Just a little something I know.

Today while in Relief Society I was doing some soul searching. You night think I was not paying attention to the lesson and daydreaming about rainbows and ponies instead. However I was doing nothing of the sort. I was thinking about all the things I know about my Savior. Our lesson was on the life of Christ. That is something that we could all probably spend more time learning about and trying to replicate.

We were asked to think of our favorite story of his life and then share our feelings. One of my very favorite is the "Ye without sin cast the first stone." I love the way it makes me think before passing judgement. I know I am not perfect and will not come across a single person that is perfect. So because of that I owe those I come in contact the same respect I am hoping to get from them.

We also sang hymn 136 "I know that My Redeemer Lives." I love this hymn, it is by far one of my favorites. I was thinking of the truths testified of in that song and I had a hard time not letting the tears fall... Here are just some lines that spoke so loudly to me today.

I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my souls complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubles heart.
He lives my kind wise heavenly friend.
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives to grant me daily breath.
He lives and I shall conquer death.
He lives my mansion to prepare.
He lives to bring me safely there.
He lives all glory to his name!
Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives: "I know that my Redeemer lives!!

He lives and he loves each of us! It brings me so much happiness and peace that I can say that with complete confidence!

They are brimming...

You know those days when it might have been better to just crawl back under the blankets and wait for the next 6:30 am to come around??? Well that was my day today. It was not all bad I did meet the sweetest little man that offered to reimburse me for making a phone call to his Dr office in New York. There were the darling newborns I got to look at while getting a sample of blood from their foot. These are cute little people and I often don't mind getting the blood drop by drop. That only means I get to look longer. There was a BBQ with some old friends and that is always fun!! Good Co-workers that are willing to help me come up with a solution. And people being willing to go with less sleep in order to help out!

But laying those things aside for a moment to take an inventory of the day...Pretty much was LAME! We were super slammed busy in IM , patients think you can not hear them talking about how long they are waiting, veins were staying as far from my needle as possible, People were sick, shifts needed to be covered, emails keep piling up, more and more things are still waiting for my attention, I tried to curl my hair it only looked worse...I could keep going but you get the idea.

Well the final straw hit late this evening. I got a call saying that yet another shift needed to be covered. I was not sure what to do and crying was not an option. So I went into work to see if I could work something out. And there in Microbiology right next to the incubator filled bodily fluids ready for Culture...I lost it!

I am not proud of this for one minute. However I will say this; the tears never left my eyes, they never hit my cheek or fell to the floor. But they were there and they were brimming! I know it was nothing to do with this particular shift that made me loose my mind. But rather ALL of it combined in a pretty little package! I just hope it comes with a pink bow next time!

Meltdowns can be tricky. They will sneak up on you. They give very little warning and have no respect for appropriate timing! So if they are going to happen to you make sure you are in a safe place! For me that safe place was in Micro next to the the Incubator!!! And the company I had while in Micro was the best I could have asked for! Even if they did have to witness the brimming! But please for the love of all that is good in the world: NEVER open the incubator when somebody is having a melt down! That has the potential to send the semi-unstable person straight to the BHU!

A rose by any other name...

William Shakespeare said a "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I agree with this statement with my whole heart! However I do not agree that this applies to all things in life. For instance lets go with the work "Walker" Maybe some things that came into your mind were along these lines...Babies learning to walk, Elderly people in need of a little assistance, a stick used on a hike and last but not least "Walker Texas Ranger."


If you think this is going to be a post about one the worlds greatest crime fighter...You my friend are wrong. I wish I was about to tell you of a strapping middle aged, but still rather attractive man who has taken a liking to me. But those sorts of things don't happen in my world. Lets be honest I am not all that heart broken about the middle aged part. I know I am getting old and all but not middle aged quite yet.

There is however is a short, hairy, older man that has taken a liking to me. He comes in to the lab far to often. Complete mug that could double as a swimming pool for baby ducks and his Walker! So that is what I call him. Walker. And let me just tell you he is no Walker Texas Ranger! He is not somebody I would ever care to spend more time with than totally necessary. I try to avoid him and pretend I am really busy when he does come in. But there are always those times that I am caught off guard. In these cases he will try to scare me. Or if I am really "lucky" he will get really close and say something along these lines: I love those scrubs darling, You look great today, I like the way you curled your hair. (If you need to go throw up and come back I can wait.)

OK first things first: Scrubs are not attractive. I mean if you think a tent is attractive then you may like them. But as a general rule they are never going to make the front page of the latest fashion magazine. And I am a creature of habit and therefore curl my hair the same everyday. Or sometimes I get really crazy and trow it into a wet bun!!! So if case I have not painted this picture good enough for you....I would never say I look my best at work!!!

