I am the newest NA of the Telemetry unit at Beaumont Hospital!!!

I am pretty stoked, I have never had an opportunity like this before, and I am hoping to make the best of it! This is my opportunity to learn ALOT before Nursing school. All this time I have worked at Beaumont I never really knew what Telemetry meant, well I looked it up:

Telemetry: Many cardiac patients are moved to the telemetry unit of a hospital or clinic after they have recovered from heart attacks or cardiac surgeries. Patients who are in telemetry units are in critical condition and need constant care. 

Yes, this is my cheesy picture of happy healthcare workers that I do not know :-)

I am nervous but yet excited. This unit is one step below ICU and CCU but above a typical MED/SURG floor. I am excited to work with heart patients and whoever else may be thrown in the mix. But, I am thinking this is going to be a lot more work. Either way I am HAPPY!

AND....to wear scrubs again, oh I can hardly wait!! Who wouldn't want to wear scrubs, they are the most comfy item of clothing I have.  

Here is a great idea for spring that my Mom gave me- Take you old, empty, wine bottles and use them for decoration. I decided to use mine for a flower vase and I think it looks pretty cool.

You can also just use them like this for a centerpiece or just random decor:

And I thought this would be really cool for Christmas time:

As many of you know, Dan and I adopted a 2 year old kitty from the Humane Society probably about 2 weeks ago. Her name is "Minnie" short for Minerva. I think she may have belonged to someone elderly previously because I have NEVER heard the name Minerva and I think it is the ugliest name EVER! But we adopted her to be a friend for our other cat, Mr. Behr. It has worked out EXTREMELY well and thank goodness for that! She is the most lovey dovey cat in the world and loves to cuddle. 

Well last night I came home from work to Dan and Mr. Behr greeting me at the door. I got changed, made some dinner, about 1 hour had gone by and then I started to wonder where Minnie was. Usually she sleeps under our bed so I went and looked and she wasn't there. I began to check all her usual spots- the closet, behind the couch, on top of the bed, she was nowhere! I started to get a little worried and asked Dan to help look, we tore our apartment apart looking for her with no luck. 

We both started to get really worried. Did she get outside? Was she okay? What happens if we can't find her? The only other time she got stuck someplace she meowed her little heart out until we found her. We were calling out her name over and over with nothing in return. we looked for a good 30 minutes and finally I heard her little bell.....guess where she had gotten herself.......

IN A DRAWER! 

Now explain to me how in the world she got in there! This kitty about nearly gave me a heart-attack. She has figured out how to open our drawers and squeeze inside. What a BAD BAD kitty!

AHHHH....I WENT BLONDE! (kinda)

Today I went and finally cut my hair cut and colored. I am so BAD when it comes to my hair. I go MONTHS and MONTHS without getting it trimmed and I abuse it constantly with my hair straightener and teasing. So after trying to do my hair for about a week with constant knots and frizz I decided it was time. It's a little bit too blonde for me, I don't think I have ever been this light. But it's nice to have a change and hey summer is just around the corner :-)

As of lately I have had the most amazing opportunity come to me. I have the opportunity to be a Nurses Aide while preparing myself for nursing school and throughout. I am very excited for this opportunity and I am still in the process interviewing for it, but I have a good resume and good recommendations so I am thinking I have a very good chance. I already went through my initial interview and I was scheduled for my second which is a group/panel interview with the unit managers. I am VERY nervous about this interview which is scheduled for April 13.

Speaking of careers, Dan also found a new job working at Vitamin World. I am so proud of him and he is doing really well. He was born to work in the health and fitness industry, he is so passionate about it and really wants to help others achieve their goals. It is only his second week but so far so good!

Other than those two pieces of great news nothing really new has been going on in our lives. My life consists of work, school, studying, working out when I can and sleep. As the weather gets warmer I am really looking forward to summer! I really can't wait to open our windows and sit out on our balcony in the mornings.

I have added a few new pieces to our home that I am really excited about even though they're small. First up: Shower curtain for bathroom- of course for decorative purposes only. Total: $25.00 for curtain, hooks, rod @ Walmart

I really want our bathroom to feel "spa like." Next up is to find a oval mirror to go over the toilet.

I also added a mirror to our living room. I found it at Kirklands for $35.00. http://www.kirklands.com/

There is still SO much I want to do to our little home, but decorating can be expensive. My next piece to find is a stylish rug for the living room. I have been on the lookout for about 3 months with no luck so far.

Well I am half-way through the semester..eek! I am taking it one day at a time, because if I even begin to think about all the work I still have in store to JUST get INTO the Nursing program I freak myself out and just want to quit before I even begin- as I have in the past. As the classes become fewer and fewer before I apply I start to think of plan B's in my head. I NEED TO STOP! I need to stop second guessing myself and just do it. I know I am a smart girl, but sometime working in a hospital and seeing all the knowledge Nurses must know....dang its a lot, and I get nervous. But I am happy to not be doing this alone now- Thanks Danielle! :-)

Plan is: finish up semester with continuing my 4.0- register for H&P for summer semester 1 (Swear myself to the library for one month to complete this class)- Microbiology this fall- and Last but def not least take the HESI and Apply Feb 2012 *Fingers Crossed* GET ACCEPTED!

In other happenings: February has been a very uneventful month thus far. I think I am safe to say that I am SO sick of winter. After 2 BIG snowstorms in a short amount of time, in which I had to work in BOTH!!! I am ready for summer. I am ready for warm days and warm nights, shorts, T-A-N-S, and just having the windows open. I am jealous, to say the least, of all my out of state buddies.

Dan and I have battled what we "think" was pneumonia and we are still kicking the ends of it. We have had 2 small car accidents, a flat tire, a bum eye, and no success in job searching. (for daniel) What a "FuN" MONTH THIS HAS BEEN!

My mom's beautiful table decor

This holiday season we have been so busy! I am actually looking forward for things to slow down a bit. This Christmas Eve we spent the night with my family at my parents house. We had a wonderful dinner, exchanged gifts, and played some pool. We were going to make a stop by Dan's brothers house after but his niece ended up with the flu, poor girl. :-(

Christmas day we slept in and exchanged gifts to each

other. Dan surprised me with Uggs! I have always had the knock off's but I am actually happy he splurged just a little bc they are sooo comfy. We spent the afternoon at his parents house where we had another great dinner, exchanged gifts, and hung out being lazy watching football. That night we went back over to my parents and played the BEST game ever- CATCH PHRASE! A must have for all families I say.

NYE we ended up spending it with our good friends Ryan and Danielle. I was so tired and really didn't feel like doing much of anything but Dan talked me into going out, and I'm so happy I did. We had the best time!

I am excited to start 2011- every year with Dan has been better than the last and I am excited for what God has in store for us. Happy New Year Everyone!