I’m Back

Boy was it hot in North Carolina!  Drove to Charleston, WV the first day, starting off in horrific weather, was quite frightening actually (for Poco too). Once out of MI and into Ohio the weather started to clear.

In 1999-2000 I did some travel nursing assignments. The kids were in college, my husband traveled a lot for his job so what better time for me to do something I always wanted to try? My first assignment was at St.Francis Hospital in Milwaukee, WI working on the Cardio Pulmonary Thoracic Unit. (Hang on I’m getting to how this relates to my trip last week.)  I worked 3-11 shift and when I finally got home at night would check my email and turn on messenger (back then ICQ I think).  Would chat with an internet friend that also worked in health care from WV. We would chat for a few minutes commiserating over shifts from hell or if we were lucky a good night where there was adequate staffing and no patients crashing.  I got to know about her family and she mine. Both our Dads’ have ICD’s (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) so that was always a question, “how’s your Dad doing?” One summer I finally ended up visiting her. Met her family, got to see first hand health care delivery in a small rural town.  We’ve continued to stay in contact through the years. When I decided to do this road trip to visit Sarah in NC I knew the half way point would be somewhere in WV. So of course we discussed meeting for dinner.

That we did and it was so good to see her again   I’m pretty guarded on the internet but I have made a few friends along the way. Darla is one of them.  Thanks Darla and Cindy for dinner and let’s not wait 7 years to do it again!

Arrival on Thursday in NC. Sarah is now starting 3rd year residency! Yeah! Her fellow residents even covered for her letting her leave early since they knew I was coming in.  I met many of them  last summer when we were visiting. That was end of first year starting second year residency celebration at ‘Top of the Hill’, a restaurant/brewery in Chapel Hill frequented by graduate students, faculty, etc.

Now I have not met Sarah’s dog that they adopted a few months ago. It is a Greyhound. Most are rescued or adopted after their racing days. But in this case it was a female that did not chase the lure , so she was put up for adoption.  She is 2 years old. Now I must tell you I had some misgivings about taking my 3.5 lb Chihuahua to meet this 65 lb greyhound!

When we first introduced the dogs Poco was in my arms and Birchy (the greyhound) on a leash. I was not prepared for how BIG she is.  Friday when Sarah went to work I was there with the dogs! By the time Sarah got home from the hospital they could be left alone without watching them every single minute.  By Saturday morning they were wagging their tails when they saw each other. They shared toys and Birchy was very tolerant of this little dog in her face when she lay down. She would take those huge legs of hers and just knock him aside and yet Poco kept going back for more.  She also was an instigator stealing toys out of his bed. Poco caught on very early his size was  advantageous. When Birchy was after him all he had to do was go under a table, behind the furniture, and he was safe. She would stand there looking at him under the kitchen table, give up and go back to her bed. Then Poco would be at her again until they both tired out and were told to “LAY DOWN”. I swear it was like my kids again when they were toddlers and 17 months apart in age. 

And without further ado……..the dogs

10 years ago………the death of Princess Diana.

We had driven from MI to Baltimore taking Sarah to college as an apprehensive freshman at Johns Hopkins. Moved her stuff into the dorm, met her roommate a girl from Manhattan, NY. That evening we went out with her roommates  parents (freshman had to stay on campus and attend activities).  Was a fun night and late when we finally made it  back to our hotel. We went to bed immediately knowing we had to attend parents orientation the next morning.

Sitting in the auditorium that morning waiting for the President of the University to address the parents I couldn’t help but hear people behind us talking about Princess Diana and the horrible accident. I turned around to ask questions, in disbelief that Princess Diana was dead.  They looked at me like I was an idiot. “You didn’t hear the news last night”?  “Ahh, no we were out”. 

Every year on the anniversary of her death or when I hear parents talk about attending parents orientation I think about that auditorium. For me it will always  be intertwined.

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