Fall madness

Fall is here. I do believe that it cooled off as quickly as it warmed up this summer. The AC is off and it's getting nice & chilly at night. Fall also signals the start of Marching season, football season, and homecoming parades for the girls. It has been a challenge in scheduling to say the least. Kyle has been the lifesaver in all of this and I am so glad that he's in a place with his job that he can step up and take care of the things I am unable to. 

Tomorrow is the Homecoming Parade for MCHS so I will get to watch it before I head back to Louisville to work, though I won't get to see the game. It's hard to believe that Tanith is a senior this year. Seems just like yesterday that she was 2 getting Easter pictures done in Amarillo. Sigh. 

Harlee is really coming into her own this year. It's so interesting to watch the kids figure out who they want be as they go through their teen years. She's more assertive and vocal about how people are. Makes for some interesting conversations here at home. 

A.J. though, he is a trip. For those that remember the nursery rhyme, "The girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead" comes to mind. He's definitely all boy and into everything. I think by the time it's all said and done, we'll have a percussionist in the house as well as the brass that the girls play. If he hears something with a beat, he can't stay still. The legs are jiggling, fingers are tapping, and the head is bobbing. It makes car rides very interesting, especially in my little Miata. 

October is going to be crazy busy. This weekend is Homecoming and the next 2 weekends after that are competition weekends. Kyle's sister is coming down as well and we are going to get to spend time with her & her family. Oct. 26th is Senior night, so Kyle and I will be standing with Tanith as she get's recognized. I'm going to have to find someone to man my camera for that night!

Mr. M gets the Drumline ready for the Exhibition in Clay county

Tanith conducting during warm-ups at Clay county

Beginning of the show before the salute to the judges

Harlee and the low brass line during warm-up

Learning curve

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted last.  Life has been very busy with the two oldest in Marching band, little man in school, and me at the new job.

Marching season is upon us again. The girls participated in their 1st exhibition yesterday. The band did well and it was a good opportunity to work out the bugs of the performance & get the nerves out of their system before next weekends double header competition. If you know me personally & I'm not available to talk for the next 6 wks, this is your heads up as to why lol.

Kyle has been holding down the fort while I work since he works in town. He picks up the girls from practice, works with the band parents at the concession stand, and is the go to person for every one it seems.  He makes it look easy when I know for a fact somedays you just want to tell everyone where they can go. So if you see him around, let him know what a great job he's doing =).

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Tuesday begins my 4th week at the new job and my 3rd week on the floor. I have discovered that I LOVE med/surg. I am always going. Granted, this may change as the rose colored glasses come off. But for the most part I'm pretty sure I've found my nursing home as far as specialties go.

There has been a huge learning curve when it comes to learning the policy & procedure of the company as well as learning my scope of practice according to the state of KY vs TN. Add that to learning charting software (Carelink for now w/ EPIC going live on 10/1), prioritization, and dealing with the pyxis system (I swear I have more sign-ons than a govt. agent!). Whew! I've been a busy girl =)

My preceptors and my educator have been awesome. I've made a few goofs (don't we all?), and they have been gracious & understanding.

I will say that I don't know that I have ever seen a company that walks it's talk as well as this one does. Every company I've worked for in the past usually had a huge disconnect between what the Administration wanted/needed and what the regular folks wanted/needed. With this company it's not like that. Again, this opinion might change once the rose colored glasses come off, but for now I definitely think I'm where I need to be.

 One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.                                                                                                                        - Benjamin Disraeli

Doors and Windows

A few months ago I posted about finishing nursing school. Tomorrow I begin the 1st day of my career, 2.5 hours from home. I submitted many resumes and applications that were an hour and a half or less of a commute from my house....nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. I try a little further out and tada! Job

I won't say that it wasn't discouraging not getting any bites. However, I knew that I would eventually end up where I needed to be. I just had to be still enough to listen. Apparently I was open enough to see the open window. I start with a large non-profit hospital system tomorrow. The application, resume, and interview process was painless. Voila! I now have a job. 

I have found over the years that if I stop fighting the process, I get better results. I let it come to me. Granted, some people would call that lazy, but think about it. Which is better? Expend a bunch of time and energy chasing something, and forcing it to be the way I think  it should be. Or? Letting the universe set up the opportunity and taking advantage of it. While I know that this is a very simplified view of things, I feel that my time and energy is better spent seeing the opportunities around me and taking advantage of them instead of trying to force something. 

