Taking One Step at a Time

I think in my last post I hadn't done the Light the Night walk yet. November 1st a group of us from work participated in the Light the Night walk which supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was such an amazing night. We had several patients show up for the walk along with a ton of other survivors and their family and friends. At the walk, there was a booth set up for people that wanted to get on the bone marrow registry. I didn't know how easy it was to get on the registry. I had always thought that it was some big painful invasive procedure so I never wanted to do it. I found out that all it takes to get on the registry is a simple cheek swab. It was so neat to see how many people were swabbing their cheeks to get on the registry. It was neat for me because I see everyday at work how much this changes people's lives. Here are a couple of pictures from the walk.



After the walk we went to a Halloween party thrown by one of our doctors. Here is a picture from the party.


Mary, Brenda, Me, Sandy "Gang Green"

I've been walking my butt off trying to get ready for this 1/2 marathon that I'm doing on December 14th. I think I may have mentioned that a group of us from work and several patients of ours are going to walk a half marathon in Dallas next month. We are doing the White Rock Marathon. Our team name is the Transplant Trotters. I'm really looking forward to doing this. Planning to do this walk next month has been such a good motivator for me to get up and exercise. I'm finding I have so much more energy on my days off when I walk than when I don't. I'm surprised at how far I'm going and how good I feel afterwards.

Work is going well. I did another stem cell transplant this week which went smoothly. This was only the 2nd one I have done so I was a little nervous at first, but my patient did well and I was feeling more confident by the end of it.

Well, that's it for now. Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to coming to TN for a visit after Christmas. Only one more month.

Progress

So, I have made some progress since the last post. Work has been much better. I have had a better attitude. My change in attitude makes such a huge difference in my outlook on things. Still learning tons at work. Sometimes I don't think my brain can hold anymore information, I know the folder full of stuff I am researching can't hold anymore.

I have been good so far about walking several days a week. Yesterday I walked longer than I have before and I'm feeling it today. Even being sore, I know that I feel better just getting out and exercising. I really think this is the first time I've not just said I want to do something about getting in shape and healthy, but I'm actually putting actions to it.

This Saturday is the Light the Night walk. I think this is going to be such a neat experience. We have some of our patients family members that are walking with us. I will be a time to remember those we've lost to Leukemia and Lymphoma and those that are fighting so hard to beat it.

I have decided that I'm not going to get a house yet. After talking to someone over the NP program I want to do, I realized that trying to pay a mortgage and go to school is not the wisest decision I could make. I probably won't be able to work full time the last year or so due to the number of clinical hours I have to complete.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Not much new in TX.

Challenges and Growing

So, I have been learning quite a bit in the last few weeks. I know that learning and growing is a good thing, I just don't always like the methods that God uses to teach us. Something that God has been teaching me for a while now is that I put too much stock in peoples opinions of me. If you've known me for a while you would know how long I have been working on this area in my life. You would think I would have gotten it by now. The last few weeks at work have shown me that I even though I haven't made a lot of progress in this area, I have made at least some. I have let the way others view me or the things they have said about me change my outlook on my job. I have to start by saying that I love my job. I love what I do. I love the area of nursing where God has allowed me to work. I truly believe that this is where I am supposed to be. Anyway, with what has been going on at work the last few week, I started to dread getting up and going to work everyday. Well, during my two days off the other day, I decided that I was no longer going to let the things being said decide how I was going to view my job. I worked so hard to get to where I am and I was not going to let anyone push me out of a job that I love. So anyway, that is one of the things I have been learning over the past few weeks.

As far as updates, I have decided to go back to school in the fall. I am looking forward to it and also nervous at the same time. Sometimes I think I haven't been a nurse long enough yet, but I know that if I put it off any longer I won't go back. So, the next step is to fill out my application and get my letters of recommendation.

I just finished reading the best books. I read the Twilight series by Stephanie Myers. I can't wait for the movie to come out next month.

I celebrated my 31st birthday a few weeks ago. It was a very nice day. I didn't have to work the whole day, just had to go in for a meeting. My sister made me dinner and a cake which was so good. It was the first birthday I have spent with my sister in who know how long.

I have started walking. I know it doesn't sound like much, but for me it's a big step in the right direction. I really am trying to get in shape and loose some of this weight that I have put on in the last several years. I have found a doctor who has given me some practical ways to accomplish this goal. I am planning on walking with my fellow co-workers in the Light the Night Leukemia and Lymphoma walk. Some of our patients and their families are going to be walking with us. I am also planning to walk a half marathon December 14th with some of my co-workers, doctors and former patients. We are walking in the White Rock Marathon. I am looking forward to both of these. I'll keep you updated on the progress of these two walks.

