Off line

I will write more later, but just in case any of "my readers" (ha ha all two or three of you!) are wondering where I have been, I decided I should leave a little note. Some crazy weather came through here on Friday and it has knocked out electricity and cable to my house. I have taken quite a few pictures and will give more details when I am back "online". Luckily, my home, and the homes of my family members were not damaged, but there are many people in the area whose homes have been destroyed or very severely damaged. There are many people without power more than 48 hours after the storm. Thankfully, the temperature has been very tolerable, so I haven't had to miss my a/c as much as other technologies like my hair dryer, refrigerator, computer...all SORTS of things you hardly think about, but definitely miss when they are gone.

I have some work to do at home...and should try and get there before it gets too dark! Good night.

Party Time

I got the important parts of my house cleaned in time for the party (I don't think anyone actually used the bathrooms, but now they are clean for me!). I shoved all the papers into boxes in the office. Maybe I will sort through them tomorrow. Now that they are out of the living room, I can bring in bits and pieces at a time to sort, organize, toss, etc. That could be a good plan...now, if that actually HAPPENS is another story!

Quite a few more people came than I anticipated, which was great! My living room was full, and if anyone else had come we would have been sitting on the floor. That would have been fine, I'm sure, but this way worked out very well. I told everyone they did NOT have to buy anything, but they did anyway. I will get over $200 in free jewelry for my party and can pick up to five items for 1/2 price. Amazing! Too bad I don't really wear much jewelry, but maybe I can start!

I think I'm ready for another party :o)

The baby is doing well, so his mom and sisters were able to come to the party.

Yesterday she called and said she "missed me"...I laughed about that,

but am VERY glad she could come!

She and her sisters played in my play room for a while, but

then she decided it was her turn to try on some of the "fancy" jewelry :o)

I suppose I should do the dishes tonight, so it is one less thing to procrastinate about tomorrow! I have class that starts at 8, but there is a 7:30 staff meeting, so I may catch some of that before my class. I may attend a party at someone ELSE'S house tomorrow! Then it's back to work. Good night.

Kind Words

As I have written about in previous posts, I have been taking on more leadership roles at the hospital. I am on a large hospital-wide committee, and am the chairperson for my unit council. I also sit on the leadership team with the director, managers, and other unit leaders. In high school and college, I served in roles like "secretary" and "treasurer", but don't recall ever being the "president". This takes myself out of my comfort zone, so have often shied away from those type of responsibilities. Yesterday, I went to my "hospital committee" and actually was an active participant in the discussion. I mentioned that my director has gone out of her way to help me feel comfortable in my new role. The Chief Nursing Officer was present at the meeting, and told me that this woman is an EXCELLENT leader and takes time to do those kinds of things all the time. She wanted to make sure I passed my thoughts on to her. So, I sent an email to her last night (which is how we do most of our communication). What followed from there was a wonderful email communication of kind words and compliments. Like the quote at the top of my blog says "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~Leo Buscaglia

Here is the "gist" of our email "conversation":
Me: I want to let you know that your name came up during the ____Meeting today... I gave an example of how often you have taken the time to send an email telling me I am doing a good job as Chair and to keep up the good work. This really has meant a lot to me, especially since this is my first time in a leadership role like this since I was in high school! I'm not extremely confident and your kind words have often come when I needed some positive reinforcement. (The CNO) wanted to make sure I have told you how much I appreciate you taking the time to do those little things that make a big difference (she too is impressed by your efforts to connect with staff in ways like this). I try to at least reply with a "thank you", but just in case I have forgotten a time or two, here is a BIG thank you (and not JUST because the CNO told me to!).

Thank you for ALL you do. Your efforts do not go unnoticed, even if you don't always get the thanks you deserve.

Her: WOW! What a wonderful way to start my day! Your words of affirmation are MUCH appreciated, and I thank you for taking the time to share them with me! I think I will save this and read it again when I have a day when I wonder if I am making a difference! Thanks again for your kind and encouraging words.

Me: I am glad that I helped you start your day off well! You do an amazing job of connecting with all the staff and deserve to hear how great you are every once in a while (hopefully you hear it MUCH more often than that!). You are a wonderful role model for a leader.

Her: Thank you again! You have a wonderful future ahead of you as a leader, whether you choose a leadership role that is formal or informal. leadership role!

What a difference we made to each other today, just by "saying" what was in our hearts. I always try to say nice things to people whenever I think them, and enjoy paying people compliments (even if it sounds REALLY corny coming out!). I know first-hand how much of a difference those little things can make! Today's "email conversation" with the director was a GREAT way to recover from the criticism I received on Monday. While it hurts that I don't always feel like I "belong" on my floor, compliments from people who "really matter" means a great deal.

