my new job

This is my first week of orientation at my new job, and I love it so far. It's been interesting being a newby again-- learning new things, meeting new people, getting used to a whole new system, etc. I'll be working in a cardiac unit and will be able to watch some procedures next week in the Cath lab, cardiac diagnostics unit and possibly OR as well. So excited!

Orientation weeks are usually pretty tough since you basically sit in a class for 8 hours a day-- but I'm trying to soak everything up as much as I can. It's been tough, but wonderful too!

A few things I've been thankful for so far:
• free breakfast AND lunch provided on orientation day :) it was a legit grilled chicken/mashed potatoes/veggies/pasta type lunch too! It was delicious!
• meeting new friends-- one of to gals I met today is from Vietnam and she is going to teach me how to make pho!
• the fact that this hospital has a lot of parties!! the last party they had was a Mardi Gras themed fundraiser event and the staff and doctors dressed up and they had a parade! How awesome is that!
• re-learning new things & sharpening up on skills that I thought were so second nature to me! I have a lot to learn!
• having a CNO (Chief Nursing Officer-- which is basically someone who oversees all the nursing staff) who actually knows nurses by their first names, visits the units so often that he's never in his office, and personally goes up to nursing units to recognize nurses who are mentioned in patient's "Thank you" letters. (I actually witnessed this and was so shocked, but he told me this is a really regular thing)
• having a normal 8-5 schedule for once in my life (even if it's only for a few weeks) and being able to eat dinner at a normal time!
• a cafeteria with extremely cheap, delicious and semi-healthy food. I got a deluxe breakfast with eggs, sausage and tater tots (my absolute fave) + a bottle of orange juice for $3. Whaaat!!

P.S. this is sorta off tangent, but our grandparents moved in with us today and it's been really exciting. Our home feels more full and warm with them here. I can't wait to spend more time with them & hopefully learn some Chinese along the way! :)

GIVE THANKS: getting off work early, time to read at Starbucks, cheap shoes at Payless (I got a pair of red heels and black running shoes for less than $5 each!!), learning new things, time to journal, power in prayer, Hawaiian BBQ