WordLess Wednesdays-Hope & Encouragement

You Might Be A Nurse If...

YOU Might Be A Nurse If.....

1. The front of your scrubs reads "Nurses… here to save your ass, not kiss it!"
2. You occasionally park in the space with the “physicians only” sign… and knock it over.
3. You believe some patients are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them.
4. You recognize that you can’t cure stupid.
5. You own at least three pens with the names of prescription medications on them.
6. You believe there’s a special place in hell for the inventor of the call light.
7. You believe that saying ‘it can’t get any worse’ causes it to get worse just to show you it can.
8. You wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER you go to the bathroom.
9. You believe that any job where you can drive to work in your pajamas is a cool one.
10. You consider a tongue depressor an eating utensil.
11. Eating microwave popcorn out of a clean bedpan is perfectly natural.
12. You’ve been exposed to so many x-rays that you consider it a form of birth control.
13. You’ve ever heard a patient with a nose ring, a brow ring, and twelve earrings say “I’m afraid of shots.”
14. You’ve ever placed a bet on someone’s blood alcohol level.      
15. You’ve told a confused patient that your name is that of a coworker and to call if they need help.
16. Your bladder can expand to the size of a Winnebago’s water tank.
17. You have seen more penises than any prostitute could dream of.
18. You believe that not all patients are annoying… some are unconscious.
19. Your family and friends refuse to watch medical sitcoms with you because you spend the whole time correcting everyone and pointing out upside down x-rays.
20. You don’t get excited about blood, unless it’s your own.
21. You’ve sworn to have “do not resuscitate” tattooed on your chest. Soon.
22. Discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal is perfectly normal to you.
23. Your idea of fine dining is anywhere you can sit down to eat.
24. Your idea of a good time is a cardiac arrest at shift change.
25. You believe in the aerial spraying of Prozac.
26. You believe that ‘shallow gene pool’ should be a recognized diagnosis.
27. You believe that the government should require permits to reproduce.
28. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall anyone who utters the phrase “Wow, it’s really quiet, isn’t it?”
29. You have ever wanted to write a book entitled “Suicide: getting it right the first time.”
30. You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say “I have no idea how that got stuck in there.”
31. You’ve had to leave a patient’s room before you begin to laugh uncontrollably.

Searching For Inner Peace...The Struggle Continues.

 I recently blogged about abuse and the effects it has on everyone involved. Now as I try to work through the pain and other multitude of emotions encompassed in the past few years of my life, I am starting to really feel everything I have been suppressing and keeping hidden. I was involved in the most emotionally charged relationship of my life for over 5 years. There was love and hate, passion and grief, and much more all wrapped up in the what can only be described as the most influential part of my 28 years of life. I will never be the same. The relationship has ended but the emotions as most people know...linger on.

Addiction is a terrible life altering destructive part of so many people's lives. As I deal with the aftermath of the way my life has been changed by loving an addict, I am overcome with so many thoughts and emotions. My first thought is how angry I am. I am angry that alcohol caused the person I wanted to spend my life with to treat me like a hated enemy. I think I hate his addiction more than anything else, but the hate became part of the resentment that caused the fracture in my love for him. Then my anger quickly gives way to fear. I, for the last 5 years have lived in fear. I was and am constantly afraid. I was afraid for him. I was sooo fearful that something bad was going to happen. And as time went on I became afraid for myself. The alcohol had taken such a strong hold on his soul that he was no longer the man that I knew and loved. Now that he is gone and I realize I can no longer talk to him I am empty. And that scares me to death. I am afraid to be without him. It took me over 5 years to come to terms with the fact that I could not love him into sobriety and that despite my selfish needs and love for him, I had to walk away for his own good.

And that is where I am currently. I in the entirely of our relationship never turned my back on him. I loved and supported him when there was no one else around for us. But in the end I had to tell the biggest lie of my life...I told him I didn't love him anymore and that I no longer wanted to be a part of our relationship. And for the first time, I walked away, turned my back, and left him with no options. So with the help of his family he made the best choice of his life. He decided to go and get help. He checked into inpatient rehab. I am very happy that he is making good choices. But then my mind goes to the fact that it took me leaving for him to decide to get sober. Why wasn't I enough?

And then my emotional struggle really began. I started thinking that maybe I held him back from being the man I always knew he was, and that makes my heart ache. I made the hardest choice I have ever had to make when I chose to leave and turn my back on the only love I've known for alot of my post college adult life. And now he is becoming the man I have always begged him to be. I struggle to come to terms with the disappointment and grief of losing him. And that the only thing that pushed him to want to get himself better was me leaving. That tears at my soul. Then my guilt gets the best of me. Gosh, how selfish could you be Julianne?! The man you love was/is struggling for his life, and all you can think about is yourself...Every day I have new thoughts and new emotions that I myself must work through and come to terms with...So my journey to inner peace continues...

