I SURVIVED

I survived! I made it. It's the end of the school year of my first year of college, even though I was only a part time student. And what a crazy year it has been. I made friends with people old enough to be my parents, and somehow passed my math class with a decent grade. I bought a car, met a boy (who now happens to be my boyfriend), got a second job, made even more friends, forgot how to not be tired, had people I love pass away, taught Primary, and learned so so much.

I am so grateful for the trials and triumphs that I have gone through since August. I will always remember them. Some are pretty funny, and others quite sad. But together these moments have made up a wonderful year. 

Now, I know you're dying to know about some of the things I just mentioned. Be patient, I'm sure there'll be a blog post on most of them eventually.

For now, all you need to know is that I work part time with a home health agency, and part time at my long term care facility. I do this so I can have more time for homework and school and not have to stay up until 2 working on homework after work. 

I also teach the 5 year olds at my church. Oh my goodness they are my favorite things! I have so much love for them and I am so so grateful that I have been able to be their teacher. They are the cutest in all of Primary.

I mentioned a boy. And I know this is the part you are dying to hear about. Well, I'll keep you in suspense a little longer. *cue evil laughter* Let's just say I kind of really like him. 

:)

There you have it folks. The brief and leaving you wanting for more gossip of my life story. Maybe I'll write more in the future, or maybe I'll drive you all nuts and never talk about any of it ever again. Highly unlikely but still possible. With luck, I'll have time to write more, now that my schedule has changed around. 

Work. Again.

Lifting? Nah, that's easy. The smells? You get used to them. But favorite residents dying? Hard. Really hard. Harder than anything else in this job. It's been over a month since one of my favorite residents passed away, and I still think about him all the time and miss him. There is a reason they tell you never to get attached. But honestly, you can't help but love them. 

A couple weeks ago my English teacher gave us an assignment to write anything. There was no topic, no specific format, we just had to write something. After trying to figure out what to write about for days, my brain had an idea. At midnight. Naturally, I stayed awake to write it out. It was difficult to write, but necessary. I wrote a poem about his death, and if you want to know that I actually do have feelings, you might want to read it. I'm no poet though, so be warned. And I wrote this really late at night. 

A CNA’s Love

The hardest part of working with the old, sick, and dying

is knowing they will pass on.

I never knew I could get so attached

to someone 60 years older than me.

I didn’t realize you would be gone in an instant

or how strange your empty bed would seem.

I loved the way you called me kiddo

when passing me in the halls.

I miss the way you called me your bunny

when telling your aid who I was.

I remember the way we laughed and teased

one another while I helped you get up.

I wish I had a chance to braid your mustache

the way you joked that I should.

I will never forget the care that I gave you

or the way you liked your coffee.

There’s a special place in my heart for all of my patients

but you, my friend, left a hole with your death.

That hole may be mended but never complete

each memory a stitch filled with love and care.

My heart has become a patchwork of people

and you will always be one of my favorite patterns.

 

Work Work Work

Stories. Oh my the stories I could tell you. Someone once asked me if anything happened at work that day. Something eventful happens at work everyday. Here are some of my favorites...

I went to answer someones call light, walked in the room to the guy standing by his bed peeing on the side of his dresser. I was so grateful that his room was one of the only two in the hall with linoleum floors instead of carpet; it made it a whole lot easier to clean up.

This one Saturday was a real mess. We were already short staffed, and then one person didn't show up. So there are like a billion call lights going off and so the ADON (assistant director of nursing, one of the bosses) came over and worked as a CNA so we would be less short handed. And he's trying to help us get caught up while also being ADON and dealing with a slight crisis: the REAL game parking. Normally people can pay and park at my work since it is so close to the stadium, but there was a mix up with this, so people started parking anywhere and everywhere. They blocked this one lady in who is high on the chain of command and so she called the DON and they started getting the police to ticket the cars and tow them away. So then all the employees are trying to hurry to their cars to put on a sticky note to tell them that they work there. Basically it was mayhem. 

One particularly bad Saturday (Saturdays must be the go crazy at work day because like half my stories are from Saturdays), I walked into another person's room because a fall alarm was going off, to find him standing there peeing on the floor. And then he walked in it, and almost fell. I went from cleaning up that to helping a person get on the toilet, and while I was waiting for them to call to get off, I answered a light. This resident had to go to the bathroom and, well, let's just say I had to change their entire bedding. I was almost done with this when there was another lady yelling because she had to use the bathroom and so the nurse came in and finished cleaning up while I took the other lady to the bathroom. Meanwhile, a different nurse had to help me take that first person off the toilet because I was too busy. This all happened within about 10 minutes. 

One day, just as I got onto my shift, I was helping get his one resident dressed into a gown and when I pulled back the blankets there was a pool of BM. Literally. That was fun. 

