Compassion

Yesterday was another crazy day, but one definitely worth documenting. I didn't have a chance last night since I was so tired. I definitely enjoyed my day off, much like I did on Tuesday (scheduling myself to work five out of seven days was not very good planning...yes, "normal" jobs have people working five out of seven days, but typically those are not 12.5-13.5 hour days!)

Yesterday, I received this quote in my inbox and think it suits yesterday very well ("funny" how that seems to happen quite often with my quotes of the day!)--
"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." - Leo Rosten

The weather Tuesday night just got worse (recall, I was "snowed in" on Tuesday...and thankful that I wasn't "snowed in" at work because some nurses were!) and I had already arranged for my mom to pick me up and bring me to work.

I felt badly that she and my dad would have to get up extra early to shovel their cars out in time to come pick me up, so I got ready as quickly as I could and began to shovel my driveway until she arrived. It was REALLY cold out there and there was no way my Jetta would have made it out of the neighborhood with all of the drifts and the snow in the roads being halfway to my knees. My mom said she would come get me at 6:30/6:40. I missed a call from her at 6:33 and called her back shortly after when she said she was on her way. By 6:45, I was wondering where she was, and found out that she had gotten stuck getting out of their neighborhood by a car blocking the road. I called work and let them know my ride was stuck so I was going to be late. My mom got my dad to help her get out of the neighborhood, grabbed some shovels and came to get me. (I had gone inside to wait after my mom said I shouldn't be standing outside on the corner waiting for them in the freezing cold!) I ended up running down the block through drifts of snow to catch my ride, and ended up arriving on my floor around 7:15, so not TOO late considering the crazy weather! My floor had a good number of nurses come in, and my manager's husband went and picked up two nurses otherwise it would have been even more of a crazy day...which is hard to imagine considering how crazy busy it ended up being!

I have mentioned that I have a "special" hospital, so can't really put many details here. We get patients from all over the place and it is great to be able to help so many people. This week, I learned we got a patient from very far away (if you know the name of my softball team, that is the only "hint" I can give). And, if you have been reading long, you know that ministering to my patients and their families is something I love being able to do...and one of the reasons I think God is keeping me a content, happy single person--I have a "ministry" that I love and likely wouldn't be able to do things in this capacity if my life was different. Anyway, I "decided" that I wanted to meet this family and take care of their kid and show them a little U.S. love :o) I was thrilled that they had "saved" this patient for me (as well as another little patient that I ADORE...you would think I would have had a better day, but it was still crazy...I wasn't NEARLY as crabby as I was on Monday though!)

These parents are super sweet and so it was super easy to let them know I would help them with whatever they needed to get them settled (could you IMAGINE traveling super far away with your super sick child, knowing where NOTHING is, or even how people in that country do things, or say things, or what they eat, or anything?! I definitely could not!) Of course, they were limited in what they could bring, and they figured they could buy winter things when they got here...little did they know they would be arriving to a BLIZZARD! Even people who LIVE here were crabby about that! They wanted to go to Target to get some things, so I ran to my locker, grabbed my coat, hat, and gloves, handed them to the mom and said "here, wear these so you don't freeze" (I was going to offer her my boots, but her shoes looked good enough.) When she returned, I asked if the coat fit, then I had one exactly like it at home in black rather than in cream...and which one did she want? She said she'd take the black since it would "go with everything".

So, I called my dad since either he or my mom was going to pick me up. I mentioned the whole coat thing and he told me he had this really warm coat that he didn't like because of the way the collar is so he would gladly give it to the dad. He and my mom had already planned to go shovel my walk/driveway (have I mentioned recently that my parents are great?!) since he was taking my car to get new tires today and leaving my mom's car for me in case I needed to go somewhere. I told them that the black coat with the fur was draped over a kitchen chair, so they could grab that and I could run it up to the mom along with the coat from my dad. Not only did my mom bring the coats, but also a couple stocking caps and long-sleeved shirts. (My mom had also sent me with cheese soup in the morning to give to someone who didn't have time to get lunch...I ended up giving it to a patient's mom who was feeling down who said that cheese soup was her FAVORITE--awesome!)

