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.

This week...

This week has been an interesting one with all the thunderstorms & power outages. My two sisters and my power went out. The only one who had power was my grandmother, meaning if we wanted to shower for work, we had to go there. I was at work when the first thunderstorms hit and the power flashed there and I'm not sure if it was the generator coming on or the power coming back on, but it was scary! I don't like being in the hospital when the power goes out. Scenes from horror movies from my youth come flashing back to me.

I have also been working on some little tweaks with my blog and working on the computer a lot. There isn't much else to do when it is wet outside!

We have some little tomatoes in our garden. I'm so excited! We also have the beginnings of beans, zucchini, and cucumbers. Our fruit trees are still doing well.

I haven't really done much else on my genealogy this week. I'm kinda at a standstill until I get more information. That means either going to Gaylord, MI or Pennsylvania. Neither is a terrible distance, it is just a matter of doing it!

On a lighter note, the sun is shining today. It is in the 80s. Hot, hot, hot. So, I am going to go and enjoy the sun!

A busy few weeks

It's been awhile since I have posted. I have had a busy few weeks. My chemotherapy class is finished! Yeah! I am not certified to give chemo...although I have actually done so yet. :) I also have been working Thursday, Friday and Sunday. That is nice because I know which days I am working, but also stinks because working Sunday night, I have to leave church early to get some sleep before work. At least I get to go to some of it!

I've also been working on my Genealogy. It has been interesting. I went to my grandparents and asked for whatever they had. My grandma has a marriage certificate dating back to 1894. Really cool. Some of it was too big to copy on my printer, so I'm going to have to do that at Kinkos or something. My sister who was named after my great-grandmother Genevieve "Marie." Well, I found out that her middle name wasn't Marie and I am not sure where they got it. Also that she was born in Pennsylvania and not Bangor, MI. My grandpa argued with me until I told him that I got it from HIS birth certificate. Interesting stuff! I have tons to left to do. I want to go back to Corry, PA (where my grandpa is from) to get records and stuff, so that will be exciting. I love looking through my grandparents old things!

Here is a picture that I love of my great-grandmother, Bessie May Rutledge: