I may not be participating in all the blog stuff about Project Life but I am still taking a weekly picture and posting them on Saturday's.
Sunday wet met my brother in law, Jason, for breakfast. There was trail near the cafe' so the boys went for walk so that Jason could interview Matt for something he is working on for school. Mackenzie and I lagged behind and found a playground. We all met up again after a little while. I love this picture so much. Mackenzie loves her Uncle Jason. Watching them walk together and interact was great. Jason taught Mackenzie how to watch for bicyclists and to stand to the side of the trail.
The last couple of weeks has been a whirlwind. I love my new job in the recover room. There is so much to learn and I feel like such a slow poke. I know that it will take time, especially in this position with no real experience. I wish I could click my heels and be up to speed. I continue to have reservations with certain things (medications) and I think it's driving some crazy. I know all will come with time but my confidence has gone out the window. Please come back! The hours are variable. My first paycheck had 38.5 hours for 5 days of working. I am having a hard time adjusting to this crazy thing called work. Still trying to find that balance. I am exhausted.
We also started Mackenzie at a new school this week. It's closer to our house so I can participate in drop off/pick up. Poor thing was already having a hard time adjusting to me working and not getting home until it's time for her to go to bed. Needless to say, I was dreading her first day at her new school. Here is why:
1. I actually have to do mom things like feed her breakfast and pack her lunch! This was provided at her previous daycare. They are a "no nut" facility so we can not take PB&J, her favorite. No problem, we'll find something she likes!
2. Now I am dropping her off. I have to be to work around 8, the earliest I can drop her off is 7, it takes an hour to get to work. I anticipated it taking about 15 minutes the first couple of weeks to get her dropped off.
3. Found out on the first day that her class room is a "paci free." I about died. Yes I admit, she still uses it for nap/bed time. She knows the paci fairy will be visiting soon though so we are working on it.
I want to add that I am IN LOVE with her new school. Everyone has been so nice to us. We got to spend a couple of hours there on Friday to prepare her. She loved it. The upside is that our friends take their kids there so Mackenzie already knows 2 of the kids in her class.
To my surprise everything is going so smooth for Mackenzie's transition. Packing lunches are great, she picked out a Dora lunchbox. We are having to get up a tad bit earlier these days to make sure she gets breakfast before we leave. So far so good. Drop off is going great! She willingly goes to one of the teachers and sees me off. She cries a bit but no clinging or fighting. I have been told that it only last a minute or two. Hallelujah! I drop her off right at 7 and am out of there by 7:10 and believe it or not, I have made it to work by no later than 8:10.
And here's the kicker.
She has not asked for her paci once since starting there. She goes to sleep without it, no questions, no whining. I can't believe it. At home it's a different story but she doesn't ask for it until bedtime. We keep it out of sight. Paci fairy will be here sooner than later. I think another Hallelujah is in order.
Switching gears:
I really need to get a journal so I can write down all of the funny things Mackenzie says. She is the silliest girl. Here is one of our conversations from yesterday:
Me: Mackenzie, how many times did you go potty like a big girl today?
Some of you may not know this if you don't follow me on twitter or facebook but I am announcing it here too.
I am officially an employed RN!
It is amazing how God works and there is no doubt in my mind that He had His hands in this.
Before I had Mackenzie and started nursing school I had a job that I loved. I was a surgery scheduler for a local orthopedic clinic that had their own ambulatory surgery center. I had always said that someday I wanted to eventually end up there as a nurse. I left that job right before Mackenzie was born because I knew I would be starting the nursing program a few months later.
Mackenzie was four months old when I began the nursing program. People thought I was crazy for going through with the program.
Our nursing program was not in session during the summer and I was asked to come back to the clinic to help out for the summer. I left again when school started back up. The following summer I was asked back again. So back I went. While there I was talking with one of my co-workers about my last quarter that was coming up in the fall. This is the quarter I got to do my preceptorship. She asked why I couldn't do it there.
Hmmmm.
It was arranged by them and my school for me to precept there. I never thought that was possible. If you remember, I was in their surgery center for this. I got to do admitting, recovery, and circulating in the OR. It was the best experience and I was so thankful that I was able to have the opportunity to precept their. It reassured me that the OR was where I wanted to be.
I was told that they would love to hire me, if there was a position, which there wasn't.
Monday I went for an interview at a cardiology clinic located a few blocks from them. It was the only interview out of all of the applications I'd been putting in. And, I didn't apply for that one. I was recommended for the job by one of my instructors!
I stopped in the orthopedic clinic to say hello. Here is where God stepped in.
I was told that their recovery nurse gave her notice THAT DAY.
The surgery manager was out of the office so I left my resume for her and went to my interview at the cardiology clinic.
15 minutes later I have a text message from the manager asking me to call her about working there.
Seriously????
I called her as I was leaving the interview. She asked that I come by the clinic. She had to figure some things out to make it work since I'm a new grad. We both wanted to make sure that I would have full support for a while. New grads are not typically hired in a recovery room.
Three days later I started my new position as a Post Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse in the surgery center that I dreamed of working in.
Here is my picture for the week that would have been on Tuesday but I can't seem to get it all done that day, lately. As I said in my last post, I am now doing Project 52 instead of 365 due to a crappy camera battery.
This is how much CLEAN laundry has been waiting to be folded. I hate laundry with a passion. Mostly because my dresser drawers are so shallow that barely anything fits in them. It's easier to keep it all in basket. But I'm happy to report that ALL of this laundry has been folded and put away or hung up. And I'm getting better and folding as I get it out of the dryer. Someday we will be fully organized.
I grew up in church. A Baptist church. Lent was never talked about, from what I can remember. That said, I've never participated in Lent.
I've been wanting to get involved in something, felt a tugging.
I usually ignore that tugging. Mainly because I don't know how to get involved.
Until recently.
I saw a twitter/blog friend Alyson Costner talk about the Blood Water Mission's 40 days of water. Basically you give up drinking your latte's, soda's, teas, any beverage. You drink only tap water for 40 days. You take the money that you would spend on the beverages and keep track of it. At the end of the 40 days you donate that money to the Blood Water Mission to help get clean water for Africa.
This appealed to me for 2 reasons.
1. I don't drink enough water and am addicted to caffeine.
2. It's so easy to take water for granted. We have such easy access to clean, drinkable water.
We don't have to walk for miles to get water that is filled with bacteria that will make us sick.
I challenged myself to this. Thank you Alyson for clarifying some of the questions I had.
I am still in the first week of this and I'm not going to lie, IT'S HARD! Especially when you are at someone's house and they offer you a drink or when you take a drive somewhere and you're tired. I so wanted to stop for some coffee on my way back from my friend Christy's house. It was hard to resist.
Now I have found one thing that helps a little. CHOCOLATE COVERED ESPRESSO BEANS. I eat a few upon waking. The first couple of days I had major headache and was cranky. I am so over that now and keep telling myself that this is going to help others.
I'm not sure that I understand Lent really but I think this is a start.
