You know you are a nurse...

Im sorry it has been so long, but my blog is never far from my mind or heart... so many things tumble through my mind that I think oh that would be a good blog topic... I will stick with the most recent one that actually stopped a conversation I was having with a friend and I had to explain why I was smiling like a fool.

You know you are a nurse when someone drives a skid with two office "stools" and you actually do a double take and think... nice stool samples

You know you are a nurse when you think to yourself as you get in the elevator with strangers which ones may have a heart attack by the time you get to your destination floor

You know you are a nurse when you tell who has a UTI just by walking behind them at the grocery store... gotta love the super smeller, finely honed skills....

You know you are a nurse when you can no longer watch the thrilling hospital based drama without being distracted by the poor portrayal of nurses, the unlikely scenarios, the lack of authentic procedures-- shocking asystole?! honestly...

You know you are a nurse when you look at the shoes of people walking by and think wow... those look comfy! They should last 12 hours...

You know you are a nurse when you self diagnose a headache as a brain tumor or anuryism instead of just taking a tylenol

You know you are a nurse when strangers come up to you as you try to run into the grocery store on the way home from work and start telling you their every ailment

You know you are a nurse when you are out for coffee and get trolled by several times then finally they stop and talk because you were their nurse...worst part is you don't really remember them until they tell you their last name and what they were in with...

You know you are a nurse when you look at snack food and think yep gotta bring that next night shift...

You know you are nurse when you have nothing in your fridge but salad dressing, jam and coffee creamer and think phew! at least I have coffee creamer...

You know your a nurse when after reading this small list you can add 10 more!

it is time once again to give Thanks

It is Thanksgiving again and I am reminded of all the things that I am thankful for... and I am compelled to write a list... I love lists, I love to journal and write lists, plan things, list things, write a list of lists :)
So of all the things big and small these are a few of the wonderful things I am most thankful for....
Family close and far away
Friends to share life and good times with
freedom to live the good life
freedom to speak my mind without fear
freedom to believe in God without fear of persecution
freedom fries
Good coffee... the kind that smells so roasty and good even before you sip the black velvety goodness
a good book on a dreary afternoon
good humor
laughing so hard you run out of air
comfy shoes
the prayers of children when prayed in earnest
cozy nights with the fireplace lit
love to share
chances to watch my neices and nephew grow up
hugs given freely
good music to drive/clean/run to
clean water to drink
a sister who can make the worlds best cookies
a mom who makes life so much better by wrapping me in love and quilts made with hugs and love
a job I love... most days
pumpkin spiced lattes hot and foamy on top
flavoured creamer
altoid mints found in the bottom of your purse when you are desperate for a piece of gum
"psych" and all things Shawn and Gus related
having time to hang with the family
having a family full of loving people
having a wonderful thanksgiving full of laughter and fun

wishing you all a wonderful thanksgiving giving you time to reflect and cherish the things you love and are thankful for.

"Are you sunny or shady"

Ever hear of table topics?
if yes proceed to next line of the blog...
Ever hear of table topics to go?
It is a mini version of the fun conversation starter game.
I pulled the card "are you sunny or shady"

I had to think about it for a minute or two the legitimate answer would be sunny, you know good natured, happy go lucky... the summer time version would be laying out pool side in the sunshine... sweating... looking for shade.... feeling the trickle of sweat snake its way down between your ..... shoulder blades?
Better yet and I use this term as an honest to goodness word found in the vocabulary of every female out there.... boob sweat... yes you can deny it... ladies don't sweat blah blah blah but anyone who has boobs knows in the summertime especially when lying in the sunshine while wearing a bathing suit usually on your stomach... unless you truly are an ice princess.. you will accumulate a deposit of sweat either between the girls or underneath them as most bathing suits do not keep them from hanging out lower than usual.... the trick is to nonchalantly swipe the sweat away or jump in the water before anyone notices...

So back to the original question posed I would say I am sunny with intermittent shade :) I love being outdoors and I have learned after many summers at the beach that there is nothing better than a good beach umbrella stuck deep in the sand, it allows you to flirt with the sunshine then when getting to heated to linger in the shade all the while enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

Are you sunny or shady? I love the other meaning of shady... kinda dark and nefarious, walking the line of wrong but not really on the dark side... kinda mischievous... kinda naughty... shady...
who am I kidding I am not shady... I just play someone shady on TV...

till next time... beware of the boobsweat

....worth waiting for....

There are many things worth every minute you wait for them....

these things include but are not limited to the following...

