Sunday, September 20, 2009

Happy Anniversary!

happy_anniversary_pink_roses_with_raindrops
12 years ago today, I married the love of my life. It seems like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle. We blinked & it's been 12 years. I am so thankful for the blessing you are in my life Russ. I love you! Happy Anniversary!


Saturday, September 19, 2009

My Personality

I took an amazing personality assessment a couple of days ago that tracks your personality across 45 traits. I was so in awe of how well I think it pegged me that I knew I wanted to blog about it. I'm just now getting the chance though.

Here is a visual representation of my top 10 traits:
top10

Here are descriptions of my top 10 traits:

Friendly
You would rather hang out with others than spend time alone, and you'd far rather be doing something with your friends than just sitting around. You're happy in a crowded room, club, stadium, or auditorium. You're not a private person who is ill at ease in a group; you don't view excessive socializing as a waste of time.

Warm
You have a genuine interest in other people. You're a natural host, and are always thinking about how you can increase the happiness of those around you. When friends have problems or are in trouble, you're usually the first person they turn to for aid and comfort. Scoring high on the "warm" trait suggests that you are among those who enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about charitable work, helping others, and making the world a better place. You don't always say exactly what you're thinking; you don't like the idea of causing anyone pain because of your criticism.

Understanding
You are willing to take the time to find out what's going on with other people, especially if they're in distress. You're a good listener, you don't criticize, and you offer unbiased, respectful, honest advice when it's requested. With a high score on the "understanding" trait, it is likely that you are enthusiastic about charitable work, helping others, and making the world a better place. You don't feel the need to impose your standards on others or say things that, even though true, cause pain.

Tender
You are gentle with others, both physically and emotionally. You are careful not to upset people and go out of your way to find the nicest way to say something. You naturally focus on the fact that the world is full of wonderful people, places, and things. More often than not, people with a high score on the "tender" trait enjoy spending time with children, love romantic movies, and are enthusiastic about making the world a better place. You don't think of yourself as tough-minded or gruff, nor do you need to be seen as some kind of objective source of truth and rationality.

Empathetic
You are in touch with your own feelings, which helps put you in touch with the feelings of others. You don't buy the logic that your happiness comes ahead of everyone else's because unless you're happy you're incapable of making anyone else happy.

Conscientious
You feel it's important to work according to a plan and finish every task, to do things correctly and thoroughly. You are not the kind of person who abandons a project before finishing it, or slacks off when you've lost interest.

Passionate
You are in touch with your emotions, and sometimes you react before you think. The good news: you don't tamp down your feelings. The bad news: you sometimes say or do things that you later wish you could take back. You do not live your life on an even keel; you do not go for long periods without experiencing some mood swings.

Sympathetic
You have a knack for knowing what's going on in the hearts and minds of those around you, without their having to tell you explicitly. People tend to turn to you with their problems because they know you care, and that you will likely offer good advice and a helping hand. You do not feel that people with sad stories are just looking for attention, or have brought their problems upon themselves.

Assertive
You behave in a confident and forceful manner, take charge of the situation, raise your hand in class, stand up for what you think is right, and lead others. Among those who have a high score on the "assertive" trait, many have jobs in which they are valued for their organizational skills as well as their talent for supervising others. You are not interested in fading into the woodwork, leaving everything to fate, taking more time than necessary to accomplish a task, or avoiding confrontation.

Outspoken
You like to talk. Luckily, you always have something to say, you tell a good story, and people generally enjoy listening to you. It's no wonder that you're often the center of attention. You don't tend to keep your thoughts to yourself, and you don't feel you're imposing on others when you share your thoughts and opinions with them.

Here is a visual representation of all my traits:
alltraits

Here is a visual representation of my factors:
factors

You can take this amazing assessment at Psych Central. If you take it, let me know so we can compare results.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

First Week is Over

First week went well. It was physically & emotionally exhausting though. So much information in not so many hours. There is so many things we have to learn about how the hospital operates, how to chart our patient visits, how to answer pager calls, how to do on-calls, how to respond if you get more than one pager call at a time, etc., etc. The two hospitals are so large that we're all still trying to figure out our way around. We've done tours of both hospitals, but it will take some time to get it all down. The most difficult for me has been the NICU. It has been a blessing to be able to take time to decompress & debrief when we face those difficulties. There are 5 other residents besides me, 3 men, 2 women. It seems like it will be a good group. We're all getting along well & enjoying getting to know each other as well as the other chaplains & staff in the office. I'm off work until Tuesday (we get 6 holidays a year as well as about 3 weeks of vacation time & about a week of sick time; we can't start using that time off though until after 90 days). I'll have my first official 24 hour on call by myself a week from tomorrow. There is a sleep room with a shower that we can utilize during our on calls. Some days we'll have time to use it & some days we won't. The bus ride isn't bad. It takes me about 10 minutes to walk to & from the transit center to the hospital. The bus ride is about 45 to 50 minutes. I take my ipod on which I've downloaded various audiobooks I download from the library for free to listen too during the ride. Sometimes the bus is not so crowded & I can do some knitting. The hospital let us know this week that they will pay for my bus fare for the entire year which is a blessing. Russ is still looking for a job. He hasn't had much success so far. Please keep praying about this.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Quick Update About My 1st Day

Today went well. It was all orientation stuff (and probably will be the same the rest of the week). There are 5 other residents besides me - 3 men & 2 women. I think it will be a good group. Two former missionaries & three people coming from other careers into chaplaincy. Very neat! A huge praise is that the hospital will be paying all my bus fare for the entire year!!!! Praise God!