Do I like nursing?

As I near the 6 month milestone in my new nursing career, I've been asked a lot (and ask myself, too!)..."Do I like it?"  Do I like nursing as a career? Do I like my job specifically? Do I like working night shift.

To make a long story short: Yes.  Yes. Yes.

But I'm not really one to make a story short when I could go on and on, so if you're interested in The Long Story...read on.

3 months ago my answers would have been "Prooobably." "I'm not sure I'm lovin' it, but I'm interested in working in OB." and "Nights sure beat Days!"  Now I'm feeling much more settled, and a little bit more competent (just a little!), and I'm extremely grateful (most of the time) that God chose to make me a nurse .  Since nothing is ever 100% perfect, and there's always bad with the good (and good with the bad), let's break it down a little.  Here are 5 things I don't like, and 5 things I do like.

5 things I don't like:

1. Working and having a job.  I know that these are both good things, but having that obligation really cramps my style, ya know?  Not to mention it takes a lot of time.  It would be so much nicer to have every day, evening, and weekend off!  But this is what God has called me to do, so here I am.
2. The rest of the world does not operate on a night shift schedule.  Packages are delivered (causing the dogs to bark like crazy) about an hour after I get to sleep.  Important phone calls come in the middle of the day (middle of the night, for me), and I am sometimes forced to choose between sleeping and missing out, or showing up and being a zombie. If I worked days, these things would be a little more clean-cut: I can be there, or I can't be there. I'm working or its my day off.  The lines are a little fuzzier on nights. Also, trainings and meetings are never scheduled at convenient times for night people. But is there every really a convenient time?
3. Dealing with anxious, confused, agitated, or otherwise very needy patients.  Like the ones that have a hefty dose of Lasix ordered for 2100 (why?!) and need assistance to transfer to the commode.  Every. 10. minutes.  I think I find this especially draining (no pun intended) because at home I have a very mommy-dependent toddler that wants to be with me all of the time, and even if she doesn't want to be with me, she requires CONSTANT VIGILANCE (in the words of Mad-Eye Moody).  Its just a lot of being needed, and not much of a break.
4. Calling the doctor.  Because I hate calling people in general (does anybody actually like it?), and because I know I sound like I'm 12 when I'm on the phone (and probably in person, too), and because I'm always afraid they'll ask me something I don't know but I should, and because it usually means the doctor forgot something or I forgot something or the patient has had a change of status. Not good things.  Thankfully, we have some really great docs (especially on nights) and after working with them for awhile you can have an idea of what to expect from them, and what they expect from you.
5. I don't like not being perfect. I hate it that I'm not super-nurse.  I can never get everything done, and if I can, it's not done on time.  I can never give my patients the level of care that I want to.  This is mostly due to the fact that I can only be in one place at one time, and I only have 2 hands and not 4.  And they forgot to give me my magic wand at our pinning ceremony (I really need to follow up on that).  I'm slowly learning to become more efficient and sort out what really does and doesn't matter.  And occasionally I have come home after a shift and thought "maybe I kind of did ok."

5 things I do like:

