A swanky new pad and a more upbeat me!

Swanky. A new word in my vocabulary that my new roommate Julie uses to describe anything that's really nice. She's a funny girl! So I moved into my new apartment yesterday, and I love it!!! Hardwood floors, tile, new appliances, a garden tub, a view of the pool, a walk in closet, a separate dining room, and just an overall cool feel make the apartment so great! I am no where near completely settled, there are many boxes to unload and things to find a place for, but it already feels like home. My friend Jason and my dad graciously helped me move all of my stuff from my parent's house to my apartment. I appreciate them and their hardwork so much!! Matt (the amazing boyfriend in the prior blog) helped me unpack a lot of stuff last night, and he brought me beautiful flowers as a "housewarming" gift. My first meal was Papa Johns pizza while sitting on the floor at the coffee table! And of course the delivery of my brand new washer and dryer had to get messed up and I won't get that until Monday, but all in all yesterday was a good day! Julie will move in sometime in the next week or so.

My job. It seems as if this area of my life is constantly changing. Most of my friends have a hard time keeping up with what I am doing, when I am working, and what my hours are. Don't feel bad, I have a hard time keeping up with it as well! About a month ago, the Child Life Specialist in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) resigned from her position. After much thought and conversations with my boss, I decided not to interview for that position. It would be full-time, however, it is a VERY stressful floor and you experience/deal with a lot of death, and I just wasn't sure if I was ready for that on a full-time basis. BUT, my boss and I talked and decided that I would cover for basic child life needs in the PICU 3 days a week until someone new is hired. I am VERY excited about this opportunity. It will give me valuable experience not only in inpatient child life, but in learning how to deal with the harder, more emotional aspects of the job. It will also give me an opportunity to work with the other Child Life Specialists more and hopefully begin to build relationships with them. SO, this means that I will be working in the PICU on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:30 am til 6 pm and then I will be doing my "normal" job in the emergency department on Friday and Saturday from 3:30 pm until Midnight. So, this means that I will be working 40 hours a week, atleast for a little while, and i will have much more experience to draw from on future interviews when another position opens up. Yeah!

I am excited about Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus! I can't wait to see my nieces playing with their presents, and am so thankful that they are happy and healthy one year olds!!!