My Year in Status

They had this neat program in Facebook which will put all your statuses (is that right?) in a collage.  Well, you get to pick them if you have too many.  Here is my 2010:

Yesterday was plain awful...

So, yesterday was not a good day for me.  It was the first day I had been back to work in over a week.  It started when I went to clean the snow off of my car and the little plastic piece that holds my windshield wiper broke.  My windshield wiper fell off into my hands.  I was getting ready to leave for work, so I had no time to go to the store and get new windshield wipers.  So, I went to work minus one.  Not fun when it is snowing, let me tell you.

Then, when I got to work, I noticed that there was tear in my scrub top.  I pinned it with a safety pin and hoped that would hold until morning.  I jammed my fingers and broke my nail down to where it really hurts.  When I went to print a census for the morning crew, the printer in ICU was out of paper.  ICU being closed, everything is locked up, so I went over to the joint unit to print them.  (They don't print on our unit for some reason.)  Well, the joint unit computer needed a password to sign onto windows.  Neither I nor Lidy (who normally works there) knew what it was, so I stole some paper and went back to ICU.  Well, the printer jammed in ICU while printing the census.  Did I get the page I needed?  NOO!  So, down to Rehab I went.  Finally after visiting almost every floor in the hospital, I got the census.

All in all, it was a crazy day.  But, I made it to and from work safely (with only one windshield wiper, I might add.)  All my patients were safe and as far as I know, we didn't have any catastrophes.  Plus, my friend Danny sent me this really funny you-tube video.  Here it is:

We went where at midnight?!

Our family has this penchant for midnight releases.  We ♥ going at midnight to see things.  (I don't normally use ascii symbols for things, but I couldn't help myself this time.)  We are excited for Breaking Dawn Part 1.  I have heard many different dates for this, including 11-11-11.  Other dates have said the following week.  This wouldn't be nearly as memorable a date, but oh well.  I guess we'll figure it out when the time gets closer.  If it is 11-11-11, that would mean we would go on 11-10, which is my niece, Ilana's 13th birthday.  She is not excited about waiting, but excited about it being her birthday.

Last night, we (meaning myself, my sister Jamie, my nieces Ilana and Isabel and my nephew Alex) went to Wal*Mart at midnight to get our copy of Eclipse.  I must say it wasn't as exciting as it was for the New Moon release and there were not 1/2 as many people there.  They had cupcakes and a souvenir, but the excitement of the midnight release just wasn't there.  We actually got out of the store, movies in hand at 12:05 a.m.  Crazy!  Here are some photos from last night.

Isabel, Jamie, Ilana and Alex.  This was taken while we were waiting in line. We don't know who the guy is behind them.

Isabel showing off her lanyard prize they gave us.  It had tattoos and stickers inside.

We found these crazy kids at Wal*Mart in the middle of the night.  I'm not sure what Ilana has.

Alex and Isabel went straight home and watched the movie as they were unable to see it in the theater.  I must say though, I have never heard so much dinging in the back of the car from cell phones as I did when I had these three in the back seat.  (Oh, and from Jamie in the front.)  The last two photos were taken by Jamie, who I was surprised was still awake after having woken up around 3:30 that morning to go to work a 12-hour shift!

Winter is finally coming...

We had a really nice Thanksgiving here at our house.  My sister, Jamie and her kids came over for dinner.  I had to work the night before, so it was later than usual.  After, our family gathered together at my grandparents for pie.  It was nice to see everyone.  (My grandpa seriously needs to make more banana cream pie!)  This is Jamie and her daughter Ilana.

We went shopping at Wal*Mart on Black Friday.  There were some things that my mom wanted to get.  We started out at the midnight sales and were going to return at 5 a.m. for an external hard drive that I wanted, but mom wanted to stay and buy a laptop.  So, we stayed...all night...in Wal*Mart.  Yes, we are a little bit crazy...

