A different kind of nurse

I started this journey twenty years ago, when at the age of eighteen I walked through the halls of The Christ Hospital School of Nursing and signed up to learn the art of being a nurse.  Two years later, cap and diploma in hand, I graduated and entered the world of critical care nursing.

I have worked in five different ICU's, labor and delivery, floated throughout the hospital and worked on just about every unit there was (except the operating room and the nursery).  For the past three years, I have been the nursing supervisor over the entire hospital, walking those halls night and day, ensuring the safety of the staff and the patients within those many walls.

And now the time has come for a change.  My kids are grown.  I'm tired of working night shifts, and spending weekends and holidays away from my family.  I'm tired of the politics I see each and every day.  I'm tired of being caught in the middle, trying to do what's right but being told not to in the name of the budget.

A new opportunity has come my way.  The chance to work with patients again in a case-management setting, via telephone, from the comfort of my own home.  Yes, I will be working forty hours a week, which I haven't done in ages.  But I will be at home!  Traffic jams, bad weather, wardrobe malfunctions...they won't affect me.

I have five more shifts left at the hospital.  It is bittersweet.  I will miss the friends I have made there over the years, especially the many people I have met as a supervisor.  I will not, however, miss the ever-increasing stress of the job.

The best thing about nursing is the opportunity to do so many different things with your degree.  There is no reason to get burnt out...get out and move on.  That's what I'm doing...and I can't wait!

Sixteen years and counting

October is a great month in so many ways.  The cooler temperatures, the gorgeous colors, the ability to wear boots with every outfit...

We have lots of reasons to love October this year.  Our 16th wedding anniversary, our family cruise vacation coming up, my last-year-in-my-thirties-birthday, a booming photography business with lots of photo shoots scheduled during the month.  I am loving October of 2012 so far, and we're only four days in!

Joe and I kicked off our celebrations with a day trip to Caesar Creek State Park, hiking and taking pictures and being silly together.  I love that we can still have so much fun, probably even more fun than we had while dating.  We are so comfortable with each other; even when we get on each other's nerves, we know that we are in this for the long haul and we learn to just get over it.  As his beard gets grayer, and my hair requires more frequent coloring to hide my own grays, I hope that we have even better days ahead.

Happy anniversary, honey.  I love you like crazy, even when you leave your dirty laundry on the floor :)

Summer 2012 (Walking off the pounds)

It started with a prompt on Facebook.  A group called "Get into your jeans regardless of your genes".  Led by a friend and joined by other friends, I checked in every day and followed the "rules".

Drink lots of water.  Eat lots of protein.  Eat less sugar/carbs.  Eat every three hours.  Move.  Do different exercises.  Measure.  Weigh.  Support each other.  Succeed!

August 1st was the first day.  I had a goal of 15 pounds to lose (the weight I gained while back in college).

Kay joined me.  We modified our eating habits (never once calling it a diet...I hate that word.)  We walked at least three miles a day, five or more days a week.  At least three days a week, I lifted weights and walked an  additional three miles on my own.

As of today, we have both lost weight and inches.  We are energetic and happy.  We are having fun, feeling great and looking better than we have in years.  I have three pounds left to lose to meet my goal, and I hope to even beat that goal in time for our family vacation in October.

From now on, the summer of 2012 will be remembered as the summer of weight loss, Kay-and-Heather-style!

Hurry up, Autumn!

Officially, the calendar still says "summer".

The weather outside screams "hot and humid".

The flowers in my pots are tired and spent, ready to trade places with mums from my favorite local nursery (I prefer the rust and maroon...what about you?).

I had the house to myself yesterday.  I couldn't wait one more day...I headed downstairs, braved the spiders in the storage room, and got out the containers brimming full of fall decor.

I scattered pumpkins and leaves and spiced candles all around, from the entryway to the kitchen, the living room to the guest bath.  I got out my favorite fragrances from Bath and Body Works:

And I got recipes for turkey-pumpkin chili from a friend:

As long as I don't step foot outside into the sweltering heat, I can convince myself that fall is here!

When do you decorate for fall?  Is it still hot where you live?  And have you ever tried pumpkin chili?

Almost End of Summer Pool Bash

Trying to coordinate the schedules of three busy sisters AND their children is a near impossible task.

Somehow we managed to pull it off and even had a gorgeous day to go along with it.  Rhonda and I carpooled to Michelle's backyard paradise on the west side of town, kids and suits in tow.

We ate LaRosa's pizza, drank gallons of water and lemonade, and laughed (or screamed if your name is Gabe) the afternoon away.

Our only question at the end of the day?  Why on earth didn't we do this more often?!

Getting all five kids in the picture at once while in the pool proved darn near impossible.  This was the best attempt.

"Take a picture of me being crazy, Mom!"...um, that's all the time, Gabe.

Our girls...oh, my.

Artistic attempt :)

Love the age of missing teeth!

Love these sisters of mine.  Seriously blessed.

Now it's back to school, back to work, back to the daily grind.  And although we are all about 45 minutes away from each other, we know we will see each other again soon (as in, Saturday for Gabe's birthday!).  Can't wait!

Seasons

Just like seasons, some friendships come and go.  There are a select few that stick around for the long haul, and then there are acquaintances who fade out as time moves on.  Sometimes it's sad; other times you barely notice from under the piles of your hectic life.   The trick is weeding through those superficial friendships and finding the ones that are worth nurturing, the ones that will nurture right back.

Isabel and Elijah both have many friends, in different groups (school, sports, neighbors).  I love that they can hang out and have fun with such a variety of personalities, no matter where they are.  Gabe is still at the age where he has one best friend (a neighbor), but many other friends at school.

As a busy wife/mom/nurse, I have friends in many places, too.  Co-workers, neighbors, parents of my kids' friends, family.  My sisters and my mother-in-law are the ones I talk to on an almost daily basis; they are the ones who nurture me as much as I nurture them.

How do you balance friendships and acquaintances?  Do you still have childhood friends in your life now?  Could you be best friends with your mother-in-law?

Blur

This time last summer, I was knee-deep in work and school and clinicals and trying to muddle my way through papers and care plans, praying that I would make it to the other side, with my Bachelor's degree and my sanity intact.

I did.  I made it.  And I'm standing here on the other side, wondering how on earth I managed it.

This summer is halfway over, and it has gone by in a blur.  But instead of papers and exams, it has been full of hiking trips, Kings Island days, pools and sun and trips to the library.  Time with my friends, my husband, my sisters and most importantly, my kids.  And though those 2 1/2 years were hard, they did have a way of making me appreciate this time even more.

What have you been up to this summer?  Has the time flown, or been dragging on?  And are you ready for back to school yet?