Because I plan to be 16 for the rest of my life....

WARNING: EXCESSIVE USE OF EXCLAMATION POINTS AHEAD

Guess who is coming to town in July????????




AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean it's the fake Journey (anything without Steve Perry is a fake Journey). One of the few bands I didn't get to see in concert ## years ago. And the tickets are not outrageously priced. $30.00 for lawn seats, which means we have to sit on blankets on the grass, but that's cool.

But Def Leppard!!!!!!!

Back in the 80's I was a concert fiend. Would attend as many as I could, and since my family worked the Orange Bowl back when it was still the big stadium down here, I saw a LOT. In my junior year of high school, I went to the Monster's of Rock show. An all day concert featuring some of the biggest hard rock/metal bands of the time. Ozzy, Def Leppard, Dokken, Van Hagar, Scorpions, etc., etc.... I had so much fun, got to stand in the best locations, met quite a number of musicians, some who were performing that day some who were not. So exciting!!!!

I called the husbeast, and we are going!!!!! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!!!

I can't believe I still get as excited about rock concerts as I did when I was a P.Y.T.!!!!!!!

This past weekend we went to the Youth Fair for a family outing. Many cute farm animals. Yummy fair food (elephant ears.....)!!! Rides!! We haven't been to the Dade County Fair since before David was born. We had so much fun. Look, I brought pictures:

First the men folk


Ludvig Quackadeus Mozart


Extreme cuteness ahead


Hello, in there!


It's official, baby cows are adorable.


Tiny handfuls of cuteness. Baby bunnies.



Not bad for pictures taken with a camera phone.

This weekend is many softball games, Ice Age 2, and studying. Hopefully, the husband's presence won't jinx the team like it did Tuesday. (ok it was really because the shortstop dropped the ball like 20 times, but I still blame Willie)

W. :)

Observations and assessments.....

Some recent observations in my life:

1) Nursing students are really boring friends to those who are not also nursing students or medically inclined.

2) My current job is becomming increasingly dissatisfying the further I progress in my studies.

3) I am totally going to be a L&D or neonatal nurse.

4) Time....there is never ever enough enough of it.


We had our first test in OB this past Monday. I totally rocked it! (A)

You know, I have gone round and round in what field I thought I wanted to pursue. I thought maybe peds. But that really didn't float my boat. I was very disappointed in my peds clinical, but that is not the reason why I don't want to go into peds. I looked back at some of my first posts in this blog, and I stated then I wanted to be an L&D nurse. And that is still what I really want to do.

I am just really, really interested in childbirth, and new babies, and new mommies. I have considered becoming a doula. Also a midwife. This is truly my passion. Even though I know that there will be babies that won't make it, and that it will be truly heartbreaking. Even though not all mothers will be ready or mature enough to be moms. It will be my job to teach them as much as possible before they go home with that baby.

I have been interested in pregnancy and childbirth since I was a child. I would get books about pregnancy, and just pore over them, absorbing all the information. When I was pregnant with my own child I used the time to study everything I could about all the possible complications, delivery options, etc.

My friends who are not enjoying this class as much as I am, have asked me to make test questions for them. This is good for all of us, as it will force me to read (as I have a tendency not to) and will help others to look for information that they may not have otherwise.

Our questions are posed in situations. So&so is presenting with this situation. What do you do? ABCD. I tried to make my questions in the same format to better help my classmates.

On being a boring nursing student:

I have found that I am increasingly getting blank stares from friends that are not in the medical field. The conversations go something like this:

Them: Hey how was your weekend?

Me: Oh it was awesome. I worked in the nursery all day, and there was a baby that was having a little difficulty breathing, so I taught the mother what to do in case if this happens at home. You flip the baby over and pat their back firmly until the cry and then suction them. Then you watch to make sure they are breathing well. And then I had to catheterize a patient who couldn't pee. Oh, and blah, blah, blah....

Them: Um.....that's great....I guess.

or my friend who works as a PCT, calls me and says:

Kim: I go to change the dressing on a stage four sacral ulcer.

Me: Wow, I'm so jealous.

Weird.

On job dissatisfaction:

I am totally not in love with my job anymore. I really just don't care. None of it seems particularly important to me. I mean, I like the university. I love the people I work with. I am just not getting anything from it, and I know that I will be leaving in a year. So, I just go through the motions.

I am applying to work at the same hospital as Kim as a PCT. She is gaining invaluable practical experience that I really need.