Lastly, I am looking forward to going home at the end of December for about a week. The plan is to fly home the day after Christmas until the 30th or 31st. I am looking forward to spending time with my family and seeing my friends back in TN.

Life and Learning

So, I haven't been very good about keeping this thing updated, but I will try and do that now. I have learned in the last month that my plans do not always work out the way that I would like. I had planned that when I moved here I would be getting a house. Little did I know that is turned out to be much harder than I thought. After many weeks of looking at houses, and putting an offer on a few that didn't go through, I realized that maybe it just wasn't the right timing. Maybe God has a reason it didn't work out. Anyway, I am still staying with my sister and her family. Even though this was not what I planned, it has turned out to be a blessing. I hope that I am able to be a blessing while I am here. I am really enjoying the time with my sister and her family.

Work has been good. I have learned so much in the few months that I have been here. I have finally gotten my chemo certification. To get my certification, I had to go to a class for 2 day to learn about chemo, the side effect, complications and much more, then take a test. This is a national certification which will be good anywhere. I have given chemo the last several days that I have worked. It makes me nervous which I guess it a good thing, it makes you a little more cautious. I also did my first stem cell transplant the other day. Every day that I work I find that I am gaining more confidence in my knowledge and skills. I find that I am not as stressed out when I work as I was even a few months ago. I am blessed to be working with a great group of nurses and doctors.

I have been going to a church the last month or so, First Baptist McKinney. I like the church and the Sunday School class that I am attending. Last weekend we went to a hot air balloon festival. It was a lot of fun. Anyway, that is a brief update of the last month or so. Included are a few picture from various event in the last month or so.

A day out when my parents came to visit

My fellow nurses, Dr. Bhushan and I at Dr Berryman's Labor Day Party

My 2 favorite balloons at the festival, the black, pink and yellow one is called "Flight for a Cure"

House Hunting

So, I have spent the last few weeks looking at houses when I'm not working. I had found a few that I liked and one that I put an offer on, but as luck would have it, all of them went under contract. A little discouraging, but I have told myself that there is the right house out there somewhere and when it's time to find it, I will. Other than that, I'll catch you up on what has been happening here in Texas.
First, I'm off orientation at work. It's has been a little stressful since I feel like I'm having to relearn everything, but I work with a great group a nurses that have been very helpful. They don't seem to mind all my questions yet. I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable with my job which is nice. I'm finding out that the doctors here are great. Really, for them most part we only deal with three and only one of them for a month at a time. I have learned quite a bit from them since we as nurses round with the doctors as they see our patients.
My sister has moved into her new house and they have gotten settled in there. Thankfully, they haven't booted me yet. Hopefully, I'll find something soon.

My parents came down the other day and will be here for the week. It's been fun. We have done some sight seeing stuff and the other day we took them to a rodeo. It was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed it. I'll post some pictures later. My parents have lucked out too since we are having unbelievably cool weather this week. I think the hottest day this week is only supposed to be in the low 90's. I'm not sure it made it into the 80's today. It has rained off and on all day today which ruined our original plans for the day, so we ended up going to the mall and going ice skating. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

So, I'm going house hunting again this weekend, maybe I'll find something. Anyway, hope you are doing good.

On the move again...

So, it's been a while since I've been on here, so I'll update you on what has been going on here. It has been a month or so now that I have been working in the bone marrow unit here in Dallas and I have learned so much. I am beginning to really enjoy my job, now that I am getting to know the people I work with. They have been so helpful. They past few days that I have worked, I have been as busy or busier with my 2-3 patients than I was with my 6 at St. Thomas. At times it gets a little stressful, but time can go by really fast. I'm enjoying working days now, it's nice to feel like I can have a life outside of work without having to give up my sleep time. So, here are a few things that I have learned so far...

1. auto (using your own stem-cells) transplants make the patient smell like creamed corn because of the stuff used to preserve the cells while waiting for the transplant. The person usually smells like corn for a couple of days.
2. doctors are not as intimidating as I thought they were now that I see them everyday, and I'm not waking them up in the middle of the night (one doctor sees all the patients for an entire month, then they switch and the next doctor sees all the patients on our unit)
3. babies as young as a few weeks old can get a stem cell transplant, we have a 6 month old that just had one a few weeks ago.

