Glad That is Over

Taxes...

Ugh...

Getting our taxes done gives me heartburn every single time.

I know it is just one of those things we all have to do every year, but I find myself holding my breath each time we go in to get our taxes done.  I organize all of our write offs, I try to keep meticulous records and try to save every receipt.  But when I sit in that office, I just can't wait to be done and get the heck out of there.

We try to make a little date out of going to our tax appointment. 

We drive up to Burbank then go out to dinner on our way home...we either drown our sorrows or celebrate just a little bit.

Will we owe more than we already had taken out of our paychecks?

Will we get anything back?

What can I do to get a bigger return?

Oh my, I hate this appointment. (though I do like our tax man...it isn't him...it is the thought of having to pay more taxes).

I'm glad to say we survived the torture again this year. 

We came out ok and are getting a little bit back.  Now mind you, Dear Hubby and I both claim "single" so you'd hope we got something back but you never can be too hopeful!

Thankfully we were able to enjoy our dinner date ~

And on another note...look what I picked up earlier today:

Now it seems real.

I actually have a BSN!

Going to get this little piece of paper framed!!

Debbie

Growing My Own

There is a common saying in nursing that you cannot retire or quit until you "grow your own".

It would be nice if your own daughter, niece, or granddaughter would choose to go in to nursing.

In that way the profession does not die out and you have generations of nurses in one family...

So the other day, Lily was supposed to be practicing her letters.

When we looked this is what she had drawn:

When I asked what it was she told me it was a heart beat.  Duh!!

Now, I've never taught her this so I was surprised that she actually drew it and it is a pretty good rendering of an EKG.

Of course, I got all excited and told her that I thought she could grow up to be a nurse.

If she already draws such good heart rate rhythms then she could be an ICU nurse or 

even a flight nurse.

I told her that I always wanted to be a flight nurse so maybe she would like that.

How exciting would that be?!?!?

Her response to me:

"NO Lita! I want to be the carpet in the Aladdin show!"

 So much for growing my own.

Guess her gymnastic lessons will be put to good use....

Debbie

What am I Doing?

I became a labor and delivery nurse because I like these:

And love these:

I wanted to be able to care for women in labor and hopefully provide them with the best possible delivery.  I wanted to see new life and watch families get off to the best start.

Lately though, I have begun to wonder what I am doing.

Am I really doing what I am passionate about?

Am I making a difference?

More and more of my time is spent nursing one of these:

I spend more and more of my time time on the computer.

It has to do with "meaningful use" and electronic medical records.

It has to do with Medicare / Medicaid payments.

Hospitals are being forced to transition to computerized documentation and physician order entry.

If hospitals do not go to computerized charting then they risk loosing tons of money and potentially being forced to close their doors.

Yet, I am not liking all of these changes.

I honestly see so many more mistakes now then what I used to see.

And I feel as if I do not have the time to actually take care of my patients anymore.

All because I have to spend so much time on a computer....

Now don't get me wrong.  I like technology.

I have a facebook account, a blog, and I love making power point presentations.

I have a MAC computer and a PC.

I check my email every day.

I have a smart phone.

I am not against technology.

I think it is quite useful in caring for patients on the most part.

It is easier to diagnose things when you can see inside the body by using technology.

And I want to know how my patients babies are tolerating labor (though I do prefer intermittent fetal heart monitoring as long as the baby is ok rather than continuous monitoring)

I'm not against using technology to care for my patients....

But I really want to be with my patient...not sitting in front of a computer.

I want to be able to talk to my patient.

I want to be able to provide emotional support.

I want to provide a moment that they will remember.

I want to be hands on.

I want to provide that human touch.

I want to get back to the bedside.

But, I know the computer isn't going away...

I wish I had a secretary to follow me around and do all of my documentation for me.

Wish we could go back to the way it used to be.

I find myself wanting to throw this thing out the window!

And I go home more frustrated each day.
I went in to nursing to take care of humans...if I had wanted to take care of computers I would have gone in to IT....

Debbie

Conjunctivial Abrasion

My eye has been bugging me for a few days.
I thought it was just my contacts (which I only wear at work).
But the pain got worse.
I could point right to the area where it hurt.
One of my doctor friends at work said, "you know, eye pain is not normal"
Duh!!

So when I woke with an eye that was red and swollen I decided it was time to get it checked out.

Diagnosis - Conjunctival Abrasion.

I actually scratched the conjunctive of my eye (the white part...right below the iris or colored part).

Not sure how I did it, but I did.

It is pretty cool how they diagnosis it...they put this bright yellow stuff in your eye then look at it with a black light.  It shows any areas of injury.  

All I can say is that stuff stings when you actually have an abrasion or scratch.  But at least I found out that my pain was for a reason.

So I am on antibiotics (those sting the scratched area too).  But they should do the trick.

Luckily I'm on a 5 day stretch off of work so I should be able to rest it a bit.

Hoping it heals fast.  I don't do sick well...

Debbie

5 Years Old

Five years ago this week ~

this sweet little girl graced us with her presence.

We did not know if she was going to be a boy or a girl.

I can remember the moment vividly when my son came out of the delivery room carrying his new baby and telling us she was a little girl.

We loved her from the start!

 I wasn't ready to be called "Grandma" so we settled on a version of the Spanish word for Grandma which is "Abuelita".  Ever since that day Lily has called me, "Lita".

Though I wasn't ready for the grand title...I sure was ready for this cute little baby!

She tugged at my heart, and my love for her has grown deeper each day.

 Lily is sweet and caring.
She adores babies.

She is smart - often too smart for words....

She takes charge and is a natural born leader

 (often telling the group what to do and what is next).

She loves animals (her favorites are dogs and horses).

She loves to go to Disneyland with us.

She can ride a scooter like no other.

She can ride a bike without training wheels.

She loves her gymnastics class.

She has many friends.

She is funny and keeps us laughing.

She is in to makeup.

She loves all things princess.

She loves her dolls.

She is going to be the cutest flower girl in her Auntie's wedding.

We are so glad that she came to be a part of our family!

 Her choice for her birthday dinner: Rainforest Cafe.

So we celebrated Lily and her fifth birthday in style.

She chose her favorite meal...mac n' cheese.

Then of course she had a "VOLCANO!" for dessert.

Yes, She shared it with the rest of us.

When you are five, the best part about a party is of course the gifts:

Lily,

Your Lita loves you more than you will ever know.

I know that you are going to grow up in to a strong young woman.

Never loose your caring attitude and your love for adventure.

Mostly - never stop being funny

Even if picking an apes nose isn't what most little girls do...

 Happy 5th birthday to you!

Love,

Your favorite Lita