Hello. Patrick here for the first time. It seems Emily is much better
at updating this blog... haha. At any rate, it's time I write
something.
Work has been going great. I think I can say
I'm slowly turning into a Cardiac/ED nurse at an amazing rate of speed.
Nurses here have to draw their own labs and start their own IVs. I know
this may sound like whining to the layperson, but know this, at our last
hospital (Sacred Heart) we had a lab that did all the phlebotomy and an
IV therapy team that did all the IV starts. So, coming from that
environment into this one is quite challenging considering a lot of
nursing skills are like muscles: If you don't use them you lose them.
Let's just say getting a blood draw or an IV start the first time is a
huge confidence booster these days. :) (I'm getting better every day)
I think we found a new small group at our new church, Frontline
City Church...(praise the Lord) Emily and I are pretty stoked to make
some new friends and form new relationships with these people. It seems
they are really (that's an understatement) on fire for the Lord. The
people that lead it are a married couple named Jeremiah and Teresa. I
can't think of a couple I have met in such a long time that have so many
irons in so many fires. Wow. I felt like I was at a "Group for the
young and extremely capable" the other night. Honestly, everyone at this
small group seemed to be doing something so much cooler than what I'm
doing. Phew. Ok. Something to aspire to. It was actually really
inspiring. One of the gals in the group started a writing company/blog
that sends love letters out to random people that need it. They write
hundreds of love letters a week (she has a team of writers) which are
then sent out via anonymous requests. Pretty neat idea she came up with
on a train in NYC. I guess one summer she started leaving love letters
for people on subways and it turned into something much larger when
other people started finding out about it.
In other news, we've been sampling some of Connecticut's
historical wares. Yesterday we went to the Peabody Museum here in
gun-wavin' New Haven. It was great, we both had a lot of fun. Turns out,
that's where scientists have done an uber amount of research on
dinosaurs and much of the museum is dedicated to them. The kid in me
kinda went a little ADHD while we were there. It was the first time I've
seen a actual T Rex skull! There was a complete skeleton of a
Brachiosaurus!! So COOL! They also had the skeletons of just about every
single animal featured in Disney's Ice Age. :) There was a portion of
the museum dedicated to local wildlife and such too. That was neat to
see. To top it all off they have a real life mummy! Wow. First time I've
seen one of those things. Creepy. Good thing it didn't put a curse on
Emily and I. We don't have any room for baggage like that.
Today we went to the Mark Twain house in Hartford. We learned
afterward it actually belonged to Samuel Clemens. Wikipedia that for the
humor. The house itself is a spectacle to see. The inside is so
over-the-top Victorian era. Printed everything and super dark interiors
with no light. Kept making me wanna take a nap. A fireplace in every
room yet each room had like 3 windows. Money, money, money. Funny thing
though, he went totally bankrupt later in life through a series of bad
investments. Lots of houses from those days were built to trick others.
All the rooms on the 1st floor (the floors your neighbors come and see
at parties and dinners) are extremely lavish while the upstairs (the
rooms nobody sees 'cept you) are kinda sparse and drab. A lot different
from today's home, although some of that reasoning is still breathing in
some parts of the wealthy world. Boy could a person have a screaming
party in that joint.
It was a joy and treat to see where
Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, the Prince and the Pauper, a Yankee in King
Arthur's Court, etc came from.
More to come. And if you haven't - I suggest you check out my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/PatrickwMcHenry ; Boom
Till next time...
Love,
Patrick and Emily
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Digging in...
Today marks a little over three weeks that Patrick and I have been living in Connecticut. I can't believe it's only been that long... We've been pleasantly surprised by the area, and the people. It has been easy to get around, and most everyone has been kind and helpful, especially at the hospital. Yet I would be lying if I said we didn't miss home.
Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely NOT complaining. I am incredibly grateful for my husband, who has been my rock and constant companion. Even our puppy has made this place feel a little more like home than it would without her. But, despite the face that I knew it was coming, I am having community withdrawals. We came from such tight-knit family, friend, and church connections, that to be without them now feels somewhat like dangling in the wind.
One of our primary goals upon moving here was to find a new church. Now this is much easier said than done. A church is more than just a place of worship. And we didn't just want to sit in a pew once a week; we wanted to find a place where we could fellowship with others, make friends, and get plugged in.
