Ode to the Toilet

So...still waiting on a toilet. I was up studying last night and couldn't help but put a little poem together. (note: the "Manor" is referencing part of our "official" house name by the church that bought it. )

Ode to the Toilet

by M. L. Richards

O little peach toilet,

so short and so stout

We must live without you

and yet we don’t pout

A cursed porcelain bowl

of this there’s no doubt

You’ve defied many a man

tools down, they walk out

But we shall overcome!

And then all shall see

The great bond between

the Manor girls, three

As they no longer hike

to go take a pee

Looking More Like Home

Our living room....It feels huge and we have 2 more to remodel! (still sans toilet)
The sweet bedroom I share with Andrea. We think the loft beds from Ikea give it a really roomy feel. I babysat the hammock chair last year and now we're sharing!

Pictures to Come

This weekend has been busy. I've been getting up before dawn to study and do what I need before school or the activity at the house picks up. The house is really coming together. I can't believe how big it is! I've enjoyed the camaraderie and cooking. Saturday we had brunch together then went for a walk around the neighborhood. Slowly but surely...

Pictures to come

The First Supper

We moved in! (the girls). The community apartment is being remodeled and the boy's apartment is still occupied. So for now the three girls are in and the guys are in an RV. I had to laugh this morning as I tried to go about a normal routine. All of the doors are off the hinges and we need to go get new ones. Sooooo...the bathroom has no door but that is ok because we don't have a toilet yet. =0)) Since the shower curtain is opque the rule is just if you hear water don't come in. =0)) We are in the process of moving in random bits of furniture, so the first supper was just on the floor.
Andrea and I laughed this reminded us of TMI trips as we put on our shoes before bed to hike to the apartment across the hall (the one under construction) to use the toilet there. (All rooms sans doors) Its an adventure for sure but I have to say I'm EXCITED. This morning before school I baked some pumpkin bread and it really does feel like home.

Welcome to Surgery

This semester we have been on some critical care floors and I spent the last couple of weeks at a day surgery center. Say what you will about birth, but I believe that cataract surgery or bone drills in orthoscopic surgery are so much grosser. Each day we had to be ready to go at 5:45am and in my first surgeries of the day I'd often feel a little woozie. I pulled it together and enjoyed seeing a new side of nursing. (and how crazy people act when coming out of anesthesia)

Poor Little Blog

Wow, my blog has been neglected! Life has been going full speed. We have quite a few responsibilities in the student nurse association right now. In addition I've been "homeless" since the first of the month. Remodeling on teh house into which I was to move has been delayed and thus most of us have been living in limbo I spent some time on a classmates couch...some tiem in an extended stay, and then back onto a classmates couch.

The other week we went over to the house to pray over it. They had pulled up the carpet so we wrote Scriptures on the walls as we went and prayed that God would make this a place of peace and ministry.

One a Wednesday night, the church who is buying the house for us brought church to us and commissioned us as missionaries in the neighborhood. Exciting times for sure. Here are some pics of the prayer night we had buy ourselves and some of our cleaning efforts. We girls hope to move in tonight (and slowly over the weekend) The guys apartment is on hold until after the end of the month.

Before...
Looking cleaner....(with a new floor)

Rx: waterfight & picnic

Its been a difficult 2 weeks to say the least. Expectations and pressures and huge tests leave me with that painful acid reflux feeling just under my sternum. Slowly things are panning out and getting into routine where I feel like I can breathe. Still I sit finishing paperwork for tomorrows clinical and get that sweaty nervousness just thinking about it.

But tonight I called a spur of the moment picnic in the park near my house. Its been...I can't remember how long...since I sat on a blanket in a park with friends. After the sun set we ran barefoot in the grass with Frisbees then water guns (painfully cheap ones that barely spit...but still) Just what I needed...fresh air and friends.

Now back to the oddly lit hospital hallways....

Can You Fix This?

As a student nurse when I'm caught up on my responsibilities I am supposed to help answer call lights and help other staff on the floor. I have returned to my "home floor" from last year (not exactly my favorite, but the rotation is only 2 weeks this year) This floor sees a lot of post-urology patients and patients recovering from prostate surgery. After a TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate) they provide continuous irrigation.

In lay terms this means that have big whopping bags of fluids running through and draining out through their catheter. These bags are seriously huge. The other day I was just walking through the hall when a little old man yelled out "Hey can you fix this" as he held a disconnected fluid line in his hand as fluid spilled all over the floor.

GREAT! I hadn't really dealt with this set up before but told a nurse nearby and went to go figure it out. Thankfully he hadn't pulled anything out, but just disconnected everything. In the mean time he had called his daughter who then wanted me to reassure her he was alright.

Yes, glamorous life...

Student Nurse Association responsibilities are piling up as we make our plans for the final fall projects. We're targeting childhood obesity here in the community while also doing an educational campaign on Darfur. (odd combo)

I'm looking forward to "homelessness" at the end of this month...work and school are a tough balance and I plow through.

