I hope everyone had a Wonderful Christmas!!

My Christmas was pretty good this year. I had to work Christmas Eve and then went to our family Christmas party at my grandma's house. We didn't stay very long because I was super tired, but it was nice to see my family. We only get together (all of us at once) twice per year, so it is nice to be able to get together. Mom and I spent Christmas at my house. It was just her and I, but it was really good. We were safe and warm, what more could we ask for?

Work has been going okay. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get back into inpatient nursing. It has been a chore and tiring. I guess having to leave 1 hour before my shift doesn't help the tiredness either. I think that I am doing well, though. I would say that I am doing better than I expected. I had expected there to be much more pain involved, but it hasn't been too bad. There are so many things that I have learned and so many things that I know I NEED to learn.

I did get a new Centro, and yes, I got it from Sprint. I was thinking of switching from Sprint, but it would be more cost effective to stay with them for now. Maybe I will switch at some later point, I'm not sure. They do have the best coverage in the area and the fact that I have a tower practically in my back yard helps.

People were talking in orientation that this winter would be worse than the winter of 1978, but the weather here has been kinda weird lately. We have gone from blizzards to where I cannot see to the street to rain, thunderstorms, and flooding this morning. In any event, it doesn't make for good driving! Doing fishtales because the rain freezes in the night is not fun!

I hope that everyone is doing well and had a wonderful and safe Holiday!!

Sprint is D-U-M-B, dumb!

This week was a hard one. On Thursday and Friday, I was back on the floor. I haven't done floor nursing since before my accident. I had forgotten how taxing it is on the body. I got all my codes and stuff and have been trying to remember them as best I can for the new technology that I am not used to. There is a user name/number for everything. I can understand the need, but can't they use ONE for everything? Not only do I have to remember everything about the patient, but try to remember a myriad of codes as well. I'm sure in a week or so, it will be like an old hat, but now, it's work. I'm sure that as the days go by, it will get better, but it just seems so hard right now.

I was so happy for Friday because then I would get three days off. Days to rest...or so I thought. Today (Saturday), I had my phone in my coat pocket, and was putting my coat up and it hit the door jamb. I checked my phone and the screen on my Palm Centro was cracked, which almost renders my phone useless. I say almost only because I can still answer calls. I cannot dial any calls, but I can answer them. I took it to the Sprint store (which was 45 min away) and they told me that I have to call the insurance company (I pay $7/month for equipment protection in case if something like this happens) and that it would cost me $50. I couldn't believe it. It would only cost me $70 to update to the newer model of the Centro, why would I pay $50 to fix my broken one? I was so mad at Sprint. Not only for what they told me but because I wasted my gas (& time & money) to get there.I am thinking of switching companies. I am definitely canceling my equipment protection!

I'm hoping that the rest of the weekend goes better.

Updates, more orientation...

I tried to post this week, but blogger and firefox were not communicating for some reason and it wouldn't let me. I am now posting in IE (which I don't like very much!). Last week was tiresome! I think that sitting in a class and paying attention for 6 - 8 hours a day wears you out more than physical labor does. It takes so much work to pay attention. I had to laugh because they had someone come in and talk to us about ergonomics and back safety and most of the tables/chairs were not designed for someone of more than average height. Hmm...

This week we have one more day of nursing orientation where we learn paperwork. FUN! Then we have computer training. I'm actually looking forward to that because at least we will be actively DOING something rather than just sitting and listening. That is two days. After that, I'm not sure what we'll be doing. I'm hoping to get my schedule on Monday. They told us that if our preceptor has to work the holidays, then so do we, so it would be nice to know.

Other than that, the only thing that is new is that my teeth still hurt. I went to the dentist two weeks ago and he "re-did" some fillings. Well, they've hurt ever since and I haven't been able to even close my mouth. The fillings didn't hurt before! Why did they mess with them? I need to find out my schedule to I can arrange an appointment to figure out what's going on.

We went to Riley's Christmas Program on Thursday. That was fun. They had pizza and then the head starters sang their songs. Here is an adorable picture of Riley singing "Feliz Navidad." This is the part where they say "from the bottom of my heart."