1. Working and having a job. Yes, the "I want to stay home/I want to work" debate is never. ending. in my head (seriously, it never stops).  But I'm glad I have a reason to get out of the house.  I'm glad to have a break from The Peanut that I love so much, and I'm glad she gets time with her dad without me.  It really helps that the work I do is extremely meaningful and pretty fulfilling. And I'm not complaining about the money that gets deposited into our checking account due to the fact that I work.  The money that allows me to PAY SOMEONE TO CLEAN MY HOUSE.  Yes, you read that right.  I pay someone to clean my house, and it is WORTH IT!!
2. What I love about nights is that there are way less people around.  On days you can walk into the nurses' station at any given moment and there could be 5-15 people in there.  On nights you walk in and chances are good there will be NO ONE in there.  We don't deal with physical therapy, or doctors rounding, there are a lot fewer visitors (don't get be wrong, they are still very much there), and there are no administrators- just a House Supervisor.  The vibe is much more chill on nights.  The lights are out.  Even when it gets busy (which it does!) it is a quiet busy.  I love the night-shift vibe.  And the people that work nights tend to be much more laid-back and easygoing as well.
3. Being there for patients who are anxious, confused, agitated, very sick, or otherwise need a nurse.  I love bedside nursing! I love taking care of people.  I love explaining things to them as much as I am able.  I love helping them when they really need help.  I love talking to them and joking with them, and hearing their stories (they have some GREAT stories, guys), and making them comfortable and fluffing their pillows and getting them pain meds and fresh ice water. And I LOVE giving them warm blankets.  Nursing is the best, guys!  I LOVE it! What a relief...nursing school was quite a hell to go through, and how awful would it be if I didn't like nursing?
4. The team of people that I work with is fantastic.  Since I clearly am not perfect, I rely on others so much.  First of all, the grace of my All-Powerful God has carried me (and my patients) through more that I will ever know.  Secondly, the aides, nurses, supervisors, monitor techs, lab techs, respiratory therapists (love them!) and yes...even the doctors that I work with are all in it together to do what's best for the patients we care for.  We help each other and we support each other.  And we have fun, too!
5. I love that the work I do is meaningful and life-giving.  When the world around me seems to be filled with darkness and dismay, and there is so much that I feel helpless about, I feel like there are maybe some things I can help with.  I can't save the world (but God can!), I can't heal anybody (but God can!), but at least I now have more skills to use to serve the Lord and help hurting people.

So, yes, I like nursing.  Yes, I like my job (I think I'll hold off on moving to OB for now).  And night shift is definitely my jam.

As always, thanks for hanging in there with me.  I know my posting isn't very consistent, but you all read and support me anyway, and I am so thankful!

So... it has come to this

Here we are again, my friends.  That part of the show where I am coming back from a long absence (I think this was a new record), thanking you for being here, for not giving up on me.

Clearly, I don't even know where to start.  I think we last left off with how to get through it... and we got through it!  At least my little family did.  Barely.  By God's grace alone.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Let's hit the highlights since my last post, and then we can just move forward:

Last December I was honored to be part of a wedding for some very special friends.  The bride was a 5th grader in the Sunday school class we started teaching the summer after we moved here.  In the last 9 years our relationship has changed from a frustrated student and teacher to a sweet friendship and I was so blessed to be a bridesmaid and stand with her and her husband (from Tim's Sunday school class!) as they exchanged vows before the Lord.  Two lessons from this:

1) When you first meet someone, you NEVER know where that relationship will go.
2) It is amazing how God grows and changes people!

That's me on the right...a lot of people didn't recognize me!

The Peanut turned 1 in January, and we had a little bit of a party.  Her Aunt Kelly and Uncle Justin came to visit and some of her friends came over for cupcakes and hot cocoa.  We tried not to go overboard... I think we succeed. We were lucky to accomplish a party at all!

She liked the cupcakes

In March I BECAME AN AUNT!!!!  Guys, being an aunt is SO GREAT.  Honestly, when I found out about my nephew's arrival, the feeling I had was what I had expected to feel when I became a mom.  To see them and be like "Awwww' and just instantly love them.  Becoming a mom was so different, though.  Of course I loved the Peanut right away, but it was a ferocious, terrifying love.  Like "If anything happens to this child I don't know how I could even keep on breathing."  Of course I would be devastated if anything happened to my nephew, but it's just a lot different.  Probably because I'm not the one responsible for keeping him alive.  I didn't get to meet him until I was done with school in May, so it was so much fun to love him to death and explain that I'm the silly aunt (just so he knows).  That kid is the highlight of my year.

HE'S SO HANDSOME I CAN'T EVEN STAND IT!!!

Cousins!

