yippie

I get to "shoot" a new baby tomorrow morning! I am sooooo excited. So today, I am cruising the net for a few new ideas! It has been a little while since I photographed a little one. I am particularly excited to use my new lens with this shoot!

By the way...my high school senior finally sent me an order yesterday...the "smack" must have worked! :)

I also am going to hit Target & maybe even Hornbachers today, we'll see!

scary preceptor

the last 2 days I had a student with me...she is very sweet, but just seems like she needed a lot of encouragment to go in the right direction. She was very willing to do the work, but she just needed a bit of prompting. So I was talking to the other RT in the ICU with me yesterday...Angelina...I told her that I thought my student was pretty good, technically. But I wondered how motivated she was becasue she didn't seem to want to get out there and do stuff without me telling her to. Angelina reminded me that there might be something else causing her "timidness" and that could be that she is afraid of screwing up. Angelina graduated a few years after I did, and I precepted her as well. She told me that I had intimidated her when she was a student. I felt really bad when she said that because I thought she ment that I was mean and intimidating...but she said that it was becasue I knew so much about the patients she was afraid to sound stupid. Of couse I would not think that my little students are stupid if they don't know which sedation med is what, or what vasoactive drug our very sick patients are on...but I do think it is important to know that they are on sedation, and if they are on "pressors" because that does affect our job. Also it is extremely important to look at the patient as a whole person, not just a set of lungs and and airway tract. So I am sorry to all the students I have precepted if you thought that I was/am intimidating, I don't expect you to know this stuff, that is why I am sharing it with you....wow! I never thought I was one of those preceptors ;)

grandma's last gift

yesterday I earned my money at work....not that it was super busy or even that I had the extra work of having to precept a student the last few days (I'll get back to that). But I had to help a patient and their family get ready over the beginning of the week to get ready to go home to die with hospice. The other staff that I was working with had no experience with that. As ICU nurses, doctors, and respiratory therapists...we are all in the mode of saving people and we view death as the ultimate enemy. So changing gears to view it as the promised end of the situation is tough. I had an unfair advantage though...I have been on the flip side of that very situation. I have been in the 'family's shoes'. I very clearly remember the feelings that we as a family went through when we brought Grandma Delores home to be at home, to be pain free, to live out her last days in her own home, and to be with the ones she held dear to her. This patient's daughter is going to be her primary care giver, along with her siblings...this so parallels what happened with Grandma. You could see the overwhelmed look in their eyes as we went over the many different things that they would be responsible for. And I knew exactly how they felt...as I have lived that out practically in my own family and I was able to draw from that..so thank you Grandma...thank you for having the courage to face the truth with strength and grace not only for us, because of course you taught us so much from that...but I am able to apply it to so many situations in my career...having a special understanding for families affected by cancer, by hospice, or by death. Thank you Grandma!

my dog....

dan is so darn funny...he would just lay in the sun all day. If I didn't know better I would think he was part cat! but his sleepiness gave me a great chance to try out my newest piece of glass...what do you think, I am in love! with the glass, oh and the dog too!

fire & ice

we had the chance to check out our favorite hockey player Joseph Solberg...(our nephew). Their team is in town for the Fargo Flyers squirt international tournament. Sadly they did not win this game, but they had a great comeback from behind, and their normal goalie and coach were gone for a wedding. So that being said we had a great time with the Solbergs & watching our favorite hockey player in action. GREAT job Joe!

sneak peak

here is just a sneak peak at some of zaida's pictures...she is such a cutie!

buried under a foot of snow...

ok...I am getting really sick of this whole winter stuff! I mean really...I think it has gone on long enough. Heidi said that it was 64 in denver today...did I mention that I am having a problem with jealousy? Seriously...its just mean to rub it in!!! I haven't felt my toes since sometime in November. Now Dean my very DH (dear husband) would tell you it is because of the enoumous amounts of caffine I consume...I beg to differ. Perhaps it could be because it has not been above the freezing temp. since sometime in December? or it could have to do with my 2 favorite food groups...

Well anyhow...I had soooooo much fun taking pictures today...we went to the 'Plains Art Museum' and it was such a cool space. I am very excited to see how they turn out...Miss Zaida sure liked the tu-tu's I made. I will post a few sneak peak pix later this week.

last but not least, I have a little beef with the UPS crowd...if I pay to have 2 day shipping...I think either I should receive my item in the aloted 2 days, or I should be offered something free or a refund or something. I ordered a camera lens on Sat...payed the 2 day shipping and still am empty handed. And because of 'adverse' weather conditions...they are not even offering me a refund or anything. From now on...I think I will request the USPS...you know their saying...rain, snow, sleet, or shine. You gotta love the mail-man (or woman).

for those of you that didn't know, I had to get another eye injection yesterday (that makes about 12 in the last 15 months...roughly). This one wasn't so bad, but my eye is bleeding again. So for all of you that pray, if I might covet your prayers to stop the bleeding. I'm ok...but I am just getting tired of them.

