the Graham Cracker House

Non-alcoholic of course.  But I truly DO love weddings.  This weekend Bjorn and I drove up to Idaho for Amber and Jarod's wedding.  Amber was part of the amazing singles ward in Washington where Bjorn and I first met.  She has been a friend to both of us so it was wonderful to meet her new husband and be a part of their fantastic marriage celebration.  Others from the "infamous" MV3 ward came as well, from other parts of Idaho and Washington.  Some single, some married, some with kids, and a few pregnant!  Perhaps more exciting than the wedding itself was the opportunity to reunite!  We have not all been in the same place at the same time since that first summer.  One by one we have moved away to start new lives.  Being together brought back so many great memories.  Late nights at Applebees, having crushes on each other, and discussing who is dating who.  It's changed a bit now, and I'm happy amazed at how everything has turned out.   Of course Heavenly Father has a hand in our lives!
After reconnecting at dinner the boys went shooting (yes, that was my husband's idea) and the girls had our Bachelorette party for Amber complete with sewing last minute alterations to bridesmaid dresses, a chocolate fountain, and sans-alcohol margaritas!  We all stayed up a little too late and felt like teens again (except we got really tired right before midnight- which didn't used to happen).  The company was great! I had a blast re-uniting with these girls.

Since Salt Lake City is swimming in RSV,  there seems to be almost NO escaping it.  The virus is hitting everyone, young and old, and those under age 5 often end up in the hospital.  Our unit at Primary Children's  is overflowing (literally) with RSV patients.  in Lieu of focusing on the darkness of these times, I am trying to find the positive perks to RSV season.

1- I get the satisfying feeling of sucking snot out with a tiny cather.  Kind of gross I know, but it's good to know I played a part in helping the kid be able to breathe.
2- I get to wear a stylin' yellow gown every time I enter a patients room, forever imprinting a fear of yellow monsters into their young brains.
3- I get to interact with some amazing parents, and
4- occasionally see friends and family at the hospital
5-  I find myself exhausted after working four of these extra shifts in a row, and realize that I am just preparing for parenthood (someday)
6- I wear a mask pretty much all day, which supposedly prevents me from getting any airborne viruses (not sure if it's working, I've had a cough all week)
7- I get to work a lot of extra shifts and make more money (hoping to take a vacation with my hubby in the summer!)
8- mentor and coach student nurses (especially those from BYU) so they will be fabulous RN's when it's their turn to take care of RSV-ers
9- taking care of GI/short-gut kids is fun again, (even though their room smells like TPN and fish oil) just  because it's something different
10- occasionally getting to work half shifts (for extras) which are infinitely easier than 12 hours.

click here for a recent DeseretNews article about RSV in Utah

One more story from the infant unit, not related to RSV:  a 2-year old patient was left by himself when his mom went to the cafeteria.  He had the remote in his hand, and accidently pushed the nurse call-light button.  Two of us came rushing in, saw what he did, laughed and just cancelled it.  The patient seemed to think this reaction was great however, because as soon as we left he did it again.  I answered it this time, and again- another nurse got it, and AGAIN!  He thought he was being pret-ty powerful.  The other nurse finally went in and took the remote out of his hands. He gave her the biggest crusty! but didn't cry.  We told his mom about it when she got back, she laughed with us.  Gotta love those little ones!

Since this is the Graham family blog I must mention that my husband has been amazing while I have been working tons this week.  He is doing great in school, and buckles down for long days of homework while I work. He has made dinner for me every night, makes the bed, and does the dishes.  It is so wonderful to come home to a clean house! He even came up to the hospital once to visit me on my lunch break.  Being married is wonderful.

