Friday, July 9, 2010
Happy Birthday To My New Blog
I have been thinking that my card making needed its very own blog. That way I can enter challenges and show complete strangers my work. My current blog is much more private in that you can't search for it on Google and you have to know about it to find it. Anyway, with two blogs, this one can be more focused! The new blog is search able on Google. I also added a watermark to my work. So if you are interested in seeing my cards and other paper crafting work, check it out right here.
Card Making Extravaganza
A few weeks ago I had some time to sit down and make cards. I also had a baby shower invitation order to fill. I made cards all day! To make life easier, I worked in one color scheme the whole day. I used DCWV papers. There was a Spring Pack on clearance last year and I purchased the print paper and matching cardstock. The colors are like light pastels and some bold colors like redish/pink or grass green. My point was to make some thank you notes, but then I made some general cards, and monogram cards (not pictured). I used my new Cricut Cartridge Cindi Loo. This cartridge has a font, doilies, frames, and woodland type animals. It's whimsical and woodsy all at once. Anyway, below are my creations. Enjoy.
Job News
It's Friday. Finally, Friday. I took today off since I didn't end up taking last Friday off. It's also sort of comical (since my last post was a rant on my job) that I applied for a job last week and had a phone interview yesterday. I applied at a local hospital to be a volunteer coordinator. The position would require a short commute (19.98 miles according to Mapquest). I would work 40 hours a week. Just 40. There isn't any travel, any being on-call, or any monetary goal. I would get to work with volunteers, plan trainings, plan ways to recognize them, and in general do the parts of my job I enjoy now and ditch the parts I don't! I'm slightly nervous about the whole thing, because I feel vulnerable! This is something I really want and I feel like I am putting myself out there. If I don't get the job, I think I will be pretty disappointed. The last couple jobs I applied for I have not been disappointed when I didn't get hired. There were these little quirks that made them almost, but not quite ideal. This one seems to be a great fit! Oh and the benefits are good too. In fact, using my recent surgery as an example, the total amount I paid would have been $125. Not the $300 I think I will be paying. That's good insurance! They also have little perks like free tickets to various events and company get togethers. That's one thing I miss at this job that I had at my last job.
Okay, so back to the phone interview. My sister-in-law had suggested I call the hospital to make sure they got my application. I had to wait until Tuesday to call with the holiday. I called and left a message with the recruiter. Yesterday (Thursday) I missed a call from the director of the department. I called back and left a message. This sort of reminded me of when I was dating and debated how quickly to call back, whether to leave a message or just call back later, etc. I decided to leave a message (After all, what IF they have caller ID and can see some maniac called a million times? lol). I was delighted when just after finishing my lunch my cell phone rang and the number came up on my screen! I hid out in the wig room at work with the door shut to take the call. There is something scandalous and slightly fulfilling about taking a phone interview at your current employer! Anyway, we talked for a good 40 minutes about the hospital, the staff, the job, and what to expect. At the end of the call I asked if I would for sure be expecting a phone call or if I should continue to check the hospital website to review the status of my application. The director said I would definitely be expecting a phone call from the recruiter (the lady that I left a message with on Tuesday) and interviews would be scheduled for the week of July 26. She is leaving on vacation and does not have a hard and fast deadline for filling the position. I didn't intend to ask a question that would basically tell me how our phone conversation had gone, but was delighted to hear I would be contacted soon! I am suppose to hear from the recruiter within a week to schedule an interview. The whole thing makes me so giddy and so excited. Oh and may I add in the timing is perfect, because my last event is July 31 and August 1? If they do interviews the week of July 26, I would be able to wrap up my event season before our fiscal year ends on August 31. I would leave the organization in the best possible time to have a staff leave. I like the people I work with and want everyone to be set up for success, so this would make that transition a lot smoother.
I just keep thanking God that so far this seems to be going so well and just praying that it all works out. In fact, if you want pray too, I'd love it! This really feels like such a blessing and such a positive move for me, I think that is part of the reason I worry a little about it not working out. As usual, I just need to let go and let God. I know I am and will be taken care of.
