The Audacity... and the Hope.

So.. Did I trick you into thinking that this was going to be a post about Obama? Did anyone even get it? ("The Audacity of Hope" is one of his books). Anyway, this is not going to be about Obama or healthcare or anything related to government at all. Although--I can't really help myself: it has been interesting to watch history change and unfold the past few days! It'll also be interesting to see how this all pans out. It's also been fascinating to watch everyone's reaction on both ends of the spectrum--especially on facebook, which is my next point.
**Be forewarned: this entry in its entirety is long!**

Part 1 of this blog entry is going to be a rant:
"The Audacity."
This has been rolling around in my head for a while: I just can't believe the stuff that people put on facebook. I really can't. My brother and sister in law are taking a facebook "fast" for Lent, and I almost wish I would have joined them way back when. I use it ONLY to stay in touch with people via private messages or the occasional comment on a post. I have NEVER posted a status. I mean, really, who cares what I'm doing every few hours of the day? I know I don't care about you that much! And, if you're posting every few hours, then you really must not be that busy... You must not work, or you must be ignoring some other huge part of your life. And, these silly games? Farmlife, Mafia, or whatever? Or these silly flowers that people pass on to you and ask you to take care of.... Or people begging for bricks and planks for a pretend barn?? Seriously, people, what are you doing with your time? Do NOT say how busy you are--if you are posting statuses and game-related posts on facebook every few hours, then you are NOT that busy.

Next is the comments that people actually post: I DON'T CARE HOW MANY CALORIES YOU HAVE BURNED in your workout, or how many miles you ran at what pace, or where you are working for the night, or that you are currently grocery shopping. I don't care about your finances. I don't care to hear about how busy you are each night of the week for the next three months. It all actually seems like bragging to me...

However, there is a caveat to all of this, as there usually is. I have quite a few friends who seem to post every few hours, and they seem to have quite a community of friends/followers who know what they're doing and can sympathize with them. I wonder if I'm shutting myself off from community by not posting about the mundane minutiae of my life. It is a great way to get the word out about things: when my brother Danny was in the hospital a few years ago, I was so thankful for the things that people posted. People knew immediately and responded to my sister in law's statuses about my brother. I was SO thankful for that! I have also been grateful for the opportunity to get in touch with people that I lost touch with and have revived some great friendships that I have just been able to slip back into...

Any opinions on this? And, because I am ranting about this: I will be giving up FB until easter as well. I can't rant and not do anything about it. But--since I don't status, you'll have to find out about that here. :)

****EDITOR'S NOTE: Part 1 was NOT aimed at anyone in particular!!!!****

Part 2; allow me to completely switch gears... And stretch. And go potty. And check facebook one LAST time. Ok. Done. I even moved the app on my phone so I wouldn't be tempted.

"And.. The Hope." (I told you this would be long!)
So... I graduated last June with my masters in nursing with a concentration as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I passed my boards, got certified, then tried my hand at applying for jobs in the Dayton area.... and man, that bites. For ANYONE going through a job search, I can relate. The depressed economy bites. And I was one of the lucky ones: I had a per diem job (or two) already. I was working as a nurse--and had planned to keep my position until I found a full time job in my new field. Boy, was I thankful for my RN degree then!

So, I looked for jobs and applied almost to every ad that I saw for NP's in the area. I applied and applied and sent out resume after resume, tailored to that job's specifications. I would follow up with phone calls and emails, and barely get a call in return. Half the time, I didn't even know if my resume had been read or received because I wouldn't hear back from people... You get the picture. Frustration set in. I finally received word back about a few interviews, and landed a few over the summer. After a few very painful, personal rejections (behind the words "painful, personal rejections" are weeks of bitter tears, months of anger, a few weeks of good counseling-- and finally, some forgiveness just now beginning to peak through!), I finally said "screw it. I quit." And I kept working as an RN at my ER job, thankful for my boys, my husband and the beautiful fall weather we were having.

In early December, on a jobs board to which I subscribed, I saw a random job opp for an FNP position with an ER group in Cincinnati (I still have a hard time spelling the name of that city!). I wrote a quick email to the contact, and did NOT hold my breath. After all, it had taken MONTHS for people to respond to earlier inquries... Well, I think I went potty or something random--and I came back to my email a few minutes later. THERE WAS A RESPONSE ALREADY, asking me to send a resume and set up an interview time.. WTF??! This was NOT supposed to move this quickly!

So, to make a really long story a little bit shorter, I got the job that I applied for last December, and started a month ago. I am an NP in 3 different ER's in Cincinnati. I am privileged to work with amazing MD's who are very complimentary of my work (which is NOT to brag--but feels good after the above mentioned job rejections!), very talented midlevels (other PA's and NP's), I have a great boss, I'm learning a TON, DOING a TON (last night, I reduced a shoulder... the other night, I lanced a peritonsillar abcess... scary cool stuff like that!), and feel VERY THANKFUL that it took 7-8 months to land this job. I got the perfect fit. I know that the "shine" will wear off eventually, but man, I'm glad the twisting, winding, sometimes painful job search landed me here.

And, I can honestly say that I'm glad I didn't land those other jobs that I thought I wanted... Whew.

With the full time, crazy hours, it's been a switch for me and the boys. While I was looking for a job, I spent a TON of time with them, and we did a LOT together. We still do a lot together, but less time. But, I feel less antsy: when I'm home with them, I am able to really focus on them. And my husband has totally been helping even more than he already does: I got home from work last night, laundry done (which he does anyway), fridge packed full of new groceries (also--which he does already--so yeah, you heard that right: I don't grocery shop or do laundry!), and meals made for the next few days. He is a great teammate. (I'm lucky to have him!)

And I have all sorts of great pictures and stories about the boys (who are healthy and active and absolutely precious), but they will have to wait for another few months. :) I can't think of any right now anyway. And I'm tired of typing about myself and my family.

Good night.