This week, I am thankful:
for a calmer school week
The girls and I said that this is the cat version of what happens when you tell a grade school kid to smile for a picture. Ha.
So far, the pediatrics workload has been way less than the mental health/med surg workload. Yay!
The pediatrics schedule is a little more efficiently compacted, which means that there are multiple weeks where I have either an empty Monday or an empty Friday (or occasionally both!)
Maybe I will feel a little more sane for the next eight weeks than I did the previous eight weeks.
that I’m excited about a pediatrics rotation
During our orientation to pediatrics this week, the professors were talking about techniques to use when working with pediatric patients, and much of it seemed very common sense to me because I have obviously spent years and years taking care of children (my own!)
So, I am not really nervous about pediatric clinicals; I think I will be immediately comfortable with this patient population.
that I’m making steady progress at the gym
My “slow-and-consistent” approach is working because I am slowly but steadily able to increase the weights on the exercises I am doing. And that makes me happy!
I wish I had taken a video of me doing lunges at the start of the summer to compare to now.
I know I was struggling to complete the sets of unweighted lunges back then, but now I can knock out sets of weighted lunges quite nicely.
that there are finally fall colors outside
Suddenly, in just the last week, the view outside my window here has become full of yellow and red and I love it!
It is wild how fast trees do things. In the spring, I feel like I blink and poof! The trees are covered in green. And now the change in color feels similarly sudden.
that I am still in nursing school
As much as I would like to be done with school, I feel grateful to still be here. Not everyone passes each class, so each term, we lose some students.
I would be heartbroken if I’d come this far and then had to drop out, and I do not take my presence here for granted.
Nursing school is hard, but having to leave the program would be even harder!
that Lisey got her braces off
I’m so happy for her! She cheerfully got through the difficulty of wearing visible braces as an adult (and fielded a lot of, “I thought you were 15!” comments), but now her teeth are all fixed and she gets to enjoy life with no braces.
(shared with her permission, of course)
that the weather’s been nice enough to walk to school all week
I haven’t driven to school a single time this week; I’ve just been getting there and back on foot power. 🙂
It is a convenient way to get my walk in when a class starts too early for a regular Kristen walk.
that it’s not humid
I am relieved and delighted to be in a less-humid time of the year.
and in closing…some JASNA photos
You all requested some photos from A. Marie’s Jane Austen Society adventures, so she sent some to me, asking if I could attach them to a comment. But since I can’t embed them there, I’ll just include them here, and A. Marie can pop in and explain the photos to you in a comment!
with the man himself
Curtsey to the gentry
She has a story about this photo that I will let her share 🙂
“Cher,” “Jimmy Buffett” (note margarita-shaped reticule!), “Dave Matthews Band,” and “Ozzy Osbourne
Selena
Thursday 24th of October 2024
@A. Marie - my mental image of you was not far off. Looks like you had a fantastic time, which IMHO, you so deserved. Older kiddo didn't have to wear visible braces very long. The orthodontist finally told kiddo it was okay to stop wearing a retainer at night. Younger kiddo, not as fortunate. Tell Zoe she was not alone in the adventure of braces. We need rain, it is supposed to rain tonight. So I'll be thankful even though it hasn't actually started. OH, I see lightening!! Thankful for two great kiddos. Local is taking my dad out to see not-local as well as the grandchild and grandchild's family of dad's favorite aunt (and my grandpa's favorite sister). Birth order of grandpa, great-aunt, dad, great-aunt's youngest kiddo resulted in out of state kiddo/grandchild being close in age. Also thankful my sibling is local and is pet sitting for dad while he's out of town.
Kristen
Friday 25th of October 2024
Zoe did have braces before! And she's assigned a lifetime of retainer wearing at night. I think it's the same story for Lisey as well.
