phew! It's been a while!

Wow! It's been a while since I've been on here! Man, how times flies! Lets see what's happened since Aug 22nd.....

1. We booked a restaurant on Bermuda called Lido Complex, on Elbow Beach. This will be our "reception" site. While it's not so much a banquet hall, it is a nice private room that can fit up to 40, so our 24 people will fit comfortably! Its got a gorgeous view of the ocean from the room and will have some great food, from what I've read in reviews. We're not having a DJ, but we will be setting up an iPod play list and playing that either on a dock that we bring, or something we rent. More details to follow :)

2. I bought a new laptop, and photoshop!!! So, finally, when I take pictures, i'll have a program for editing (it doesnt really do HDR, so that purchase will come later...this will be good for editing and digital scrapbooking). I am also super excited b/c, while it is not a MacBook, which is what I wanted for soooooo long, it is an upgraded Dell XPS and will be very fast, at 8 GB  memory, 750 GB at 7200 RPM hard drive, 290 GHz. I should be getting it around the end of September!!! I just about broke the bank making this purchase, but with what I have now, I can't do a whole lot with my photography and that's supposed to be my hobby!

3. I bought Eric an iPhone for his birthday :)

4. I got new glasses yesterday! Another HUGE purchase for me, to add ontop of my huge computer purchase. I have spent my entire next pay check! I spent like 3 hrs deciding on what I wanted. I am so picky! I almost bought the exact same frame that I have been wearing for 3 years just b/c I hate change....but in the end, the sales man at Sterling optical convinced my otherwise and I left my comfort zone a bit. Not as much as he was pushing me, but some :) The have the rimless frame on the bottom and a metallic plum color on the top and sides.

Lastly, Beverly and I are meeting up today at Tyson's to go shopping for a dress for her to wear to the wedding. Since my other two bridesmaids have opted not to go on the cruise, it's just going to be Beverly. I told her that she doesnt have to wear anything specific since she is not having to match anyone. I just want her to be in navy blue and be comfortable!! Im excited to see her. It's been a little while!!

Well, tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I'll be a solemn day. I pray nothing crazy happens in our country.

Some photos from my trip to Richmond

I took a trip to Richmond today with a friend from my photo group to shoot some pics....These are just a few of what I managed to capture. What a gorgeous day to be taking pictures! Really wishing I had a wide angle lens today!!!

The photos I have edited with Photomatix have their watermark on them (I'm still too cheap to purchase the program....LOL). 

 

This one has been made "HDR"

This is the same picture, but not HDR....different kind of feel/look.

6 days down

I have completed my first 6 days of work yesterday and feeling more comfortable and confident every day. I am taking initiative and not always looking for help. I am feeling very good about Peritoneal Dialysis and working with ventilators. Hard to believe how much you can learn in six days...I have to believe its because of the great dynamics between my preceptor and I. My preceptor is above and beyond one of the greatest nurses I have ever worked with. Shed is such an inspiration to the kind of nurse I dream to be. Next week she is going to have me take on two patients for my own...I feel like even though she only gives me one patient, I pretty much give out all the medications and do all the work on the other patients....she just documents their assessments. There are times where I wonder how one nurse can do everything that needs to be done, but it must be possible or everyone would be there much longer than necessary! I know it's going to come with time and I have a lot of time to get there!!!! It doesnt hurt that she told me that I am doing great and jump into everything with both feet and head on!


I have the weekend off, however, Eric is at work today and the weather does not look like it's going to good for either laying out at the pool or going out to photograph. I wanted to go to the Price William County Fair tonight and take photos, but its supposed to rain :(  I'm not sure where to go this morning, so I probably wont go anywhere. LOL. Maybe I'll find myself at the gym today. A place I havent really gotten to as much as I would like to!!! My feet always hurt, so I have an appt. with a foot doctor next week. I am hoping to get some orthotics. I knwo they will be expensive, not to mention the $300.00 deductible I need to meet for the appt's, but I need to do what I need to do to take care of my feet. It's too important. It's an investment in the end....my eyeglasses will just have to wait another month or two!!! I really hoped to get new glasses first thing, but my feet are more important as my glasses still work....3 years later!

I guess that's it for now....Nothing all too exciting.

photos and more...

I completed my 1st two days on the floor this week and it was exhausting! I am deff. learning a lot and seeing a ton, but I had no idea how hard it was going to be!! I am loving being a nurse. It is such a gratifying career. It also does not hurt that my preceptor kicks ass!! My third shift for the week is tomorrow.....

