Musings...

I'm sooo tired. I wish I could figure out how to get into bed earlier. It just seems to never happen...(probably due to the fact that my work has now started closing at ten every night and on my days off I have college classes....the latest at which ends at ten).

Blah. But this stretches onto the real purpose of this post: I wanna get back into working out. Well, I work out...on occasion. I want a routine though. I wanna stick to it.

More to come on this...I'm just musing right now...G'night!

Sarah

My Passion: Training to be an EMT

“The courage of exploring myself was nothing compared to the courage of actually doing the EMT course, ... As a writer, the concept of self-revelation is not new. The problem was getting through the depression and anxiety and doing something unheard of for me: becoming an EMT. Writing about self-revelation is gravy.” - Michael Stern

 

I only really decided to pursue becoming a Flight Paramedic/PA/Wilderness Medic a year ago. Thinking about it, sure. I always had, but I'm acting on it now. I'm at Eastern Kentucky University, an Emergency Medical Care Major (Paramedic/Science Bachelor's Degree) and currently only a couple of months away from getting my first certification; the basic EMT Certification. 

 

This class is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I have to constantly stay in my book (every day, every night before bed) or I'll fall behind and like a sick Discovery documentary, be devoured by the gruesome skills tests and module exams. Not only do you have to memorize e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g; you have to think on it. You have to act on it. Make calls that don't get your patients killed. 

 

"Remember, we save our patients; we do not kill them." 

 

I can't tell you how many times my instructor has cadenced this over the semester. Not only do you need to know the medicine, you need to know the medicine. What counteracts it? What contradicts it? Will it kill your patient? How fast does it start working? Will it be effective in this time frame? Can you give a patient on blood thinners Nitro? Does your patient have an allergy to this medication? 

Which leads me into...your patient. 

You have to communicate with them. Get their history. Get their name. Age. SAMPLE. OPQRST. Events leading up to your call. Family. Is your patient stressed? Lost their job recently? Deep in debt? A passed love one? What is their mental status? Are they suicidal? Could they become so? Have violent tendencies? A smoker? A drinker? 

Then you have skills to learn. Not only do you have head-knowledge. You have hands-on knowledge. Skills to check off on. Skills your Instructor or their assistants have to check you off on. You have to keep in practice with this skills or you will loose them. I have to constantly re-check myself on my blood-pressure cuff. I think I have bad-hearing as it is, and it's hard to hear that pulse, even with a stethoscope. (Which, I may need to go get my hearing re-checked.) 

 

 

 (No, That is NOT a legit-skills-assessment sheet. I wish it was.)

 

Though this is the hardest thing I've done...I love all of it. It's worth it. I'm going to have a job (God-willing) that I love. 

 

" Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

-Steve Jobs

 

I'm going to be partaking in my first ambulance shift this Monday as part of my class. Before the end of the semester I have to get 10 patient contacts and log in 24 hours of time. I have been given three dates to do this on and if I need additional days I can get them. The team that's hosting me is only about 20 minutes away, so it's not bad at all. 

I'm really excited! I honestly can't wait! 

 

Hope you all enjoyed this! I just wanted to give you all a better look into my schooling and my passion ;)

Have a blessed day! 

 

Sarah

Care Package: Love Vs Distance

Hello! I meant to post this a week or two ago but I just never got to it! (It was on the facebook page if you've checked that out recently).

It's my second care package! I think it came out adorably!

I got this idea from Pinterest! Well, I have a whole Care Package Board that you can check out if any of you other ladies (or men) want some ideas! I've kinda gone care package crazy! I don't want to overload Austin though...so I've slowed down.

I just loaded this care package with:

• Beef Jerky
• Mini-Cookies
• Sunflower Seeds
• Chips
• Other Junk Food
• Gum
• Toothbrush
• Screen Wipes (for his laptop and glasses)
• PC Gamer magazine 

I'm sure I put more in there...but I forgot everything I put in there, lol. You can get a good idea from the picture. I get a lot of my things from the Dollar Tree to fill up the box so I don't have to put any filler. 
I know he'll love it (or I hope he does!). My only worry is that he'll want to keep all of the boxes I send because I decorate them and he's...sentimental like that.
gah, i love hiiiim...
I think my next package is going to be a Gym one...or a motivational one...he's been going to the gym a lot.

