I love the end and the beginning!

I really like the idea that today is the last day of August and that as of tomorrow, we are starting a whole new month! I'm looking forward to the fall, even though I could handle a few more months of summer weather. There are good things happening in my life and I'm excited to learn more, experience more and grow more this next year.

I was reading in Revelation this evening. I really get awed/inspired/excited about that book. Today it felt as though I was reading it for the first time all over again.

"I saw the thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)" Revelation 20:4,5

So, I pondered the thousand year reign for a bit. Wow! That is going to be pretty amazing! Those that know Jesus and follow him will reign with him for a thousand years! That means we will be reigning with people of the Bible like the 12 disciples, Queen Esther, Ruth, Paul.....I never thought of this before! It is going to be pretty interesting to see how God makes all things new as He promised (21:5) and what kinds of roles we will all play in this Kingdom on earth. I'm feeling the mystery and the awe of what is to come.....

Not much to say....

Not a lot of inspiration to blog lately. Enjoying life nonetheless.
-Had my bro over last week for 3 days (can't remember if I blogged that before or not)
-Attended a really nice wedding on friday night
-Had a hilarious dinner at Applebee's with Shane's grandpa and parents on saturday...grandpa is SO funny!
-Had Shane's parents over for chatting and a movie on saturday night! That was really nice!
-Enjoyed singing at Encounter God Night with Johan and Krista! I like working with them! Feeling a smidge less uncomfortable about being up there after last night....for now!
-Worked the night shift last night....leaving in the next 10 minutes for night shift #2 of 4 this week.

Adios, must comb my wet hair and brush my teeth before flying out the door! Hope it's a good one tonight!

IT DIDN'T FLOP!!!!

Just returned home from working the evening shift on L & D. I haven't been there since my senior practicum...as my job right now is on LDRP. I just picked up an extra shift tonight and they put me there! It was nice!

I realized something in the car on the ride out of the parkade this evening. I've been hearing other nurses say that some days are good and others are bad as you start out. It can take a good year before you don't get sick at the idea of coming in for a shift out of fear and apprehension!

I realized that I'm the kind of person that likes it black or white...not that I didn't know it before, but I realized it again. If something bad happens in the shift, it gets deemed bad. Even if the majority was good. I tend to sum up the evening far too quickly when things get a little crazy.

So, I'm proud to report that tonight was not a flop!
- I had 2 great couples to work with
- They thanked me for doing a great job! How nice!
- I did a pelvic exam...and totally felt the cervix and knew exactly what I was feeling! Didn't have to doubt myself or get a second opinion! Lately, I'm getting them more often..but it is an acquired art, that's for sure!
- Administered a certain medication through a pump that I haven't given since sometime in my practicum...and gave it safely!
- Transferred a patient and was with her on another ward for half an hour and everything went very smoothly!
- Set up/assisted/etc. an epidural and it went well! Last week was my first time doing the whole epidural process alone (without another nurse to help) and it totally flopped! I forgot SO many things and it was with one of the anesthesiologists that isn't the most friendly! That sucked! But tonight went well and the doc was awesome!
- Saw the CRN (head cheese) of the unit that I normally work on (hadn't seen her since my practicum) and she was super glad to see me around. She totally complimented and encouraged me by saying that I'm in the right place and to apply for everything that comes up job-wise! How sweet!
- I got my first pay check! It will be direct deposited into our account tomorrow! But, I got to look at the pay sub.....boy, they took 1/3 of my cheque away!!!! Deductions suck!

So, I'm deeming this night a success! Even though not everything goes smoothly, I'm going to try to give myself a few more pats on the back these days. So, good job!

And for our latest news.....

I didn't want to steal Shane's thunder...but now that some of you know of our latest plans, I can post them too!

Shane handed in his 2 weeks notice on monday! He is going back to school in two weeks from tomorrow! The schedule we managed to work out allows him to do full time university and part-time prayer/God time as his life for the next year! It is quite a nice schedule! And I'm totally excited to see Shane thrive and do something that he loves! He is planning on working towards getting into Athletic Therapy.

