Adoption Update

I know, I know, I have posted a lot. Just one more thing. I debated on posting this or not, I think mostly because of getting our hopes up. But before we left for our cruise Brad received a phone call from some friends in our ward & a young lady that works in his office that is pregnant is wanting to put her child up for adoption. Well he told her about us & one thing lead to another & we had an interview or a get together with her. Can I tell you I have never in my life been so nervous. How do you start out a conversation with her. Oh, hi we want to adopt your kid. It actually turned out pretty well. I think. She is a very, very nice girl & full of so much positive energy. It was so much fun talking to her. Poor Brad, he just listened most the time & at times he wanted to say something but the conversation would change so quickly that he felt weird saying something that was like 20 conversations ago. For example. We asked her what she liked to read & she said historical novels & Sci-fi. Well Brad was like perfect I love sci-fi & was about to say so & boom we were off on another conversation. We laughed about it that night when we talked about it. We still don't know. But in the end, I felt it went well. Even if she doesn't choice us, it was nice meeting her & we know she will make the best decision for her & her baby. We were her first couple she interviewed. This happened about 2 weeks ago & now we just wait. She is due Oct. 12th & she is having a boy. We will let you know when we find out.

Cruise

I should really be quilting right now, but I just can get the energy to get my sewing machine out. I have 16 blocks due tomorrow & I am not done. Instead I will tell everyone about our cruise. OMG!!! The cruise was so much fun. I actually miss it. I wish I was back on vacation relaxing & just being in beautiful weather. Before we left Brad & I wanted to upgrade our cabin to a cabin with a deck. We were originally on the 2nd floor inside cabin. Basically if we were on the titanic we would be dead. Well the Friday before we left Brad got a phone call from carnival asking if we want to upgrade to a penthouse & VIP status. Ummmmmmmmmmm!!! YES. We were then even more excited. We first went to CA to visit with Brad's brother Eric's family & had so much fun hanging out. I love Brad's family. I have been blessed with the BEST in-laws. They are amazing. We just hung out & talked & played with the kids. We went out to dinner to Macaroni Grill, yummy!!! We were able to go to church with them the next day as well. I just wish that all the Thomas' could live near each other. Oh, the fun we could have. Brad & I had to go back to LAX to take our shuttle to our cruise. When we got there we went straight to the VIP line, well what we thought was the VIP line & when we got in we found out that we were wrong & we had to go back out & find the VIP room to check in & then we got to get back in line to the VIP line. Basically VIP means, legal cuts in line to be first. Funny!!! We get on board & we are so excited. We have been counting down forever. We made it to our cabin & can we say HUGE!!! The bathroom had double sinks, jetted tub, a baday (can't spell) & a walk in closet. Nice & room. We then just walked around the ship to get acquainted. They had lunch & we ate. Then we took a nap. We were so tired. We choice to do the later dinner at 8:15 pm, instead of the 6 pm. Eating again. We sat with 3 other couples, a couple was newlyweds, & then the other 4 people were family. The newlyweds were so much fun. Come to find out the last day that the girl & I had the same birthday just 2 days apart. But anything. The first 2 days were at sea & it was just relaxing. Laying by the pool, trying to get sun without burning. When we got closer to Mexico it got so hot. Oh, so hot. We finally got to Puerto Vallerta & OMG it was so hot. I think I melted. But we went horse back riding & had a lot of fun. We had the opportunity to ride bare back & swim down a deep part of a river. We will post a video of it. We were in PV the longest. We left about 10 pm. We play miniature gold during sun down. So pretty. The next day we went to Mazatlan & that was interesting. We went to a Mexican show & then shopping & then we went to a hotel & had lunch & then layed out at the beach. Brad went in the ocean & played in the waves & I stayed on the beach watching our stuff. Oh & being bombarded by the locals trying to sell us stuff left & right. It was nuts. In fact it was VERY annoying. In fact that was our anniversary day. Still can't believe it has been 5 yrs. The next day was Cabo. Oh, so VERY hot. The hottest of all. We weren't going to get off, but we said why not. We just went off & walked around. That was only place we tendered. Then the next day was back at sea. In fact when we got up the next day it was freezing. We went from 90+ degrees to 65 degrees. NUTS... We packed & we ended up getting a couples message. Oh, so nice. Would love another one in fact. It was just a week of relaxing & being with each other. The greatest things was we didn't gain any weight. In fact I lost about 2 pounds. We took the elevates maybe twice. We used the stair the whole time & walked everywhere. Oh, the coolest thing when we were leaving PV there was the biggest storm with lightning & a lot of rain. We sat on our deck & just relaxed & enjoy the wonderful sun sets. We played card games & took naps outside. We did learn a lot while on the cruise & hope the next time we go we will know more what to do. I could go on & on about our trip. I am very thankful for the fun we had & that we were fortunate to do the cruise. We are thankful to be home & so are our dogs. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures. My computer can be a pain at times. Enjoy if we can post.