I am back to work for the weekend starting tomorrow...so for Dawn so she can write it on her calendar (hehehe) I work Thurs-Sun 7a-7p.

Have a good one ya'll

snow day

well...today is a great snow day...remember those, from school. I loved snow days...you could just hang out and maybe rent a movie and just have a day off. today I am done editing pix of Mr. S (tennis pix). they are not my normal photo cup o tea so to speak, but I had the opportunity to rent a fab. lens...for you photo buffs...70-200 VR 2.8 nikon lens...(retail $1700)...I rented this lens and we almost had to move mountains to get it on time (a big thanks to Fed-ex of Fargo). It was just a rental, but it was awesome...so fast and incredible. the only draw-back, very heavy...like 6-7 pounds...which doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me it is! what a treat though! it is great to shoot behind great glass! here are a few sneak previews...

love is a choice

a very dear friend of mine & were talking today, and we were talking about relationships and some of the troubles that can come with them. I think when you 1st get married, or you are even dreaming of the prospect of getting married, you have these ideas in your head that once you get married, that all of your problems, including loneliness, financial troubles, and just security of having someone there will all just fix themselves. I am here to tell the world that, it just isn't so...Dean & I have what I would call a pretty good marriage, but I still experience loneliness, $ trouble, and insecurities all the time. & girls, let me let you in on a little secret...the images that you see on tv, movies, books, and magazines are just not true...in fact, I think it is the world's (the enemy's) way to paralyze us with dissatisfaction in our own relationships. Now I know that it would be great if it were like that....he comes home with flowers, and wants to take you out to dinner 2-3 times a month (or a week :). But even if he comes home tired and just wants to veg out in front of the TV, or even if he is a bit grumpy...love is a choice. I may not feel in love all the time, but I choose to love Dean every day...even when he is grumpy. And I choose to forgive him for when he is grumpy, not because he asks, but because I love him and I have to. It doesn't excuse his grumpiness, & it doesn't make it ok, but it makes it ok for me because I have released it and given it to God, and now it is between God & him, not me and him. And I don't have to hold on to the toxic resentment that will eventually divide us if it is not let go of. I don't know if this makes any sense, and maybe I am rambling...but I have had a request for more writing and less pictures :)
have a beautiful day...

SCC

Last night Dean & I had a "real" date. It started it out a bit rough...rushed frozen pizza for dinner and rush to church. See, our date was there because it was the Steven Curtis Chapman concert. Despite getting there only about 10-15 min before it started we found some decent seats (sight wise). We sat down and it was immediatly obvious that it would be a bit uncomfortable due to the stadium seating on the sides of the church (where we were), and Dean's long legs...think coach seating in an airplane but 1/2 the space. Anyways, it was great and God blessed us there! I have always loved SCC, but never have been to a concert of his! He had his sons playing in his band and his son Caleb led a little bit of worship at the beginning! My friend Sarah told me that she hoped it was a worshipfull experience, and it totally was.

2 things touched my heart...his love for his kids...if you haven't heard the song...cinderella...you need to listen to it...esp. parents...you will be a blubbering mess.

the second thing was his love for orphans...he has a huge heart for orphans...he has 3 adopted daughters from china, and they actually gave a family $2,600 to help them with the costs of adopting a little boy from Ethiopa. if you haven't seen it already...you should look at the website...SHOW HOPE...he said that loving on orphans is a practical way to "be like Jesus" to our world, as we are commanded to love the "least of these" which includes orphans and widdows.

have a wonderful day and stay warm...we are expecting a blizzard this weekend!!! YUK!

more vacation pix

sedona, arizona
sedona, arizona

oak creek canyon, sedona arizona

oak creek canyon, sedona arizona

grand canyon

fargo, nd (just kidding...obviously it is the grand canyon)

flagstaff, arizona

these are some of my favorites from our trip to AZ...I LOVED SEDONA!

Arizona & the GRAND CANYON

arizona...wouldn't that be nice right now? with all this cold weather I thought that these would be fun to see! this trip was the 1st real trip that Dean & I went on (like on a plane & stuff). We went to Phoenix & stayed with Matt ( my brother) and that was very nice because not only did we have someone to hang out with that knew where they were going, he also knew what was fun to do...the trip up to the Grand Canyon was really amazing! If you haven't been there, I really think that you should see it at least once!

vacation....all I really want....

you gotta imagine the tune that goes with that song! I really am getting sick of winter...I am sooo jealous of my friends that are planning to go on or have gone on vacation to some warm destination. We are not planning any vacay this year, but if Dean had his way, we would be going to the Twins spring training camp next March in Florida. I guess Florida wouldn't be bad, but I want a beach vacation someday before I die! So anyhow...the next few posts will be some of my favorite snapshots from some of my vacations over the years...enjoy