Anyways, here's a toast to doors and windows and seeing the possibilities and opportunities that lie through them! 

Cheers!

Making Time

Every year we take a trip to Indiana to watch the Hydroplane boat races and spend time with family that we normally don't get to see. For the past 4 years we have been making a trip to Detroit, MI to watch the races up there the week after. Aside from getting to see some terrific boat racing, getting to see the family at both sights is the icing on the summer vacation cake.

Next year, if I can get it off (no job yet but working furiously towards that goal), I would like to add the San Diego race to that line up AND catch up with my really awesome cousin Chris over in Carlsbad (possibly convincing him & Amy to come to the race with us...hint hint lol). I've never been to California (Colorado is as far west as I've been so far)  and I would love to see that part of the country.

Life is always fleeting. I have come to realize that if I want to do the things I like & see the people I love, then I have to make the time to do so. In the end it's all about priorities. =)

I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer.

Mrs. Martin

What are we missing?

In a NY Times online article, the author, Tim Kriedle makes some very good points about the busyness in our lives. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/?smid=fb-share

If we hopelessly run the rat race going from activity to activity, we miss out what life is about. Granted,  depending on where John Q. Public places his priorities says that I'm wrong on this but to each his own. I catch hell all the time for the activities that I didn't sign my kids up for or choose to do myself. It's not that I don't have the time, but it's not important to me to do X activity. There are many life lessons to be learned in the time that isn't filled with "stuff". While the human mind needs material to act as input, it also needs that unstructured time to come up with solutions (you know, if you stop thinking about it the answer comes to you phenomenon). 

The biggest thing about this article that caught my eye though, was the following quote, " They’re busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they’re addicted to busyness and dread what they might have to face in its absence." In today's world busyness indicates success, but it reminds me of the Ouroboros symbol (the serpent eating its own tail). The self is submerged into this vast ocean of human consciousness, but no one is taught how to be individual within that consciousness. 

When it's quiet and there is nothing pressing, that means we have to self reflect. Our insecurities come creeping up from the bottom of our self-consciousness and weasle their way into our self belief. As long as our lives are crammed with STUFF, we can justify our treatment of others as a part of the norm instead of looking back & saying " you know I really bit so and so's head off today & it wasn't their fault, I think I give them a call to apologize". Or to take it a step it step further and really look at our faults and proactively work to compensate for them. 

I know this blog probably is probably clear as mud right now. I guess the biggest thing I wanted to say about this article is that what Mr. Kriedle points out is very true....now I'm going to do what I need to do so I can stare at the clouds for the rest of the day. =)

Finito

For those who have been following my journey through nursing school, I am officially finished. I received word yesterday that I passed my NCLEX (licensing boards) and am now waiting for the Board of Nursing (BON) to agree with the results, post it on their website, and send me a hard copy.

It has been an incredible journey. For those that cheered me on, Thank you. Your support meant everything to me. For the haters (yes, I had a few lol) Thank you too, for giving me an example of what I didn't want to be ;).

My biggest thanks however goes to my husband & children. Without them I would not have had the impetus to begin, much less finish. You provided me an office, sanity, and laughter. All things I didn't realize I needed to get through this journey.

Bucket list possibilities

This morning I was perusing fellow Blogger Charlie Grosso's page Spy Travelogue that details her 10,000 mile journey across Europe & Asia for the Mongol Rally and it hit me. I should let Kyle know about this. This sounds like a lot of fun. 

For the origins and a run down of what it entails you can read the wiki on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Rally. Now that the info part is over (yes, I expect you to be curious about what it entails), I'll tell you why this sounds like fun.

I've mentioned before that both of us tend to be gearheads. Cars are our thing. Case in point, the Miata. Yes the car was bought for me to drive back & forth to school, but it was Kyle who found a Miata club (http://musiccitymiataclub.com/)  for us to really enjoy the car. We've been all over the place with this club and seen many awesome things including the Biltmore, the Decatur, AL hot air balloonfest, Dallas, TX 20 yr Miata Anniversary party, and Sewanee College of the South to name a few.  For a while there we had a custody agreement over the car. I drove it during the week to school & he drove it on the weekends for club events...it's worked out well. 

So when I told him about the Mongol Rally, you could see the wheels turning in his head. "We should do that, as sort of a bucket list thing".  What better way to really & truly experience a country (or countries as the case may be) than to drive through them? 