I've Crossed Over Into "YOOPER" Land...Eh?!

Getting my BSN was the best choice I have ever made for myself. It has opened so many doors for me. And this week is no exception. The organization I work for gave me an amazing opportunity. The smallest hospital within our system is the last and final place to go to the computerized charting system that my hospital has been using for almost 2 years. Our facility was the 1st in the group to use this computerized chart. So because I have been using this charting system for quite some time,  I was offered the opportunity to be extra computer support for the last hospital in our group of healthcare system when they switch over to the paperless charting we all know and love-EPIC!!!  Of course I jumped at the chance for a change of scenery and a new adventure. I am currently assisting Saint Francis Hospital in Escanaba, MI.

And for those of you that don't know that's the Upper Peninsula or U.P.! All I can say it WOW! This place is AMAZING! The 6 hour drive up here was gorgeous, especially because of the changing of the seasons! The leaves are changing and the air is crisp. It is definitely Fall up here! They are located about 5 steps from Little Bay de Noc...OMG is it beautiful!!!

But the best part of the trip so far has been learning about all the customs and awesomeness that only happens in the U.P. During the night shift I got to talking to all the hard core "Yoopers" that I was working with. And for anyone that doesn't know what a "Yooper" is...Let me enlighten you! A "Yooper" is a common term for residents of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is derived from the initials U.P. The U.P. stands for Upper Peninsula, as opposed to the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is not a derogatory term. It is used mainly by residents of lower Michigan and Wisconsin. And the fun part is "Yoopers" make fun of "Trolls." Trolls are from 'down below', referring to lower Michigan.
Yoopers come from above the bridge, referring to the Mackinac Bridge, which separates upper Michigan from lower Michigan. The awesomest part of the dope people I have met so far is the way the talk!!! It is sooo cute! Yoopers have a habit of saying 'youse guy's' or often putting 'eh' after a statement...like-"Hey, youse guys, we're proud to be Yoopers, eh?!" They also say things like "aboot" "yah."

 

It gets even better when they use terms like "Dere" (Pronounced "Dare". Takes the place of There), "HolyWah or HolyWow" (Depending on the surprise or excitement level.) "Deh" (Pronounced "Day"-Takes place of They). Yoopers usually love Ice Fishing, Drinking Beer, The Redwings, Lions, Tigers, & Pistons (Sometimes the Packers), Deer Camp, Deer Hunting, Drinking Beer, and Drinking Beer.  It's awesome! And they all giggle at my Mid-West accent, that I never knew I had!!!

Yoopers are also known to be extremely friendly and welcoming people and make anyone feel at ease. Most tourists leave the UP with a feeling that they can't wait to return. And my experience has been even more dope than that! On my first night working with all these great people they taught me about the stuff that I MUST see while I'm here. The first thing I was told I had to try was something they called "Pasties" ( And no it's not pronounced Pay-Stees...It's Pass-Tees). I decided to check out Dobber's Pasties and tried one for the first time this morning...It is the Yooper food of da Gods!!! OMG is was sooooo good! A Pasty is a small circle of pie crust filled with meat, potatoes, onions and spices. And here is the one I got!

The next thing I was told is A MUST EXPERIENCE is Sayklly's. This is apparently some of the best chocolate ever made!!! They make Yooper Bars and the best thing ever invented...Chocolate Covered Potato Chips! I know, I know, it sounds weird right?! But they are the freakin' bomb!!! 

So, that is what my first day of exploring yielded! But tomorrow will be a fun filled day also as I take a day trip!!! So, I'm sure I will have much more to share...

Yup, It's OK...# 2

Yup, It's OK...
1. To eat cold Chinese food...In the middle of the night...With the lights off!
2. To have a girls night in...And enjoy it more than getting all dolled up and going out!
3. To nap...Often.
4. To laugh sooo hard you cry...Even when whatever you are laughing at isn't really that funny!
5. To enjoy the feeling YOU get when you give an awesome gift.
6. To love traveling and taking vacations, but love to come home just as much!
7. To show off your pride after conquering a fear...No matter how small it may be!
8. To think that by putting your sunglasses on in the cart hat no one can see how ridiculous you probably look singing at the top of your lungs!
9.  To dance around the house in jus a t-shirt, underwear, and knee high socks!
10. To say you live at home with your parents "to save money" but actually you jus like having someone around!

