watch this

tonight brandon, mom, dad, andrew, gini and i watched this movie.  if you have not seen it i suggest you do.  great debaters = great movie.

a good day in NC

last night was so much fun.  we had dinner at my oma and opa's and then just hung out laughing, talking, and playing games.  it was a great night.

brandon and i slept in today until...11:00!  i don't know if he's ever slept that late, but we must have been really tired.  it was nice.  mom make homemade pancakes with maple syrup and some fresh orange juice and really good coffee.  so yummy!  after breakfast, i went riding motorcycles with my brother andrew.  it was so much fun!  we had to cut the ride a little short, because it started to rain.  rain+curvy mountain roads+motorcycle = not smart to ride :)  it was a ton of fun while it lasted though.

now we're just going to hang out, watch football, maybe do a little shopping, and grill out steaks tonight.  it will be a good day indeed.

here's the plan...

• get off work at 7:30 am
• go home and finish packing
• drop maya off at the boarding place
• hop in the car and sleep for 6 hours while brandon drives to north carolina
• visit my good friend, and soon-to-be mommy, amanda
• thanksgiving dinner with the whole family at my oma and opa's (so excited!)
• spend saturday hanging out with my family and maybe decorating the tree
• drive to south carolina
• spend the day with brandon's family
• church, good food, games, and i'm sure lots of laughs!
• monday morning breakfast with some good friends brittani and james
• drive back to ohio

it's going to be a busy but wonderful 4 days. i cannot wait to get off work and go!! just a few more labs, medications, rocking some babies, and giving report at 7 am stand in my way...common time, fly!

so thankful this thanksgiving

i'm stealing this from cathy :)  i have so much to be thankful for this thanksgiving.

today i'm especially grateful for: my dinner date out with my hubby and a quiet day at home together.

more specifically...

one thing i'm especially grateful to the Lord for is: his patience and that he never changes.  i guess that's two things :)

i'm grateful for brandon's: ability to make me laugh and make me feel safe.  he's a great husband.  this is our second thanksgiving as a married couple.

i'm grateful for my mom's: heart of gold.  i hope to be like her one day.

i'm grateful for my dad's: servant spirit.  he's always willing to help anyone in need and taught my brother and i to do the same.

i'm grateful for my brother andrew's: fierce loyalty to family.  he will always be there for us.

i'm grateful for my grandparent's: example.  they have been married for 40 years and are still so obviously in love with each other.  

i'm grateful for brandon's family's: love and acceptance of me into their family.  i love them all.

i'm grateful for my friends: who are real.  those that still care to call when you live 5 states away.  those lifetime friends.  few and far between, but so sweet.

random things i'm thankful for: my new hair guy sam; hands down best person to ever cut my hair.  pumpkin spice lattes and molasses cookies.  warm fuzzy socks, space heaters, hot showers, and sweat pants.  sunny days.  rainy days.  sleeping in and clean sheets.  college football.  cookbooks.  christmas music.  family traditions.  

why i'm grateful to be an american: freedom.

things i often take for granted: a roof over my head, a car, food, electricity and indoor plumbing (i'm not into "roughing it").  mine, my husband's, and my family's health.  working with kids that have cancer makes me so thankful for this.  

how i express gratitude: hugs and words of thanks.

one simple thing in life i've enjoyed this week: holiday baking :)

negative situations God revealed into positive ones this year: picking up our lives and moving to ohio.  although not necessarily negative, it was hard.  but we have seen SO many reasons this is where we're supposed to be right now since moving.  He has been so good to us.

what i have seen this week that i'm grateful for: $1.56/gallon gas.  hallelujah!

what i've smelled this week that i'm grateful for: an apple pie and pumpkin bars baking in the oven.

what i've heard this week that i'm grateful for: a family's story at work about how the entire family came to Christ through their son's diagnosis/treatment for cancer.

what i've tasted this week that i'm grateful for: that will come tomorrow, friday, and sunday when we eat thanksgiving dinners with our adoptive family here in ohio (the deyos!), my family in north carolina, and brandon's in south carolina.  can't wait!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

cold!

i am not used to this kind of weather.  after today i have come to the conclusion that i need the following things.

1. a scarf
2. a warm hat of some sort
3. gloves
4. a heavy winter coat
5. to wear socks with all my shoes

a long week

mine and brandon's week has been sort of crazy.

