One Week Down...

I have officially completed my first week employed as a registered nurse.

While it was a short week due to Memorial Day on Monday, it was a much of what I had anticipated my first week to be...overwhelming, exhausting and mind-blowing. I think what I was unprepared for was the extent to which I would feel the aforementioned things. After only working 4 days, I am completely exhausted and I'm quite sure my head will explode with all the new knowledge getting stuffed into my gray matter! Sadly, it's as if the bank vault holding the past 6 months of resting and recharging I have saved, has been thieved in just 4 days! Uhg!

In addition to the usual things that induce panic when starting a new job, upon arriving at work on Tuesday morning, my new Nurse Manager (whom I think is probably the coolest of people) informs me that she is leaving her position and her last day will be Friday.....FRIDAY!?!?! Yep, as in Friday, 5/30, Friday! WHAT!?!? This lovely and talented Nurse Manager is inarguably the reason I am employed. I've been in contact with her since before I graduated nursing school. She has been patiently working with me for the past 6 months to get me hired on. And as I am making my grand entrance...she is making her graceful departure...and it breaks my heart! Needless to say, there is a lot of CHANGE going on, not only for me but with the other nurses as well, as everyone adjusts.

In addition to the usual 'new job stuff' to learn such as computer charting systems, treatment protocols, names of both staff and patients and the general ebb and flow of the job, I have the incredible task of learning the vast array of chemotherapy medications AND becoming extremely proficient at starting IV's. And by proficient, I really mean EXPERT. Many of our patients have been receiving treatments for years or are older and tend to have difficult veins. And difficult veins beget difficult IV starts. And honestly, no one enjoys getting poked, not to mention getting poked repeatedly...and I DO NOT want to be the nurse that has to poke them over and over again.

The truth is I wish I was a genius (don't we all?!?). Then maybe all of this would not be so overwhelming to me. Not a crazy know-it-all genius...but your average, well-rounded genius! Then I'd be able to learn new things quickly without getting too overwhelmed and without becoming too pretentious and annoying! At this point, I'm feeling like a complete novice at everything. I swear, the learning curve on this job is a vertical climb. And again, while I was anticipating the steep climb, I was not really prepared for it! I feel discouraged and incompetent. I know the truth is that I'm starting something new and that is often challenging and scary.

From all I have read and those I have talked to extensively about this...evidently, there are no Magical Genius Superpowers! I'll have to start with being a hard-working novice who, over time and with experience, will hopefully one day become a proficient chemo nurse...and maybe one day in the distant future, an expert chemo nurse.

So, I will muster all the courage and energy I have.
Onwards and upwards to week two...

Shiba Madness

Ellie, Tsavo and Cricket

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Unlike many of you who will be enjoying a long leisurely Memorial Day weekend, mine is shaping up to be busy, hectic and tiresome! My Mom is in Washington D.C. all weekend attending a conference and so in addition to our own furry kids, we are watching her dog too! Cricket is a little sweetheart but her energy level is a record holder! Despite walks and playing games of chase in the yard with Ellie, Cricket has managed to wake me up 4 times in the middle of the night the two nights she's been here. Grrr! My sleep is not something to be trifled with...I become VERY grumpy quickly when I can't sleep or my sleep is continuously interrupted (this does not bode well for child rearing, I fear!)

Anyway, I've been looking forward to this weekend for many reasons but at the top of my list is that this is my last weekend of sloth because I start my new job on Tuesday. No longer will I have the luxury of enjoying leisurely brunches, mid-day runs, spur-of-the-moment trips here and there or late nights spent devouring novel after memoir until the wee hours of morning. Instead I will be learning yet another computer charting system, memorizing chemotherapy medications and all their side effects, perfecting my IV starting skills and getting into the flow of working after spending 3 years "working" in a school setting. I'm both extremely excited and scared to death of Tuesday's impending arrival.

With that said, to head into the long summer ahead means I need to beef up my sleep stockpile and lackadaisical days now! After 2 nights of restless and fragmented sleep, I'll have to think of a plan to have a full night's sleep tonight...hmmm! In the meantime...the dogs need to be walked and I should probably finish the plethora of things crowding my "to do" list!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, all...may it be relaxing and fun!

