Missing socks . . .

I know you've ALL been there - you get your laundry out of the dryer and one sock is missing. There's not much more frustrating because honestly, what good is one sock when you have two feet?!? Well, as I sit here folding laundry waiting for a phone call that I don't want to hear, I'm folding the laundry that I did the other day. (yep, it's been sitting in the dryer for 2 days) :-) For some reason, I decided I needed some new socks while I was playing in Target the other day. Who knows why . . . gotta love the random purchase! So, I emptied the package of comfy socks into the laundry that evening when I got home. Today, when I got through folding that load, one sock was missing! GRRR!!

I know this isn't a real problem; it's just a simple life frustration. I just felt like venting a little about it because I truly believe it's a common bond among the human population that wears socks and does laundry!! :-)

"Last", but not least

As the final "national" holiday in February winds down . . . George Washington's Birthday . . . I thought I'd post a couple pictures about him from Washington. Ironic (at least a little bit) how he was our first president, yet we celebrate him last this month. I "dug through" - or searched through cd's and computer files - to try and find some new pictures that maybe wouldn't be repeats on here. You know, try to keep it at least a little interesting! :-) So, here's what I found:

That's me in front of the light pole with the Washington Monument in the background.

This picture actually has a funny story behind it. Carmen, another travel nurse, and I set out to "explore" the Mall one day during my first contract in DC. We were SO VERY proud of ourselves for finding our way to the subway, getting on the train going the correct direction, AND getting off at the correct stop!!!! Neither of us had a map of the Mall or the downtown area, but we thought "everything's SO big, how can we go wrong?!?" Well, if you know me at all, you know I can get lost just about anywhere without any difficulty!! Of course, we get off at the stop on the south side of the Mall where we're surrounded by the Department of Agriculture buildings. If you've never been there, or didn't notice, these buildings take up about 4-6 city blocks. So, we're standing there on the sidewalk just spinning around trying to see the Washington Monument knowing that if we see it, we can find the rest of the stuff. The part I'm so proud of is that neither of us thought to look UP!!!! For some reason, I guess we thought that everything would be at our eye level (me being the taller of the two of us reaching ALL of 5'4"). Who knows?!? Eventually, one of us thought to look up, and sure enough, there was the monument about 2 blocks down from us. I tell you what . . . give us a premature baby, and we're good to go. Give us pretty much anything else, and we're in trouble!!!!

Washington Monument in the fall of 2006 with the top if the Capitol just visible between the flags.

Washington Monument viewed from the end of the Vietnam Wall, fall 2006.

These two pictures were taken when my friend, Melissa, came up for a few days. We spent some time looking for a place for her family to live during their "tour of duty in DC" last year, but we also took time to do some touristy stuff. Well, in all my wanderings around the Mall (and believe me, there were a bunch), I'd never been able to find the Vietnam Wall. It's not just my lack of direction; it's actually kind of hidden from view. And, trying to be "safe" as I wandered around DC by myself, I didn't take a lot of secluded paths in search of it. So, with our cell phones handy and the buddy system in full force, we set out to find the Vietnam Wall. Turns out, it's not that hard to find if you know which sidewalk to take!!

The "Washington Crab" in little Washington . . . Washington, NC

I couldn't resist throwing this one in! :~) The crab with a portrait of our 1st President located here in NC. TOO FUNNY!! This town is the "first to be named after George Washington" in the country, and this saying is plastered all over the downtown and their brochures. Good times . . .

As I looked through all my pictures from the past 2 years, I was amazed at how many I have of the Washington Monument. I find this strange because it's not really that interesting to look at. All the other presidents have interesting monuments - or at least ones with a statue. Roosevelt's (NOT my favorite!!!!) is definitely the prettiest with something like 5 huge waterfalls throughout it. I wonder why that is. Just something to think about. I had to laugh while looking through all the pictures. I teased Mandy about ALL the pictures of the Washington Monument she took while visiting this past summer, and I realized I had taken probably 10X's that many!! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

Have a wonderful weekend! :~)