I am glad that the delivering of the coat went that way because when I got home, I looked at the empty kitchen chair and thought, "I just gave away a coat that I wore YESTERDAY!" I didn't give away a coat that I haven't worn in three years. I didn't give away a coat I didn't really like. I gave away a coat that I actually was using...I'm not sure I would have been able to do that if I had thought more about it. It was so spur-of-the moment that I didn't have time to think about what I was doing. But, now I will think about that moment, and that mom, every time I go into my closet looking for that coat. I pretty much someone the coat off my back and, honestly, that feels fabulous!

Sure, I am not always so caring. In fact, I have lots of crabby moments, and times when I am impatient and selfish, but am so grateful for all the opportunities I have been given to show compassion, to make a difference, to live. And, even though the quote says it a little differently, I think that to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate brings happiness...at least it does for me.
"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." - Leo Rosten

Good night.

Not QUITE as"great"

but pretty darn good!

Well, I suppose after using that much energy yesterday being so excited, I was bound to be a bit tired today! (I was awake until nearly midnight since I had some adrenaline going, so the 5:30 alarm did not thrill me.) This week has some tough shoes to fill!

I got to take care of my three fabulous patients from yesterday again today. I actually had kind of weird/awkward experiences with all three of the families today which did make for an interesting day (which, I guess was SORT of good in a way since the weekends tend to be a little boring, however, not all of them were "good" awkward...) It's still kind of crazy to me that these people all seem to love having me as their kid's nurse, but I'll take it :o) (Although, the fact that I at least try to treat each kid like they are the most important person in the world may contribute to my "likability factor"...because, what parent DOESN'T think their kid is the most important person in the world?! Also, EVERYONE likes to feel like they are special...and I know first-hand that one kind gesture can go a LONG way!)

Anyway, pretty darn good day...really, no complaints needed :o) Tomorrow is a REALLY special day for me and I'm SUPER excited...hopefully I won't be too tired when I get off work because I already have a post brewing and it may be another one of those "can my fingers type as fast as my brain is thinking" nights!

Well, maybe I should head to bed at a decent hour tonight (especially since I have to wash my hair tomorrow...the longer it gets, the longer it takes to blow it dry!). At least I already know who my patients are, so I don't have to show up "super early" to pick them!

Good night. (Oh, I think it is SO cool that my "ticker" countdown now starts with 1 week...yay!)

SO great!

Today was the "end" of a week that leaves me feeling like it was "SO great!". I have spent much of the day smiling and it just feels "SO great!" This is one of those posts that I am going to have to mark in such a way that I will be forced to remember on one of those days I do not think is at ALL "great"!

I'm not even sure where to begin (hopefully my fingers can keep up with my brain again tonight...I've already been thinking about what I want to write, so that could be "dangerous"!) I suppose a fun way would be to "link" to each day of this week (since "linking" is always fun!)

So, Sunday I spent the day in the great outdoors at the pumpkin patch. I definitely do not spend enough time outside...fresh air + Vitamin D = great way to start off a week!

Monday brought the only other day I worked this week. So, being LAZY and off work makes for a GREAT week I guess! Going into Monday with the attitude that "I can do anything for ONE day" definitely didn't hurt!

Ahh, Tuesday ...possibly the "turning point" of this week...or maybe the "beginning"?! Be Still, Listen, Chill Out, Relax, Let it Go...such "fabulous" words, such a wonderful idea, how terrific are my "blog friends" to give me these reminders?! And, starting my first Bible study...how's that for day three of a "great week"?!

Good old Hump Day , also the first day of my favorite month! October in general makes me smile, so it is NO WONDER the start of it was right smack dab in the middle of this "great week". Hanging out with my sister was SO fun! Being around a healthy child and my healthy pregnant friend were wonderful reminders that really sick people are actually NOT in the majority. Oh, and listening to my new Selah CD's...now THAT definitely has to be contributing to my happiness! You just HAVE to praise God when you hear that beautiful music (I'm pretty much thinking I could listen to Nicol's voice all day every day...she has a way of bringing tears to my eyes and joy in my heart all at the same time...of course, it DOES sound better with all the other voices together, but hers gives me chills every time.) Wednesday night while I was laying in bed, I was given an idea that helped me deal with an emotional issue I was having (possibly a "fruitful" moment from being still for a minute, but definitely appreciated).

Thursday ...well, how can you NOT have a great week when your parents make you laugh so hard you nearly wet your pants on more than one occasion?! Christian singles dot com AND the possibility of a 30 x 40 photo of myself...oh my! Plus, my friend is doing SO great and catching up with old friends makes for a special week.

