Trip to the maritimes involves

Day 1

Warm spring days. 

Kayaking down the Nashwaak

Having tuna fish sandwhiches and cookies. 

A trip to moms favourite store. 

Find out that mom was driving a car with a loose wheel...after the fact

Then a favourite supper that dad makes involving pork chops, sour cream and apples. Yum!

Go quading around the trees to see dad's work. 

Top it off with, "do you want to build a snowman". 

Day 2 

Early start to the morning. 

Cousin Jason drops by and I see him for a second as before I had to leave. 

Off to the market with Aunt Cheryl and mom. 

Stop for breakfast of a lox bagel. 

See moms cousin Kim, Beth and Amy. 

Walk downtown as the sun is out. 

Gather groceries for the day. 

Return home and nap. 

Then have lobster, garlic toast, and salad topped with butterscotch pie. 

And because I really love to eat,

Convince mom to buy a whirly pop and make popcorn for the movie, "about time". 

Day 3

Early again. I am starting to get pretty sleepy. 

Stop in Harvey. 

Saw my great great grandfathers and mothers home 

where my great grandma Eva Tracey lived. 

It is now called the kubbyhole. 

Drive to Bocabec.  

Baby shower for a little one and my cousin Heidi. 

Saw cousin Beth and aunt Beth. 

Loveliness. 

Serious movie of August: Osage County. 

Good night. 

Day 4

Sleep in finally!

Doughnuts in jam cause that's what you do when you are on vacation and visiting your parents. 

Drive into Fredericton to see Nan. 

Show off your dog. 

Speak of an incident of a small toddler (I bet she was cute) eating a prized tomato of her grandfathers way back in the 80s....any guesses?

Checked out the largest pothole In NB, although I feel AB still can give a run for the money. 

Fish, fiddleheads, salad, and spicy potatoes. 

Off to Zumba....because did mention I bought another butterscotch pie. Yum!

Finish the night with dancing with the stars. 

Day 5

Rainy hazy day. 

Watched a bit of tv. 

Made cinnamon buns. 

Went for a walk in the woods and saw the twin (trees). 

Went to the city to see the movie Godzilla. 

Facetimed the family at home. 

And found a horrible new ipad game to be addicted to. 

Day 6

Rain comes again. 

So it's a lazy hazy day of leftovers. 

Talking. 

Lounging. 

TV watching. 

Then out to dinner with the Robertson clan for dinner. 

Mini reunion with the cousins (without Jimi, we missed you!)

Good family talks with games in the restaurant. 

Good way to end!

Love

Nursing moments

As I finish off my last week of my current job I have found myself sentimental of the moments I had with staff and patients. I know that I am making the right descison. But isn't it funny that when you decide to leave a job and embark on something new, you find yourself looking at the present situation as wonderful and amazing and the new one looks a bit more daunting than you last imagined it?

I talked this over with my family and husband and am told that this is a natural reaction and everything looks brighter and better when there is something new and different in the horizon. 

Regardless I have been thinking of some really positive moments that I have had. That I have loved and enjoyed. And I think that is really where you want to leave things off. 

There were shifts that I have managed to be in patients rooms laughing as they tell wonderful stories, joking with me, pranking me. They became friends with their roommates and would look out for them, discussing their ailments with each other and being each other cheerleaders. And I would cheer them both on, pleased at how people can really make the most of their situation and find a friend in the process. 

Other shifts where goals of care would be switched as medical intervention could know longer help. They would become comfort care and I would be there to hold their hand, wash their skin, control their pain and massage their feet if time permits. Those were fantastic moments. 

Other rotations was with the dream team. They were a collective of nurses that I truly loved and admired and would consider them friends. Usually on an evening shift. We would make plans for cupcakes and treats one day to keep us going to day 6 in our rotation. Or make plans to dye a long term patients hair as she was in need of primping and fauning that you just don't get in a hospital. These were the people that would come to my aid if I needed help with a boost, med, info, or wash. Love love love them. And will miss those the most. I have laughed with them, vented with them, offered words of encouragement as they did for me and just enjoyed them so much. 

Sure there were days where I have gotten hit, sworn at, yelled at. Some days I would go home questioning, feeling despair, or anxiety. Good talks with family would usually help. Then I would talk with myself. I am a person that tends to give power to the negative things said to me and dismiss the positive with little regard of what was said. It is a work in process. As apparently I need to believe it when people say I am good at what I do.....blah blah blah. I still can't say what people have said to me in actual quotations, he he. One day, but it is something that I am starting to believe as I embark on new adventures. 

It has definitely been an adventure. A year of growth. A year of knowledge. And a year that I have pushed myself into situations I could not have imagined being in. 

And it's just the beginning....

Love

Lost mittens

As we walked our dog down a grassy path

A path that I frequent regularly now that we have a dog

Mark spotted a mitten

Did you drop a mitten recently, Tracey?

Nope, I replied

Just making sure as this could have been yours. 

This has been a year of lost mittens. 

One in November, in Jasper

One in a movie theater in Edmonton 

One in the work parking lot in St. Albert 

And finally one just recently in a building in Stony Plain

Could it be that the winter was this long?

Or that I am this absent minded?

Regardless thank you to my husband for keeping a look out on the orphan mittens. 

Love

Sickness

So I got sick. It was a few weeks ago. And never had I felt like that before. Some kind of stomach flu. But when I googled stomach flu it actually came up that there was no such thing. But I think that is the best descriptor for most to understand what was happening. 

It was also the first time that I had to call in sick without giving a bit of notice. And I felt horrible. Two am sick calls on a weekend. I know I was sick, blah blah blah. But it's okay to feel bad for the people that are going to be working that shift right? (Wink, wink). Thankfully the charge that I talked to was so understanding and nice about it that I didn't worry. 

Now that I am over the sickness and can actually look at perogies now, he he. I have to give a big appreciation shout out to my partner. I can sometimes be (a little) unsympathetic to his blights of illness...poor thing. But as I rolled down the stairs the next morning half, sleep, with chills going up my back and extreme pain jabbing me from all sides he took care of me. 

He went to the store and bought me five different flavored Gatorade drinks to boost up my hydration and electrolytes. He made me chicken broth and rice to eat. He let me be as I slept on and off the day. And at night when the pain still wouldn't go away and I was still experiencing "chills" he went out again to buy me Tylenol, allowing me to sleep 11 straight hours that night and morning. 

He's a good man. I could learn a lot from him. Ha ha ha. 

Love

Two wolves

So I mentioned before that I was reading the book "Prime," by Ariana Huffington. Lots of valuable thoughts and stories in it that I am going to attempt to practice in the coming months...hopefully years! Blog on some of those things in later posts. 

But one story that I loved loved loved was this one! I had to search for it immediately after. Such a wonderful lesson! Hope you enjoy! 

A Native America Indian legend

Two wolves

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. He told him of the battle that goes on inside people. 

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, jealousy, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” 

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Love

whoopsie!

Bringing in May with a whoops....so I actually made a few posts at the end of April. But it looks like I forgot to publish them....so enjoy.

AND...

Happy May 1. Spring is upon us. Let's enjoy!

love