Orientation

I have been in orientation for the past two days and it has been boring. You know...policies and procedures. Tomorrow I start nursing orientation and that will last until next Wednesday. I hope it will be more interesting than these past two days. I know that I have a medication test. I'm hoping it won't be too bad. Watching movies all day and listending to people speak make me really tired.

Thanksgiving

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. My sister Jamie and her two kids came over. We had dinner early, so it was actually more like lunch. Jamie had to work that night, so it was important to do so. Then in the evening my entire family goes over to my grandparents for pie. My grandpa makes the best pies. Maybe I'm a little biased though. :) He surprised me with a dutch apple (my favorite!) which he said that he wasn't going to make this year.

Then this morning, mom and I once again braved the Wal*Mart crowd at 4:30 a.m. to get some good deals for Christmas. Luckily, we didn't want (or could afford) any of the big ticket items that everyone was going after, so we got everything we wanted except for one thing, which is okay. Then we went out for breakfast at a local truck stop. It was fun, but man, was I tired. I didn't get to sleep last night until around 1:30 and then got up at 3:45. Not fun, let me tell you. But that's all over and tomorrow, I can sleep. :)

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. On Monday, it's December!!!

I got a job!!

I got offered a position at the hospital in which I interviewed with last week. I start on December 8th, which is perfect because of some appointments which I have in the next week and a half. I'm really excited about it. It's a little bit of a drive, but I think I'll do okay. Yeah!

Interviews yesterday

I had two interviews yesterday at this one hospital. This first one was in the mid afternoon with the nurse recruiter and then the department manager that I am applying for. I think that those went really well. The nurse manager seemed really impressed with my Hospice background and that I can speak Spanish. (It is a medical oncology floor).

Then I had one with the staff on the shift that I would be working on. This interview was at 10 p.m. The staff seemed really nice. They seemed to all get along, which is good. They were really honest, which is also good. The recruiter said that the next step would be an offer of employment. Here's hoping!!

The life of the unemployed...

I haven't had much luck with the travel nurse gig, so I have also been trying to get a job around here. Well, I do have an interview tomorrow (Friday) with one of the facilities that is about 30 minutes from my house. I need to find a job soon. Being unemployed is not fun. I think the problem with the travel/seasonal nursing is that I haven't worked in a facility for two years and they want recent experience. So, I haven't given up on it yet, but I'm thinking I need more experience before I can travel.

This week I've been working on cleaning the attic. We have so much junk up there it isn't funny. I've already been through a ton, but have lots to do before the animal crossing game comes out this coming up week. So, basically that is what has been going on with me.

Vote, vote, vote!

So, I exercised my constitutional right and voted this morning. Mom and I walked to the local township hall. I told her as long as it wasn't snowing or raining, we could walk since the hall is my neighbor to the west and is less than 1/4 mile from my house. It was kinda ironic, though, that I could walk to anything from my house since I live in the country. So, I encourage everyone to get and vote and make your voice heard, no matter who you vote for!

Since I am a lover of quotes, I looked up some voting quotes and here are my two favorites:

The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.
~~Lyndon B. Johnson

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.
~~George Jean Nathan

Bees, bees and more bees; and also quilting

We have had a problem with bees for the last couple of weeks. Apparently, there is a nest in our bathroom wall in which we have heater in the wall and they would keep coming in the house. We would average about two bees a day. Well, today after church, I got a message from mom who says that there were about 40 bees in the house today. It has been cold recently and today was relatively warmer. (By warmer I mean 57 degrees instead of 45). I have never seen so many bees. Geesh! My cousin and mom killed most of them before I got home from church. Here are some photos:

You can see here how many bees were on this window. This is the window that was farthest from the bathroom. All these bees were dead. I took some close up pictures because I love taking pictures. :)


More dead bees...













Even more dead bees.














