No pictures today, but just an update on the past two weeks. Life has been crazy and wonderful and that is a pretty sweet combination! Brad and I have been staying oh so busy over the past couple of weeks. Last Friday night we had another game night with our newlymarried class. We played the electronic version of Guesstures; it was so much fun! Sadly, we girls could not pull a win; however, I will say we were on a roll but had to end it due to the time. Next time girls, next time! Saturday and Sunday we spent some time together, just enjoying days off!
On Monday, Brad began his final two weeks of shadowing at Samsung! He seems to really be getting the hang of the job, and really enjoying it. It's so exciting hearing him talk about holding his own at work. Also on Monday, I began my first week on the floor. All I can say is, WOW. I was all about how ready I was to be on the floor and blah blah blah, and then I hit the floor and realized how truly scared out of my mind I am! I daily thank the Lord that he gave me three years of experience on a floor similar to this, because without that experience I would quite possibly lose my cool. This hospital is so different than any I have ever been in. While this is great in some ways, it is slightly intimidating, scary, and overwhelming in others. The nurses call the doctors by their first name; I met an anesthesiologist during a cardioversion this week, and actually have absolutely no idea what his last name is because I'm just supposed to call him by his first name. This is going to be a difficult adjustment for me. Some amazing things from the week...I pulled a boomerang from two patients' arteries this week! WHOA! During one, I didn't have my hands in the correct place at first, and when I pulled the boomerang, I got blood all over my scrubs. This was a reality check for me. The patient, so sweet, just smiled at me. I also was in on a cardioversion this week, which is where they put a patient's heart back into rhythm. I had always wanted to see one of these! So all in all, it was a great week!
This weekend Brad and I had some quality time just enjoying our friends here in Austin. Friday afternoon we went on some errands together and enjoyed just being out during the day then that evening we went with Adam and Blair to the Hula Hut for some delicious food! (I had mango quesadillas...who would've guessed those even existed!) After this we went back to their home to watch Transformers, which I must say I was incredibly impressed with! Saturday, Brad worked with Habitat for Humanity with his Samsung coworkers, while I went to the Family Reunion and baptism service for the Austin Stone with Aaron and Shauna. I love baptisms, I love witnessing those who love the Lord making that step and proclaiming it to their brothers and sisters in Christ. It was so neat! That night we went to Brad and Amy's for a cookout. It was so fun and relaxing, and we played some Nerts, and while I did not do great, I love cards! Today we had an amazing service at church, and then we watched a movie. Brad Allison sat and watched a whole movie that I picked out! It was so nice! He is now sleeping as he has to work one more week of 11-8 shifts.
This week might be a little tough for us, because I am on days and Brad is on nights. It's tough not seeing each other, but it makes us appreciate any time we have together that does not have to revolve around getting enough sleep to not sleep at work. It is so exciting for us as we daily learn more about being married. I think this class we have been taking has been such a blessing for us. We have learned more about each other and our relationship, we have met amazing couples who love the Lord, and we have learned more about how to make our marriage really glorify God. I have to say, each day I realize more and more how truly awesome it is that God knew that we were for each other even before our parents thought of having children. I look around at other marriages and think how very cool it is how each couple specifically compliments each other. I'm just so thankful for Brad. (Sorry for the sap, I like my husband!)
Well, I must get on to sleeping now. This week will be longer. If we may make some prayer requests, I would just say that Brad's last week on training would go well, and that he would feel confident in his abilities at work. If you could pray for some work relationships for me at the hospital. I am so thankful for our friends we have met through the church, I do hope to find some friends at work also, it just makes the environment easier. Also, if we could just pray for Brad and I to be bold at work, and to really show our coworkers what we believe. We just want to make an impact.
Finally, a huge praise. We love it in Austin. We have just been so blessed by those around us here, and by the friendships we have established. Living so far from family and friends was such a scary idea for me, but I am just so thankful for what we have here! Yay! Promise pictures soon! You all are in our thoughts and prayers!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Guess who started their job!
So, yay for a good week! This week has been awesome! On Sunday evening we were able to meet up with Meagan from Olivet (Jackson) for dinner at Chuy's! We had such a great time catching up. After seeing Meagan, I realized just how much I miss my Olivet nursing ladies. We really hope you all are doing great!
