My car holds 15 gallons of gas. I filled it up on Sunday. Took 14.6 gallons. oopsies. kind of a close one.
You know that song, "Half of My Heart" by John Mayer. "Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that I can't keep lovin' you, with half of my heart". Interesting how even a John Mayer, who I am assuming doesn't have a relationship with God, realizes you can't love something with just half of your heart. i.e. you can't serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other.
Watched "He's just not that into you", again.. Really, it should be a rule that single women should watch this movie quarterly. That, and there should also be a rule that you can't email a guy at night. seriously. You say things you would never say, its almost as bad as drunk dialing.. never done this, but I can only imagine.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
The Year of the Reunion
Not the year of the dog. Nope. Not the year of the rat. This is the year of the reunion. I've already been to one. and we KNOW what an exciting time that was. Not to mention hot. Next up is the ten year high school reunion.
I could easily spend the next 500 words outlining how much I've changed in 10 years, or how some things in life will always feel like high school. But who wants to read about that? Lets talk about the main issue: I took an unofficial poll and 44 of the 54 "confirmed" coming to the reunion are married or in a serious relationship. (Thank you facebook for facilitating internet stalking.) That's nearly 82%. I don't even have a date, and already 82% are showing up in a committed relationship.
In West Texas, most people get married in early 20's -ish. The rest of the people get married by mid-twenties. To be late 20's (28) and not married always feels like a bit of an oddity in Lubbock. There's even a "family picnic" the day of the reunion for those people who have gone above and beyond in the last ten years and knocked out a kid or two.
So why even think about going? Well, I remember my mom going to her high school reunions and really enjoying them. And I like people, and catching up. And having another excuse to visit the Arney's in Lubbock is always nice. But are those reasons worth showing up to a high school reunion, catching up with the people that I spent 4 of my most awkward years with, only to feel more awkward because I'm alone???
And the two people who I spent the most time with my last two years in high school, who I'd want to see the most, likely won't be there. *cough Ellen and Melissa* Where is Melissa Whalen these days??? Bueler? Bueler?
Any advice? To go, or not to go?
I could easily spend the next 500 words outlining how much I've changed in 10 years, or how some things in life will always feel like high school. But who wants to read about that? Lets talk about the main issue: I took an unofficial poll and 44 of the 54 "confirmed" coming to the reunion are married or in a serious relationship. (Thank you facebook for facilitating internet stalking.) That's nearly 82%. I don't even have a date, and already 82% are showing up in a committed relationship.
In West Texas, most people get married in early 20's -ish. The rest of the people get married by mid-twenties. To be late 20's (28) and not married always feels like a bit of an oddity in Lubbock. There's even a "family picnic" the day of the reunion for those people who have gone above and beyond in the last ten years and knocked out a kid or two.
So why even think about going? Well, I remember my mom going to her high school reunions and really enjoying them. And I like people, and catching up. And having another excuse to visit the Arney's in Lubbock is always nice. But are those reasons worth showing up to a high school reunion, catching up with the people that I spent 4 of my most awkward years with, only to feel more awkward because I'm alone???
And the two people who I spent the most time with my last two years in high school, who I'd want to see the most, likely won't be there. *cough Ellen and Melissa* Where is Melissa Whalen these days??? Bueler? Bueler?
Any advice? To go, or not to go?
Thursday, July 15, 2010
It's the age old question really. "What are the ingredients for a life-changing, memory-making, never-to-be-topped-again-road trip?" I have no clue. I just know this road trip was NOT one of those...
The Elkin Family Reunion exists for 3 people: My grandmother, Billie, and her sisters Jean and Betty. The rest of us are just supporting family members who show up because we know its important to the Elkin sisters. I can't tell you how long it has taken place in Forrest City, AR, but the only reason we meet there is because its about halfway between Houston, TX where 2 of the sisters live(d), and Muncy, IN where my Great Aunt Jean lives.
In past years I've had legitimate excuses for skipping the family reunion: I was in school, I lived in Boston (too far), but this year was different, I had no such excuse. So back in April I promised my grandmother I'd be there, no matter what. I made this promise without investigating how one gets to Forrest City. Not easy is the answer. You can either drive 9 hours from Austin, or you can fly into either Little Rock and drive 1.5hrs or fly into Memphis (yes, Tennessee) and drive 45 minutes. Flying was too expensive, since I waited until 3 weeks before the reunion to check out flights. Fortunately, at the last minute, my sister Sara decided that the sacrifice was worth it and she'd drive with me to AR.
