white collared shirt.

as i mentioned in my previous blog, my brother came and stayed with me for a couple days. it was so much fun getting to spend some time with him especially since that isn't something that happens that often! the main reason that he came up was because the two of us were riding out with lacofd fire station 14 in south central los angeles. this is one of the stations that i have been running with during my time with mccormick, so it definitely was fun being on the other side of things! the ride along was awesome. all of the guys were so helpful and so enthusiastic about having us there. it ended up being not that busy of a day, which was very surprising, so we ended up having a lot of time to drill at the station. we got to practice throwing ladders, putting on scba's [air tanks], etc. the day really got to expose nathan to the fire service, which is what i wanted to do [since he is thinking about pursuing firefighting]. and it was also just a great day to get to know the guys from station 14 better. i have been working alongside them for 2 1/2 years, and it was just awesome to actually get to have time to talk to them and hear more about their life stories. so, fire station 14, thank you. thank you for a great day and some awesome memories! i am so glad that i still get to see you guys when i am working as a nurse!
that reminds me, side note. i got my official start date for my new job. my first day as a nurse is going to be august 18th. which makes my last day at mccormick august 12th. eeeeeee. so. many. mixed. emotions. but more on that later. here are some photos from the day...enjoy!


[nathan at fire station 14.]


[nathan's first time throwing ladders!]


[ffpm duran and ffpm montgomery showing him the ropes.]


[my turn to practice throwing a 14ft ladder one man.]




[nathan with engine and squad 14.]


[top: nathan and i with ffpm montgomery.]
[bottom: nathan and i with ffpm duran, ffpm montgomery, ffpm conner, and captain gus. thank you guys! it was great!]


[nathan and i sporting our new 14s t-shirt!]

greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
john 15:13

this week.

this week. let me sum it up in a couple words...busy but then again, who is surprised by this and fun. ok. let me talk about my week.

yesterday:
so yesterday was my first day teaching at UCLA on my own. going into the day, i was a teansy nervous. i was teaching simulations [sim·u·la·tion –noun 1. imitation or enactment, as of something anticipated or in testing. 2. the act or process of pretending; feigning. 3. an assumption or imitation of a particular appearance or form; counterfeit; sham.]. the first couple of rotations were a little rough [that's what she said], but the last two went really well. it definitely felt good getting over that first day of being on your own. i am really looking forward to my next day of teaching. i am honestly really loving this job.

today/wednesday:
serving the citizens of inglewood aka working.

thursday:
ok, so this is when it starts to get fun. first, i get to fill out new hire paperwork at my new job woooooo!!!!! thank you woo girls. then i am driving to san diego to pick up my younger brother and the family dog lola! and bringing them back to los angeles. because, on friday....

friday:
my brother and i are going on a ride along with fire station 14 . my brother is considering pursuing the fire service, so i figured what a better way to show him what ems is all about than throwing him into south central los angeles. i am excited.

saturday:
back to san diego to take baby brother home.

the week is going to be busy, but it is going to be good. i am really looking forward to spending some quality time with my brother, especially since i don't get to see him that often. and i am also really excited to have a dog at my house. i love dogs, and this will definitely help me decide if i want to take the plunge and get a dog that is.

and here is an inspirational quote [one that has gotten me through quite a few tough days] to leave you with:

courage does not always roar.
sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
"i will try again tomorrow."
maryanne radanbacher


[meet lola. one of the minnick family dogs. she is spending the weekend with us]


[me and nathan. redondo beach. june 2011]

rock steady my friends.

thankful: roommate.

so my friend amy does this thing on her blog called thankful thursday [her blog is spectacular by the way, go check it out!]. i was feeling pretty uninspired this morning, so i am stealing her thankful thursday idea thanks amy joy!

