Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Blessings to you & your families!

I took this picture before going to work last night. I wore red scrubs and my pink Santa hat.

I went to church for the Christmas Eve service, which was great. Hearing Brian Lamb sing, "O Holy Night," was absolutely amazing! It definitely put me in the spirit. (If you didn't know already, that's my favorite Christmas hymn). I was great, until people kept bring their children in at 2300 for stupid stuff! :)

My friend, LeeAnna...

This is my friend, LeeAnna. She and I work(ed) together at the Peds ED. She moved to Nashville a little over a year ago, and now she moved back to her home state of Alabama: Birmingham(this weekend).

I'm quite sad over this. I mean, I knew that she talked about moving due to some situations, but I think I was in denial up until last week. Anytime I think about it, I tear up. I know she's only 2.5-3 hours away(& a phone call away) but still a dear friend is moving away.

She and I have confided in each other, about work, love, life, spiritual needs. And, it's been wonderful having another person in my life that I can do that with.

LJ, I love you greatly, and I have a house that you can come to...and I hope to make many trips to see you and the beach!

Merry Christmas to me, not really...

Well, it just goes to show you that things do happen for a reason, even though they may be at the most inopportune times.

I'm fortunate to have two vehicles: one that I drive to and from work and my other car that I bought after college as a present to myself. I love my Altima! I've been paying on it for quite sometime! Hehe.

I took my red car, Pontiac Grand Am, to get the oil changed and a brake check. I ended up needed an entire brake system, which was going to cost me $334.55. Nice, huh? Just need to place a bow on that car and say, "Merry Christmas."

I dropped it off this morning, and they were going to call once they were finished. Tonight, I go back to work for three nights. So, I needed to be able to get the car, and attempt a nap before work this evening(which I'm learning that I don't really sleep any on my first night back anymore).

When my Mom and I got there, they were testing the brakes. They parked it, and the cable to the shifter(5-speed manual) broke! One more thing that needs to be fix...

All I can say is that I truly know I'm blessed, because it easily could have happened on my drive to or from work...and you know, I do have transportation to get to work. On the other hand, I guess it's a good thing I'll have 54 hours on this week...

MJ, Ruby Red, & Rachel Baby!

Throughout this year, there have been three of us who have taken a picture of ourselves on three separate occasions. Whenever we're together for an event, we make sure we're next to each other, like the original photo. Each of these have their stories...





This picture was taken back in April, when several of us decorated Ali's house. We just wanted to make sure her house was ready for the Easter Bunny, that's all! So this is where the first picture began. :) Post-it notes, easter eggs, grass, & pinwheels. We saw some of these items resurface recently! :)









Picture #2. It was taken while the group was in Destin...a much needed trip for many! A time of relaxation, reflection, and just to hang out at the beach!





Picture #3. It was taken this past weekend out the Annual Dirty Santa Christmas party. Saturday night was filled with LOTS of good food, laughter, and discovering new personalities! Karen Jones. Yes, she's our minister of preschool and children, however she can be quite devious! Ricky Crabtree. He listened to the two married men, instead of his fiancee'. Jackie Briggs. It's nothing new to us that he'll eat anything! While, playing "Who's smarter than a 5th grader," MJ focused on that she gained self-esteem in life, instead of knowledge! Hehe.

My latest do...

Had some more color added...to give me that dark, winter look. I like it. It'll do me for a few weeks, then we'll do something else! :)

He cooked my dinner!

Last night, Joy and I went to eat sushi at a place here in town. To me, it's the best place in town. However, there's a place in Nashville that's amazing! There were only four people in the restaurant: Joy and I & a couple. The people were mingling around the restaurant. I was sending Jackie a picture to let him know that we didn't need his help eating our sushi. One of the guys comes over and sees me playing with my phone, well he's wants a picture taken. He tells me that I have to make it into a postcard and send it to him. I have to go to Wal-greens this week and make a postcard for him.

Tennessee Drivers

There has to be a reason why I work the hours I do in Nashville. I say this because, I can't handle Tennessee drivers(yes, that includes me, but you know, I tend to myself, making sure that I stay in my lane) in dry or precipitous weather. There is no reason to be going 70-75mph, then immediately 50mph in a matter of seconds. Another thing, people who merge with signalling. There was car today who did that. I noticed that her right rear bumper was damaged. I'm just assuming that she probably pulled out in front someone, causing some damage to her vehicle. The only thing that got me through it all was listening to Il Divo Christmas Album. Il Divo consists of four exceptional voices. They're amazing! Anyways, I was to listening to "O Holy Night," which happens to be my favorite Christmas song.

Bottom line, interstate congestion stresses me out!

Thanksgiving List

It's a few days late, but you get the idea. Here are a few of the things I'm thankful for, some silly and some serious!