Better Late than Never

I know it's a couple days late, but working night shift messes with my schedule and free time. So . . . Happy Presidents' Day!!!! Here are a few pictures from my time in DC. :~)

Washington Monument and White House from across the Tidal Basin

Jefferson Monument from the other side of the Tidal Basin

One part of the Roosevelt Monument

Abe Lincoln's statue in the Lincoln Monument

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I absolutely LOVE a good love story!!!! There's nothing quite as fulfilling to me as watching a TV series, watching a movie, or reading a book and seeing the right guy end up with the right girl. :-) And yes, I always decide who I think the right people are in each plot. So, the way I rate a show/movie/book is whether or not the author(s) agreed with me on how it should end. For example, those of you who watched the WB show Felicity several years back, know (as I do) that the WRONG TWO PEOPLE ended up together . . . I still stand by my belief (as it plays on in reruns) that Felicity and Noel should have gotten together in the end! This disagreement between me and the author(s) has forever tainted that show in my mind. :)

Mema & Papa Joe walking hand in hand on Ocracoke Island

Anyways, love stories are great! I've been SO blessed to have Godly parents who've demonstrated God's plan for a marriage my whole life. This is not to say that they're perfect and have never had trials because they're not and they have. (I'm not saying anything that they wouldn't say themselves.) But, watching their marriage over the years has given me a glimpse into what I want one day.

Mom & Dad in front of Bode Island Lighthouse

God hasn't yet given me the man He wants me to spend the rest of my life with, and that's okay. It just shows me that He's still working on both of us to make us into the right people for each other!! :-) Until then, I have the perfect (at least one side of it's perfect!) love story to enjoy and be grateful for . . . Christ coming to save me from ALL (and there are MANY) my sins! To borrow a quote from I'm not sure who, it's truly the "greatest love story ever told". I don't know anything about St. Valentine who got this fun chocolate & flower filled day named after him, but I do know that the real reason we can celebrate our love for others is NOT because of him. It's because of God's love for us.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." -1 John 4:7-12

"For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." -Psalm 100:5

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Whether you're with the right one God has set aside for you to spend the rest of your life with or if you're waiting with me for God to let your path cross the path of your right one, we can all celebrate the joy of HIS perfect, never-ending love!

President Lincoln's Birthday

Even though it's not a national holiday, I think it should be!! :) So, I'm celebrating it in my blog. . .

Mandy & Me in front of Lincoln's statue last summer (. . . and some stranger in the background) :-)

Lincoln Monument across the Reflection Pool from the WWII Memorial (fall 2006)

Outdoor Fun

The weather here has been AMAZING!!!! Especially for mid-February. :~) We had several days this past week reaching the 70's, which of course, made me think about playing outside. I had the pleasure of working those days, but I did enjoy looking at the pretty sky through the windows at work! Yesterday, although not quite in the 70's, was just as beautiful. I decided to take advantage of it to the fullest, so I went over to Duke University to walk around the gardens there.
As you might imagine . . . not a whole lot of blooms in February, but it was great to just walk around outside for a while! It was surprisingly crowded there. (I guess my idea wasn't as original as I'd thought!) :)
There were a few camillias in bloom, but I think I was a week early to see the majority of them. I saw buds all over the trees just waiting for their day to shine! I may have to try to get back out there later this week and see what has popped out
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and had some fun weather to play in, too. Here's looking forward to spring!!!! :~)

Miracles

As the title of my blog hints at, I have the wonderful privilege of seeing God perform miracles EVERYDAY at work. Sometimes they're not as blatant as other times, but they're there just the same. It's all about watching for Him to work with an attitude of faith and expectance.



Well, this week I was given a miracle so special that I wanted to share it with you. This doesn't pertain to one of my current patients, but a former one that I've mentioned previously . . . My Precious Sam. He is unable to eat, so all of his nutrition is given to him through an IV going into one of his biggest veins. Long story short, because of many complications in his short 3 years here on earth, the IV he had was in the last big vein he had available for this type of nutrition. All this to say, if something happened to this IV, he'd no longer be able to receive nutrition and wouldn't be able to live. Well, (as I'm sure you've guessed by now) this special IV came out sometime late Sunday night/Monday morning. Needless to say, all of us who love him so dearly were devastated and began praying (once again) for God to give us a miracle. And . . .



