Stake Conference Weekend

I had a fairly uneventful night at the health center.  They have removed all of the long term residents who have, for whatever reason,  been living in rooms on the rehab hall and have moved them to rooms in any of the the three other "long term" halls. This has left the rehab hall thin, down to 8 residents.  The intention is to now have the room to refill the hall with new rehab patients which are more lucrative for the health center because of the rehab services billing component.  But in the interim, the hall is quiet with only a few residents with continual needs, many are fairly self sufficient.  I became extremely sleepy throughout the night and fell asleep twice while sitting there.  The transition between day person and graveyard worker has a toll on my body and mind.  I am living in a fog most of the time.  On Tuesday night, I am assigned to the neighboring "long term" hall.  This should be a much more hectic evening.

I enjoyed my two and a half days off this weekend and spent the time Saturday morning with #1 at a bass lesson.  Heidi and I were able to go to the adult session of stake conference together and then, using a 10 dollar gift card awarded to me by my work, took Heidi to Burger king, where we sat in our formal wear in an empty lobby, eating mediocre burgers and fries off the dollar menu.  I cherished the few minutes along with Heidi though and enjoyed myself.  We then wondered Walmart for a few minutes where we used up the remaining funds from a $200.00 Walmart gift card dropped off on our doorstep at Christmas to buy myself a pair of jeans.  Mine were confiscated from me when it was discovered by my wife that they no longer had any material in the crotch but had been replace by a gaping hole.  I felt that it was refreshing and airy but I was alone in this assessment.  The rest of the gift card had previously been used to purchase new plates and silverware for the kitchen.  We were down to less then a complete service for our family for a single sitting and were having to wash so that all could eat.

On Sunday, I took #1 to the youth session of conference at 8:00 AM, #2 is still recovering from "walking pneumonia" and a sinus infection.  It was a wonderful meeting and had great doughnuts for everyone at the doors as we left. (an apple fritter for me)  We then rushed home in time to leave with the family to the general session.  We were relegated to the overflow metal chairs on the wood floors of the cultural hall.  Heidi and I took turns taking #5 out into the overflow of the foyer and managing #4's minute attention span on and off the metal chairs.  At one point Heidi found me asleep in the foyer while holding #5.  I was covered in cereal crumbs from the bag from which I was feeding the baby.

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Funny?

I was working with a home health patient this last week.  I walked into his bedroom where he was sitting in his wheelchair with an open shipping envelope and documents spread across his bed.  On top of the envelope, spiral bound, was a document with his name, in bold, on the cover and a subtitle below the name that said something like ...my life so far....  or something to that extent.  I said, "oh, wow.... is this your autobiography?"  He looked up and with an indignant voice said "heaven's NO....  this is my life story.  I wrote it myself!"  Properly put in my place, I stifled a chuckle and went back out to the bathroom to clean his toilet.  He who cleans the toilet does not get to decide!

Sunday night I was called into a room to help a health center resident,  She had pushed the call light for me to come.   As I entered her room, I heard her singing softly but energetically to herself while laying in bed.  As I stepped more closely to her bed, I began to understand the words she was singing.  She was serenading me with "I am doing a BM in my pants... I think that I am doing a BM in my pants, I am doing a BM in my pants... I think that I am doing a BM in my pants."  Dad, I challenge you to write a jazz hook for that one!  Let that wake you up in the middle of the night, running through your thoughts, while you add a sax solo here or a counter melody there - I am doing a BM in my pants... I think that I am doing a BM in my pants!  Good luck.

Sweet dreams

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Yea - the weekend

Completion of a very full week!  My first full week of grave yard shifts (sun, tues, thurs) went smoothly.  A residents council told management that they thought that I was very good and kind as an aid.  Management then announced it to the entire aid staff in employee meeting ( I was at school and only heard about it from a few fellow aids)  I am wondering if management was trying to use it a motivational tool for some of the others since I am so new.  This is the second time that I have been pointed out in an employee meeting so far.  The first time was last month, where a resident pointed me out to management and they presented me with a thank you card from management with the resident's comments and a 5 dollar coupon for a coffee at a local coffee house.  I past on the coffee, giving it to another aid, if anyone wondered.  I wasn't there for that meeting either - school.

