I am officially switching to nights tomorrow night. It is not going to be easy, and I hope nothing too crazy happens on my first solo shift. I feel as ready as I can be, and what I don't know I'm sure I will learn soon enough.
I have been sick all this week. I only went to my dental office for 15 minutes before leaving on Monday. I was fortunate that it was a slow day, and one of my coworkers was there earlier than usual, so it was ok for me to leave. I came home and slept for 5 hours. Luckily, it only seemed to affect my sinuses, and didn't travel to my throat and lungs like these things normally do. I was still miserable, and fought through it as much as I could. I am finally feeling better, and hope it doesn't flare up again!
WW is going well! I lost 3.8 lbs for a total of 12.2! Not bad for 5 weeks, and certainly made up for the small gain I had. I am starting to see a physical change, like my coat isn't as snug as it usually is, and my sweaters sit a little nicer. It's not a huge change, but it is still nice to see. I just hope my switching to nights doesn't halt my progress. I can't snack all night in an attempt to keep myself awake. I just need to find a rhythm that works on keeping in line.
I have been a horrible slacker with school, so I need to get crackin' on that! It's easy to put it off when it isn't due on a weekly basis. Ugh.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
First Week as a Nurse
My first week of training has gone very well. The residents, the coworkers, the everything..has been very kind to me. I tend to have a hard time trusting my gut, but it usually screams at me when something doesn't feel right.....and it has been pretty quiet this week. Which is a good thing. Are there aspects of my job that make me nervous? Yes, but overall, I don't get a bad feeling at all. I hope it isn't just my excitement over finally having a job that I am blindly in love. But for now, I do get a sense that this is going to be good, and that getting my first year of experience here won't hurt so bad like I feared.
I didn't go without making mistakes. The narcotic reconciliation is extremely overwhelming because the other nurses know the residents and medications so well, they fly through it. So, not to excuse myself, I don't feel I got a very good lesson and was rushed through it. And now I know the CNII meds need to be double locked, and to not put blister packs in the notebook as an attempt to make sure you are signing everything out, and then forget to take them out of the book and into the locked med cart. Do not open medication packs by sink with the water running, medication will for sure go there instead of the medication cup you were aiming for. Do not rush through things, accuracy over efficiency.
I was otherwise elated to get back to being a nurse, and getting to give medications without having someone hovering over me. To see that my assessment skills came back to me despite the months of not being able to assess anyone. I got to see what happens when someone falls, or when they need to be sent to the hospital because of a change in their vitals. I was almost in tears when I got my badge that said "Nurse" on it. I still have to stare at it because it hasn't completely sunk in that I'm actually a practicing nurse. It just doesn't feel real yet, but I'm ecstatic none the less.
My coworkers are awesome. They all seem to help each other, and most of them are around my age (or at least look it! :D ) My manager is really nice, and while she is down to business about certain things, she is otherwise laid back, and easy to talk to about silly things. She gave me a heart attack on my birthday. I was pulling a patient's medications from the med cart, and she called for me, so I poked my head into the office. She said she had spoke to corporate, and they weren't sure about adding night shift for nursing. I was panicking in my head "I just gave up my full time job!!" "What do I do" "Fuck Fuck Fuck!!!" On the outside, I was just blank, I didn't know what to say. Then she said "Just kidding!! Happy Birthday" and pulled out one of those giant frosted cookies from under her desk. I was relieved that it was just a joke! I thought it was very kind of her to do something for my birthday even though this was my first week.
I also got a bracelet from my mom with a "Nurse" charm on it, and a subscription to Scrubs, which is a nurse magazine. And my favorite doctor at the dental office, Dr. Twin Mama, gave me a sweet card and a Starbucks giftcard for my "new late nights". I am happy that I will still be able to do a day at the dental office, because I would really miss working there, even though I can't be a nurse there.
Oh, and I also got goosed. By a little old dirty lady. Who would have guessed the first time my butt would have been violated, it would be by a female, and not some pervy man patient/resident. Apparently this is just her thing, and I really couldn't be too offended. But I will make sure to not turn my back to this woman again!
My birthday was far more awesome than I could have expected. All I really wanted was to go to Wildfire for dinner and a sewing machine so I can learn to sew. And Mike really went all out! I came home on Tuesday to flowers, and an awesome little Valentine's/Birthday display he set up on our side table in the kitchen. He made cupcakes with little lips and mustaches on them, and got my favorite starburst jelly beans, and little V-Day decorations. And he was too excited to let me wait to open my presents. On top of the sewing machine, he got me tickets to see Beyonce this summer! I thought they had sold out! And how he told me was with a little envelope that had this picture inside:
I couldn't stop laughing. I don't think there was any better way for him to have told me he got them for me. Except for him putting on a black leotard and heels and doing the single ladies dance for me. lol He also got me a cake from Jarosch's, which was the same flavor as our wedding cake, and it was yummy. And Wildfire was delicious as always! We had to cancel some of the plans for my birthday because of my work schedule, but my hubby made my birthday special regardless. I also got a really cute text from my Dad-in-law, who is just entering the world of texting. It was the most formal text I have ever received, and it made me smile.
And speaking of Wildire and cake, I did gain a bit this week because of the over abundance of cake, cupcakes, cookies, etc. I didn't track at all on my birthday because I wanted to enjoy it and not feel guilty. Of course, I could feel the silent shame from the lady who weighed me in on Saturday. Then silenced it with Richard Walker's French Toast. It is my birthday week, and only gaining 0.6 pounds is not bad at all considering all that I ate.
