It's Fall Ya'll!!

So, I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I am terrible at updating this thing. I don't even know why, really. I think it boils down to pure laziness ha! So, my new goal is at least more than one post a month. Between living in Charleston, my sweet babies, and my wonderful friends/family, I should at least come up with something interesting to read!
Anyways, here are some pictures of what I've been up to during this lovely football season! Enjoy! :)

Me and my beautiful old roomie Megan :)

The sweetest part of my Clemson visit...Jon Walter showed up!! :)

Cannonballs at the Battery!

Sarah, Me, and Ciara at Zac Brown Band!!

Ciara and me on halloween!! She was a cat and I was Sandy from Grease! :)

Mom and Lindsey came to visit!! On King Street!!

Me and Mom at the Battery!

Aunt Linds and me at the Battery! :)

Gorgeous Saturday at the Battery

Mom :)

my newfound love for decorating and other news....

Wow!! It has been forever and a day since I have posted in here. I have gotten several heated texts and e mails over my lack of posts. So if anybody is left still following this thing...I apologize tremendously :) I will really try to be better!!

Perhaps, my biggest news is that I am FINALLY off orientation. AKA, I have all my own babies, which means I am the lone ranger when it comes to making sure they are all fed, changed, weighed, and given all of their meds. Whew! It's a lot of responsibility! I still don't know how I feel about this whole transition to adulthood thing. There is usually always at least one set of parents around and whenever they come up to ask me a question like, "how do I feed this thing?", I have to fight the intense urge to say "how should I know? I don't have a kid" haha! It's just crazy to me that somebody would trust a meesly 22 year old, fresh out of college grad with their CHILD for 12 hours!! And even more than that, their critically sick child. To say that my nerves are shot to hell at the end of my shift would be the understatement of the century. But, all in all I love getting to spend time with my babies and I feel like each day I learn something new. At this rate, I should never have to worry about Alzeheimer's or dementia with the workout that my brain gets on a given day. Unless, of course, they find that it's possible to use up all of your brain cells. Which sometimes feels like a very real threat. Ha! Being on orientation is also a whole different level of stress..it feels like somebody is always there watching your every move, making sure you don't screw up and making sure you are actually doing a halfway decent job. Now that those 12 weeks of fun are over, I feel like I have a little more breathing room.


In other news, I have discovered my newfound love for interior decorating. I recently purchased the most adorable end table lamp and I feel like my apartment has finally come together. I think the last big thing I need is a TV stand and I will be set. I will post pictures soon of my beach themed cabana. I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself :)

Well my 3 days of work are about to begin..I have the joy of working night shift all weekend. I somehow got slammed with working back to back weekends. Lame. However, I'm looking forward to having the next couple of weekends off and going back to Tiger Town!! I will be at the BC game and I can't wait to see my family and friends! I will post more next week, since sleeping, eating, and working will be the major highlights of my weekend. Have a margarita for me and don't be surprised if you get a "hey whats up?" text at 3 AM :)

Oh, and I thought you guys would enjoy my new little guilty pleasure...

These are called Rewined candles...made right here in Chucktown out of recycled wine bottles that they cut the tops off of. The candles are scented to match the flavor of the wine bottle they are in. Bottom line...they smell delicious :)

Crazies and Babies...

Whew! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. I feel like all I do is sleep and go to work (hopefully my paycheck will make up for my lack of a life...ha!) I am really loving it. Work has been eye opening to say the least. I thought when I signed up for babies that my job would be relatively drama free, minus the occasional spit up and dirty diaper. Boy was I wrong! I have come home almost every day with a legit story. Let's just say between parents getting in fist fights to babies born in the toilet, it has been quite the saga! When you see the caliber of people procreating, you start to have genuine concerns for the future of our world. Eek!

I found this little poem the other day and thought it was cute:


You might be a NICU nurse if...

*You scrub your hands like a surgeon

*You measure age, not in years, but in weeks and adjusted weeks.

*You plan your day in 3 hour increments.

*You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if the phrase, "wow, it is really quiet" is uttered.

*You know that ‘Snuggle-up’ is an object, and is not referring to what you do with your boyfriend on the sofa.

*Finding poop in a diaper makes you cheer because you are obsessed with NEC and suspicious all your babies have it.

*You like to give glycerine suppositories out like candy- (for same reason above).

*You recognize that feeding tubes can be time-savers.

*You hear 4 or 5 different types of all-to-familiar beeping in your sleep.

*You recognize that taping is an art-form.