Speaking of school, I just went through my first two major exams, one for the lab and the other for the lecture. The exams were over five whole chapters of anatomical facts and information, completely overwhelming to try to retain.  The lab test was 25 questions long - name this or that on this bone or that bone, as indicated by the arrow.  The lecture exam was 50 questions, multiple choice and short answer.  I actually felt better about the lab exam.  But we will see after they are graded.  I know that I missed quite a few on both tests.  But now we move on to articulations (joints).

We had our 18th wedding anniversary on Friday.  Elizabeth sweetly remembered and posted congrats on my face book wall!  It was spent as any 18th wedding anniversary would be spent by broke parents of five.  Heidi had a very romantic evening planned of steaks from the Christmas cow and baked potatoes in candlelight for the family.  But as life so efficiently does, She had lots of work on the computer, I had worked graves so I was lazily asleep until after 1 in the afternoon, the kids were needing to go this way and that for school, #3 slipped at school and landed on her wrist which was badly swollen so Heidi spent most of the late afternoon at the doctor's office for an examination and xrays.  The doctor was sure that it was broken, with the swelling, pain and immovability, but xrays came back negative.  They diagnosed it as a bad sprain ad sent her home with a brace.  By this time it was after six at night. I started pancakes for the family dinner.  Two of #2's friends (brothers), whose parents had somewhere to be, were then dropped off to spend the evening here.  So #2 played with them downstairs with #1,  3 and 4 watched a movie in 4's room on the floor, and 5 went to bed.  Heidi had to work on the computer until 12:45 AM.  I studied articulations from the instructor's lecture notes.

Heidi's mom had kindly brought over a few groceries earlier that day (bananas, mini bagels, eggs......) and had included some "ben and Jerrys" ice cream and a red box movie for our anniversary.  We finally collapsed into bed about 12:45 and watched most of the movie while eating the ice cream in bed.  Heidi fell asleep on my shoulder at the end of a very long day.  Happy anniversary sweetheart!!!

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The wee hours of the morning - is that a call light?

I started the new month's schedule on Thursday at the health center - GRAVEYARDS!  6 pm to 6 am.  The first one went okay.  I was happy to get home to see the family.  I stayed up long enough to see the boys off to school and then I slept until 11:45 am.  Heidi fought valiantly to keep the girls from waking me up.  I didn't hear a thing.  My new schedule has me working three graves a week. 

I have my first major exams this next week.  One for the lab on Wednesday and another for the lecture on Thursday.  Lots of information to memorize, my brain finds it very interesting but not very retainable, a frustrating combination....oh.. my kingdom for Elizabeth's brain for a semester or two.  I have awakened on a few mornings with anatomical names floating in the soup that is my mind.  Or, I believe that it is soup, we haven't actually been able to examine the cadavers yet in lab, but I will check on it as soon as we do.

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Job shadow

#2 came to the health center this afternoon and job shadowed me for a few hours.  I enjoyed having him there.  I introduced him to all of the residents.  They had fun meeting him, Heidi and #5 as they dropped him off.

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Saturday off

They have cut my hours this weekend.  We have dropped in numbers of residents over the last week and now don't need the same number of aids on the floor so, as the on call aid, I was dropped from the schedule for Saturday and Sunday.  I still may be called in for another aid if they need to find someone. 

We made carmel popcorn last night and watched season 2, episode 1 of Greatest American Hero, (called "two hundred mile an hour fastball")  as a family in pjs and blankets on the family room couches after getting number 5 in bed.  After the episode, it was ten o'clock so we got the rest in bed and Heidi worked until nearly one in the morning.

Marleen sent home another pair of scrubs for me.  She has given me every pair I own, which is three: my dallas cowboys, a solid blue, and these new solid black ones.  They are very much appreciated and fit great.  She also sent food from Costco; yogurt, pretzels and other things for the kids lunches at school - very kind of her.