today, i am so thankful for my roommate and best friend kara. we first met in 5th/6th grade i don't remember specifically which one.... at first we were just "church friends." ya know, those friends that you sit next to in sunday school, are in the same cabin for church camp...but nothing much more than that. yup, that was us. it wasn't until i started attending the same middle school that kara did in 8th grade that we really hit it off. since then, we became inseparable. we attended the same high school and did everything together [dance team, cross country, prom committee, csf...]. all throughout high school we talked about going to the same college, living together, and eating chicken curry for dinner every night. well, that didn't happen. that didn't happen at all. i went to biola university in los angeles, and she went to taylor university in indiana. it would have been so easy to let our friendship fall at the wayside, but that didn't happen. through hours talking on the phone, surprise visits and spontaneous spring break trips; we kept a strong friendship.

and now, here we are. finally living together. and we get to say that we have known each other for 13 years. honestly, who can say at 24 years old that they have known their best friend over half of their lifetime? i am going to take a guess and say not a lot of people.

so today, this gloomy at least here in los angeles thursday, i am thankful for kara. i am thankful for the 13 years that she has been a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, the one not afraid to hurt my feelings with some honest advice, provider of hours of laughter, and for being the person who really understands me.

[yosemite national park. happy isles nature center]
[2005//2008//2011]

and i will leave you with this thought...

you must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. there is no other land; there is no other life but this.
henry david thoreau

launch yourself on a wave today...happy thursday to you.

hump day.

simplicity.
sim·plic·i·ty
noun, plural -ties.
1.the state, quality, or an instance of being simple.
2.freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts: an organism of great simplicity.
3.absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.; plainness: a life of simplicity.

lately, i have been trying to make changes. just little changes, to live a life of simplicity. my current project is going through my dresser/desk/closets and removing all of the 1. clothes i haven't worn in ages and those that don't fit me anymore and 2. to remove all of the stuff that i don't use anymore. this sounds like a really simple and somewhat quick project right? wrong. it has been taking me a lot longer than expected.
besides trying to get my life more organized, i have also been really trying to make life changes as well. first, i have been trying really hard to take my vitamins everyday. for the most part, i do really well. but sometimes, just sometimes, i forget. second, i am trying to get on a more regular sleep schedule. now, you may be laughing when you read this. i am chuckling as i write it. those who know me well, you know that work has turned me into a napping queen. well, i am trying to be better about taking naps, even when i am exhausted. i don't want to sleep my life away, and sometimes that's what i feel like i am doing.
i am not sure if i have ever really talked about it that much before, but i am a huge fan of reality television. go ahead, judge away. knock yourself out. but i love it. from the bachelor to the glee project, if it is reality, i am probably a fan. anyway, for a long time, i would always watch a tv show on my laptop as i would fall asleep. i am trying to kick this bad habit. that's what it is. a bad habit. beds are made for sleeping, not catching up on america's next top model. i am hoping that as i kick this habit, i may rest more peacefully and soundly.
these changes. these changes that i am trying to make, i am trying to improve myself. i am trying to make myself better.
i recently heard this quote, and loved it:

when you know better you must do better...
i know i can live my life better than i am living it now. i want to strive to live a simpler, and better life.

[vegas 2008. my 21st birthday//vegas 2011. amanda's 21st birthday]
[new york new york hotel]

let me tell you...

about new job #1.
so i don't know if you all remember, but i started a new job about a month ago. i got a job as a skills instructor at ucla center for prehospital care in the emt program. the job is pretty much what the title is, i teach emt students the various skills that they are going to be using out in the field when they are working. yesterday i finished my training and have been cleared to teach on my own. let me tell you, i am excited.
ever since i went to emt school at ucla in 2008, i have wanted to be an instructor there. those who taught me were so passionate about what they were teaching, and made such a huge impact on me. i was so ecstatic to finally finish school so i could come work at ucla.
some of the reasons why i am absolutely loving ucla:
1. the students are so excited to be learning. there is nothing more fun than teaching those who want to learn.
2. the students want to hear about my experience. it is kind of crazy to think that people want to hear about my experience going through nursing school and being an emt, and want to get my advice. who would have though that my journey might benefit others.
3. i am getting to work a second job with some simply awesome people from mccormick. there are 5 of us from my station that also teach at ucla, and it has been awesome getting to spend more time with them at another job.

teaching at ucla is such great experience and such an amazing opportunity. i am excited to grow and learn at this new job and look forward to where it is going to take me. go bruins!


