this sums up the day. Me=elated. Brennan=subdued. 

Ah, victory.

Creatures of habit

Brennan and I love making traditions. We love finding a great pizza place and making that our spot, and then going back again and again and again. Maybe it's about feeling familiar, feeling home, or feeling known. I don't know. But, we are for sure creatures of habit, and I love having our little places, traditions, obscure celebrations.

A few weeks ago we were walking through Central Park, planning on going to the Natural History Museum, when Brennan thought we should go the Met instead because that was the direction we were walking. So, on a whim we decided to go to the Met instead. And, it's donation only so that's a win win in our book.

We got to the Met, made our plan of attack, and went to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. As we were eating I realized it was September 16th. And then I looked at Brennan and said, OH MY GOSH! I'll tell you why.

B and I arrived in New York on August 16th, 2011. Last year, we celebrated our "1 month in New York" anniversary with a big city adventure. Part of that adventure was going to the Met. It was September 16th, 2011. Do you see?

We were back at the Met an exact year later and didn't even plan it! How weird is that?!

Rooftop garden at Met. 2011.

 Rooftop garden at Met. 2012.

Look at that. Creatures of habit. My bangs are little longer, and we have new sunglasses, but other than that, we're the same. Same people with new adventures...and some of the same ones! And we're still smiling.

Now, if we only knew where we were gonna be September 16th, 2013. Time will tell.