SCAS

I made this album to remind me of the many fun and amazing times I have had at SCAS, and also as a reminder that it now will be part of my past, but never, ever forgotten!

A picture story of the day

Well, I go up, and showered,

Then said Hi to the ducks!

Then made some scrambled eggs for breakfast!

Next, I watched the sun rise a little bit over the city.

And then admired my North jacket a little on my way out the door.

Here sits my car, waiting for me to take her away on a call.

All I need for a good day's work

Joey and I took over the extra desk...Yay Junior Paramedics!

Then after work, I brought Jacobs shirt to him...I didnt get the mascara stains out. fail.

Kaycee's Senior Pictures

Kaycee asked me to take her seinior pictures for her. I was so excited to take them! We had a lot of fun.

Some of the pictures are a little grainy-looking...I have yet to figure it out.

Some flowers

Price?

What is the price of a friendship? I have always considered the friendships I have to have been priceless. I treasure my friends and hold them in high esteem. But it seems I have been thrown into a position to either pick my friends, or pick the life i have been working for the last 2 years. Apparently I cant have both. I personally refuse to pick. If I don't, am I ruining both? Probably. But is it worth it to have one without the other? I guess so, because I have been put in this situation by another person who had to choose. It sucks, but my days of trying to be pleasant are apparently over.

Expectations

What is it in human nature that causes us, usually normal and carefree individuals, to have, no, to SET expectations? Why on earth do we put ourselves through the misery of hoping, wishing and wanting things to happen, turn out, or come true? It is pure agony. Unnecessary torture.

Here is what happens when we make expectations:
You find something, something that is enticing and new, different from the norms that you are used to. This thing, whether an idea, a person, a job, is so amazing that you cant get it out of your head. Thoughts and images of it are burned into your brain. Then you realize that there is no way this thing that you have found could become yours or turn to work in your favor. maybe its just not in the cards. But you still want it, think about it, let it consume your thoughts and distract you from the normal day to day activities. Then, out of some sort of miracle, this little dream or idea or person or job or whatever it could possibly be shows up, and it's like your dreams have come true.
You are elated! You cant imagine life being any better! But then something happens, that job doesn't work out, dreams and ideas that were once grand don't seem so grand anymore, that person changes. And the expectations you had, the ones that once had you so distracted, they are all just a broken puzzle scattered on the floor.
You want nothing more than to piece everything back together the way it was. You try, but as it seems the most important pieces are missing, or got chewed up by the dog, or ripped up by the lawn mower. Still there, but never able to be what they once were.
Where do you go from here? Do you buy a new puzzle and start all over again? Is it worth it to rebuild the broken pieces?

Success!

Hello Folks!

As you all know from my previous post, I passed my medic test, and right now I am working my first paramedic shift! So far, so good, as there havnt been any calls. :-( and I am guessing that it might be kind of dead because the first half of the weekend was busier than all get-out.

I have everything worked out for my trip to Japan! I have a new camera on the way and my tickets have all been purchased, and I only have 12 more days before I leave!

Here is a picture of Kansai International Airport, where I will be flying into to meet Jacob.
















The airport is built on a man-made Island 5km off the shore, and is home to the longest airport terminal in the world!

I am not sure what I will be doing when I get there, but I will post pictures and let you know!

Wishing you all a happy March! Much love,

Kayla

The day has come

One day that I was begining to have serious doubts that would ever arrive is finally here. The day I pass my medic test. I am officially a Paramedic.

Here is an excerpt from a post that I never got around to posting earlier this month. (for ease, I am just combining them both into one)

2-3-09:
"Two years and six months ago I began what I would come to know as two of the most challenging, stressful, and rewarding years of my life to date. Paramedic school. Yet after all that work, all that dedication, it all comes down to one test. One weakness that I, for some reason, cannot overcome. It is so stressful and heartbreaking to know that people are counting on me and think that I can pass this test when I don't. I technically only get one more chance. One more time to prove myself. I have put the pressure on myself, that didn't work. I was confident in myself, that didn't work. So whats left? Half-ass it like I did everything else? Quitting isn't an option, but the though and ease have been so tempting lately..."

I am so relieved to have taken and passed the test. It is like a thousand pounds lifted off of my shoulders. So now what? I guess I am off into the real world. Working. Paying of loans (boo!) and just living life I guess! Which I am totally and completely okay with.

I start my first official paramedic shift this coming Saturday, and while it isn't much, it is the beginning of what I hope and pray will be an awesome and fun and challenging career.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with classes, who helped me stay sane, who helped me with monetary issues, and everyone who just made me laugh on days that I wanted to quit. I appreciate everything you had and have to offer!

Love always, KK

A year in review

Well 2008 was a crazy busy year. I started out working and it seems that except for one week in July, I never really stopped! January to May was a very high-stress semester, as I was almost done with college. The kicker is that I was doing Paramedic clinicals, so I was working anywhere from 80-100 hours a week (sometimes, more than that even) and only getting paid for about 24 of those hours. It was a long long five months, but I got everything done, and graduated from my Paramedic program! Then it was summer! I wanted to be a paramedic before I was 20, so here comes a trip to Wisconson Rapids, WI for my practical test, in which I passed all the stations the first time through! But when it came to taking the written test, I didnt do so well. I wound up taking it again in late July, and again, did not pass.

Jacob and I went to Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI at the beginning of July. We had an absolute blast, and our year long friendship turned into a relationship in the middle of July. Towards the end of August I moved up to Bemidji State to start on my nursing classes and on September 1st Jacob got on a plane and flew to Japan to study for 9 months. When it came time to register for classes again for spring, I ran into some problems getting into the classes I needed, and decided to transfer to the technical college in Bemidji, but could not start classes until fall of '09. This lead to me moving back to Morris.

Great-Grandma Roberts passed away on Dec. 6th. That sucked. A lot. She was the most amazing woman I have ever know, and I am glad that she is no longer suffering or in pain. I find more and more that she has taught me things I didnt even know she was teaching me. Today, for example, I am cleaning my room and instead of shoving all the extra plastic garbage bags into another one, I found myself folding them all nice and neat, like she had me do. She taught me so many wonderful things.

To close out the year, I , again, found myself working. Sitting at SCAS thinking that it was going to be a quiet, boring New Year, and the dee-doo's ring out, and we go out on a call which got turned into a Hot Load with a helicoptor! That is, we brought the patient out the the airport and met the helicoptor and instead of them shutting off the blades, they just kept them running, so here I am, standing under running helicoptor blades loading a patient into the chopper so they can just take off. It was a fabulous way to close out the year.

There were a lot of friendships made, a few lost, and lots of new experiences! 2008 was a pretty good year, but Im banking on 2009 to be even better!