Breaking News: You are going to DIE!

Being an RN on the Neuro-Ortho Trauma/Stroke Telemetry floor has been interesting to say the least. The devastation that a head injury can have on the human mind is incredible. It's not just the physical trauma to the head, but the mental trauma as well. I know it is very difficult for family members to see their loved ones like this. I feel like I have seen so much in only 5 weeks of working with patients suffering from traumatic brain injury. It is very rare that we discharge someone to home, it's usually to some kind of rehab, or a long term care facility.

I also see a lot of trauma patients from car accidents, ATVs, and most recently motorcycle accidents. It blows my mind the devastation a car hitting a motorcycle can cause for the motorcycle rider! I recently had a 22 year old who thankfully was wearing a helmet when a car pulled out and hit him on his ride home from work (the cars never seem to see them). Despite the use of his helmet and other protective clothing, he still sustained several facial fractures. He also had a fractured pelvis, shattered wrist, fractured shoulder, and severe road rash. Several weeks later, when I took care of him, he was still unable to walk. Miraculously, all his internal organs were free from severe harm. He survived this accident by grace alone.

Working on this floor has made me realize my own mortality as well as the mortality of my family. There are so many ways to die! Cue cheesy Christian line: But only One Way to live! Lol. But, it's the striking truth. Death can take anyone at any age. We can be fine one moment and then BAM! standing in front of God facing our judgment. Whether or not we accepted Jesus as our Savior and followed Him alone is the only thing that will matter. There is urgency to this message because death is a certainty and a reality.

I remember having this conversation with a dear friend in college. She told me that she intended on searching and exploring what she believed in and getting more into church at some point in her life, but college wasn't the time. She wanted to have her fun. With grace and truth, and many christian friends pouring into her life over lunch at Panera, several years later this woman became one of the most passionate and dynamic followers of Christ I have ever seen. Her eyes and heart were opened to not only the urgency of the gospel, but the beauty of a Savior who rules with grace, justice, and love.

recapping 2010

2011 is here! How bizarre that time moves so fast. I feel like I just graduated high school yesterday. In reality it was about 7 years ago. I can genuinely say that I never realized or thought time moved fast until I was in college. As each season of soccer went by, the reality that I only had 3 more seasons, 2 more seasons, 1 more season until my career was over hit hard. Now my career has been OVER for more than 2 years. And I'm married. And I'm turning the dreaded 25 this year. 25 sounds incredibly old to me, it always has. Mid-twenties. They are almost over. Meanwhile, my husband gets to turn only 24 in April! Not fair! At least I haven't had one patient guess me a day older than 18...which my response is always "Really? You don't mind having an 18 year old take care of you, chart your precise assessments, push your potent IV meds? How many 18 year olds with a bachelor's degree do you know?" Actually, I only think all that. In reality I'm flattered by their comments.

Last year, 2010, was such a lovely year for Chase and I. We had so many exciting changes! I graduated at the end of Dec. 2009, and landed my first big girl RN job in January of 2010. Chase played his last rounds of golf for UNC in the spring and graduated in May. After 11 months of planning, we got married in June and then went on the most baller vacation to Aruba. The day we got back from Aruba, July 4th, we began our journey out to AZ in our pre-packed Budget Truck (thanks Dan, Tim, Pat). My sister also got engaged that day. After that crazy and HOT trip to AZ, we arrived 2 days later on July 6th. We unpacked most of the truck ourselves as we made trip after trip up 4 flights of stairs. And then the next morning, Chase started his new job at Cintas on July 7th. I obtained my RN license for AZ in August, and after several months of job searching and heartbreak and disappointment, in late November I was offered a job at Scottsdale Healthcare on a neuro/ortho trauma floor. Chase and I spent Thanksgiving with friends, and had a wonderful Christmas alone. To end 2010, Chase made the night as special as the whole year was as he had a wonderful dinner + wine ready for me when I came home from working my 3rd 12 in a row. It was complete with fresh roses + champagne and watching the ball drop in New York at 10pm, 11pm and 12am MTN time.

As fun as 2010 was, it contained some of the busiest times of my life. After we moved to AZ, it also contained some of the most NOT busy times of my life.

We have so much to look foward to in 2011! My sister is getting married, Chase and I will be celebrating one year of marriage in June, and who can't forget the franchise-completing, era-ending release of the finale Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in July?