Heidi and I got away for a few minutes last night before dinner and went to Walmart, where we had a 25 dollar gift card received at Christmas from generous people.  We purchased a can opener and ping pong paddles.  The can opener is self explanatory and because our hand opener was becoming all but ineffective, (number 2 and I both cut our selves opening cans.)  The paddles were for my Saturday chore.  The RS president have a full size table tennis table that she need to get rid of a few months ago.  Another neighbor got in the first request for it but then discovered that it wouldn't fit in their basement.  They then gave it to us.  It has been folded up in the garage since the fall.  This morning I wheeled it out and with the help of Heidi and #'s 1 and 2, I took off the wheels and some of the base so that it would fit down the stairs.  We then hauled it down and put it back together.  We now have another free family activity filling up another corner of the basement.  Heidi and I have taken it for a spin.  It should be fun.

It is movie and dinner in our pjs over at Marleen's tonight.  She purchased that recent Disney horse racing movie and wants the grand kids to come and watch it together.  We are all going to put on pjs and make an evening of it with a yummy dinner before the movie of BBQ beef or pork sandwiches.

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Movin on

I was officially let go from Nebo Credit Union last Thursday.  They needed someone there more often than I could give. I was down to two afternoons a week.  The other three were busy at the Health Center.  At least for this month.  The new schedule comes out in a day or two for February.

So I am down to working as close to full time as I can for the Health Center, One patient for Health watch (home health) and school three days a week studying Human Anatomy.

I worked 2pm to 10 pm on Wednesday.  There was a resident that was scared that night.  I sat next to her while she clutched my hand for about fifteen minutes and I talked with her.  She said that she was scared of people and scared of dying.

Monday afternoon as I was helping a lady into a reclining chair in her room, she burst into tears and put her head on my shoulder and cried.  She was fearful that her doctor was going to tell her that her Parkinson's was getting worse.  She had an appointment that afternoon.  She found me later and called me over to her dinner table and told me about her appointment.  She was relieved that the doctor had answered her questions. But it didn't seem like better news to me.  He said that the Parkinson's is only slightly worse.  The trouble is that she is developing signs of Alzheimer's disease.  The  doctor has changed her meds.

One of the residents came to me and told me that I shouldn't have left her roommate out in the snow like that.  I told her that I had helped her roommate to a seat on the couch and not into the snow.  She went to look and came back to tell me not to worry, her roommate had made it back in from outside and was now sitting on the couch.  I expressed my relief.

One of the residents is a huge Louis L'Amour fan.  She brought one of her favorites for me to read on my breaks.  I have it in the cupboard by the Nurse's station and I try to read it on every break.  she will ask me every day where I am in the book and if I have gotten to this part or that.  She has more books waiting when I am done with this one.  She is only there at the Center during the day while her husband of 53 years is at work.  He then comes and picks her up to go home for dinner.

I was doodling in a napkin before a work meeting and afterwords I gave the doodles to one of the resident.  She told me days later that she has it pinned to her wall in her room and shows it to everyone who visits and says "See what Aaron can do!"  But I can't remember what I doodled.  She is a very sweet and extremely dignified woman, I was flattered.

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Showing gratitude

Heidi's FHE lesson last night was on showing gratitude.  We talked about how we show gratitude and then had each member of the family make a list of some of the things of which we are grateful and at the end describe one way that we will show gratitude going forward.  Here was my "off the cuff" list.

My wife
My children
My Heavenly Father
My home
My parents
My country
Peace
Love
My brothers/sisters
My Cowboys
My truck
Christmas and Thanksgiving
Food Network
Ham and Cheese sandwiches
Cheese balls and crackers
Popcorn and movies
Warm blankets and rainy afternoons
All You Can Eat restaurants
Friday nights
Cruises
Pajamas
Holidays
Fishing
Watching snow fall in the street lights
Hot dogs with mustard
Rice pudding
Hot Water
Beef sticks
Snuggling
Ice Cream
Giving gifts
Smiles

I will be more prayerful and read my scriptures more regularly.

