Archive for Camp

Reduce Reuse Recycle!

{ September 1, 2009 @ 2:32 pm } · { Camp, Going Green, Random, Uncategorized }
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The camp I worked at this past summer had a goal of being 1) more enviromentally friendly 2) reducing their carbon footprint and 3) becoming more sustainable.

This being said, I’ve caught the “go green” bug. I’ve been looking for ways to reduce the amount of things I use, buy, etc. and looking for ways to reuse the things that I have that I don’t need or use anymore so I don’t need to recycle them (although, I’d much rather do that than throw them in the garbage).

That being said, I came across this blog with patterns useing old t-shirts, plastic bags, and jeans to make yarn and then use that “yarn” to make other things that I need like reusable bags to bring to the store, pot holders, lunch bags, etc.

I pretty much took a vow of poverty when I accepted the AmeriCorps position, so looking for ways to reduce my costs is great, not to mention it’s great for the environment!

Summer in Numbers

{ August 23, 2009 @ 6:08 pm } · { Camp, Growing up, Job Hunt, Random, Uncategorized }
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10 = the number of weeks I was at camp

5 = the number of counselors I sent to the clinic to get checked for strep throat

57 (or more) = the number of bandaids I give out in a day

1 = the number of campers I had to take to the emergency room

17 = the number of summer staff at camp

8 = the number of positions I applied to

3 = the number of interviews I had that resulted from said applications

64 = the number of ounces of water I told campers to drink every day

6 = the number of books I read JUST FOR FUN!

386,953 = the number of times I laughed every week

Oh Deer

{ August 15, 2009 @ 7:24 pm } · { Camp, Growing up, Job Hunt, Random, Uncategorized }
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Last night I was driving our South African counselor to another site because he’s heading back to South Africa. On our way, I got hit by a deer. Yes, you read that right, the deer hit me, I didn’t hit it. (I know crazy right?)

Besides being a little shaken (I’ve never hit anything or had anything hit me – other than bugs – before) everyone in the car was fine. The car it’s self now has a wonderful dent in the rear drivers side door, but nothing too major. (Thank goodness!)

The ironic thing? I wasn’t even suppose to be driving tonight, but as usual things never go as planned so I drove and now I have a dent in my door.

(Clearly, not the way I wanted to end me week.)

Camp is coming to an end. I’ve got one more week. The first part of the week is Grandparent Kid week (which I love) and the second part of the week is a Family Weekend (which I’ve never done). I’m excited for both and hope that I have great families to hang out with. (Hopefully I won’t be on bathrooms again!)

As the summer is coming to an end, our staff is slowly dwindling. It makes me sad. We started out the summer with seventeen and now we’re down to 12. And more are leaving this weekend. The last day of camp there will only be a handful of us left. It’s rather depressing.

On a happier note. I had an interview with AmeriCorps this past week. It went fantastically well and I have a second interview this coming week. (YAY!!!) The position is in Delaware (far far away) and my mom isn’t overly thrilled about that (she wants me to stay close to home) but this position is only for a year and it’s still withing driving distance (which was something she had mentioned earlier).

Adventures as a Camp Nurse

{ July 24, 2009 @ 9:31 pm } · { Camp, Growing up, Job Hunt, nursing, Random, Uncategorized }
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You really never know what to expect as a camp nurse. I’ve seen a lot of weird things this summer. But I’d have to say the oddest was having to take a girl to the emergency room because she sprained both of her ankles. It’s bad enough to sprain one ankle, but both of them!

I’ve of course seen my fair share of cuts and scrapes and bruises and bee stings this summer. I’ve passed tons of medications and I’ve treated several campers for dehydration. (Water, water, water!)

This past week was a fairly easy week. I saw a few campers several times because they had knee injuries, but I didn’t have anything overly major. It was a good week to go out on.

Sadly, I had to pack up the health hut this week as well. This was the last week of youth camp. The other two sites still have youth campers for the next two weeks (so we’re being shipped there), but our numbers were low so they decided it was best to close camp.

