Green Monster!

I love dessert.

I love it so much that I am going to write a poem about it....

I love dessert, I love sweets!

Nothing tastes better than sugary eats!

I could eat brownies all day long,

Too bad it's probably morally wrong.

Yep, desserts make me smile and never frown,

Soon I'll have more chins than China Town.

Ok, I did not count syllables or make that a technically correct piece of poetry. BUT, I think you can get the idea that I love dessert.

Which is why I need to stop eating it so much.

I usually try and give something up for Lent (no, I'm not Catholic - I just think it's a good idea!), but I am so behind this year! Lent already started a few days ago and I still hadn't decided what I wanted to give up. So... here it goes. Better late than never!

I am giving up eating desserts Monday-Saturday. This excludes holidays. OFFICIAL holidays. No, "Pet Fish Awareness Day" does not count.

It became very apparent to me this week that I desperately need some improved self-control. At work we all sit in this tiny room around a tiny table. Guess what's in the middle of the table? You guessed it - TREATS! Treats galore! Licorice, cookies, tootsie rolls, etc etc... And when you're sitting there all day doing nothing but read a huge binder (see this post), it is perfectly acceptable to eat said treats, right? Wrong. I have felt ill every day driving home as a result of those treats and it's time I listened to what my body says!

So, from now 'till Easter, kindly don't offer me any candy or desserts on any day other than official holidays and Sundays. 

I wasn't going to blog about this, but I figured it would give me at least a little bit of accountability. Here's to eating healthier!

You may think this sounds gross... but this is the most delicious/healthy recipe I have had in a while!  It's called "Green Monster"

Ingredients: 1 frozen banana, some milk (I use soy), some yogurt (Dannon Light & Fit is good), one spoonful of peanut butter, and loads of spinach! Yes, spinach! About 3-4 cups. 

Blend it all up and it is sooooo delicious. It doesn't taste like spinach at all. I've had it about 4 times now and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon! Try it! I dare you!!

"Bored" is "Derob" spelled backwards, but I think that must be another word for "dessert" as well.

story time... and photos!

It was a fantastic week :)

I am really enjoying my new job. The other girls I am orienting with are just so dang fun and we are able to make the 8 hours of bookwork go by fairly fast and have a good time about it. We laugh and laugh and laugh. I am so grateful that it doesn't have to be all serious and dull. Of course, it is nice to be learning a lot about the babies too :)

It is weird being gone so much, but I am enjoying having something useful to do with my time and I definitely don't mind getting paid for it! Now, don't think this has stopped Brian and me from donating plasma... we went twice this week and racked up $150! I sure wish I had known about this place freshman year. It could've paid for all of my snowboarding adventures for sure. For now, it is going towards the gas I burn to get to the U.

Ok, time for a funny story. Or, at least I think it's funny. Luckily, so does Brian.

So... Monday was President's Day and Brian did not have school (yay!). However, he is a little behind in his dental shadowing hours (not so yay) and so needed to spend the day doing useful things like watching teeth get extracted. Well, one of my best friends (Megan!) has a few brother-in-laws who have a dental practice up in Salt Lake and she was so so nice to ask them if Brian could shadow for a day. They were willing and he set it all up. So far so good, right? 

Well, I had work that day and so I just dropped him off at the dental office on my way. Or, at least I dropped him off where we thought the dental office was. FAIL.

I call him up at lunch and find out that the dental office was not, in fact, on Foothill Drive (that was the office the are renovating and eventually going to move to). Nope, he ended up walking FOUR MILES to get to the real office! Luckily one of his boots for his broken feet was removed last week, but he still had one on. He is such a trooper though. Rather than complain about having to walk forever, he told me about what an adventure it was. He met a guy smoking pot(?) who asked him for a lighter and some other interesting people. He made it to the office about an hour late, but then had such a great day. He really loved shadowing Doctor Dave and learned a whole lot. He is so excited to be a Dentist :). Better him than me! I came in at the end of the day to watch a tooth being put in, and it just made me cringe to see them hammer it in.... It's weird how I can handle nursing stuff but not dental stuff very well! Brian is now thinking about going into oral maxillary surgery because his favorite part of dentistry is all the cutting open and fixing up. Ew.

