Long Days

wow.. i thought life would slow down abit once I was out of school. but I am thinking that this past three weeks has more than made up for the month I had off between school and starting work. I barely no what day of the week it is never mind what I am doing tomorrow. but after next week things will be abit more even keel.. no more working full time with class, orientation, new grad seminars and studying for RN exam on my "days off". Then it will go back to just work and online classes =). but its good I am enjoying work and still managing to fit in some walks, and small snatches of friends.. Plus I got to spend all of Friday with Emily.. who still is my favorite niece even if she can say both dogs names, make every animal noise and say everyone elses name in the family EXCEPT MINE!!!

(us in a bobsled in whistler... not so sure what happened to the bobsled.. but nice view of the store =:)

Also had some quality time with crazy nursing friends studying for our RN exam. That exam by the way.. I am not so sure that passing it would qualify you to be any type of effective nurse unless however you were designing school playgrounds or specializing in therapeutic communication

Days of Grace 5:365

1) Awesome Splurge Night

2)Adriana still doing alright - pray though, she is still in hospital b.c of high BP

3)the flu was only the 24h variety

4)new phone that also keeps my life in order

Sunday Photo

Days of Grace 4:365

1) At least one dog that respects all yard boundaries .. don't even get me started on the other
2) The discovery of vanilla ribois tea at Starbucks.. 300cents and calories less than a mocha!!
3)Lunch with Adriana
4)An amazing mark on my ECG class

Days of Grace 3:365

1)Sunshine while I
2) had a walk by the river
3)Fresh blueberry muffins
4)A baby shower for a very special friend

New Experiances

Well I have officially finished my second week of work in the ARH ER and am so glad I chose to continue working there. It is alot different than what I had been doing for the past four months, which was working with an LPN caring for, planning and coordinating care for team of 7 post surgical patients. I have worked most of the days in Fast Track which is an area for fairly minor patients ie broken bones, fingers cut with saws etc ( it really amazes me how many guys mistake their fingers for wood!!!) it is a nice area to work, but can get fairly busy but is kinda a fun busy.. starting IV's for antibiotics, cleaning up nasty cuts, and conscious sedation's. That is something that is a weird feeling. I push about 1 1/2 teaspoons of milky looking stuff through an IV and the patient goes from talking to me to snoring in about 5-10seconds and then 10minutes later is wide awake with a cast on their arm or whatever the doc did. Also worked a day in RAZ- rapid assessment zone which is basically where anyone else who needs more interventions but not a cardiac monitor comes. This is basically organized choas as three nurses manage the rapid cycle of patients coming in with mostly abdo pain but also other issues. Fun but defiantly an area were you need to consciously stop and mentally organize everyone on fairly frequent basis. And then you get the things that you thought you would only see on TV. Very sad because it was a young life snuffed out in a very tragic way but also very interesting. today I saw a HEART. We had a patient come in with massive trauma to their chest and in effort to relieve pressure caused by bleeding around the heart they had to cut in. All of which happened while I was on coffee.. it is amazing what can happen in fifteen minutes. Overall though i am enjoying work immensely and it is very nice to be doing something I enjoy so much.

Days of Grace 2:365
1) No rain on any of my commutes this week
2)Sylvia, my awsome mentor
3)Peppermint Tea
4)Weekends off

Sunday Photo

Cheam Wetlands

Grace in Small Things

The devastation in Haiti also touched home here, in thinking of so much that we have and never take the time to be truely thankful for. All of our life is a gift and we really have no direction over the future. So to it is so important to stop and be thankful each day for what we are so blessed with. I stole this idea from my friend Gill's blog. 365 days of Grace. Just stopping to be thankful for simple things in life. No promises that I will post each day, but I will try to include 4 with every post.



