Good Night!!! Plus a Song or Two

Had an AWESOME evening attending the wedding of Tyler and Allison!

So gorgeous and so sweet!  The perfect evening for a spectacular couple!

The trip include one concerned I was lost moment, one slightly lost moment, one almost head on collision with a pole when a truck came out of no where VERY close to me, as well as one truck that was so out of his lane I ended up speeding up and driving in the shoulder to get away, and 4 deer crossings (luckily no brake slamming was necessary on that one!)

Eventful eh??

And that was just the drive.  I taught a 5 year old the Macarana...which I probably should NOT have done since my fluent Spanish speaking friends says it is quite terrible!  I ran away from the bouquet (LITERALLY!).  And I got to dance with the cutest little 2 year old!  And of course see a bunch of my good ol CoMO buddies!

BUT...I digress from the real purpose of this post.

On the way home I heard TWO of my favorite songs that play on the radio right now!!!!
(Fate was SOOOOO on my side!)

Both have Provo origins.  GO P-TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes I haven't lived there in almost 2 years.  But I still have a whole lotta P-town pride!

This ladies and gents is why I went to every concert The Brocks put on...just in case I could one day say "I knew them before they were famous!!!!!!


This one is just a dang good song...let be real.  Their whole album ROCKS...literally!  I haven't listened to a whole album straight in a while...this one...well ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

And then this one gave me the pep I needed to make it home after a LONG drive at 11:00 at night!

Gotta LOVE LOVE it!!!  

(You can so tell this song has some Provo blood in it....its like a SINGLES BRANCH/WARD in a song!!!!!!)

Be Happy Be Healthy everyone!!!!!!

Confession Friday

So I did this last week-but I had lots of fun with it.  So I'm gonna do it again.



1. I have a drinking problem.  But not the kind you think.  Its water ladies and gents.  Seriously I drink like liters in short periods.  Its concerning and disturbing!

2. My drinking problem leads me to have a container problem. Right through me ladies and gents!  (TMI we know we know!)

3.That one time I dated that one guy...he was totally a rebound.  And the next guy...he was a rebound too.
(does it count as a confession if everyone but you knew/admitted it pretty much as it was going on?)

4. All the new grads got called to come into work last night.  But we all said no...cause we had plans to go to dinner and whine about the terrible parts of our job.  And laugh about all the ridiculous parts!  SORRY!!!!  But we promise to come in another time....maybe.

5. Tonight I specifically planned for errands, laundry, catching up on Grey's Anatomy (yes I watch it-that's a confession in itself!) and then going to bed early.  I am an awesome old lady who loves a Friday night at home!!!!!

So going to bed now!  NIGHT!!!!!



Be Happy Be Healthy!

Dear Boys....Cause Little Sister Loves Them ;)

Little Sister loves when I do dear boys.  I always get a text/FB message with something to the effect of  "yeah dear boys!" or "I love dear boys!!!!"
So I guess I will oblige.


Also this post goes out to a few gals of mine who are in some spots.  It'll all work out girlies!
Just thought I would say what you are thinking (or what you have actually said to me hahahaha)


dear nice boy
why is it that "he is a nice guy" is not a compliment.  you really are a nice guy.
but.....i guess when that is it......there is nothing else to go on.
love
a girl looking for more

dear sean
you shouldn't have sent Kacey home.  and you SHOULD send that cray cray Tiara home.  YIKES shes a psycho!!!
love
a girl obsessed

dear dr mystery
well you are nothing like the others.  makes a girl kinda cautious to be honest.
love
a girl unsure of how to proceed

dear felon
friends please please please please please please??  pretty please with sugar and a cherry and sprinkles and hot fudge sauce....and caramel if you want that you??????
a friend like you would be so stellar.
love
me
ps....if you want more than that-so down with that!

dear dum-dum
are you OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND!!!!!!????!!!!!! be prepared for a serious tough love discussion when i see you this weekend.  cause yeah you are all sorts of out of control!!!!!!!
love
big sister



And just as a public service announcement:


dear leech-like boys
ok...the clingy thing-not attractive.  and it should also be said that girls don't like getting MAULED by a guy they don't like, but feel like they need to be nice to, when they are trying to flirt with a guy they do like.  so i suppose avoid mauling of all kinds...just in case
love
girls nursing scratches from your creepy claws


dear boys-
if you want something to happen don't give up possession.  putting the ball in her court might not go in your favor.  so if you want something to happen-you have a better chance if you don't relinquish control.
plus if you were really into her-you would do everything you could to hang out with her again.
sincerely
a b-ball player concerned for your game plan



where it all began

Memories of a Musical Nature....

