Southern California and Critical Care

The day before my last week in the OR (27th), I took a little trip to Title Mortgage in Hanover and got preapproved for a loan to buy a house. I'm feeling more confident and sure about the whole process this time around. It's a big commitment but I feel ready to buy property...at least a condo. I've been in the area for almost 9 years and I'm now in my 30s so it's time to start reaching milestones. My lease is up the end of August so I'm starting to look at homes now so I have plenty of time to look at several places. I starting visiting places last Sunday with Annette, 2 houses, 1 in Lebanon (over my price range and too big for a solo starter home) and 1 in Hartford (did not care for the location). I spent some time looking online today and wrote down some addresses...one of which is a super cute new condo listing that has a lot of potential for me.

My official last day in the OR was the 30th. It felt like just another day. It's funny to think that I've actually gotten to this point after thinking about it for so long. If you had told me during my first year in the OR that I was going to be there for almost 7 years, I would have told you you were nuts. Certifiably nuts. I hated it and I was depressed. It got better once I joined a team and after the first year, I fell into my niche and routine and before I knew it, years had passed. It's kind of hard to tell what changed to make me go through with this but I have a feeling that turning 30 and having my heart broken had a large part in making decisions and taking actions. I think the same events also helped me jumped out of a plane and pick up the challenge of drumming. Btw, I purchased an electronic drum set online yesterday. Anyways, I took two weeks off and have completed week 2 of my ICU orientation.

My two weeks off went by really fast...especially since I went to CA from the 6th to the 12th to visit Grammy Fran and Uncle Pete. I started vacation with a drum lesson and a gathering with a few coworkers at Jesse's but other than that and my trip, I was pretty damn lazy. I slept a lot. I had a good time in CA hanging out with Fran and getting to know Pete. I got in pretty late ET but got to visit a little bit before bed. The following day, we just relaxed and I headed into the city (they live a ways away in a very rural area right on the San Andreas fault) with Fran for lunch and errands. That night, we had steak on the grill and watched the Olympics. On Saturday, Pete and I left Fran at home to do touristy things. We went to Hollywood Blvd, Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, and drove to Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach and come home to a divine spaghetti dinner. We also did some hiking in Devil's Punch Bowl and checked out the nearby ski area on other days. I was also treated to a chicken dinner, Mexican out, and amazing baked ziti before I went to the airport. The rest of the time was spent hanging out, watching TV, chitchatting, and drinking cocktails. The last day, Fran and I did talk about the past, my dad, etc. I should write it down before I forget what she told me.

Fran's physical and mental status has begun to decline...it's quite noticeable when you compare now to when we first met her at the beginning of the summer of 2011. She moves slower and is more unstable on her feet (she's fallen more than once in the past year). It's also more difficult for her to get on her feet from a sitting position. She also has quite a bit more pain, especially in her legs. Her speech is also slower; it takes more time for her to think about what she wants to say and to actually say it. It's hard to witness this, especially within the context of her and Pete's dynamic because he seems to get frustrated at times with this new reality and has less patience for it...for example, he tends to finish sentences for her instead of letting her do it in her own time. She is actually in the hospital as I type this due to flu and cardiac issues. I'll elaborate more on this some other time.

We had a big storm the day after I got back and my drum lesson was cancelled. Boo. I got my final molds the following day at the dentist so I'll be starting with Invisalign trays in a couple weeks. The following day, Dayna and I went to breakfast at Lou's then went antiquing. We made dinner and watched Bruno...lol.

The first two weeks of orientation have been a little overwhelming. A lot of classroom time with lectures, powerpoints, self-learning modules, elearning, and hands on learning and scenarios in the simulation lab. So much information to learn and retain but it's been good so far. I'm excited to get my physical assessment and medication administration skills back as well as critical thinking. Last Tuesday, I had my first day in the unit with my preceptor and it went well. Wed night, I had a nice little break with a road trip to Burlington with Dayna to see Iration at Higher Ground. We had dinner on Church St. and hung out at the venue to see 2 opening bands (Natural Vibrations and The Movement). Iration was so good, I love so many of their songs. We eventually made our way to the front where we had someone take our picture with the band in the background and the lead singer photobombed it....sooo fucking awesome. I got to touch the drummer as he walked off stage. So cool.

Now, I must run some errands and maybe go to the gym for the first time since 1.27...yup it's been over a month, not kidding when I say I've been a lazy piece of crap. Today is Simone's 2nd birthday, tomorrow is her party and I am making a fruit salad.

Is it summer yet?!