We have found some yummy recipes this past week that make Weight Watchers not so bad. I feel like a grown up now that red wine vinegar and white cooking wine is in our pantry. And we even bought meat from the meat counter instead of the pre-packaged stuff. I know this may in fact be sad given that I just turned 29, and Mike will be 31 in July....but regardless, we are making up for lost adultness. lol
I also felt like an adult electing my benefits. I haven't had benefits like this since I worked at Big Box Do-It-Yourself store. At the dental office, the benefits were simply vacation time, and health insurance that I couldn't afford, and 401k. And I haven't even had access to that the least 2 years or so. I was a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, Mike is familiar with this stuff since he has taken care of most of our coverage through his employer. It is nice to know that if something were to happen to me, he would be taken care of, or I'd have income coming in if I get sick and can't work. Of course, now I just have to make sure he doesn't kill me since I'll be one profitable dead body. lol
This next week is a bit more crazy. I am at the dental office tomorrow, nurse work Tuesday and Wednesday, Medication class ALL DAY on Thursday, nurse work on Friday, and then dental office on Saturday. Then I start my nights on Monday. I don't know what I am going to do in the daytime on Monday. I may need to take a sleeping pill or something to sleep through the day, or drink a LOT of caffeine in the evening. I also got pink ear plugs and a Hello Kitty sleeping mask to help me sleep through the day. It is going to be hard adjusting to this change in my sleep schedule. But, on the upside, I will have a pretty regular schedule from what I have seen. I will be on 3 nights, off 2, on 2 nights, off 2. So it won't be like I'm working one night, off the next night, then back on the next one after that, or -hopefully- not have a constantly changing schedule. I realize the potential where I may be asked to fill in for someone, or to work a double. Which I actually don't mind as long as I'm not doing it all the time.
So to wrap it all up, I am a pretty happy girl, and finally getting to do what makes me happy. I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again many more times, but helping people is the best thing a person can do. Caring for others has been all I ever wanted to do since I was little, and I feel like this is my "When I grow up..." point in my life. I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to pull this off, and make this dream come true. 7 years ago, I thought I was never going to be able to do it, because of money and time constraints. But luckily, I have people around me who were generous enough to help me make this happen, worked shifts for me so I could go to class, or study, let me move into their home so money wasn't an issue, and cheered me on as I succeeded, and cheered me up when I struggled. I am just beyond blessed.
I didn't go without making mistakes. The narcotic reconciliation is extremely overwhelming because the other nurses know the residents and medications so well, they fly through it. So, not to excuse myself, I don't feel I got a very good lesson and was rushed through it. And now I know the CNII meds need to be double locked, and to not put blister packs in the notebook as an attempt to make sure you are signing everything out, and then forget to take them out of the book and into the locked med cart. Do not open medication packs by sink with the water running, medication will for sure go there instead of the medication cup you were aiming for. Do not rush through things, accuracy over efficiency.
I was otherwise elated to get back to being a nurse, and getting to give medications without having someone hovering over me. To see that my assessment skills came back to me despite the months of not being able to assess anyone. I got to see what happens when someone falls, or when they need to be sent to the hospital because of a change in their vitals. I was almost in tears when I got my badge that said "Nurse" on it. I still have to stare at it because it hasn't completely sunk in that I'm actually a practicing nurse. It just doesn't feel real yet, but I'm ecstatic none the less.
My coworkers are awesome. They all seem to help each other, and most of them are around my age (or at least look it! :D ) My manager is really nice, and while she is down to business about certain things, she is otherwise laid back, and easy to talk to about silly things. She gave me a heart attack on my birthday. I was pulling a patient's medications from the med cart, and she called for me, so I poked my head into the office. She said she had spoke to corporate, and they weren't sure about adding night shift for nursing. I was panicking in my head "I just gave up my full time job!!" "What do I do" "Fuck Fuck Fuck!!!" On the outside, I was just blank, I didn't know what to say. Then she said "Just kidding!! Happy Birthday" and pulled out one of those giant frosted cookies from under her desk. I was relieved that it was just a joke! I thought it was very kind of her to do something for my birthday even though this was my first week.
I also got a bracelet from my mom with a "Nurse" charm on it, and a subscription to Scrubs, which is a nurse magazine. And my favorite doctor at the dental office, Dr. Twin Mama, gave me a sweet card and a Starbucks giftcard for my "new late nights". I am happy that I will still be able to do a day at the dental office, because I would really miss working there, even though I can't be a nurse there.
Oh, and I also got goosed. By a little old dirty lady. Who would have guessed the first time my butt would have been violated, it would be by a female, and not some pervy man patient/resident. Apparently this is just her thing, and I really couldn't be too offended. But I will make sure to not turn my back to this woman again!
My birthday was far more awesome than I could have expected. All I really wanted was to go to Wildfire for dinner and a sewing machine so I can learn to sew. And Mike really went all out! I came home on Tuesday to flowers, and an awesome little Valentine's/Birthday display he set up on our side table in the kitchen. He made cupcakes with little lips and mustaches on them, and got my favorite starburst jelly beans, and little V-Day decorations. And he was too excited to let me wait to open my presents. On top of the sewing machine, he got me tickets to see Beyonce this summer! I thought they had sold out! And how he told me was with a little envelope that had this picture inside:
I couldn't stop laughing. I don't think there was any better way for him to have told me he got them for me. Except for him putting on a black leotard and heels and doing the single ladies dance for me. lol He also got me a cake from Jarosch's, which was the same flavor as our wedding cake, and it was yummy. And Wildfire was delicious as always! We had to cancel some of the plans for my birthday because of my work schedule, but my hubby made my birthday special regardless. I also got a really cute text from my Dad-in-law, who is just entering the world of texting. It was the most formal text I have ever received, and it made me smile.
And speaking of Wildire and cake, I did gain a bit this week because of the over abundance of cake, cupcakes, cookies, etc. I didn't track at all on my birthday because I wanted to enjoy it and not feel guilty. Of course, I could feel the silent shame from the lady who weighed me in on Saturday. Then silenced it with Richard Walker's French Toast. It is my birthday week, and only gaining 0.6 pounds is not bad at all considering all that I ate.