I started a quilt this week. I had some material and had started on another pattern, but it didn't look right with the material I bought. So, I started another one called pinwheel. I like the patchwork quilts much better than applique. This is the second quilt that I've worked on. This is the first square. I think it's going to be awesome. I also have red, pink, and purple in the stained glass pattern that I'm going to use as the main colors and a black stained glass that I'm using for the border. It's going to be pretty! I'll put more picture up as I get more. My last quilt, I had to applique tons of fishes! My mom helped me a ton. This one is more my speed and EASY!

My interview...

I had my interview today and I think it went pretty well. They said that they would forward my information on to the nurse managers and they would contact me if they think I would be a good fit. So, we'll see what happens.

On a good note. My sister Jennifer said that they would take the cats that we have since it is their turn. (Two of the cats are theirs and we've had them for four years now.) So, that is a relief off of my mind. It seems like things are coming together nicely. :)

The week in review

This week has been an interesting one. First, I got my Florida license in the mail. At first, I only got a letter with the board seal on it. I was thinking that was the most expensive piece of paper I ever bought! At least the nursing license in Michigan comes in a thicker paper. Then as I read it, it was my temporary license and it said that my permanent one would come in the mail in 2-4 weeks...well, I got it in 2-4 days. How cool!

I spent one whole day doing CEUs for both my Michigan and Florida licenses. They both have specific requirements which you have to have in order to renew your license. Florida has more...by far. In Michigan you only have to do an approved pain management one, Florida has like four that you have to do. I normally like to GO to seminars, but since I was enrolled in school for my BSN and you get "credit" for college credit, I haven't really needed to go to anything recently. It was a headache! Reading and answering questions. I hate tests! Then I had to do more tests for one of the agencies. :P

I got a call from a hospital near Tampa, FL who is going to do a phone interview with me on Tuesday, so wish me luck. I wanted to try to go through some of the hospitals down there because you can sometimes get better deals than going through an agency. (Because then the agency has to get paid). I'm hoping to hear from at least one more before I make my final decision. I don't really know much about the one that I am interviewing with, just what I could find on their website. I will post how I think the interview went afterward.

I finally got all my shots and blood work done. YEAH! No more pokes for awhile. All my titers look good, so I don't need any more vaccinations. That makes me happy. I don't react well with something that is in vaccinations. When I got my Hep B series, I had a welt from the shot for like 3-4 months!

I read in a few other blogs how Reuter's has stated that singing "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees will help maintain time while doing CPR on a patient. There is another article which says that singing "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen will do the same thing. I guess which one you sing depends on how you think the code is going? It was interesting. In most codes that I have been in, I was trying hard to save the patient and couldn't think about anything else. Interesting. The other article can be found here.

I decided to change my layout again. I was getting bored with simplicity! I got this from "The Cutest Blog on the Block." I really like it. I hope everyone has a great week!

Getting stuff together...

I have been working this past week or so to get things together in order to do travel nursing. It has been a pain in the neck...or arm, I should say. I did not know that a company could want so much information about you. Worse yet, I didn't realize that they could find new ways for health care workers to get poked. Yes, I'm talking of vaccinations and titers. I thought I had them all, but no such luck. So, I'm getting poked...again. More shots and more blood drawn. The good thing is that needle pokes don't bother me, but geez.

I also got the flu shot today. If I wasn't a health care worker, I wouldn't even bother. I have gotten the flu shot for the past two years and that is when I had the worst cases of the flu. I got sick each year. Not that I think the shot GAVE me the flu. I just think that my body got upset and my immune system revolted because of it. The first year I got both Influenza A & B. Not fun, let me tell you. I decided to give it one more try because they said last year's didn't work (ya think?) and this year's is supposed to be "better." If I get the flu, I won't get the shot again. I'll just take my chances.

On a good note, I checked today and my Florida Nursing license was issued yesterday! (October 8th) YEAH! All the waiting is coming to a close and I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. :) Now, just to find an assignment! I'm getting really excited about it now.

Tomorrow is my best-friend's (of 19 years) birthday and I'm excited for the upcoming October birthdays!! Hopefully, it will be a good month!

