Happy Holidays!

Been a while since I have posted anything more then a picture or two, so I'll take a few minutes to do an update.... I started working as an RN about a month ago. I'm on the same surgical floor that I did my senior preceptorship for nursing school. The 12-13 hour days have been long and challenging but I am starting to become more confident so I am liking it more and more. I have a few more weeks with a preceptor - which means I have a few more weeks with another nurse checking in on me and my charting and helping me with anything that comes up that I'm not sure how to do or deal with. I ended up getting Christmas and New Years eve off, which is excellent! I do work the day after Christmas and New Years day night (I switch to nights after the 26th... should be interesting trying to switch my sleep schedule and stay away for 12 hours at night!). After the end of my orientation period my schedule will be both days and nights, no set schedule as of yet, but hopefully I will know more soon :)

On to another topic... the Holidays! I absolutely LOVE this time of year! I take after my mom in that I love to decorate for each season/holiday. She sent me a box of stuff that she didn't need for their house (she has SO MUCH) so that I could make the apartment look a little more festive. My mom also sent a few ornaments so that Jeremy and I could decorate our first real sized tree :) Its a bit sad looking with a few strings of light and about 10-15 ornaments but I love it. I also love our one string of lights on our porch that are lit every night when I drive home from work - thanks Jeremy!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,

and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

~Norman Vincent Peale

A Few More of the New PuPs!

Happy Thanksgiving

"Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving'. . ." - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Birthday Jeremy

The big 2-7 today! Here is to many more happy and fun filled years :)

Puppy Pictures 1

It's a boy! PUPPY!

On Halloween, Jeremy decided that he had waited long enough and that now was the time to finally get the dog he has been wanting. We've been looking online, and even went and saw some chocolate labs but on the 30th we saw an ad for a "Halloween Special" at the breeders Jeremy had been checking out online for a while. We hopped in the truck and drove out to Oregon City to check out the dogs... I honestly did not think we would REALLY bring one home, but we fell in love with one special pup we now call Cutter. He is adorable, and actually seems to be quite smart! He already knows "sit" and "come" and once in a while "down". Potty training is going well also, only a few accidents indoors! Both Jeremy and I have bought him many toys, and we are researching beds and food. Yup, he is spoiled already! I will post a little slide show of pictures in a few minutes because as you may have guessed, I've already taken a ton! He's just too cute not to take pictures of though!

P.S. To my curious family members... this does not mean I have abandoned my Roxy pups, I still am undecided on that situation and I still love her and she will always be my baby!

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures;

they give unconditional love.

For me they are the role model for being alive."

~Gilda Radner

new place

Well we are just about settled in our new apartment in Portland.... There is still a bunch of boxes half full in the extra bedroom, and a few more in the garage, but other then that it's looking pretty dang good! And so far, we are happy with the place (after 3 days of frustrating on/off internet and TV though) and the location. Neither of us are currently working, so we've had lots of time to get settled and get used to the new area. I keep hoping I will be starting work soon, but it seems to be taking FOREVER to get my job posted, and I have this feeling it will take a while even after that for me to finally start work. I am enjoying the time off for the most part, but am feeling a bit worthless these days - plus, I am excited to be a nurse, I want to work! Lets hope I'm still saying that a few years from now right?! :) Okay well here are a few pictures of the new place, I took these when we were first moving....

*hallway/master bedroom bathroom

*kitchen (duh)
*guest bathroom (i love my zebra shower curtain! jeremy said no way for our bathroom so i had to put it in here hehe).

*guest bedroom (currently filled with stuff/needing organization, someday soon will be available for visitors!).

Moved.

Its been a busy few days as Jeremy and I moved into a new apartment in the Beaverton, Oregon area. Moving sucks, as always, but it has been nice not having any real time restraints and so its been rather stress free.... except the couch, why must couches be so heavy and awkward to carry?! We survived and so did the couch, so I will post pictures sometime next week when I have the internet again and when we are more set up - there is LOTS of boxes still sitting around, and plenty more in the garage to be unpacked!

"Always concentrate on how far you have come,

rather than how far you have left to go.

The difference in how easy it seems will amaze you."
~Heidi Johnson

grade: pass

It's [almost] official, I am a nurse! I got online notification that I passed the NCLEX on Friday, so once I receive my actual license in the mail I am okay to practice as an RN. I could not be more thrilled, excited, happy, relieved, etc.

edits.

so jeremy and i seem to have some extra time on our hands these days... he is still looking for employment and i am waiting to take my NCLEX exam (boards). so, between studying and watching big brother i have taken up editing pictures. i'm very new and inexperienced but i am having a lot of fun trying! hopefully i will get better soon :)

for now, enjoy these two:

Oregon Zoo

On Friday, Jeremy and I went to the Oregon Zoo - which is right near downtown Portland. It was a very crowded day, with lots of kids running around (typical) but also there was a lot of construction going on at the zoo and a few things were closed... Needless to say, we still had a lot of fun and I took a lot of pictures!

