Monday, January 28, 2013

weekend update

This was another weekend spent mainly studying. I took my exam this morning. I probably did ok. I know I got a few wrong on oxygenation, and I think I got one of the diabetes ones wrong - although I cannot figure out how, I memorized all the onsets, peaks, and durations - but her answer was different on the self-checker. We'll see...
My boss took me out to lunch on Friday to that good mexican place, so on Saturday, I made a very tasty omelet with the leftovers.
Yum
Also on Friday this arrived in the mail:
My sister got an iphone so she sold/gave me her old ipod! It is awesome. It took some figuring out, but already I have installed a bunch of drug and medical apps and this thing to quiz me with my stuff I'm studying. (and of course fun stuff like exercise apps and my robert pattinson screensaver, yes please)
Sunday night I made a stirfry
I totally burned the sauce :(, Andrew was always the saucemaker not me, but it still tasted ok. I'm not sure how I feel about 'fish sauce' it makes the apt smell super funky. I might just sub soy sauce from now on
Listened to some pandora tunes while I cooked
Then after dinner I met up with a few friends downtown. There was a fire & ice event all weekend, Friday and Saturday night I watched fireworks from the warmth of my living room, and then Sunday we walked and looked at the ice sculptures.
Liz being an eskimo
Good times

Friday, January 25, 2013

6 months

Well today I am 6 months divorced.
I had committed to waiting 6 months at the line of reconciliation without dating anyone to see what God was going to do. So now I guess I'm free to start saying 'yes' to all those dates I keep getting asked out on!
cricket
cricket
Just kidding.
I actually find myself being very content to just keep taking one day at a time and walking on the path God has for me. And plus one day I even guiltily thought that it was good I was divorced because I'm so busy right now I'd probably be a terrible wife, although, if I were still married the plan was for me not to have to work.. and so maybe I'd have a better balance.... Anyway, it is what it is and I'm doing my best with what I can do!
Not that I want to be single forever surrounded by cats, but maybe God wants me to be a great cat mom. We'll see.
I can't even imagine dating right now. The thought just makes me feel wierd.
In so many ways I feel Andrew will be hard to beat. Like impossible. I really prayerfully considered dating and marrying him, and I truly believed him to be God's best for me. When I remember him, I remember our good times and his funny faces, impressions, comments, things that made him him. Personality wise, I just don't know if I cound find a better match. And other things too, well, until he wasn't - he was wise and a really good man. But committment wise, as it turned out, that's another story. I was thinking yesterday, that sadly, a goose would be a better husband than he was. Geese mate for life at least.
Again I am just blown away by how good God has been to me. 6 months have flown by and God has been really good. I still have a lot of days where I wish this never happened, but God is making me ok. His promises are true:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Thursday, January 24, 2013

First Shot

Yesterday I gave a patient my first shot. I noticed I was kind of just lightly pressing the needle against her skin, which probably didn't feel great, and then I just jabbed it straight in. It did not feel the same as the material we practiced on in the lab, I wish they just let us practice on each other. My mom said that's how they did it when she was in school. Anyway, it seemed like it was really hard to push the meds in too. But success, and she didn't act like it hurt too much. Later my patient's doctor conferenced with me in the hallway, I felt like a real nurse!
I really liked my patient. She was 95 and hard of hearing so I kept having to yell all day long. She kept saying things like she was sure she was going to die and she wanted me to call her nephew to plan her funeral. Everytime I'd leave the room I'd think of the Dumb & Dumber quote, 'doncha go dying on me!' but figured she'd have no idea what I was talking about, and not sure the joke would be as funny when you have to shout it... and when your patient seriously could die...
Anyway, that is one thing I don't like about nursing already. At least with my law job I see a case start to finish. Nursing it's like, 'ooop, time to go home, guess I'll never know if you actually did die or not'.
Also I just feel so useless. My patient said she was having a hard time breathing and all I could really do was sit her up and listen to her lungs. Which also my lung listening skills need some serious work. My instructor asked me to describe it and I just said it sounded like air going in and out. Huh. You don't say. How descriptive. The videos we listened to in class had like 16 different lung sounds, and I can only hear one: air. So anyway, after clinical I went to do some studying at the library and what did I read but several options for breathing exercises you can do when your patients are having trouble breathing!! I wanted to drive right back to the hospital.
Anyway, I guess I'm still learning. Just feels like there is so much to know. Today my boss told me he's going to give me extra money each week for gas. Then he said he 'wants me to quit this nursing nonsense' and work full-time for him. Nope! I'm not sure I want to be a hospital nurse, but I really do like the health field and want to be back in it.
And my patient was so cute yesterday. I asked her if she could maybe blow her nose and she proceeds to start picking it, to get the 'crust' out. She was really going to town and told me she was 'making a path'. It was hilarious.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Catching Up

