Aaron... and Novembers

I met this guy name Aaron. He is the man I have been dreaming about all my life. He does have some "baggage", but then so does everyone else in this fucking world! Aaron and I were introduced by a common friend. This friend gave Aaron my number and then Aaron started texting me like 5 minutes later. Aaron and I were both a bit scared at first, not knowing where things would go...if anywhere. The first night we just texted back forth probably for about 5 hrs... then I had to go to bed cause I had to go to work in about 4 hrs. We talk on the phone and text each other through out the day every day now. We have come to realize that we belong with each other. We have so much in common, it is only destiny. We also want the same thing in a relationship... openness, honesty, loyalty, compassion, and much more. I feel very comfortable when I talk to him... one time I had just gotten off work and I was laying on my bed...and I fell asleep when he was whispering in my ear. And a few years down the road, we want the same things... marriage, joint bank account, possibly even adopt a kid. Aaron's voice is so soothing to me... it calms me down in my moments of anxiety, and able to talk me through those tough moments where I just want to scream. Aaron has also encouraged me to continue on to get my EMT certification so I can apply for jobs in Missoula...
That's problem right now... Aaron lives in Missoula, thats about 4 1/2 hrs WEST of Billings. I have never been great with long distant relationships at all. He is going to be come to Billings next weekend to celebrate his birthday with me; and I am currently planning on going to Missoula to spend New Years with him. I can't wait for him to get here... this is my big thing of November for this year... as those who know me best my Novembers have been most memorable in the recent decade. 1999...I had a double compound fracture in my right wrist (horseback riding accident) the weekend before Thanksgiving (thanks mom for waiting a couple days before taking me in to see a doctor!!) Amongst some up and down Novembers...this last one would have be my favorite thus far... On Thanksgiving night I was talking to Aaron, and we verbally committed to be boyfriends...and hopefully it turns into so much more in the future. He tells me every that he loves me and I do the same. Its only a matter of time before we are together.

I wanna fly.

So lately, I have been fascinated by helicopters. Actually, I have always been fascinated by them, but now I am to the point where I am collecting die cast models of helicopters. At one point, I am/was wanting to go to paramedic school in a couple years and fly on a med-copter. But recently, I have also taunted about going to radiology tech school instead of paramedic. So I am not sure. But, I am collecting helicopter models.

I have my NREMT written test on the 29th of May. So when I pass that...I will be a Nationally Registered Certified EMT-Basic.

I am an EMT...almost.

Ah last, I just have 1 test remaining. Today, I attended the National Registry practicle (hands-on) portion of the NREMT test. I now only have the written test left. I put in the application today when I got home from the airport (where we had our hands-on test) to sign up to take the written test.

Job wise, I wish I was finished with New Day, but I am not yet. I did get a call from St. V's on Wednesday and said that they would forward my application on to the ER rep for the ER Tech job that I applied for. Its only a part time job, but it sounds like I could end up with full time hours, so that makes me happy.

Finished...Done...on to Nationals

Alright, so on Thursday May 1st, 2008 I graduated from EMT school. I passed the written final, and I passed the 3 practicle tests. I am done now with EMT school. I am happy, excited, and glad that I am done with EMT school. The next step is preparing for the National practicle test that will be in 2 weeks at the airport. Then about a week after that, I can do my national computerized final. When I pass that, I will be a certified EMT-Basic. Then I can go to work. I am excited that I am done with all the school work and the lectures, and the class...It just feels so good to be done.

Don't use a skill saw while sitting in a wheel chair.

So its been awhile since I posted a blog. I will try to bring all my readers up to speed. I completed, at end end of March, and the first couple weeks of April, I completed my 5 shifts/week at New Day Ranch. Tonight, I started my 4 evenings on, and 3 evenings off. I am using up some of my PTO time at NDR.

My EMT classes are going pretty well. I struggled a bit at end of the Medical Unit, but I managed to bounce back. As of right now we have just 5 classes left. Today I completed my required 10hrs of ER observation @ St. Vincent's ER. I actually stayed a total of 12hrs and ~30 minutes. It was a blast. I went in at 7am, met up with a Paramedic Student. Hung out with him for while, then followed around some ER Techs (EMTs), and a few nurses thru out the shift. When I started the shift, The Billings Clinic was on a "full-bed divert," which means that the Clinic was not accepting any patients. So St. V's got all the ambulance calls. Lucky me, I am glad I wasn't assigned to BC's ER. It wasn't until about 3pm, that BC started accepting ambulatory patients. Through most of the day, the ER was busy!