In May I finally graduated from nursing school with my Associate Degree in Nursing!  SUCH a good feeling.  School was killer.  It really, really tried to kill me.  I was so tired, I even drank flavored coffee.  Twice!  (It was all that was available...I take my coffee black- no flavor, no cream, no sugar).  I remember being with my family for a weekend to have a baby shower for my sister, and thinking to myself (as I was sitting in a room by myself, pumping and studying) "Everyone tells me what I'm doing is crazy and they don't know how I'm doing, but at least no one has said 'Steph, I'm worried about you.  Seriously, are you ok?' So it can't really be that bad..."  The next morning I was sitting at the table eating breakfast and working on a take-home test that was due Monday when I got back.  Dad-- (Dad!)-- came in and said "Steph...I'm worried about you."  Dad doesn't say things like that.  It was that bad. But the Lord carried me through, because this is what He has called me to.

These two made so many sacrifices to get me through school. I love them!

Sven surprised me and came for graduation!

In June we went on our long-awaited vacation to my FAVORITE vacation spot, my happy place...Hilton Head!  We went with Tim's extended family to celebrate his grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary.  The house we stayed at was AMAZING, and we had a great time, but let me tell you...Hilton Head is a very different experience with a toddler.  She had a great time and was such a trooper though. We are so thankful for the fun-loving, happy, laid-back kid we have.  And we're so thankful for Grandmom and PopPop and their generosity in taking us all to Hilton Head and their example of 60 years of love and commitment to each other and the Lord.

This summer I also starting working full-time nights as an RN at the hospital where I had been working as an aide.  It has been challenging, rewarding, exhausting and a HUGE adjustment for our family.  But that's pretty much a whole post in itself, so we'll talk about that later (probably).

As usual, we snuck away for a weekend at the lake with Sapphire and the Peanut did much better this year than she did last year.  It was a fun and relaxing weekend, but maybe next time we'll leave the toddler home with some friends to help with the laid-back lake weekend vibe.

Late July and August have been filled with travels, since my sister Kelly is getting married in September!  The Peanut and I flew back to Ohio for the bridal shower, then a few weeks later I left the Peanut here with her dad and flew to Albuquerque.  Both weekends were very full but a lot of fun.

The beautiful bride!

And that pretty much brings us up to the present.  While these were all big moments that were pretty exciting, this summer I've been remembering that it's really the little moments that make life so great.  Having a slow breakfast with the Peanut while we watch Instagram stories, spending time outside watering my plants in the evening, Skype calls with grandparents, and Bible study with friends.  I'm so glad to be free from school to enjoy these moments!! We continue to adjust to my new job and work schedule, but overall we're doing great.

Hopefully I will be checking in here more often now that I've cleared the hurdle of Breaking The Silence.  Blogging helps me get things out of my head, and helps me look back and remember where we've been and where we're going.  Maybe I'll do some kind of regular posting "Bake of the Week", more episodes of "Real Life with the Taylors" or I could even finish up my "London Travel Tips" series.  Or maybe I won't post again for another year :)  One never knows.

For an explanation of the title, check out (the always-informative) xkcd 1022.  If you didn't need an explanation, then I'm glad we're friends.

5 Tips and Tricks for Getting Through It

Why hello there, Strangers!  It's been awhile.  I hope you're well.

Last week I finished up two classes, and I start a new one tomorrow, so this weekend has been light in the school department.  I also had the weekend of work, so... yeah.  It's been pretty great.  Last night I was doing stuff around the house and thinking "I feel different.  What is going on with me?  Oh wait... sleep.  I got sleep. This is what it feels like when you get sleep."  It was a good feeling.  I enjoyed it while it lasted.

As you probably know, life has been busy around here.  Nursing school + baby + working overnights = a whole lotta stress and tired.  Work has been crazy for Tim as well, and we've had some family stuff going on that called for a quick weekend trip to Florida on the tails of Hurricane Matthew.  The day after we got back from that trip, the Peanut had her 9 month check-up and I was filling out the post-partum screening. 

"Rate the level of stress in your family right now: 
__ None  
__ Mild 
__ Moderate 
__ Severe."  

Severe.  Yes, that is us.  But by God's grace we're getting through it, relying on His strength and the amazing friends and family He has blessed us with.

