experience and judgement

Eric gave me a quote that can sum up my past two months in the ER:

" Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from a lack of good judgement".

i walked into an interesting situation in the ER. they hired me knowing my past experience and 4 weeks into my orientation called me into the manager's office to tell me that they thought i didn't have enough of a knowledge base to be working in the ER. they asked me to do a bunch of homework, study, and prove that i could learn quickly and well. this was a pretty big hit to take, since i knew i didn't know anything about emergency medicine, but i figured it would come with time and experience. it was like i was expected to know everything already. so i was on needles and pins feeling like i was always being watched and had to prove everything i was doing. a week ago they let me know that they would keep me in the ER. hooray!! i absolutely love the nursing work- i finally have found the place where i fit! i am learning a ton, and i feel so much more prepared for life with the new knowledge i get everyday. this is why i became a nurrse- so i can help anyone in any situation. it's just been rough feeling under the spotlight. not the way i wanted to start a new job... but at least i still have the job!! that is why the posts suddenly stopped on my blog about 2 months ago. not only ami working, taking educational classes, but also reading books and studying on my own time. just when i thought i was caught up they gave me a whole new computer program with modules that i have to complete in the next 3 months. it's like being back in school again...but this is also why i left my old job. i wanted to learn more, and keep progressing in my nursing skills. i got what i wanted! it's just a lot of hard work. i like the quote above b/c i feel like that is how real medicine is learned... you have to be able to make mistakes and learn from them. not learning from mistakes is what is wrong, but making the mistake the first time isn't! i'm sad that i am starting a job already scared of management, but i guess there is no perfect job. i love the nursing work and that is enough for now.

over thanksgiving eric and i went up to jackson hole, wyoming with some friends to stay at one of the girl's parent's house in jackson. we skied Teton Pass (well, i kinda fell down teton pass since it was the first day back on skis and i'm not really good at telemark skiking yet), and hiked into some hot springs near yellowstone park. it was a blast! we had planned to be climbing in southern utah, but the weather was frigid! skiing in the tetons was a great second choice though. i'll put up pictures soon.



the group before skiing on Thanksgiving Day


me, Joy, and Luke (joy's cousin) hiking up to Glory Bowl


Katie, Joy, and me on the top of Glory Bowl before skiing down. The Grand Teton is in the background



this is how i spent most of my time 'skiing' down the mountain :)


Katie and I on top of one of our tours


Eric and i in the hot springs

Away from work

I am probably most proud of this climb, Scar Face, 5.11. The two hills in the background are called The Six Shooters. I love this Wild West!!

I took myself down to Indian Creek in southern utah in october to do some climbing. a couple of the partners i was going to meet couldn't end up making it, but eric met these really great guys in salt lake (who were friends of friends from washington) who were also headed the same direction. i met up with them for a few days before eric could make it down for the weekend. we had a blast! eric and i have spent a few weekends in indian creek over the past two years, and we really enjoy the climbing there. however, it is very hard- harder than most climbing b/c of the steepness of the rock and the parallel cracks that form in it. if the crack isn't big enough or small enough for your particular hand size the climb can be extremely challenging. this was the first time down there that i felt i could actually climb!

my friend lacy also came down to try out crack climbing. we had some good times (that's all i'll say Lacy!). indian creek has a special place for me b/c it is so....utah. so desert. so why we came out here. it is positioned just outside canyonlands national park and is some of the most beautiful wild terrain i've ever seen. camping there, sharing the camp fires, the meals, the beauty are what make it so special. the climbing is mostly secondary. i had a great time with quite a few friends coming and going in the few days i was there. Wes and BJ were the two guys i climbed with first, then lacy, then eric and my friend Liz came down.


Me and Lacy after our great day of climbing together. The weather was great-especially for lat-ish October, but sometimes the heat can wear you out! we look pretty beat in this pic. we had just climbed Pente, 5.11.


BJ, me and Wes. i don't know what had just happened but I'm laughing at something. these guys were hilarious!


me and Eric at camp


This climb was hard! It was too small for my whole hand to fit in so i was trying to make my fingers fit but they kept rattling around. Coyne Crack, 5.11+


me on Kool Kat, 5.11.