Bittersweet

I briefly mentioned in a previous post that I will not be working many more night shifts.  I have been searching for a new job for 6 months.  I applied for 8 different jobs, went on 7 different interviews, and had 2 job offers.   I have been searching really hard for a day job.  Working 12 hour nights with a set rotation does not work for me and my home life.  I feel as though I am always tired.  I have a hard time transitioning from vampire to normal person in the amount of just a few days.  I miss my husband!  I can't stand to be away from him at night, and he has made it clear to me that it's not working for him either.  I am annoyed with having to work every other weekend (all 3 weekend days).  I mentioned the idea of self scheduling at my current job, but do to powers that be (nurses with more say so than me) the idea was shot down quick.  Once I realized that, I started searching harder.  My main dilemma...finding a day time position in an area I was interested in and not a HUGE pay cut.  I was fully aware that going from a night time position to a day time position I would have to take a pay cut, but right now a significant pay cut would not work out for us.  Let me just tell you, it's hard finding a job that meets those requirements!  Since graduating nursing school I have worked in the pediatric area.  I started in pediatric hematology/oncology and then switched to pediatric intensive care.  I love kids!  Honestly, I love my job! I feel that I have good critical thinking skills, I am very laid back, and I typically go with the flow.  These things I have found are a great need in the ICU setting.  I am not OCD like a lot of nurses I work with, but that never seemed to be an issue.  The city I live in does not offer much in the nursing pediatric area.  This is where my first bump in the road came.  I realized really quick that I was most likely not going to be able to continue working with kids if I wanted to work during the day.  I applied for a case management position and 2 education type positions at the hospital I currently work at, but none of that worked out because people with actual experience in those fields also applied for the jobs.  I applied for a surgical/procedure position, but again another person with previous experience was chosen.  I applied for a position working for a urologist, scheduling surgeries.  I was offered this job.  The pay was not up to par (I seriously thought about taking it anyway), but the doctor gave me the creeps BIG TIME.  That was a big red flag for me, so I turned that offer down.  I applied for a position in adult hematology/oncology at the state hospital in town, but again, 2 other people who were already employed at the hospital that had experience were chosen over me.  I was becoming very discouraged.  I wasn't sure where else to look.  I was almost to the point of talking my husband in to moving (which never would have happened, but I would have tried).  I continued to pray about it, asking Him for an answer.  One day a friend of my husband asked if I would be interested in working for an adult hematologist/oncologist, and my reply was...absolutely!  I applied for the job, went on 2 different interviews with different groups of people. (I feel that I am now a professional interviewee) I prayed so hard, almost begging God to let this be the job for me and to let it work out.  Patience is definitely a virtue, and God definitely answers prayers.  I start the new job on Monday June 18th.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to work Monday through Friday 8-5 with a 1 hr lunch break, no weekends, no holidays, no call.  I am not taking much of a pay cut.  I will be a chemotherapy infusion nurse for a hematologist/oncologist.  I will be working with adults, which is a new thing for me, but I think I can handle it.  It is a bittersweet feeling.  I am looking forward to this new adventure, but I will miss the kids, the critical care aspect, and my co-workers.  
Here's to new beginnings....

Summer is Here and the Grillin' is Good

I don't know about you, but summertime makes me think of being outdoors and grilling.  Here in Louisiana it can be tough to enjoy the outdoors because it is so stinkin' hot!  Lately, Jon and I have been trying to do more outside, especially before the real summer heat hits.  We went to Hot Jazz on the Red again.  Unfortunately while we were there a bird decided to use Jon at it's port-a-potty.

Me and my handsome hubby @ Hot Jazz on the Red

The other night I was able to get off of work, so we joined some friends at the pool.  I forgot to put on sunscreen, so I am a little on the burnt side now.  After we left the pool we all came to our house, and Jon grilled us some burgers.  They were delicious!   I think that got Jon in the grilling mood, so last night he grilled some chicken and a potato recipe I found on pinterest.  Once again, delicious!

cheesy grilled potatoes via Pinterest

I only have 2 more nights in which I have to work a night shift.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be at home at night and to spend time with my husband.  We always enjoy cooking and eating dinner together, and now we can do that every night!  I see many more grilled dinner nights in our future!  I also see a lot more nights like this in our future...

The three pictures I used in this post make me think of my latest Facebook status...

"Listening to Texas country music, 

dinner is on the grill, 

glass of wine in my hand, 

and my husband by my side...

this is the life!"

fruits of his labor

I should actually have titled it "veggies of his labor."

My husband likes to plant a garden every year, but at the end of "growing season" he swears he's not doing it again.  One year, when we still lived in a tiny duplex, our super tiny porch was overgrown with all sorts of peppers!  Another year he grew grapes and tomatoes.  Our first year in our house he went all out and planted a huge garden with all types of tomatoes, blueberries, peppers, etc.  Last year he went with squash, okra (or so he thought- it ended up being cucumbers), and watermelon.  This year he again said he was not doing a garden because it's a lot of work, but we were at the nursery and he couldn't pass up a few plants.  He decided on 3 tomatoes, 4 sugar snap peas, and 4 kentucky wonder green bean plants.    So far we have had 1 little tomato, a handful of peas, and a TON of green beans!  I don't think the poor snap pea plants will survive the hot summer we are about to endure.

green beans plants

up close

We are enjoying all the green beans!  We have used them for a side dish for 2 meals and have another meal planned tomorrow that will include them.

one of the yummy meals

I know having a garden is a lot of work, and I help very minimally (I can't keep any plants alive), but I think next year I would like to plant things for a salad.  Maybe we could grow some different types of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers...it's just a thought...that I will definitely have to approve with the hubby...because like I said it will be veggies of his labor.