Home sweet home.

Tonight, I am happy to sleep in my own bed. I am unhappy to have crappy cable again, but maybe it all evens out. It's strange to be in such a small space again...going from over 1200 sq. feet to about 600...but that's also okay.

I am hoping to sleep uninterrupted for greater than 6 hours. Pray for LONG and RESTFUL sleep!

Here's some pics from the week. Hilarious!

I do love to sleep.

Oliver, Liberty, and I are still hanging out in the wonderful land of good cable. The puppies are behaving themselves quite nicely. Oliver spends most of him time either staring out the window into the courtyard or curled up in Sam's dog bed. It's funny because Oliver and Liberty have never had dog beds. They've always just curled up on the couch or in a blanket. After this week, I'm seriously considering getting them one. Who knows.

Work is going well. I've got one of my three recent transplants out the door and the next one is on the launching pad to go out early next week. The third is having a little more trouble, in fact, she landed herself a trip to the ICU this afternoon. Poor sweet baby.

I am NOT ON CALL! :) Not on outpatient call. Not on donor call. There is NO reason for me to be interrupted in the middle of the night! Hooray! We do have some sweet babies on the list right now, and I would love to be there for their life changing experiences, but I do need my peace and quiet! I'm already not sleeping well here, so I'm thankful to get back to my house where everything's the same...that is, except for the fabulous cable. :( I do have to spend much of the evening tomorrow cleaning. Oliver has shredded toys EVERYWHERE and it looks pitiful. I'm sure Jennifer would never let it get this messy, but I have priorities! :)

Anyways. I'll post pics of the puppy frolics once I get my camera cable. So sweet!

Housesitting...

While Michael and Jennifer are in San Francisco, I am happily house sitting. I mean, really, what's not to love? There's FABULOUS cable (any would be an improvement over what I have now!), another sweet puppy (the emotionally scarred one is being boarded, poor thing), and lots of room for my other two puppies to run around! I've already watched Food Network and moved on to Hallmark for old people mystery shows like Matlock and Murder, She Wrote.

At the moment, Oliver is trying desperately to get a bone out of this treat toy Jennifer and Michael have. He is licking it in the hopes of success, but he's not succeeding so far! Liberty is perched on the couch, watching him in case he happens to drop said bone. Sam is circling him and mostly looking for his mom and dad. Silly sad boy.

I'm on call today, both for donors and outpatients. I've mostly been left alone, but have occasionally received weird calls that can TOTALLY wait until Tuesday. I guess I should be thankful I am not receiving them in the middle of the night! I completely expected to have a heart offer on one of our kids this weekend, especially since it seems that all the key players are on call that have been doing all the hearts this year! AND it doesn't help that I've done ALL of the last 5 transplants, and our other coordinator keeps catching a break! Oh well, those sweet kiddos needed new hearts and I wouldn't have traded being there with them for anything!

I am completely exhausted right now, and really tried to take a nap, if I hadn't kept getting called by patient families. I got up at 4:45AM to take my friend Dana and her precious daughter Zosia to the airport. I've got some sweet pictures of the adorable baby, but of course, they are on my camera which is at home. I'll be picking her up tomorrow afternoon, but her plane doesn't get in until 1PMish.

Oliver is still trying to get that treat. I'll say this, he is QUITE determined. I thought he would have given up by now. AH! I am happy to report that he has NOW obtained the treat and is quite done playing with the holder. Silly boy.

Not much else is going on. Guess I'll sign off. Hope your weekend is great!

Puppy craziness

Here's some pictures of the wildness I am currently experiencing...

Weekend warrior...

Okay, so perhaps I'm just a WEE bit overzealous on my title. I would imagine being a warrior meant lots of work, lots of effort, and many things accomplished...none of which has occured this weekend! :) That's okay, the longer I work 8-5, the more I realize how much I need to cherish my weekends! If I am running around wildly all week, I absolutely need to relax! Today, Liberty and I have just hung around the house. I have been reading most of the day, a pastime I dearly love and do not get to do enough of. I still have to finish the Harry Potter book, but today, my goal was to finish out the Shopaholic series. (It's absolutely as classy as it sounds!) I've got about three more books waiting to be read, so I don't know if I'll delve into those anytime soon. I seem to go on spurts with the reading. Some weeks, all I want to do is read. For the last couple of weeks, I haven't wanted to do any! ODD!

Next week, I am completely by myself at work, which is always interesting. It's usually very busy, which is GREAT! I don't mind being busy, and it usually makes the time go faster! I don't end up sitting around going "I am so BORED!". My manager is back in town this week, which is also fabulous. I've got lots of things to talk with her about....

I think that's all that's going on. Have a beautiful week!

Excitement abounding...

After four days of doing practically nothing and having Liberty follow me EVERYWHERE, one would think I'd be more than ready to go back to work....but NO WAY. I'd take another week of this lovely lounging around in a heartbeat. I have no desire to go back. The only thing luring me back to work is the knowledge that I am doing the inpatient side this week. I always enjoy this side more, only because I get to play with all the very sweet inpatients. Hopefully, in my two weeks of inpatient, I'll get to send most of the babies home.

Today, I'm going to find lots of things NOT to do to pass the time of my last day off. I'm NOT going to clean. I'm NOT going to do laundry. I'm NOT going to think about how little I want to go to work tomorrow. Instead, I'm going go to lunch with Jennifer, I'm going to read nonsense books, and sadly, I'm not going to spend any money.

This week should be a good one, especially since I'm only working four days! Shorter weeks always make for happier people. It's also pay week, which is absolutely the way to make people happy! :) The bad part of this week is that Liberty is already being absolutely pathetic. She follows me everywhere, and I'm afraid she's going to be a pile of pitiful doxie after having me her all the time. Oh well, I guess I can undo all the damage I've done the last five days! :)

Such is my very exciting life. I redesigned my blog while I've been off....hope you like it! :)

My maniac baby.

SO, with all my free time, I've been playing on YouTube a lot. I found a video of a baby dachshund, right after it was born. Liberty was so intrigued by it! She kept cocking her head and roaming around the computer, looking for the baby. I never thought she had any mothering instincts, but I guess that's not the case! I actually got it on video...so thought I'd share it with you!




I'm sad that these people named that doxie baby "bruno"...and I wish they wouldn't breathe so heavily on the video....BUT it's really all about Grace's hilarious reaction!


Isn't she crazy?

VACATION! :)

Sometimes the best vacations are the ones where you do nothing but sit and relax. That's the kind of lovely vacation I am currently experiencing. I have not had the chance to do this in several months...more than 6 I think. I know it may seem low-key to most, but oh well.

Yesterday, there were two highlights to my preciously pitiful day. #1: I went to Michael and Jen's and played with their puppies while their mom is away. I watched food network for the first time in MONTHS! :) It was such a happy time. #2: I rearranged my living room and bought a wireless router for my internet.

Doesn't that excitement make you wish you were me? :) Liverty is getting very VERY spoiled with all this attention and mommy time. I'm sure I'll have to undo that next week!

Guess I'll go back to my pitifully boring and perfectly relaxing day!

Donate Life

I have always been a fan of organ donation, even before I took a job in transplant. I think that if you can give life to someone after you are no longer around, that should be your final gift! What an amazing gift it is! Texas has recently started a registry that will let you tell your family exactly which organs and tissues you'd rather not take to the grave with you! :)


www.donatelifetexas.org


The website's really great...it even goes through the myths and facts about organ donation. AND I'm always available to tell you what an AMAZING impact your donation can make.

FINALLY!

I'm OFF CALL! :) Okay, so it's a short lived excitement....but it's all I have. To sleep with my pager and phone in the other room is a lovely concept. I've been having a grand time. Staying out late, sleeping late....all things I haven't had the chance to do while I've been tied to the pager. Again, let me say that I don't HATE being on call, but doing three transplants in 2 weeks really tires one out. I just wish I wasn't the heart good luck charm :)

Oliver's gone back to Becca's this week, and Liberty's quite the mournful creature. I even bought her these bones she LOVES, but she won't touch them. It's probably because Oliver's not here to chew them first. She noses them around, but seems uninterested. Pitiful. Ungrateful beastie.

Other than being off call, there's really nothing interesting happening. I have had a chance to play with an old friend the last couple of weekends, and that's always fun. Last night, we went to the rodeo...oh yes, the RODEO. We saw the most interesting people, and most interesting of all...Whiplash the cowboy monkey. It was hilarious!

