Welcome to the Family!

Welcome to my sorority great-grand littles!!

(Wow! how old do I sound?)

The "unveiling" ceremony
(My grand littles/great-grand littles/great-niece/great-great-nieces are on the left ;-)


And there they are; revealed at last!!


My whole family, top to bottom!

(Just waiting on my sister to rejoin us from France!)

But, as much as I love my new family additions, there is still only one little for me!
:-)

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it

I heard what I heard and I can't go back

I know what I know and I can't deny it Something on the road, cut me to the soul

Your pain has changed me

your dream inspires

your face a memory

your hope a fire

your courage asks me what I'm afraid of

and what I know of love

we've done what we've done and we can't erase it

we are what we are and it's more than enough

We have what we have but it's no substitution

Something on the road, touched my very soul

Your pain has changed me
your dream inspires
your face a memory
your hope a fire

your courage asks me what I am made of
and what I know of love

I say what I say with no hesitation

I have what I have and I'm giving it up

do what I do with deep conviction

Something on the road, changed my world

Your pain has changed me
your dream inspires
your face a memory
your hope a fire

your courage asks me what I'm afraid of

your courage asks me what I am made of

your courage asks me what I'm afraid of
and what I know of love

And what I know of Him

"I Saw What I Saw" by Sara Groves

Fill in the blank

I want to go and tell, but I'm coming to find that ________________________

it will be harder than I thought to leave what's familiar.

it will be harder on my family here than I thought.

it will be harder on my family over there than I thought....wait...will I even have a family over there?

financial issues are not so easily resolved.

I don't know what will happen to my nursing license; will it be valid overseas, will it be valid when I return, will I lose my skills needed to work in an American hospital?

health concerns are really an ongoing thing.

people I thought would understand just don't.

people I didn't think would understand won't even hear me out.

I'm not nearly as prepared as I thought I was.

I don't know if I have the strength.

I want to go and tell, but I'm coming to find that ________________________

I don't know how not to.

10 Things I Have Learned Recently...

(**this, of course, does not include the often boring to others, but extremely interesting to me nursing stuff I learn in class/clinicals)

1. Laughing cow spreadable cheese is AMAZING!! (which, contrary to my previous belief, is available where I live)

2. I am the only one in clinical who has not learned their computer charting system password and has to carry it around with them in their pocket.

3. The shiny stuff on some decorative paper plates is flammable if put in a microwave.

4. My recent trips to Africa have not only disqualified me from giving blood for the next 3 years, but also bone marrow.

5. When in clinical, looking and listening for people who look like/sound like they are doing something interesting, and then following them, will allow you plenty of cool experiences (as evidenced by my clinical instructor, when asked by a fellow student of mine how she could see more interesting things in the hospital, who responded to her "well, you could always put a bell around her neck to keep tabs on her")

6. Panera is a wonderful place, but lacks an adequate number of outlets for laptop chargers.

7. Yoga is harder than it looks!!

8. House has much more than the occasional medical inaccuracy! (but is still amazing :-)

9. Bridesmaids have to buy their own dresses. (Idk who I thought would, just never really considered it)

10. Peas are a starch. (who knew, right?!)

You Know You're a Nursing Student When...

• You find joy in the little things like eating and lying on a grassy knoll
• You can find anti-bac, gloves, medical tape, clamps, scissors, and a penlight in your backpack faster than you can find a pencil
• You cry in your car/shower, because it would be a waste of time to cry anywhere else ;-)
• You can point out every Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Chick-fil-a, and everywhere else that sells coffee within a 20 mi radius of your school/hospital/clinical site
• You understand what’s going on in House/Grey’s/ER
• Your Christmas list includes things like drug cards, tide stick pens, books, stethoscopes, and new white scrubs
• You diagnose people as they walk by
• You percuss your abdomen in your living room/in class/on the grassy knoll
• You only get to pick out your outfit about 40% of the week, and 30% of the time you just don’t care…
• You slowly make an alternate language known only to the few… the proud... the nursing students...
• You live for call lights and medication passes b/c it makes the day go by faster
• You wash your hands before you go to the bathroom, after, and about 60 other times a day
• You've signed "K. F. SN" (student nurse) on a credit card receipt
• you gauge how busy your day was by how many times you were able to use the bathroom.
• You have to "pack" the night before for all the roles you need to play, outfits you need to wear, tools you need to have, and meals you need to eat the next day.
• You wake up every morning and ask that He would guide you to be comforting when you're exhausted, funny when you're disgusted, understanding when a member of your carpool oversleeps, awake when you need to be, and, of course, not to kill anyone ;-)

"Internet Down..."