Too bad I can't say the REST of my day was "fabulous". It was pretty hectic and I still get kind of anxious when my patients are not doing that well. It is pretty exhausting to feel powerless when my "job" is to make the kids feel better. Even though it isn't "my" kid, my heart just aches when it seems I am failing them because nothing I do is helping (gosh, I wonder what their moms feel like!). There were a lot of things going on, and I guess all I can do is my best...and hope the next nurse can take over where I left off (24 hour job, right?!).

Well, this is way longer, but also WAY less enlightening that I originally planned. In a nutshell, today had some special moments, but also a couple I'd like to forget (but probably won't be able to since I tend to dwell on mistakes and coulda/woulda/shouldas). It's late and I need to get a good night's sleep. Party at my house tomorrow night...cleaning party at my house tomorrow during the day! Good night.

Plucking Along

I managed to do a few "housekeeping" things today, but I am not NEARLY ready for house guests! Fortunately (sort of), the only "confirmed" guests are relatives. That isn't very good for the person trying to sell her jewelry, and also not so good for my motivation to make my house look really nice. At least I don't have to do very much food preparation. I am keeping it simple considering I'm not sure how many to expect. That means I will have most of Thursday to clean the important areas (my office aka "junk room" is a lost cause for Thursday, but at least everywhere else will be better by then!).

This morning I did go to Curves. Then I went and visited with a friend I haven't seen or talked to in a long time. We had a really nice visit, and she did pick out a couple pieces of jewelry from the catalog since she cannot come to the party. She used to work at my hospital, but REALLY likes her new job and looks very happy. I'm happy for her too :o)

I had a meeting at the hospital which went well. It POURED down rain for quite a while...long enough to cancel my softball game. That allowed me to have dinner with a friend, run an errand, and gave me time to do some things around the house. So, it worked out well even though I was looking forward to playing one of the two teams we beat!

Back to work tomorrow. Hopefully it isn't another "pick on me" day! Actually, the events of yesterday are pretty funny now, but it WAS quite annoying and a little frustruating when it was happening!

I believe that's it...kind of a boring day, but semi-productive I guess. I suppose I should catch some zzz's :o) Good night!

Seriously!

So, I "signed up" to do the bonus incentive program thing, but there isn't really a way to know if I will get any or all of the shifts I picked. In order to get the entire $1000 bonus, I have to work four, but it will be prorated if I am not needed on those days (and I suppose I could try and pick a different day in that week). Either way, I guess I am "signed up", so it SEEMS like I should get a $250 even if only one of the days ends up working out. Works for me! The managers and director are meeting on Wednesday to try and work out kinks before any issues arise as to how staffing is done on those days.

Of course, I write "works for me", but today was quite an interesting day. If every day was like today, I'm not sure if I'd be eager to pick up extra shifts! Actually, it wasn't BAD, and really is a little "puzzling" in a sense. For some reason, a nurse I usually like, was carping me all day over something that was REALLY stupid. She kept finding ways to patronize me and it was VERY irritating, especially since I had pretty busy/"needy" patients. I think having a student with me helped me react in an okay way. Somehow the nurse even was able to get someone else to make jabs at me over the same stupid issue. (Seriously, it was about a "warm pack" a patient was using for a sore back...seriously, seriously...) I'm not 100% sure I handled myself in the most appropriate way with the family in terms of not pointing fingers at the people making mountains out of a molehill (or something smaller than a molehill!). I remember the voice of my manager a few months ago when she told me "you need to watch how you talk to people". It was one of those stupid issues that someone could turn into this big huge ordeal. So, it freaks me out a bit that this conversation could come back to bite me in the rear, but I am semi-confident that the parents won't discuss the issues of today with anyone.

Then, my student felt like one of the other nurses on our side yelled at her for no particular reason. The other nurse is just really frustruating to be around. So, needless to say, my student and I spent the majority of the day visiting with our patients and families more than our "co-workers". I told her she didn't get put with one of the "cool nurses" and that sometimes I don't socialize with the people I work with. (I eat lunch alone quite often actually.) I think she may have been even more upset about the way others were treating me than I was! I probably would have taken it more personally had I been alone! On my way to my dad's softball game after I left work, I called my "favorite" charge nurse and vented to her about the day. She told me what I needed to hear :o)

I missed sending in a runner from third base during my dad's third game which nearly cost us the game. I'm SO glad I was able to squeeze in a run later to secure our victory :O) My team plays tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

Well, I'm very tired! I had some "emotionally needy" patients today. Of course, I think ALL my patients could drain me emotionally if I let them! All of them were dealing with stressful situations. They need to talk and vent as much/more than I do. I'm more than willing to do that, and it is a part of my job that I like. However, that does take a bit more energy, and is probably why I hesitated to pick up four extra shifts in a month. Recovering from a day like today could take an entire day!

Also, it's nearly midnight and I've been up since six...I suppose that in itself could make me tired! I have a TON of stuff that needs to be done tomorrow, I better get rested up! Night!

