home sweet home

Wow! What can I say this past week has again been quite the whirlwind of a time. I must say that I’m thoroughly enjoying this fast-paced and ever-changing lifestyle. This past week at work was a busy one; I had two days in the classroom and two days on the unit. On Wednesday we had a class solely for the four new oncology nurses. It was great having a personalized and intimate day of learning; we covered topics such as chemotherapy administration, bone marrow transplants, neutropenia, infections and all the unique care that goes along with the oncology field. My two 12 hour days on the unit flew by, I cannot get over how fast the days go! I’m so busy running around and getting things finished that its 8pm before I blink twice! Haha.

I was also able to volunteer at a free health clinic for homeless men on Tuesday night, it was a great experience where I felt my passions for health, education, the underprivileged, Christianity and nursing could all blend together. I look forward to returning to the clinic each available Wednesday evening.

I also found a place to live! I will be renting an apartment in the Gramercy/Lower East Side area of Manhattan. The apartment has two bedrooms and I will be living with another nurse from NYU, she is wonderful and someone I foresee being a great friend. My bedroom has an amazing view of the Chrysler and Empire State Building; I will be sure to post some pictures when I move in. I’m now in the limbo of buying some furniture and transitioning into the apartment.

I was also fortunate to have a four-day weekend so I made an impromptu trip home to visit my family and friends. I must say it was a bit surreal leaving the city and arriving to an area filled with lush foliage, crisp air and an absence of honking taxis and bustling subway systems. I was only home for a short two days but it was so relaxing and I accomplished a lot! Unfortunately, I got a pretty nasty throat infection and spent Saturday morning at the doctor’s office getting antibiotics. Other than that little set back I had a wonderful time seeing my dear mom, dad, dog and two kitties. I also was able to see Brandon and his girlfriend Amy, my friend Britt, her fiancé and of course my boyfriend, Braydon. I truly cannot get over how blessed I am to have these wonderful people in my life. As my dad says, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and that is certainly the case for each of the above people. I’ll update more a bit later but as for now, I’m off to church!
Love!

“We are made for loving, if we do not love, we will be like plants without water.”

Thoughts from the week

Hey all!
I promised a real update earlier today so I'm finally sitting down to write some tidbits about life in nyc. If you have not checked out the pictures from below, please do! Braydon came to town this past weekend and we had a wonderful whirlwind of a time together....We saw the world trade center site, statue of liberty, battery park, and new york stock exchange. We toured nbc studios and had an 'upper east side' dinner with Braydon's uncle. We took a two hour run/walk/hike/sight-seeing adventure in central park. We ate at a Scandinavian restaurant in the West Village (I felt right at home eating pickled herring and lefse!), we visited a few puppy shops in the West Village--Braydon convinced me not to bring one home. We also went swing dancing, scoped out Times Square, Bryant Park and went to a fabulous church service....can you believe he was here for just a few days?

Work has also been going really well, it is challenging but I always leave knowing that I did my best and feeling incredibly fulfilled. I must say one challenge has surprised me and perhaps caught me a little off guard. As mentioned before, I worked on an oncology and hospice unit last summer; I was truly blessed to have that experience. The hospital had an amazing hospice (palliative care) team of doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains that gracefully facilitated the dying process of our cancer patients. While advanced medical treatment has saved many lives and brings an abundance of benefits, it can also be a double edged sword. It breaks my heart watching elderly patients die in pain from chemotherapy and in fear from the unknown, knowing they could be at home with their family, dying with peace and dignity. This topic exposes a plethora of ethical dilemmas (and I'm obviously a bit bias) but it is an important issue for everyone to consider and reflect upon. I am diligent not to persuade or be biased toward treatment options with my patients, but these experiences have surely reinforced my desire to pursue a vocation in hospice nursing or palliative care.

Well, I should get going home (I'm still at the hospital!), I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying there last few days of August, best wishes to all!

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"Never live in the past but always learn from it."

Another fabulous weekend

Hey all! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the last few weeks of summer! I posted a few pictures from this weekend (I'll give a more updated post a little later!). Per usual I've been pretty busy with work and sight seeing...there are endless opportunities. Things are still going well but perhaps that little bit of homesickness is starting to settle in--only part of the normal process :)

The above picture is from a run in central park...kind of corny but I thought it was a pretty view.
Just eating a little bit of ice cream in times square :)
Braydon came to visit again! The view from the hotel room....it was a beautiful sun shower.
We got a tour at NBC studios from his uncle. This is on the set of Dr. Oz's new talk show. It was an awesome time and I'll share more later.
In front of the new york stock exchange....pretty cool!

