I did it!!

I joined "skywatch Friday". I hope I can keep up this commitment. I love going over to Wiggers World and looking at all of the cool pictures. I am officially number 222 in the list of blogging photographers, this is so cool!

So, here is my first entry for Skywatch Friday, just one day late. LOL

This picture is of the Empire state building and the NYC sky taken in April 2005.

Enjoy!!

TGIF

Thank goodness its Friday!! Only one more night to work and then I get 4 days off. I am mentally struggling with work right now because I want to stay home and play. LOL

I love my house, and I love where I live and all the cool things there are to do here, so I want to spend my time playing, isnt that a great idea? There was a time in my life when I wanted to get away from the house, and all of the screaming, fighting and hassles that went with the marriage and the house, and I loved going to work. It was an escape....

But now, thanks to Dana, I dont have to go through that anymore. :-)


One of my online friends, Debbie in NC belongs to a photography group that posts really cool pictures on Fridays, their group is called "Skywatch Friday". Please go to the site and view some of these amazing photos! Here is the link http://womtig.blogspot.com/ .

More to come tomorrow!

My Lust For a Taser

I have been an ER RN for 11 years, and during that period of time, I have had many occasions where I could really have benefitted by using something to "assist" me in controlling drunk, unruly, asshole patients.

4 years ago, I had the experience to see a Taser put to use right in front of my eyes. A friend of ours was a Taser trainer for the city PD and he brought his in one night to show me. He was very proud. I was in love! Not with Mike but with his Taser!

2 days later he used it on a patient right in front of me! He brought me a patient from an alley somewhere in town... a HUGE 16 yr old drunk and extremely high on drugs who thought he was superman and who began to swing and attack Mike, the police officer. Before I knew it, Mike had this kid on the floor without ever touching him! What a surge of adrenalin that was!! I was hooked!

Since then I have tried, unsuccessfully, to talk many PD officers into giving me their tasers. They always smile and say nooooo......

My search goes on. I can think of nothing more satisfying that to zap some of the unruly, spitting, cussing assholes that we have to deal with!

So, in the spirit of promoting safe use of Tasers in the ER, I am posting this story. Enjoy! Its one of my favorites... I dont know who the original author is but I applaud him/her. The story is hysterical! LOL

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry’s Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Taser.. The effects of the Taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety….?? WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I’d get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn’t be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat.

But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I’m looking at this little device measuring about 5′ long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, ‘no possible way!’ What happened next is almost beyond description, but I’ll do my best…? I’m sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, ‘don’t do it stupid,’ reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn’t hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . . . HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE HADES!!!

I’m pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, manhood nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note: If you ever feel compelled to ‘mug’ yourself with a Taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative? SON-OF-A-GUN, THAT HURT LIKE HECK!!!

A minute or so later (I can’t be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling.

Apparently I wet myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair. I’m still looking for my manhood and I’m offering a significant reward for their safe return!!

P. S. My wife loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!
Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight?

A Smile on Her Face..

Breanna is smiling, and laughing!! In the last week, she has finally started acting like her old self. THANK YOU GOD!

Life is getting better for my girl, she has a new job, coworkers that make her laugh and possibilities of a new future. This morning, dressed in her Lifeguard swim suit, she left for a day at the pools. LTC classes this morning and then the afternoon spent at a gorgeous pool with fun people, basking in the warm sun watching people have fun.

Last night it dawned on me. We were sitting there watching 2 teams of total strangers to us playing college baseball, in a crowd of 5000 and she was having fun!

At the ballgame they had a tribute to military personnel and she cried, stood there and cried... I think it was a pressure release. I am so proud of the way she has withstood the humiliation, degradation and feeling of failure that the good old USAF instilled in her while she was at Lackland. They succeeded in destroying her pride, her self confidence and her self worth. Damn them!

Thanks to God for helping her get Breanna back.

When she left for work this morning, I realized that she is back. She is smiling, laughing, talking about work. Thinking about maybe going to college this fall, not giving up on the Navy by any means, but realizing that there is still a future out there for her.

I LOVE this kid! And I am SO proud of her strength!

Happy Memorial Day!

Well happy day before Memorial Day anyway! I am not sure what we are doing tomorrow, so I didnt want to miss the opportunity to honor those brave servicemen and women who serve our country and defend our freedom!

May God Bless them all!