Then, I was training a new hire and we were changing this one resident, and when I rolled her she started to have a BM. AFTER I pulled away her brief. And she had no pink pad under her (thanks day shift), only her favorite blanket, so I ended up catching it in my hand. I WAS WEARING GLOVES, DON'T WORRY!

My name is still up for debate on pronunciation at work. I've been called Kristen, Kursten, Kristine, Kristina, Krista, Crystal, Huston, Sicily, Sicil, Little Red, Little Kreesten (emphasise the ee sound), Little'in, shorty, short **** (which is randomly what some of my favorite residents call me, and they all tell me they mean it in a loving way...?), and midget. EDIT: I've also been called Kristy, Ristine (not Kristine but Ristine), and Red. My favorite was when one resident said "Huston, like Texas? Where were you born?" (I usually just go along with whatever they call me since it's easier than correcting them every time) and I replied, "Sandy, Utah." Them: "Well that's weird."

Just the other day I was in changing a resident with another aid, and we finished and went to go out of the room only to find that the door handle didn't work. We were locked in the room. Thank goodness for the radios we have to wear at work, because the nurse came and rescued us. The door was so stuck she had to use her shoulder to push it open.  

Also, I've been peed on, pooped on, had them grab at and slap my butt, almost gotten kissed, and more. Oh, the joys of working in a nursing home. Just kidding, I really do like it.  

I GOT A CAR

Do you know how to spell freedom? No? I'll tell you. C A R. And I have now aced that spelling test. That's right, I just bought a car! Woo!

Basically, I've been saving up for my mission and a car since I got my job. And don't worry, I'm still saving up for a mission! And I had enough to get a loan (because credit is important or something like that) and now I have a car. And I love it. 

                        For those of you who are car people, it's an
                '04 Toyota Corolla. I barely know what
                that is and that's about all I know about it.

It's name is Tucker. Cute, huh?! 

And of course, thank you to my parents! Thank you mom for picking me up after work everyday so I wouldn't have to take the bus, and thank you dad for helping me buy it and learn about cars (even though all of it went right over my head). And thank you both for being so supportive of me. I really do have the best parents!

I Climbed Through A Window

I had the honor of climbing through a window. At work. Yes, you heard right. I climbed through a window AT WORK. And I wasn't even doing it to get in trouble. Someone needed to get into a room and the lock on the door was jammed. So, she made me climb though the window. I know you are probably thinking that there is no way that I can reach a window, but I can. With the help of a little fence that just happened to be right next to the window. I like to think that it was from all those years of gymnastics that I was able to stand on the chain link fence and maneuver my way into the window, but it was probably just luck. ;)

At work, almost no one can get my name right. I've started keeping track of all the names I've been called. Kristen, Christine, Christina, Kursten, Krista, Crystal, and my personal favorite, Houston. Like Houston, Texas. And it hasn't been just one person who thought that's what I said once. Several residents have thought my name was Houston several times. So I basically answer to whatever. In fact, for a few residents who cannot, for the life of them, hear Kirsten right, I just introduce myself as Kristen. It mostly makes things easier, except for the fact that there is a nurse there named Kristen so then they confuse me with her. I just can't win. ;)

Basically, work is crazy but I like it. :) 

College, Work, And Pretending To Be An Adult

Europe was amazing, but unfortunately that wonderful thing had to come to a sad end. And then began the rest of my life...pretty much. 

I started college last week. But don't get all excited, I am only in two classes. And since I know you are dying to ask, it's a math class and an institute class. Math stinks, but my teacher is pretty awesome. She has this really awesome Russian accent and explains things well. It's my institute class that I have been excited for for, well, ever since I registered for it. I go to math four times a week for 50 minutes, which only left one day for institute. Lucky for me, there happened to be a class on my only free day. So there you have it, my college update. Now I can just point people to my blog instead of repeating myself ten times a day. ;)

Not only did I start school last week Wednesday, but I also had my first day of my new job. My very first job. Unless you count babysitting, then I've had a lot of work experience. I work at a nursing home, and I really like it. I work full time, Tuesday through Saturday from 2-10pm. It's exhausting. ;) So far I've averaged walking about 5 miles each day at work. And since I know you are dying to know, I'll tell you what I do there. I am a CNA, so I feed people, get them ready for bed, transfer them from their bed to their wheelchair and to the toilet and such, I change their briefs (adult diapers), get them things they need, and more. And for some strange reason I really do like it. 

Being back has made me have to pretend to be an adult. I've done my laundry, gone to my college class, got a job, had lunch with a friend like people do when they don't see them 24/7 at school, and I've filled out a bunch of paperwork for work that I have no idea what it means. Oh, and I cut my hair to donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. 