My cousin, Paige, is also in nursing school right now (at a very different school in a very different state), and I said to her on Facebook "I hope you're surviving all right!  It will all be worth it...probably."  I loved her response: 

"Well, right now surviving feels like a bit of an exaggeration, but it'll be worth it!"

Yes.  Surviving does feel like a bit of an exaggeration.

If this sound like you, if you're just trying to get through It (whatever It is), I'm here to offer some advice.  I (obviously) don't know it all, but I've learned a thing or two, and I would like to pass it along.  Whether you're home with littles and they're wearing you out, or you're in school and living from deadline to deadline, or if your family is in crisis and you spend so much time at the hospital that no one has clean underwear... this is for you.  And I am sorry for you.  I won't ask you if you're ok, because the answer is probably "no" and that's probably ok, because it's ok to not be ok, and it doesn't mean you will never be ok again.  Because you will.  Probably.

So here are 5 bits of advice/tips/permissions for you (photos of my house included so you can feel better about your house):

1)  The laundry doesn't need to be folded.  It can sit in that laundry basket, and you can rummage in that basket every morning for something to wear, and yes it will be wrinkly, but that's ok.  The stuff that's crusted on your stove top?  It can stay there.  The dust and dog hair in the corner?  Don't even worry about it.  We're in survival mode.

2)  It's ok to eat frozen convenience food.  No, it's not usually the healthiest option, but frozen food has come a long way in nutrition in the past several years, so throw that food in a skillet and don't even worry about it.  If you really are worried about it, eat and apple or a banana and take a mulitvitamin.  Life's not always going to be like this.  You just gotta do what you gotta do.

3)  Let people help you.  Did you catch that?  One more time for the kids in the back. LET.  PEOPLE. HELP. YOU.  If you're anything like me, this is a tough one.  Asking for help is so much harder than just doing it myself.  At least that's what I tell myself.  So I've settled on this goal for myself right now:  Say "YES!" when someone offers to help.  Whatever the offer, and whether I need help or not, I try to say yes, just so I can practice accepting help!  Even if it is just someone holding the door open for you, LET THEM DO IT.  Yes, I know you are a strong, capable, independent person.  That's not the point.  Don't you feel good when you can help someone else?  Then let someone else have that good feeling by helping you!

4)  When your baby falls asleep in your shoulder, and you really need to start studying, rock that baby for a few more minutes. Just soak it in.  If your husband wants to talk about cars or politics or work or anything, but you need to get something done, talk to your husband, and forget about what needs to be done.  Above all else, spend time quietly before the Lord everyday, telling Him your troubles and asking Him to help.  Because He loves you, a whole lot, and He wants to help.  And there's no way you can do it without Him.  What I'm getting at here is priorities.  Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

5)  Work hard, do your best, and trust God to take care of everything else.  Because when we're being honest, "everything else" is really a lot of stuff because what we bring to the table is basically nothing.  But we should still offer our nothing.

Hang in there, my friend!  This too shall pass.  

Disclaimer: I want to mention if "this" is life, with no end in sight; if the "It" that you're getting through is day to day life, with no end to the season in the foreseeable future, you need to look long and hard at making some adjustments. I don't know what those adjustments are or what they may mean for you, but survival mode should be time-limited.

I love you guys!  Thanks for hanging in there with me.  Life is good, and I am enjoying it, because God is good, and He has blessed me through (and with!) these struggles.

Summer 2016

Hi Friends!  I'm here with a little update/ check-in while I have a bit of a breather from school.  Here's what's been going on around here.

May

The Peanut got to meet her Aunt Anna, and we all had a fantastic time.   When we picked Anna up at the airport, we decided to go out to breakfast at a French bakery I had been wanting to try.  For those of you who don't know, I always take my coffee black.  No cream, no sugar, no flavorings.  Anna is always posting pictures of her beautiful cappuccinos and lattes and I always look at them and think, "I wish I liked milk in my coffee, because I wish I could enjoy that."  It's one of those things, like chicken sandwiches, that I try occasionally and thing "maybe this will be the time that I like it."  And every time I'm like "Nope."  A friend of mine had recommended the cafe breve at this bakery, so I decided to go out on a limb and try it. You know what?  I LOVED it! With a pain au chocolat? Perfection.

