Warp drive!

So, things are moving pretty fast around here for little me. I wonder when I'll be able to get everything done. I have to work to pay off the bills, but then I need to get myself ready for the mission with proper clothing, shots, papers, and spiritual preparation. I also have to get my whole life packed away and moved back to Mom and Dad's. (Anyone who has ever seen my room will realize what a feat that will be in itself.) It'll be an amazing thing if I can get it all done. I'm going to have a very packed couple of months. I go on a fun excursion to Moab in March and then April will be jam-packed every week going to Utah, going home, having family here in Arvada...then I'll go into the mission home May 4th! It's hard to believe that my long awaited mission is only two months away!

stoopid stoopid ellen

Here I am, little ellen devoid of all wisdom. (sniff) It was cruelly cut out, extracted from me and replaced by gauze plugs, as if I wouldn't notice. Truthfully I didn't notice, except for the dull pain which sometimes throbs in my head, but I've got a cure for that too. Actually getting my wisdom teeth pulled was not the huge trauma everyone said it would be. I had worked the night shift before my mom picked me up and took me to the oral surgeons office, so I'm sure putting me under wasn't very hard at all. I just remember them putting in the IV and then telling me to wake up. I didn't really want to. Then I walked around like a drunk woman getting to the car. Luckily I had my own private duty nurse (Thanks a million Mom!) who took excellent care of me. I can see where I get my intuitive nursing skills. Anyway, the teeth are out, and I'm hardly a chipmunk at all it's very exciting. I could almost even go back to work if I wanted to, but I'm not scheduled until Sunday night, so I'll laze around a bit. Thanks to Mom again for making the drive out and back to be here for me as I slobbered and drooled in newfound stupidity (ie without wisdom). It made all the difference in the world that I didn't have to worry about my sorry state because I had someone else there to do it.

Samuel's mission call

My little brother Samuel just received his mission call. He gets to speak Portuguese as well. He will be serving in the Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission. He reports to the MTC in Brazil June 1st. I am so excited to be serving in the same language at the same time as my brother. It will also be fun once we both return to be able to have our own private conversations in Portuguese. He is a good kid, maybe even better than I am. He puts me to shame all the time. How I love the little bugger (although he is over six feet now, but he will always be little brother to me).
Congratulations Samuel!!

Work work work

I have decided that although I love nights and I do love working, I don't think I could work a full time night position when I have children. I don't know how some of my coworkers do it. I can get away with this night business because I can postpone my boring life until my days off. I could probably work once a week or something with my little kiddies, but none of this three, four, five nights in a row business. However, it will all depend on my love, my darling and what he needs.

It will be interesting to see what turns out, after I get back from my mission. It is nice right now to be getting that pretty paycheck every two weeks. Can't complain too much about that one.

Crazy staffing

Staffing at the hospital where I work has been a nightmare lately. For instance, last night I started out with 7 patients with the promise of 10 at 2300. Normally I am only supposed to have 5 patients, 6 maximum. Luckily, someone did some fancy finagling and we got a day nurse to do a night shift from 11-7. I was so grateful that I didn't have to take all 10 as that would have been very unhealthy for them and me. As a result, I had kind of a quiet night, truly a blessing. Last week wasn't much better from a staffing standpoint and I could have worked every night if I had allowed them to convince me. Crazy stuff this shortage of nurses, or shortage of healthy nurses anyway. Can't wait to see my mom next week. I'm getting my wisdom teeth out and she's coming to nurse me. Luckily her staffing ratio will be 1:1 and I'm probably an acuity 1, so she should be fine.

Miraculous week

This last week has been one of miraculous happenings. Every single day there was something else to be thankful and amazed about. For example: On Monday afternoon I sent out for my passport. On Friday at 11:00 I got my passport back. Saturday I happened upon a passage of scripture just meant for me in Alma 29while searching for some other scripture. In addition, I received answers to prayers daily and immediately. It was really a wonderful week.

Eureeeka!

My good friend Jackie and I went out to lunch today to celebrate my upcoming mission and then stopped by the local goodwill for a look-see at women's dress suits. What we found there far outstripped my expectations. There was a huge selection of just what I wanted. Every time I looked around I found something that fulfilled the list of missionary clothing that I had been supplied. It was truly amazing. Jackie and I were commenting that it is a testament to paying tithing and going on missions. It was truly amazing. I commented that we still needed a certain item, but probably wouldn't be able to find it there. Voila! I turned around to looked on the next rack and there it was. There were some items even hidden away in the wrong rack, like a brand new robe in with the dress suits. It was just really cool. I didn't think it was possible, but I am more excited about my mission than I was a week ago. Yipee!