Anyways, that's all the fun over here in the grand land o' Dallas. I've got next Thursday through Monday off for what I like to call "relax time". I'm thinking of doing the massage thing, and probably a host of other relaxation things! I'm still sore from taking a flying leap down the OR corridor, so it might be good to relax! :) My manager is very dedicated to me taking my time off, especially since I have more than 200 hours saved up! I've got five day weekends throughout August and September, which will be SO SO nice! I haven't taken any time off since February! :)

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Continue to pray for my babies who are all recovering from their transplants....and some still waiting! :)

Job woes.

I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.

Now that I've said that to convince myself, let me further deliberate. I love most aspects of my job. As much as I HATE getting calls/pages in the middle of the night, I don't mind going in to help a child have a new chance at life. In fact, I LOVE it! I absolutely love being there for those families. It is an experience I could never EVER explain. Walking out to those families to tell them "Your child's new heart is beating" is a phenomenal experience. I literally have goosebumps the entire time I am walking out to tell them. I love being able to TEACH all day long...and have it be something worthwhile! I LOVE making connections with the kids and their families. I love having so much responsibility, and having people trust what I say. That's very important to me. I love that I have a great secretary who keeps me on track. I am SO blessed to have great doctors to work with, including one I am quickly becoming kindred spirits with! (Only Anne lovers will get that one!)

Now that I've spoken all the wonderful parts of my job, let's delve into what I don't like. I really don't have much to complain about. Sure, the long hours get tiring. It's very hard on my body physcially to be up for so many hours at a time, but I don't mind doing it. I DO mind my main co-worker. The fact that she gets in my business every minute of every single day is thoroughly bothersome to me. I can't seem to do anything without her having some question "What are you doing? Who are you talking to? When did you pee last?" Does it matter? If I could get JUST a wee bit of praise from her, I'd be absolutely shocked. I've learned never to expect it from her because all I am going to get is criticism. BUT, in the grand scheme of things, it really does NOT matter what she thinks of me. What matters is what the doctors and patients think. Do they trust me to make good judgements and decisions? Does my manager think I'm doing a good job? These are the important things. SO, I'll let her play her passive agressive game, even though I hate it. I'll just continue to see the good in my job, and hopefully, she'll either cut that crap OUT, or quit! :)

Have I told you how excited I am to be off donor call this Friday? The fact that we have done FIVE transplants since June 26, all on my watch, should speak for itself. I was off for two weeks, and of course we didn't do a single one while my co-worker was on call. Let's hope that our two remaining babies on the list get their hearts soon....but only after I go off call! :)

Wow. This has gone on for awhile. I guess I should get to bed. I'm SO ready for Friday. I fixate on it... :)

A klutz to the core....

Never let it be said that I am not dedicated to my job. This weekend, I took a flying crash down the operating room hallways en route to the room where a precious angel was getting a new heart. Aren't I retarded? I've got a wonderfully swollen left leg now, but a new heart is happily beating inside its new owner! :)

Oliver is currently 3 inches from my face, staring creepily. He's very upset that I won't speak to him right now, but would you speak to him if he'd peed outside his crate on your carpet? I didn't think so. Now he's sniffing my hair. Rude! :)

So, let's think of things I want to do this week.....

1. I'd like to have uninterrupted sleep. Uninterrupted by parents going crazy over weird things (Yes, transplants can have diaper rash, you don't HAVE to call me at 2AM to inform me).

2. I'd like to finish the new Harry Potter book. I read the first 6 in less than 24 hours each. This one is taking awhile because I've been so busy doing other stuff, I haven't wanted to do anything but sleep when I can!

3. I want to get a massage at the massage school...anyone in?

4. I'd like to have a moment to play with my friends....and not have to work!

Okay. That's it. I'm sure there's something else, but I can't think clearly right now. Hope your week goes wonderful!

On the homefront.

Is it really only Tuesday? It seems like this week is dragging on, but maybe that's because I've been on call FOREVER! Can you believe tomorrow is August? YIKES! In trying to fix the schedule so we're on call for blocks of time longer than a week, I put myself on call through August 8. I have had mostly uninterrupted sleep, with a couple of completely random calls here and there...nothing serious. I go off call for outpatient on Friday, so I'll only be on donor call after that. Ta DA! :)

We've had busy weeks at the hospital, with all the transplants going on and such. I've been on inpatient this week, and we've had some major milestones! We've had babies get off the ventilator, babies have to go back on the ventilator, and babies get ready to go home.

I have Oliver this week, and he's been a precious baby. He's hilarious. He got into a little bit of trouble on Friday when he bit the vet tech. In Oliver's defense, the guy did sneak up on him and go to put something on Oliver's neck...so it wasn't entirely his fault. Oliver is such a pansy to anyone who knows him. Two hours after he got home from the vet, he had already curled up on my friend Amanda's lap and showed her his stomach. The vicious, vicious beast! :) Now he's completely passed out on the couch with his sister. Sweet baby.




Well, nothing else is really going on around here. Hopefully things will get interesting this weekend, but since it seems everyone around me is going out of town except me, should be interesting. Have a great weekend! :)

Miracles abounding.

Being on call certainly opens up a whirlwind of emotions, which I believe I have mentioned in numerous blogs. This weekend, it was CRAZY! Of course, I hadn't been on what we call "donor call" in 2 weeks. This means I am the one the surgeon calls if there's a transplant. Starting last Friday, I've been on both donor call and outpatient call (when the post-transplants have questions). At 9AM Friday morning, after only being on call 2 hours, I already had a transplant to plan! All went well, and I was able to go home around 1AM. Saturday, I had planned to spend the day reading the new Harry Potter book. Well, our hospital transferred in a patient to be evaluated for transplant, so I spent the day giving orders and getting financial approval. That night, I went to the movies and saw both Harry Potter and Ratatoiulle. SUCH good movies! I got home about 2AM (it was a late movie!) and happily went to sleep....excited to spend Sunday afternoon reading my book. Well, that happy sleep was interrupted by a phone call at 4AM regarding ANOTHER transplant! That's 2 in less than 36 hours! YIKES! :) The second transplant was my precious little angel that missed out on a heart earlier in the week....we had miracles all OVER the place!

Needless to say, I've been spending my week getting caught up on the sleep I missed over the weekend. I'm on call again this weekend, but I am NOT on outpatient call too...so hopefully I'll just get to hang out and SLEEP! Liberty is VERY excited to have me actually sleep in my own bed...so I know she's going to be glad I'm home. I also get Oliver back tomorrow...so there will be PLENTY of fun around here! It's always a little quiet without Oliver. I think Liberty will be happy to see him.

I need so badly to go on vacation! I checked my time off today and I have 200 hours saved up! That is WAY too much vacation to keep to myself! I am planning a trip to Mexico this fall with some friends, but I just need to get it set in stone. I've also gotten a lot more fiesty about my time on call. I was going to have to be on call my birthday weekend, but thankfully, I am not because I said NO WAY and now I'll be free for partying!

No other news to report. Puppies are happy. Babies are getting new hearts. I am finally well rested again. Life goes on.

The pros and cons.

Last night, we received a heart offer for my favorite little baby. I've been there for this family since they were told she needed a transplant. There's just some families that you bond with more than others...and this family is so special to me! I got to be the one to tell them we had a heart for their baby, which is absolutely one of the most exciting things I have been able to do. This mom is absolutely amazing to me. After her initial excitement about her daughter's life being saved, her thoughts went straight to the donor family and started lifting up prayers for them in their time of need.

I also had to turn around 12 hours later and tell them the heart wasn't good anymore and their daughter would not be getting her life-saving transplant that night. I have begun to despise that conversation. Please keep this precious family in your prayers. It's an absolutely emotional roller coaster, and I know they would be so thankful for these prayers. I am just so thankful we discovered the heart was unacceptable before it was placed in this precious little girl.

I go back on call Friday. Nights spent with two phones and a pager. YIPPEE! Should be interesting when we have 2 kids sitting right at the top of the list! :) We tend to get heart offers almost every other day...so I'm sure sleepless nights are in order! I took a nap this afternoon after being up all night, and I feel so much better, but nothing prepares you for the adrenaline rushes of this job!

Well, guess I should find something for dinner...and Liberty is begging!

The calm...

Well, I've been off call for a week now...and I can't say I haven't enjoyed it! How nice is it to go to sleep uninterrupted, and sleep with NO phone/computer/pager next to my bed! It's weird to think how comforting that is! :) I have almost remembered what it is to have a normal existance! :) Of course, I go back on call in a week or so, but I think it will be different this time. Hopefully, it will be for the better.