This past week, I have been sick and had to miss church.  I really notice a difference in my week when I am unable to attend.   I work a rotational weekend shift, so it is important to me to attend when I can.  I haven't felt this cruddy in awhile and I'm hoping that this is my "one" for the winter.  (Usually I get really sick one time each winter.)

 

Snow is in our forecast.  For all of next week.  We knew this weather was too good to last.  Usually we have our first snowfall on or around Halloween and that didn't happen this year.  It was well into November before it even hinted at snowing.  Hopefully, the weather won't be too terrible and last too long.  Here's hoping...

 

Jamie and I are getting our stuff together to start our project 365 that Allison had suggested to us.  We are excited to do this as we both LOVE taking photos.  It will be a great way to show them to everyone.  I will post more when we get everything set up.

Making Monkey Bread

Is this why they call it monkey bread?

 

Confused?!

Oh, now I get it...wait... :/

Stake Conference & Music

A week ago, my niece, Ilana, asked me if she could ride with me to the Kalamazoo Stake Conference.  This was held today in Battle Creek, which is about one hour and fifteen minutes away from where we live.  It was a great session.  At one point, they asked the youth, aged 12-18 to stand.  Having just turned 12 last week, I told her that that was her.  She was a little embarrassed to be standing, but it wasn't like she was the ONLY one standing.  :)  Overall, it was an edifying experience for both of us and I am glad that we went.  It was too bad that my sister, Jamie, had to work.

I have always been interested in music.  Specifically, the lyrics of a song.  I like to really listen to what they are trying to say.  One song I have been stuck on recently is "I've Always Loved You" by Third Day.  The chorus of the song is as follows:

Don't you know I've always loved you
Even before there was time
Though you turn away
I'll tell you still
Don't you know I've always loved you
And I always will

If you haven't listened to Third Day, you should.  They are one of my favorite Christian Rock bands.  Another song that I always have to listen to three or four times when I hear it is "Close Your Eyes" by Michael and Jeff McLean.

We popped the corn before we left
We had no cash to spare
His cousin ran that old drive-in show,
so daddy took us there

When the film would frighten me,
he held me on his knee
and said we'll get through this together somehow
and whispered tenderly

Close your eyes, this part is scary
Take my hand, it won't last long
You will love the ending, I promise
When this part of the story is gone

That drive in show closed years ago,
it's long since over grown
My car can barely drive through the weeds
to park there all alone

The movie of my life's become
more than I can face
and I'm looking for answers in places he taught me
to not be afraid to have faith

Close your eyes, this part is scary
Take my hand, it won't last long
You will love the ending, I promise
When this part of the story is gone

For love cannot be defeated
just like the sun, it will rise
Things will look so much clearer
if you'll stop

and close your eyes
Take my hand
You will love the ending I promise
when this part of the story is gone

Even though, it might look hopeless
You will see, that love wins the prize
and fears disappear, and you'll see much clearer
if you'll just close your eyes

Perhaps he was sayin'
it's easy a-praying
if you'll
close your eyes

 All the songs on the "Father and Son" album are good, but this is my favorite song.

Brothers and sister can get along...for 18 seconds

Job description of a nurse

You must be a proficient: cook, housekeeper, TV repair-person, plumber, waitress, catcher, advocate, listener, educator, comforter, babysitter, masseuse, respiratory therapist, security guard, psychologist and mechanic.

You must be willing to be: slapped, punched, scratched, bitten, kicked, sworn at, over-worked, under-appreciated and on the rare occasion, hugged.

It must not bother you to have these spilled on you: urine, feces, sputum, blood, mucus and other miscellaneous body fluids that you probably didn't know you had.

You must be an expert in all lab results, radiology tests, procedures and medications.  You must know what the patient is thinking before they do. You must be fluent in all languages including the local jargon.  You must be able to make it through a twelve-hour shift without taking a break to eat, drink or use the bathroom.  You must be accountable for everything and everyone on your unit.

