C is for Cookie

So I just got an evite for my neice's 1st birthday party. How fucking ridiculous is that????

The last 12 months have been pretty freaking monumental for me. New neice, new degree, new job, new house. It's been one of those ridiculous years where everything just happens and I have no idea how it's already gone by so fast.

I've been working at the hospital since September. I've been working on my own as a nurse since December give or take a week. When I worked on Thursday night one of the nurses that just got off her orientation asked me a question like I knew the freakin' answer. I'm sorry...I'm still thinking that I'm the new girl and I'm still asking questions quite a bit myself. One the one hand it was flattering because someone thought I would know the answer...on the other hand it's scary as shit because soon I WILL be the experienced one. Every few months a new set of nurses comes up and I will get more and more experienced and then I'll be the "smart one". That is a LOT of pressure. I've had a few outside people asking me for medical advice. My Mom is sending me to change a dressing on my Dad's skin biopsy site because my Mom's Goddaughter ended up in septic shock (infection gone bad wrong) from a little 2 inch scrape she got on her elbow and so my Mom is freaking out. I have people asking me about rashes and hernias. It's weird. Apparently I've been a nurse long enough now that people think I'm smart or something.

Otherwise, all is the same. Kissy face boy never called, which is just about par for the course for me. It seems I'm just not the girl they call. Oh well.

Layla and I started puppy school on Saturday. It went well. She was very well behaved and didn't bark at the other dogs for jump around or anything. She laid down and ate her rawhide thingie a lot and was very good at "sit". Plus, she didn't puke in the car!!!! Although, I did take Mom and Dad's super absorbent super big puke/pee pad from when their dog Ginger had cancer and was peeing all the time. Just in case.

Lots planned for the next few weeks. Mayfest with Motorcars and Reckless Kelly on Friday. Wade at Clubhouse on Sunday. Scentsy party with my friend Marsha from Tech next week.

Sad news...my very first orchestra teacher from the 5th grade, Maryann Driessner was found dead at her house this week. I remember just absolutely loving her. She was a great teacher. I remember being so excited at our first concert thinking I was playing real music when all I was playing were open strings while she played the melody on the piano. She taught me to play in third position (not dirty) before anyone else in my class. She was fabulous. Really fabulous.

Also sad: my high school orchestra director is retiring after this school year. I'm not sure a lot of my "readers" went to high school with me but I was a SERIOUS OrchDork. Serious. I was the concert mistress (not dirty) of the Symphonic (read: best) orchestra my senior year and was an officer for three years and basically devoted my entire high school career to orchestra and Mr. Dockray. Trust me when I say that him retiring is epic. He was just one of those teachers, you know? He always pushed me to do it all, sometimes it felt like too much, but that was good, I learned a lot about being a leader and leading by example and what kind of behavior people expect from a not trashy young lady. Anyway, his last concert is coming up in May and you can bet I'll be there. For sure. I am sure there will be tears. He was a freakin' institution and he made a big impact on a lot of lives, including mine.

I think that's all. Layla and I are playing training games now. She likes those cookies.