Hospital Stays

I feel my family is in & out of the hospital. My dad was in for about 4 days & now he is out. He ended up breaking his hip after a nasty fall on Sunday. He is sore to say the least. But he is home. It will be a long recovery, but I know he will get through it & will do fabulous. Next is my uncle. He isn't going to stay in the hospital, but he is having foot surgery & he will be laid up for awhile. My poor mother has 2 sick boys at home.
On Brad's side, he has a nephew (the cutest) who has been in & out of the hospital dealing with LCH (google it). He ended up having a bone marrow transplant on Monday & will now be in the hospital for a 100 days. This is of course the short part of the story. He has an amazing story that will have a happy ending. If you want to see his wonderful story just click on Miner Family to your right. He has been through so much & will continue to accomplish amazing things. He is in our prayers & can't wait till his WHOLE family comes back to Alaska. He is a champ. We love you & pray for you on a constant bases.
Happy to say that Brad & I aren't in the hospital. Well OK, I go there everyday, but am happy that they are paying me & me not paying them. One set of great news. We finally wrote the birth parent letter for adoption. It was time to get our butts in gear & write. We hope when we get back from our cruise (11 days away) we will have our home study & interviews & then the waiting game (hopefully not that long). We put our blog address on the application & I hope they enjoy our blog. Hope they're not scared. But that is what is new or old with us.

I have it to say it!!!!

I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a Mormon & am proud of it. I couldn't have asked for a better thing in my life. I love it. I can't image my life without the gospel. Where would I be. Haven't a clue, but not here. I am who I am because of what I believe in. And I love it. I love the Book of Mormon it is the best. It has great stories & lessons that remind me that I am a daughter of God, who loves me & you. My favorite scripture is Alma 26:16, "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." In fact the whole chapter is amazing. I fell in love with it on my mission. It brings back so many memories. I remember being the geeky missionary in Mestre & putting that scripture up on the door. I am sure the Italians thought I was nuts. But how amazing to know that he lives that he love everyone of us. I wish the WHOLE world knew about his greatness. I think that we wouldn't have the problems we have now. People talk trash about the church, but if they really truly studied the principles they would love it. I am not trapped by my church. I am the freest person in the world. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs. I have one husband & he has ONE wife. I am thankful for that. Why do people make fun of us because we don't drink or do anything like that. I love having control of myself. I don't need to drink to have a great time. I am free. My dad who is an alcoholic is so bond by beer that he is in the hospital about to get diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. He has the lowest sodium that any of the doctors/nurses has ever seen. They are surprised he isn't dead yet. I would love to show teens & even adults what drinking is all about & what they will look like in the future. Why do people drink? What joy really comes from it? You may have a great night that night, but you are suffering the whole next day. Why do it? What joy do you have? I am sorry for all those people that feel they need to drink their feelings & life away. I am sorry for being so blunt. But you know. I am tired of it. I am tired of all the excuses. Don't drink. It isn't worth it. Life is too short to drink it away. You are in control of your life. Why allow it to control you. I am thankful for the Word of Wisdom. I have no desire to smoke, drink or do drugs.
I know that the church is true. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know he translated the Book of Mormon through the gift of translation given to him by God. I know that Jesus lives & He died for everyone of us that we can all return to live with him again. I know that life is hard, but we can get through it. I know that we can over come everything if we put our minds & heart to it. I know this because I have prayed to know. I have asked & I received the answer through the confirmation from the Holy Ghost. I am a Mormon & I love it. I end with Alma, same chapter but verse 11:But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

