Snow Days, or should I say Ice Days

Snow on the trees off of I74

Ice outside our house

Our house with snow and ice

Well for the first time in awhile the weathermen were right. We got ice Monday night, about a half inch worth. So Curtis has had two days off from school. It has been nice having the three of us at home, even if the dogs are a total loss. Honestly I am looking a little bit forward to going back to work tomorrow. I am dreading the drive, but it will be nice to be out of the house too. I have enjoyed this down time, it is just making me really lazy.

Childhood wish

Curtis has been begging for at least a year to get a mohawk. Now I have been rather resistant to this idea. I just don’t like the looks of them. But he has wanted one so badly, and it really is a harmless request. So we told him after pictures and after his birthday he could get a mohawk. I really wish I had the video camera running as his hair was being by Patricia he just had the most excited smile. You know the smile, the one your child gets before they open the Christmas present they have been wanting for a long time, or before going into Disney World, or riding a ride they are really excited about. That smile. So I may not like the mohawk, but what it has given me is much more than the tolerance of living with a hairstyle.

Seven years

Tomorrow my baby will be eight years old. It is just so hard to believe. I have loved every minute of it (I think that is a gift from God, mommy amnesia, so we can forget the bad parts, like labor). I believe in mommy amnesia. My own mother says I was a perfect child, and well, I remember getting in trouble plenty, not to mention my horrible stubborn streak and intense need to always be right. So tomorrow my baby is eight, but today he is seven, going on seventeen. He is so grown up. But I still get precious moments where he is still my baby.

Why I do what I do

I love my job, but honestly there are some days where going into work is difficult. I think the fact God called me to nursing is a blessing. I feel that I was led to transplant was destiny. I have looked several times since completing my Master’s for a new CNS position. Four things keep me where I am.

My patients
My co-workers
My doctors
The area of science

Today was the Methodist Heart/Lung Support Group Picnic. I like going to the picnic because we get to see our patients socially, not necessarily professionally. I have grown quite attached to many of my patients, and I can honestly say I love them. In school we are taught not to become emotionally involved. Well I don’t think any of my professors ever worked transplant. It is impossible to spend this much time with a person and not love them.

Part of the picnic is grouping the patients together and taking their picture according to time since transplant. When this picture was taken I nearly cried. I have been with these people since the beginning. I love them all.

Barb K., June C., Pat W. (heart), Colleen L., and Phil C.

Florida in August

Yesterday morning presented us with the most spectacular view. To see the sun come up over the ocean truly was amazing. This past week Jeremy, Curtis, and I spent in Hollywood, FL. I was one of the planners for the 2010 NATCO Annual Meeting. The meeting went very well and more than met my hopes and expectations. I was thrilled to have Jeremy and Curtis with me. This was the first time that I wasn’t near tears at the end of the conference. At the end of five days I miss my family so much I can hardly stand it.

While I was in sessions every day, all day, Jeremy and Curtis swam. The pool provided an amazing view of the ocean. Curtis wasn’t too hip about the salt water taste from the ocean, so after Friday we could only get him to put his toes in the sand. I did get to stick my toes in the sand Friday and again yesterday before leaving.

Even with the stress of the conference there was a calm this week. Was it because I had the blessing of my family with me, the ocean and beauty. I’m not sure, but the calm was cherished.

Summer Amuzement

Every summer we take a few days and go to an amuzement park. This year we went to Kings Island. The weather was hot and miserable, but we had tons of fun. Curtis’ favorite ride this year was the Scrambler. I can’t even count how many times we road it. Curtis finally talked Jeremy into riding it. I felt bad though because he turned a little green. I love the new Snoopy theme. It just made me happy. I liked hearing the Peanuts theme song. It was a blast.

I’m not ready for this!

I am taking pictures during family fun night. While I was taking pictures of the kids waiting for the paddle boats I discover the most amazing thing. My baby is holding hands with a little girl.

Curtis and Madison have been friends since birth. They were babies together in the Rosebud room at Speedway Baptist. Madison’s cousin, Aidan, is one of his best friends.

Pissed off puppies

Oscar has gotten grumpy in is old age, so he was put in prison with scruffy this morning. Needless to say, they were not happy. They will cuddle together outside of the crate, but apparently it is too much togetherness inside the crate.

10 years ago…

As we head to a new decade it is common to think how our life was 10 years ago. Ten years ago 9/11 was unfathomable. Ten years ago we had a strong, increasing economy. Ten years ago we prepared for all computer systems to crash and a nationwide blackout because the computers would not be able to distinguish between 1900 and 2000. Ten years ago there was no Curtis and David was still on dialysis. I worked in the new combined unit of CCU and A3N–going from a novice CCU nurse to an “experienced” critical care nurse. Jen still lived in Indy and we were able to get together for lunch when we wanted to. Doug and Amy lived in Evansville. My parents had already moved to Kentucky, but they came to visit frequently. Jeremy was still in law school, so I didn’t get to see him much. Kentucky basketball was still on top, the Colts were still the dolts, the Patriots were a laughing stock of the league, the Red Sox were still cursed. As we head to this new decade I cannot help but think of all the changes in my live that have occurred in this 10 year period. I gave birth to our pride and joy. Jeremy graduated law school and we learned how real the movie “The Firm” was and what really matters in life. David received the life-saving gift of a kidney from a 19 year old girl in Pennsylvannia named Lori. I started working as a lung transplant coordinator and my life changed completely. I emotionally brought my work home with me, for better or worse. I completed my master’s and became involved in our national organization speaking at the national level about lung transplant. My dearest friends have moved away leaving a gaping hole in my heart, but God has given me the blessing of additional friends. The last half of this decade I have seen the loss of family, Grandma, Arnold, and multiple great aunts and uncles. So as we head into this new decade I will be facing a lot more changes. My baby boy will soon be heading off to college, and whatever other changes life will bring. But this I know, God is there through it all.

Christmas Traditions

Growing up Christmas Eve was spent at Grany’s and Christmas Day was spent at Grandma’s. After I got married and started work, it was time to develop new traditions.