Hooray! I’m so so glad you guys like the new look. I could never have done it without Julie’s services, so if you’re looking for a blog makeover, she’s your gal. Seriously. She took a sketch of a header I drew and made it into the reality that you now see. It’s amazing. And she was ever-so-patient with my (nonexistent) technology skills. Not that it’s over…there are still some kinks to be worked out, but for the most part things are running smoothly.
Feel free to click around and let me know what you think. Any feedback is greatly appreciated so I can make my site as user friendly (and pretty) as possible. Aside from the font, which people have mentioned can be difficult to read, let me hear your thoughts!
Moving on…
Night shift steam rolled on by these past two days.
I actually really lucked out with my patient load…not only were they the sweetest group of people, but they were stable and compliant and slept through the night. In the words of Michael Scott: win win win.
Now that I’m riding my bike to work, it allows for a more restful day too. I don’t feel rushed and/or anxious about when I’m going to squeeze in exercise (while still letting myself sleep in some) and my commute time is always the same. For those unfamiliar with LA traffic, having a constant like that is invaluable.
Biking to work means I can leave the apartment at 5:45 pm, arrive at the hospital at 6:15 pm, clean up, change into scrubs, relax, and I’m ready to get my nurse on when 7 pm rolls around. Much better than guessing how the day’s 405/Wilshire drama is going to go down (my commute by car can take anywhere between 15 and 60 minutes, no joke). That construction is getting to be too much stress!
Next month they are closing the entire freeway down (July 15-18th) and the hospital is already looking to recruit staff to spend the night. I predict a riot. Or maybe a plot for J.J. Abrams’ next movie…
The only thing you need to know about this bowl of oats is that it was made with almost as much peanut butter and raisins as oats.
The combo of PB&R (not to be confused with the beer PBR) makes breakfast (or early dinner in my case) taste like cookie dough. Anyone else think that raisins are very underrated in the oatmeal world? Or maybe you never consider the rankings of breakfast ingredients like I do… Eh. Your loss.
Work eats were packed, as per usual…
Sidekicks of mixed nuts, Three Sisters honey graham cereal (obsessed!!!), apples, and cherries.
Salad with veggies and grains galore, topped with chopped seitan.
This salad was an everything in the fridge kind of situation. In other words, a delicious, one-of-a-kind beast. It fueled me all through the night. Also, I had fun coworkers to work with, which always makes shifts fun and fast.
How is your work commute? Do you drive? Bus? Subway? Is it the same every day or does traffic come into play?
I LOVE the new look! Beautiful.
Love the new look!!! And I WISH I could ride a bike to work, but I have to drive. Sometimes the 6 mile commute can take an hour! It’s silly, and terrible for the environment. Public transportation is nearly nonexistent too. Raisins are one of the various new loves of my life. In fact, I also had them on oats with pb this morning!
Your blog looks amazing! I love it. Love those oats girl. I don’t work as of now but when I was driving to school it would take me about an hour. It sucked real bad lol
Hi elise 🙂
I’ve been reading your blog for over a year now but never commented on anything. I just wanted to let you know that you have truly inspired me to watch everything I eat and give my body nothing but the best quality foods. Also, I’m currently a nursing major and have SO much respect for you for taking on such a challenging career and still managing to have it all together.
-Daniela
thanks daniela! so sweet of you to say…it warms my heart to be an inspiration to you 🙂
Love the new look!! The site looks great!
love love love the new look…my blog is in desperate need of a makeover. i must contact julie.
also biking to work is awesome…i used to walk to work sometimes, and it completely eased my anxiety about squeezing in a workout.
I love the new blog too, especially all the cute pictures, but I do agree with the others that the font is difficult to read.
I commute about 30 miles to and from work each day (60 miles round-trip). Driving into work usually takes me about 35 mins (if there are no accidents) and coming home it takes me anywhere between 45-50mins. I wish I was able to bike or drive to work, hopefully I will be able to do so one day. 🙂
Long-time reader de-lurking to say I love the new look. The header is adorable.
And my daily commute is a BUST. I drive from Manhattan Beach to UCLA (holla, fellow alum!) and the Sunset/405 construction has been killing me. TGISummer!
I love the new look! But I was looking for your archives that has a back/next link to every article. Been reading your 2009 and 2010 entries. It’s hard to go back to the home page every after entry coz there’s no more next/back button. Nevertheless HHH is much better to look at now. Congrats!
The site looks amazing, much lighter and cleaner than before! I’d suggest bringing back Search, it makes it so helpful when trying to find a recipe or product that you’ve written about in the past. Keep up the great work!
Your blog looks fantastic! Julie did my blog makeover, too. She’s fabulous!
i like the font!!! I carpool most of the time with another gal. We are lucky that parking is free, and it takes about 15 minutes to get to work. We do have to get there early though to get a spot…otherwise we have to drive down the road and take a bus!! (I also work at a hospital….)
I love Golden Grahams and HAVE to try Three Sisters honey graham cereal
I cannot get over how much i LOVE your new blog!
I thought you live and work in Santa Monica. Where is your hospital? No one bikes in Houston for a commute! Too hot, weather unpredictable when it’s not hot. Not bike friendly, not bus friendly. We love our oil via gas in cars!
Raisins really make hot and cold oatmeal POP!
I love the new blog look! Super cute! It’s always fun when bloggers get makeovers! 🙂
Love the hummus worship in the header 🙂 Nicely done!
Is that Three Sisters cereal anything like Golden Grahams? My sisters and I used to INHALE that stuff as kids!