There are so many other things that I have learned, but it's late and I can't think at the moment.

So, an update on my nursing license. I received my temporary license this past weekend!!! Praise God!!! No more stressing about that. It is really nice not having that to worry about any more.

My sister just bought her house so we have spent the last couple of days painting. I enjoy it, but man am I sore. I'm very happy for them, it's a nice house and everyone has their own space. I have been very blessed being able to live with them. I'll be with them until I find a place of my own, which leads me to the next big thing going on here. I'm calling a realtor tomorrow and am going to start looking for a place of my own. There is one house for sell right down the road from where my sister is living, so who knows, we could end up being neighbors. I'm excited to start looking, I'm ready to have a place of my own.

Well, I guess that's about it for now, I'm beat. We have another whole day of painting ahead of up tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope you all are doing well.

Settling In

So, it's been a while since I've written. My sister Tara and her family made it here last Friday and I moved in with them on Saturday. It's been a little adventure. There are 6 of us living in a three bedroom apartment, but I can honestly say that it hasn't been that bad. It's nice to have someone to talk to. It's an adjustment though since I've lived alone for the last several year. Sometime, I miss my quiet, but more than that, I love walking in the door everyday to a great big hug.
I started work on Monday. I had orientation all week. It wasn't so bad, not the most exciting. The hospital seem nice. I met my supervisor and the nurse that is going to be training me. I'm looking forward to working on days. It will be nice to not feel like my whole life is just work and sleep. I start on the floor on Monday. I'm excited and a little nervous. I know I have so much to learn about where I'll be working, I'm looking forward to learning all that I can. I want to make a difference in my patients lives.
Today, we went to the Dallas Galleria Mall. This place is huge! Three floors of stores and the bottom floor has an ice skating rink. Right next to the store is an American Girl store where we took Emma for her birthday. She was so excited. Tonight we had cake and the kids that live below us came up to join us. It was so sweet, they brought Emma a present. When Tara and Matt were moving in they met the downstairs neighbors. They have a 10 year old boy named Gabriel and a 5 year old girl named Emma. Isaac and Emma have made friends with these kids and they play together all the time. It's nice for them.
Well, we are going to try out a church tomorrow. It is called McKinney Bible Fellowship. It looks like it may be a good church. They have lots of stuff for kids and youth which is nice for the kids. We'll have to see what they have for the adults.
I guess that's about it. Oh, a quick update on getting my nursing license changed over, I believe I finally have everything in order to get my driver's license and should be able to get it all done this week. Please keep me in your prayers that I will be able to get this all done without any more surprises or setbacks. I'll let you know how my first week on the floor goes. Hope you all are doing well.

A Day of Adventure

After freaking out about getting everything done that I needed to, I decided to get a start on things. I called the Department of Vital Statistics yesterday and found out that the fastest way to obtain a copy of my birth certificate was to drive there and get it. As you could imagine with the gas prices today, this was not something I was over joyed about since I would have to drive to Austin which is about 3 hours away, but it needed to be done. I also sat down and made a list of everything I need to do so that as it get done I can mark it off the list. I have become a fan of lists which may surprise some because I am not the most organized person. This is one step for me in the right direction to becoming organized.

So, I decided that if I was going to go to Austin I was going to make a day of it. The drive actually wasn't that bad after I got out of Dallas. I knew that I was going to be driving through the city where I was born, so I made plans to stop there on the way home. After finding the building I needed to get my birth certificate, I fill out the paper work and pay the money only to be told that I could pick it up tomorrow. I calmly explained to them that I would not be able to come back tomorrow because I had just drove 3 hours to get there. Thankfully, they were able to get it much sooner. I can gladly state that I now have a certified copy of my birth certificate. May not be a big deal so most, but it's like gold when you are working with a fairly short dead line.

Well, after getting that done, I decided to look around Austin some. I went to the state capital and arrived just in time for the next tour, which just happened to be free. You can't beat that. It was actually interesting. I really enjoy history, so it was fun to hear the history of TX. The building was amazing! Here are a few pictures.

On the way back to the hotel I decided to stop in Temple, TX which is where I was born. I stopped at this cute little diner for lunch then went to find the hospital were I was born. I know, corny, but what else did I have to do today? It was fun. Here are pictures of the diner where I ate and the hospital where I was born.

