Everyday Life...

Life here in Ottawa is pretty busy. Somedays I think it will slow down...but looking ahead now I don't see that happening any time soon. I have started a second job in a retirement home. I will be doing orientation tomorrow and am actually looking forward to it. It will be a nice change of pace from the business of working in the hospital. Work in the hospital has been fairly busy. The days and nights I dread the most are the ones where we work short. However that has become more of a norm in a lot of places with the shortage of nurses. In times like this you learn how to prioritize really well.
My Crohn's disease has been more under control in the last two weeks after starting back on some meds again. One of the meds is an immunosuppresant so I have to be very careful not to pick up any infections...which is harder to do while working in the medical profession. However it is nice to finally have the pain more under control and being able to eat a little more normal again.
My cat is doing well. She is not all that happy with the many hours that I am working...but I think she is resigning herself to the fact. I think sometimes she misses the company of her cousins (my sister's cats).
Well that is enough for now. At least I can say I wrote another blog. Remember Christmas is only 30 days away! Oh do I ever love this time of year! Take care you all!

Camping

Yes its all history now...the holiday is over. Camping was sooooo much fun. From spending time cooking at the camp stove (electric frying pan! :) ) to rocking my baby brother till he fell asleep, I had a really good time. I got time to talk with Mom, walk to the beach with Dad, sit at the campfire with all the kids, yes try and play monopoly with my younger sisters...and just enjoy time together as a family.
The nights were cold but we survived. On the Sunday the family came up to my apartment and enjoyed a service at the church I attend here. They really appreciated the welcome they received there!
They left today as we all have to go back to work again tomorrow. Yes I miss them a lot...family is very important to me. I love each and everyone of them! I miss you guys....thank you for such a wonderful time camping!

More about me....

Actually that title seems to be a very self-centered title...why would I write a paragraph about me anyway...well if you don't like it then stop reading now cause I am going to keep on writing!

So you know I live in Ottawa....I live on the South East end of Ottawa in a twelve story apartment building. Yes I live on the twelfth floor which is not all that bad until there is a thunderstorm overhead and I think about the fact that we are the tallest building in the area....

The apartment is a nice place....clean and large enough for me and my kitty. My apartment is about a two or three minute drive to the hospital and if I walk it ....it takes me about half an hour....I know I must be short cause that is even walking fast! :( Somedays I walk to work, other days I take the bus, and yes there are a few days where I will drive. Not bad really....

The church I attend is about a three minute drive south west from my apartment. It really all seems odd to have things so close but I guess I just have to keep telling myself that I live in the city now.

Well that is all for now! More later.....

Some more about me....

So I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. For those who don't know it is the nations capital. I work in one of Ottawa's bigger hospitals and compared to Orangeville, my home town, it is huge. Ottawa is a beautiful city as far as cities are concerned. Generally I prefer the country but if I had to live in a city Ottawa would be a good choice...definitaly a far cry from Toronto.

So I work in a eight floor hospital that is part of a group of three hospitals. Its a very nice teaching hospital and even as a new grad I have learned so much.

But that is all for now...more later! :)

A little bit about me...

I was born in Brampton, Ontario and raised in Orangeville, Ontario. We lived in the beautiful hills of the Hockley Valley. To this day Orangeville is still considered my home!
Since I was six years old I had the dream of becoming a nurse. Throughout elementary school and highschool that dream never changed. My parents encouraged me to follow that dream...and the journey began. At fourteen years of age I started volunteering at a local nursing home. I did that for four years at which time I had a job there in housekeeping/laundry and then as a nurses aide. After the four years of volunteer work at this nursing home, I started volunteering at the hospital in Orangeville. I had the opportunity to volunteer in the emergency department as well as a patient escort. This was the highlight of all my volunteer experience! I did that till my last year of university..and to this day I still miss volunteering there, working with the many nurses and doctors and volunteers who helped me reach my dream! I owe them alot!
I started college in Florida for one semester and then tried to transfer back to Ontario. After half a year and after having help from HomeSchool Legal Defense Association I was accepted into the Bachelor of Nursing Program with the University of New Brunswick/Humber College. But that was not the end of my difficult journey to reach my dream. By the second year of nursing school I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that made school that much more difficult. I had surgery just before Christmas that year...and in the fourth year I was told by one doctor that I probably should slow down and finsih school a few months later then planned. But thanks to my school as well as a specialist who believed I could do it...I graduated in June 2007! This was such a happy time for me....but my dream was not quite completed yet.
I moved out to Ottawa, Ontaio to work as a Registered Nurse (Temporary) at the Ottawa General Hospital on a surgical floor. I wrote the RN exam on June 6, 2007 at the Algonquin College...and in late July I got the letter from the College of Nurses of Ontario stating that I had passed the exam! Now I felt that my dream had come true...I was finally a nurse!
To this I owe many people thanks for all that they had done....my parents who prayed and supported soooo much, my brothers and sisters who kept pushing me forward, my grandparents, aunts and uncles who kept praying....
And then there were those who I worked with that were so supportive...I will never forget the doctors and nurses in the emergency department in Orangeville who took every opportunity to help me learn...you guys were awesome! And then there was Barb, Bev, Carol, Beryle, and the many doctors who helped me through my last clinical in Ambulatory Care...the time you all took meant so much to me....thank you sooo much!
But most of all it was the Lord who helped me get to this point in my life. The Lord never gave up when I wanted to give up...instead He sent so many people along my path to encourage and pray for me! Thank you Lord for being my Shepherd!
As for the rest....adventures in Ottawa....I will keep you posted... :)