[skyping with devon. she and her husband steve leave for india in 3 weeks!]

and now i am off to the beach! have a good tuesday everyone!

emergency room nurse.

when i graduated from nursing school, i knew what i wanted to do. i wanted to work in the emergency room. i wanted to serve the uninsured and underinsured people of los angeles particularly those of south central. this population is sick. they need good patient care, education, and someone to care about them. i wanted to be a person to help meet this need. when i graduated, my dream was to work at harbor ucla. harbor is a county facility and serves the population that i wanted to work with.
over the last 2 1/2 years of working in inglewood, i have taken the majority of my patients to the hospital in the middle of inglewood, centinela hospital medical center. i had always said that i didn't want to apply there, because i wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone. i wanted a change. and i didn't see much of a change working 1 mile away from my current station.
but then i started thinking. and praying. and talking to people inparticularly detoy. yes, i wanted to work at harbor. but how long would that application process take? and what if i didn't get a job? meanwhile, i have the nurses and friends at centinela pestering me like no tomorrow to apply, and that they would put in a good word for me.
so, during one of my shifts near the end of june, whether or not i should put in my application to centinela was all that detoy and i talked about. for 24 hours he was such a good friend that day. i sent him a text the next day thanking him for his advice, and he replied saying:

"you deserve to use your skills and knowledge to help others and right now you are limited. its not your dream but you'd be able to make a difference."
to tell you the truth, i think that text message was the thing that really convinced me, and so i submitted my application to centinela 4 days later.

i had an interview on friday, and was offered a position in the emergency room.
the hospital isn't magnet. it isn't in a nice city. it doesn't have brand new equipment. but i will be able to make a difference. all of my reasons for wanting to work at harbor apply to working at centinela. i get to serve incredibly sick patients. i get to serve incredibly undereducated patients. i get to be incredibly busy. i get to gain a ton of experience. and i am already really familiar with the population.
was this my dream when i graduated from school? no. definitely not. but slowly, it is becoming my dream. but most importantly, i know that i am going to be able to make a difference there. and for that reason, i couldn't be more excited.

confession.

ok. here is a confession for you. one that i honestly never thought i would say. alright. brace yourself. you ready? alright, i have become a country music fanatic. there it is, i said it. it is out in the world.
it all began last summer, when i began working with detoy. he is a country music lover through and through, and so whenever it was his turn to pick the radio station, it was either gocountry105.1 or kfrog95.1, and that's it.
i can actually pinpoint the main song that got me hooked. it was the song of last summer. it was the song that detoy was obsessed with. water by brad paisley [fantastic summer song. this is me highly recommending it].



some of the reasons why i have fallen in love with country music.

1. the songs are about life. none of this "let's go to the club and get sexed up" stuff. no. the songs are about love, mistakes, heartaches, and happiness.

2. gocountry105.1 plays the national anthem every weekday morning at 6am. can you think of a better way to start your drive to work? yeah, neither can i.

3. the music videos bring me to tears. now for those who know me, i'm sure that doesn't come as a big surprise considering i cry during the opening ceremony of the olympics, but they do. and i love that.

4. you can actually sing along to the songs. now yes, i definitely do enjoy my occasional nicki minaj, but i am not ghetto fabulous enough to keep up with her incredibly fast rapping.

5. lady antebellum, brad paisley, taylor swift, miranda lambert, blake shelton...enough said.

and speaking of music videos bringing me to tears, watch this video just a kiss by lady antebellum. it is simply beautiful. this is the type of love that i want.



and on a side note, i have exciting news. I GOT A JOB! i am going to be an official emergency room nurse. but more on that tomorrow. happy weekend everyone! and for all of you here is los angeles with me, i don't think carmageddon is going to be as bad as we thought...

oh, and one more thing. my amazing roommate kara made this video from our recent trip to yosemite! she did such a good job, i just had to share it.

dear 16 year old me.

