The end of one year and beginning of another is always
bittersweet to me. It is an opportunity
to reflect on the last twelve months, a chance to look forward to the next
twelve months, and in doing so, I am always keenly aware of the passage of
time. As people older than me always
warned me, time seems to move more swiftly the older you get.
I remember spending New Year’s Eve at my grandparents’
house as a child because my parents always went out with friends. Granny and Grandpa let us eat candy, drink sparkling
cider, watch Dick Clark's Rockin NYE, and run outside at midnight yelling “Happy New Year” at the top of our
lungs. I remember loud, fun evenings as
a teenager or young adult drinking way too much and looking forward to a
midnight kiss. I remember wondering where and with whom I would be when 1999 turned into 2000. After Bonnie was born,
she created her own little tradition of getting an ear infection just in time
to ruin our NYE plans. ;-) The worst year was when everyone in the house
except me had the flu and I stayed up by myself until midnight playing Sudoku. At midnight, I heard the neighbors’ fireworks
and looked out the window but couldn’t see them. Then I cried and went to bed. Since then, I have tried to be around people
on NYE and ring in the new year on a happy note.
This year was totally different. I had to work. Every critical care bed in the hospital is
full, and there are patients on other units who are sick enough to be in
intensive care, but there is no room.
This flu/pneumonia combo going around is scary. The really scary part is that it is hitting
young people really hard. We have four
patients under the age of 50 on ventilators.
Anyway, my last three nights of work have been some of
the most difficult shifts I have ever worked.
There were no meals, almost no potty breaks, no chit-chat with coworkers
or checking my email, and certainly no New Year festivities. I will candidly admit that on Sunday night, I
would have not been able to keep both my patients alive if not for the help of
two awesome coworkers. Both patients
were being sustained from minute to minute by IV medications. If a pump started beeping, my patient started
to die, and there were LOTS of pumps going.
These shifts were exhausting, both mentally and physically. There were times I wanted to cry, but crying
doesn’t go a long way in keeping patients alive. One of the nurses on dayshift had made some
inspirational quote signs. They were
tongue-in-cheek messages to the nurses who had worked that day. The one hanging on the board above my room
said “Either you run the day, or the day will run you”. I totally felt like the day was running
me. I had no time to stop and formulate
a plan. It was one emergency after
another for 12 hours straight. I had to
give report on my patients before going to find a quiet place to chart for the
entire shift. Here’s to hoping that the
2014 brings less chaos on the work front!
I made resolutions for 2013, but
I didn’t restart my blog until June.
Here is a rundown of the year. I
would generally label this year as “busy and productive”. I am hoping to label 2014 as “restful and
relaxing”. LoL
- One resolution was to start my BSN
program. I took Statistics in the summer
and started the BSN program in August.
I’m halfway done!
- I
resolved to eat better and exercise. It has not gone perfectly, but it has gone
well. On June 2nd, I signed up
with HealthyWage. I wagered $150 that I
would lose 10% of my body weight in 6 months.
On December 2nd, I had my final weight verified, and I won
$300. Over 6 months, I lost 16 pounds by
counting calories and running 3-4 days a week.
Now the challenge will be to keep the momentum going. Or rather to get it going again after a lazy
and gluttonous December.
- I
planned to paint and redecorate our master bedroom, the boys’ bedroom, and the
kitchen/dining room,/stairwell of our house .
Only the master bedroom got done.
This is the area of life where I just run out of energy. After all the necessities are complete, I
just want to rest for a while.
- We
took the kids to the indoor water park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in
February. Matt and I normally take a
trip alone to the mountains in February, but we had just gone to the USVI in
November, so we made the mountain trip a family trip.
- The participated
in the homeschool coop in the Fall, and I taught a class.
- I
joined the ladies Bible study at church.
I haven’t been as faithful a member as I had planned to be, but I hope
to keep going this year.
- Family
vacation was to Cape San Blas, Florida.
- My
niece, Annabelle, was born on July 24th.
- Sailor
became part of our family on September 29.
-
October trip to NYC to celebrate Bonnie’s entry into adolescence
Now I
need to get to work on my plan for this year.
I hope that 2014 will be a year of good health, happiness, and
prosperity for you all.