16 & Pregnant

No I am not... Every now & then I flip through the channels & am always interested in the show "16 & Pregnant," on MTV. Yes I watch MTV every now & then. Every time I watch I pray that they would do one on adoption & low & behold they did. I never cried so hard in my life. In fact I have a cry headache. Brad & I have been struggling with this decisions in our lives. Especially the choice between IVF & adoption. We have prayed long & hard & always knew adoption was the way to go. But we got wrapped up with the IVF process & wanting our own that we ignored what the Lord really wanted for us. I hate to say it, but I feel like Joseph Smith & 113 pages. Joseph prayed to allow Martin Harris to see them & the Lord told him no & then after the 3rd time him asking the Lord said fine you can show them to him. Well in the end they were lost. I am thankful for the opportunity to try IVF & am sad that it didn't work. But like I always say, there is always a plan. We want to adopt & what is hold us back is the letter to the birth parents. I don't write well & would love to hirer a professional writer to write this wonderful letter that I can never seem to put into words. How do you start one that doesn't sound like everyone elses. My sister-in-law Dee & I have talked about this often & I tell her things I would want to say & she gives me little advise now & then. I guess she is my FREE professional writer.
Back to the show. It was nice seeing the birth parents perspective. It is a hard decision, happy that is one I hope I never have to make or watch my daughter go through. But they knew what was in the best interest of the baby & they thought of her the whole time & not this fantasy world of having a baby & life will be wonderful. Brad & I can't wait to start our own family & are excited to adopt. We need to just do that letter. One day I will just sit down & write the letter. I know there is a little one out there for us. We can't wait.

Patients

As a nurse I deal with A LOT of different people. I knew I wanted to work with people & have variety everyday. Well, boy did I get it. I love being a nurse. Absolutely love being a nurse. Wouldn't change it for the world. No matter how BAD my day is, I am thankful for my career choice. However, I have learned a lot about being a patient. There are certain things that I feel make a fabulous patient. If people listen to me, they think I never had a good patient, but I do. I have thought about patients a lot this week & what advice I can give people to help be a fabulous patient. I hope I don't get fired for this & for that reason I won't tell you where I work:):):)
1. When you make your initial apt with a doctor & they ask you to bring a list of your medication with you. Do it. Don't think you know it by heart, because 99% of the patients think they do & don't. We need name, dose, frequency & route. When you are on like a thousand meds, you don't know these things. If I had a choice and a patient didn't bring it with them in detail, I would have them rescheduled or tell them not to come back. Why? Because if you can't obey the one simple thing that we ask, you aren't going to be compliant.
2. PLEASE come with a list of questions. I can't tell you enough how much it bothers me, when I go to give someone their check-out slip & they say, oh wait I forgot to ask about this one thing. My response is that the doctor is with another patient at this time, you can wait or ask at another apt. They of course want to wait, WHICH ties up a room for another patient & throws off my clinic grove. What I would like to say is, tuff.
3. Pain meds. DO NOT CALL SAYING: I AM ALL OUT & CAN'T GET THOUGH THE NIGHT!!! Again, I want to say tuff. Please!!! I say that again PLEASE call at least 2-3 day before you think you will run out. And when the answering machine says it will take up to 48 hrs to return your call, don't call again & again & again & again. Because what I would like to do is NEVER call you back. If you call & say that you lost them or they were stolen, we think you are lying, even if you are telling the truth you can blame the drug seeking people out there that use that excuse over & over again.
4. Appointment times. If you are seen at your apt time & get out of the office at a quick & amazing time, that is great. But realize you are probably the only patient in that entire clinic. Please give yourself at least 2 hours at appointments. Yes I am guilty at this with my own appointments. My appointment is at 11 am & I think I should be out of there by at least 11:30 & in reality I don't leave until 12:30. My advice: bring a book, a magazine or something to keep you busy. I had a patient watch TV on there phone to pass the time. If you are crunched on times, reschedule. You are only jipping your appointment that your insurance will probably only pay $10 of a $300 bill. This is the only time you will be with your doctor, take advantage of it.
5. For the medicaid patients. I think that it is great you have coverage. Be thankful for it. My advice for you. Pay your $3 copay. And if you can't pay it, don't come in with a fancy coffee from down stairs with all the fun stuff that goes with it, that cost at least $4.
6. For the medicare patients. I am sorry. You are being SOOOOOOOOO screwed. I am sorry that you work your entire life & in the end we screw you. I am sorry that the government doesn't show you the appreciation that you deserve.
7. For the Tricare patients (Military people). I am REALLY sorry. While the doctors are over seas protecting us & there are no military doctors to serve you here & you end up at my clinic. I am sorry. There are so many loops & swirls & everything possible to go through & to get seen is a miracle. Thank you for you Patience's & we support you.
8. I think I will make this last, you have rights as patients. My biggest pet peeve while working in the hospital is when a patient would say, oh the doctor knows what he is doing, I will agree. No questions asked nothing. Please ask. Always question your doctor decision. The doctor doesn't always know what is in your best interest. If you don't want it, say no. But make sure you have all the facts. Seek another opinion. There is nothing wrong questioning them. My doctor in fact encourages them too.
Like I said, I love being a nurse. I deal with all of this on a daily bases. You keep my life interesting. Thank you. I hope I didn't offended anybody, but that is the ugly truth. Hope you have a great time at your next doctors appointment.