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Passed!

I passed my final CNA exam.   I am officially on the State of Utah CNA Registery.

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A life divided

My day is divided into three parts.  (A) calling on, applying and looking up jobs.  (B) applying for school, looking up possible scholarships, preparing essays and other needed materials for the scholarships.  (C) studying for the State CNA Skills test.

I officially applied for enrollment at UVU today.  Next is to visit the school education and pre-nursing councilors.  School starts on January 5th.

Heidi helped by quizzing me for my skills test today.  I then ruined her circulation by trying to practice taking  blood pressures on her arms.  Didn't get either one and made her arms ache.  What a wonderful nurse!  I will have to turn in my little white dress and the little tri-fold hat.

No luck on the job front yet.  I will be a sqeaky wheel tomorrow at Costco to see if I can get on there.

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My dryer is working!!!

No more wet clothes hanging from my lights over the dining room table!  Collect the boys underware from the door knobs.  We have heat!!!!

Blessings come in various sizes, shapes and temperatures!!!!

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Fired!

Family First decided (let's clarify here, NCUA decided, since they are the devil or, I mean, the controlling party) to "abolish" my position at the credit union.  They released me 2 days before the end of September so that my insurance would end then instead of the credit union paying for another month of insurance.  May they all burn in the tiny recesses of ...... sorry, where was I?  Work, and house seem to be crumbling around my ears.  No strong prospects for new employment yet.  Neither of the two dryers in my home works so I have wet clothes hanging from every surface, hook and ledge.  I am smacked in the face with the stark realization of how poorly I am providing for my family.  This is a bad day.

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Loaves and fishes

Enjoyed a shortened day at work, thanks to my immediate boss allowing me to take a few personal hours in the afternoon.  I met Heidi at the grocery store where we worked between the "rock" of having no money for anything including groceries and the "hard place" of needing to feed the childrem something.  Heidi has been a magician in the kitchen, creating wonderful meals out of the garden and the last few items of a quickly depleating food storage.  The fridge has even been free of condiments the last week or two.  It would have looked like we were cleaning the fridge except for the fact that there was nothing to put back in it.  Now I see how Christ worked the loaves and fishes.  Heidi is working the zucchini and cucumbers.

We walked over to the school and picked up the girls.  This is the third straight day that I have been able to get the kids from school or have lunch with them.

We have a get-together BBQ with 3 neighbors this evening.  We are making a few things to share.  I just took out my second set of loaves of zucchini bread from the oven.  I have also finished simmering a pot of brazilian beans on the stove.  I still need to make some rice.  We have the chicken breasts marinating in the fridge and a package of hot dogs waiting for their turn on the grill when we get over there.

Heidi's sister had a few free passes to the pool this afternoon so Heidi to the C and two older girls and invited one of BG's and C's friends to go too.  M and BR stayed with me.  The kitcken smells like Cinnamin and Garlic.

Friday night!  I'm glad for the weekend.

Maybe I will make some rice pudding tomorrow.  I have a great baked custard style rice pudding recipe  and if I add raisins I will be able to eat it all myself!!

M is getting into the shredded paper again.

Chau

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New addition

New addition to my dream instrument collection. 
It is a relatively cheap bass respectively, a Squire, the little brother to Fender Guitars Co.  It is a beautiful bass with a maple neck and pearl block inlays, modeled after the vintage 1977 Fender jazz bass.  I was 5 years old when it was originally released!  The following is the company write up on it.

Vintage Modified Jazz Bass® ‘77

The Vintage Modified Jazz Bass ’77 evokes the age of funk and the dawn of punk. It’s a retro-inspired gloss black beauty with Duncan Designed™ Jazz Bass pickups, black plastic Stratocaster® knobs, one-piece maple neck with white binding and white pearl block inlays, 20-fret maple fingerboard, and a three-ply black/white/black pickguard.

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Good Reads!

Following Mer's example, I will represent the other half of the library with my "Good Reads"

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