And, yesterday was sort of a day of reflecting back. Where I have been, what I have become, how I have remained the same, and how I have changed. I also received an email from someone I had been worrying about letting me know she was "feeling better" and "doing ok". Hearing that was probably enough in itself to have called this week "SO great!"

Today, I barely made it to work on time since I kind of "dallied" this morning. So, I was pretty much thinking my patients would be chosen for me. However, I was determined to be okay with that, because, as I realized during some of my "stillness" this week, my life is pretty perfect and things will happen as they are supposed to. We only had 16 patients to start the day (we have 21 rooms, so this is pretty low census). I can honestly say, that if I could have chosen my three patients out of those sixteen, the three I got definitely would have been in my top five, if not the top three. So, that was a GREAT way to start off the day!! Even though I had to walk down both hallways (as I will have to do the next two days as well), it was definitely worth it. (I had mentioned needing to do something about all that food I ate this week anyway, so may as well do a little extra walking at work!). To make things even better, the parents of all three kids seemed pretty "stoked" that not only would I be their child's nurse tomorrow, but the following day as well. One of the DADS even expressed how happy he was that I was his kid's nurse (I can't exactly remember what he said, but it was pretty great...and completely unexpected coming from him.)

Well, this isn't exactly how I hoped this post would go, but it is honest and was kind of fun to write. Another something that could have come from my attempt to "be still" is the idea of happiness. I have been SO blessed in my life, and hope I have done a good job about acknowledging that here. My life has been pretty darn perfect, and there isn't really any reason to feel guilty about that. In fact, maybe it is BECAUSE God has given me so many wonderful things that I am more sensitive to those people who have had to deal with some of the most difficult things life could bring. I can be happy, and still help those who are sad. As the quotes above and to the left say, I can be the smile in the sadness, the laughter during the tears, a light in the darkness, the touch that makes the difference...wow, that is "SO great!"

Back to work tomorrow, and it is now after 11, so I'd better get to sleep. Good night.

"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." Psalm 68:3

Fun(ny) Day!

Well, I was not very prepared for my meeting today, but it went okay. I forgot the template for the minutes at home. I didn't get all the policies and procedures read. I ended up with hives for the first time in a while (and the conversation wasn't even REALLY that heated, but, in my defense the energy level WAS pretty high :o) ). There is this one nurse who talks in such a way that it is hard to tell if she is agreeing or disagreeing until she has talked for quite some time. It gets kind of annoying after a while because I don't see a reason to shout, especially if you are AGREEING with what is going on in the conversation. Anyway, it is challenging to manage a meeting like that, especially since I am probably more tolerant of her than others in the group. We did get a few things accomplished and made plans for some discussion ideas for next month.

After the meeting, I met a work friend for lunch. I hadn't seen her in a while and found out that she is moving to a different building. That made me sad. Even though I don't go visit her often, it is nice to know she is there. We had a really nice visit and it was fun to catch up. I've been praying for her for a while about something in her life, and so far things are going well. I'm REALLY happy for her and pray that things continue this way. Part of her job is to give stories to the media. She enjoys getting my input and is going to see if the media will do a story on one of our pediatric transplant patients for "Thanksgiving". I think that would be GREAT! The way we became friends is really a funny story (she used to be a reporter for one of the local news channels and the first time I met her I was "star struck" and knew all these things about her...could have been a little "creepy", but she took it well!). I'm so happy that we are friends :o)

From there, I met my dad at our "favorite place". He was doing well until I showed up (I DID call to make sure it was okay I joined him!). We did win one race together, but he blamed our "change of luck" on the fact that this couple from church who he finds rather annoying came and sat at the table next to ours. Of course, we couldn't ignore them, or move, but it gave us quite a laugh (and we weren't planning on staying much longer anyway!)

I forced myself to go work out this afternoon. I gave myself a LOT of excuses to stay home, but in the end decided that none of them were good ones. So, I went and was able to visit with my friend who came back to work today after having surgery. As it turned out, I was the ONLY one there for over thirty minutes, so we were able to talk one-on-one which was fun. She is going to do a little more investigating about the "random" phone call I got on Tuesday, but has a crazy memory that a LONG time ago, I was talking to "Carolyn" and may have given her my number. In any case, she apparently KEPT my number and shared it with a woman from church. Very interesting...and funny.

