Sunday, December 17, 2006

The good news is ...... as of Friday, I have been working for 2 weeks. The pay scale is not the greatest but the benefits are such that we decided to drop Dave's benefit package. All I know is that I have to make this job work! My position is one of a lot of autonomy, in that I am a case manager and I see people, for the most part, in their homes.

We haven't found a church, yet. Every time we "think" we might have found one, for some reason (Distance, type of service, length of service, acceptance of us, response to our requests, etc.) we end up not going back. I've given it a lot of thought and I think I'm trying too hard. I know it sounds crazy, but I think I half scare them away, too. I want to find a church family so bad, that the way I come across freaks them out. The last one was a little church that is about 50 miles away. I mentioned being interested in getting involved in their worship team and they immediately informed me that I had to be a member for at least six months before they would consider me. I was a little stunned, as we, at that point, were not anywhere near ready to join their church. Another reason was that they have two services, each different, but related to each other on Sundays. One at 1000 and another at 1800. They present the first half, then you go home for the day and come back for the other half that evening. We couldn't possibly drive back and forth twice. It would be 200+ miles, not to mention the Wednesday family night activities. I'm beginning to feel like Rock Canyon Church is truly one-of-a-kind, never to exist elsewhere, even if just a little bit. So, for the time being, we have quit searching. I guess I'm hoping that another "RG" will materialize somewhere in our lives and guide us, once again. RG worked on me for over two years and I just kick myself for not having accepted his invitation sooner.

Merry CHRISTmas!

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Houdini is no longer. We ended up needing to replace the charger for the fence. Once everything was in place and it was plugged in, we took a vote. The results were 4-1. Jennifer was the lucky one to see if it was really working. When she was notified, she took off, running for the house. Oh well. Once Lily was put in the pasture, it didn't take long to know for sure the fence was working. Lily, herself, tested it and did not like the results, at all.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Life in Michigan has been a challenge, namely for me to find a job that fits into the plan I have for being available for and a part of our family. My last job, although I miss it and the people I worked with terribly, was extremely stressful and, near the end, I'm afraid I just gave up on.

The people I worked with in Utah County were, by far, some of the most conscientious, understanding and professional individuals I have ever had the pleasure to know.

The Deputies, although there were several I managed to butt heads with on a regular basis, were the finest. When I would attend conferences, I would listen to medical staff from other correctional facilities across the nation talk about the literal war-like conditions under which they were forced to do their jobs. I would sit and just shake my head, thanking God that I worked with the caliber of certified staff I did. If I spoke up, most of the people involved in the conversation would just laugh and say "Yeah, right!"

The medical staff were the best, from the Office Specialists, doctors, dentist and assistant, mental health specialists, to the deputies and nurses. When I first began working for Utah County, there were a grand total 5.5 LPN's and then, me, the lone RN. Amazingly enough, the 5.5 LPN's had managed to provide 24/7 nursing coverage to 200+ inmates in an old nursing home that had been converted to a jail. They just made things happen. About 6-8 weeks after my arrival, we moved into a brand new real jail. The same 5.5 LPN"s and I had to make it happen between 2 facilities for a short while, but even with the minimal staffing level we had to work with, it all went off without any problems. We made adjustments and adapted to our new surroundings. We had what I would call, minimal turnover for the next 5-6 years. If the people we hired, chose to leave a short time later, we had to accept that they never really became a part of our 'family.'

About 3 years ago, one of the part-time RN's we'd hired, and I put our heads together, along with a lot of support from our Administrative Lieutenant, and came up with a plan. Our jail had opened with a capacity of 350. Adjustments had been made and additional beds added here and there and the average daily headcount was quickly pushing 600. Unfortunately, the nursing staff was still limited to 5.5 LPN's and 2 half-time RN's.

We did a lot of research into out situation and decided to present not only our predicament of being severely understaffed, as well as under-licensed, but to also present a logical solution, using the Utah State Nurse Practice Act and Rules to back our argument. Pulling it all together took several weeks, but when I sat down to compose the official proposal, I felt we had no other option other than to succeed in our battle for increased staff and licensure.