We left at 3pm on Friday and drove straight through to Forrest City, arriving at about 1am. Unfortunately, there was no Rosa's along the way to stop at, so we had to choose Wendy's instead in Greenville, TX. We could have stopped at "TaMolly's" in Greenville. Yes. You read that correctly. There is an actual "Mexican" restaurant named "TaMolly's." Original? Yes. Classy? No.
As anyone would be, myself, my sister, and my 12yr old niece were exhausted when we arrived (my niece more than anyone because she talked most of the last hour of the trip. Apparently she "loves" every song on the "new music/hip hop" station and could we please turn it up...) so I texted my aunt when we got there to let her know we had arrived safely and we would be getting up at about 9am to get ready. I PURPOSEFULLY did this knowing, that if I didn't, my aunt or my grandmother would be calling as soon as they got up, i.e. 630am to see if we were alive. "How clever of me!" I thought. I was one step ahead! My aunt would get the text, she would tell my grandmother in the morning and I would sleep peacefully until at least 9am, thereby getting all 8 hours of sleep that my heart desires. The best laid plans of mice and men... My wonderful, loving, caring, thoughtful grandmother called at 745am. I, being the equally loving, caring, thoughtful granddaughter (in my eyes at least), got up, turned the phone off, and promptly fell back asleep. Who calls at 745am on a SATURDAY???
(This story is getting longgggg)
Ok, so our reunion consisted of all 20 of us sitting in an unairconditioned pavilion with 2 small oscillating fans at a state park. Did I mention its June, in Arkansas, with no airconditioning?? We arrived, I struggled to remember both third cousins names, and within 5 minutes of arriving my 4th cousin (yeah, that took me awhile to figure that out) Morgan, who's five, asked me if she could be my friend. That was pretty much the highlight of the 6 hours we spent in the UNAIRCONDITIONED pavilion. After about 2 hours of small talk and catching up, we ate grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Then after lunch, half way through the 6 hours in the UNAIRCONDITIONED pavilion, my Aunt Betty asked, "Well, what do we want to do for next year's reunion?" hmmm, maybe find a place that is air conditioned?
After 6 HOURS in the UNAIRCONDITIONED pavilion, we decided we had all sweated enough for one reunion and decided to wrap it up. We drove back into the hopping metropolis of Forrest City, cleaned up, and met back up at the Ole Saw Mill Cafe. Doesn't get much better than that.
30 hours after arriving, my sister, my niece and I packed up for the 9hr drive back to Texas. My aunt, uncle and grandparents were planning on leaving at 8am, so when the girls and I meandered down to my grandparents room to say goodbye, we thought they'd be up, dressed, and waiting to leave.... Oh. Boy. Couldn't be more wrong. I can't remember ever seeing my grandparents in their skivvies. And yet, that's exactly what I was greeted with when we knocked on the door. An awesome ending to a classic family reunion...
The Elkin Family Reunion exists for 3 people: My grandmother, Billie, and her sisters Jean and Betty. The rest of us are just supporting family members who show up because we know its important to the Elkin sisters. I can't tell you how long it has taken place in Forrest City, AR, but the only reason we meet there is because its about halfway between Houston, TX where 2 of the sisters live(d), and Muncy, IN where my Great Aunt Jean lives.
In past years I've had legitimate excuses for skipping the family reunion: I was in school, I lived in Boston (too far), but this year was different, I had no such excuse. So back in April I promised my grandmother I'd be there, no matter what. I made this promise without investigating how one gets to Forrest City. Not easy is the answer. You can either drive 9 hours from Austin, or you can fly into either Little Rock and drive 1.5hrs or fly into Memphis (yes, Tennessee) and drive 45 minutes. Flying was too expensive, since I waited until 3 weeks before the reunion to check out flights. Fortunately, at the last minute, my sister Sara decided that the sacrifice was worth it and she'd drive with me to AR.
We left at 3pm on Friday and drove straight through to Forrest City, arriving at about 1am. Unfortunately, there was no Rosa's along the way to stop at, so we had to choose Wendy's instead in Greenville, TX. We could have stopped at "TaMolly's" in Greenville. Yes. You read that correctly. There is an actual "Mexican" restaurant named "TaMolly's." Original? Yes. Classy? No.
