Meeting PW

This past week Abbey and went over to Green Hills Mall in Nashville to attend the Pioneer Woman's book signing. Jeff and Abbey introduced me to her blog several years ago and I have been a faithful reader ever since.


The signing was at Davis Kidd Bookstore, and while Abbey and I have mixed feelings on the store itself, I will say that they were prepared for the mass of woman (and a handful of men) that ascended on the store last Tuesday night. We heard before Thanksgiving that tickets were going to be required so Jeff took care of getting us tickets one day on his lunch break over a week before the event. We were already in group 6! (Each group had 25 people in it!!!)


When we arrived at the signing there were lots of woman already there...fairly quickly an employee began giving directions to the masses and began assembling us in our groups. Group 1...Group 2...Group 2...well you get the picture except that there were 20 groups!!! Needless to say we had to wait a bit, but eventually it was our turn.


You can see Jeff and Abbey's version of the events here. (Oh, and I am Manya...that is what Reed calls me and no I don't know why!)

Because I am an Equal Opportunity Aunt

Can't Resist

I think she is just too cute!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Little Bro...I think this is one you will never forget!

Newest Addition

Reagan Taylor
November 5, 2009 at 7:28 am
7 pounds 9 ounces, 19 1/2 inches
Only 61 1/2 hours of labor!
Everyone is doing well.

Fall

My front door

Mums in my niegbor's yard.

Slacker

I know...

Book Review

I finished reading "Same Kind of Different As Me." over the weekend. It is the true story of Ron Hall and Denver Moore who authored the book with Lynn Vincent. Ron Hall is an international art dealer in Fort Worth, TX. Denver Moore was a modern-day slave who was raised on the plantations of Louisiana. Frustrated that he could never pay his debt to "The Man", Denver eventually hopped aboard a train and found himself in Fort Worth and began his new life on the streets.

You might wonder how two unlikely men became friends. Ron and his wife, Debbie, eventually started volunteering at a homeless mission in Fort Worth and none of their lives were ever the same.

I would love to share more of the book, but I am afraid I would spoil it for any of you who wanted to read it. I will say that if you want to read a story about the heart of God, and the lives of two unlikely best friends, you should read it. It is honestly one of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.

Master Bedroom

Here is a quick sneak peak at the master bedroom.

It's Been Forever

I know it has been forever since my last post. Work has been very busy and there have been plenty of extra shifts to pick up. This week and last week have been the first two weeks in a while that I haven't picked up a fourth shift. Well, technically last week I only worked 2 1/2 shifts and this week I will only work 2. I'll explain in a second.

Other than work, I have been busy working around the house. The guest bathroom has been painted and the office is finally finished. Just some painting in the master bedroom and bath is left. I'll go ahead and post some pictures as soon as I remember to buy batteries for the camera.

So Saturday night I was at work...everything was going pretty well. It was my second night as charge nurse, but I things were moving fairly smoothly. About 1 am I sat down to catch up on a little charting and catch up with a patient that had spent the beginning part of the shift at dialysis. I sat and began writing, suddenly and I mean suddenly, I felt the sharpest pain in the left area of my back. All I could do was put my head down. I then broke out in a sweat and realized I had about 1 minute to get to the bathroom. Long story short, I realized I could not continue working and at the same time I knew it wasn't a stomach virus so the house nursing supervisor took me to the ER in a wheel chair. Can I tell you what great service you get in the ER when the supervisor brings another nurse down in a wheelchair? I think there were two nurses and a tech in the room. They started asking questions, an IV was started, some good medicine was given to control the pain and nausea, and fairly quickly the ER doctor came in. He told me it sounded like I had a kidney stone and he wanted to do a CT scan to confirm. Sure enough the scan showed a nice 3 mm stone. I left the ER at about 6:30 Sunday morning to pass my new found friend at home. I did not go home empty handed as I had prescriptions for pain medicine and anti-nausea medicine. Sunday and Monday were spent at home pushing fluids and napping. (And for the record I may go a lifetime before I drink any lemonade or lemon flavored drinks!) Finally, at about 11:20 on Monday night the whole ordeal was over.

