Light Reading

I work with infants. Those already born. Few of the parents of these infants are looking to immediately get pregnant (as they have an infant already). Yet, for some reason I found this magazine in the drawer at work:
I couldn't help myself. I mean, with a headline like "The best places to make a baby", how could I resist. It turns out this entire magazine is about how to get pregnant, from romantic getaways to fertility-producing foods. Yes, the cover does boast of a story titled: Foods for Super Sperm. And, luckily, inside is a chance to win one of these:
Yes, kids, this is a fertility watch. Imagine how wonderful it would be to simply look at your wrist to see if you are fertile. Can't you just write this in your day planner. Come on really. Imagine you are out with friends and one asks you the time, and then glances at your watch. Instead of the time, they get to find out if you are fertile and what day of your cycle you are on. That seems fun, and not at all awkward.
This magazine made me really happy, not so much that it existed, but that it was at my work. I am pretty sure that the infants are not looking to get pregnant. If anything, I think they just want back in their mom's belly.
If anybody is still looking, I want the watch for Christmas.

Good things

Wow, this story made me cry.

Click here to watch

Have I mentioned that I really want to adopt, and probably want to do foster care.

Green scrubs of shame

Yesterday at work I went in to calm a crying child down. As I reached to lift the baby I felt my arm get wet. Not a good sign. Another nurse came into the room to see if she could help and I just stood their frozen, afraid to look at what could possibly be on my arm. So I lifted my arm to show her, and it turns out I got poop all over my arm. How the poop got on the outer edge of the crib is a mystery to all. Nevertheless, I was covered with stinky poop. We laughed really hard for a while then I left the crying baby to the other nurse and called to have security meet me so I could get new scrubs out of the storage room. It turns out that the only scrubs available were XL or XXXL. Now, neither of those are my size, nor near my size. Luckily I found a M top, and then just grabbed the XL bottoms. I asked the security guy if there were any other scrubs anywhere and he said no. Then I asked if there were any in the OR. He said their probably were but didn't seem too interested in going with me to look. So, I took what I could get and went back upstairs to change. I looked something like this:

Except the scrubs were longer and the top fit, and I didn't have the ugly hat, and the scrubs were green not bluish, and I wasn't in Africa. Weirdly, I was wearing the same shoes. Okay, so it wasn't much like these pictures, but this was the best I could do.
Everyone at work laughed when they saw me for the rest of the night because you only wear the green scrubs of shame if a baby has produced something that has made a mess on you, and you were not smart enough to wear a gown for protection against possible messiness. I always laugh at the other people, so turn-about is fair play.
Oh, and I got to wear the green scrubs of shame home on TRAX. And they were too long and dragged on the ground and got wet. However, now I have some really comfortable huge pajamas. Lucky me.

I have found a man who has agreed to marry you...

My dad announced last night that he has found my husband. Lucky me. Apparently his best friend's son is recently single. His future lawyer girlfriend dumped him to go to law school. That stinks. However, now it is perfect because we are both single. Woo hoo. I have met him on several occasions. We went to BYU together. He is attractive, but I am not sure that we actually have anything in common. But, his dad and my dad want us to get married because then the Becks and the Johnsons will finally co-mingle on a whole other level.
In the immortal words of J Lo: A man of my very own! You must bring me to him at once.

I believe we are now to 3 eligible bachelor's on my dad's list for me. Yip yip.

Happy days are here again

For about the last month or so (minus one day) I have been really happy again. My usual kind of happy. It is great. My happiness has increased even more in the last 2 weeks. People at work are noticing that I am back to my old self. I no longer have a heaviness about me (not talking about my weight, that is a whole different subject). It feels so good. However, my gray days do help me appreciate the good days so much more. I guess that is the concept that the bitter makes the sweet taste even sweeter. I have had enough bitter for a while, bring on the sweet!
So, an apology to all of you who had to deal with the less-happy version of myself. I am back in full force, watch out.

Oh, and a couple days ago on TRAX this lady got on who was very very drunk. She could hardly walk and smelled very strongly of alcohol. But the amusing part was that she sat right next to a girl who was reading a book (a TRAX faux-pas if there are other seats available without neighbors). She talked to the girl for several minutes (until she got of the train). The girl even said, "I am reading my book, I would rather not talk" or something to that effect. And the girl changed seats. That changed nothing. She was a very persistent drunk conversationalist. It brought a smile to my face.
At work I was telling my coworkers about my amusing train ride and then we all started talking about what kind of drunks we would be. It was determined that I would be a funny drunk. I would probably have a ton of energy and would laugh a lot. It would be annoying to other people, I am pretty sure.
On the TRAX ride home a guy stared at me the entire time. So, to make things even more uncomfortable I stared back. It was awesome.

Because you love

Imagine this:

You are in a room full of intimidating and important people, and yourself (very average). All are gathered for an in-depth discussion about a topic that is difficult for you to talk about. You are the only one showing emotion, well the only one showing great emotion. You cry through practically the entire hour and a half meeting. And there are no tissues. Oh, and you make a comment that could have been very offensive to several of the people in the room, because you call it like you see it. And several people thank you for making such a comment. Somehow, despite looking like a blabbering fool, the majority of the people in the meeting thank you when all is over, and tell you what a great person you are and how brave you were to be there and to care the way you do. And they all give you hugs. Suddenly no one is nearly as intimidating and titles are stripped away. And when all is said and done, things are going to change in a big way because of you.
It is hard to imagine. And hard to take in. And hard to process in so many ways. And the scar in your heart will never quite heal, but you will learn to let it improve you. And it will change who you are forever.

That was my morning.

Forever attempting to get me married

Last summer my dad tried to set me up with his accountant at work who was 20-something and apparently a great catch because he was done with school and had a good paying job. My dad gave this kid my number (I said it was fine, and it was the only way to get my dad to stop talking about it so much). He never called. Shocker. Then he moved to Texas. A place I have vowed never to live. Don't even get me started.

A month or two ago, my dad decided that his friend's son and I are perfect for each other. This guy is late-20s/early 30s, has a good paying job, real estate in Park City and parents that we already know and like. Obviously he and I are perfect for each other. He keeps telling me that we need to go out, but it has not gone anywhere. Shocker.

On Sunday my dad came home from church to tell me that this lady in our ward (30s, I think) wants to set me up with her brother. He is obviously a great catch because he is in dental school. Across the country. I am not sure why she asked my dad if this would be okay, but has still not talked to me about it. I guess we are going out sometime over Christmas break. With my luck we will totally hit it off and then he will go back to the mid-west where he is in school and that will be the end of that. Shocker. After my dad told me about all of this guy's "merits" I told my dad that dentists are the profession that is the most likely to cheat on their spouse. It is something about having all those cute little hygienists in the office all the time that gets em.

Yesterday I went to Provo and people kept asking me if I am dating someone. I am not. Shocker. I guess moving to Salt Lake makes people think you all of a sudden start dating all the time. Nope. It is pretty similar to Provo. Which I am okay with. I may sound bitter about dating, but I still accept offers for blind dates and set-ups. Even with a rather hilarious history of terrible blind dates, I still go on them. I am still up for trying. I just have to have a little fun with it in the mean time.

Thank you for your business, and...