On Monday, I finally got to begin working! It is so great! I really think I am going to L-O-V-E the Heart Hospital! The woman who is training me is actually the woman who interviewed me, and I was really hoping to get the chance to work with her. She is so knowledgable and patient all at the same time. Monday I was in class with 8 other people, so I was pretty excited to get to know them all. But, someone had other plans as I am the ONLY nurse who is orienting this month. Therefore, I have been by myself for the past two days. I actually have really enjoyed this, because I think I'm absorbing things that I might not have if there had been more people in the class! Today I had to take three different tests...AH...and all 3 went well which was so exciting! Also exciting, Brad has been working days this week, so it has been so fun for us to feel like this is all so real now! Can I just say it is great?
Today, around 3:30pm Elizabeth (nurse educator) and I went down to the CCU to go over the PCA pumps. While we were there, the team leader of the CCU, my boss-to-be in 6 months, decided Elizabeth should do my orienting on the unit tomorrow because they are short a nurse, and because I will be working there in six months. YEA!!! Who's pumped? This girl! I was not supposed to be on the floor until Monday, and even then not in the unit until March/Aprilish. This is so exciting! I am hoping to prove myself, and maybe see about getting into the CCU sooner, but either way, I think I am going to love this hospital!
For those of you who don't know, I interviewed to be a nurse in the CCU, but the team leader at the time decided she wanted me to have a couple of months of experience before I was thrown into the unit and all the intensity. To make up for this, she hired me into the PCU (basic telemetry) for 6 months to get my bearings, and then I will be re-evaluated to see if I am ready to move on. What was scary about this, when I arrived at the hospital in October, the team leader who had hired me, and was one of my main reasons for choosing this job, has left the hospital. Whoa. However, the Lord is so good! I met both the PCU and CCU team leaders yesterday, and they both seem wonderful! I think things are going to work out perfectly!
Tonight, I got home and decided to do a fashion show for Brad, a bit like I used to do for Dad when I was little and made him look at all the new clothes we got for school! :) Brad went and worked out after, and I felt we should get some pictures of him in all his perspiring glory! So here we are...
My name is Brad, I'm tough!
Hi, I'm Rachael! I'll be your NURSE today!
So excited about my name tag, and the fact that I don't have hair chopped to my ears in this picture!
P.S. The first day of orientation I was so nervous I only put one earring in, and didn't notice this until AFTER my ID picture was taken. Hahahaha.
Heart Hospital of Austin! Yay!
This is one FANTASTIC husband!
So, one last shot...flashback to Maui. How we miss that beautiful place! Soon, I hope to have some beautiful pictures of Indiana in the fall!
One last thing, we could use some prayer over the next weeks as we figure out our schedules. Brad will be working 11pm-8am for the next two weeks while I will be on days. After this, he will be on nights, as I continue to be on days for 6 more weeks. If you could just pray that we will be able to make the most of our time together and that we would remember this weird schedule won't last forever! Thanks all! God is good! His blessings are amazing! Thank you for being a part of us! Hasta!
On Monday, I finally got to begin working! It is so great! I really think I am going to L-O-V-E the Heart Hospital! The woman who is training me is actually the woman who interviewed me, and I was really hoping to get the chance to work with her. She is so knowledgable and patient all at the same time. Monday I was in class with 8 other people, so I was pretty excited to get to know them all. But, someone had other plans as I am the ONLY nurse who is orienting this month. Therefore, I have been by myself for the past two days. I actually have really enjoyed this, because I think I'm absorbing things that I might not have if there had been more people in the class! Today I had to take three different tests...AH...and all 3 went well which was so exciting! Also exciting, Brad has been working days this week, so it has been so fun for us to feel like this is all so real now! Can I just say it is great?
Today, around 3:30pm Elizabeth (nurse educator) and I went down to the CCU to go over the PCA pumps. While we were there, the team leader of the CCU, my boss-to-be in 6 months, decided Elizabeth should do my orienting on the unit tomorrow because they are short a nurse, and because I will be working there in six months. YEA!!! Who's pumped? This girl! I was not supposed to be on the floor until Monday, and even then not in the unit until March/Aprilish. This is so exciting! I am hoping to prove myself, and maybe see about getting into the CCU sooner, but either way, I think I am going to love this hospital!
For those of you who don't know, I interviewed to be a nurse in the CCU, but the team leader at the time decided she wanted me to have a couple of months of experience before I was thrown into the unit and all the intensity. To make up for this, she hired me into the PCU (basic telemetry) for 6 months to get my bearings, and then I will be re-evaluated to see if I am ready to move on. What was scary about this, when I arrived at the hospital in October, the team leader who had hired me, and was one of my main reasons for choosing this job, has left the hospital. Whoa. However, the Lord is so good! I met both the PCU and CCU team leaders yesterday, and they both seem wonderful! I think things are going to work out perfectly!
