Happy Fourth Ya'll! We had a great time at a Rockies game (we got free tickets) and watched the fireworks on the field afterwards!! It was really, really fun. We have big plans for tomorrow: clean the house and go for a hike. We love it that there are so many places to go hiking around here.....we won't ever have to go to the same place twice. Everything seems to be settling down a bit. I realized today that I LOVE Colorado. Don't get me wrong, West Virginia and Kentucy are beautiful, but really nothing can compete with the Rocky Mountains. Let's be reasonable here. They say that there is a curse that those who come to Colorado never leave. I can see why....the people live an active, healthy, lifestyle (YAY!), the landscape cannot be captured by a picture (guess you'll just have to come see it yourself), and people RECYCLE. We were at a bar today that said they recycled over 70,000 bottles last year alone. Their cups were made out of corn. I love being in a place that takes the ecological state of this earth as serious as we do. There was not a place in Huntington, WV that would take glass or plastic. Ridiculous. I guess my soapbox here is do your part, please. Reduce the amount of trash that you have by recycling....even your cardboard. We average about a bag of trash/wk b/c of the stuff we recycle. There are no excuses.
Work? It's okay. We are REALLY slow right now, so I've had to learn how to screen, verify funding, deal with insurances, put people in the system, write up the eval, set goals, figure out how many times you want to treat/week, set up a weekly note, write a clarification in the physician's note, clock in and out, then do it all over again. Whew. It's a rule that you have to stay 75% productive during the day, meaning you should spend 75% of your day with pts. That doesn't include paperwork. OMG paperwork. All the paperwork here is hand written and I'm so freaking slow right now writing up reports, weekly notes, etc. I'm pretty sure that I was 50% productive on Friday and I even left at like 2:30. It's going to be a long next couple of weeks b/c now there are 4 SLPs and I just don't think that we have the caseload to handle that many. Ever feel like you're not needed?? That's how I feel right now. There was some talk in the beginning of me traveling to different facilities....I'd be okay with that. Just as long as it kept me at 40hrs/wk. We'll see what happens.
Mike is still looking for a job. He really wants something within the recreation field and I don't blame him. So, we'll keep waiting for something to pop up. The thing is though, our lease is up in a year and I really feel like we are not going to stay here very long. I want to see other places of the US and although I love long term care, I don't think it'll be my area forever. Hospitals will not hire new grads (thank heavens b/c I barely know what I'm doing now), but hopefully once I'm finished with my CF I can find a hospital. Don't know if it'll be in CO or somewhere else. I don't think the traveling thing is out either. So many fun options, but what I've come to realize is that I am really happy where I am right now. YAY!
David and Amanda Curry are coming to visit in like 3 weeks!! I cannot wait! I love my husband very much but I really need a new face (and girl talk) like crazy. I have also started to become very disciplined with my running. I have found that when I become disciplined with the running that other areas in my life follow suit. Planning on the Denver 1/2 marathon in October....still trying to convince Mike to run in it with me. A lot going on.....I need to update more often. I feel like I just vomitted a bunch of random stuff out. But GOSH I need that. So thanks for listening. Love Wins! YAY fireworks!
regarding recycling.... we often say in China everything we throw in the trash is recycled, because almost everything we throw out will get picked up and used by someome else. It feels funny throwing recycleable things away, but i know it gets used again. Glad you're enjoying where you are. don't worry about blogging random stuff, it always makes me feel closer to home when I write random stuff and send it out.
ReplyDeleteI think you are starting in the right place (Colorado and long-term care). We all have to start out somewhere, and we will eventually end up where we are meant to be. You have a passion for the elderly population, and although you may not feel like you are doing much good right now...you will eventually have a day when you can say, "Wow, I really made a difference" and have that satisfaction that comes along with our job. Most days you may not feel that way, but all you need is one time to remind you why you are in this field. That day will come soon enough. Just keep praying and keep doing what you're doing. Your CFY will be over before you know it, and you'll soon find the job that fits you best (whether that be where you are now or in a hospital somewhere). As for Mike, continue to pray (as will I for you both). The right job will fall right into his lap -just keep the faith. Your 4th of July sounds amazing. The pics were all great, and it looks like you had such a great time. Cherish those wonderful moments out there!
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