It has been a huge leap of faith for us at this point in our lives! We have been praying hard about this decision in the last month and a bit. Shane had wanted to go back to school, but we only got really serious about thinking about it with all the medical issues in the last 5-6 weeks. Now we are praying for a year term or a permanent position for me so that we have finances coming in. That's mostly why this is such a leap of faith at this time (finances).

I'm excited about a new season for us...and more specifically for Shane. I think it will have its tough moments, as normally happens when one spouse is a student, but I think it will be life-giving. I know, now from experience, that it really feels good to work hard at something like a university degree, and then complete it! And be able to have a career in what you love to do! I'm also totally pumped about what God wants to do with my hubbie in the next year! Now with more deliberate space and time to spend with God, I'm really excited to see what is going to come out of it!

Well, that's all the news for now!

Slacker....

I've been SUCH a slacker at going to the gym this summer....it has pretty much been nonexistant! That is so bad! Especially because they are giving us such a nice discount!

So, today I went for the first time in a LONG time! I went to my first ever aquafit class...and it was really fun! It was me with a group of middle-aged and senior women! They were great! And I enjoyed being the young one amongst nice older women =) Though, I just can't be quite as "free" as they are in the shower room after the class! Yikes! I'd rather be wrapped up in multiple towels with no skin showing...thank-you very much!

You may, or may not, have read my hubbie's blog this morning.....a new season is coming for us and it is pretty exciting and scarey! No, we are NOT having a baby! I'll wait to post it for a bit...so that his blog gets the first readers, as it is greatly his news to share!

Ahhhh Love.....

We got to attend my cousin's wedding yesterday and dance the night away in the evening! Bring out the ugly dancing, Steph!

I really enjoy going to weddings, and especially hearing the vows that people make to one another, in front of friends, family and God. It is really a special thing that has such mystery and awe in my heart. It is a glimpse of eternity.

The reception was pretty fun! It was held in a nice restaurant that is actually a renovated old barn! The food was amazing! And there was tons of it! And the dancing was fun! Steph can encourage just about anyone to dance with her...minus the boys in our family (Shane, dad). One guy said this was the first time anyone has gotten him to dance sober. We told him that anyone can do it because the rule is the uglier, the better! Therefore, anyone can! It was so fun to see people who normally wouldn't feel confident to even move at all in regular dancing settings, going for it with us! That made me feel nice!

Oooo..they had a bit of a surprise for the guests at the ceremony. When the pastor announced the couple at the very end, we found out that the groom had changed his name to the bride's last name! I haven't been to a wedding that has done that before! That was a big surprise! They are going to get lots of cheques with the wrong last name from the presentation!

Well, after that nice party and seeing as though I'm working the night shift tonight, Shane and I slept the morning away. It was wonderful. And I've got to use my vocal chords tonight at Encounter God Night and I'm nervous about that, on a side note! I've got the heart, and the desire, but only wish that God would impart the voice! Help! I need supernatural help! And a whole lot of strength added to my voice!

So, I will have some God time, some food and tidy up my messy house this afternoon. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and relax!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE MAN ON THIS EARTH!!!!!

Today is my Shaner's 25th birthday! Sounds like an exciting year.....25! I'm exciting to see what God is going to continue doing in my hubbie this year! I think there are really good things in store!

So, enjoy this day, babe! It's all about you today!......and really, when can you say that except on your birthday???!!!

One small factor that kinda sucks is that I'm working from 3:30-11:45pm today =( That means work people and Shane's family get to do all the celebrating today. That sucks, but oh well, we can celebrate other times! We went for an early birthday dinner just the two of us on wednesday to Moxie's. That was nice! And we get to sleep in as long as we want tomorrow, together! Yippeee!!! No work!!! Maybe I'll make my Shaner a special breakfast or something....and then we are off to a wedding for the afternoon/evening. You know what that means? I get to dance with the guy! Yeah!