Our Sheriff was the first to receive the proposal. Without any hesitation, he added his approval and forwarded it to the Commissioners. Within a week, two of the Commissioners, the Personnel Director and her assistant, the Sheriff, Captain, Lieutenant, other nurse and I were sitting around a conference table discussing our options. As we finished our meeting, it was decided that a task force would be formed, comprised of individuals throughout the system, and the situation thoroughly investigated. At this point, I'd have been happy to have received approval for 1-3 new RN positions.

When all was said and done, we were approved for 5.5 RN positions, bringing our total staffing plan to a total of 13 nurses, RN's and LPN's. It took about a year to fill all the positions, as we took our time and focused on hiring excellent candidates, not just a warm body with a pulse and a license. When I left Utah County, we had just filled the last position and the focus had been turned to finding the right person to fill a middle management position, in an attempt to lessen the load on the person who would be taking over my position.

My tenure with Utah County holds a special place in my heart and memory book. The experiences I endured while there can go on one of two lists, good memories and bad memories. One of the worst things on the "bad" list would have to be the names of the inmates who chose to take their own lives while incarcerated. Some of them saw themselves as failures and unable to change. Others were determined to ultimately cause pain to the friends and families who loved them. And still others, who never meant to end their live, but were desperate to set themselves apart, went through the motions, only to wake up on the other side, when their calculations of help arriving in time were found to be wrong.

The worst of the bad list had to be the untimely death of a Deputy, by the name of Shaun Adamson. While he would have given his life to save the life of another, he didn't die in the line of duty. Due to a medical condition, that most likely was acquired while busting and tearing down clandestine methamphetamine producing labs. On 17 March 2002, he suffered a seizure and fall, resulting in his most untimely death. Shaun was every one's "best friend," as was so eloquently pointed out at his funeral. I figured God must have been having a really bad day to have taken him from us that day. This world will never be the same.

As for the good list, it could go on forever. At the top of the list I'd have to out the camaraderie of all of the staff, from the Sheriff on down. Sheriff Jim Tracy is one of the most approachable and helpful individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working for. His honesty and integrity will take the Utah County Sheriff's Office a long way, as long as he is in office.

I miss working with the individuals in the the Utah County Sheriff's Office, but life goes on. I am in the place I have wanted to be, but never though I would ever achieve. Walking out the doors to the Utah County Security Center for the last time, was not easy for me. I didn't get to say goodbye to many of the fine individuals and friends I'd made over the last nine years. I hope they know that they are all very important to me and that I would do anything, anytime, if they ever had a need.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

I am so excited about my "blog!" I am learning more, everytime I log on.

Life this week has been crazy! Still no job on the horizon, but I have managed to keep my self busy, beyond belief. I have several projects started, but not one is even close to completion. (ie; clay babies, knitted, felted purse, sorting and arranging around the house, quilting, sewing, cooking, etc.) Now, I've taken on finding and managing fundraisers for Carsonville-Port Sanilac High School Band.

CPS Band is a small band, with very little support, both financially and physically. Dave and I have attended two band booster meetings, only to learn that the whole thing is run by 3-4 moms of band members. This is a huge responsibility and workload for such a small group. Having Dave and I come along, actually WANTING to get involved, has been a big relief. Unfortunately, the school system is horribly underfunded and in this particular school, the band gets whatever is left over after the basketball team, football team, and cheerleader squads get their chunk of the pie.

As a side bar, but true story: During homecoming week last month, they had a pep rally in which all the sports and honors groups were recognized in front of the rest of the school. The kids in the band realized they were not included. When it was brought up to the prinicpal, they were told it was too late to include them. My son, Alec, and several of his band member friends, met with the principal at a later time and insisted that they receive equal recognition. They worked together to make their presence known, and during the home football game, band members and their parents, were recognized priot to the start of the game on the 50 yard line.

