So here I sit on New Years Eve thinking that I should do a year in review. Because basically everyone else is. Chillin’ on the couch with my wine in my Donate Life Texas cup because, let’s be real, all of my wine glasses are dirty. Don’t be jealous of my fanciness. And because I’m about to go to bed because I work tomorrow which means that Tarrant County needs to be nice because I’m not sure I want to work all that hard tomorrow!!
So 2013. What can I say about you? You were pretty good. I had an awesome year professionally, I got a new niece and made new friends and kept my besets friends close.
January found me ringing in the new year at JPS, just like this year! It also found me celebrating my Work Faves 25th birthday with an awesome Gong and cake
Also, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with the niece:
February was February. Valentines Day steak and wine with the WF while watching Greys. Which is basically better than anyone trying to brave a restaurant. And this.
March was Shattered Dreams which is one of my favorite events of the year:
Plus National Certified Nurses day which brought an amazing physician funded dinner to the local CCRNs to celebrate their special dedication to excellence. Also…wreath making!
April is National Donate Life Month which is always one of my favorite months of the year.
Also some great weather and preparation for NTI and my dear friend Kandace royally effing up her ankle which meant we got to go visit her a lot and play Family Feud. Which is awesome than it sounds. For us.
May was fun. Lots and lots and lots of fun in May. Nurses week. Nurses Day found me having one of “those” days with two trips to cath lab, an emergent trip to the OR and a cardiac tamponade.
Also…BOOOOOOSTON!!!!!
Plus, my Mommy!!
June: 31st Birthday. Which was amazing because my family and friends are amazing but I have to admit…turning 31 was NOT easy for my psyche. I always thought I’d have a husband and children by 30 and instead I’m an independent woman who pays her own mortgage, car payment, bills AND kills bugs on her own. And by kills bugs on her own I mean I spray them with bug killer and then vacuum them up. Like a grown up. Plus, my hair looks good.
Also, I had a long long long overdue California adventure with my BFF since the 5th grade and her awesome BF.
The best part of July was my new baby niece Julia Elise!!
We also lost my Grandad in July after some on and off illnesses through May and June. A few trips back to Amarillo were made to see him before he died and then to be with family for the funeral. It also gave us time to visit Grannie’s grave in Tell, Texas. He was a great man who lived a long and full life and I know the whole family misses him greatly.
August was mostly a whole lot of boob!!! August marked the WorkFaves bilateral prophylactic mastectomy surgery date and we planned for it in the very best way that we know how to celebrate…with a PARTY!!! The Boob Voyage party was nothing short of epic. I made myself sick worrying that no one would show and lucky for me I was very very wrong. Friends and family and coworkers turned out in droves and I was so happy to send my friend off to surgery in style!
Her surgery was closely followed by what I can only describe as the scariest moment of my life (until a little text in November…but more on that later). I had a contaminated needle stick from a known HIV patient. So soon came lots and lots of tears and lots and lots of meds and lots and lots of lab tests but thankfully some super understanding friends and family and hospital staff were there to check on me and help me out. All is finally over in this coming February which means…obviously…a PAAAAAARTY!!! (2/21/14 people…save the date).
September meant the start of college football and for me it means Kliff Kingsbury!! Tech got themselves a new coach this year and he’s definitely hotter than your average college football coach. Tech got off to a great start and had a pretty good season, considering they had a brand new coach in his first year as a head coach. Plus…MUMS!!!! In celebration of my very last HIV meds I not only got to have an awesome meat sweat inducing dinner at Texas de Brazil with Liza but Diana and I made muumuus!!!
This was the kick off of a suuuuper crafty month. I started a little side-ish business making wreaths and various crafts and they’ve been all over the face books and pinterest (fancy!!) PLUS I have an etsy shop!!
October was more wreaths and more tea (I totally drink tea now) and then Boo at the Zoo with the girls!
November meant more fall, Tech football starting to falter and probably the worst text message from my mom ever- she had passed out in the front yard, but don’t worry she was fine, the neighbors called Dad. Not 911. Dad. Then she passed out two more times. So they called her PCP. Not 911. Her PCP. So about a distracted day at work later and a drive over to the Harris ER Mom had her self a big fat saddle PE with many many other clots in both lungs. Saddle PE means she had a huge blood clot sitting in her pulmonary arteries just ready to break loose and lodge itself in the big blood vessel going to her lungs and blocking off blood supply to it and maybe killing her. I STILL haven’t thought about how close I came to losing her and I’m pretty sure I’m still blocking it out and denying it and I’m pretty okay with that. She got herself a week in the ICU (which found some of her nurses asking ME what to do with the EKOS machine – plug it in and don’t touch it, for the record) and a few trips to IR and a nice lifelong prescription for anticoagulants. Buuut…she came out fine, had a heart cath yesterday and everything looked great. Also Thanksgiving with the fam in Amarillo.
My awesome friend Kandace also got herself a badass engagement ring for Thanksgiving and I’m sooooo excited for her wedding next fall!
It also meant I got to see my BFF Megan again and take a tour of our old stomping grounds.
Aaaah, December!! So ready for Christmas!! New phone that I bought myself for Christmas. Icemaggedon that tried to ruin a whole lot of early December Christmas kick off fun. The first WorkFave attempt to see the DSO Christmas show was cancelled because 1) we didn’t want to die and 2) the DSO didn’t want us to die either. So we had a fabulous plan B dinner and a very cold penguin walk back. Then I braved the roads to Great Wolf Lodge for a little fun times with my brother, sister in law, niece and cousin. Warm in the water park…cooooold outside!!! Plus the Wendy Davis Fort Worth Campaign office opening which was AMAZING!! Super exciting!!
Then Christmas parties and a pretty epic day out with my niece and Chriiiiistmas with the family!! Which I have no photos of but are amazing nonetheless.
So I leave you with this wish for a year full of Goodness and Light. May you get everything you need and a little bit that you want in the new year!! I’m off to bed!!!
icuprincessnurse 