East Side, Maroon Pride-10 Yrs & Counting!

Well...It has finally happened. I woke up one day and 10 years had gone by. Hey class of 2001 can you believe it has been 10 freakin' years?! I sure can't. It was not until an EHS  Class of 2001 group popped up on Facebook that the realization of how old we really are finally hit me...SIGH...But on a positive note, I am completely stoked about our reunion! So, look out Elgin, here comes the dopest class that ever graduated from EHS! I have a feeling this experience is gonna be one for the record books!

Lately I've been reminiscing about the last 10 years, and all the things I have done and seen in that time. It's amazing how many happy and sad, awesome and tragic etc things I have been a part of over the last 10 years. I went to college, lived on my own, lost my brother tragically, graduated nursing school, and now I save lives everyday in the Neuro/Trauma/Burn ICU I work in. I lost my father at age 25 (which by the way is way too young to lose a parent and make funeral arrangements). I have experienced some really bad relationships and some great ones, I've met some amazing people, made sooo many great friends along the way and some that weren't so great. But ALL of these experiences have forever changed me and my path in life.

I then began to think that if I have been through this much and I have changed sooo much since HS, what the heck will everyone else have to share! With all of these thoughts running through my head the excitement has overtaken me! I literally cannot wait to see everyone and hear all about their journeys! I also am very excited to share the trials and tribulations that have molded me into the person I am today...10 years later!

Don't Bother Me...I'm Pinning!

Apparently Pinterest is not new, I guess it was launched in March of 2010. But it is definitely new to me! And it’s official, I’m a full-on Pinterest addict. I check it as much as Facebook, which by the way I have been an addict of since...Oh I don't know...College! But man oh man it is sooo fun!!!

Pinterest, for those who have not yet had the opportunity to take a big ol' bite of the poison apple, is kind of like a giant virtual pin board. And you can save or "PIN" anything you find on the Internet. It even has an easy access "Pin It" button you can add to the toolbar, how freakin' cool is that?! 

And one of the dopest part is you can share your virtual pin board with everyone else as well as let your Facebook or Twitter as the case may be (I don't Twitter so I wouldn't know about that addiction...YET). You can check out what everyone else has been pinning and "Re-Pin" any of it that trips your trigger onto your own boards. You can add a note or comment, and tag a friend if that's what ur into, and Pinterest automatically links your pin back to the web site you saved it from…Can you say GENIUS! I wish I would've thought of this, then I'd be rich-LOL!!!

I’ve been drooling over many DIY crafts that I hope to try soon and much much more!!! If you haven’t already, you should totally sign up for your free account and start your own pinning addiction. But be careful, It will take hold of you kinda like ummm (insert highly addictive substance here) Just in case you are interested, you can follow my pins at http://pinterest.com/supernurse4life/pins/

The only "Booooo" thing about this awesome time waster is that you have to be "invited" to join Pinterest, so if you are interested in wasting  hours and hours of your time while pinning images of things you would love to do, but never will, because you spend all your time on Pinterest and don’t have time for anything else...if that sounds like heaven on Earth to you, let me know and I’ll hook you up with an invite into the world of my new drug called Pinterest.

Yup, It's OK...# 1

Inspired by one of my favorite magazines I've decided to periodically list things in life to feel OK about. So, here is my first entry.
Yup, It's OK...
1. To smirk when that arrogant person that walks with their nose in the air, trips while walking.
2. To fill your free time at work making useless craft projects with your co-workers.
3. To only shave your legs once a week in the winter and dread shorts season because then your laziness is no longer kosher.
4. To put on a pair of ratty old sweats that you should've thrown away in college and love it...And even go out in public...SOMETIMES.
5. To be really sad when TV stars leave your fav shows and then they cancel it...Lame.
6. To believe in ghosts, but refuse to visit any haunted places.
7. To laugh hysterically at dumb commercials especially when you are all alone.
8.To live out of two clothes baskets (one clean and one dirty) instead of using your dresser.
9. To think stepping on a Lego may jus be the worst form of torture there is.
10. To think that Ugg boots and sweatpants are wrong then I don't want to be right.

Change...

 I have always feared change in my life. But as I continue to grow as a person I realize the only way to evolve is to embrace change. There have been many times I haven't made a change for fear of failure, looking silly or any number of other reasons. I can look back now and see the error in living my life that way. And up until recently I have continued to be afraid. NOT ANYMORE!