i recently saw this film on a friend's blog. it is titled "dear 16 year old me," and it a collection of individuals sharing what they would say to their 16 year old self. i am not going to say what the film is about, but watch it. seriously. and make sure you grab a box of tissues before you do, because it is a powerful tear jerker. anyway, i decided to use the film as an inspiration for today's post. and i decided to write a little something to the 16 year old me.

erin,
you are too serious. actually, you take life too seriously. stop it. life is meant for fun. stop living your life in fear and start having a little bit of fun. you are 16, not 26. you are not suppose to have your entire life figured out by now, so stop trying to. you have plenty of time.

i know you are trying to keep your hair long and beautiful, cut it. you look so much better with shorter hair. and it is so much healthier. and on that note, you are way too uptight about your appearance. and wearing makeup. and making sure your hair is perfectly straight. trust me, all of that will go out the window in a few short years. and it will become a rare occasion for you to wear makeup.

i know you think the struggles that you are going through right now are the end of the world, but they are not. you are going to come out on the other side, a stronger person.

you are stronger than you think you are. you aren't pushing yourself to your full potential. you actually won't start really pushing yourself until you're in your 20s. but when you do, you hit it hard. prepare yourself.

enjoy this time with your family. you are not going to see this that often when you go off to college. and i know at the time you don't mind it, but you will regret it later. i know your mom tells you this, but friends come and go, but your family is with you forever. cherish them.

you get tattoos! and more piercings. yes, i know, little miss conservative you gets tattoos, and you absolutely love them. and you end up with 8 piercings [don't worry, they are all in your ears].

it is going to take you 6 years to finish your bachelor's degree. you will transfer schools. you will change majors. you will be rejected. but the journey you go through will be absolutely worth it in the end.

i know you think you want to get married when you are 20 or 21, but guess what? you don't. you are still single at 23, and you love it. so don't freak out when you go through college and don't meet your husband, it is ok. you are enjoying your life and finding out what God's plan is for you. so it's ok.

you settle down in los angeles. i know i know, never thought that would happen did you? well, you do. and you love it. you develop a heart for this city.

you absolutely love being outside. camping. hiking. don't deny it when you get dragged on family vacations, these will become your most favorite vacation and pasttime.

you stay friends with kara. you stay best friends with her. you guys actually end up living together when you are 23. cherish her friendship, she is such a blessing to you.

you are going to teach at ucla. i am not going to tell you what, that is going to be a surprise. but just know this, you have exciting adventures in your future.

you will hit low points over your college career. i mean, really low points. you will question who you are and what you want to do with your life. but don't lose faith. keep going.

and lastly, brace yourself, you go through this time, a phase, where you question your faith. the thing that you considered you essence basically your entire life. you question it. you cry. you yell. you live in a state of confusion. but you come out the other side a stronger, more confident person. you grow to learn what it really means to have a relationship with Christ.

you will stay addicted to coffee. you will stop drinking soda. you are going to be a completely different person than you expected yourself to be. but don't worry, different in a good way.

sincerely,
23 year old self

hump day.

the valley of shadows...granite...and bambis...
[a vacation recap]

so, i went on vacation last week to yosemite with kara and detoy, and it was amazing. first of all, yosemite is such a magnificent place, and it was just so fun and special to get to spend 4 days there with my 2 favorite people. the weather was perfect, and all of the waterfalls were just spectacular because they had a late snow melt, which made the views even more beautiful. here is a little recap of our weekend for you...
friday
we left los angeles mid friday morning, and began driving. the drive wasn't actually that bad, and we really didn't hit a lot of traffic. we got to our campsite a little after 7pm [we stayed at a yosemite lakes, which is about 30 miles outside the valley], set up camp, made a bomb dinner of steak and corn on the cob, and enjoyed a campfire before we went to bed.
saturday
we drove up to glacier point, the views are so spectacular from up there. being there are seeing the beauty definitely reminded me of what a great, creative, and awesome God we serve. after glacier point we went down to the valley and did a hike half way up to upper yosemite falls. again, it was pure beauty.
sunday
we woke up early. i mean really early. we woke up at 1245am, and started hiking half dome at about 220am. this was the third time i had hiked it, and it was definitely the best hike yet. the hike at night is just breathtaking. the views of the stars were just spectacular. and the weather at the top was simply perfect. it was such an amazing day, there are just no other words to describe it.
monday
we spent the day simply relaxing in the valley which included a trip to the nature center!, and then we had the long drive home.

