Introducing the Men in My Life

I would like you all to meet my handsome boys: Reggie, Skippy and Lenny.
Here's a little insight for you guys. I won Reggie at the Halloween Carnival by throwing balls into glass jars along with another fish I named Lil' Timmy. Lil Timmy died though (me and syd think it might have been the name that did him in) and ever since then Reggie was really depressed. He kept having stomach aches, for which I would feed him cooked greens, such as broccoli and asparagus but still he mostly just moped in the corner. Well my friend Brenda fish-sat him while I was in Seattle for Christmas (that was a surprisingly snowy trip- snowy but wonderful!) and she said she was always scared that he was going to die of sadness so she got him some friends- Skippy and Lenny.

So nce again I have done a terrible job of keeping you all updated on my adventures in Bethel!
Summer has come and gone, fall was hard to distinguish and now here is winter in full swing. It was -28 degree today and with the windchill it was -58! Now that is what I call cold. It was painful. My car wouldn't start because it was so cold- we tried to jump it but that didn't even work. My hands were throbbing and my legs were burning even through my jeans and stretch pants. It seemed like the coldest day that I've experienced here yet and it made me question why people chose to inhabit Alaska.
Well so much has happened. Lots of changes. My little sister came to live with me in October. It has been such a HUGE blessing having her here to live with me. I love it so much. We have so much fun. Everything is better with Sydney, and it's so nice having someone around that knows me and understands me so well. We haven't had one fight- pretty impressive I must say. She's the best roomie ever. Currently she is working at the elementary school as a substitute. She'll be filling in for a aid in the special education dept once school starts up agian, while the aid is on maternity leave. She does such a great job with the kids and everyone just loves her. I'm so proud of her.
Some of you may be wondering how she is able to substitute since she just graduated from highschool and my best explanation is.... it's Bethel. You can do anything in Bethel. ;) She actually substituted at the highschool for few weeks when she first came, and some of her "students" were older than her!
Another significant change is that I have transfered jobs. I am now working in the Behavioral Health Dept within the corporation. I am still a registered nurse and my new title is "Behavioral Health Psychiatric Nurse Case Manager". The position has been vacant for at least the past 3 years so in many ways I creating and discovery what exactly my role intails. So far I love my job though. I've always had a passion and fascination with psychology and mental health. I love being able to see the patient in such a holistic way. My job is perfect because it combines both the medical and behavioral aspects of nursing.
I work with the Nurse Practitioner here assisting with medication compliance and follow up. I also am going to be facilitating medication administration at the residential facilities in Bethel and being a resource and advocate for staff and clients there. I get to do alot of patient and staff teaching and I love all the various interactions that I am able to have throughout the community. I love all opportunities and new experiences this job gives me. There is a lot of depression, suicide, post traumatic stress, domestic violence and substance abuse in this area, among other things. I am just greatful to be a part of a team that is addressing these issues. Oh and another plus is that the developmental disabilities department is connected to BH so I get to work with those clients as well!
It's a really big job and there is alot to be done so please pray for me as I discover what all that entails.
I hope to possibly start working as a nurse for the Saturday clinics that are sometimes held at the hospital to keep up some of my other more hands on nursing skills as well.
Well because of my job change I also am going to be making a housing change. I currently live in an apartment owned by the corporation. Well since my new job is not directly stationed in the hospital I am no longer qualified to be living in this building. This came as quite a frustration and I was very stressed and upset about it for awhile. My move out date is in less than 30 days and I still don't know where I am going to be moving to.... The good news is that God has given me such peace about it and to my own amazement even excitement! I know that it will all work out and that God has a great place for my sister and me to live. One plus is that wherever we go we'll be upgrading to a 2 bedroom, right now we have a one bedroom and I have a curtain in the dining room that serves as "my room". Another plus is that we are most likely going to get a dog (living out in the community by myself- especially once my sister returns to Seattle does not appeal to me)! We have a few options that have come up recently and we are eager to explore the possibilities. Please pray for us as we are looking for a new home.
Alright I better get going to bed, so I can wake up for church in the morning. Things are going really good and I'll try to keep you all better updated!