Maybe it will work

I decided that I would at least put my name into the running of getting the incentive for working bonus shifts in the PICU. My family all thought I was crazy for giving it a second thought. Of course, I could be extremely tired and crabby for a month, but it could leave me with enough money to pay for my windows, which would make me less anxious and stressed out financially. So, what could be a rough month would JUST be a month and create some positives in the interim as well as after it is all done. The only problem is that the days I am available is quite limited. I already have other plans on most of my days off that cannot be changed. So, I have emails in to the director and both managers. Hopefully I will get some answers tomorrow.

I finally was able to go to Mass on Sunday and sing in the choir. Since I haven't been there in SO long, I just let the crazy choir lady sit in "my" chair...not sure I could try and claim it as mine after two months or so! It was nice to be there, although I did find out that one of my "favorite old ladies" died last week. When I was in grade school, my best friend and I talked about "favorite old ladies" who went to daily Mass. I don't remember who hers was, but I remembered those days whenever I saw this woman. She was an elegant woman (and obviously was a LOT older "old lady" fifteen to twenty years later!) and I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to attend her visitation or funeral. I should share that story with her children...although it would have been nice for me to share it with her, I'm sure they would appreciate it!

My mom, sister, and I went on a marathon shopping trip. I thought we were just going to one store (the store that was "my idea"). I didn't realize that we were then going to go to the mall as well. After three hours my feet couldn't take it any more and I had to sit while they finished shopping! (I think that means I DEFINITELY need to make a point to see the orthotics people for my feet some time soon!)

Tonight we had "family dinner" (tuna casserole!) and then I sat outside with my parents while we listened to a baseball game. I did three of my peer evaluations for work (two evaluations to go!).

Back to work tomorrow. I suppose I shouldn't get my hopes up about getting that bonus money, but I think it would be nice! I guess I'll find out tomorrow! Good night.

Just Because

Just because I haven't skipped a day of journaling/blogging in a long time, I am going to post. However, I'm VERY tired and should have gone to bed an hour ago (or more!). Work was good. There is an opportunity out there to get a $1000 bonus for working a certain number of extra shifts in the PICU. Sounds too good to pass up, but I'm not sure how it would work, since I have a lot of things going on this summer...I need to seriously think about the money, but also about my sanity. If it was on my floor I would do it in a heartbeat, but I'm not so sure about the PICU. I just emailed a bunch of questions to the Director and my Manager. Hopefully their answers, as well as some prayers, help me come to a decision quickly.

I was going to go out with some friends tonight, but we all ended up being too tired (again, that was over an hour ago and I'm STILL not in bed!). It's calling my name, so good night :o)

Ha Ha!! After I posted this, I looked at my "Quote of the Day"...it is--"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." ~William Penn--Isn't that the truth?! It is for me at least! Good night!

Moving On

So, I REALLY need to go to bed since I work tomorrow and it has been a long day, so this will be a "mostly pictures" entry. Today was the last day for one of our transplant fellows. I was happy to attend her party after I got off work. I am SO sad that she is leaving!! Somehow I managed to hold back the tears, but it definitely was hard for me! She is SO sweet and SUCH a great person AND surgeon. She ALWAYS made a point to talk to me whenever she came to the floor. She was always VERY respectful to the nursing staff, which is always appreciated. She listened whenever we voiced concerns or had different ideas about "the plan". Even when you KNEW she was exhausted from days of not sleeping she had a smile on her face, or at least you could sense the inner smile :o) While I am SO happy for her to be done with her fellowship, and her opportunity to be a staff surgeon at another facility, I am going to miss having her around. I thought about erasing some of these "not-so-good" photos (especially the one that I do not know the other people who decided to be in our photo!), but decided that was the "moment". I wish I had pulled my shirt down a little bit so the "rolls" aren't as evident, but I didn't want to take her away from the party for too long. I'm definitely glad it worked out for me to attend the party. I enjoyed talking to some of the other members of the transplant team while I was there. None of the surgeons could come since they were in the process of completing the fourth pediatric transplant in two days, in addition to however many adult transplants. It's a bit crazy around here in the transplant world!

Me with one of my "A-team" members on the transplant team.
I just love her :o) We were able to visit at the party, and that's probably
why I stayed so long. Still not a very good picture of me...I REALLY need
to do some working out (and diet watching!).

Good night!

For a Good Cause

That's what I have had to remind myself all day long. I think it is working, but I'm still planning to head to bed early. (However, my ONE goal for the day was to get all my laundry put away...haven't started doing that, so guess I need to stay awake long enough to accomplish my goal!)