Some photos from this week and last...

First day as a real nurse in the NICU!

See that ridiculously GIGANTIC binder? That is what we get to study/memorize. You can see how it compares to a relatively full 1-inch binder. Yikes!

Yes, it is heavy.

Badge! Oh how exciting to get a badge :)

This is the incredible homemade pizza we made with our new pizza stone! Delish!!

This is the day we celebrated Valentine's Day. You are probably wondering what we are holding. Well, it's panini bread (homemade!) that we dyed pink for the occasional - I know, I know - cheesy!

This picture just doesn't do it justice... But this is the INCREDIBLE homemade ice cream we made for valentines day. Quite possibly the fluffiest and most delicious ice cream I have ever had (and I've had a lot of ice cream over the course of my life...)!!

Oh! And Happy 8 months to us! Can't believe it - it's gone by so fast!

new nurse

What a week!

It is so weird to have a real job. There is something about having a real badge that really makes you feel different about things. Maybe because I was so used to having a fake badge that clearly pointed out my inferior status as "student nurse." Yes, that sort of badge made patients wary of you as you approached them with a large needle or foley catheter, but it was also a good cushion if something went a little wrong. "I'm just a student!" (a.k.a. it's not my fault, my teacher should've taught me better!). Now I have no such excuses. My badge is the same badge that the veteran RN has who has been there since Florence Nightingale. Yikes! Now, I could still inform my patients (well, their families) that I am "new", but I really don't think that's a great idea. This is my plan - do everything I know how to do and then ask questions if I'm stumped. Better safe than sorry. There is no room for pride in the world of a new nurse.

I would MUCH rather ask a stupid question than make a stupid mistake.

So, I survived (and actually rather enjoyed) my week of hospital orientation and now it's time to start things on the unit. Four weeks of Monday-Wednesday class & Thursday on the floor. Becca, my amazing preceptor from last semester, is going to be our "instructor" for the first week. Can't wait to see her again - she's amazing!

Many people ask about my commute. It is true, I drive 50 minutes to get to work and then catch a shuttle up to the hospital. Lame sauce. We will probably move closer to Salt Lake at the end of the year, so at least there is an end in sight :) But honestly, I think it's totally worth it! Who gets to land a job in the NICU right after graduating? Who gets to work somewhere where she already knows a lot of the staff and loves them? Who gets to get ICU experience and work with adorable babies? Who gets to rock out to music/podcasts for 2 hours a day? Me.

Ok, so the last one is a bit of a stretch. I am trying to tell myself that the commute will actually be beneficial to my overall well-being. I've already listened to some good podcasts (thanks Dan!) and you can never get enough music!

Other news...

Valentines Day was super! We actually celebrated last Saturday because Valentine's Day held a full day of work for me and a DAT prep course until 9pm for Brian. But, Saturday was lots of fun! We made homemade (pink) bread, paninis, homemade (pink) ice-cream, chocolate cobbler, watched a sappy movie, and just had a great time! On actual Valentines Day Brian got me some super gorgeous flowers and chocolate and I made him a book (Maybe I'll take pictures later).

moving to Alaska

I am going to be a BYU graduate very soon. Soon as in my last class ever for my nursing degree is on Thursday. Talk about crazy!

While I am very happy about this, I am also filled with this weird sense of dread... What does graduation mean? It means that I have to grow up and get a job. No more fun classes, rushing to get homework done, BYU stuff, seeing Brian on campus, etc etc. Once I walk out of the classroom on Thursday, that's IT. I think I am going to feel very weird.

So weird, in fact, that I am already planning on attending some of Brian's future classes with him. NERD ALERT! Can you believe that I don't want to quit going to college?

