This Is Gunna Be Brief!

Today was Maddys graduation. After that I came straight home and started my bowel prep for surgery tomorrow. So here I am in between laying in bed and running as fast as I can to the bathroom. All I want to do right now is SLEEP! Here's hoping!!

Class of 2012!

Oh boy is this girl tired. I got to come home a little early from work this morning which means I got to sleep from 3-8 before I had to get to class. Yay! But boy oh boy, 3.5 hour lecture is sure killer! My mind shuts down at around 1045 which makes the last hour and forty five minutes drag on and on and on ... But I did actually survive class today and headed straight to lunch with the family. We ate at Wingers and even ate a graduation cupcake momma brought for all of us.

Graduation was at UVU and started at 4. I thought that graduation with close to 500 seniors would last an eternity but it wasn't bad at all! Not too long, not too short! We migrated outside afterwards for a few pictures and then headed home.

I sure am proud of my Taylor man. He has us worried for a while but he sure did get his butt in gear and in the past month he's earned his Eagle Scout, graduated seminary, and graduated high school! I'm so excited to see where his life goes from here. He is such a kind hearted, smart, and driven young man. He might have the attitude of an 18 year old but hey, didn't we all! I love him so much and love that we are turning into friends and not just siblings. Congrats Tay!!

Oh and you know what else topped off today? I got to see Miss Malia Jayne at Maceys for a minute. Hats off to you Bethie cause those kids sure are a handful!! :) Thanks for visiting with me for a minute and helping me pick out yummy juice for my clear liquid diet tomorrow! Oh the joy.

A few extra pictures :
-snowies day 2! Big one is mine, small one is Nick's :)
-the flowers I forgot to post yesterday that are on our table in lieu of Memorial Day

Oops

The last couple days have been stressful so here are a few pictures from yesterday and today :)

-love painting my nails
-car ride with dad, Nick, and Savannah
- dishes ive been avoiding
-playing phase 10 at work
-my favorite snowie place FINALLY opening this weekend!

Lazy Saturday

Today included some MUCH needed R&R. I can home from work this morning a little early because I was having so much pelvic pain. I curled up with some pain meds and a hot pack and slept until ONE OCLOCK! I couldn't believe it but it felt so stinkin great! We went to watch UVU vs. Houston for the conference championship game and of course, we won! Its the last game we will get to watch Ryan play in (even if it was freezing!). It's been so fun going to so many games I'm going to miss it. After that Debbie, Haley, Ayden, and Avery came to visit for a minute.

Since we had nothing to do tonight I convinced Nick to take me on a date :) we went to our favorite place to eat, Chubby's cafe. Delicious american comfort food I tell ya! And here we are. Waiting for The Avengers to start. Definitely needed the time with my hubby.

Today I am grateful for:
-loosing 4.8 more pounds! That's 7 and a half so far
-time with Nicky Wayne
-warm blankets

Ugh. Just ugh.

Today I'm onery. Usually I handle the stress and lack of sleep pretty well but today has been a rough one. I'm SO tired of not sleeping, not seeing my husband, not having time to work out, not having time for myself, not snuggling up to my husband at night cause I'm not home, just ugh. So this post is just going to be short and grumpy today. I did, however take a bunch of pictures today

(this is probably a day I need to make sure I do this!)
Today I am grateful for:
-friends in class that make me laugh an stay awake when I'm semi conscious
-a husband who makes me feel special every day an reminds me we only have 2 and a half months left of this insanity
-my new found motivation to get skinny again

Pictures:
-my groceries to help me follow my diet
-going to school dressed like a 15 year old boy
-marnie and I trying to stay awake
- as close as I got to being a housewife today was a post it on how to make his own dinner
-first healthy dinner back on my diet

My Nursing Philosophy

This is a paper I just finished up for one of my classes. It's 'My Nursing Philosophy'. I had to follow a rubric so there's a few reference quotes in here but there is a lot behind my desire to be a nurse so I thought I would share.

My Personal Nursing Philosophy

I have always wanted to be a nurse. That sounds like a typical answer as I say it but it is just as true as it is cliché. In kindergarten my classmates and I were given an assignment to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. There were some firefighters, some astronauts, and even a few teachers but I drew myself standing in front of a hospital dressed as a nurse. As I grew up and learned more about the profession the more dedicated I became towards getting my nursing degree.

​The summer before my junior year at the ripe old age of fifteen I attended a technical school and earned my certified nursing assistant license. I was hired on at a skilled nursing facility one month before my sixteenth birthday. It was while working there that I realized nursing was my calling. Caring for people was something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.

