Hey there! Guess what! I love my new job!! I was super super nervous, but it's been like riding a bike. I mean...I have lots to learn still, but the stuff I've already done (as a student) is coming back pretty quickly. Whew! Such a relief! Turns out I even really like working the night shift. If Kyle were here during the week, I'd probably hate it, but since I don't need to have a life Mon-Fri anyway, it works out pretty well!
Yesterday--er, two nights ago?--all the days are running together, and I can never figure out what time it is--Dad came to work and had "dinner" with me at midnight! I'm sure the people I work with were surprised when a cop came up to the floor and asked for me! I love when he pretends like he's going to arrest me! ;) Anyway, for anyone that hasn't tried the food at the hospital (the kind you can buy, not the stuff the patients eat), it's delicious!!! I totally recommend the fries, though I don't eat them anymore. They're DELICIOUS!!!

I've decided to stop trying to title my posts.

Yay for almost a week and a half off of work! It's been lovely...lots of catching up with friends, relaxing, cleaning, and yard work--things that I haven't done much of lately. I should take time off more often! :) So, I start at the hospital on Tuesday and I'm so excited! It will be a little scary, I think, but hopefully like riding a bike...cross your fingers for me!
Kyle and I discovered a fun, cheap new place to eat. Check out Pizza Pie Cafe by 24 Hour Fitness in Provo. It's only $7.53 to eat there (and that's with tax!). Beautiful salad bar, pasta, pizza, and this AMAZING dessert bar. Definitely try the oreo dessert...Mmmm...

Good news everybody! Today started out shaky at work, but ended really well. Made peace with everybody--they're probably still upset at the situation, but I don't think they hate me. Whew! I just went with Dad to get new scrubs...and I bought a new stethoscope! Yay for a new adventure in my life...but especially yay for still being friends with everybody at work!

Man Boots.

Today I had to tell my boss that tomorrow is my last day because I JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT ANYMORE! Needless to say, she was not happy, and tried to talk me (guilt me) into sta1ying. NO!!! For lots of reasons, including the fact that I gave notice SIX WEEKS AGO...I spent the rest of the day mostly locked in my office. One day down, one to go...

Um...I fail at keeping a blog! But I wanted to let you know that I got a new job! I'm super burnt out of my current job, and looking forward to a new adventure. I'll be working on the 6th floor (med/surg) at UVRMC. Yahoo!

Fixin' stuff...

Hey! I fixed my own toilet! The water wouldn't stop running, so I bought some new parts and installed them myself! Go, girl! :)

Sunday is the best day of the week!

Church was amazing! Relief Society was about temple work, Sunday School was about missionary work, and Sacrament was about sacrifice and missionary work. I know that I should be able to write specific things that were said, but today was amazing because of the way that I felt because of what was said. I felt the spirit so strongly and I just...I don't know. It was perfect!

More from work

So a couple of days ago, I stopped to talk to a lady on the assisted living side of Courtyard (I work on the Enhanced Care side). She was sitting on a couch, so I crouched down to be at her level. I told her that I liked her shirt and she told me that she liked my teeth. Then she asked if they were real...LOL!



Then, to thank me for stopping to talk to her, she reached into her walker basket and pulled out a half eaten snickers--which she held up to my mouth to offer me a bite! LOL again! I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I tore off a piece with my hands and went my merry way, chuckling. I love working where I do! I never know what to expect...



Later I found a man in the Enhanced Care kitchen eating a late breakfast. I needed to give him his meds, so I went to fetch them. When I walked back into the kitchen, I found him with his head bowed in prayer. Such a good example of what we should never forget...

Bath day...

Keena got a bath today! Man alive, she gets upset when she has to get wet. And when I was done, the tub was COVERED in dog fur. EW! Good thing I like her so much. :)

Miracles...