As anyone would be, myself, my sister, and my 12yr old niece were exhausted when we arrived (my niece more than anyone because she talked most of the last hour of the trip. Apparently she "loves" every song on the "new music/hip hop" station and could we please turn it up...) so I texted my aunt when we got there to let her know we had arrived safely and we would be getting up at about 9am to get ready. I PURPOSEFULLY did this knowing, that if I didn't, my aunt or my grandmother would be calling as soon as they got up, i.e. 630am to see if we were alive. "How clever of me!" I thought. I was one step ahead! My aunt would get the text, she would tell my grandmother in the morning and I would sleep peacefully until at least 9am, thereby getting all 8 hours of sleep that my heart desires. The best laid plans of mice and men... My wonderful, loving, caring, thoughtful grandmother called at 745am. I, being the equally loving, caring, thoughtful granddaughter (in my eyes at least), got up, turned the phone off, and promptly fell back asleep. Who calls at 745am on a SATURDAY???
(This story is getting longgggg)
Ok, so our reunion consisted of all 20 of us sitting in an unairconditioned pavilion with 2 small oscillating fans at a state park. Did I mention its June, in Arkansas, with no airconditioning?? We arrived, I struggled to remember both third cousins names, and within 5 minutes of arriving my 4th cousin (yeah, that took me awhile to figure that out) Morgan, who's five, asked me if she could be my friend. That was pretty much the highlight of the 6 hours we spent in the UNAIRCONDITIONED pavilion. After about 2 hours of small talk and catching up, we ate grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Then after lunch, half way through the 6 hours in the UNAIRCONDITIONED pavilion, my Aunt Betty asked, "Well, what do we want to do for next year's reunion?" hmmm, maybe find a place that is air conditioned?
After 6 HOURS in the UNAIRCONDITIONED pavilion, we decided we had all sweated enough for one reunion and decided to wrap it up. We drove back into the hopping metropolis of Forrest City, cleaned up, and met back up at the Ole Saw Mill Cafe. Doesn't get much better than that.
30 hours after arriving, my sister, my niece and I packed up for the 9hr drive back to Texas. My aunt, uncle and grandparents were planning on leaving at 8am, so when the girls and I meandered down to my grandparents room to say goodbye, we thought they'd be up, dressed, and waiting to leave.... Oh. Boy. Couldn't be more wrong. I can't remember ever seeing my grandparents in their skivvies. And yet, that's exactly what I was greeted with when we knocked on the door. An awesome ending to a classic family reunion...
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
oh my. its been so long.
This post is for all those moms out there who live in West Texas with three small children and derive a good portion of their entertainment living vicariously through the hilarious escapades outlined on this blog.... FACT! This post is for Sal. FACT: this post may not be all that entertaining. FACT: There will be a post coming soon detailing the hilarious, and yet true, ongoings at my family reunion in Arkansas 2 weeks ago.
Just for clarification, my family that reunioned is not from Arkansas. Forrest City, AR just HAPPENS to be the half-way point between Houston, Texas and Muncy, Indiana. I'll explain later. However, the other side of my family is from Arkansas, and no, none of my cousins married.
Today was my day off and this is what I did:
slept until 10am
ate breakfast
showered
Had an hour long meeting with a dietician about how to eat healthier and make good food choices... very informative!
Ate lunch (a very healthy one in light of my recent meeting)
Cleaned for 2.5 hours! Including scrubbing the dirty, mildewy shower. eww, eww, eww. When I grow up, I'm going to have a clawfoot tub that does not have tile surrounding it that I have to scrub all the time.
Went to a workout class at the gym and realized I shouldn't have skipped the gym in the last month.
Went to my community group where we had a great and honest discussion about sin, grace, and fruits of the Spirit.
And that's my day.
My dad is coming in 2 days and I am very excited to see him. I love greeting people at the airport that I haven't seen in awhile. The anticipation is wonderful and exciting. Of course, the flip side is that usually if you pick someone up from the airport, you have to drop them off eventually... But, we shan't think of that today.
Okay, so sorry for the long absence. I've been working a lot and have been gone a lot to not exciting places like Forrest City, AR.
Hold on though, there's more coming at you soon!
Just for clarification, my family that reunioned is not from Arkansas. Forrest City, AR just HAPPENS to be the half-way point between Houston, Texas and Muncy, Indiana. I'll explain later. However, the other side of my family is from Arkansas, and no, none of my cousins married.
Today was my day off and this is what I did:
slept until 10am
ate breakfast
showered
Had an hour long meeting with a dietician about how to eat healthier and make good food choices... very informative!
Ate lunch (a very healthy one in light of my recent meeting)
Cleaned for 2.5 hours! Including scrubbing the dirty, mildewy shower. eww, eww, eww. When I grow up, I'm going to have a clawfoot tub that does not have tile surrounding it that I have to scrub all the time.
Went to a workout class at the gym and realized I shouldn't have skipped the gym in the last month.
Went to my community group where we had a great and honest discussion about sin, grace, and fruits of the Spirit.
And that's my day.
