Boston winter?

I don't quite feel right calling it winter. Last week it was 60*. It snowed once back in October, but nothing since then. I'm really hoping it snows (and sticks) before I leave this city. I want to walk through Boston Common and see the trees draped in white.

My time in Boston has been interesting. When I first got here, I was feeling pretty low and lonely. There was no pack of travelers to go through orientation with, not many young people working on the unit, and far far from home. Eventually I made a couple friends on the unit that I can hang out with outside of work.

Some hightlights of my time here: Trip to Kennebunkport, ME (even though it was raining), walking the Freedom Trail (multiple times), seeing Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional) in a small venue acoustic performance, and a ferry trip to Nantucket with a new friend :)
I'm also looking forward to spending next weekend my good friend Kayla. We've known each other since we were 13 and I love when we can hang out, even if it's only once every year or two.

Next stop: Houston

Have I ever mentioned how AMAZING God is? I was dealing with some job drama and uncertainty this past week and received these wise words from my dad: "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future."
I thought my next assignment was going to be in Seattle, working at the outpatient chemo unit at the VA. I wasn't originally excited about it, but then I realized how much good I could do for veterans. I was looking forward to the job. A couple days after interviewing for that job, a posting was placed for jobs at MD Anderson in Texas, the #1 cancer center in the country, but the jobs weren't for sure. We couldn't be certain about those jobs, so I decided to take the Seattle job. However, when doing the paperwork for the job, I discovered that it required ACLS, which I don't have. During this uncertainty, I received a call for an interview with MD Anderson. I really wanted the Texas job, but was already verbally committed to Seattle. There was a lot of thinking, soul searching, and praying going on. Did I want what was best for me, or what God wanted me to do? Was His challenge in stepping out of my comfort zone and not going to a big name hospital? Was the challenge in sticking with the commitment I'd already made? I decided to fully invest myself into going to Seattle. However, there were no available classes to get ACLS certified. That pretty much closed the door on that job possiblity.

With Seattle a dead end, I was free to accept the position in Texas. There was even some drama with that job. During my interview, I was offered a days only position. However while my background check was still going through, before the official offer came down, the account manager emailed my recruiter to say all the day positions were filled. Then I had to decide if I would take a nights only position to go to this hospital. I prayed about it, and decided that yes, I would take it if I got the offer.  The good news was that I did get a job offer, and the great news is that it's for days only :) Turns out my position had already been set aside when that email went out.
There were definitely a handful of tests in there from God. I am confident that my faith is in Him and He is the one who guides my path. I am truly thankful for His guiding hand, and for His faith in me :)

Boston

I've been in Boston now for 2 months. There's definitely a lot of history here and I've seen some pretty cool things, like the Bunker Hill Monument (which looks like a mini-Washington Monument) and the USS Constitution. I've driven to Maine and New Hampshire, which may seen far, but each was only around 2 hrs to my destination. I've been to Cape Cod. So many things that I never thought I'd do. That's the point of what I do right?
I love seeing new things and places, but it's starting to feel a bit lonely. It may just be this place. Work is okay, but I don't love it. Once again, there's mostly older ladies working there, which is fine and I like them, but it's hard to find people to go out and do things with.
They asked me to stay for another full assignment, which I refused. However I did agree to stay until the end of the year. I made my own timeline, 6 more weeks. I don't so much regret staying at all, but I do regret not saying 5 weeks. Then I could go home for Christmas and not worry about coming back for another week of work. Then I wouldn't once again be driving on New Years Eve. Oh well, I've made my proverbial bed and now I'll lie in.
Last weekend, I went home to the mitten for my cousin's wedding in Grand Rapids. It was so great to see so many family and friends that I haven't seen in a long time. It was hard to come back. This may also be where my melancholy is coming from...

mistakes

I made a mistake. The repercussions hurt a friend of mine. I've apologized and he said 'don't worry about it', but I still feel awful.

We all make mistakes. We're human and sinful. Why is it so much easier to be mad at and/or accepting of other people's mistakes, than it is get passed mistakes of our own?

As always, if you seek answers in God's Word, He'll show you maybe not what you were looking for, but what you need. Opened my little devotional/100 fave Bible verses book seeking some guidance/condolence. "The Hebrew word for sin literally means 'to miss the mark'... When you miss the mark, ask for God's forgiveness, learn from your mistake, and keep moving forward."