This next week, as a fund raiser, the band is working the consession stand during the basketball game. Aside from selling the regular things like hotdogs and popcorn, we also will be selling raffle tickets for a beautiful hand-made afghan and, hopefully, if they are in, vinyl static cling CPS High School window stickers. This band is going to New York City in April for a Band Enrichment opportunity and it poses a huge financial challenge for the students and chaperones. We have several other options for raising funds, but need the help of a lot more parents to pull them off.

Monday, November 06, 2006


Our horse, Lily, escaped again. She was found about a mile away by one of our neighbors who knew her. Frank spoke to her from the driver’s seat of his pickup truck, which got her attention. Shortly after he pulled into our driveway, I stepped out on our porch to see her running up the road, in pursuit of Frank and his truck. She jumped the ditch, rather than taking the driveway and ran straight up to Frank and me standing in the driveway. She's more like a big swooshy-tailed dog than a horse. I'm thinking I need to get her a collar and ID tag. Although she knows where home is, she's Houdini-like when it comes to getting out of a fenced pasture.

Tonight, Dave and I went out to fix the fence, in hopes of limiting Lily’s escape routes. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening, so while Dave worked on strengthening the fence line with more posts, I took the opportunity to get to know our 10-acres better. As I walked into the wooded portion of our property, I was devastated to see that the previous owners had used the nearby woods as a dumping zone for all types of garbage, from old, glass bottles to a Ford pickup truck with a topper, but engine or transmission. Unfortunately, what is out there really needs to be cleaned up for the sake of Mother Nature and it is going to take a lot of work. We didn’t know about the mess until fall, when all the greenery died back with the colder weather.

As I walked, I could see several trails in the leaf litter where deer and other animals indigenous to our area, walk. It was a very peaceful walk. The ground was really soft in some areas, because this particular part of our property appears to be somewhat of a drainage for water and melting snow. Every few minutes, I would stop and listen, while looking around, in hopes of seeing some of our wilder neighbors. All I could hear was the wind whispering through the tops of the trees and nearby grasses, not that it was disappointing. I walked about 2/3rds of the way back, then, because it was getting darker, decided to hike up the hill. I came out at the west side of the pond, which also exists on our property. As I continued along the trail, I found a long stick and decided to see how deep the pond was off the end of a small dock along the shoreline. It’s not deep at all. I’d guess about three feet, max.

As I was standing on the dock, looking into the woods, I heard Dave call my name. He asked where I was and walked out to meet me. Together, we sat in the grass, east of the pond and watched the skyline as the crimson turned to pink and then a very dark grey. While sitting there, we listened to every sound of nature we could squeeze out of our immediate surroundings. Several of the sounds were made by little critters getting ready to burrow in for the night. Some were made by unknown birds, as they hurried to find a place for the night. What was most wonderful about this evening, though, was a flock of Canada geese, about 15-20, flying over our heads. As they approached, we listened to them talking back and forth between themselves. It seemed a good possibility they were headed for our pond, but as they neared, we saw that they were still too high to accomplish a water landing. Disappointed, Dave and I watched as they disappeared over the tree line, but quickly turned our attention to more and different sounds. A few seconds later, Dave nudged me and told me to look above the same sky line the geese had just gone over. Silently, we watched as the same flock returned, without a sound, and gracefully landed on the pond. It was perfect. I wished I’d had a camera, but I doubt anything man-made could capture the beauty God had created just for us and do it justice.

Dave and I sat there until the light in the sky was all but gone, which made it somewhat challenging to keep headed in the right direction. As we walked along the pond’s edge, Mother Nature continued her show. Unfortunately, our movement rattled the Canada geese and they decided it was better to move on. They took off as they landed, all one unit, accept this time, they were quite vocal about having to move.

As we rounded the far side of the pond, the moon was just coming up over the lake. As the sky lightened, a big yellow disc started climbing over the tree line to the east. It rose quickly and helped us find our way back to the west fence line and pasture area.

We must have done something right, because, as we approached our yard, Houdini, the big swooshy-tailed dog, (a.k.a.: Lily) greeted us immediately, asking quite clearly for scratches in all her favorite spots. Hopefully, we will awaken to find her safe and sound in our yard tomorrow, when we will, once again, begin working on keeping her within the confines of our property lines.