Picture the time when you were your most completely incandescently happy.

This song reminds me of that time.

I've told this story a MILLION times.  But I don't think I'll ever stop telling it.

In the summer of 2011, I took a trip.  A trip with the coolest kids around.  A trip that re-grounded me.  A trip never to be forgotten.

It was to Hegben Lake, Montana (PS...if you have never heard of it...hear of it now!!!)

We walked through Yellowstone and jammed with a odd grouchy old mountainman.  We played on a swing and spent forever on the boat.  We got sunburned on the dock in the afternoon and eaten alive by mosquitos in the evenings.  There was some intense table-less ping-pong and deep conversations about the meaning of life..relationships and all their pitfalls..and how to most effectively flirt.  And of course....late night Coldplay jam sessions.

I'll spare those involved and only post the Coldplay version...not our version...which I did record (much to many people's dismay!)



Ever had a song that makes you want to cry and grin from ear to ear at the same time??
That is this song for me.

This trip, for me, was more than about what we did .  It was more about the love I felt.  I had been gone for only a few months, but it had felt like an eternity.  But once I returned, it was as if nothing changed and no time had passed.
After months of feeling alone in a new town, I was reminded that there were people out there who loved me for me and missed me when I wasn't around.  And let me tell you that is one of the best feelings ever.

So thinking back to those days bring both a smile and a tear.  A smile bigger than any other for the fact that it happened.  And a tear both of gratitude for its impact on me and of sadness that it is not something that I'll likely have in that exact way again.



Alright...Debbie Downer much!!!?????  What happen to the swilly girl??  She got all sorts of serious!


Well to lighten the mood...I will offend all Coldplay fans everywhere.
Don't get me wrong.  Chris Martin and Company did a great job....
But the Glee cast (please don't throw sharp objects at me!) taps into the choral potential of such a great song.

So enjoy.....

Be Happy Be Healthy!!!

A Sadly Momentous Day

Its not sad in the "boo-hoo shed a tear" way. But in the "oh that is a little pathetic" way.


Tonight I am going on a date.  For the first time in 14 months.
(don't pity me......)

The last time I went on a date...it was the year 2011.  In fact it was my birthday.  Farm Boy brought me daisies (fave flower!) and made me a cake (yellow with chocolate frosting...FAVE).

(yeah that ended well for me!)

I'm honestly not that broken up about the fact.  I had lived in Columbia for 6 months by that point...and there weren't that many people to date that I hadn't already gone out with or weren't taken or weren't like a younger (occasionally annoying hehe )brother

And there was lots of things going on in my life too (Like ya know...nursing school.....), so I wasn't exactly putting myself out there or even making myself very available!

(Note to self...never try to juggle lots of school with lots of work...doesn't mix well!)

ANYWAY.....

I suppose I should feel out of practice.  But I really don't.
The only thing I do feel....I forgot how much I really hate dating.

Tonight is a blind date of sorts.  A set up by a sweet old lady I know from church.  So it has the potential to be awkward.  WAIT...all dates have the potential to be awkward.


When you don't date for a while-or you date someone for a long time, you forget about the awkward part.  You remember the fun times and the occasional butterflies.  But forget the awkward.


And let me just say...if this date launches me back into the scene....ICK...I guess I am in for lots of AUEs!



Bright side??
Ya'll will get to hear all about 'em!!!!!!


Be Happy Be Healthy!

Notes From a Nurse-Quel Night!

(Dear High School French Teacher-please do not be disappointed in my poor use of this French word!)


In the words of Holly Golightly.."Quel night!"

I was scheduled to work 4 hours Thursday, but I ended up working 12.  Then it was my weekend so...Friday and Saturday night-12s.

Friday night was disastrous (nursing shortage, a nurse ending up in the ED, patients falling--HOT MESS!).  And so when I came in Saturday-I was bound a determined to have a better night.  And it started out that way.
I was totally on time-even ahead of schedule!  All 4 were nestled in their beds for a good long nap!

And then I got a transfer from another unit who had gone into a dangerous arrhythmia.

And suddenly 2 hours later I am crying at work for the first time ever.

And sadly it wasn't a good cry.  It wasn't a "this patient touched me" cry or even a very justified "we lost this patient" cry.

It was a "this patient was such a jerk and so unbelievably rude to me" cry.