Tonight, I got home and decided to do a fashion show for Brad, a bit like I used to do for Dad when I was little and made him look at all the new clothes we got for school! :) Brad went and worked out after, and I felt we should get some pictures of him in all his perspiring glory! So here we are...
My name is Brad, I'm tough!
Hi, I'm Rachael! I'll be your NURSE today!
So excited about my name tag, and the fact that I don't have hair chopped to my ears in this picture! P.S. The first day of orientation I was so nervous I only put one earring in, and didn't notice this until AFTER my ID picture was taken. Hahahaha.
Heart Hospital of Austin! Yay!
This is one FANTASTIC husband!
So, one last shot...flashback to Maui. How we miss that beautiful place! Soon, I hope to have some beautiful pictures of Indiana in the fall! One last thing, we could use some prayer over the next weeks as we figure out our schedules. Brad will be working 11pm-8am for the next two weeks while I will be on days. After this, he will be on nights, as I continue to be on days for 6 more weeks. If you could just pray that we will be able to make the most of our time together and that we would remember this weird schedule won't last forever! Thanks all! God is good! His blessings are amazing! Thank you for being a part of us! Hasta!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Corolla!!
So, here she is!!! She looks tiny in this picture, and while she is small, there is actually a larger amount of space in there than it might look! We LOVE our car! The gas mileage is great, and it rides smooth, and we love her! I would like to name her Daisy, but I'm not sure Brad would go for that. Below are just a few more pictures of it. We actually picked it up on Wednesday night, and didn't finish all the paperwork until almost 9pm. 
I was playing Vana White for Brad. 
Creepy smile! 
On Thursday night, before Brad went to work, I wanted to prove to him I could drive and not get lost. I drove all the way from our apartment to the capital building downtown without asking directions ONCE! How exciting! 
This Friday, Brad and I went on a date to Gumbo's downtown. Let me just tell you all, if you ever make it to Austin, and you LOVE steak as this girl does, GO THERE! I had an 8oz steak served on sweet potato hashbrowns, with watermelon salsa, and an apple and bacon sauce. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! That's all there is to it! Brad had salmon, and while I'm sure it was great, I didn't feel the need to make him share the wealth with the seafood.
Just enjoying our new car!
On Saturday, we went with some friends down to a winery south of Austin. We tasted a few wines, but we had more fun just spending time with friends! We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant on the site, and it was delicious.
We really do have friends in Austin! These are Adam and Blair, and Shauna and Aaron. We had such a great time! After we were done eating, we went back to the Reed's home and watched the Purdue game. Sadly, we were all tired and went home, and then they scored. We have hope, next week is going to be a win for the Boilers! We're turning Adam and Blair into Purdue fans; we have taken over their home for two games now!
Just the girls!
We're married!!!
We just thought this was a pretty fountain, and I was pretending to be a good photographer!Today after church we cleaned the apartment! It feels SO much better now! This evening we went to dinner with my friend Meagan from Olivet, YAY for Olivet friends in Austin! We had such a great time, it was wonderful to see her! Thursday, she's coming to accompany me while I watch Grey's Anatomy, so Brad can escape that duty! :)
Take care all! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
On a side note, prayers are always welcomed as I begin working tomorrow! I am so excited, so please just pray that all my paperwork is correct and all goes smoothly. Thanks so much for your prayers! Hasta!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
A Whole Month
Wow! We have been married a month already! It seems like yesterday that we walked down the aisle, and here it is already a month! Whoa. However, no need to complain, because we have loved this past month. Brad, the wonderful husband that he is, remembered our one month anniversary and woke me up with flowers and breakfast in bed. (Compliments of Pastor and Sue and the tray they gave us for our shower!) He brought me cereal, a bagel, and orange juice, and flowers. They're lovely! They look beautiful on our table in the vase Manders and her family gave to us with directions for Brad to fill; he is following their orders! :) Here they are, I promised him I would post some pictures for him. 
