- Workflows -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

For the past two years, Mercy Labor and Delivery has been designing and building a new, improved, HUGE, awesome, state-of-the-art unit in the hospital's new tower! It has always seemed like a far off dream, but this week the all dreams and hard work are realities.  THE NEW UNIT IS HERE!  

On top of our regular scheduled shifts, all nurses have been required to come in extra for "workflows" on the new unit.  [You know, because we want to have our sh*t figured out before all the patients come.]  We spent an entire day navigating through our three new floors and learning how to use new equipment, monitors, and pieces of technology we had no clue even existed. Holy moly, this new unit comes with a huge learning curve! 

In the last hour of the workflow, we were running mock codes from the triage center to the OR's. Our group of 8 is a litttttle [ok, a lot] proud of setting the code white record at 1 minute and 32 seconds. Holla! Bring on the laboring mommas and crashing babies! ;) 

Nurse Anna: at your cervix! [I'd take that smiling face at my cervix...I mean SERVICE...any day!]

Here are a few more pictures of our beautiful new unit! [I stole these from Mercy's FB page...] 

Maternity Welcome Center -- All patients will come here first to be triaged before coming to L&D!

New rooms -- love them!! 

So spacious and new and clean and gorgeous -- this must be a pregnant momma's dream!

 Bathrooms -- each complete with shower and tub!

All this new unit hype is kiiiiiinda stirring up my baby fever. Eek!! ;) Stay tuned for more posts and pictures from the new L&D!


Other week highlights: 

-- Work, work, work..... Extra shifts and workflows and no time for anything except sleep and WORK! :( Brian is remembering what it feels like to be a single man! 

- Goodbye, L&D! -

Tonight we celebrated our very last shift in the old 2nd floor labor and delivery! In this place, we spent hours in thousands of births and laughed countless times with friends who became family.  For sweet closure, we spent the 6-7am hour running around the floor like mad women snapping ridiculous pictures...

Hasta luego, recovery room...

Sayonara, operating rooms...

Arrivederci, team 3...

Namaste, team 4...

[Even signed the walls! "Thanks for the memories. Bad back, bad knees, wt loss from no lunches, and the urine incontinence - WORE OUT!" Hahaha!]

Au revoir, WEU...

Goodbye, goodbye, GOODBYE Labor & Birth!!!

#abandoned

- MICFQ 2013 -

There's nothing I love more than getting all dolled up to reunite with some fabulous fair queen friends! Small groups of us manage to get together here and there throughout the year, but the big homecoming comes at the annual Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant every January! I love these 2010 beauties so much; I love catching up with them and staying in tune with their ever-exciting lives even more! 

Forever fabulous! Clinton, Marion, Montgomery, Edgar, Effingham, Iroquois, Champaign, Rock Island, Marion, Macon, Vermillion, and Union: the best of the best! [Lots of people missing... We know you were there in love and spirit!]

Love these two to pieces! 

More important than catching up with past fair queens is cheering on our CURRENT fair queen. Sunny, you rocked that stage and made all of us so proud! Montgomery County grows some pretty great chicks! ;) This picture is of our director Missy with Mont. Co. fair queens from '08, '10, '09, '12, '11, and '??. [Brandi was the fair queen the same year Sunny was the Little Miss!]

Is it sad that I'm already counting down for next year's state pageant?! :( See you in a year, glamour girls!! 

- Goodbye, Nikki! -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

I have the BEST co-workers in the entire universe! "Work" is lots of work, but "work" is also incredibly fun because I'm constantly surrounded by crazy people!  Friday night, a few of us met at Culpeppers in Creve Coeur to celebrate Nurse Nikki's culminating and crashing L&D career. :(  It doesn't seem real that she's leaving us for a new job in the OR, but it's a great opportunity for her and she will only be a few floors away! ;) Love ya, woman. Missin' you already! 

Other week highlights: 

-- Brian and I headed to Springfield for the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen state pageant! Another post with more pictures to follow...