*You wonder why thermometers haven’t advanced with the times...

*The admission of a 28 week antepartum patient makes you antsy.

*You could describe poop about a dozen different ways…(eg. Meconium, transitional, green, yellow, yellow-seedy, brown…)

*The IV team won’t come to your unit… YOU are the master.

*You are a breastfeeding advocate but find yourself wanting to scream, “JUST GIVE THE KID A BOTTLE!”

*You measure weight in grams, and kilos

*You've ever heard, “The parents won’t be coming in today”, and been overcome with joy.

*You know that kangarooing has nothing to do with kangaroos.

*You’ve documented the amount of ‘jiggle’…Yeah, that’s medical jargon.

*You know that “Feeder-Grower” isn’t a description of a lawn care product.

*You’ve ever referred to a baby as a ‘glow worm’.

*You're sure you could write your own “crazy baby name” book using the names of your patients.

*You’ve ever cried at the discharge of a patient, because they felt more like family.

*You take pride in making up a “cute” bed for your patient.

*You’ve been in a critical situation, where the most highly qualified physician offered you the most advice, the least support…and illegible orders.

*You believe: if the baby is quiet, be scared.

*You’re patients don’t use a call bell when they need you- instead an orchestra of 3 or more alarms of different tones get your attention.

*You’ve witnessed a preemie escape mission…they made it as far as the portholes.

*You’ve ever wished for a restraining order to protect a baby from their idiot parents.

*You believe that to refuse a baby a pacifier is cruel and unusual punishment-for both the baby, and you.

*You refer to sweet-ease as ‘a shot of happiness’.

This is what I get to play with every day! Before you call HIPAA and accuse me of breaking 1,438,983 laws, know that I got this from the internet :)

Anyways, in other news....I'm still working on this whole "domestic diva" business. If anybody has any really good and preferably really easy recipes they'd like to share, I'd really appreciate it!! 

..."But a right, will bring you right back here to me"

SO sorry it has been a while since my last post. Needless to say, the past 2 weeks have probably been the most overwhelming weeks of my life. But I'm happy to report that I am really really really enjoying my new place and exploring my new home.

It's hard for me to put into words what I've been feeling or experiencing, so I figured I would start by blogging about the most frustrating part of my major life transition: directions. I absolutely hate to be lost, literally or figuratively. Yet, one of the joys of being in a new place is that I'm lost all. the. time. To further complicate matters, I am the world's WORST at directions. I couldn't find my way out of a wet paper bag if my life depended on it. You never really realize either how small of a town you're from until you move to a fairly big city. In Clemson, there is one main road that runs straight through campus. You can get anywhere you need to go from Highway 93. In Charleston, you might as well hang it up. If you're lucky, you may find your way to the right street, only to realize that it's a One Way street that is inevitably going the opposite direction of where you are trying to go. I know I have cut so many people off in my attempt to get into the correct lane, whoops! I've also found that you not only have to worry about being in the "right" lane or going the "right" way, you also have to worry about ending up in the WRONG part of town. It seems that if you stay on a road long enough down here, you will end up straight in the middle of the ghetto. In Clemson, the remotely closest thing we have to a ghetto is the sketchy road behind Crawford where the townies and Indians live. Big difference.


Anyways, guess after 22 years, it's time to learn to read a map. Oh, and did I mention that hospital's are rat mazes in their own right? In fact, my very first day I found myself right across the hall from the morgue. What hospital has a morgue on the 2nd floor?? Sheesh.

Thursday night marks my very first shift with my sweet babies!! Can't wait to care for some tiny little miracles! Gotta make sure I find the right NICU too, MUSC has 4 separate nurseries on 2 different floors. Guess I need to find a cute doctor to show me around ;)

This is how I feel everyday...ha

Home Sweet Home

Oh hey, Charleston!

Well the day has finally arrived. In a few short hours I will begin my 2 day long trek to my new home! Excited? Anxious? Thrilled? Terrified? These are just a fraction of the mixed feelings I am having about this new adventure and new chapter in my life. I am probably the most Type A planner/organizer you will ever meet. I have known since I was 5 years old that I have wanted to be a nurse. It was around that same age that I made my first visit to Clemson's campus...Sold! Needless to say, I like to do things in advance. However, on the flip side, I have made some pretty quick decisions in the past when I had a gut reaction that it was the right thing. Up until this point, those quick gut decisions have played out rather beautifully I must say. This move to Charleston is the most recent gut decision I've had...