Ahhh drugs!

So recently I got a sinus infection which kind of worked its way down to my throat. Most notably it was felt last Friday night when I could not stop coughing all night. In desperation I was found Saturday morning at 11:00 at the doctors office. After about two minutes of assessment, which I payed $130 for, he prescribed some cough medicine with codiene. Normally I don't even like to take tylenol for a headache and instead try to sleep it off. However, there comes a time when you cannot sleep because of the coughing fits and somewhere around 4:00 in the morning, a decision was made. Now, half conscious for the last couple of days/nights (they run together) I take pause to write an ode to the wonders of medicines when they are needed.

MISSION CALL!!!

Yesterday, Thursday, February 3rd, I calmly drove back to Denver with nary a thought in my mind but getting to my bed and taking a nice long nap. When I turned off I-70 and turned my cell phone on there was a message from Connie Spencer, who I live with: "Ellen, give me a call, we have some news here for you." The rest of the drive home, which was unintentional driven in excess of the speed limit, was very thick with anticipation. My missionary papers were only sent in on the 24th of January and could not have produced results so soon could they?!? I ran into the house in disbelief. "No way could they be here!!" They handed me "the envelope" and I quickly raced downstairs to my room and dialed up my mother at work. She was just beginning a class, but I told her assistant that this was her daughter and that I needed to talk to her. I told her I had arrived home safely to quell any fears she might have in that department and ecstatically informed her that my call had arrived. I then ripped open the envelope and read.....(drumroll please)

Dear Sister Thompson:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Portugal Porto Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, 4 May 2005. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Portuguese language. Your mission president may modify your specific assignment according to the needs of the mission.

fell off the face of the earth

For all of you who are wondering why I haven't edited my blog for some time, I want to assure you that I am not dead, I just fell off the face of the earth. This little spot is named Austin, CO. If you have not heard of it, do not be alarmed, not many people have. This little town is my place of birth (in the same house in which my parents still reside) as well as the location that my grandparents Mabell and Nathan Thompson seldom stray from. I was there for a week to celebrate, on two different occasions, my grandfather's 100th birthday.
I also enjoyed time with some of my exceedingly cute nieces and nephews and their parents. The ones old enough to enjoy the park are pictured here. Caleb and Ethan were sleeping peacefully at home with Grandma.

We blessed my nephew Caleb Nathan on Sunday and my Grandpa was able to attend.

In addition to my Grandpa's birthday, we also celebrated Mom's on the 29th, my brother-in-law Blair's on the 30th, and my friend Janie's on the 31st. I also went with my Uncle Duke to the driving range where he taught me how to hit a golf ball. It was a very enjoyable time for all.

Life saver

So the past couple of nights at work have been pretty eventful. Saturday night I had a little lady who developed respiratory distress and had to go to the ICU. Her pH (which is a level of blood acidity) was 7.0. That is almost incompatable with life so as soon as I got a bed in the ICU she was out of my unit. It felt good though to be able to catch it before we had to intubate her, although it did get pretty close. Then Monday about 12:30 or 0030 I got a sick little lady whose heart didn't like to beat to the same drum as everyone else's. She decided to have a little six second pause and then beat only 30 times a minute. Which could have been ok in some lifetime, except that she also had a blood pressure in the toilet, or 66/38. It was really exciting! I got the doctor over there, gave a normal saline bolus, pushed some atropine, and then with the aid of an ICU nurse titrated a Dopamine drip. Pretty exciting stuff for a lowly new grad cardiac nurse wouldn't you say?? It's that adrenaline rush that really brings it home. Some days I think that it would be really fun to be an ICU nurse for just that reason.

Life Saver

So it feels really good to feel like you've saved a life, or at least prolonged it, and it did feel comforting that both of my little patients wouldn't have been too bad off to go the other way. It gives you a kind of secure feeling to realize that to lose them wouldn't be in their worst interest, but the fact that you did keep them going to see another day is kind of a pat on the back (and less paperwork). I think I might really like to be an ICU nurse, or maybe even ER.. Although, a lot of my experiences where I interfaced with ER lately have been annoying, but I would do a better job (hopefully). Anyway, life as a nurse is good.

Mission papers in!!

My mission papers have now been submitted. I have now the long wait to see where I will be assigned. I am pretty darn excited. The stake president said that it will be about three weeks until I know. I don't know how I'm going to stand it, but persevere I must...