So, adios! I'm off to see my mom and the babes in the mall for an hour! Ta ta for now!

Good morning.....well, actually good evening....

I am up from my night...while the rest of regular life goes on as I sleep the day away.

Thanks for prayers last night and today. The night went well. Shane felt a little sick but no seizures so I am very thankful! My shift was nice too. I recovered a patient who had just delivered an hour before my shift started and then got a laboring patient at 4am. I got her the epidural she wanted and succeeded in starting the IV! I haven't done one in a little while being off the past few weeks and all, so I was a little nervous when I couldn't see any veins! Well, I went by feeling and actually got it right away! Woo hoo!!

Tonight we pray! I'm looking forward to meeting some new people that are checking out prayer tonight! It is totally great how we are not advertising prayer night and yet somehow word spreads and people are starting to come that I've never met before! Only You, Lord, only You. Do Your Will in our home, during our prayer times and bring the ones that You want to our way! Have Your Will tonight and speak to us about what is on your heart!

I work again tonight. I hope that 7 hours of sleep today was enough to hold me through the evening and night! It's going to have to be!

Adios, I'm off to pick up my husband and clean my house before people arrive tonight!

A few concerns tonight....

1. My first night shift of my position starts in 40 minutes and is also the first one since all the stuff has happened with Shane....meaning Shane is home alone at night. That is making us a little nervous tonight as he is feeling funky on his meds lately and that is the time of day that is a little scarey for us. Please pray!

2. Yesterday was a pretty hard shift. Had a laboring patient. Out of control. Language barrier. Difficulty with the baby at delivery. Really freaked me out. In the end, left the room to have a big cry in the bathroom. Way too intense for a newby like me. I'm concerned about tonight's shift.

So, in general lately, there are good days and bad ones. Today is one of those bad ones and I would really appreciate some prayer!

Babies, babies....

So, last night was a little scarey, but a little empowering. I had my first shift as a real nurse working with a laboring mom. Can I say thank goodness for epidurals? It made my job so much easier last night! Boy was I scared when I got to work and saw that I was with a laboring patient! Yikes! I had a nurse help me out right at delivery and the doctor made it....but otherwise, I did it! I was THE nurse of the evening! And it wasn't so bad! That feels good!

We picked up our car this morning in Steinbach. It had to get work done on the handles from the break-in we had in July. Stinkin' deductible! Oh well...so goes life!

I'm off for another shift....still a scarey thing! But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I have to remind myself that I will never be alone....Jesus is always with me!

Have a great saturday!

Going to do it all over again......

I'm off to my second shift in just a little while. I haven't let myself think much about yesterday's shift so that I wouldn't get nervous about today. So, I'm still keeping that motto and not thinking about work much until I get there! So far, it seems to be working alright for me!

I'm working evenings all this weekend for a girl that wanted the weekend off. She switched me so that I could go to my cousin's wedding next weekend....and then asked me to switch a few more shifts so that she could spend more time with her husband. It worked out ok for me...I get to go to the wedding now and I get two weekends off out of the deal! That is nice! Also, it is good to be at work a lot at the beginning so that I can get into the flow of things. Big breaks in between shifts would make me a little more nervous!

I just returned from a nice "coffee" time with my lovely friend, Christina! It is so nice to both be starting out in our nursing careers and have each other to talk to about it. There is something about connecting with someone who is doing the same things as you....and it is special since we did a lot of our training/schooling together! Thanks for calling Chris!

Well, I'm off to relax a little until it is time to leave! Have a good weekend!

Insanity!......but I survived........

It was a really crazy first day at the hospital. See, I thought maybe I'd get a little orientation seeing as though I've been away from the hopsital for 3 weeks, and not been on that ward specifically for 2 months to the day. That is quite a while for a newby like me.

Nope. No such luck. No orientation. No buddy nurse. All alone. Very alone.