Christmas morning
the bus
the bathroom
first kisses
first day of school
your last day of school
first day at the new job
the day you are done working
first snows
first visits to a new city
plane rides
your wedding day
the perfect sunrise
the perfect signature
last car payments
the perfect pen
the dream job
the payphone when your cell is dead
the perfect cup of coffee
payday
milestones
surprise parties
new years
chicken to be cooked
new books in a series
the release of your favourite cd
the punchline to a good joke
your best hand at cards
bedtime after a long day
a hot shower
breakfast after night shift
days off
summer heat
the perfect gift
the smell after the rains come
a good haircut
summer vacation no matter how old you are
a sale at your favourite store
the first time you hear your baby's heartbeat
the chance to fit into your skinny jeans
pulling your favourite sweater out in the winter time
the dryer buzzer
the best steeped tea
the phone call that changes everything
mail
the finish line
being able to use the perfect comeback
the last page of a good book
the latest "Bring it On" sequel
and last but not least by a long shot....
hearing the cries of a long awaited baby......
can't wait to meet you baby Sawyer I love you

OUTBREAK

Ok I am not usually one of those people who buys into the epidemic thing--flu shots ok but seriously there is something going on.... I can't even keep track of how many people I know who have given birth in the last 12 months not to mention those who are due in the near future! I can, on good authority say it is an outbreak....

There is something in the air, water, food... I have been drinking bottled water for a year now, eating only organic foods so as not to encourage anything with all those growth hormones and whatnot they are feeding the animals we are consuming... might think about going vegetarian... just in case...

I guess that is what happens as you get older and pass out of your twenties and slip seamlessly and effortlessly into your thirties... and yes as the calendar days fly by it is so nice to see those around me starting little families, lovely babies, toddlers, little people, older little people... it is scary that my niece is 11 I has palpitations when she had that birthday... honestly it was just the other day she came home from the hospital all wrinkled and sweet with the soft baby skin, little squidgy baby toes and puckered little sweet baby lips... sigh.... babies are sweet and nice and good.

tell me what you will about up all night, projectile fluids, leaking, dripping, crying, smells and the mountains of laundry that soon follow but I have to tell you I love them, I am so proud of whoever is privileged to bring one into this world, I am in awe how in a heart beat someone goes from wife, friend, sister, auntie.. to Mother. it is a transition that is almost visible in that moment when you see mother and baby meet for the first time. I cry every time. I know even in my maternity rotation strangers having babies... tears spilling down my cheeks as I was honored to be present at so many births.

So here's to those who have been active participants I salute you mothers out there it truly is a gift and the hardest job out there, I don't care what other people say :) well done!

~as for me? I would love to be a mother one day but for now I am honored to be Auntie to them all! There is always room on my knee for one more

New Years Resolutions

I know you are thinking "this can't be right" "she has finally lost it" "How do I report this kind of thing to those who can best help her... does she look good in a white coat and padded room?"

I am a huge fan of resolutions mostly because they require being written on a list or document of some kind and I, holding my hand up 4 fingers raised, am a list junky. I love everything about them
-coming up with something to list about
- finding the perfect pen to write with
- digging out the appropriate paper, notebook, recipe card, back of envelope, receipt, napkin etc
- subtitles or different headings
you get the picture yes?

but this time of year you are not to be writing new years resolutions so much but realizing you a-didn't do anything on your list, or b-have been so good at it all you have made your resolutions a part of your life after 3 months of practice...

I on the other hand think new years resolutions are great, you know new year- fresh calendar, blank slate kinda moment BUT I love writing resolutions when I have a birthday.... and yes I just flipped over the hourglass on another year. This is a fun time to write and reflect on what I would like to accomplish in the coming year.
So I have dug out the perfect pen, found a beautiful notebook, bought myself a journal to document all the successful completions of the tasks goals I have set forth for this year... my 33rd year....

So I encourage you all to look at the day/month you have a birthday not to dread getting older but see it as a new page in the next chapter, so dust off those stationary supplies and get to it, make a fun or serious list (i lean toward the fun adventure list type) and see where your next year takes you!
if you don't have a good pen I will send you one... as that is a blog for another day my love of pens.... and paper....

Once I get my list down to a good size so I do not overwhelm myself I might even share it with you in hopes it encourages others to get your sites on things that really make you happy

till next time
Happy new year!

home remedies

I have a problem...
My home is in disarray... I am in need of a home remedy... something to cure my home of its horrible illness of dissarrayedness.
I work shift work making it increasingly difficult to keep a tidy home, that coupled with my live in companions of the 4 legged variety, they are small but have 4 legs each all muddy on the ends... a note of interest wet feet + tile flooring = dog dish bowling... they come in with such gusto from outside down the steps across the tiles and when they attempt to stop they slide inevitably into the food dishes... STRIKE! leaving 8 dirty little skid marks in their wake

Big breath in

and out

I am attempting to streamline things... spring cleaning, declutter, organize...
and yes even learn to cook.
I have signed up for a cooking class-just a one time wonder type class but I figure one small step for man, one giant leap for those of us, meaning me, who are domestically challenged when it comes to the ways of keeping a house.