We dont have actual plans for tomorrow, but I would love to do something fun. Our town is hosting the "Junior College World Series", and this is a great time to get out and see some real kick ass baseball. Nothing is as exciting as college baseball!!

Breanna is at work, her first day on the job as a lifeguard for the City of Grand Junction. She is lifeguarding at the big outdoor pool, complete with water slide and splash pad playground, a 13' diving well and various diving boards.

It is called the "Big pool" in our area. I know she is going to have fun this summer.

If it were only warm outside, right now it is overcast and in the low 70's. Too cold for me to swim in an unheated pool! LOL

Have a great holiday everyone.

Peaceful

I have changed my blog header picture. Do you like it? I decided to remove all things military from the header for a while just for a change. This change reflects how I am feeling about Breannas future..... peaceful, maybe content is a better word.

After going through all of the stress over the last year, the rollercoaster of being an Air Force mom, the ups and downs of dealing with her discharge, her decision of joining the Navy, all the possibilities that could happen after the Navy received her paperwork, and the worries involved with this whole mess. She has come to a conclusion.

If the Navy doesnt work out, she is going on to college. Possibly to study pre law. She will be a dynamite lawyer some day if she chooses to do this. It was always my aspiration and my dream to become a lawyer. Unfortunately, life happens and I didnt get the chance.

So, she has a plan B and that makes me feel good. We have to take each day at a time and watch for the signs that God gives us...

I want to leave you with one more peaceful picture, sunset at the north pole...enjoy

Life is short, live each day to its fullest...

One last stab in the back!

And the US Air Force has reared its freaking ugly head once again. It is quite possible that they finally ruined Breannas chances of ever being in the military, ever.

Her medical records from the Air Force (where she fought tooth and nail to STAY IN TRAINING for 8 months) were sent to the MEPS doctor (who is a civilian.... WHY????) and he sent his determination back to the Navy recruits stating he felt she should be "permanently disqualified from enlistment due to an adjustment disorder". This determination by a CIVILIAN doctor was made entirely based on what was documented in her medical records by the AF and without ever laying eyes on Breanna.

I am livid.


My daughter, who went through living hell, fighting, appealing ELS recommendations, serving as an element leader, working extra detail while she had her arm in a sling. Spending countless hours as EC at night, volunteering to get out of the dorms and as close to active Air Force as she could by working with Warrior games, 5K races and anything that would get her OUT of the dorms instead of laying there like a lump as most did....

My daughter who continues to volunteer to help the AIR FORCE recruiter even though she is no longer Air Force, who did volunteer RAP while she was home on Con Leave, does NOT have an adjustment disorder. This is ludicrous.

I WILL get my hands on those medical records.

The Navy is being gracious and forwarding all of the paperwork plus a handwritten statement from Breanna on to the Navy higher ups for review. But deep down in the pit of my stomach, those familiar feelings have come back. The same feelings that lived in the pit of my stomach for 7 out of 8 months from July of 2007 to March of 2008. Feelings of dread.

Please say a prayer that this will all work out. Bre says the Navy recruiters are not acting worried over this, but its not their kids dream that will be destroyed, yet again, if it all falls through.

By the way, if you dont want to read graphic language, dont read Bre's blog today. She is as frustrated as I am..

How totally wierd

I am at work, its 1:15am, and I had a few minutes to peruse through my email and read some blogs. I have to read my email from the server website while at work because I use incredimail.

And guess what I found?? I have NO email. This is weird. I have never NOT had email. And the thoughts are running through my mind. Is my email server down? Did the tornadoes in eastern colorado suck up a tower and render us without internet service? Did I pay the bill? LOL

We must still have internet service at home because I havent heard from Breanna and when our server goes down it becomes a MAJOR issue at my house. We are at Defcon 5 without internet service.

I am now at a loss, what to do with my email reading time? I might need a support group if this continues. LOL

OK off to save lives, cya!!

What has happened to pride in your appearance? A rant.

Have we become such an "anything goes" society that people dont care how they look?

I mean really, is it just the area where I live or is it everywhere? I used to blame the area where we lived in PA, it was full of Appalachian mountainish people who came to "town" usually on the weekends, and plain (Amish, mennonite) folks who were usually out working in the fields all day, if they took a break to run into Walmart for supplies of course they wouldnt change clothes.

