This week, I am thankful:
that car-pooling gave me a push to clean out my van
This is the face of a person who hadn’t vacuumed her van in a while. Ahem.
I mentioned on Tuesday that we are car-pooling to clinical this semester, to save money on the $25/day parking fee.
A bonus of this setup: knowing my classmates were going to get into my car was the perfect push to make me clean out my car and vacuum it, and I appreciate that.
for the joy of commiseration
We had to do about four hours worth of online training for Epic, the software my pediatric hospital uses for charting (also what my work hospital uses).
It was tedious, overwhelming, and also largely unnecessary for what we will do in clinical (tell me why they taught us how to do outpatient charting??)
But since my whole group was assigned this task, I had people willing to listen to me complain (and I also willingly listened to their complaints!)
It is nice to be able to vent with someone who really understands.
After I finished, I went to Safeway and bought some ice cream because I needed a little treat after suffering through all those modules.
I did not actually eat both containers that night, just in case you were worried.
for my queen bed
The other morning I was lying in my big bed, appreciating my pillows and my fluffy comforter and just all the space I have, and I felt so grateful I was sorta pushed into getting a queen bed (because my neighbor had a free queen-size bed frame for me!)
Reader, if you are a single pringle like me, I highly recommend getting a big bed anyway. 10/10. Very nice. 🙂
that my work schedule is getting fixed
When I saw the November work schedule, I was like OH NO. Because somehow, I was scheduled for 48 hours in a row at Thanksgiving.
I knew I was going to be required to work on Thanksgiving, but I couldn’t imagine that 48 hours in a row was required (that’s the kind of crap residents do. Not student nurse PCTs!)
I sent a prompt email and it is getting taken care of (I do have a sinking feeling what I will be left with is the two overnight shifts. But this is Thankful Thursday so let’s not think about that. Ha.)
for lovely fall colors
I have been appreciating the beauty out there.
And I am also grateful that the weather is gonna cool down and feel a bit more like fall because yesterday it was over 80 degrees.
I like a little fall chill with my colored leaves. 😉
that my first peds exam went well
I had 50 questions and missed just two, so, yay!
that after today, there are only five weeks left in the semester
You know how you get to the point in a pregnancy where you are counting down the weeks until the end? That’s me with this semester!
(Ok, well, to be honest, I started counting down to the end of my pregnancies as soon as I got pregnant because pregnancy was a miserable experience for me.)
from the hospital window
I’ve done three weeks of peds; I can do five more.
that we had a fun little patient this week at clinical
My classmate and I had a spunky little preschooler assigned to us, and since we have less work as student nurses than regular nurses do, we had lots of time to play with her and go to her therapies with her.
I think we brightened her day (so much attention!), and she brightened ours too. “You guys are my best friends. Can you sleep here tonight? Right in this chair?” Aww.
And she liked my pumpkin earrings. 😉
Bee
Thursday 7th of November 2024
It is amazing how motivating it is to have a car pool, a house guest, or a party. It is my turn to host a Christmas party for one of the groups I belong to. I have a long list of things to do that I have put off like painting the back of the front door. Following in Kristen footsteps, I can turn this obligation around and say that I am thankful for this motivation.
I am thankful that Kristen and the commentariat have kept this blog a political free zone. It’s such a relief!
I am thankful that my husband is helping me prepare my winter flower beds. My issues with my back have slowed down my gardening.
I am thankful for my home and my neighborhood. I have the loveliest neighbors. Rescue Pup loves to walk in the evening this time of year, because everyone is out and about. (The weather is perfect here.) Many stop what they are doing to give her treats and to chat.
I am thankful that I was able to celebrate Halloween with the grands and my family!
Wishing you all peace, good health and prosperity.
Beverly
Thursday 7th of November 2024
I'm thankful DD and grandson stopped yesterday after work. Seeing them definitely helped lift my mood a little. I'm thankful our extremely energetic rescue dog did well with the baby yesterday. I'm thankful for my always supportive DH. I'm thankful we got some rain yesterday. I'm thankful DH and I are both off for Veterans Day. A three-day weekend sounds lovely.
JD
Thursday 7th of November 2024
1. I'm thankful that we got some rain for the first time in a month. With new sprouts in the raised beds, I've had to water every single day, and I'm tired of it. It's been very warm and incredibly sunny - these fall plantings don't like that so well so I've had to water faithfully.
2. I'm thankful that my daughter is taking a well-deserved mini-vacation with her best forever-friend, with whom she's literally been friends since they were both in diapers. I dropped her at the airport this morning for her flight to Tennessee to see said friend. As much flying as she does for work, she can fly for free on vacations.
3. I'm thankful that we have some cooler weather coming, oh, sometime soon, they keep saying. I know it will come eventually, but it's late getting here.
4. I'm thankful that all three of the young granddaughters decided to walk in the processional with the teen granddaughter who carried the banner for DH at the All Saints' service at church on Sunday, and that little grandson decided to be a big boy and stay in church to watch instead of going to nursery. (p.s. to A. Marie - they processed to "For All the Saints" and the gradual hymn was "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God")
5. And finally, I'm glad that I "met" Central Calif. Artist Jana through her Meet a Reader post, because one thing led to another after I checked out her art site so that I ordered and just received from her a simply lovely little painting of a tomato. I know, a tomato might sound a little odd, but it was from a photo I took of the last good tomato DH, who loved growing them, grew on his vines, and it was a beauty, well worth a painting. That painting is going to remind us of him for a long, long time.
Elisabeth
Thursday 7th of November 2024
Love that comment from your young patient. Clearly is speaks volumes about the level and type of care you provided. About 5 years ago my husband and I moved from a queen to a king and when we were in the store looking at mattresses another customer asked us if this was going to be our first king bed. When we said Yes, she said: This is going to change your life. Honestly, I do not think there can possibly be too much space in a bed! We have two other queen beds in our house (guest + our teens; she inherited our old queen when we upgraded) and my son has a single - but when we travel and have to sleep in a double I find it nearly impossible to get comfortable.
JNL
Thursday 7th of November 2024
Nearly halfway through your semester Kristen!
Thankful my Auntie has agreed to move to an apartment without stairs. It has taken the encouragement and coordination of seven carers and the insistence of her geriatric specialist that she put a bed in her living room. Thankful that two other medical urgencies in our family that turned out to be non lifethreatening.
Thankful weekend is round the corner, it is wearying to be chipper throughout the day when there is such emotional upheaval.