Meet my squirrel twin, Andrea! Yes, that is because both of us neurodivergent girlies struggle with short attention spans. Don’t be fooled though… We were also pretty great at saving lives together, once upon a time! #squirreltwins

Okay people, prepare to get your mind blown…

Picture this – Just moments after posting about the new house on facebook, I received a message from an old friend! It was Andrea, a nurse-friend of mine that I worked with closely for years in the ICU.

She tells me… wait for it…. THAT THIS IS THE HOUSE SHE GREW UP IN!!!

Her grandmother was the original owner of the house. Furthermore, when Andrea was pregnant and putting herself through nursing school, that was when she and her now-husband, Joe, converted the house into a multi-family home. She raised her first baby there, in a formerly pink room downstairs, that Joe built. She told me it was a house full of happy memories. Her little brother was actually born in this house. She recalled him riding his tricycle around the kitchen island. She said that she was glad I bought the house, because she knew I’d take good care of it.

I got chills. Honestly, what are the chances?

There was always something about this house. Like a tug. An irresistible itch that I just had to scratch. On multiple occasions I practically freaked out at my husband because he was doubting our ability to make it work.

I told him that I didn’t know how to explain it, and I knew it didn’t make logical sense… but I just knew I had to get this damn house! And somehow, everything lined up behind the scenes.

The Big Blue origin story was writing itself before I even knew it.

So, back to Andrea. (I squirreled there for a minute.) We always had a special bond because of our similarities. From the picture of us above, you could see how people might easily confuse the two of us, especially when dressed up head-to-toe in COVID-19 gear in the ICU! Often, we didn’t even bother telling people that we weren’t who they thought we were. I remember just responding to the name “Andrea” sometimes and getting her patient whatever they were calling for. I know she did the same!

In fact, we even took care of each other’s family members on more than one occasion during that period. We had the, “Are you really okay?” talks with each other. At the end of 2020 (sufficiently trauma-bonded), we went our separate ways and were happy for each other from afar. I went into nursing leadership, and Andrea graced the interventional radiology department with her presence.

Fast forward to present day – It had been a while since we last spoke. By the next day, though, we were chatting on the phone, planning her trip down memory lane… to come tour present-day ‘Big Blue’ with me, of course!

Ironically, Andrea said it wasn’t nearly this blue when she was living there! 😂

I had to dig this one out of the archives – I knew it existed! Here we are in the thick of it with our saint of a secretary, Suzanne 😉

Here’s Andrea explaining how she used to sneak out of the house, lol….

It was so good to see this girl!!!

More to come!

With love,

The Not-Self Nurse