On never enough time:

I can't fit everything into my life at the moment. And it is making me cuckoo. Something is always falling through the cracks. I sacrifice somethings to make time for others. Usually it is my home life that suffers. Too stressed for intimacy, so poor husband suffers. Too busy to really clean, so please don't look under my bed. Too busy studying to spend evenings at home, so child suffers. Too frazzled in general. Please tell me this will be worth it in the end.

W. :)

Oh, how I love the baby burritos....

Today in clinicals I worked in the nursery. I loved every single second of it. This was the only clinical I have had where the time flew, and at the end I wanted to stay.

I changed, assessed, bathed, fed, helped the nurses in whatever way I could. I love working with the babies. I loved looking around at all the little basinets with the baby burritos, I wish I had thought to take a picture.


Next week we go into antepartum. A little backwards, but I was happier than a pig in slop today. I could so do that every day forever.

W. :)

I am so EXCITED!!!!!!!

I can't wait until April 28th!!!!! I am going on a road trip with the VEU softball team. It's their last games of the season, and I get to travel with them. I can't wait.

It will be the perfect topper to the best month. Easter, a break, secretary's day, a big athletics banquet, then a trip. I am so excited!!!!!!

A month can never pass so fast.

W. :)

Yep, just ask my husband.....

>

Seeing life through rose-colored glasses.....

I forgot to tell about a funny thing that happened at my last clinical. When we were examining the little boy who had hydrocephaly, PDA, etc. etc. The instructor is asking us, "What do you see wrong with him?" We all started rambling off answers: small for age, head wrong size for body, etc. etc.

"Ok, what about his coloring?"

I say, he's pink.

Instructor looks closely at my eyes, and says "Are you sure?"

Um, yeah?? I mean he is bi-racial, so he is not pink-pink. But, yeah he's pink.

She says, "Take off your glasses and look again."

Dusky.

I have pink tinted lenses in my glasses. Point taken. Will not wear those to clinicals again.

W. :)

These are a few of my favorite things......

Stolen from Auryn....

1. Disney World (been over 30 times)
2. Pink (the color, the perfume, the singer....it's all good)
3. Volkswagen beetles (had one for five weeks and then totalled it. :( )
4. Jeep Wranglers
5. Converse All Stars (9 pairs and counting)
6. Concerts
7. Chocolate (the really good kind....Ghiradelli or Godiva....1 piece is like manna)
8. Crisp, clean, white cotton sheets
9. Audrey Tautou films (Amelie being my favorite)
10. The feel of my little boys hugs
11. The smile on his face.
12. cashmere sweaters
13. Target (can't escape that place without spending a minimum of $50)
14. Little miss smartypants games (I have 5 different versions of Trivial Pursuit)
15. Books (especially ones that teach me something)
16. Corsets (the real kind...steel bones, metal busks, and strong laces)
17. Cats
18. Musical theater (not related to 17)
19. Irish step dancing (related to 18)
20. Scotland (I am of the Clan McGregor)
21. Softball (I can hit like a mo-fo)
22. Knitting
23. Good yarn (soft wool, alpaca, oooohhhhhh, heaven)
24. Sewing
25. Quilts (I make them, I collect them)
26. Christmas time (Thanksgiving through New Year's)
27. Thai food
28. Japanese food
29. Winter
30. New York City (anytime of year)
31. Gothenburg, Sweden
32. Hockey
33. Music.... all kinds, except twangy country music.
34. Sunflowers (who knew happiness grew out of the ground?)
35. Daffodils
36. Perfume (I have about 10 different kinds)
37. Bellydancing
38. Rainstorms
39. Marine life (I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was in high school)
40. Full moons
41. Text messages from a certain person (makes my heart do a little dance)
42. The sound of breezes blowing the windchimes all around my house.
43. The feel of said breezes blowing through the window across my bed
44. Hotels
45. Roadhouse Grill yeast rolls hot and buttered
46. Reading blogs
47. Cute underwear
48. Low cut socks
49. Cropped pants
50. Singing in my car (I am quite sure people think I am insane)

Passed them all.....

I passed all my peds finals and ended the course with a B. I am so glad this semester is over. Now on to OB.

However, before that begins, there will be much housecleaning, and husband dating.

Informed my current job of my need for every Thursday off during summer and they said they would work with me. I am so relieved. However, I am currently very unhappy with work. There is a major restructuring going on at the moment, and some people are leaving. This means that more and more work is being piled on me from all directions. I'll be so glad for next week when everyone is out on spring break.

W. :)