on my mind....

Just popping in here for a quick little hello before the big test tomorrow.

My mind is racing 100 miles an hour with information....apnea, using the AED, splinting, inserting airway adjuncts, suction, medical assessment, trauma assessment, backboarding patients, compression ratios, assessing pulse motor and sensory functions. Whew!

Anyway, I'm nervous/excited about it and I'm just ready to be done with it all. Ha ha.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Hopefully I'll have some exciting news to share with you soon!

It's about that time...

This week is a stressful one, that's for sure. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. I'm taking my National Registry Skills Test on Friday. Whew! BVM, AED, Spinal Immobilization, Rapid Trauma Assessment, Medical Assessment, Oropharyngeal Airway Adjunct, Nasopharyngeal Airway Adjunct, Suction and Splinting.....oh lordy!

Which means....there probably won't be an update until Friday. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty nervous. I passed my hardest test with an 83 (only my 2nd B of the semester, I've gotten A's on everything else!)

The good news is that my Sugar Booger, Brian, will be running a testing station (not sure which one yet) so that makes me a little less nervous. Hopefully he can help me calm my nerves. Although, I might just see him and completely panic....let's hope not.

In other news, I'm doing a big fun Swap with Joy from The Vintage Rabbit and I am so excited! Joy is such a dear and I can't wait to send her some treasures I've found for her!

Enjoy the week!

Swaps?

Does anyone do swaps?

I'm seriously in the mood for some swap-ness. I go antiquing all the time and find wonderful treasures and I'm curious....what do YOU find?

Anyone up for a little swap fun?

Get beck at me if you are....

Why So Serious?

Brian and I saw The Dark Knight this afternoon. Holy cow! It was SOOO good. I want to see it again. We loved every minute of it. Go see it, seiously, you won't regret it.

Brian also passed his Paramedic practical skills test this afternoon. I'm so proud of that boy! I take my EMT sills test next Friday and I'm scared out of my mind. Ha ha. He's helping me study for it this week.

Haven't had much time to do anything online or crafty lately. Hopefully that will change after I pass my test. I'm looking forward to 4 weeks of me-time before heading into Paramedic Care 1 this fall.

But for now I'm loving...

1. Princess Lasertron - http://www.princesslasertron.com/

2. The Pioneer Woman - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

3. The Vintage Rabbit - http://thevintagerabbit.typepad.com/

Check those out and enjoy!

XO!

Aww!

I got free tickets for Frontier City at work a few weeks ago. So, Brian and I decided to go on Tuesday afternoon. We had an alright time. I remember that place being way more fun when I was in high school and I worked there. A lot of the rides were closed, but we had an alright time.

I think we were only at the park for around 2 hours. Then we decided to go see Hancock. I haven't seen a Will Smith movie in forever. I'd give it a 5/10. It had a few good parts, but it wasn't anything award winning.

My friend Kara and I went to see one of our favorite bands, 2am, play last night at the Route 66 Road House. We had a great time and we can't wait to see 2am again!

Brian, on the other hand, went out with the guys last night for a Bachelor party.

We went apartment hunting all day yesterday. We looked all over the city, Moore and Norman. We found a few really nice ones. I think we're having a movie night tonight. Yay!

This Friday (18th) he's taking his skills test for his Paramedic license. Then we're going to see Batman! *yay!*

That's pretty much it. Nothing else new around these parts. Have a nice weekend!

EMS kids (part deux)

Took a few more pictures of my friends from class.

This beauty is my friend, Val. She's the funniest chick I know. And her kiddos, fun as hell. We were hanging out one afternoon and her 3 year old, Jonathan says, "Momma, can I have a douche bag?" and Val says, "He means, juice bag". Then she hamds him a Capri Sun (yum!) and he walks into the living room. Too funny! So now we call people we don't like "juice bags".

The boys. Well, 6 of them at least, the 2 on the left are Joe, Matt and Dustin. Then the middle two are Jason and Tyler and Jeremy is on the right with his back facing us.
Brittni on her phone and my best guy friend in the class, Kurtis. Isn't he just a doll? He's so sweet.

We learned how to deliver babies this week, so if you're pregnant, I can officially deliver your child, should you need my services. Ha ha. Let's just hope I don't have to do that for a while!

Who said school had to be boring? Even Paramedic students like to play dress-up!

These are "the girls". Val, Me, Brittni and Paula. We keep those 9 boys in line, that's for sure.


Check out my sweet open tib/fib fracture. Sweet, huh?

Another one of Tyler and Kurtis.

You're a Grand Ol' Flag

Happy 4th of July!

Are you doing anything fun for the 4th? No big plans around here, we're going to a party tonight at a friend's house. My sister and her friends may come over. Not sure really.