So I have this adorable skirt that I bought while in Chicago, that I still have not been able to wear because of this pesky problem of it being very difficult to press. We are talking perma-wrinkled. It was driving me crazy. So, I finally took my skirt to the dry cleaners today to have them work their magic.
There is a nice man who works at our dry cleaners. He is always there. Usually after you give him your info and your clothes (hopefully not the ones you are currently wearing) he says thank you, tells you when to come get your clothes and you are on your way. Not so today. He handed me my ticket then gave me the weather forcast "it is going to be cold weather like this for the next 2 weeks. It is going to be really cold at night." I was taken off guard, but managed and "okay" in response. Then he provided me a current event, headline only "Warren Jeffs got sentenced to 10 years in prison." Wow. I think I managed to say "thank you" and drove away completely bewildered. I have never gotten so much bang for my buck at the dry cleaners.
Getting your skirt pressed: $2.65
Getting the weather and news report at the same time, and being left totally speechless: Priceless

One of the reasons I love my job

This last week at work I was working day shifts, which means I actually get to interact with my patients and their families. This week one of my patients was toddler age. This patient was not particularly fond of anyone wearing scrubs- which included me. The patient would yell "no, no, no" as soon as I walked in the room, and "owie, owie, owie" whenever I touched said patient. We had a really good relationship going on. Very functional. However, the patient did snuggle with me for a while after a particularly traumatizing event, and the entire family celebrated with me after some particularly good news. Hugs and crying and everything. And then, at the end of the day, the patient gave me a sticker. There was some motherly coaxing involved, but the patient did not say "no" the whole time I was in there, and touched me in order to put the sticker on my hand. Man, that is the reason I go to work everyday.
The family of one of my other patients gave me a ticket to High School Musical on Ice, which made me so so happy. Unfortunately, I was unable to go. But, it totally made my day, seeing as how I am obsessed with HSM (well, obsessed is not really the right word. But, I do enjoy the silliness of it), and how incredibly nice it was of this family to give me the ticket.
So, I would have to say I went home from work that day with a smile on my face. And, the smile has stayed all weekend. Ahh, I love my job.

I just don't get it

So people always ask me why I am not married, and I just don't have answers for them. I mean, I am a fine specimen of womanhood.
For example, tonight I went grocery shopping like this:

Lets just start from the top: yesterday's hair (and I didn't do my hair yesterday); I think I have dandruff (which was the reason for going to the store, it actually makes me really sad); glasses, to cover up the fact that I am not wearing any makeup; Red jacket, blue shade top; gross hands, a product of working in the hospital- I actually look as if I have leprosy, very attractive; black capri sweat pants with the words "I Suppose" on the butt; unshaven legs; chaco's (and yes, it is freezing cold outside, and no the sandels do not work well with the winter theme including the jacket and sweats); ugly toe post surgical revision, but there is a strong possibility that it is infected. Yuck.

I don't get it. How could someone not want a piece of this? The mind reels that I am not married.

However, there was a nice man at costco (middle aged) that waved and smiled at me. I think he probably thought I was homeless or something. He was driving a Mercedes, and my car barely makes it to the gas station.

Ah, life is good.

One Year

One year ago my cousin Steven and his wife Catheryn passed away at Strawberry Reservoir. I remember getting the news. I had been in class all day and when I finally was going home for the day I checked my messages and my parents had left one saying that Steven and Catherine were in a boat accident and were missing. My heart sank. I started to cry on the way home. I remember going to my grandma's house that night, and then going up to the lake nearly everyday searching for them. I remember the Sunday after this happened going to church and singing "Master the Tempest is Raging" as the opening song. I cried through the bulk of the song, as we sang:

Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is oershadowed with blackness
No shelter or help is nigh
Carest Thou not that we perish?
How canst Thou lie asleep
When each moment so madly is threatening
A grave in the angry deep?

The winds and the waves obey Thy will
Peace, be still!

I remember in that same meeting that the stake president was going to ask everyone to go up to Strawberry to go help with the search that day, had a ground search still been needed. So many people reached out in love when they heard about the accident. There are some truly good people in this world.

I remember the sorrow felt as a family for the loss of our cousins that we loved, and the closeness that it caused among our extended family. The constant stories of the miracles of Kimball and a friend, Mike getting out of the lake alive. Steven and Catheryn are two of my heroes.

I remember playing in grandma and grandpa's back yard as a child with Steven. I recall a few occasions of making Grasshopper Stew for people we weren't particularly fond of at the time. I remember playing night games, when it was still safe for kids to do that. As cousins, we all had a lot of fun playing together as kids.

That week of my life will be one I don't forget. They were truly lovely people.

Lorin, Steven's brother, made a beautiful tribute video, feel free to watch it:

TRAX and I are in a fight

More accurately, transportation in general and I are in a fight.
So a few days ago I rode TRAX to work. I love TRAX. Normally we get along fabulously. All went wrong on Saturday morning when I was riding home. At the station there were two trains, both shorter than normal. Trying to be smart about it, I chose the longer of the trains to board thinking that they would use the train with more space for transport. Oh how I was wrong. I got on the train, the driver was just standing there waiting around for departure time, a usual occurance. I sit down and only moments later the other train leaves. Rude. I said to the driver "If I would have known the other train was leaving, I would have gotten on that one." He indicated that that was the other portion of our train and we would be meeting up and connecting togther at the next station. Whew. So I sat, patiently waiting. We finally leave the station and meet the other train at the next station. We proceeded to bump into the car in front of us repeatedly while trying to connect all the cars. Apparently if you slam into the train in front of you hard enough the two trains will magically connect. 10ish minutes later, still not connected, the front train leaves. Rude. At this point I have already missed one connecting train. So, we eventually go, way way behind schedule. And, because we had to wait for the other train at each stop, it took forever to get anywhere. Meanwhile, I miss another connecting train (this one I see driving past as we are a mere block from the station. Rude. So, I sat in the freezing cold waiting for the next train for 15 minutes. Personally, I think it would have made a lot more sense to put all of us passengers on one of the trains, and do the normal route, meanwhile having the other train drive past the stations without stopping. Then, connect at the end of the route where there is actually time to do something like that. I should run TRAX. That is if we weren't in a fight.
So, I took a day off from riding the train. We needed our space. Yesterday evening I was all ready to ride again. I head to work at my normal time. The station is a whopping 1.1 miles from my house. Turns out it takes like 10 minutes to go a couple blocks now that the new hospital is open. Rude. I miss my train. Rude. I hate the Death Star aka IMC aka IMed aka Intermountain Medical Center. Turns out from now on if I want to go West I have to go East and if I want to go North I have to go South. Stupid traffic.
Raving completed.

the stub

Lortab makes me have weird dreams/nightmares. And it makes my stomach queesy. And it makes me tired. On the otherhand, it takes the pain away for a couple hours. I am not sure if it is worth it. Luckily, I only took Lortab once today, so we are moving up. The motrin seems to be covering most of the pain. Yeah.
I was really doing quite well today until I stubbed my toe really really hard into the metal strip on the edge of the stair into the kitchen. Yeah, that hurt. Overall, however, my toe is doing better. I still can't walk too much, but I am not in constant pain anymore. I hope I am better by Wednesday night, because I have to work all night. That is the goal.