Granted, this will be a few years down the road when I can make enough money for the entry fees & travel, and the kids more than likely will be out of the house. But, it sounds like a blast. International travel, cars, and charity. Can't wait to get to that point in our lives. 

So with all that being said here are a few more of our bucket list items:

1. Kyle really really wants to drive on the Ice Roads. 

2. I want to live & work in Europe for at least a year.

3. We want to build a Monster Miata 

What are some of your bucket list possibilities? 

Time to catch up!

Oh my... where to start.

It has been 2+ very busy months since last posted on here. I have officially graduated and am now waiting to take my boards at the end of this month. For those of you who have set yourselves a goal and pursued it to the exclusion or should I say in spite of everything else, you know the wonderful feeling of triumph and pride I experienced walking across the stage on May 5th. I also got to see my little sister which was great since I hadn't seen her in several years. My mom was up here as well in addition to Kyle's uncle and the rest of the crew that is normally here. The Miata club was also there cheering me on as I crossed the stage and then at dinner later that night. Needless to say I was very happy and very exhausted by the time I went to bed that night!

Mom & I after the pinning ceremony Friday night

Mom, Mandy, Pat & I on Saturday morning before graduation at IHOP

In the Line of March going to our seats 

Receiving my diploma from University President Mcfee 

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Both girls have their drivers permits now (please pay attention over there on the sidewalk...their lane control is not a pretty thing yet lol). They are growing up quickly. They've been working on the farm with Kyle setting tobacco. It's hot dirty work and they usually come home covered in dust and sweat. Good thing I keep plenty of towels clean, because it's usually a fight for the shower when they all get home!

They spent the spoils of their labor this weekend on electronics. One got herself an Ipad & the other bought herself her own laptop. They are rightfully proud of themselves and so are we. Physical labor is nothing to sneeze at, especially when it's really hot & humid outside. They have stuck with it through bug bites & sunburns.

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Father's day yesterday was a blast. We finally got Kyle. For those not in the know, there is a tradition in this family relating to presents. More specifically, how they're wrapped. Tanith decided to buy Kyle his own Ipad. Harlee & I split the cost with her, and Mysti was our buying agent. Mysti & Tanith wrapped it but good. False bottom in the box covered in Hello Kitty duct tape, wrapped in pink saran wrap, tissue paper, and regular paper. Needless to say he had a huge grin on his face for the rest of the day.
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Last but not least Regatta & Detroit are coming up & I will have pictures soon =)

Mrs. Martin

It never gets easier

Today I went with my daughters to attend the funeral of one of their classmates. They attended, I stayed in the car (per request of the eldest) to wait for them.

As a parent it breaks my heart to see them lose yet another class mate (this makes 3 in 5 yrs). I try to balance my need to protect my children from the brunt of life's harsher realities with the realization that they have to experience them in order to cope with them. I won't know for a long time if I've succeeded, if ever really. I just know that when my children hurt. I hurt because I can't fix it for them. Kisses on skinned hearts don't make everything better. I can be there for them, but they have to find the strength inside themselves to square their shoulders and push through the pain and loss to the life lessons that lay on the other side of it.

Also, I grieve for the parents who have lost  a child. Regardless of the circumstances, losing a child is heartbreaking. I live with the fear that someday that will be my child. I cannot put myself in their shoes, I cannot fathom the hole that is left. Just trying to imagine it takes my breath away.

My heart aches today.

Amarillo by morning...

Amarillo sunrise 03/7/12 in overlooking Wolflin Village

I know it's been a while since I've been on here. School has been insane and with Tanith turning 17 in January, I've been trying to cram those moments in as much as possible. I had to take a break though and make a delivery. By hand. In Amarillo.

I flew in yesterday and turned up on Mom's doorstep to deliver my graduation announcement in person. Now keep in mind I hadn't seen her in 4 years, and haven't been home in 10. 

Today we are spending the day together and I will get a closer look at all the changes time has wrought on my hometown. There are some that I have already noticed: there are now Starbucks in Amarillo...15 yrs ago when I left there were none, the grocery store by Mom's house is now a thrift store, and Western Plaza...well it's been demolished & rebuilt w/ a Burlington Coat factory. 

I'll post more as I notice, but for now I'm off to take a pretty lady out for breakfast =)