But I dont live there anymore. I have moved to what I consider "civilization". We have every restaurant known to man here, we have a population of approximately 120,000 people in this valley. We cater to tourists, skiiers, movie stars and are the gateway to "Colorado ski country USA". We have a 4 yr college, host the Junior College baseball world series (which is this weekend by the way) and have one of the best public school systems in Colorado. The average 3 bedroom 2 bath home now costs in the neighborhood of $250,000. In short we are not a backwards community.

So why do so many peole look like they just walked out of a landfill when they go out in public? Maybe I am just sensitive, I have made a decision that I can no longer shop at our Walmart supercenter for groceries. This topic may be too sensitive to some of my readers so I wont go on about it, just suffice it to say that when I buy groceries I am quite possibly the only legal Amercian citizen in the store, and I am tired of dodging families of 8 or 10, all chattering in their native tongue, buying their groceries with food stamps that MY taxes are paying for.

NOW.. that said, lets go back to the pride in appearance topic. I am not hoity toity, but I was raised to wear clean clothes out in public, comb my hair, brush my teeth and look "presentable" to quote my mom. I have a college degree, make good money and I will NOT look like a transient out in public. I may look like a transient when I am cleaning house or scooping dog poop out in the yard but thats different. LOL If I am at home cleaning house and find that I have run out of cleaner, I change my clothes and go to the store. Its 2nd nature. Am I the only one who does this???

I have never seen such bedraggled looking people as I saw today. Dirty clothes, (I mean really DIRTY clothes), uncombed hair, filthy flip flops, and some of them had children in equally disheveled condition following them, one lady had a pair of knit short shorts on, obviously no underwear and her bra straps are showing. She was also wearing a pair of platform sandals!!

COME ON PEOPLE... soap is cheap! It isnt even summer yet! Cant you wash your clothes and comb your hair when you go out in public???

Dont get me started on what they look like when they go out to eat at a restaurant.......

Rant over, I am off to work for the next 3 nights, I will probably be taking care of some of those people I have described above. Maybe this is why it bothers me so much????

I can haz hotdog?

Dana and Breanna love going to the site "I can haz cheezeburger". It is a fun site chocked full of pics of cats and kittens all with cute sayings on them. I am not a cat person, but my Breanna (fruit of my loins) has provided me with a replacement site that I will love... its called "I has a hot dog"!!

Here is the link:http://ihasahotdog.com/tag/dachshund

And I have taken the liberty of posting a couple of pics from the site. I hope you enjoy them!

I must confess, I am absolutely in LOVE with this breed! I have had basset hounds for 27 years, and I love them too. But when we got Frankie, I really found a breed that I am enamoured with. Maybe some day we will get another one. 2 doxies and one very laid back basset wouldnt be too many dogs, right?

A little under the weather

Breanna woke up sick about 4:30am this morning, she passed out and ended up smacking the floor with her face cutting her lip!

Its not always pleasant to have a mom that is an ER nurse. I looked at her lip, told her that we wouldnt stitch it up and made her go back to bed in our room (Dana was at work) because I had the AC on. She hasnt had any solid food yet but is finally holding down some liquids. If I had an IV set up and some saline I would have started an IV on her and given her a liter of fluids. She would feel better by now for sure.

I have taken care of tons of people with this same virus over the last month. It appears that vomiting has become an emergency, people cant tolerate being uncomfortable any more.

Anyway, hopefully she is feeling better. She is asleep now, so thats a good thing.

As promised, here is the 2nd part of the Navy Boot Camp video. Breanna says that it is a lot like BMT, I guess they are all kind of alike.

Anchors Aweigh Y'all!!!

Navy Boot Camp Part 1

I found this video on Youtube and was drawn to watch it. It is very informative, and well done. It reminds me of the "film reels" we used to watch in elementary school, kind of. Maybe its just the documentary style...

Anyway, watch and learn! Dont forget to turn off the video portion of my playlist.



It is obvious that Navy boot camp is very very different from Air Force BMT. They incorporate physical training on land and in the water, which makes for a different twist. Breanna is very comfortable in the water, and her swimming and lifesaving skills will, I am sure, be an asset to her.

Boot Camp is finalized in a 12 hour test, called "Battlestations". It is detailed in another video. Stay tuned tomorrow for that one.

Please keep those prayers coming, the Navy brass should have Breannas medical records by tomorrow or tuesday and we will find out if the waiver can be written !

An Upset Circadian Rhythm.. the mystery is solved!