Amputation may be the answer

I got that part of my toenail removed, and now it hurts more than the ingrown toenail did. Dangit. Supposedly they did a matrixectomy. Any sort of ectomy makes me nervous. Ripping something off my bone makes me uncomfortable. And it makes me hurt.
I went to the doctor again today (after trying to call a few people to get their opinions). He said my toe looks great and the procedure seems to have been done very well. He also gave me this little tidbit "I usually tell people they will need to be off their foot for a week to 10 days." That would have been good to know. Shoot. And he is so very very right. I am taking Lortab and anytime I stand up or walk around at all, I get this very bad throbbing/gnawing pain in my toe and down the side of my foot. Then I have to ice my toe for a while so that it goes numb so I don't notice the pain. The sad thing is, my toe feels fine if I am laying down. So then I get ambitious and stand up, to say throw something away. 30 to 45 minutes later, after laying back down, I am feeling fine again. So, it turns out that I may become disabled at the ripe young age of 24. Sad, but that is the way it goes. I am thinking a toe amputation may be best. Think of all the shoes I could finally wear if we cut my big fat big toe off. But then, for some reason I have this perception that the big toe is needed for balance during walking. I could be wrong. And, I tend to think that anything that is a normal part of the body should be left alone. No unnecessary amputations for me.

Toes and such

A few days ago (2-4) I cut my toenail too short. Oops. See, my toenail split, then I ripped off the part that split and it tore really low on the side. Then I tried to cut it to make it smooth. And, that is how I got where I am now. My toe has continued to get more sore each day, more red each day, and more swollen each day. It has gotten to the point that it hurts like crazy when touched at all. Hence, walking is undesirable. That is a problem. I tried digging it out on my own, but it hurt so bad that I couldn't do it. So, tonight I went to the instacare. At 10:50 pm I finally got in to see a doctor. He numbed my toe a ton, and then removed the offensive toenail. You know what they say, if it offends you cut it out. "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee" (Matt 5:30). The removal went well. I watched the whole thing. I am sick and enjoy things like that. Now I have a huge bandage on my toe, such that I cannot wear shoes. I am supposed to keep the large bandage on my toe for a few days, making working impossible as shoes are necessary. Right now the numbing is wearing off, and it is kindof hurting. I hope that it doesn't keep hurting after the numbing is gone. Meanwhile, I guess I get a day off of work. Lucky me.
Moral: keep your toenails long and straight across the top. The alternative is no good. None.

2nd post of the day- crazy talk

Last night I had a dream (it was so real, it didn't feel like a dream) that I was in South Bend and was needing to move there NOW. I didn't have much with me, I was just visiting. But, for some reason I needed to find a job immediately, and get a car right now. It was a lot of pressure. I was trying to orchestrate a spur of the moment move across the country. And start a new job. And find somewhere to live.
Weird.

I want a kitten

Last night I heard a kitten crying outside. I could tell it was little little kitten. I have experienced the birth and growth of two litters of kittens, so I can tell, somewhat, how old a kitten is by it's cry. This was definitely a new-born cry. So, I went outside and found an itty bitty kitty behind the big bush outside the kitchen window. All by itself. Crying. I immediately wanted to adopt it, but knew that my dad would never go for it. So, my mom and I decided to bring it inside and take care of it until we could take it to the humane society tomorrow. I brought it in, and tried to feed it some milk from a syringe, but it was having a hard time eating. I went outside and saw a cat watching me. Hoping that was the mama cat, I put the baby in a pile of towels in a box on the back porch. Then I watched. In just a couple minutes the cat came and rescued her baby. Yeah. The baby has a home. I still wish it was my kitten. I miss having kittens. It was cute and white and grey. And little. And fluffy.

Dwight and Angela

Yesterday I was riding the train home from work and I saw this couple. He was of bigger build with spiky hair, looked to be in his mid 40s. And he is balding (yet still has the spiky awkward hair). She is very small, thin and blond. Neither smile very much. I have seen them several times.

Every time I see them I think of Dwight and Angela and a smile comes to my face.

I Heart Pioneer Woman

This lady is awesome. I love her love story. I would be okay with my own "Marlboro Man". Any really great men out there?

My dad: Matchmaker

my dad is trying to set me up with someone again. Last time he tried this he gave the guy (the accountant at his office) my number. He never called. I know, shocking. So, he has done this again. Instead, this time it is my parents really good friend's son. Yeah, that way everyone can be involved if/when we go out. We might as well triple with his parents and my parents. That would be fun. And not at all awkward. Lucky me.

South Bend

I got home from my week with my brother and sister-in-law and nephew. I had so so much fun. I got there last thursday, and left yesterday, wednesday.
Liz and Connor picked me up on Thursday in Chicago. Then we attempted the city for a couple hours. Lesson learned: never drive in Chicago. They are crazy drivers. We went shopping for a bit and walked around some. Oh, wait on the way from the airport to the city I was playing with Connor and took his pacifier out of his mouth. He got MAD. We are talking seriously angry. He screamed for 20 or 30 minutes, and would not console. He is a determined kid. I don't think we got off to the best start :)
On Friday we went to campus. The weather forcast said 10% chance of rain, so we decided to risk it. Of course it rained the whole walk there. We got soaked, but we had fun. We walked all through Notre Dame. It is a beautiful campus. Very very religious. On top of the gold dome, which I think is on top of the administration building, is a big gold Virgin Mary. BYU doesn't have anything like that. We do have a naked indian statue. Everyone at ND has a ridiculous amount of school pride. Apparently everyone wears ND attire everyday, not just on game days. And, ND is almost a world in itself. The whole city of South Bend is centered around ND games. It is weird.
On Saturday we went to the church and watched conference x2. Luckily we were able to go into the RS room and let Connor play while we watched. It was a nice relaxing day on Saturday.
Sunday was similar to Saturday except we listed to conference over the internet instead of going to the church. We all took a 2 hour nap in between sessions, which was pretty much the best. Sunday night we played Uno Attack after Connor went to bed. By this point Connor likes me pretty well, but is still a little nervous about me holding him.
Monday was great, we went shopping at DSW, Steve & Barry's, Old Navy and Meijer (groceries). Steve & Barry's is awesome. Everything is really inexpensive. It is amazing. Liz got Connor a costume at Old Navy that is super cute on him.
On Tuesday Liz, Connor and I braved the train to go to Chicago. Connor enjoyed the first couple hours of the train, but it lost its allure after awhile. We had an awesome day in the city. We went to the Aquarium, Planetarium, Zoo and shopping. Everything was free except the shopping. It was great fun. The Aquarium was our favorite, the fish were so cool. The Zoo was great as well, we saw all sorts of animals.
We took the subway between attractions. We didn't get to take "the L" but that is okay, I got my fill of public transit. As we left H&M (yeah!) we had to run back to the train. Literally. We got to the train with about 5 minutes to spare (whew!). Had we missed the train we would have been in the city for a couple more hours. Eek.
Wednesday was another day of travel, Liz and Connor took me to the airport in Indianapolis, a 3+ hour drive. Then, they had to turn around and drive back home. Connor wasn't entirely thrilled about the experience. However, he did enjoy watching people at the airport. I flew from Indianapolis to Phoenix. That is a long flight! I spent a couple hours in the Phoenix airport then flew to SLC. A much more manageable flight. I have decided I love Jet Blue. Southwest does not have any TV screens. I have a hard time sleeping on planes, and can't really get interested in reading on planes. So, I sit and stare at the seat in front of me. Jet Blue has live TV. It is nice. In Phoenix I actually re-met this guy I had met a couple months ago. It was crazy. He and his sister were flying home, so I sat by them on the flight home. We had a good time.

