He is Risen!

I hope everyone had a most blessed Easter holiday.  I had to work and we were short staffed because several employees called in, but it was a good day. I sure miss attending church services, and will be so glad when I can schedule my own work days!
Here is an "oldie but goody" frm Sandi Patti that I always think of when Easter rolls around.  I hope you click on the link and enjoy it as much as I do year after year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIC0d_3bWo&playnext=1&list=PL4BC645F0CB6D37A7

Best day yet!

Well, folks, I knew the day would come when I could actually blog about a GOOD day at work.  Actually, any day is a good day at work since I truly love taking care of my patients.  Sometimes it's just frustrating because I'm not great at time management and prioritizing tasks and such so it feels like I'm running all day long without food, drink or potty relief only to still be behind at day's end. Yesterday, was no such day, let me tell you!
I wasn't working with my preceptor because she took on the role of charge nurse, so I was with another nurse.  We had four patients between the two of us.  I took 3 and she took one. (That's the brakes folks when you're a newbie resident!)  I was actually able to get all of my assessments done and charted and morning meds passed before my lunch break, which was around 1:30 (vs the 3 and 4 o'clock lunches I've been taking). I returned from lunch and discharged one of my patients and was actually caught up enough to admit another, but that patient ended up going somewhere else, so I just had the two patients at the end of the day.  I clocked out around 6:55 p.m. versus 7:10 or even 8:00 I clocked out one day last week! Aahh, did that feel good.  I'm so looking forward to many more days like that and even better.  I needed that little boost of confidence because it's time for me to move up to four patients, and before yesterday, I could barely manage with three.  Keep those prayers coming, friends. I've come a long way, but still have so far to go.

Five Question Friday -15 April 2011

Aaarrrggghh! It's tax day! Only not really because for some reason the government has extended the deadline to Monday, April 18th...go figure. I also don't really have to panic because my taxes are already done (as of Wednesday, that is LOL!) Seems like last year we had already filed, received and spent our income tax return well before April 1st.  Anyway, I digress...
Fridays just don't seem complete without those five little questions from Mama M at My Little Life! Feel free to join the fun if you please. The rules are simple: copy and paste the original questions to a new post on your blog then answer them. Pop back over to My Little Life and add your blog to the list so others can check out what you have to say about the questions...here goes. Feel free to answer any or all of the questions in the comments below.

1. What is your favorite sign of spring?

That's a toss up between all of the trees budding and the winter weather giving way to warmer breezes characteristic of spring 

2. What was your best birthday ever?

My sister might be offended if I don't say the surprise "prom" birthday party she threw for my 40th birthday, but I think my 25th birthday was definitely one of my favorites.  I was back stateside from my Peace Corps assignment in Honduras.  I decided to travel out east via Amtrak to see some of America and visit friends I had met in Peace Corps. So, I spent my 25th birthday footloose and fancy free doing the things I loved: traveling and spending time with friends.  They even hosted a potluck dinner on my behalf and someone brought home-made cinnamon ice cream! A perfect segue into the next question...

3. What is your favorite dessert?

Cake (7-up cake or white cake, white frosting) and ice cream. I'm not ruling out all of the other scrumdiddylumptious affairs...I love a good cheesecake, cookie, cupcake, pie or cobbler, too!

4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?

Remember that question some weeks back about being superstitious? Well, I'm going to knock on wood before I answer this one. I've never had to use an excuse to get out of a ticket. I did get pulled over once by Officer Jack, the police that had just visited the Parent's Day Out program where I worked. I thought if I painted a big smile on my face and greeted him with a sweep of my open-palmed hand in a circular motion and a "Hi, Officer Jack" like he taught the kids, he may have mercy on me. He was only pulling me over because he noticed my registration was expired. I had the new tag in the car with me and was waiting until I went to the dealership to get my oil changed so they could deal with the sticky mess of removing the old one and applying the new one.  Officer Jack reached in, swiped the old sticker off in one swoop, stuck the new sticker on and sent me on my way. No ticket (or need for excuses) involved!