I missed the mark with my friend. All I can do now is pray he accepts my apology and forgives me and that I don't lose this new friend so soon.

Camp Pioneer 2011

Earlier this summer, I learned that Camp Pioneer (where I attended confirmation camp and first met my friends Nate and Laura Hartke) was in need of a nurse. My first thought was "I could do that". After some prayers and phone calls, all was worked out and I'd be heading to NY for 2 weeks in August. The beauty of my traveling job is I can pretty much arrange my jobs however I want to, securing time off when needed.
A huge bonus about the location of Camp Pioneer is that Nate and Laura live about 25/30 min away. I went over to NY a day early to help celebrate 1yo Jacob's birthday. Those little redheads are the best. Being part of so many important days with my surrogate family means so much to me.

I didn't really know what to expect when I was going to camp. I didn't remember a lot of specifics about my time there when I was 13. The first week was interesting and maybe a little disappointing. There was another nurse working with me which made the work not so bad, but we pretty much stayed at our office all day. Most of the counselors didn't talk to us if they didn't have to, and I maybe knew 3 of their names by end of the camp week on Friday. There were good parts too though. Seeing the counselors and kids interact with the special Agape campers was pretty great. My fave was prob Z, who was in a motorized wheelchair and communicated with a dynavox. His humor was infectious and seeing the impact he made on his counselor was touching.
Friday afternoon I spent some time with one of the volunteer counselors and the youth leadership trainees. It was nice to know some names.

Saturday was when things really started to be great. I'd been invited to go ziplining with the staff. So we get there and it's really a high ropes challenge course. It was so much fun. I learned the names of everyone who went and most of them said they were impressed that I joined them cuz none of the previous nurses had done any of the staff activities with them before. Granted, most of the other nurses were 40+, but I like to think that me and my 28 yrs give off an "I'm awesome and fun" vibe.

From there the week went much better, well, once I got through the first couple really busy check-in days. I made myself get out of the office and at least observe some activities. I'd just put a sign on the door with my number and where I was in case they needed me. Apparently that was a novel idea, because everyone commented on it and expressed their appreciation of knowing how to find me. I won't even go into how astounded I was by that fact.
I think my favorite part of the week were the nightly fireside chats I'd have with one of the counselors. At 22, he was older than most of the other counselors who are still in their late teens. There was venting on both sides  and my attempts at sage advice. He says I helped him through some stuff and I can guarantee the talks sure meant a lot to me. It's comforting to my soul to interact with adults who have the same values and can freely discuss God.
The directors of the camp have invited me back next summer. They'd like me to come for the whole thing. If it can be made into a travel contract (which is not uncommon for summer camps), then I would love to do the whole summer. If not, I'll at least be going for a couple weeks again.

Road Trip Home from Phoenix

July 10-11: 13hr drive from Phx to Denver. Stayed at Grandma's house for 2 nights. Lucky for my sanity, my mom was in the middle of a 3 week visit there as well.

July 12: Stayed the night with my Aunt Randi and Uncle Paul (and their 3 youngest kiddos) in Hastings, NE. Had burgers, played mini-golf, and did some good catching up.

July 13: Made my way over to Nebraska City to hang out with my cousin Ames, her hubby Aaron, and their 1yo Austin. We went to the Arbor Day Farm/Arboretum, did some wine tasting (don't worry, Austin didn't have any), and talked nurse stuff for a while :)

July 14-17: Springfield IL- spent the long weekend with my God-brother Paul, his wife Jessica, and their kids. We started with the midnight showing of Harry Potter part 2. Friday night we went out to dinner and drinking with their friends for Jess's birthday. So fun. Saturday we spent the day teaching the kids how to fish and then hanging out at the pool. That night we had family birthday fun at their house. I absolutely love those people!

July 17: Made my way over to Springfield, OH to see my former traveling friends Kelly and her hubby Mike. We had some dinner and then played HP on the wii :)
July 18: Home a day earlier than I had planned, so I got to spend a day doing NOTHING and it was glorious.

