All in a days work

I've started a collection.  A collection of vial tops.

Lame I know.

But throughout the day I collect these guys in my pockets.

I'm sure there is something creative I could make with these.... Any suggestions?

On a side note, the antibacterial (that I use ALL the time) at work has destroyed my hands. :(

Over-all though, work is going better.  I'm not as stressed through the day, and find myself having time to do things like... go to the bathroom, eat lunch, do my training modules, look at my work email, and even help others out.

It is nurses week this week, and I found this little quote that describes being a nurse.

Did I mention I did another mini?
I'll save that for another post...

One Year

Henry (or was is Harry?) the cactus will be pleased because...

in one year we will be in...

Arizona!

We are excited, but at the same time very sad to leave Kentucky - because we know there will be nowhere like it.  At the same time I'm stressed. SO much to do and get ready to sell the house and move. This next year is going to be crazy. 

Real life, what az looks like

Just a bit different from kentucky...

(This is near a place we ride our bikes..for real! I'm gonna miss it- a lot.)

Our Old Kentucky Home

We find out today where we will be going for fellowship in the summer 2013.

I used to be very nervous. Scared we would not match anywhere.  Then that subsided. I know Jared will get in somewhere.
Now I feel sad, because it is the reality that we will be moving from Kentucky.

I really have come to love this state and I will miss it.   I've learned so much and grown so much in good ol' Louisville. (Including a pretty fancy accent!)

In the last 4 years here in the Bluegrass State...
-We survived our first year of marriage...

 and internship :/

-Bought our first house

-Got through a brain tumor situation with piles of medical bills

-Got our first puppy

-Got into Nursing School
-Survived many callings - Primary, Nursery, ward missionaries, ward historian, and Sunday school teacher
-Went on our first cruise

-Continued to survive Jared's crazy schedule

-Graduated nursing school, passed boards, and got a REAL grown up job.

I'm sad we will be leaving.

It will be hard to leave our old Kentucky home.

I Can Do This

As for my new calling. I am now the ward historian.
What is that you may ask?
(... So did I.)  I had no idea. From what I gather I get to collect all sorts of information going on in the ward.  Make a newsletter for the ward AND help gather info to put in the annual ward history report for the stake.
There seems to be a lot of leeway and room for creative things... but I don't want to be too adventurous and get in trouble, so I'm trying to keep things simple, but fun.


Also, I'm working as a nurse.   For real this time. I'm on my own. The safety net of having someone watch over what I'm doing is over. It is definitely scary and work is kicking my butt. But everyone keeps telling me it gets better.

Yes, after the first day I cried.
Yes, most the time I don't know what I'm doing.
Yes, I dream about work ALL the time. - many times waking up to remember something I didn't do.

Sometimes I feel the disappointment in myself is worse than anything else that happened that day. Disappointment that I didn't give my best, do what was best, or that I failed in some way.


I worry....

I worry that I will give to much of a narcotic (even when it is ordered). You just never know.  What may be not enough for one person can kill another. 

I worry that I have forgotten someone.

I worry that people will feel neglected.

I worry I have not charted something important. 

I worry the doctor will be mad at what I have/have not done. 

I worry the family or patient will not see that I am trying my very hardest to take care of them, but that I have so many other things to balance. 

I worry that I will become de-sensitized to people and their struggles.

I worry I won't be a representative of how Christ would care for someone.
I worry I will lose compassion.

I worry I will be sued.

I worry that I will do something wrong.  So many things to do wrong - 

Not calling the dr. Calling the dr. Talking too much. Giving the wrong drug. Not catching a pharmacy mistake. Someone falling. Not giving things on time. Not charting right. 

I don't think it is possible to not worry this much as a new nurse. 

So many thank-you's to the other nurses who help me. Who give me words of encouragement. Who say it will get better. Who give me that pat on the back. Who put up with my numerous questions.

I love what I do, and I hate it at the same time. But I keep doing it - because I love it. 

I got this note from a patient. A sweet lady who needed some extra love.

I don't know what happened to her. I pray she is happy.  As much as I impacted her life, she impacted mine much more.

I keep doing this because I love it. Not that its not frustrating, annoying, hard, stressful, and difficult...
But its also satisfying.  To know that I can help, serve, and love... impacting others and helping them. Maybe only physically, but hopefully in other ways. 

I've only worked a few days on my own, but they feel easier each day. Maybe its because I'm praying harder. Probably. 

But maybe, just maybe, I can do this. 

Spring

I've taken loads of pictures in the last little bit, because it has hit that Jared and I will be moving from beautiful Kentucky next year. 

No thoughtful words. Just pictures of the place we love.

My running route...

Jared's Favorite Trees

Love the purple flowers between the rows of corn

At the Park...

At our house...

Indianapolis

Jared had worked for over a month straight.  As in NO days off.  No weekends off. No Mondays off. No Fridays off.  None.  And with my new full time job our schedules conflicted.... oh.... about 85% of the time.

Our schedules are horrible.
There is a higher rate of divorce for nurses, and a high rate of divorce for drs. Together..... I'm sure they are very high.
When I'm working we get a whole 30 to 45 mins together before bed.
If Jared is working late... I'm off. If I'm working Jared has a day off.  Blah blah blah.....

ENOUGH of the complaining.