5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?

I've recently discovered that I like the nice soothing alarm tone on my cell phone so I've been setting that.  However, I usually wake up before my alarm(s) go off then doze back off until I hear the chimes.

Five Question Friday -08 April 2011

It's late, but it's officially still Friday in my neck of the woods, so I thought I'd go ahead and post/answer the questions for Mama M's Five Question Friday.  I won't bother with all of the rules and links and such as it's pretty much a done deal (well, okay, I'll link <this space> back to Mama M's blog just in case you want to pay her a visit, which I highly recommend).  Anyway, tomorrow is a work day, so I shan't tarry.  Here goes...

1. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I could write a list of things I'd change, however, in the interest of time (and the fact that the question clearly states ONE thing)...I'd change my "tendency-toward-procrastination-poor-time-management-disorganization" flaw.

2. Write about a time when you got lost.

Years ago, I learned on PBS that homing pigeons have this thing in their brains that lets them go out on a mission and find their way back home. Well, thank goodness I'm not a pigeon because I don't think I have one of those. I can get lost going in and out of stores in the mall--not that I subject myself to that torture very often. When I was in high school, a friend got me a temp job at DFW international Airport. The day before I was to report to work I decided to take a test drive so I'd know where I was going. Thank heavens I did.  Not only did I NOT realize there was a south entrance and north entrance to the airport, but I didn't know which one I had used to get where I was. I found where I was supposed to go without incident, but on the return trip home I must have looped back and forth for an hour before I finally got my bearings and made it home trembling, broke and out of gas.

 

3. Camping or 5 star hotel?

Each has it's place. On the whole, I'm kind of a country girl at heart and really enjoy camping with my kids (in my parents' pop up tent if that counts).

4. Have you donated blood?

I donated blood many moons ago when I was in college and received a follow up letter informing me that my blood had been destroyed because it contained some antibodies or something and I was ineligible to donate ever again.  Many moons later I went with my hubs to give blood and they asked if I'd like to donate, too.  I explained my predicament, but they let me donate anyway.  I got a similar letter in the mail and have not donated blood again since.

5. Do you have a budget or do you 'fly by' most months?

For the past umpteen years we haven't had enough money to budget. I just paid what bills I could and then rolled the unpaid ones over to the next month and prayed for the hubs to work some extra shifts or something.  Now that I'm working and we're crawling out of that downward spiral and looking toward college planning, etc, I foresee a budget in our near future.

Whew! That was fun and now I'm done...in about 30 minutes. That may just be a blog record for me! Good night my friends. Until next time...

