Looks like shortly after I wrote my last entry I returned to work (slowly) doing four hour shifts at a time. I am now up to full time and have been working nights for awhile. The leg still hurts daily, but at least it’s not hindering regular activities of daily living anymore.
I started going to a little Bible study here with my buddy Kate (who is married to Andrew, a guy in Spence’s program) and her friends/mutual friends. It’s been wonderful meeting new people and having some girly time. We have been studying Ruth and Esther.
There is a free clinic here called St. Joe’s Neighborhood Center. I started volunteering there last month as a nurse. It reminds me so much of the good times I had at the Bedlam Clinic in Tulsa.
The annual Corn Hill Arts Festival came and went. We walked around one afternoon with the boys. It’s always entertaining to see what all they’ve got to show and sell.
In other fun news, I’m a CCRN! I wanted to get this certification before I applied for CRNA school. I had been studying a lot over the past month for it. It is a difficult test, but they like their certain concepts. So you can be well prepared. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. (I’m sure I was imagining the worst!) But now I can put it on my resume and application and be proud!
[CCRN is a certification awarded by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. They say pursuing the certification “reflects the dedication you exemplify as you provide direct bedside care to acutely or critically ill adults, children, newborns and their families.” They also say “CCRN certification validates your knowledge of nursing care of acutely and critically ill patients to hospital administrators, peers, patients, and most importantly, to yourself. CCRN certification promotes continuing excellence in the critical care nursing field.” AACN says that CCRN doesn’t stand for Critical Care Registered Nurse, but it basically does. It just means that you have taken the test and have a certification that tells everyone you know what you’re doing when it comes to critically ill patients. Kinda funny. =]
So now my application is in to the University of Buffalo, and I’m waiting very patiently to hear from them! So exciting!
Both Spence and I have been working nights. (He started not too long ago; I’ve been going for awhile.) This means we are up all night and sleep all day. It is weird. What is even weirder is that I am used to it! He is in the “Pit” right now, which means he sees all of the orthopedic trauma that comes into the emergency room. Since he’s doing the night float portion, they call him the Night Rider (much cuter than that David Hasselhoff guy… and his pointy car).
My Papa Duge turned 80 this month and my Nanny turned 75! Happy Birthday again! I need to call them both and I wish I could see them and give them hugs. They are so wonderful, and I miss them!
Spence had a vacation this month. I had to work for half of it. But he had fun with two of his guy friends that came from out West. Eric (his childhood friend and Best Man) and Chad (one of his best friends in med school and beyond) both came and they went on several adventures! Their main attraction was the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Before Eric came, there was a lot of video game football playing and yelling by Spence and Chad. =)
Chad had to go to Florida to see his wife and kids, but Eric stayed for another day.
Spence and Eric took Janice to Watkins Glen.
Then once I was done with work, Spence and I (and the boys!) headed to Lake Placid / the Adirondacks. It was really beautiful and fun. We had a great hotel room that looked out over the lake.
The town is like a typical little mountain village, and the mountains reminded me of the Smokies.
One day we rented a canoe and took the boys out! We paddled around the truly peaceful lake and soaked in the sun and magnificent scenery.
We found a shallow area and dumped the boys out of the boat to play fetch. They couldn’t get enough!
Another day we hiked a small mountain. We are usually a little more adventurous (although this was a good hike), but we wanted to be careful with my quad. The view from the top was beautiful, and from one viewpoint you could see the Green Mountains of Vermont!
The boys had fresh water to drink on the way
We also saw the whole Olympic Village, went into the famous 1980 hockey stadium, walked on the outdoor speed skating rink, saw the huge ski jumps – it was all so neat and felt a little magical!
We had a wonderful time together but really needed more than a few days to get away. We’re looking forward to our next vacation time and are pleased that we have similar schedules at the moment.
Other images from this summer…
Woosley frequently quizzes Spence on surgical procedures…
When the windows are open, Meixel is out on the roof!
Spence got a toy for making it through his intern year! (You’ll have to ask him what it is!)
[Pretty flowers from our front yard!]
Tonight is the first night in a few months that I’ve been able to open the windows! I LOVE it when the weather is crisp, sunny, still, and in the 60’s. I supposed it’s all a big sign of our impending cold season, but I don’t care. I still love snow after last year. We’ll see if my affinity can last through another Upstate winter!
That’s all, folks!
Love to you all!!
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