Have I mentioned that 4th of July is my favorite holiday? It seriously is. I love it SO much. BBQ, potato salas, deviled eggs, watermelon, ice cream sandwich dessert, fireworks, it's the best.

School is still great. I made an A on my last test. I've got another one to take on Monday over cardio, shocking patients, strokes, etc.

We triaged each other this past week. We brought out the moulage and fake wounds and dressed up and then had to "treat" eachother. Fun stuff, let me tell ya.

Curtis and Tyler. Curtis obviously has a laceration to the face and temple area and an evulsion in the abdomen. Tyler, on the other hand, has an arm injury.
Val has a broken clavicle and Brittni has 3rd degree burns to her arm, chest and hand. These girls are the BEST. We have such a good time together. Speaking of class, we toured our new building yesterday. Holy cow! It is SO nice. There is an ambulance in the building that we'll use to practice loading patients in and out of. We have a new EMS lab and ADL lab, classrooms, offices, etc. We'll share the building with PTA and OTA students. The nursing students are taking over our old labs and classrooms. It's going to be a nice change and I can't wait to start classes in the new building in August. So excited!

Guess where I was today....

The fire station! Station #9 to be exact!


What a fantastic group of guys. We only had one call this morning, a shortness of breath patient. Then we were at the station all day. They made a huge breakfast and then settled into the recliners and watched tv. Today was also cleaning day. The guys were scrubbing toilets, mopping, sweeping, doing dishes, cleaning tables, etc. Watching those men clean....whew! I think it was getting hot in there. Come on, seriously, who wouln't want to watch a bunch of hot firefighters clean? It was like porn for women. *ha ha ha*

I was treated like a pretty pretty princess all day. Riding in the fire truck was pretty fun too. They go so fast and you're sitting backwards in the truck. Kinda weird, but still, very cool.

I'm riding with Brian on Sunday and I can't wait. How fun is it that I get to do a clinical with him?

Clinicals.....Round 1

What an eventful day. Clinicals were AWESOME yesterday.

Clinicals are hit or miss really. You might be really really busy or you're sitting at the station waiting for a call that never comes. They call it "The Student Curse". Yesterday was the best day ever. I got to the station at 7am and we got our first call at 7:30. We hit one call after another all. day. long. It was heaven if you're a student and wanting to get in there. We had 10 calls.

GI bleed
Moving a 650lb woman.
Decreased LOC
Rt. leg pain/numbness/tingling
Choking (it was resolved while we were there, no transport)
2 transfers to other facilities
A woman was in labor, 39 weeks pregnant
3rd degree burns from a boat fire

and lastly, (are you ready for this???)


An airplane crash.

hell yes.

The scene looked worse than it really was. But this little airplane was upside down, wings to the ground with the wheels in the air. Quite a sight really. Luckily, the passengers only sustained minor injuries, a few scrapes and bruises. No transport required.

Talk about a busy day. It was wonderful though. My partners were fantastic and were readily available to answer any and all of my questions. We even grilled out around 8:30, but that was cut short due to a residential fire. (I didn't go on that call).

All in all, it was a fantastic day, and I can't wait to go to school Tuesday and tell them about my clinicals. I bet no one else got an airplane crash. :-)

On My Mind

What's on your mind today?

I'm enjoying my day off. I got called in to work last night from 4p-10p in the Fast Track area. Fast Track is the non-urgent part of the emergency room. It operates like an urgent care clinic. Kinda cool. It was a nice change from the usual hustle and bustle of the ER.

Don't you just hate it when you get your hair done and you can't ever make it look as good as it did when you left the salon? I'm experiencing that feeling now. I can't make it look like Michelle did! *grumpy face!*

I've got a clinical tomorrow on the ambulance. I have to be at the station at 7am! Hello! Do you know how long it's been since I've seen 7am? Yea, neither do I. Hopefully we'll be busy and get some good calls. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Brian and I are going to see Kung Fu Panda sometime this weekend I think. And, on Tuesday, we're going to Tulsa to see Sevendust play at Cain's Ballroom. I have no idea who they are, but I got Brian tickets for his birthday, so it should be fun. I'm looking forward to the long drive up there. We'll see how we do on a mini road trip together. Ha ha.

Have a great weekend!

New 'do

You know that feeling when you go to a new hair stylist?
I hope she "gets" me.
I hope she's willing to try something totally new for me.
I hope she doesn't mess it up!

I tried a new hairstylist, Michelle at Shaggy's. Let me just say this woman is the bomb-dot-com. Seriously Woonderful.

I told her what I wanted. She made a few suggestions and 35 minutes later, voila....


I'm loving the faux bang. I'm NOT a fan of bangs, but luckily, I can tuck this behind my ear if I want.