I have had one of my favorite babies admitted this week. Her mom and I have formed such a bond, and I absolutely LOVE their family. She's sitting at the top of the transplant list right now, and I pray EVERY DAY that an offer comes through for her. She's such a little angel and I absolutely LOVE her parents.

Not much else is going on. I have been very bored at work this week, mostly because my counterpart wont' let me help her...but that's okay. I don't know if I would want to have her help me! It's such DRAMA in the heart transplant office!

Oliver went back to Becca's this week. I think Liberty really misses him! Her grandma was here earlier in the week, and now she's just mourning the loss of both of them. She's currently curled up in a little ball next to me...she's so insane.

Oliver ALSO learned to climb trees this week! At Grandma's house, he was obsessed with finding squirrels...any way he could! If that meant climbing trees, he was all for it! I'll have to post the picture of him climbing the trees...he's so funny!



That's pretty much the week! Working. Bored. That's IT! Pray for heart offers on my three waiting babies!

Only one more day....

After three weeks, three heart offers that didn't go through (but still kept me up all night!), two transplants (one of which I am getting ready to go to right now!), I AM READY TO BE DONE WITH CALL! At least for this one, I got a 1/2 hour of sleep instead of NONE! Hooray for small blessings! Let's just say I will be more than happy to return the stupid transplant phone and not wear my pager ALL DAY! :)

I do love my job. It's just hard to like it at 3:01AM when I know I'll be busy all day...on minimal sleep. Poor puppies. They will be pitiful, I am sure. Ah, there goes the alarm clock. I set FOUR alarms to make sure I woke up. Of course, I got paged an hour before I was supposed to wake up, and wasn't able to go back to sleep. Ah, the 2nd alarm goes...perhaps I should turn them off!

The cry of the unable...

Before anyone gets any wild ideas about me reproducing, let me be the first to tell you I have NO current plans for this. I just have a few friends who are battling infertility and this video was especially moving to me. There are so many people having children who shouldn't be....and so many trying that can't.

Caught up!

You never EVER realize how much value sleep has until you don't get it! Since I didn't sleep a wink on Monday night, I spent the rest of the week catching up! I am happy to say that I am now caught up! :) I've got only a few more days on my own, and then I'm going on a mini-vacation! I leave Thursday morning for my grandma's house in Central Texas and I'll be back Sunday night with my mother in tow! She's gonna spend a few days visiting up here. Liberty and Oliver are very excited to go visit the country...they mostly just like the yard! My grandma says there are lots of foxes and deer out this year...I'm sure that will absolutely torture Oliver. He does love to chase things...

I had an appointment with my cardiologist on Friday. He was mildly concerned that my resting heart rate is usually over 100. It should be 60-80. He gave me a medication to take when I feel it racing. The ironic thing is that since my co-worker has left town, I haven't had one single palpitation! He told me he would write a letter asking for her to be fired if I wanted! :) He also let me look at my echo. It was basically normal with a touch of mitral valve regurgitation. This isn't a problem right now, but we'll see what it does later on. That's why I have a murmur. Overall a good visit! I haven't filled the prescription yet...I'm such a bad nurse! :)

This weekend I got most of my house clean! I even dusted! I attempted vacuuming, which lasted a good hour before Oliver started shredding his toy carcasses all over the house. I gave up on the clean floor. At least I attempted. I still need to finish cleaning the bathroom, but that shouldn't take too long. I HATE cleaning and I really despise spending my long awaited weekends doing it.

Anyways. This should be a nice short week, especially since I'll only be working TWO days! I'm going to be on my first call this week....which means I'll get all the calls from our post-transplants at any hour of the day. I'm sure someone will have a wonderful 4th of July and try to injure themselves and need to call me. That will be LOADS of fun! I don't even know if I'll be able to go see fireworks! I'd never be able to hear a call over those!

Well, I'd better continue cleaning...or at least attempting to avoid it. Liberty is currently being punished in the bathroom for peeing on the floor. She's been in there almost an hour. She's normally decided she's done by now and barked...but no such barking.

Ah, I went and saw Ratatouille this weekend! I HIGHLY recommend it! It was SO SO cute! Pixar does such a great job!

Have a great week!

Can't see straight...

Well, let's see. I think in my last post, I was saying how TIRED I was...well, that's NOTHING compared to what I feel like now! I have been awake since 5AM YESTERDAY morning. Ah, the life of a transplant coordinator. I had no sooner walked in my door at 6:30PM yesterday evening when I got a call from the transplant surgeon saying we had an organ offer for one of our kiddos. That started a long night of endless phone calls and traipsing around the OR which finally finished around 11:00AM today! :) I finished up pressing matters at work, and then scooted on home to SLEEP! Hooray! :) I'd love to take off tomorrow, but I have clinic, so I'll be bright and shiny at 8:30AM! :)

Okay. It's time for sleep.

I long for uninterrupted sleep....

I've been on call for a week. It's been mostly okay, with the exception of a few sleepless nights for transplants that haven't happened. All I can say, it will be very nice to not sleep with a 2 phones, my computer, and my pager next to my bed! I've got a week and half to go. This week should be more structured, especially with the transplant doctor back in town and on call. Hooray for structure!

Other than that, there's not much else going on. Oliver met Max today with no serious issues. He mostly just sniffed him and tried to get him to play, but Max was more interested in hiding.

I've been trying to plan vacations so I'm not stuck here in Dallas all summer, but so far it's not working out. Everyone's schedules are crazy, and it looks like it will be after my birthday before I can go have fun! Ah well, everyone needs a break at some point! :) I'll just save up my fun until then!

The thing I need to learn about being on call is how to LIVE while on call. Ever since I got a call last night, I've been staying close to home, almost afraid to do anything because I might miss a phone call. I even entertained the idea of sleeping in my living room last night so I would be sure to wake up if I was paged! I guess the newness will wear off eventually....I just hope it is sooner than later!

Puppies need love...gotta go!

All alone....

Well, the time has come. I am all by my self at work. Of course, I've always got back-up in case I need it....but I'm essentially alone. I've got the fancy palm phone, just waiting for it to ring and say "Hey, we've got a heart, call in the family". Now, just my luck, we'll get all the kids transplanted while I'm alone and I'll be busier than I know what to do with. BUT, that hasn't happened this weekend. It takes me longer to get ready to go now, there's not an option of leaving my cellphone at home. I have to have my pager, cell phone, and palm phone at all times...even in church! Today, I got paged in church, and I was rather surprised that my heart didn't jump the way I thought it would. Thankfully, it was only the floor saying hello, but it was still weird to get paged in church! :)

The next couple of weeks aren't as busy as usual, mostly because the transplant doctor is gone as well, but I'm okay with that. So, aside from going everywhere (including bed) with a host of phones, I'll be learning how to do the job alone. Then, when I'm not alone anymore, we can split up the tasks and not have someone in my business at all times! HOORAY!

Well, I'm sure there's a puppy around here that would like some attention. Guess I'll go find them. :)

Heart Update

I got a call from the cardiologist's office today. My stress test was NORMAL! :) My echo looked beautiful! NO Mitral valve prolapse! :) All the tranmissions I have sent them with my event monitor have been basically normal! I've got a lot of periods of tachycardia, but no premature beats out of my atriums or the ventricles. ALWAYS a good thing! So far, so good! I still have two weeks of monitoring. I DO know that I have a murmur, which at this point is innocent. I'm sure I'll be back at the cardiologist after everything is over, but at this point, my worry level is much less!

All is well here at the ranch. Hooray!

Birthday Girl

No, It's not my birthday yet. I've got three more months to play in my 20's! It's Liberty's birthday! I know all of you who have children and mortgages are probably rolling your eyes at the celebration of my dog's birthday, but hey...I don't have any of those things. I can take a moment to celebrate the being that's lived with me for almost 5 years!

SO, Liberty Grace is 5 years old today! She is still one of the most bright spots of my day! We did a lot of travelling today! We went to buy her some special food for her birthday dinner and ended up buying a birthday shirt as well. A little girl wanted to pet her in Petsmart, and when she was told it was Liberty's birthday, she said "Hey! It's my recital today, so that's TWO special things in ONE day!" How hilarious is that!? Kids are so fun!

After the shopping trip, we went to visit Sam and Max. Lib had never met Max until today, mostly because I didn't want her catching the neverending cold Max has had. ICK! So, today they met, and I'll say that Max was much more interested in Liberty than she was in him!

