Cedar City

I went to Cedar City last weekend.  Going again this weekend, too.  It's nice knowing that you have weekends off.  Just one of the perks of the new job.  :)

I went with my parents and two nieces (the only two I have!).  My parents promised the girls a long time ago that they would take them up to see a play at the Shakespeare Festival.  We saw The Secret Garden.  Beautiful play; I may have even cried at the end.  I loved the book when I was younger and I think my sixth grade teacher showed us the movie.  We all needed a little synopsis on the way there, so I pulled out the trusty iPhone and looked it up on Wikipedia.  The girls liked it and they even understood it-better than the teenage girls sitting behind us.  They are 11 an 12 and they got it quicker than these 14 and 15 year-olds! It had minimal scenery and props. I LOVE when they leave more to your imagination: it's like reading a book.  It was like Our Town in the scenery department. If you've never seen that, it's a 2 or 3 hanky play! I also noticed that they are doing Our Town again this fall.  If anyone is interested in going, let me know! 

We saw the play on Friday night. I was supposed to go to Harry Potter with Laura on Friday night, but I got my weekends mixed up and forgot all about the play and going out of town.  Dork!!  I thought I was going to have a nice long weekend at home-I still haven't even seen HP!  Anyway, we went up Friday morning and set up camp (we always stay at my parent's lot by Cedar Breaks, where their trailer is parked) and then went back to town for dinner and the play.  Saturday was spent lounging (for me) and exploring (for my dad and the girls).  I was still trying to get used to not sleeping during the day.  I brought a book to read and I just sat and read or napped most of the day.  We drove home Saturday night and dropped the girls off at home.  I think I heard more girl giggles in two days than I have in a lifetime.  I was raised with all boys and I was never into the giggling thing (I think).  Those girls were non-stop!!  It was good to see them enjoy themselves and get to know each other a little better.  Lauren has 3 brothers and all of her cousins that live in town are boys.  Shelby has 1 brother and Lauren is her only girl cousin.  Too many little boys in our family!!  

This weekend I'm taking Levi with me, so we will go for walks and he can run around and explore.  Levi can't stay in the trailer (potty issues) so we will be staying in a tent.  Doug is going and taking his dog, Bean, so Levi will have some company.  Doug watches Levi for me when I go out of town, so Levi and Bean have gotten to be pretty good friends.

Here is a video of the girls giggling (of course).  We went to eat at Winger's in Cedar and there was a guy sitting near us that was very loud and, ummm.....flamboyant??  I guess that's a good word.  They were having a hard time focusing on dinner when they could hear every word this guy was saying.  I have to admit-it was pretty funny!

They didn't know that I was taping them.  They thought I was just snapping pictures (love that feature on the new iPhone!).  So, they were a little surprised in the middle when I told them that I was recording.

That's all for now.  I have pictures on my camera from the trip; I just can't find my camera right at the moment.  Oh well, that will be a post for another day...

The Good Life

Wow. I start back in the OR in a little over 1 week!  I'm excited, but it's a bittersweet move.  I will really miss all of the amazing people that I have been able to work with in L&D for the last year.  They are some great people-I laugh every day.  It makes the 12 hour shifts not too bad...  I will miss interacting with patients (some of them).  I will still be able to get a little face-to-face time with patients, just not the same patient for 12 hours! I have decided that my impatience has edged it's way into my work.  I am not a "give a pill and wait to see what happens" kind of person.  I am the "cut them open, fix it up and make it right" kind of person.  I believe that the OR is in my blood, and for right now-it's where I belong.  I'm not sure where it will lead me. It may be a jumping off point for other great and amazing things, or I may stay there for many years to come.  That's the great thing about nursing-you never know where you will end up!

Speaking of nursing.... I am supposed to be finishing up most of my classes for my BSN right now.  I know, I've mentioned before what a slacker I am, but I have 4 days off and I plan to lock myself in my office and write, write, write!!  I am finished with 2 classes-I have 3 more to go and 2 final exams and then I'm done.  Technically I have until September 1 to finish, but they set a completion date about 6 weeks before then so that we have time to get assignments back and revise anything that needs a revision.  I REALLY want to finish before I start in the OR, just so I can enjoy my evenings and not have to come home every day worrying about assignments.

