Is It Over Yet??

Oh. My. Goodness. This has been the longest week ev-errr! I cannot begin to describe how drained (both mentally and physically) I feel after going back to work this week and being on call...and it's not over yet! I have two more nights on call (including tonight), more patients to see tomorrow, two "regular" days of work, and then I'm off on Wednesday for the fourth! PTL! "I think I can, I think I can..." lol Even though this week has been cray-cray, I do actually have some exciting news: I have our schedule for the FET! But, honestly, my brain doesn't have the capacity right this minute to go into details. Sorry, guys! I will hopefully get a chance to sit down and focus on filling you all in sometime in the next few days...until then, keep those prayers coming, please! Pray hard for strength, patience, compassion (for my patients and my husband's sake, lol), and last but not least, SLEEP! Thanks, y'all!

Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy...

So today was a sad day...I had to say farewell to a very good friend of mine.  Someone who I helped to mentor when she first graduated from nursing school, who I've gotten to know so well over the last few years, and who has touched my heart and really showed me how to be faithful through life's trials.

This person was a newlywed, fresh out of college, and had so much to look forward to in life when she found out she had cancer.  At the same time (while being prepped for surgery for the biopsy), she found out she was pregnant with her first baby.  Although she was shocked at both life-altering findings, and wondered how she could be so sick when she was so healthy, I never heard her complain or question God.  After being diagnosed with lymphoma, a doctor recommended she abort the baby so she could start chemotherapy.  She refused and sought out another doctor's opinion.  Luckily, she found a doctor who was willing to monitor her condition while she was pregnant, and nine months later, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl...her little miracle.

Two years later, after going through two rounds of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and one grueling round of radiation, her cancer is currently in remission.  God has faithfully brought her through this trial, and because of her trust in Him, He has blessed her by giving her the opportunity to be a fantastic mommy to that same, sweet little girl others wanted her to abort to save her own life.

Her faith has gotten so much stronger over the years, and she continues to thank God for how He is healing her body and how He has used her through this diagnosis.  She is honestly someone I look up to, and someone I use an example of how to fully trust in the Lord.  

I am so sad to see her moving with her sweet family to Savannah, but I know God is going to keep using her for His glory no matter where she is.  Because of her strength and faithfulness during a time when giving up seemed like the easier thing to do, He will continue to shower her with blessings.  The Lord has big, big plans for her, and I can't wait to see what they are!

I'll miss you, Niki, but I'll never forget how you have encouraged me to stay faithful and showed me how to walk with God through the trials.  Thank you for blessing me in such an amazing way!  I love you, sweet pea! :)

Today's Accomplishments

I am just like my mother in a lot of ways (I mean this in the best way possible, Mama!), and one of our common traits is that we like to make lists.  Lots of lists.  My mom always have two or three running lists going at one time, all on one small legal pad.  They're stuck all over my house, too...on the cork board, in my purse, in my work bag...but it keeps me organized!  It also makes me feel quite accomplished at the end of the day when everything is crossed off these lists---it's like getting a gold star for the day! And every one loves getting a gold star! lol

So, with this being my first day back to work, of course there was a To Do list in place.  Here it is:

Wake up by 7am. (this is quite the accomplishment, if you ask me!)

Do daily devotional and ask God for guidance, protection, peace, and to use me for His purpose.

Return to work and try to remember what to do.

Go grocery shopping.

Attempt to get back into my Jillian Michaels workout. (ouch)

Repeatedly thank God that even though I have to go back to work, I am blessed beyond belief to have a job to go to, am healthy enough to go back to this job, and have a house and a husband to come home to.

Annnnnnnd....done.  (Gold star for me! Woohoo!)  Now time to eat dinner, pray I don't get any calls from work tonight, and pass out on the couch.  Night, y'all! :)

(P.S. Sorry this wasn't a very exciting post...excitement continues to dwindle throughout the day along with my energy, lol  Hopefully there will be more entertaining/thoughtful stuff to post later this week!)

No News Is Good News

Well, nothing new here to report...and that's a good thing, if you ask me!  Still getting a little stronger every day, and still not looking forward to going back to work next week (I don't think that's ever going to change! lol).

I am looking very forward to having dinner out with our besties tonight---it is been waaaay too long! The only dark cloud looming over the evening is...will I be able to fit into my pants again??? I've mainly been living in sweat pants and drawstring shorts for the past month, so this is going to be interesting!  I am ashamed to say this, but I did have to resort to using a hair tie through the button hole and around the button of my shorts last weekend when I made an appearance at a family pool party...not cute at all, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!  But, even if the good ole hair tie has to go out to eat with us, we're going to have a great time!

Now that I'll be going back to work, I won't be blogging every day, but I'll try to keep you all in the loop about what's coming up next!  I don't have to see Dr T again until we have our consultation for the FET, which should be some time in late July or early August.  Until then, I'm going to stick to my goal of getting as healthy as possible and staying faithful that God is going to see us through this long journey!

Do I Haaaaave To???

I'm almost 100% back to my old self!  PTL!  Although I am still tired and my ovaries are still slightly swollen, I am exercising a little every day, cooking dinner, and tidying up here and there.  Then today I managed to do something I haven't done in over three and a half weeks...drive!  I know, scary, right?  Thankfully, no one was harmed during my outing, and I managed to get a few errands done.  Score!  (One of those errands was a definite must: seeing my friend's brand-new little nine pound chunky monkey, Camille.  Definitely worth the trip! ;) )

I think there is only one last big hurdle I need to clear, and this one is a biggun...I have to go back to work next Monday.  Ugh.  Not saying I don't love what I do, because I love being a nurse, and I love the people I work with.  I am just not looking forward to...well, I'll be honest, working! lol It actually stresses me out quite a bit thinking about it, even though I still have a full four days off!  I broke out my whiney voice last night and asked my husband, "Do I haaaaaaave to go back to work??" His answer, of course, was a big fat "YES". Bummer.

Prayers are definitely needed that my first week back will go smoothly, I will remember what I'm supposed to do, and the paperwork won't weigh me down!  I have faith, though, that the same God who has helped me over all the other hurdles in my life will help me over this one!  I just have to remember to "look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." (Psalm 105:4)  Not to mention, the way I look at it, the sooner I go back to work, the sooner September comes...and we all knows what happens in September!  Yaaaaay! :)