Serendipity

So I seriously don't know how this happens...I say I'm going to more diligent about posting and I did really well....and then....life happens :)
Beautiful, serendipitous, lucky life that I have. So I'll give some quick updates.

CCI - I LOVE being a nurse and I am having such a ridiculously good time in the Critical Care Internship.
Since my last post, I finished the Surgical ICU (which I loved!!!) Give me a surgical wound any day and I'm a happy girl. I also went through my rotation on Neuro Critical Care unit...one word: Bbbbbrrrrraaaiiiinnnssssss!!! (Say this is your best zombie voice please). Don't get me wrong, NCC was cool but brains are squishy! I just started last week in the Medical ICU, which will be interesting for me. Patients are really, really sick to be on MICU. But I do have some friends that work there so I don't feel soooo out of place. The internship will be finished in December, the last rotation will be through Burn Trauma ICU, which I am literally scared to death of. I have learned so much about myself and I feel like I'm gaining the most amazing experiences. I still don't know which one will be my first choice, but I'm working really hard to have ALL the managers want to hire me, then I can get my pick. (Still the overachiever.) Stay tuned on the CCI front.

The Boy - he's still a teenager for all his 18 years. Lovable, messy, at times irresponsible, teenager. This is the part about being a parent that is new and uncharted for me: how to let your children make grown-up life decisions without interfering or giving too much of my own opinion. It gives me serious anxiety. That is all I can say about that right now.

Ramblings about Salt Lake City - I did finally make it all the way up City Creek Canyon (12 miles roundtrip) which is quite the accomplishment for me. And yes, I know I should have gone with someone, hiking by yourself can be dangerous....but I really needed to do it by myself, for myself. The leaves are all turning in my beloved city, which makes it even more lovable. This fall has been so lovely, but I will not lie and say I am looking forward to winter, but I am literally counting down the days until Spring :)

Just one of the numerous creatures I saw this summer in City Creek

Serendipity is when someone finds something that they weren't expecting to find. In the last year, I have found things that I didn't know I wanted or was not expecting in the least. Serendipity usually refers to happy things. Unfortunately all my discoveries have not been happy. But what has been the most serendipitous thing to happen to me is that I when I started being true to myself, I rediscovered my true source of happiness - myself. I told someone recently that if more of us just got out of our own way and let the universe bring us what we needed, we would all be so much happier. The smile on my face is enormous these days.

The boy at 18

Yesterday, the boy turned 18. I was a little sad. I remember when he was a baby, entranced by watching basketball on TV (thank goodness for SportsCenter). I remember his first day of Kindergarten. I remember the first time he hit a three pointer in a game. I remember the first time we went to the ER for a sports injury. I remember the first time he told me he liked a girl. I remember when he told me he would always take care of me. Now, I will be able to remember his 18th birthday and how much fun we had as son and momma. I can only hope that he will still want to tell me about his days, want and seek my opinion and be my friend as well as my son. He always has been and always will be my most awesome accomplishment.

The boy, Senior Year...and some other thoughts.

This last week I took the boy to get all registered in preparation for starting his Senior Year of high school. Walking through those impressive front doors of the most bad-ass high school in the state, West High (yes, I am a Panther as well, class of 93, woot-woot), I was having a lot of mixed emotions. First: Disbelief. I truly can't believe that he is a senior and that he will soon be 18 years old. I'm so excited for what this year holds for him, because I remember having that same feeling as I started my senior year of high school. Now for those of you who don't want to do the math, yes it was during my senior year that my life forever changed and I found myself pregnant with this little miracle in my belly. So, my second emotion that gripped me was fear & apprehension at all once. I can only hope that I have taught him the importance of responsibility and why I want his story to be so different from mine. Once I reminded myself of that, the last emotion that calmed me down was that of happy anticipation. The memories and stories he'll build for himself this year will be ones that I hope he will carry with him forever. And I'm so excited that I'll be in the position to do everything I can to make those stories great.

I also had the supreme opportunity this week to see "my boys" 311 in concert once again. That will make 17 shows for me. I know a lot of people don't get it, but simply put, it makes me happy. So rather that trying to explain, I'll let the expressions on my face do the talking.

"Be Positive and Love Your Life!"