So, the REALLY funny part of today happened with our "family pictures". I ate dinner with my parents, then we went to have our photos taken for the church directory. Since my sister and brother-in-law do not go to church, they opted not to be in the directory photo. Since I am my "own" member now, I COULD have gotten my photo taken individually. However, I thought that would be kind of weird, although having a picture of just me and my parents is kind of weird too. I decided it would be "less awkward" to have a parent-child photo, so we went with that. I started cracking up when I was sitting in the middle and they had my parents put their hands on my shoulders like I was an "only child". It just didn't seem right. Then, my mom says "this is so cheesy" to which the photographer responded "well, then put your arm down, do whatever you want, I don't care." I'll just say my dad had a hay day with this on the walk home. Then, the photographer decided to do a picture of just my parents...and then a couple of "just me". The first pose actually had me sort of like the one at the top of my blog with my arms crossed. The second one, he had me put my left foot out and my hands on my hips. (I'm laughing as I type this!) As I am waiting for him to take the picture, my dad mumbles "Christian singles dot com" and I about lose it!

We had basically decided that we weren't going to buy anything because it was only a partial family photo. However, we got a "free" one since it was for the directory, however you had to pay $10 to get it touched up (and why would we NOT do that?!). While the lady was showing us all the pictures, I kept saying stuff like "eww, I look TERRIBLE in that one". And, she was like "well, you are going to be all NEGATIVE about everything...your opinion doesn't really count anyway" and turned to my parents (maybe she didn't know how OLD I was...or just didn't care!). She also had to ask us to "focus" a couple times. It was REALLY funny and we laughed the whole way home! The picture of me didn't actually turn out that bad, so we did get some wallets. I will definitely plan to scan that when it comes in (she asked if I wanted a 30 x 40 of it, but I decided that may be a little out of my price range...and, the whole idea of having a life-sized photo of myself...not good!). I can't believe that I got my picture taken by myself AND decided to buy some. FUNNY!

So, today had quite a lot of laughs, which was great! I am definitely enjoying my days off this week, although it would have been good to have gotten a LITTLE housework done! I guess there is still tomorrow :o)

Good night!

My New Wheels

The stroller I bought online last week arrived today! I'm excited to have my own stroller, and yes, it is COW print! There was some "assembly required", but I enjoy putting things together so it was fun. I guess some particular infant car seats can snap right on the front of it. I'm thinking I will purchase a port-a-crib before a car seat, but I've definitely been doing some investigating. I wasn't sure what to expect with this stroller since it was on sale, and wasn't originally very expensive. It seems pretty durable, but I guess having a kid in it will be the true test of that!

Even though my patients were picked for me again this morning, I had a VERY good day with them! I didn't leave my house until 6:45 because I could NOT get up after having such a hard time sleeping last night (plus, I knew there were a couple people working today who always get there early and are pretty vocal about their choice of patients, so I decided to stay in bed longer and get ready a little slower!). We were a bit over-staffed today which probably is what made the day seem to go so nicely. We also had a LOT of kids leave, and only one or two come in. A nurse from one of the home health companies bought us all sandwiches, and quite a few of us had brought in stuff for a "pot luck", so we had quite a feast in celebration of Nurses' Week! I got off on time and went to visit my friend in the PICU before I left (we are SUCH nerds...we talked on the phone for 10 minutes while I was on my floor in the conference room and she was in her son's room the floor below before we decided we could just meet outside the PICU and actually SEE each other while we talked!). She posted pictures of her holding the baby on her Care Page. I picked one of them to post here. He was pretty busy with tests and therapy (PT/OT) today so I don't think she was able to hold him today. Yesterday was a special early Mother's Day gift for her! She is planning to come to church with me again tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to that.

Well, I suppose I should get ready for bed since I need to force myself to get up at a decent time and be productive tomorrow (I work again on Sunday and Monday). So, Good night!

Happy Mom!

(Sleeping Baby!)

Happy Nurses' Day!

My hospital is celebrating "Nurses' Week" all week long, but today is the actual day. And a WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL day it was! (not just because it was a day to celebrate nurses!) The weather was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! (And now it is raining with forecast of thunderstorms, so that makes it perfect in my opinion...I LOVE thunderstorms at night!).