I've also been playing Harvest Moon on the Wii. This is one of my favorite games and I have become addicted. For those of you who don't know, it is a farming game where you have to take care of crops and animals. Yes, a time waster, but a fun time waster. This year is the 10th anniversary of the game and they have released a TON of HM games. So, it's off to the Wii...

Traveling...

So, I read Steve's blog (who was reacting to something that Lori wrote) and decided to finally take the bull by the horns and do it. I applied at a few travel nurse companies. I had some that were calling me, so I started with them. It has an interesting few days around here. Deciding where to go and talking with the companies. What I didn't expect was how fast the assignments that I picked would fill up. My recruiter would call me and then have to call me back saying that they were full. I'm trying for a few walk-through states, where I can literally walk in that day and get a temporary nursing license.

It would be nice if it was in one of the Nursing Compact states because then I could practice nursing in like 20 or so states without having to get another license. Not only are they time consuming to get, but costly as well. I'm still waiting on my Florida license and I applied for that one in the beginning of August. I was also kinda hoping for something in the south, because that would mean that it would be warmer for the winter. I like warmth. :) Well, I haven't gotten anything concrete so far, but I'll keep you updated.

Why did the chicken cross the road?!

I got this in an e-mail and thought it was cute!


Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One! that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like the other side.That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one __________________

I am blessed...

I have to say that I would seem very ungrateful if I didn't mention how blessed I feel right now. My mom and I have been concerned about how we are going to heat the house this winter. Well, my grandpa called us this morning and said that he had found this guy on the south side who had a ton of free wood and he spoke to him about it and he would save it for us.

So, my mom called my cousin and he rushed right over there to get it for us. It took two load with his trailer and his brother's truck, but they did this for us willingly. So, needless to say, it has been a good day. Who knew something like wood could make the day so bright. :)

Fingerprinting...and dumb things people do.

I went for my fingerprinting this morning at my local police department and boy, was it an experience. First off, I get there and they go over the instructions and everything and then tell me that I have to go the town hall to pay the fee because they don't accept cash at the police station. No problem, the city hall is just a short walk across the street. So, I get there and proceed to pay. The guy behind the counter doesn't even know how much it is. I have to tell him that it is $10 and give him my twenty dollar bill. Then he says that he is not sure that he can make the change. I was thinking about this and it was quite amusing...it was early and we are talking about a town of about 2,000. Is the city really that broke?

Then I cross the street back to the police station and there is a lady that walks in with me. The officer tells me to wash my hands in the bathroom which he apologizes for. The lady doesn't have an emergency, but the officer, being the only one in the station (remember population 2,000), needs to take care of her first. I'll get to her story later in the blog, because I learned something from it today.

The officer was really nice, but the procedure was extremely messy. I was going to go somewhere after that, but my hands were so inky that it would've been obvious that I had been fingerprinted, but not so obvious as to the reason why. The officer let me wash my hands afterward which didn't help very much, but smeared the ink to the rest of my hands that were clean. Then I got to think about it. Now my fingerprints are in the bathroom at the police station. They don't even have to be dusted because they are ink. I thought it would've been rude to ask the officer "can I have some tape so I can remove my fingerprints from the faucet and soap dispenser?" (Can you tell I've watched CSI) Should I be worried that my fingerprints are left at the police station? Here is what my hands looked like AFTER I washed them. :)





So, then I had to go home and wash my hands with dish soap (which took nearly all of it off, btw) and then get back in the car to go to the post office to mail my fingerprint cards. I noticed at the post office that my hair was shedding a lot today. (Somedays I think I shed more than Anakin, my sheltie!) The only thing I didn't leave in this bantam town is my saliva. I can just see it now...In a small town where you can smell pickle brine in the air...

Okay, now on to the lady in the police station with me. She came in to see if she could get her car back. Apparently she drove around two or three barricades (according to the officer, I guess there are no privacy laws when it comes to police) and her car stalled in the water that flooded the road. Now, the funny part...for me, not for her...is that the officer informed her that she was going to get a ticket for going around the barricades. Apparently that is illegal. Surprise! You not only have to pay to get your car back, but pay a ticket as well. The officer said that there was three feet of water over the road. (Bangor as well as the surrounding counties have been in a flood advisory for days...)