I did keep my follow-up appointment on Tuesday with the urologist and have been given several things to do over the next month before I see him again. Mainly dietary changes like more vegetables, less animal protein, a 1/2 cup of bran cereal every morning, and lots of water. He did make a comment that it may be the water where I live but I won't know anything until I go back in a month and all the lab tests have returned.

Until then, I am really going to try to do a better job of keeping things updated! :)

The Latest Report

On Thursday night Cindy was placed in hospice care. They have stopped all IV fluids and her breathing became more labored last night.

Again I thank you for all your prayers for this family.

UPDATE: Cindy passed away this evening at 5:30.

No Real Change

Sorry I didn't get to post an update regarding my co-worker Cindy yesterday. Her family did take her off the ventilator yesterday. The early report was that her vital signs were stable except for her breathing. It was shallow and her rate was in the mid 20s. (Normal is around 16). The doctors didn't know how long it would take, but figured she wouldn't be able to keep that up very long.

Another one of my co-workers went to the hospital last night and Cindy was still holding her own in regards to her vital signs. There is a some brain activity in the brain stem only. The outlook is still not good at this point, but we are continuing to pray for a miracle.

Last night I worked and it was pretty obvious that something was going on. Everyone was a little short with each other at the beginning of the shift. It was as if a big pink elephant were in the room. We all knew it was there, but no one wanted to talk about it. However, by the end of the shift things were better. I think this has been a wake up call for everyone.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Another Update

While yesterday's report on my co-worker, Cindy, was positive, today's was not. The scan of her brain showed no activity and her kidneys began to fail. If there is not change (for the better) the family has decided to take her off life support tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for a miracle for Cindy and her family. Her daughter did go in to see her today. Pray for Steve, Cindy's husband, the three kids, and the rest of her family during this time. I would also ask that you would pray for the NorthCrest family. Our floor is very close, especially the night shift. Pray that those of us who have a strong faith would have opportunities to share Christ no matter the outcome at this point.

Thanks.

Update

If you missed my last post, you might want to read it to get the background information.

I spoke with one of my co-workers a little while ago. She had been to the hospital to see Cindy. Another EEG today showed some brain activity. This is better than yesterday's report. Cindy's children were told what was going on and the twin boys went to see her today. Her daughter was not ready yet. The family is staying optimistic at this time and continuing to pray for a miracle.

Thank you all for praying for Cindy and her family at this time.

Heavy Heart

It is with a heavy heart that I blog tonight.

At this time last week the crazy part of the night shift was ending as most of the patients drifted off to sleep. Around midnight a couple of nurses and I shared a pizza.

You might wonder where I am going. I sat by Cindy that night. It was just another night. We worked, we laughed, we caught up on the things in each other's lives. I asked her how here three kids were. She asked me about the house.

Thursday morning Cindy's husband found her unresponsive and she was taken the ER. Long story short, she is in a diabetic coma. At this time the report is not good.

Please join me in praying for a miracle for my co-worker and her family.

Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak to the master bedroom.

I have some more painting to do so I better get busy.

Real Gems

When my parents came to help me move in they brought a few boxes of hidden treasures from my room. I honestly haven't even thought about them, but today was "Project Clean out the Garage". The garage had become the dumping grounds of all things that had no place. Today I unpacked all the boxes and put them up. Or in the case of the study/office, the boxes are piled in the corner. (That is next month's project.) As I opened the boxes my parents brought I found things like this:

And this:

Filled with these and even more embarrassing pictures:

Then there was an manila envelope from Ranger Insurance. Ranger is where my grandfather worked about a million years ago. In pencil scribbled on the front is "Cappetch Patch Kids Birth Sertevect".

Yep, inside is the birth certificate to every Cabbage Patch Kid I ever owned. This Ralph Baxter's...he was a cute dark brown haired guy that wore glasses.

Oh, and there was this guy that my grandmother made for my high school graduation.

And yes that is lipstick on the bears mouth and a Hallmark sticker as a gold medallion.

The question is what do I do with all this stuff?!?!?!?

Madeline's First Birthday

These are just a few highlights from the big event.

My mom and Madeline...she can be very serious!

Some day I'll make her laugh!