We have found some yummy recipes this past week that make Weight Watchers not so bad. I feel like a grown up now that red wine vinegar and white cooking wine is in our pantry. And we even bought meat from the meat counter instead of the pre-packaged stuff. I know this may in fact be sad given that I just turned 29, and Mike will be 31 in July....but regardless, we are making up for lost adultness. lol
I also felt like an adult electing my benefits. I haven't had benefits like this since I worked at Big Box Do-It-Yourself store. At the dental office, the benefits were simply vacation time, and health insurance that I couldn't afford, and 401k. And I haven't even had access to that the least 2 years or so. I was a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, Mike is familiar with this stuff since he has taken care of most of our coverage through his employer. It is nice to know that if something were to happen to me, he would be taken care of, or I'd have income coming in if I get sick and can't work. Of course, now I just have to make sure he doesn't kill me since I'll be one profitable dead body. lol
This next week is a bit more crazy. I am at the dental office tomorrow, nurse work Tuesday and Wednesday, Medication class ALL DAY on Thursday, nurse work on Friday, and then dental office on Saturday. Then I start my nights on Monday. I don't know what I am going to do in the daytime on Monday. I may need to take a sleeping pill or something to sleep through the day, or drink a LOT of caffeine in the evening. I also got pink ear plugs and a Hello Kitty sleeping mask to help me sleep through the day. It is going to be hard adjusting to this change in my sleep schedule. But, on the upside, I will have a pretty regular schedule from what I have seen. I will be on 3 nights, off 2, on 2 nights, off 2. So it won't be like I'm working one night, off the next night, then back on the next one after that, or -hopefully- not have a constantly changing schedule. I realize the potential where I may be asked to fill in for someone, or to work a double. Which I actually don't mind as long as I'm not doing it all the time.
So to wrap it all up, I am a pretty happy girl, and finally getting to do what makes me happy. I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again many more times, but helping people is the best thing a person can do. Caring for others has been all I ever wanted to do since I was little, and I feel like this is my "When I grow up..." point in my life. I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to pull this off, and make this dream come true. 7 years ago, I thought I was never going to be able to do it, because of money and time constraints. But luckily, I have people around me who were generous enough to help me make this happen, worked shifts for me so I could go to class, or study, let me move into their home so money wasn't an issue, and cheered me on as I succeeded, and cheered me up when I struggled. I am just beyond blessed.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
I Snagged My First Job!
I got the job! Oh, how great it feels to be able to say that. Graduated May 20, Passed NCLEX June 27, Got my license July 27, 6 months of job searching, 6 interviews with 4 places, and I officially have a job! I will start in a little over a week, and I am just beyond excited. I will be working overnight, but I will be full-time with wonderful, beautiful benefits. I haven't benefits in forever due to only working a day or two a week for the last 2 years. My job now is pretty limited in the benefits it offers, and because I haven't been back for a full year, I don't get vacation time. So, I am extremely happy to have access to sick time and vacation time, and my own dental, vision, and medical benefits even if I don't end up using them since we have Mike's. Oh! Best part is tuition reimbursement. My class I am currently in won't qualify, but it will certainly help once I start my Bachelor level nursing coursework!
My new work is a beautiful facility. My manager seems amazingly nice. I am so happy that this is my first opportunity. I am beyond thankful to have been given a chance. I know this will not be easy to get used to working overnight, but I will still get to have dinner with Mike either way, and I'll get through it.
Weight Watchers is still going well. My weigh-in today was underwhelming, I only lost 0.6 lbs. I know a loss is a loss, and better than gaining. I did go out to eat a few times, and ate some things where I really could do nothing but guess on the points. I feel like I could have been more honest, and should have gone to the gym to offset the high point days I had. So, I tracked every single thing I put in my mouth today, and planned my meals for the next two days and already tracked them. I also went to the gym today for an hour, and will do the same tomorrow and Monday to make up for the pizza we are ordering for the Super Bowl.
But on the upside, we have tried some really great recipes that I found on Pinterest. There are certain things that I just can't do, like cauliflower mashed "potatoes", or fat free dairy products. Fat free yogurt is just disgusting, I don't care how decadent sounding you make the flavor, it still tastes like crap. I'd rather make the points room for the real deal. I feel like making myself wait to a specific time before I eat my next snack at work is working out really well. I just have to keep looking for new things to add to my rotations so I don't get tired, and grab a bunch of cookies.
I feel that I am doing this. I know this is really early on, and the temptation to quit has not really hit me yet. I am sure I will struggle with that at some point. The disappointment at how long this is going to take, the frustration of not losing as much as I think I should, the loose, saggy skin telling me I looked better when it was filled out with fat. So, when all those nasty thoughts finally make their appearance, I just need to remind myself why I am doing this. Not have to take blood pressure medications, not develop diabetes, hopefully get healthy enough to have a baby without medical intervention, finally get to wear clothes from somewhere other than Torrid, Lane Bryant, and Old Navy, to not hold myself back from doing certain things because of my weight (like go to a fitness class like yoga, get on a rollercoaster again, etc), to NOT have to ask for a seatbelt extender when we fly, to NOT have my weight be the blame for every medical problem I develop, to have my baby bump be visible when I do get pregnant. To not let my children grow up thinking its normal to be overweight like I did. To look cute in scrubs when the day comes when I am required to wear them.
The reasons go on and on. I can't describe just how badly I want this, but have felt like it was hopeless. I have actually been able to maintain a pretty steady weight the past few years, despite my stress eating and massive starbucks consumption through school. Plus I love sweets. LOVE. But I am finding that I am learning to control that. I still indulge, but once a week is my goal. Weight Watchers sells these amazing toffee crunch ice cream bars that I depend on to get my sweet fix each night. I regularly eat 2 of them, but I make do if I only points left for 1. They are delicious!