Generally, a maximum of 4 moms and 4 babies is the workload. That in itself keeps you quite busy! What did I have as my assignment my first day as a "real" nurse? 5 moms and 5 babies!!! I thought I might go nuts!

I had some nice help later on in the day, though....or I wouldn't have made it! But, I'm just learning as I go! It is quite strange to be having to teach someone a skill that I haven't even learnt yet!

And to top it off, I was asked to work overtime on my first day there! Yikes! Not today....but for future reference, time and a half will be nice......=)

Off to watch a movie with friends that are coming over with ice cream treats! Yippee!

Today is the day......

It is bright and early and it was hard to drag myself out of bed.....not the greatest sleep with many awake periods....
But, today is a new day and I am starting my job! It is going to be great and I hope to love going to work each day!
I'll let you all know how it goes!

Have wonderful days!

One.....well, two, last things before I jump into bed........

Tomorrow is my first day of my first nursing job ever! I would be totally nervous if I let myself think about it. But, I'm not thinking about it so that I don't get uptight about tomorrow! Ok, you prayer warriors, pray tomorrow like you did today, because I totally felt that! I begin my nursing career on LDRP bright and early tomorrow morning! The first day of getting paid! Bring it on!

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE BROTHER!!! Today is his real birthday, even though we celebrated over the weekend! I even got to call camp this evening and talk to him myself! That was nice! Happy 17th birthday Shaun! That is such a great sounding year....17....ahhhhh....I loved that year!

Off to bed to get in a good night's sleep.....zzzz......

I'M DONE!!!!!! YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!!

I got out of my exam early both this morning and this afternoon! That is a nice bonus! And now, I'm finished it all! Just have to wait up to 3 months to get the results of pass or fail......I better have passed! It could have been a lot worse. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. But, I also could have done a lot better. Doesn't matter anymore! I'm finished!!!!

Thanks for all your prayers! I totally felt them! I felt a lot of peace, wasn't anxious at all today. And I didn't even reach barf stage from writing for too long! It really did go pretty well. The massive headache I had for the entire afternoon sucked though. Oh well.

As for Shane, here is the update since the weekend:
- Seizure during the night on sunday to monday (first one in 3 weeks)
- Neurologist appointment on monday afternoon
- Increasing the medication aggressively, especially since the recent seizure activity
- EEG (to look at electrical activity in brain) bumped up to September 19 instead of October 31, by being willing to pay a simple fee of $20
- MRI being booked...not sure when.....in the next 3-4 months
- Echocardiogram being booked...not sure when.....heart murmur found in the neurologist's office that day (that was the icing on the cake!)
- official diagnosis of epilepsy...but no answer of why at this point....

Therefore, with the diagnosis, the neurologist says we don't have to keep a seizure count going, we probably still will keep them counted and recorded for our own info and to tell our doctor, but we may not post them anymore as it is a pretty personal issue and I really want to be respectful of Shane's feelings in this area. All of the updates posted were info that Shane was comfortable to share thus far......just disclaimering that we may not share all as the crisis part seems to be settling down as we adjust to all this stuff......

Please keep on praying and keep giving us all the wonderful support that you great friends have been giving! Thanks for all the encouragement! We have totally appreciated it!

18 minutes until leaving time.......!!!!!

No, I'm not boarding a plane, going on an exciting voyage or having a baby....
It is E day....Exam Day.....the biggest one in my nursing career, and the one least studied for!
I leave by 7am....register at 7:30am....start writing around 8am....
We are scheduled to write until 6pm! I sure hope that I don't go crazy sitting and writing a test that stinkin' long!
I totally haven't studied enough...but what is enough? I could spend forever learning more and relearning the last 4 years of information!

On another note, prayer last night was awesome, in my opinion! I really need to blog very soon about topics like the weekend at the lake, Shane's neurologist appointment that was on monday and prayer last night! Soon.......

Please pray for me today if you think of me! Thanks so much!

To the lake we go!