I’ll be back after two weeks for two wonderful weeks of Grandparent Kid camp and a family weekend, but it is sad to think that the summer is almost over. It’s certainly been eye opening and challenging. But I wouldn’t have hoped for anything less!

As the summer comes to an end I am worried about still not having a job. I’m a college graduate, I have a degree and a license. You would think I’d be able to find a job, but not the case. I still have no idea what I’m going to be doing. Looks like I might be heading back to my aunt’s ice cream store until I find something a little more permanent and that pertains more to the field of nursing.

(I mean I love serving ice cream, but really my degree is worth a little lot more than that!)

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!!

NCLEX

{ July 18, 2009 @ 2:46 pm } · { Camp, Growing up, Job Hunt, nursing, Random, Uncategorized }
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My NCLEX results are in and the verdict is…PASSING!

I got my official certificate and license today in the mail. It was an exciting moment shared over the phone between my mom and I. She called just to tell me my license came. (Aren’t Mom’s great?)

So I decided to drive home from camp just to pick it up. (A little crazy, maybe, but you’d be excited too.)

You are now reading the blog of an OFFICIAL Registered Nurse (RN).

In other exciting news, I now have three possibilities on the market for AmeriCorps. One in California, one in Michigan, and one in Kansas…yes, Kansas. What’s there? I have no idea, but maybe I’ll get to find out.

Things are starting to come together nicely which is awesome. Now if only I had a job already lined up for the end of the summer…oh well, hopefully one of the AmeriCorps Positions will come through.

It’ll be interesting if one does. They all start within the first few weeks of September. The last week of camp is the 23rd of August. That gives me 1-3 weeks (depending on the position) to find an apartment, and move out there (where ever there may be). How nerve wracking, but also exciting!

Time for an Update!

{ July 3, 2009 @ 11:24 am } · { Camp, Holidays, Job Hunt, Random, Uncategorized }
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This summer I’m working at a Lutheran Bible camp in Wisconsin as the health coordinator. We have little access to internet, not that I really have much time for that anyway, so I don’t get around to posting…well, ever. I got through staff training, two weeks of confirmation camp, and the first week of Grandparent Kid camp…and I love it. Sure it’s a lot of hard work, but spending time with the campers and seeing them engaged in learning and growing in their faith is just amazing.

(I can successfully eradicate lice, care for homesick campers, recognize strep throat, and back up a trailer with canoes on it…wait, what?)

I still do not have a job post camp, however, I have applied for an AmeriCorps position, which I am extremely excited about. I am trying not to get my hopes up too high, but I really think this position would be awesome and fit in with my personality and what I enjoy doing very well. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I’ll be taking my NCLEX exam (nursing boards) on July 13th, hopefully I will be a registered nurse shortly!! All my hardwork and studying the past four years will have paid off and I’ll be an RN!!

(This has not been causing me any stress what-so-ever…clearly)

So what am I doing for fourth of July weekend? Spending time at home with my family, going out for my birthday (which is just 3 – count them, three – days away), and resting up for the next few weeks of camp. (And studying and filling out applications of course.)

If I don’t find time to blog tomorrow have a happy and exciting Independence Day!

Checking Out

{ May 27, 2009 @ 12:10 am } · { Camp, Random, Uncategorized }
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Fellow bloggers (and blog readers) this is my formal farewell for the summer. I am off to explore and experience the wonders of nature as a camp nurse. I will be leaving tomorrow and returning at the end of summer (maybe a few times in between if I get the chance).

Just know that I have not disappeared off the face of the earth and there is no need to send a search party.

Enjoy your summer!

The Randomosity of my Life

{ May 8, 2009 @ 6:46 pm } · { Books, Camp, classes, college, Gay Rights, Graduation, health care, illness, Random, senior year, Uncategorized }
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First off I’d like to say that being sick sucks and “health services” at my school does nothing. Even my nursing profs think so. (Clearly something is wrong with this picture.)