The rest of Phoenix

It's been months since I've written here, but I'm not going to try to remember everything I've done, so I'll summarize :)

I joined a sand volleyball league with my friends Denise and Michael from work. We played on Thursday nights and it was awesome! We usually only won 1 of 3 games each week, but it was still fun :)

In April I went to Chicago to spend time with my sister. We went wedding dress shopping (for her) and had some good quality time.
Straight from Chicago I went to Boston for an Oncology Nursing Society conference. Randomly met some former work friends and we had a great time sightseeing (and learning important nursing stuff too of course). We went on a Duck Tour, walked the Freedom Trail, and even took in a game at Fenway :)

When I got back to Phx, I moved out of J and BPR's place and into my own apartment. Nice to spread all my crap out again haha. We still got together a fair bit. We took a day trip to go hiking in Sedona in May and then in June we spent the weekend at the Grand Canyon. Beautiful and amazing.

I really enjoyed my time in Phoenix, until it got up to 118*. Then it was just gross. I even survived a Haboob (dust storm). I would love to go back some day, but definitely not in the summer! It is a nice feeling to have an open invitation to come back to the unit anytime. They'd love to have me as a snowbird :)

Mountain Bike Accident

Since coming to Phoenix, I've tried to enjoy the great outdoors as much as possible. I love the hiking and biking especially. There's a great area not too far from here, bout 10-15min in the car, with some great hiking and biking trails (and horse riding... if you have a horse) which is not the big touristy area like Cambleback Mtn or Piestewa Peak.

Last Saturday (19th), I went out for a ride on my own. The mountain biking here is a lot of fun b/c there's actual mountains involved. I was thinking about a 1.5hr ride or so, which I'd done last month. What actually ended up happening was me crashing my bike going down a ravine after riding about 15 min. The bike decided it didn't want to go any further. The only problem was that we were already about a quarter of the way down the slope. So I superman-ed (slid face first) down the rest of the ravine. Luckily I had my helmet and riding gloves on. Even so, I bruised my face a bit (tho the helmet and my glasses :-/ kept me head high enough that it didn't get scraped open), got some good gashes on my knees and shoulder, and hurt my wrist. I did not lose consciousness, but laid there for a minute to catalog the injuries. After spitting out a fair amount of dirt, finding my sunglass clip-ons in the rocks/dirt, and pushing the bike back up the slope, I dabbed off some blood and got back on the bike for the ride back to the car.

When I got back to the apt, J asked how it went, I said not so great, then he looked at me. I was covered head to toe in dirt and bleed. I asked him to get my bike off the car since it wasn't too easy getting it on the rack with my wrist hurting, said I was gonna take a shower then go to urgent care. J and BPR were kind enough to take me to the urgent care. Xrays were taken and the doc said it was a bad sprain, no breaks or fractures. Excellent news, but it still hurt like whoa. I got a half cast/brace and some pain pills.

Work last week was a challenge. Everyone was really nice and helpful. I tried to do as much as I could, but I couldn't put a glove on my left hand so someone had to start all my IVs and draw blood for me. They call me gimpy and all sorts of other stuff, but with a smile and concern. The amount of help and support I've been offered is amazing. I'm lucky it's my left hand that's hurt, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do anything.

On Friday, I saw a sports med doc who confirmed that it's a sprain and will just need time to heal. I got a new brace which is a lot more comfortable and easier to use. I even got the okay to continue playing on my rec volleyball team, I just need to play one-handed until I feel okay enough to take off the brace :) My teammates are happy about this news, esp since they enjoyed teasing me about the brace last week when I used it as a golf-type tee to hold the ball when serving haha.

So I'm a week out from the accident and feeling much better. I'm even typing this with both hands! My wrist still aches, but today I discovered I can make a fist :-) Range of motion is still suboptimal and I can't pick up a full cup of pop, but it's getting better every day.

This photo is how I told my parents :)

Bruise on eye, abrasion on cheek, bruise and abrasion on chin. Never got as bad as I thought it would.

Knees a couple days later

Hand a couple days later. It's hard to tell here, but it was really pretty.

House/Dog Sitting

That's what I'm doing this weekend. I'm more of a cat person, but so far the dog hasn't tried too hard to lick me in the face, so we're good.

Nice calm area. I'm getting some much needed paperwork done (think taxes) so that's def a good thing.
It's always interesting to get a look into peoples' lives when they're not directing you through it. I love the stories pictures tell.

