packing

well we're closing on our house monday and have tons of packing to do.  so if i don't post for a few days, you know why!  packing really stinks, but hopefully this will be the last time for a while!  wish me luck!

work

sometimes going to work makes me sad ...

we have a 5-week old infant with scids on the floor right now needing a transplant.  she has no parents with her.

i took care of a 4-month old baby who just had his transplant after a visit to the PICU and a near brush with death.  he is a sick little boy.

i've been taking care of a 3-year-old from puerto rico for the past month.  an adorable boy who teaches me spanish words.  a boy whom i love and is on his second bone marrow transplant.  

there is an 18-year-old star football player who had a completely successful transplant more than 6 months ago, but has toxo of the brain/spinal cord and is living like a person in a nursing home.  total care.  yesterday they helped him sit up in bed and all the nurses/doctors came and cheered b/c it was a big deal.

a 16-year-old beautiful girl who is alone getting her transplant.  no family.

kids with nausea, vomiting, and pain.  every single day.  it's hard, but i can't let myself dwell on these things.  things no kid should ever have to go through.  they should be out running and playing.  if i did, i'd be crying my eyes out 3 days a week.  instead i do try to concentrate on the little good things.  

things like 100% engraftment, being able to sit up in bed independently, walking and riding little scooters up in down the hallway with their little bald heads and masks.  seeing kids start eating again, playing, going home.  parents trusting me with their kids.  those kids smiling and laughing.  kids playing games and singing silly songs with me.  kids telling me that i'm good at taking the dressing off their central line when i change it because i don't make the tape hurt.  kids telling me they hope i'm their nurse tomorrow.  making a baby laugh and smile through the mask i'm wearing.  that is why i do it.  these are the things that make me love my job and know i am making a difference.

yum

here are 2 things we've discovered during the daniel fast that we love.  although i am, and will always be, a Jiff girl, i really do like smuckers brand natural peanut butter with no added sugar.  it's really good on rice cakes and celery.  i also love hummus with some pita chips.  holy cow, i could eat that all day.  

as a side note, i noticed i've been blogging a lot about food recently.  with the daniel fast, it's a big part of our life right now, ha ha.  sorry :)

10

5 restaurants and 5 things i want when the fast is over - 

• bravo
• chipotle 
• cheesecake factory
• b dubbs
• panera 
• mac n cheese
• chocolate chip cookies
• sharp cheddar cheese
• coffee and diet coke
• pie (key lime, cherry, any kind)

my days lately

it has been a great 4 relaxing days off.  

• thursday - slept in, eye doctor appt., read an entire book in 1 day
• friday - slept in, errands and lunch date w/ b, girl's night w/ susan and ginger
• saturday - slept in, read/relax/cook at home
• sunday - church, read/relax/cook/pack at home
• monday - walk through and home inspection at our new house, relax/cook/pack at home

we're so excited about our new house.  closing is 1 week from today.  it's a great house that we absolutely love.  walking through today together was so much fun.  dreaming of making it our home and one day having a family.  we'll post pictures once move in day is here, but for now below is a photo of the front.  isn't it beautiful?!  sorry, we're a little excited :)

i do like snow and all, but i wish there could be snow without the frigid temps.  the past few days have warmed up to the 20s ... ha.  there has been snow on the ground for the past 2 weeks now, and it has actually snowed 6 out of the last 7 days.  i think it is really funny and ironic that the newscasters are saying, "these are some of the coldest temps we've seen in years ... ".  our first winter here; go figure.

my throat is starting to hurt.  i think it's the cold weather, but hopefully i can kick it.  i've been drinking lots of hot tea, eating soup, taking vitamins, etc.  ahhh. 

the daniel fast is going okay.  we're almost halfway done.  this is one of the toughest things i've ever done honestly.  it's hard because it takes a lot of planning.  it consists of mostly soups, rice, pasta w/ tomato-based sauce.  salad and fruit too.  it gets kind of boring, especially with dinner.  i made some tortilla soup tonight.  it was okay; probably won't make it again.  i am craving some sharp cheddar cheese SO bad.  

back to work tomorrow night.  i'm kind of excited about going back to night shift for a couple of weeks.  things are slower and a little more peaceful :)

happy monday!

excited

my dad sent me some books in the mail this week.  i am so excited to start this one ...

daniel fast - day 6

tonight i made a really good recipe - vegetarian chili.  i would eat this even if i didn't have to.  we loved it and have lots left over for later in the week.  here's the recipe.

