Saturday, February 27, 2010

randomness

I feel like I am ALWAYS saying "it has been FOREVER since I have written on here". But this time, it is entirely too true! In fact, now that I am typing away, I realize the therapy I have been missing out on and will aim to write more often than once a month or so!
Let's see, where to begin?

#1 - School is in full swing, almost to the middle of the semester. I am loving every minute of being on the hospital floor and taking care of patients. This week will be my last week on the oncology (cancer) floor. I am sad to leave it as I have enjoyed working with the patients so much! There is nothing more rewarding than knowing you cared for someone with the best of your ability! I am getting very anxious to graduate and do it for a career!


#2 - Last Sunday night was spent at the urgent care with Aubrey. Never fun with kiddos. She's had a cold/cough, no fever and did NOT slow down. But sunday afternoon, her fever spiked to 103 within an hour of giving her Tylenol. So to the Urgent Care we went. After x-rays, a look in the ear, we left with a diagnosis of Pneumonia, Bronchiolitis and a double ear infection. Talk about feeling like a horrible mom! I think the temperature spike was a sign from above to get her to the Dr.! Thank goodness! Now she's as good as new! Asks to take her medicine and her breathing treatment! Who is this kid?!

#3 - Events around our house never happen normally. Actually, life events and everyday events in general have not been normal for the past 11 years since I met Justin! Projects never take just 20 minutes, they turn into day events. Such as our insane water heater this weekend! Lately I have been blamed for the shortage of warm water, since I am the one who takes blazing hot showers for at least 15 minutes! (Do not believe a word of that, it's actually opposite) So I started keeping track and investigating this thing. When the hot water temp drops and you don't have the shampoo rinsed out of your hair....there's a problem with the water heater! SO, Justin was going to simply replace the heating element. SIMPLY being the key word. When I arrived home yesterday afternoon, everything was ready to go. He had the tank drained and was waiting for the part I was bringing. All is well. UNTIL he pulled out the bottom element and water POURED out of the hole! I'm not talking about a piddly little puddle...this thing is FLOODING the floor! So I grabbed every towel we own and 3 bowls and we started in. He filled the bowls, I threw down the towels, I took the filled bowls and tossed the nasty water outside! Back and forth like a relay race for about 30 minutes. Talk about a cardio work out! Aubrey grabbed napkins and tried helping soak up the water...soon got bored and sat down to watch T.V. while all of this chaos happened behind her!

After all the water had been drained, he discovered about 6 inches worth of sludge at the bottom of the tank that prevented the water to be drained out the first time! NASTY! Whew! That's all over with and the decision to buy a new water heater had been made!

But now we have to get the crazy thing out of the house! Most people have a normal, decent sized utility closet....NOT JUSTIN AND CAMILLE! Its crazily shaped and the furnace unit and the water heater are squeezed in it! Not much room even for a mouse! So he unhooked everything and began to pull. It would not fit between the doorway and this little electrical box sticking out from the side of the furnace. Well, we are both beyond FRUSTRATION, so what comes to mind? BEATING THE APPLIANCE! I said "why don't you get your mallet and beat in the side of the tank to make way for the electrical box to clear it!" I won WIFE OF THE YEAR SUGGESTION award! Within minutes he was beating the side of the water heater, mostly to be able to get it past the electrical box and partly to work out his frustration! It was quite a hysterical site! After 20 more minutes of re-shaping the side of the tank, we were able to pull it out and heft it onto the porch for disposal!

Needless to say, our new water heater is much thinner and fits nicely into the oddly shaped utility closet!