I didn't work out this morning (had to sleep in after staying up so late!), but I did get some exercise anyway. I went to the Senior Retreat at my high school alma mater and welcomed the girls into the Alumnae Association. That is always fun (free pizza too!). After that, I went to my two favorite stores--Fashion Bug and Hallmark. I spent $3 at Fashion Bug and nearly $30 at Hallmark...go figure! I walked to the post office and mailed some Mother's Day cards, Nurse's Day cards (better late than never), and a couple bills. I stopped at the grocery store on my way back home and bought stuff for a couple more meals. I cooked "green beans and hamburger over rice" (dad's recipe) for myself and my friend to have for lunch tomorrow. I also made a caramel apple salad (I found the recipe online last night) for us to have for dessert. Too bad I won't actually be able to eat WITH her, but it will be fun to eat the same thing anyway.

Tonight was my first softball game. The rain held off long enough for us to get the whole game in, and it was REALLY nice. The "girls" on my team are great, some of them I have known for over 20 years! We ended up winning 21-4 (I may have to link to some of my posts after games from last year...I was on a different team and it was not fun at all...we may not have even scored 21 runs the ENTIRE SUMMER!). What a GREAT time (I got hits all four times I batted, so that makes me happy too!). I played catcher and you don't have to wear any "gear" in slow-pitch, so I will have a few bruises, but not too bad!

Well, I didn't get myself prepared for Thursday's meeting I have to lead (still haven't done the agenda or read my policies and procedures). However, I'm pretty sure no one else wants the job, so I'm hoping not to hear any complaints! I guess I'll have to do that when I get off work tomorrow night.

I found out last night that a little girl I took care of a few weeks ago when she was here to be evaluated for a transplant is VERY sick back at her home hospital (kind of crazy how I found out...a mom I know just from the Internet emailed me to see if I knew the girl...I'm not sure how she knew about the girl...maybe she knows someone who knows them...it's a small world anyway!). I emailed her mom to let her know I was praying for them.

The baby is still hanging in there. He has been having fevers on and off for about a week and they aren't really sure what is going on. They have done lots of tests, but have not figured out anything yet. His kidneys still don't want to work, which affects his breathing, so he remains on dialysis and the ventilator. However, each day that he is here is a day not many people really expected him to have, and his family is grateful for that. It really has only been three weeks since his transplant, so baby steps are progress.

Well, it's about to start thundering and lightening...I've already had one "computer issue" this year, so I probably shouldn't take any chances and should turn it off and unplug it! Good night!

Are you done whining?!

I'm wondering if God is asking me that this morning. If HE isn't, then there are a lot of people I have been in contact the past few weeks who are at least thinking it.

ALL these weeks of complaining about having to work Easter. The "drama" of getting yesterday off. And then, a WONDERFUL phone call at 5:00 in the morning (probably the ONLY good thing that could happen with a phone call at 5:00 in the morning!). Would I like to be "on-call" for the day, with the likelihood of being called in very slim. Why of COURSE I would LOVE to sleep in and then spend as much of the day with my family as possible!!

So, I didn't get up until after 9:30, I decided to stop getting ready for the day long enough to type these few words. I believe we will be headed to my grandparents' house this morning, possibly for brunch (I didn't pay attention to the details planned for today since I wasn't planning on being able to attend and it was easier to handle if I didn't know what kind of fun they were going to have).

So, HAPPY HAPPY EASTER!! More on the fun-filled excitement of my day off later :o)

Passion

I LOVE BEING A NURSE!!

How wonderful it is to LOVE your job! Too often I take it for granted that I find happiness in what I do for a living. There are a lot of people who wish they HAD a job, still others who dread going to work each and every day because for one reason or another it brings them discontent. My sister, for example, works with people who are unkind, inconsiderate, and rude. I am SO blessed!