Rock Lake, here we come! I'm looking forward to the weekend that I'm going to spend with my family and hubbie at the lake! My brother has been out there working for the summer and we are all going up this weekend to see him, visit camp and be blessed by what God is doing out there. My mom, sister, brother (I think), and Shane and I are all in one big lodge room together! That should be fun...and maybe a little interesting! I do believe my dad is coming out on saturday too to visit!

It is my baby bro's birthday on wednesday (when I'll be writing my exam)....so I'm bringing him a card and a cd as a little birthday celebration. I hope he enjoys them! He's going to be 17 already....guess he's not really a baby bro technically at that age! Oh well, he's still my baby bro!

I'm really needing a little gift from the Lord this weekend. I hope it is a refreshing time for my whole family. I just want a little something....not exactly sure what.

So, I will do a little more studying, finish my packing and take my hubbie for another doctor's appointment! Adios amigos! Enjoy the warm weather this weekend!

One last exam.....

Well, my RN exam isn't until next wednesday, but I'm feeling the pressure of needing to study more than I am! I just went hard for an hour and now I need a breather. Blogging and a bath sounds like a good way to clear my mind!

If I think about next week, I sorta start to stress out! Wednesday is my exam and it is ALL day long! We have to be there early...like 7:30 or 8am....and are scheduled until 6pm! That is one full day!

Then I start my job the next day bright and early! I'm totally freaked out about starting out on my own! I don't think I get any orientation or anything, because I've been there during my senior practicum. That freaks me right out, because I haven't been on LDRP since the beginning/middle of June. That is 2 months ago already! And I feel like I learned so much on L & D that I need to have a refresher of the other unit. I learned most of my labor stuff on L & D and now I need to figure out what is the same and what's different on the other ward.

I hate feeling stressed out! I really need some prayer and a bathe to get some peace flowing! If you think of me in the next week...especially next week.....please say a little prayer! It is such an exciting but totally scarey time in my life! Yikes!

And the update continues.....

So, the doctor put Shane on a corticosteriod to help with the rash. Already by this morning, the rash is looking better! We still have the benadryl on hand to help with the itching, but aren't needing it quite as much as before. The plan is to be on the steriod for 1 week or so.

We went to the lab this morning to get Shane's tegretol levels drawn. We see the family doc again on friday and will find out what kind of levels we're at this time. In the meantime, if the rash doesn't go away, Shane could be allergic to tegretol as well. Let's hope not! The doc mentioned that he entertained the idea of taking Shane off everything and clearing out his levels completely before starting all over again. But, both him and Shane didn't want to take the chance of seizures in the meantime. So, we'll keep on plugging away!

And, great news! We got our appointment letter for the neurologist in the mail yesterday! It is for this coming monday! That was really fast! 4 days short of a month to the day since the first 2 seizures. Thank-you God!

In my own little world, I am studying a little each day, since monday, for my national RN exam that is next wednesday. I'm trying to fit all kinds of things into my days at the same time. For example, today I took Shane to the lab and then to work, am going out for lunch with my friend Tanya to celebrate her birthday and then visiting my mom and her babies for the afternoon! I'm so looking forward to holding my now 7 pound foster sister!

I'm a little anxious these days about two jobs that I applied for earlier this week. I desperately want one of them! So, pray that if it is in God's plan for us, that I get one of these two jobs and that I find out quickly! .....in the meantime, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, as I am at the very bottom of the seniority pole! So, pretty much NO ONE has to apply for me to get it! Please, nobody apply!

Must go get some studying in before I take off for Steinbach for the rest of the day! Bye for now!

Update on the medical side of things.....

Shane still has a lovely rash that he's had all over since last wednesday when we visited Emerg. It doesn't seem to be getting any better. His hands and arms look a little better to me, but his back, legs and feet look worse! He's still really itchy at times and is taking benadryl to help with the itchl.

Shane started on the new anti-convulsant on friday night. Since then he's had some nausea, a painful stomach, he's still a little dizzy on occasion, has had a headache that comes and goes and has just a little bit of a stutter left. Still not really enjoying this!