I have officially been a nurse for 1 year!  I passed my NCLEX exam on July 3 last year. What a roller coaster of a year-personally and professionally.  July 3 was also supposed to be my tentative wedding date.  I thought a lot about that this past week.  It just wasn't right.  I think I was upset at first, but now I can clearly see that I was more excited about the change that would take place in my life than the person that would make that change happen.  Does that make sense?  It has nothing to do with him, he just wasn't the right one for me.  I know now that staying where I am is the right decision for me.  My mom and I were discussing this a few weeks ago and I told her that I had known in the back of my mind that it wasn't right.  She said that when I first got back there to visit, I told her that I could see myself living there and that I felt comfortable.  She's right-I did envision myself there, but not with him.  It was the environment that I was excited about.  I just got caught up in the adventure.  I need to be more careful in the future and not be so impatient (which is something I have been working on my entire life).  My decision to get married was more of a practical decision.  In my mind I was thinking more about having the life I wanted instead of paying attention to my true feelings.  I think any future guys will have to wait a LONG time before I make any commitments.  I made myself that promise-that I wouldn't jump into anything too quickly.  I really am happy where I am and doing what I'm doing.  I love my life and don't really want it to change.  I am just excited to see what is around every corner!  I am excited to be out of school-it has been a long six years.  I want to start to enjoy my life with friends (new and old) and experience some things that I have been unable to do because I have been tied down by school.  Life is good, my friends.  Life is good.  :)

Cereal Killer

I think I've been watching too much TV during the day.  I have noticed something that has taken me over 30 years to actually ponder.  How do advertisers for kids cereal decide if their "pitchman" will be good or bad?  Think about it...  The Trix Rabbit isn't allowed to have Trix-EVER.  Those kids will blow him up before letting him taste their cereal.  Selfish little brats. What's the harm in sharing a little with the poor bunny?  Cookie Crisp has a crook that's always trying to steal the cookies, while Cap'n Crunch is bringing a variety of crunchiness to the kids (after he turns them into pirates-aaarrrggg).  Barney is always coming up with a way to steal Fred's Pebbles, be they chocolate or fruity.  The one I can't figure out is Lucky from Lucky Charms.  The kids can't ever catch him, but they still get the cereal?  Why do they care about the Leprechaun after they get the cereal?  Speaking of Lucky, how many freaking charms can they fit in that cereal, anyway!  Sheesh-why don't they just make it a marshmallow cereal and throw out the few pieces of actual "whole grain" cereal?  Toucan Sam leads the kids to Fruit Loops with his beak, but is he allowed to eat it?  Then we have the pitchmen who just try to convince the kids that their cereal is the best.  We never really know if they eat it themselves.  Perhaps in their trailers after shooting the commercial, they sit down with a nice big bowl of cereal.  Or maybe they go out for steak and lobster (they are famous, after all).  Tony the Tiger teaches the kids that if they want to go out and play sports and kicks the butts of the other team (with great sportsmanship, of course) they need to eat a heaping bowl of sugar-covered corn flakes.  Wouldn't oatmeal be just as good, maybe even better?  Apple Jacks now has the little Jamaican Cinnamon Stick and the Apple that fight over who is better.  Have you ever tasted those?  I don't recall ever tasting apples or cinnamon.  In fact, wasn't that one of their commercials a few years ago?  Kids don't care that they don't taste like apples, they just love them!  I do think that the best cereal commercial out there is the one for Corn Pops.  You know the one?  With the giant mouth attacking the Corn Pop "citizens" in their little city?  Complete with subtitles and everything-awesome!  Now that's some good advertising.  Every time I see it, I want to run out and buy some Pops.  Like the mouth says: "Gotta have my Pops..."!