Now I was in an emotionally vulnerable place since this was my 3rd night and I was tired.  And I am also in a sensitive place, since I am a new nurse and some nights feel like I am so far in over my head I can barely stay afloat.
And throw in a rude patient--HOT MESS!!!


Thank goodness an experienced nurse was right there when I walked out of the room, saw the look on my face and pulled me into the clean utility room before I lost it right there in the hall.  Also luckily this is the only experienced nurse on my floor who I would feel comfortable with breaking down in front of.  And likely the only one who would pull me into a hug and tell me it wasn't me, that he was just a jerk.  That I can't let it get to me and some people no matter how nice you are, will never be happy.


I know this won't be the last patient who will upset me.  And it certainly won't be the last time I cry either.

I love being a nurse and I love nursing.  But gosh darn it sometimes I really hate my job.
Does that make sense?


So closing thought-to anyone who will ever be a patient in a hospital.  Please know that we as nurses know you are terrified.  We know that you are tired and uncertain and hurting.  We know that a lot of things are out of your control and that is ever so frustrating.  We understand that and completely feel you have a right to be frustrated.
BUT...that never gives you the right to be rude to a person who is bending over backwards to try and do EVERYTHING they can for you.
And that person?-no matter how rude you are, or how tired they are, will put his or her whole self (both physically and mentally) into saving your life if it comes to that.

We are doing our best and when bad things happen, sometimes they are no one's fault-they just happen.  
So please please.  Remember what your mother taught you-and be polite.


And as always-Be Happy and Be Healthy

Confession Friday!

Alright ladies and gents...its confession time (and I know I am technically posting on Sat....but I started it on a Friday...a work Friday)



1. The other morning when the nun came on the intercom and said "Lets join together in prayer" I replied snarkily, "Let's not" SINNER!!!


2. I like the Never Ever Ever song by Taylor Swift....but not the Trouble song. That one is annoying


3. I am obsessed with weddings. Like I need a support group! And pinterest only made it worse. I spend the VAST majority of my time on that addictive site simply looking at the wedding page. TERRIBLE!!!!


 4. I make facial expressions when I type. I'm a very facially expressive person in the first place and apparently I am talking in my head when I type...which means corresponding expressions!
Baby Sister told me the other day she should get a video of it...cause its weird/freaky/embarrassing etc.


 5. When either Katy Perry or Lady Gaga come on the radio...the volume always goes up and my "singing" goes up even louder! whew! glad I got that out! Working at a Catholic supported institution is really getting to me I guess!



 Happy Weekend everyone! Spend time with those you love and have lots of FUN!!!!



 Be Happy Be Healthy

Dear Boys-Happy Wednesday

dear felon
interesting.  super psyched that the branch is getting a little jolt.  maybe this hit of joules will throw us out of v-tach and into sinus rhythm!
love
girl running the mega code


dear dr mystery
i feel as though i need to apologize.  for reals...my information gathering probably (actually) is borderline stalking. but promise i'm over it so don't be concerned.
love
the stalker chick


dear texter
ummm....stop!  i deleted you from my phone for a reason.  and i unfriended you for a reason.  for reals...why are you back?????????
love
girl who has NO interest in you...and never will


dear mister...i don't even want to give you a name
you INFURIATE ME!!!  yeah for reals...no thank you!
unlove
me


dear supa old patient
because you are so old and so confused, i will let your comments insisting i get in bed with you, slide.  so yeah...joys of being a nurse.
love
an exasperated nurse


dear confused patient
i promise your wife will not think you are cheating on her with me when she comes to visit you in the morning.  i'm your nurse...not a floozy
love
your nurse

dear nursing
yes you cause crazy things happen to me MULTIPLE times a night.  and they sometimes make me feel like i need to rethink my life and life choices ;) hehe
love
a nurse who has a love hate relationship with her job :D


In case you are interested in this series origin.....



Be Happy Be Healthy

Once Upon a Time

Every good story from the past starts with Once Upon a Time.

Another Musical Memory for Another Monday

Confession....I have written (or will write) at least 10 of these today because I keep thinking of great memories and great songs and great friends.

Guess I am set for the next SEVERAL Mondays!


Anyways....

Many many moons ago I took my first big trip (un-church sponsored) without my parents.


And of course where did I go??  VEGAS BABY!!!!!

I felt SOO SUPA cool!!!  Granted..I really wasn't because I was like 19..and few people are truly SUPA cool at that age....but

It was a weekend of sun...hot tubs...henna tattoos...M&Ms and fountains...In and Out Burger...homemade tortillas and soo soo much more.