Okay, so back to the phone interview. My sister-in-law had suggested I call the hospital to make sure they got my application. I had to wait until Tuesday to call with the holiday. I called and left a message with the recruiter. Yesterday (Thursday) I missed a call from the director of the department. I called back and left a message. This sort of reminded me of when I was dating and debated how quickly to call back, whether to leave a message or just call back later, etc. I decided to leave a message (After all, what IF they have caller ID and can see some maniac called a million times? lol). I was delighted when just after finishing my lunch my cell phone rang and the number came up on my screen! I hid out in the wig room at work with the door shut to take the call. There is something scandalous and slightly fulfilling about taking a phone interview at your current employer! Anyway, we talked for a good 40 minutes about the hospital, the staff, the job, and what to expect. At the end of the call I asked if I would for sure be expecting a phone call or if I should continue to check the hospital website to review the status of my application. The director said I would definitely be expecting a phone call from the recruiter (the lady that I left a message with on Tuesday) and interviews would be scheduled for the week of July 26. She is leaving on vacation and does not have a hard and fast deadline for filling the position. I didn't intend to ask a question that would basically tell me how our phone conversation had gone, but was delighted to hear I would be contacted soon! I am suppose to hear from the recruiter within a week to schedule an interview. The whole thing makes me so giddy and so excited. Oh and may I add in the timing is perfect, because my last event is July 31 and August 1? If they do interviews the week of July 26, I would be able to wrap up my event season before our fiscal year ends on August 31. I would leave the organization in the best possible time to have a staff leave. I like the people I work with and want everyone to be set up for success, so this would make that transition a lot smoother.
I just keep thanking God that so far this seems to be going so well and just praying that it all works out. In fact, if you want pray too, I'd love it! This really feels like such a blessing and such a positive move for me, I think that is part of the reason I worry a little about it not working out. As usual, I just need to let go and let God. I know I am and will be taken care of.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Quick Rant...
Okay, if I needed one more reason to get a new job, it's because I'm pretty much always on call. It started this morning with texts at just after 7 and has continued. In fact, now on my day off I am going in to work. Awesome. Not. MUST FIND NEW JOB!
I am thankful I have a job, but I know there are jobs out there that would be an even better fit for me. I love parts of my job. I like working with volunteers. I love giving back to the world. I love being creative.
If I could work fewer hours (60-80 is ridiculous) and have more boundaries with work, it would be so much better. Oh and the travel, I'm over that. I want to work locally or within a close commute.
Sigh...now to keep cooking...something I normally enjoy when my cell phone doesn't go off like crazy. I made a ton of macaroni salad, haha. I am not even sure if the 3 cups of mayo in it are enough. I think I need to go get some more to moisten up the salad! Yikes! I also made an onion dip. I will let you know how both of these things turn out. My next recipe is for S'mores Brownies...lite! I'm not sure if I will be able to wait till tomorrow to try a brownie!
Tomorrow morning J and I are walking a 5k. Originally, I had set out to run this one. However, with surgery I got a little off track on that goal. I think it will take us about an hour. We are meeting his family for breakfast afterword. Then in the afternoon is the annual 4th of July potluck with fireworks!!! Yay! On the 4th of July we are volunteering at the western art show. On the 5th of July I am hanging out with my friend S and she is going to help me with my knitting skills! I hope to conquer a hat. That'd be awesome. We will see!!
I hope you all have an outstanding Independence Day! Happy Birthday America.
I am thankful I have a job, but I know there are jobs out there that would be an even better fit for me. I love parts of my job. I like working with volunteers. I love giving back to the world. I love being creative.
If I could work fewer hours (60-80 is ridiculous) and have more boundaries with work, it would be so much better. Oh and the travel, I'm over that. I want to work locally or within a close commute.
Sigh...now to keep cooking...something I normally enjoy when my cell phone doesn't go off like crazy. I made a ton of macaroni salad, haha. I am not even sure if the 3 cups of mayo in it are enough. I think I need to go get some more to moisten up the salad! Yikes! I also made an onion dip. I will let you know how both of these things turn out. My next recipe is for S'mores Brownies...lite! I'm not sure if I will be able to wait till tomorrow to try a brownie!
Tomorrow morning J and I are walking a 5k. Originally, I had set out to run this one. However, with surgery I got a little off track on that goal. I think it will take us about an hour. We are meeting his family for breakfast afterword. Then in the afternoon is the annual 4th of July potluck with fireworks!!! Yay! On the 4th of July we are volunteering at the western art show. On the 5th of July I am hanging out with my friend S and she is going to help me with my knitting skills! I hope to conquer a hat. That'd be awesome. We will see!!
