Softball anyone?

Softball anyone?, originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

A holiday week-end full of nothing but softball.
This is Mandy's first ball game of the season, a 3-day tournament down in Toledo, Ohio. We are back there today for the championship game at 1pm, the girls are undefeated in 3 games!

Can they do it....stay tuned!

Nick and Dylan

Nick and Dylan, originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

Hey!! where did you go? I miss you
Love Dylan

This picture was taken the day before Nick left for California for the summer. If every thing went okay, Mike, Nick and Amanda should have left for their bike trip up the coast of California today.

TOO MUCH REST

Well I got staffed from work for the first time, but of course they don't call you until 5pm when you have already slept the afternoon away!! It's a bummer when you are only part-time to begin with and you lose one day of work, but I'll have to ask if I'm paid at all for being on call until 1:30am! or if it's just part of the job.
Worst part is I still have to work tonight and I'm just not tired from all the extra sleep I got...hopefully soon I'll be able to dose off.

Mandy's final track event is tomorrow...she leaves school at noon for a very long day. I'm not sure what time I'll head down to Erie Mason to watch her...But LUCK LUCK LUCK to the girls and boys track teams.

I have Nick around for 2 more days...then he's off to California for the summer.

Dylan is just a busy little guy, getting into everything and testing us...but always with a smile (or devilish grin) on his face! Right now he's emptying the trash can in the computer room...grrr


Well I better try to get a nap in...

PAPERWORK AND TEARS

We have had a patient on our unit for the past week who has been slowly dying. Well I had her for the first time last night...
She passed away at 6:15 am today, on my shift so I dealt with the families sorrow and then the coldness of reality, paperwork! Could you sign here and here and I'm sorry but she was declined as an organ donor, could you sign here...
From that moment on until I left at almost 8 am I was running non-stop. I had other meds to give, blood sugars to check, soap charting to do...and could you sign here, are you taking her belongings with you, what funeral home are you using...HARSH but life.
I also had two patients that had strokes that affected their speech, one patient almost to the point of just yes and no questions and the other still adjusting to the diagnosis, so more tears of frustration...as he could see I was struggling to understand him.

And they want me to pick up this weekend!!

Nick and Dylan had their pictures taken together today, they were absolutely adorable!! They were both dressed in khaki's, dress shirt and ties. Nick complained about his hair and Dylan barely has any to complain about! Too cute.

Well I'm going on NO SLEEP and I have my daughter's last track meet of the season before the LCAA championship on Tuesday. The Onsted Middle School girls track team is still undefeated!! So bed is a few hours away yet...

GO MANDY GO!

Nick and Dylan (5/2005, originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

Nick and Dylan at Mandy's track meet last Saturday, (5-07-05). The Onsted girls took first place out of seven schools!!

It was a beautiful day, close to being HOT for a change. Dylan got pink on his arms, we tried to keep him out of the sun but it wasn't easy. He loves to play in the grass and put everything in his mouth.

The track meet lasted from 10:30 until close to 4pm. We got there at 1pm! and Mandy didn't run until 2:30. Dylan never slept because there was just too much going on but he crashed the minute we got in the truck to go home!!

I'M SO SORE...

I had to work yesterday with my sister and her husband (who has a landscaping business) doing a "dayscape" which is landscaping done in one day. Brian also had his crew working with us and we got it done. But boy I'm sore!! My muscles are complaining, my fingers hurt...but the job got done and it looked great! And since I was so dirty (we worked in the pouring rain) I planted my 2 new trees when I got home, then crawled in the shower with Dylan.

Well my kitchen is green, I still haven't decided on trim color yet and I wish I had new cupboards that french door we have been talking about...
We are going to have to paint our chalkboard black because the green on green just doesn't work. It looks awesome though and no I still haven't agreed to the spartan "S".

Mandy's track meet got cancelled yesterday because of the weather.

One more day then back to work...

IT'S EARLY...

and Dylan is still asleep, so now it's time to post.

My kitchen is now one coat of green, of course James wants to put a big "S" on the wall. But don't worry it's not spartan green! and I told him no. But it looks awesome and hopefully today I'll finish the second coat and then stare at for a while to decide on the trim color...I have this week off, well at least until Friday night, so I thought I would get another room done. Bedroom is next...