My dad is coming in 2 days and I am very excited to see him. I love greeting people at the airport that I haven't seen in awhile. The anticipation is wonderful and exciting. Of course, the flip side is that usually if you pick someone up from the airport, you have to drop them off eventually... But, we shan't think of that today.
Okay, so sorry for the long absence. I've been working a lot and have been gone a lot to not exciting places like Forrest City, AR.
Hold on though, there's more coming at you soon!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Just sayin'
You know how looking at your friend's fun vacation pics makes you want to go on a vacation as well?
Or your sister tells you about how they just re-painted their kitchen and you think "I could do that too!"
Or you hang out with a really fun married couple and it makes you want to get married and be that fun married couple?
I'm just sayin'
Or your sister tells you about how they just re-painted their kitchen and you think "I could do that too!"
Or you hang out with a really fun married couple and it makes you want to get married and be that fun married couple?
I'm just sayin'
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Bring on the pain
I work with a lot of patients who are in pain. It seems like a majority of them have very low thresholds of pain, which makes everything more difficult. I try my best to be sympathetic, but at times this proves to be a challenge.
Recently, I've been praying that if I have any type of injury (I also pray I won't) but if I do, that I would have a high tolerance for pain.
Be careful what you pray for.
A week and a day ago, I was on a walk with friends, and was trying to imitate my friend who
was doing this VERY complicated jump that she did in 8th grade basketball. I tried, failed, and landed on my left foot, twisting my ankle as I landed in a puddle of water. Awesome.
No worries. I walk/run/dance it off, and the next day I start listening to my inner PT by resting it, and icing it after work. Fast forward seven days and I'm about ready to start running again. Until today, when I accidentally dropped a part of a lamp that weighs about 5lb. directly on my big toe. Of the right foot. In flip-flops. "Lord Jesus what did I pray for?!?" was all I could think as I stood there paralyzed by the throbbing pain in my foot. Awesomer.
In addition to that, I have a burn on my wrist about the size of a nickle, where I was trying to grill some chicken, and came a little too close to grill.
God is definitely testing my pain threshold. Either that, or I'm just the clumsiest PT ever. Not a good combination (clumsy + PT) seeing as I always tell my patients "my number one goal is for you to be SAFE and independent as possible."
Hmmm...i think I'll be the kettle this time.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, April 18, 2010
For My Love
For My Love
It's deeply rooted in every woman- the question, "Do I stand out in a crowd?" The vision of someone walking across a room and asking me to dance plays over and over in my mind; out of the whole room, I was chosen. I'll be honest, I'm fifteen... I have crushes... but more than whimsical feelings and fickle emotion, I really do want to be fought for. I long to be recklessly pursued. I'm looking for true love, something honest and untainted, with no hidden agenda but that it wants to chase after me.
I love Psalm 45: "Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your homeland far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty." That's it! That's what every chick flick revolves around, that's what every romance novel is written about, those are the exact words that made me want to be a princess when I was younger.
The sad reality is, though, that women often aren't validated and reassured that they're worth that kind of affection. It scars us in the deepest places and causes us to cover our mouths when we smile and hide who we truly are. But, that's what I love about Jesus-he's a husband to the widow, the freer of a captive heart. -Bethany Dillon-
I posted this about a year and a half ago, and this message that she wrote is even older than that, but the trueness of it hasn't changed. And tonight, the reminder is welcomed.
It's deeply rooted in every woman- the question, "Do I stand out in a crowd?" The vision of someone walking across a room and asking me to dance plays over and over in my mind; out of the whole room, I was chosen. I'll be honest, I'm fifteen... I have crushes... but more than whimsical feelings and fickle emotion, I really do want to be fought for. I long to be recklessly pursued. I'm looking for true love, something honest and untainted, with no hidden agenda but that it wants to chase after me.
I love Psalm 45: "Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your homeland far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty." That's it! That's what every chick flick revolves around, that's what every romance novel is written about, those are the exact words that made me want to be a princess when I was younger.
The sad reality is, though, that women often aren't validated and reassured that they're worth that kind of affection. It scars us in the deepest places and causes us to cover our mouths when we smile and hide who we truly are. But, that's what I love about Jesus-he's a husband to the widow, the freer of a captive heart. -Bethany Dillon-
I posted this about a year and a half ago, and this message that she wrote is even older than that, but the trueness of it hasn't changed. And tonight, the reminder is welcomed.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Resurrection Day
Who doesn't love an acrostic? [Define: Acrostic=> a short poem in which the initial letters of the lines, taken in order, spell out a word phrase.]