We had a great time.  But there is one song that I ALWAYS connect to this trip.


It was a long drive (a whole 6ish hours!!! haha)...but towards the end of it...you come up on a big hill.  You've been in now-where desert for hours and suddenly...you come up over the hill and BOOM suddenly there is the Strip.  Vegas in all its electrical glory.
Its such a sudden thing-one minute you see complete darkness and then...LIGHTS.


Not sure if this song was playing on purpose (I can't remember)...but its climax hit almost at the PERFECT moment and then the whole way down the hill.

AWESOME!!!!!!

What a good trip..with such good friends!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!!!!





Be Happy Be Healthy!!!!

<center> <a href="sillyswilly@blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s379/sillyswilly/music-notes_zps2ea3f8a8.jpg" /></a></center>

I Could Have Died Today

(20 brownie points goes to the first to place that quote!)

Alright so today was a TERRIBLE day!  Granted the terribleness only lasted for roughly 20 or so minutes...(and the rest of the day was nothing to complain about)...but it was EXTREME TERRIBLENESS!

Jonas almost died.  And then I almost died.

Allow me to paint a picture--

I was driving...the speed limit in fact, because for the first time in a great long while I was on time for church!

Soothing and calm church music was playing nicely in the background.

It was a cold day, overcast, but not dreary.  And my heat (which is disastrously slow to warm up on cold days) was now pumpin nice and hot.

And then ALL OF THE SUDDEN...a DEER darts out on the right side of the road!  Then darts back a little like he is not sure what to do...then runs all the way into the street!  RIGHT in front of me and Jonas

I don't remember much of what happened.  But I was going 35-40 and suddenly I was slamming on my brakes.  (PS...my brakes work VERY VERY well)  Yes ladies and gents I came to a complete stop that defies the laws of physics!  My purse however, did not follow these rules and its contents became flying projectiles on the floor of my front seat (remind me to get a purse with a zipper for any future wildlife encounters)

For some reason at this same moment I looked into my rear-view mirror to see a silver SUV approaching me quickly.  Not sure if they had the same miraculous defying of the laws of nature or just were able to see my brake lights and stop in time.  BUT they did not hit me.  THANK EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY!!!!!

If they had not I would have likely become a sandwich!  Poor little Jonas is not much bigger than that silly deer (ps...I now have a deep and undying hatred for deer!) and CERTAINLY would not have survived a direct rear-end from a SUV twice his size!

And I would have been smushed right in the middle like some sort of Human Deer Car Sandwich.  Or I could have taken the route of my lip gloss and become a flying projectile out of my front window.
And I've seen Grey's Anatomy-that would not end well for me!


But in all seriousness, it was not that bad.  It was certainly a VERY close call.  And I was incredibly shaken up (darn road with no shoulder-I so badly wanted to pull over and collect myself....or cry-I wasn't sure which at the time.)

So shaken up in fact that when the church music somehow turned itself up to an ear-splitting and far from soothing level I proceeded to YELL at the EFY singer guy to "Shut Up!  I can't handle you right now!"  (Question-does one get sent to you-know-where for yelling at EFY people???)

So...moral of the story...my position on deer hunting has dramatically altered from one of opposition to one of INTENSE favor.  Shoot them all if you would like!  Have all the deer jerky your stomachs can hold!!!!


And as always..Be Happy Be Healthy and watch out for deer!

Best Song Lyrics EVER

This will be an on-going list.....



"And I really do think"  (best used after a serious blonde moment!)


"Hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady" (best used in...well all situations)


"With frones like these who needs anemones "  (just go with it)


"Eenie Meenie Minee Mo catch a bad chick by her toe" (what the what?)

"Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight"  (YEAH...take that!)

"Neva Eva Eva"  (supa creative miss t-swift)

"Single girl swag" (is that a real thing...cause I've got loads of it!)

"I want to put my tender heart in a blender watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion." (should that song even be legal...GROSS!!!)

Enjoy my enjoyment of the randomness of my musical tastes...these all came up while the whole collection was on shuffle.  Can we say RANDOM????

Be happy be healthy!

Notes From a Nurse: The Burnout Book

Studies have shown that those in service professions get burned out.

You put your whole self into helping others, and eventually it just gets to you.

Social workers, teachers, nurses---you know the jobs.


A while back I got some great advice from

Musical Memories on a Monday

Anyone who knows me knows that I am OBSESSED with music!

