Stay Strong

I'm a nurse, but sometimes I... don't realize the struggle of others automatically.

As I sit here today, September 11, 2013, I am reminded of the fifth grade girl watching the towers fall in her desk chair. I was unable to understand what was really happening, at the time. It wasn't until returning home after school to find my mom watching the news and crying did I realize that something terrible had happened. My uncle lived and still lives in New York City, and of course, she wasn't able to get a hold of him.

I was fortunate to not lose anyone close to me that day, but I do know people that did. I was able to travel to New York a couple of months after, and to see the damage first-hand as a twelve year old is an experience I will never forget. Like I said before, I don't think I understood truly what happened until I was faced with people slowly cleaning up the rubble that was left behind.

Today, I think it's important to remember those that lost their lives, both innocent and brave. Whether you believe it was a conspiracy theory, or a terrorist attack, many of our fellow Americans (fellow people) lost their lives. That is not something that we should simply brush off. My aunt, who I mentioned in a previous post, spent her last living months (though unaware) working with the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund. I think about her everyday, but especially on this day each year.

Yesterday was World Suicide Prevention Day. I think it ties in well with this event; it reminds us life is so precious. We all should realize that fact a little bit more, and become more aware of the struggles around us. Basically, we all should just love a little more. I'm taking a challenge upon myself to let my friends and family know more often how much I love them. I'm also going to try to share a smile with a stranger more frequently, and be less hesitant to share a compliment. How often do we appreciate something someone else does, but we don't say anything because we "don't know them that well"? Sometimes, all a person needs to feel important is a nice word from another person.

As a nurse, we are taught to be hyper-aware of suicide risks, and take extreme precautions when we notice suicidal behavior from one of our patients. However, I know I let my guard down a little bit when I'm out in the world outside of a hospital. I'm going to try to be more aware from now on, and spread some love. A simple phone call to someone you haven't seen or talked to in a while may be all they need.

My heart goes out to the families and friends that lost loved ones on this day, twelve years ago.

Fool-Proof Chili!

I'm a nurse, but sometimes I... Practice some cooking skills. 

I'm no cook. In fact, I think I've only prepare two real meals in my life. I've decided this year, though, that I would take it upon myself to start trying out different recipes and perfecting my skills. 

While in college, one of my roommates made a great chili that I loved. I'm a picky eater, so for me to like something that contained beans was a miracle. The smell of chili reminds me of fall and football, so I thought it would be perfect to make for my family at the beginning of September. The recipe is simple: 

1 large can of Great Northern Beans (I used 2 small cans)

1 can of chicken broth

1 jar of salsa (you can use any kind... The fresher the salsa, the whiter your chili will be. The medium salsa made a very spicy chili, but I enjoyed it!)

1 block of pepper jack cheese (I made mine with two... The cheesier the better! )

2 chicken breasts 

I simply boiled the chicken breasts and shredded them by hand. I rinsed off the beans. In a crockpot, I added all of the ingredients, ending with the cheese that I had cut into cubes. I then set the crockpot on "low", and cooked the chili until my cheese had melted. It was that easy! 

This recipe is perfect for those who have little time (ex: nurses). You simply throw everything into a crockpot, and it cooks! The best part is, you can play around with the recipe. There aren't any rules! 

I hope this recipe helps for a night where you don't know what to cook for dinner. It's a great game day treat as well, if you're into sports! 

Thank you all for reading! Xoxo. 

My Weekend (9/6)

I thought I'd do my "My Weekend" post a little differently today, because I didn't take very many pictures. However, I had one of the best weekends I've had in a while. On Friday, I attended my high school's football game. I used to be in the band (on the danceline), and being at the game felt very nostalgic. It was a perfect, early-fall night.

On Saturday, I went to my college city to visit some friends, and went to stay with my old roommate. Like I've mentioned before, we were paired randomly our freshman year and were roommates ever since. It's weird not to live with her, I'll admit. But my stay with her felt just like old times, complete with a walk to get snacks, and a movie. I cannot stress enough the importance of making an effort to maintain friendships, even when you can't be together all of the time. A quick visit is sometimes all that is needed to remember why you were friends in the first place! 

I had a wonderful weekend, and I hope you did too! I'm enjoying the beginning of September and I'm looking forward to what the rest of the month will bring. Xoxo.

#Tough Teacher

I'm back for another #advicetobabynursingstudents on this lovely Friday afternoon! I hope that this one proves helpful to you, because it is something that rang very true to me in nursing school...

Typically, the most difficult clinical instructor is the one you will learn the most from. Don't complain that you have to do more work, just listen to the information they provide you with!

My junior year of nursing school, the class was split up into different clinical groups and we had our first "real" hospital clinical. It was acute care, and we all had different clinical instructors for each group. I'd imagine this is pretty typical for each nursing school.