-
-
-
Redeemer
Eternal Life
Eternal Life
Savior
Undeniable
Root of David
Rabbi
Root of David
Rabbi
Enduring
Creator
Truth
Creator
Truth
Immanuel
Omega
Omega
None Can Compare
-
-
Or my other personal favorite: the haiku. [Define: Haiku => Japanese verse form of three lines.]
-
-
He gave up His life
And on this day He rose again
so that we may live.
-
-
It doesn't matter what form it's in, the Truth remains the same. And on this day, as we should do every day, we recognize the Sacrifice, the miracle of resurrection, and the hope we have because of it all.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Trapeze-ing!
I know you all have been waiting with baited breath for the release of my debut trapeze video...
well, wait no more!
The first video is me practicing, we went through this routine three times. The second video is the last run I did where I was supposed to catch the trapeze professional... You'll see how it turns out.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The High Life
Items of note:
I have been living life a little on the wild side recently.
Exhibit A: in the last 2 weeks I have killed two, count 'em! TWO garden snakes, with a measly spade. I won't get into the specifics of the size of said snakes, but let it be noted, they were snakes. That makes them guilty enough to be killed. Remember that part in Genesis? My heel, their head? done.
Exhibit B: A week ago I took flying trapeze lessons. yes. flying. trapeze. lessons. I'm that crazy. I was hoping to have a video to post, but my videographer (a.k.a. my friend Kristyn who invited me to take lessonns with her) hasn't emailed them yet. Flying trapeze was a little scary, a little fun, and a lot of heart-pounding. I'm not afraid of heights, but I always prefer "ground" to "above ground".
They started us off by ensuring that we were flexible/strong enough to put our legs up on a bar, hang up side down, and reach back up the bar. That's it. Then, we were harnessed in, and one by one we climbed the 20 foot ladder to the platform. 2 things inspired me to go through with it and not chicken out: 1. One of the instructors was a really good-looking guy who was totally ripped (for lack of a better phrase) and I didn't want to look like wuss in front of him. 2. In elementary school, our gym teacher "Mr. G.", took one day out of the year to see if each person in the class could climb the rope. A whole gym period of one person at a time trying to climb a freakin' rope. First year for me (3rd grade), I faked a stomach ache. Second year (4th grade), I feigned a sprained ankle, (that suddenly disappeared after gym class. smooth). In the last and final year for the rope-climbing attempt, I decided I was going to do it. This was MY YEAR, and NOTHING was going to stop me from completing the challenge! Except for 2 things: gravity and it turns out I wasn't that strong after all. I didn't even get two inches up the rope. After that I decided to stick with activities in which I knew I would excel. Like, the eraser shuttle. (Highly technical sport that is rudely overlooked by the Olympic committee.) And speed reading. In retrospect, I think my high school years would have been a lot different if I hadn't been given an award for the most Accelerated Reader Points of the whole junior high, in FRONT of the whole junior high. Long story short, the rope fiasco is always in the back of my mind, pushing me to try new athletic endeavors the first time, even if in the end I still fail at them.
More on trapezing (?) later, and possible a video for show and tell.
I have been living life a little on the wild side recently.
Exhibit A: in the last 2 weeks I have killed two, count 'em! TWO garden snakes, with a measly spade. I won't get into the specifics of the size of said snakes, but let it be noted, they were snakes. That makes them guilty enough to be killed. Remember that part in Genesis? My heel, their head? done.
Exhibit B: A week ago I took flying trapeze lessons. yes. flying. trapeze. lessons. I'm that crazy. I was hoping to have a video to post, but my videographer (a.k.a. my friend Kristyn who invited me to take lessonns with her) hasn't emailed them yet. Flying trapeze was a little scary, a little fun, and a lot of heart-pounding. I'm not afraid of heights, but I always prefer "ground" to "above ground".
They started us off by ensuring that we were flexible/strong enough to put our legs up on a bar, hang up side down, and reach back up the bar. That's it. Then, we were harnessed in, and one by one we climbed the 20 foot ladder to the platform. 2 things inspired me to go through with it and not chicken out: 1. One of the instructors was a really good-looking guy who was totally ripped (for lack of a better phrase) and I didn't want to look like wuss in front of him. 2. In elementary school, our gym teacher "Mr. G.", took one day out of the year to see if each person in the class could climb the rope. A whole gym period of one person at a time trying to climb a freakin' rope. First year for me (3rd grade), I faked a stomach ache. Second year (4th grade), I feigned a sprained ankle, (that suddenly disappeared after gym class. smooth). In the last and final year for the rope-climbing attempt, I decided I was going to do it. This was MY YEAR, and NOTHING was going to stop me from completing the challenge! Except for 2 things: gravity and it turns out I wasn't that strong after all. I didn't even get two inches up the rope. After that I decided to stick with activities in which I knew I would excel. Like, the eraser shuttle. (Highly technical sport that is rudely overlooked by the Olympic committee.) And speed reading. In retrospect, I think my high school years would have been a lot different if I hadn't been given an award for the most Accelerated Reader Points of the whole junior high, in FRONT of the whole junior high. Long story short, the rope fiasco is always in the back of my mind, pushing me to try new athletic endeavors the first time, even if in the end I still fail at them.