Michelle makes the cutest cakes for her kiddos on their birthdays!

Her first bite of cake, ever!

I think she likes it.

I had a great time at home, but now I am working to get caught up back here...Trying to make this house a home. Some new pictures of the house should be posted in the next day or two...I promise! :)

Silly Aunt Jane

She promised more pictures...pictures of her house and pictures of her trip home. BUT she is soooo silly! She hasn't taken any more pictures of the house and then she left her camera cord in Tennessee while she was in Texas. To make matters worse, when she got back to Tennessee she realized she left her camera at Papaw and Gigi's. So between a camera and no cord, a cord but no camera, and being very busy at work, she just can't get it together. Be patient, please!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It's 2:11 am...I'm at work in case you were wondering. All my patients are tucked aways in their beds and seem to be sleeping peacefully.

Tomorrow evening I'll head to the airport, completely sleep deprived (this is my fourth night in a row), to head to Texas. Today is Madeline 1st birthday. I can hardly believe she is one. Saturday is her birthday party and I am sure the rest of my week will be filled with various family activities. I will try to do a better job of blogging there.

Pics of the House...Finally!

The front...except this was taken a while ago and I have cleaned up all the flower beds. Oh, and the garbage can is in the garage, because the HOA president informed that I was in violation of the covenant since it could be seen from the street. :)


Remember the back deck? My dad pressure washed it over 4th of July weekend. It looked so much better, then this weekend I began sealing it with Thompson's.


Here it is now...That is a dwarf crape myrtle in the pot...it should have some red blooms in the next week or so.


I also put these new Adirondack chairs together over the weekend. This morning I drank my cup of coffee out there and watched the sun rise.


I have a feeling I'll be out there a good bit in the morning...let's go inside.


This is the entryway.

Then the living room. Please ignore the tags on the couch, it was delivered this morning and I haven't stopped long enough to cut them off.


A couple of close ups of the new furniture.

The fireplace and mantle.

Well, that about does it...for now. I'll try to get some other pics tomorrow to post. The guest bedroom is basically finished expect for the curtains. The kitchen and dining room needed to be cleaned up so that is why there weren't any pics...And my bedroom, well, it is a work in progress. I am still wavering on what to do.

Oh, and Michelle, here is the dress for Madeline:

Checking In

I just have a second (shhhhhh...don't tell, I am at work) and thought I would check in. The move is going extremely well. All the big stuff made it by Thursday. The weekend was spent unpacking, working in the yard, and buying some new furniture. My parents left Tuesday morning so it has just been me these past few days. I have stayed very busy since I went back to work on Tuesday night. I do have a few projects in mind for the weekend...I think I will never lack for projects again!

Tomorrow I will have the Internet and TV hooked up so hopefully some pics and more frequent updates will occur!

I Worked So Hard My Teeth Hurt

Yesterday Abbey and I began moving my stuff to the new house. We are both pretty impressed with how much was accomplished. The kitchen is basically all moved and so is my closet. What's even better is that it is all put away in the new house. Now I may not be able to find anything and I might have to call Abbey to locate anything in the pantry, but it feels pretty good to have all that done.

My parents arrived last night after getting stuck in traffic right outside of Nashville. We met last night for dinner in Goodlettsville before making the track back into Springfield since they got held up and we were all starving. Before we all officially called it a day we went by the house so they could see if for the first time.

Today will be filled with more trips up and downs the stairs. (I am really wondering why I live on the second floor right about now! My knees and ankles are feeling every trip made up and down those things from yesterday. I mean, my teeth hurt....oh wait, that may have more to do with the fact that I squeezed in an orthodontist appointment yesterday after work and before the move!) The goal is to get the majority of the furniture moved.

Have I mentioned what great friends and family I have? I have some of the best!!! They help you move, they mow your lawn, they drive long distances with a U-Haul....Well, I better get off this couch and getting moving...of course I think a cup of coffee and two Aleeve will really help the process!