It all started at the end of March. Thanks to a couple of awesome friends, I found out about an opening in my dream position in the Neonatal ICU in Charleston. I.freaked.out. I applied to each separate job number..by Wednesday I had a call back... by Friday I was in Charleston interviewing. I had a couple of other irons in the fire for job offers but by that Friday I knew...I was bound and determined to end up in Charleston. (I'm pretty sure I even told them in my interview that I would work the next 10 Christmases if they gave me a job...they might have even wrote it down ha! Whoops!) To make a long story short, it was approaching graduation week and I still hadn't heard anything. The week before they had posted a few more positions in the NICU and the HR lady was kind enough to submit my application for me. I had come to terms with the possibility of living at home, watching Say Yes to The Dress reruns all day, and praying for Prince Charming to come whisk me away and tell me that I never had to worry about working or being a responsible adult  (Real Housewives of Happily Ever After, anyone?)

Then Monday of graduation week happens and I get "The Call". I don't remember too much about it other than I was hyperventilating and jumping up and down in my towel wrap. The rest is history.

Anyways, I've got about 48 hours until reality hits. You can't fit anything else into my car. I'm not totally sure I'll be able to fit. It kind of feels like going away to college, but with a lot more on the line (what's a budget?...you mean, I don't get a month off for Christmas??) I'd be totally lying if I told you that I wasn't pumped about my Pottery Barn lanterns and my Pyrex dish set I got on sale. (Domestic Diva is on my accomplishment to-do list). I can't wait to see what unfolds. I pray to the Good Lord that I love it and that I'm happy. But I also know that if all else fails, mama and daddy will come get me. Ha! ;)

It's Wedding Season!!!

Well it's that time of year again...Christmas, Easter, and Birthdays all rolled into one can't compare to the joy in a Southern girl's heart when she gets that calligraphy embossed envelope from her best friend's second cousin...aka the bride! Yes my friends, it is wedding season!

What makes wedding season so special, you ask? Not only do you get to reunite on the dance floor with all of your long lost besties, but you also get a constant reminder of your bare left ring finger while simultaneously checking out all the fresh meat... aka groomsmen... at the open bar. It's like the perfect bittersweet combination! At what other moment is your path EVER going to cross with the groom's 3rd cousin twice removed, the same guy that the bride has been DYING to hook you up with since the dawn of your friendship. Alas, at 100 ft away, there he is, in all of his camouflage cummerbund glory. The stars have lined up.

My other favorite part about weddings is watching the parents. I won't lie...My friends and I have probably the coolest people ever to call mom and dad. I've found that nobody gets crazier than the bride's father. He might have cried like a baby at the ceremony but you better believe he is Mr. Life of the Party at the reception. It's also true that dads make the best dance partners (see below). They try and show that they still got "it" after all these years. Nothing like a wedding to bring out a dad's inner frat boy.

Get it Ralph! :)

Anyways...Guess you could say that celebrating my friends nuptials are some of the highlights of my year. I'm expecting at least 3 engagements by Christmas, so my wedding crashing days have only just begun :) In fact, I'm heading to a wedding in Columbia tomorrow! Can't wait for a weekend full of questionable life decisions with my best friends and KD fam!! As long as it's an open bar, the drink is on me :)

Well....here goes nothin'!

I have had several requests from friends and family to start a blog. Apparently, that way people can be updated on my life and all that is or isn't going on ha. I really don't think my life is all that interesting. Just your typical twenty something girl, just graduated from college, and trying to figure out the real world/how to graduate from microwavable meals (just bought my first vegetable peeler yesterday! it.changed.my.life.)

Anyways, guess you could say this is my first post as a REAL.LIVE.ADULT!!! I passed my nursing boards yesterday (Thank You Jesus!!!...literally) and now I'm counting down the days until I am officially cut off and pushed out to sea, to sink or swim!! I'm SO blessed to have a job set up (better than most barely 3 week old college grads can say, if I do say so myself) and not only a job, but my D-R-E-A-M job! In the Neonatal ICU. In my D-R-E-A-M city, Charleston! To say that God is GREAT, would be the understatement of the century. But on the same token, guess that's part of the perk of knowing exactly what you want from a REALLY young age and putting a hell of a lot of hard work into making sure you actually get what you want. After all, isn't success what happens when preparation meets opportunity? I think that's what a fortune cookie told me once at least.

Well, I'm going to go figure out how to change the settings and make this thing pretty. I have a feeling I'm way too Type A for this :)

~ Em :)