- The Bachelor -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

A new season of the Bachelor has premiered...FINALLY! There's nothing like being completely mesmerized by the trashiest reality TV show there ever was... But still, we love it! And we love it even more with the lights out and a bottle of pink champagne! Cheers to us being enthralled by ridiculousness and again to Bachelor Sean "finding love!" 

Other week highlights: 

-- Marko and Jon turned 31! We had a yummy dinner in Carrollton with a huge group of friends. 

-- From the couch, we cheered for Megan Ervin on the Miss America stage! This beautiful Miss Illinois is AWESOME and even made the Top 10! My mom and I love watching Miss America every year, but the pageant gets a million times more exciting when you know someone competing.  Congrats, Megan and all of the Ervin family! We are proud of you! :)

- Eileen's Bachelorette Party -

We love Bride-to-Be Eileen!! Her bachelorette party this weekend started out with a surprise welcome from her "tacky bridal party" + a similarly tacky bridal gown that her mom purchased at the Goodwill! ;) ...And the best part? It fit her PERFECTLY! [So sad that you can't see the poofy long sleeves in this picture...]

First stop: The Painted Zebra. Just call us artistas. 

After heading back to her mom's house to open gifts and have a few snacks, we had dinner at Katie's Pizza. Mercy L&D girls huddled up for a quick pic!

And the rest of the night? Well, that goes undocumented. ;) 

Happy bachelorette party, Eileen! And the countdown to your wedding begins! 

- New Year's Day -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

Cheers to 2013!!! We hopped between a few parties in Mt. Olive on New Year's Eve; thanks to Matt & Steph and Brandon & Val for hosting! On New Year's Day, we rode along on Marko and Jon's 2nd annual bus bar crawl through Clinton County. It was a fun day with the Dragovich family! 

Other week highlights: 

-- The Mercy L&D girls rocked the town for Eileen's bachelorette party! Stay tuned for a longer post! 

- Christmas Day -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

Santa found this married man at his momma's house! ;) We had a great Christmas with the Flemings, Stierens, and Beelers. (...And I spent Christmas night delivering little Baby Jesuses at Mercy!)

Other week highlights: 

-- We had a wayyyy overdue visit with the Zieglers and Wagahoffs! So much fun to catch up with them + we got to see all Anna's new toys from Santa! :)

- Merry Christmas -

The gifts are wrapped and waiting under our baby tree! 

All that's left now is to send peace, [married] love, and joy...

...and wish you a very Merry Christmas! 

- Sam's Steakhouse -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

My baby is 32! We celebrated his [real] birthday night at his parents' house in Mt. Olive. Seriously, what beats a home-cooked meal by your momma!?  The weekend dinner date was at his favorite restaurant, Sam's Steakhouse. Of course, our waiter was the wonderful Piero. :) Thanks to all who made B's birthday so special! 

Other week highlights: 

-- We finished our [very LAST minute] Christmas shopping! Hoorah! 

-- Brian headed to the Illini/Mizzou Braggin' Rights game in St. Louie. Illini lost, but who's keeping score? ;) 

- Tilles Park -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

There's nothing like a drive through Tilles Park to get someone in the Christmas spirit! You'd think that I'd have been here before [especially considering the fact that I've spent 6 Decembers in St. Louis], but this was the first time for both of us.  We loved it! 1,000,000+ lights draped over trees, bushes, and archways...yes, please! 

Other week highlights: 

-- We had dinner and drinks with great friends! Neither of us had been to Tony's in Alton before, but we will definitely be returning.  Thanks for a great night Matt & Steph and Marko & Emma! 

-- Brian's Uncle Ted and Aunt Amy had an open house holiday party. We had a great time there, too! This was a week filled with great family and friends and LOTS of Christmas spirit! 

- Christmas Cheer Is Here -

We may be [literally] living on top of each other in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, but there is still plenty of room in our home for Christmas cheer!  We decorated our small space this year with lots of wedding gifts from lots of very generous people! :)

We love our 4-foot tree from Tommy and Chelsea + the red and silver glittery ornaments from Steve and Margy!  One of the most thoughtful gifts, and it fits our apartment's color scheme perfectly! 