Take care all!
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"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

Running to a new journey

So this is the time of year I would usually be starting cross country if I was back in any of the past ten years of my life.  There are some nostalgic feelings for the team, competition, satisfaction of accomplishment and challenge of the sport but it is so wonderful how these cherished values are still present (and ever growing) in my life here in New York.  I am a part of an amazing team on my hospital unit; the nurses, doctors, families, social workers, physical therapists, etc use the utmost teamwork to provide the most effective care for the patients.  In cross country I valued the relationships I made with my teammates; they were crucial during and strengthened by adversity, and once again the same is true in the hospital.  After working together through a medical emergency or a trying situation, the bonds between team members are always strengthened.  The challenge and subsequent accomplishment of cross country was a driving force in my passion for the sport.  As mentioned before, the challenge of working with severely or terminally ill patients is unbelievably rewarding and keeps me joyfully returning for more.  I love how my life passions and values intertwine and blend together as I travel along my journey.  So while I have a few longings for cross country, I am starting a new season, just in a different activity, fortunately it still provides the values, passion and joy that I so crave in life.

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"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.  Just because they are not on your road does not mean they have gotten lost."

-Jackson Browne

Saturday Night

Hope all is well with everyone!

It's been a while since I've updated, once again time has flown by and I've been busy!  This week was very classroom intensive at work, from here on we'll have less time in the classroom and more time on the unit.  I'm continuing to love my job and find it incredibly rewarding.  Well, I don't have too much time...I have to get to bed so I can get up early to work, but I'll give some highlights of the past week....

-Running this evening as the sun set over the west side of Manhattan.

-Passing my exams at work (and not having to do any more!)

-Having dinner with my next door neighbor from home (who was in town for the day)

-Going out with my nursing friends last night--who are all from the Midwest, funny how we tend to find one another, no matter where we are in the country :)

-My uncle's birthday at the house--being with family and having a very nice dinner.

-Walking home from work one evening (its about an hour+ walk), going through midtown and blending into the rush hour crowd.

Those are just a few highlights for now!  Take care everyone and look for more coming soon!

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"Take the first step in faith.  You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

-Dr Martin Luther King Jr

Post 2

Hey all,

So I felt like making a second post for the day...perhaps to make up for the lack of posting this week.  I must admit, I again feel like a tried and true New Yorker.  I just returned from my cousin's grandfather's memorial service this afternoon.  Afterwards I was talking with my aunt and she remarked that the service and it's attendents were 'so Manhattan.'  I couldn't have agreed more.  The service was set in a lovely little chapel on the west side, with old ladies in big hats, men in fancy suits, a lot of hugs and kisses, and genuine charm.  I didn't know their grandfather very well but the service captured such a great picture of his life.  I am always touched by baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc. the celebrations of life milestones always make me stop and reflect on my own life.  The sons spoke about their dad and told stories about how much he loved his wife and his family; it really warmed my heart and inspired me to love my family and friends in a similar way.

After the service, I took my aunt and uncle's dogs out for a walk.  Strolling down Madison Avenue, carrying the teacup poodle (she got a little tired) and walking their other little pup, I again felt my midwestern ways slipping into the new york culture.   The little things like walking the dogs in the city or taking the subway to work or getting my morning coffee from a street vendor are the events that start to add up and are beginning to transform me from a minnesota girl to a new york lady.... it is certainly an exciting time.

All for now, best wishes and all my love!

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"Courage is going from failure to failure without loosing enthusiasm."  -Winston Churchill

an update!

Hey everyone!

I hope the weekend is coming to a nice close for you all :) I feel like the past few days have completely flown by.... probably because I was sleeping for most of it!  My first few days of work were great but extremely challenging.  While I have worked on an oncology unit before, the patients on this unit are quite a bit sicker than the other units.  I am also learning how to care for bone marrow transplant patients, which requires a whole new set of medications and care that is new to me.  The biggest challenge is becoming familiar with all the new policies, whereabouts of supplies, computer programs and general workings of the unit.  I am learning so much but I really learn from not knowing...its definitely a humbling experience.

I was able to relax this weekend; last night I went out to dinner with my cousin Jake and a family friend from Maddens, we had a great time catching up and laughing a lot together.  Today I am going to a memorial service for my cousin's grandfather who passed away this past week.  It will be nice to spend some meaningful time with family.