We had quite a few people come in with chest pain as their CC as far as medical patients. There was also about 5 people came in on a spine-board. We seemed to have quite a few elderly patients. One elderly in particular, said he was sitting in his wheel chair and using a skill saw to remove some extra fencing off his property. Well the saw slipped, and about sawed through some of his calf muscle on the medial anterior side of his R lower leg. The muscle was sutured, I didn't get to see this part, but I did see the doc put 29 staples up this guy's shin to close the wound. The doc had me help him put sterile cloth and some gauze pads over the staples, then put on a 4" double length ACE wrap (which one RN didn't know that 4" ACE wraps came in double length). The doc and I kinda laughed about it. The guy was able to walk out on his own power, lucky him he didn't strike his tibia (shin bone). That was probably one of my favorite things today.

Then as I was getting ready to leave at 7pm, AMR (American Medical Response) brought in a motorcycle rider that t-boned into a car that pulled out in front of him. So I had to stay for all the initial assessment stuff. They brought him in on a spine-board and I helped transfer him from the AMR cot to the ER bed, then the RN drew blood, and one of the doc's came in and completed the assessment. We were able to take him off the spine-board. It looked like the guy dislocated his R shoulder, maybe both thumbs, possibly a left hip. He appeared to have a small laceration on his R shin, but was not bleeding. I didn't stay long enough for X-rays to return, I was tired.

I wish I had pictures of the skill saw injury, but due to confidentiality, I decided not to. After I get my EMT certification and license, I really hope I can get a job at St. V's. I had a lot of fun.

Well, I did not get the job at AMR, and I am trying not to fall into a state of depression like I usually do when I don't get a good job that I applied for. I had to work this morning, (I am not a morning person), then my roommate works this evening, and my parents left town for the day. So I think I will go over to my friend Jack's for a while, maybe watch a movie with him or something. I wanna give a shout out to my life-long friend Erin H. She has been doing some job-related traveling from Madison, Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon to Everett, Washington.

It sounds like she may have found a full time year-around job starting this summer at one of the best places on earth...at a camp. Camps are always fun. Its right where she wants to be, but first she will spend some time in WA as an outdoor educator. I love camps. I never got to go to camp as a kid. But I did work at a camp as a servant worker for half a summer, then returned the following 3 summers as a counselor (6 camps), & camp medic, 2 camps as a lead-counselor for the guys. Then I worked at NBC Camps for a couple summers as an Assistant Athletic Trainer. The pay was good, but hours were horrible. I was basically working around the clock from Monday morning at 10am until Friday evening at 5pm. Answering calls of sick campers during the night, and sunburned coaches during the weekends. I have to admit...it was FUN. And there were some great people to work with.

Well, I better go take a shower, before I go to my friend's house. Happy Easter everyone.

Happy St. Patties day!

Today I didn't go to work. It was nice. I walked downtown for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, then walked around and did a bit of shopping with friends, but I couldn't find anything to buy. So I get home about 1pm, and change clothes and head over to the Billings Clinic. At the Clinic today, there is/was an "Advanced Trauma Life Support" Conference for M.D.'s and I was the patient. According to the scenario, I was a 23 yo male, who was ran off the road and hit a tree, I was pinned in the car for 40 minutes before rescuers could get me out of my tiny compact car. Shallow, rapid breathing, with trachea deviation to the right lung, and real noticeable jugular vein distention...and then the M.D.'s got fix me up. My face was covered with red, blue, and purple makeup to simulate possible facial fx, and I had a huge bruise on my left thigh, and a bloody right knee. Acting wise, I had to groan a bit when ever the doc pressed on my left pec minor, and my ULQ of my abdomen (as I also had simulated bruises there). The make up that they used didn't wash off very easily. And now, I have the rest of the night off! For compensation and lost time scrubbing off the makeup, the conference bought whatever we wanted from the cafeteria, there at the Hospital plus forty dollars, which I should receive by the end of next week. I wish I had a picture or two to post with this, but I do not.
So what shall I do with the rest of my evening? I don't know. I will figure out something...I should do some studying for my pharmacology test that IS this coming Tuesday.