Night Shift...

...And other ramblings to keep myself awake.

So, I'm working night shift tonight and tomorrow night. I decided to pick up some shifts so that I wouldn't eat away at ALL of my PTO and they asked if I would do nights so I thought I would try it. I don't sleep that well anyway so why not just stay up and get paid for it! Usually I have no problem taking naps, but today when I actually tried to take a nap, I just hung out in bed staring up at the ceiling... Perfect! So we'll just see how this night goes. Let's play a game called "see how much coffee I can drink..."

By 11 I had charted on all my patients, given medications, and tucked everyone in for the night. So now I sit and wait. Oh yeah I also finished the rest of my chexweb, started on 2 discharges for patients that will probably go home tomorrow, caught up on blogs, and creeped on pinterest. Productive night. Halfway done!

Here's what's left on the to do list for tonight: work on a talent for the Thanksgiving talent show, send some emails, make a packing list for the weekend at the farm, and probably run some stairs.

In other news, today is our 6 month anniversary- kinda. Do you count your anniversary from your first date? Or from the day you started dating? Or when you made things "official"? Too many technicalities. But today is the 6 month anniversary of our first date. So fittingly, we are both working. At different hospitals. Because that makes it more fun... I'll pretend like we kind of, unofficially celebrated this weekend by doing absolutely nothing. We laid around and watched movies and did a whole lot of nothing. And it was perfect! I just love being with him. His epithet would be wonderful! Okay I'll stop being sappy now.

I am uber excited about Thanksgiving! For about 101 different reasons. Family. Food. Fun. The farm. Alliterations. :) Relaxation. I could go on and on. I can't wait!

Okay, the coffee has kicked in and I'm bouncing off the walls. Time to go run some laps. I'll post more later. Possibly tonight...

November 9

It's November 9. It seems so surreal. One year ago today, I decided to stop dating. More than that, I made a conscious decision to let go of an idol, to relinquish control, to fall back in love with God and to trust Him with my life and my future. I had just started going through a series that Andy Stanley did on the New Rules of Love, Sex and Dating with some women and God was definitely whispering to me. At this point, three of the girls in the group had committed to a one year dating challenge and I scoffed at the idea of not dating. I liked dating. I was good at dating. Why would I stop? But God continued to speak to me. And it seems like it was just yesterday, I was riding in the car with Eryka and we found out about yet another couple to get engaged. Honestly, I was pissed. And that's when the light came on. I realized how much I depended on a relationship, how much I wanted someone there, and how freaked out I was to commit- to anyone. I knew that something had to change.

So I prayed, through the tears, and decided to take myself out of the dating scene for 6 months. As hard as it was, looking back I can say with confidence that it was one of the best things I could have done. I learned so much about myself (sometimes more than I wanted to know), grew closer to God, and reconnected with friends. It was wonderful! And in the blink of an eye, it was over (the 6 months, not the growth).

On May 9, I celebrated with friends the end of the six months. I recognized patterns in the past and was excited about what the future would hold- no matter what it would be. It's crazy to think about how much has changed in a year. I can't even put into words what all I learned. I sometimes wonder what life would look like now if I hadn't taken this break and I shudder. It would have been more of the same. Masked smiles that covered the pain. Shallow friendships. Fake, empty relationships. And now the load is lighter. The mask is off (most of the time). The friendships are deeper. No, things are not perfect, but they're real!

Election

This is not a "this is who I voted for and why they should win" post. At. All. But yesterday, there was an election and I feel as though I should write about it (or at least steal what someone else wrote about it)

I met Lauren a few years ago when we worked at kamp together. And she is passionate about the presidents. She is also hilarious. Before I share her thoughts on the election, read about her President's Day celebration last year. Or if you don't want to read, just watch this video she made of all the presidents wearing polo.

Now that you understand her love for all things presidential, here is her take on the election:

"And here we are again!

"I woke up this morning feeling mostly the same as I felt yesterday. Meaning, regular. Just regular.

"Save one thing--there are a lot more people/things going to Hell today than yesterday. 

"According to my Facebook and Twitter feeds these people/things are headed straight there: the state of Florida (I'm guessing most of Miami-Dade County), the state of Ohio, the entire country, Barack Obama, the newly-elected lesbian Senator from Wisconsin (that's a hefty title to carry around--even in Hell!), anyone who lives in Florida and voted for Gary Johnson and of course, everyone in Maryland who voted FOR same-sex marriage AND FOR extending in-state tuition to undocumented students (no word on Hell for those who only voted for the tuition measure).

"(Some people would argue that Ohio is already its own version of Hell, so there's that and growing up gay in Wisconsin was probably difficult, so there's that, too.)

"You know what's interesting? Even if we sent the entire state of Ohio to Hell, Mitt Romney would still not be President. Ain't that a swift kick in the pants? (I am of course referring to Ohio's 18 electoral votes and taking them away.)
-----
"I'm all for passion. I'm for people being interested in their government. But, it seems as though America's greatest qualities are also becoming America's greatest downfalls. Those being our freedoms of speech and religion and everything else that falls under those categories.