So the first Sunday here we tried a small church, and the next Sunday we tried a big church. Both had good messages and sincere people, but something just didn't quite feel right. I remember going to our church in Spokane for the first time and knowing after one service that I was home. It may seem too much to ask, but I asked God to give us that here. To show us where He wanted us to be.
Which brings us to this past Sunday. We tried a third church, and to borrow a Goldilocks-ism, it was just right. We google mapped the location and found ourselves downtown at a beautiful high school's auditorium, where this church, City Church, meets. There were about 150 people, mostly college and career aged. The pastor's message was both poignant and applicable to life. And when we talked to people afterward, we didn't get the feeling that they were supposed to talk to us because we were new. They genuinely wanted to connect with us, and vice versa. Everything fit.
So now, it's time to dig in. Tonight we will be going to a church couple's house in downtown New Haven to attend their small group. If you're of the praying persuasion, please pray for us - that we would be open to whoever we meet there and be able to grow with them. Lord knows we need it.
Til next time, I hope all of you back home are well :)
PS: this is what it looked like here over the weekend, hooray for snow!!
Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely NOT complaining. I am incredibly grateful for my husband, who has been my rock and constant companion. Even our puppy has made this place feel a little more like home than it would without her. But, despite the face that I knew it was coming, I am having community withdrawals. We came from such tight-knit family, friend, and church connections, that to be without them now feels somewhat like dangling in the wind.
One of our primary goals upon moving here was to find a new church. Now this is much easier said than done. A church is more than just a place of worship. And we didn't just want to sit in a pew once a week; we wanted to find a place where we could fellowship with others, make friends, and get plugged in.
So the first Sunday here we tried a small church, and the next Sunday we tried a big church. Both had good messages and sincere people, but something just didn't quite feel right. I remember going to our church in Spokane for the first time and knowing after one service that I was home. It may seem too much to ask, but I asked God to give us that here. To show us where He wanted us to be.
Which brings us to this past Sunday. We tried a third church, and to borrow a Goldilocks-ism, it was just right. We google mapped the location and found ourselves downtown at a beautiful high school's auditorium, where this church, City Church, meets. There were about 150 people, mostly college and career aged. The pastor's message was both poignant and applicable to life. And when we talked to people afterward, we didn't get the feeling that they were supposed to talk to us because we were new. They genuinely wanted to connect with us, and vice versa. Everything fit.
So now, it's time to dig in. Tonight we will be going to a church couple's house in downtown New Haven to attend their small group. If you're of the praying persuasion, please pray for us - that we would be open to whoever we meet there and be able to grow with them. Lord knows we need it.
Til next time, I hope all of you back home are well :)
PS: this is what it looked like here over the weekend, hooray for snow!!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A friendly face :)
This past weekend we were graced with a visit from our dear friend, Rachel. Not only is she the best friend we have for miles, but this makes her our first official guest in Connecticut!! Hooray! :)
Here are a few snap shots:
Here are a few snap shots:
The lovely Rachel and I went on a hike through Sleeping Giant state park! Pre-snow, and perfect.
Lady came along, and led the way
The lookout Tower at the end of the trail, you could see for miles in every direction
The three victorious hikers!
A perfect winter day
A necessary Wally-Mart trip post-hike required desperate measures...
Aside from outdoor adventures, we also scoured the town for the best iced mocha (verdict: Cafe Romeo on Orange Street), did some thrift shopping, made all kinds of treats and reacquainted ourselves with one of our favorite shows ever - LOST. I cannot express how great it was to have a girl friend around, she made me feel like I was home again :) Hopefully we'll be able to return the visit soon. Until then, if anyone else is feeling adventurous, we have an open couch and a puppy!!
Friday, January 13, 2012
A week (or two) in review!
Today marks the end of our first week flying solo at Yale-New Haven Hospital! As I type, we are sitting in a sunlit (yes, in January) cafe in one of the historic neighborhoods near downtown, enjoying a lovely day off. It's been a little while since I've written, but that's only because I wanted to do our first week justice and write when not utterly exhausted, lol. So here it goes.