More on trapezing (?) later, and possible a video for show and tell.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Food !
What would be the first thing you would eat, if you hadn't been able to eat ANYTHING for 6 weeks?
I've been working with a heart transplant patient for the past month, who has had a really hard recovery. This patient has had a tube down their nose feeding them for the past six weeks. They FINALLY passed their swallow test and for their first meal (breakfast) they specifically requested Rice Krispies with lots of sugar. Interesting choice for an adult.
I would ask for fluffy Belgian waffles with real butter and real Maple syrup with a couple slices of bacon on the side. I love waffles. And bacon.
I've been working with a heart transplant patient for the past month, who has had a really hard recovery. This patient has had a tube down their nose feeding them for the past six weeks. They FINALLY passed their swallow test and for their first meal (breakfast) they specifically requested Rice Krispies with lots of sugar. Interesting choice for an adult.
I would ask for fluffy Belgian waffles with real butter and real Maple syrup with a couple slices of bacon on the side. I love waffles. And bacon.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sweet Mama
My sweet mom headed back to her home in Namibia yesterday (Monday) and I miss her terribly. She has always been a close confidant with whom I can share anything. (of course I miss my dad too! But I've had my mom in Texas, a phone call away for the last 5 weeks.)
Sunday, she and I talked and folded clothes (a way women fellowship, I'm not sure what the guy equivalent is) and of course my scrubs were wrinkled because I left them sitting for too long. My sweet mom insisted on IRONING my scrubs! Who irons their hospital scrubs?
I think she did this with mixed motivation: partly because she wants me looking my best always, even at work where she thinks I may run in to an available doctor ( of which, for the record, there are none), and partly because she just wanted to find a way to love on me. She was definitely successful in one aspect: I certainly felt loved as I walked into work Monday morning in my freshly pressed, ceil blue, Cotten scrubs, all the way up to 12pm when my last patient of the morning pooped on them. Awesome.
I hope my mom realizes how loved she (and my dad too) is as she is flying into South Africa right about.....now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, February 07, 2010
"confidence" from the valley of vision
Give me such deadness to the world, such love to the Saviour, such attachment to his house, such devotedness to his service, as proves me a subject to his salvation.
May every part of my character and conduct make a serious and amiable impression on others, and impel them to ask the way to the master.
Let no incident of life, pleasing or painful, injure the prosperity of my soul, but rather increase it. Send me thy help, for thine appointments are nor meant to make me independent of thee, and the best means will be vain without super-added blessings.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
May every part of my character and conduct make a serious and amiable impression on others, and impel them to ask the way to the master.
Let no incident of life, pleasing or painful, injure the prosperity of my soul, but rather increase it. Send me thy help, for thine appointments are nor meant to make me independent of thee, and the best means will be vain without super-added blessings.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Hummmmmmmmmble
Some days my job is very rewarding. Like yesterday when I helped a man walk for the first time after one-month-long hospital stay after becoming septic (bacteria in the bloodstream). Or a week ago when I pushed a knee replacement patient to get out `of bed on her own and walk farther than she had before, even though she was super scared of passing out again.
However...there are many humbling moments in my job. Moments where its apparent to me that the fact that I spent 3 years in grad school mean nothing to those around me and if it weren't for uniform scrub colors I'd probably be mistaken for a nurse's aid. Today, I went in to attempt a treatment session with a patient who is having viral symptoms in addition to neurological symptoms. Needless to say both internal medicine and neurology are trying to make a correct diagnosis. So, I realize PT is pretty low on the totem pole. However, I had just masked up, introduced myself to the patient and was in the middle of a sentence, when the neurologist briskly walked in and began interrogating the patient, not even acknowledging my presence. Apparently, me in my Smurf scrubs blended right in to the wall.
Ortho docs typically don't order PT after a total shoulder replacement. There's not much to do physical therapy-wise until later on down the road. For some reason, this one surgeon had PT evaluate this older woman who just had her second shoulder replacement. The woman needed no "skilled" help. I helped her out of bed by giving her a hand so she could pull herself up. The only other help I gave was to pull her weird-cloth-like-disposable-hospital-underwear down, then up so she could use the bathroom. And then she griped at me for not pulling her underwear up on the sides, all the way to her 2nd rib. Humbling, humbling job.
