Today was quite a day! I won't bore you with all the details but here are the main points:

 

1.) Don't go to Hy-Vee at 5:30am - they don't employee cashiers at that time of day.

 

2.) Do go buy doughnuts at Kum & Go - they employ cashiers 24 hours per day.

 

3.) Everyone at work was full of hugs and tears, good wishes, and compliments today.

     I won't tell you them all, just the one that touched me the most. It was from Doris Cody, resident. She said

     "There are good aides, and not so good aides, but there are very few as good as you. I'm going to miss you, Carla."

     I'll miss Doris too. (I cried.) 

 

4.) I got a card that said, "Thank You" on the front... inside was written, "Carla, Many of your friends at NC are very sad that you are leaving. You have such a kind and caring manner as you care for the residents. Know you always would be welcome back!  Most Sincerely, Linda W Teresa G." (I cried some more.)

 

5.) Deb A., R.N. telling me that if I didn't like my new job that I could just show up one morning and they'd put me to work. LOL!

 

6.) At the end of my shift, more hugs and tears and then I walked out the door with Sue, CNA.

 

All in all it was a pretty good day. But I will miss everyone, co-workers and residents so much!

 

But Sunday begins another journey with new co-workers and new residents. I'm sure everything will work out just fine.

 

 

 

Hmmm... so much has happened, where do I start?

 

I've been getting stuff ready for starting my new job. I had to get a copy of my June TB test, the in-services I have been to this year, and a pre-employment physical from my doctor. I still need to take in my DL and SS card. Then I am good to go. I start Oct. 1st. I can't wait!

 

At NC, one of the Charge Nurses, Deb Archer, left me a card in my mailbox. The front of is says, "Missing you more than a little..." there is a cup of coffee on the front and inside it says, "Missing you a latte!" and she wrote a wonderful message that says, "Carla, Thank you so much for all your hard work on my shift. I was deeply moved by the caring way you treated the res. Here's hoping you have a great life. Please come back if things don't work out. Take care, Carly & a big Thank You! ~ Deb." I started to get all teary eyed... okay, so I bawled! I will miss Deb so much! She is the best nurse ever!

 

All week different people have been saying different things to me... like one was sitting in the break room when I walked in and she said she heard the bad news. I got all concerned and said what bad news? (Duh!) About you leaving us! She said. But she said she understood...  I will miss all my co-workers. They are awesome and I hope they all keep in touch!

 

In other news...

Elainie made the B team for Volleyball. They won their first game, lost the second... I'm not sure about the third. But she is having a blast and that is great! Last year was her first year. She had never touched a volleyball before the first practice in 7th grade. She was on D team last year. Go BOONE!

Elainie, back on the red and black team for Fall softball, started their season with a win over marshalltown Dynamite 9 - 0, and another win over Gilbert Tigers 8 - 1. Way to go Boone!

Elainie marched in the Marshalltown Parade today for band. Elainie plays clarinet for marching band and Bass clarinet for concert band.

 

John invited an Ogden girl to the Homecoming dance. She said yes, then a week later said she wasn't going to go with him. (How RUDE!) I jokingly told him that them Ogden kind... are always trouble. I told him he needed a good Boone girl! Then we just laughed! (Kidding, of course!)

 

I spent a portion of the morning in the ER with my Mom. She was making food for the family reunion and sliced her thumb. It wouldn't stop bleeding. So, they put a pressure bandage on it and it should get better soon!

 

I went and looked at two houses last night with a Realtor. I liked one but it was very outdated (50s) and the other was small and awkward. I got some better ideas about what I want in a house in the future anyway.

 

The weather has been cold and rainy lately. I dislike the cold. Brrr! It reminds me that winter is coming! Yik!

The only thing I like about winter is after the snow falls and all is still, there is the beauty of the sparkle on the snow!

 

Stay warm and dry all!

 

 

I was getting tired of working short staffed at work, driving to and from Ames, and tired of missing half the kids activties, tired of lifting certain residents (shoulder & upper back pain)... I heard there was a Full time opening at Eastern Star's Healthcare Center so I applied for  for the opening.

 

BUT ANYWAY...
 
On Friday, I went in for an interview with the DON Sheryl. She was very nice when telling me all about this job opening and asked a bunch of question that I answered pretty smoothly. I walked out of the interview thinking I had the job. I was pretty confident.
Then, a friend of mine called me and told me that there was an opening at the dementia unit... that they just fired a woman earlier that day. That would be a nice place to work also. But it was 2nd shift and I told her that I wouldn't want that. She told me to just go in and fill out an app and see what happens. So I did.
I got called the following Monday. Cindy, the head of the dementia unit, wanted me to come in on Wed. morning for an interview.
Wed. when I went in she said she didn't really need to interview me because she had talked to the DON Sheryl and she was impressed with me and so she said that the job was mine if I wanted it. They moved a 3rd shift person into the 2nd shift. So, my interview at Hearth Stone (OES Dementia Unit) was for a 3rd shift position and it was a success.

She offered me a full time over night position... 40 hours per week.
Over all I will make more per hour more than I make at NC/HWH to START.

