Where has the summer gone?

Wow, I blinked, and school starts in a month. Where did the time go? We spent June hanging out at home, with the exception of a week at Cub Scout daycamp, and a few days in Louisiana to visit my parents. Then, things sped up at an amazing rate.

I took the NCLEX exam to become a Registered Nurse on June 28th, found out that I had passed on the 30th, and decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. I ran into one of my nursing school friends at the restaurant, and she told me about a job opportunity. She had been hired by a home health agency, and they were looking for one more person in our area. I sent them a copy of my resume that night, and the owner called me the next morning and hired me over the phone.

That was Friday, July 1st. My parents came in that weekend to celebrate the holiday, and we participated in two of the local events. We went to the free patriotic concert that The Woodlands puts on each year at the Mitchell Pavilion, and marched in The Woodlands' parade on Monday morning with our Cub Scout pack. I'll get around to uploading photos eventually.

Tuesday, July 5th, I started work, and the kids started daycare. If you know me, I don't like to rush into things, and I like to think things through before committing to them. I was so worried that I had rushed into this job, but after sending out 80+ resumes and only having two interviews, I decided that I had better take this opportunity.

Things have been a little hectic around our house since I started working. I leave the house around 6:45 to make it to the office by 8:00, and Darren gets the kids up and takes them to daycare. I either spend time in the office doing paperwork, or ride along with one of the other nurses, seeing their patients. I leave the office by 5:00 in order to make it to daycare to pick the kids up by 6:30. Some days I can't make it in time, so Darren has to leave work to get the kids in time. It can be stressful at times, knowing that I have a 45-mile drive, and hoping that the traffic gods cooperate. A helicopter would make the commute so much easier, but no one has offered me one yet, unfortunately.

Once I finish my training, the plan is that I will be seeing patients in my area, and will only have to drive to the office once every two weeks, for supplies and my paycheck. I am really enjoying the job, and am learning so much every day. Most of the patients are very grateful for our help, and I know that I am really making a difference. I like the fact that I will not have to work nights, weekends, or holidays, and I will have the opportunity to see different people and not be stuck inside all day.

Since I am gone for so long every day, we don't do a whole lot in the evenings during the week. Weekends are reserved for catching up on sleep, cleaning, washing clothes, and grocery shopping. I try to do as much as I can to make our lives easier during the week, and I know that things will get easier once I am in the field in our area.

I would really like to be going somewhere on vacation this summer, but Darren never seems to be able to get away from work, and loses several vacation days each year. We're talking about a trip in October, which would be wonderful. Zach is leaving tomorrow to go spend two weeks with my parents, and they will be taking a vacation to Tennessee with my sister and her family. Once he returns, there will only be two weeks until school starts. I'm not looking forward to the craziness that the beginning of school brings. Zach is playing the trumpet in the band this year, and we've already bought a used one. We ordered school supplies from the school, so I don't have to deal with that headache. The next hurdle is planning his birthday party, which is the Saturday after school starts. We have the Game Truck coming, and we're thinking about a Super Mario Bros. theme. It should be fun. More updates soon...