I am sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can be a dangerous thing. Today I put the english muffins on the butter shelf of the refrigerator and the butter in the freezer!! I sat down to read my email with my car keys in my hand, and left my can of diet pepsi on the kitchen counter. It is getting scary. LOL I am sure this has nothing to do with the forgetfullness of menopause and everything to do with working all night and sleeping intermittantly during the day.

So I began to research:

Main Entry:
sleep deprivation
Part of Speech:
n
Definition:
the condition of being robbed of sleep, in real life or in experiment, as opposed to being unable to sleep. Such as working night shift as a nurse in an emergency room and trying to maintain a normal life.

The definition is from an online dictionary, the statement in red is from me. LOL

Life on the night shift is very different from life any other time. Night shift workers eat weird food at weird times, drink too much caffeine, and spend a lot of time trying to "catch up" with the rest of the waking world. We never quite get caught up. About the time we feel like we have gotten close.. we have to go back to work!

Extensive research has been done on the subject regarding night shift workers, here is an excerpt from an online article on this subject:

Sleep is needed by all animals - even plants appear to have rest periods. The human body naturally follows a 24-hour period of wakefulness and sleepiness that is regulated by an internal circadian clock. In fact, the circadian clock is linked to nature's cycle of light and darkness. The clock regulates cycles in body temperature, hormones, heart rate, and other body functions. For humans, the desire to sleep is strongest between midnight and six a.m. Many people are alert in the morning, with a natural dip in alertness in the mid-afternoon. It is difficult to reset the internal circadian clock.

SO! This is why I am always one step behind! My circadian clock cannot be reset! The mystery has been solved! LOLOL

Now my solution to this problem is simple. Retire from night shift nursing. How freaking possible is this? Maybe in 10 years I will find out!

cya tomorrow!

The Paperwork Has Arrived!!!

The power of Politics!! Breannas medical records from the USAF have arrived at the Navy recruiters office. They received them yesterday afternoon. Isnt it amazing that our congressman did in 2 weeks what no one else, military or civilian could do in 3 1/2 months!

And, for the record, the Air Force did lie to everyone. (what??? say it isnt so!!) The records ARE kept at Lackland, they are NOT sent to the VA immediately after discharge, thats just a line that they gave. They have so many lines.....

So, the plan now is, the Navy recruiter is forwarding the records to their higher ups for evaluation. And then the waiver for the killer reentry code can be written and she can go to MEPS for the remainder of her physical. She wont have to take the entire physical because she just had a MEPS physical last July. Please say a prayer that this goes off without a hitch. She is so ready to get back to military life.

Yesterday was the final catharsis, she picked up her new Navy lanyard for her keychain and put away the Air Force one. We have been cleansed....

Now please cross all fingers, say lots of prayers and send positive thoughts for Breanna! Everything is appreciated!

Have you hugged your Wiener today?

Our little Frankie is a tiny bit under the weather, so I have declared today "Hug Your Wiener Day". Frankie has a sprained shoulder. We think he injured it while playing with Max our basset hound. Max weighs 67lbs and Frankie weighs 15.8lbs so when they play it is a little lopsided.

We took Frankie to the vet on Monday and she started him on some Prednisone, (I know its a good drug but I hate what it does to dogs when they take it) and we are supposed to keep Frankie "resting". He is 8 months old. There is no way, short of putting him in his crate 24/7 to keep him resting.

Today he is kind of sad and clingy, and he has needed lots of hugs. Of course, I am not complaining, because aside from Dana and Breanna, Frankie is my favorite thing to hug. I have to work tonight, so Frankie took a nap with me this afternoon and right now he is in his 2 legger sisters room lying on her bed, getting in some more rest time.

Here are some dachshund pics that I have on hand. Enjoy.

And dont forget to HUG YOUR WIENER!!

Frog experts!

I am so addicted to reading other peoples' blogs that I am now recruiting bloggers!! A couple of my online friends and I have convinced one of my friends (Hi Linda) to start her own blog.

You see, Linda is the mom to 2 recently acquired frogs. We have learned a lot through her experiences with her frogs. Did you know male frogs dont have penises? I didnt either! I thought at least they would have a teeny tiny one, but I guess they are leaving those for ex-husbands! LOL

And when frogs mate they fertilize the egg from the outside! Lindas very young niece was present when her frogs were "getting acquainted" and Gracie in her adorableness decided that the frogs were giving horsey rides. ummm ok, that will work.