However...there are many humbling moments in my job. Moments where its apparent to me that the fact that I spent 3 years in grad school mean nothing to those around me and if it weren't for uniform scrub colors I'd probably be mistaken for a nurse's aid. Today, I went in to attempt a treatment session with a patient who is having viral symptoms in addition to neurological symptoms. Needless to say both internal medicine and neurology are trying to make a correct diagnosis. So, I realize PT is pretty low on the totem pole. However, I had just masked up, introduced myself to the patient and was in the middle of a sentence, when the neurologist briskly walked in and began interrogating the patient, not even acknowledging my presence. Apparently, me in my Smurf scrubs blended right in to the wall.
Ortho docs typically don't order PT after a total shoulder replacement. There's not much to do physical therapy-wise until later on down the road. For some reason, this one surgeon had PT evaluate this older woman who just had her second shoulder replacement. The woman needed no "skilled" help. I helped her out of bed by giving her a hand so she could pull herself up. The only other help I gave was to pull her weird-cloth-like-disposable-hospital-underwear down, then up so she could use the bathroom. And then she griped at me for not pulling her underwear up on the sides, all the way to her 2nd rib. Humbling, humbling job.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Hobby Hobbies
Since moving to a house that is closer to where I work, I decided to change my work schedule to 730 to 4pm, so I'm done earlier in the day, while not having to get up much earlier than when I lived farther away. It's working out quite wonderfully, and now I have a lot more time on my hands.... So I've decided I need to get a hobby because the things I do aren't really hobbies.
These are some of the (kinda lame) things I do to with my free time:
1) Working out. This of course is good for me, and I do enjoy the lift class I recently started going to, but I'm not sure it's a hobby.
2) Getting rid of debt. I probably like balancing my checking book and tweaking my budget too much in my ongoing journey to get rid of debt. Again, not a bad thing (unless it becomes obsessive) but not really a hobby.
3) Watching Office and Law & Order reruns. mmmm, not really good for me (not bad either) and definitely not a hobby.
So, I'm going to pick up a hobby. Any suggestions?
I like photography. I'd like to learn to cook, but that can be an expensive hobby. I like to knit, but I get bored with it. I don't want to sew, because I always end up buying the fabric, then getting frustrated when the shirt I was trying to make comes out looking like a quilted skort. I will think on this and get back to you.
These are some of the (kinda lame) things I do to with my free time:
1) Working out. This of course is good for me, and I do enjoy the lift class I recently started going to, but I'm not sure it's a hobby.
2) Getting rid of debt. I probably like balancing my checking book and tweaking my budget too much in my ongoing journey to get rid of debt. Again, not a bad thing (unless it becomes obsessive) but not really a hobby.
3) Watching Office and Law & Order reruns. mmmm, not really good for me (not bad either) and definitely not a hobby.
So, I'm going to pick up a hobby. Any suggestions?
I like photography. I'd like to learn to cook, but that can be an expensive hobby. I like to knit, but I get bored with it. I don't want to sew, because I always end up buying the fabric, then getting frustrated when the shirt I was trying to make comes out looking like a quilted skort. I will think on this and get back to you.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Heavy Lifting Required
The phrase "heavy lifting involved" does not adequately sum up my day.
Patient #1:
Okay, so no, my patient was not wearing a Santa suit, but they were about this size... They have a BMI of 58. The surgeon had to order a special table that cost over $58,000 to perform the surgery, and they wanted ME to get them out of bed post-operatively!! EEK! Fortunately, the occupational therapist assigned to this patient is a strong guy, so between the two of us, we were able to sit at the edge of bed for about 10 minutes.
Patient #2: Okay so my first patient of the afternoon was a patient who had a total hip replacement over 10 months ago and in the last 10 months has dislocated their hip over 8 times... There is only so many times a surgeon can put the hip back in and revise a total hip replacement. So the only alternative is a spica cast. A spica cast is a cast that is put from the mid-abdomen all the way down to just above the knees so a patient's hips can't move. So imagine this cast:
On a 60-something-year-old. And they asked ME to get the patient up! So I again teamed up with an occupational therapist to figure out how to get a patient, who can only bend about 25 degrees at the waist and has both their hips totally immobilized, out of bed. We decided that the best way to accomplish this was to just turn the patient so their legs were hanging off then leverage the patient up into standing. It was a little scary I'll admit. I slid the patient off the bed from essentially a laying down position and leveraged them into standing. Fortunately, the patient has a great sense of humor and we laughed all the way through the treatment. Especially when the patient referenced the surgeon as "the butcher".
