Skyping with Apple

I've told Hannah and Katie stories about Apple from the time I got back from China in 2006. It's really cute because Apple now knows who they are and asks about them. I thought it would be fun to Skype with Apple while the girls were at my house so that they could actually see and talk to her. So we did...and it was fun! We didn't talk too long because the Apple's internet connection was pretty bad, but it was still good to see her and hear how she is doing.

Big Plans For The Night!

HANNIE a.k.a. Hannah-belle IS SPENDING THE NIGHT!!

I love slumber parties! :D

The Chinese Emergency Room

Ok...so this is the first time I have participated in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, but I am going to give it a try. When I saw the prompt about the ER, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write about my experience.

The prompt I chose: Your trip to the ER...spill it. (inspired by Stephanie from This Blessed Life).

I must preface this story by saying that I am one of the most clumsy people you will ever meet. Usually these mishaps result in broken bones of some sort (I think I'm up to 13 if I remember correctly), but I hadn't been to the ER for one until the summer of 2007.

Let me set this up a little bit for you...It's the middle of July in Nanning, Guangxi, PRC...yes, that's right..a Chinese ER experience. I'd been at the school in China where I would be teaching English for the remainder of the summer less than 24 hours when the incident occured. It was raining...I slipped on the stairs...fell...and then landed on my arm. OUCH! My forearm immediately swelled because of the way I landed on the stairs, but the catch is...that ISN'T where I broke it. I broke my elbow...

Now to the actual ER visit. My team leader, a teacher from the school (serving as our translator), and I all load up in a taxi and head to the hospital. Once we arrive and walk inside, culture shock IMMEDIATELY takes over. I look to my right and there is a small child (about 2.5 years old) with an IV in her scalp SCREAMING in her dad's arms. I look to my left and there are (no lie!) about 50 people on IV drips in the waiting room. I really wish I had my taken my camera so that I could have some proof of this. Straight ahead there is a bench where I am informed to sit and wait my turn. Overwhelmed by everything else going on, I obey ask no questions about it!

Oh...the best of the story is yet to come.

After waiting a surprisingly short amount of time, some hospital worker (nurse...tech...I'm not sure. It was someone dressed in all white) grabs me (literally!) from the bench and takes me to a desk at the front of the ER. She hands me a card (all written in Mandarin, may I add) and asks me to fill it out. My Mandarin skills are limited, but I was able to figure out they wanted me to write my FULL name (which is somewhat lengthy) in a space about like this._____ Really?!?! I politely tell my translator that I don't think my name will fit in the space. He started talking to the people at the desk (I'm assuming it's about the fact that my name won't fit in the space, but what do I know?). After their little convo, our translator says with a hint of shock/surprise in his voise, "You don't have a Chinese name?" To which I WANTED to reply, "Do I LOOK like I have a Chinese name?!?!?!" Apparently realizing that I am American and we don't generally have our names written in Chinese characters, (although I wouldn't mind! :D), he proceeds to write something in that little space intended for my name. What our translator didn't know is that I'm not COMPLETELY illiterate when it comes to Mandarin, and I recognized what he wrote for my name. 外国人。。。"wai guo ren" (in pin yin)....translated "FOREIGNER" in English. I didn't let on that I knew what he wrote, but it struck me as funny. The rest of my visit to the ER, I wasn't known as Katie, but "wai guo ren"....foreigner. In their defense, the description fit perfectly, and no one would be confused of who they were talking to...or about.

While I filled out the information card, the nurse told me they needed to take my temperature. To my surprise (to this day I ask myself why I am surprised at ANYTHING that happens in China) they take a thermometer out from a guys arm, shake it a bit, and shove it under mine. Disgusting...although I could think of much worse scenarios.

Promptly after taking my temperature, they usher me into the doctor's office. He takes a good look at the swelling in my forearm and sends me up to x-ray. X-rays...something familiar. After all, having 13 broken bones makes for having an abundance of xrays taken throughout my short life. The Xray Technician sat me down in a chair, threw my broken arm (literally!) on the table, and walks out of the room.