You must have a strong back to lift things; a soft shoulder for people to cry on; compassion and empathy that is never-ending, strong feet to withstand standing on them for twelve hours without sitting, extraordinary senses, adeptness in the art of perception, excellent eyes to interpret physician's orders and ears to hear things that were not spoken aloud.

You must be willing to sacrifice your personal life as you will not have time or energy for anything but nursing.  You must be willing to work every holiday without complaint.  You must know every bone, muscle, nerve and organ in the body and what every symptom is indicative of.  You must always have a smile on your face and not show how stressed you are.  You must be computer savvy and be able to fill out paperwork in a speed that would make a NASCAR race look slow.

If this sounds appealing to you, we are always recruiting new nurses to our profession.  Remember: a nurse is not what you do, it is who you are.

Genealogy vacation #2

We went to Lansing for my birthday this year to get my paternal grandma's and paternal grandpa's birth certificate. Having finally received the death certificate from St. Louis, we were excited for this venture. I have lived in Michigan all of my life and have never been to the capital. It was a fun trip, but getting records is expensive!! It cost me $72 for the two records and I didn't even get the one. We did get a free tour of the capital building, which I was very impressed with. Although the custom-made door knobs, hinges, and glass were pretty, I'm pretty sure that that is where my hard earned tax dollars went.

Ilana and me sitting on the steps of the Capital Building

My manager, Tara, has asked me to train for ICU so I can fill in for someone who is taking medical leave in December.  This should be interesting and something different from the daily routine.  I used to work in ICU, so it won't be that much of training.  Granted, I haven't worked in ICU for 4 years now, but I'm sure it's like riding a bike...

The hospital that I work at now is being bought by the hospital that I used to work at.  (Well, technically still work at.  I am relief there and pick up 4 hour shifts here and there.)  This merger should be finished by the first of December.  It will be interesting to see the changes that will happen with our small hospital.  I really like the new CEO and am optimistic that he will bring great change for us.


I have been waiting ALL YEAR to put snowmen up as I love them.  It snowed the other day here, so I am safe.  Since I am up all night tonight (a downside of working the night shift--you never have normalcy), I figured a change was in order.   Is everyone ready for the holiday season?

Pennsylvania genealogy trip, PALS

These past few months have been busy ones for me. First, there was the trip to South Dakota at the end of August. Second was the trip to Pennsylvania at the end of September.

My grandpa wanted us to take him back to Pennsylvania where he lived as a child. Since I normally do some type of genealogy trip around my birthday, I thought this was perfect. Also, the fact that he is going to be 80 next year kinda puts an urgency on it. It was my grandpa, cousin Mikey, mom and I going. We had tons of fun and learned lots of stuff. It was so exhausting though!! There was this library in Erie, that I probably could've spent a few days in. I will definitely have to return there.

We didn't actually get a lot of records there because you had to order them and they mailed them to you. (Which is different than any other place I've gotten records from.) I was excited when the death certificates came in the mail. I'm glad I know just to order them because I need tons more.

There was a really nice lady at the cemetery where Grandpa's mom was buried. She helped us find a lot of graves. We found out that when Grandpa's dad bought the plot for his mom, he actually bought three spots. So, the other two just sit empty. Grandpa donated them to someone who couldn't afford a space.

We were so exhausted by the time we got home. All of us were. Grandpa said he didn't realize that genealogy takes so much time.

Most recently, I have had to take PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support.) I don't like to think about participating in codes on pediatric patients and therefore, these past few days have been miserable!! I passed, but I still don't like it! It was even more difficult because I had to get up so early. I work night shift, so early is not in my vocabulary.

On a side note, I have successfully given up caffeine. I haven't had any caffeinated beverages in over a month. Yay!! Pepsi was my downfall before and it was my goal to give it up by the end of the year.

South Dakota Vacation

We went to South Dakota for our summer vacation. By “we,” I mean my mom, sister Jamie, niece Ilana, nephew Riley and myself. It was tons of fun!