All in all, it was a pretty good day. Oh, and I found gas for 3.81 which was an added plus.

Much Harder Than I Though

So, today was a little frustrating. I have been trying to talk to some one from the TX Board of Nursing for several days about getting my nursing license changed to a TX one. I have begun to believe that there isn't an actual person that works in the office since no one EVER answers the phone. I mean never. Needless to say, I have several questions that are not getting answered over e-mail. Sometimes, you just need to talk to an actual person.

Well, I have researched enough to know that I have to have a TX drivers license in order to get my nursing license. To do that, I have to get my car registered here which could pose as a problem since I don't have a physical address yet. I also was told that I have to have my SS Card, birth certificate and something else to get my license. There is no telling where my birth certificate is with all my stuff in the storage unit. It could be a while before I ever find it.

Looks like I will spend tomorrow trying to find out how to get a copy of my birth certificate. On the plus side, I was born in TX, so maybe it won't be quite as hard as it seems. Oh, and the hotel I'm staying at said that I could have them send it here if I can get it sent by the end of the week. I know that everything is going to work out, but the process hasn't been quite as enjoyable as I had hoped.

Well, thanks for letting me vent, even if it's just on here. It helps to get off my chest. Oh, and one more positive, my sister and her family will be here on Saturday! I will officially know 5 people in the state of TX then. Anyway, thanks again for listening/reading.

The Village

So, I've have spent the last week finding my way around the Dallas area. I decided to go to Grapevine the other day. My aunt told me that I should go visit there because they had really cute shops and stuff. I have to agree, it was a really cute town. While there, I saw this man painting a flag at a little park. I though it was kind of cool. I wish I would have stuck around to see the finished product.

Today, I thought I'd try out a church around here. I'm not sure if it is where I'll end up for a long time, but I really enjoyed it. The name of the church is The Village Church. It's about 15 minutes from where I'm currently staying. I found out about this church the other day while having lunch at Panera. I was sitting there eating lunch and talking to my mom on the phone about needing to find a church. There was this guy sitting near me and before I left, he told me about this church where he and his wife go. When I got back to the hotel I decided to Google the church and find out a little more about it.

I had almost talked myself out of going to church this morning but my mom happened to call and she encouraged me to go. Well, I have to say that I was a little overwhelmed when I got to church this morning, it was HUGE. As I was sitting there waiting for the service to start, the people in front of me started talking to me. It turns out that they are from Franklin, TN. They are here visiting and are going to be moving back to Texas soon. I thought it was good that I met people from TN.

Anyway, I though the service was amazing!! The whole message was taken from 1Corinthians 15:1-34. Most of that passage is about the resurrection of Jesus. It would take me a long time to write down everything that I learned this morning, but I can say that I have a lot that I need to think about. I think I will probably revisit this church next weekend. I will be able to see about how far it is from where I'll be staying after Tara and her family get here.

Well, that's a short update on this Tennessee girl in Texas.

The Big Move

Okay, so I'm not sure that I'll have to most interesting blog around, but my aunt said I should do this, so here it is. Well, I have just recently moved to the Dallas area of Texas from the great state of TN. Here's how this Tennessee girl ended up in Texas.

My older sister and her husband told us that they were headed to Dallas due to my brother-in-laws job transfer. If you know me well, you know that I love to travel. I think it's part of my DNA. Anyway, being a nurse, I can pretty much find a job anywhere. I had wanted to move after I graduated from nursing school and have my first job somewhere new and exciting. Needless to say, that didn't work out. I can say though, that I wouldn't trade the last year of working at St. Thomas for anything. I loved my patients and my co-workers. 7C is the best.

To get back to how I ended up in Dallas, after my sister told me she was moving, we talked about how fun it would be I got a job there too. So, after applying for several jobs I was offered a job at a hospital in Dallas in the bone marrow transplant unit. It's really awesome looking back to how it all worked out.

I can honestly say that I could not have done any of this without the support of my family and my friends. You are the best. Not only did they offer support, and throw me a great going away party, they helped me pack the uhaul on a very hot day in TN, and my dad helped me drive here and pack everything in the storage unit. Let me tell you, that was a blast. :)

So, I have spent the last few days trying to find my way around Dallas. Surprisingly, I haven't gotten too lost. Map quest is my best friend. I'm looking forward to starting my new job and seeing what God has in store for me here. I'm also looking forward to being able to reconnect with a friend from Adams, TN.