2 Weeks M.I.A. means lots to catch up on

The past 2 weeks have been insanely jam-packed with work related stuff.  With my new position came new education and responsibility.  Luckily, I passed my classes and got certification.  I'll still be orienting for the next 3 weeks but there's a lot of weight off of my shoulders. 

Also in that 2 week time period, I continued to fall off the many wagons I had been riding lately: a couple puffs of a cigarette (bad! bad! bad!); uninspired and unhealthy meals; frivalous spending.  But this is what I do when my stress levels reach the brim.  I already feel a sense of lightness and an eagerness to get back on. 

Tis the season for rain, rain and more rain.  Thunderstorms, tornadoes and flooding.  Earlier this week, Indiana had, a confirmed, 14 tornadoes touch down throughout the state.  D and I stood in our doorway as the storm eerily rolled in from the West.  A storm is currently making its way in from Illinois, anticipated to hit around 2 pm and the rain will continue through the next 7 days.  Miss B is growing restless.

My mother and I made our first attempt to paint wine glasses over the weekend.  That was an epic fail, as we were derailed by our desire to go purse shopping first and then buying the wrong paint.  By the time we got home and realized our mistake, it was too late to try again.  Since then, my mom has gone back and bought more and I look forward to us continuing where we left off. 

Like I said earlier, I've been uninspired in the kitchen.  Not having much in the fridge also contributed to that.  I plan on going grocery shopping on Sunday to restock and get inspiration.  Not sure what I want to make yet so suggestions are always welcomed.  Tonight I am trying my hand in making chicken and noodles atop mashed potatoes. 

First Day of Orientation! Easy, breezy!

I am starting a new role in the health care industry and I couldn't be more excited about it!  Now, I'll be working closer to the patients (not direct patient care) but enough to play a major role in their experience and helping to facilitate their care.  Although, my journey into adulthood started in the fashion and retail industry, I don't regret my decision one bit to start over completely.  Goodbye 5-day work weeks; HELLO three-12s.  I can't wait to be able to get things done on my 4 days off (i.e. laundry, house work, errands) and then taking time to enjoy ME!!  And the cherry on top is the uniform: SCRUBS!! Who doesn't wish they could roll into work in pjs?
Today was short and simple.  I am working at the same place as my previous position so a lot of what we went through was company policy and basic procedure.  I can't wait to get into the nitty-gritty stuff, the simulations and of course, up on the unit.  I still have 6 more intensive days to go so I probably won't be much in the blogging mood especially after spending 8 hours staring at a computer and powerpoint presentations. 

From Mar 24: An idea to ponder

"hell is something freely chosen that already exists on earth, in everything from war to abusive relationships"

I read an article about a new book by Rob Bell, Love Wins. It discusses his theory on the heaven and hell argument and a particular sentence (above) struck a cord with me. I don't have the energy to go into my own personal religious beliefs (I'll save that for another time) but the quote made me question myself and my life.

So many times in my life, I have created hellish situations on my own or perpetuated a problem and wasted valuable time dwelling in my self loathing. I have felt so low that I could easily infer that I was in a living hell. Some people like to bitch and complain about their lives to me or anyone who will listen and I am also guilty from time to time. We wallow in the misery and surround ourselves with other miserable people as if to maybe be one-up on at least one other person. We chase after failing relationships and hold on to old friendships that serve no real purpose. We stick with jobs that make us want to pull our hair out instead of looking for a career that is purposeful. We live very masochistic lives where we like to hurt ourselves (and sometimes others) just to feel something, anything. When I am depressed, I get down on myself: I hate my life, my job, my body, my boyfriend, my family, my friends, my financial situation. Derek Sivers wrote an excellent post explaining Kurt Vonnegut's take on drama. I guess it really doesn't help that our parents plant such fantastical ideas when we are young and then wonder why we are the way we are. Girls become dependent, damsels in distress searching for our Prince Charmings and boys become competitive, cavemen looking for that dragon to slay. When our real lives fall short, we create and fester in our own drama.

Ultimately, I know I hold the control almost 99% of the time: "Choose your Attitude". So I try to make a conscious effort to change. I ditch the self pity-party. I figure out ways to change my situation. I take on hobbies to build self confidence and achieve goals, even if they are small. The bottom line is that I choose to walk away from my personal hells and create the life I truly want. I am well on my way there and couldn't be happier.