Have a blessed day!

Sarah

"If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Just a little motivation for your day. Thank you Jesus! With you, I have nothing to fear!

Just Getting By

When we have something to look forward to or something we're waiting for, we seem to hold our breath and float through life until that approximate time. Then we wake up and make the most of it!

That's what I've been doing. Since this deployment started, I've just been getting by. I've noticed it in my grades, my home life and just...everything. I've been forgetting things, putting things off, spending time alone, and just...not caring, about anything, unless it involves Austin or sending care packages or....whatever.
I'm sick of it.

I shouldn't be wasting this time of my life just waiting. I'm not really doing anything. I've just been...here.

God doesn't want me wasting my life. Austin wouldn't want me sitting around doing nothing. And me...I'm tired of not doing anything. I feel like I haven't done a thing since he's been gone. It makes me sick...

I mean, I've been in college, but I haven't been doing like I should. I haven't been studying like I usually would...and even when I do...I haven't retained the information. Work is...well, work. I feel like I never want to be there. I don't even care if I go...and I have bills to pay.

I just need...Jesus. I need direction. I need to pray. I need to get in His Word more. I need to make myself, though I shouldn't have to. I should want to read more and learn more about my Savior...
I don't know. Just please be praying for me. I want this...whatever I'm in to go away.

Sarah

Coffee Care Package

My Coffee Care Package

If you are following my blog, you know my hunny-bunny is currently off on deployment. (You can read about him and us here.)
Well, I sent my first care package last week!!! I'm super-excited for him to get it. It's a coffee care package since he loves coffee so much and I know they don't get it so often on the ship.

I included:

- 2 packs of coffee cups w/lids
- 5 packs of instant coffee (different roasts and flavors)
- 1 pack of his favorite Dunkin Donuts coffee (you have to brew it though)
- 1 box of organic sugar-cane sugar-packets
- 1 can of coffee creamer
- 1 can of Folgers instant coffee
- different packs of tea
- 1 box of hot cocoa mix
- "10 reasons why coffee is good for you" (the EMT in me couldn't resist)
- a home-printed and written card with kisses on the inside
- a list of what I put in
- decorated the box with pictures and cute quotes

  

I think he'll love it! I really hope he gets the chance to brew his Dunkin Donuts coffee! 

Enjoy making your own Coffee Care Package and be sure to look out for more I'll be posting on here!

Have a blessed day! 

Sarah

Student Blues...

Salutations everyone...

Feeling: like poo. but a little excited. #confused
Enjoying: the heat coming from the fireplace behind me.
Reading: the "Switch Girl" manga.
Dreaming: of better grades and ACLS calls...
Gathering: materials to make a nerdy care-package with ;)
Realizing: bacon tastes best when you leave it fatty #yum #breakfast
Hoping: my travels to Cincy today are not deterred by this snow
Missing: warm weather, bright blue skies and the sun! Waiting for this snow and cold weather to disappear. And my hunny-boo-boo.
Discovering: dark chocolate is amazing. I'm eating all my profit. I'm going to be funding my Alaskan Mission Team all by myself.
Loving: life and learning to love myself.
Trying: my best not to get down about my recent exam results. but it's really hard. #emtstudent #ugh

Okay, like you all have caught glimpses of already, I'm a bit down. I've been spending every spare minute, every spare second to study for this big exam in my EMT class for the last couple of weeks. I even skipped the class before my EMT one to do a little review.
And I failed. I FAILED my exam. Failed it. With a whopping 52%.
I'm a little discouraged and a lotta troubled.  
I just don't understand it.

I've been studying...and that's all done to waste. I had a couple of moments when I even considered dropping the class. If I can't do this, how am I supposed to do my job? How am I supposed to save people if  I can't pass a simple 100-question multiple-choice test?
Ughhhhh...I don't wanna think about it anymore. It makes me sad.

On another note, I'm going to Cincy (OH) with my sister to get our book "The Undead Pool" (the new book in the amazing Hollows Series) signed the amazing author Kim Harrison! We went last year too, so I'm way excited about it this year! I wish I'd gotten a t-shirt to wear though...
Oh well!
Ciao guys! I gotta go get ready! Make today a blessing,

Sarah