2 good pieces of news to document. They officially offered Jim the RN position in the Surgical ICU/Step-Down Unit. Starting.... MONDAY! Holy crap. Exciting!!! But... lots of arrangements need to be made for that timing to work. School ends for Emily next Tuesday and I didn't sign her up for any childcare for the remainder of next week or the following week, figuring she and Jim would have some down time together. I never anticipated they would want him to start that soon. Since it's a transfer and role change within the same hospital system he doesn't have to give the standard 2 weeks notice, HR has already cleared the immediate move with his current supervisor. I am so excited for him to be starting his career, and on a critical care floor with an awesome group of RNs as well. Awesome!
Then this morning I had my yearly review which went extremely well, all positive, lots of movement upward in the company, plans for my next five years and what my path within the company will be. Plus a substantial bonus that I was NOT expecting! Yay!
So I think there will be some serious celebrating happening this weekend.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Long Weekend
The weekend around our house was BUSY. We got a ton done around the house. My favorite part of spring is getting my flowers in place on the front porch and the back deck, and all the plants in place in our tiny vegetable garden. I am 90% done. The flowers looks gorgeous, Emily helped me pick them out and I'm really pleased with the choices, they look so pretty. The deck especially. Emily choose yellow and orange zinnias that I totally would have passed by and I love how they look.
We spent a lot of time, or Emily did, playing with neighbor friends. It was oppressively hot so pretty much every time we were outside it involved a sprinkler or pool and Em lived in a bathing suit. She got her first sunburn which I feel bad about. It's just on her shoulders and I think it was either outdated sunscreen from last year or that we didn't reapply soon enough. She was outside all day and we used SPF 50 and reapplied at around noon. We gave her some baby aspirin and have been using aloe with lidocaine on the burn. I have very fair skin and burned often when I was younger, my dad is fair skinned Irish and also burns like crazy. He developed a very serious melanoma about 4 years ago that was luckily caught before it metastasized and was treated surgically but it made me even more judicious about using sunscreen every time she's out.
Had an interesting experience with a neighbor kid who has always been off in terms of behavior. This child is 5 maybe 6 and is pretty badly behaved but I see her mom trying her best to reign her in. She is sassy and talks back, uses words and a tone of voice you would never expect for a little girl. Sometime the look in her eye is worse than the words that come out of her mouth. There's a lot of anger in that little girl. When she does come over to play we keep a strict on her and I'm very quick to give her a single warning and tell her we don't talk that way to our friends and any more means she's going home. I had had that talk with her already when she was being sassy and rude to another neighbor friend that was over, a 4 year old. Sheeesh, who is rude and sassy to a 4 year old. This girl. Then I was inside starting dinner and Jim and another Dad where in the backyard supervising the pool/sprinkler activity. Emily and this little girl where on the deck, which I had a clear view of out of the kitchen window. I saw that Emily was practicing her baton twirling (her latest obsession) and this little girl was grabbing for it repeatedly. I knew this would not end well. After trying multiple times to grab the baton from Emily she held Emily's shoulder and pulled back her right hand, and balled up her first to punch Emily. I just about burst out of the kitchen to stop her. I've NEVER seen a little kid, let alone a little girl, pull back to punch that way. I was totally appalled. I told her "You're done, put on your shoes, you're going home NOW." She looked at me and said "Emily scratched me." WHAT?!!! I watched the whole thing out the window. I walked her home, had a long chat with her mom and after talking with Jim I think it's going to be a long time before we let this little animal over to play again. Even supervised. So completely unacceptable. I did get from talking to her Mom that she picks up the behaviors from her father who has a short temper and tends to punch the walls or table or something when he's frustrated. Nice right? Definitely putting some serious distance between the 2 kids. And of course her mom apologized but no punishment. I saw the little girl running around playing in her own backyard in the pool all afternoon, no apology was required... Had that been Emily she would have been marched back down to apologize in person and than would have been in the house without friends, screens, etc. for the rest of the day at the very least. Argh.
We spent a lot of time, or Emily did, playing with neighbor friends. It was oppressively hot so pretty much every time we were outside it involved a sprinkler or pool and Em lived in a bathing suit. She got her first sunburn which I feel bad about. It's just on her shoulders and I think it was either outdated sunscreen from last year or that we didn't reapply soon enough. She was outside all day and we used SPF 50 and reapplied at around noon. We gave her some baby aspirin and have been using aloe with lidocaine on the burn. I have very fair skin and burned often when I was younger, my dad is fair skinned Irish and also burns like crazy. He developed a very serious melanoma about 4 years ago that was luckily caught before it metastasized and was treated surgically but it made me even more judicious about using sunscreen every time she's out.
