Being in the ear of an Activities Assistant

Yes, I said ear. :) Now that I am an activities assistant I get to hang out with residents so much more than when I was receptionist. Along with that comes even more hilarious stories.

Part of our job includes MDS's (Medical Data Sheets). Within 5 to 7 days of a resident entering our facility we must get basic information from them that will help us better serve them, hence the MDS. Last Friday night I kept trying to get the information from a certain resident but she wasn't available the couple of times I stopped by. Finally I caught her as she was going to bed and the nurse said it would be okay for me to chat with her for a while before she went to sleep. That being said, she had just finished a VERY busy day and was extremely tired so I assured her my questions would be quick. We were flowing through them quite smoothly until we came to the section on daily routine. Upon being asked if she attends church, synagogue, or temple she informed me that she use to but no longer does. The following question is a strange one that is hard to ask of some residents, but I need the information, so I asked her if she finds strength in the faith that she does have. Upon that question she burst into tears, telling me that she just doesn't know with everything going on. As I let her express herself I prayed that God would just bring peace into her life. After she had calmed herself down, we continued on with the questions. The very next question was if the resident has animal companions, which I always phrase "do you have pets at home?" Upon hearing this she gave me the strangest look and said, "Darling, I have nobody at home to have sex with." It still cracks me up to go over that scene in my mind. I quickly said "PETS...DO YOU HAVE PETS AT HOME?" in a much clearer voice. She then laughed, reminded me that she was very tired, and said she did have pets at home. The rest of the questions went by swiftly and with no complications. Afterward, I told her to have a good night and rest well. As I left her room, her roommate laughingly said, "So nobody to have sex with?" and I closed the door on a burst of laughter from both ladies. I was glad that I was able to make her smile before leaving her for the night.

Hence the joys of my job. I might complain about the drive and hours, but there are times that I wouldn't trade my job for the world.

Spring

I saw robins in a yard on my way to work this morning...spring is on it's way.

I've realized just how much I've missed spring in Oregon, not the rain but the beauty the rain brings.

The flowers,

the colors,

and the new life.

Psalm 113:1-5
"Praise the Lord!
Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord!"

"Blessed be the name of the Lord
forever and ever.
Everywhere-from east to west-
praise the name of the Lord."

"For the Lord is high above the nations;
his glory is far greater than the heavens."

"Who can be compared with the Lord our God,
who is enthroned on high?"

Psalm 66:1-5
"Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power."

"Everything on earth with worship you;
they will wing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs.
Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he does for his people."

Psalm 66:20
"Praise God, who does not ignore my prayer
and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me."

Where did February Go?

As I realize that tonight is the last of February, I reminisce over the succession of days that made up this month. The first week of February was spent packing and boxing the couple of items that had come out of boxes while at my parents. The second week was spent driving, moving into our new place, and hubby starting his job. The third week was the start of my new job, answering questions like "Didn't you move? Why are you back?" and hearing "We have missed you!" This past week was a test of patience as I discovered my registration on my car had expired and dealing with the wonderful DMV, trying to figure out my job since my boss left for vacation with me having three days experience, and just generally figuring out life back in Oregon.

After having lived in 4 different places in the last 8 months I am yet again realizing why I hate moving. I've lost an enormous amount of items including a toaster, my day planner, and my cool dish soap dispenser and even I believe my brain. But the good parts of moving...we are finally in our own place, it's a new town to explore, and I'm learning new things in a new job with old friends.

Oh, and I'm back in the land of Dutch Brothers! :)

Still alive

We are still alive. Just without Internet. :) We made it into Oregon last Monday and into our new place last Tuesday. I spent the week (with much help from friends) unloading boxes and arranging all our things. We love our new place, it feels so big after the basement. I started work yesterday and am slowly getting the hang of things. I have a bit of a drive every day. It can range from an hour to about an hour fifteen. I've gotten hooked on books on CD. Hubby is loving his job at Petco. He comes home with stories about the ferrets and mice and all the dogs that come into the store. I am finally realizing just how much my husband loves animals. :)

Hopefully Internet will be hooked up on the home front soon and pictures can then be added. Until then it's the library computer that I type from, without pictures. And my time is running out on the library computer, so it's goodbye for now!

A place to land

I have an amazing friend who spent two days driving around McMinnville looking at places for us to live. I trusted her completely with this task. You see, we were roommates in college and for about 7 months after. She knows my living style. We have similar tastes and I knew that if she wouldn't live in a place, neither would I. That being said, Kimmy rocks!!! She found us a nice two bedroom duplex with a small backyard. It has a great kitchen and dinning room (to fit our huge table), a nice sized living room (not as big as our last place's but that was GIANT), a bigger bathroom than the last place (which isn't hard to do), and we can have a dog! :) And for this great find I now owe her two lifetimes of Friday night dinners. What's a girl to do? :)

Hammond's Candy

Today, while Kimmy looked for a place for us to live in Oregon, Hubby and I enjoyed a candy factory here in Colorado.

Hubby and I have been trying to figure out what things we absolutely still have to see before we leave this beautiful state. Hammond's candy was top on the list since the last time we went the power was out and we didn't get a tour.

Walking into the factory, the smell alone told us they were up and running. It smelled wonderful! Like Christmas. :) The tour consisted of getting to watch the whole process from start to finish. They do all the parts by hand from mixing the ingredients to forming the candy canes and lolly pops. It was amazing to learn about the different processes.

My favorite part was learning that they recycle candy. When candy is broken and won't sell they send it through a chopper so that it is basically candy dust. It's sorted by fruit and peppermint flavors into containers. When the hot, fresh candy liquid is poured onto the cooling platforms the chef will collect a bucket of the recycled candy and add it to the new batch. It then melts in and becomes part of new pieces of candy.

After the tour we wandered around the candy store. They are all decorated for Valentine's day, with heart shaped lolly pops even. It turned into a "sweet" day. :)

Exciting news on the homefront

Well most of you have already read it on our facebook pages or in an e-mail, but here it is again. Hubby and I are moving! We decided to head back to Oregon, McMinnville to be exact. We would like to persue being missionaries with American Missionary Fellowship on the Linfield College campus. Until we have finished the application process, raised support and are full time in ministry both hubby and I have found full time jobs. Hubby will be a full time team lead at Petco and I will be back at TCV, not as receptionist but as the Activities Assistant for the Rehab/Skilled Nursing. I'm so excited to go back to that GREAT company and work with my friends again, while learning new skills.

We will miss my family but not their basement. :) I will miss the snow (Hubby will NOT) though it seems to have been snowing more in Oregon than it has here this winter. I will miss the sun, but will get my fill of vitamin D through the tanning bed. I will miss the mountains, but have the ocean an hour away. It will be nice to be near most of our friends again.

So, on to the next adventure in our life.