Lonely

It's weird how you can be around people all the time and still feel alone.

Struggling with feelings of isolation and intrusion tonight.

I *know* that God is always with me and I'm never really alone, but it's hard to reconcile your heart with your mind sometimes.

You learn something new every day

Today I learned that mountain biking is much more difficult when there are actual mountains involved (and not just some hilly forest). I took Temperence/Tempe (my bike) out to this secluded area of the Pheonix Mtn Preserve today. J and I had gone hiking there a couple weekends ago and it was so beautiful and serene compared to Camelback which is the big tourist area mountain. The weather was gorgeous today, 80s and sunny with a light breeze (which, compared to yesterday when I had to scrape ice of my car in the morning, was a vast improvement). All in all I went about 12+ miles in about 1.5hrs. There were frequent breaks and a handful of "oops, can't quite make it up this slope", as well as a few more bruises and a little less skin than I started with. It was an amazing trip. Enjoy (be jealous of) pictures below.

February was filled with a lot of sickness in my apt (mostly by me, but also some my bro and SIL). Happily, the beginning of March greeted us all with wellness and sunshine :) OH! News that must be shared... My sister is getting married!! Juice and her long time bf (7yrs!) took a trip to Boston near Valentine's Day and he surprised her with an elaborate and tricky plan. I'm super excited to go to Chicago at the end of April to go dress shopping with The Box and The Mom, but even more excited for their wedding June 2012!!!! YAY!!

Safety First

Life in Phoenix

It's been a busy month. I've been getting situated and acclimated to life in Phoenix.
Work at Mayo is going really well. Life on the infusion side of things is definitely different, but I'm really liking it so far. The people are really nice for the most part, but there aren't any male nurses on the unit so the estrogen level is really high, which leads to some catty attitudes. Such is life in my profession tho.

I must say, Phoenix in winter is rather enjoyable :) I've spent most lunch breaks sitting on the patio outside the caf basking in the sunshine... without a coat. Living with my bro and SIL has been really nice. It's nice to come home to family (and usually dinner) and just relax. J and I have been hiking on Camelback... I have since bought myself some hiking boots and a camelbak hydration pack for future endeavors. The canal/trail is about a mile up the road, so I took a little 6miler bike ride last weekend. I'm looking forward to longer excursions. I hope that they're enjoying my company even half as much as I am theirs. I try to give them space and not get in the way. Tuesdays are my day off so I do errands and cook dinner that day. It's a small contribution (esp since I'm not a very good cook), but with the help of my "I Don't Know How to Cook Book" I think I'm doing okay.

This weekend I will fly to St Louis then drive to Springfield, IL to spend some more time with my Godfamily :) I'm really excited to see them again so soon. I pray that all the airline/weather stuff has worked itself out by Saturday morning :)

Christmas/NYE/Road Trip

I was sick for Christmas :( Colds are no fun. However, I love my family and had a great time anyways. Spent many hours playing my new Mario Bros game on my Wii with Dave (julie's bf).
On Boxing Day, we had a local reception for J and BPR for all the ppl in MI that couldn't make it to Phoenix. Got to see lots of relatives and people from high school.
I already wrote about my AZ licensing issues and the flight to Phoenix on Wed.
The first day of my road trip ended in Springfield IL. I spent NYE with my Godparents Russ and Cathy. We hadn't seen each other in prob a good 15 years so it was great we could work it out. (Had the licensing snafu not happened and I'd started my drive on Tuesday, they wouldn't have been home... maybe that was the point of the whole thing??) We went to my God-brother Paul's house. I got to meet his wife and their brood of kids :) I had such a wonderful time it's hard to even explain. I just wish my other GBs Jon, David, and their families could have been there too.

Uncle Russ, Jen, and Aunt Cathy NYE '10

Too much laughter to get a good shot :)

 

 

Jess (Paul's wife) and Jen

Day 2 of my trip found me on the road at 915 (went to bed at 3am mind you). The day was uneventful and Lord-willing I was able to make it all the way to Amarillo Tx.
Day 3 was uneventful as well and I was able to complete my journey to Phoenix. Both days 2 and 3 were >12hrs in the car but it was worth it.
Tomorrow morning bright and early... earlier than I've had to get up for work in about 5 months... I head to orientation at Mayo. Nervous excitement ensues.
I leave you with a few pictures from my journey

St Louis Arch

Random statue of Will Rogers - OK rest stop/tollway oasis

Either NM or Arizona, I'm not sure, but beautiful either way

Licensing Craziness and Irritation

For every new state that I work in, I need a new nursing license. Mostly it's just an application and a large check; occasionally fingerprints are required.