But I am excited to get paid. Real excited.

looks like fun!

It will be so nice to not have to live off of our savings anymore :) Now we can start saving for cool stuff like children and ... dental school. I read somewhere yesterday that the average dentist gets out of school with $100,000 of debt. Yikes. That is better than the $400,000 that I heard somewhere else, but it is still a kick in the stomach.

Brian came up with a genius plan to get out of debt after graduation. MOVE TO ALASKA! Not only does the government pay you a bit extra to live out there, but salaries are a bunch higher. I decided to do a little investigation and found this nifty website. The subsidy isn't as great as I expected and apparently the cost of living is rather atrocious. But hey, it could still work! Anything to get out of $100,000 of debt, right? Nurses there make over twice what they make in Utah it seems....

Now, to be clear. We have not decided to move to Alaska and that wouldn't happen until Brian graduates from dental school - which is in at least 5 years. But, we're keeping it as an option!

this doesn't look so bad!

this does, however. BRRRRRRR!

I could get a pet moose!

Or at least a wolf puppy :)

GREAT NEWS!

 Just loving this week before Thanksgiving! I am really excited to go and be with Brian's family for Thanksgiving. We are planning on heading out to warm(ish) St. George and party with a lot of his extended family.... so much extended family, in fact, that we can't even stay in the house - we have to pitch a tent in the backyard! It will definitely be a Thanksgiving to remember :). I am sure there will be tons of delicious food. Ironically, we are in charge of bringing the olives and I detest olives... haha! I am just happy that other people will get to enjoy them! Brian's family is so great - it will be fun to get to know them a little bit better considering the last time I was around them it was for our wedding and things were so crazy busy.

I cannot believe that school is almost over. I graduate in less than a month! Then I have to be a grown up and get a real job and stuff... which leads me to my next news -

I think I'm almost for sure going to get a job in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit where I am doing my Capstone! WAHOO! It is such a relief to feel like I probably have a job.

The nurse I have been working with this whole semester (my now good friend Becca) went on a "bathroom break" and left the babies to me. When she got back she had this huge grin on her face.... "Hey Rach, I just talked to Jeani (the nurse manager who is in charge of hiring)."

"Oh really? How did that go?"

"Oh, you know... she wants to hire you."

"What?!!"

"Yep. I went in and she said she'd been expecting me to come in and talk to her about you because two other nurses already had. She said she couldn't hire anyone until January and she said that was PERFECT because that's when she was planning on filling the positions that are open!"

So of course I got really excited and had her tell me every detail of the conversation :) They think I'm a great fit and are impressed with the work I've done there so far (and I have tried to work so hard and make a great impression - I'm just grateful it looks like it will come to something!). They love hiring Capstone students because we already know the unit and the nurses can recommend us first hand. Yay yay!

So, I marched straight to her office and gave her my resume while telling her that I have loved my time in their unit and would love to become a part of it. After asking a few questions about when I graduate and such she said, "Well, that shouldn't be a problem. We'll stay in touch until you pass your boards!"

Relief!

Major relief!

I'm tired of living off our savings and plasma money (yes, we are still selling plasma for some extra cash... And I have the bruises to prove it!)

I really really love the NICU. It is very specialized and that worried me a bit because I won't be able to get as broad of an experience as I was envisioning in my head, but if I love it, then why not go for it? I can transfer to another area of nursing later on in my career... especially because getting a job anywhere in Utah is so difficult right now.

So... in a few months I'll be Rachael Pearce, RN at the NICU! :)

Now let's just hope it all works out like it seems like it will. I plan on applying elsewhere as well just in case something goes wrong.

And, for your enjoyment... here is a little video my daddy sent me - I think it's hilarious!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

laugh out loud

Thanks for the encouraging comments on my last post... and for sharing your own nursing fiascos! Being a nurse is really a riot - I'm sure I'll have good stories for the rest of my life :)

I've recently become a fan of Pinterest.... it's a bit addicting, but it has such good stuff! 

