My apologies

Hey y'all,

I think that this has been the longest break between posts since I started as a nurse over a year ago. So very sorry. I am not even close to being out of things to talk about, but life keeps moving and prioritizing can push blogging back for a while.

Updates:

Life is good! Like.....really good. My job is really incredible. I am off orientation/training and am on my own again. I can't deny that I appreciate someone being there to have my back, but I am ready and excited. I am loving it. Because I work on an oncology floor, there are patients who come back again and again for chemo treatments or with complications or to manage their pain. I can look on the unit census list everyday and recognize some names from patients I had a week ago or a couple of months ago. The other day, a patient's mom stopped me in the hall and gave me a big hug. When I have a few minutes, I usually go and visit the patients that I know. It's like visiting old friends and I've only been there 3 months. A nurse/patient relationship is a real, deep, and amazing concept. I get to know these people when they are at their lowest points and develop trust and love nearly immediately. When I see them, it's like seeing a friend after a long time, and I can see how they are doing and either be encouraged or saddened by their progress. When they see me, I always hope that they feel safe and loved no matter what. It's great. And heartbreaking. But this is what I wanted from my job. I wanted the relationships. Believe me, I still have to use critical thinking skills and know how to perform a lot of tasks, but for me it has always been about the relationships.

Grad school is really, really busy. If I solely concentrated on work and school, I'd be fine. However, I am a little overly ambitious and want to maintain my social life. Thus, I am very busy. I'm really enjoying my theory class (which is surprising if you know me well) and have learned a lot. I actually like the work I'm doing, I just don't like doing it on their timetable.

I collect hobbies. I get bored and pick up something new. Yesterday, I decided I would learn how to code on the computer. There are free websites and so far, I've designed a website although I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. We'll see if this hobby lasts. And I'm still trying to learn bass.

I am officially moved out of my apartment and back with my parents. During this time, I will be saving money, paying off loans, and spending time with the people I love the most. It's great to come home from work and be excited to see who is there. It also makes working the evening shift easier cause I can see people every day even though I'm gone most evenings. Plus, if I'm saving money, maybe the next step for me is buying a house. Who knows?

Lately, I've been going through a book called "The Green Letters" with a friend. It's a book about spiritual principles, and it's been really good for me. One thing that I learned this last week was that God is working from and to eternity. He isn't working on my timetable. My spiritual growth will take place over the course of my life, and He is still working even when I don't 'feel' it. All I can do it seek after God in my daily life and let Him do the rest. This was really good for me to read because sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough and I get stuck. This chapter helped me realize that my spiritual growth isn't up to me and that's alright.

Ok. I promise I'll blog again soon.

See ya!

-C-