This is what happened with my AZ license:
Nov 24- phone interview with Mayo, job offer extended :)
Nov 29- call nursing board, am told okay to do standard process, no need to do 48hr emergency (semi-walkthrough) procedure
Dec 6- board receives application
Dec 22- board actually opens envelope containing application; mails fingerprint card to my house in MI; I make anxious calls to board, my recruiter, and my requirements person. Board rep tells me too bad if you don't get it in time, it'll take 2 weeks for them to check in that piece of mail anyways
Dec 24- fingerprint card comes in mail
Dec 25- highly festive Christmas Day Fingerprinting at the Shelby Twp Police Station (he was very nice)
Dec 27- make many unanswered phone calls/leave messages with mult ppl at board; finally receive return call at 530 est... "too bad so sad, nothing you can do now"
Dec 28- finally speak with supervisor at 130pm, yes if you show up with all the missing paperwork, they can process the emergency temp license, even though the other lady was rude and said you couldn't
Dec 29- 7am fly to phx, 1045am phx time show up at board with paperwork/fingerprint card, explain situation, wait 1hr, while waiting use smartphone to check license status online-temp issued!! yay!!, more waiting, 12pm receive temp license, hang out with bro and sil, 730pm fly home to MI
Dec 30- 3am crawl into bed
Dec 31- begin road trip to Phoenix

This process was frustrating to say the least. There were a few tears, many anxious phone calls, countless hours on hold, 2 quite rude people, 1 helpful person, and 1 gloriously wonderful covering recruiter. Not sure why all the hoops, I'm sure God has a lesson in there for me somewhere, but I thank Him for wonderful people on my support team at my company :)

Frustration

Today was my last day working out with my trainer Dana here in Ann Arbor. Being that our time was at an end, we did measurements and such to check my progress. Almost all of my measurements are the same, except that my arms went down by 2 smthgs on the calipers. My weight went the opposite of down. I know that muscle weighs more than fat n all that jazz, but it's completely disheartening to look at the scale after doing all that work, only to see a number I've never seen before. I'm much stronger now, and I physically feel better; but somehow that doesn't keep me from wanting to hit something... or cry... or both. A few notable achievements, I can do 3 sets of 12 reps bicep curls with a 40pound bar; 2-3 sets of 12 chest fly with 2 25pound weights; and both of those are more than my trainer.

All I really know, is that I'm going to be happy starting a new job where my butt's not stuck in a chair 8hrs/day 5days/wk. The most walking I do at this current job is the 5min it takes to get to/from my car.

I'm just really really frustrated :-/

I love Christmas

Absolutely by far my favorite time of the year. First and foremost: Happy Birthday Jesus :-)
Also, I love to give things. I don't care so much about getting things (except cards, I love those... thanks Laura :-), but I just truly enjoy giving presents. I don't like it when it's stressful, but when it's from the heart and b/c you want to not HAVE to, it's the best. I love Christmas music. It starts Nov 1 (secret- I listen to it randomly throughout the year too, shh don't tell). I love singing Silent Night the right way, which would in fact be Stille Nacht.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with my favorite girls from Bible study at ULC. Joanna and I went to pick out a Christmas tree :-) We found the perfect one and I was so proud of Terrence b/c he tucked all 9ft safely inside during the snowy trip to Dundee. You don't believe me? Take a look...

We didn't choose the one she's holding. We took the one in the back :)

Hatch closed and everything

Terrence and I do everything together. I love him... and he smells nice and fresh now.

Once we met Sara and Melanie at Sara's condo in Dundee, we spent all afternoon making/decorating cookies, stringing popcorn and cranberries, singing carols, and playing games. It was great fun. I'm going to miss those girls so much.

Me, Sara, and Melanie making cookies

Finished products

The Perfect Tree

Just Jen Travels To...

Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ!!
I'm so excited. I'm going to be working in an outpatient chemotherapy infusion center.
The bonus of course is that I'm going to be in Phoenix with Beth and Jason from Jan through March :)
Wahoo!

The rest of the story

Sorry for the long delay. Phoenix proved to be very busy (duh) and then I left my charger at home when moving to AA again, so I've been conserving battery.

So let's see, where'd I leave off...
The wedding was awesome :) Beth was beautiful and Jason didn't stop smiling. Our bridesmaids dresses looked great and the shoes went perfectly. I'd been wearing them all week to break them in. The only problem was that I didn't try standing still for an hour. Ouch. We were all very relieved when it was time to kneel! Overall it was a wonderful day. I'm so happy to have Beth as a sister.

I spent Thanksgiving in Chicago with Julie and Dave. It was nice not to be alone (since mom and dad stayed in AZ for their anniversary and the boys were with their respective wives). It was also awesome because Julie and I went Black Friday shopping at a new random Target near her appt. No one was there and I got 2 front page doorbusters even though it was already 9am :)

Now I'm back in Ann Arbor for a month. I'm staying with my friend Carrie and her boyfriend in her new condo. Carrie was a traveler in the office with me before she took a permanent position in the infusion center. It's been nice living with someone who understands what goes on in my day and we get along really well.

I have more news, but that deserves it's own note :)

Phoenix so far

I've made it to Phoenix. For those not in the know, I'm here for my brother J's wedding on the 20th. My job enabled me to come out early (got here on the 10th) to help them with all that little stuff that's left to do even though they both still have full time jobs (weird how life doesn't just stop so you can plan eh?).

I'm loving my time here so far. We've done a lot of hanging out :) Yesterday we watched the first half of the Michigan game at a local bar while eating breakfast, then we tailgated and went to the ASU v Stanford football game. Interesting to see another college's football stadium. It was cool, but the Big House is better (of course).

This morning Beth and I went to the Phoenix Zoo for A Mighty Voice fundraiser walk. It's part of an organization that raises money for motor neuron disease research started by a family who lost 2 little kids to MND.

I'm trying to be as helpful as possible, while at the same time, not getting in the way or being suffocating. So far I have rolled a lot of silverware/napkins and curled a lot of ribbon (with one small injury), delivered coffee and lunch, and accompanied on errands. With the weekend ending, there will be a greater list of things for me to do while they are at work (I think/hope). I love my brother and my SIL so I enjoy just sitting and hanging out, talking about nothing (or even the wedding, since that's on their minds for some reason)

okay, well time to do more planning.

God is just Awesome, ya know?

So you might guess that my life can be kind of crazy sometimes. Not just my belongings are everywhere, but my thoughts are too. What to take/not take, where to live, who to live with (or not), what kind of job, how long, what time do I need off, what to do if I get sick (I don't get sick days- I actually owe $ when I don't work), etc etc etc

Sometimes I think I've got things figured out (for the near future anyways). Finish work next week, take care of Dr appts, fly to Phoenix, help with last week/minute wedding stuff, wedding, fly home, Thanksgiving on my own (pizza maybe?), Black Friday shopping, return to UofM for another 4 weeks of work, Christmas, Boxing Day hometown wedding reception....

The rest of the time, my mind is all over the place. I'm uncertain of plans/decisions. Wondering what part of the country I'll be in come January, what clothes will I need or do I just take everything cuz you never know? 5, 472 other questions clutter my brain. I'm sure you have those too (but prob not the same ones, unless... what color underwear are YOU wearing tomorrow?)

This afternoon while I was waiting for it to be time to go to Bible study at chapel, I was listening to my ipod and the song Twenty-four by Switchfoot came on. If you don't know it, check it out HERE. The whole thing is great (and so is the backstory) and it's one of my faves. I especially <3 when we sing it in church :) I just want to share the part that really hit me today:

You're raising these twenty-four voices
With twenty-four hearts
With all of my symphonies
In twenty-four parts
But I want to be one today
Centered and true
I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You

You see, my mind being all over the place doesn't matter. God KNOWS. If/when I'm grounded in and centered on Him, I don't need to sweat the small stuff. It'll work out how it's supposed to (though I'm pretty sure He's giving me free will to pick underwear color) . How awesome is it that He knew I needed to be reminded of this today?