Days of Grace 1:365

1) Drinking Tea with my mother
2) A dry roof over my head
3) Hot water bottles
4) Pet store field trips with Emily

Haiti

This week the world sat back in awe and horror as we saw the images of those so impacted by the earthquake in Haiti. The images so horrific, so surreal that we can not imagine what these souls are living through. The fear, the sorrow, the despair that is so apparent in the eyes of the survivors speaks of the hell they are living through. The quake played no favors and gives no grace everyone from the little children on the street to the top of UN officials is and will forever be impacted by it. Though we are far from it we are called to do what we can to aid those suffering both physically and spiritually. I encourage everyone to give to a trustworthy cause aiding those in need because even as we lift the people of Haiti and the aid workers in prayer physical help in the time is also paramount to minimize the immediate disaster. This is a dark time but also one that many may turn to the Lord. " God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble., Therefore we will not fear, Even through the earth be removed.. though the mountains shake.. the Lord of hosts is with us".
Check out the blog of Jason and Wil Krul, missionaries I know with MAF serving in Haiti.

Saturday

While today I am a puppy visiting, niece babysitting cookie making enjoying the sunshine kinda girl. What I am mostly enjoying is not spending 2 1/2 + hours in my car. I am REALLY enjoying the ECG course which is abit strange for me because usually i am not so fond on things so tiny I can't see them (such as cells, and their electrical impulses), but this class is fantastic and really practical. What I am not liking so much is the commute... my knees hurt this morning from doing so much stop/go traffic.. but such is life and it is only five days this month. But life is good Canuck and Adriana time this evening and then tomorrow one of my favorite pastors.. Dr. Murrey is preaching twice. He is such an amazing speaker with such Godly Practical Preaching. (helps that he has a killer accent)!!!

wow, I feel like have sat behind the computer endlessly for the past two days.. my butt even hurts!! but I think I have this course figured out and my assignments for the next two weeks complete + alot of other stuff I didn't really need to do (welcome back to school =;) !!.. so today it is off to gramgrams for a riding lesson and then some Corina time (yipee). Classes actually starts tomorrow and then hopefully work soon before I get used to this life of leisure

While the last post was what I did on new Years, I am not entirely sure what I will be doing in the New Year.!! It is a year which is open and full of new possibilities. It is a bit scary for me to be out of my little school comfort zone but also ++ exciting as I think about all the adventure out there. In some way I am more free but also more restricted.. no more four months off filled with casual schedule now I have a schedule and have to ask for days off a year in advance!!! but I am sure it will all work out. I also as of today, am the newest new grad in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Specialty Course through BCIT. Besides 5 days of classroom focusing on distrythmia interpretation starting later this week the first three months of the program is online and done on my days off. Then I have three months of full time classroom/clinical. I am thankful for this opportunity ( did not expect to do it right after grad) I also slightly anxious in regards to the amount of information to be process, and processed rather quickly and be available for recall!!! so defiantly covet your prayers in this!!! On the flip side I am used to working full time and doing school on top so that at least won't be a shocker. Besides this I have no idea what the Lord had in store for me in this coming year and am just taking it a day at a time. I defninatly need to be more disicplined in daily devotions.. so don't hesitate to keep me accountable!!! Also hope to fit in alot more hiking than last summer (fingers crossed no ankle injuries this year!!), kayaking with rosie, and SAILING!!!. also I do hope to tick a few things off of my 100 things to do in life list, hopefully more than this but at least
69) Attend the Oylmpics
86) Rock Climb
96) Climb Mt Cheam

and try to keep my car clean.. poor clarice puts up with alot!!

New Year

Happy New Year Everyone. I hope that every one had a great Christmas/New Years with family and friends. I was so privileged to spend New years up in Whistler with an amazing group of Friends from school as we had one last bonding time before we scatter into the wind. We had awesome weather, did lots of village perusing, and hanging out, tubeing, and Starbucks drinking.. I introduced the Batista's of whistler to the gingerbread mocha.. took alot of convincing " Yes, i did just order that, no i do not want a latte, no its not too sweet, no you don't need to talk to four other Batista's to see if you can make it".. truly I am not sure why the concept is foriegn.. you put chocolate on gingerbread houses don't you??... not straight coffee beans... anyway 2 out of the 3 were delicious.. not to sure what they did to the other one. Rosie and I also got in some sweet snowshoeing in the midst of ++ falling snow so it was very gorgeous and not very busy at all!!

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy Psalm 126:3