My summer update

WOW! How on earth do I describe my summer?!?!?!? Let me try...

Three days after getting back home from TN I called my old work at Creswell Care Center and asked if they had any charge nurse jobs open for just the summer. The reply was, "Boy do we ever!!!!" I started just a few days later and they gave me 2 days orientation and then I was on my own!! It was an absolutely amazing experience to manage the care for 50+ patients ( CCC is becoming a more skilled care unit then a long term care unit, btw... just to give you an understanding of the level of care) and supervise 30 staff, most of them 20 years older than me. I told my boss that I would work 5 days a week and 40 hrs/wk. Hahahah! So much for that. I ended up working 7 days a week and about an average of 60-70 hours a week. Sometimes I would work 20hr shift, go home for 4 hours and then come back for another 20 hour shift. But I learned so much and I absolutely fell in love with the people there as well as many of the staff. My director was LDS and my DNS was FourSquare, so it made for some interesting discussions as well. I worked for a total of about 9 weeks, and my average salary was $33-$45/hr, so I made some much much needed money.

After I put in my leave of absence Mom, Dad, and I went on a vacation to the coast for 3 days. We had such an AWESOME time!!!!! The entire time we were there it was about 65-70 degrees and sunny. Mom and I waded in the water for hours every day. We also went to the aquarium of the days were there too. We had such a nice time. And true Carol fashion: I came back with a fiery red sunburn from my swimsuit that is a nice second degree burn over 20% of my body. Talk about owie, and nerve damage. lol

We would have stayed longer but I got word that one of my best friends was seriously injured in a ATV accident in Reedsport. On Tuesday he was sent to Sacred Heart Medical Center. I got to SHMC about 4 hours after he got there. I stayed until 4am the first night. He was terribly injured: broken pelvis in 6 places and a major stab wound in his side that punctured his small intestines as well as causing other major damage. He had surgery this last Wednesday and then ended up in the ICU for 2 days . I managed to get into the ICU with him that night and stayed until 3am. I have managed to spend most of the nights with him at the hospital since then. I was planning on leaving for TN this last week, but postponed it until the 12th so I could stay longer with him. He wont be out of the hospital for at least another 4 days, but he is out of the woods for now so to speak.

As most of you who have kept in touch with me already know, I have changed a lot this summer. I was trying to describe this change to someone this week, and I just couldn't describe it quite right. I have grown a lot more serious, and just matured a lot more I think. I take life a lot more seriously. I am well on my way to a very successful career that will provide me with a very good salary. I am also learning how to be comfortable with the fact that I am single, and be content in whatever state I am in. Of course, I wouldn't mind at all if mr right suddenly fell outa of the sky and landed in front of me with dazzling good looks and said: "I have a message from God! I am to marry you!" lol But I am an extremely busy girl, with many goals and am extremely devoted to my job and my career and my school life (especially now with my realizing how many years I still have ahead of me). Most guys wouldn't want a girl who is so driven and so busy. Anyway, I am just blabbing to myself here...lol

The last 3 days have been a blur for me as I have spent most of my time getting ready to move back to TN. I bought an entire new set of tires for my car (had to work an extra day to buy them...lol My job is so cool: I was like "I want to buy a set of really nice new tires. I think I will work an extra day and get the money" haha). I also washed and waxed the outside of my car and cleaned the inside and vacuumed it all out nice inside too. It looks so nice. :P After that began the HUGE chore of packing, and do i EVER hate packing !!!! Right now it is 1am on Sunday and I have about 400 pounds of luggage lined up at the front door ready to be loaded in my already too full car. Hmmm.. wonder how that will work!

I was so thrilled to have Saralyn and her sister spend the night at my house this summer. She is such a cool girl. We had a lot of fun.

Of course I spend tons and tons of time with my sister and her precious, adorable, beautiful, sweet, smart, and cute little girlie! I love that kid so much as if she as my own. She has figured out and mastered crawling and now is busy trying to figure out that walking business. lol She has grown so much.

As most of you know, I am absolutely dreading going back to SAU this year, but I am sure that somehow I will survive and will live to tell the story! lol I am pretty excited about my little house though. I was talking to a friend who is trying to desperately find a house near SAU right now and has found nothing for months and I just feel so blessed to have such a beautiful place so near the school that is reasonably priced. And I have the entire thing to my own self yay! No roommates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it is 1:15am now, and I suppose I should hit the hay for a few hours. I have my days and nights turned around from my work and somehow I just don't ever turn them back around. lol

Overall, this had to be one of the best summers I have ever had. The Lord is good to me.