Memoirs from an MRI scanner and a recently unemployed young aaaahdult

Kelly: The Christmas music has started, the cats are hyper and I've been awake since 6AM. Just another day of livin-la-vida-loca! The reason I've been awake so long is that I had another MRI today; hopefully the last for a long while. This one was done because last week, one awesome doctor FINALLY has a name for all my ankle problems!!!! After 2 and a half years of groveling, knocking on doors, pain and frustration, YES. There is a name! Anyway, this MRI was done to see the extent of the problem and what is the next step treatment wise for me; casting first or surgery. She said (the good doctor) that surgery is very unlikely, so keep your eyes open as I will be posting updates. I don't go back to see her until the 10th, so again another waiting game continues.

Anyway, during the scan today the tech asked what radio station I liked to listen to, and I said I'm very fond of K-LOVE; they played music for me since MRI's tend to be rather noisy...if you've never had one, take my word for it. I've had 3. So anyway, I was laying on my back, drifting in and out of sleep and then the radio DJ's who do the morning show were talking about something they read about this guy who was his own "minister of happy." What this guy did was just that...he was just happy. But what he did was change his mindset. The radio DJ's kept talking and mentioned the encouraging word which was from 1 Corinthians 15:58. The premise of this verse is that everything we do is not useless and that we're to work in all things for Christ. One of the DJ's said that with that kind of mindset, daily, it can provide the same eternal gratitude as leading someone to Christ. What a concept. Just something for us to take home; instead of "going through the motions" and going through the daily grind, how's about we take our mundane every dayness and use any and every moment possible for God? Thoughts and actions like that could change us...even the world.

Holly: This especially struck me today.  Last Tuesday was my last day at my job.  Which means yes...I am now unemployed once again.  With the exception of my Mary Kay.  To say I'm anxious, uneasy, worried, all are understatements.  Most of the time I try to keep the faith but sometimes it's hard to not get discouraged.  But when I heard about being our own ministers of happy, it was like a light switch.  Yes, times are scary and uncertain for me right now.  God is taking me through a season that is uncomfortable, boring, scary...I feel sometimes as if I'm on pins and needles, waiting for an email, phone call, ANYTHING.  But that isn't how it has to be.

So how does someone like me be a minister of happy even in the dark times?  I know for me that I have to undergo a serious change of perspective.  I know that I need to use this abundant spare time for God, for rest, for prayer, and being serious in my faith to the point that I solely rely on God for my utmost needs and desires.  Which at this point is work.  I need to work!  I need to stay busy!  But what I keep praying is that regardless of where I end up I want to be used by God.  For now, I wait.  And do things.  Like tonight: I auditioned for a dance ensemble at Berea.   I have absolutely no idea if I'll even get into a piece, but it was the most fun hour and forty five minutes I've had in a LONG time.  I'll plan my party.  I'll sleep.  And pray.  And keep faith.  Because we do what we have to do.

Theme of the day: "I'M NOT CRAZY!"

Kelly: It's true, readers. Contrary to what you may have seen or heard, we are not crazy! Granted, it has been a rather crazy week, but it's not true. This week was actually the first full week of what I am about to endure for the rest of this semester. Two day a week clinicals, so far, are NOT agreeing with me. Awake at 4:00 on Tuesday, and I've been up since 6 this morning. Oh well, as the old saying holds...this too shall pass. Over time my body will adjust to my erratic sleeping/waking cycles. Although thus far I have enjoyed both of my rotations. Tuesdays I am so far in Lexington at St. Joseph Main doing...whatever. I was in the OR on Tuesday (hello, robotic laparascopic assisted hysterectomy!!!!), and today I was in a psychiatric facility, observing individuals with substance abuse. I must say, I am so impressed by these individuals and their courage to realize they have a problem and are fixing it. Mental health can be a very dangerous field...but there are those who do own up to their issues and try to work them out. EVERYONE in the group meeting I observed today were admitted voluntary; in other words, it was their choice. Stay tuned, and for more accurate and detailed descriptions, please read my blog entitled "Clinical adventures: from novice to RN." Ok, enough of my shameless plug.

Funny factoid/story that happened today, I was checking my Yahoo! email as I typically do. I was deleting the usual facebook group posts or something like that and then I received this one email that for some reason I could just not ignore. The subject was "Chase bank doesn't like you." Chuckling, I opened it. Below is the first paragraph of such email, verbatim:

"Aaron Collette came off a plane from Iraq and into his "safe zone” -- his father's home in Oregon that you saved from imminent foreclosure by Chase bank while Aaron is home on leave.

Aaron and his dad Tim recorded a video to thank you and 122,000 Change.org members for saving their home while Aaron is on leave from Iraq." 

 Uh...excuse me?! Either my email has been spammed to kingdom come or someone is playing a joke on me. Though this is an incredibly awesome story, I was NO WAY involved with saving this family's home from "imminent foreclosure." And I'm still not sure why Chase bank doesn't like me....but we'll see. Suggestions on what I should do with this email would greatly be appreciated. That's all to report for now. Cheers!

Holly: Um...yeah, I think that Chase bank SHOULD like you.  But anyway...

The blog's title actually came from a previous Facebook status of mine from earlier today.  I arrived to work this morning just before 9 and my professor boss asked me where the clickers are.  (Ok, I know that y'all have NO IDEA what I'm talking about, so just bear with it).  My mind panicked because I could have absolutely sworn that I had left them out from the previous lab; in fact, I know I did!!!! All the while I swore up and down that I am NOT crazy! So my professor left to do another sweep of all the labs and prep rooms when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.  I mentioned my inquiry to my fellow TA, and to my horror/shock/hilarity, I realized that it was a clicker.  In fact, ALL of the clickers were situated perfectly in the middle of each and every table.  Needless to say, we all got a good laugh.  I think that during clean up I asked myself, Ugh, can it just be the weekend already???

This afternoon I also got to hear a talk from an MD who is chair of the...well, I don't remember what...department at UK (University of Kentucky, for our out-of-territory readers).  But this guy was freakinnnnggggg brilliant!! He has a bajillion patents on an artificial lung/other heart-lung related mechanisms and hasn't received a penny from hardly any of them! And this all started when he investigated the not-so-hidden dangers of ventilators! Ventilators!!! Who would have thunk it?  Apparently, over time, ventilators do more harm than good.  But yeah, definitely left the talk having learned something.  And not only was he freakinnnnnnnngggggg brilliant, but he could rip on the harmonica like no other!!! I was just like, play dat harmonica, genius lung man!

In other news, I got another 85 on my online high stress-inducing biochemistry quiz (sha-zam!), and I can now see clearly on my side of the dorm again.  Yes, our light has been burned out since we moved in but now all is well, bright, and clear in 202 once again! :)  And kettle corn is awwweeeessssoooommmmeeee!!!

Tomorrow is Friday (hooray!).  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and is looking forward to the great things to come! :)

blessings!!! <3