Yum, Yum...Thai!

Have I ever mentioned I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Thai food?!

After successfully navigating the city, I decided to treat myself to Thai food...as long as I found a restaurant on my way back from dropping my Uncle off at the airport. Luckily enough, I found some only minutes away from where they live, and it was SOOOO delicious! I had the best Pad Thai I've ever had! They asked me on a scale of 1 to 10 how spicy I wanted it (I asked for a 6 just to be safe), and it was soaked on oil...

Since I am here until Saturday, I might have to go back again! Now for an evening of preparing for my interview, and relaxing...I am hoping to leave around 6 AM. My interview isn't until 10 AM, and I am currently 1-1/2 hours away, but I want to give myself enough to to basically deal with absolutely anything that could possibly go wrong on my trip down to West Virginia.

If you read this, please send some prayers and good thoughts my way tomorrow!

I made it to Pittsburgh!

Let's just say my trip to Pittsburgh has been a valuable life experience. I had to catch three different plans just to get here, and then take the bus down to the University that my Uncle works at.

To the average person, this might not seem like a big deal, but for someone who has pretty much always flown non-stop, and never ridden a city bus you might begin to understand how stressful my trip was. To top it off, I only got 3 hours and 45 minutes of sleep before we had to leave to the airport.

But, I got here safely! The only thing is, I forgot my phone charger...BIG, BIG mistake! My phone is old and looses its battery fast. So I am going to have to find a place to buy a new charger.

Today I am just going to relax, and then give my Uncle a ride to the airport. I am actually really glade to get some experience driving out here before I have to get up tomorrow morning and head to West Virginia because the highways here are really complicated.

...so I'm not sure how much I will be blogging, etc. over the next few days, so have a great week!

A Great Day!

I worked 5-1/2 hours.

I got a call from a hospital in Savannah, Georgia.

We went to dinner with a great couple.

Then I had a evening full of wine and Sex and the City with by best friends.

On my way home I got a strawberry shake & french fries.

Then I found out Jared finished my closet!!!!!!

...which means I can unpack my clothes.

Life is great!

My Evening Devotion & Out-of-Town Interview Update

After my last post I turned to my bible for an evening devotion, and this is what was on my reading schedule for the night...

Matthew 6:25-34 (New International Version)

Do Not Worry

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Then I read...

Matthew 7:7-14 (New International Version)

Ask, Seek, Knock

⁷"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

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What a perfect set of passages to read after a day full of stress and worry!

I know I've turned to these passages before when I was struggling with my control issues and worry, but I haven't been good at internalizing the things I read, which is something I clearly need to work on.

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Part of the stress that I am experiencing with my move-not move dilemma is that I have had some conversations with nurse recruiters who have basically said the following...

• You can't wait for the job market to turn around because employers are going to be concerned with a huge gap between the time you graduated and began working as a NURSE, and they likely will not hire you.
• If I don't work in a hospital right away (i.e. I start in a nursing home, a school or in home care) you will be branded and it will be difficult to ever get a job in a hospital.

So today I decided not to worry about my situation and just trust that no matter what happens, it will all work out. The only thing I've been asking God for lately is to help me live a life where I can serve, and honor him-- no matter where that might take me, or what that might lead me to do. Maybe that means West Virginia, or maybe that means working with the disabled once a month and substituting as a teacher and a school nurse.

After a conversation with my dad last night, and another one with the nurse recruited from the hospital in West Virginia I decided to go through with the orientation for the part-time job I was offered working with people with disabilities. I know that there is a good chance that I cannot be there six months like they wanted me to, but when I originally interviewed I told them I would do my best to stay there for at least that long, but I also made it clear that I was looking for a full-time nursing position and that there was a possibility that I might not be with them as long as they want me to. Which means I did not tell them about my out-of-state interview...because the truth is, I don't know what is going to happen. I might get the job, but then I might hear back about some positions I applied to in Minnesota. No one knows at this point except for God. He has made that perfectly clear to me lately because once I think I've figured it all out, my plans fall apart.

I need to keep reminding myself...

The life I live is not my own.

It is God's.

He is in-control.

He is the one with the plan.

As far as my travel arrangements go...it couldn't be going any better. I will be flying into Pittsburgh, PA which is 1-1/2 hours North of Morgantown, where I have four interviews set-up.

The Pittsburgh airport is actually the closest one to where I will be headed, but the 90 minute drive doesn't bother me because there are so many advantages to flying into Pittsburgh. For example...