• mon - work for 14 hrs
• tues - dentist appt. then hair appt. and band practice for brandon
• wed - work, brandon leaves for south carolina :(
• thurs - work then cooking class party at farrah's
• fri - work, brandon comes home, then catalyst group at mike and annie's
• sat - sleep in, target with brandon, outlet shopping in dayton with narnia and annie, dinner date with my hubby, and then off to bed as soon as i finish this post.  yes i know it's only 9:12, but we are tired!

how has your week been?

trust your instincts

yesterday at the hospital was interesting.  if i learned one thing it was this - trust your instincts.  i had a 9 month old baby boy who had a transplant 3 weeks ago.  long story short, he's had a rough road and wasn't doing especially well.  i didn't have a good feeling about him just looking at him first thing in the morning.  

first thing in the morning he starts vomiting bright green emesis in fairly large amounts.  bile.  this is scary no matter what, but especially so if it's a very sick baby who can't even roll over by himself.  he could throw up and aspirate into his lungs and stop breathing.  i prop his little body to the side in case it happens again, turn off his tube feeds, clean him up and go tell the doctor.  her reply - hmm um okay well lets just keep his feeds off and see how he does.  this happens at least 4 or 5 more times throughout the day, and i tell her each time.  i'm getting worried, and so is another nurse that i tell about him.  

early afternoon i had to give him 2 units of platelets, because his were too low.  although this is very routine on our floor, platelets have a high chance of causing reactions.  his blood pressure dropped slightly an hour after receiving the platelets.  again, i told the doctor.  she told me to just watch him.  um okay.  so i did.  i too blood pressures over and over, telling her each time they were low.  we gave him one bolus of saline to try and get it back up.  i came up a little bit, but not enough.

at 7pm right before leaving, i notice he doesn't seem to be holding his oxygen levels up very well, even with supplemental O2.  so i listen to his lungs again.  they sound pretty junky.  hmm.  maybe his fluid is moving from his veins to his tissues.  basically making blood flow ineffective.  i check his pressure again.  54/29.  oh crap.  (normal is 120/80!)  this was an official emergency.

long story short, we spent the next hour and a half pushing fluids and O2 and dopamine and trying to stabilize this baby enough to transport him to the PICU.  we did.  i hope he is okay.  funny thing is, that doctor i told all day about this baby was gone when this all happened.  the on call doc for the night was there, and he agreed with myself and the other nurses that this kid should have been moved several hours ago.  again, lesson of the day - trust your instincts. 

good weekend

after working so many days/nights in a row, i have really been looking forward to this weekend since i have all three whole days off.  

• friday - slept in, went to bass pro shop, dicks sporting goods, lunch date to chipotle and starbucks with my hubby, party at mike and annie's.  late night, but tons of fun.
• saturday - slept in, grocery store run (and starbucks!), laundry, baking, reading, resting, chilling out watching football and listening to the rain.  the perfect day in my opinion.
• sunday - church, rest all day, possibly snow we hear...!  who can argue that's not a great day?

i know you all wish your weekend looked like mine ;)

call me punk

one of my patients, a 5-year-old boy with fanconi anemia, told me he no longer wants to be called his given name.  instead from now on he wants to be called punk  :)

how funny and cute is that?  

random weariness

been at work for like 6 days in a row; 3 nights, 3 days.  just lovely.

i'm tired, brain fried, loopy, and excited i'm starting to really get my new job.  it's so hard, but so fun.  i love peds and have lots of good stories to blog about.  when i have time.  i'm working tomorrow and thursday too.

i'm watching the biggest loser that i put on dvr, and can i just say, i can't stand the brown team; they're so mean to other people.

well i'm tired.  up at 5.  going to bed.  happy....um, what day is it?

proud

like her, i am also very proud of my husband.  i love watching the passion he has leading worship.  he is such an awesome musician and i have enjoyed watching him use that talent to serve God at river's crossing.  he is being used for great things in His kingdom.  i love my man.

rest

sorry for the slow blogging.  i don't have too much to say.  i've been trying to rest up and get better before work tonight (7p-7a).  i've been sick for 14 days!  and yes, i did go to the doctor monday and got some antibiotics.  they're starting to kick in.    

it's been beautiful here in ohio for the past few days.  seriously, beautiful!  my plan for the afternoon is to chill out and read a book.  i've got my windows open, and a warm breeze is blowing through my house.  it is oh so nice and relaxing :)

go out and ...

heather wrote about starbucks giving away free coffee tomorrow for those who vote.  if that is what motivates you to go out and vote, well i'm glad.  really, i am.  i think i have better reasons to vote tomorrow though.  it bothers me so much to hear people say they're not going to vote.  people literally died so you can cast your vote.  i may not agree with everything our government says or does, but like heather, i respect and love my country enough to appreciate my freedom and right to head to the polls.  so, regardless of who you're voting for, go vote tomorrow.  it matters.

i'm excited because ...

we get an extra hour of sleep tonight!  i love to sleep :)

turn back your clocks!