Labs And Clinicals - An Update

Well seeing as I am in my second term of first year, it has begun, yes, labs and clinicals where we learn the skills necessary to assist patients with activities of daily living.
I have been a health care aide for a number of years now. 9 to be exact, and along the way I have picked up some very important skills, as well as some bad habits.

At the start of this whole school business I was worried that I would be either over confident (cocky) or under confident (self conscious) because of being in this field for so long.

Well, it turns out I am under confident, I know I know this stuff, last week we learned about hand washing, this week was bed baths... simple skills that I was thrown into in my first day as an aide long long ago when I worked in long term care.

I feel like I am dumb (sometimes purposely so so I can start fresh learning a skill (and I worry that because I have been an aide for so long that people are looking to me to have answers and to know ALL of it already (I certainly don't and I would never think I do).

I am sharing my feelings about lab and this new process of being full immersed in school and learning new skills, unlearning old ones.

As I mentioned before we were learning bed baths today, and to learn our skills we get to practice most things on each other. 

My lab partner is Daphne, we have gotten quite close in the last few months, but I am unsure of whether or not our personal relationship influenced practicing in a positive or negative way.

Daphne is great, she is kind and patient and so giving, and when I was nervous about doing things right she so encouraged me to keep going and that I was doing alright.

At the end of it all I realized my skills weren't as bad as I had thought and that its alright to be nervous.

I also learned what it feels like to be bed bathed (and I even got to keep my shirt and shorts on) I can only imagine how it feels to be getting a real bed bath.

I think that for me as a seasoned aide who has some of these skills already it was good to be on the other side of the proverbial coin, or in this case the towel.

I just hope to remain humble for the rest of my life in seeing that I don't know everything, and there is always more to learn. And that it is for His glory that I am pursuing this with the fervor I have been trying to maintain.

I think that its alright to be nervous, and right now is the time to learn and make mistakes and ask questions.

I don't have to deal with a sucking chest wound yet, just bathing and catheter care, which is the best news I have had yet today!

Deuteronomy 8:15-18

He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

Concerts and my Love of them

I have always liked concerts, truly.

It seems that seeing my friend Phil go to as many concerts as he does spurred me on to start actually going to concerts I want to see!

So This last few months (really when I started school and not having much free time is when I chose to start doing this) I have been attending shows.

I won tickets to a show, I bought tickets to another, and most of the time, it is spontaneous.

Today I decided to go see Blue Rodeo, I had no idea that they were going to be in Red Deer this evening, not at all, it was advertised on a country station and I am not the biggest fan of country.

I was in a dilemma, who is going to come with me!?

I haven't been to a concert by myself before, and even though I know I am capable, I didn't really want to go by myself.

I asked a whole gamut of people, and only one person actually was able to make it. I was ok with that, although I really wish Bethany could have come with me as well.

Cuff the Duke, The opening band was so super, they put on a good show as well and had some great songs.

 I find I like the opening bands almost as much or sometimes more than the headliner - but shhhh don't tell them that!

I just wanted to share that little story with you, a little to brag but mostly to tell a story.

Night all

My Dear Friend And Her Dream Come True

I wanted to post a little blog about my friend Sarah who came to see me recently.

We have been friends since working together at Boston Pizza in Westlock, almost since day one (well at least we were still in training at that point!)

She is amazing, lovely, so much fun, and a dear and close friend.

When Sarah phoned me a while ago she said she wasn't feeling very well. I was instantly worried, dreading the worst, but when she said the words, "morning sickness" I was elated!

My friend was expecting a baby! I am so excited to see her as a Mom, she is going to be great! Her and I have had some adventures in our years of being friends.

We have taken random road trips to Barrhead, to dress as fairies and act like little girls running around and having a ball!

Her ability to have fun in any situation, her ability to laugh and find joy in every moment is what is going to bring her into being such a great Mommy!

I am so proud of her.

It brings to light something in my own heart that has, especially recently, been brought to light for myself.