Don't you love this screen?

If you're anything like me, you can almost feel your blood begin to boil at first sight of this screen. Well, this morning, guess what popped up?You guessed it! I had wonderful plans of checking mail, sending facebook messages, checking on my online classes, writing e-mails, and reading articles for school on my day off. But, no, a couple hours worth of plans halted with the appearance of one dreadful screen.

It surprised me, as I thought about it, how, not upset, but, well, perturbed I quickly became when my access to the Internet was denied. Long summers in West Africa had, I thought, conditioned me to live with things like this. Finding that the Internet (or power for that matter) was down at the Internet cafe was really not a big deal after a few months overseas. And I even had undergone the 20 min walk in the 100 degree weather to get to there, and it was usually my once weekly trip that had been so suddenly canceled. We shrugged it off, and started the walk back, planning a stop at the fruit stand on the way. Now, how easily that ominous screen can throw off a days plan, school work, businesses, and your good mood while it's at it.

Well, today, my plans were changed, and, you know what? It was a good day! I caught up on some (no where near all mind you) reading for school, cleaned my room (which, believe it or not, is very relaxing for me once I finally get down to it), dug out some clothes/stuff I don't need anymore for charity, washed my dog, spent some awesome time with God! (which would have happened anyway, but I do believe it was a bit longer, seeing as I had nothing to get to after it), and had a very lovely lunch out on the porch.

Obviously, my Internet is back now, and I'm still in need of getting a few things done, but, with a slightly refreshed perspective. So, next time your Internet goes down, think about what God may be giving you a chance to do instead of cyber-spacing it up. Unless of course you have a paper due in 7 hours, then book it to campus, and try not to let your rage cause any speeding on the way ;-)

What's new?

What's new in 2009?

• The hardest semester of nursing school for me means: more time studying, more time reading in preparation to be able to understand what's said in class, more time in clinical (in hospitals now!), more driving to get to the hospitals downtown, new classmates in clinicals
  


• A new workout schedule! Tuesdays: kickboxing Wednesdays: washboard abs Thursdays: spinning Saturdays: recovering with sore muscles!
  
  

New sorority girls! My sorority is rushing again in a week, which means a whole new set of girls! I hope we're prepared, we're up to 60, halfway through our second year and last rush we ended up doubling our numbers!!

• New journeys for friends:

My new friends left wed. for Mozambique! Speak for Todd, Tia, and baby Rya as they begin their new life in Africa.

The Ms I worked with in Senegal are back in the states. Kate and Tim returned from their two year work in West Africa right before Christmas. They are now in North Carolina as Tim attends school and Kate works. Ask for readjustment and jobs for them both and that He would guide their paths for the future.

D & T, who went with me to Africa the first time, remain in Zimbabwe amongst political and economic difficulties. Ask for their health, safety, and work as they make advances among the troubled, disheartened, and often hungry people.

Two good friends of mine are in the process of asking about returning to Senegal for a semester, getting to work among the people I know and love. How great it would be for them to be able to continue work among my family and friends!! Ask for their decisions.

• New directions for Big Brother. He has graduated and is almost a certified paramedic (He'll take the final certification test, and I'm sure do amazing, in the next few weeks.) He'll be able soon to start working as a paramedic instead of an EMT (there's plenty of differences, but basically, paramedics can give drugs and EMTs can't) at his job. He's also taking some classes at the community college "just in case" as he's deciding if he wants to take advantage of the "paramedic to registered nurse program" or not. (not that he would really want to get off the streets to be a nurse; it may open more doors for his career in the future)

Back To The Real World

The lovely and relaxing winter break has come to it's inevitable end :-(

Wraping it up with a trip to the beach (yes, that's what we do here in 78 degree January!) and (my very first) pedicure with Momma (a Christmas gift)

it is back to early mornings, 3 hour classes, 7 hour clinicals, full work days, and tons of studying! Started back to work this week and will begin, what I hear is the hardest, semester of nursing school with pharmacology, pathophysiology, Care of the Adult 1, and Care of the family. I'll be doing clinicals at 3 different hospitals this semester working on general Med-Surg. floors, in labor and delivery, and in pediatrics. It promises to be a filled, stressful, busy, and fulfilling semester!

I'm just not super thrilled about being downtown, ready to go by 6:30 AM!!

;-)