Why is it that I always attract the really strange men in the world?? Perhaps I have an inflated opinion of myself. And rather than fight it just accept that I am a strange girl and that is the reason. This seems to be an ongoing problem in my life and I am not ready to accept my fate. So I will still coutinue the quest to find my own non-strange version of "Walker!"

Why even bother?

As of late I feel that I am wasting far to much breath on speaking. I feel that I try to do the best by explaining all the Pros and Cons. And if you know me at all you will understand when I say that I spare no words in getting my point across. I tend to be very concerned that I will be misunderstood and as a result repeat myself A LOT!!! Please do not think this is something I am not trying to get a handle on. Because I am. However I fear the damage may be done. You remember the saying you can't teach old dogs new tricks. Well we all know I am not getting any younger and this may just be part of me that will become endearing over time rather than simply remaining annoying! Who knows...

(Please make note of the length in which it took me to explain said problem. Maybe there is some sort of support group. Perhaps I will google it when I finish this post!?)

WOW! Moving on...

So at work I tell my patients in very clear English how to do things. And more times than not they can't handle it! Most of the time it does not bother me. I chalk it up to a bad day, hard of hearing or old age. There are other times when I wonder why I even bother! Heaven knows I gave them plenty of instruction. So why there is still confusion is beyond me. For instance...I tell them to place their urine sample in the Pink Bin labeled URINE. And without fail I will have samples brought me at the desk, left in the restroom, sat next to the computer and my personal favorite... Sat on the counter right next to the URINE Bucket and as those patient leaves they always say "I was not sure where to put my sample so I sat it next to the Pink Bin." I just smile and say "OK I will take care of it." But inside I want nothing more than to flick them in the forehead and sweetly remind them of our urine placing conversation!

OR...

There are lots of time when patients will need blood work and stool studies as well. So as a courtesy we tell them if they wait and have the blood work done when they bring the other samples back it will be a little cheaper for them. Most patients take the chance to save a couple bucks and decide to do it all together another day. However we do have those patients that would rather do them separate. Fine by me, I have been poking people all day so I am warmed up! I tell them to have a seat while I do some paperwork and then we will do draw the blood. It never fails the moment I hit the save/print button the patient decides to opt out of the blood work today. They come up my desk and say something along these lines "I think I will just do them all together when I bring the other samples back that will be better and cheaper." This is what they say to me. Like they just thought of this brilliant plan themselves. Never mind the fact that I told them the very same thing 3 minutes ago.

Then there are the times...

Patients call on the phone asking for the latest test they found on google that will fix all their problems. And maybe even create Word Peace! They expect that we run EVERYTHING and so this should not be a problem. If by chance the "Next Best Thing" is not something we offer you must be prepared for a long phone call. When this happens I try my very best to help the patient and explain that we do not offer said testing and help them in anyway I can to understand this. Just because the test is "Out there" does not mean we can do it. We are not Nike folks! I tried to explain this to a patient for roughly 15 minutes the other day. Telling her she could go to other facilities and have the testing done. Tell her she and her Dr could work out together what testing she needed and perhaps at that point we could help her. After trying all my options and getting rather frustrated, but never letting the patient in on my frustrations. She decided to tell me "Well you have been nothing but unhelpful and inefficient!"

So you see sometimes I sit back and wonder "Why do I even bother?"

Being born was the easy part.

Well I have made it to the ripe OLD age of 28. Pretty sure that number will take some getting used to! You see I have decided this morning that being born was mere child's play. Well compared to the rest of life. I mean for me it was a piece of cake. Don't get me wrong I was totally ticked off and come out ready to tell everyone exactly how I felt about it. Only I had not learned to speak the language of those around me. So out of utter disgust I just cried. I am certain that things were harder on my mom. She after all had to endure the labor and such. Sure I was cold, cheesy, had my eyes covered in some sort of goo, was poked and prodded in all kids of ways. But no matter how unsightly I may have looked at that moment. EVERYONE thought I was the sweetest, prettiest and most perfect baby girl. I had my entire family wrapped around my finger in no time. Yeah, you could say life was good!

And life is still good. I have much to be thankful for. My family, my friends, my job, the Gospel, my heath and even the fact that I am turning 28! You see I was a sick little thing and my Mom tells the story of looking at me through the window as they were getting ready to Life flight me out. She asked the question to me Grandma "What if he needs her more than I do?"

Have no fear folks there I was not ready to go back just yet. I am thankful that my 1 month old self decided to hang in there a little longer. I would have missed out on so much had I only had 1 month of this "Earth Life Fun." So I am thankful I am here.