Anna changed places with my parents who came Mother's Day weekend to see Peanut's dedication.We had a small crowd on the stage, but it was a blessing to stand up there with our long-time friends and newer friends, celebrating 4 births and 3 adoptions.  But it's pretty daunting to look ahead and think about the importance of raising our Peanut to know and love the Lord.  When we met with our pastor before hand, he said one of the most helpful things I've heard about parenting. "The Bible simply tells you to teach your children the Truth.  Teach them what the Bible says and Who God is.  God will do the rest. You are not responsible for their salvation, you are only responsible for teaching them."  It was a great perspective, and in a way, a weight off my shoulders.  But also, teaching her God's Truth is overwhelming.  So we will do it one day at a time.  And we have biological and church family that love that little girl like crazy and will pray for us and support us as we raise her up in the way she should go.

June

Sapphire, the Peanut, and I started June by taking a trip out to Colorado to visit Sapphire's new nephew (and her brother and sister-in-law) and also my sister Mandy, her husband Kevan, and their dog Lance.  The drive there and back was, shall we say... intense, with a 4 month old.  She didn't travel quite as well as she did on her Grand Tour.  And Nebraska is a big state.  (Seriously, does it ever end?) But we made it through, and our time in Denver was so relaxing and wonderful.  I was also able to sneak down to Colorado Springs for a day and visit my cousin, Rachel, who I hand't seen in awhile.  On the way back, we stopped for a much needed break to meet my cousin, Kim's, baby girl and see Kim and Chelsea.  Overall it was a good trip, but Sapphire and I agree that next time we should just fly.

I started my ADN program (Associate Degree in Nursing- an RN program) at the end of June.  I was excited to get back to school, ready to study, work hard, and learn stuff.  My first week we learned how to do IV's, and practiced on a fake arm.  It was awesome.

July

By the time we got to July, I was ready for school to be done.  Forever. School was INTENSE.  We called in The Grandmas for help with the Peanut the last two weeks of class, because I also had clinicals, and we were all in pretty bad shape.  I was stressed, Tim was stressed, and the Peanut was Over It.  Thank goodness they came, because I don't even know how we would have made it through.  

The Fourth of July weekend was especially terrible, because for the third year in a row, my job kept us from going to visit family or doing anything that was much fun.  Not that I could have spared a weekend from studying anyway.

After five weeks of class, I had passed, but I was exhausted and sick with a nasty cold.

August

I've been using my 5 week break to rest, relax, and regroup.  I've been trying to catch up with friends before the fall semester hits, yet trying to get as much sleep as my baby girl will allow, which is actually a lot.  We got away for a vacation with Tim's family to a cabin in the woods, which was exactly what I needed.  The Peanut finally got to meet her Aunt Emily as well, so now all aunts and uncles have met this crazy girls. Also, I may or may not have gained a couple of pounds, because we ate so much good food.  

Since we've been home, I've been trying to catch up on some things, and enjoy the Olympics as much as possible.  I actually find that my evenings are more productive when the Olympics are on, because I find all kinds of tasks that I can do while I watch, and there's always the list of "during commercial breaks."

Tim and I have tried to come up with a new game plan for fall semester, because we barely made it through the five weeks of summer class.  We're going to arrange for more childcare, and (thanks to my mom) we have the freezer stocked with food.  I need to start each day remembering that my Strength is in the Lord, not in myself, and that He will carry me through this, since this is what He has called me to do.

Also, for an update on the Peanut, she continues to be awesome.  She's not technically crawling, but she moves around on her tummy to get where she wants to go. She's doing well with solid foods, and continues to sleep 10-12 hours at night.  She could turn nap resistance into an Olympic sport, and when she is awake she is busy, busy, busy.  When she works out the mechanics of crawling, she's really going to keep us on our toes, since she'll be getting around (and into everything) so fast.  And she still loves her Tico.

That's it for now.  Christmas Spirit Days start next month, so get excited.  Has this been a summer of survival or a summer of fun for you?  Are you loving the Olympics as much as I am?