And don't worry, I still make to play my flute, read, exercise and spend time with my fantastic family.

GERMANY

Rothenburg. "A charming bit of Yesterday."  And it is totally true. I love this city. Like absolutely, no doubt about it, in love with this city. 

As unpleasant as our trip to Camp Dachau was, I wouldn't change it. It was such a learning a great experience. Walking around where it actually happened, knowing that innocent people died there was really hard but at the same time it is a good way to remember them and I feel that was one of the most important parts of our whole trip.

I loved walking around the city! I loved their streets and all the beautiful buildings! Like I really loved it! I could not keep a smile off my face that first night as we wandered the city. 

The first night, Megan and I went on the Night Watchman's Tour. It was awesome! And hilarious! There was the biggest crowd there that that guy had ever seen! We had to wiggle and gently push and run our way to the front every time he moved so we could hear. And one of the best parts was the way he talked! Our chaperone's husband did an absolutely perfect impersonation of it! I would highly recommend going on this tour if you ever find your self in Rothenburg.

The famous night watchman, who came to our concert!

The keys to get into our hotel rooms were super cool, they were actual skeleton keys! Fun story: On the day of the concert my roommate, who was in the choir, left our room to go to her concert before I got back from my concert, so I was locked out. Or was I? I used Megan's key, who's room was right next to ours. It took a little wiggling but I eventually unlocked ours with their key. Later that night, Megan's roommate had the key and was off doing something so Megan couldn't get into her room, so she tried our key. The reason her key worked for our room but not vice versa was because our key hold was bigger than theirs. Our key was too big to even fit in their, but their key was just small enough that we could still use it to get mine unlocked.

I thought our room key was so cool that I just had to take a picture

This concert was definitely one of the most fun. The people were super into it and we got several encores. The audience was super energetic and clapped a ton during our songs. And the town square where we were performing was COMPLETELY full! It was the biggest crowed they'd ever had for a performance! And then the choir performance was perfect, as usual! Another fun story: Megan, Bena and I brought our fans because we figured in a chapel with a ton of people it would be hot. And it was. Before the concert started we were sitting down and fanning ourselves when the girl next to me turns to us and asks us where we got our fans. She looked sad when we said Italy. ;)

There is a wall that goes around the city of Rothenburg that you can walk around. It's pretty awesome. The ground is pretty uneven and in some places it is really narrow, but it was still cool! We were walking on a place where people had fought from and protected their city, how cool is that! The stairs were terrifying though! They were step and not wide and just plain little. You could fall easily and break your neck!

This is inside the wall...well the part where we were walking on.

The last night of our trip we had a party. Each coach was supposed to come up with a skit about the trip to present on stage. Everyone's was HILARIOUS! Except ours. ;) Our coach went last too, so we got to see everyone else's and, at least I did, groan when you realize they are all funnier than ours. Don't get me wrong, I liked ours and it was cute and clever, it just wasn't the funniest. ;) We did a slideshow. We had a slide of London where we were all waiting for a taxi, a slide for Italy where there was a human gondola and people looking very hot, there was a slide about our iPod Idol games, a slide with all of us in it talking a selfie, a Paris slide with the Eiffel Tower, an Switzerland slide with a human ski lift, and a Germany slide with the night watchman impersonator. And, of course, as we left the stage our coach did our cheer of our blehs and euus.

Flight home. So so so sad. And holy moly was I ever tired! We had to wake up at 3 that day, and then just got a little nap on our way to the airport where we had to stay awake until our next flight. Our eight hour flight. I only took a little nap because I didn't want to be super horribly jet lagged if I could help it. I watched three movies on that flight. Unfortunately there were no movies on the next flight. Which was ten billion times harder to stay awake on. I wrote in my journal for a while on that flight, but then I was getting so tired that I wasn't making any sense. So Maddie and I played War the whole rest of the flight. It was hilarious! We were so tired that sometimes one of us would put down a card and then pick it back up without realizing that the other person didn't put any down. Or we would just grab both cards without thinking of who won. And then there was the time that I put a card down and literally a second later got really confused because I didn't realize that I had put that card down. It was pretty funny! And then going down the escalator at the Salt Lake Airport and seeing my parents waiting there for me was special! I missed them so much! They gave me a couple of balloons, one of which is still floating at my ceiling in my bedroom over a month later! 

I miss Europe and can't wait until I can one day go back! It was definitely the best 16 days of my life! I am so so so grateful to my parents for paying for it and I don't think I will ever be able to say thank you enough. Thank you Mom and Dad! I wish you guys could have been there with me! It was an AMAZING experience and everything that I learned there will definitely stay with me the rest of my life. I wish I was back in Europe! :) Thanks for  reading about my adventure! Go to Europe someday, it is incredible!