My third tough patient of the day was a completely dependent transfer x 2 people. It's a really sad case of chemotherapy gone bad for a young patient with 2 small children. This patient can do nothing, and is not consistently responding to questions with blinks or hand squeezes. My days can never seem bad, when I have a patient who's greatest accomplishment of the day is coughing up a huge blob of sputum out of their trach when I have them sitting edge of bed for 3 minutes.
That's my day in a nutshell. 9 hours. I'm tired.
Patient #1:
Okay, so no, my patient was not wearing a Santa suit, but they were about this size... They have a BMI of 58. The surgeon had to order a special table that cost over $58,000 to perform the surgery, and they wanted ME to get them out of bed post-operatively!! EEK! Fortunately, the occupational therapist assigned to this patient is a strong guy, so between the two of us, we were able to sit at the edge of bed for about 10 minutes.
Patient #2: Okay so my first patient of the afternoon was a patient who had a total hip replacement over 10 months ago and in the last 10 months has dislocated their hip over 8 times... There is only so many times a surgeon can put the hip back in and revise a total hip replacement. So the only alternative is a spica cast. A spica cast is a cast that is put from the mid-abdomen all the way down to just above the knees so a patient's hips can't move. So imagine this cast:
On a 60-something-year-old. And they asked ME to get the patient up! So I again teamed up with an occupational therapist to figure out how to get a patient, who can only bend about 25 degrees at the waist and has both their hips totally immobilized, out of bed. We decided that the best way to accomplish this was to just turn the patient so their legs were hanging off then leverage the patient up into standing. It was a little scary I'll admit. I slid the patient off the bed from essentially a laying down position and leveraged them into standing. Fortunately, the patient has a great sense of humor and we laughed all the way through the treatment. Especially when the patient referenced the surgeon as "the butcher".My third tough patient of the day was a completely dependent transfer x 2 people. It's a really sad case of chemotherapy gone bad for a young patient with 2 small children. This patient can do nothing, and is not consistently responding to questions with blinks or hand squeezes. My days can never seem bad, when I have a patient who's greatest accomplishment of the day is coughing up a huge blob of sputum out of their trach when I have them sitting edge of bed for 3 minutes.
That's my day in a nutshell. 9 hours. I'm tired.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Happiness
My happiness is not determined by:
-numbers on a scale
-what I'm having for lunch
-if my patients like me or not
-if I'm having a bad/good hair day
-what kind of home I live in
-if I have someone to spend my life with
-what kind of clothes are in my closet
-who returns my phone calls
-who doesn't return my phone calls
-how much money I have in the bank
-my family's happiness
-where my parents live
-how many people honk at my driving
Obviously the list can go on for awhile... In this season when it's easy to get consumed by things, and pleasing other people, and ourselves, through momentary distractions, I just wanted to remind myself where my joy comes from.
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11
-numbers on a scale
-what I'm having for lunch
-if my patients like me or not
-if I'm having a bad/good hair day
-what kind of home I live in
-if I have someone to spend my life with
-what kind of clothes are in my closet
-who returns my phone calls
-who doesn't return my phone calls
-how much money I have in the bank
-my family's happiness
-where my parents live
-how many people honk at my driving
Obviously the list can go on for awhile... In this season when it's easy to get consumed by things, and pleasing other people, and ourselves, through momentary distractions, I just wanted to remind myself where my joy comes from.
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11
Sunday, November 15, 2009
One month
I've been at the hospital for a month now, and its been a good month. I've had 3 people get lightheaded on me and have to sit down. I've had one person pass out on me. 2 people have vomited in the bucket I was holding. I've eaten cafeteria chicken strips and curly fries once. I've had 3 people ask me if I am in high school. I've had 5 people point out that my eyes match my scrubs. I have cried zero times at work. It's been a good month.
I had the intention of writing a long post about Sabbath. And how I just recently was given the revelation of what Sabbath truly means, and that man WAS NOT made for the Sabbath, but Sabbath was made for man. But I'm tired now, and I will write it later. I've got work tomorrow, and as you see in the list above, that may involve some heavy lifting, or heavy dry heaving...
I had the intention of writing a long post about Sabbath. And how I just recently was given the revelation of what Sabbath truly means, and that man WAS NOT made for the Sabbath, but Sabbath was made for man. But I'm tired now, and I will write it later. I've got work tomorrow, and as you see in the list above, that may involve some heavy lifting, or heavy dry heaving...
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