As always, thanks for hanging in there with me.  Maybe someday I will get on a regular posting schedule, but today is not that day.

LPN Graduation

Well...  today I graduated from the LPN program.  While I'm very glad, (and happy that I finished before going into labor!), it still hasn't quite sunk in yet.  My last day of my preceptorship was Tuesday.  I didn't expect fireworks or anything, but we got to 9:00, and I kind of said to my preceptor, "Well... I have my hours in" and she filled in my evaluation and said thanks and I said thanks and then I left.  

I keep on wanting to say "I'm done!"  But it's like "I'm done with my LPN... except I still need to take boards." Or, "I'm done with school...until I start the RN program in June."  Closure is never as clean as we think it will be, is it?  I'm ok with that.  I think I often deal with things better when they just kind of... fizzle out.

Today we went into school to do some final paperwork, and then have a graduation luncheon, and it was such a special time.  The food was amazing...and the cheesecake! Fantastic.  My sweet classmates and instructors all had a card and baby gift for me.  I still don't know how all of the best people ended up in my life.  God has definitely blessed me above and beyond anything I could ask or imagine.  

So now what?  On my way home, I treated myself in true Stephanie fashion... by going to the library.  Then I came home, and the dogs were actually excited to see me.  Jynx came running, chugged a bunch of water, went outside for a few minutes, then came in and puked on our newly refinished hardwood floors.  "Congrats, Mom!" Nothing says "You're going to be a nurse (and a mom)!" like making me clean up puke.  I guess this is what I signed up for (on the nursing end...I'm still not sure I officially "signed up" for parenthood...)

Tonight, to celebrate, Tim and I are going out for a really nice dinner I'm working a 12 hour shift.  So my real celebration will be a nap this afternoon.

I'm still not quite sure what to do with myself.  Last night I kept sitting there thinking "shouldn't I be studying something, or writing a care plan, or journaling about my clinical experience?"  Nope.  None of that. 

I know what some of you are thinking. "Well, Steph, maybe you should start getting ready for that baby to come.  Throw some things in a bag for the hospital...wash some baby clothes...GET A CRIB."  Don't worry... I have comforting words for those of you that are concerned.  The nursery is painted (almost... it needs another coat), we now have a car seat (it's in a box in our living room, but what matters is that we have it), and we live 4 minutes from the hospital, so it's not that hard for Tim to run home and get things.  I figure he might want to come home and shower anyway.  Everything I REALLY need for labor is in my purse (chapstick).  They also supply a few things at the hospital (like a gown, and ice chips).  I'll get around to packing a bag...eventually...probably.

See how prepared we are? We're so good at this parenting thing...

I've been comforting myself with the statistic that first time moms with a complication-free pregnancy who are left to go into labor on their own on average go to 41.5 weeks, which would put us in mid-January.  I'm very comfortable with mid-January.  However, about two weeks ago, I started feeling crappy (nauseous, mid-back cramps) and was worried I might be in pre-labor.  I didn't want to call the doctor and have him put me on bedrest (I had clinicals to finish up!), and I started to feel better, as long as I drank gallons of water and kept my blood sugar up.  I saw the doctor for my regularly scheduled appointment on Wednesday, and asked him about these symptoms.  He said they could be contractions, then looked at my belly. "You see this right here?" he said "This is a Braxton-Hicks contraction."  Oh.  Good to know.  That's been happening a lot.  For awhile. He also said I'm far enough along that if I go into labor they won't stop me (really?  are you sure?  isn't it still early yet?) and said "Maybe you'll have a Christmas baby!"  He must not be on-call for Christmas.  I don't think he was saying I'm going to go into labor anytime soon, but it wasn't a reassuring "you've definitely got a few weeks left."  So who knows? (God knows... duh.)  We shall see.

So now I just work twice a week, do what we can to get a nursery together, and see when this kid decides to show up!  In the meantime... here's what you can do to help.

Do you have any name suggestions?  
Let's try to keep this positive.  Please don't say "Whatever you do, don't name them (blank)," because what if we really liked that name?  That makes it awkward for everybody.

