Turning a house into a HOME

It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in our quiet little townhouse, and I'm feeling quite grateful for the comforts of life that Geoff and I are able to enjoy.  Hard to believe it's been over a month now that we've been married... but at the same time, it really feels like I've known him a lifetime already!  Nonetheless, we are making an effort to appreciate the day-to-day moments, knowing that life is only going to speed past us if we don't stop and take it all in...

This weekend marks the first time we've really been apart since our wedding day -- Geoff, as many of you know, is busy this time of year attending various snowmobile shows across the western states.  Last weekend we both traveled to Denver for the first show of the season, but this weekend I decided to stay home while Geoff flew up to Seattle to work another show.  It's been an interesting experience for me... I'm really trying to make this house feel like a home -- OUR home -- but being alone in this house made me realize I still have some work to do.  Not so much organizing/decorating, but more just LIVING within these walls to call it my own.  I had some girlfriends come up to the house this week, and I really started to realize that it's people and experiences that create a feeling of "home."  With that in mind, I'm really starting to tear out pages of the "housewife manual" to try to be a better hostess and create more opportunities for building memories.  In writing our story, this will forever be the first home that we lived in as a family -- and I want to have special times to remember.  I'm a sentimentalist, what can I say?  :)  But I do have some photos of our new place, and I want to share a few with you....

And there you have it!  Not so bad for a couple of newlyweds :)  As for the job hunt... I've applied to various positions at the University of Utah Hospital, but have not heard back from them yet. I know that my lack of hospital experience puts me further down on the list of potential candidates, and it frustrates me -- how am I supposed to get experience if I'm not given that critical first job?  I know that the economy and the Obama Care have both played pivotal roles in this, eliminating necessary funding to train "new grad" nurses, but it doesn't change the fact that I am a registered nurse and I sincerely WANT to learn and work!!  Doesn't that count for something?!  I didn't just go to a 2-year program either... the Johns Hopkins Nursing Program was recently named the #1 nursing program in the country.  Shouldn't that make me more of an appealing applicant?  Well, even though the U's hospital has been the dream hospital I've wanted to work for, I'm not going to rule out other options -- like working in another clinic.  As I've mentioned before, my "calling" as a nurse is to work in Women's Health.  I wanted to go the route of Midwifery, but taking a break from school and working for a bit was more important -- to gain a better perspective, as well as experience, before enrolling in a Master's program.  And look what it brought me -- a husband!  haha.  The one disappointing thing that I've learned is that Labor & Delivery units rarely hire new grad nurses, and Mother/Baby (Postpartum) units rarely have positions open up.  It's not a promising first step, but I know that's the direction I want to go.  I've tossed around ideas of working in other units to get that "experience" in order to apply for the units I really want to work for, but nursing is emotionally/physically/mentally draining, and unless you are truly passionate about the work you are doing, it can be overwhelming.  Don't get me wrong, I would give 150% at whatever job I worked, but the difference between a JOB and a CAREER is the passion you have for the work you're doing.  So in my search to find open job applications, I stumbled across a post for a reproductive/fertility clinic... sent in my application... and now I have an interview!  Not to get my hopes up, but as I read through their website, I realized that this would be an incredible opportunity for me -- not only as a job/career, but I got excited about what I could LEARN and the services I would be able to offer to that patient population.  That excitement really got me fired up for this interview, so I'm hoping/praying that things go well next week!  We shall see... :)

And I think that about wraps it up for this entry!  I'll be back soon enough... much love!