Life has been great for the past month. We have been so busy, even more than I would have expected. The weekends have been wonderful too! I was afraid that on the weekends I would be extremely homesick, but we have stayed so busy and have met so many amazing people, that the transition has been much easier than I even imagined. However, we do both miss our families and friends. ALL THE MORE REASON TO VISIT! :)
This past weekend, we found a wings place and watched Purdue beat Notre Dame with Shauna! The wings were great, and Purdue beating Notre Dame any day is AWESOME, so it was an all around great day! We then spent some time with another couple, Adam and Blair, who we also met through our church here. Blair and I looked at pictures of their adorable house, and adorable puppy, while the boys kept themselves entertained with UFC. Ouch. That is the only word that can describe that sport to me.
Our church is another aspect of the Austin life that we are so very happy with. The Lord has truly blessed us. Our nearly-newlywed class is so good for us, the lessons are so meaningful and challenging. It is so cool to learn each week how to better make our relationship display the relationship of Christ and His church! In the services we have just started a new series, and our small group meets once a week. It has been challenging, and I love that! One of our group members mentioned how neat it was that everyone in the church that is in a small group would be asking the same questions each week and digging deeper into the word. When you think about it, it's just awesome!
As for work, Brad has decided to do two more weeks on nights, to be fully prepared for being on his own. This will work out almost perfectly though. Next week, we will both be on days as I start my new job, and then the following two weeks he will be back on this current schedule so we will have more time at night before he goes to work. After that, we do not know yet when I will be on nights with him, but it will work out.
If I may, I have one request. PLEASE my Indiana loves, please take pictures of the fall! I love when the leaves change, and I'm not too sure that will be occurring down here in Texas! Also, we just want our family and friends back in Indiana, Missouri, Florida, Illinois, Mexico, Dominica, all of the midwest...we miss you! We do want to give a HUGE thank you to each of you, because when we think about the wedding, it was the perfect day for us, and you all had a part of that and we are just so grateful! Thanks! (p.s. thank you notes are on their way I promise!)
So, this is it for now. No car yet! It should arrive this week! Yay! The Lord has been so good to us down here, as he has been teaching and challenging us both individually and together. It's amazing! Please continue to pray for the schedules, that they might work out. Also, poor Brad is now sick with some sort of sinus/allergy broohaha. Hasta for now!
Life has been great for the past month. We have been so busy, even more than I would have expected. The weekends have been wonderful too! I was afraid that on the weekends I would be extremely homesick, but we have stayed so busy and have met so many amazing people, that the transition has been much easier than I even imagined. However, we do both miss our families and friends. ALL THE MORE REASON TO VISIT! :)This past weekend, we found a wings place and watched Purdue beat Notre Dame with Shauna! The wings were great, and Purdue beating Notre Dame any day is AWESOME, so it was an all around great day! We then spent some time with another couple, Adam and Blair, who we also met through our church here. Blair and I looked at pictures of their adorable house, and adorable puppy, while the boys kept themselves entertained with UFC. Ouch. That is the only word that can describe that sport to me.
Our church is another aspect of the Austin life that we are so very happy with. The Lord has truly blessed us. Our nearly-newlywed class is so good for us, the lessons are so meaningful and challenging. It is so cool to learn each week how to better make our relationship display the relationship of Christ and His church! In the services we have just started a new series, and our small group meets once a week. It has been challenging, and I love that! One of our group members mentioned how neat it was that everyone in the church that is in a small group would be asking the same questions each week and digging deeper into the word. When you think about it, it's just awesome!
As for work, Brad has decided to do two more weeks on nights, to be fully prepared for being on his own. This will work out almost perfectly though. Next week, we will both be on days as I start my new job, and then the following two weeks he will be back on this current schedule so we will have more time at night before he goes to work. After that, we do not know yet when I will be on nights with him, but it will work out.
If I may, I have one request. PLEASE my Indiana loves, please take pictures of the fall! I love when the leaves change, and I'm not too sure that will be occurring down here in Texas! Also, we just want our family and friends back in Indiana, Missouri, Florida, Illinois, Mexico, Dominica, all of the midwest...we miss you! We do want to give a HUGE thank you to each of you, because when we think about the wedding, it was the perfect day for us, and you all had a part of that and we are just so grateful! Thanks! (p.s. thank you notes are on their way I promise!)
So, this is it for now. No car yet! It should arrive this week! Yay! The Lord has been so good to us down here, as he has been teaching and challenging us both individually and together. It's amazing! Please continue to pray for the schedules, that they might work out. Also, poor Brad is now sick with some sort of sinus/allergy broohaha. Hasta for now!
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