I Celebrate The Day...

"And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever



And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pry for You to save my life


Pry for You to save my life..."

Airboats, Alligators, Bulls, Turkey, Disney, and a Christmas Tree

Airboats

Alligators

Bull riding

Turkey

Disney

and A Christmas Tree

=

A Thanksgiving to remember!!

Pumpkins and Crayons

Pumpkin carving in the garage...

...Scary face, cat in a boot, and silly face...

...a pair of crayons and a geisha...

...coloring cars...

Sounds like a fun weekend to me :-)

Kids...

So, I'm a critical care nurse, right? For kids. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking...

You hear all the time about how resilient kids are, how positive they stay when they're sick or hurt...and it's true. I find that kids are kids, they play, they smile, they laugh, they, more often than not, make the best out of what they're given. But what has been striking me this week especially is the parents.

How in the world do these parents do it? How do they hang out in the same room all day or all week or all month waiting for someone to come tell them what's hurting and possibly killing their child? How do they stand at the foot of the bed while their child stops breathing, relying on some nurse they just met to save them? How do they keep up with the tests and procedures and the scans and the craziness some days put them through? How do they take it?

It's given new meaning to the word "hurting". Physically, emotionally, spiritually. And it's given new depth to the act of caring.


And sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it's exhausting. Sometimes it's invigorating. And sometimes it's heart-wrenching. Sometimes I feel completely lost. Sometimes I wonder if it makes any difference. Sometimes I know it makes all the difference. And I wouldn't trade a minute of it...well maybe one or two...every now and then...

Kids are resilient. Parents can be inspiring. It's all humbling, and it's so totally worth it.

An Official Farewell to Nursing School

So, now that my nursing friends and I are officially graduated and successfully employed, we decided that it was time to officially say goodbye to nursing school. And what better way than to say goodbye to our lovely and very practical *cough cough all white nursing school scrubs.

So we took them on a little ride...

The "before" pictures

Proud to finally be RNs!

Goodbye school scrubs!!

My nursing besties...how would I have made it without these ladies?
:-)

Moved in!

I've finished moving in! Well, mostly. My new place is still missing a few things. Things that will come paycheck to paycheck, but, for the most part, we've settled in and are starting to feel at home.

Bedroom :-)

Also, we had roomie's bridal shower back in her hometown. I got to perform the maid of honor's duty and collect card and make out the thank you list for the gifts.

Other than that, just trying to fall into a routine, with my ever changing schedule, staying thankful every day at my new job that I don't do anything stupid ;-), trying my hand at cooking different things now that there's no one to feed me, and seeking Him as to where this new life is taking me. :-)

New

Sometimes...change terrifies me. Don't get me wrong, I love new things. Love new experiences, new people, excitement and spontaneity of all kinds! But... sometimes life changes, especially the ones that I can't control/can't slow down can cause a, well...the best way to put it is a freak out/break down.

Which is why I have been waiting for myself to freak over the crazy changes in my life lately, but, very much unlike myself, I have been really cool with them. The only reasons I can figure for these things are 1.) I'm choosing/setting the timing for most of these "new" things and 2.) these are some of the things I've been working towards and dreaming about for quite a while (if not most of my life) now.

So what's "new" here?

1. The look
-If you haven't noticed in the previous pictures, I got glasses. Many people have been telling me that they look normal on me and already can't picture me without them. however, I didn't like them at all at first, which is why I never mentioned them. They're growing on me though :-)
-Also, I cut my hair off and got a completely new style. This was a while ago but, like w/the glasses, I hated my hair at first, and chose not to post about it. Again, however, I really like it now :-) Not the best picture, but you can see the changes here:

2. The job
I've mentioned this before too, but the job has created a very different lifestyle for me. Working as a pediatric critical care nurse has been wonderful in the few short weeks since I've started. It's a little different though. I work 3 twelve hour sifts a week...that means 4 days off...so it's been great, but a little weird getting into my ever changing schedule...did I mention that it's never the same 3 days in a week?

3. The move
I'm moving! I've been living at home all through school, and, now that I'm a fully functioning member of society, It's time to get my own place. This hasn't happened just yet, the move is this Friday, but the paper work's signed, the apartment picked, and the roommate chosen! I'm a little sad about this one, leaving my family and not seeing them quite as much, but I know we'll stay close. Still, I'm looking forward to this "new" but exciting change in life. :-)

This is roomie! We're excited about living together! She's an adult nurse at the hospital next to mine and a great friend!

A surprise in the morning

And what may this surprise be, you may ask? See for yourself...



Yes, our own not-so-little friend chilling in the convenient little "pond" he found for himself. Unfortunately, we could not be as welcoming as he would have liked and I did what any logical girl would do...called her daddy to rescue him (note, I say rescue, not squish).

He made several leaps for freedom during the process, but was eventually cornered and set free outside :-)