Last week Don and I went on one of our favorite hikes at Silver Falls. Silver Falls State Park is a little less than an hour drive from us and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! The total hike is about 7 miles and it takes you in front of, on top of and behind 7 waterfalls. We brought a picnic lunch and had a great day! I attached a few pics from the trip, but they really don’t do the waterfalls justice.

Two days later Don took off to Southern Cali for his grandmother’s funeral. He isn’t back home yet but we have spoken daily and he is grateful he was able to make and support his father, aunt and cousin. His father gave the eulogy which Don said was beautiful and would have made his grandmother proud.

With Don being gone for the past 5 days I have been busting my bunns with school! I have to say that the further I get into this program the more I know that this is the job I was made for! My course work is fascinating and I love my clinical site! I am currently in a community mental health clinic with a Psych NP. I love the patient population I am getting to work with I feel like I learn something new every day. I really feel like God has planned my life out for this career, even though years ago I swore I was done with this field!

While going to nursing school I worked community mental health for three years. The entire reason I went to nursing school was for the sole purpose of working in the psychiatric field and actually being able to pay my bills (mental health pays nothing, even with your MSW or Masters in Counseling). I worked at both an inpatient drug treatment center with adolescents and later at a homeless shelter for teenagers. By the time I was done with nursing school I was totally burned out on mental health. I had worked at the lowest level in the field and saw some pretty awful and unethical things. So I graduated from school and thought I was saying farewell to the psychiatric field forever. Needless to say I grew just as burned out working critical care for the next 3 years and found myself back in the psych hospital, as an RN of course! When Don and I decided to move out here from South Fl I applied at OHSU for the PMHNP program out of boredom. We were new here and Don was always away at school, work or conferences. I didn’t know anyone here yet so I figured I might as well go to school. It sounded like a fun “hobby” and it has actually really grabbed my attention. Also it has been a great distracter while working on this baby thing!

As far as the baby thing goes another week has passed and no baby in sight! I have taken multiple pregnancy tests and I still see only 1 little pink line… Next week we start the big hormones! Keep us in your prayers!