We stayed in a campground in Deadwood, SD, which is where Wild Bill supposedly met his demise and is buried. We thought it would be neat to walk around this historic town. We later found out that it is nothing but bars and casinos. Not our idea of fun by any means!!

Riley thought the campground was pretty neat. Especially the camp fire. He said it was "the best day ever." We're not sure if it's because if the marshmallows…


We went to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Jewel Cave National Monument, Custer State Park and The Badlands. We had tons of fun but it was SO tiring!!


Mount Rushmore


The kids making breakfast at the cabin.


Resting after a non-stop day and a night of "the sillies"


Riley going out to "his" playground when the neighbor boys were there to make sure they didn't beat his record! (which was 500 points according to Riley)

It was fun seeing the buffalo in Custer State Park. That made our trip complete. There were also a lot of dead trees and Riley would say "not more Deadwood!" (meaning the town)

Mormon Nurse

A few weeks ago at work, I was told that I would be getting an admission. After the patient arrived to the unit, I began asking the barrage of questions when the patient, a young woman, grabbed my right hand, turned it to see my CTR ring and then asked “You're a Mormon? I've never had a Mormon nurse before.”

After a multitude of questions, she told me that her and her family (5 children and spouse) were here from out of state when she got sick. She asked if I knew anyone that could help watch her children so her husband could come up, visit her and give her a blessing.

So, I started making calls. My co-workers were very impressed with the response I got. They told me that they would never have thought to ask for help in a foreign city and even if they had asked, they were not sure they would get a response. I told them that we are here to help each other and it's nice to know that there is someone we can call anywhere we go.

Here is a photo that was given to me by a classmate before we graduated from nursing school. It is one of my favorites. I have it hanging by the door by my keys, so I see it before I leave.

Summer Vacation 2010

We are going on vacation. My niece, Ilana texted me and asked if we were going to go on a trip this summer. We always go on vacation in the summer. This came after my sister (her aunt), took her kids to Mackinaw Island.

So I had to think up a quick vacation. Well, I came up with South Dakota. We are going to see. Mount Rushmore. It should be fun. We will be staying in a cabin and go fishing. :)

Any suggestions would be welcome!!

It's definitely summer!!

We have had a “heat wave” here in Michigan this last week…or so the meteorologists say. Yes, it has been 90-100 degrees outside the past few days, but it IS summer. When it is hot, I want it to be cooler. When it is cold, I want warmer. I obviously live in the wrong spot because seasons in Michigan are vastly different. I should move to a place where it is 60-70 degrees all year long. If I did that, what would I complain about then?

I have been enjoying my orientation in my new job. Last night, I was the unit clerk. I haven't done that in 6-7 years. It was good to learn the computer system though. I will be on orientation until the end of July. There are two other nurses orienting with me.

I applied for a dayshift position that opened when my ex-roommate/good friend Melanie, took another job. They called me today & told me that the position was re-evaluated and was made a part-time position. Do I want to go from full-time to part-time to get off nights? Hmm…I lay here now in bed contemplating that while I listen to “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and writing this blog post.

Pros-I have an EKG class in the morning and it would be so much easier if I worked on days. I really want to finish my BSN. It would be easier to accomplish things on days off rather than sleep.

Cons-It is part-time. This means 48 hours a pay period instead of 72 hours. I would have to get up at 4 am to get ready for work. I know I would get used to it, but it just sounds exhausting.

Enough of my ramblings…I should finish this post so I can go to bed so I can get up at 6:30 for class. (I know that doesn't SOUND early, but I am used to going to bed at that time.). Here are some pictures on my phone:







This is my John F.Kennedy rose that I got last year. (I love taking pictures of nature!)







A pretty weed. :)

Location:Bangor,United States

Happy Independence Day

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday! I am sitting here in the parking lot at work waiting for it to be time to go in. (I have 30 mins before I can punch in.)