"These Facebook and Twitter statuses are some of the most absurd things I've ever read. And, people, I've read the entire internetS three times in my life! So, I've read a lot of stuff.

"The worst ones are the people who post Bible verses and then say, "AMERICA IS RUINED!" Reminds me of the time Jesus saw those people selling shit in the temple and he got really angry and spewed hate. Oh, wait. No, that didn't happen. He drove out the people selling stuff, healed some people, hung out with some kids and then left.

"A lot of people are convinced that this great nation of ours was founded on Christian principles and values. That's not entirely true or false. Take Thomas Jefferson for example: the guy was a diest. He wrote his own version of the Bible. He liked Jesus and believed in some version of the God I believe in, but he wasn't an Evangelical. He wouldn't even be electable today because people are so fanatical.

"Some of the statuses remind me of that gaggle of people that got on a boat and sailed across the Atlantic to escape religious persecution. And you know what they did not long after their arrival here? They started persecution others for their different (or seemingly different) religious views. It was called the Salem Witch Trials, look it up.

"Listen, (listen, listen,) I love the Lord. I'm not ashamed or scared to write that (SHOUT OUT! First Amendment ), but I am ashamed to be associated with people claiming to love the Lord one moment and then spew hate in the next. Barack Obama is not the anti-Christ. He's a guy with a weak record and a strong rhetoric. (Can we take a moment to examine Jimmy Carter? Talk about a great man who loved the Lord! And what a terrible shitty President he was, too!) (Also, if you look up Mormonism, most Christians don't really agree with it, kind of the same way they don't agree with Islam.)

"Grace came down, people! Use it, give it out freely! Love somebody!

"My other favorite statuses are the people who are moving to another country to get away from this "ruined" America. Mostly, I've seen Canada and England. Oops! Fact check: they've got that healthcare system you've been berating for 2 years.
-----
"America, this country is not ruined. It's just not.
I believe that with my whole heart.

" All that to say: just calm the hell down. Go to Target, buy some American-made products, drive a car built in Detroit, drink a PBR, vacay in Gulf Shores, volunteer somewhere, give some of your money away, support a public school in your town, play some baseball and eat a piece of apple pie. Then, educate yourself on some policies you are passionate about and work for them and not against something else.

"Also, just calm the hell down."

And that, my friends is the election according to LC. Feel free to read some more, just because she's that funny...

Blah!

Yep. That's how I've been feeling today. I don't know why. I just can't put my finger on it. So I've been blaming it on the weather. When all else fails, blame the weather. That's my philosophy. That and the fact that I hate cold weather with a passion. And I don't like cold weather clothes either. Everyone talks about how they love wearing sweaters and boots and blah, blah, blah. Give me a sundress and heels any day. But this was not supposed to be a rant about winter.

Things have just been off. I think yesterday shook me. I was so sure. I am so sure. But I don't want something to happen just because I want it to. I go from feeling like "what do I do now?" to feeling like "this is supposed to happen so what does that mean in this situation?" So most of my day has been spent curled up in sweats with a cup of coffee (Yes, I've had a pretty steady flow of coffee all day. Yes, I should probably invest in some decaf. And yes, I am well aware that I will never fall asleep tonight.)

This is my favorite chair. When I saw it at the store I knew I had to get it. It's like it was made for me. It's the perfect chair to curl up in with a good book and read. It's also the perfect chair for a nap. Not that that has happened today due to the steady intake of caffeine.

Anyway, the original point of this post... The Happy Day Project! Today's assignment is to write a letter-a real letter. Not an email or a text, but a real letter that you send in the mail. I'll post later about mine, but I love mail so if you're participating feel free to send me a letter!

In other news, other people that read blogs (Sara and Sally) did it seem like every other person was talking about being tired of being pregnant (Katie and MODG). Why is it that so many of the bloggers I read are nearing the end of their pregnancy/just had a baby??

Give Thanks

Last year, I did my "thankful" post on Thanksgiving so this time I am trying to expand it and spend the month focusing on all the things for which I'm thankful.(yes, I did end that sentence in a preposition and then go back and correct it.)

So, I'm kicking that off with The Happy Day Project 2012, 5 days of random acts of kindness, organized by Jeanett of Life Rearranged. She is amazing! I'll write more about that in an upcoming post on a few of my favorite blogs, but she is definitely in my top 10 3. Anyway, each day next week there is a task to complete to bless someone else. Check out the link and join in! In the words of Jeanett, spread happy!



Now since it's technically the first week of November, this week I am so thankful for my parents. My mom is hilarious. After asking me a serious question the other day, she started laughing and said, "I don't care. That just sounded like something a mom is supposed to ask." My dad is safely home from China and has started working again during the holiday season. He also drove up to Jackson yesterday to surprise my mom. I love that my parents are still so in love!

More thanks to come. What are you thankful for?