That oatmeal looks flippin bomb!! 🙂 What is the bike ride home after your shift like? I am thinking about doing the bike commute thang. Traffic isn’t an issue in small town Nebraska lol. O just would like the added fitness 🙂
Love the new look!! It fits you perfect…sweet, funny, and real!
I’ve been reading your blog for over a year now, and although I’m not vegan…or even a vegetarian, I love reading your posts. The new look is great!! Love, love, love your blog. 🙂
I love raisins, they are a must in my oatmeal. I love to put them into the overnight oats and I liek how the taste the morning after, all plumped up:)
oh man, i hate my current work commute! it can also take up to an hour or even more, because I work in Palo Alto and Palo Alto is basically just the center of ALL offices in silicon valley. everyone’s either trying to get up there or to San Francisco which makes traffic ridiculous in the morning ! sometimes I get to work up to an hour early just so I can beat traffic!
Love the blog’s new look! Really like the font too- it’s so unique!
thank you so much asma. nice to “meet” you 🙂
i agree…so good all plumped up. goji berries plump up big time too. mmmm
thats what i used to do too…and then i was like, what am i gonna do for an hour…and i wind up at whole foods (and suddenly im $50 poorer)
thank you!!
thats so sweet of you to say – im glad it comes through in the new look!
i was worried it would be hard, but actually i find its invigorating. i feel refreshed and it kinda gives me something to look forward to at the end of the shift. i really do enjoy the ride home! after a small snack and a warm shower, i fall right asleep too!
better! its a bit more crunchy (slash crispy) and less sugary. so so so good!
i know, right 🙂
i agree! so fun.
i work in westwood…its a 6 mile commute west of santa monica.
i definitely agree about the raisins adding a pop.
thanks so much girl. seriously, it was a labor of love and im SO pleased with how it turned out.
wow free parking!?! what a luxury. props to you for carpooling 🙂
couldnt agree more. how do you get your first post to be longer? i want more than a little blurb, and yours in the perfect length before the … part
i think theres a search in the top right corner. at least i have one. do you not?
hmmm..ok, thanks for the feedback, ill see what i can do.
holler to my fellow bruin! thanks for saying hi 🙂 i HATE that westbound stupid left turn only lane at the 405/wilshire junction. its horrible. does anyone turn left there? its a wasted lane. grrr…
thanks for your feedback. im going to play around with a few fonts and see what works.
30 miles is a bit intense for a one-way commute. but maybe some day?
blah. an hour. that gives me anxiety just thinking about it.
isnt it crazy that such a short distance can take so long. mine is a 6 mile commute too…i can really only do it when i work night shift. biking to day shift would mean leaving before the sun is up and riding back home when its getting dark again too. thats a bit too scary for me. so i feel ya.
thank you thank you thank you!!
Hmm, nope I’m not seeing one. I tried viewing the site in different browsers just to see (firefox, chrome, safari), but still no search bar.
Dear Elise, I´m enjoying so much read your blog! The new look is very clean. Like it 🙂 Work commute : 15 minutes by car, but by bike, it would take about 1 hour. Not possible to my schedules. Love from Portugal.
Gosh, I really am going to have to get into oats for breakfast. I bought some yesterday because I’ve seen far too many awesome breakfasts using them.
My commute to work is fine it usually takes 15-ish mins. The problem is timing my commute so that there are car parking spaces by the hospital. It’s a nightmare. I begin my final rotation before being qualified (woo woo!) on Monday and the shifts start that little bit too late so all the parking spaces are gone. Think I’m going to have to arrive stupidly early for my shifts! Nevermind, we’re moving in August so I will cycle in from then onwards too. Much better x Too much info?! Sorry!
I don’t know! It was just set up that way (but I like it). Email Julie (I’m the queen of emailing Julie! LOL)
Love the new look, but yes the font maybe should be changed to something easier on the eyes.
Love the new site! But, yeah, the font is a little hard to read. I have to agree that raisins are underrated–though I still prefer craisins! In oatmeal, they are magical. Plump and chewy!
I love Kristin Hannah! Firefly Lane should be your next read of hers if you haven’t read it, it’s one of my faves.
I usually keep my love of her a secret. LOL.
I agree about the changes — the layout and header are adorable, but the font is hard for me to read in Internet Explorer (my only option at work).
My commute takes a little under 15 minutes and is 8 miles (on the highway). My bike is not good enough to ride to work (holla at my 1966 vintage Schwinn with only one speed!) or else I’d love to try it out. Also, taking the streets would be a much, much longer ride, so it’s not really feasible, unfortunately.
I have started to biking to work as well. I start at 715, so I head out at 0630, to give myself enough time to change out of my sweaty clothes and get settled in for the shift.
I love your works meals! I try to pack food that is high in calories because I rarely get breaks, so when I eat I need to ensure I can be satisfied for the entire shift.
got it! thanks 🙂
ok, now do you have one?
Yeah! 🙂
HOLY SHIT I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR NEW LOOK!
Love ya blog. And I’m a big fan of raisins in oatmeal 2!
ok, i couldnt find it at first, but at the very very bottom of the page (after all the comments) there should be a link with the title of the next/previous posts on it…does that help?
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just catching up from the week, and gotta say i LOVE the new look! i think it totally suites your message, vibe, and personality (well, what i gather from being a long time fan). i dig it!
i wish i didnt have to drive to work, but its really the only option, unfortunately…
I am so behind on my reader, but, I absolutely LOVE the new design and your header! I met Julie at BlogHERFood – she is awesome.
Now I just want your salad and I am not even sure I’ve ever even eaten seitan LOL