I REALLY wanted to stay in bed today, but had an appointment to do apheresis at the hospital. This is my fourth time to donate my stem cells/white blood cells for research. My mom has done it about that many times as well. I have heard different stories about what they are doing with the cells, but the researchers are trying to make a vaccine for cancer (I have heard breast and also prostate, but either one is great). I'm not really into politics or getting into debates, but do not agree with embryonic stem cell research. So, when the opportunity came to assist researchers who are using non-embryonic stem cells, I felt it was something I should do. I am a person who doesn't like to complain about something without going to the source or trying to figure out how to deal with the issue. Therefore, it did not seem "right" for me to say that embryos should not be used for research but not help with obtaining alternate cells.

The process requires me to sit without use of either arm for nearly four hours. While I was able to rest a little bit, I had to help keep the blood flow going by squeezing my hand every 3-4 seconds. Last time I had to go to the bathroom halfway through, so that was not fun at all. This time my "issue" was nausea, some tingling in my mouth and hands, and muscle cramps in my arms. I did pretty well until the last hour and that's when I got really restless. I was able to finish the process, but all I wanted to do was come home and sleep.

And so that is what I did. I slept for almost 2 1/2 hours and felt quite a bit better when I woke up. I'm still not feeling "great", but I will be fine, especially since it was for a good cause. (The last couple times I donated, there were adults with cancer having their stem cells collected prior to chemo...I'm sure their experience is a LOT worse than mine, considering they probably already feel pretty icky before going through this process...plus I think they have to do it a number of days in a row...counting my blessings for sure!).

I had my friend and her girls over for dinner. The baby has been off the ventilator so they have been able to hold him. He is still in the PICU, but doing okay. The girls had a fun time playing in my basement, and I got to play a couple games of UNO. Her girls are VERY sweet, so hopefully we will be able to hang out again.

Me and my friend :o)

Okay, time to put away the laundry and go to bed! Good night!

A Little Intense

Well, I had the opportunity to stay home today and BOY was I tempted! However, today I had a new student starting with me. She will work with me for about six weeks, and I didn't think that would be quite fair to have her try and find someone else on her first day!

"Bad" sign number one...three patients went to the surgery/PICU between 6 and 7 AM...not a good way to end the shift, or a great way to start one. Then, we started off the day with one patient, which is never really a good thing since that means admission #1 (and maybe #3 or 4 or 5) came to me. Luckily our one patient was very self-sufficient because she was "neglected" for much of the 3 1/2 hours our first admission was on the floor. He ended up getting a temperature close to 105 degrees with a heart rate over 200 and we no longer could get a blood pressure with the machine...to the PICU he went. That was a pretty intense couple of hours, but there was a LOT of teamwork going on which was AWESOME! :o)

So, that left me with one patient yet again. I ate lunch and got ready for "round two". My next admission was getting admitted for transplant. This usually involves a mad rush to get all the labs and tests done, sometimes with the patient going to surgery very quickly. So, another intense hour or so trying to make sure everything was done in a timely manner. Of course, this happen to coincide with the time I needed to do some important things with my other patient (the one "nurse thing" I had to do with her all day and I was LATE...I was SO annoyed!). To make matters worse, I was slowed down by a nurse who decided she needed to learn about the process of admitting a child pre-transplant...NOT when I'm on a time crunch please!... Learning is very good, but there is a time and place for that, and this was not a good time! In the end, everything that needed to get done got done, but it was a little stressful at times.

Did I mention that today was the first day my student was working with me?! Yeah, didn't some crazy stuff happen the LAST time a student started working with me?! I did quite a bit of delegating, but she definitely had a lot of GREAT learning experiences! (It isn't every day--thank goodness--that a patient gets septic with all the "classic signs" of sepsis, you get to watch a femoral line get placed "emergently", you admit a patient for transplant, OR administering a med that requires every thirty minute blood pressure monitoring...and ALL of these things happened TODAY!!).

Now I am wondering how I can still be awake since it is almost 11:00! My mom came over when I got off and helped me move some branches to the curb (they are making a special pick-up because of the recent storms). I talked to my sister and brother-in-law since he has had a couple "lightheaded"/dizzy episodes this week and they were looking for some "nursing" advice. Then, I talked to my friend who works in the foster care department at the agency I am hoping to complete my licensing through. I ran into her today when she was visiting a patient, but we didn't have time to talk. So, we ended up talking for 30 minutes this evening. It sounds like the woman who does home studies has been really busy doing other things. That works for me since I haven't quite been ready to do that, but some days I feel more ready than others. I still wish my parents were "on board", but I guess it COULD be possible to do it without them, it would just be better with their help and support.

Tomorrow morning I am doing a stem cell donation for research. That involves sitting in one place without use of either arm for over 4 hours...I'm not really excited about it, but hopefully it goes well! Good night!

Nice Day

I guess that is a fitting title...sometimes I have a hard time with the title (okay, a LOT of times I have a hard time with the title...probably at least partially since I don't always know what I will type!).