So, I called the doctor's again this morning to check in. He wants to see us again today, even though we are already seeing him on friday afternoon. He may start Shane on some steriods.....I'll fill you all in when we get back from the doctor's this afternoon.

Today is also Shane's first day back at work. It isn't too exciting for him to have to go back in the midst of all of this. It would be nice to get things stable first. So, we are praying that his workplace is gracious with all these doctor's appointments and weekly visits to the lab which cut into his work day.

We are continuing to pray for wisdom and guidance as to what to do in this time. Thanks for your prayers!

Tag? You're it?

Supposedly there has been this thing called "tagging" that has been happening on some blogs in cyberspace. According to the comment Lynne left on my last post, I too have been tagged. Guess that means you all get to hear a little details about me.



10 years ago today-> I was 12 years old and on summer holidays between grades 7 and 8.....not working, going to Rock Lake with my family and Eagle Lake Bible Camp with my friend Amy

1 year ago-> was working at a personal care home and landed myself a not-so-hot back injury and had be off of work for months! and was a newlywed of a month and a half...

Yesterday -> had a fabulous day with some friends at Birds Hill enjoying the hot weather, then a great barbeque/potluck with odds and ends from our fridges, topped with a stroll to the Forks and a visit to the new Salisbury House for Dippin' Dots

Tomorrow -> study for my RN national exam that is coming up next week!, bring my husband to work (first day back, yikes!), 10% tuesday grocery shopping, prayer in the evening

5 snacks I enjoy -> 5 cent candies of any kind, chocolate, fruit (berries especially), ice cream and I must say slurpees as a snack!

5 adult beverages I enjoy -> the occasional margarita or daquiri....otherwise just slurpees! I don't have 5 adult beverages I enjoy!

5 bands I know the lyrics to-> lots of worship stuff like Third Day, Chris Tomlin, and other singers that I'm ashamed to admit like Avril Lavigne (sadly), Britney Spears (the occasional song), some of U2...

5 things I would do with $100 000 000 -> travel, pay off my student loans/car loan, build a house, give money to my family and Shane's family (pay off debt for them), take people grocery shopping that can't afford it/and other charities, etc.

5 locations I would like to run away to -> Mexico, Africa, Mediterranean Cruise, Europe, Kansas City =)

5 bad habits I have -> assuming, worrying, procrastinating, leaving the fridge door open when I get something out of it that is going to go right back in, letting people get me riled up over stupid things that I really should let slide

5 things I love doing -> dancing, spending time with family and friends, being pampered (especially getting massages), barbeques, and.......oh yes, I'll keep the others to myself as this is a G rated blog ;)

5 things I would never wear -> a spacesuit, stelletos (not sure the spelling), black, knee-high boots, a thong bikini, or cowboy boots

5 tv shows I like -> this is a hard one, as we do not get reception at our place...but in retrospect....Dr. Phil, Oprah, Survivor, CSI, reality tv (but not all of those silly shows!)

5 movies I like-> Father of the Bride, Much Ado about Nothing, Little Women, Bride and Prejudice (newer, Bollywood movie), My Girl.....that was a tough question!

5 famous people I would love to meet-> Jesus, Mary (Jesus' mother), Paul, Queen Esther, John (to ask more about the book of Revelation).....ok, all people of the Bible.....I really don't care to meet "famous" people! I just like to read about their lives in the checkout line...

5 biggest joys at the moment -> snuggling with my husband, holding babies, having a warm bath, having a great coffee date with a good girlfriend, having a great worship/prayer time (loving Encounter God Nights!)

5 favorite toys-> we don't really have a lot that would be classified as "toys"....computer, our new coleman stove/grill, our air conditioner, my waffle iron, my microwave.....mostly appliances, I guess

5 people to tag -> Stephanie, Christina, Alexandra, Bonnie, and Joyska ( I hope none of these people have already been tagged! If so, opps!)


That was tough!!! I didn't know 5 answers for a bunch of them! Oh well! Whatever!