Full House

I feel I have video cameras in my house videoing me right now & how chaotic it is here. My house consist of 4 adults, 2 kids, 3 dogs & 2 cats. Crazy!!! My brother's family is staying with us for about 2 weeks until they can move in a condo this Thursday. They are actually building a house in Eagle River and it won't be done until Aug/Sept time & they sold their old house & hence the 2 wks with the Thomas'. We have a had a great time. My nieces are absolutely wonderful & I couldn't have asked for a better sister-in-law. Abigail & Chewy (their dog) get a long fabulously & Lucy is in love with the cats. She just thinks they are the neatest things in the world. She loves to lick them on the face. If you see AK Thomas the Reality Show, now you will know why.
Other then that, things are going pretty well. We are enjoying the summer so fare & looking forward to our cruise in about 2 months. That is if I can find my passport. It is killing me that I can't find it. I think I need to look harder. But I need to find it quickly or just get another one. Which I don't want to spend the money on, when I know I already have one. But where oh where can that thing be.
Brad is on duty this week & I don't know if I really told anybody but he was asked to be the new Lieutenant. Which he is excited, but also scared about. A new responsibility. He is trying to get a better job at FedEx & that isn't going as well as he hoped. He applied for a job in Eagle River & it was offered to him. After they offered him the job the next day they realized that he didn't have 18 months of customer service experience. They told him he couldn't have it. We were really bummed, especially since they didn't specify that in the job qualifications & he was the only one that applied. He is ready for change in FedEx we just don't know how long it will take for the change. Time will only tell.
As for me. Same old, same old. I go to work deal with lovely patients, come home & do my things & repeat it the next day. I love being a nurse, but sometimes I would REALLY love to yell at my patients. I have wanted to post something about patient etiquette's. Or just want to vent about patients. My BIGGEST advise would be, please bring a list of questions & wants with you, I really hate it when the doctor leaves & I go to give them what ever and they ask me some stupid question or say oh, I have one more thing to ask. Bring a set of question & call it good. Because you know what I want to say to you is, too bad you had your chance. Especially when it comes to pain med refills. That is the worse, they are too afraid to ask the doctor & they think if you have the nurse ask the doctor he will be nicer. WRONG!!! I want to tell the patient, nope you can ask in 7 days when I forget about this moment. Oh I can go on & on. But please bring a list & ASK!!! I really do like being a nurse, I mean love!!!
Hope everyone is enjoying there summer of fun & please be safe...