These made me laugh out loud. Seriously hilarious!

Halloween treat?

Controversial topics... What do you think?

So, we've been having some "debates" during class the last few weeks and it's been really interesting. Let me know what you think about this particular topic!


Human euthanasia, physician assisted suicide, & withdrawal of life support for the terminally ill. These questions are about people who are terminally ill and will pass away in the short future anyway...

• Is it OK to "pull the plug"?
• When is giving comfort medication like morphine "too much" and causing a hastened death?
• is it wrong to hasten death?
• If a doctor simply prescribes medication that can kill a person, is that murder even though he doesn't give the medication?
• What about the pain and suffering for the dying and their families?
• Medical costs... think how many people could we save with the money we are using to keep people who are artificially alive on life support.
• What about people who don't have medical insurance? Should they be kept alive using tax dollars?

Just some things to think about....  This is a video that was shown in class.

I still do not have a perfectly formed opinion, but this is what I am thinking thus far...

I believe in God. I know that not everyone else does and that will definitely affect their opinion on this topic. I believe that our life is a gift and that we are here to learn and to help others around us learn and grow too. I know that terminal illness is a horrible thing and that it is accompanied by pain, fear, expense, exhaustion, and emotional taxation.

I also know that many of those side-effects can be helped by caring families, medications, and faith.

I do not believe it is right for a person to purposely overdose on medication to prematurely cause their death. I believe this is suicide because it is willingly taking in a substance that will kill you.

I do believe that a terminally ill patient has a right to be as comfortable as possible. This includes strong pain medications and comfort measures. I believe a person has the right to discontinue life support and let their body take the natural path to death. I do not believe it is right for a physician to prescribe an overdose of medication that would cause death.

I do not condone suicide, but I do respect a person's right to discontinue life-supportive measures like ventilators when they have made peace with the matter. Often the patient is unconscious and the family has to make the decision (which is very difficult). I would encourage everyone to have a living will outlining their end-of-life care and decisions so that the burden of deciding does not rest solely on the family.

Famous again! News and paper!

Yesterday I got to volunteer at Provo Health Department's "Celebration of Life" where I took blood pressures, blood glucoses, and calculated BMIs. It was fun to meet lots of fun people! And... Channel 13 nNws and the Daily Herald paper showed up and took videos and pictures! I didn't actually get to watch the news but apparently they had footage of me taking a blood sugar and someone's height. I did, however, find my image in the electronic newspaper... Check it out!

Daily Herald 

hahaha :)

it's a little embarassing...

So, last week I was in the burn trauma unit at UofU Hospital.

15 minutes in... I passed out on the floor.  Hahahaha - it's such a stereotypical thing for a nursing student to do! Man, at least I didn't hit my head or I might've been transferred down stairs to the ER...

Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed... after all, I have seen much grosser things and I never passed out then! The nurses gave me some toast and jello and let me sit down for a while and then I got back to work :).

Intrestingly enough - one of my patients told me all about how he raises goats. Not just any kind of goats - fainting goats. Yep. You scare them and they faint. You can google it!

you can do a blood transfusion with a coconut

... and some tubing and a needle!

It may sound crazy, I thought it did too - but then I looked it up and lo and behold, the coconut water (not to be confused with the milk) can be used to replace blood plasma. Cool, eh? I got this off of http://healthmad.com/nutrition/seven-benefits-of-coconut-water/ if you want to learn more. But, here are some cool coconuty facts! Long live almond joys!

Coconut water is the purest liquid second only to water itself. It has many health benefits and uses that you probably did not know about.

Many persons have gone to the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, Florida, Hawaii, South America or Southern Asia and have tasted some very refreshing coconut water. The palm trees you have become accustomed to while on vacation are very potent sources of coconut water that has many health benefits and uses that you probably did not know about. Coconut water is the purest liquid second only to water itself. It is chock full of electrolytes, calcium, potassium, magnesium; everything that is good for you.