I will also get a shift differential. Plus it is 16 hours more per month.
Plus she said I'd get a raise after working 520 hours, then another within the first year for the cost of living raise.

She said that there would be future openings for days or evenings if I'd be interested in them when they come up to just let her know. She said that there usually isn't a big turn over there, which I already knew because it is an extremely difficult place to get on at.  She already knows that I was wanting days, but whatever it takes to get in the door is awesome!

My schedule will be Sun. through Thurs. Nights with Fri. and Sat. off. So that's pretty cool. (Actually it's totally AWESOME!)

They do not offer tuition reimbursement anymore because some people abused it. Which is a bummer, but that happens.

I will not have to have Alexis at the Before school program which will save me some money... PLUS less money out on gas... less driving wear and tear... I could get off work then get the kids to school and then sleep... and still go to after school activities... and weekend activities... I an cintinue to take classes at DMACC whenever I wanted that I felt I could handle...

it's a no brainer, at least, I think so.

 

My final day at NC will be Sept. 29th, and my first night at HS will be Oct. 1st.

 

Well, that's my good news for the week... LOL!

Psy121 is going okay.

 

Today, after I pulled in to park in the parking lot, a car backed into another car. The one guy got out of his car and just threw a major fit! Hey man... it's a parking lot - defensive driving is something every driver should know before entering a parking lot!

 

Anyway, I took my first test. Not too sure how it went. Hopefully well. She handed back our first assignment that she graded. I got 9/10.

 

Lecture last week was over birth order and we had an activity where we had to divide into groups based on our birth order. There were four MIDDLE children in my group including me. We had to describe ourselves. Then we went through and had to describe what we thought of the others (Oldest, Youngest, and only children). You can all pretty much guess that the only group that really agreed with their description was the youngest child group... spoiled! LOL! Us middle kids always got hand me downs and were shafted when it came to attention. Well, as you can tell, that isn't happening to my Middle Child!!! ;-)

 

Tonight she lectured on ... The Beginning. Yes, all about the Human Lifespan: Life stages, Developmental Tasks, and Psychosocial Crisis from ages Prenatal to Age 3. Plus Erickson and Piaget's Theories.

 

Last week we were assigned to make a basic Genogram of our family back two generations, including birthdate, deathdate and age. This week's assignment is to add to that health related issues any members of the family had or has. Making the genogram was hard enough space wise... and now I have to fill it in with all these types of things! Next week we'll probably have to find out everyone's eye colors and chart that on it! LOL! Oh well, I will look at this as a unique experience to learn more about my potential health.

 

Also this week we were assigned to go through a packet of photos she gave us with pics of baby's in it with different expresions and write what we think their reflex is.

 

THEN, oh no... she wasn't done with us yet, we also have to write in our journal EVERYDAY this week about an activity we did in class. It was the trust vs. mistrust activity and we had to write down ALL the people in our lives that we trust. I, like half the class, came up with that we trust less than FIVE people in our lives. So the journal entry is about answering the following questions: Where were my siblings at developmentally when I was born? What influenced my ability to trust or mistrust others while I was young? Who did I trust from ages 0 - 3 years? How has my ability to trust in others affected me today?

 

NEXT... yes, another assignent! This is the last one for THIS week... this one is called the "Cartoon Assignment". We have to watch TWO HOURS of television aimed at children and adolescents. I have to write a 2 - 3 page paper. The paper must includethe number of aggressive or violent actions, seperating verbal and physical aggression, and prosocial actions... plus, information on the act, the nature of the acts, the identity of the character performing the acts, the recipient, the motivation behind the act, and the events immediatly preceding and following it. And the act need not be or seem realistic. Not only on the tv shows... but the commercials that play also. How in the world do you keep track of all that on today's cartoons or shows aimed at kids?!?! i'll have to tape these shows and pause them over and over to get all this info down... Yikes! Should be an interesting paper though!

 

Not to mention the other paper that I know is coming. For that one i have to read the book "Night", and watch the movie "The Pianist", and there was something else I have to do for that paper, that I can't remember quite now (do u blame me?!?!) anyway, this paper will be on Genocide.

 

Will I be able to keep up? Sure I can...

 

but for now, I must go make supper. I have two faces looking at me with puppy like eyes (Elainie is at softball practice) pleading...

please, fix us something yummy for our tummies!

 

 

 

 

All the girls had a great time! They all got along so well... like they'd all been friends forever!

 

Great job girls!

 

Final Results:

Runner up in the B Bracket

10th overall.

 

Most of us stayed at the Country Inn in Grinnell. It was a beautiful hotel with a big indor pool and a wonderful breakfast served early just for the softball teams that stayed there. Besides us, some of the Minnesota Sting 92 and 93 stayed there. It was a great time!!!

 

We played against:

Waverly/Freidricksburg (Win 0 - 4)

Milan, IL Aces (Loss 2 - 0) (this team placed 5th in the ASA World Series & went on to play in the Championship Game in this Tournament)

Minnesota Sting 92 (Loss 5 - 3)

Sumner Cougars (Win 0 - 4)

Marshalltown Explosion (Win ? - ?)

South Des Moines Rails Maroon (Loss 3 - 4)

 

Awesome playing girls!