overall, spectacular trip. i came feeling rested, refreshed, and reminded of how amazing the God of the universe is.






































happy wednesday everyone!

have i told you...

that i am going on VACATION! with detoy and kara. we are going to yosemite. i am ecstatic! i am at work right now, and i feel like a kid the night before they are going to disneyland, i just want it to be morning already. i can't wait to be amongst the great outdoors, amongst the trees, and fresh air, and waterfalls, and mountains.
and i am pretty pumped about the awesome playlist that i have been putting together this evening, here is a little preview...

Honey Bee
Blake Shelton
Don't You Wanna Stay (with Kelly Clarkson)
Jason Aldean
Mean
Taylor Swift
Just Say Yes
Snow Patrol
American Honey
Lady Antebellum
You Found Me
The Fray

and many more fantastic tracks...

we are going to enjoy nature, hike half dome, and simply relax. i have a feeling it is going to be just want the doctor ordered. and i will leave you with this picture, so you can get a glimpse of what i will be amongst the next 4 days.
have a good weekend everyone!

hump day.

growing up.
these last couple of months, or even, the last couple of years, i feel that there has been a lot of growing up. the fact that i am an official nurse now is exciting, but it is scary. what do you do for a living? i am a nurse. that just sounds so grown up. even though my 24th birthday quickly approaches, sometimes i still feel like the geeky eleven year old who was so scared of rejection and what people thought of her. it is so crazy to be pushing 24 and still trying to figure out who you are, and who God created you to be. the fact is, i am still learning. every day. sometimes i feel like it is a constant battle. sometimes it feels like all i have to do is take that leap of faith, but the eleven year old inside of me is still afraid.
it makes me laugh, the fact that when i went off to college i thought i had my life together. i thought i was all grown up. but turns out, i didn't know a thing about life. and sometimes i feel like i still don't. life is a constant journey. a journey of ups, downs, and change. a journey of growing up, every day, even when you are already an adult. a journey of heartache, fears, regrets, mistakes, joys, and triumphs. life is about learning to live with your mistakes, and learning from them. life is about brushing off the cruel words the world throws at you. life is about finding out who you are, who God created you to be, and never losing sight of that.


[yosemite. summer 2010]

DIY: patio makeover.

i love "home makeovers" [yeah, i will call them that]. even when i was a kid, you can ask my mom, i would rearrange the furniture inside my room every other week. i loved the freshness and newness of a room that had just been redone. i absolutely cannot wait until i buy a house one day and get to paint and decorate and fix it up however i want. eeeekkkk, i get giddy just thinking about it.
anyway, for the meantime, it has been so much fun decorating and fixing up the house that kara and i moved into about 2 months ago. two sundays ago, we revamped our patio. we got some plants and candles/lanterns from ikea, some string lights from target, and a new mini bbq! it makes the patio so much more inviting, and we have definitely been spending a lot more time outside :]

july the 4th.

happy 4th of july!
have i ever mentioned that 4th of july is probably my favorite holiday? i think part of the reason is the pride that brings people together. yes, people come together during the holidays for turkey and christmas trees, but they are not united with the pride of their country like they are today. and i really feel that a unifying pride is such a beautiful thing.
kara and i got to spend the day in escondido with my family. it was a good and simple day, a day that reminded me of the summer days of my childhood. i don't know if it is simply because life was simpler when i lived at my parent's house, but life just seems so much more peaceful, calm, simpler, and easier when i am there. i love the comfort that overcomes me when i walk through the door.
we got to simply relax, go to the gym, bbq, and practice handstands at cartwheels in the front yard like when we were kids. it was so good just being able to spend time with my family without worrier about the stress of life.
yessireee, i love this holiday.
[side note, my shirt was a courtesy of michael detoy. thank you, i love it. go america.]