I also didnt know that frogs need extra calcium! What a week we have had learning about frogs via Linda, and her frog kids.

Once she has completed her blog, I will post her link so you all can become frog experts too. (If that floats your boat). Until then, if there is any exciting frog news you can bet I will post about it!

And here is a frog for my Dana:

Ribbit Y'all!

** UPDATE** Linda has completed her blog, The link is here in my favorite blogs in my right side bar. enjoy

I dodged a bullet!!

This morning was a normal Monday, I got up, let the dogs out and was settling in to watch some TV. Frankie was laying on my lap and Max was at my feet when all of a sudden the guy who does our lawn walked by the window!

OMG! you would have thought that we were under terrorist attack! Since Frankie has a sprained shoulder I am holding on to him, Max is turning around in circles trying to figure out what all the excitement is about and in the middle of the chaos, some one (or should I say some dog) KNOCKED MY NEW LAPTOP OFF ONTO THE WOODEN FLOOR!

I glanced to see if the screen was shattered and it wasnt so I just closed it and took care of the dogs.

Then when I tried to log back online I couldnt connect to the internet! OMG! DEFCON 5!!!!!!!!!

I worked for about 15 minutes troubleshooting and my good old Microsoft Vista diagnosing program informed me that my "wireless connection was turned off"! hmmm Apparantly there is a button on the side of the laptop that turns the wireless connection on and off. WHY???? Why would I even want to turn the wireless connection off??? Anyway, I searched and finally found my gateway owner material, located the wireless connection button and it was broken.

I am panicking.

Dana was asleep, I burst into the bedroom and loudly announce "THE DOGS HAVE BROKEN MY LAPTOP!" and being the good husband that he is, he got up, came in and looked at my laptop (Dana is my computer guru :-) ). He removed the broken switch, reached in there with some tool and turned the wireless connection back on, and then he sat down. LOLOL As calm and cool as a cucumber! It was a good thing that he was cool, I was ready to pack up the laptop and ship it off to Gateway for what would obviously be a $400-$500 repair.

So now I am back online, and the little teeny tiny button isnt even missed.

Whew! computer problems create such a panic for me. LOL

In Honor of My Mom..

With today being mothers day, I thought it only fitting that I honor my mom just a little bit.

My mom, born Ermalea Darlene Lofgren (she dropped the Darlene as soon as she could). Raised by her grandparents, (grandfather was an immigrant from Sweden) surrounded by loving aunts and uncles, married at a very young age.

She has been a constant in my life. My mom was always there when I needed her, she was always there when I came home from school, and when I needed rides to any after school function. She was a room mother and a brownie leader when I was in elementary school. She was active on the PTO and as a Committee leader for our local Democratic party.

She has a great sense of humor an amazing level of tolerance, a loving heart and loves soap operas. She can make the BEST fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and german chocolate cake. And macaroni and cheese. Holy cow, can she make macaroni and cheese!!!

Never once do I remember a cruel word coming out of her mouth, she is a gentle soul.

My mom.. the true definition of a mother, from head to toe, I only hope that I can be half the mother you are.

I love you.

A Breed Apart...

I am an ER nurse. And I work the night shift. We are a special breed. We work hard, we see the worst in people, we are not weak. We do not back down, no matter how much we are cussed at, or swung at, We are in control, We all have type "A" personalities and todays blog is dedicated to my colleagues.. we are A BREED APART.

I have always believed that the ER chooses its own. Not all nurses can make it in the emergency room, even though many may have the desire and the drive. The ER is cruel and demanding, it is an entity all its own. it can be calm as a lamb one moment and wild and chaotic the next. We hold peoples lives in our hands. We see people at their worst, we see destruction at its cruelist and we see life slip away... sometimes in the blink of an eye.

We can hold the hand of an elderly man who was once strong and brave, but who is now weak, frail and fearful, as he knows he is leaving this world. And then we have to turn around and use the same hand to hold pressure on a wound of a child who might possibly face the same fate.

We do not think.... we react. We know what needs to be done before the doctor gives the order to do it. We close our hearts and our minds off to the devastation that we encounter on a regular basis, to preserve our own sanity.

We do not sleep. We over indulge in caffeine and junk food, and 3 times a week, for 12-15 hours per day, we come back to the trenches... the "pit", and we start over again. I cannot explain the reason why.

