It's raining here in Little Rock. There is a big cold front moving in and we are supposed to get some snow tonight. I would love for us to get some snow simply because it would make Elijah so very happy. We haven't seen any snow at all this year. Sad thing for a little boy of 7. I can't imagine how tragic it is for little kids who have never seen snow.
I would have really liked for today to be a day of rest since I worked the past three days, but it will be anything but. Today will be a day of schoolwork for Elijah and housework for me. yuck.
Rain, Rain
This time last year...
This time last year we were outside in the chilly air cheering our friend Susan on as she ran in the Little Rock Marathon! Susan is on the injured list this year so she wont be running, but the marathon will always make me think of her and that day. We had so much fun holding up signs and cheering for her and the other runners.
There are quite a few nurses here at the hospital that are running today. It should be great weather for them.
I am enjoying work, but not enjoying some of the things we see here. Yesterday I saw my first death. It was a little baby. It wasn't as emotionally charged as I would have thought, but I am sure that if the circumstances had been different - it could have been very emotional.
On another note, my new microwave died. No electricity to it at all. crazy. they are coming back out on Tuesday to look at it. I am starting to wonder if it isn't a problem with my electric outlet.. hmmmm...
DOH!
First things first.. I am not normally one to quote Homer Simpson, but I felt it was truly appropriate in this situation. Now.. A few weeks ago, Elijah was making microwave popcorn. It's one of his favorite things - to make. He makes it regularly, but eats it rarely. Anyhoo.. while he was making it, the microwave decided to do some "snap, crackle, pop" thing - and then it ROARED! I kid you not.. After this, it didn't work anymore. I was so angry! We bought this thing less than a year ago! We searched and searched for the receipt so we could return it, but didn't find it. (note to self, keep receipts of such items in a logical location in the future) We thought we were just stuck with a broken microwave and would have to just buy another one. I called GE (the manufacturer of my microwave) and asked if I had any recourse. Without question, they sent a technician out to our house to investigate since. Since it was less than a year old, it was still under warranty. I was so impressed with GE. The technician was there in a matter of hours and let me know that the microwave was defective and I would be getting a new one.. wow! GE really stands behind their product! That brings me to the "DOH!".
The delivery guy showed up yesterday to bring my new appliance and retreive the defective one. He was a very nice and very tall young man. Let me set this scene a bit.. In our hall we have a small brass and glass light fixture. Typical 1979 light fixture... As the delivery guy was leaving the house, he walks in to the light fixture in the foyer and hits his head.. Now.. he wasn't running, he didn't hit with any great force - but this impact somehow led him to fall out smooth on the foyer floor!!!! I gasped! Sadly, not out of concern for this delivery guy - but because it was so over the top dramatic, I nearly laughed!! "are you SERIOUS?" I wanted to ask... I was speechless as this large specimen of a man rolled around on my foyer floor as though he had just been smacked in the face with a crow bar! "um.. are you okay?" - I said - REALLY trying not to laugh.. "oh, my.. where did THAT come from?" he said... I wanted to go "Dude, it's not that heavy - it couldn't have hurt that bad".. but he got up, said he was okay, rubbed his head, and staggered out the door. As soon as the door closed and said delivery guy got in his van, I cracked up laughing in my foyer wishing that someone else had been there to witness the spectical. That said.. I have my new microwave, it works like a charm. I hope the delivery guy is okay. ha ha
Home
I am so happy to be home today. I miss being here when I work, but I am thankful to be working again. I like my job quite a bit, but don't like seeing some of the things I see up there. We saw a little girl yesterday who was five and who had been molested by her father. Such a sweet little girl and something so horrible. I think as a society we try to tune out stuff like that and pretend it happens to other people. Sort of like cancer. That happens to other peoples kids - not mine. When you are slapped in the face with the reality of how harsh our world is, it makes you really appreciate your family and your home. I am thankful for this haven. I am thankful for having reached a point where we are able to deal with what is happening with Elijah's health instead of the overwhelming emotions that came with the newness of it all. Don't get me wrong - it's still hard and very overwhelming, I just feel like we are better equipped to deal with it. Especially since we tackle everything as a family - together and unified.
Strange Dreams
I have been having some of the wackiest dreams lately. In the past few dreams I have had, I have been pregnant or had a baby. The baby that I had was a little boy who looked exactly like Eli when he was born only this baby had black hair. Elijah's hair was golden blonde when he was born. We had this baby and I told Britt that he looked just like Elijah and that he had Britt's nose. I have also been dreaming about the house that I lived in with Hannah's dad a lot. Dreams that the house still belongs to me and I am going to fix it up and move in to it. In my dream from last night, I was pregnant and staying in a trailer on the land while I remodeled the house. Very strange stuff, indeed. A friends husband (who I have only met once for about 2 minutes) was helping with the remodeling work. I don't want to have another baby and I definitely don't want to live in that house again, so I wonder why I am having these dreams. I keep thinking it has something to do with building stuff, changing, growth, rebirth - something along those lines. It's either that or I need to stop snacking so late at night. ha!
Good Week
Work flew by this weekend.. I say weekend, but it was Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's crazy some of the stuff that we see in the ER. The shifts go by very quickly and for the most part, I really like most of the people I work with. There is one nurse that I don't care for. She just never smiles and no matter how nice I am to her, she is just very short and acts as though she is bothered by everything. To me, you have to have a bit of pleasantry about your demeanor to be a pediatric nurse. I guess that's just me. For the most part, everyone up there is really great and fun.
Valentine's Day was lovely. Britt surprised me with a bath stuff, chocolates, a balloon and a beautiful card.. It was waiting for me when I got home. I took advantage of some quiet time and relaxed in the bath until he got home.. Then we went out to dinner. It was very nice.
I am going to try and get the house in order this week. Thursday and Friday I don't have to be at work until 11:30 so I don't have to get up so early on those days. Today I really want to lay in bed all day because I am worn out from working - but I won't. I am going to get laundry going and do school work with Elijah in a bit.
I have a huge list of things that need to be done.. I guess I will just start marking them off one by one. :)
peace
So far so good
I am really liking working again. My job is interesting and the shifts go by really fast. I have to admit that I am not used to working 40 hours anymore - it really wore me out, but in a good way. I need some healthy snacks to take to work so I am not so tempted to hit the cafeteria or the vending machines. I have stayed away from the vending machine completely - but have visited the cafe a few times. Mostly for diet coke.
So far, my Lenten committment is going well. I decided that pizza crust didn't count as long as it was thin crust. (ha!) Other than that, I have done a great job of avoiding bread. I have eaten salads where I would normally get a burger or a sandwich. Britt and the kids went to Wendy's the other day and were going to bring me lunch to work. I had a baked potato and some chili while they had chicken sandwiches. I think this will be a good move for me all around. Bread is something that I love dearly, so it's definitely a sacrifice and will hopefully teach me that I DO have willpower. I am secretly hoping it helps with my snug scrub dillema as well.
Can I tell you how much I LOVE wearing scrubs to work??? It's like getting to go to work in your comfy pj's, if you ask me.
Elijah has scans coming up. I feel really positive about those. I just know in my heart they will be clean scans. He is doing really great.