Stress is a Part of Life

Last week was a more stressful one for me. I am in an acupressure class that I don't get. I feel like I get migranes when I do it, study it, and even think about it. I don't understand how you can feel someone's energy and even balance it out. I think it can be done, but I don't see how I can do it. Luckily it's a short class. Only 4 more sessions. All I need to do is study the material and move on. Also I got more homesick this week. I have been feeling it but just moved on from the thought. I was talking to my roommate and actually started crying. I've never really been homesick before. Maybe it's because of all the great new things going on in my life and I feel like I have no one to share it with here. Things will get better but for this last week, it was difficult.

I've also been stressing myself out with thoughts of how busy my life is about to get. I go to school Mon-Thurs from 9am-5:30pm. And I've been working about 36 hours every weekend to help financially. And this coming up weekend I start clinical so I'll have to be there every Saturday from 12pm-6pm. And in between those things I have to find time to study, sleep, and practice massage. Wow!

The weekend was pretty relaxing though. I tried not to work as much for the holiday...even though I didn't do much. I got to see a couple old friends though which was nice. There is opposition in all things, but it will get better in time. Endurance!

Work

I started my first day of work at a new job. I'm a health tech at the VA hospital in Salt Lake. The only word that comes to mind to describe my first day is overwhelming. I feel like I just got thrown into the position without proper training. I have been a nurses aid for 2 years but working in a hospital is totally different. I learned how to do finger sticks, how to do an EKG, how to do a bladder scan, how to chart like they do in a hospital. Wow! And on top of not know what to do, it was slow that day so I wasn't sure what to do in down time. One girl actually took me on a tour of the hospital, which was really nice of her, but It'll take me a while to figure it all out. Plus my badge isn't active so I can't get in any doors that need a badge scan to get in and so many other things I can't do by myself. It was just a little stressful. I know it will get better with time. And I'm sure once I start working more often I'm going to be so wiped out from working and school and everything in between. That's life I guess.

My Life as of Recently

I keep thinking about my blog and wanting to update it but I tend to let things get in the way. So today I have felt inspired to update and there is no better time as I am starting a new chapter in my life.

I have recently moved back to Utah, in Salt Lake City now. I am living with 2 roommates that I met when I moved in. I lucked out with my roommates and my apartment. The girls are very kind and easy-going. They are also very welcoming. I am pleased with the apartment as well. This is the first time in my life, though, that I have shared a room with another person. It's a little weird sometimes. I know this may seem minuscule but I am thankful to have a washer and dryer in the apartment. This will come in handy as I go throughout school and have to wash sheets all the time. I'm grateful to be so close to lots of things. One thing I didn't like about where I was in Alabama was that I was so far away from...everything. I'm about 8 blocks away from school so I'm able to ride my bike most days.

Since I've been in Utah, I feel more and more like a sheltered country hick. I didn't know how to work a dishwasher, garage door opener, and ceiling fan remote. For the first time I saw an escalator at Wal-Mart. It was so cool because one side had a special escalator type thing for you to put your buggies in and they just meet you at the top. The largest library I've ever seen is a few blocks away. It's about 8 stories tall and has all sorts of shops inside. I felt so small walking inside.

I have been blessed with a number of exciting things to do. I played frisbee with one of the wards. I had a blast! I scored all the goals in our first game. I love playing. I am blessed to be close to so many temples. They are so beautiful and serene. My first full weekend here, I went to Moab with my new ward. Moab is a really well known place for it's camping, rafting, off-roading, hiking, etc. There were a lot of people in our group. My camping experience was well remembered. We borrowed some cots from a friend's brother. He assured us they would all fit in the tent...they did not. One stuck out a few inches so one cot stayed outside. 2 of us slept on cots in the tent. The other slept outside. She said she enjoyed it though. I got to go rafting for the first time. I've been kayaking a few times so I knew the basics of it all. It was so much fun and exhilarating. I bought a waterproof camera to take pics. I got a lot of good ones....but after lunch I put the camera in my pocket and it ended up falling out. I was bummed. The next day, a girl I was talking to said their group found the camera. I still haven't gotten it back but it's good to know it's not floating on the Colorado River still.

I have been able to spend time with family and friends I haven't seen in quite a while. My family had a brunch my first Sunday here. It's always nice to spend time with family. I also went to Rexburg to visit Crunch and Skipper. The weekend was chill. We didn't do much, but it didn't bother me. I just like spending time with them. I was able to play tennis. 6 of us packed in a small car to go eat something called cookie monster I think. It wasn't a long drive but was definitely interesting.

I have been in school for 2 weeks now at Utah College of Massage Therapy. For the first time I actually want to go to school. I like my classes and I'm learning so much. There are about 40 people in my class (which is big for M.T.). We were all nervous at first. We all get along pretty well. I was told the people in my class would become some of my good friends and like family. I believe it. We spend a lot of very personal time together. Everyone had to learn how to get undressed and redressed underneath the sheets on the table. There are too many people in the classroom for us to just pull curtains or leave and come back. Now everyone is pretty good at it and it isn't as awkward anymore. Once I start getting massaged, I don't even care that I'm naked underneath the sheet. I gave my first full body massage on a massage table. It went better than I thought. The guy that was my partner that day announced to the whole class how good of a massage I gave. That made me feel really confident. I needed that boost. We are having a friendly competition on making holsters to hold our lotion in while giving massages. These make pumping lotion while giving massages much more convenient. So I decided to make one out of duct tape. It's probably not very sturdy but I bet the teacher has never seen one, therefore making it the most unique.

I am still in the weird stage of making friends here so oftentimes I just stay at my apartment. It gets me down once in a while. That's when I miss everyone back home. I miss that I knew so many people. Now I'm just a tadpole in the frog pond. I know it will get easier. Once in a while I meet people that remind me of people back in Alabama. I try to be friends with those people.

So that's about it for what's been going on. I am happy to be in a new area but at the same time it can be rather difficult. I'll take whatever comes my way. I know I'm not alone. Things will get better. I am so excited for my new career! I'm excited for the future!