The 5-fer Weekend

Not just a 2-fer, but a 5-fer: my brother Dave's graduation from USU, my niece Ella's early birthday party, Benji and Mia's blessings, and early Mother's day. Even Grandmother flew in for the festivities. It was a big weekend, and although it was fun, I'm glad it's over. We did so much planning for it, that I forgot to check my schedule. Oops--I was on call all day Sunday (from 7am-11pm). I would normally write it on the white board (I have a monthly calendar I write on, but the month ended on Saturday May 3rd), and it was in my planner (although my weekly planner starts on Monday, so I forgot to flip the page over). I felt like the biggest eejit when the charge nurse called me at 8am on Sunday morning and told me I needed to come in. Sometimes I truly wonder if my brain cells are working! So I drove from Logan to IMC (it took about an hour and 20 minutes), got dressed in my scrubs and presented myself. The charge nurse said she didn't realize it was my baby's blessing and she said I could take off. By this point, it was about 10am, and if I left by 1pm, I'd still be able to make it back. So I told her that, since I was there, I wanted to work--to make the trip worthwhile, especially if they needed an extra body. I stayed for a couple of hours, holding retractors and suctioning a septic total knee revision. Then they let me go. I could have stayed longer, but once word got out what had happened, they all felt really bad that I had come at all. I left around 11:45 and made it back in plenty of time . . . I even got to take a shower and put on some makeup. Everything worked out all right. I'm still wondering if I'll be written up for going out of town (part of the rules for being on-call is that you have to show up within 30 minutes--not exactly possible coming from Logan). But my boss (the one who doesn't particularly like me) knows about it and actually told me she was sorry. That was nice of her, but I can't blame anyone but myself. I didn't check my schedule and get people to cover for me; everyone else did what they were supposed to do. They were also having a pot-luck for el Quatro de Mayo, so I got a yummy free lunch out of the deal too.

Allen's mom was supposed to join us for the weekend, but wasn't able to. I'm sad she hasn't met her only grandchild yet, and I want Benji to know her. It's too bad it's so difficult for her to travel. She takes care of so many different people, that her world probably would fall apart if she left for a few days. Still, I wish she'd try a bit harder. My view of what a family is supposed to be is a bit different than hers, though. Allen just isn't close to his mother and sister; his father has been out of the picture for years, and I don't know if I'll ever meet him. When we drive out to King's Canyon/Sequoia for my family reunion this July, we'll go early to see his family, but he says all we need is a few hours. And that's so strange to me, because we'll be spending three days with my extended family; not to mention all the time we spend with my immediate family. I think it's a bit overwhelming to Allen at times, but ever since my brother John passed away, my family has been much closer. I love spending as much time with them as possible. I'm not opposed to moving back east if some fantastic job opportunity were to open up, but on my drive to and from Salt Lake on Sunday, I realized how much I love Utah. I love being nestled in the mountains; there's something protective and comforting about them. I love that we have four distinct seasons (even if Spring and Fall are too short . . .). I love that my family is close by, and that I can drop in on them anytime and they are always happy to see me. It is a good life, I must say.