Here are a couple:

Camping at Lost Lake

Jeremy and I just returned from a quick camping trip out to Lost Lake, which is about an hour or two past Hood River, Oregon. It was absolutely gorgeous out there. The weather ended up being just about perfect as well! I decided to make a quick list of things I liked and disliked during the trip, just an easier way to blog instead of writing out a big long story :)

Likes.

• wine tasting/free cheese samples
• waking up to warm sunshine
• dill pickle sunflower seeds
• salt and ground pepper kettle chips
• canoeing (but only when we take rest breaks, my shoulders get tired!)
• bacon, eggs, and french press coffee by the morning campfire *Jeremy's favorite
• laying on the ground, looking up at the star filled sky

Dislikes.

• being in a cell phone dead zone
• billions of gnats
• tons of bees (seriously, they were everywhere)
• waking up with no air left in our mattress on hard ground
• the out-house running out of toilet paper
• deflating the floaties (takes foooorever!)

"The fire is the main comfort of the camp,

whether in summer or winter,

and is about as ample at one season as at another.

It is as well for cheerfulness

as for warmth and dryness."

~Henry David Thoreau

Why I'm Not Blogging As Much (besides that i was getting in 250 hours at the hospital in 5.5 weeks)

On my days off Jeremy and I take full advantage of this amazing summer weather Oregon has been having! We pack the cooler full of beer, throw on our swimsuits, make sure the floatie toys are in the truck and we head off for the closest river or lake! Here are a few pictures:

"all you really need this time of year

is a pair of shades and ice cold beer

and a place to sit somewhere

near water"

~Brad Paisley

August?!

Well here we are already, its just about the middle of August so that means I am just about to GRADUATE from nursing school! I finished my senior preceptorship on Saturday the 8th, and to my surprise they informed me that the nurse manager had opened a position for me - so it looks like I have my first job all lined up as well! It is a surgical floor, meaning that I care for people about to have surgery, just back from surgery, or re-admitted for complications related to surgery! Its a mixed bag of people and diagnoses.

I can not believe how this fell into place, I had been very worried that I would not find a job (since all my online applications had not been responded too, and recruiters I tried to reach had also not responded). I do not have details on the job, but I am just excited to have something to look forward too after graduation and taking the NCLEX (nursing boards).

Jeremy is still working on becoming employed - he currently has two strong leads, so we will keep you posted. Keep your fingers crossed for him as well :)

"Nurses dispense comfort,

compassion,

and caring

without even

a prescription"

~Val Saintsbury

A Birthday and a Wedding!

Its been a busy couple of days... Friday was my birthday (holy moly I'm 25?!) and yesterday was Jared and Alisa's wedding. Both fun filled sunny days! I loved taking pictures at the wedding, I think I have found my new love... my camera :) Here are a couple pictures:

The gorgeous bride, Alisa

First dance as husband and wife

Jeremy and some buddies

Yup, he caught it!

Nope, I didn't catch the bouquet this time :(

"It's not always easy,

And sometimes life can be deceiving,

I'll tell you one thing,

its always better when we're together"

~Jack Johnson~

Finally Updating!

I just keep getting so far behind on blogging that I just keep putting it off further... and as much as I would like to blame school for taking all my time, I will admit that I have been very much enjoying myself on my days off!

Long story short, I have been working 30-50 hour weeks at Providence Hospital in NE Portland... I'm 112 hours down (out of 250)! I am on a surgical floor, which basically consists of patients who have just had or are about to have surgery of some kind (usually abdominal... so, appendix, gallbladder, stomach, intestines, you get the picture). I am learning quite a bit, but even more so starting to feel like I really could handle being on my own. I still find myself relying a lot on my nurse Elaine, but I keep trying to get away from that -- and she forces me too by disappearing into her other patients room! Despite her and other c0-workers encouragement that I am doing extremely well, I still feel like an idiot most hours of the day :) Just another perk of being a student I guess! Some nurses say the feeling continues for a few years too... great... ! Haha.

Jeremy... well, he has a short story so far: moved back to Forest Grove, looking for jobs but mostly just helping around his parents house and on their property.