Had an interesting experience with a neighbor kid who has always been off in terms of behavior. This child is 5 maybe 6 and is pretty badly behaved but I see her mom trying her best to reign her in. She is sassy and talks back, uses words and a tone of voice you would never expect for a little girl. Sometime the look in her eye is worse than the words that come out of her mouth. There's a lot of anger in that little girl. When she does come over to play we keep a strict on her and I'm very quick to give her a single warning and tell her we don't talk that way to our friends and any more means she's going home. I had had that talk with her already when she was being sassy and rude to another neighbor friend that was over, a 4 year old. Sheeesh, who is rude and sassy to a 4 year old. This girl. Then I was inside starting dinner and Jim and another Dad where in the backyard supervising the pool/sprinkler activity. Emily and this little girl where on the deck, which I had a clear view of out of the kitchen window. I saw that Emily was practicing her baton twirling (her latest obsession) and this little girl was grabbing for it repeatedly. I knew this would not end well. After trying multiple times to grab the baton from Emily she held Emily's shoulder and pulled back her right hand, and balled up her first to punch Emily. I just about burst out of the kitchen to stop her. I've NEVER seen a little kid, let alone a little girl, pull back to punch that way. I was totally appalled. I told her "You're done, put on your shoes, you're going home NOW." She looked at me and said "Emily scratched me." WHAT?!!! I watched the whole thing out the window. I walked her home, had a long chat with her mom and after talking with Jim I think it's going to be a long time before we let this little animal over to play again. Even supervised. So completely unacceptable. I did get from talking to her Mom that she picks up the behaviors from her father who has a short temper and tends to punch the walls or table or something when he's frustrated. Nice right? Definitely putting some serious distance between the 2 kids. And of course her mom apologized but no punishment. I saw the little girl running around playing in her own backyard in the pool all afternoon, no apology was required... Had that been Emily she would have been marched back down to apologize in person and than would have been in the house without friends, screens, etc. for the rest of the day at the very least. Argh.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Interview Update
So Jim had his interview today, and it went really well. He interviewed with the RN Unit Manager and RN Clinical Manager who co-manage a Surgical ICU and Surgical Step-Down Unit. He said he got a really great vibe from both of them, in particular the RN Clinical Manager he said seemed really engaged and excited about her work, which generally translates into the overall staff vibe.
The position is officially part-time, but they said that even their part-time staff are generally working full-time hours by picking up additional shifts. The part-time thing might be a nice situation actually. He'd have 10 weeks of training where he'd be working full-time hours anyway, and then he'd have a lot of flexibility to float to other depts or pick up other hours as he wanted to. They only have to work every 3rd weekend, his current floor they work every other weekend. And they have a rotation for nights where they get put on nights for a week every 6th week at the most.
They asked him to come in and shadow for a 4 hour shift and get a feel for the floor, the rapport between the surgeons and the nurses (which apparently is very different than interactions between medical dr's and nurses, surgeons and nurses collaborate more intensely on patient care which Jim would love) and then let them know how it went.
Fingers crossed for this opportunity being a good fit on both sides!
The position is officially part-time, but they said that even their part-time staff are generally working full-time hours by picking up additional shifts. The part-time thing might be a nice situation actually. He'd have 10 weeks of training where he'd be working full-time hours anyway, and then he'd have a lot of flexibility to float to other depts or pick up other hours as he wanted to. They only have to work every 3rd weekend, his current floor they work every other weekend. And they have a rotation for nights where they get put on nights for a week every 6th week at the most.
They asked him to come in and shadow for a 4 hour shift and get a feel for the floor, the rapport between the surgeons and the nurses (which apparently is very different than interactions between medical dr's and nurses, surgeons and nurses collaborate more intensely on patient care which Jim would love) and then let them know how it went.
Fingers crossed for this opportunity being a good fit on both sides!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Yay for Monday!
So Jim is home, and my mood has definitely improved. After a crazy week of him prepping for his trip to Nicaragua and then him being gone and me playing the single parent role for a week, it is so good to have him home!
He got back late Saturday night, Em and I picked him up from the airport. I recognized his backpack from the other side of the baggage claim area as we were walking in and so did Em, she bolted, ran across the baggage claim area and tackled him. The group Jim was traveling with thought that was quite a welcome home greeting. She missed her Papa no doubt!
So we've been just catching up, letting him try to get some rest, and talking about his experiences from the trip. He took over 600 photos in the 8 days he was gone. From hiking a volcano to spending a day on a private beach on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, he had some gorgeous shots of the local landscape. Also several days of more health care related things, visiting a local orphanage and working on PT with the kids who were physically and mentally handicapped. He spent a day in the local woman's hospital and helped care for new babies, post-partum moms and high-risk pregnancies. The pictures of the kids are just amazing, from babies to toddlers to school-agers their eyes are just so gorgeous. You just want to scoop them up through the photos and smooch them. Gorgeous kids who are so happy with so little. We sent a backpack stuffed with toys and goodies that Jim took to the after school program that the organization runs and Jim said it just about caused a riot the kids were so excited. The backpack went to a child that had just received a scholarship to attend 7th grade. The government only offers education through the 6th grade and then it's only from 9 until 12 noon each day. So going to school beyond that is a huge privilege for them.