• I have family there!!!! Which means I don't have to pay for a hotel :)
• My Uncle is going out of town on Tuesday, which means I can use it car! (Yay for avoiding rentals, and saving money!!!)
• Because I have a place to stay, and I am unemployed, I can plan my trip around cheapest airfare I can find!
• And as an added bonus...my Aunt is calling some of her friends (who are Doctors in the Pittsburgh area) to see if they can help snag a couple interviews for me.

On top of that, Jared is being so supportive of me...and I am feeling so unbelievably bless right now.

The jobs I will be interviewing for are competitive...and all in areas I would love to work in (Newborn Intensive Care, Adult Medical Intensive Care, Neurology and a Stepdown Unit that focuses on Neurology patients). So I truly hope something works out. But truth-be-told, if not, this will a great interview experience.

That's it for now! I am extremely tired right now. I only got 4-5 hours of sleep last night, so I think I need a nap.

Tears, Paint and Prayer.

My life has always been a roller-coaster of emotions. By now, I feel like I should be use to it, but I'm not...So here's what is going on with me...

Let's start with: Paint

Jared and I have been busy painting our bedroom. We started out with the color White Water from Bejamin Moore. But after my dear, sweet husband painted the whole room I decided I hated it. It was too light, so instead, we used what was left to paint my closet.

I told Jared that all I wanted was a poll on the right to hang my clothes, and two shelves on the left for shoes, jeans and sweatshirts...but we'll see if that is what I end up with. Jared has been playing around with closet organizing programs online...

So here is out bedroom with new carpet and paint!

Paint color: Slate Blue, which is a ColorPlace (Walmart paint) color, but we had it color-match to

(A picture with the flash on)

With the lights on, and no flash:

With the lights off, and no flash:

Overall, I am happy with the paint color. We still have some things to do before we can move our furniture in, like paint and put up the baseboard, and finish painting and putting new hardware on the built-in dresser drawers. So hopefully by this weekend we will be able to move into our bedroom! It will be nice to finish unpacking! We have so much stuff that is still in boxes because we have been sleeping in the main floor bedroom, which is suppose to be the office...and most of the stuff we own goes into the office.

We didn't just put carpet in our bedroom though...we've put flooring in throughout the entire upstairs!!!

Before:

After:

We went through Empire Today and put carpet in both bedrooms, and laminate in the hallway. Our upstairs looks like a totally different place.

I've started painting the trim in the second bedroom upstairs...and let me just say that painting trim has been a pain-in-the-butt!!!! But we decided to do it because all of the baseboards needed to be replaced, and I thought it would be easier to paint, rather than try to find a stain that matched the woodwork...who knows what would have been easier...but now we're stuck painting!

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So now for the tears and prayer...

I am SOOOO frustrated with my job situation. I know my interview in Fargo went well, but I haven't heard anything from them. After a week of not hearing anything from them I called because I was offered a part-time job here in the Twin Cities...so I told them I had another offer and was wondering where they were in the hiring process because I am very interested in working for them, and I thought that I would fit in well there.

Basically I was told they wouldn't be making a decision for another week or two.

There is NOTHING in Minnesota for recent nursing grads. I met with someone from North Memorial Hospital, and the nurse recruiter told me they wouldn't be hiring new grads for 9 months. HEARTBREAKING!

So last night I started applying all over the country. I went to bed in tears, praying that God would help me figure out what he wanted me to do. Place me wherever he wants me to be, wherever he wants to work, and doing whatever it is he wants me to do.

Maybe my idea of being a nurse isn't what his idea of being a nurse is.

Then...
I woke up to a phone call.
From a hospital.
In West Virginia...

I don't know what any of this means. Or even how I feel about it at this point. Tomorrow I am suppose to start training for a part-time job where I would be working as a program counselor in a home with women who have mental/cognitive/neurological disabilities. While it is not a nursing position, it is sort of nursing related...however, it only pays $10.35 and hour and I would only work one weekend (36 hours) a month. So right now, I'm not sure what to do. They didn't want me to accept the position unless I felt like I could commit to work there at least 6 months, and I think they might want me to work my first weekend, this weekend. I don't want to go through with the training if I can't give them six months, but I have to start paying back student loans in 6 weeks...and even though I have been offered an interview, I am not guaranteed anything.

I don't know what to do...

My plan is to call the nurse recruiter right away in the morning and see if I will actually have a fair chance at a job. (Unlike Fargo, where they interview you but prefer to hire local students). Then have a very honest conversation with the person who hired me/is training me for this part-time position. (They have known from the beginning I am a nurse looking for work, but not that I was looking out of state for jobs).