Liberty and I also went and visited her sister and brother. They shared birthday greetings, and then commenced with the sister attacks. After the bonding, we went to Home Depot to buy a curtain rod. A Home Depot employee followed us out to the car, asked me if he could hold her, and then carried her to the car for me. Of course, I was juggling a purse and a very large curtain rod, but whatever buddy! Just carry the dog! :)

Anyways. It's the end of a very long day, and I am looking forward to sleeping tonight. YAWN! Here's a picture of Liberty in her birthday shirt! Isn't it perfect?

Rainbow day!

Beautiful disaster....

Three years ago, it rained every single day in June. I had just moved into the duplex, and I was convinced it would never stop raining. This is pretty much how I have felt the last couple of weeks. It seems to not only rain, but bring large sheets of torrential downpour onto my house/car. I know that North Texas is getting out of a drought, but PLEASE! We've had ENOUGH! :) I did end up getting the most beautiful pictures of rainbows, but my computer is being evil at the moment. If it finally lets me, I'll post them. As a result of the rain, the mosquitoes are out of control because it never seems to dry out. It seems to be a festering ball of mosquito births. EW.

I had my appointment at the cardiologist today. I had an echocardiogram (sonogram of the heart), a stress test (lots of running on a treadmill), and placement of a 30 day event monitor. It was a busy day! It really made me feel for our kids who are poked and prodded with all kinds of monitors day in and day out. I don't know about our echo techs, but mine today was ready to HURT me! She poked that stupid wand into me so hard I have bruises. Ah well, if it helped her get better pictures, I'll just keep quiet. She said everything looked "Basically okay", but I'll take what the doctor says over her. The nurse who did my stress test was pleased with how I did. My heart rate got up to 191, but that's completely in range for someone my age. The event monitor is for me to be able to tell the doctor's office when I am having my weird fluttering/beat skipping episodes. I just press this little guy up to my chest and hit record! I don't even have to wear anything! HOORAY! No stickers! After I hit record, I just have to use a land line phone (of course, which I don't have) and transmit the recording. I asked the nurse and it's okay to use my work phone.

That's IT! Nothing else exciting happening. I'll try to post that picture again...nope. Not letting me. I'll have to try it tomorrow. Until then... :)

Beautiful lazy day!

I forgot what it's like to have weekends off. I have worked weekends since December 2000. I was teaching school at the time, and wanted some extra money. I worked all week at school, then every weekend at a hospital. It's been THAT long that I haven't been working weekends! They are so wonderful! I still despise working 5 days a week...I'd love to just work three again....but that's not in the job description.

I've been busy at work lately. We've been doing a lot of new evaluations. I just think this year is going to be one for the record books! Last year, we only did 10 transplants. We've already done 8, with three more on the list and 2 more in the evaluation process. CRAZY busy!

Today, It was just nice to do some things around the house and play with the puppies! I was supposed to go to the movies, but that didn't work out. Instead, I went over to Amanda's and hung out on her patio and ate brownies :). In talking with her, we discussed the medical mission trip to Honduras she went on in February. I think I'm actually in a job now where it's pretty easy for me to take off and go...so I am considering going with her next year. It's 10 days of HARD work, but I'm definitely not afraid of hard work!

Monday, I go back to the cardiologist. I'll let you know what happens...

And the beat goes on....

After spending a very relaxing weekend at my parents house in Houston, I got up bright and early yesterday and turned in my monitor at the cardiologist's office. I didn't expect to hear from them so soon, but I got a call yesterday afternoon saying it mostly looked normal, but there was some ectopy (extra beats, not normal!) noted. The doctor wanted me to go ahead and do the 30 day monitor to see if it shows up there. He also wanted me to have it while I am working to see if work is responsible for these beats. SO, I go back to the doctor on Monday for my echo, stress test, and placement of this monitor. Should be interesting.....

Oliver and Liberty are absolutely traumatized right now. They are both hiding from me because I just clipped nails. I literally had to lay on both of them to do it. Babies. Now Oliver is happily sitting on the porch watching birds and planes. Liberty is curled up and licking the couch. All is well in their lives...

The next few weeks should be very interesting at work. In a week, the transplant cardiologist goes on vacation for 2 weeks. In 2 weeks, the other coordinator goes...so it'll just be me. Right now, it looks like I'll be on call and everything. I'm sure it will be just the most interesting couple of weeks!

Okay. I'm off...YAWN.

Heart happenings.

Well, my visit with the cardiologist was somewhat helpful. In looking at my EKG, he saw there were things that could really just be attributed to my age. He said many times, these things have already gone away by the time someone is almost 30. He did say I have a heart murmur, which isn't normal is someone my age. It's normal in children, as many of them just go away with time. He thinks mine is a mitral valve prolapse, which just means the mitral valve doesn't close properly after the blood drains from the atrium into the ventricle. He also thinks I may have some kind of funky heart rhythm, but it wasn't showing up on the EKG. So, I got to wear a monitor for 24 hours and I'll take it back Tuesday to have it read. If nothing shows up, I may end up having to wear one for 30 days in order to catch it. I also get to have a stress echocardiogram in a week or so, just to get a better look at my heart and to see what's going on. I'm still kind-of in limbo, which I HATE. I also discovered I'm allergic to plastic tape. In an effort to keep the leads on for 24 hours, the tech taped the LIFE out of them. Well, now I have big red welts all over my chest. It's so attractive...and ITCHY! I'm sure those will be there for awhile!

I'm currently in Houston, enjoying my time away from Dallas. Liberty and Oliver are with me, running around the yard like hooligans. It's like Oliver has NEVER been outside before! He's still chasing birds and imaginary bugs, but now he has no constraints! He LOVES it! He did NOT like it today when I pulled out the garden hose and gave all puppies baths. There were some angry looks and he very purposefully writhed around in the grass while I was putting soap on him. Punk.

Anyways, that's my story. I'll let you know more as it happens. BYE!

Dangerous

I've very recently discovered it is extremely dangerous to be a cardiac nurse. It makes me have a wharped sense of what is and what is not normal in kids! When I see a healthy newborn, I am always amazed how PINK they are! To me, it's absolutely acceptable to be a nice shade of grey...especially when they cry.

The most interesting update to my life also relates to my dangerous profession. For the last couple of weeks, I've been having really odd palpitations and racing heart rates. I've kinda blown it off and attributed it to stress. I've also noticed that I am really tired all the time and my ankles are swelling...not so good. So, I made a doctor's appointment and went yesterday. She sent some labs, did an xray and an ekg. When EKG's are done, the machine usually prints out a little interpretation of what it thinks it sees. Those who run EKG's usually don't listen to that because it most of the time isn't correct. Well, mine said that it appeared as if I'd had ichemic changes...in normal people terms it looks like part of the heart wasn't responding as well to the electricity because it had areas where there was not enough oxygen. LOVELY! SO, does this mean I've had a heart attack and didn't even know? Does it mean my heart is dead? Who knows anything. I do know that I'm scheduled to see the cardiologist on Friday and hopefully find out some answers. But, until then, I just get to wonder!

Everything else is pretty stable. I'm still getting used to my new job...some days I really like it and some days I don't. It's all a process. I hate orientations because I don't like people breathing down my neck. I'm going to visit my parents this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get rid of some of the stress....AND I am going to see Pirates 3 on Thursday! HOORAY!:)

That's pretty much it. Any questions? :)

Happy Saturday!

For the last two years, Saturdays have just been routine, run of the mill days. Since I was working random days throughout the week, the specialness of the weekend was lost. It was just like any other day. Now that I am a Monday-Friday slave, my weekends are precious! I guess I just didn't realize that until last Sunday, when I had to sleep a lot of the day to recover from the transplant! I had all these plans...house cleaning and straightening, laundry, errands...and they just didn't get done because I was sleeping/exhausted! Today has been different, though! I've folded the frighteningly large pile of laundry that has been accumulating for several weeks. I've cleaned the kitchen and done all the dishes. I've even moved around furniture and have plans to move around more!

Wednesday I was inducted in the Nursing honor society (Sigma Theta Tau). Thursday was graduation...which I didn't attend. I'm now officially done and all graduated. It was so weird last week to receive my degree plan from UTA with the words "second baccalaureate" on the top. I now have the most degrees in my family...and I don't know what to think of that! Am I that person who just wants to accumulate degrees? No, I don't think so. I really don't like school at all...so why then do I have all these? I think part of it arises from my constant desire to be the best at what I do. While I was teaching, I knew I really enjoyed it, but also knew that was not what I would excel in. After getting my associates in nursing, I was very happy to have that degree, yet knew that at some point, I would need to finish it. Many nurses keep their associates forever, with no need to go on to bachelor's. I don't really know, at this point, why I went on...but I know it was for a reason. I DO know I won't be going back to school any time soon. I don't think I need to put my friends or family through that...apparently I'm not a nice person when I'm in school!