Not so fond memories

Ever had one of those "accidents" where you know you'd laugh if only you could have seen yourself in slow motion?  Well, I had one today, folks!  It had to do with the swimming pool in our back yard, but first let me give you a little background on said pool.
When we bought our house, we were NOT looking for a home with a pool in the yard.  We just happened to like everything else about the home and thought the pool would be an added bonus. Well, years later we have come to see the pool as a bonus all right: Biggest Old Nuisance Under the Sun!  Sorry if it sounds like I'm whining to all of you who have pools and love them or those of you who wish you had a pool but don't. We actually love the pool but hate the expense and maintenance mainly because money has always been tight. Hopefully, we'll enjoy it a lot more now that we can better afford the tools and things we need to keep it running smoothly.
Anyway, let me get back to today...We had Ray, the one and only "pool guy" that has served us well over the years, out to replace a pipe that was cracked in the big snow storm last February (as in 2010 - we didn't even bother cleaning or running the pool all last summer if that gives you an idea of how much grunge was on the bottom of the pool).  Ray brought his pumps and helped us drain the water from the pool.  There was no way we could think of turning on the pump and attempting to suck water through the filter at this point.  I had on an old pair of shorts and a t-shirt and flip flops.  Well, I walked down the steps into the now empty shallow end of the pool with a five gallon bucket and a plastic dust pan in hand to scrape the algae/decomposed leaves/marine life mixture off the bottom of the pool. When my flip flop hit the sludge, it refused to stay in one place. I cannot even recount with any degree of accuracy what actually happened.  All I know was my flip flop slid and so did I and the next thing I know I'm flat on my back in the gunk and Mike is asking if I'm okay.  I'll recount my injuries and have you figure out the rest: I scraped the skin off of the top of my right foot (almost like a burn), bumped my right knee, scratched my right forearm, hit my left elbow and the back of my head hit the bottom step on the way down.  Ouch! Now, I do remember that part.  Luckily, nothing was broken or in need of stitches.  I marched inside, showered the gunk off, applied some antibiotic ointment and a couple of band-aids to the scrapes, took an Advil and strapped an ice pack to the goose egg on the back of my head before heading back outdoors to resume helping with the "Project Let's Get this Pool Up and Running."  I took the less hazardous job of spraying down the gunk from the safety of the deck around the pool, thank you very much.
This is yet another story I can add to my "not so fond memories" of our swimming pool.  Another story involved me vigorously brushing the deep end when all of a sudden the pole I was using decided to telescope into a shorter version of itself throwing me off balance.  I didn't let go in time and ended up doing a cartwheel over the pole into the deep end.  I somehow scraped something on the edge of the pool that time, too, but I wasn't seriously harmed.  I remember thinking, "Good thing the neighbors didn't see that!" as I emerged sputtering from the water and dragged myself out of the pool.
Shouldn't I have fond memories of kids with paddle boards and goggles playing Marco-Polo and me floating lazily on an inflatable raft sipping a root beer over Sonic ice?  Maybe this summer...maybe!
Until next time, my friends

Five Question Friday-18 March 2011

T.G.F.F. I mean seriously, people Thank God for Fridays...as Friday seems to be the only day I even think of blogging. Actually, it's not the only day I think of it, but it does seem to be the only day I actually sit down and do it! I thank Mama M over at My Little Life for the inspiration in the form of five little questions that give me something to gab about.
Work is going relatively well.  I often think back to when I read Thomas the Train books to my kids. We had a pop up book where Thomas crashed into the station master's house as he and his family were eating dinner. As dishes and food flew everywhere, someone exclaimed, "Thomas! You great clumsy ox!" That's kind of how I feel at the hospital.  I'm slow and still trying to find my "groove." I look up drug compatibility and watch the clock as I administer "slow push" IV drugs. I like to be very thorough, but unfortunately it throws me behind and I feel like the "great clumsy ox" when I've spent most of my shift trying to catch up.  I didn't eat lunch until 3:40 the other day, and I still had 3:00 meds to give one of my patients. My preceptor finally said, "Eastlyn, stop. Go and eat. We will catch up when you get back." Boy was I thankful for that break! In the hospital, we have codes for everything: code blue means someone stopped breathing, code red means fire.  I teased that they'll have to implement a new code: "code resident" meaning a resident somewhere in the hospital has collapsed outside a patient's room with a handful of syringes and pills, an empty stomach and a full bladder.
Anyway, back to 5QF...feel free to join the fun.  Just click <here> to hop over to Mama M's blog and get the original questions and official rules. It's a blog hop so you can also see what others have to say in response to the questions! It's a lot of fun.

1. Have you ever testified in court? For what?

I'm thinking probably not. That's something I would remember, right, like the whole swearing in and vowing to tell the whole truth so help me God?

 

2. Do you still have your wedding dress?

Yes I do, but I don't know why. My sister-in-law who is smaller than I was when I got married used it and had it altered. My one and only daughter is already bigger than I am now, so she probably won't want to wear it (not to mention poofy long sleeves probably wouldn't suit her taste). What do you do with a wedding gown once the wedding is over?

3. Is there a special place you like to go when you're happy, sad, stressed, etc.?

Sadly enough, I don't think I have any "special place." It is a goal of mine to one day establish a little uncluttered corner of the house where I can go to hang out in peace and quiet, pray, meditate or whatever. In the meantime, I guess the comfort of my snuggly bed is my refuge/sanctuary.