He provided one Tuesday evening!! The doctors were able to find a vein that would work - one that wouldn't work in the past. I truly believe that God opened it up for us that night! One of my medical heroes, Dr. Hermann, took our Sam to the OR that evening to place the special IV in him. I'd fallen asleep Tuesday night begging God for a miracle, and I was woken up with a wonderful phone call later that night from Sam's foster mom saying we have an IV that works AND is free from infection. (The IV that came out earlier this week was infected, but it was still being used and treated constantly with antibiotics since it was the only option.) PRAISE GOD!!!!



As I was just cleaning my apartment, I was listening to my music on juke box setting so it would just shuffle through randomly. A song by Nichole Nordeman called Gratitude was playing when I turned off the water, and it hit me hard. The song is all about having a spirit of gratitude - NO MATTER WHAT. The 1st verse is about praying for rain. But, if God chooses not to let it rain, thank Him for teaching us about thirsting for Him. I started thinking . . . Would I have this attitude of gratefulness if God had not opened up the vein or if the surgeon had not been able to get the IV to work in the vein? Would I be just as grateful if Sam was soon headed to heaven to meet his Father and Maker? I know his life is difficult and riddled with sickness and hospital stays, so would I be happy for him that his misery is over? Or, would I be selfish and angry with God for not letting us keep him here longer?



God often speaks to me through music, and that song was particularly convicting this morning. I know I'd be sad and miss him, but I also hope I'd be happy for him to not have to hurt anymore. I hope I'd be excited for him to get to sit in Jesus' lap and get loved on by our Creator. I hope I'd have an attitude of gratitude to God for teaching me about loving someone unselfishly!

" 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." -Mark 10:14-16

Working Weekend

I love my job . . . I love my job . . .I love my job . . .

This has been my mantra the past 3 days as we trudged through another weekend with a new group of residents. Already, this group seems better than the last - THANK GOD!!!! Like most jobs, we have our good days, and we have our bad days. I'll start at the beginning:

Friday morning, I arrived to a seemingly normal group of babies only to find that one of them likes to hold her breath until all the alarms start ringing and I am poking/flicking/"encouraging her to breathe in various ways", one is a 4 month old (really, a term kid that's been in our unit 4 months and wants to play), and one that's supposed to go home to a Spanish speaking only, first time mother who has had NO discharge teaching. Well, needless to say, the 4 month old didn't get to play that day! My only saving grace, so I thought, was that I'd have one less on Saturday...

Saturday morning, I come in to find that my little girl who didn't like to breathe was now holding her breath so long that her heart rate was plummeting. Great. I started out the day telling the doctors that she wasn't acting right and needed help breathing. Fast forward to the END of my shift (6:15 PM) after several reminders that she's acting out: I check my orders, and all of a sudden there are all these STAT orders on her. WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE DONE THAT WHEN I ASKED THAT MORNING?!?!?!? Anyway, we got it done and I got out of there before 8. YEA!!

Then came this morning . . . By 7:15 AM, we'd started coding the poor little boy next to my "breath-holding-girl". Thankfully, she was on the ventilator by this point, so her breath-holding was taken care of mechanically (as opposed to being taken care of by her nurse). :-) The little boy finally got on the road around 10AM to a hospital with the heart/lung bypass machine, (please pray for this sick, little boy who was born Friday afternoon!!) and the rest of the day was a little more calm. My shift ended with me telling my favorite little girl in the unit, "Lexi", goodbye. She's headed to Boston tomorrow for some special testing/surgeries to try and help her digest. Like my precious "Sam" back in Texas, she cannot handle any food. Please pray for her and her sweet parents as they start this new chapter in their lives!

All this griping is to say that it's been a frustrating weekend, and I'm SO VERY GRATEFUL for a "day of rest" tomorrow! Most days I absolutely LOVE my job and miss it when I'm away from it for a while. But, days like this past weekend make me really look forward to time away from the unit. :)