I hope you all have an outstanding Independence Day! Happy Birthday America.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
I've got a feeling...
Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged in a week. Certainly, not for a lack of blogworthy material, but I have so much and have been a little busy. I say a little busy, because I have not been busy running errands and taking care of people, but busy taking care of me! Anyway...here goes the last week...
Friday started with an event. There were tornadoes, hail, and all sorts of lovely, extreme weather. We moved the event indoors and weathered out the storm. I was very proud of my volunteers! When the weather is that bad or there is any chance of injury, I just cannot sleep. So, I stayed awake a full 24 hours. I drove the hour and a half trip home. I talked to my friend H on the phone part of the way to stay awake. She was up very early because she was boarding flights to come visit!!!
I got home and slept for about 2 hours. I woke up and J drove to the airport. We were looking at the arriving planes and I noticed the man across from me looked very familiar. I leaned over to J and said, "That man looks incredibly familiar, do you know him?" and J said, "That's the man from Ghost Hunters!" We should've just said hello and talked to him briefly, but instead we used our crackberries to verify his existence and the fact he was in Colorado! After stalking him and watching him for a little bit, my dear friend got off the plane!! We were all pretty hungry and decided to go this place called Cinzetti's. It's a wonderful Italian Market style buffet. It's not like Golden Corral. It's actually really nice inside and the food is incredible! No offense GC...there is a time and place for you too!
After a delicious lunch we headed toward home. Heidi and I had both had very long days and needed to take a nap and plan out her vacation time!! My back ached. It had started aching in Sterling and just continued. I took some Ibuprofen. The pain wasn't getting better so I had the dear hubby try to pop my back. When he wasn't successful, my friend H offered to help me out. Neither of them could get my back to pop. In pain, I curled up on the couch. You know me and company- I don't want to miss a moment!!! I love being with people, retreating to my room was not an option. I felt pretty nauseated laying on the couch. Sure enough, a few minutes later I got insanely sick.
A few months ago (I can't remember if I was blogging yet or not) I went to a brunch and had prime rib. I was sure I had food poisoning when a little after eating I got really sick and I had the exact same back pain. I was so sure I had food poisoning all over again!!! I told my friend H I had food poisoning and was going upstairs to shower. After I got cleaned up, the pain and nausea was still there. I was miserable. I debated what to do, by now it was too late for Urgent Care to be open, so my only option was the ER. My ER copay is $150. I really did not want to spend the money to hear I needed to toughen up and ride it out. H suggested I call my insurance and talk to an on-call nurse. I called the nurse and she asked me a series of obnoxious questions. At the end she said based on my answers I should go see a doctor within an hour. I hung up the phone and still debated. Finally, with some encouragement, I decided to go to the ER.
My brother-in-law had a TERRIBLE experience at the ER in town. When that happened, we vowed to go to the neighboring town, a 20 minute trip, in case of emergency. While this is a great plan, it doesn't work out in real life. I didn't even make it 5 minutes and had to request the car be pulled over (on a major highway!). After getting sick again, we decided to turn around and go to the local ER. Fortunately, they were not as full as I have seen them on past Saturday nights. I checked in at 9:12pm.
They asked me a number of questions and before long took me back to an exam room. After a while they did an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed I had gall stones. One of them was in the neck of my gall bladder and blocking the bile duct. Later, the surgeon would draw me a nice diagram and tell me this caused intense pain. Until then, I just waited in pain and held back nausea. They took a urine sample and started some blood work. Almost like second nature, they started my IV as soon as I got there. It seemed like forever before they gave me morphine and some nausea medicine. At this point they were still saying if they could get the pain under control they would send me home and I could follow up with my primary care provider. I kept waiting for this magical moment when all of a sudden the pain and nausea would go away. Instead, I laid there miserable. H and J kept me company. My in-laws even came to keep my company. I told them we would call when we heard from the doctor (keep in mind until I heard I had gall stones, I thought for sure it could just be food poisoning). They couldn't wait, so they came to keep us company.