It is very warm today & the trees are begging for rain. We have gotten SO much rain lately, I cannot believe they would want more. Maybe just because it's hot…

We went to the Twilight Trilogy Tuesday to see Eclipse. That was fun. It is very different to see the movies with a bunch of fans & hear their reactions to things that EVERYONE knows is going to happen. They gave us these buttons:


Yesterday, we went to the IMAX theater to see Eclipse. The movie screen was HUGE! We had a little problem going up there because they closed the highway (the theater was 1 hour away.)

Bangor had fireworks last night, which was amazing. They haven't had them in years. I took this funny picture with my phone. I should've brought my better camera. :(

The Verdict Is In

To make a long story short, my brakes are bad on my car. I need to replace 1 rotor. My uncle Ron said that the brakes were defective because they ruined my rotor in a matter of 2 weeks. Nobody had my rotor in stock because my car is a new model. A few people couldn't even order them. The Dodge dealer didn't even have them!! We have to wait until tomorrow to get a rotor. Poor Jazz…

My new job is working out well. I am liking it. I'm still in orientation and am not sure how much longer I will need it.

Jazz

I'm having problems with my car. At first, I thought it was my brakes. Now, I'm not so sure that is what it is. I'm going to take my car to my uncle's today so he can look at it. If it isn't my brakes, he'll tell me.

I have an appt with my local dodge dealer who I'm already not happy with! I paid almost $3000 for a lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty for my car which includes a rental if I need it. Well, this dealership doesn't have rentals. If it takes more than a couple of hours, I'm going to need something. I only have one car.

Okay, enough of my complaining…

Did I Make That Up?

It usually goes something like this: I am doing my nurse duties and educating the patient on the side effects of the medication that was prescribed for them. I tell them that this medicine will make them “snacky.” The patient usually looks at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. Then I proceed to explain what I mean.

I am wondering if this is something that was made up in our family as I could not find it in my dictionary application. We have probably made up quite a few words that I use on a regular basis. “Snacky” seems like an appropriate word to me. I think it was one of those words that was funny when it was first said and was just adopted into our family jargon. One example was when Ilana was younger, she called a skunk a “stunk.” They have been called that ever since. It makes sense…

I had my functional capacity test with physical therapy for the job at another hospital. They had to do this because my injuries were less than 10 years ago. This wore me out! I had to do things repetitively. I haven't had to do that since I was in rehab. It wore the Physical Therapist out too. That made me feel a little better. :)

Cool shirt…

Mom and I took Ilana to her softball game tonight. We were early. We thought the game started at 5 pm, which means she had to be there at 4:30. The game actually started at 5:30, so we were early. She sat and watched the South Haven girls higschool play. It was interesting!




That's Ilana in the yellow.

I got sunburnt while mowing the yard today. Not fun!

This shirt just makes me laugh! I might have to get one someday…

It is warm today!!

It got up to 92 degrees today! It was muggy too because we are supposed to get thunder storms all around us. If it cools down a little later, we are going to try to mow the lawn. I'm sure today would count as an “ozone action day” if they were doing that already. I'm not complaining though…

We busted out our super fan because Padme was getting too hot. I'm sure she has some congestive heart failure from having heart worms. She cannot tolerate anything above 75 degrees. We usually install the air conditioners earlier for her more than for mom and I. She also cannot tolerate the cold due to a fracture or something before I got her. She has major arthritis in her legs.

That's the price you pay for a shelter dog. I wouldn't trade her for anything though.


The white dog is Padme aka “pretty girl” or “leafy-butt.” (she likes to sit and wag her tail) She is a sheltie-mix. The pure-bred is Anakin aka “pretty boy,” “sir poops-a-lot” or “stinky boy.” This photo is out in their pen.

You have a shortage of what?! Are you serious?

I worked the last few nights and we had more than our usual obstacles. We were running out of IV morphine. We called pharmacy because our patients were receiving 2 mg and they had us using 10 mg syringes. Which is annoying first of all, because we have to have another nurse witness the waste. Sometimes they put larger doses in by accident. They told us that they are no longer going to carry morphine.