The tree is filled with ornaments we adore.  Three favorites: 

"This day calls for big girl shoes!"  A sweet reminder of the best day of our lives + my fair queen friends. Thanks, Alicia! 

Oh Maui, how we miss you! :(

A crazy wonderful wedding gift from Brian's siblings: a helicopter ride over Hawaii!  We will never forget it. Thanks Laura, Sarah, Lisa, Brant, and Garett!

My parents bought this nativity set in Rome when they came to visit at the end of my semester abroad. I can't look at it without missing the Eternal City dearly and also remembering how that semester pushed me forward in the faith.  Isn't it mind-boggling that the hope for eternal life and the savior of the world came as a sweet baby?  Hand-picked with love and blessed by the Pope; I love it.

We believe in the season! Thanks, Bill and Julie.

We are spending Christmas Eve and Day this year with both of our families.  Christmas cheer and blessings to you and yours! 

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."  -- Calvin Coolidge

- Mannheim Steamroller -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

I've been waiting to spoil this secret since I bought the tickets September 7!  Mannheim Steamroller is one of my dad's favorite bands, not to mention they know how to make some PHENOMENAL Christmas music. As soon as I caught wind of their tour stopping at the Fox, I was counting down until "opening day" at the box office.  We gave the tickets to my parents as their Christmas gift. Add a nice dinner at Vito's Italian restaurant down the road, and wah-lah. 

Oh, did I mention we were in the FRONT ROW behind the orchestra section?! Magical night! 

Other week highlights: 

-- Our professional wedding photos are finished! We picked up the CD of images + a proof book from our photographer. CLICK HERE to see the sneak peek on her website!

-- Grandma turned 82!! My mom had a dinner party for her at our house. Fun times with the family! 

- Blue Man Group -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

Welcome to the very first "Sum-It-Up Sunday!"  In an effort to keep my blogging habitual + keep you updated on our ever-changing lives, I will be [shortly] summarizing our week on Sundays! 

This past Wednesday, we saw Blue Man Group with Marko and Emma.  We had dinner at Seamus McDaniel's and then headed for the Fox.  The show was bright, loud, and [of course] entertaining!  I won't be forgetting the blue man anytime soon, as there is a blue smudge of him always traveling on my white coat's right shoulder! ;) 

Other week highlights: 

-- I got my new Social Security card and am officially "Bridget Renee Fleming!"

-- Brian traveled to Chicago for 2 days on a business trip.

-- We were honored guests of the Bed Bath & Beyond buy-out.  The store was opened after-hours for newly married couples, and we purchased everything left on our registry with a 20% discount!  We love BB&B! They are so accommodating and organized and wonderful.  Cheers to having a complete set of new dishes! 

- Thank You! -

As I sit here today with a [bottomless] cup of coffee and an [endless] stack of thank you cards, it is hard to find great enough words.  Brian and I are taken back by all of your love!  We are so thankful for all of our family and friends who helped celebrate the best day of our lives; meager sentences on a thank you card cannot express how appreciative we truly are. Thank you for being our teachers, comrades, and support systems.  You are our very best friends and the people we adore the most.  Sweet family and friends: know how very much you are loved!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone!!

- Move In? -

Hey, we're married!...

...Wanna move in? ;) 

- Share Your Pics! -

Have any pictures from our wedding weekend? We would love to see them! 

bridget.stieren@gmail.com
brian_d_fleming@yahoo.com

Thanks, friends! :) 

- Honeymoon -

Our wedding photographer was amazing. Kelly Manno. If your guy puts a ring on it, look her up stat. We love her spunky, easy going, and inspirational personality just as much as we love our wedding photos! [CLICK HERE to see our sneak peek on her blog!] On the wedding day, she stood behind the camera lens and snapped away at our every move.  She has an amazing gift of capturing life and love and everything else in between.  We are so grateful for her.