Today was "nice". I got to sleep in, but made it to Curves to work out. I did get "weighed and measured" and was not happy with the results, but not at ALL surprised (since I started working out there in November of 2003 I have gained 7.5 pounds and gained 7.5 inches...I don't think they will put me in any of their advertisements!). I suppose if you don't go to the work out place regularly and don't eat a very healthy diet, then you do not lose weight or inches!! Go figure! Of course, there have been times that I have been "smaller" than I am now and at least I have a starting place to go from (you aren't supposed to carry your "winter weight" and add a few pounds for the summer!). Anyway, enough about that...however, it was EXTRA good that I went to Curves today...

because when I was leaving, I looked across the parking lot at the Goodwill (we usually look out the window occasionally while working out to see if anyone brings any cool things there). I noticed a car that looked like my aunt's...and a person who kind of looked like my aunt...wait a second, it IS my aunt!! She said that she had never been to that Goodwill, and would not have been there at that time or in that area of town were in not for certain errands/delays. As my mom would say, it was "serendipity"! My aunt figured she was "meant" to run into me (she lives about 20 miles from where we found each other!), so she took me out for brunch. That was fun! They are working on their basement and were meeting with the City Council tonight about the flooding that occurred last week at their home. I need to set aside time during one of my days off to go help.

I got my lawn mowed and watered my flowers. I attended the visitation for my former classmate's dad this afternoon. He passed away on Sunday morning. I visited with her for a while and met her husband. They live in Washington DC, but she has been here for a couple weeks and will stay until the weekend. I'm not sure if we will be able to get together again before she leaves, but it was nice to "reconnect" while she was in town (even though it was not for a very happy reason, except for the fact that her father is now in Heaven). One of our other classmates arrived at the visitation while I was there. Her father passed away a couple years ago, so they shared some tears. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to my dad...hopefully I won't have to think about that for a LONG LONG LONG time!

My softball team lost our fourth game in a row. It was still fun except the other team was pretty annoying.

I didn't do anything around my house (I'm actually not sure WHAT I was doing during those hours of "down time"!). I have a LARGE mess to deal with before my party which is in nine days!

Back to work tomorrow. I have a new student starting with me. Hopefully we have a good day. Good night!

At the Ballpark

This afternoon, I went to a baseball game with a couple of my friends. It was a pretty exciting game (although I did nearly fall asleep at one point since I was missing my nap time!). I did take a short nap before heading to the softball field. My dad coaches two teams, and tonight one of them had a double-header. So, I watched baseball from 1-5 and softball from 6:30-10. I took a "power nap" in between. That's a LOT of being outside so I'm sure I will have no trouble sleeping tonight (unless my body doesn't want to sleep after all the unhealthy food I put into it today...only one thing I ate today could be considered part of a "meal"...everything else was large amounts of snack food). Actually, all three of "my" teams lost, so I guess that means I went 0-4 in cheering/coaching. Oh well, I know the girls had fun :o)

I am having a party at my house in 10 days and the invitations have not been sent. SO, I'd better spend a few minutes before I go to bed and address them. Then I can mail them tomorrow...and should start doing some cleaning and menu planning!

Good night.

Father's Day

I wish I wasn't so tired, because I should/could really write a nice little tribute to my dad on Father's Day. I have journalled many times about the activities I do with my dad. I love going to help him coach, having him coach me, going to the horse races, watching baseball together, sitting on the back porch having a drink, attending sporting events, movies, church...my dad and I have a GREAT time together. While I can't REALLY compare my father to the "icon" that is/was Tim Russert, he is definitely a staple in junior high athletics here. Pretty much anyone who attended a Catholic school in this city during the past fifteen or so years has seen, heard about, or knows my dad. This first picture is him at a restaurant for my brother-in-law's birthday. He was teasing the waiter and tried to "toss" his dirty plate across the table. The young waiter didn't catch the plate (oops), so my dad decided to find a broom and clean it himself. He enjoyed being the center of attention (he always does!).

Who else would decided to bleach his hair blond for his daughter's wedding in order to be the "blond bond". The next photo is him dancing with "my hot mama" at my sister's wedding. How wonderful it is that my parents love each other so much. The LOVE hanging out together and I think that is SO neat!! Yep, that's my dad...he definitely encouraged the "second looks" during those few months when his "signature" black hair was traded for the platinum look. (Most people agree that he looks MUCH better now that it is back to being black...even if it is a little "salt-and-pepper"!) He loves to dance and have a great time. My dad is rarely serious. (I think my mom will be happy that I kept her face off this blog entry!)

My dad thinks he started the Hawaiian shirt trend. He has WAY more pairs of shoes than I do, in every color of the rainbow. He has a closet full of sport jackets from the Goodwill. Today I asked him how many baseball caps he has. He told me he has never counted, but he thought "over 200". Whenever someone finds out that "he" is MY dad, they usually say "I LOVE him!", or something else to that effect. He makes an impression on everyone he meets, and I'm SO proud to be able to say that he is MY dad (and my sister's too!!).