So as I stand at a crossroads I have a new found strength. I feel very powerful and strong and can now actually embrace change and the uncertainty of the future. But I could never have made these realizations without a few select vital people in my world.
As I write this I am sooo thankful to have such amazing people in my life that stick by me and love me enough to allow me to make mistakes (sometimes the sames ones over and over) and still love and support me. I am so lucky to have kindred spirits with me on my journey. I hope these people know who they are and that I am forever changed because of their unconditional love and support. I am truly blessed in my life.

In the words of Dr. Seuss-
"You have brains in your head, You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

WordLess Wednesdays-Friends Are The Family We Choose For Ourselves...

WordLess Wednesdays-My First Attempt...

WordLess Wednesdays-The Tuesday Preface To My First Attempt!

 On Wednesdays all over the internet, bloggers post a photograph or series of photographs with no words to explain it on their blog. Hence the ‘Wordless’ title. The idea is that the photo itself says so much that it doesn’t need any description. So tomorrow will be my "First Attempt..." 

The images I post WILL speak for themselves!!! But I need to say a few words before hand about the two amazing men in my post. They deserve at least a few words. This WordLess Wednesday is dedicated to the most wonderful heros I know...My brothers! They save lives at work...Jus like me. If you have to wear a bulletproof vest or run into burning buildings on a daily basis, then you qualify as a non cape wearing super hero in my book!!! So, all I can say is being an "EveryDay SuperHero" runs in our family...It's in our blood!

I love you guys and I am humbled daily by the selfless acts you perform at your jobs. You don't even think twice about walking into a multitude of dangerous situations in order to help others and/or save lives. I am in awe of you. I save lives, but you guys endanger you own to save another!!! Now that's a true "EveryDay SuperHero!!!" And this blog would not be complete without a huge SHOUT OUT to them!!! So be on the lookout tomorrow for a few shots of them in their "EveryDay SuperHero" Uniforms...

*****No Capes Needed!*****

Epic FAIL!!!

So, my sister, her BF and I decided to try to get a lil Geocaching in before the sun went down this evening...But we obviously mis-calculated the sun light that was left for the day. We ended up on a trail...in the middle of the woods...in the dark. Of course we didn't have any form of light except the low glow coming from my sister's GPS enabled phone. Not the best scenario to have 2 young women in the woods when the sun goes down. To make matters worse we ran into what I assume was a bum due to the fact that he was carrying a duffle bag and digging through the garbage can on the trail we were on.  It took us a while but we finally found our way out of the woods (that now that I think about too much resembled the forest in the movie Wrong Turn)...Thank goodness we didn't run back into the seedy looking transient from the beginning of our adventure! Note to self: If one is planning on Geocaching at night make sure you have all the necessary equipment ie A Flashlight and a Stick (of the large variety) or Mace LOL! So in conclusion...Geocaching at night without those above named items was...An Epic FAIL!

My Newest Adventure!!!

 Being a Neuro/Trauma/Burn ICU nurse is and has always been an adventure. It is full of any range and/or combination of emotions. And sometimes I experience the entire spectrum of emotions all in the same shift. This can be trying and weigh on me at times. With that said, I could never do anything else in my life. Saving lives is what I love...It is who I am.

So, when I am not performing my life's work as "The EveryDay SuperHero" I try really hard to find exciting new ways to fill my time and new outlets to express myself. I absolutely love photography and really enjoy embarking on fantastic fun filled photo excursions and all that goes along with that!!! Well, last weekend my little sister mentioned to me that she and her BF were going out Geocahing, I was like..."WTH is that?!" She laughed and tried to explain it to me. My interest was definitely peaked to say the least!!! But I was still very confused about how it all works. No kidding right?! Unless you Geocach yourself, you are probably thinking the same thing I was, "What in the world is Geocaching?!" Allow me to try and explain...Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called Geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online. So of course I begged my sister to let me and my Sony tag along to see what all the hype was about. For those of you that don't know...My Sony A380 DSLR camera is my BFF and my right hand man! It goes almost everywhere with me!

As we drove off for my first ever Geocaching adventure the anticipation continued to build!!! My creative mind started racing...My head was filled with sooo many ideas! I was almost giddy at the thought of it all! I could not contain my excitement about all the amazing things we would see along the way and the great photographic opportunities I was gonna have!!! What an adventure it was too!!! That first Geocaching  expedition with my little sister and her BF was beyond incredible!!! I had more fun than I've had in a while, and the pictures I took were awesome!!!

 Just an FYI-Geocaching lived up to everything I was told it would be...And MUCH MUCH MORE!!! I am hooked!!! This awesome treasure hunting hobby has opened my eyes to the big big world we live in. It continues to provide me with sooo many creative opportunities for artistic expression through photography! I cannot wait to see where My Newest Adventure takes me!!!