General hospital orientation: Let me just say that we are starting to notice a trend. Granted, I've only been through three, and this was just Pat's second, but they are all strikingly similar. For those of you who have never participated in hospital orientation, we'll line it out for you. The first day is spent trying to get your new employee buy-in. "Here is why we, Blank Blank Hospital, are great! And you are now great for being chosen to be a part of us!" This is my favorite day because it just oozes with administrative pride. It has very little to do with our actual job, but it's fun to see people so psyched who are so removed from patient care. The second day is called Things We Already Know. Now in fairness, maybe new grad RN's don't know the best practices for infection control (wash your hands) or how to protect patient health information (don't share your password), but eight hours of this borders on mind-numbing for those of us who do. By day three, you hope that there is a fire drill or maybe a lock-down. Thankfully, this is the day when the traveler nurse's training began to split ways with normal orientation. As in, "Here is your accelerated, very disorganized computer training. The next two days you will shadow another nurse. You'll be on your own next week, good luck!" For real.
First week: Monday, January 9th marked the first day we were independently responsible for patient care. This is when I truly began to appreciate my years in the float pool. Why, you ask? Because on my very first day without a preceptor, they floated me. Twice. Hahaha! It sounds like a joke, but tis the truth. I spent the first part of the day on a cardiac floor, and the second half of the day on a general medical unit. And it went surprisingly well! I can honestly say that the core staff was very kind, approachable and helpful. Also to my advantage, patients don't really change, no matter where you are in this country. A rule-out heart attack or abdominal pain/nausea/vomiting patient looks the same on the east coast as they do on the west. Phew! My nursing skills still cut it. But learning a whole new way of charting, and navigating a giant hospital's system is somewhat daunting. Thank God we are young :)
In other news: Our Ladybird is fairing quite well with the change of scenery and new living arrangements. The neighbors LOVE her - she's a show stopper wherever she goes! We went to a church on Sunday, which was both scary and comforting. I think we'll keep looking around, but it's good to know that there is spiritual life here. On Wednesday, we went car shopping...details to come ;) And this weekend we will be graced by a visit from my dearest friend for miles, Rachel!! The distance is starting to wear a little, and it's slightly overwhelming to think of making a well-rounded life for ourselves here. But God is good, and has taken care of us thus far. We are so incredibly blessed to have each other and our health, our family and friends, our lives. The adventure is the journey, and ours is just beginning.
Much love to you all, we miss you like you wouldn't believe. Til next time!
General hospital orientation: Let me just say that we are starting to notice a trend. Granted, I've only been through three, and this was just Pat's second, but they are all strikingly similar. For those of you who have never participated in hospital orientation, we'll line it out for you. The first day is spent trying to get your new employee buy-in. "Here is why we, Blank Blank Hospital, are great! And you are now great for being chosen to be a part of us!" This is my favorite day because it just oozes with administrative pride. It has very little to do with our actual job, but it's fun to see people so psyched who are so removed from patient care. The second day is called Things We Already Know. Now in fairness, maybe new grad RN's don't know the best practices for infection control (wash your hands) or how to protect patient health information (don't share your password), but eight hours of this borders on mind-numbing for those of us who do. By day three, you hope that there is a fire drill or maybe a lock-down. Thankfully, this is the day when the traveler nurse's training began to split ways with normal orientation. As in, "Here is your accelerated, very disorganized computer training. The next two days you will shadow another nurse. You'll be on your own next week, good luck!" For real.
First week: Monday, January 9th marked the first day we were independently responsible for patient care. This is when I truly began to appreciate my years in the float pool. Why, you ask? Because on my very first day without a preceptor, they floated me. Twice. Hahaha! It sounds like a joke, but tis the truth. I spent the first part of the day on a cardiac floor, and the second half of the day on a general medical unit. And it went surprisingly well! I can honestly say that the core staff was very kind, approachable and helpful. Also to my advantage, patients don't really change, no matter where you are in this country. A rule-out heart attack or abdominal pain/nausea/vomiting patient looks the same on the east coast as they do on the west. Phew! My nursing skills still cut it. But learning a whole new way of charting, and navigating a giant hospital's system is somewhat daunting. Thank God we are young :)
In other news: Our Ladybird is fairing quite well with the change of scenery and new living arrangements. The neighbors LOVE her - she's a show stopper wherever she goes! We went to a church on Sunday, which was both scary and comforting. I think we'll keep looking around, but it's good to know that there is spiritual life here. On Wednesday, we went car shopping...details to come ;) And this weekend we will be graced by a visit from my dearest friend for miles, Rachel!! The distance is starting to wear a little, and it's slightly overwhelming to think of making a well-rounded life for ourselves here. But God is good, and has taken care of us thus far. We are so incredibly blessed to have each other and our health, our family and friends, our lives. The adventure is the journey, and ours is just beginning.