​All my dreams came crashing down around me in October 2007. I was a senior in high school with big plans for college and couldn’t wait to get the heck out of dodge when I found out I was pregnant. I was devastated. All my life I had planned out my future and what it was going to look like. Being a mom at the age of seventeen wasn’t part of the plan. What was I going to do now? How could I raise and provide for a child of my own when was just a child myself? After months of worrying, thinking, and a lot of prayer I decided to place my child for adoption. I didn’t know it yet but that decision would make my determination towards becoming a nurse even stronger in two very big ways. The first was that I told myself if I made the decision to make my daughter’s life better by giving her to another family I was going to make my life one that she could be proud of. I wanted her to know that because I placed her my life was changed for the better too. The second reason was the care I received in the hospital. When I went to the hospital I was terrified. I had never been in the hospital as a patient before, let alone a patient that was about to have a baby. I remember walking through the front doors and asking the lady at the desk how to get to the Labor and Delivery unit. The lady, an older volunteer, smiled at me with the sweetest smile, walked around the desk, took my hand, and walked me down the hallways. She must have seen my terrified face. The nursing staff on Labor and Delivery must have too. They were wonderful. They were all so sensitive to me and respectful of the experience I wanted to have. The nurse that made the biggest difference though was my post partum nurse. During the days I had my family as well as the adopting family in and out visiting but at night I was all of the sudden alone. I remember holding my Malia and crying. I would sing to her then cry. I would feed her and cry. So would doze off for a few minutes, wake up, and cry some more. Then my nurse came in. Most of them had been in and out with pain pills and vital sign machines but this nurse was different. She sat in the rocking chair and just let me cry. She listened to me vent, helped answer my questions the best that she could, and even cried with me. She was my nurse all three nights I was there and I can’t imagine what my state of mind would have been like if she hadn’t. I can’t remember her name but to this day I can remember her face and the sweet words of encouragement she gave me. She said I was amazing and was doing something great. I don’t think she knew it but she was doing the same.

​After I placed my little one for adoption I finished high school and went straight to college and eventually landed myself here, in nursing school. When I got my letter of acceptance I called my fiancé first, my parents second, and my little girls mom third. I was so proud of myself for actually getting myself there. She was too. I knew I had a long ways to go but there was an end in sight. These nurses that I had idolized for years, I was actually going to be one!

​When I started nursing school I thought that nursing meant having a sick patient and making them feel better. Throughout this process I have learned that it is so much more than just physically making someone feel better. Nursing now, to me, means being compassionate, a teacher, a manager, a delegator, a professional, and an advocate. It means identifying with your patient and making them feel safe. It means listening to and standing up for them no matter what.

Nursing also doesn’t just mean taking care of a patient. It isn’t always just a single person involved but a concerned and loving family too. They need to feel like their family member is safe. They need to be listened to and well informed just like the patient does. The hospital is a very busy place with very sick people. I’ve learned it can make all the difference in the world for them to see a smiling face and someone who is actively listening and present while they are expressing concerns. These things shouldn’t be the extra mile; they should be the standard of care. In a study published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal they “found that patients with communication problems were 3 times more likely to experience a preventable adverse event than patients without such problems … with one-third of the patients who experienced preventable adverse events requiring readmission to hospital.” (Bartlett, Blais, Tamblyn, Clermont, MacGibbon, 2008). These numbers shocked me. Not only is it important to communicate effectively for the patient’s psychosocial well being, but for their physical one as well.
In his article “Communication: They Key to the Game” Dr. Jeff Konin states:
“Perhaps the biggest mistake one can make as a team (player) as it relates to communication is to underestimate the importance of any single piece of information. The team (player) must recognize at all times that he or she is a part of a team of health care providers. This means that new information regarding the injury or illness of a (patient) must be shared … in a timely manner.” (Konin, 2007)
As a nurse we will always be working as a team with different members of the healthcare team as well as the patient and their family. Patients now days are more involved and informed than they ever have been. It is our job to make sure that our patients feel like we are communicating and actively listening to them. Having been on the caregiver as well as the patient side of things I know how important this can be. My little brother was in a bicycle accident when he was younger and received a serious brain injury. The ambulance took him to the nearest hospital which was in Gunnison. I don’t remember much because I was pretty young myself but I do remember the doctors, nurses, and whoever else came in and out were all working so cohesively as a team. My parents have told me that the open communication that team had with them about what they were doing meant so much to them and helped to make them feel much more calm in such an emergent situation.

​The other aspect that never occurred to me before nursing school was community nursing. The further I have gotten into this program the more opportunities I see to help my community to stay healthy and informed. If I can teach someone ahead of time maybe they won’t ever get to the point of having to be in the hospital because it will have already been prevented. That, to me, is worth all of the time spent.

I am so grateful for all of the learning experiences I have had throughout my life to get me to where I am. I know my learning doesn't end here. Tim goes on, things change, and the medical field is always evolving. I imagine, my nursing philosophy will always be evolving too.

References
Bartlett, G., Blais, R., Tamblyn, R., Clermont, R. J., MacGibbon, B. J. (2008). Impact of patient communication problems on the risk of preventable adverse effects on acute care settings. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 178(12), doi:MD Consult
Konin, J. G. (2007). Communication: Key to the game. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 26(2), 137-148. doi: MD Consult

- here's a few fun pics from nursing school (that is only a pretend pregnant belly my friends) and one from my senior pictures



​

Back to the grind.

