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Tuesday, 09 June 2009

Hard to believe it's been a year since I posted on Xanga. Guess I've been too busy to have the luxury of time to Xanga, Facebook, Twitter and all the many things that connect people on the internet.
I shall try to give you a brief update...
Summer 2008 I took a full-time position in the Operating Room at Goshen General which I absolutely loved! OR is just my thing. Unfortunately, the state of the economy led Norm and his crew to Arkansas to work with his dad, who is in the process of building a HUGE house-at this point they are at about 35,000 square feet. The months of December and January, I braved the cold, harsh winter alone in Indiana while Norm worked in the more tolerant South. He commuted home to see me every two weeks. Let's just say that's not the best way to operate in a marriage but we both saw this as temporary. By mid-January it was clear that work in Indiana would continue to be scarce for construction workers for quite some time. I decided, very reluctantly to quit my job, and move to Arkansas so I could be with my hubby. We went to St. John in the USVI for our anniversary in February and moved in with Norm's parents in Arkansas. That is where we have been since.
We also had a big change in our lives this year. We are expecting our first little one November 9! We are very excited! I am frantically trying to finish up my Bachelor's degree in Nursing online this summer before the baby comes and putting in a few hours at the local hospital in a prn position in the float pool. It is very difficult to be away from home, but we are planning to go back for the birth. That gives me a glimmer of hope. Of course, we would love to be able to stay after that, but we will have to wait and see what the work situation is like by then. Living in the same house with 6 other people definitely has its challenges. I will be forever grateful for my own house.
It is strange how expecting a child can change your life so much. It really makes you look at life in a different way. The miracle of conception and growth in the womb is astounding! Can't imagine how much our lives will change once the baby is actually here!
I will try to post a few pics eventually.
So long to all for now.
~LaVertta

Friday, 20 June 2008

Graduation

My graduation ceremony took place in May. It was such a LONG ordeal and it sucked to be all alone with thousands of people I didn't know for 4 hours, especially knowing that my friends and family were somewhere up in the grandstands amongst the throngs of people. That said, I am glad I took the opportunity to see what it was like. The girl in line in front of me was very interesting and kept me awake through the whole thing. I had never met her before but we made a connection. It was neat. I doubt I will ever see her again, but it felt good to be able to connect with someone, even for a short time and feel like I'd found a friend. Norm was so far away from me he couldn't get any close-ups but here are a couple pics from the ceremony.

On a different subject, please pray for Jahna, Shannon and JoElla's prison baby who has gone back to her mother very suddenly after having lived with Shannon's all her life. They do not know if she is safe or if they will ever see her again. Pray for her safety and that she would be in a place where she is loved and well-cared-for.

Later,
LaVertta
Erin

I can't believe I'm an auntie for the first time! Can't wait to see my sweet little niece-Erin Nicole Lehman. She was born 6/12/2008 weighing in at 7lb. 12 oz. Congratulations Shannon and JoElla. I'm so glad she is safely here-finally!

Sunday, 13 April 2008

A Long Overdue Update

I know it's been too long. I guess I thought once I was done with nursing school I would have time for things like updating my site. Ha. My new laptop is giving me some initiative to update again. Yes, I'm singing the praises of the MacBook my hubby got for me. I never thought I would want one. I guess I was afraid of not knowing how to run the operating system. Trust me, this computer blows the mainstream brands out the window. It's awesome. Reasons to buy a Mac: 1) the operating system is extremely simple and user friendly, 2) these computers last like forever, 3) they have built in microphones and cameras, even on their smallest model, 4) NO VIRUSES. That's right. No antivirus software needed. Saweet. There are many more pros but I'll stop with that. Maybe I'm just prejudiced because my Compaq Presario only lasted 1 1/2 year and we had it to the repair center twice. It really sucked. And the performance wasn't that great either. Anyway, so far I like my Apple.
Now for what I have been doing with my time since my last post. Well, most importantly, I graduated from nursing school on December 14, 2007. I will remember that day forever. The pinning ceremony was very special and I was so overwhelmed by all the feelings-exhilaration that I actually accomplished my goal, sadness in leaving my professors and friends behind, apprehension about where my future will take me. It was a great moment. A few pics. The ones from our camera sadly didn't turn out. I'm having to rely on those of my friends.

The next big thing was starting my job and passing state boards. My first day of orientation in my new position was three days after I graduated. I am working on a medical-surgical unit, the same one I had been working on as a nursing assistant for the past year. It was so nice to know the routine of the unit, my coworkers, my boss. It made learning the new position so much easier and more fluid. I also took my state boards in January. Felt awesome to be an official RN!! I have been working full-time on the night shift. I'm supposed to work three 12-hour shifts per week but lately it has ended up being quite a bit more than that. The night shift is always understaffed. I keep telling myself this is a blessing because it is job security for me and the only way you can really get ahead financially is to work overtime. So I have been working A LOT. Besides that, I have also started working on my bachelor's degree in nursing online through Ball State University. I like online classes and the convenience of studying when and where I want to.
In February, we took a sort of second honeymoon over our anniversary to celebrate my graduation. Wow. It was great. We spent a few days in Orlando, FL then flew to Nassau in the Bahamas for four nights/five days. Quite the experience. It was awesome to just relax and do nothing. We have barely traveled the last three years I was in school.
I love my work and am very thankful for it, especially lately as the business here at home has been suffering. The state of the economy is affecting our area dramatically and contractors all over are scratching for work. We got a break last week when Norm found work to last him through August. What a relief. It has been good for us to trust God to work things out. That's what He wants us to do all the time anyway.
Well,should sign off for now.
Adios.

Wednesday, 05 December 2007

Winter Wonderland

It snowed last night, beautiful, soft and white. It's COLD. I'm going to stay home all day and enjoy my nice warm house. And study non-stop for my finals next week. It's almost over!