Much love to you all, we miss you like you wouldn't believe. Til next time!
Friday, January 6, 2012
And so it begins!
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but we are nearing our one week mark! Weren't we just in Washington?? Sometimes it feels as though if we just took the next exit on the turnpike, we'd bump into Spokane :) It reminds me strikingly of home in a lot of ways, and yet there are some very significant differences. For instance:
1. The trees are all naked. Today we spotted our very first evergreen, and it was a lonesome soul.
2. People drive with much more urgency. Hard to believe it could be worse than some WA drivers, but here they speed up just to stop on a dime 8 cars before the red stoplight ahead. Awesome.
3. There are NO drive-thru coffee shops. I'm not exaggerating. No cute little huts with drive-up windows on either side, no smiling barista who asks if you want a double shot. So far we have seen literally two Starbucks, neither of which is a drive-thru. You know what we HAVE seen plenty of? Dunkin Donuts. Don't get us started...
4. I'm sorry Spokane, but New Haven has seriously got you beat in the diversity category. There is color everywhere, and languages I've never heard! Its the fourth densest city in the country, makes sense.
One of the surprising things we've come across is how nice most people seem to be! That sounds judgmental, but we were planning for east coast people not to be particularly kind. Boy were we wrong. Granted, it's not everyone, but for the most part people have been helpful and pleasant, and genuinely interested to know where we're from (We have an accent! Yessss).
It's getting to be bedtime here, so I'm going to cut this short, but more on our new place and our jobs soon!
1. The trees are all naked. Today we spotted our very first evergreen, and it was a lonesome soul.
2. People drive with much more urgency. Hard to believe it could be worse than some WA drivers, but here they speed up just to stop on a dime 8 cars before the red stoplight ahead. Awesome.
3. There are NO drive-thru coffee shops. I'm not exaggerating. No cute little huts with drive-up windows on either side, no smiling barista who asks if you want a double shot. So far we have seen literally two Starbucks, neither of which is a drive-thru. You know what we HAVE seen plenty of? Dunkin Donuts. Don't get us started...
4. I'm sorry Spokane, but New Haven has seriously got you beat in the diversity category. There is color everywhere, and languages I've never heard! Its the fourth densest city in the country, makes sense.
One of the surprising things we've come across is how nice most people seem to be! That sounds judgmental, but we were planning for east coast people not to be particularly kind. Boy were we wrong. Granted, it's not everyone, but for the most part people have been helpful and pleasant, and genuinely interested to know where we're from (We have an accent! Yessss).
It's getting to be bedtime here, so I'm going to cut this short, but more on our new place and our jobs soon!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day one: Explore!
WE'RE HERE! After 3 flights and nearly 12 hours of travel time, the McHenry's have finally reached Connecticut! On New Year's day, no less. Seems extremely fitting :)
We arrived at our apartment around 10pm and immediately unpacked (we couldn't help it!), so hopefully it will start feeling like home in no time. Our new place is part of Town Walk at Hamden Hills. If you want our address, let us know. We love mail!
Morning came all too soon today, what with the 3 hour time change, but we had work to do. Not only did we need some essentials (um, t.p. please??) but we were eager to get to know our new town! Turns out there is one long road that runs north-south thru Hamden and connects it to New Haven. Along that road exist such gems as Petco, Joann's, and Bed Bath and Beyond...we had hit the jackpot :)
After loading up on the necessaries we continued south to New Haven, which is much closer than we expected. We landed right in the middle of Yale's campus. We've got to say it - the East Coast knows how to do universities. Beautiful!!
Everyone we've talked to about New Haven has raved about their restaurants, so we decided to have a late lunch downtown at an Indian restaurant called Tandoor. Deeeelicious. Full of naan and tikki masala goodness, we decided to check out The Sleeping Giant - a state park with rolling hills resembling (you guessed it) a sleeping giant! All of this was just minutes from our place!
We ended our day by taking miss Lady for a walk around our new neighborhood, where we met a really nice couple who we hope to go out with in the future (hooray!) and then we had dinner at Eli's on Whitney...get it? Cheap laughs, lol. But really, it's a great brick oven pizza place at the bottom of our hill, and we will be returning.
Tomorrow is our first day of orientation, so it's time to turn in for the night. Keep us in your prayers as we finally get back to work, we are so excited to get going!
Peace out, girl scouts :)
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