This morning, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of sophomore girls at my "alma mater" about nursing as a career. During the three sessions, we were able to convey to just over thirty girls how AWESOME nursing is. I actually didn't even do very much of the talking because there was another alum there. She has been a nurse for 23 years and is very passionate in talking about her life as a nurse. She echoed my thoughts that nursing is "in her blood" and she wouldn't go back and do something different. What she wants to be "when she grows up" is a nurse! It was inspiring to me just to sit and listen to her story, hoping that in 17 or so years, I am just as enthusiastic. She talked about the happy times and the sad times of nursing, but that making a difference at every type of "milestone" in people's lives, good or bad, is SO special. This is what I have found too, although I'm apparently not so great at separating myself from the sadness... She still keeps in touch with the mom of a kid who died about 12 years ago, and remembers kids who have died. I know that I have made an impact on many lives, and that makes me feel WONDERFUL. Even in the sad times, I learn something. One of the surgeons I work with said at a memorial service for one of our patients "each of these kids has something to teach us" and I believe that. I have learned from the ones who fought hard and lived, and from the ones who fought hard on earth and now live in heaven. I learn from the parents, and I learn from the kids.

The girls listened VERY well and had some good questions for us. It was a very special morning, and I left feeling inspired, and ready to go back to work (okay, not REALLY, I came home and took a nap, but refreshed and ready to make a difference when I go back on Sunday).
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My dad's "passion" is coaching. He'd probably say junior high girls are his specialty (but NOT in a "creepy" way!!). He currently coaches two 8th grade girls basketball teams at my former grade school. One is the "A" team and they are "okay", the other is a "B" team and he believes they are the worst team he has every coached, talent-wise. However, he has a way about him that the girls WANT to try hard (which, if you know 12-14-year-old girls, listening to adults is not their forte!). His girls ALWAYS have fun. Fortuntately, most of the parents are okay with that, and don't worry QUITE as much about winning! I get to go and be the scorekeeper on days I am off, which is fun. In the summers, he coaches slow pitch softball, and I get to coach a base when I'm off :o) Hanging out with dad--good times!

So, I'm off to an 8th grade girls basketball game. What a social life I have (I'm SURE it will get even better if I have kids!). Tomorrow, though, I get to go to a movie premier and am excited about that!

Again, I LOVE BEING A NURSE (I'll have to create a link so I remember this when I'm having one of "those days"!).

11:35 PM Edited to add: Dad's team won 45-30 and played really well :o) Mom decided that she REALLY needed to talk some things out and spent nearly 2 hours discussing some of HER "issues". I actually think I did a good job of just listening and didn't add any comments about MY "issues". Gotta love parent time...I know I do anyway! Good night.

Create your own therapy

I have nothing against therapy and medication if it is necessary. I do not think that it is necessary for me, so am doing what I can to "fix myself". Obviously, my methods are not always successful at preventing "major issues", but I'm trying!

So, I got up this morning (earlier than I have been...rolled out of bed by 9:15!) and worked out at Curves . I made an appointment to get my carpets cleaned on Wednesday, something I have been wanting to get done for over a year. I took a LONG, relaxing bath while listening to my favorite music with a candle burning (Christmas Cookie scented in honor of a special acquaintance). Seeing as it was a BALMY 40 degrees here in the middle of winter, I decided to sit outside for a while. I sat on my front steps for about an hour. I only wrote three "Christmas Cards", but that's better than none, I guess! I couldn't do much else outside since it was pretty wet and there is still some snow on the ground, so I just sat and soaked in the sunshine, and all the benefits of light (just in case "winter blues" was part of my problem!). I took a walk to the Post Office and grocery store. I started clearing out the rooms that will have the carpets cleaned, but have a lot more of that to do tomorrow. It was a GREAT relaxing day!

This evening, I went with my dad to watch one of his basketball teams play. He is coaching two 8th grade girls teams and neither of them is very good. I keep score whenever I can attend the games. Tonight, his "better" team agreed to play a team in the higher division for "fun". Luckily, the other coach was nice and took it easy on my dad's team. The score was 0-22 at halftime, but they could have had at least 50 points! His team DID do some good things, and had fun, so he was happy and it was good for a laugh.

Finally, one of my FAVORITE shows came back tonight!! I'm SO excited for the new season of Medium ! That, along with the new seasons of The Biggest Loser and The Apprentice, I'm going to have to start working out while I watch TV or I'm going to GAIN weight in the new year rather than lose some!

Overall, I'm happy with the way the past two days have gone. I'm hoping that I'm over the "hump" and don't experience anything like last week for a LONG time! My hormones can be a little crazy, so I'm sure to have some issues at times, but I can't believe it came to that. Anyway, I think I'm "on the mend"--yay!