Anyway, I am hoping to be down 100 lbs in a year. Then 50 lbs the next year, unless we start having the babies, of course. But to lose the 100 lbs would be more than amazing for me.
So....school, I've been a bad student. I remembered that I had until February 22 to finish this segment of work, so I have put it off. But I am going to get back on track tomorrow. Then we are going to watch the Super Bowl. I am actually pretty excited for the half-time show, I love me some Beyonce!! I hope the commercials are good, too!
My new work is a beautiful facility. My manager seems amazingly nice. I am so happy that this is my first opportunity. I am beyond thankful to have been given a chance. I know this will not be easy to get used to working overnight, but I will still get to have dinner with Mike either way, and I'll get through it.
Weight Watchers is still going well. My weigh-in today was underwhelming, I only lost 0.6 lbs. I know a loss is a loss, and better than gaining. I did go out to eat a few times, and ate some things where I really could do nothing but guess on the points. I feel like I could have been more honest, and should have gone to the gym to offset the high point days I had. So, I tracked every single thing I put in my mouth today, and planned my meals for the next two days and already tracked them. I also went to the gym today for an hour, and will do the same tomorrow and Monday to make up for the pizza we are ordering for the Super Bowl.
But on the upside, we have tried some really great recipes that I found on Pinterest. There are certain things that I just can't do, like cauliflower mashed "potatoes", or fat free dairy products. Fat free yogurt is just disgusting, I don't care how decadent sounding you make the flavor, it still tastes like crap. I'd rather make the points room for the real deal. I feel like making myself wait to a specific time before I eat my next snack at work is working out really well. I just have to keep looking for new things to add to my rotations so I don't get tired, and grab a bunch of cookies.
I feel that I am doing this. I know this is really early on, and the temptation to quit has not really hit me yet. I am sure I will struggle with that at some point. The disappointment at how long this is going to take, the frustration of not losing as much as I think I should, the loose, saggy skin telling me I looked better when it was filled out with fat. So, when all those nasty thoughts finally make their appearance, I just need to remind myself why I am doing this. Not have to take blood pressure medications, not develop diabetes, hopefully get healthy enough to have a baby without medical intervention, finally get to wear clothes from somewhere other than Torrid, Lane Bryant, and Old Navy, to not hold myself back from doing certain things because of my weight (like go to a fitness class like yoga, get on a rollercoaster again, etc), to NOT have to ask for a seatbelt extender when we fly, to NOT have my weight be the blame for every medical problem I develop, to have my baby bump be visible when I do get pregnant. To not let my children grow up thinking its normal to be overweight like I did. To look cute in scrubs when the day comes when I am required to wear them.
The reasons go on and on. I can't describe just how badly I want this, but have felt like it was hopeless. I have actually been able to maintain a pretty steady weight the past few years, despite my stress eating and massive starbucks consumption through school. Plus I love sweets. LOVE. But I am finding that I am learning to control that. I still indulge, but once a week is my goal. Weight Watchers sells these amazing toffee crunch ice cream bars that I depend on to get my sweet fix each night. I regularly eat 2 of them, but I make do if I only points left for 1. They are delicious!
Anyway, I am hoping to be down 100 lbs in a year. Then 50 lbs the next year, unless we start having the babies, of course. But to lose the 100 lbs would be more than amazing for me.
So....school, I've been a bad student. I remembered that I had until February 22 to finish this segment of work, so I have put it off. But I am going to get back on track tomorrow. Then we are going to watch the Super Bowl. I am actually pretty excited for the half-time show, I love me some Beyonce!! I hope the commercials are good, too!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Good Things are a stirring!
It took me a few weeks to get my motivation up enough, but I have started working the Weight Watchers system. I joined last Saturday, and really struggled with wanting to eat everything I brought to work at one time. If its 10:00 in the morning, and I don't go home til after 4:00...that is a dangerous thing. Add in the fact that there has been cake sitting 5 feet behind my head every single day this week. Most would say this was the wrong week to start a diet. My mouth was telling me it was the wrong week to start a diet. However, I managed to distract myself from the cake, but I did do a lot of staring as other people ate their slice of cake, and I may have taken some smells, lol. I also drank a lot of water when I started getting the urge to eat, if the water didn't work I knew it was probably time for the next snack. This was really, really effective in spreading out my snacks throughout the day.
I also found that pre-tracking my points the day before made life a lot easier. Because I knew I really wasn't going to have any points left over between the meals I planned, saying no to the cake was a lot easier. I didn't get to the gym to exercise like I thought I would, so I was really worried that my 1st weigh-in would be a bit disappointing. However, I did really well! I lost 4.6 pounds in one week. And I wasn't starving myself, we even went out to eat a couple of nights, and I had Starbucks the night before.
At the meeting, I goofed and raised my hand when he asked if he anyway had any milestones, because he said "1,2, 3,4,5 lbs.." So I thought that applied to me, but really it was if you had reached your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5lbs loss. Regardless, I got celebrated since it was my 1st weigh-in since starting. It was really nice. The meeting leader was awesome, and he did a drawing for a cookbook,, and I won! I left feeling really good.
Of course, that ended when I met up with friends for our annual Chrismukkah party, and knew I really had no good options to stay under my points. We always go to Wildfire, which is my favorite place, but they have no nutritional information posted, so I totally had to guess. I hate guessing because of the "what-ifs". What if I pigged out way more, or am depriving myself because I over-guessed? Weight Watchers gives you an extra 49 points to use however you want each week in addition to your daily total, so its really ok to go nuts one day as long as you are responsible the rest of the week. I just really hate using those extra points because I feel like I will lose more weight by not using them. And I got a long way to go, so I need any help I can get.
Back to the party, I was anxious about the points I was using, but ended up saying what the hell, and ordered dessert which was super-delicious. We all had an amazing, loud, and obnoxious-to-the-waitstaff kind of time. This is the 5th year we've done it, and I hope many more to come!