OK, Tiffany talked me into it. Ready for a miracle? On Monday one of my residents was suddenly very sick. I couldn't tell if she was just sick or really dying. I contacted her son, had her admitted to hospice, and monitored her condition, which remained stable. However, she declined very quickly overnight, and I could tell on Tuesday that she didn't have much time left. I called her son, sick at the thought that he might not make it from Illinois in time to be with her before she passed. He said that he wouldn't be able to make it until Wednesday. After talking to him, I went into my resident's room. At this point she was breathing very shallowly and was unresponsive. They say, though, that people in that condition can still hear, so I told her that her son would be there the next day and that if she wanted to she him, she should wait to go. I left at 4, not knowing what would happen, but praying that he would make it in time, that she would live just a bit longer. On Wednesday when I got to work, I learned that she had passed away at 2:00 in the morning...but after a string of miracles, her son had made it just in time! He came straight from the airport and she died a few short hours later. How grateful I am for answered prayers and the miracles that I see almost daily at work! What a blessing it is to work where I do...

Get it?

I witnessed a few small miracles during the last 24 hours and I need to share them! Actually, as I'm thinking about it...I'm not sure that a blog is the right place for them. Hmmm....Nope! Not right now. Instead, I'll share a funny story from work. So, I take Keena in every now and then for "pet therapy" but mostly because I like having her at work with me. The last time I took her in, I reassured the residents that "she hasn't bitten a single person". From the back row came the quip, "What about all of us married folk?" LOL!!! It took me about 3 minutes to figure out that what the resident said was SUPER FUNNY!

July 4

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Whatever...

This post is about aggressive licking. I know that sounds awkward, but it's a real problem...it's my dogs!!! They just WON'T STOP LICKING ME!!! I know it means they like me or something, but seriously, it's a bit much. If I let them (if I'm focused on something else) they just keep licking...and licking...and licking...and licking...and licking...and licking...and licking...and licking...

My best friend

Some reasons why Kyle is my best friend:

1. Yesterday I was sick and he cooked us dinner as a surprise to help me feel better--omelettes, hash browns, and fresh fruit smoothies. Sooo sweet, right? And it was delicious! He wouldn't even let me into the kitchen to see what he was doing.

2. Kyle watches those cheesy made-for-TV Disney movies with me, even when he'd rather watch something else. I love those movies! Cheesy, yes, but so clean and wholesome! :)

3. He loves Juno, even though he can be super obnoxious and yappy. (Um, Juno can be obnoxious. Not Kyle. In case you weren't sure.)

Strange.

Something strange happened at work today. One of my residents was looking out the office window for the bus, and I walked up to her with my arms out for a hug. Now, this lady loves hugs. Always, if I've had to do something to her that she doesn't like (trim her toenails, let the foot doctor power-tool her toenails, etc), if I just hug her when she's mad, she gets a smile on her face and all is forgiven. Today I hadn't done anything "mean" to her, so I expected a hug, an "oh honey", and a kiss on a cheek. I went in open-armed and super vulnerable for the hug and...she whacked me! And this wasn't a single-armed whack. She used both! Shocked but smiling, I backed off. There's one thing at work that I'm sure of--I can never be sure of anything! But I love what I do. Every day is a surprise...

TAG...

To play this game of tag, post these rules on your blog:
List joys, 3 fears, and 3 goals. Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 Joys: Spending time with family and friends, reading a great book, going to work.
3 Fears: Um...never getting married. That's all. Lame, right?
3 Goals: Better prayers, better scripture study, more frequent temple attendance.

oops.

Pretty sure I forgot about this blog for a few days. :) So, last night I got to take one of my residents to the wedding pictures/ring ceremony/reception of her granddaughter. This isn't something I normally do, and probably shouldn't--sooo much liability when I have a resident in my car--but this family needed me, and I love them...Turns out that it wasn't a hard decision to make. I LOVED THE EXPERIENCE! I could tell that it meant so much to everyone to have this resident there, and she spent the three hours out of the facility smiling (she doesn't usually smile that much in one stretch). I don't know that she recognized anyone, but I think she could feel the love that the people around her have for her. The opportunity that I had to witness that was such a gift.
Recently I've been analyzing myself and my life a bit, and I've come to the conclusion that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY JOB!!! I would do it even if there wasn't a paycheck involved. I'm so lucky, right? Blessed, really. How many people can wake up in the morning excited to do whatever it is they've got ahead of them?

It's about time...

Wow. First blog entry and already I have writers block (writer's block? writers' block? Darn that pesky apostrophe). I want to write something funny or inspiring or both but nothing comes. So I'll leave it at...My small dog is looking at me like he's doing something that I wouldn't like. Oh, of course. He's eating a piece of k'nex. Crazy small dog. (Who brought k'nex to my house?)