"Excuse me, Mr. X-Ray Tech...ummm...did you forget the lead apron for my lap?!?! I would like to have babies someday." It was to no avail. He was gone... My X-rays were taken... No protective lead apron... a standard radation precaution that we take for granted in the good ole U.S. of A.

The xrays came back (may I remind you they are of my forearm, NOT my elbow, which was actually broken) and they sent me back in to see the doctor. He pulled on my arm (literally!) for a few minutes with tears running down my face because of the excruciating pain he was putting me through.

Doctor's diagnosis....not broken. WHAT?!?

Doctor's prescription...a spray (yes, a spray!) to put on my arm a few times a day.

So we left the Chinese ER...in serious pain...and frustrated that nothing was accomplished during the 3 hour ER visit except a fun story and great memories.

Although that is the end of my ER extravaganza, I feel like I need to fill you in on the rest of the story....

I called my dad who is an Orthopaedic Physician's Assistant and sent him my xrays via telephone. I told him the story of what happened, where it was hurting/swelling, etc, and the conclusion was "yes, you broke your elbow!" The ER doctor ordered that my forearm...not my elbow...be xrayed. The doc (in America) looked everything over and agreed that, indeed, I had fractured my radial head (elbow). They then overnighted some materials to splint my arm for the rest of my stay in China. Talk about a long distance consult!

That's my ER story!

Me with one of my students...I wasn't going to let a broken arm keep me away from having the TIME OF MY LIFE with these kids in China!

***I feel like I should put in this little bit of information in here for those of you who don't know me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE China. Everything about China! Infact, I want to spend my life working with special needs orphans in this country that I love so very much. In no way am I making fun of their healthcare or medicine. This story turned out to be one of my very favorite memories from being in China. That's the reason why I wanted to share it with you!***

Change.

Change. It's a word that overwhelms me more than any other. If it's an expected change, I usually make it through okay, but unexpected changes throw me for a loop.

Moving to San Antonio. an expected change. I thought about it. I planned for it. I prayed about it and truly felt a peace in my heart about the move. There was plenty of time for me to prepare myself for leaving the life I'd established in College Station for 5 years and transition into a new stage of life. When the time came to say goodbye to Aggieland, I was ready. Grateful for my time in Aggieland, but ready for a brand new chapter of life.

2 years for nursing school instead of 1.5 years. an unexpected change. Throughout the process of applying to nursing school, I was led to believe that I was in the accelerated program which would finish in December 2009 instead of May 2010. The first day of class, I realized (for the first of many times to come in nursing school) that I was led to believe something that wasn't true. I had mentally prepared myself for 1.5 years of student loans....1.5 years to receive my BSN...1.5 years until I would start a "real" job. In a matter of minutes, I had to wrap my mind around an extra semester. For some, that may not be so difficult...for me, the planner...it threw me for a loop.

As I sit here, 5 days shy of living in San Antonio for one year, I realize just how much change has taken place in this time.

• I'm starting to use the word "home" to describe San Antonio
• I have an entirely new group of friends I hang out with regularly
• I've gone from loving BIG churches to being incredibly happy in House Church
• I use one tube of toothpaste instead of two
• I don't have to walk on the left side of people anymore
• I can occasionally leave my bed unmade for the day without completely freaking out
• My eating habits are much different from this time last year
• Driving 30-45 minutes now seems like a fairly "quick trip" across town

Oh and those are just a few of the changes I've seen. Some of those changes may be trivial, but many of them are part of a much bigger change I've seen in my life this year. The Lord IS CHANGING me. He has turned my little world upside down this year....at times left me feeling broken, but I see evidences in my life of Him molding me more into the image of His Son. I'm so grateful for that change. Unexpected? Somewhat, but something I for which I've been praying. Did it throw me for a loop? At times it did, but He is teaching me to relinquish control. By giving Him control, I'm starting to praise Him for the change He is making in my heart and life.

Philippians 1:6
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Thankful Thursday!

This is going to be short and sweet (with no pictures...sorry!), but I wanted to post. I'm so thankful today for some good quality sister time. Jenny came to visit from College Station on Tuesday, and we have had tons of fun. Yesterday we went to Schlitterbahn...today we went swimming and to Sea World...tomorrow after I work we are going to Fredericksburg to see my grandparents. Am I exhausted? Yes. Is it worth it? Most definitely.

