"How did you end up here?"

There isn't anything major to report since I last posted, but lots of little victories and happy moments have added up to lots of positivity! Work always comes with some level of stress, but I can safely say that I finally feel like a real nurse on a regular basis, and I can almost always walk away at the end of the night feeling proud of my work! I've gained more confidence facing tasks like drawing blood and inserting catheters (I never said it was glamorous), I finish my charting before the end of the shift 90% of the time (and anything left over doesn't take very long), and I even oriented a new employee! She's been a nurse for 2 years, so she actually taught me more than I taught her, but I was glad that the manager trusted me to show her the ropes. I've also been told multiple times from my coworkers that they would never guess that I'm a new nurse and they're impressed by how quickly I learn and how well I fit in. Multiple patients have told me how ...

It happened. It snowed. It snowed back in Aril when I was just visiting, but this was the real thing where it stuck all over the trees and cars and ground. September 23rd, first snow of the season, and I lived! Plus, it had melted by the next day. The mountains are GORGEOUS though! After that random bout of winter, fall took over. It doesn't get warmer than 50, the leaves are changing color and falling, and it's raining more often than not. I'm not gonna lie...I've really been enjoying my new stylish coats and drinking chai tea lattes on a regular basis. Cory and I took a short drive to Birchwood where we explored Beach Lake and caught these views... If only this season would last longer than a month. The freezing cold (aka the age of darkness) is on it's way, but I'm doing my best to take in my surroundings now without dwelling so much on what's to come. I still find myself stopping now and then thinking "Holy crap, I actually live he...