And, growing out his "unemployment beard" which I am not much a fan of! I'll let you be the judge:

So with both of us having some free time (the perks of being a nurse working 12's = multiple days off in a row) we decided to hit the Oregon coast last week. We had a blast! We drove down to Lincoln City: did some crabbing and beach bonfire (and at Mo's clam chowder of course, yum!) then the next day drove up to Seaside and took fun Old Tyme pictures on the boardwalk then took our bottle of wine we bought along the way (at a winery near Tillamook) and watched the sunset from the back of Jeremy's truck on the beach. It was cloudy but awesome. The next morning we dug up a few razor clams and drove back to Forest Grove where Jeremy cleaned them up and fried them... YUM!

*Check out a bunch of pictures from that adventure on my shutterfly site!

This weekend is going to be another fun one -- I have 4 days off (and so does Jeremy!) and the weather looks like it is going to be awesome.... But I can't believe I'm turning 25, so we'll see how that goes ;)

"and its 2 bare feet on the dashboard

young love in an old Ford...

perfect song on the radio

sing along cuz it's one we know

it's a smile, it's a kiss,

it's a sip of wine, its SUMMERTIME"

~Kenny Chesney~

we made it!

Well as most of you know, both Jeremy and I made it to Oregon this past week! It has been pretty non stop busy for me, so I have not really had a chance to post... but we have been having a lot of fun already! Well I guess I wouldn't call being at the hospital for 52 hours last week FUN, but its been interesting. And, I'm sure Jeremy wouldn't call driving his truck and U-Haul 1600+ miles in the hot sun FUN, but again, interesting :) More from us both soon!

Hope everyone had a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

This Weekend!

I honestly can not even believe that it is time to move again. When we moved here over a year ago, I never thought this day would come!  I am very excited, but also very very nervous!  And busy... we are SO NOT packed!  We've done a few boxes here and there... but thats about it!  Oops! 

I also am busy with finishing up school stuff... I had 2 presentations this week, and have a big test this Friday morning. The presentations both went well, one was on a group research project, the other was a community outreach group project. 

 The latter was much more fun because it was a summary of the last 6 weeks we spent going out into various parts of Omaha and teaching youth about different health topics. 

 

(<-- community project)

My last 5 hours of ICU clinical were last night... it went so quick - my nurse was SO nice and helpful - and she let me try an IV start on my patient twice!  The first attempt was very unsuccessful... his skin was extremely thick and leathery and it felt so weird sticking the needle in him... Even with her help, we could not get any blood return.  I tried again higher up in his arm, and it went so smooth and perfect on the first try! Yay! 

Back to the moving info.....

Everything is kind of up in the air, and only time will tell how life works out. As of right now, I am leaving Saturday and will fly into PDX.... Thankfully Jeremy's parents are nice enough to let me stay with them a few days in Forest Grove -- I start my hours at Providence the very next day, following my nurse for 8 hours and I am for sure at the hospital again Monday, Thursday, and Friday so it doesn't seem like I will be around their house or FG too much! 

--> Yay for having 4th of July off though!     

Jeremy's plan so far is to leave Monday morning with his mom, and a fully loaded u-haul with him. He is planning his drive to Oregon around a couple different breweries in Colorado, so who knows when they will get in... hopefully Weds??  At least by the weekend though!  I will try to track his trip back across the country on here, but I have no idea how much free time I will have.

"You can change your hair and you can change your clothes

you can change your mind, thats just the way it goes

you can say goodbye and you can say hello

but you'll always find your way back home"

~Taylor Swift~

oh yeah and...

We move to Portland in less than 2 weeks!

Well, I do. 

Jeremy is going to start his drive back most likely on the Monday after I leave (perhaps with his mom?! I hope so)

20 hours closer

Well I survived my first 2 days in the ICU at Creighton University Med Center.... what an interesting place !  Although I did not have one, many of the patients being taken care of there are people you hear about on the news... gunshot wounds, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, farm accidents, etc. etc.  Because CUMC is one of the two trauma centers for the region, it gets a lot of people in very critical condition.  In the first couple of hours there on Thursday, I was asked to do an ABG draw on my patient -- arterial blood gas draw -- which I had 'learned' how to do in class (by reading how to do it! ha); I was quite nervous.  My patient instructor said "oh you'll be fine, lets go do it" and off we went!  It did turn out to be very easy, and I got it perfect on my first try, so that was fun :)  The rest of the day was filled with LOTS of vital sign taking (every hour) and suctioning (because my patient had a tracheotomy, a lot of secretions build up in the trachea and in the mouth - so you use a little machine like dentists use and get rid of it all).   Friday was a very long 12 hour shift, but also full of new experiences.  I got to accompany my patient to the Operating Room to get her wounds sutured closed, and get a new trach tube placed (the one she had in was too big now that most of the swelling from her injury had decreased and was in danger of falling out).  