All in all, the trip was great. It was so fun to talk to Liz so much. Connor actually liked me quite a bit by the end of the trip. Although, I seriously disturbed his sleep patterns (sorry!). I got to see Chris in the evenings which was great. He studies a TON. Good job Chris. And, I got to experience the joy of even more forms of public transportation. Yes!

I love spending time with Liz, Chris and Connor. I need to go out there more often.

Like a fool

Last night at work I had a funny experience. I was standing in the hallway holding a fussy baby. I look down the hall and see a man with a package motioning me down the hall. I look the opposite direction to see if he is motioning to someone else. My initial impression is that he is a maintenance or housekeeping staff. So, I begin to walk down the hall toward him. Realizing that this whole situation is slightly fishy, I turn to the nurse next to me and say "if I don't come back, come find me". As I come nearer to the man he begins to shh me. He is of bigger build, not fat, just thick. As in, he could take me without hardly trying. Hmm. I consider stopping and turning back at this point. This is quickly turning into a potentially dangerous situation. My better judgment does not get the best of me (as it usually does) and I continue down the hall. As I get even closer I notice the box in his hand and watch as he begins to close the doors so that we will not be overheard. This makes me very nervous. I am now scared for the safety of myself and the child I am holding. I stop, he notices my trepidation and leaves the door open. He whispers to me about delivering this package to one of the nurses on our unit. He says she is working tonight and that the box is from her "secret admirer" although he claims she will know who that is. Like a fool, I accept the package for this nurse I do not know and whose name is not familiar in the slightest. I turn, package in hand, and walk back to where I started from, like a deer in the headlights. As I return to my nursing station I look back down the hall to see that he is gone. My first action: open the box. By the way, I would be a terrible member of a bomb squad. Inside the box: shoes. Nice ones. Dansko shoes. So, I walk the box to the main desk and ask if there is a nurse working by said name. Apparently she is new. So, I call her and have her come get the box. She is not nervous about it at all. Her boyfriend, the "secret admirer" bought her new shoes as a gift for passing nursing boards. My first thought: no one bought me new shoes for passing boards. Hmm. So, it all turned out to be fine and safe. However, if that ever happens again, I am calling security. How stupid can you get!

my thoughts, my peace

There are some things that the human mind cannot process. The events of this last week put me in a position to try to reconcile such things in my mind. An impossible task. I did the only things I knew to do. I talked about it (at work, where it is safe), cried about it, and of course I turned to the Lord. The combination of the three has helped me cope with the un-cope-able. The only thing that has brought peace is the comfort of the Lord. I no longer cry myself to sleep. I no longer cry at the very thought of all that transpired. It still makes me sad and sick, but the pain is easing. I am so so glad and greatful for the wonderful coworkers I have. So many supportive people have helped me get through this. It is not over, but I am getting through it. And, good things are coming out of all that transpired, so I will focus on that.

All of this has again reminded me of my limitations. It has been terribly busy at work, and emotionally I was overwhelmed. I hate to ask for favors, but knew that I needed a little break. So I called and asked for an easier assignment for work last night. I have had some very very difficult assignments over the past week, on top of everything else. Luckily, they were able to give me a better assignment. I was happy at work again. It was such a wonderful thing. I think that sometimes everyone forgets I am new. I was talking to the charge nurse last night and she said that I always get difficult assignments because everyone knows that they can trust me and that I am a great nurse. I am not sure if that is common consensus, or just her feelings, but it helped to hear that. Little things like that are helping restore my confidence in my job skills, and are helping me not give up on my career (something I seriously considered after Thursday).

My capstone preceptor, who I talked about previously, said that she can't believe the things I have had to experience since I have been a nurse, that I have had a harder go than is "fair" for someone as new as I am. I must say, I have to agree with that. I am not complaining, most of the experiences have helped me learn very quickly and have made me a better nurse (I hope). I just think that sometimes because I have been through so much and handled so much that people forget that I am new and sometimes it can be a little much. It is getting better all the time. I became a nurse because I wanted to be continually challenged, so I guess you could say I asked for this.

So, I am going to buck up and be happy again. After last night and today being so good, that should be a much easier thing to achieve.

In unrelated news, as I was leaving work this morning this guy stopped and asked my friend and I for directions to the State Examiner. I have no idea where that is, but I did my best. The amusing part to me was when he asked where we were going. I am pretty sure he wanted to give us a ride. 1. I would have not gotten in the car with him (even though he seemed normal and was rather attractive. 2. He was definitely not going my way, so it wouldn't have made sense. It just made me smile. Usually people that ask me to get in their car with them are scary looking. He was not.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Today was no good. None at all. For the second time this week I broke down in the middle of work. We are talking serious breakdown, with crying and the whole bit. Yeah, I am awesome. Days like today and Thursday make me want to change my career. Thank goodness for my capstone preceptor. She was at work today and talked to me for a while. Or at least listened to me for a while. She has faith in me. That will hold me up for a while. On the way home from work I listened to an EFY CD. "There's a masterpiece hidden underneath all these imperfections. Chisel down to it, let your heart do it, don't be distracted." That is what I feel like. I have a whole bunch of crap on top of a pretty decent soul. I just hope that the Lord will have patience with me as I am bounced through the current of life and perfected in the Refiner's fire. I have no where to go but up from here. One day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute.

Peace will come

I will tell about my skydiving another day. Today I have only one thing on my mind. Consuming my thoughts, bringing many emotions. It is not something I can write about. I have been humbled once more. The Plan of Salvation is such a precious thing. My understanding is so minute. I have realized even more how "tender", if you will, my heart is. I open myself to things very easily. This is usually a good thing, but also accounts for great pain at times. I have no words. I am not even making sense. I do know that my mind is full and sleep will not come. There is a lot to ponder. I am so so greatful for the Atonement. Peace will come.

I am sorry to purge, I am not asking for pity or sympathy, I just need to express my thoughts right now.

Shocker

I have nothing to say. Weird. So, I posted new pictures in the Slide. That is the best I can do. I pulled the skydiving pics off of the video, so the quality isn't that great, but it is still fun.

Raging, appropriately.

So a couple years ago (maybe 3 or 4) my previous evil dentist filled a cavity. Unfortunately the filling cracked (which apparently rarely happens) so he had to re-fill it. On the second go around he filled my cavity too full and my tooth cracked. Lets see, who's fault could that be? Third go around, I get a crown. Stinking dentist. And, I had to pay for it even though it was not my fault that I had to get a crown. Ever since the crown has been in place it has been weird, as I can floss up and into the crown and lots of food gets caught up there. Quite frustrating. So today I finally gave in and went to the dentist again. A new good dentist. Luckily I have no cavities: thank you diligent brushing/flossing. Unfortunately, my crown was put on very very poorly. Such that I get to look forward to that crown being replaced in the next 5-7 years, and two new crowns (on the neighboring teeth). Isn't that just exciting! My new dentist said that mistakes happen, but if he were the one who had put that crown on, he would feel obligated to fix it at no charge. So, the decision is down to whether or not I want to fight with previous dentist over this. And whether I want to risk another bad crown. Bleh.