One of the other nurses asked them if they were serious and "isn't this a hospital?" Morphine is probably the second-most used narcotic pain reliever. It is even in the acronym for treatment of chest-pain—MONA. (That stands for morphine, oxygen, nitroglycerin and aspirin.) Pharmacy then explained that they were joking—they never joke with us and frankly with 7-8 patients each, we weren't in the mood.

Pharmacy then explained to us that their supplier has a back-order on morphine and they didn't know when they would get some in. (Immediately my mind goes to a drug dealer…only one that is legal…without the shady transactions.) Then I'm thinking that if they don't know when they are going to get more morphine in, why are we "wasting" 8 mg each time we need two? Sounds crazy! Also, what are we going to tell the doctors when we run out? "Um, sorry doc but we ran out of morphine." We'd get laughed at!!

In all reality, we probably wouldn't totally run out, but the possibility of it was just too much not to share.

I was getting ready for work yesterday in the locker room and I was telling another nurse a story in which I said "oh stink." the other nurse asked me "did you just say 'oh stink?'" I replied in the affirmative and one of the dayshift nurses said she says it too. He asked us if he could start saying it and the dayshift nurse told him we'd be honored. :)

We have had our fair share of float pool nurses recently as we've been so busy. The float pool nurses say that they love coming to our floor because we are so helpful and don't treat them like they are a pariah that has an über-contagious disease that spreads by smiles or conversation. We welcome the help! Help us! We'll thank you for it!!

Padme, my dog, is the hunter of my two dogs. This afternoon when I woke up, she was steadily barking at something while she was in her pen. I went out there and she was barking at a frog in the yard outside her pen. I thought I'd help her and the poor frog. Well, I went to grab him to move him to another spot in the yard and he jumped into the dog pen. Oh snap! Sorry frog, I cannot help you when you go into her territory.

I really like the word "rediculicious." (I'm impressed that my iPhone had it in it's vocabulary.) I don't know why, but I do. I want to use it a lot, but it's not always appropriate.

It's really warm today. 84 degrees and sunny right now. Not that I'm complaining or anything…

I'm so excited because I got our tickets to see Eclipse. We are going to the triple feature. It was was only $20 for those tickets and $10 for just Eclipse. How can you not go to the triple feature? So far, there are seven of us going…

New Job

I have been trying to get a different job because my current job in Medical Oncology has been affecting my health.  I have been sick more and getting migraines.  I think it is partially due to the stress of the job and partly due to the drive (It is a 40 minute drive) and lack of sleep.

I got a job at a local hospital that I have worked at before.  It is where my sister, Jamie, currently works.  I am excited to start this new job in hopes that it will help me to feel better.  I'm supposed to start orientation on June 1st. 

Is it really May?

I cannot believe it is May already. It has been cold these past couple of days. By "cold," I mean 40s-50s and rainy. I'm not sure I like it, but everyone says I'll appreciate it in the summer. I don't want to appreciate it then, I want to appreciate it now. Then I am reminded of a quote by President Uchtdorf that I received in my in-box today about patience. Funny how those things work, huh?

My sisters and I took our mom to lunch on Monday to celebrate Mother's Day. It is a rarity for all four of us to get together. We had a blast! Here we are in my car getting ready to leave.

I had to work the weekend, so we decided to go out on Monday.  This weekend was not a good one at work.  We have been terribly busy for the last couple of months and has been draining.  Saturday night was going okay until I got poked by a dirty needle after I gave a shot.  Never fun.  I was alright until I had a chance to sit down and talk to a co-worker about it.  It didn't help that the employee health nurse wasn't calling me back and they are supposed to return my call within 1 hour.  We also had a patient buy us pizza on Saturday because she said that we were "awesome."  We had a staff of 11, so that is quite a lot of pizza to be bought!  We sure appreciated it though!  :)

I am excited for warmer weather and summer to come!!  Yay!

TN Vacation

I know that this is kinda late, but I thought I would write about our vacation. Ilana and I went with my co-worker Kristeen and her daughter Mercelia to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville, TN. We had tons of fun, but was also exhausting at the same time.