In other news, a very promising job opportunity has come around. I've had an open interview, which led to a job shadow/mini interview with the executive director/physical-drug-test-tb-test-background-check-credit-check-reference-check. I have to go for my next TB test tomorrow, as I have to do a 2 step. I still haven't gotten any updates on a start date, which I will admit, make the anxiety goblins in my head go crazy. But, I am reminding myself that until they say "You are hired and you start on this date", the job isn't mine. So if it for some reason falls through, I haven't truly lost anything....so I just have to keep it moving. But I will admit, I am excited for the possibility this is presenting. It feels amazingly good to know someone is actually considering me.
I also started my Nutrition class, and it was so weird to see the syllabus. I am used to the amount of work that we have allotted for a month's time in this class, needing to be done in a week or two. It just seems really strange to have so much time to complete so little work. I think it should definitely be interesting, and will surely help as I travel my weight loss journey. Speaking of, I finally broke down and started taking my vitamins. I could never get into it before. But, I was unfortunately diagnosed with hypertension officially, and my doctor put me on a diuretic for it. So needing to remember to take that inspired me to start remembering my vitamins. Plus, we are looking at the possibility of starting to try to have kids in the next year or so, so I needed to start on pre-natal vitamins just to get in the habit. I also started taking Calcium supplements for my bones (younger you start the better!) and Biotin because Pinterest said it would make my hair pretty and my nails strong! lol I have an app that is helping me to remember to take everything, and its working out pretty well!
Well, I think I have distracted myself long enough where my hubby will let me make dinner now! We are making Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas, that I found on Pinterest, and its only 6 weight watcher points, so I am excited!! And hungry!! :)
I also found that pre-tracking my points the day before made life a lot easier. Because I knew I really wasn't going to have any points left over between the meals I planned, saying no to the cake was a lot easier. I didn't get to the gym to exercise like I thought I would, so I was really worried that my 1st weigh-in would be a bit disappointing. However, I did really well! I lost 4.6 pounds in one week. And I wasn't starving myself, we even went out to eat a couple of nights, and I had Starbucks the night before.
At the meeting, I goofed and raised my hand when he asked if he anyway had any milestones, because he said "1,2, 3,4,5 lbs.." So I thought that applied to me, but really it was if you had reached your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5lbs loss. Regardless, I got celebrated since it was my 1st weigh-in since starting. It was really nice. The meeting leader was awesome, and he did a drawing for a cookbook,, and I won! I left feeling really good.
Of course, that ended when I met up with friends for our annual Chrismukkah party, and knew I really had no good options to stay under my points. We always go to Wildfire, which is my favorite place, but they have no nutritional information posted, so I totally had to guess. I hate guessing because of the "what-ifs". What if I pigged out way more, or am depriving myself because I over-guessed? Weight Watchers gives you an extra 49 points to use however you want each week in addition to your daily total, so its really ok to go nuts one day as long as you are responsible the rest of the week. I just really hate using those extra points because I feel like I will lose more weight by not using them. And I got a long way to go, so I need any help I can get.
Back to the party, I was anxious about the points I was using, but ended up saying what the hell, and ordered dessert which was super-delicious. We all had an amazing, loud, and obnoxious-to-the-waitstaff kind of time. This is the 5th year we've done it, and I hope many more to come!
In other news, a very promising job opportunity has come around. I've had an open interview, which led to a job shadow/mini interview with the executive director/physical-drug-test-tb-test-background-check-credit-check-reference-check. I have to go for my next TB test tomorrow, as I have to do a 2 step. I still haven't gotten any updates on a start date, which I will admit, make the anxiety goblins in my head go crazy. But, I am reminding myself that until they say "You are hired and you start on this date", the job isn't mine. So if it for some reason falls through, I haven't truly lost anything....so I just have to keep it moving. But I will admit, I am excited for the possibility this is presenting. It feels amazingly good to know someone is actually considering me.
I also started my Nutrition class, and it was so weird to see the syllabus. I am used to the amount of work that we have allotted for a month's time in this class, needing to be done in a week or two. It just seems really strange to have so much time to complete so little work. I think it should definitely be interesting, and will surely help as I travel my weight loss journey. Speaking of, I finally broke down and started taking my vitamins. I could never get into it before. But, I was unfortunately diagnosed with hypertension officially, and my doctor put me on a diuretic for it. So needing to remember to take that inspired me to start remembering my vitamins. Plus, we are looking at the possibility of starting to try to have kids in the next year or so, so I needed to start on pre-natal vitamins just to get in the habit. I also started taking Calcium supplements for my bones (younger you start the better!) and Biotin because Pinterest said it would make my hair pretty and my nails strong! lol I have an app that is helping me to remember to take everything, and its working out pretty well!
Well, I think I have distracted myself long enough where my hubby will let me make dinner now! We are making Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas, that I found on Pinterest, and its only 6 weight watcher points, so I am excited!! And hungry!! :)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy Birthday 2013!!
2012 has been a great year! It may have had its low points, but overall, it was a good one. In 2012:
I graduated Nursing school with an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Nursing.
I passed my NCLEX on the 1st try with only 75 questions.
Officially became a Registered Nurse.
Bro-in-law got married (As long as he is happy, I can accept that his wife hates me)
Mikey got promoted with a nice raise!
We moved out of Mom and Dad-in-laws and into our lovely new place!
We got to make 2 trips down to TN to see my family!
My mom got promoted at her work!
Many good times with friends and family!
And had the best year I could have had with my loving husband.
I wouldn't change much other than the amount of time I spent worrying about things that were completely out of my hands.
