The Pineapple Peddler

While these days I feel anything but "fresh," this is more like an attempt to breathe, process and stay still in the hopes that sooner or later, I can move forward.  And in the interest of moving forward, I'm not going to attempt to pick up where I left off.  Rather, I'm going to just be.  Just write.  Just express.  Because 4 years is too damn much ground to cover. And because it's been 2 weeks that I’ve been trying to process what I need to process and I feel like I've made so little progress.  Maybe this is the answer.  And maybe I'm not the only one going through this.  And maybe this can help someone else heal too. 2 weeks and 2 days ago, we found out that our one "normal" (chromosomally-verified with PGD testing) embryo from our two IVF egg retrievals done in 2018 and 2019 and a 6-year battle with infertility, didn't make it.  We transferred her into my plush and comfy 13-mm lining on March 29, 2021, after years of hope, months of monit...

Last week, my 9 and a half year old miniature dachshund, Bubba, became suddenly ill.  I was working that night (Sunday night, 2/26), but I received a text from my husband, Alex, around 10pm that stated Bubba had thrown up on the couch.  I assumed he had the flu or eaten something that didn't agree with him, both things that have happened on occasion in the past. However, Alex woke at 5:30am to find Bubba sleeping in a puddle of his own urine on top of our duvet, and upon getting Bubba into his own bed so Alex could frantically wash the duvet, Bubba vomited again a large amount all over the floor and wall.  I worried the whole 45-minute drive home from La Jolla, but tried to tell myself it could still just be a random illness that will resolve on its own. I quickly realized when I got home around 8:30am, that was not the case.  Bubba could barely walk and consistently fell over.  We took him to his own vet that afternoon, and got some anti-nausea medication f...

I unfortunately had been sick from about last Thursday the 16th through yesterday the 21st, with this killer cold that has been going around.  I don't get sick often, but when I do, I tend to fall hard.  I thank the Lord this one dissipated faster than the cold I got last year, which kept me down and out for about 2 and 1/2 weeks! Anyway, I returned to work last night feeling mostly better, and everything went fine despite the occasional sneeze or sniffle.  I was exhausted this morning but feeling mostly ok.  Took the requisite and very relaxing shower, fed and walked Bubba the dog, downed some melatonin and Arbonne sleep spray, and the two of us drifted off to sleep by about 10am... Before going further - a bit of background.   I have this ongoing issue with dehydration.  I generally feel as though I'm running dry, especially after sleep if I am ABLE to sleep for a good amount of hours without disruption.  The rule is supposed to be, drink half yo...

I can't believe it's been more than 4 years since my last post - FOUR YEARS!  How could I have let it go that long? Life happened.  And by life, I mean, the whole of my second Bachelor's degree, an accelerated Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, meeting and marrying the love of my life, completing my New Graduate Nursing Residency in Acute Care MedSurg/Oncology, starting my career outside residency in a Surgical unit, buying our first home, trading up on my car, and finally being accepted to a Mother Baby Unit transition program and getting hired full time into my dream specialty, albeit now working nights. What a difference four years can make! I am turning over this leaflet yet again - a resolution for 2017 is to consistently blog (once a week?  Maybe sometimes once a month?  Whatever is a realistic fit, which remains to be determined), and return to this as my personal space, my outlet, my diary of days past, and something I can share if those doors open. ...

I'm starting a list for anyone out there who stumbles across my blog, because so far for me, this is just turning into a head-spinning, sleep-depriving, hoop jumping journey, but I don't think it has to be. I wish I had heard or known all of these things before being 1 semester into my 2-year accelerated BSN program. Some of these are based on my own experience, and some are things I have recently learned from other students farther along in the program. And this may eventually expand beyond 10 things, if I'm being honest, but I figure this is a good starting point. So without further ado, and in no particular order: 1. Make sure you have ALL medical forms you will need the doctor to fill out in order to attend your clinical assignments, BEFORE making your FIRST appointment for titers/vaccines/physical/TB test. - This will undoubtedly save you money in the long run, since if the program you're in is anything like mine, they will continue to add or change forms ...