4. If you have kids, do they sleep with you? If you don't have kids...will you let your kids sleep with you when/if you have them?

When my son was born, I was so nervous about having a tiny little helpless human being entrusted to my care that I kept him practically attached to me at all times...including bedtime. His bassinet was within arm's reach of my bed, but usually he was in the bed with me and the hubs.  When he was about 9 or 10 months old, I tried placing him in his crib in his nursery, and he stretched out and slept...well, like a baby. He seemed to be glad to have his own space. When my daughter came along, she might have slept with us for the early nursing days, but she slept in her own crib, too.

5. Do you watch late night TV?

I used to watch Jay Leno on occasion, but because (1) he's no longer on and (2) the TV in my bedroom doesn't work, and (3) I'm exhausted whenever I crawl into bed, I have given up on late night TV.

That was fun, now I'm done...gotta run a few errands, cook a couple of meals and get ready to work all weekend long. Have a great weekend. Until next time...

Five Question Friday-11 March 2011

Oh my, it's Friday again already. Everyone knows that means time for Five Question Friday, hosted by Mama M at My Little Life.  Click <here> or on her name to visit her blog and get the rules and original questions to copy and paste on your own blog.  You can also link your blog to hers so others can read what you have to say in response to the questions.  Too much trouble? You're welcome to answer the questions in the comments below, also. Have a great weekend.

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?

It's whatever color my hair is now: mostly black with an ever increasing number of grays in the mix.  Although at times my hair turns a little lighter shade of "so dark brown it looks black" in the summer with pool chemicals and sun and such, I've never colored my hair.

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?

Unless there's something for which we must plan in advance, like a family reunion, it's usually the fly by the seat of our pants "planning" in the White household. Money is always the deciding factor, and there's usually not a lot of it to do much with.  Mike and the kids both have summer birthdays so we do "plan" how they'll celebrate. Maybe that counts for something.

3. What is your favorite meal to cook?

Oh, gosh, I love to eat, so practically every meal is my favorite meal. If I had to choose one favorite meal that's not too much work but still feels special, I guess it would be smothered pork chops, sweet potatoes, cabbage & cornbread. Soul food = comfort food.

 

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?

I'm a little hypocritical here, and I'll tell you why...I do enjoy receiving thank yous, but sometimes I forget to write them myself.  Years after my hubs and I were married, I was "cleaning out" some old boxes and found a box of thank you notes from our wedding.  Mostly, they were blank notes and envelopes, but some were written and addressed, but apparently never mailed! Imagine the horror! Oh, Miss Manners would be so displeased as it was well past the allotted 6 week grace period for accomplishing such a task.
I truly dislike shopping. So, if I've taken the time to grab my purse, trudge to the shopping center or heaven forbid the mall and browse through racks and shelves of stuff looking for just the right thing for someone, I am offended if they never so much as acknowledge receipt with a thank you. It can be a phonecall, an email or an old-fashioned note in the mail (which I probably love the most to break up the monotony of bills and ads),

5. How did you meet your best friend?

 

Well, I met my traditional BFF when we were in grade school.  We're nine months apart in age, so she was a year ahead of me in school. Our families had been invited to a cook out at a mutual friend's house, and that's where we met.  She was tall and thin and had a long ponytail, not to mention she was the "older sister" I never had. We became fast friends that summer, and we still keep in touch today. I loved the sanctuary of her quiet "only child" home, and she loved the chaos and confusion of my childhood home shared with a younger sister, two brothers and a dog. Although we aren't as close as we once were, we always pick up where we left off, giggling uncontrollably as we bring each other up to speed on life's ups and downs.

I met my more recent BFF, with whom I chat, rant and rave, listen, share recipes, etc., when my brother introduced us several years back and then married her in 2006. Guess I'm a lucky girl to have several "besties."