We had a really great holiday break! It was so nice to have a laid back, relaxing time. My Christmas goodies were a hit, too! We got many nice gifts, and had lots of good food! I got to see my friend Krista and her boys, and it just warmed my heart so much to see them call her "Mama." This friend of mine, the one that I have known since I was 8 or 9, grew up with, was irresponsible teens and young adults with, stood up with me on my wedding day, is now "Mama" to these adorable little boys. It was just the best thing. And to see her be so happy, I just can't tell you how much that makes me happy thinking about it.
We had a great night last night, as well. Mom and Dad-in-law came over for dinner. Mike picked up our order from Wildfire, and it was delicious!!! We then started teaching them how to use their new iPhones. It was so cute, honestly! Then we went to see Argo, which was a really amazing film! I highly recommend it. And we came home and watched Sherlock Holmes until Midnight. I fell asleep towards the end, but I am really glad we could have them over. It was a perfect end to 2012!
So, moving forward with 2013, there are some things I need to achieve:
- Find a job as an RN so I can start to FEEL like an RN.
- Lose weight (I have to stop starting and stopping and just DO it!)u
- Stop being late.
- and prepare myself for trying to start a family.
Those are my 4 goals for 2013. And they are all realistic goals. But today is a holiday, so it will start tomorrow! :)
Happy New Year!!
I graduated Nursing school with an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Nursing.
I passed my NCLEX on the 1st try with only 75 questions.
Officially became a Registered Nurse.
Bro-in-law got married (As long as he is happy, I can accept that his wife hates me)
Mikey got promoted with a nice raise!
We moved out of Mom and Dad-in-laws and into our lovely new place!
We got to make 2 trips down to TN to see my family!
My mom got promoted at her work!
Many good times with friends and family!
And had the best year I could have had with my loving husband.
I wouldn't change much other than the amount of time I spent worrying about things that were completely out of my hands.
We had a really great holiday break! It was so nice to have a laid back, relaxing time. My Christmas goodies were a hit, too! We got many nice gifts, and had lots of good food! I got to see my friend Krista and her boys, and it just warmed my heart so much to see them call her "Mama." This friend of mine, the one that I have known since I was 8 or 9, grew up with, was irresponsible teens and young adults with, stood up with me on my wedding day, is now "Mama" to these adorable little boys. It was just the best thing. And to see her be so happy, I just can't tell you how much that makes me happy thinking about it.
We had a great night last night, as well. Mom and Dad-in-law came over for dinner. Mike picked up our order from Wildfire, and it was delicious!!! We then started teaching them how to use their new iPhones. It was so cute, honestly! Then we went to see Argo, which was a really amazing film! I highly recommend it. And we came home and watched Sherlock Holmes until Midnight. I fell asleep towards the end, but I am really glad we could have them over. It was a perfect end to 2012!
So, moving forward with 2013, there are some things I need to achieve:
- Find a job as an RN so I can start to FEEL like an RN.
- Lose weight (I have to stop starting and stopping and just DO it!)u
- Stop being late.
- and prepare myself for trying to start a family.
Those are my 4 goals for 2013. And they are all realistic goals. But today is a holiday, so it will start tomorrow! :)
Happy New Year!!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Christmas is Almost Here!!
2 days to go until Christmas Eve! I am pretty excited. Ok, ok, maybe REALLY excited. I have the realization that this is probably the last holiday season where I get a lot of time off for a while. I fully expect to be working either Christmas Eve or Christmas day next year, one way or the other. Which makes me sad, but it is going to be what it's going to be. So for now, I will enjoy this year's Christmas as much as I can.
I have been ahead of the game getting everything done. I thought I'd take longer to get my shopping done since I didn't have to ship our presents......got it all done in one day. Figured I'd take FOREVER dragging out getting our cards addressed and sent, got it all done in one-two days (one night to address, 2nd day to stamp, stuff, and send!). I did drag out the wrapping just a little bit, since some of our gifts were ordered online, it took a while before I could officially say I was done wrapping, but I got that done about a week ago!
I am beyond happy with our Christmas decorations, and definitely hope to add more and more each year. I saw an idea on Pinterest for displaying your Christmas cards by wrapping a piece of ribbon around your cabinet doors in your kitchen, and then you just pin the cards you get to the ribbon as they come in. It turned out fabulously! I am so pleased with it, and will definitely do this from now on! It just makes the kitchen look so festive! Of course, I'm running out of room, so other card display ideas may be needed!
Here is a close up of that little tray above our sink. Mike's uncle J gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I kind of forgot about it, but found myself in love with it this year!
And here is our fireplace again just for reinforcement, because I still love it so much, although must remember next year to learn how the hell to take care of poinsettias....ours are now looking pretty sad looking.
In recent news, my blonde hair has now been replaced with a beautiful brunette! I was feeling so bored with the blonde, it always looked the same, then I'd have to deal with the shit-stain looking roots for a month until it was time to go back again. It was so difficult to keep my hair moisturized, and I needed a change! I didn't tell Mike, because I wanted to surprise him. I had to ignore some of his texts asking for pictures throughout the day because I wanted to see the look on his face! And I wasn't disappointed. :) He loved it, and stopped mid-sentence once he saw it. Most people either had that reaction, or it didn't register at all until I started staring at them weirdly for a long time, lol. But I'm very pleased with it. :)
We also had a really fun time last Sunday. We had a Christmas brunch with a bunch of friends, and it was super-amazing-delicious. I got cinnamon roll french toast, and hot damn was it good!!
Then we headed downtown to make our 3:00 reservations at the The Palm Court inside the Drake Hotel for afternoon tea. It always stunning inside that place, and even more so because it was Christmas time. The tea and mini sandwiches were amazing, as expected. I really never thought I would find myself to be the "tea time" kind of gal, but now I drink hot tea every single day. I have my mom-in-law to thank for that. I started drinking hot tea after I was finally able to make it to the ladies' tea she organizes at her church. Chamomile tea is my favorite, but I hope to branch out and try some new ones, like this Rose Champagne tea I saw at Teavana!