Coconut water is the liquid that is taken from unripe coconuts. If coconuts get ripe the liquid that is inside will harden and become a part of the white flesh of the coconut, which is used to make coconut milk. So, picking the coconut while it is unripe will ensure that the body gets all the benefits of coconut water.

Coconut Water Hydrates the Body

Coconut water is an isotonic solution which replaces the fluids and minerals that the body loses during physical activities. For this reason, many athletes and persons who work out regularly are encouraged to drink coconut water to replace all the minerals and fluid that they lose while working out. Even the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) attest to the benefits of drinking coconut water when it fought for a patent in 2000 to market coconut water as the next big sports drinks.

Coconut Water Relieves Urinary Problems

If you consume coconut water on a regular basis it can reduce urinary problems. People who suffer from strangury, polyutraand other urinary ailments drink coconut water to relieve their symptoms.

Coconut Water Kills Intestinal Worms

Drinking coconut water with one teaspoon of olive oil for three days will kill intestinal worms and clear the stomach of worms, which makes for better digestion.

Coconut Water Breaks up Kidney Stones

People who have kidney problems and are plagued by kidney stones should drink coconut water in addition to taking their medication. Drinking coconut water regularly helps to break up kidney stones making them easier to push out.

Coconut Water is Used in Blood Transfusion

Coconut water is almost identical to blood plasma and this makes it easy to use for blood transfusion. In cases of emergency coconut water has been used as an intravenous hydration fluid instead of the standard IV fluid. During World War II many wounded soldiers were saved in the Pacific because of emergency transfusion using coconut water as plasma.

Coconut Water is an Antibacterial

Coconut water contains monolaurin, an antiviral, antibacterial and antiprozoal monoglyceride that is used to kill lipid-coated viruses such as HIV, Herpes, cytomegalovirus, flu and various pathogenic bacteria.

Coconut Water Controls Vomiting

Coconut water is great at reducing vomiting. People who have typhoid, malaria, fevers or other ailments that are known to induce vomiting drink coconut water to settle the stomach. As such, coconut water is also a good thing to drink during a hangover.

Green or unripe coconuts can be found in Asian and West Indian markets. All coconuts that they sell are closed up to keep coconut water from losing its nutrients. So, if you plan on buying a coconut, you can ask someone to chop the coconut open or you can open it yourself at home and drink it.

Nursing School Fun

So, I am starting to definitely feel the weight of the new semester - while I am really enjoying ICU (intensive care unit), it is definitely a challenge! I endured my first 12 hour clinical day (14.5 hrs if you count driving time) on Friday and was happy to just relax and watch "Despicable Me" with Brian afterward. Hilarious movie, by the way - if you haven't seen it, you should! 

Life is great, I have to read a chapter about shock before I go to bed - but I got this off of a friend's blog (thanks Jess!) - so true. I'm feeling it!

You might be a Nursing Student if...

1. You are not allowed to talk about your day at school at the dinner table.
2. You have what you think is a nightmare, and realize "oh I'm just at clinical."
3. You have replaced sleep with diet coke.
4. You have no problem discussing sputum and bowel movements at lunch.
5. You find yourself wiping other people’s butts more than your own.
6. Words that used to make you blush are now part of your every day vocabulary.
7. Your parents reported you missing last June.
8. Your books require wheels.
9. You get excited when someone says there is dressing change or a catheter to be done.
10. This year's birthday list consists of: NCLEX books, Drug flash cards and nursing care plan books.
11. The thought, "what the Heck are you talking about" runs through your head at least once a day.
12. Your friends start wondering if you died.
13. You know who Don Gloves and Ted Hose are.
14. The words "care plan" make you sick to your stomach.
15. You find yourself subconsciously giving your family and friends nursing diagnoses.

I just wanted to say...