The last photo is my dad and sister from Easter. For some reason there isn't one of me and him, but this works :o) I think we are BOTH happy to be playing softball together this year again with him as our coach.

Tonight after work, my mom made hamburger patties and my dad grilled them. After she and I ate, we sat outside. He had a cocktail, we had wine, and we fought off the mosquitos and June bugs (and other random annoying bugs), but had a nice visit.

One of the girls who came to my reunion has a dad in hospice. At least four other girls in my class have lost their fathers. While I am sure some how you have to continue on, I'm not sure how I would. My dad is SO important to me, and I depend on him for SO much. (My sister and I have already had "the talk" with our parents that they have to live forever because we couldn't survive without them!) Happy Father's Day dad (even though you don't read my blog because I've never give you the link!). I'm so blessed that God gave you to me (and me to you...)!

SO fun!

Tonight was the first of two outings planned for my 10-year High School Reunion. There were 64 girls in my graduating class. One of the girls passed away nearly 6 years ago. If I counted correctly, there were 24 of us there for dinner/drinks and then 12 of us went on to a bar nearby. I had a GREAT time, and I think everyone else did too. We were all surprised that people chose not to come...pretty silly, we all thought! We are all 10 years older and are now "grown ups" instead of "teenagers". Of course, after we did some "mingling" we ended up kind of in the same "tables" we sat at during high school, but that didn't last for very long. We had quite the "cross-section" of 12 girls at the "after party"...girls from many different "groups" gathered together to laugh and have a good time. It didn't matter that I never talked to one of the girls during high school because tonight we had a very nice visit for nearly 1o minutes. Does that mean we are now "best friends"?! Probably not, but it was great. I feel sorry for those who chose not to experience this (obviously, some people couldn't come because they live too far away, but there were quite a few people who live here who basically decided they weren't going to come to a 10-year reunion).

I'm very excited about tomorrow night (except for the singing part at Mass because that could be a disaster!). Tomorrow morning, I am meeting friends for breakfast (actually, we are meeting eight hours from now, so I better get to thinking about going to bed!). That should be fun as well.

On a different note, I have been watching coverage on MSNBC about the sudden death of Tim Russert. It is really sad, especially seeing how much his death has affected all these people in the media and politics. It sounds like he was a TERRIFIC man who had tremendous faith and dedicated to his family and friends.

Laurie, I'm glad my slide show made you feel special. I think that's one of my jobs in life :o) Thanks for the compliments! I'm pretty proud of it too. I'm not so sure about that red chair...it's actually kind of maroon...it was an outcast at a garage sale and is not in perfect condition. I believe my sister and brother-in-law will be getting rid of some green recliners...maybe I will take one or two of them! I need to go back to Target tomorrow and buy some more "bins". They aren't cheap, but I think they look nice in there.

Okay, off to bed! Good night!

This One's For...

Laurie in CA... While the "Play Room Project" remains a "work in progress", it looks pretty darn good today, so I decided to make a slide show. Of course, I SHOULD have/COULD have been working on my high school stuff, but that is pretty much a lost cause. The first couple photos are the basement when it was mostly my sister's "space". The red rocker is a bit out of place color-wise, but I got it for $5 at a garage sale nearly 5 years ago, so I guess it will be first to go when I'm ready make things match :o) The black pillows are "hiding" my wireless hook-up. Enjoy :o)

Bit by Bit

I left the TV on all night listening to the coverage of the storms. So, my sleep was kind of crazy (I'm pretty sure I dreamt about the stuff they were talking about on TV). However, after waking up multiple times through the night, somehow I slept until nearly 11...oops, didn't mean to do that! I moved VERY slowly this morning, and didn't accomplish nearly as much as I needed/wanted to. I put a second coat of paint on a shelf for the play room, so hopefully that is enough coats and I can put it in there tomorrow, and then put the "bins" I bought on the shelves. I bought an "activity table" to go with the two little chairs I bought at a garage sale. Laurie, I PROMISE one of these days I will get that finished and make a slide show of the "play room project"!

I am going to have a "jewelry party" at my house two weeks from today. That will be a good incentive to get things organized! Unfortunately, the girl came late dropping off the invitations, so I didn't get to go work out this afternoon. Oh well, it isn't like I'd be able to lose any weight before tomorrow anyway...