I really hope we go back to have afternoon tea again around my birthday! Cuz then they could play Happy Birthday on the harp for me! :) I'm a child, I know.
I was super pleased with how my cookie exchange and potluck went at work! Some people took a little bit of work to get them to sign up, but we had about 8 people total sign up, and it was just so fun. I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest for Peppermint White Chocolate M&M cookies, and they were amazing! You can find the recipe here: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/white-chocolate-peppermint-mm-cookies/
This is how mine turned out, not as pretty, but I'm sure just as delicious!
And everyone loved them! I texted my boss to let her know how much I loved the cookies she made, which were amazing!! And she told me that she and her husband ate them all! :) I was really happy with them. I am going to make some more either today or tomorrow to take to our families, because I am sure they will love them! The only problem is M&M better make these every year if they are to become a Christmas tradition! :)
And here is Dr. G.'s contribution to our cookie exchange, maybe I won't bug him to sign up for the cookie exchange again next year. lol
Although those poison cookies were amazing, I need to know what bakery he went to! And that tray is fluffing adorable! I was hoping he would let one of us have it, but no such luck. lol
And everyone brought something for the potluck, and my boss ordered pizzas. And it just made me extremely happy to see everyone participate even though people were grumbling that no one was going to do it. It just made me really happy to have pulled it off, and got some of the Christmas grinches to turn a new cheek. :) And we all ate WAY WAY WAY too much. I made a cheeseball for the potluck, and I thought it was awful when I taste-tested it. It was way too salty, but I figured maybe someone would like a lot of salt and brought it anyway. The whole thing was devoured. I was truly surprised everyone loved it as much as they did. It made me want to try some different kinds of cheeseballs, because it was really easy to make!
Today is day 1 of 9 days off. I am so excited to have some time off. I am also really excited for our road trip to go see my family!! We are leaving at 5 in the morning Christmas day, and come back the 29th late. It is going to be so nice to have all of this time with them, and get to enjoy my mom's cooking! And Waffle House of course, big priority is to eat as much WH as I can! Before we go though, I have a LOT of baking to do:
Gotta make more of the M&M cookies, my Santa cookies, and of course....Puppy Chow (Or muddy buddies,whatever you want to call it). I also want to squeeze in some pampering time before we pack, and pick up our rental, etc. Luckily, I was on the ball with all of my other Christmas tasks, so I have plenty of time to just relax, too!
Gotta get another cup of coffee and get moving. Next blog won't be until the New Year probably. So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Next post will be NY resolutions and goals!
I have been ahead of the game getting everything done. I thought I'd take longer to get my shopping done since I didn't have to ship our presents......got it all done in one day. Figured I'd take FOREVER dragging out getting our cards addressed and sent, got it all done in one-two days (one night to address, 2nd day to stamp, stuff, and send!). I did drag out the wrapping just a little bit, since some of our gifts were ordered online, it took a while before I could officially say I was done wrapping, but I got that done about a week ago!
Here is a close up of that little tray above our sink. Mike's uncle J gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I kind of forgot about it, but found myself in love with it this year!
And here is our fireplace again just for reinforcement, because I still love it so much, although must remember next year to learn how the hell to take care of poinsettias....ours are now looking pretty sad looking.
In recent news, my blonde hair has now been replaced with a beautiful brunette! I was feeling so bored with the blonde, it always looked the same, then I'd have to deal with the shit-stain looking roots for a month until it was time to go back again. It was so difficult to keep my hair moisturized, and I needed a change! I didn't tell Mike, because I wanted to surprise him. I had to ignore some of his texts asking for pictures throughout the day because I wanted to see the look on his face! And I wasn't disappointed. :) He loved it, and stopped mid-sentence once he saw it. Most people either had that reaction, or it didn't register at all until I started staring at them weirdly for a long time, lol. But I'm very pleased with it. :)
We also had a really fun time last Sunday. We had a Christmas brunch with a bunch of friends, and it was super-amazing-delicious. I got cinnamon roll french toast, and hot damn was it good!!
Then we headed downtown to make our 3:00 reservations at the The Palm Court inside the Drake Hotel for afternoon tea. It always stunning inside that place, and even more so because it was Christmas time. The tea and mini sandwiches were amazing, as expected. I really never thought I would find myself to be the "tea time" kind of gal, but now I drink hot tea every single day. I have my mom-in-law to thank for that. I started drinking hot tea after I was finally able to make it to the ladies' tea she organizes at her church. Chamomile tea is my favorite, but I hope to branch out and try some new ones, like this Rose Champagne tea I saw at Teavana!
I really hope we go back to have afternoon tea again around my birthday! Cuz then they could play Happy Birthday on the harp for me! :) I'm a child, I know.
I was super pleased with how my cookie exchange and potluck went at work! Some people took a little bit of work to get them to sign up, but we had about 8 people total sign up, and it was just so fun. I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest for Peppermint White Chocolate M&M cookies, and they were amazing! You can find the recipe here: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/white-chocolate-peppermint-mm-cookies/
This is how mine turned out, not as pretty, but I'm sure just as delicious!
And everyone loved them! I texted my boss to let her know how much I loved the cookies she made, which were amazing!! And she told me that she and her husband ate them all! :) I was really happy with them. I am going to make some more either today or tomorrow to take to our families, because I am sure they will love them! The only problem is M&M better make these every year if they are to become a Christmas tradition! :)
And here is Dr. G.'s contribution to our cookie exchange, maybe I won't bug him to sign up for the cookie exchange again next year. lol
Although those poison cookies were amazing, I need to know what bakery he went to! And that tray is fluffing adorable! I was hoping he would let one of us have it, but no such luck. lol
And everyone brought something for the potluck, and my boss ordered pizzas. And it just made me extremely happy to see everyone participate even though people were grumbling that no one was going to do it. It just made me really happy to have pulled it off, and got some of the Christmas grinches to turn a new cheek. :) And we all ate WAY WAY WAY too much. I made a cheeseball for the potluck, and I thought it was awful when I taste-tested it. It was way too salty, but I figured maybe someone would like a lot of salt and brought it anyway. The whole thing was devoured. I was truly surprised everyone loved it as much as they did. It made me want to try some different kinds of cheeseballs, because it was really easy to make!
