Playing catch-up

Hello, faithful Draper Diary readers!  Again, I prove to be quite a slacker when it comes to this blog, but in my defense, we keep pretty busy around here!

I continue to work full-time at Riley Hospital for Children in the Pediatric ICU and go to school part-time through Ball State University to earn my Masters degree in Nursing so that I may become a Family Nurse Practitioner.  I am currently in my third semester and somehow still have a 4.0 GPA (we will see what happens after this semester...Advanced Pathophysiology may break me)!

It looks like the last time I posted was in February after the Super Bowl, so I will do my best to break down what we have been doing since then.  Obviously, I will not remember everything, but I take a lot of pictures, so maybe those will help jog my memory.

February:
-I ran a very cold Valentine's Day-themed race in downtown Indy between shifts at work.  I worked Friday night and then ran Saturday morning!  The run felt pretty good, probably because I couldn't feel any of my extremities.  If I remember correctly, it was around 8 degrees!

I call this photo "Runner's High."

-Matt and I went to a very exciting Purdue basketball game.  We went up a little early and ate dinner at the Student Union (Matt got his favorite pizza, and I got a burger from Pappy's Sweet Shop).  The Boilers ended up beating the Michigan State Spartans.  Boiler Up!

-Eric and Sarah came to visit, and it was nice to see them and their energetic puppy, Maz!

March:
-I went to a concert with some friends from college.  It was nice to see everyone and to listen to some good music (country singer David Nail).

-I guess we didn't do anything else in March?

April:
-I got a promotion at work! In the IU Health system, all registered nurses start out as "RN Associate Partners."  There is a program called the Career Advancement program that nurses can go through, where they demonstrate that they go above and beyond to be involved on their unit and within the system.  I created a professional portfolio that was reviewed, and then I had an interview.  I was ultimately promoted to "RN Partner"!  There was a nice ceremony where my managers presented plaques to myself and another co-worker in the PICU.  After the ceremony, Matt and I went out to dinner to celebrate before I had to work at 11pm.

-Eric, Dad, and I went down to Lexington, Kentucky for the "Run the Bluegrass" race.  It took place near Keeneland racetrack, and were able to see the race horses practice in the morning as the sun rose.  It was paradise for this horse lover!  Dad and Eric ran the half marathon, and I ran the 7-miler as my ankle/shin/foot continued to give me trouble.  The race was gorgeous, but very hilly!  At mile 6, there was someone offering free beer (which is actually pretty common at races), and for the first time I actually drank it.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not much of a beer drinker, but it sure hit the spot!
-The night before the race, we met up with other "I Run 4" members for dinner, including the founder, Tim!  It was so cool to connect with so many people who make the running group what it is.  There were about 60 of us at the race!

Hanging out with the I Run 4 founder, Tim Boyle.

Watching the horses practice before our race began.

We eat hills for breakfast!

My cutest cheerleader, Anthony!

The whole group of I Run 4 runners at Run the Bluegrass!

-Matt, Mom, Dad, and I drove to Cleveland, Ohio, for the wedding of my childhood friend, Hilary.  Hilary and I have known each other since preschool and it was fun to see her marry her husband Daniel!  I do not remember what Daniel does, but Hilary is a Physician Assistant at the Cleveland Clinic.

May:
-Mom and Dad got a new dog!  His name is Teddy and he is super sweet.  They picked him up on the way home from the wedding in Cleveland.  Dad likes to call Ted his "birthday dog" because he was Dad's birthday present.

-The Mini Marathon tradition continued.  Dad and Eric ran the half marathon, but I ran the 5k (darn ankle).  At the finish, I saw the Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck!

3.1 miles = done!

Eric, Sarah, and me before the race

Andrew Luck!

-At packet pickup the day before the race, I was able to meet Meb Keflezighi, a silver medalist marathon Olympian and both a Boston Marathon and New York Marathon winner!  He is in his 40s and continues to be an elite athlete, but is so down to earth and nice.

-After meeting Meb, Matt and I had dinner with our friends Emily and Ben.  Emily was my roommate for two years at Purdue.  They were in town for the Mini, and it was nice to catch up with them!
 -After the Mini, we continued the tradition of eating way too much good food at Bub's Burgers!  Yum!

-Matt and I went to see the Broadway show "Phantom of the Opera" when it was in Indianapolis.  It was amazing!  There was a seat mix-up, so we ended up sitting in the 6th row for the second act.  It was so good!

-I received a full scholarship (conference fees, hotel, airfare, and a stipend) from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses to attend the yearly NTI (National Teaching Institute) conference.  I attended a couple years back when it was in Denver, and this year it was in New Orleans.  Matt tagged along and we were able to use frequent flier miles so that his flight was free.  We enjoyed exploring the city, especially because the conference took place over my birthday!
-Matt's parents were kind enough to take care of Thor while we were gone.  They even had him "Facetime" me on my birthday!

In front of a helicopter at the conference.

Jackson Square.

Crawfish boil!

Facetiming with the pup.

 -Matt's cousin Amanda had a baby, so we enjoyed meeting baby Fletcher for the first time and getting to play with big brother and sister, Liam and Stella. Congratulations on your beautiful family, Amanda and Matt!

Baby Fletcher!

I think I will end there for the night.  I will pick up with June for the next post!

Love,
Stacey, Matt, and Thor