Now, if there was two or three road blocks saying that the road is closed, wouldn't you wonder why? Especially since they aren't doing construction on that road? I saw on the news a car in Chicago (which is also flooded) that was going down the highway and went into a puddle (or lake, more like it) and the CAR WAS COVERED in water. Wouldn't you think that if the water comes up over your hood, you would stop?!? You could see the car with about a foot of water on top of it. All you could see was the hood. I don't know about some people...

Cute test to see if you are "qualified to be a professional"

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you whether you are qualified to be a professional. The questions are NOT that difficult.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?

Wrong Answer.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend.... except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory.

Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

Florida License

I have been contemplating for awhile doing something different this winter. Not because I don't like Michigan winters...I do, to a certain point, but because I am not as tolerant of them as I was before the accident. Anyone who has ever had a broken bone understands what I am talking about.

So, I have been working toward getting my Florida license so I can spend the winter there. Since there are so many snow birds, Florida requires many more nurses in the winter than they do in the summer. I thought that this would be a good springboard into travel nursing.

Well, I've been working on my Florida nursing license and getting a license in another state is not difficult...it just can be frustrating. I have to go and get fingerprinted...again...for the umpteenth time. You would think, as many times as I have been fingerprinted before, that ONE of them would've been in the same system that the Florida Nursing Board uses, but I am not that lucky. Again, not that that is a big deal, but it is frustrating. Hopefully, I will get all that done and then get everything out so that I should get my license by my birthday. That would be awesome!

New Layout and Grandma's Birthday.

Yeah. I finally got the stuff done for my new layout. I like to change my layouts according to the seasons. I really like this one because I love primitive graphics and I love snowmen. That is the one thing that I like better on myspace than on facebook. Individuality. But here's to the new layout.

I also updated my photo with one of my favorite photos that I've taken recently. I love photography and this is a photo of a flower that was in my flower garden and I just love it...maybe because it's kinda blue.

My mom and I went with my grandma today to celebrate her birthday. I think she's 75. (Mom said that she changed her birth certificate so she could work a year earlier and isn't sure what year she was actually born in.) She wanted to go the casino to get her George Foreman Grill. They try anything to lure you in there. Oh well. She got it and had some fun. The people at the casino even sang to her, which was pretty cool. She liked that. So, I guess it was worth the trip. :)

I've been tagged...

I was tagged by Missy. This one is pretty neat though.


A. Attached or single? single

B. Best friend? Janette

C. Cake or pie? If I have to choose, I would say cake, but I'm much more into ice cream.

D. Day of choice? Saturdays

E. Essential item? Toothbrush

F. Favorite color? It used to be green and purple, but now it's turning more into blue.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy bears. (I like the haribo variety too!)

H. Hometown? South Haven

I. Indulgence? Definitely shoes. I don't like to wear them, but I like to buy them. And electronics.

J. January or July? July. I like the warmth.

K. Kids? None.

L. Life isn’t complete without? family.

M. Marriage date? N/A

N. Number of brothers & sisters? 2 sisters and 1 brother

O. Oranges or apples? Oranges...unless caramel is involved.

P. Phobias? I'm borderline claustrophobic. I also don't like spiders or bugs that jump at me.

Q. Quotes? If you have built sandcastles in the air, your work need not be lost; now build foundations underneath them. Henry David Thoreau (That's paraphrasing)

S. Season of choice? My favorite is fall. Not too cold, not to warm...perfect. Plus my birthday is in there.

T. Tag seven peeps! Kara (I'm not sure who even reads this)

U. Unknown fact about me? I'm really pensive. I have to think everything through.

V. Vegetable? Broccoli. I also love zucchini. Anything fresh from the garden. I'm a big fan of salads!

W. Worst habits? Thinking too much. :)

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Neither.

Y. Your favorite food? Cheese.

Z. Zodiac sign? Scorpio.

It's been awhile...