The best part of Valentines this year (besides having a SPOUSE to celebrate it with) has been having the whole weekend free! I was off of work for 4 days, and Bjorn didn't have any school after Friday so we have been partying all weekend. Friday was our much anticipated friends party! I made invitations a bit ago and excitedly got food and decorations ready. Mostly, I loved planning all of it. The friends and babies who came were wonderfully fun to chat and catch up with. It is fun to see this group of my old roommates growing. I was the very last to get married, and now half of them have kids! It's crazy!
Saturday after breakfast in bed we hit some sales then Bjorn planned a magical evening of "camping in the living room" complete with tent, waterfall, fire, stars, and s'mores. I love having such a creative husband. We went to our ward activity- a Valentines dance- for an hour and showed off our major dance skills (not really), then out to dinner and back to our "campsite". The tent and sleeping bag weren't quite as comfortable to sleep in as our bed in the next room, so we awoke pretty tired the next morning and planned for a nap before even getting out of bed.

ME: What baby foods should we try feeding her [8 month old patient]?
PATIENT'S MOM: do you have a mix? like sweet potatoes and corn?
PATIENT'S GRANDMA: That's disgusting!!!

I thought this was a hilarious conversation from the hospital today, thought it doesn't seem as funny now that I am writing it down. The joys of working with babies. I love it. This particular patient also threw up after we suctioned her, and the whole room smelled like banana baby food (her breakfast). So mom said no fruits for lunch.

I really got along with this particular mother today. It was so nice to just talk. We have a lot in common, though she has seven children! (And is not much older than me!) She liked to talk and I liked to take time away from my work and tasks to enjoy a friendly conversation and learn from her experiences. I do love the people I work with at the hospital. The Nurses, the Residents and attending doctors, the patients (of course), and their parents.

Happy Anniversary to US! Okay, it's only been a few months but what better reason to celebrate! Bjorn and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary of being married on January 31st. Which happened to be a Sunday. So the day before we went out to dinner at the Bombay House- an Authentic Indian restaurant (declared so by Bjorn himself, having become an "expert" while serving his mission England). I had been wanting to take Bjorn there for quite some time, as I knew he would love it. And since I got to plan this 6-month anniversary (he gets to do the 1-yr anniversary) I wanted to surprise him with it. I had to work that day as well, but I changed into his favorite dress as soon as I gave report to the oncoming nurse. A minute later I met my dashing looking husband in front of the hospital, and we set off into the sunset. Technically, the sun was already down, but the point is we were happy, and dinner was delicious.

The Householders have been in Utah this month, and last weekend we finally got a chance to meet up with them. This American couple owns a bed and breakfast in Port Alberni, BC, Canada and were simply amazing to me on my mission. As someone put it once "missionaries need the Householders, and the Householders need missionaries!" Tom was the Bishop of the Port Alberni ward at the time I served there, so we went through many adventures together. Their bed and breakfast/home was always open to us: for any meals, to use the conference room for district meetings, or the pool table on P-days. We'd also help with the dishes if Marla was away. They are like a second set of parents to me. Naturally, it was quite wonderful to catch up with them and their lives. They gave me an update on how the Port ALberni ward is doing. Not all news was good news of course, but it is still great to remember these people that mean so much to me, and hear how their lives are progressing. I learned that my last baptism (2 days before leaving Canada) Sister Jean Potts (70 something years old), is preparing to go to the temple. As far as I know, only one other person I helped teach has gone through the temple, so I was thrilled with this news. I've heard it said that you can't judge the success of your mission until 20 years later, and I am starting to see why.

My new Years resolution is to get this blog up and going!  For some unknown reason, after working a night shift and taking a seven hour nap today, I feel inspired to do so.   Our excitement so far this year has been Bjorn starting school again, having the jeep truck towed, and being summoned for jury duty.  All of which has happened in the past week.  Bjorn has 17 credits this semester and will do just fabulous- though I am sure it will keep him busy.  The towing was a horrid experience involving the police, a tow-yard, the Utah DMV, Washington DMV, proof of insurance, and several faxes back and forth from Washington.  The car did have expired tabs, so it is our fault, but a little warning would have been nice. sheesh.  
I'm off to the kitchen! Time to clean and start making dinner for my husband (I still love being able to use that word)!