Mandy had a big track meet on Saturday, the girls team took first place. So she earned her first set of medals (2) from track. Then Monday they ran against Clinton and won 98 to 39! The Onsted Middle School track team for the girls is undefeated so far...
She was nervous yesterday running the 1 mile relay...the boyfriend stopped his baseball practice and the whole team was watching...(oh brother)

Nick leaves in 15 days...

Mother's Day was nice, I spent it with 3 of my 4 kids, and the one far away called...

Work has been going good, I'm learning new things it seems every night. Last week I had to "babysit" one of my patients. She kept getting out of bed without our help...and she would pull out her IV everytime. The first time we had blood everywhere...after that the needle itself wouldn't come out...sheesh!! We finally put her in a geri-chair and put her in the hallway next to me... so she slept while I charted on the computer. Every once in awhile she would wake up and try to get the strap off...she would be naked before I knew it!! It was a long night...

I had another patient who came in 2 weeks ago if not longer now for a GI bleed, then she came down with pneumonia...then more bleeding and then worsening pneumonia. I don't know...hopefully she is going to be okay...her husband is dedicated to her, he's there everyday and says if she goes he's going with her...it's so touching to see long enduring love stories.

Work is stressful, it's tough to get my nails to grow anymore...I find myself gnawing on them. It's also interesting but I wonder at times if I'll ever "know" everything. It's not like working at the bank...starting today I'm going to start studying again. I need to read my nursing books everyday for an hour or at least read on one subject for a hour basically on what I have seen so far on my floor.

Well, I better get going, I have to make Mandy's lunch and Dylan will be waking soon...

AND SHE'S OFF...

AND SHE'S OFF..., originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

Mandy running her leg of the 1 mile relay at Onsted on May 6th 2005 against Dundee. What a hand-off!!!

WOW

102_0287, originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

This is a picture of Donny Osmond reaching for my sister's hand. Oops I'm suppose to post a picture of my living room, LOL! okay maybe next time.

CAN'T GET ENOUGH...

CAN'T GET ENOUGH..., originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

Food that is!! Except my dad tends to miss my mouth quite often. I don't know why, I open as wide as I can...

DONNY

DONNY, originally uploaded by beautiful brat.

The concert was great and we had awesome seats. Second row!!

I'M ALONE FOR THE MOMENT....

Hey everyone, I know its been months since I have posted last. But ...I have tried on several occasions but Dylan usually has something to say about my lack of attention towards him!!

I'm alone right now, so here's what I've been up to. Work Work Work!!! No seriously I have had some time off but the first 12 weeks back to work I did full-time hours plus...and boy did I get worn out! But these last few weeks have just been 2 days a week and it's been awesome.
I'm back to the fitness center with only 7 pounds to my goal, yeah for me! I have painted my living room and Mandy's bathroom. I managed to get 10 days off between days and I spent most of it up to my elbows in paint!! My sister did help me one day with the red wall and needless to say I have red on my ceiling!! LOL Eventually I'll fix that...
But my living room turned out awesome and now to decide on curtains because I went with one red-velvet wall and the other walls are blond, I love it. I have two pairs of curtains here at the house that I bought and I finally got around to buying a new curtain rod yesterday, soon I'll get James to hang them....baby steps he would be saying right now. GRRRR
Mandy's bathroom we did in Frolic, which is a bright lime-green, very modern. We have a couple of Andy Warhol daisy prints for the walls...it will be awesome when it's all put together.

James, Mandy and Dylan are in Saline at her scrimmage for softball. Brrrr!! I have tickets to go see Donny Osmond at the JCC Potter Center in just a short time!! Hopefully the college hasn't turned the heat off yet! Just a couple of weeks ago I was laying in the sun between coats of paint...what happened!! Oh yeah we live in Michigan...

James is still working....
Mandys is busy with school, softball, track and trying to maintain all A's. If she does for this last marking period...she will have gone the full 7th grade with an straight A average...can she do it? Stay turned...
Nick is working for a cement company here in Onsted, he's learning how to do sidewalk, driveways, garages....it's back-breaking work at times....he will be leaving for California at the end of this month for a month long bike trip then he'll be back to attend Siena Heights College.
Dylan is just all over the place, he weighs a little over 15 pounds and is 28 inches long. He crawls and stands and giggles and is just a doll. I took him and Mandy the other day to have their pictures taken together, they turned out great. Then in a few days it will be Nick and Dylan's turn..
Me, I've just been working at the hospital, I have two interviews next week for contingency work...we'll see, and just trying to get things done around the house that has been neglected for the last 4 years because of school.
Well I better sign off, it's time for Donny!!