Took some shots today....here are a few:

Eric's Flipflops

High heels from a different perspective....

As you can tell, i'm loving this HDR stuff. It's fun to make things looks crazy!

Blabbing about my nervousness....

With my first day on the floor coming up tomorrow, as excited as I am, I am also super nervous. I know I should not be nervous. I've done this for two years in clinicals and for 13 weeks as an Extern. The truth is: this time, the full responsibility is on me to know what is wrong, to know how to fix it and to catch things early. What if I dont catch something serious? What if I can't learn how to multi-task correctly? What if, God forbid, someone dies in my care?! I have so many "what-if's" that are scaring the crap out of me. Why though? I excelled in the classroom and earned a freakin' 3.9 GPA. I nailed the NCLEX with 75 questions and I got all satisfactories in my clinicals evals....I LOVE people and I am a quick learner & I retain information easily. Most of all, I CARE. A friend of mine told me the other day that as long as I care, I'll be fine. I feel like thats a good piece of advice....but not enough to boast my confidence right now.

I keep asking myself where this "fear" is coming from....I can't figure it out. I can not pinpoint anything that would have me this nervous. All I can think of is that I am going to be caring for really sick people and those really sick people are depending on me to keep them alive. Although I do not prescribe the medications or make the diagnosis, I am the one who see's that patient for 12 hours that shift....delivers all their medications (which must be double and triple checked to make sure they should be getting that medication!) and watches for signs of deterioration....

My mom once told me that there are a lot of stupid nurses out there. I wondered how that could be true. How do you graduate, pass your boards and be a "stupid nurse?" I found though that there are some nurses, while I wouldnt label them as "stupid" per sea, I would label as "lazy" or lack that "I care" attitude. I'm not going to be one of those nurses. I vow to my self to always care. To always treat my patients like they are my parents or friends laying in that bed suffering. I vow to see my patients are who that person is, not just a room number. I will never be a nurse that others see as "lazy." This is NOT the profession for laziness. Laziness leads to undue suffering and mistakes.

I chose critical care because I love a challenge. And it's funny because I know that I am smart enough to do it. I know that. I just need to get this first day over with and believe in myself. I have the best preceptor one could ask for and I think that she is going to make a world of difference in my experience. I just hope at the end of the road, I believe in myself enough to do it :)

More on my photo journey....

Yesterday I got to practice Macro and night photography! I can't believe how much I am learning! I have to admit...it's hard to find time to shoot when you work 5 days a week....About that. My first week went great! It was boring orientation, but since I was getting paid, I tried not to complain much. It felt so good to get my RN badge and wear the Navy Blue with pride! I am finally an RN! What a feeling.

Not to mention, I had a perfect stranger walk up to me at Starbucks Tuesday and thank me for all I do. I mean, WOW! How great is that?!? I felt so proud at that moment. I just hope I can live up to the role!

















Below are a couple pictures from my Macro class, Chatham Heights & some night shots.... (I still dont have PSE, so there will be watermarks on some of the pics I edited in Photomatix).

 

No flash. 30 second exposure.

NO flash. 20 sec exposure.

Manassas Battlefield Shoot

I was probably a little crazy to commit to spending a day in Manassas during 100+ degree weather to shoot photos...but I'm glad I did! Had a lot of fun, learned a lot and saw a sight I've never seen before! Below are some photos from my day....(don't mind the "Photomatix" watermark- it's from the free trial I am using :)

More pics along the way....My first attempt at HDR!

In my attempt at learning photography, I have heard a lot about HDR and wanted to see what it was all about. I learned today how to do it, however, I dont own a program yet, so the program I am using (Photomatix) puts watermarks on your photos in the trial version. Please pay them now attention! Once I have a steady paycheck, I will purchase my software!!!So, here are a few attempts from today's session....

This one I got a little crazy with....just playing around with the stuff you can do!

Dianne & Dan's Baby Shower 7.16.12

Some snapshots of my friend's Dan & Dianne who are expecting in August their first little boy, William!!
I LOVE  black and white/Sepia toned photos....they are so classic and nostalgic....I only included a few of the couple hundred I took yesterday....I LOVE your candid smile, Dianne! It's beautiful!!!

Hot momma!

Eric and I had a blast! Thanks for the invite and thanks for allowing me to have my camera in your face constantly!!! We can't wait to meet little William!!!!