Wild Weird Wonderings

I'm sitting at the coffee shop as the sky grays in preparation to rain. Frank Sinatra is singing over the speakers radio. I normally work Fridays, but I switched a shift earlier this week to have dinner with friends. Dinner got canceled, so I did an afternoon meeting with the happy little newly engaged & newly married couples. (so much to say after that comment, but alas you singles can just read into all that entailed as one of the token singles). I find myself studying acid/bace balance and for my pharm test on Monday.

We did get the apartments, but alas the tenants are not moved out so I will be homeless briefly when I have to move out of my apartment the end of this month. My clinicals have been on the cardiac critical care unit and the weeks are flying by as I try to balance everything. Andrea continues to be my favorite bad influence in my life keeping me out late nights before clinicals. =0))
This semester has been harder not only in content, but just in contentment and walking out daily life with the faith that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. I will try to keep up with my blog more regularly and share funny stories. Look for me to upload some crazy video I shot when I watched Kathy's chihuahua while she was gone.

Merging Two Worlds

Working a large concentration of hours in a short span can mess with your brain. I find myself repeating food orders in my sleep. Last night I started merging my nursing work with my waitressing role. I woke up dreaming I was training my trainee at work to look for tracheal deviation (apparently AT the restaurant on the guests).

Random Adventures

Apparently we just got all the funding for the church to buy the quadraplex to which we are moving. B moved out of his apartment, ending the era of our "hippie Bible study" at that location. I caught a quick photo post-communion photo the other week. I still have another month on my lease. Kathy's Birthday came the week before school started and I just found my cord to upload those pics. Kathy, Amanda and I are all sitting together for the school year. Watch out right side of the room!

Amanda and her amazing form.

Plan A or B?

I arrived at school feeling a little overwhelmed by the expectations on me as I lead the student nurse association, work, and begin what the other students tell me is the "hardest semester". Right now I sit at the coffee shop still in my high heels and coordinated outfit leftover from school. We welcomed the freshman, spoke to their class, and hosted the welcoming event.

I know that I'm in an amazing place and opportunity. My teachers encourage me to make plans for more school and getting a masters eventually. Thanks to my involvement I get to know the faculty and have to get into the community. But you know what...I'm not sure I want the suit, the position, and the graduate program. When I think of my rotations in the heart center and day surgery I don't find myself jumping with excitement. I want to go back and hang out in some slums, I want to do some home births, I want to have a family.

But for now I'm on this journey and know that its where I'm supposed to be. I'm sure in the future I'll have the hindsight that makes it worth it, but boy has it been hard to go back to school and balance work. Truth is often the grass is just greener cuz its on the other side of the fence.

Last night Mindy asked me a great question. She asked me if I was seeing this as "plan B". In reality, I think I had. In my minds eye I pictured me at this age either with an amazing ministry in the 3rd world or married...not in W. Texas back in school. But that doesn't mean that it's "plan B". This time is a great gift and yeah, most people get this out of the way earlier, but that doesn't mean its any less than an amazing journey.

Trying to study pharm...and o so bored with it.

Melissa & The Trainee

In my second weekend working on the floor of the restaurant they decided to give me a trainee. She apologized saying she'd never been a waitress to which I replied "join the club this is my second weekend". Putting someone on the floor for the first time on a busy Friday night is intense. I'm not one to stand around and we were moving a mile minute and often getting triple sat.

The manager mentioned my job was to "keep her calm". Wait, why does this seem familiar? By 9pm she was in the manager's office asking to go home. =0)) Ok, she was scheduled till then, but she was asking "PLEASE let me go home"

School starts bright and early on Monday morning. I was up in the office of our activities director yesterday. We were looking at the calendar for our student nurse assoc. and my only thought was "WHAT was I thinking". This is going to be one intense semester. Please send Trader Joe soy and flax chips to.......

Disappointed....

Personally I don't think it looks like me (but I added the pearls in an attempt)

www.simpsonizeme.com

Oh My Aching Feet

So far week 1 as a waitress has been crazy, especially since this is the opening weekend of the restaurant. By the time this weekend is finished (Th-Sun) I may be over 40 hours. All of my "guests" have been great, but I knew eventually the chips would fall and I'd get one of those tables everyone tells me about when they mention the short duration of their waitressing career.

It was a large party and wouldn't you know that I forgot the salads. Ok, so every OTHER salad is prepared automatically in the back, but if someone orders THIS ONE SALAD I have to fill out a special ticket. Being its only my first week into my waitressing career I messed up and they are late. But seriously...the ONE SALAD...can't we fix that in the computer?

Then the grill messed up the order and someone took it out lacking an entire meal. This means I have to fill out a special ticket so a manager will take it to the table and try to overcome the mistake. And then we need so many little things...not one but two different salad dressings for the itty bity salad...it goes on

They were sweet and boy did I try to put on my best face but I wanted to cry and run. We had a new trainer helping me and she said, "don't worry the table will turn over soon". You'd think she told me I had gotten a full scholarship...yes it was true...in less than 30 minutes I could bank on the fact that I would get a brand new set and could start fresh.

I think I'll go put up my feet. Tomorrow there will be a "new table" in the journey of life.