This weekend is my 10-year High School Reunion. I am SO excited, although quite annoyed at myself for not having made some kind of scrapbook (ten years apparently was NOT enough time to do that!). I spent quite a bit of time searching my parent's house trying to even FIND where my stuff is. I found a few things, but not exactly what I wanted (I had these two binders that had probably had EVERY SINGLE program or Mass we had those four years. I also had our final newspaper that had what we thought we would be doing in 10 years...I SO wanted to find that paper!). Tomorrow night we are having "Girls Night" at a Mexican restaurant. That isn't until 6:30, so I suppose I can see what I can put together as far as "high school memorabilia" goes. I think my mom "cropped" all the photos and they are in envelopes. I don't really want to mess up that system, but it would be nice to have something to bring with me (especially since I think I WAS the one who took the most pictures during high school!).

I did find a note I gave to all of the girls in my class at our Senior Retreat. Our class motto was "Always shoot for the moon, for even if we miss, we'll still land among the stars". I included this poem that I don't really remember having, but it seems very appropriate for what has been going on with me.

THE SECRET OF LIVING
Make each day a magnificent adventure,
Accept the challenges that come your way,
Seize each opportunity that you find,
Without concern for what others might say.

Experience each day with open arms,
Savoring both victory and strife,
Welcoming the good and bad together,
For only then will you know the joy of life.

I just remembered that I have clothes in the wash from earlier. I need one of the shirts for tomorrow, so probably should take care of that! It's almost 11:30 anyway, so good night!

Long Day

I am SO glad that I do not have to go back to work until Sunday because today was a "doozy"!!

There were just two nurses in my area and the other one is probably the person I like the least of everyone who works on my floor. I don't think she is too crazy about me either. I usually try not to work with her, or at least make sure there is another nurse there as a "buffer". So, it was a "quiet day" in terms of any visiting going on because I actually don't think we spoke more than two words to each other all day. That could have made for a VERY long, boring day had I not been SUPER busy with my three patients. So it was not hard to stay out of her way.

I did a LOT of extra coordinating today that was probably beyond what I am "supposed" to do. However, it seemed like no one was going to do it, and it was to help the patient and her family, so I did it. That took probably an entire hour of my day from start-to-finish. I spoke pretty bluntly about my efforts to the person whose job it is to "coordinate". She didn't really see this as part of "her" duties, but I managed to draw a nice thank you out of her. My efforts also should "save" someone from another rampage like the one a doctor went on this morning. It wasn't meant to be directed at me (at least I hope it wasn't considering this doctor is my "favorite"...most of the time!), but it was there and if I saved someone else from that, then that is a job worth doing.

One of my patients began to get REALLY sick around 4:30. Of course, I couldn't depend on the other nurse in my area to help me. Luckily, the charge nurse was willing to come help me get the patient stabilized. She was starting to get better and then we went into a tornado warning. By that time we kind of knew what to do to help her, but we had to do it out in the nurse's station after our "evacuation". That tornado warning was in effect until 9:15, so for over 2 hours we had two shifts of nurses there. That was good since we got an initial call for a large number of casualties. They ended up taking the patients to other hospitals since they were more stable than initially thought. So, all of the "day shift" staff were allowed to leave after being there for nearly 15 hours! (Luckily I am not scheduled to work tomorrow!)

The storm is still going strong, so I think I'll be up for a while. Maybe I should do a better "set-up" in my basement in case the warning alarm sounds again (so I won't have to search for my necessary items and maybe will even blow up a mattress so I don't have to sleep on the floor!).

Prayers to everyone who has been affected by all the storms that have been passing through my area of the country. Water, wind, and hail can do SO much destruction and devastate homes and families. My parents are in Vegas right now, and luckily they only had a small amount of water in their basement when I checked it on my way home.

It could be a long night! Good night!

A little of this, a little of that

I did a lot of stuff today, but have to type fast since it is nearly 11:30 and I work tomorrow!

I brought my parents to the airport at 8:30. I then went and worked out for the first time in a couple weeks. I stopped by the movie theater to get a gift card for my brother-in-law's birthday. I painted the first coat of a shelf for my play room. I organized the Barbies and dolls (that took me a lot longer than it should have, but I enjoyed looking at all the stuff I used to play with!). I talked to one of my friends from the hospital I hadn't talked to in a while. She went on a much needed vacation and seems to be doing better. Hopefully we can get together soon. I talked to one of my high school teachers and she is going to invite some of the other teachers to our reunion for me (I didn't help with the planning and no one invited them!). I helped out at a Child Life Beach Party at the hospital for a couple hours which was really fun. I stole one of the patients who is outpatient right now and held her for a long time (I think her mom may have been a little worried I actually was going to steal her!). My softball team played the same team we played last week. Last week we lost 0-20 after the "mercy rule" went into effect after 30 minutes. Today we played the entire 60 minutes and lost 12-13, so MUCH better and MUCH more fun!

Okay, so I was productive, but I had a LOT of other ideas of what I should have gotten accomplished today. I have Thursday and Friday off, so will work on the rest of my house then, but for now the basement looks pretty darn good!