Our first stop was in Sevierville, TN at Wilderness At The Smokies indoor waterpark. This was the largest indoor waterpark that Mercelia had been to, so she was really excited. It was very similar to the Wilderness Lodge that we stayed at in Wisconsin Dells. Here are some photos of the girls.
Ilana and Mercelia on one of the rides.

This is in the wave pool. I was trying to pull them out on the raft and the waves started and we all ended up tumbling like rocks. It was pretty funny. Good thing my camera is waterproof and shock proof!!


These are some cool underwater pictures.

I really like this one of Ilana.

Ilana on the Flo Rider.

Next we went to our hotel in Pigeon Forge, TN. We really liked the hotel and had a great view of the Smoky Mountains from our balcony. It was nice to wake up to that every day. I didn't realize how much I missed the mountains. :(

We spent a day in Gatlinburg going to all the Ripley's attractions. We saved the Aquarium for Thursday when it was supposed to rain. We rode the sky lift to the top of the mountain. That was really fun.

This is the photo that they took as we were ascending the mountain. Neither Ilana nor I liked this photo because we're making weird faces, so we only got a small one.

This is the photo that we took as we were going up.

The entire ride.


We also went to Dollywood for 2 days. The first day was really hot and the lines were über long. It took Kristeen about 2 hours to stand in line for lunch and then the food was not good and they forgot to put the hamburger patties on one of our meals and forgot our cheese. It was edible though, and that was all we were asking for. The second day, we wised up and brought snacks with us. We were not waiting in those lines again for food. The lines weren't that long because it was colder.

The first night after Dollywood, we went to Dixie Stampede. That was a ton of fun. We were on the South side and of course, the North won. I would like to see that again.

With our souvenir mugs at the pre-show.

They took pictures of all of us before and we had to buy them because it was rare to get a picture of all 4 of us. Also, you weren't allowed to take pictures DURING the show, so this was good. It's part of the trap, I know.

We also went to two musicals at The Miracle Theater. The first one was called "The Miracle" and was about Christ's life. I really liked the music on this one. The second one was "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." This was the first time I had seen this live and it was really fun to watch. Melinda Doolittle was the narrator and did an awesome job!!

We got a CD soundtrack of the Miracle if we bought the picture, so Kristeen and I both got a copy of the photo. Not a bad deal for $20.

They had the same deal for this photo except you got Melinda Doolittle's CD. We weren't as excited for this one, but we got it anyway. :)

It was nice because Ilana and Mercelia got pictures with most of the cast members. The cast for both musicals were basically the same with a few exceptions.

Our favorite character was Lucifer. We liked him because we thought he sang the best.

Overall, it was a fun, but tiring vacation. We were all glad to get back home!!

Getting Ready For Vacation

I am so excited for vacation next week. I am going with Ilana, my co-worker Kristeen and her daughter Mercelia to Pigeon Forge, TN. It will be good to get away for awhile. We are going to spend one night at Wilderness at the Smokies. It is an indoor waterpark. (We stayed at the same hotel chain in Wisconsin Dells, WI.) Also on the itinerary is Dollywood, Dixie Stampede and Ripley's Aquarium.

I went to the neurologist a few weeks back and got the results of all my tests. He said that my EEG showed “frequent seizure tendencies.” He increased my medication and said he still might change my anticonvulsant medication. He also gave me medication for my migraines.

Work has been crazy busy recently. A real headache. We haven't really had a lot of our “regulars,” but it still has been busy. We have had quite a few hospice patients recently. Inpatient Hospice has really taken off this year. We usually have more hospice patients than oncology patients.

Here is a pic of my nephew Marcos at his 4th birthday party. So adorable!! He likes Mario. :)

New Layout

I changed my layout finally because I am tired of snow. I love snowmen, but am tired of snow. We got another snowstorm yesterday and enough is enough already!!