In other news, I need a lawyer. I may be getting sued. Probably not me personally, but likely the hospital, and I was involved. Doesn't that sound fun? Chris should change his law plans so he can be my defense lawyer, and soon. As my dad would say, it isn't so bad, I look good in stripes. See you after my 6 months to a year. I will get to meet some nice new friends in prison. Lucky me. And to top it all off, the whole situation makes me physically and emotionally sick because of what happened to my little kiddo. I want to cry.

I wanna be one less, one less

The Facts:
I am riding the train home. In the middle of the car (behind me) is a thin woman with blond hair and a pink shirt. Every few stops she stands up, walks the length of the car, nodding her head as she looks at each person, then sits down. Between stops she picks up her book and appears to read. At each stop she closely watches the doors and looks at every person entering and leaving the train while holding her PDA in her hand, then notes something in her PDA.

The Theories:
OCD: There is a strong possibility that she may truly be OCD. She may have an uncontrollable urge to count every person entering and leaving the train, and to ensure an accurate count every few stops in case anyone is missed. If this is the case, it is tragic because she will never get very far in her book, and she will use a lot of space in her PDA recording meaningless numbers.

Undercover UTA worker: Perhaps UTA hires people to count the number of people that ride the train. This would be a very tedious job. It seems like it would be easier to just look at ticket sales. And, why would she be undercover?

Science Project/Thesis: People do crazy things for school projects. Maybe it is part of her education to discover how many people are using mass transit daily. That is stinky homework (and this is coming from someone who loves riding the train).

The humor:
I found myself watching her at every stop. I almost felt like helping her. Lets get the whole train involved, that way it will be easier. Everyone just watch one door. I also felt a little bit spied on, which was actually amusing. What would she say about me: "tired looking, unkempt female in unattractive scrubs, on at Gallivan, off at Murray Central". As I exited the train I turned to my friend and said "minus one", then I turned to the lady who had her PDA held at ready for me to exit. I wonder what she would do if I got out and then back in at one stop. Ah, the possibilities.

I love public transit.

Things that make you go hmmm.

So at work we have different "pods". Essentially each pod has 6-12 beds and a little nursing station. C pod is closed for remodeling. B pod is full of our chronic or long-stay kids (private rooms). Downstairs B pod (satellite pod) is full of contagious kids (ick. Also private rooms.). A and D pods are just your usual hospital patients. That said, for some reason I am only put on A and D pods. I have tried to discover the reason for this, through my own twisted thought process. When I started I was always put on either of the B pods. Now it has switched. This means, that frequently I am the only nurse, or only person on my pod. That gets kindof boring and sleepy time sets in much more easily. I have thought that possibly they exile me because I am a distraction to others (a known problem of mine) or that they want to give me the "easier kids" or something. I am not convinced that is the reason. See, I am always the one that gets the 3 or 4 patient loads when everyone else is cruising around with 2 patients. And then, last night, one of the other nurses came over and chatted with me. She was surprised that I was all by myself on my pod. She started around the same time as me and said: "I would be so scared if they put me by myself on a pod. I still ask so many questions that I would never be on my pod." Ah ha! Maybe that is the reason. Maybe they trust my skills and abilities enough to hold it together by my lonesome and with extra patients. So, I have decided to look at it as a compliment. I am doing good at my job. Go Andrea.

or, it could just be chance.

10 things I sacrifice/risk/give up/etc to ride TRAX

If you know me, you know that I love public transportation. There is just something wonderful about people watching and saving gas at the same time. A friend at work suggested that I write a book about my experiences on TRAX, as I always have rather amusing anecdotes from my adventures. This list isn't really about stories, but about the reasons behind my chosen form of transportation. I heart TRAX.

10. Risk my car being stolen every day/night as the TRAX parking lots are not exactly safe. This is a risk I am willing to take. It will just give me one more reason to buy a newer car. And, then I wouldn't have to get a new windshield (mine currently has two very large cracks).

9. Risk my car being broken into. This really wouldn't be much of a problem. They could steal my EFY CDs, or my Murray High blanket. Yep, worth the risk.

8. $4/paycheck, $8/month, $96/year to pay for the TRAX pass. This really isn't much considering that it cost a couple dollars to ride it for one day. Nevertheless, it is something.

7. Risk sitting my someone who is stinky or foul, with little way of getting out the situation while saving face. Usually it is easy to spot the unwashed miscreants, but there is always a risk of them sitting by you once you have already found that perfect seat.

6. Risk unintentionally getting in the middle of shady drug deals. Lets just say one group of salesmen handled the transaction feet away from the door of the train.

5. Give up the excitement of Utah driving, and the risk of getting in an accident.

4. Give up biweekly trips to Costco for gas. Some would contest that this truly is a sacrifice. My bank account would suggest otherwise.

3. Give up the joy of searching for a parking space at 6:45 in the morning at PCMC, which is always a chore.

2. Sacrifice sleep. I have to leave for work about 20 minutes earlier than if I were driving all the way there. I used to make up for it by sleeping on the train, but you can only miss your stop so many times before you decide it is a bad idea to take naps on the train.

1. Risk giving up my single status. Unlike the rest of my life's arena, there seem to be plenty of interested and willing men who ride TRAX. Most recently, the "pirate man". He was wearing a patch over his left eye, complete with skull and cross bones on it. He walked right past my friends and commented to me: "Hey, Babe." He was a real keeper. I may have missed my opportunity for true love.

Flat Johnsons

Did you ever hear about Flat Stanley? He was a paper doll that traveled the world in letters. Well, take that idea and mix it with Liz's suggestion that I take life-size paper cutouts of her, Chris and Connor to the family party. Voila! Flat Johnsons!
Here is a photo montage of the family party with the Flat Johnsons.

Walking to the car. Notice that their coloring is not quite right. Being flattened and having an arm amputated can do that to you.

Driving to Springville. Someone forgot to buckle up! Bad Flat Johnsons!

Walking into the backyard for the party. Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Ready for some appetizers. They really enjoyed the carrots. It is one of the reasons for the orange colored skin.

Visiting with the bird in the bird cage. This is likely the same situation that caused Flat Liz to lose her arms. Tragic.

Berkley likes to keep the Flat Johnsons near his heart. He is tender like that.

Belle is not quite sure about the Flat Johnsons.

One of the more exciting activities of the evening: playing in the doll house. Much to Flat Chris' dismay, Flat Connor really enjoyed this. Flat Liz only wishes she had arms to play with.

Grandma decided that the Flat Johnsons were hers. She took them home with her. They are well loved.

Ha ha, jokes on the Flat Johnsons. Suckers.

I believe Garth Brooks said it best: "Life is not tried, it is merely survived, if you're standing outside the fire."

I told them it wouldn't be a good idea to join in the tribal fire dance, but they insisted. Flat Connor was almost sacrificed the the fire gods.

