Relief Society Retreat

My first Enrichment activity with the new ward was a success. Well at least I think it was. As I mentioned in an earlier post I was called to be the second counselor in the singles ward Relief Society, that means I am over Enrichment. We wanted to have an activity where all the girls could get to know each other. It is a new ward and we are all strangers. My friend Keli offered her cabin so we went to Oakley Utah for a girls night. When all the girls arrived we had dinner (Costco Lasagna...Yum) then the Bishop and his wife spoke to us.

Then we played games and just had fun. There was a good group from the ward and we meshed real well. In the morning we had breakfast and most people took off.
On Saturday after all the girls left Keli and I went to a lake to enjoy the fall leaves. They were beautiful. I love fall. It has always been Amber's favorite season and since I have never really lived in it I have not payed much attention to it. However, now I think it is my favorite too.


This pose is for my dear friend Liesl, she does not read my blog but it is for her nonetheless.

I LOVE IT!

What do I love?

My job.

I did not get off till 845 tonight but I don't care because I love it. I love meeting my patients. They all teach me so much.

What an exciting thing that is to leave a busy day and be able to say

I LOVE IT!

I got furniture!

Yup, I bought furniture. One of my roommates is moving out and taking EVERYTHING with her, so I went shopping. I strongly dislike shopping.

Already took a nap on one. Not to bad.

That is it that is all I have to say.

Favorite quote

No time to write so I will share something already written. I love this quote it is so true I got it 4 years ago in an Institute class. Still carry it around. Enjoy.... Then remember it.

Let your light shine:
Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us.
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberated others.

Nelson Mandela. 1994

Pretty awesome.

That one hurt.

So I have gotten really tired of being the only one doing dishes lately. I decided to hold out and just not do them. The sink is disgusting and the dishwasher is full of clean dishes. However, it is slowly becoming empty as everyone picks out of it. I would hand wash all the dishes I use and just leave that mess in the sink. I felt great about this new decision, I was going to teach a few girls a lesson.

Then I went to family home evening. (The activity will be a blog in the near future I can't spoil a surprise yet) It is the lesson I am blogging about. My dear friend Scott Busby gave a lesson out of one of my favorite books the Peacegiver. He told the story of David and Abigail found in 1 Samuel chapter 25. David, son of Jesse, is protecting the sheep of a wealthy man by the name of Nabal. David sends his men to Nabal to request provisions to aid them in protecting the sheep. Nabal refuses them and says he does not know David. David becomes angry and gathers his men and they march to Carmel to confront this Nabal. Meanwhile, Nabals wife, Abigail, gets word of this situation. She immediately has Nabals men pack the provisions David had requested and more, and sends them to meet David. She also herself goes out to meet David. When she comes to David and his men she bows down before them and says "Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be." David is surprised that she wants to take upon herself Nabals mistakes. To that Abigail says not only am I taking his sin upon me but I am preventing you from taking a mans life, thus bringing sin upon yourself. David accepts the offerings Abigail has brought him.

I love this story. Here two men have sinned first Nabal when he refuses to help David and second, David when he desires revenge (though he never acted he sinned in his heart). This story shows how the atonement is not only for sinners but for those affected by sin. When we are sinned against we are given the opportunity to act. We can brush it off and act in a Christlike way or we can seek revenge, thus, sinning ourselves. The atonement allows us an escape from that, because the Lord forgives the sinner and we don't have to do anything. If we do act, we are saying the price the Lord has paid for that person is not enough, more needs to be done. In this story Abigail is a type of Christ. She takes upon her Nabals sin so that David can go away sinless.

Upon hearing this story I started feeling guilty about not just doing the dishes. The Lord has paid for my roommates 'shortcomings' (and of course my long list of problems) it is not my place to make them pay. I should just go about my days and do things the way the Lord would have it done. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and feel forever indebted to him. How often do I find myself marching down that road to Carmel? In taking that march I am saying to the Lord, that I love, that he has not done enough. Scary thought.
So I decided I would go home and do the dishes.
Unfortunately...someone else got to them first.

Fun things I like to say to my patients.

So I work at the University of Utah Orthopaedic Center. I get the patients after they come out of the PACU (post anesthesia care unit) and I take care of them for 2-4 days. Orthopaedics means bones not foot. We take care of hip and knee replacements, bone fusions, spine surgeries if it has a bone involved we take care of them. Most patients are there so we can manage pain (we can't make it go away completely) and they work with the Physical Terrorist (Therapists). I have fun teasing my patients I love when patients come in cracking jokes because my job becomes so much easier. Here are some of my favorite things to say to them.

1. The Marathon starts tomorrow at 2.
I usually pull this one out the very first time they are getting out of bed and they think they will never be able to walk again.

2. Because you don't need anything we wont be answering your light the next two times.
I use this one when patients put the call light on by accident. We can't have people crying wolf all night.

3. If your food needs to be warmed up let me know, it is hard to tell and I refrained from stirring it with my finger.

I get the weirdest look on this one but it is the truth. How do you check your food? That is what I thought.

4. Phew...That was my first time.
This can be used after almost any scary task, most often used with IV starts.

5. This is the nurses button (pointing to the orange button) we recommend not using it.

This one does not always get a laugh but when it does it is great.

...And of course my favorite...

6. My name is Jessica and I will be your Nurse today.

I have said it thousands of times now and it does not get old.

Those are some of my favorites and all I could think of right now. I will pay more attention to what I say and maybe post some more later.

I thought of another one...

7. This waxing in complementary

Said when removing patients IV, they are usually taped down really good.

A day in the life. This may never happen again.

Today I woke up a new woman . I had a work meeting at 830 (boring). Then I came home invigorated ready to conquer the world. I decided I want to make Pumpkin bread. First I checked with Amber, the expert of all things Fall, to see if it was the appropriate time of year to start making pumpkin goodies. She gave me the go ahead. So I baked pumpkin bread. It was so much fun and tasty.

I decided since I was going to be in the kitchen so long some dinner should result from it. So I cooked dinner too. My kitchen smelled of pumpkin and Italian chicken. But if that is not smell enough for you throw some pine sol into the mix because I mopped while the food cooked and baked. I don't know what got into me...BUT I LOVED IT. Oh it does not stop there apparently my Relief Society calling kicked in and I made cute little wraps and cards for the bread. Then I delivered all the fun treats. What a fun day.