Unfortunately, we didn't hire a photographer to trail behind us in Hawaii and preserve the beautiful landscapes we saw and capture the memories we made.  Here, it was up to Brian and me to stand behind the lens and snap away.  As we started to review some of our pictures, we couldn't help but notice an interesting thing: our camera never quite captured the richness and beauty and depth and perspective that our eyes did.  The only way to keep this unique and beautiful world was to blink our eyes and preserve the memories forever.

These moments below [among millions of others] are photographs engraved in our minds forever.  In a meager effort to share our photobook with you, here are a few "blinks" from our honeymoon... ;)  Enjoy!

*****

Monday morning came bright and early; our flight was at 7:00am. It was 30 degrees when we left St. Louis and 85 when we arrived in Maui! For the entire week, we were immersed in sunshine and rainbows.  Thank you, Lord, for this awesome awesome weather!  
-blink- 

Five suitcase-pecking chickens met us at the rental car desk.  Interesting, to say the least.  Get away.  
-blink- 

A bouquet of red roses awaited our arrival in the hotel room. "Who put these in here?!" "I did, babe!"  My husband is so thoughtful and romantic. I think I'll keep him around for a while! ;)  
-blink- 

"Lei'd."  Oh yeah, pun intended... ;)   
-blink- 

We are fond visitors of God's country!  
-blink-

-blink-

Penguins in Hawaii?  Ok, we'll take it.  
-blink- 

Halfway through the week, I found my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! A lifelong good-luck charm...sweet!  
-blink- 

Breath-of-life wind, gusting so gracefully across the water...  
-blink- 

Every day, we walked along the beach hand in hand.  I've been dreaming this moment with my soulmate since 5th grade.  
-blink-

Apparently Hawaii names their roads and beaches after us? Coo.  
-blink-

We marveled at allllll the spectacular flowers.  I seriously couldn't stop marveling.   
-blink- 

-blink- 

-blink-

-blink-

-blink-

Are these even flowers?  
-blink- 

Five claps for romantic oceanside, candlelit dinners!  
-blink-

One of my favorite things was staring out over the ocean as it glowed in the soft night light.  So peaceful and pacifying and wonderful.   
-blink-

Our vacation package included breakfast in this restaurant called Swan Court.  How awesome and relaxing and gorgeous to sit there every morning and watch the waterfalls flowing and swans swimming!  
-blink-

We are in paradise. Just the two of us.  
-blink- 

We drove the 6-hour long Road to Hana. To get to the city at the end of the road, we had to twist through verdant rainforests and swerve along the winding shoreline roads.  
-blink- 

Spotted: waterfalls around every corner!  
-blink-

Convertible top down, music playing, and frequent stopping to observe luscious rainforest plant life like we had never seen before.  It was beautiful.  
-blink- 

Say cheese!  
-blink-

Trees actually grow this way?!  
-blink-

Fr. Meconi: here in spirit. ;)  
-blink-

It was just the two of us most of the time, but every now and then we made a new friend!  
-blink-

Brian's siblings scheduled a helicopter ride as our wedding gift. Craziest ride of my life! #love  
-blink-

Future pilots?  

-blink-

1700-foot waterfalls.  Wowza!  
-blink-

Rainbows popped up every direction we turned.  Holy moly.  

-blink-

Hey, baby! Yeah, that's my smokin' hot husband.  

-blink-

Booty shakin', fire twirlin', luau lovin'.  

-blink-

I was the passenger of this FORD Mustang for the week. Inside joke for a select few, don't even ask.  

-blink-

Hawaii has a Starbucks on every corner. Hell yes!  
-blink- 

Sipping Blondies, laughing together on the deck of a sailboat, and watching the sun disappear into the sea.  This is the life.  
-blink-

True story, babe.  

-blink- 

Aloha, Hawaii... We will never forget you!!!  
-blink- 
-blink- 
-bliiiiiiink-

Cheers to the best week of our lives; double cheers to knowing that this is only the beginning of our always exciting and ever changing lives together!
-blink-