SO, THANK YOU to my friends and family. Thanks for listening to me whine and moan about how much I despised school. Thanks for continuing to tell me to push on through..and that I didn't have that much more to go. Thanks for celebrating with the good grades and awards.

There won't be a third bachelors for me...I don't need to garner up a collection! I may eventually go on to masters, but I won't do it just to prove to myself that I can. Having an advanced degree isn't going to make me a better person...I know people with even higher degrees that were just as happy with their first. Some people are completely happy without a degree...and that's perfectly fine too. Having higher education doesn't necessarily make you a better person. It all depends on what you choose to do with your life!

WOW. This has really turned out to be an excruciatingly long blog...and I'm starting to think I'm quite rambly!

Strangly enough, it is pouring outside. The sun is shining...and it's raining! ODD! Nessie can't be in her garage right now, so she's having to endure the lovely rain. I know Dallas was in a drought last year, but does it have to pour every other day? Can we just get a break? :) At least things will be nice and green this summer!

Okay. El fin. No mas. Es todo.

Sleep deprived.

Tired. Sleepy. Crabby. Angry to be awake. Mournful. Overwhelmed. Ecstatic. Euphoric. Amazed.

Being heart transplant coordinator is a world of emotions. It's SO exciting to be there for that experience. Last night, I got to call a precious mother and tell her we had a heart for her son. I got to be there when his old sickly heart was removed and the new one was sewn in. I saw, with my own eyes, the very instant the new heart started beating.

But it's also an overwhelming experience. We don't normally get to be on the donor side of things, but last night I was given the opportunity since I am new. I flew on the plane with the surgeon to help obtain the new heart. With one life with this new heart, meant one peaceful death for another. I pray I never stop seeing the child whose life has ended as an amazing individual.

Being up for 24+ hours is something I don't love at ALL. But, I guess if a child gets a new chance at life, it's completely worth it. I am going to be HAPPY that this happened over the weekend when I have a chance to get back on somewhat of a normal schedule. I took a nap this afternoon....and I am pretty sure I'll be tired enough to sleep well tonight.

The puppies spent the night at Becca's house. I hope they were good for her. They were SO pitiful when I left them last night! All they wanted to do was play! I feel bad they missed out on weekend playtime. At least Becca had them. She's going to bring them over later.

So YAWN. I sit here and watch TV, happily knowing I have nothing to study and NO homework to do! What a wonderful feeling! :) I just hope I can stay awake until it's actually alright for me to go to sleep!

Another time, another place....

Well, I'm not in Dallas...but I didnt' know that would happen when I woke up this morning. I've had the opportunity to go out on an organ recovery for a precious baby of ours who is getting a heart. So, I sit here and wait for them to let us in the OR so we can take this life giving organ and give it to a very deserving family. On the plane ride here, all I could do was pray for the family who is saying goodbye to their child. What a hard, yet lifegiving decision. I only hope that if I were to pass away, my family is able to know without a shadow of a doubt what my wishes are.

And so, while a family makes a selfless decision, I think of completely selfish things....like.... I am HUNGRY. I had sushi for dinner with Mom and Jen. If you know anything about sushi, it fills you up and doesn't leave you stuffed, but it tends to be like chinese food...it doesn't keep you full for long. SO. Now I am hungry. I'm also tired. It's 1:13AM and I won't be going into the OR until 1:30. YAWN. I'd like nothing better than to curl up and sleep, but I am VERY happy that I got to take a nap this afternoon. I thought it would hamper my ability to sleep tonight, but it turns out that this will not be a problem! I'm ALSO sad because my friend's baby is being dedicated tomorrow, and I think my lack of sleep will cause me to miss this. BLAST! Hopefully, I'll be alive for the after party. I'd also love a big GIANT diet Dr Pepper....but I'm seriously doubting that will happen considering I barely got here with my hosptial ID badge and my cell phone. I do feel fancy though...calling the surgeon...sneaking around OR's. And wouldn't you know it, my cell phone battery is dying. THat's just lovely. I've turned it off so it can recharge and hopefully it will last long enough for me to call from the airport once we touch down in Dallas. Then I don't really care if it is dead or not! :)

Well, it's almost time, so I guess I should get all signed out so I can leave quickly. Yawning again but SO thankful at the opportunity!

Step into the future....

Well, after spending the day at the funeral of my grandma's best friend, my parents gave me my graduation presents! My mom has been working on a T-shirt quilt for me for about a year. She finished it last month and brought it to me today! It's beautiful! :)

They also brought me my newest step into the 21st century....and IPOD! I keep borrowing my friend's ipods for when I'm at work and I absolutely need to listen to something other than my secretary's (oh yeah, I have a secretary! CRAZY!) oldies music! So now, I am attempting to place all my CD's on it. It's quite the process. I think I've been doing it forever...and it's only been a couple of hours. I've probably only have about 15 cd's left, and that doesn't count the complilation CD's that don't transfer!

SO, that's all that's been going on. Keep praying for my grandma. She also found out this afternoon that her brother passed away this morning. She's going through a lot right now!

YAWN. Guess I should go to bed. I'm awfully sleepy.

Four weeks later....

SO, now that four weeks have passed....let's just see!

I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL! Hooray! We finished off today with a fabulous party in the classroom, one that was very much deserved. Our clinical advisor gave us all presents and it was a very lovely ending. The last week, I haven't had any school work to do, and it's been a very odd feeling. I've been reading non school books and LOVING it!

I have a new job! I'm still trying very hard to get used to it, and I think it will take awhile. I really miss taking care of my kids on the floor, but am loving seeing all these kids every week. I have an office, which I share with 2 other women, but I have my very own section with a LOT of room to decorate! Ideas anyone? I've got business cards coming, along with my very own lab coat! Aren't I official? I've had to jump into my job a little faster than I'd like, seeing everyone in heart transplant but me is at conference this week! We still have a baby on the waiting list for a heart, and part of me just hopes it doesn't happen quite yet!

NESSIE IS HEALED! If you don't know who Nessie is, you absolutely need to spend more time with me. Nessie's my car...and she had a nice big dent in her bumper...but no more! She's beautiful and shiny! I did have to drive a piece of junk Sentra for a week (it's horrid to go back to a car after having a SUV!), but now I have her back and am HAPPY!

Wardrobe? Well, we're getting there. I really despise shopping for clothes, although I find it less and less annoying the smaller I get. I've got some clothes. Thankfully, I can wear scrubs on Wednesdays (clinic day), so I've got less days I have to plan for. I'm now always going to be on the hunt for a bargain. Anyone know any?

RETREAT! What a blessing! Jennifer, Tammy, and I stayed at the Gaylord Texan and learned all about JOY! I desperately needed this soul "makeover" as I know I've been a crabby and not so nice person this semester. We also got to hear Joy Williams's beautiful voice, and I'm now so addicted to her music! What an amazing message she has to share!

Four weeks ago, I was hoping more would be different in a month. Now, I'm kinda glad there's nothing else! I need some normalcy in my life! I'm not sure that's going to ever come!

Friendships are forever.

I was all prepared to write how crazy my week was going. My new job is tiring, but I haven't completely decided what I think about it yet! I'm sure I'll enjoy it once I figure out what's going on!

My grandma (dad's mom) experienced a great loss tonight, her best friend of 60+ years. Grandma and Katie met in nursing school...and dated cousins. They eventually married cousins and both moved from the midwest to Texas. They shared the births of their children, the empty nest, the passing away of their husbands...and remained friends through it all. They vacationed together, shopped together, grew old together. Pray for my grandma...and for Katie's family...which is my family since we're all cousins! I think the funeral is on Saturday, which is a rotten excuse to see my family, but oh well. I need to be there to support my grandma. What a wonderful example of friendship I have in front of me!

Let's see....aside from being at work, I've pretty much been doing a LOT of non school reading and watching Dancing with the Stars/The Bachelor. Doesn't that sound productive? I just have to give a presentation on Thursday and then I'm done!!!

I saw one of my most favorite kiddos today in the clinic. She was here for a well check up...and she looks amazing! I've really bonded with her family and it's wonderful to see how far she's come! She was my first very VERY sick baby when I was just off orientation. I took care of her when I was on night shift and her mom and I spent MANY sleepless nights worried about her! And now she's almost 2! Her mom always brings me pictures to put on my name badge! She's such a miracle baby!