Today is day 1 of 9 days off. I am so excited to have some time off. I am also really excited for our road trip to go see my family!! We are leaving at 5 in the morning Christmas day, and come back the 29th late. It is going to be so nice to have all of this time with them, and get to enjoy my mom's cooking! And Waffle House of course, big priority is to eat as much WH as I can! Before we go though, I have a LOT of baking to do:
Gotta make more of the M&M cookies, my Santa cookies, and of course....Puppy Chow (Or muddy buddies,whatever you want to call it). I also want to squeeze in some pampering time before we pack, and pick up our rental, etc. Luckily, I was on the ball with all of my other Christmas tasks, so I have plenty of time to just relax, too!
Gotta get another cup of coffee and get moving. Next blog won't be until the New Year probably. So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Next post will be NY resolutions and goals!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Just what the doctor ordered!
Yesterday my office had our annual Christmas luncheon, and we had an amazingly fun time. Everyone has been somewhat upset this week because the owner changed the requirement to be considered full-time because of all of the health insurance things changing, and some people lost their benefits. So, it's been a rough week for everyone to be happy to come to work for obvious reasons. And it has just been insanely busy, which is always the case at the end of the year. The worst part of it is when people get upset with you because they want to squeeze in their cleaning or a crown before the end of the year, and we have nothing to offer them. People get much nastier this time of year about things like this. Luckily, I have dealt with it enough that I recover quickly from getting my head bitten off.
Anyway, getting off topic here! So, everyone has been pretty stressed out, and yesterday was exactly what we all needed. The whole day me and my friend talked about food because we were saving our appetites for lunch, and we were starving! Even when we tried to stop talking about food, we kept talking about food! Luckily, several patients blew us off at the end of the day, and I collected all of the payments up front when the last patients came in so that we could hightail it out of there! My friend and I came back to my house to change, and then ran over to the restaurant.
Our lunch was at Ruth's Chris in South Barrington, and it was so unbelievably good! And all of us girls were ordering different kinds of martinis, and passing our drinks along so others could try them. And I was pretty drunk by my 3rd one! And my instagram account shows how crazy I went with pictures, were a lot of them weren't very clear cuz of the lighting in our private room, but it still documents the fun! Me and my friend and another coworker walked around the shopping center to sober up a bit before we drove home. And we hammed it up with the sales girls in one store who were "mad and refusing to help us" because we didn't invite them to our fun party, lol.
Oh, and the hygienist kept ordering fru-fru drinks for one of the doctors who is always a bit of a loner in the office, and he hammed it up for us....so it was just exactly what we needed. I am hoping it will help those who are upset to see they still work at a great office, and I think we got to bond more than we usually get to in the office. I even managed to muster up some niceness to a coworker who usually does nothing but rub me the wrong way at work and had given up on. But I think part of that was the alcohol, lol
We have 17 days til we go on our road trip to see my parents. And hopefully I can get some time in with some friends while we are down there, too! But I am completely ready! I am only waiting on 2 items which shipped yesterday, faster than expected! And I am going to finish wrapping and ribboning what I do have here! And then I gotta decide on what kind of cookies I'm going to make for my cookie exchange, which right now has 7 people (I got one of the male doctors to sign up, and he wrote poison cookies next to this sign up, lol). I will be happy with 10, and honestly, I am hoping no more than that because I don't want to make anymore than 60 cookies for this!
And I have to muster up the courage to make my next hair appointment. I'm such a wimp.
Anyway, getting off topic here! So, everyone has been pretty stressed out, and yesterday was exactly what we all needed. The whole day me and my friend talked about food because we were saving our appetites for lunch, and we were starving! Even when we tried to stop talking about food, we kept talking about food! Luckily, several patients blew us off at the end of the day, and I collected all of the payments up front when the last patients came in so that we could hightail it out of there! My friend and I came back to my house to change, and then ran over to the restaurant.
Our lunch was at Ruth's Chris in South Barrington, and it was so unbelievably good! And all of us girls were ordering different kinds of martinis, and passing our drinks along so others could try them. And I was pretty drunk by my 3rd one! And my instagram account shows how crazy I went with pictures, were a lot of them weren't very clear cuz of the lighting in our private room, but it still documents the fun! Me and my friend and another coworker walked around the shopping center to sober up a bit before we drove home. And we hammed it up with the sales girls in one store who were "mad and refusing to help us" because we didn't invite them to our fun party, lol.
Oh, and the hygienist kept ordering fru-fru drinks for one of the doctors who is always a bit of a loner in the office, and he hammed it up for us....so it was just exactly what we needed. I am hoping it will help those who are upset to see they still work at a great office, and I think we got to bond more than we usually get to in the office. I even managed to muster up some niceness to a coworker who usually does nothing but rub me the wrong way at work and had given up on. But I think part of that was the alcohol, lol
We have 17 days til we go on our road trip to see my parents. And hopefully I can get some time in with some friends while we are down there, too! But I am completely ready! I am only waiting on 2 items which shipped yesterday, faster than expected! And I am going to finish wrapping and ribboning what I do have here! And then I gotta decide on what kind of cookies I'm going to make for my cookie exchange, which right now has 7 people (I got one of the male doctors to sign up, and he wrote poison cookies next to this sign up, lol). I will be happy with 10, and honestly, I am hoping no more than that because I don't want to make anymore than 60 cookies for this!
And I have to muster up the courage to make my next hair appointment. I'm such a wimp.
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