I know that it's been a long time since I have written on here. This summer has been kinda crazy for me. For starters, we were gutting and re-doing some of the room upstairs to put insulation and drywall up. Also working on the yard and trying to get that into some semblance of shape.

We took a trip this summer. We went to the Mall of America and then Wisconsin Dells. It was fun, but tiring. We had a lot of fun. Here are some funny pictures with my new camera. These were taken at the various waterparks that we went too.



Isabel under water.


Alyssa and Ilana under water.


Ilana in her favorite pose.


Water coming down on me out of the bucket.


Isabel and me in the pool.


Riley with my mom.


Ilana coming down the slide. Notice the pose. :)


Isabel and Ilana coming down the slide in a tube.


Alex, Isabel, Ilana and Alyssa coming out of the big slide.



At the Mall of America, the kids went into Nickelodeon Universe and we also went to the underwater adventures aquarium. The aquarium was pretty neat because there were sharks and fish swimming over our heads. Pretty exciting. The mall was huge. It had four floors. I'm not sure if I'll ever want to go there again, but it was definitely worth experiencing.


Us at the underwater adventures. This was first thing in the morning. That is why we look so fresh.


The kids in a photo booth. I just love those!!


Everyone on the turtle.


Alyssa, Isabel (front row), Alex, and Ilana on the roller coaster. (Notice Ilana's pose.)



The kids standing in front of Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America.


Other than that, I've mostly been trying to enjoy my time off and get things done. I'm still debating on what my future holds, but we'll see. I'm contemplating going to Florida for the winter and doing seasonal nursing there, but that all depends on what type of therapy I need. I should find that out this week from my insurance company...hopefully. With them, everything is hurry up and wait.

I've been tagged

I was tagged by Kara and it is my first.

Here's what you do:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.


The book that I had closest is called "A Treasury of Laughter." It is a book that I have had for a long time and was published in the 1940s. (so you can understand the context of the passage.) Page 123 is in a section called "Speaking of Operations" by Irvin S. Cobb.

So he would ride into the county-seat and get an almanac. Doubtless the reader, if country raised, has seen copies of this popular work. On the outside cover, which was dark blue in color, there was a picture of a person whose stomach was sliced four ways, like a twenty-cent pie, and then folded back neatly, thus exposing his entire interior arrangements to the gaze of the causal observer.

As far as tagging someone. I don't know who else to tag because everyone has been tagged already.

Doctors and tests...

I saw my doctor on Tuesday and I just have to say that I really like her and she really knows me. One of the perks of working in a hospital, I guess. As soon as she entered the room, she knew that something was wrong and I told her about my job and memory loss. She said that it could be from either depression or post-concussive syndrome, so I am going for neurocognitive testing to determine which it is. She is also sending me for an MRI next week because I haven't had one in ages.

Then today I had a mammogram and for those who haven't had one, they hurt!! I had felt a nodule in my breast previously and thought it was a good idea to get it checked out. Well, during the test, I couldn't find it. I told the ultrasound tech that the mammogram must have scared it away. Luckily, they didn't find anything. The Radiologist acted like it was bad and I was like "thank you!"

We'll find out more with the upcoming tests.

Becoming unemployed...

Today has been a difficult day for me as I was given the "option" to resign or be terminated from my job. This whole experience this past week has been a tumultuous one. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I was told on Friday that I needed to come up with a "Corrective Action Plan" on how to improve my performance at work. Not being told exactly how my performance was lacking, this has proved to be difficult. I know where my weaknesses were and some examples of things that have happened, but there has never been anything definitely explained to me. I have never written a corrective action plan and therefore did not know how to write one.

I will say that I haven't been happy at work for awhile. I absolutely LOVE the people that I worked with. They are truly wonderful people and I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet and interact with them. I truly feel that I have been done an injustice. Not because I "resigned," but because of the circumstances that led up to it and the lack of direction from my boss. I have on multiple occasions expressed to her my weaknesses and areas that I needed to improve on and the response that I received was talking to me in a demeaning manner and treating me like I was a child and not giving me the respect that I deserved. I also feel that the nurses have tried to help me more than my boss.