We have been watching the Olympics as of late. I find some of the sports are really fun to watch. Our favorites are Shani Davis, Apolo Anton Ohno, Shaun White, Scotty Lago, Julia Mancuso, JR Celske, Louie Vito, Lindsey Vonn...I could go on and on. :) So, I put my American Flag button on here to show my support. Go Team USA!

Update

So, I had some tests done recently. One if them was an ambulatory EEG. This was really cool in theory; being allergic to glues & tape made it an itchy experience. I wore the electrodes for 24 hours hoping to catch something unusual. We'll see what happens when I have my appointment in March.

Work has been chaotic recently. I've decided that I really do not like being charge. I am just tired of people complaining when you give them admissions like they are the only ones who get them. I just want to tell them they should try being charge & maybe they would understand a little more. Also, if you don't tell me what's going on with your patients, I don't know. Plain and simple. It's the people who aren't charge that complain. Why did I get volunteered for this when not everyone has to do it?!?

Ok, enough complaining about work…even though it is cathartic. Mom & I went to my nephew's birthday party today. He's so cute. He kept saying “say cheese” and “smile.”. This is Rafael or Fa-fa. He's 8. He likes green.

Interview

I had an interview with Lakeland ER today. I was supposed to have my interview next week, but showed up this week. Oops! I think it went okay. It is for the new chest pain clinic they are starting up. I have a peer interview next Wednesday morning. That is where the other nurses & staff interview me. I had the same thing when I got hired for Medical Oncology. I think it's neat to have the people you are going to be working with interview you.

The job I applied for is no longer posted, so I wonder what is going on with that. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

I've had some health issues recently. The doctor said a lot of my migraines & seizure problems are because I work the night shift. This is the reason why I am trying to get another position. They are talking about changing my anticonvulsant medication that I've been on for 10-15 years. Kinda scary. I've grown comfortable with the medication I'm on & I don't want that to change.

I have found an application that lets me post from my phone, which allows me to post more often. I just haven't found the time to actually get on the computer recently.

Well, I have to get ready to work night 2 of 3.

Ulcers

I have been nauseous for a few weeks now. It has been accompanied by epigastric pain. I was thinking it was an ulcer by where the pain was & how it presented.

I woke up today & the pain was intense. I went to my doctor today & she gave me a rx for prilosec & some lab tests.

She told me that I should avoid tomatoes, citrus & carbonated, caffeinated beverages. Those are staples in my diet. No wonder I have this.

I hope the meds wil take care of the nausea & pain. I hate being sick! The alternative-my gallbladder. My family has problems with their gallbladders, so it wouldn't be a surprise, but I hope it's just an ulcer. (I never thought I would say those words!)

Didn't make it to work

I was supposed to work last night. My sister called & said visibility was bad. She works in Watervliet & I work in St. Joseph. Sometimes it can be vastly different, so I attempted to drive to work.

It took me an hour to drive 11 miles and I wasn't even half-way there. I called & said I couldn't make it in. They weren't too happy, but what could I do? I couldn't even see my hood.

When I got home, mom told me that the police said to stay off of I-94. That is where I was heading & didn't make it.

I'm supposed to work tonight, we'll see what happens...


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New Year

Hi all. A new year has come upon us. I haven't been on the computer that much in recent months, so that is the reason for lack of posts.

For my birthday (way back in October), we went touring around Michigan on a genealogy expedition. That was quite fun. I might make it a yearly event.

More recently, for the Christmas Holidays, it was just mom & I here. I had to work during our family Christmas party, so that was disappointing.

We've got lots of snow here & it's supposed to keep snowing. I don't really like the snow. I was going to see about positions in FL, but I have to stay in MI until I get all my medical tests & things figured out.

I am seeing a neurologist about my epilepsy & migraines. I've had epilepsy all my life & have been on the same medication for 10-15 years. They want to change my medication because it's not good to be on that for that long. It's kinda scary, but I understand their reasoning.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Holiday season & a Happy New Year!


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