this isn't the bible belt

so, one of the nicest things about being a nurse is the time off. i view my job as the thing i do to pay bills, so that i can afford to play. my job is not my life. my job is the avenue through which i afford my life. i just got done with a 5 day-off spree, in which i took no vacation. now, doesn't everyone want to be a nurse?! alas, today i went back to work though. i must say, waking up at 0530 3 days in a row is kind hard. i sleep in on the days i have off (if sleeping in utnil 0800 counts that is..) but my body never gets in a routine. so i'll be really tired on saturday morning when i actually get to sleep in for the first time in 3 days. still, i really enjoy the flexibility of my job. i think that is one of the strongest good points about being a nurse. flexibility. otherwise, being a nurse is just downright hard. (i am always blogging about nursing b/c i am at work when i blog..) when you meet strangers, day to day, they are, in general, nice. right? the person who served you ice cream this afternoon, he/she was nice weren't they? and the person who let you out in traffic this morning- they were probably a nice, amiable person looking out for someone else in the morning rush. and what about the checker at the grocery store? they were cordial, greeted you, and politely told you how much you owed. HOWEVER, put any of those ppl in the hospital and they turn into mean, horrible, hateful, demanding, thankless OGRES! either that, or, people who go to the hospitals are in general meaner than the average joe. i've never met so many mean ppl in my entire life! most ppl i meet outside of my job are nice, but maybe that's b/c the ppl in retial and grocery stores are customer satisfation related. maybe they actually really are mean ppl. but ppl in the hospital are just down right, outright, not-even-trying-to-disguise-it mean. and i know that they are out of their element, uncomfortable, in pain, and in general feeling rather awkard. but if i, or any of my friends, were in the hospital, i garantee they would at least say "please' and 'thank you'. or consider the job of the nurse. or apologize for being a bother. 90% of ppl in thehospital don't even go there. maybe i expect too much. maybe they expect too much. the job of a nurse is full of pre-conceived expectations. they should answer me when i need them right away. they should wait on only me. they should, they should they should etc. if you respond to this post you could tell me what you would expect from a nurse if you were hospitalized tonight from a car wreck. maybe that would help me understand my job better. one area i have for growth is in the spiritual realm. i deeply desire to pray with my patients. but it has been really hard to initate that. sometimes i wonder, what if they are mormon? what will they think or respond? and other times i just don't know how to bring that up. i've been praying about it for months, asking god to show me the correct time to bring up such a desire with a patient. i forget all too often too. b/c i get hungry. or tired. or i want to blog (whoops!) but i think it would be a very poweful and good ministry here in the hospital. i mean, i kind of have victims. they can't get away! they are stuck in their beds, hurting, or unable to walk fast enough to get away from me praying...tha'ts kinda a weird way to think about it though...

tonight i am going to bible study again. i am excited about it. i am always excited about it though. when i used to lead a bible study in fayetteville, i kinda dreaded it. it was awkward, and not many ppl talked. and only a certain few talk at this new bible study, but i can tell more ppl will start to open up with some time. i am still so interested in seeing what they have to say about studies i have done personally or corporately over the past few years. maybe ppl in utah were taught differently...after all, this isn't the bible belt.

eshter's stay went fabulously! she went skiing one day, and then got on my snowboard at the end of the day and did really well. the next day i took her rock climbing. i msut say i am quite proud of myself for getting her as sore as she is now. i don't think she can get herself out of bed without groaning. only, she lives alone so no one wil know. we explored some new parts of salt lake/park city yesterday. we went to the DI or Deseret Industry. which is a mormon owned thrift store. and it rocked! there were tons of good name brand clothes! i found a north face denali vest(for men) and bought it for 4$!! then we went to nordstrom rack- a discount store from the original store. it was super cheap and had super cute things! i got a fun pair of mary jane shoes that look totally 'seattle' (see my comment on gennie davis' blog here ) then we went to park city and check out the factory outlet stores. the banana republic was quite good considering in recent months they have upped their prices by almost 75% and have decided to beome more "boutiquish" and not sell as many of the same thing and just make what htey do sell mor expesive. the ann taylor was great. i bough t acardigan for 10$. only thing is when i go shopping these days, i don't need anything anymore. cuz where do i wear it??! i wear scrubs most of the time, and then when i am not at work i wear my patagonia climbing clothes or just comfy stuff around. but summer is here which mean si can wear my skirts again , so pershaps i'll start ot wear allt hose cute clothes i have from being in the south and needing to live up to southern belle par. then we went to the gap outlet. it was alright. not spectactular. but the thing with outlets and thrift sotres is you have to go often to get the best deals.

well, it is approximately 1900, and that means i get to give report on my patietns and go home. whooppeee!!!!