What are you thankful for today?

Difficult Day in L&D

Working in Labor and Delivery is a job that can take you from one extreme of emotions to the other within a matter of minutes. Earlier this summer, for example, I witnessed a sweet mother lose her baby at 20 weeks. In the same shift, I watched a sweet baby being born. Needless to say, that was a slightly emotional day.

Today was one of the days where I saw a lot of heartache and tears. One young mother came in for an ultrasound to find her baby (14 weeks) had no heartbeat. Another middle-aged woman received news that a tumor she's had for a long period of time has some new manifestations that are seriously going to hinder her life. Both of these women were brought to tears, and all that I could do was watch and pray for them at a distance. Oh how I wanted to do more for them, but everything I could think of felt so inadequate. I'm so thankful that the Lord can meet them where they are in their specific situations. I was reminded today of this scripture,

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

Lord, be close to these ladies today. May your nearness to them bring peace and comfort that no one else can give.

When Texas Came To Portland....(Part 3)

Sunday (my final day in Portland) started off with sleeping in. For me that was until 6:45, but Brynn and Trina woke up around 8ish. Brynn, being the amazing hostess she is, fixed breakfast for us. have I mentioned how much I love this girl?!?! After breakfast I realized that I had 30 minutes, yes 30 MINUTES, to get ready for church. Eventhough I had been awake for a few hours at this point, I did NOTHING to remotely begin getting ready for the day. So we rushed and got ready for church. We went to church, and then came back to Brynn's house to have lunch and load my stuff in the car. I wanted to meet Brynn's family, and so we went to watch her brother play in a baseball tournament. This is where the day gets a little bit hectic....

Brynn and I had been joking about "missing my flight" so that I could stay longer. Leading up to my trip, we tried to get a later flight (the next day) back to San Antonio so that I could spend more time in Portland. Well, from the ballpark, we were going straight to the airport. I think that we figured out just how long we could stay before heading to the airport to make my flight. That time came and we got in Brynn's car at the ballpark. Surprised that I hadn't gotten any phonecalls that afternoon, I looked in my purse to check my phone. I LEFT IT AT BRYNN'S HOUSE!!! Here we are with JUST ENOUGH time to make it to the airport, and now we have to detour to Brynn's to get my phone...can't travel without it. by the way....she didn't live close ANDand she was almost on empty! At this point all I could do was laugh...I really was just kidding about missing my flight! I NEEDED to get on that plane! We make it to the airport at 4:45 and my flight leaves at 5:15. I check in...no problem. Check my bags...no problem. Run to security.....PROBLEM. The line was FOR-E-VER long and moving really slow. I FINALLY get to the front of the security line (a little bit after 5) and they check my carry-on. I was thinking, what could I POSSIBLY have in there that they would be interested in?!?! The guy working OBVIOUSLY didn't realize how big of a hurry I was in and took his precious time checking my bag. I realized that I put a bottle of cranberry juice in the front pocket of my backpack on my flight to Portland and forgot it was there. I told him, and the guy asked, "Would you like to step back through and drink your juice?" I said, "That's ok." To which he replied, "Are you sure? I'm going to have to throw it away if you don't drink it? It's ok if you drink it and then go back through security." With a smile plastered on my face trying to be as nice as possible, I told him, "You don't understand. I don't want my juice. I just want my bag...I'm about to miss my flight!" So he finally handed my bag to me and took off in a dead sprint to my gate. I get there...still have to get a seat assignment...and I am cutting it close. I finally board the plane...sit down in my seat...and breathe. I made it....barely! Almost as soon as I sat down and got situated we were off. I seriously didn't mean to cut it that close!

The rest of the trip was uneventful and I made it back to San Antonio at 1:30 am! My wonderful roommate and friends picked me up from the airport...we went to IHOP...and then had a slumber party. All of that means that I didn't get to sleep until after 4:30 am! So much fun though!

Thank you so much for being an incredible hostess, Brynn! I am so thankful for the friendship that we have. Come see me in Texas!!!! But don't you worry, the second annual "When Texas Came to Portland..." will happen next summer! Love and miss you. ~Texas