My boss once told me that I was going to become a "BSN" nurse and that people would look up to me and respect me more and I had to start acting like it. I so wanted to tell her at that moment that people do not respect you just because you have different letters behind your name or because of a title. People respect you because of the way that you treat them. Being a registered nurse does not demand any more respect than that of the Home Health Aide. I can honestly say that I did not respect her more after she accomplished her BSN.

I was really sad this morning as was the rest of the staff in the office. Everyone was really supportive of me and felt bad that this happened. I honestly feel that everything happens for a reason. When a door is closed, a window is opened. I know that Heavenly Father will be there for me and will not give me any more than I can handle.

I have a few ideas of where to proceed from here. I have really been interested in Legal Nurse Consulting, so that is an option and also travel nursing. My commitments have always kept me from doing travel nursing in the past and now that I no longer have them, it is a good opportunity to try it. I love to travel. Everything will depend on how things go this week. After this week, I will make a decision in which route I want pursue.

I have to go and see my doctor tomorrow. I feel that some of my issues with work were due to some conditions that have been the result of my accident. I have been struggling with severe depression, exhaustion and memory loss. The memory loss is the big one because I know that it has changed who I am. Hopefully, my doctor will be able to give me some guidance on these areas.

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been supportive of me throughout all this. I truly feel blessed.

Fun with photo editor

I've been trying out some photo editors that I have on my computer. Here are three variations of the next photo taken at Johnny Rockets in Daytona Beach, FL. Here is the original.


Here are the photoshop versions:

Two weeks until we leave for Myrtle Beach!

We are excited because there is two weeks until we leave for our vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC. This trip will be lots of fun because we are going in Jamie's new minivan which means that we can take Alex and Isabel too. We (Jamie, mom and I) are going to have a car full of kids, but it should be fun. We are excited about the hotel. It has a full kitchen like Orlando and Wisconsin Dells. That really is the only way to travel with a bunch of kids because you can cook them food. It makes it a lot cheaper! I have never been to Myrtle Beach before and Alex and Isabel have never been to the ocean. It will be neat to see them there. Janette and I started this tradition of every beach we go to, we write the name of the beach and sign our names, so we'll have to do that there as well. Ilana informed me that we have 13 days until we leave (not counting today). We are excited to do something. Yeah! This is our beach writing from Daytona Beach in 2007.



I have pictures of Anakin and Padme and also Ilana giving Anakin his daily hug.

The Nieces and Nephews

We had the nieces and nephews over while my sister went to her class. Boy was it a handful. Six children under the age of 10. Here are some funny photos.

Ilana and Alex playing the PS3

Rafael and Isabel


Riley and Isabel with Jamie, Ilana, Alex and mom in the background.


Marcos would clap after the flash would go off.



Rafael liked getting his picture taken.



Rafael, Isabel and me.

Marcos and Isabel

It was fun and exhausting at the same time.

Jamie moving in

Jamie moved in with her daughter Ilana, who is 9 and her son Riley who will be 3 in April. It has been a fun and exhausting time getting them all settled. The dogs and cats are having a time getting used to them being here. Riley sure is hyperactive. All the bedrooms in my house are now full. Mom and I are glad that they are here though. So, I am posting some photos of them.

Ilana, Riley and Jamie at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL in 2006-07

At the grocery store in Kissimmee, FL getting food for our hotel.

The members of the Higley/Danczyk/Pascual/Bodfish house. This is us at Walt Disney World in January of 2007 waiting for the parade.

Anakin and Padme's Vet Appointment

I took Anakin and Padme to the vet last weekend and found out that they both are overweight. Anakin weighed 31 pounds! The vet said that if they are still hungry after their 1/2 cup of food to give them green beans and I thought that they would never eat it, but they LOVE it! Here's to healthier dogs!

Stinkin' School

I had to drop my classes this semester because it has just been too much for me to do with work and not feeling 100% since the accident. It makes me sad to drop them but I have to think of my health. Hopefully, I will be able to take a class in the fall to get closer to my goal of a BSN.