• an awesome God--who shows His love and mercy through so much
• ignorant parents--job security
• one of my first jobs--shooting range--the greatest job ever
• Belleville River Bash--reunion of family and friends--the most stress free weekend of the year
• the upbringing of a WWII veteran & a baby boomer--thanks Mom and Dad!
• my brothers, Ethan(who will be there at any moment, especially at 5:30am on the interstate) & Mark(very grateful for the opportunities getting to know him)
• the children @ Camp Hope--they are my heroes!
• the weekly lunches with the group from church
• I have to agree with MJ, not working in retail!
• the foundation of nursing that was given to me by the experienced & absolutely amazing RNs in the Burn Center
• the detours in life
• Steve Fisher--one of the greatest men I know--I miss him so much!
• my grandparents, who really aren't my grandparents, but are my grandparents
• those few people in my that I know who will be there at any time
• slurpees, even though I can only get them when I go to WV. they're @ 7/Elevens
• the foundation of my faith @ New Hope
• the opportunity to help people each & every day
• the awesome (nightshift) staff that I work with--nothing has to be said, it's just done. great teamwork! we always manage to have fun, even if it's 216%. we get through it--together!

After working four nights...the braces came off.

So, it was my weekend on @ work. Friday was pretty eventful. Saturday was a good night. Sunday started off slow, then we had two level one traumas come in. Very sad story. Monday. It was a typical Monday. Extremely busy. I was hoping to get to leave early, however, that didn't happen.

Yesterday, I had my appointment at the orthodontist to have my braces removed! Woohoo! I struggled to make it home. I so should have stopped at Starbucks on the way home, but you know, I thought I could do it! I ate breakfast at Stones River Grill. I got some chocolate chip pancakes! Yum! To stay awake, I stopped by to see my Mom at work. Saw some of the ladies there that I hadn't seen in quite sometime.

I arrived at the orthodontist a few minutes early. Took me back and seated me. I nearly fell asleep, waiting! Now, I don't recall how intense removing my braces were ten years ago, but I thought they were going to rip my teeth out. I kept thinking, 'this isn't going to be good.' However, they were able to remove the brackets and glue. Now, I have a (semi) permanent retainer on my top teeth! Yay! Now, I'm enjoying rubbing my tongue across my smooth teeth!

I made it home. I had every intention to have dinner with some friends, but with lack of sleep over the weekend and how long I had stayed up, it just didn't happened. Obviously, I needed the sleep, because I slept from 11:15am till 10pm(with a 30 minute period of being awake).

I must say I feel better after having slept! :)

What the heck is wrong with people?

There are days, nights where I don't quite understand the thought processes of people. I mean, you bring your child to the Emergency Department to be taken care of, but you think we as health care providers(and I'm speaking for nurses here) are simply there to torture your child. I know I say that that is what I do for a living, but honestly, I think it takes special individuals to take care of screaming, crying, kicking children.

Last night, we were attempting to place an IV for antibiotic therapy. The parents were already telling us that they wanted someone good to start their child's IV. There were three of us nurses in the room. All of which totalled to about 30 years of experience (& they both work with Peds IV therapy). I attempted, I got a blood return, and when I went to flush the IV, the vein blew. At that point, the parents were telling us that they wanted someone who could get it on the first try. Well, I must say, when you're trying to hit a moving target, it's a little hard. So, one of the others tried, and the exact same thing happened, which isn't uncommon in children. Well, that was it, we were verbally abused by the parents, and the three of us walked out of the room. We let the charge nurse handle the situation, and none of us walked back into that room again. We notified VUPD, and they spoke with the father. Of course, he denied everything.

Regardless of the matter, there are just times where you can't make people happy, and tonight was one of them.

"Do you have real coffee here?"

As many of you know, I work in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Over the last several years, the 'purpose' of the ED has changed. Now, emergencies are fevers (which some are), ear aches, etc. We tend to replace what we call our primary care physicians. However, we do see many sick children.

Last night was a record breaking night. We got up to 216%. Meaning, we were well over our serving capacity. When I left this morning, we had 21 admitted patients sitting in the ED. Crazy!

To top it off, as I was wrapping up report, I had a family member approach me, "Do you have real coffee here?" (We have a nourishment room with water, coffee, tea, cereal, crackers, etc). I informed him where he could get himself some coffee. You would think I would be use to this by now, but honestly, I'm not. Our name should be the Hilton, instead of the Pediatric Emergency Department!

Hair-Therapy

I'm sure most women can relate that they enjoy getting their hair done, whether it be washed and a cut, styled, or colored. I must say it, it's one of the most calming experiences for me. I love getting my hair done. Having my hair washed is so relaxing!

My stylist and I have know each other for quite sometime. She and I use to work retail together, and once the store closed, we both went our separate ways. A few years back, I was looking for someone that could do my hair. For girls, you can't trust just anyone to do your hair. I came across her in the mall, and we've been together ever since. Not only is she my stylist, she is my best friend. I'm able to talk to her about anything, and I get honest answers (whether I like it or not, haha).

Today, I had an appointment with Kim. She puts some shades of brown in my hair, since it is the fall season. I ended up with a trim, because I couldn't decided what cut I wanted. I wanted to keep it convenient: easy for a ponytail for work. We said that we would do something totally different the next time: color and cut! So, just be prepared.

The beginning...

Hello to all. I, too, have decided to start a blog. I mean, why not? I tell you all of these funny stories about my life as a nurse and then some. Please bear with me and my crazy schedule, but I do hope this will be a good experience for all, and may be therapeutic for me, too!