This week I am thankful:
to have my student nurse badge back
Somehow on my walk to school on Sunday, my badge fell off. I retraced my steps carefully but still couldn’t find it.
BOO.
This was very unfortunate because we are doing clinicals at a facility this coming weekend, and I actually, factually need a badge for that.
I had to make several phone calls to figure out who to contact to get a new badge, and as it turns out, it’s just an email address.
And honestly, I’m getting skeptical that anyone checks this email address because several days went by and no one responded to me.
BUT THEN I got a phone message from campus security saying, “We have an item of yours here.”
And it was my badge! Someone found it somewhere in the parking lot and turned it in.
Phew. And amazingly enough, no one ran over it in the parking lot. My little Sally badge holder (made by one of my lab mates) was safe.
for a frosty morning
On Monday morning, it was freezing here, and I had time to drive to a trail by the water.
I was glad I went, because there was so much frosty beauty to see!
It was not the most efficient walk ever because I kept stopping to take pictures of all the interesting and beautiful little sights.
When I got home, Zoe looked at the weather and said, “Mom, you are crazy.” But honestly, I enjoy a walk like this way more than I enjoy a sweltering walk in August.
that a lot of my projects for school are done
We’re in the midst of a class that is mostly online work and group projects; it has not been my favorite nursing class so far.
But most of the heavy work is done now; the main thing left is making a group video by the first week of December.
that I ended up in a good group
I have had some crappy group experiences before, where not everyone pulls their weight. But everyone in my group right now is involved, willing, and responsive. Yay!
that writing is easy for me
I don’t get a lot of writing assignments on the educational path I’ve chosen, but when I do, they are very easy for me to knock out.
Assignment-style writing is not my favorite to do (I’d rather write about whatever I wanna write about, as I do here!), but I don’t have the, “OH NO NOT A WRITING ASSIGNMENT!!!” reaction that some people do.
that the end of the semester is so close
There are only three more weeks of class left before finals week, and next week is a shorter week because of Thanksgiving.
Part of me will be bummed about the break between semesters because I really do love nursing school!
But on the other hand, some things in my life are kinda falling by the wayside and I will be glad for some time to catch up before the spring semester starts.
I’m almost a quarter of the way through nursing school*. Yay me!
*if you count all my prereqs, I’m definitely more than a quarter of the way through.
for being able to squeeze in walks
My preference is to roll out of bed and go on a walk first thing, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. And on those days, I’m thankful for opportunities to be flexible.
For instance, last Friday I managed to squeeze one in by working around the rain (which was on and off most of the day). I only got a little bit wet
And on Saturday, my labs got out early enough for me to squeeze in a late-day walk before the sun went down.
for how encouraging Zoe is
My little housemate is doing a good job of cheering me on. Whenever I pass something or get a test grade back, she says, “Mom, you’re doing great.”
And I think that’s a sign of a sweet teenager. 🙂
for encouragement from all of you
The other day when I was feeling a little bit like my frugal efforts were futile, several of you pointed out that at the very least, my money-saving ways have had a positive effect on people through my blog.
And I like that way of thinking! No matter what happens during this, um, life-event-that-causes-financial-repercussions, my frugal efforts have not gone to waste because they’ve gone out into the world. 🙂
for a printer that uses so little ink
I had to print out a lot of paperwork for clinicals (we do all our clinical documenting on paper) and it reminded me how much I love my Canon printer!
Instead of those pricey little ink tanks, it has big ink reservoirs which you refill with bottles of ink.
Mine’s a few years old, but I think this is the current version of my printer.
I feel much better about printing all this paperwork since my printer ink is so cheap!
that I’m not managing nursing school with small children
A lot of my classmates have babies/young kids and my goodness, I imagine that’s gotta be very hard! I feel very thankful to not be homeschooling and to not have young kids right now.
Blue Gate Farmgirl
Saturday 18th of November 2023
Late comment, I have a house full of framily. I am loving the company.
Today we are heading to our Alma Mater for a football game. The team is on a winning streak, so it should be a blast.
I am especially thankful for a sweet cousin who offered to fix my mudroom toilet and surprised me by bringing his sweet as can be Air Force graduate to do the work. I am like an Auntie to him as he calls me Auntie, so by good measure I paid him double. He asked me if I had any work on the farm and I pulled out my list with his name on it...he will be as busy as he wants to be for the next month. I will get some excellent help. This thankful is worth triple thanks.
One hospital I worked at charged $25 for the first badge lost. Glad someone found it.