Today I get MLK day off for school. So this morning I woke up, exercised, made scrambled eggs and fried potatoes for breakfast and settled on the couch to watch Ellen, but what do I see but the inauguration on tv! Boo! I probably should watch as I often don't know what is going on with our country. But my brain is so busy all the time with nursing and work, I just want to watch Ellen sneak up on people and laugh.
So I will go in to work for a few hours, and then study for a few hours instead.
I do miss blogging. Not that anything super substantial has happened in the last couple weeks, but I did finally upload my pictures.
My friend Cristy from work and I went up and stayed with her parents and went snowboarding. I didn't go at all last year, and it was really fun. I've been so thankful lately to work with people that I like. Cristy is the only one actually close to my age, but I really do like everyone. Cristy even came to church with me yesterday.
Me and Becks are still buddies.
I made more delicious granola.
I had a cold and got an A on my first exam.
(why oh why do I bother with you eggplant!?! look at it uselessly shriveled up and stuck to the pan, grrr)
I roasted veggies for my book club dinner: salad with homemade croutons, roasted veggie sandwiches, pumpkin lentil soup and brownies, mmmm.
Delicious pumpkin pie smoothie.
Stuffed pepper with roasted potatoes.
Jill had got me season tickets to the theatre for my birthday, so this last weekend we went to our second play. This one was a romantic comedy so we were like 'ug' but it was more comedy than romantic and a fun night.
And yesterday I tried out my new Christmas present (a generous present from my brother and sister-in-law who read the frequent complaining on this blog about my lack of a food processor- thanks guys!):
A few months ago I made this vegan dish that was kinda good, but so time consuming I will never make it again, and therefore I had all these brazil nuts left over.
Toasting the brazil nuts
Chopping them up
It definitely is more chopper than processor, but it did the job.
The final product after adding some sea salt, a little vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup. Pretty tasty. Tastes more like almond butter v peanut butter. Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium, altho you shouldn't get too much selenium or that could be bad.
Side note: who knew that maple syrup could grow mold?? I guess I saw later the bottle said refrigerate. I was complaining to Jill about it this morning was saying I hate to throw it away since a bottle is like $7. I was thinking I could use a syringe to suck the mold off the top. She said something like 'sometimes I don't understand how some things don't bother you at all, and they totally disgust me.' Haha, it is gross I guess. Surely those spores have already permeated the rest of the bottle. oh well.
I made another batch of Red River muffins for my school snacks. I actually had a friend going to Canada yesterday and I almost asked her to get me another box, but I'm not quite done with my current supply, and I remember that the pantry moths completely took it over when we had that huge moth problem. Do not want that again!
And finally I made chocolate chip cookies. I was having such a hard time staying awake through my diabetes chapter, and I thought nothing like a good sugar spike to help me get through it. I always get so excited to make cookies, but every time it's like:
MEH
Tasty, yet so ugly, I don't understand
I will not be winning any cookie awards anytime soon.
And that's when I've been up to! Now off to work.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Oh Jill

Today I woke up at 5:30am so I could exercise before work. Worked from 8-5, had counseling straight after work. Came home, Jill was asleep on the couch. I got started making dinner, chopping and stirring while she talked to me about the day. I put it in the oven and went to my room to start my homework and she looked at the timer and said, "oh, I have to wait an hour?" I had to laugh. Your afternoon nap must have worked up quite an appetite! And now I'm feeling guilty even taking a second away to write this and she's out there munching on tortilla chips and watching Jeopardy. Ahhh, I'm so jealous! I'm happy I'm in school, but it is seriously taking-every-second-of-my-life.
My prayer this season of life- God you opened this door, help me walk through it!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Divorce Class

Psalm 116:1-2 “I love the LORD, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.”
What a wonderful verse. I got this verse in an email this morning. I took a break from my divorce class over the holidays and when my family was in town, but I went back last night. I want to finish out the rest of my session. (They have a phase 2 which I am tempted to join - but I'm just thinking with sooo much homework I really should only do something one night a week, and if I only have one free night, I'm leaning more towards a small group with my church).. we'll see... it has been really helpful.
Anyway, they always ask if anyone wants to share. I don't think I've shared since my first few times there, but last night I shared. I just shared about how I feel God has been so faithful to me. That's why I love the verse above- God heard me, He inclines His ear to me. God is so good, I love Him. I told them how last new year's eve I had just been told that my husband wanted a divorce, but this new years, I was in the exact same house at a party, exactly a year later, and I just could not stop marveling that it had been a whole year. So many days I thought I would never make it to the next day - but yet God brought me through an entire year. It was a big step for me. And even though it hasn't been good, it has been really good. And I wanted to give a glimpse of hope to anyone at the group who felt like I did, because through Jesus there is healing and hope. Mind you, I still have plenty of sad days and think about him more than I would like to, but any healing, and any hope- which I also thought I'd never have again, is because of Jesus.
So yeah, God is good.
I do miss blogging. Only one week back in school and super busy already. We have 3 exams in the next 4 weeks. I go in the hospital next week and am nervous about that too. But one day at a time!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Coins and Goals

2013 is already off to a much better start. I'm settled back into the condo with my friend Jill and Becks and today was my first day back at school.
While unpacking and settling in I looked again at all my Christmas loot, I know it's not about getting stuff, but wow, I got some good stuff. After much complaining about Jill's food processor on this blog, my brother & sister-in-law got me a new one! Can't wait to test it out! My parents got me some resources for growing in my faith, I got some stuff for nursing school, and a lot more goodies. One thing my mom got me that I like is for my coin collecting.
They started the America coins in 2010 and after 3 years here's all I had:
But after mom's Christmas present
All full!
I'll want that same present another 3 years from now :)
Well I didn't really make any resolutions this year. My boss asked me about it and I just said I wanted to make it through another year, and he "boo'd" me. That was really my goal for 2012, and God brought me through. I do feel more on my feet nowadays so maybe I will make some goals:
* do not fail nursing school (a lot of people fail the semester I'm in now :/)
* run a 1/2 marathon (never wanted to run a whole, but a half might be fun if I can find a buddy to do it with)
* if I don't fail out of nursing school, keep praying about the opportunity to do a medical missions trip this summer to Guatemala with my aunt
* read a book about investing
* become group exercise certified
* make some awesome food to be my specialty that people will always request
* finish my kiteboarding lessons
That ought to keep me busy! I am looking a lot more forward to 2013 than 2012 that's for sure.