Selena
Thursday 24th of October 2024
@Selena, ye gads, I meant Lisey. I had cat on the brain after seeing Chiquita. Mine are sleeping on the couch, not supposed to be. The stray we took in almost 3 years ago has turned my better half into a cat person. Tis a rare day when he doesn't make the comment "I can't understand why X was dumped, he's such a good cat".
AW
Thursday 24th of October 2024
I’m thankful for … 1) My 5 senses. I’ve finally finished reading ‘The 5 Senses’ by Gretchen Rubbin and really liked it. Made me realize how much we take for granted. 2) My artistic talent that God has blessed me with and being able to use it to help others or for me to enjoy. It came in handy when I helped decorated the church for our Candypalooza event for the kids and when I was gifted a fall wreath from my BuyNothing group that I redecorated and put my personal touch on. 3) Was kindly gifted a bag of dark chocolate, my favorite type of chocolate, for free for my help at church. 4) My 3 beautiful and healthy girls. I love them very much. It seems the older they get, the more I see their personality shine through. 5) The library bookmobile and how it stops by monthly close to us. The librarians are always kind and of course, we love checking out books and DVDs there.
Becca
Thursday 24th of October 2024
I love that photo of you with the sunbeams shining down on your head. You look like a real life angel. :)
Jody S.
Thursday 24th of October 2024
It's been a while, and it will probably be a while again, but this week I am thankful: *that culling the chickens is over. *for a productive garden. Also that the garden was bush-hogged and disked today. That means I don't have to feel guilty about not wanting to do anything else in it. We picked more tomatoes, peppers, a melon (which I'm not optimistic about), some hidden tiny pumpkins/squash, a few turnips, and a bouquet of zinnias before this garden season was officially ended. *that I will see the away college boy soon. *that I am being more productive with our little homeschool now that I cut out a good bit of internet usage. *for the bluetooth speaker my son bought me. I'm really digging George Jones right now, and I love listening in the kitchen. *for taking some time to catch up with the Commentariat today. I miss the comments. Great pictures, A. Marie! *that we will be able to pick up half a beef tomorrow to restock our freezer. *for rainbows in my kitchen. It's the time of year that the morning sun hits the prism in my window just right around breakfast time. *for new shoes. I think. I haven't started wearing them yet, but I have high hopes. *for lovely weather, even if we could use some rain. *for the fun story my son asked me to read last night. (He wrote it. It's not finished, but he wanted my opinion. It feels good that my adult son respects my opinion. I didn't expect that out of life.) *for the coffee I drank today. For middle daughter's piano current piano piece; it is beginning to sound so lovely. For my husband.
Rose
Friday 25th of October 2024
George Clinton! One nation under a groove.
Jody S.
Friday 25th of October 2024
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I'm listening to him, too, but. . . my oldest daughter is so very into old country music. And it's a bug that's bit me, too. And thank you for the welcome, but I'll only be popping in now and then because I've found that I need to spend less time online and more time getting the things done.
Central Calif. Artist Jana
Thursday 24th of October 2024
@Jody S., welcome back! But you are listening to the wrong George. . . George Strait gets my vote. 8-)
Blue Gate Farmgirl
Thursday 24th of October 2024
No. 1 - Love the JASNA photo share, A.Marie! Looks like a thoroughly fun time! No. 2 - The true joy in nursing school is honing your skills in every clinical rotation and help to choose your specialization. I am enjoying your nursing journey and have encouraged my niece to read your blog (she is!). My thankfuls this week: (1) dry weather to help with getting a new roof on our rental home. (2) My horrible sinus infection is subsiding (a detox soak in the tub). (3) A church youth group helped to pot up my 100 geraniums and move to the greenhouse for a generous donation to their winter activities fund. I also gave them 20 grapevine wreaths that I made for their harvest market sale happening this weekend. (4) Filling the freezers with fresh venison (5) Installed the frost covering for the winter garden raised beds just-in-time, we had our first frost this morning. Currently growing chard, kale, beets, carrots, cabbage and broccoli.