The Flat Johnsons with the girls, having the time of their lives.

Annie and Hilary like the Flat Johnsons, they are hugable.

Time for a brownie break (Flat Liz loves brownies). Notice that Flat Chris is already getting damaged. Battle wounds. Turns out the Flat Johnsons are much like the Wicked Witch of the West- they melt in water.

Greg keeping the Flat Johnsons safe.

Turns out that Flat Chris is allergic to dogs, he is running away as fast as he can. (Andrea got bit in the process of trying to get this picture).

Goodbye Flat Johnsons. You have lived a good life. Lesson learned: Flat Johnsons should be laminated, it increases shelf life.

the promised update

"I would have asked for your number, and I wouldn't have been able to wait 24 hours before calling you up and asking you to dinner, or a movie... for as long as we both shall live."

In my last entry, I said I would post if I went out with the guy from the fireside. Well, I did. He texted me on Sunday night, but of course I didn't get the text because I don't have text messaging (thank you Chris). Then he called me on Monday afternoon. We talked for a while and he asked what I was doing that night. I was scheduled to work, so it was a no-go. While we were on the phone my work called and put me on call. Suddenly I was available. We decided to go to a movie later, he said he would call. He called while everyone was over at my house (mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece). So, we had a long conversation about him picking me up vs. me meeting him there. I really wanted to meet him there, much safer considering I had just met him, and easier in case I got called in to work while we were out. All of my persuasion/begging did nothing. So, he came to pick me up... in his convertible. Turns out he drives really fast and kind of dangerously. I think that is what convertibles do to people.
So we went to the movie theater, but nothing was starting for another couple hours. I had already eaten dinner, but he had not, so we went to get some food. He had a hamburger and I had some water. It didn't take very long, and he kept commenting that he thought more time would have passed by then, but it hadn't. He also kept asking my why I had to always play with something (i.e. my necklace). So, I got fed up and asked him if I was really that boring that time was passing so slowly to him. I probably shouldn't have said that, but what can you do. I am sometimes a little more blunt than I should be.
We finally went to the movie. We saw Ocean's 13. By the way, he doesn't make decisions very well, it took a long time to choose which hamburger and which movie. Luckily, it wasn't a problem because we had plenty of time. The movie was really good. I kept my arms folded nearly the entire time. He was leaning and acting like he wanted to hold my hand, but I am not really into holding hands with some guy I just met. So, I just kept my arms folded.
With about half an hour left of the movie, my work called (surprise) and called me in. So, we finished the movie and he took me to the hospital. I had planned ahead and brought scrubs with me just in case. He gave me a hug and I walked into the hospital.
Nearly the entire night the conversation was forced or awkward, but that is typical of first-date experiences. I think that having to stay up all night was a bad idea. I just got more and more frustrated all night/morning about the date, so that by the time I got home I was ranting. It would have been good if I could have gone home and gone to sleep. I have a little more perspective now that I am well-rested.
I don't know if he will call me again or not. I think I would go out with him again, just because he didn't completely scare me, and everyone deserves a second date. So, if he calls, I will answer.

If you can name the movie that the quote at the beginning is from, you get 10 points.

Weird things happen

So, last night I went to an Institute Fireside. Mary Kaye Huntsman spoke. It was pretty good. I was supposed to be getting to know the girls in my sorority, but didn't really talk to them because I was talking to a guy I met. We ended up talking about random things for quite a while. They actually had to kick us out of the tabernacle because they were trying to close up. The crazy part: he asked for my number. Weird. I didn't think that actually happened to people. So, I gave him my number. He is cute and fun and it can't hurt. However, now my not-dating streak may end, which is too bad. I was getting really good at not going on dates. I will post if I actually ever go on a date with him. I am not holding my breath right now.

I'm really sore

Doug said it would happen, but I am not sure I totally believed him. However, I am now really sore. It must be the 90 minute workout two days in a row, when I am not used to such long workouts, and not used to lifting. I sort of feel like jello. It is a fun feeling. Funny when I can't sit up to get out of bed. Funny when I cant even walk out of the gym because my legs dont want to work. Funny when it hurts to do normal stretching, so I can't even stretch my muscles to help with the soreness. I am laughing really hard. It is going to be hilarious when I can't pick up my babies at work tonight. Jokes on me.

Doug

is my personal trainer. He has huge arms. He keeps up with the pretense that he is not one of those macho guys that is totally obsessed with his body. Lies. He is incredibly obsessed. He drinks those protein drinks all the time, and he takes these supplements like 6 times a day which help burn fat and build muscle. I guess all of this is okay, because he is my trainer. So today I had my first workout with him. I was pretty sure that I was going to feel really stupid and weak. Luckily, he was either really good at tailoring the workout to my level, or I am stronger than I thought I was. Needless to say, I was able to do everything I asked, and he said I did really well. He said I have really good "mind power" because I pushed through the fatigue. How can you not push through the fatigue when a huge man is standing over you. Intimidation does it for me every time. The beauty of it is I walked away feeling like I was really doing good at the weights. I guess that is why you get a personal trainer. I guess I can overlook his huge biceps. This is not what I am going for, but can you imagine!?:

yuck

New Shoes

I went crazy today. I bought a gym membership and 3 pairs of new shoes. I seem to shop like this. It is all or nothing with me. I go weeks on end without purchasing anything, then buy everything in one day. I don't know that it is a very good thing to do. Oh well.
New things:
1. 24 Hour Fitness membership
this is great because I can go anytime, which fits my crazy night/day schedule. I also went for the new member trainer deal. I get 5 sessions with a trainer. It will probably be a good thing for me. So Doug and I will be meeting bright and early (5:15) tomorrow to begin our training. I will let you know how that goes.
2. New Balance Running Shoes
I wear my current running shoes to the hospital, which means they should not be worn anywhere else. What goes to the hospital stays at the hospital. Lots of bugs, rather not subject the healthy public to what is on my shoes.
3. Black Mudd flats. They have cute flower and butterfly cutouts at the toe. They are black and have a strap over the top.
4. Brown casual Mudd flats. For some reason the Mudd shoes just fit me right. I am not buying stock or anything. Lots of stitching on these and a strap over the top.
Overall, I am pleased with my purchases. My bank account is a little smaller today, but my feet and body are a little happier. Good trade off.

Made me cry

I like to look at other people's blogs, then link to other blogs, etc. That is how I found this.
Read it.

High School Musical 2

Yesterday was the premier of High School Musical 2. This whole weekend is what I like to call Premier Weekend. In order to get ready for HSM2, I watched HSM yesterday, and listened to the Soundtrack. I wanted to be in the perfect mood for the big event. I even got my mom to watch both movies with me. My dad had no interest whatsoever. His mocking got him kicked out of the room by my mom and myself. If you remember my discussion on HSM, I didn't really like it the first time, but have come to LOVE it. Well, this one had a similar, but less dramatic, trend. When I watched it last night for the first time I thought, "pretty good, but they made this one even cheesier than the first." After seeing it again today I thought, "this is amazing, I had no idea that they could make a sequel this good!" So, I love HSM2. I am approximately 13 years old. I have found, however, that most females I talk to (of all ages) also love HSM. Some are quiet about their obsession, but most are open about it. Everyone has some sort of secret/open obsession with HSM. It is only going to get stronger with HSM2.