My life is just a big ball of stress.
So many decisions.
Good thing church this past week was about making decisions :)

I want to say it's "funny" how the sermons at my church always help me in the exact way I need them to...but when I was reading the bible last night, I reading Genesis 18 about how the Lord appeared to Abraham and told Sarah that she would have a son despite the fact that she was old, and she laughed! And then he asked her why she laughed, and said "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?"

...that's why I can't say that it's "funny" that I heard exactly what I needed to at church this last weekend...

There is no promise to great for God to fulfill.
There is no prayer too hard for God to answer.
There is no problem too hard for God to solve.

Best Invention Ever!

I believe that every woman should own a moist/dry heat pad. Let's just say that mine brings me back from the dead about once a month...it is seriously the only thing that can get my head out of the toilet when I am in serious pain. When I thought I lost mine today I was on the verge of an physical and emotional breakdown...but I found it, and am now a happy girl. However, I am not getting anything done that was on my to-do list today...

Coming up next: We painted our bedroom!!!!

North Dakota Vacation Recap

I usually don't call trips to North Dakota a vacation because frankly, I believe vacations are special events and there is nothing special about going to my husbands home town. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing his family and I still think the Badlands are beautiful...but once you get there, there is literally NOTHING to do.

We left early September 3rd and drove to Bismarck, which is about 6-1/2 hours away because the next morning we were going to drive another 1-1/2+ hours to McKenzie Bay on Lake Sakakawea where we spent the weekend with our sister-in-laws family.

We enjoyed the beautiful views...

...relaxed...

...played with our goofy niece and nephew...

...went tubing...

...played with our camera...

...and celebrated an engagement!

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Then we headed back to Bismarck...and then Jared and I back-tracked even more to Fargo, where I had two interviews...I thought they went really well. The first position was actually for the same unit I interviewed for earlier this year. However, this time I actually met with the Nurse Manager...I know a girl that works on the unit, and she said she would put a good word in for me...my second interview I thought also went well. I was told I interviewed well, and I certainly think it would be a interesting and challenging place to work. I could learn a ton, but I was also told that they/all units typically hire people that did their clinical experiences there. So obviously it is competitive, but I am optimistic...but I hope I hear something this week because I was actually offered a part-time job here in the Twin Cities today...I really don't want it because I would rather be in Fargo working as a RN, but I am probably going to have to take when I can get at this point.

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After my interview in Fargo, Jared and I drove to Dickinson (about 4-1/2 to 5 hours from Fargo), and of course had to stop at the 'Bike & Saw Shop.' (Is it me, or do you too find it weird that bicycles and chain-saws are sold together???)

We spent the night with Jared's sister and then the next morning we went to Medora, which is where Theodore Roosevelt National Park is. Our original plan was to go horseback riding here, but all of the stables closed after Labor Day so we were a couple days late...So instead we drove around the park and took some pictures.

After Medora, we drove to my husbands hometown. All I did was sit inside and catch-up on my cable television. More specifically, my HGTV watching because like I said before, there is NOTHING else to do. I'm not going to complain though. It was a good trip.

On our way home we stopped at my sister-in-laws house again so Jared and I could both get adjusted. (She is a chiropractor). And I am not going to lie, I have never been a huge advocate for chiropractic medicine (because of a bad experience in high school), but I was having a really difficult time with my asthma on our trip. I basically felt like the left side of my chest had collapsed...and I have been told by a friend of mine who also has asthma, and is in chiropractic school, that she has never felt so in control of her breathing since she started to get adjusted weekly. So I figured, let's give it a try...and it worked! I felt instantly better. About 85% of my symptoms have subsided.

So in a nutshell...

• I spent over 29 hours in a car
• Saw lots of my husbands family
• Watched a lot of HGTV, and
• Played with my camera, (and still know nothing...).

I hope that Jared and I can take a what I would consider a real vacation within the next year...but of course that all depends on my ability to get a job.

I have a confession...

I've been out of town for almost two weeks!

I'm home now, and promise to be a better blogger.

What condiment defines your life?

If you had to pick one condiment to define your life, what would it be???

Mine: Barbecue Sauce

Seriously...there is nothing better. And what's so great is there are so many different varieties!!!! You never really know what you're going to get until take a bite. PLUS...all the best foods are slathered with it...ribs, chicken, and I of course boneless buffalo wings.

I'm still here.

As you have probably noticed I haven't been around much...sorry for being so quiet, and not responding to anyones blogs, etc. I don't have regular access to the internet right now so I'm not sure when I will have time to empty my google reader, or post anything new.

I'll be back soon! I promise.