I have not much to report my friends. Remember how I didn't sleep much yesterday? Well this girl slept from midnight till 11:45 and I don't feel one bit bad about it! It was heaven. Wanna know what I did before work? Nothing! And I still don't even feel one bit bad about it! It felt so nice to have a day to just relax, lay in bed, watch TV, and did I mention relax? I even fell asleep again from 330-445. Go me. A girl deserves a day to do absolutely nothing every once in a while right?!

Today I am grateful for:
-sleep!
-a husband that helps around the house so that I don't feel overwhelmed
-how cold my air conditioner keeps my room so I can still sleep with lots of snuggly blankets
-how awesome the girls I work with are

Sometimes I get tired of choosing a title

Today has been a LONG day. Got home this morning at 645 (after waving hello and goodbye to nick as he drove past me to work) and finally fell asleep at 730. Went to class 9-1230 and let me tell you friends, that class felt like it was never ever ever EVER going to end. But alas it finally did. I ran my mom some Annoversary flowers for my dad after that. They've been married for 30 years this year. Id say congrats but first I have to tell them that means they're SO OLD! (plus they both turn 50 this year but we will make fun of them for that later!) After that it was time for a dr appt. I'm getting diagnostic exploratory laparoscopy next Thursday to treat some endometriosis. Boo. Hopefully I'll have some answers for all this pelvic pain finally though. Although ... He is going to check out those parts and see how he thinks I'll do fertility wise. That's exciting! Haha I finally got to sleep for a few hours and then I heads to the mall to fix my phone then ended the night with (of course) a baseball game.

Oh and we sold scoot scoot today. I'm totally sad but it's probably best. We were rarely using it plus the dangers of it was just starting to worry me. Nick made the decision to sell it but I have to admit, it's probably best.

Today I am grateful for:
-naps
-people who know how to fix an i-phone
-the fact that there is only 71 days of nursing school left
-my sweet husband

Just another monday

Today was just another Monday in nursing school. I had sim lab from 9-12. Out sim lab is a manakin that has lung sounds, heart beat, pulse, can talk ... Just about as real as you can get to a real live patient. It's good to give me experience but super scary at the same time. It makes me realize how much responsibility is going to be in my hands. I think being a little scared is good though. I realize that I know what I'm doing but I still have so much more to learn. Speaking of nursing school ... After sim lab I went and bought a new pair of scrubs (a girl's gotta look good on her first day of capstone), went home and showered, slept, and headed off to my capstone.

So here I sit at UVRMC on their rehab unit. I was so nervous to meet the girls and my preceptor but it's been so good so far. 1 shift down. 7 to go!

Here's hoping I get to sleep tomorrow.

We are on a roll!

Day 3 baby! Okay maybe not a big roll but one has to start somewhere right? :) today was a fun day! I worked last night so I came home in the morning and slept for a little while. We met up with our good friends Kelly and Molly and their handsome little guy Cooper. We drove up to Salt Lake for dinner and shopping. I know, I know, it's Sunday. Sometimes we feel rebellious and go to Cheesecake Factory, eat too much food, then wander through the mall for a few hours. It was sure fun though. My poor husband hates shopping so badly. I'm glad he was able to survive today with only minimal checking of ESPN! Such a stud.

After shopping it was off to my parents house. Taylor had his seminary graduation so the family was all gone when we got there. You know what that meant? A NAP!! Oh it was so lovely. Naps, if you ask me, are the best. Love em. The family came back home and it was time for some grilling. We made up some yummy kabobs, had strawberry shortcake, and sat on the back porch for the rest of the night laughing and telling stories.

I am so grateful for the memories and relationship that we have with my family. Every Sunday we have the tradition of heading to my parents after church for dinner. Sometimes when we are sitting around the dinner table or laughing in the front porch I realize how blessed I am. I have a better family than I could have ever asked for, a husband who adores me, and more friends who love an support me than I deserve. Life is good.

Picture note:
- the view is what I saw walking onto my porch this morning at sunrise. Utah is beautiful.
-the cake was my breakfast. No wonder I'm so skinny! Haha! What's a girl to do when she is almost too tired to chew, let alone actually MAKE something.
-don't worry, those bare feet aren't mine! That's nicks tan line (and by tan line I mean burn line) from the softball games yesterday.
-the shoes are my newest addition to my nursing apparel. I love em!!
-the gun has a pretty cool story. That gun is a gun my dad shot with my grandpa before he could hold it up by himself. My grandpa would rest the muzzle on his shoulder so my dad could shoot. Grandpa had the gun custom made which means it is one of a kind. The detail and wood grain is amazing. I love that my family has such history, memories, and heirlooms that I can pass on. I'm all about the sentiment. That is one of the biggest reasons for me writing this blog. I want my kids and future generations to know where they come from and the people that helped bring them to where they are, wherever that might be.

While we're at it ...

Picture catch up? I think yes.

These include but are not limited to:
-baseball games (duh)
-furniture restoration
-fishing
-being spoiled
-sand dunes
-nursing school
-Utah Jazz
-birthdays
- and boredom