I LOVE HOT CHOCOLATE! There is nothing like it when it is 1 degree outside. Yes, ONE DEGREE outside... I knew I was taking a risk of developing hypothermia when I moved to Utah, but come on, that is a little extreme. Luckily, my good friend hot chocolate makes it all bearable!

I also want to say that I love Andrea Gardner. When I first met her she was Andrea Whitaker... but since then we have grown up a little - she graduate from nursing, I went on a mission, she got married, I got back from California and returned to nursing, she had a beautiful baby girl, etc etc. I got to see her for a few hours yesterday (and surprise, we got hot chocolate ;) ) and we talked about old times, talked about the exciting new adventures we're experiencing, and just laughed! We came up with a great plan...

We are going to connive a way so that she can be my capstone preceptor. Yep, that would be just a magical happy ending to my nursing school adventure! Andrea I love you!

Babies

Today I worked with premature babies in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) at Primary Children's Hospital. Just picture the tiniest babies you have every seen and bucket loads of cuteness... so, my day was filled with snuggling, bottle feeding, and L-O-V-E!  I am going to really miss working in Pediatrics.

hey guess what... yesterday it

SNOWED! Can you believe it?! It is officially winter....How do I know? Well, I wake up and it is dark, it is nearly dark by the time I come home from school, I am starting to give in to my hot chocolate cravings, and the big fluffy socks are out of storage.... oh yeah, and the ground is white. I have decided to have an attitude adjustment and really try and embrace this cold weather and frozen white fun - after all, I am going to have to live with it for at least 4 months, so it'd be best to enjoy it at least a little.

I haven't done an update in a while... so here you go!
*I finished the first part of labor and delivery and am now going back to pediatrics tomorrow. Oh how I love both of them - I don't want this semester to end! It is so great to help women on their journey to become moms and then help babies have the best introduction to the world and first few days ever! Oh the babies are so cute :)
*The rest of school is going well too - I am learning a TON in Isaiah and had to regurgitate that knowledge on a test Monday night - 30 short answer and a 3 page essay... ewwww. But, it was a good learning experience at least
*We had a nursing conference on Monday and we got free food and free stuff all for just sitting around in a skirt and listening to people talk about their nursing research! My personal favorite souvenir is a t-shirt that says "I <3 Old People." Classic.
*Halloween is this weekend and I STILL don't know what I am going to be - any suggestions? eh? eh?
*I got to carve pumpkins with my favorite girl ever on Friday night! Andrea Gardner, you are the best.
*Did I mention it snowed?
*my parents are coming up to Utah for Thanksgiving - woot woot! Brian and I are going to go up with them to Cache Valley to spend some time with grandma and gramps :)
*I GOT ACCEPTED TO GO TO GHANA IN THE SPRING FOR NURSING! Yeaaaaah! Should be a great adventure :)

Well, I should be studying - so my update will have to stop here... maybe you'll get more later!

school is nuts, but I like it

School is crazy and that is my excuse for not having updated this thing in a bit... it's been great getting back into nursing though and I am happy to report that I did not forget absolutely everything from before my mission like I thought I did... just most of it. But, it's coming back pretty quick, so that is a relief! I am studying pediatrics, mother/baby, and labor/delivery... 3 things I am SUPER interested in, so I am loving it! Unfortunately there is a lot of work... reading... essays.... reading... clinicals....more reading... studying... projects.... more reading... good thing I like the subject matter. I am also still enjoying my job at Jamba Juice and work the (very busy) lunch shift on Monday and Wednesday. I'm still finding time to have fun though! Brian and I went to Cache Valley 2 weekends ago to pick up the rest of my stuff and visit with grandma - she is soooo great! I love Cache Valley, it is absolutely beautiful and oh-so-peaceful. I'm going to go to bed so I can study lots again tomorrow, but I'll include some pics!

beautiful Newton!

an awesome old firetruck on the side of the road in Newton :)

aren't we cute?