I think one of the problems is I live alone, I am a homebody so it is easy to put things off because you are doing something else and when I say doing something else I mean having a nap in my favourite chair with the puppies, or reading a good mystery book, or catching up on the latest season of something on DVD.... I know if I put my mind to it I could get things in order in a day max.

There is just something about this that is physically impossible. I can only imagine what I was like as a child keeping on task must have been a chore for my teachers, I should send them all letters of gratitude for getting me through school...

SO in the next 4 days in which I have a meeting, a baby shower and a grocery shop planned I need to get my house in order so to speak.
I can do this I really can. How hard can it be? I've been to other peoples houses who work and have lives and their homes are pristine, why is it I can't do it!?

I do understand I have a lot of "contents" as some have put it, so I have lots of stuff that at this point in time I might not be using but in the future I do have plans for it... does that mean I should just pass it on until the moment comes when I decide to scrap book my life? or make cards with stamps and stickers? sigh... I might have to let some of my favourite crafty things go. I wish I had a tickle trunk... you know a place to store things and like Mr.Dress-up when I needed something I could reach into this magical trunk and pull out exactly what I needed.

but until that time comes I am trapped in my house trying to make it a home that is free of complications and I can just enjoy it....if you don't hear from me in the next 4 days it means I have gotten swept away by it all! don't look back save yourselves!

I will definately keep you posted on the status of this endeavor

oh night shift, how I love thee

It is february and thoughts turn to love...
I am sitting awake in the middle of the night with some of the most amazing folks I have had the privalage to know... Just watched a show on tv, had a cup of tea... read through some email and now I am sitting down to write a little something special before my break is over, I am at work, it is in the middle of the night, so keeping with the love-fest I shall write an ode to night shift...

Oh night shift, how I love thee... should I really count thy ways?
I love the ideas you come up with in the still of the night... road trips that seem like a super idea, how about dying my hair black, becoming a vegetarian, researching yoga classes, languages, hobbies, and other arts and crafts that fall to the wayside in the clear light of day.
I love the slump that inevitably happens when you list off all the food that you want to eat right this second... you think pregnancy related cravings are bad times that by a million and you have what goes through your head on nights as you look into your bag and find the meger lunch packed earlier in the day... pizza, greek food, cheese burgers oh yeah with bacon and friend onions, icecream cake with extra fudgy crumble layer mmmmm big plate of cheezy lasagne with buttery garlic toast, the perfect deli sadwich with a crispy dill pickle on the side all foods that Jillian Michaels would verbally beat you for even thinking about but these things don't cross your mind in the still of the night.
I love the silly things that make you howl, yes the jokes or more to truth the real life scenarions that have happened to you that need to be only recounted in the middle of the night and the fact that you can't giggle out loud or you will risk waking the patients that couldn't sleep just get funnier in the middle of the night kind of like how a good wine ages with time, a good story gets funnier the closer to morning you are.
I love as you do rounds on your people the things these poor sweet souls come up with in the middle of the night to ask you...."when should I let the cat out dear...how about you wait till morning.... well isn't it morning yet?... nope it is still sleeping time....so what should I do then?... sleep.... well ok then..." true story. I love them all.
I love the wonderful people I work with, we all bond together getting through the shift keeping everyone on their toes watching out for each other, feeding each other even. Watching tv together on our breaks, swapping stories in the still of the night, things that we wouldn't normally have a chance to talk about in the busy hectic day, it is a wonderful thing to be close to those you work with day and night.
I love the time of morning when the "day people" start showing up, first comes the lab close to 6 then you know you are on the home stretch...then the day nurses start to trickle in... it is a wonderful almost night before christmas moment as we know how close we are to climbing into bed! Our pillows wont be lonely anymore!
I love the morning we can all pile in to the local little breakfast spot and bleary eyed drink hot coffee, eat some eggs and talk about the wonderful days off that lay ahead
SO for all of those of you who have never worked a nightshift they are not all bad, there are good ones :) who knows I might have to write another ode to nightshifts shortly showing you the otherside of the coin :)
till then viva la nightshift! and all the rites and privalages that go with em