Well, must be going...I've got lots of kids to see in clinic tomorrow, so today should be faster than today! I forgot to explain that ALL the heart transplant people are in conference in San Francisco this week...and I mean all! The transplant doctor, the surgeons, the other coordinator! So, I get to see all these kids by myself...but thankfully I have a really great manager who has promised to see them with me! Today, I didn't see ANY kids and was so freaked out by the quiet I had to go steal a friend's IPOD (I'd love one, by the way!) so I had SOMETHING to listen to!

Okay. Now I am gone. Adios!

Prayers lifted

Well, I've started my new job...and it's going fine.

But all seems small to the burden that is heavy on my heart...for a precious 16 year old patient of mine. He's very VERY sick right now, and really needs your prayers. Thanks to our ridiculous government, I can't say much about him...but I can say that he is a SWEET boy that loves the LORD and is very very sick. I visited him in the ICU yesterday after his surgery and he was SO sleepy, but tried to still do his secret handshake with me. And now he's sick and we're not even sure how bad the damage is. He needs a miracle.

So pray for him. He's such a sweetie.

The countdown.

Don't you hate when something exciting is about to happen and time just almost stands still? Then, when the exciting thing occurs, it goes by SO quickly that you don't even have time to stop and think? This is how it is seeming to go for me! I am starting my new job on Monday, and the time is just CRAWLING by. I really want to just get it over with...the anticipation, the nervousness, all those crazy emotions are killing me!

I've got busy weeks ahead of me...and I'm not sure how to handle all the excitement! Of course, my new job starts Monday...and then the following Friday, Tammy, Jennifer, and I are going to a Women's retreat! Hooray! I also just found out that I'm being inducted into the nursing honor society for school, so I have that induction coming up in a few weeks, as well as the end of school!

I've been thinking lately about the possibility of buying a house. I'd like to see my rent money go somewhere more significant than a rental, so I'd really like your prayers on that. I know I'm getting a pay raise in my new job, but I don't know if it is the most financially responsible choice. Any suggestions? Advice?

Oliver and Liberty are doing well, and currently curled up in a big pile on/next to my leg. With the weather being nicer, I am sad they don't have a yard to play in, but they get to be outside a lot as I keep the patio door open most of the time. They spend a lot of time curled up in the sun out there. Oliver really loves to bark at people outside, but I'm making headway with that nasty habit by squirting him with a water bottle each time he does it. He hates it.




Other than all that mess, things are going well. I'm preparing myself to start a "regular person" job...and don't even know how to do that. I've always had odd hours...School teachers are there from 7:30-whenever they are done! For me it was always past 6 or so because I was coaching. Unit Secretary? 3-11. Not really hours conducive to any sort of life! Nurse? 7a-7p 3 days a week. Killer hours, but nice to be there only 3 days. Now..I have no idea what my hours will turn out to be. I'm sure during orientation they won't be idea, but I think they will settle out once I'm done and the 2 person job is actually being done by 2 people.

Enjoy your day!

April 15

I have a start date! It's amazing, but true! Starting April 15th, I will report to a different department, carry a pager, have an office and a phone line, and work a normal work day. I am excited, but nervous! :)

4 weeks from today

4 weeks from today...I will be done with school. Isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever heard? Well, it's beautiful to me! No one will have to listen to my tales of woe involving this horrid adventure I call the last 9 months of my life. Will my life suddenly destress because this part is over? Absolutely not, but it might seem a little easier! I hope in four weeks I'll start seeing the benefit of all this torture...but not yet!

I'll have a new job 4 weeks from today. A new set of co-workers. A group of beautiful friends from a past job that will still love me and support me in my new job.

4 weeks from today my car will be fixed. I won't have a big dent in the back constantly reminding me of my stupidity.

4 weeks from today, I will have acquired a new wardrobe. My beautiful collection of scrubs will hang in my closet as a reminder of the carefree wardrobe I used to require. My closet will consist of grown up girl clothes, which I should have acquired long ago...but never have.

I will have attended a women's retreat...which my soul desperately needs. I will amazingly not be working weekends, which will allow me to regularly go to church, something I haven't been able to do in quite awhile. This going every other week thing is for the birds.

What else will be different in four weeks? Only time will tell.

And the beat goes on...

Well, I'm still in limbo about my job. I'm sure the guy who is supposed to fix the whole budget thing is back from vacation...but now my manager is out. So who knows? The manager of the solid organ transplant program says that I'll be on call when my fellow TC is at a conference, but I'd like to know what I'm doing before then! That would be nice right? :) I've gotten so many encouraging words from my friends and family about this new endeavor, and that's really a blessing to me to know that all those people think I'm going to do great! The patient that I saw transplanted actually went home yesterday (EIGHT days after transplant!), and I was able to do all the discharge teaching, so it's great practice for me!

Other than that whole job thing, I'd REALLY covet your prayers about my school situation. I've got five weeks left, and they are going to be really hard. I've got a lot of papers and projects due, but thankfully no more tests! :) I'm so burned out right now, and it is taking all of my strength and determination not to just give up now! But I CAN'T! I'm SO close to being done!

That's pretty much it at the moment. Trying to figure out what's going on...both with work and school!

First official duty!

Well, I'm really not in my new job yet...but yesterday, I sure got to act like it! I was minding my own business, sitting in Employee Health doing my Community Health clinicals. (ICK!) I saw my fellow coordinator coming down the hall, very purpose driven! Well, it turns out that a transplant was set to occur that evening and she sought me out so I could be a part of it. See, we don't always have someone waiting on the list, and even though this was the 6th transplant this year, they don't normally happen so often! It's important for me to see how it all works, so she wanted to let me in on that. It's such a long process! I found out at 1200 and we didn't end up actually getting to the OR until 6pm! I watched the whole thing...and what an amazing experience! The native heart (the heart the patient had to start with) continued to beat, even after it was removed! It just sat there in the preservation liquid and kept on going! Finally, it figured out that nothing was happening and stopped...but what a sight! To see a new heart, pulled from ice and VERY grey, be sewn in, warmed up, and start pumping blood all on its own! How amazing! And I got to be a part of that! :)

I am not in my official role yet, as there are some budget modifications that have to be done, and wouldn't you know...everyone is on vacation! That's okay though, I'm content to just finish out my days on the floor with my friends. That's gonna be the hardest part! Those women are my family and it's tough to say goodbye...although I really don't have to! I'll still interact with them on a daily basis, but is strange knowing that I'll be there and don't have those same responsibilities. That's my first nursing job, and it's weird to think I'm not doing it anymore. I'm so thankful for the almost 2.5 years of experience I have! This new job is absolutely a God-send! Who knew that they'd take someone without a masters with only 2 years of nursing experience! Hooray for me! :) I'm not sure when I'll actually start...but one would hope they will let me know SOON!


Okay, well seeing as I didn't get home last night until 1:30 and had to be up early this morning for work, I am EXHAUSTED. I will happily sleep...until 6:30....but that's a long time from now! :) HOORAY!

It finally happened!

Today, I got the call...and it's official! I'm the new heart transplant coordinator! AMAZING! More details to come...mostly cause I don't know much yet...but I'll let you know as soon as I know! HOORAY! :)

6 classes left!

After today, I only have 6 classes left! HOORAY! Of course, those classes will be filled with one test, about four papers, and endless hours of droning on by the most boring teachers around, but hey, I am still looking UP! I'm sitting outside the classroom right now, waiting for everyone else to finish today's test. I think I have another one in two weeks...then that's it for the testing! I turned in my "graduation application" today...which is just another fancy way that UTA steals money from me. I love that...you have to PAY to graduate, as if you haven't already given them every blasted cent! Alright, so Children's has given them all the cents...but whatever. You see my reasoning. :) Let's just say that 2 months from Saturday, I will officially be Stephanie Emerson, RN, BSN...and OH SO HAPPY!

I have been in SUCH a horrid mood the last couple of days! I guess it's because I've been at the hospital 9 out of 10 days, either working or doing something else class related. I'm finally done with my management clinical hours and am moving on next week to Community health. I'll be slaving away for free in the employee health office, so that is just fun. ICK. My teacher keeps saying that I need to do my clinical hours somewhere I am interested in, but that's just not going to happen. I am all about getting stuff done. At this point, I just want to be finished! :)

I think that's all that's been going on. Work. School. Puppies. That's it. It's just Oliver and Liberty playing together lately, and poor Lib is missing her sister...but she can get over it. This morning, someone delightfully puked in my bed. EW. Disgusting. Now I have to go wash my sheets when I get home. Nasty.