-2 medium size green peppers; chopped (i only used 1)

-1 medium size onion; chopped

-1 zucchini; sliced (i didn't have one of these)

-1 yellow squash; sliced (i didn't have one of these either)

-2 T olive oil

-2 T chili powder

-3/4 t salt

-1/4 t ground/crushed red pepper

-2 C corn kernels  (fresh or frozen)

-2 cans tomatoes

-2 cans pinto beans or chili beans

-2 cans black beans

-4 oz. green chilies

-4 oz. tomato paste

Chop and saute green peppers and onion in olive oil.  Add squash, chili powder, salt, red pepper, and corn.  When all the vegetables are soft, but firm, add tomatoes, all the beans, green chilies, and tomato paste.  Stir until just blended.  Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes or so; stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Yields: 6 generous servings.

right now ...

:(

bitter cold and the daniel fast

yes you are seeing that correctly.  -1.  NEGATIVE ONE DEGREES.  good grief.  there has been snow all over the ground for several days, and i'm sure our heating bill will be crazy.  i'm just glad i don't have to work tomorrow.  at 6 am (when i leave the house to go to work) it's going to be -4.  it's a little too cold for my enjoyment.  i'm sure brian is not envying me at all (he hates cold), but maybe cathy is :)

today is day 4 of our daniel fast, and i'm not going to lie, it's not the easiest thing we've ever done.  when you cut out meat/dairy/sugar/additives/animal products it's hard to plan meals.  not to mention no caffeine = headaches and cranky people in the mornings.  aside from all that, it hasn't been all bad.  we've been eating really healthy and organic and drinking lots of water.  i have no doubt God is going to show us and teach us things during these 21 days.

my eyes have been killing me for the past couple of days.  they have been red, painful, sensitive to light and dry.  i tried to make due, but this morning i couldn't turn on a single light or even open my left eye one bit until almost noon.  brandon drove me to the eye doctor (can't drive in the light) who fit me in for a "medical emergency".  apparently i have a virus in my eye which has caused small corneal abrasions (little cuts/wounds) on the surface of my eye.  i have to throw away all my eye make-up, contacts, contact cases, solution, and wear my glasses for 3 weeks.  with the antibiotic/healing eye drops she gave me, i'm hoping i feel better and can un-squint my eyes here pretty soon.

the good thing is i have 5 whole days off.  i plan to read a lot, maybe pack a little, rest, sleep in every day i can, and thoroughly enjoy it.  hey, when you're young and have no kids you gotta take advantage of the time you have to do nothing :)

daniel fast - day 1

since i worked today, i didn't have much time to prepare meals.  you would be amazed at all the things you'd think you could eat, only to find out they are filled with preservatives or additives or sugar.  so here's what i did today.

• breakfast - simply orange orange juice and some tasteless, no sugar, organic cereal with soy milk.
• lunch - soy yogurt, blueberries, all natural apple sauce, and bare naked granola.
• dinner - whole grain organic angle hair pasta with newman's own all-natural spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, peppers, and onions.  i added chunks of tomatoes, oregano, basil, and tomato paste.  it was hard to find spaghetti sauce with no added sugar!  it turned out great.

tomorrow i've planned a little better for lunch.  i'm making a wrap from ezekiel bread, hummus, and lots of veggies and soy yogurt and fruit on the side.  and lots of water of course!  

sooo ...

i am still here and alive :)  sorry - i'm going to try to do better at this blogging thing.  don't lose faith in me just yet!  it seems a lot has happened lately.  some updates as of late ...