Other good news, I made a 91 on my assessment test. Yee haw! Party time! I think there's a Bud Light Lime with my name on it....talk about a reward.

D is for Dad

Sixlets.
Four wheelers.
Baiting my hook when we go fishing...and taking the fish off.
Husker Football
Lawn work.
Fast cars.
Hot wheels.
Protector
Handy man
Grill Master
Provider
Comedian

Yup, that's MY dad.
We go see Glenn Beck together...
But mostly we just hang out...



My dad has been self employed since I was 8 years old. I loved it. My dad was always there for school field trips and was the "Homeroom Dad". *ha ha* He was there for classroom parties and everything. My friends were always SO jealous. He'd bring us lunch at school (which was a BIG deal).

He's one of the samrtest people I know and he always seems to know when I'm fibbing. (How do parents just KNOW that?)

We talk about politics. We listen to the same radio stations. I go to him for advice. We love NASCAR.

Today will be spent grilling steaks, sides and I'm making my specialty, sautee'd mushrooms and onions. Strawberry and nectarine shortcake for dessert and the NASCAR race. Yup, it's going to be a great day

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you.

Gettin' Crafty, eh?

One more birthday present for Brian....

I guess I should start by telling you that the boy LOVES action figures. He has action figures all over his room. (Yes, he's 26 yers old!) I think it's cute that he still likes to play with toys. He's got Transformers, Family Guy characters, GI Joes, etc.

I call Brian "Super Medic" all the time. He'll tell me a story about a call he went on and I'll say, "So, what did you do Super Medic?" He laughs and finishes his story. I looked high and I searched low and there are NO paramedic action figures.....

So, I made one. This little guy was a construction figure (notice the hard hat and the gloves) but with a few coats of paint, the gloves are now latex gloves and his hat is a cap. I had to paint his pants, shirt, gloves, hat, hair and add the red crosses. Bonus points....I even painted on Brian's goatee. **NOTE: I got some brown paint on the upper lip, I got it off though, but not before the pics were taken**





The real Super Medic...

Best Week Ever

Surely you've seen that VH1 show, Best Week Ever, right? If you haven't, they basically count down the events of the week with some commentary, comedians, etc. It's worth a watch if you have some time. Anyway....in true VH1 fashion, here is MY best week ever.....

Monday....

The abode got a tiny overhaul. I added my pretty new memory board and the white bulletin board to my desk area. It really de-cluttered my desk. I had lots of little scraps, pictures, etc all over my desk, so these two boards helped me out immensely. Plus, I love that I can SEE all of my treasures and scraps!

Still on Monday....

My dad and I are huge Glenn Beck fans. So, we celebrated Father's Day a little early. We had a nice Father/Daughter dinner and then went downtown to the Civic Center to see Glenn's Summer Tour, "Unelectable". If you love politics, you'll definitely like the show.

"I came in my hunting attire. I just wanted to fit in here in Oklahoma" - Glenn Beck

Beck '08
Wednesday....

Brian got us tickets to see MC Chris. All he told me was that he was a white rapper. Let me just say....rap is NOT my thing. I have no desire to hear someone talk about "f-ing their b*!ch up" or anyhting along those lines. So, I was skeptical but he kept saying "You'll like it, I promise". Okay Brian....if you say so.

MC Chris voices cartoons on the Cartoon Network and Brian was right. He is SO funny. He raps about hilarious things. Video games, cartoons, tells jokes, and put on a GREAT show. He is working on a new cartoon right now where he provides the voice for a gummy bear. Pretty funny. BUT, one weird thing, there were TONS of freaks at this show. Notice the two guys in the front with masks. Seriously, what were they thinking. Needelss to say, Brian and I made jokes about them all night long.

Thursday....

Brian's Birthday!!! We spent the evening downtown at the Bricktown Ball Park watching the Redhawks play the Nashville Sound. (Redhawks won!) This was Brian's first baseball game. My friend Kim got us free tickets (her brother plays baseball and knows the players so we had GREAT tickets - Thanks again Kim!). Plus, it was Thirsty Thursday, and you know what that means....$1 beer. After the game, we walked to the Bricktown Brewery and watched the 4th quarter of the Lakers/Celtics game. *GO CELTICS!* To finish the night off, we headed to Brian's house and played Smach Brothers on the Nintendo Wii. Needless to say, he was pretty out of it (due to his high alcohol consumption and my lack thereof) and I beat him at almost every game we played. I did let him win a few to keep his manliness in tact.

So, that's it my friends, my BEST WEEK EVER. I'm thinking about making this a weekly thing now on the blog every Friday. Let me know what you think.

Have a great weekend!

Some entertainment...

I've got a few things to post this week, but just haven't found the time.