I had been in the OR once before and enjoyed it, so I was interested to see if I would again like it - turns out I do. I think I wouldn't mind being a nurse there - I thought it was cool that the nurses had the responsibility to get the patient fully prepped for the surgeons and also to monitor the patient throughout the surgery.... Anyone know of any job openings in OR's in Oregon??  :) 

Also on Friday morning I got to attempt to start an IV. Sadly, I was unsuccessful - I think I just put the needle a little too deep into the skin.  My instructor and I felt bad for the nice old man who was letting me poke around in him, so I only did one attempt and she did the second (and got it started of course, ugh).  But now I know what it feels like and I think the next time I do it, I'll get it.... maybe if Jeremy let me practice on him I would have gotten it!  Haha, still trying to convince him to let me try...! 

Earlier in the week, on Weds, a couple classmates and I had to do a couple of presentations to youth in Omaha. Our first one was on first aid (my portion was sprains/strains and how to care for them....) and the second one was dental health.  It was fun, I love kids - but I definitely liked teaching the middle schoolers more then the 2nd graders. If I had to be a teacher, I think I'd choose middle or high school!   Check out this slide show of hilarous pictures of the kids -- for the first aid group we let them tape themselves up with ACE bandages and various gauze, band aids, etc. We also had "fake" epipens for them to practice using in case of an emergency allergic reaction.  For dental health we had them put frosting all over a glove on their hand, to represent all the sugar we eat, and then brush it off with giant toothbrushes, and floss with yarn to get the plaque (brown frosting) off!  Messy, but fun!  

why we are excited to move to Oregon

Jeremy says "there are too many reasons to list"  but I want to make a list anyways. So here goes... feel free to comment with any reasons we may have forgotten! :)     

-the beach

-camping

-crabbing/clamming

-Dutch Brothers Coffee

-living closer to family and friends, and getting my pups Roxy back

-better shopping (Nordstroms!!) with no sales tax 

-mountain biking and hiking 

-mountains

-big lakes you can actually swim in

-fresh seafood

-Mariners games

-no tornadoes

TIME FLIES...

...And I'm perfectly okay with that!  

I am so excited that I am almost finished with nursing school, even more excited to start my preceptorship in Portland!  I think that I am going to learn more in that 6 weeks then I have pretty much the whole year :)  Just have to get thru the next 4 weeks here in Omaha.  The first test of the semester was today, and it was MUCH harder then any other test this year. I guess they figure since we're so close to graduating they better challenge us, ugh! Anyways, it went fine and now I know what the next three tests are going to be like. 

So clinical has been okay the last 2 weeks -

 the first was a little boring since I only had one patient the first day (boring, slow, day dragged on) and then the second day I had two, but both were a few days post-operative and did not need a lot of care.  Last week was different! I had two patients the first day and three the second = busy!  One was a severely disabled man who required a lot of care, he had a G-Tube and J-Tube, which I have worked with before but it was good practice to do again. I had to give all his meds through the tube (A LOT OF MEDS), as well as monitor his constant tube feedings - overall, he kept me the busiest.  I also got to work with a T-Tube on another patient, which was my first experience, but very similar to the other tubes.  My other new experiences for the year were taking out a couple foley catheters and taking a rectal temperature.   Oh yes, rectal temperature.  Fun right?  Haha, not really, but another skill to check off the list!   

Non-school related, Saturday Jeremy and I woke up early and went to a small farmers market -- we only had 5$ cash, so had to spend wisely :)  we picked out a bundle of fresh basil and a package of NE grown tomatoes. We then spent the rest of the day at our apartments pool... it was a gorgeous day, about 85-90 degrees, with some wind to keep us cool.  We went out to dinner at our favorite Thai place that night, and just relaxed with a movie. Sunday, after sleeping in, I woke up to the wonderful smell of bacon cooking and coffee brewing!  Jeremy made us an amazing breakfast:  bacon, mozzarella, basil & tomatoes all on a ciabatta bun! I wish I had taken a picture of his masterpiece, but I have to admit I was too excited to taste it I couldn't bother with my camera!  Maybe next time! 

Happy JUNE!

"If a June night could talk, 

it would probably boast that it invented romance"

~Bern Williams~

hot sunny fridays are our favorite!

Just a couple cell phone pictures from our Friday... after a long week of work for Jeremy and my longest week of school eVeR, we desperately needed a couple Happy Hour beers! Luckily a restaurant right around the block (Stokes) had a semi-shaded patio, and specials on buckets of Corona! After some food and drinks there we went home to relax and decide what was next... We attempted to go to another local spot, The Drafthouse, but after a beer there we realized we were both exhausted and would love to just go home and relax on the couch. So we did! :)

Hope everyone has a fun and safe memorial day weekend...!