Back to work tomorrow...I hope I can get my patients back from yesterday. I'll have to get there early! Good night!

It Worked!

I received that 5:15 AM phone call asking if I wanted to stay home. I had prepared myself for that phone call and had made a decision...or so I thought! I decided that if I could pick my two patients, including the girl I had the past two days, then more likely than not I would have a good day at work and it would be worth getting out of bed and going. Unfortunatly, my decision became tougher after I woke up at 4:30 feeling the yuck in my stomach again and realizing that it was too late to call in sick. At that point, there wasn't much I could do...too late to call in sick, but did I REALLY want to take the chance of having to go to work later in the day and not get "my girl"?! By 5:15 I had gotten some more sleep and was feeling better, so I "took a chance". And, it worked!!

The charge nurse gave me "first dibbs" on deciding if I wanted the first admission or not. It sounded like an "easy" one so I jumped at that, especially knowing I would have most of the shift to catch up/put out any unexpected fires (of course, sometimes that ends up not being reality, but it this case it was!). I didn't have to fight any fires and overall it was a good day. While this one patient's situation makes me sad, her attitude about things makes me wish she would have been around last week! However, I probably wouldn't have appreciated it last week, so the timing was perfect.

I planned to go on a walk with my mom (I NEED to do some exercising this week...not ONLY because my 10-year high school reunion is this week but because I feel like a moose or a whale or an elephant or some other equally large animal!). However, that is when it decided to storm again. It was a short storm, but we would have gotten caught in it if we had walked. My dad made steak and hamburger for dinner...nothing else, just beef...I'm sure THAT is a great way to start a healthy eating plan! Good thing I'm not really planning that!

They are leaving for Las Vegas in the morning. I'm driving them to the airport. I wish I was going with them. However, I don't really like talking to them about Vegas because it brings back memories of hurt feelings. Last summer, my parents went there with my sister and her then fiance. I was told I could not go with them, so it hurts whenever they talk about that trip. I LOVE hanging out with my dad and would have a TON of fun with him in Vegas. My mom would be fun too. So, I love Vegas, but then I don't. Well, nothing like putting a damper on a nice day!

It's late and I should go to bed. My friend is back in town with her girls, but I have not spoken with her. I will close with a photo of us before she left. Now she has a car and four kids here, so I'm sure things will be different, but probably a really fun different :o) Hopefully her little boy gets better soon so we can ALL "hang out"! Good night. (okay, just kidding...I haven't uploaded those photos yet!). Instead, here is a photo of my sister and me at dinner on Friday. She is SO expressive and I look like a huge nerd...I wish I could make silly faces like that and still look cool!

Yep, that's my sister!

Blah

Just realized yesterday was my 250th post...I missed it, but WOW! That's a lot of "writing about nothing"!!

Last night's storm turned into a tornado. So, after tossing and turning to finally fall asleep, I was awakened to sirens at 2:30 AM. For some reason, only one of the news stations was doing live coverage of the storm. I was VERY tempted to stay in bed considering I had to work this morning. However, the fact that a VERY large tree hovers over my bedroom, I decided I didn't want to chance being "that girl"...you know, the one who gets hit by a tree while sleeping in her bedroom while the alarms for a tornado are going off. So, I grabbed a flashlight, a radio, two pillows, and a blanket and headed down to the basement. Since the "play room" does not have a couch, I camped out on the floor for an hour or so. Then I went back to bed for a couple hours before I had to get up for work.

My stomach has been kind of "queasy" or "achy" or something crazy, so I feel pretty "blah". My neck and back that had STARTED to get better is back to hurting. Sleeping on the floor did NOTHING to help that, even if it was for a short time. I just did not feel well, so nearly jumped at the chance to go home early from work (8 patients, 5 nurses...someone had to leave!). My only stipulation was that I'd get my one patient back tomorrow (I had her yesterday and today...I sent home four patients in two days). She is SO sweet! Of course I HAVE to get "tuned in" to the emotional side of my patients. Sometimes I wish it weren't that way, but guess that must be the way God made me! This patient is a young teenager who is dealing with her first hospitalization without her mom who passed away suddenly a couple months ago. Today she made reference to her mom a couple times, so I KNOW she is missing her. I talk to my mom pretty much every day and would want her there if I were ever in the hospital. This girl is SO strong and it is so amazing to me.

So, I got home around 3:00 and finished watching my movie. I fell asleep around 5 and was to have dinner with my family at 6, but didn't wake up until almost 7...oops! I still feel kind of "blah", but did eat dinner and a cupcake :o) Hopefully I won't have any trouble falling asleep since I took such a late nap.

I hope I get out of this "funk" soon. I think my friend with the baby picked a good week to be gone, because I would not have been very good for her. She will be back tomorrow with her girls.

Well, this crabby girl needs to go to bed. Sleep can do wonderful things, right?! :o) Good night!