 Jared and I decided to go to Indianapolis for a weekend away... well it turned into a '24 hours' away. (Actually more like 23 hours with the silly "spring forward" Mumbo Jumbo)

We didn't leave til Saturday because of the Scout cake fundraiser. BUT Jared had all of Friday off. It was just as fun (I think) as being on the mini vacation.

We made an awesome cake....

Behold its awesomeness!

The Burger Cake

The toppings were made from marshmallow fondant while the rest of it was cake.  It probably tasted discussing, but it looked GREAT!  (and got a whopping $70)

The next morning we started our drive to Indianapolis. We passed through Henryville. One town hit by an F4 tornado the last week. 

It was frightening. Huge trees stripped of their branches. A gas station sign, with no station to be seen. Piles of debris all around. Rubble that used to be homes. It was, again, very humbling.

First we hit up the zoo.  

I hate the zoo. 

But Jared loves the zoo. So, to the zoo we went.  It was the best zoo ever that I've been to... why? Because it was the SMALLEST zoo I've ever seen! It took us 2 hours to go to the dolphin show AND tour the whole zoo... and some twice while taking our dear sweet time. 

Some highlights.... 

   The eagle exhibit... or what used to be the bald eagle exhibit.  There was no eagle in sight.     However there was a sign.  (wish I got a picture)

It said:   "Due to squirrels chewing a whole in our netting the birds in this exhibit have flown away. Hopefully they will return soon."  

Then...

   As we walked by the lions.  There was no one around us, just us. One lioness saw us, got up off her perch and walked over to us and stared at us.  I was freaked out. Of course this happens after Jared tells me a horrible story about how once a lion got out of its zoo cage and killed 8 people. ... So the lion is there pacing and stareing at us.... when all three start roaring... I'm thinking we must smell great.... how tall is that fence.... how fast do these things run.... where would the best place to hide be?

As they roared people gathered and we left. Just to turn the corner and see baboons gathering poop... so we started to run.   (Because... just in case you didn't know they throw poop when they are scared or angry)  

We (as humans) prefer to run.  We ran from the poop and also from a couple of baboons getting frisky. 

Overall, Weirdest zoo experience EVER. And the shortest. And the best.

After the zoo we hit up a triathlon store, T3. Looked at things we can't afford, and envied pretty much everything.

We then went to our hotel which happened to be next to a fancy outdoor mall. We went to Nordstrom to look around (and be followed).  While there we passed by a couple with a stroller. I (like any curious person) looked in the stroller as we walked by to see the cute 'baby'.... I didn't believe what I saw......

I made Jared go back and look at what he missed. 

As he casually walked by again, the small MONKEY poked its head out of a cage (covered by a blanket) and chirped at him.  

Yes. A monkey. 

In a stroller. 

At Nordstroms. 

WEIRD.

Then a trip through Saks Fifth Avenue. Where I saw some coveted Jimmy Choo purses... NEVER had I actually seen some in REAL life. As Jared reached for a small clutch I BEGGED him not to say anything and not to embarrass me. Please Please!

-If you didn't know Jared has a love of embarrassing me in department stores with fancy purses. He has been known to grab a purse (A Coach purse on the occasion I'm thinking about), look at the price and YELL "Oh my gosh three hundred dollars! for this ugly thing?!?"  As I pray for the ground to open and envelope my red faced and extremely embarrassed person so everyone staring will not know we are associated with each other. 

This time he did me proud. He looked at the tag. His mouth didn't even open. (I'm sure his butt did pucker though...) and he carefully placed the clutch back were he found it, and we moved along. 

So Proud. I will associate with this person.

The price of clutch.... $1150.00

Its name is Cayla. (just in case you wanted to know) 

(I did agree later that the price was too much... for a clutch... even if it was a Jimmy Choo)

We then enjoyed a lovely dinner at Barcelona Tapas in downtown Indy and retired to a hotel for the night. Just to cut our vacation shorter in the morning because....

1. Day light savings (Stupid by the way)

2. I was asked to give the opening prayer in church

3. Then I was asked to meet with the bishopric an hour before church for a new calling.....

And I leave you with that.... what could it be...????  

I was 95% sure it was something and was totally side swiped by what it really was. Interesting; definitely. 

A great trip to Indy! Hope we can do something like this again. It's good for us to spend SOME time together... since we are married and everything. 

Remembering is hard to do... at least for the important things.

At work there are many MANY things I need to remember to do.

• Give the antibiotic before its too late.  
• Give the blood before its too late.  
• Give the pain pills before the patient gets mad.
• Do the neuro checks. 
• Call the Dr.
• Etc, Etc, Etc...

This is why we have computers and why I have a list of each patient and what I need to be doing for that person. But even still it can be hard.

So when I was giving one patient a pill  (same medicine as the day before but a different dose) and the patient said, "oh a blue one." and somehow I recall, "different from the yellow one yesterday, but its the same stuff."

WHAT DID I JUST SAY?  

Yellow!!!

All day long I give many different people tons of different pills. How did I remember that the day before the pill was YELLOW for this patient for this medicine when half the time I can't even remember to put on deodorant or to brush my teeth in the morning??  But somehow I remember to the pill from the day before was yellow??!?

AH- MA-ZING!

With any luck this job will keep me on my toes and help me remember some simple hygiene in the morning.