Big Changes are Afoot

Tomorrow marks 5 months since we first set foot in the windy city. Time has absolutely flown by, and I can't believe we have spent almost half of a year here! We are really settling in now, and making this city really feel like home. However, we have some big changes coming up!

I'm writing today on what is the last day of my unemployment! Since graduating in June, I have had the longest break from school and/or work in my entire life! The whole 5 months we have been here, I have been unemployed and being a homemaker. It has been a wonderful break, but I am looking forward to a change of pace. As I mentioned in the last blog, I have been able to use the weeks leading up to my job starting to get our house in ship-shape and prepare some meals in case work life becomes too crazy to cook.  I really can't believe that this is the last day before I will officially begin working as a nurse! You can look forward to some crazy (and likely gross) stories ahead. 

So, Monday I will begin orientation. I will spend the first week, Monday through Friday from 8-5 in a classroom learning hospital policies, reviewing nursing skills, and learning the computer charting program. After this initial week, I will begin working on my actual unit alongside another experienced RN. I will be paired up with my preceptor for 6-8 weeks to complete my orientation, and then I will be on my own with my own patient load as an independent RN! I am really excited to get back in the game, be around patients again, and learn a TON. I hope my brain is ready for overload! 

All in all, I am very excited about this new season of life. I am also most definitely nervous for all the change that is ahead. I am nervous about being able to keep up with all there is to learn in this new job. I am nervous about the unit culture--what my coworkers, patients, and manager will be like. I am nervous about being able to maintain our home as well as I would like to while working full-time. I am excited to see how Josh and my relationship changes yet again during this new stage. I am excited to be back in a hospital, using my brain, and doing what I love and have prepared for for years. I am excited to be challenged and forced to grow and adapt. I am excited for a PAYCHECK to begin paying off loans and saving for the future! 

So, there you have it. My final thoughts before joining the working real world. You best believe I will be updating as soon as I can after I start my job! Happy Friday!

Change of Pace

Hey everyone!

Today I'm going to switch it up a bit with some recipes! With 3 weeks until my job starts, I am trying to do a lot of preparation to help ease the transition. I love the idea of making things in advance and freezing them for later to keep every-day life simpler. So, if you need some ideas for nutritious homemade food that is freezer friendly, look no further!

Muffins are a favorite in our house. Josh likes simple breakfasts that are easy to eat on the way to work, and so I made a double batch of these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and froze them. To make it even more hassle-free, I froze the amount we would need each week in separate bags so they can be thawed one week at a time. What I love about this recipe is that it uses whole wheat flour, contains no butter, very little sugar, and uses yogurt and applesauce to get a naturally sweet, smooth consistency.This recipe is very forgiving, and you can make several adaptations, including using all of one type of flour, or using more/less white or wheat flour. You could add nuts if you want, and if you are really bold, you could try substituting the oil with applesauce.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 C vegetable oil

1/4 C applesauce

1/2 C plain (or vanilla) yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C mashed ripe bananas

2/3 C semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine egg, oil, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla

3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened

4. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips and mix until combined

5. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 22-25 min.

In addition to muffins, I have made lots of soups and entrees for easy heat-up if/when I get busy with work and don't have time to cook. I had a whole bunch of baby portabella mushrooms from Costco, so I decided to make some mushroom stroganoff. I froze just the sauce, and when we thaw it, we will cook some pasta to serve it over. I recommend using Ziploc freezer bags and laying them flat to freeze, and then storing them vertically once frozen completely. This method allows for easier storage, and much quicker thawing. Simply put the frozen bag into a warm water bath and it will thaw quickly!

The recipe I used is from my all-time favorite recipe blog, Skinny Taste. The creator has wonderful recipes made from scratch, and includes all the nutrition information. She also "lightens up" a lot of classic and family favorite recipes...check it out!

Click here for the stroganoff recipe!

That's all for today, but if you like recipes, I'll post some more soon! 

At Last...

As you may know from recent facebook publications, I am officially EMPLOYED. This is pretty much what I have felt like doing since Monday.

I though ya'll might appreciate some more details about what I'm going to be doing. First of all, I still can't believe this is happening...I am so excited! Okay, so about 3 weeks ago, I got called in for an interview at  Swedish Covenant Hospital. I had been applying for jobs for nearly 3 months, and this was the first phone call and interview I had ever gotten! So, I spent hours praying and preparing for whatever might come my way. The interview was much different than I expected, and ended up being mostly informational. I enjoyed getting to learn about the floor and the hospital, and was somewhat relieved that I did not have to answer a series of tricky questions. But, I left feeling very unsure about the outcome.

Two weeks passed, and I had kind of begun to move on to other prospects. It's not that I didn't want the job at Swedish, I just needed to get excited about something else because it was looking less likely that I would get to work there. But, lo and behold, last Wednesday while watching the Devil Wears Prada with my dear friend Becky, I got a call back! They asked permission to check my references and background and move me along in the hiring process. Such. Sweet. Words. I was so excited!

So I waited anxiously through the weekend and kept my phone by my side every  minute on Monday and the call finally came! I was officially offered a full-time RN position on AP5 that is day shift/evening shift rotating beginning on December 3. Let me explain why each of this tid-bits is a HUGE DEAL.

1. RN--I'm a nurse! That's just still exciting to me, and I can't wait to finally get to practice as a nurse.
2. Full-Time: the position was originally posted for part time (20 hrs a week) and now is up to 32 hours/week! This will give me more time to learn well, and more money for us to begin paying off our debt!
3. AP5 (Stands for Anderson Pavillion, 5th floor): This is a general Medical/Surgical (and a little bit of Oncology) unit. This is great for a new nurse like me because Med/Surg (as we call it) provides a great broad base for nursing. I will learn lots of technical skills while getting to care for a wide variety of patients/diagnoses. It is the perfect place to begin a career because from here, I can choose to specialize in any type of nursing that interests me, or remain a general clinician in Med/Surg. The possibilities are endless!
4. Day/Evening Shift: HALLELUJAH people! This means NO NIGHT SHIFT. I will be working 8 hour shifts that are either 7am-3pm or 3pm-11pm. I am not sure how they will rotate it; if I could work either shift in the same week, or if it will be a few weeks on days, a few weeks on evenings. I don't really care because I will get to be awake and sleep like a normal human! This is a huge blessing as it is very unlikely for a  new nurse to get this kind of schedule.
5. December 3: This gives me almost a whole month before being a grown up. It gives me time to let the idea of working sink in, and to prepare by making freezer meals, organizing, and cleaning. Also, (huge provision here), our loan repayment begins in December. This means we will have enough money to pay more than just the minimum payment, which will allow us to pay it off faster. Yay!

All in all, I just feel really cared for and provided for by the Lord. I feel loved that He let me wait for the right fit of a job, and gave Josh and I time to adjust to Chicago before having to jump into work. I feel provided for in the schedule and pay that I will be receiving and the very minimal commute to a great hospital. I just am really excited to be taking this next step in life, and beginning my career as an RN! Join Josh and I in praying as we make this big shift into both working full-time. Pray that we would find new ways to love and care for each other well. Pray that we would have JOY at all the Lord has done and is doing!