As always, thanks for reading. I love you guys...

I'm still alive and Baby's still kickin'

Hi Friends!  It's been over two months since I last checked in, but I wanted to stop by and let you know we're still here.  It feels like life might start to slow down a bit, but then... we're having a baby.  So maybe not.

Here are some updates, if you're interested,

Nursing School

School is winding down!  I just have 45 hours of clinical scheduled (no more classes) before I'm done on December 11th!  Done with the LPN program, that is.  I'm not really letting myself feel like I'm "done" because I still need to take boards, then start the RN program in June.  But the break will be much appreciated!  Two weeks ago it felt like school was trying to kill me, but I've slept some sleep since then, and I'm feeling better about life.

I'm continuing to work as an nurse aide at the hospital, scheduled for 1 or 2 12 hour shifts per week, so that is good experience and reminds me of why I'm doing what I'm doing.  I work with some really great nurses.  Also, I super-appreciate how flexible they are with my school schedule.

In other news, God unexpectedly blessed me with two scholarships!  Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

House

Egress window installation

"How's the basement coming?"  Well kids, it's coming!  We removed another wall, and had an egress window installed.  Tim is steadily working on re-arranging/ re-plumbing the maze of various ducts and pipes that are hanging from the joists.

My family, all in one place!

My whole family came a couple of weekends ago, and Dad and Tim took down two dead trees on the west side of our house, while my mom and sisters (and Sapphire) had a lovely baby shower for me.  We now have a lot more firewood...and sunlight streaming through our windows. :)  Thanks, Dad (and everybody else).

We had our hardwood floors refinished as well.  No, we did not do this ourselves!  We're not that crazy.  We're happy with the results, and preparing for the procedure to be done involved a LOT of cleaning, pitching, and re-arranging, that we're still recovering from.

Tico guarding All The Things we stored on the porch while the floors were refinished

Baby

"How are you feeling?" Pregnant.  Most of the time good, but sometimes baby likes to roll over and kick me in the diaphragm, which is not so pleasant.  Tying my shoes is quite a chore, but one I'm still able to accomplish.  

"Are you ready?" HECK NO, Techno!  Is anyone every really ready to have a baby?  But besides that, I have no bags packed for the hospital, no clothes washed for baby, and the nursery hasn't even been started.  Am I stressed about this?  It depends on the moment, but my stress is exacerbated by innocent questions from well-meaning people.  I can tell myself that everything is going to get done and be ok, but when someone asks me "so do you have the nursery all ready" and then gives me That Look when I say "Nope, we haven't even started it yet..." I tend to become filled with self-doubt and feel like I'm a mess that will never have my act together.  Which I am, but I'm ok with that... most of the time.

"Boy" votes won at the baby shower

As I said, I had an adorable baby shower in early November, and I have another one coming up in a couple of weeks, so we do have some baby essentials... they're just all stacked neatly, still in their packaging, in the dining room.

So many baby things...

Dogs

Toby has officially gone to live with Sapphire, and for the most part, things are going well.  We've been to visit him, and he's come to visit us, and we're all happy to see each other when we do.  I think Jynx misses him the most.  It looks like he's going to spend Christmas Eve with us, so that will be nice!

I think Jynx and Tico have figured out that something's going to be happening, and they're not quite sure how they feel about it.  I hope everyone gets along once Baby shows up...

Thanksgiving

Due to my work schedule, we were unable to travel for Thanksgiving, which was kind of a bummer, since we can't travel for Christmas either.  However, we were blessed to be able to celebrate with close friends, and we're still working through the piles of leftovers. It actually wound up being the most relaxing Thanksgiving weekend I can remember.  Since I was going to be working, I allowed myself to just sit and rest the day before and after my shift.  Thanks to leftovers, cooking was unnecessary.  Plus, I was way behind on sleeping, so I let myself sleep when I wanted to.