(And the nurses at Health Services obviously DID NOT go to Luther for their nursing education.)

(Ok maybe it’s more the doctors that need improvement…hmm.)

I went in purely because I had not slept well in four (yes, FOUR) days. They gave me a single dose of a codeine cough syrup and made an appointment for the next day.

When I went in for my appointment, you’d think the doctor would be in, assess, maybe draw blood to see if I’ve got a bug, and get me out of there. Instead, we spend most of the visit talking about my major and the effect the poor economy is having on jobs for everyone (including nurses – he, by the way, was surprised that it was hard to find a nursing job).

(What I really wanted to say: “HELLO! I’m sick, I don’t care what you think about nursing and the economy or your surprise that there are no nursing jobs. I want to feel better!”)

I also want to point out that I will indeed make a good nurse. I did not kill the manikin in my interactive lab exam last night. (Hurray!) In fact, we did not have a eulogy to read in lab when we did debriefing today. There were no fake families that were sobbing in the hallway because they lost “Mr. Billy Rubin” the maninkin, a father, husband, son, etc.

This “interactive lab” exam did however, make me realize that I still have a lot to learn about a lot of things. (Even though I’m graduating in 16 days.)

(Yikes!)

A small shout out to Maine: “Way to follow the trend and get on board with Gay Marriage!”  Maine is now the 5th state to allow Gay Marriage. Really, if they can’t get married, why should I?

Camp is just around the corner and I am excited. (Arn’t you?) Sharing my faith, learning from others, being a part of God’s Plan, it’s all fantastic! (And exciting – clearly.)

As a side note (sort of) if you’re looking for a good book to read I recommend The Men I Didn’t Marry by Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger. I got it from a friend who got it from a friend. It didn’t take me long to read it. (But then I read fast…)

Randomness

{ March 25, 2009 @ 5:12 pm } · { Babies, Camp, college, Ethics, Job Hunt, News, nursing, Random, senior year, Uncategorized, Winter }
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Random Updates from the Past Week(ish)

  • Spring is finally here, at least in the time of year sense. We’ve had some warm beautiful days, and some cold crummy days, but hopefully more of those warm days will be coming again soon. It seems like it’s been raining since I got home on spring break, even though it’s really only been the past two days. It finally seems like its going to be nice out today (at least in sunshine, I’m not so sure about temperature).
  • On my way home from school on Saturday I stopped at the camp I’ll be working at for the summer to get a lay of the land and check out the procedures/protocols. I’m getting so excited for this summer. I am eager to share my faith through nursing with the staff and campers! I’ve also come to realize that I have a lot of stuff to get together before camp starts and not a whole lot of time to do it. I’ll be graduating on a Sunday and the following Tuesday I’m off to camp!
  • The job search (post summer camp) is not going well. I have yet to hear back from anywhere I’ve applied to. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
  • Graduation is just around the corner! (SEVEN WEEKS to be exact.) Talk about coming up fast. Before spring break we had a meeting with the nursing department to discuss our pinning ceremony and preparing and taking the NCLEX exam (nursing boards). Once I’m done with school you’ll probably hear me grip about the NCLEX for awhile.

Random Stories from the News

  • More flooding? In Fargo, ND the river is rising and schools are closing in order for the students to help sandbagging efforts.
  • OCTUMOM: still in the news, go figure. What needs to happen to make sure these kids are safe? The most important thing is making sure the kids are getting the love and support they need – she now has 14 kids, how is she going to take care of 14 kids? Ethically we need to make sure these kids are going to be ok.
  • In Local news: the seven-year-old girl from my hometown who was pulled from Lake Winnebago after being submerged in ice water for 30 minutes was released from the hospital five weeks after the incident. It is reported that she has some problems with her short term memory and her finger dexterity, but she is doing well. Please keep her in your prayers.

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