Tomorrow, I am goign to get my car serviced (Oh so fun!), then back to work for skills day AGAIN. If I could only get away from that place :). I haven't heard anything about the job, although I did have two more interviews last week. I'm FINALLY done with those, so I'll hear sometime either end of this week or early next. I did call the Transplant manager, just to make sure. I didn't want to bug her, but I have a right to know, right? This stupid thing has been going on for a blasted MONTH! It's been long enough! :) At this point, I just want to know. If I am supposed to have it, then WONDERFUL...but if not, I'd like to just get on with my life.

Well, I suppose I should go back to my classroom now. I think everyone's done with the test, although we have a bit before class starts! Have a wonderful day!

Comparisons!

SO, here are some pictures of my trip! I thought the first couple were crazy! Look at the differences in weather! These pictures were taken 2 days apart!


This is looking down the mall towards the Capitol building. The building on the right is the Smithsonian Castle.






And the Washington Monument...in the snow picture, you can hardly see it!

Stranded!

SO, I was supposed to be on my way to the airport right about now. Unfortunately, this morning, DC got about 6 inches of snow dumped on it in about 3 hours or so! While it IS beautiful, apparently planes don't like to take off in it. Michael and Jen's plane was cancelled too...so now we are sitting in a hotel room, getting ready to watch the Oscars. My plane leaves tomorrow at 6:40ish and theirs leaves in the afternoon...so we'll hopefully all be home for dinner...or at least to pick up our puppies from the Pets Hotel! This morning, I got a call from Becca while walking through the INSANE amount of snow...she's in Fort Lauderdale in 80 degree weather getting ready to leave on a cruise. It's a horrid comparison...me in my 32 degree and big giant snowflakes and her and the sunshine and 80 degrees! Ah well...so I guess my idea of vacation involves lots of snow...at least this time it does!

I've had a really great vacation, and I'm still not ready to go back to work! I guess I should be...but I'm not! I have not heard about the transplant coordinator job yet, although I really wish I would know something. It's been almost 3 weeks since I interviewed, and I am SO impatient! I know that patience is always something I need to be working on, so I PATIENTLY wait...and hope.

It's finally stopped snowing, but the snow piles are still much bigger than we EVER see at home. Please pray that the runways will be nice and clean tomorrow so I can get home to my precious puppies! I'll post some pictures as soon I get home and find the cord!

Awake...and not happy about it!

EW! It's 4:48AM, and with the exception of about 30 minutes, I have been awake since 10AM yesterday morning. I'm currently sitting at the airport, unhappily blogging away while I listen to Desperate Housewives on ABC.com. I have no idea why I couldn't sleep last night. I tried all my tactics...TV, silence, and then by the time I figured out those weren't working, it was too late to take anything to put me to sleep. I thought that sleeping through my alarm and missing my airport shuttle at 3:15 this morning would not be a good plan. SO. I sit here. Awake. And tired. I did make a split decision to upgrade the long leg of my flight up to "business" class. I have no idea what this means, only I am sure it means a bigger seat. And maybe some food that's more substantial than the typical cheddar whales. I will NOT fall asleep and miss this opportunity. Guess I can fall asleep on the way to DC from Atlanta.

That's pretty much the extent of things going on here. I took Oliver and Liberty to doggy day care on Friday to get them used to the place they will be boarded next weekend. I was SO paranoid that Oliver was going to attack other dogs, but he was SO good! They said he did not snarl, bark, or even growl at other pups. I was so happy! This means that when he goes next weekend...he will behave! :)

Okay, well, they are getting ready to call my row. I'd better go. Bon VOYAGE to me! :)

No work for 2 weeks!

Hooray! I don't have to work again until the 28th! This makes me HAPPY! :) I've had a really rough couple of days, with the precious patient on the verge of death (who told me I was his Valentine yesterday...but I think he told everyone that!) and a really terrible intern I am trying to train. I'm really glad to be given this break...and hopefully I will have a brighter outlook when I return. I have to do two leadership clinicals before I come back...and that does put me at the hospital, but I'm not going to go up to the floor or anything. I need a clean break! :) Sometimes, it just gets like that! I LOVE the people I work with, and it's not to be rid of them...but mostly just away from the day to day routine! :)

I haven't heard whether I got the new job yet, but I do know they are still interviewing and will make a decision by the end of next week. I'm really at peace at this point because I know I did the best job I could. I don't believe I left anything out, and I think I effectively communicated my love for transplant! I'll just wait peacefully to find out and if I don't get it, I'll go back to work without a regret because at least I TRIED! :)

Sunday morning, at the ridiculously early hour of 5:34AM, I am flying to Virginia to go play with Kimberly for a couple of days. I'll be with her at her newly purchased house until Thursday, then drive back to DC to hang with Michael and Jennifer at their fancy Ritz Carlton for the next couple of days. I LOVE Washington DC and am so excited to go again! It's a lot of walking, and it's sure to be cold, but that's okay...museums are heated! :) While at Kim's, I won't have access to internet and my cell phone service probably won't be the greatest there...so it will be interesting! :) BUT, I know my sister wants to show me around her new life, and she's worked really long and hard to get a bunch of overtime hours so we can have fun in the afternoons! :) Liberty will be having tons of fun with her brother and sister at Becca's house for the first part of the week, then she'll go with them to the PetsHotel to be boarded so Becca can leave for her cruise. I'm sure they will be a WILD trio when I pick them up Monday afternoon! I'm kind-of afraid of what they will do to me!

Perhaps I should get back to class....or maybe not. :) I guess I should, especially since I'm learning about how not to be sued for malpractice! :) That would be HORRID!

Reaching deep inside

Have you ever cared for a dying individual...a person who truly is on their last days? I have cared for children that I didn't know were dying...and died suddenly. Those are always hard because it's like a cruel surprise. I've never been there, being the primary caregiver for a dying child. It is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

This child I have had the pleasure to care for this whole weekend is a child who is well known to me. I've known him the entire two years I've worked as a nurse...and it is hard to see him on what we know will be his last admission. It takes every ounce of me to not burst into tears every time I see him in his deteriorating condition. He's still the same sweet boy...who loves music and Beyonce...and yet it's hard for him even to speak anymore. He's so scared and nervous, and I have to be strong for him. He can NOT see how upset it makes me when I have to do EVERYTHING for him when I know that 2 weeks ago, he was doing this for himself. He says thank you every time I leave the room, and doesn't want to be alone...which I totally understand.

Death is not a journey I wish for any person's child. Parents should not have to outlive their children. As a nurse, I see the entire spectrum of grief...from all the family parading in to say their final goodbyes...to the mother who can't figure out how to say good-bye. I am expected to stay strong...and not waver. But that's just not possible. I am human after all. The last two nights, I haven't slept well...and am having all kinds of bizarre dreams. I find myself wanting to call up to work to find out how he's doing, both afraid of the bad news I'll hear but not wanting to be left out of the loop.

So, I sit and wait. And pray. Prayers for his family, prayers for his nurse today, but mostly prayers that he will cross into Jesus' arms without being afraid and without pain. I think that's the most we can offer any human, but especially a child.

My interview!

WELL, so most of you don't know that I applied for a new job this week. Since I started at the hospital, I've been really interested in the transplant program. I absolutely love taking care of our transplant kiddos...and have aspirations of one day being a transplant coordinator. That position follows the kids from before they are transplanted until afterwards and forever! It involves time in the operating room, the heart clinic, the floor, and the ICU. It is a really big promotion, but does take me away from the bedside. Well, a spot opened up as the heart transplant coordinator..and I took a leap of faith and applied! It was actually for a nurse practitioner, but the current coordinator told me that I needed to apply. Today, I had the marathon of all interviews. I had SIX interviews...lasting from 8AM until 6PM. I had a break in the middle of the day, but it was still the longest interview I have ever been on. I thought it was going to be just this little thing....and it turned into a huge thing! I thought it went really well, and I don't know when I'll find out anything. SO, after that long rambling paragraph...I'm gonna ask everyone to keep this situation in your prayers. I felt really calm about the whole situation, but I'm not exactly sure it's what I'm supposed to do...but I did feel at peace during the interviews. If I don't get the position, I'll still happily work on my floor because I really do love it. I'm not applying for this job because I don't like mine. I LOVE my floor, but this is a really big deal! SO...that's that.

Other than that, I am SO tired right now. I'm counting the minutes until I can go get in my bed...and I hope it is soon! :(

Winter weather continues...

Well, the cold snap has gone from a snap...to a forever long streak! Not that I mind, I would actually rather it be COLD than HOT! I just wish it would be cool, rather than cold! :) It's not all bad...even though my apartment usually feels like the Arctic Circle!

