things are looking up!

After a very challenging week, I must say things are picking back up! Had a very fun and eventful weekend. Lindsey and Jason's couples shower went off without a hitch....we had MANY good laughs! I made the happy couple wear sombreros most of the evening...they didn't seem to mind. They were good sports!

After the shower, I went on to Audrey's Birthday celebration at The Slip Inn....and I must admit, although it is a complete hole in the wall, we really had a good time!! I don't know what it is, but us SWFs (single white female's, as Audrey has deemed us) get pretty silly when we get together! From playing "paparazzi", to dancing and singing like complete and utter fools, we always seem to have A LOT of fun!! You should check out our "group blog" at www.craziesss.blogspot.com. Brace yourself, it might scare you....just jokin!

Sunday was GORGEOUS! I am so excited about this beautiful weather! I am praying it stays this way. I'm so sick of the sweldering heat...anyone with me on this?? I always seem to get gleamingly happy when the seasons change....I guess it is just the excitement of holidays, etc. coming up! Hopefully I will have some good weather when I go to New Jersey on Thursday to visit Paige and her new baby boy, Quinn! He was born on Friday and I am so excited to see her and her sweet little addition! I'll blog from there and let you all know how it is going!! Thats all for now! Hope everyone's week got off to a great start!! Adios!

Life is too Short....

Wow....this week at work has been indescribeable.....exhausting, scary, emotionally draining...you name it! The hardest part of this week was facing what I knew was inevitable....Last night (Wednesday night), I lost one of my closest patients. No words can even begin to describe the relationship I had with this patient and his family. I felt as though I had become a part of their family, as did a handful of other nurses on our floor. This patient was so special to me....I'm not even sure why, but he just had that kind of an impact on others. I am speechless when it comes to how many positive things I have to say about this family and about this patient. You just loved them. It was as simple as that. How much of an honor it was to go through this experience with them. What is weird is how this began as strictly a patient/nurse relationship that quickly grew into a patient/friend relationship and then into a patient/family relationship. I knew this kind of situation would arise at some point in my career, but not to this extent. My heart is overflowing with love, sadness, and sympathy. He fought so hard and so strong for his children, for his wife, for his family....and his fight peacefully ended with a grin on his face and with his family surrounding him. I'm convinced he was smiling for The Lord and the hundreds of angels calling him home.

I was obligated to fulfill my nurse role by listening to his absent heartbeat and his absent breath, and having the to utter the painful words, "he is gone". However, I quickly felt less like a nurse and more of a family member when we all wrapped our arms around each other and wept tears of sadness and relief. Such a bittersweet and indescribeable moment. It was so rewarding to hear words of gratitude from his family towards myself and the other nursing staff. That is the kind of people they are...in the midst of sadness and frustration, they still found the heart to express gratitude in such a loving way. I won't ever forget the wonderful feeling I had when each one of them hugged me tightly and said "Thank you for all you have done." As I told them all goodbye, it took all I had to hold myself together as I watched them walk out of the hospital for the first time in months.....

I got home the next morning and just broke down. I was so thankful for having my mom there to cry with me and to listen....needless to say I hardly got a wink of sleep before I came back to work tonight...his face was egraved in my mind....but I wouldn't change these feelings for anything. I am so humbled, so blessed, and so thankful that I was able to go through this experience and that this patient was placed into my life. I truly believe God was in complete control of this entire encounter. I believe he called me into the nursing profession. I believe he put this patient in my life. And I believe he wanted me there for this particular moment.

I will always remember my patient. I will always remember his family. I will remember their abundant kindness towards myself, and their love and respect they had for eachother.

Now, I ask that you keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. Although this was a very expected loss, no one is ever prepared enough to lose a loved one...so always, ALWAYS tell the people close to you that you love them no matter what! Take time out of your life for the ones you love. Life is just too short to waste quality time.....I love you all!

"Drive-Thru" Ettiquite

So, today on my way to work, I was driving through Chick-fil-A (an at least once a week MUST HAVE) and this STUPID PT Cruiser was in front of me. Mind you, I am ON MY WAY to work, (Not coming home from work like the rest of the world....which is a whole different issue!), so I don't have all the time in the world as this PT Cruiser apparently had! Not only did the stupid lady take FOR-E-VER at the drive through speaker ordering her 2 milk shakes and something that fit in just one bag (I was glaring while her order was being handed to her through the window...so I took notice to what on earth took soooo friggin long for her to order...which was not much!), but she ALSO kept handing what looked like coupons or 'freebie cards' to the cashier at the window! She would hand one, then turn to the side (apparently looking into her purse for more), then hand them another one, then turn to her purse again, handed them ANOTHER one, then turned and I guess finally got some money and handed that to them as well! AAAAHHH!!!!!! Jesus was DEFINITELY testing my patience with this lady, because I was about one 'coupon turn' away from ramming my car into hers! Needless to say, here is what my friends and I will write about in our ettiquite book:

This chapter will be called DRIVE-THRU ETTIQUITE:

When approaching a drive-thru, have what you might think you want in mind. Have your wallet, money, coupons, what-have-you ready to go IN YOUR HAND! Move up in line (don't SIT THERE in your car searching for your cash while other cars move ahead). This way, the people behind you can order and be on their way. When you get your food, take a VERY QUICK glance! Do not SEARCH through the ENTIRE bag to see if you got everything. If that is absolutely necessary, move ahead and pull into a parking space. If something is missing, then get off your lazy bum and go in to fix the order...either way, just KEEP MOVING! People have places to be...if they didn't, then they wouldn't be going through the drive thru! So, if you have all the time in the world, go in and enjoy your 900 calorie fast food! = )

An "Anna Moment"

So, my mom and I were running around yesterday hitting up some of those lovely Labor Day sales (I bought a new mattress! YESSS!). We were driving home, and on the corner of an intersection near our house is a new strip center with a Panda Express as well as a new T-Mobile store. On the kiosk for the strip center, the Panda Express sign is above the T-Mobile sign. But at the bottom of the Panda Express sign, the words "Drive Thru" appear. Mom and I have been loyal T-Mobile customers since it used to be "VoiceStream". That is a pretty long time. So, needless to say, mom likes to tell me where the t-mobile stores are, just in case I need to pop in for an upgrade or something. Here is how the conversation went as we were passing this new strip center:

Mom: "Did you see there is a new t-mobile store there?!"
Me: (Being the "brunette" that I am) "Yeah, I saw that! Aaaand it is a drive through!"
Mom: "What?? No....Anna.....that is for the Panda Express!! Mercy! (Kathi's Favorite exclamation) You can try to cover up that blonde all you want....its NOT going to work! We all know better!"
Me and Mom: Laughing out loud the entire way back to the house!

oooops! Simple mistake. But couldn't you just picture what it would be like if there were actually a "drive-thru" T-mobile store?!

"Uh, yes, I would like a blackberry with a side of car chargers....no...wait...make that a side of headsets....oh and could you please super size that value package?? No....no toy....just some extra minutes please!"

We will go ahead and dub this an "Anna Moment".....more to come, i'm sure!