• i'm officially on my own now at work.  since starting there, i've been with a preceptor.  this past week they let me out early (i was with her for 12 weeks, most people do 20).  i guess that's a compliment :)  it's fun being by myself again, and my unit is great about helping each other.  you can have the most crazy-busy day, but having people to willingly offer help makes it bearable.
• i've had the most adorable 10-year-old boy for the past two weeks.  he has become my little buddy.  he got his transplant on friday from his 6-year-old sister.  it was sweet watching them together.  i had another kid, a 2-year-old from puerto-rico who just had his second transplant.  he is adorable too, and when he watches scooby doo in spanish, he starts yelling, "es perro!  es perro!".  so cute.
• i also had an 18-year-old boy last week who slept until almost 5 in the evening.  reason - up playing x-box live until 6 am.  ha ha, i have a husband who also has x-box live.  i understood this all too well.
• it was a great past week for t.v.  all the shows finally came back on!  grey's anatomy, private practice, the bachelor (sorry, i know, but jason is back!), jon and kate +8, and the best by far, biggest loser!  needless to say, i sure was happy for my dvr this week.
• it's been good to be at church lately.  paul has started a new series on nehemiah, and it looks like it's going to be great.  we also kicked off a church-wide fast, either water only, fruits/veggies/water, ect.  
• the fast technically started today, but b and i weren't positive of what God wanted us to do until today.  elevation church's daniel fast kept coming to mind this past week, but i knew it would be hard to do alone.  i never mentioned it to brandon, but today he mentioned it to me.  we decided to do it, starting tomorrow.  we went to the grocery store tonight together and shopped for it.  i wish healthy food wasn't so expensive.  dang.  the basics are as follows: no meat, no animal products, no sugar, no caffeine, and no additives.  i'll be sure to blog more about how it goes throughout the next 21 days (the length of the fast).
• b and i went to see jim carey's movie yes man this afternoon.  it was pretty good, and of course, very funny.  i laughed out loud several times.
• the most exciting thing in our lives right now is the fact that we just bought a house in the past month!  we're closing on the 23rd, and are super excited.  more to come as we get closer, but it is a brand new, dang amazing house.  we got a deal and are pumped!
• back to work at children's for the next 3 days in a row.  probably tiring, but i'm looking forward to 4 days off in a row afterwards.

hope you all are having a wonderful start to your week!

tyler did not let me down

i got this great new book from brandon's dad jeff for christmas.  tonight i made his ultimate greek salad.  it was amazing.  i had 2 bowls and b had 3.  i can't wait to try another recipe.  thanks for the book jeff!  brandon and i both are enjoying it :)

2 of the best

even though christmas has past, i wanted to share 2 of the best gifts i got from my grandparents.  

the first was a tin full of oma's white pecan cookies she and opa sent with my parents all the way from north carolina.  oma makes them every year, and they are my absolute favorite.  it wouldn't be the same without them.  oma, i ate every one of them by myself!  they were so good!

the second was a coffee mug from brummy and popi.  it was a mug my dad made for them when he was in college in ceramics class in the early 1980's way before i was even born.  i think it looks more like the '70s with the groovy flowers and the word love.  it's awesome :)

nursing notes

you know you've worked 3 12-hr shifts in a row and been at the hospital way too long if ...

• you're eating a frozen pizza for dinner at 9 pm 2 nights in a row.  and the other night you ate a hot pocket.
• you have no clue what the weather is going to be like, what news is happening anywhere, or who won or who played what football game over new years.
• you completely sleep through new years, and you don't care one bit.  sleep is much more enjoyable.
• you get home and can't even remember the drive to your house from the hospital.
• you only tell time in military time.  it's 1500, not 3 pm.
• you see germs everywhere.
• you hear syringe pumps, iv pumps, and cardiac monitors going off in your house and in your sleep.  seriously, this one is so true.
• you knock on your owns doors at home before entering a room.
• no laundry gets done and no groceries are bought.
• you're constantly worried about forgetting something.
• you see nothing awkward or embarrassing about asking people if they have had a bowel movement today, and if so, how much and what it looked like.
• your hands are very dry from washing them so much and putting on gloves all day.
• you find humor in things most people don't.  i'll leave it at that...:)
• you get to the end of the shift and realize you forgot to pee which probably has a lot to do with the fact that you forgot to drink any fluids all day except for the black coffee at 6 am on the way to work.
• when you do remember to pee, you are mentally calculating how many milliliters of output you have. 

oh the glamourous lives of nurses ... =)