It was later in the evening when they told me a few of the results from my urine test and blood test. They said my liver enzymes, function, or something was off. They also said my white blood cell count was way off indicating infection. They didn't get a clear urine sample, so needed to do another one to rule out any type of urinary tract infection. The nurse came to get another urine sample. To get a clean one she said I could do a catheter or use a cup again. With a cup they might not get a clean sample. I told her I HATE CATHETERS. She said she wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to, but that a catheter would be quick and easy. In my brain this somehow translated to not painful. I agreed to the catheter. This experience was the worst part of having my gall bladder removed. It hurt so bad. She didn't use any general anaesthetic and I was wide awake for the whole experience. Fortunately, they got a clean sample and I didn't have any urinary tract infections. It wasn't long after this that they decided to admit me to the hospital and do surgery the next day.
At almost 2 in the morning I was in my bed and having the next set of tests run. I answered questions like whether I had indoor plumbing and gave some more blood. Finally, a little after 3, I was able to go to sleep!! Five hours of interrupted sleep and it was surgery day. I had surgery just a little after 1pm on Sunday with 7 hours of sleep between Friday and Sunday. They gave me this handily silver hat to wear. Apparently, right after they gave me anesthesia to knock me out, I put both hands up to my mouth and made a funny face. I have no recollection of this silliness. I did really well through surgery and had awesome nurses. I was discharged the next day!
My friend H and J took excellent care of me. I was so fortunate to have 24 hour care when I came home. H kept track of my meds, when I should eat, lifted things for me, took me to my post-op appointment and just took general great care of me while J was at work. We didn't get to do all of our touristy things together, but I think we still had fun. We got manicures and pedicures, sat out in the sun, walked through a store or two, and even celebrated her birthday!!! Thanks H for everything. You are a God send and I am incredibly fortunate to have you in my life. J, thank you too. You are an amazing husband and I love you to pieces.
Friday started with an event. There were tornadoes, hail, and all sorts of lovely, extreme weather. We moved the event indoors and weathered out the storm. I was very proud of my volunteers! When the weather is that bad or there is any chance of injury, I just cannot sleep. So, I stayed awake a full 24 hours. I drove the hour and a half trip home. I talked to my friend H on the phone part of the way to stay awake. She was up very early because she was boarding flights to come visit!!!
I got home and slept for about 2 hours. I woke up and J drove to the airport. We were looking at the arriving planes and I noticed the man across from me looked very familiar. I leaned over to J and said, "That man looks incredibly familiar, do you know him?" and J said, "That's the man from Ghost Hunters!" We should've just said hello and talked to him briefly, but instead we used our crackberries to verify his existence and the fact he was in Colorado! After stalking him and watching him for a little bit, my dear friend got off the plane!! We were all pretty hungry and decided to go this place called Cinzetti's. It's a wonderful Italian Market style buffet. It's not like Golden Corral. It's actually really nice inside and the food is incredible! No offense GC...there is a time and place for you too!
After a delicious lunch we headed toward home. Heidi and I had both had very long days and needed to take a nap and plan out her vacation time!! My back ached. It had started aching in Sterling and just continued. I took some Ibuprofen. The pain wasn't getting better so I had the dear hubby try to pop my back. When he wasn't successful, my friend H offered to help me out. Neither of them could get my back to pop. In pain, I curled up on the couch. You know me and company- I don't want to miss a moment!!! I love being with people, retreating to my room was not an option. I felt pretty nauseated laying on the couch. Sure enough, a few minutes later I got insanely sick.
A few months ago (I can't remember if I was blogging yet or not) I went to a brunch and had prime rib. I was sure I had food poisoning when a little after eating I got really sick and I had the exact same back pain. I was so sure I had food poisoning all over again!!! I told my friend H I had food poisoning and was going upstairs to shower. After I got cleaned up, the pain and nausea was still there. I was miserable. I debated what to do, by now it was too late for Urgent Care to be open, so my only option was the ER. My ER copay is $150. I really did not want to spend the money to hear I needed to toughen up and ride it out. H suggested I call my insurance and talk to an on-call nurse. I called the nurse and she asked me a series of obnoxious questions. At the end she said based on my answers I should go see a doctor within an hour. I hung up the phone and still debated. Finally, with some encouragement, I decided to go to the ER.
My brother-in-law had a TERRIBLE experience at the ER in town. When that happened, we vowed to go to the neighboring town, a 20 minute trip, in case of emergency. While this is a great plan, it doesn't work out in real life. I didn't even make it 5 minutes and had to request the car be pulled over (on a major highway!). After getting sick again, we decided to turn around and go to the local ER. Fortunately, they were not as full as I have seen them on past Saturday nights. I checked in at 9:12pm.