But I will be honest I am having a hard time with the whole 28 thing. I guess it is because if you round up I am 30!!! How did this happen? I sort of feel like my life is in a continuous circle with no end and nothing in sight to shkae things up. I had no idea that my life would look like this at 28. Oh how I had plans for my life and they have sort of... Not happened.

But there is still time. At least I hope there is. Sometimes life is just hard. And often around our Birthdays that we get all reflective. So after much soul searching I have come to this conclusion: Being born was the easy part. The rest of life is when things get tricky. All we can do is enjoy the ride the best we can.

So I will grab my helmet, buckle up and see what the next 28 years has is store.

What made that a good idea in your head??

There are things about my "Just another day at the office" that are strange by definition. The people I meet and the things I see are always entertaining. And often down right disturbing. There are times when I shake my head and sit in wonder and Awe. Wondering how so many people make it to adulthood without major harm to themselves. There are so many strange people out there. And sure they are nice and all. However I often find myself thinking..."What made that a good idea in your head?"

You see there are a few things that you should just think about before you do. I know that in my line of work I will on a daily basis hold in my hand multiple bodily fluids. I am totally fine with this. In fact it does not bother me in the least. There are words that are in my everyday vocabulary that are not in most peoples. Like urine, stool, blood, serum, sputum...the list could go on and on. But to keep you form dry heaving and not see this post out to the end I will assume you get the idea.

So just because I am totally fine with said items. That does not mean I want them handed across the counter and into my FACE!!! This is why I say people need to think before they do. What in the world would make a person think I (or any lab person) would enjoy their specimen to be inches form our face. Not to mention the large red signs all over the counter that read "Do not place specimens on the counter." I know that most people just want to do the hand off as quick as possible. And if eye contact could be avoided that would be even better. But you see we must follow the rules and do things according to protocol. So shoving your samples into our faces is not going to make this interaction we are about to have any less awkward. We are here for you and would love to help you with ANY sample you bring us. All we ask is that we are able to take care of it with our hands and not our face.

I had an experience the other day that is now very near the top of my "Why is this happening?" list. I am talking about those experiences we all have that make us look around for the cameras. And raise our eyebrows ever so slightly. I seem to have a lot of these experiences and there is never a camera to be found.

So there I was doing a Bilirubin test on a sweet newborn. He was doing a great job of filling the air with screaming. While his parents were in their own little world. Let me first tell you a little about the parents. They were rocker's of sorts. Mom was looking like she had just had a baby tired and hapy. But dad...He was wearing SKINNY JEANS!!! For those who don't know this about me...Skinny Jeans freak me right out. Well while I was allowing the blood fill my tube. Dad decided this was a great time to serenade his wife. I am not kidding folks! I can't make this stuff up. He was dancing, singing and caressing her face. It was like my own private concert. I wanted so badly to say "Don't mind me." But instead I was in such shock that I said nothing. I simple finished my draw and sent them on their way.

You see friends there are some things that should be thought through. I remember these little things that I think are totally strange. Then I wonder how many times I have been on the other end and made my way to the top of somebodies "Why is this happening" list. Life is good and the awkward and even annoying moments make it that much better!!

His name shall be HENRY!

You know when you have a very large Elephant in the room. Well I am living with said Elephant. He has moved in, follows me from room to room, has a looming presence. And to my knowledge is not paying any portion of the rent. I have yet to be formerly introduced and to be frank I am OK with that. I tend to get attached to things once I know their name. And I am ready for him to be gone FOREVER! I know that he is a him because he is causing me some serious grief. Like most men in my life. So using my deductive reasoning skills I have determined he is in fact a HIM!

I have been told we are not going to talk about him. We will pretend he does not exist and all will be well. I am not entirely sure how this will work. You see he is the size of an ELEPHANT!!! But alas I will refrain and not talk about him. I will instead feel his beady little eyes peer into the back of head. He is very taunting. He wants to be talked about. You see he is somewhat of a glory hog. But seeing as we are not allowed to talk about him at this time. He is going to just hang in the air taunting me.

I am not sure how long he will stay. But as long as he is here I have decided he needs a name. Not his actual name. Remember I have attachment issues and especially to inanimate objects. So I will give him a name of my choosing. That name shall be Henry. It is a good Strong name. And the first 2 letters reconfirm that he is a he. Also I like to say it because it makes me think of Ever After and a good Chick Flick reference is always nice.

So Henry welcome to my house. I hope you enjoy your stay. Please feel free to do any tiding up in you spare time. And remember I will not be the least bit sad to see you leave. Until then lets try to make this arrangement the best we can for everyone.