This is connected and I don't want my joy at Sarah and Shawns exciting announcement to be dampened, but I feel this is also a place that I can bring my personal thoughts out as well about my own feelings.

I wonder when it is I am going to find my love, when my wish to see my family come into being is going to happen.

I know that somewhere out there is my husband, the man I am to marry and be a family with. 

Today while shopping with friends in Edmonton, we stopped off at a maternity store to wait for one friend who is also expecting, and being in that store, looking at all the women who were busily and happily shopping to dress their new bodies made me sad.

I would never want to settle and end up with someone whom I would be unhappy with. I have hopes and dreams, and well to be honest, I would much rather be alone and doing my God's work than end up with someone who is less than what God has for me.

For all of this, I have been listening to a song by the Bahamas, Whole Wide World, and in it he sings about there being a whole wide world to find the one girl for him, is there someone out there thinking about me? Is there someone who is waiting for me to come along?

I sure hope so, I can't wait to meet this man, the one who will grow a mustache because its funny, and be excited to go grocery shopping with me as his wife (I hate grocery shopping the most!). He's out there somewhere, and I am taking steps to prepare for it!

So those are my thoughts, I am feeling rather naked by revealing my personal thoughts about where I am, and I am quite timid to let my feelings be out there in cyber space.

In 1 Peter 5:7, we read: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you." So I know to not worry, and for now I will keep praying that God keeps pushing me to get ready for what is next and for what is right now.

Greatest Video Clip I have seen in forever!

like the title says, awesome! Go check it out!

Classical Music, Studying and My Heart

So I have been listening to abundant amounts of classical music during studying, I find it helps alot. I found this awesome channel on YouTube that is awesome! While listening to it, I got very distracted with one song that I heard and it stuck out. I, of course needed to find more out about it and now I wanted to share the link and the translated lyrics, who knows maybe someone else will fall as in love with it as I have!




With all my love,

Crystal



"Ständchen" translation: "text: Ludwig Rellstab, music: Franz Schubert (1797-1828). translation: a.l" Here it is ...



Title : Franz Schubert :Standchen (Schwanengesang, D 957: no 4)



The Link is here for the music.

I hope you enjoy it!

"Ständchen" ("Serenade")



My songs quietly implore you

through the night;

down to the silent wood

my love, come to me!



The tree tops whisper

in the light of the moon;

Don't be afraid, my love,

no-one will observe us.



Can you hear the nightingales?

Oh! They implore you,

their sweet lament

pleads with you on my behalf.



They understand the yearning I feel,

they know love's torture,

with their silvery notes

they touch every soft heart



Let them touch yours, too,

sweet love: hear my plea!

Trembling I await you,

come, bring me bliss!

The Girl Effect

The world is a mess....The Girl Effect

Culture and one of my greatest follies

So as you know, I took a YWAM DTS through YWAM Urban Ministries Winnipeg.

During that time I got to learn so very much about culture, how to be in another culture, how to love other cultures, pretty much it was a great learning time for me regarding many things, but definitely one of them being culture.

This past week in one of my classes, we were able to spend a considerable time talking about culture in nursing.

All I can say is WOW! I had a huge wake up call! Like, did you know that when someone from Chinese culture, when they are ill, don't like to drink cold drinks?

Before I left for Winnipeg, I had a patient who was chinese. He consistently refused cold drinks and he refused to eat any food, relying instead on tube feeds to get his sustinance .

At the time, I worried so much about him, where was he going to go after his rehab was over? Was he going to starve to death? GUH! And I pretty much loved him so much! He was a joy most of the time!

I now know he hated "Canadian" food, he never wanted cold water, and I was being completely insensitive towards his culture.  I am glad that my life continues and I can keep growing and learning each day.

Anyways, what I have been growing to realize more and more, is how sensitive I need to be to other people. Even people who are of the same ancestry as myself, there is always difference.

I just wanted to share with you a little of how I am growing and changing.