I Wonder If This Is How Jacob Felt When He Wrestled With God

It's been 24 hours since I came home from work. Tuesday night was one of those nights you are convinced a full moon was out. Last I heard there were 9 patients in the ER waiting to be admitted expect for the fact there was not a single bed in the hospital that didn't have someone in it. I would have gladly exchanged one of those waiting in the ER for one of the patients I had. I mean you can only wrestle a grown man so long before it becomes too much. I would love to say that I won, but even as I left the floor yesterday morning the family was still trying to convince him to stay in bed. At least he was going to be the day shift's problem from then on.

Needless to say when I woke up from a nap in the early part of the afternoon I hurt in places that I don't typically hurt. My back and legs were quite sore and the only thing I can contribute it to is the grown man who refused to stay in bed all night.

So when work called and I asked if I minded coming in on Wednesday night instead of Thursday night, I said no. Well, at least that is the message I left on someone's voicemail at the hospital.

I also had some big plans for the afternoon. I have put off having my finger prints taken to finalize my background check because I just knew I was going to have to go into Nashville to have it done. Imagine my surprise when I realized that there was a location just up the road. Around 3:00pm I loaded up in my Tucson and headed to Guns and Leather where a very nice man took all my finger prints and emails them to the Board of Nursing. I also have my eye on a hot pink rifle now!

No afternoon is complete without a stop by Sonic since it was still happy hour and all their drinks were half off. I picked up a few extra drinks and headed to Jeff and Abbey's were I spent the rest of the day/evening. Nothing like hanging out with friends for dinner and then swimming.

My back is still pretty sore, but there is no time to complain because this morning I have a meeting at the hospital on foley catheters and then it is back to work tonight...Oh how my life has changed!

Brought To You From The Hall Bath

Rain is pounding on all the windows and the tornado warning siren just ended. The electricity is flickering on and off. Thunder continues to roll and I feel pretty sure there is lightning as well...I wouldn't know because I have taken cover in the hall bathroom. It's the only interior room besides the laundry room, which just doesn't sound like a safe place to hang out during a tornado warning.

I wonder if this is going to spoil the plans that Abbey and I had to work out this evening? So how did you spend your Wednesday night?

A Night on the Town

This afternoon Blair and I headed out of Springfield for a little big city action. I mean you can only keep a Tampa girl out in the middle of no where for so long!

We began by doing a little shopping at a cute little shop in Hendersonville. They carried a pretty good selection of Vera Bradley. The rug I have picked out for my living room is a Vera print and I needed something to use to match a sofa/love seat/chair arrangement. I ended up buying a placemat of the same pattern. I was very pleased to come home and realize that all my Fiesta matches so I will have to go back and get a few more.

Then it was on to Downtown Nashville. Several people told us we were crazy since it is the CMA festival. It actually ended up being a lot of fun. We were going to eat at BB King's, but it ended up being closed for a private event. We went further down the street and at the Wild Horse Saloon. Dinner was very good and watching everyone line dance was very entertaining.

Then we walked around the crowded streets, stopping in the stores we wanted until are feet hurt.

On our way back out of the city we decided to stop at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (which is who owns the Wild Horse Saloon in case you were wondering about our choice of eating establishment...oh and we were finished eating by 6:45 and out of downtown before dark!) for some coffee and dessert. We almost gave up when we realized it was $18 to park, but eventually we figured out we could park at the mall and walk over.

We had a great day...However, we have to get to bed earlier...this is the second night we are up at 1:00 am! I guess we are trying to cram a lot in a few days. Tomorrow is our last full day as Blair flys back on Sunday and I have to work Sunday night.

Tour de Springfield

My friend Blair from Tampa is here visiting. We are staying busying catching up and today I took her on Tour de Springfield. Actually that doesn't take very long, but we ended up stopping in some of Springfield's finest stores to do a little shopping. Basically the goal was to see if we found any ideas for the new house, which was one of the stops on Tour de Springfield.

Check back for some pictures in a day or so.

Boomerang Express!

This week has been Vacation Bible School at Jeff and Abbey's church. Since I am such a good friend and Abbey is in charge of the whole thing, I have been helping!

It has been a great week with a record number of kids today.

I have also been very impressed with Abbey...she has been amazing to watch. Not only is she organized and prepared, but she is full of enthusiasm and great and getting the kids excited each and every morning. She has also handled the unexpected trials and challenges really well.