Archive for the ‘ChaChaChaChanges!’ Category

On one hand…

April 29th, 2012

Ever see “Fiddler on the Roof” and remember the scene where the fiddler is deciding whether a guy is good enough to marry his daughter? He goes back and forth with reasons for and against him for a while… that’s how many of the conversations in my head go. The most recent one is my career. Grad school is wrapping up and I’ll be in the midst of job hunting again and I’m really trying to figure out what I want…

On one hand, why should I stop practicing as a nurse? I loved my old job.

On the other hand, I’ve always wanted to “be” a Nurse Practitioner.

But on the other hand, there’s a really steep learning curve with NP practice and it’s really hard.

And on the other hand, I’m past the learning curve of being a RN and I’m good at it.

But on the other hand, I’ve been out of practice for 7 months already, will I still be good at it?

And on the same hand, I won’t be making much more dinero working as a NP than I do as a RN

But on the other hand, I didn’t get into nursing for the money.

And on one hand, I love the 3 12 hour shifts of RN work

On the other hand, I don’t like working weekends and holidays

On one hand, a NP job will allow me the normal M-F, 8-5 schedule that everyone works.

So all this tells me is that I have too many hands and I never should have quit piano. At least that would’ve put all my hands to good use! Plus I bet Mozart never battled his career. Maybe I’ll go back to school for a degree in music…

It’s Baby Makin’ Time!

January 21st, 2012

… but NOT for me.

Remember these girls? My group of college friends – the 4 of us + 1 more Katie? The ones who we all went through every stage together? Dating and getting married. Then they all sprinted ahead and bought houses. And now? Well now those same ones are ALL with child. So that makes almost every.single.friend of mine a baby mamma, and some already vying for #2. That means I’ve got 5 preggos, at least 3 trying (blarh! I hate that term… almost as much as “courting.” gross) and 2 already with little rug rats.

No mas vino for you!
IMG_4500

These numbers blow my mind because how are we even OLD enough to be having babies? When did we all grow up so fast? When did we move from pulling all nighters partying to pulling all nighters caring for offspring? I mean, I understand in our mid late (yikes)-twenties, it’s “THE TIME,” and since most of my friends fall within that age category, it only makes sense.

Then one tiny part of me thinks, “how did I get so left out?” and the complete irony is that of the 5 of us, they all had bets I would be first to the baby room. Ha ha ha. Looks like the joke’s on me now, huh. They’re all settled in their careers and mortgages and mommy-hood, while I’m in between careers, still in an apartment and baby free.

And just as that brief jealousy of adult-mommy-settled-home-owning life sets in, another part of me is so so so thankful I’m “left out.” I’m so thankful for our child-free years, for the opportunity for grad school, for just being US for a little while lot longer. I have to remind myself all of our phases are by choice. We could buy a house now, but why? I could have stayed working as a nurse instead of moving up in my career. And if all those had fallen in place, we could have had bambinos too. I am so incredibly happy for my friends, and I am just as certain we’re not ready (Sorry Ma!). And I’m just as happy with our choices. So instead, I’ll keep on being Auntie Katie and keep spoiling everyone else’s bambinos.

I’m also thankful for being ALMOST the last man standing. And I mean almost, cuz now it’s between me and this crazy girl, who is also in no hurry to procreate. So cheers to our empty uterus’s, full nights of sleep and strong drinks!
IMG_7056

But just an FYI to all my preggo peeps – ya’ll better be on #2’s and #3’s in the next few years when we’re ready for our #1… Our babies have to be best friends and grow up together like we did!