Mission Papers Submitted

Today I have been so very excited like I haven't been ever before. When it finally came time to go to institute class with Sister Lewis I had a perma-grin. I think I did a pretty good job of laying low and keeping my feelings under wraps, but I was excited to say the least. After getting out of my interview with President Lewis I wanted so much to scream and run about, but I didn't, instead I called Samuel. I had been thinking that he really wasn't very excited about the mission thing, but I think that he is. He said that me turning in my papers had made his night. He really is a good kid. When the stake president asked me all of the worthiness questions I felt very good about answering every one. I really do feel ready to go. He said that his only concern (more of an interest) is seeing how I would be able to interact with people my own age as I normally am friends with people either very much younger or older. I'm also interested how that will turn out, but with the Lord's help, I'll be just fine I'm sure. It will be good for my relationships in general. I have been so blessed!

Losing weight

Another thing that I've decided that I hate is people saying that they are fat, even if they are. It is the biggest conversation stopper for someone to point out, true or not, that they are fat. What are you supposed to say??? The saying of it does nothing to help the fact, and actually serves as a negative enforcer for both hearer and pronouncer. Silly thing to say. What I wish they would say is something positive like that they are starting a new diet or something like that so that I can help them in some way. I really don't care what they look like as long as they are happy. I tend to think that they are beautiful regardless because they really are.

Pottery and Klay

I spent one of the most enjoyable days I've had in a while on Monday with my good friend. We drove around and talked forever did a small hike, walked a couple of miles around a lake, had lunch, and then painted ceramic plates together. It was hard for me to want to go home and take a nap, although I knew that I was going to have to work all night. It ended up that I only got a small snippet of a nap and was indeed pretty tired. However, I managed to feel rested because I had enjoyed such a wonderful time with her. To add to my enjoyment and keep the excitement alive, when I ended my shift, I was able to go out to breakfast with another karing friend and we talked forever. Then again this morning I took off my jackiet at a friend's house, ate french toast and talked our guts out. It was also nice as she is my "chiropractor" to get my back worked on. I have decided that I am one of the luckiest people living on the face of the planet. I have so many people that support me and keep me hopping.

Oh to be four

I had the most enjoyable class today in Primary. My 4 year olds are the cutest things. They say the most crazy things too. We had to pray 4 times so that everyone got a turn to pray and one sweet little one prayed that "Aryah and Ashley and the boy will use my new teacher's crayons nicely because they are precious." I am always amazed by their observations. I am really loving this class of mine. Another great thing this week...I've scheduled my stake president's interview for Thursday. I am so excited to get all of these things worked out. I can hardly wait.

Snow Angels

So we had a very snowy morning all of a sudden. I didn't even realize it was going to snow today until about 4:00 when someone noticed all of the snow. Everyone was late getting to work, and the ones I had to give report to were the very last to arrive. In fact I had started to give report to other people in the interim when they showed up. The drive home was a little bit frustrating. Although the roads really were slick, they did not warrant driving at five miles per hour the entire way. Hello!!! I managed, however to contain myself with promises of snow angels before I got home. I slowly but surely inched my way toward home and stopped with glee at the stake center. The snow was briefly indented, only one car had been there before me, and from the looks of it, a long time before. I calmly pressed on the accelerator and just when it seemed like I might run into the trees on the other end, pulled the emergency brake and threw the wheel to one side. Ahhhh... It was heavenly! I continued in that way, creating snow angels while a bus full of children parked in the corner looked on in dismay. After about 10 passes, I decided that I should make my way homeward. So calmly, with a huge smile on my face, I pulled back onto the road and crept home.

Phantom of the Opera

So I just got done watching the new version of the Phantom. I was stupified. That movie is so _____. I just can't describe it. Anyway, suffice it to say that I left the theater with tears continuing to course down my cheeks. Wow! So someday me and my romantic self will find someone with whom I can watch that movie, but I'm not going to hurry it. They say I'm an orange, but it's times like these that make me wonder if I'm not really a blue. I really am a hopeless romantic through and through. I can cry at anything, except at my own romances, perhaps because I've never really been in love enough to feel as strongly. Someday... So if you happen to be my love...(think of me, think of me fondly...) Ahhh.....

losing weight

So, work hasn't been all bad for me. I think I've decided that since starting work, because of my crazy schedule and all, that I've lost ten pounds.


A couple of my friends got concerned as a result of that observation and tried to give me food to take home. We'll see if this lasts and things, but it does feel kind of nice to have all of my clothes be extra baggy.