Geneva
Friday 17th of November 2023
Yesterday for my division’s retreat we volunteered at a food bank and then had a meal together. I was on the planning committee and we had agreed that since we didn’t have new staff this retreat time we wanted to give back to the community. No guest speakers about working styles or personality tests. It really felt like the perfect team builder and it was timely with Thanksgiving so close.
I invited my friend over for Thanksgiving since her husband and son will be out of the country visiting his family (his dad isn’t doing well health wise). She told me how loved that made her feel, but it wasn’t even a question for me to invite her. I’m just happy I could make her feel loved.
I’ve had a cough for a month and I finally broke down crying from the frustration of nothing working to make it go away. My husband has stepped in and decided to be my nurse. He’s always done a good job of taking care of me specifically but he’s now staying on top of all the things once he gets home so that I can rest. This means so much because I know he’s exhausted from working all day.
MidwestRN
Friday 17th of November 2023
I'm thankful that I stayed the course and got my RN. I did nursing school with 5 homeschooled kiddos (youngest was 2 when I graduated, oldest was 12), and boy howdy! Kristen, you are right in that having littles and being in nursing school is no joke! I'm so glad I was brave enough to apply, that I got in, that put my head down and did the work. I loved being a bedside nurse, and now I get to work from home and still use my RN. Being a nurse has offered me so many opportunities and I have learned so much along the way. Keep going! You got this!
I'm thankful the hot weather is behind us. Winter is my favorite season. I love the warm, cozy, curl-up-on-my-couch evenings after a brisk walk in the cold. Bring on the fluffy blankets, the flannel sheets, and the warm drinks!
I'm thankful that my daughter is seeing the fruits of her hard work. She's faced a lot of obstacles in the past 18 months, and FINALLY things are turning a corner for her. She's got good friends around her, good mentors, and so many things to look forward to.
I'm thankful that my middle son has settled on a career path for after graduation. Even if he tries this path and he finds he doesn't like it, he'll have learned something. It's so brave of him to try something new and I'm very proud of him.
Brenda D
Friday 17th of November 2023
I’m glad you got your badge back, Kristen! I once lost mine, had to pay $10 to get a new one (not frugal) and when I got the new one, I went to put my work bag in the back seat of the car, and there was the lost one, sticking out of the seat back. My thankful this week: 1. That I was able to get my pneumonia and RSV shots this week. I have felt lousy for two days, but it’s OK. 2. That I had a nice phone call from a dear friend who moved to NM, we talked for 1.5 hours and we laughed so hard. I really miss her! 3. Today was a bluebird sky day in Maine, and I got to take a walk to clear my head. 4. I was able to get a good price on gas after making multiple trips to empty my aunt and uncles house. 5. I was able to deliver many of the boxes of stuff from the house to three different thrift shops. 6. Thankful that our local dump takes furniture without charging a fee. It really adds up when you have multiple large pieces of furniture to dispose of!
Chrissy
Thursday 16th of November 2023
Since I slept all day (comes with the territory of night shift work, and upsetting the circadian rhythm) I am late to check in. But it makes me extremely thankful for the others who post and for Kristen and for her look into her daily life. I have laughed hard (the booger factory) and become teary-eyed at the real life reports. So that is my No. 1. 2) Thankful that for whatever reason, since the leaving of our past DON and hiring of the new, we ARE hiring more aides and have some good ones returning. At the same time our census is coming up a little. 3) I am thankful that the 8hr acetaminophen works for my joint issues. All other NSAIDs are contraindicated in my case. 4) I am thankful it has still been warm in our neck of the woods so that I can finish the pre-winter prep. Means heat is also not running much. 5) I am thankful I was able to sort my chest freezer contents. I swear somebody else messy lives here! (I live alone with my dog....) I found more gr. beef than I thought I had, a wealth of blueberries, applesauce and blackberries and packages of mixed fruit for smoothies and many other things. My goal was to locate the chicken broth and have room for a sale priced turkey and I did. 6) Thankful to be preparing for our Merry Thanksmas Get-together of immediate family of seven (including me). It is our the only holiday type gathering. I have a spread sheet for the meal prep (I do it all as a gift to my family) and a list of cleaning "opportunities" (chores). We have to be fit in around the table with a shoehorn in my little dining room/kitchen but it is usually fun. We can't all be together Thanksgiving Day, and I work the weekend after so we have it the first Saturday that I am off in Dec. We lean more towards the fall season side of things with a hint of Christmas.