School is still chugging along. I have technically finished the class time for the first one...Nursing Research. EW. I have to turn in a paper tomorrow and then edit and comment on another paper due next Thursday. Now, I'm getting ready to start Nursing Leadership and Professional Nursing. Not my favorite classes, but I am SO glad that research is over that it doesn't really matter what the alternate classes are! :) I have to do some clinical hours for one of those classes, so I'm not really looking forward to that, but at least I can do it at my hospital. I'll be shadowing the manager of the Cardiology clinic...so at least I'll get to see all the kids I take care of!

Tonight, I'll be hosting a Mexican fiesta/Grey's Anatomy party for whoever wants to come and crash! I figure, I've been doing nothing but typing for the last two day (trying to finish papers!) and I have to work the next three...so the fun might as well happen tonight! I switched so someone could be off for the superbowl, but that puts me at three in a row...which everyone knows is my ABSOLUTE favorite! :) Oh well, it could really be worse. I could be doing five in a row! :)

Well, the teacher is saying something about actively participating in class...so I suppose I should actually pay attention...or something! :)

And life goes on!

Things here have been a little nutty. Okay, so make that ALOT nutty! School is back in session in full force. My classes are blocks of time, so that we're only doing 2 classes at a time. Well, this semester, they start us out with a research class for the first three weeks. Then, we move on to doing the 2 at a time class thing. Well, I despise research. I always have. I am glad there are people who want to do it because it is NOT me. :) BUT, for this class, I have to pretend to be interested...cause if I'm don't, I won't be motivated! ANYWAYS, I have these two big critiques due on Thursday...so keep me in your prayers. Tomorrow, I'm planning to start the work...at least I have an article to critique now! :)

I've been so productive today! :) I've made a cake, been to the store, been to Weight Watchers (lost 1.6lbs!), decorated some brownies, and am now waiting for my hair to dry. I know, for all the people that have kids, that might not seem like a lot...but it certainly is for me...on my day off! :) I really need to tackle the kitchen and laundry...perhaps I'll do that later.

I'm making the cake for a girl at work's birthday party. I love parties. I really love the people I work with, so it's always fun to celebrate with them! I've made yellow cake...and am eagerly waiting to put chocolate frosting on it. I even bought that snazzy decoration frosting...hope the restaurant we're going to doesn't mind! :)

Puppies are well. I have Oliver for right now, and he's busy making Liberty's life crazy. He's always attacking her, or stalking her...or stealing her toys. She loves it though. The last couple weeks, I've noticed that if I'm in a room with him doing something, she'll be in the other room and start barking for him to come play with her. It's the same bark she does when she's been sentenced to bathroom time with the door closed and lights off. She's a nut.

In less than a month, I'm going to go on VACATION! :) I work Valentine's day...then not again until the 28th! :) This makes me very happy. I'm going to see Kimberly and her new house, then will meet Michael and Jennifer back in DC to spend the next couple days at the Ritz Carlton (and eating out of the mini bar!) and playing around DC. I'm sure it will be FREEZING, but I'm going to be prepared! :)

Anyways. That's probably more information than you wanted to know. Oh well. Happy day! :)

So interesting!

In 1977 (the year you were born)

Jimmy Carter becomes president of the US Most of the 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders are pardoned by President Carter Singer Anita Bryant starts her "Save Our Children" crusade against gay rights Elvis Presley dies in his Graceland bathroom Congress creates a Department of Energy Anwar Sadat flies to Jerusalem in a dramatic gesture of willingness to discuss peace Orlando Bloom, Shakira, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liv Tyler, and Ludacris are born New York Yankees win the World Series Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XI Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Swedish music group ABBA passes The Beatles as having most records sold Star Wars is the top grossing film The Shining by Stephen King is published "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone spends the most time at the top of the US charts Three's Company premieres

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

And the cold continues....

We're currently in a winter weather watch at the moment. It's been about five days of less than freezing temperatures, and I've pretty much enjoyed it. The hospital went crazy over the weekend, buying hotel rooms for employees and feeding them...and then it didn't turn out to be that bad. Monday morning it was pretty icy, but was fine by that evening. Then, out of nowhere, I woke up to snow and ice this morning! My school was cancelled and it was 24ish degrees outside. It's still pretty cold, but Liberty and I are keeping warm. I've been organizing my stuff all day for school, and I'm getting pretty tired of printing things right now!

I'm spending the day watching movies and getting out of my electric blanket wonderland as little as possible. So far, I've watched Cars, Material Girls, and Cutthroat Island. I've got The Break-up too...so I'm sure the marathon will continue. That is, unless I decide that bed is more important...which I could very well do!

I have school tomorrow...BLECH! Thankfully, I also have therapy, which should take my mind off my brain pain! :) Therapy is actually going quite well. I don't enjoy it, but I have a really nice therapist and the facilty is full of great people. I recommend Baylor Plano to anyone who needs PT or OT! Next week is my last week, supposedly...unless the OT thinks I need more. My favorite thing she does right now is put my hand in this sawdust machine. It circulates warm air/sawdust around and is used to decrease the exitation of the nerves. I think it's really useful, and I'd love to have one at home! It's called fludotherapy..or something close to that!

Well, my movie is calling, and I must go turn up the heat. My hands are FRIGID! :)

SARS!

I believe I have SARS. Thankfully, I think I'm on the tail end of the disease process. It's going around at work, and I'm not the lasst one to get it, I'm sure. My friend Amanda has just last night contracted her very own case of SARS. I loaded her up with my own potion of echinecha and vitamin C, which I'm not sure if it actually works, but it couldn't hurt. I think medicine does better than all those stupid herbs, but perhaps in conjunction with the drugs, it might do some good.

Yesterday, I started my occupational therapy. The OT says I have very decreased sensation on the top of my hand, but it should be able to be resolved. She is using some ultrasound to help desensitize the nerve. I haven't seen any progress yet, but that is probably because I've only had one treatment! :)

It's been a really exciting week at work. We've had some BIG wishes come true for some of our favorite patients! These precious people still need lots of prayers, but they are making baby steps towards a new life!

The other exciting news is that I started back to Weight Watchers last week. I knew I needed to for a couple of months, but having all my "skinny" clothes start to be too tight was NOT something I was prepared to deal with. They're supposed to get loose! So, after one week on the program, I've lost 6.8! Some of that probably is monthly water weight, but it is encouraging to see that much come off! It shouldn't be too long before I get back to where I was before. Hooray!

School starts next week. PLEASE pray because I am not looking forward to this semester as I've heard it is wretched. I've really enjoyed having my time off. Oh well, it's only a couple months, right? :)

It's a beautiful and COLD day in my neighborhood...what's it like where you are?

VERY interesting!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 78 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Is it the new year already?

MY HEAVENS! Time really does fly, right? I can't even believe I haven't posted on here since Christmas! I really am a slacker, right? :) Things have been happening...I guess I was just busy! :) Oh well, at least I can update now...that I have a free moment!

Let's see...my parents came to see me Christmas day, which was really nice. I wasn't planning on getting to see anyone, so it was a wonderful thing they did...driving all that way to see me for a few hours before I had to go to bed early for work! I worked the day after Christmas too, so no shopping for me! It was a good thing though, it made me NOT spend money, which is always beneficial! :)

I spent the rest of the week having doggie day care in my tiny apartment. Sam came over to play during the day since Michael was working and Jennifer was still in Missouri. Oliver and Sam play quite well most of the time...and then they will start chasing and Liberty will start refereeing and Sadie will hide. It was a fun time. :) They are NUTS. Oliver and Sadie are gone to Becca's now, and I don't think Liberty knows quite what to do with herself. She's kinda lonely, I think!

I spent New Year's Eve at a friend's party up in Wylie (which is REALLY far away!). We had a great time playing games, hanging out, and eating ourselves silly. I had to work the next day...so after being up past 1AM, I was really dragging. BUT, I got time and a half, so it's all worth it!

I rejoined Weight Watchers this week, which is a very good thing! :) I'd put back a little of the weight, plus I still have some to lose! It's actually much less daunting this time. Now, instead of 125lbs to lose, I only have about 60! It's very encouraging. I cleaned out my freezer/fridge/pantry of all the bad foods and started writing down what I eat again. That REALLY helps me be accountable~

Anyways, that's the fun of my last couple of weeks. Not much excitement, but a lot going on. I'm hoping that 2007 will be a little less eventful. I'd prefer not to move...or get dumped...or get yelled at...or pretty much anything bad! :) HAPPY 2007!