Ten on Ten

I totally stole this idea from a blog I regularly stalk and thought it was an amazing idea. The basic premise is that on the 10th day of each month, you take a photo each hour for 10 consecutive hours thus creating a photojournal of your day. For more info and some of the most amazing photos I've seen in awhile, click here.

So...I started my first Ten on Ten today! Enjoy...

9:30 AM- Breakfast at the Little Red Bicycle Cafe

10:30 AM- Finished cleaning the bathroom

11:30 AM- Claimed a spot on the street to watch the St. John's Parade

12:30 AM- One of the marching bands in the parade passes by me

1:30 PM- Having a pint at Leisure Pub after the parade.

2:30 PM- Rode our scooter Clem from the Leisure Pub back home

3:30 PM- Getting the dogs ready for a walk

4:30 PM- Gobbled up a few 'Red Vines'...YUM!

5:30 PM- Getting ready for our friend's 40th birthday party

6:30 PM- Tre loves 'Jameson & Ginger'

7:30 PM- Enjoying a nice dinner out at the Red Star Tavern for Andy's 40th!

Happy Birthday, Crucial Andy!

A Shout Out

So, I'm one of THOSE people...I absolutely ADORE my furry kids!

While I've always been thankful to have them in my life, they've been an especially important component during the last several months. So, I just wanted to share my affections for them and dispense a little info about each one of my little companions. Oh, and I guess I should warn you ahead of time, but each of my kids has a nickname. I have no idea why/when I started doing this but it's just my thing. Tre teases me to no end...but he eventually winds up using their nicknames too!

This is my Tsavo (aka. BoBo). He is VERY laid back, would happily spend an entire day with you in bed (without much coaxing, I might add), randomly brings you a toy so you'll play with him, is a living, breathing garbage disposal as he likes ANY and ALL food, absolutely LOVES hiking (you can actually see him smiling!) and is, of all the creatures in the house, the most peaceful and calm! After a bad day...he's the one that makes it all seem okay after all!

Jasper (aka Jazzy Purr) was rescued from the busy streets of North Portland as a scrawny little kitten. He has been raised with dogs and therefore actually believes he is a dog. The only true cat-like attribute he possesses is a most annoying 'MEOW', which he uses frequently to procure food but occasionally just to go outside. He regularly wrestles with Ellie until one of them ends of screaming, at which time he skulks away flicking his tail and leering at her from the corner of his eye. I'm sure he's cooked up a mighty plan to dominate the universe in that diabolical cat brain of his...but sleeping 20 hours a day probably won't help him achieve his lofty goals!

This is my little Ellie (aka. Noodle, Ellie-gater). She is spirited and spunky with more energy than all the other living creatures in the household, loves to sleep by my side at night (and I have, on more than one occasion, woken up to find her sharing the other side of my pillow), LOVES to be outside and has made it her personal mission in life to keep the yard squirrel free, and regularly wrestles with Jasper in fights that sometimes resemble mixed martial arts matches. Her antics make me laugh on a daily basis and remind me to relax and have a little more fun in life!

Progress

When Tre and I bought our house, we knew we would have quite a few things to work on during the course of our ownership! While our "TO DO" list has gained quite a few projects over the last few months, unfortunately there have been no entries crossed off that list!

Well, after working on the yard for much of this past weekend, we were able to cross off our first "TO DO"! Yeah! We managed to remove the giant shrubs that were taking over our little flower beds in the front of the house and replant some of our own size and liking! It's SOOOO exciting! We still have A LOT of landscaping that needs be done, but finishing this first part of the project feels so great!

Next we'll be moving on to the backyard in an attempt to resolve those challenging landscaping woes! But in the meantime...I'm going to enjoy my front yard!

The "before" picture!
Shrubs be gone!Now to remove that stubborn Camellia tree on the side of the house...
My superhero hubby...the gallant and brave Camellia tree hunter has nabbed his prey!
Woo hoo...the flowerbeds are ready for planting!
Oh my....new plants!
More new plants...
The grand finale...the "after" picture!