I have worked for over 11 yrs in the ER, and it seems like only yesterday that I walked into the emergency room for my first shift. Scared to death, yet curious, with eyes wide open. And I felt the pull, as the ER clutched me in its talons. And I have never left.

I ran across another persons blog about emergency nursing, and I have copied an excerpt. my thanks to the author-ERNursey:

"ER nurses are a special breed, we deal with a lot and so we are tough, tenacious and assertive. Some read that as bitchy but it isn't true. A day in the ER can range from the incredibly boring to the truly terrifying and it can change in an instant. We have no control over the type or number of patients that come through our doors. Our patients and their family members are under a great deal of stress and that sometimes causes them to act unpredictably. ER nurses suffer more assaults and related injuries than any other group of nurses. We also suffer a higher rate of burnout than any other specialty. It's not for everyone but for some it is the only thing."

I have realized that to me, it IS the only thing. And it is the same for many of my coworkers. We have crossed the abyss, never to return to normal nursing.

So, as "Nurses week" closes, I would like to salute all of the Emergency room nurses across this country, who go to the trenches every day, and walk away exhausted, sometimes frustrated, sometimes tearful, but always proud. You, my colleagues are AWESOME!!!

WHAT is with these gas prices??

I am amazed at how much gas prices have skyrocketed since January! Our gas prices are now $3.71 per gallon for mid grade and climbing. I heard this morning that gas prices have gone up 15 cents per gallon here in the last 2 weeks. Whats going on??

I am really going to age myself but when I was in college (ca 1976) I worked in a convenience store and we sold gas for 36 cents a gallon! We could drive all over town on a dollar! Boy times have changed.. But as I look around here, in the tourist capitol of western Colorado, I am not seeing too many people conserving. They are still driving their HUGE RV's and gas guzzling cars. I dont know about you guys but there is no way I would drive those 30-40 foot long RV's on vacation, no way!

We did our part, we traded off my Jeep Grand Cherokee that got MAYBE 15pmg in the city for my Escape (which I love) that now gets 20+mpg in the city. Its not much but its something. And... we put $30 worth of REGULAR gas in it today and got 3/4 of a gallon! $30 worth of gas for the Jeep (we had to use mid grade) wouldnt even give me 1/2 of a tank.

Here is a cartoon that shows me at the pump gassing up my Escape (I am the one whistling. LOL)....

Have a great day! Take a walk!

Before I forget, we received a copy of the letter sent from our Congressman to the "Congressional Liaison for the USAF, Lackland AFB TX) I didnt even know there WAS a Congressional Liaison for the USAF. In this letter, our Congressman requested Breannas medical records to be sent in their entirety immediately. Thats just a tiny part of the letter, but it was impressive and I am excited to see if they pay attention to it!

Neighbor troubles!!

We are having a questionable problem with our neighbors. Not the adults, but the children. Our neighbor is a single mom with 2 little boys, one is 4 and the other is 2. She has a new boyfriend, so they chase the boys outside to play in the yard. Thats no biggie EXCEPT the little heathens stand at the fence and poke sticks, rake handles etc through the fence (that we share) at our dogs.

We have talked to her several times, and when she is watching them (which is seldom anymore) she will scold them. But they totally ignore her. They throw their toys over the fence into our yard and we have told her that we are now going to throw the toys into the trash if they come into our yard. She says ok. But they still throw stuff over. They have a TON of toys..

Anyway tonight, our dogs were in the yard and when the kids came running up to the fence (they had friends over so there were 4 little ones) our dogs ran up to see them, wagging their tales.. The oldest boy drew his leg back and before I could yell at him, kicked the fence really hard right in our basset hounds face! (I SCREAMED out the kitchen window and the poor dumb little things looked around like it was a voice from the heavens). Dana ran out of the door to talk to them but I doubt that it sunk in. The mother never showed her face! If I heard someone scream as loud at my kid as I did at hers I would be running around the house to see what was wrong..

I guess this week we will be buying a storage shed and that will be the project for mothers day. We can put the shed up against their part of the fence and block them out completely...

Oh well, we need storage room.

Here is a pic to make you smile. Who could resist a face like this?

A Meeting At Our Congressmans Office... and Escape pics.

Hidey Ho Neighbors!!! The wheels are in motion! At least I hope they are. We met today with our Congressmans liaison with the VA, at Congressman Salazar's office. He is very familiar with the military and the VA. He had Breanna fill out a release of records form and he will send it to Lackland with a letter from the Congressman requesting expedition of her medical record copies.