Jim finally got around to listening to his missed voice mails on his cell on Sunday evening and found he had 2 from the nurse manager of the surgical ICU at the hospital he currently works in, wanting him to come in and interview for an RN position. That was a FABulous way to wrap up the weekend!
He got back late Saturday night, Em and I picked him up from the airport. I recognized his backpack from the other side of the baggage claim area as we were walking in and so did Em, she bolted, ran across the baggage claim area and tackled him. The group Jim was traveling with thought that was quite a welcome home greeting. She missed her Papa no doubt!
So we've been just catching up, letting him try to get some rest, and talking about his experiences from the trip. He took over 600 photos in the 8 days he was gone. From hiking a volcano to spending a day on a private beach on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, he had some gorgeous shots of the local landscape. Also several days of more health care related things, visiting a local orphanage and working on PT with the kids who were physically and mentally handicapped. He spent a day in the local woman's hospital and helped care for new babies, post-partum moms and high-risk pregnancies. The pictures of the kids are just amazing, from babies to toddlers to school-agers their eyes are just so gorgeous. You just want to scoop them up through the photos and smooch them. Gorgeous kids who are so happy with so little. We sent a backpack stuffed with toys and goodies that Jim took to the after school program that the organization runs and Jim said it just about caused a riot the kids were so excited. The backpack went to a child that had just received a scholarship to attend 7th grade. The government only offers education through the 6th grade and then it's only from 9 until 12 noon each day. So going to school beyond that is a huge privilege for them.
Jim finally got around to listening to his missed voice mails on his cell on Sunday evening and found he had 2 from the nurse manager of the surgical ICU at the hospital he currently works in, wanting him to come in and interview for an RN position. That was a FABulous way to wrap up the weekend!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Post Weekend Let Down
I am definitely feeling down today and all I can chalk it up to is that the past weekend was so full of excitement and fun that there was nowhere to go but down. Kind of like the day after Christmas when you were a kid.
So Jim's pinning was Friday evening, Graduation was Saturday afternoon and then my niece's graduation from college was Sunday morning with a party in the afternoon for both her and Jim. It was a whirlwind of a weekend but so good to get to see so many family and friends and celebrate! Jim graduated with honors, Cum Laude, and as part of Sigma Theta Tau, the National Honor Society of Nursing. I am so proud of him!
On Saturday evening we drove to Dayton (about an hour from where we were in Columbus) so we would be there and ready for my niece's graduation from my alma mater on Sunday morning. I LOVE being back on campus, the University of Dayton is such a beautiful place, especially in the spring. After the party I convinced Jim and Em that we need to drive by campus on the way back to Columbus and walk around to see all the changes that had happened in the last year. UD graduation is in their arena which isn't on campus so we had to make a trip specifically to walk around. We stopped at the book store and get Emily a t-shirt, then found they'd installed a new fountain on campus, the kind perfect for a little kid to take their shoes off and run around in on a hot day. It was 84 and gorgeous out so we spent a half hour just letting her play and enjoying a mental break after such a hectic weekend before we headed home.
Today it's back to the grind of work and school. Jim is working 4 days in a row this week to make up for having to take next week off for his trip to Nicaragua. He works 2nd shift so that means we'll be sleeping in the same bed but never up when the other is. Hate weeks like that.
On a happier note, here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend.
So Jim's pinning was Friday evening, Graduation was Saturday afternoon and then my niece's graduation from college was Sunday morning with a party in the afternoon for both her and Jim. It was a whirlwind of a weekend but so good to get to see so many family and friends and celebrate! Jim graduated with honors, Cum Laude, and as part of Sigma Theta Tau, the National Honor Society of Nursing. I am so proud of him!
On Saturday evening we drove to Dayton (about an hour from where we were in Columbus) so we would be there and ready for my niece's graduation from my alma mater on Sunday morning. I LOVE being back on campus, the University of Dayton is such a beautiful place, especially in the spring. After the party I convinced Jim and Em that we need to drive by campus on the way back to Columbus and walk around to see all the changes that had happened in the last year. UD graduation is in their arena which isn't on campus so we had to make a trip specifically to walk around. We stopped at the book store and get Emily a t-shirt, then found they'd installed a new fountain on campus, the kind perfect for a little kid to take their shoes off and run around in on a hot day. It was 84 and gorgeous out so we spent a half hour just letting her play and enjoying a mental break after such a hectic weekend before we headed home.
Today it's back to the grind of work and school. Jim is working 4 days in a row this week to make up for having to take next week off for his trip to Nicaragua. He works 2nd shift so that means we'll be sleeping in the same bed but never up when the other is. Hate weeks like that.
On a happier note, here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend.
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