For love of country they accepted death... ~James A. Garfield

From Sunshine to Storms

We got back late Sunday night from an awesome long weekend in Las Vegas.  It was crazy hot there, and both Jeremy and I loved laying in the sun by the pool... with a bucket of beer of course! We also got to see Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews Band in concert on Saturday night; it was an amazing show!  Here is a short clip of Jason playing one of my favorites: "I'm Yours"

I posted pictures from the vacation on Shutterfly today, so go check them out and leave some comments when you get a few minutes! 

Back here in Omaha, its raining, cloudy, and full of thunder and lightning. Quite a change from over the weekend... And, I start my LAST SEMESTER of nursing school next week and I'm very nervous about it. We got our clinical schedule and it looks like I am in for some very very long days. 8-10 hour shifts two to three times a week. I start in Med-Surg for the first 3 weeks and them am in the ICU for the last 3.  After those 6 weeks, its off to try and be a real nurse in Portland. YIKES. Time is flying by... 

 

“Celebrate your success and stand strong when adversity hits, for when the storm clouds come in, the eagles soar while the small birds take cover”

~The Eagles~

"Keep your face to the sunshine 

and you cannot see the shadow"

~Helen Keller~

winding down

With only 3 tests, and 1 mini paper left to go this semester, I am happy to say I can see the light at the end of this year long tunnel. I can not believe I am almost a real nurse!   Sorta anyways :)

 

*my clinical group w/ our Peds instructor, celebrating the end 

of the semester!

Not much new to report in either Jeremy or my l

ife - we've just been chugging along, counting down the days until our vacation in Vegas (8 days!).  Jeremy is still working both jobs, which keeps him quite busy - but he seems to enjoy most days.  We're not exactly sure what he will do come June when I have to move to Portland which is stressful, but not much we can do about it yet.  Everything is kind of just hanging, waiting to see what the next day brings. 

Oh & because I'm almost a nurse I feel like I should say: make sure you all are washing your hands A LOT - hand sanitizer is your friend, carry it with you in every purse or at least in your car (you know I have a mini bottle with me at all times!).

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, 

and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" 

World Health Organization, 1948

ONE YEAR.

Exactly one year ago today Jeremy and I arrived here in Omaha Nebraska... I can not believe how fast time has gone by - I only have about 4 1/2 months until graduation and only about 2 months until I move to Portland.  

Ah yes, I did not make that announcement on here, although most people already know :)  I decided to take the spot offered to me by Providence Hospital in downtown Portland, Oregon. I had a couple other really great opportunities and it was a REALLY hard decision... I hate making decisions as it is, and this was no exception!  Anyways, I'm excited to move back towards home and start actually "being a nurse"! 

Hope everyone had a great Easter - we did, I will post a couple pictures of us dying eggs soon!

"We confide in our strength, without boasting of it; 

we respect that of others, without fearing it" 

~Thomas Jefferson~

is it really spring?

As I had been told by many Omaha natives, we did have one final (fingers crossed) "storm" over the weekend - which only ended up bringing us about an inch of snow, but a lot of wind. Parts of NE did get hit hard with up to 10 inches in one day, luckily, not us. 

Today was long for me, but I turned in my big paper of the semester which is excited because that means its almost over :)  Just a couple more projects and tests and I'm that much closer to graduation in August.  First things first, this quarter ends in exactly a month YAY.

Last week I started my Pediatric rotation at Children's Hospital.... I love it!  Well, I can't quite say that yet because I only worked with one child for a few hours last Thursday, but I really enjoyed it. It is a whole different world in that hospital - it is SO obvious that it was expertly planned out, down to the nurses stations which are designed to be lollipops!  I am just amazed at how smoothly things run, and how much passion you can sense from all of the health care providers. It is more then adorable to hear a doctor explain to the med students that the kid "has an ouchie in his tummy"!  Observing the nurses and doctors interacting 

with the children patients was great, I feel like I have already learned so much after just one day!   This week we are there 2 days, so hopefully I continue to love it :) I'll keep ya posted! 

P.S... go Mariners, opening day today!

mobile food and drinks

recent outings...

*saw this truck as we were driving to Texas Roadhouse (a place famous for their BBQ)...

*Jeremy about to enjoy steak and mashed potatoes at Texas Roadhouse

*My HALF slab of ribs... amazingly tender.
*Thai Nachos @ Stokes, happy hour!
*"Sure Thing" Martini, nerds at the bottom.. yum! @ Coloseum Happy Hour