a couple weeks ago, i applied for a job at my hospital. a permanent position. clinical coordinator and case manager for the high risk clinic. layman's terms - i would be responsible for following all the babies
discharged from our NICU. for the next 3 years of their lives. i was absolutely thrilled about the position, and the interview went well. low and behold, i got the job. i found out two weeks ago tomorrow, meaning i had 1 week left in the unit.
my last day of work was last thursday, a week ago. i got a really sick baby, who ended up getting sicker during my shift. he really kept me busy. for some reason it hit me at 12:30pm that that was my last day of bedside nursing. i'd been so friggin' excited about the new job that i hadn't realized what i was leaving. the whole day was busy for everyone, but somehow, my co-workers managed to throw me a little going away party. my first. EVER. i've never been congratulated and sent off happily. here's a pic of the wonderful folks responsible. i ended up calling both dave and my mom to vent, even shed some tears. i've been a bedside nurse for 5 years, and granted, that's not a very long time, but it's been my life for a long time. i ended up rationalizing that i can always come back to the bedside. nursing will always been an option. but this other job is one that just comes along very seldom. i had to jump on it, i had to put myself out there for it. who knows where that decision will take me, but i'm ready to find out.
of course there was a snag in the whole new-job thing. my travel company is flipping out and throwing a fit like a 2 year old because i'd already signed a renewal contract, to begin in november. currently i have no idea where the whole situation stands, as my contract renewal AND the new job are completely up in the air. i'm keeping my fingers crossed, and preparing for the best. which means that i have to change my entire wardrobe. i will no longer be able to work in my pj's!!!
luckily after that VERY emotional day of work, momma jones flew in. she and dave had dinner while i drove home from work. i'd already busted my butt to make the extra bedroom momma-ready, so the house was good.
i've had my acadia for a couple years now. it's american, and american expires in a few short years. that truck took me from coast to coast, literally from florida to california. in the last couple months the steering has been going out, the tires need to be replaced, etc etc etc. so, friday, mom and dave and i got a new hyundai tucson! it's PURDY. and it's fully decked out, nav/2 sunroofs/xm, etc. it's smaller, better on gas mileage, and it has a massive warranty. with an 85 mile commute 5 days a week, that was all music to my ears.
we took it up the ass to get rid of the acadia, and my payments are a little higher than i'd rather, but what can ya do? it's worth it to have that damn truck off my hands. it drives like a dream, it's very fun. the sunroofs are awesome. i'd forgotten how exhilarating it is to have the sunroof open, the windows down and the music playing. dave really likes it, which is always a plus since he hated the acadia. i can't wait to put IM/LATC stickers on it. i'm going to get a bike rack that hangs on the back i think. i don't want to attach a hitch to it, that seems like a bunch of fuss compared to an easily removable rack that attaches to the back door.
last tuesday night dave told me 'ok, let's get a dog!'. we've been going back and forth about the 'best time' to get a dog, putting it off for that magical time that might never come. the next day (when i was supposed to be readying the house) i spent hours online trying to find a breeder in the area. as most of you know, i'm an asthmatic, so i'd already done some research. my parents are faithful standard poodle owners, so i was aware of their intelligence. the labradoodle came on my radar.
saturday morning we got up and made the trek to bakersfield. a breeder from clovis, ca (oh, the irony) agreed to meet us there with 2 'older' pups. they were 15 weeks old, discounted because she really needed to get them out of her house before her next litter came along later this month. thank god there were only 2 to choose from. the trip was nice, the car drives awesome on the highway. very smooth, with a very big and comfy backseat. we got there before the breeder, and i was going NUTS. i couldn't stand it, i was so excited. here's a pic of the brothers.
we had such a hard time deciding. we kept switching boys so that we could feel them out independently. they couldn't be more opposite in temperment. one was very rambunctious, energetic and happy. the other was relaxed, did whatever the group was doing, but HATED his leash. i was leaning more towards the bigger, more chill dog. dave the other guy. finally the breeder pointed out that the energetic kid seemed to really bond with the both of us. he kept climbing into my lap like he was a damn lapdog, but he would just wag his tail. anytime dave talked to him, he just wagged his tail too. the calm one just wouldn't make eye contact with me. he would show me love, but he wouldn't look me in the eye. the energetic kid kept sitting in my lap, licking me, looking at me while i talked. i finally just told dave to make the decision, that there was no 'wrong' decision we could possibly make, they were both wonderful dogs. i voiced to him that i was concerned about taking him such an energetic dog, and the issues that could arise from that. he counterpointed that he would be easier to train and work into our busy lives. alas, he picked the hyper kid. i/we named him lucca. i was so sad to watch the breeder put lucca's brother back in the crate, but i knew i had enough on my hands with lucca.
we immediately hit a petsmart there in bakersfield, and made our home lucca-ready. it was very good that mom was there with us, since she's done the puppy thing 3 times now. lucca slept with his daddy in the back the whole way back home. he did so well. that first night he woke me up at 3am, and he peed when i took him out. he's only woken up a couple nights since, and he's gone out and done his business immediately. such a good boy. here's a few of my favorite pics so far!
he's such a good dog. he's very smart, all too smart for my liking in fact. i've discovered that he's a much better behaved child if his ass is tired. that means i've been taking him to the park to play ball, on top of 2 walks a day. this has also translated into early bedtimes, as there comes a time at night where he just starts tormenting sasha and barking in this shrill bark that we can handle after awhile. we crate him during the night, which he tolerates pretty well. we've also started crating him when he has his decompensating periods. he is handling leash training well. he wears me out, long story short. the one with the bone is the closest to his true color. i've already been asked twice if we highlighted his hair, as he has very golden touches to his fur. he's so soft, and doesn't shed at all. it's awesome.
raising a puppy is just like they say, like raising a 2 year old. he's into everything, and i mean everything. and with him you can't just put something over it because he's too damn smart - he'll dig til he finds it. he's mostly infuriating lately, as he's figuring out life with us. he's become very comfortable with his home, and he takes extreme joy in making the cats his and swat him. since sasha broke his little leg last year, he's not tolerating the repeated swatting he's needing to do, and that's the point that we crate the dog.
i am not real sure he enjoys riding in the car. when i put him in the backseat, even with a big blanket-type thing to help him find traction, he would whine and continuously move around. so now i've started putting him in the passenger seat with me. that's seemed to help a bit, but it's obviously cut down on the amount of room he has.
lord help me, i'm trying!