So now, I will give you my top 5 songs from HSM2 (subject to change with additional viewings):

5. Bet On It
Troy reminded me of Justin Timberlake in this one. Not sure if that was a good thing or not.

4. You Are the Music In Me
I love that they know the song, even though they have supposedly never heard it before.

3. Gotta Go My Own Way
I love that she doesn't just run back to him when he says he doesn't want it to end.

2. I Don't Dance
I am pretty sure they stole the first line of this song from the Trace Adkins song hey batter batter hey batter batter swing
The dancing during this song is awesome.

1. All For One
I am not sure if it is because it is at the end of the movie, or because it is just a great song, but this is the one that sticks in my head longest.

Family Search Indexing

So I read the Ensign this month, and it had an article encouraging people to Index. I have thought about it in the past, but have decided not to do anything about it. Until today. I was thinking of Sabbath appropriate activities for the day, and decided to try indexing. I actually really enjoy it. Essentially, you just type what you see. It is pretty easy. I only did 100 names, but I made a goal to do 1000 by the end of the year. You should go check it out. I may not be good at genealogy, but at least I am finally doing something to work toward finding ancestors. Happy Sabbath!

B5

If you know what B5 is, props to you. I had no idea that B5 was a music group until yesterday when I was listening to my High School Musical soundtrack (I know, I have the musical tastes of a 13 year old). B5 is a group of 5 brothers that sing together. From their website: "B5 does it there way, with clean lyrics, age-appropriate content, and good old-fashioned charm. Add to that, the boys' good looks, and you clearly have the recipe for the next big boy band sensation." It looks like they sing a lot of things for Disney, they have remade the Siamese Cat Song and Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf among other songs. They have a fun feel about them. They sing a song with Bow Wow called Hydrolics, which I like. Go onto itunes and listen to their stuff, you just might like it.

nah nah nah nah hey hey hey...

This morning I woke up really really early. I'm not sure it even counts a sleeping if you wake up at 3:45. I didn't mind waking up that early because I got to see Chris, Liz and Connor. So, we all went to the airport together. Technically, I was the chauffeur. I documented the entire drive with my camera. I didn't use the flash because it would have been distracting to the driver, so the pictures are all very modern-art. We got to the airport and went inside. We even got one of those luggage cart things. I never get those, so it was really exciting. We got in the Southwest line. Who knew that it didn't open until 5? We stood there for a while until the line opened. They checked their bags and got in the security line. Unfortunately, this is where I had to separate from the group. Stupid airport security only lets passengers go past security. Chris, Liz and Connor left. I cried. I am really sad that they are gone. This stinks. It really really stinks. I don't get to see them all the time now. This stinks. I cried when we said goodbye. Then I cried the whole way home. It was probably a bad thing considering it was dark, I was tired, and I was driving a really big car. Then I got home and cried some more. I am a big baby. I am going to South Bend every other week. It is decided.

Doesnt it look like we are on 24
The freeway
More of the freeway
The skyline at 4 in the morning
Loading the luggage
Liz and Connor
Connor with Chris
The fam
To Phoenix at 06:10AMWhere I stop. Where the crying began.

Confession

I love Gilmore Girls. I am obsessed with Gilmore Girls. I could watch it over and over and over. I know, I am 24, and a little old for this kind of obsession, but what can you do.
It all started back in my freshman year. The first time I remember hearing about Gilmore Girls was in a magazine my roommate had. I think they were on the cover of the magazine. I read the article. That was as far as it went. I think I saw a couple episodes here and there over the next couple years. I didn't start seriously watching until season 5.
This last Christmas, I got seasons 1-3 on DVD. Then I bought seasons 4-6 about a month ago (they were on sale). I have watched every episode every week for the last couple years. I just really like the show. The show ended this season. It was very sad, but good. It is time to move on with my life. Or at least my Tuesday nights.
There it is. I have let it out. Although, anyone who knows me in the slightest knows that this is no surprise, at all.
Anyone else have a confession? Something you are addicted to? Do share.

Treasures from RS

Classic Relief Society. One for the history books.
Lesson topic: Divorce.
Yes, I am sure at this point all of you are having the same thoughts as I did: "are you serious?!?", "this is going to spur some interesting conversation," "are we for or against?", "who decided this was going to be a good lesson for a bunch of women to discuss together (especially since some are very very bitter about it)?".
As is always the case in relief society, rather than actually using the lesson material (in this case, Elder Oaks' conference talk) we decided to merely use the topic and go from there. Always a mistake.

Some of my favorites:

• the "you should always stay married because it is best for the children" comment that was shortly followed by the "I have a friend who..." story about how the kids can get seriously messed up by having a false sense of security.
• "he is still verbally abusive, but at least now they only talk every week or two"
• personal anecdote explaining bitter feelings about x-husband and how he "will stand at the judgement bar and will have to explain why he abandoned me and my kids."
• my comment to my neighbor "wow, this lesson is a real upper."
• my neighbor's comment in response "yeah, I feel like I can't comment because I am married and have never been divorced." very wise of her.
• my dad, when I asked him why he chose the topic of Divorce. "no, that is not what I chose, I chose Elder Oaks' talk, it was about communication or something." No dad, it was all about Divorce." He said that he must have been confused because the title was deceiving. He looked up the talk. Title: Divorce. Oops. We need a review committee.
• the uncomfortable looks of many in the audience.

Moral of the story: #1 be careful when you choose a lesson topic. #2 when approaching a potentially controversial subject, always, and I mean ALWAYS let the scriptures/general authorities do ALL of the talking. I promise, it is much much safer. And the Spirit will be there.

I am still laughing. What a good day at church. Oh, and Sunday School was fun too. It involved me making comments about how we are reading into the story of Peter's denials. Bad plan. Very heated. My comments were immediately shot down. That is why I don't comment. Heaven forbid I give Peter the benefit of the doubt. And, my comments were all related to the 2 week study I had done to prepare for this lesson since I was really excited about it. Apparently it is a better plan to talk in depth about Peter's weaknesses. I strongly encourage everyone to read "Peter, My Brother" by Spencer W. Kimball (pretty reliable source if you ask me). I have a print copy, if you would like a copy. Otherwise, you can listen to it online.

The Evils of Power Point

On the surface, it seems like a useful and practical tool. Turns out, PowerPoint is not good. See, PowerPoint is the only way presentations are given any more.
Problem #1: You have to dim the lights to get good clarity in the slides. With the lights off, it becomes very difficult to stay awake, no matter how charismatic the presenter.
Problem #2: PowerPoint has made people lazy. How many times have you watched a PowerPoint presentation where the presenter reads the presentation verbatim from the slides. Is it just me, or is this a HUGE waste of time. If they are just going to read the slides, they may as well just give us the text and call it a day.
Problem #3: Lets face it, people try to make their slide shows all too "exciting". The sound effects are annoying, the crazy slide transitions waste time and are distracting. I would much rather cover the material in half the time, if it means we get rid of the extra stuff.
Problem #4: Most people are not PowerPoint proficient. If you are going to use it for a presentation, at least know the basics of how to start and end the presentation. The audience tends to lose a lot of confidence in the speaker when they can't even start their own presentation.
That being said, lets take a break from PowerPoint. It makes me tired and cranky just thinking about it.