Well this is a short post but I'll have much more updates later! Oh and a little explanation of the pictures...above is the view from a restaurant Braydon and I went to when he came to visit and below is a picture of NYU medical center.

Love and God's peace to all!

"Challenges are what makes life interesting, overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

My new place?

Hey hey!

Wow, I continually have so much to share with you all!  This afternoon I overheard a lady in the grocery store say, "If you're bored in Manhattan, than there is something wrong with you."  Honestly that could not be more true; there is always so much going on and so many things to do!

I went on my first apartment searching outing last night and I really liked one particular place.  I added a couple of pictures of the area, just to give you a 'feel' for the green space, quaintness and charm of the apartment 'township.'  The place is located between Murray Hill and the East Village (also close to Union Square) and just 10 blocks from my work.  I'd be living with another girl in a 2 bedroom apartment; she's really friendly and we share a lot of the same interests.  I didn't include too many pictures of the actual apartment because I feel a little invasive posting those on the blog, but hopefully you can get an idea from the other pictures.  The top photo would be the view from my bedroom.  The apartment is a part of a little  'township' called stueyvescant town, it has its own parks, fountains and green space for the residents.  It was so nice to be further 'downtown' (around 16th street), there are soo many young people; currently I live more uptown (around 95th), it's a wonderful area but has a strong population of families and older folk.

Another fun fact--last night I was having dinner with my aunt, uncle and cousins and New York's mayor, Mr. Bloomberg, was at the table right next to us!  What a small world.

I will probably be going on a three day hiatus from blogging as I work 3 12-hour days coming up, but I will be sure to report back this weekend.

Take care everyone!

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"A part of kindness consists of loving people more than they deserve."

Monday

Hello!

Well its been a wonderful day so far here in nyc. I just got back from a little run and it was so peaceful. Anyone who is a nyc runner knows about about this quaint reservoir (its called the Jackie Onassis Reservoir) in the middle of central park, its only about a mile around but its a place to relax and be in nature within such a bustling place. I'm fortunate that my Aunt and Uncle's abode sits only a few blocks away from the reservoir loop. I posted a picture below of a view from the trail. I also posted a picture of Braydon and I from this weekend, this was on the rooftop of the townhouse before going out to dinner...we have become quite savvy with my camera's self-timer :)

As I mentioned before, I have today and tomorrow off from work. While its nice to relax, I have a to-do list that has about 20 tasks to accomplish...so I'm still staying busy.

Many of you know that I am quite a book worm; I absolutely love reading new books (I'm especially a fan of non-fiction health/psychology books). I classify myself as one of ''those people'' who can spend hours in Barnes and Noble and have no idea where the time went. I just finished reading Elizabeth Kubler Ross' On Death and Dying. It's a real classic, published in the 1970's, she really was the pioneer of the dying process and stages of grief. Elizabeth Kubler Ross was a physician who conducted interviews with terminally ill patients in a quest to learn what dying people need in the last leg of their journey. I loved this book and really related toher reflections and conclusions about caring for people facing death. There were so many inspirational passages but I would like to share one in particular with you all. The following passage comes from a patient interviewed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross; he discusses how he finds solace in accepting the death of the young and innocent. This passage really resonates with me; if I were to give my explanation on how I accept death it would mirror what this wise patient has to say...

"And it's faith, it isn't theory of someone else, meaning I don't understand God's way and many things that happen, but I believe that God is greater than I am and when I look at the young people dying, and their parents, and everyone says what a waste and that, I can see. I say, "God is love." It isn't just words, I really mean it. And that he, if he is love, then he knows that this moment of this person's life is their best moment and if they had lived longer, if they had lived less, he couldn't give them as much of eternity or they would have in eternity a punishment that would be worse than it would be now. I think in his love, this is how I can accept the deaths of the young and the innocent."

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"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

-Mother Teresa

Hello!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! As I previously mentioned, my boyfriend Braydon came to visit this past weekend. He was on a business trip earlier in the week and was able to make a brief stop here in the city on his way home. This was his first visit to nyc so I tried to show him as much as possible in a day.... but let's be honest it takes way more than one day to really see this place :) I included a few pictures from our day together.

I have the next couple of days off from work and then I work three 12 hour shifts in a row, it should be a very good learning experience :)

I'll update more later, I hope everyone is doing well--love to all!

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"Happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have."