Other Happenings

Me & Lisa, after our excursion to The Moving Target

At the end of October we got away for a weekend to Chicagoland for Tim's cousin's wedding.  On the way I got to visit with Lisa, which (as always) was a much-needed, therapeutic laugh-fest.  We had a great time visiting with Tim's family as well, who were kind enough to shower us with baby gifts.

Family time! #BTTJDNMA

When we got home, my cousin Ariel and her husband Jan came to visit for a few days. (Remember when Kelly and I went to visit them in Germany?  Yeah, good times.)  They've moved to the states for now, and were finishing up a Grand Tour of the western part of the nation before settling down to real life and adulting.  Their visit was a lot of fun, and a huge blessing.  

Ariel & Jan (when they lived in Germany-- I forgot to get a picture this time around)

So now we just need to get a Christmas tree, do our Christmas shopping, send Christmas gifts, get ready for a baby (how do you even do that?!), and see when Baby decides to show up.  I'll probably do a fair amount of Christmas baking in there, too.

How are you doing?  Are you ready for what's around the corner?  Two years ago, going to England was just around the corner for me.  Last year, nursing school was just around the corner.  Now, parenthood (aka Permanent Life Change) is peeking at me from the new year.  I can't imagine what I'll be anticipating this time next year, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's God's best for me.

So...that happened

Well friends, summer has come and gone.  I started back to school this week, there is a distinct coolness in the air, and I'm ready for apples and all things pumpkin.  It's been a good summer, but it's been a whirlwind.  I didn't mean to take the summer off from blogging, but... things happen.  Let's catch up a bit, shall we?

Summer "started" the last week of May with a trip to Hilton Head with my family.  We stayed in a house in Sea Pines, rode bikes, went to the beach, enjoyed our private pool, played games, got sunburned, read books, and cooked and ate and cooked and ate and cooked at ate.  So. Much. Food.  Long story short: it was good times, and I want to go back.

We also took some breezy family photos on the beach in which we aren't sure when to smile because the camera was on a timer so we look fake and posed.  So that happened.

Happenings

Hey Kids!  I figured I would stop in for a little, hello-how-you-doing-I-can't-hear-you-cause-this-is-a-blog-so-I'll-only-talk-about-me. (NOTE: I actually could hear you, if you would leave a comment.  Then this conversation wouldn't be so one-sided and therefore boring.  Just sayin'...)

There are lots of things going on!  I finished my first semester of nursing school, and I passed all my classes.  This means I'm MOVING ON!  Yay!  One semester down, 5 to go...  My clinicals for this semester were at a nursing home.  We were each assigned a patient to do the nursing cares for during the week we were there, and I got THE BEST patient.  And no, I'm no biased. Everyone in my group told me that, even my instructor.  It was all a very positive experience and I loved it!  Yay nursing!

I am now working as many hours as possible which feels like a lot, but is still considerably less than 40.  However, shortly I will be working NONE of the hours because I will be out of town.  Where am I going?  I'm so glad you asked.

First, we're meeting up with my siblings and parents in Hilton Head Island, SC.  The vacation destination of my childhood.  Also... my happy place.  It will be beyond fantastic.  There will be swimming and beaching and game winning playing and ALL the good food.  I heard a rumor it might even rain tacos one night we're there.  If that's not exciting, I don't know what it.

Life According to my Phone

Hi Friends!  How's life?  Does it feel like nothing in particular is happening, yet everything is happening at once?  Me too.

This was my schedule last week

FAQ's: Nursing School and a Basement Update

Hi Kids!  How's it going?  I don't get to talk to you very often, but when I do, there are some questions that keep coming up, so I thought I would address them here.

First up: the basement.

Q: How is the basement coming?

14 Things I Learned in 2014

About a year ago, I was hosting January Bunco club.  The girls were asking how I was adjusting to the change of leaving my job for 6 years.  I think I was saying something about how it still hadn't really sunk in yet, and my (always wise) friend, Kari, said "Yes, well you are going to be having a lot of changes this year."  Yep.  I remembered her words many, many times in the next 12 months.  It was rough.  There were a lot of changes.  And I don't like changes.  Also worth noting: it was awesome.