TWO WEEKS DOWN, ONE TO GO...before I head for home. I'm so ready to get home. It's not because this has been unpleasant, but because I'm far away from home and too far from friends to be able to drop in after work! I know a few people in the Dallas area, but they either live far from where I'm staying or I don't know them well enough to just "drop in". Here is what I've been doing.
WEEK ONE--This week I spent in classes from 9 AM to 3 PM in Plano, TX (about 20 miles north of here). The review was very helpful and the notebook was a great resource. It also gave a lot of information that is available on the internet for which I am very glad.
WEEK TWO--This week was my first clinical week. One of the hardest things about it is the hours! I am a night owl and getting up at 4:30 AM is not easy for me. The early rising is really not as difficult as the early going to bed. That is about the time my brain is starting to revive from the day:) Anyway, my schedule is 5:45-2:15 PM for work. That will continue this coming week. I have enjoyed the people I have worked with. They do a hard job under difficult conditions and they genuinely care for their patients. When you are dealing with patients with memory problems, multiple health issues and in some cases, non-compliance, it is quite difficult to help them AND keep their families happy. Not every nurse who is competent and cares about her patients stays calm when attacked by the family by phone, that she isn't doing her job. As I said, it is a difficult job....often impossible.

My plans are to pack the car on Thursday nite and head for work on Friday with a full car, ready to leave after work so I can get on the road (and beat the worst of the Dallas rush) and out of TX. I hope to get about 4 hrs. down the road (McAlester, OK?) b/f stopping for the night. Then I plan to get at least to the IL side of St. Louis on Saturday so I will be able to get to church at least, on Sunday. It will be nice to be home! I have enjoyed the hospitality I have had here. About that I have not one complaint! I just want to be home. I am weary.

My extracurricular activities here have been the following: a weekend trip to Tyler last weekend to visit a few old friends and catch up with them. Of course there wasn't enough time to do all I wanted to do, but that is normal. I had three people I needed to see and I got to see them plus visit a good friend whose husband passed away that week. They had been married 63 yrs. I can't even imagine being married that long. They adored each other and it showed. It was a privilege to be able to visit with her. I also was able to worship at Fifth St. Presbyterian Church. It was our home church for 16 years and it was so nice to see many old friends even if it was for such a short time. I also ate dinner with some friends from our Old Cutler years during my week in Plano. Yesterday, I trotted (by car) down to Waco to meet Dawn's beau Steve. We met for lunch and talked and talked...mostly about her of course, but also about him and his family. It was nice to get to meet him in person. I guess I know why I'm weary. This three weeks has been very busy. It is time for me to sign off and take my Sunday Afternoon Nap!