Big changes, big week

Alright, so this is a blatant rip-off of one of my post titles from last year about this time. It came to me, sounded familiar and sure enough, I'm already starting to repeat myself. Not a good sign, my friends. But you know what? It's apropos and I'm keeping it. Especially after reading it's namesake. It's so hard to go back and look at what I was going through then. My head was swirling, I head no idea what to do and I felt like life was throwing me for one loop after another and I was just holding on for dear life.

But what a difference a year makes. This week has been big, this whole month has. Exactly 3 weeks ago Brad and I moved into our first house together (I owned a condo that we lived in but whatever. That doesn't count.) So this is our first house together and it just so feels like home. I can't believe we've already been here 3 weeks, but it other ways I can't imagine living anywhere else. We love it. Well, I haven't loved the extra 20 minutes that it adds to my commute to Melbourne for work . . .

And that brings me to the other big change this week! As of this morning around 7am, my torture is officially over. Uh, I mean, it was my last day of work as a practitioner in Melbourne. I'll definitely miss the people there. I met some very sweet, funny, overall wonderful people there and they were really great to me. It's sad that I won't be seeing them any more. But I sure as sh!t won't miss the B.S., the hypocrisy, the mismanagement or the DRIVE!! I bought my car brand new on August 30th with only 6 miles on it. As of January 31st it has over 12,000 miles on it. That's right, folks, 12,000 miles in 5 months. Yeah, I'm so done. And the feeling I have knowing that is absolutely euphoric. As most of you know, it wasn't just one thing about that job. There were lots of little and big things that added up to make me completely miserable there. I'll definitely miss being a practitioner but I think it's more important to have a fulfilling, satisfying personal life. And my next job will give me that. . .

Which brings me to the 3rd and final big change. This week I was offered a nursing position at the Level 3 NICU at Florida Hospital. No, I didn't get the practitioner position. I found out a few weeks ago and I was pretty disappointed about it (read: bitter). I felt like I'd been stalking that job for over a year, I knew about it and had been in contact with people every few months working towards an interview, just waiting and biding my time for the position I knew would be opening up to become "official." I even met with the team there three times before my official interview. I mean, I peed all over that place. It was marked, it was my territory. Well, wouldn't you know about a month before the interviews were scheduled 4 other candidates came out of the woodwork, one with over 15 years of experience? And wouldn't you know that they had the gall to hire her over me?!? ::insert shocked expression here::

But I was so miserable where I was there was no turning back. I decided to pick myself off, dust off the embarrassment and humiliation and get a job as a nurse at Florida Hospital. Because FH is still an amazing place to work, in any capacity. Not to mention it's 15 minutes away from my house! WOO HOO! Sign me up! It's a little depressing to take a step back in my career but it's time. I spent most of 2008 miserable in a job that I hated. In 2009 I'm choosing my happiness and my personal life over my career. And the good news is that another practitioner position should be opening up by the end of the year and they have specifically asked me if I would interview again. So there's hope. Plus, I love nursing and I love working in a Level 3 NICU. So I'm getting back to what I love, even if it's not exactly in the way I thought it would be. So, even though it may not seem like it, this is good news. I start my new job on March 2nd and I'm stoked!!

So I have a month off! Very exciting. I'm sure I'll be bored after the first week but I'll make do. There are more projects to do around the house and I really enjoy diving into stuff like that. So to end on a happy note: I promised pictures and I'm about to deliver. They aren't the best, there are still undecorated corners and un-hung pictures and it's not every room in the house but here are some pics of the new crib!

Enjoy!
~Layne