Like Mucho Obsessed!

But despite my obsession, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has songs that go with specific memories.
You know the songs that take you back to an exact moment or cause an image of someone's face to immediately come to mind when it comes on the radio or up on you shuffle playlist???


I've got hundreds of them.  So lets share them yes??  On Mondays perhaps???


I've made a button to link-but for now I'm not going to make this an official linky party.  Let's see how I like it first yes??? For now if you do want to link up...post the link in the comments section and make sure you grab the button!

ALRIGHT
Now comes the task of choosing a song!  HMMMMM

Well lets go for the one that was on the radio this morning.

This song always reminds me of a fateful day when I unknowingly chose "Dear John" with my girlfriends over Country Dancing with...a boy...who I liked...who I likely would have married if given the opportunity (well maybe that is an exaggeration....but not by much!)

I had the answering machine message saved on my phone for AT LEAST 6 MONTHS afterwards! (and regretted the rash but healthy decision to delete it for roughly 6 months after that!)

(Note to guys everywhere...even cold bitter gals like me melt just a little when you sing to them on their answering machine.  We may say in our out-loud voices that its cheesy...but our in-head voices are going "EEEEEEEEE!")

"Come Country Dancing, Go Pick Out a White Dress, Baby Just Say Yes!"
No it did not work perfectly with the song...but it got the job done!

If only the message had not been left while my phone was off in a movie theater!
Who knows where my life would be now..... (dramatically over exaggerate much???  hehe)
Thanks Nicholas Sparks and Channing Tatum!  Curse you for ruining my fairy-tale ending ;)

(Sorry no picture for this one...it would give WAY TOO much away...and half of you already know who it is anyway!)

<center> <a href="sillyswilly@blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s379/sillyswilly/music-notes_zps2ea3f8a8.jpg" /></a></center> Be Happy Be Healthy!

Notes from a Nurse: Care Plans...New Years Style!

Haven't done a notes from a nurse in a while...so let me tell you about something DREADFUL. Something every nursing student ABHORS and the memory of which leads even seasoned nurses to MOAN.


CARE PLANS


For reals people these things are truly terrible!

Care plans consist of
1. Nursing and/or Medical Diagnosis (what is overall wrong) Ex. coronary artery disease
2. Problems (what negative results can come from what is wrong) ex. decreased tissue perfusion
3. Interventions (what we do to prevent/address problems) ex.
4. Outcomes (what we would like to see happen)

(PS depending on how you were taught, #1 might not be a part of the process....but it works well for me today!)

Now true, this is a good way to look at nursing care in an organized manner. But it still is the bane of every nursing students existence!



Now...why am I telling you all things.....

Because Care Plans are EXACTLY like New Years Resolutions!

Cause lets be honest..though good intentioned they tend to become the bane of our existence by the end of the first week of January!

But at the same time...both can be very helpful.

So here are a few tips I have picked up over the years...that I am going to try and do too... so here we go.


FIRST: the Diagnosis----This is your actual goal. Make it broad and vague and general. This way throughout the year motivation can be more easily rekindled and discouragement more easily avoided.

For example: "Get into better shape" is better than "Run 4 miles every day" What if you can't one day...or one week. Then you are all bummed and less likely to start up again. So BROAD and VAGUE.


SECOND: the Problem---Now this is were we get specific. And we change...MONTHLY. Make Feb 1 and March 1 etc just as important as January 1. These are specific things regarding your general goals. PROGRESSION is the key here. You cannot expect to eat an elephant in one bite. Its lots of little bites. In this case it is 12 little bites. Each month pick another aspect of that larger goal to work on.

For example: "Get into better shape" combines with specific goals like- "Increase flexibility in February and adding "Increase muscular strength" in March


Third: the Interventions---this is HOW! Now you can talk about 4 miles and schedules. In this one FLEXIBILITY is the most important. Again monthly check-ins (or even more frequently) are a really good idea. If something just isn't working...don't give up, just adjust!

For example: "Run 4 miles outside everyday" turns out to be super hard in January. So you adjust to the treadmill in February. But still not great, so you adjust to Zumba in March


Fourth: the Outcomes--this is the MEASURING part. Outcomes need to be specific an measurable. Basically they are how you measure whether or not you achieved the original resolution.

For example: "Able to run ____ miles" "Able to lift ___ pounds"


so thats that! Now I may be full of crap...BUT..maybe this will help you out.



Anyways...Be Happy Be Healthy