North Dakota

our little grocery store...

welcome to North Dakota

Crowded RV park

now we have more space!

Tried some local cuisine... frozen lime pie.  Good but a little rich!

The view in our park

Drove up to Devil's Lake about a month ago to meet a co-worker from CO.

Tried my hand making a rag quilt.  If I get brave, maybe I will post a picture of what it turned out like.

These are a little blurry, but these are from the trail through the park.

Unfortunately these are in no particular order... Most of them are from when we first came here.  I just signed another contract to stay through til January.  Not sure if I am crazy for staying through a North Dakota winter? For those of you who didn't hear... I've been doing a travel nursing job in North Dakota since the beginning of August.  Jon found a job driving tractor and grain cart for a local farmer.  Corn harvest runs through November so he will be busy for awhile.  If it hadn't been for that, we probably would have left when my contract ended on the 31st.  Hard to believe I've been here almost 3 months!  I don't include Jon in that because he joined me after I had been here for 6 weeks.  He was busy tying up loose ends in CO...finishing emptying our house, getting our house rented out, helping his mom getting moved into an apartment, etc.  He did drive up to see me a couple times. 

We just spent a short week end in Minn with my adopted grandparents, Bob & Karen. It was nice to be able to see them and catch up.  It went too fast.  I was kinda tired the whole time because I have been on a night schedule.  Karen made us their famous fudge.  We brought some home with us and it is almost gone.

I've been learning that it is okay be human.  I hate it a lot...but I am human and I will make mistakes. I ran our new car into the fire grate tonight.  I think it can be repaired to look fine, but there's money down the drain.  =( Told Jon that I'm not used to having new things and having to be careful with them.  I think that's part of the reason we never got new things when I lived at home...  because then everyone would have to be careful... (well and the fact that there was no money).

Working at a new job also makes me realize how human I am.  I made some goofs here and there.  Nothing serious, but I hate making mistakes.  I feel that I need to beat myself up to make up for the errors.  Well, that doesn't help!  And if I did that everytime I made a mistake (home, work, out & about, etc) I would never stop with the whipping of myself.  So somewhere in there I have to let go and forgive myself. 

Jon reminds me that the work system is different than what I am used to.  Paper charting definitely is less precise than electronic charting.  It really doesn't help that I can't read our main physician's handwriting.  It is such a small--almost inbreed hospital that everyone knows what everyone else is doing.  Sometimes better than the individual does them-self.  I got a bit annoyed when a couple different nurses went over my things and reminded me that I missed a sign off or something similar.  Now I do the same thing.  Ha!  It's funny--not haha, but ironic...  how almost every patient has a history with one of my new coworkers--or is related to their cousin or husband or uncle.  I thought we weren't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.  Oh wait!  This is more small town then Kansas... 

This week I am planning to do two tests to help complete my bachelor of nursing degree.  Have to drive to Fargo--the nearest metropolitan area--which is over an hour away.  Not used to being so far from civilization.  Even the "restaurants" in our town are sketchy.  More like greasy spoons....  There is one coffee shop but it is open from 10:30 to 4pm.  Seriously!  Those are the hours when I am most likely to be asleep or just crawling out of bed.  Makes me a little cranky.  However, we do have a gas stove in our RV that works really well.  Tonight I made pumpkin banana bread and added streusel to the top.  I'm glad I did because it seems it could have been bland without it.

But not to complain...  I've enjoyed the "honeymoon" with Jon.  It's probably the most and least stressful time that we've had together since getting married.  We spend a lot of time just around the RV relaxing...him on the computer with his game and me reading a book or playing in the kitchen.   I feel we are closer and I can see his heart better.  I can feel his love and not over think e v e r y   single thing (i.e. are we still going to be okay if I messed up?).  We have had lots of time to relax and really enjoyed it. 

Even work is a break.  It is usually not that busy and is my social interaction.  It's all females except a couple of the docs and the maintenance guy.  Imagine the estrogen.  Fortunately I only work nights so I stay out of most of the drama. There are two nurses and an aide on duty from 11-7.  That leaves a small enough group to do some easy interactions and chatting to whatever depth that I feel inspired for.  I usually take a book or my kindle along to work.  Many of my co-workers bring their knitting or croqueting.  From what I hear the dayshift is quite busy.  It involves a lot of females running around and being crowded into a small nurses's station.  So I will keep my funny hours. 

Sometime I will explain the hospital structure.  From what I understand it is a typical critical access ND hospital.  Three ER beds, about 12 Medical-Surgical beds, and 12 or so Swing Beds.  Swing beds are long-term care/ rehab beds.  Maybe only in ND?  When I am the charge nurse I am responsible for the ER and half of the Med-Surg floor.  As a staff nurse, I take half the Med-Surg floor and take over all the M/S beds if the charge nurse gets tied up in the ER.  Lots of flexibility and teamwork involved...

anyway, sometimes I wish I had a normal life, but Jon tells me I will never have one of those.  LOL.  And I know it's true...  In the meantime, I am learning lots.  Mostly about patience with myself.  Going to sign off.  Good night!