Orientation is over...

...and the work of being an RN begins!

So far, I've done two days on the floor. They started me with the babies that are almost ready to go home, and they will gradually work me to the most critical babies.

I'm glad they started me where they did. I had the opportunity to hold lots and lots of babies. I know my job isn't "baby holder," but I enjoyed having that at least part of my job description!

After only two days, I have come to the following conclusion: Be very, very, VERY careful as to what you name your child! How the word is usually pronounced and how you choose to pronounce it should probably be the same. A beautiful baby had a name that sounded really nice, until I realized it was spelled in a way that made it look like a not so nice word)

At this point, I should probably stop in the blog and make sure I mention that I will never, ever, ever give details about anything related to patients and/or families. I don't want to violate their privacy (or lose my job). So, don't ask for any details, because I won't give them! More often than not, I won't talk about work at all (other than I held an adorable baby that smiled at me, or something really inconsequential like that)

Enough of that...I'm sure you all get the point!

And, to all my nursing friends getting ready to take their boards: GOOD LUCK!!!

Just a quick update

..No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth!

I've been enjoying life!

I had a wonderful vacation in Washington state, saw my brother-in-law get married, and TOOK MY NURSING BOARDS!

The funny thing? I took them in Portland, OR. I needed to take them ASAP so my license could get issued (couldn't start my job without it), and Portland had an open testing center.

God worked it all out, though. My now sister-in-law let me borrow her car. My parents arranged for me to have dinner with my former pastor and his wife (from when I was 4) and I spent the night with some friends of my parents (whom they hadn't seen in 36 years! Christmas cards and facebook kept them in touch!) The people with whom I met up with and stayed were wonderful, warm, Godly people who were so welcoming and comforting! Both couples prayed over me for peace and wisdom as I took my boards.

The prayers worked, because I passed! I took my boards in 40 minutes, and had the minimum amount of questions. I was calm and peaceful, and I know that was God!

So, now I'm home. I'm a RN, employed in my dream job, and just enjoying this "new normal!" While all exciting, this is a total change for our marriage. I have never worked full-time, and even my busiest weeks of nursing school didn't have me gone 36 hours/week. I now have to learn the art of balance and prioritizing. Thankfully, Luke is more than patient with me!

On another note...Wednesday is our NINTH wedding anniversary! Crazy, huh!

Today...

...my "baby" is graduating from kindergarten!

I seriously think I am going to cry! This year has been an amazing year for her, and our family is so thankful for her teacher. (Okay, I AM crying now!)

When I look at who Mandy is, I am in awe. When she was so sick and in and out of the hospital her first year of life, I had difficulty looking past the immediate situation and into the future. I wish I could've had just a glimpse at who she is today as it would've helped me better cope with the realization that her illness was a temporary part of her life and didn't define who she was. Except for the surgical scar on Mandy's right side and the PICC line scar in her left arm, there are no visible traces of her illness. God has certainly been good!

Here is a picture of Mandy,leading her classroom in the song "Amazing Grace."



As a parent, it truly doesn't get any better than to see your child growing in God!

PS In case you were wondering, the job that I am going to start is as an RN in the NICU at a children's hospital near me

(Im)patiently waiting

So, the waiting part is the hardest part! I'm not a patient person. It's actually a genetic principle in my family to be impatient, and it goes back several generations (hello, Grandpa!) In fact, I have often joked that the Lord knew what He was doing when He had me deliver my girls 2 and 3 weeks early. I'm the type of parent who can't wait for Christmas and begs her husband to PLEASE let the girls open at least one present early!

But, there are times I have to wait.

Right now, I am waiting on the state of Michigan. You would think, given the depressed economy in this state, that they would hurry and get paperwork moving. You know, so people who do have jobs lined up could start them. I have been waiting for over a month for the state to update my license application for nursing. Everything has been submitted, but the person who is in charge of actually entering the information in the computer has yet to update MY application! And because of that, I can't take my nursing boards. No nursing boards = no license. No license = no job start. No job start = very poor!

My hope was that I would start my job June 22, but the likelihood of that is slim to none. My new target date is probably going to be mid-July. I value the time I get with my family, but I REALLY don't want to lose the skill set that I just recently learned (it's been almost two months since I was even IN a hospital!)

So, please pray for me. Not patience (I NEVER pray for patience!), but rather that my paperwork comes through quickly!

In the meantime, I'm sure there's a closet somewhere in my house that needs attention!