Saw Glenn Beck's tour "Unelectable" on Monday. Will post a review and pictures this week.

Just got home tonight from seeing MC Chris with Brian. We had a wonderful time. Pictures and a review will be up this week too...probably Friday.

Brian's birthday is tomorrow (well, today actually it's 12:19am) so HAPPY BIRHTDAY Sugar Booger! (Ha ha, he doesn't even read my blog, and I'm pretty sure he'd die if he knew that I just told the world that I call him Sugar Booger)

Creative Overhaul

It's my goal this summer to scrapbook more and work on fun crafty things. Between work and school this year I didn't do much (creatively speaking) since I left the scrapbook store in February. I was always reading, writing a paper, doing reasearch, attending study groups, etc. Ohhh, the life of a history major.

Now, though, I still have summer school, but I have 4 day weekends too. *Nice!* So, I made a run to a cute little store this afternoon and loaded up on everything "new". I haven't bought scrap stuff since February. Man! I am sooo out of the loop.

So, now it's time to sit back and scrap. I can't wait. I have so many ideas rushing through my head. Layouts I want to do, color schemes I want to try and pictures that need to be cropped. Sounds like I've got a lot on my plate, dontcha think?

I have a test Monday over airway management for my EMT class. I also have to work tonight from midnight to 7am and tomorrow night from 7p-7a. Yea, that's gonna suck pretty bad. Ha ha. I'll get through it. But still, it's not going to be fun.

Time for me to get off here and take a quick nap before heading in to work. Hope you have a great night!

Ready for it?I

Happy Thursday!

All done with class for the week. Whew! I'm always ready for class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but man, Thursdays are rough for me.

We did trauma patient assessment today. It's one of the longer and more difficult things we learn. I think I did alright. I came home and made my parents lay down on the floor and gave them scenarios and i assessed them and prepared them for transport.

Brian and I didn't go to the concert last night. I went over to his house and we watched Family Guy and he helped me study for my test. Another big step....I met his parents. They are SUPER nice people. I like 'em. I won't get to see him for a few days. Our schedules don't work right now. He's doing a double in Moore tonight. I'm off. Then tomorrow I work from midnight to 7am, he's working from 11-8am in Del City. Then I work Saturday night 7p-7a and he has off. See the problem? I guess that's what happens when we both have Emergency related schedules. The good news is that we're working on that and taking advantage of the time we do get to spend together and I believe, things are good. We're going to another concert next Wednesday and I can't wait!

So, that's pretty much what's happening in my world. I have a meeting Tuesday morning with the chief of a MAJOR fire department about possibly signing on with them once I complete the Paramedic program. That's a guaranteed job. Yes, I said guaranteed. They are on a major mission to recruit women medics to come work at the Fire Deaprtment, so I'll listen to what he has to say and see what happens. I'm majorly out of shape, so signing on with the Fire Department would be a good excuse to whip my booty in shape. We'll see what happens though.

I made a 90 (B) on my test I look on Tuesday. I wanted an A, but I'm happy that I passed. I think I might go take my second test either tomorrow or Monday. Depends on how much studying I get done though.

XO!

I never do this...

I'm a serious commitment person. I never call in to work. I never bail out. If I say I'm going to do something, I'm in.

That is....until today......

Brian: What are you doing tomorrow? Are you working?
Me: Yea.
Brian: You should bail and come see a concert with me.
Me: I can't do that!
Brian: Hey, we're getting dispatched out. I'll call you later.

10 minutes later....

Me: Hey Bri, it's Holly. Do you want to pick up my shift tomorrow?
Bri: Seriously? Yes! I need some extra $$. Thanks dude.
Me: Not a problem. Thanks!

5 minutes after that....

Brian: It was nothing. Stupid people calling 911 for no reason.
Me: I got off for tomorrow
Brian: Good. We're going to the Diamond Ballroom to see "Hurt" play.
Me: Who are they? Is the place air conditioned?



So....that's the story. I felt awkward giving my shift away because I never do that. Oh well. Maybe every now and then is alright...don't ya think?

School was great today. We signed up for clinicals. I'm doing one with Brian, one with EMSA and one with Norman's ambulance service, the fire department and a shift in the ER. I can't wait!

It's hot and windy today. Yuck!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Just a little peek at the goodies coming out of the garden today. Lovely, aren't they? We're big onion eaters around these parts.... onion petals, onion soup, sauteed' onions with mushrooms, on salads, in sauces and casseroles....oh yes, it's onion time.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I worked last night (7p-7a) in the ER and boy were we busy! 26 ambulances and 5 helicopters! Yes, seriously busy. I slept until 3:30 this afternoon and then met Leslie for dinner. Haven't seen that girl in forever, it was so good to catch up with her!