We are requesting that the copies be sent either to her or to the Congressmans office. He said that the USAF will take exactly the time allowed by law to respond (30 days) so not to expect anything until at least 30 days from now. At least it is something!!

We also stopped by the Navy recruiters office to let them know and the recruiter said he thought he had them last week, he called Lackland and they said that they were there, and they would fax them to him. But they didnt.

The Congressmans assistant said that the records are still at Lackland. It is illegal for them to be sent to the VA records dept in St Louis at this time. They are required to keep them there for a certain period of time. He said he will get the records. Its just a matter of time. Lying must be second nature to the Air Force..

On a lighter note! Here are pics of my new Escape! I am in love with it! It is red in color with beige leather upholstery, and it has a sun roof! Credit for the pics goes to Breanna, she was my photographer. In one of the pics you can see Danas Escape sitting behind mine, his is red too!

The Navy Flies too...

I ran across this awesome video, so I thought I would share. Dont forget to turn the sound off on my playlist jukebox!

Breanna and I have been watching the documentary "Carrier", which follows the USS Nimitz off and on for a period of 5 or 6 months in 2005. It was an amazing documentary and I recommend it for anyone who is considering joining the Navy, or for anyone who is interested in Aircraft carriers and jets.

Speaking of joining the Navy, we are still waiting on the Air Force to forward Breannas medical records. I am getting impatient. I am calling our Congressman tomorrow. Someone somewhere surely has the ability to get her records. The Navy recruiter has expended his resources and contacts. His Navy liaison at the VA says the USAF liaison office is empty. Go figure...

Please throw a few prayers our way so we can get this show on the road. As it stands, Breanna wont get to go to boot camp until August, she surely doesnt want to be at Great Lakes Illinois in the WINTER!!!

Enjoy the video!

Cinco de Mayo????

Today, our town celebrated Cinco de Mayo. (or maybe it should have beed called Tres de Mayo??) anyway a huge blowout dedicated to the latino community! .....NOT.

Dana, Bre and I went down after I got up to see the celebration, and it was.... PITIFUL. It was almost funny, no wait, it WAS funny. They had the downtown main street blocked off for about 5 blocks, and since the celebration was scheduled to go until 10:00pm, and it was only 4:00pm, we thought surely something "festive" would be happening. The extend of the festivity was limited to the far end of the main street where the beer tent was erected, and here sat a fry bread stand, a funnel cake stand, a bbq stand, 3 swap meet stands full of t shirts fresh from Tijuana, and ..... a man selling ceramic yard ornaments!! 99% of the people were camped out here, (and probably are still there) and the other 4 city blocks had... NOTHING!

Well, not exactly nothing, more like 4 rebuilt low riders, and a maroon pickup, all on display, but that was it. Again, it was pitiful. A huge bust, for such a big town! I have observed that our town specializes in big busts, remind me sometime to tell you about the "Santa arrives in Grand Junction" celebration. LOL

Anyway, we left Tres de Mayo and went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, at least they have a festive atmosphere! LOL

I am going to read blogs for a while and head to bed, tomorrow I will take a pic of my new Escape so you guys can see it! Have a great night.

Just a quick post!!

I am at work but I wanted to share the good news! My DEAR husband, love of my life, my reason for living, Dana. Went out yesterday and did ALL of the dirty work and bought me a new car!!

Those of you who know me well, know I absolutely LOATHE buying new cars, I dont want to deal with the slimy, fake smiles of the salesmen and their disgusting condescending jokes. I dont want to deal with credit checks, (I have been very burned out on credit checks in my former marriage) and It give me hives. Bottom line... I really really hate it!

We have been talking about trading in my Jeep Grand Cherokee for several months, it is getting on in years (8 yrs old) and mileage (94,000) and we wanted to trade it off while we still had a good trade in.

So Dana volunteered to go look at a Ford Escape that we found, while I was sleeping yesterday. So, when I got up, there it was, sitting in our driveway! YAAAY ME!

I had to go down and sign paperwork, but thats it. I drove it to work last night, and it is SO awesome! I will take a picture and post it this weekend, it is my dream car. 2008, Ford Escape Limited, red in color, sun roof, leather upholstery, and tons of bells and whistles.

I am one lucky girl. I love my husband :-)