I had no previous experience with my clinical instructor, and neither had any of my classmates. We went into clinical the first day with no real expectations, but a great amount of curiosity. When my clinical instructor walked in on that first day, I could tell she was tough. She looked tough, she had years of experience in the emergency department, and was all around no-nonsense. In previous clinicals, my group was placed with the most maternal instructor you could imagine. So, of course, we were nervous with this abrupt change.

Throughout the weeks, it only became clearer how tough our instructor was. She made us do twice the amount of work the other groups had, and she wasn't nice about it either. She told us every day how she had to do more work than she was giving us, all while taking care of her baby through nursing school. I looked at other clinical groups with jealousy, for they seemed to be living the dream.

By the end of the year, my group realized we had it best. We gained so much knowledge and experience through having our instructor, and we were admittedly thankful for her. I believe that it's important to recognize that the more work you do in nursing school, the better prepared you are for the real world. Although it's no fun at the time, it's all worth it when you rock your first job. If it hadn't been for that instructor, I don't think I would have as much confidence as I do now! Just because an instructor has a reputation for being "hard" doesn't mean that they're impossible. They want you to learn as much as they can teach you, and they will if you listen!

Have an awesome weekend, everyone! See you on Monday! Xoxo.

Feeling Fall

I'm a nurse, but sometimes I... like to make crafts!

Fall, or autumn, is by far my favorite season. I love the fashion, the weather in Ohio is just right, and the scenery outside is beautiful. There's something about the season that makes me feel cozy and nostalgic. I listen to the same music (John Mayer, Jamie Cullum, Ingrid Michaelson) at the start of fall each year, and the first season of Gossip Girl always gets me in the mood for fall.

With the weather starting to cool down, I swapped out my bright nail polish for darks and decided to create some fall-inspired projects. I have been really into triangle garlands, and I recently saw a video from MacBarbie07 in which she created a cool lyric craft! These two were simple to make, and helped my room to look a little more festive without being cheesy. 

I used metallic gold and white paint for my lyric project.

Simply paint a wooden board whatever color
you want the words to be.

Let it dry completely before placing sticker-letters in any
phrase you wish.

Paint over the stickers in your main color and slowly
peel them off before it dries completely. Be sure
your font-color has dried completely before placing stickers..
OOPS!

Ta-da!

I'm now obsessed with mini clothespins...

Easiest craft ever... just cut triangles from any craft paper,
and secure them on twine with mini clothespins! Instant
festivity!

I hope everyone is having an amazing week. If you're back to school-- good luck! Try one of these crafts for some fun... they're easy, and fairly inexpensive. Thank you so much for reading! Happy Fall! Xoxo.

The Human Connection

I'm a nurse, but sometimes I... forget that each patient and each person I see in this world has their own story.

Now, I'm only human. Sometimes I focus a little to much on myself, and judge others too quickly. Though I actively try not to, it's a part of life and I'm pretty certain that we're all guilty of judging someone at least once in our lives. That being said, it is extremely important (as nurses) to try and see past the outside of a person, and remember that it's impossible to know everything about them. Every person is dealing with something in their own lives, whether they show it or not. It is up to us to show them respect, and empathy.

I saw this video a little while back, and thought it was so appropriate to share with other nurses. It's easy to begin to look at people as just another patient, but a person is so much more than that. They have families, and they have struggles outside of their illnesses. They are scared. They are nervous. They are sad.

Going into my first job as a nurse, I am trying to remember this every day. It's easy to look at someone and judge them without knowing their full story. I see this all of the time with other nurses and health care professionals; we see someone as a "pill seeker", or someone who comes into the hospital because they simply want pain medicine.

I've been guilty of thinking it, I'll admit. But then I remember my aunt. My aunt, forty-four years old, frequently went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain before she knew that anything was wrong with her. Nurses judged her as someone seeking pain pills, but the pain she was in was agonizing. It wasn't until she demanded that they run every test possible that they were able to diagnose her with pancreatic cancer... As a nurse, I know I would have been ashamed of judging her when her pain must have been unbearable.

Bottom line is, though it's so easy to let your mind go to judging, it's important to stop. I urge you to watch this video, and recognize that there are so many people that are dealing with things you know nothing about. We all need to treat each person the way we want to be treated (I know, cheesy), and share a little love with everyone we meet.

My (Long) Weekend (8/30)

I apologize for the holiday hiatus yesterday, but in spirit of American tradition, I spent the day relaxing with family. My uncle was in from New York, and my newly-married cousin was in from Colorado, so my time was well-spent in many places! I also attended my first college football game of the season as well as our local fair (which is a pretty big deal around here)! I hope every one of you had a great, relaxing weekend. It was a great close to the summer season, and although I'm envious of those going back to school, I'm ready to start working!

Second pumpkin spice latte of the season!

A little arm candy...

Details from my current-favorite skirt.