They asked me a number of questions and before long took me back to an exam room. After a while they did an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed I had gall stones. One of them was in the neck of my gall bladder and blocking the bile duct. Later, the surgeon would draw me a nice diagram and tell me this caused intense pain. Until then, I just waited in pain and held back nausea. They took a urine sample and started some blood work. Almost like second nature, they started my IV as soon as I got there. It seemed like forever before they gave me morphine and some nausea medicine. At this point they were still saying if they could get the pain under control they would send me home and I could follow up with my primary care provider. I kept waiting for this magical moment when all of a sudden the pain and nausea would go away. Instead, I laid there miserable. H and J kept me company. My in-laws even came to keep my company. I told them we would call when we heard from the doctor (keep in mind until I heard I had gall stones, I thought for sure it could just be food poisoning). They couldn't wait, so they came to keep us company.
It was later in the evening when they told me a few of the results from my urine test and blood test. They said my liver enzymes, function, or something was off. They also said my white blood cell count was way off indicating infection. They didn't get a clear urine sample, so needed to do another one to rule out any type of urinary tract infection. The nurse came to get another urine sample. To get a clean one she said I could do a catheter or use a cup again. With a cup they might not get a clean sample. I told her I HATE CATHETERS. She said she wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to, but that a catheter would be quick and easy. In my brain this somehow translated to not painful. I agreed to the catheter. This experience was the worst part of having my gall bladder removed. It hurt so bad. She didn't use any general anaesthetic and I was wide awake for the whole experience. Fortunately, they got a clean sample and I didn't have any urinary tract infections. It wasn't long after this that they decided to admit me to the hospital and do surgery the next day.
At almost 2 in the morning I was in my bed and having the next set of tests run. I answered questions like whether I had indoor plumbing and gave some more blood. Finally, a little after 3, I was able to go to sleep!! Five hours of interrupted sleep and it was surgery day. I had surgery just a little after 1pm on Sunday with 7 hours of sleep between Friday and Sunday. They gave me this handily silver hat to wear. Apparently, right after they gave me anesthesia to knock me out, I put both hands up to my mouth and made a funny face. I have no recollection of this silliness. I did really well through surgery and had awesome nurses. I was discharged the next day!
My friend H and J took excellent care of me. I was so fortunate to have 24 hour care when I came home. H kept track of my meds, when I should eat, lifted things for me, took me to my post-op appointment and just took general great care of me while J was at work. We didn't get to do all of our touristy things together, but I think we still had fun. We got manicures and pedicures, sat out in the sun, walked through a store or two, and even celebrated her birthday!!! Thanks H for everything. You are a God send and I am incredibly fortunate to have you in my life. J, thank you too. You are an amazing husband and I love you to pieces.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Embryo Answer
Okay- so that question I got asked during my last interview...How much room do all the embryos in storage currently take up if stacked side by side? The answer was a dice. A single die. Seriously...what a crazy question!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
It's like Sushi and other things I love!
Okay, I love sushi. At a recent volunteer led meeting they talked about Asia. Of course this meeting needed snacks. Guess what they made? Candy sushi!! I thought it was SO adorable that I had to take a picture and share it with everyone I know. I tried one piece and it was a fun little snack. It was chewy and fruity! Here is the recipe!
I also wanted to show you a few pictures of our flowers! They are looking so gorgeous and put a giant smile on my face!
I was listening to the radio the other day as a morning show talked about life's simple pleasures. The radio host was saying her simple pleasure was brand new sheets or even freshly cleaned sheets. I have come up with lots of wonderful simple pleasures since listening to that show. For example: Looking out the window and seeing your flowers have bloomed. The refreshing feeling you get when you take the first sip of your glass of cold water and can feel it go down your throat. Coming home to a slow cooker that's been hard at work all day and smelling dinner. Seeing a butterfly. Finding or hearing a new quote that just makes so much sense. The boost of confidence right after you work out. Seeing an infant smile when they hear your voice. Turning on your car and having your favorite song starting on the radio. The smell of rain. Finishing a book. I could probably go on and on and on, but I was wondering...what are some of your simple pleasures?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)