Nicole Miller

My really great insurance will pay for new frames and lenses every other year, so I got new glasses this year. My prescription hasn't changed, so this means I now have three choices for eyewear. I am really excited about this. I still have my cute brown frames. I just bought a pair of plum colored frames. They have pink, purple and yellow stripes in the sides. They are super super cute. I have found that I love Nicole Miller eyewear. Both my glasses are Nicole Millers. My third choice is my contacts. Aww, the feel of accessorizing on the insurance company's dollar. Next, a new nose. Although, this will be much more difficult to get insurance to cover...

Old frames:New frames:
I'm in love.

5K

So my sister-in-law, Liz, and I "ran" a 5K on the 4th. Neither of us had really trained for it. We weren't exactly racing. Mostly we were just there to finish. This is my 3rd or 4th 5K, and her 1st. We finished, which is the important part. The unfortunate part: the t-shirts are really quite ugly. Oh well. We did have a good time laughing as we ran. She is moving, which is sad. I guess there are no more 5Ks in our future. Shoot.

Riding along

So I was on TRAX on Wednesday morning after work. I was really tired. I ran to catch the train, and ended up being about 3 seconds too late. I was almost hitting the side of the train as I ran alongside to catch the train. Well, missing the train meant that I had to wait 15 minutes for the next departure. Luckily, the next train was only about a minute away, so at least I got to sit down. I got on the train and the driver started talking to me. He said I looked good for having worked all night. He asked me where I worked, and if I had kids of my own. Essentially, we had a get-to-know-you conversation in the early morning hours. Well, I was very tired, so I set the alarm on my phone to wake me up before I needed to switch trains. I held the phone in my hand so I would feel the vibrations, and I fell asleep. There is something you need to know about the TRAX lines, the University line runs from the hospitals to the Energy Solutions Arena. The Sandy line runs from the Arena to Sandy. So, I was on the University line, and planned to change trains at the Galivan Center. I closed my eyes. The next thing I know, the nice driver was tapping me on the shoulder to tell me we were at the end of the line. I was sitting on a stopped train outside of the Energy Solutions Arena (way out of my way). At this point I was really glad that I had built a relationship with the driver so that he felt comfortable waking me up. Next time I think I will ask him to wake me up at my stop. The sad thing, the two times on the train before this, I also overslept my stop. This however, was a much longer ride than the others turned out to be. I don't think I said anything to the driver after he woke me up because I was so out of it. I might have stumbled over a "thank you" or perhaps a "oops". Very classy of me. And, the driver guy was really attractive, 20s-ish and had a great accent. Maybe I will see him again, and next time not make a fool of myself. There is always the hope.

Andrea, RN

So, I have a new title. I took my test, and I passed!!! I am super excited. I no longer have to stress about this and get to be a Registered Nurse. It is so exciting. I already said that. I found out on Thursday, then immediately went to bed, having worked a night shift Wednesday night. Then, I woke up and went camping. It has been a fabulous weekend.
We went rafting on the Snake River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Now Wyoming in general, not that great. But, rafting, awesome. We left Thursday afternoon and got back Saturday night. It was so so so much fun. I have a bit of a sunburn, but that will fade into a nice tan. It was nice to get out of town for a couple days. And, I love camping, so that helped. And, I have a new best friend, Nicole. I met her on the trip and we had a blast. Pretty much inseparable. People probably got pretty annoyed with us, but we didn't care. Lots of good one liners out of the trip. Lots of memories. Good times, great oldies.
And then yesterday I got to see some friends from high school again. It has been a while, and it is great to see them again. I realized I have missed them. I am getting sentimental, time to stop. Funny tidbit- my friend Michelle who is in my ward was with me when I saw Dan and Bryndon (a couple guy friends from high school). Michelle is completely convinced that Bryndon is interested in me. I am completely convinced this is not true, as he is seriously waiting for a missionary. The funny part is, I had a huge crush on him in High School. My how things come full circle.
Oh, and I have August 17 off of work so that I can watch High School Musical 2. If you want to join me, just let me know. It is going to be a serious party.

Whelmed

To quote the truly great: "I know you can be overwhelmed, and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?" I think you can. That is what I am today. Last night I transferred my second kid to the PICU in the last 2.5 weeks. Yes, that is much much higher than average. I am not sure if this is a personal problem, or just really bad luck. But, whatever the reason, at least I am getting better at the procedure. And last night, everyone was really good about it and I didn't have to fight the doctors to get my kid to PICU (normally it is somewhat of a fight, especially at times like this when the hospital is full full full). Anyways, I am tired. I didn't get enough sleep yesterday, and had a crazy night, and didn't sleep long today. So, I am whelmed. Another reason for this state of being: waiting for NCLEX results. Could be today. Could be tomorrow. Could be the next day (which means I won't know until Saturday because I am going camping.) This test will hugely impact my future. Especially the next 45 days. So, wish me luck. Have all the good vibes possible. And, also, send some good vibes my way so that my kids will be okay tonight and we won't have any crazyness. It makes me tired. (Oh, and 10 points if you know what the quote is from.)
And, one other thing, be careful when you sleep. Somehow yesterday while I was sleeping I actually tried to get up, slipped and slammed my head into my dresser. It hurt like crazy. I just put my head down on my pillow and wanted to cry. Kinda think I might start wearing a helmet when I sleep.

My fault?

Yesterday I had a meeting at work. My part-time work. The meeting itself was fine. The highlight, however, was when I got reamed by the HR lady for not picking up my pay stubs. A little background, I have tried to pick up my pay stubs at least every two weeks for the last couple months. I have talked to the receptionist, she has referred me to the director of nursing, who has referred me elsewhere. Lets just say, every two weeks I have talked to several people to get my check stub, but to no avail. So yesterday the HR lady comes in to the nursing meeting with a stack of envelopes. She said, "lets see who isn't picking up their checks". Apparently she thinks public humiliation is a good method of teaching. So I said, "I think you have some of mine." She handed me a stack of 4 and then with a disapproving look said "you really need to pick these up every 2 weeks." To which I responded "I have tried every two weeks to pick them up, I have talked to several people throughout the building in an attempt to find them. The people I am told to ask, have no idea where to look." She said "you pick them up from the director of nursing." I responded, "I have tried that several times, she has never had them, and has not known where to get them." At this point the conversation turned and she left the room. Later, I decided that I would try to get my pay stubs mailed to me. Afterall, they come in an envelope ready to mail. The other nurses said they don't mail out the checks because people move too often, so the addresses are bad. Here comes round two. I went into the HR lady's office (by the way, aren't HR people supposed to be nice?). I said, "I work evenings, which makes it difficult to pick up my checks. Will you please mail them to me." And then, without pausing, I continued "My address is never going to change, it is my parent's house, and they wont be moving." With a look of disgust, as if I was putting her out, she replied "well, I guess I can do that." I said "thank you," with an annoying cheerfulness, and walked out of the room.
We will see if my pay stubs ever get mailed to me. I kind of doubt it, but who knows. And, I sincerely hope that my parents don't move, or they will make me into a liar.