Sweet and funny Kristin, love how you so cleverly weave all aspects of yourself into your present moments, and how you are able to keep your humour in those family moments when we allow our child-adult buttons to be pushed by our parents… and the grace to let things slide by … just a joy to read the authenticity of voice. Thank you 🙏 . Nanny Shirley and the fly swat 🤣. It was the wooden spoon in my household 🤣🤣🤣
Aw Simone thank you, I love that you said sweet and funny that's how I see myself sometimes. I can be so fun loving it's almost childlike-- ice cream cones and ponies make me smile. My job has given me the ability to appreciate the very small things in life, but I snap back into cranky middle age woman just as quick. LOL.
Not everyone appreciates my darker sense of humor, part of it comes from the job, but not all of it. So I always love when people get me. It usually tells me more about them😜
Oh, I get you Nurse 🙏🤣💜 ... I know you are a kind, beautiful soul with a cracker of a sense of humour and a tell-it-how-it-is necessity which I reckon is what people in dire need ... and any need ... need. Honesty. Thank you ... and hang on to the inner child ... she knows best.🤗
I’m going back to the first and read it again. I want to be in the right mind frame for this. I’m looking forward to it. I probably understand you a little better than most with family and plenty of acquaintances who are nurses. Yet, I think you are special and unique as to how you deal with things and your dedication to the profession is unmatched to anyone I know who does it.
Thank you Ken, I greatly appreciate your comments and support. To be clear a lot of people are aware of why they like nurses so much. The reasons may be painful or not, my personal reasons are very painful. I haven't yet written of my dad's mom and her nurses at the end of her life. I'm getting there actually as we approach fall. Nurses in general have a wicked sense of humor, some express it in meme format on social media and this makes me nuts! LOL. Thanks for being here. BTW- hope you liked the trainwreck comment.😇
Mustangs are special to me because my older sister bought one the year they came out in 64! She was only 20, and had this amazing car I loved! I went everywhere with her whenever I could! Like my mother, she became a nurse! I love all this Kristin, and especially your description of your parents and their personalities! ✨🥰✨
Oh I just love them! That’s a great year , mid to late 60’s cars are some of the best in my opinion!! Thanks so much, Debbie and Chris would absolutely love you. 😘
Omgoodness! Pleeease don't let any of my kids call me DEBBIE! ha ha! I laughed my way through the first part with your parents and we certainly have a lot in common. I was just writing today about the car and air shows my dad took us to. He also built dune buggies, from scratch, and I learned to drive stick and a motorcycle very early on! I'm most certain if we had immigrated to the east coast, like most normal immigrants (lol), we would have toured every civil war site as well, with my dutiful mom in tow (wishing he was more romantic). As it stood, when he got out of grease monkey suits for real suits he did this on his own, as he traveled for business later in his career (in aviation). I love how you tied your family life into your nursing life. You have a great narrative voice and a unique way of writing your life out. I am so glad you are here and I'm now understanding this "real" wild horse island! Never heard of it until now and I think I'd die and go to heaven there with my fingers clutching the drive on my camera. P.S. I did another podcast with the Queen mum! It's going to air Sunday morning and it's about coming to California in the 60's and her memories + some classic vintage pics! LOVE your vintage collage and totally get the never ending amounts of stuff. I think my mom's house is a living Cracker Barrel as well. lol. Love you. oxox
Oh that’s so sweet, I always know we all have more in common than we realize. The more we talk and listen to understand, the more we make the connections.
Also I’m a third generation Italian girl who knows how to cook, and one of my deepest secrets is my undying love of Olive Garden. Lol.
I’ve never been to an air show, but there’s a base not far from me too. I can’t wait to hear your latest podcast with mom. I asked my mom to let me publish a few of the letters she wrote my dad when he went to basic training after joining the navy in 1971. I used to read them when I was a little girl always wanted a love like theirs actually. We’ll see, I’m still waiting for an answer but I wanted to give Debbie a chance to tell her story too.
That is absolutely hilarious that you love Olive Garden, being a long generational Italian cook! ha ha! I'd kill to try your Italian food! Our daughter is a really good cook and a very good Italian cook. She makes traditional Italian style pizza from scratch. Sometimes with thin sliced zuchinni and potatoes on it :). yum!
Don't know why I read air show in the car show part (perhaps it's embedded in my brain - both!) - The podcast was fun and always love talking to my mum! I don't take it for granted.
That would be amazing to publish a love letter of your moms to your dad :). Those are special relationships. The military ones and the high school sweethearts. It's hard to find that dedicated love. And yes, Debbie should definitely get a chance!! Sending you a bunch of love and a big hug. oxox
When Debbie is done being mad at me over my Substack I’m sure she’ll hand over one of her love letters! Yes Olive Garden haha was there the other week. I certainly have no inclination to cook in the summer and it’s still summer here in NJ. Thanks for all the ❤️ and support Deb! 😘
Awe, Debbie!! It’s so hard to be a mother! We all grow to the older ages and now I look at my mom and I will be there too, probably sooner than not. Mom is on repeat mode and it can be really (insert shocked emoji) And my kids will be me and my husband someday. Round and round we go. Think we’re ordering some Olive Garden this weekend. The temps here are insane. 108 tomorrow. Thank you, too, for the love and support. ox
That is absolutely hilarious that you love Olive Garden, being a long generational Italian cook! ha ha! I'd kill to try your Italian food! Our daughter is a really good cook and a very good Italian cook. She makes traditional Italian style pizza from scratch. Sometimes with thin sliced zuchinni and potatoes on it :). yum!
Don't know why I read air show in the car show part (perhaps it's embedded in my brain - both!) - The podcast was fun and always love talking to my mum! I don't take it for granted.
That would be amazing to publish a love letter of your moms to your dad :). Those are special relationships. The military ones and the high school sweethearts. It's hard to find that dedicated love. And yes, Debbie should definitely get a chance!! Sending you a bunch of love and a big hug. oxox
Love this, Kristin. Isn’t is amazing how you are already building your narrative voice and can reference your first article, which as you know, I found to be profound. Thank you, my friend.
I believe the synchronicity is purely profound, especially in this one. Thank you for the long distance and sometimes telepathic tutoring! I hope you see every intended Heidi influence shining through in this one.
Oh thank you so much Anne. I feel the same when I read your pieces. Like I don't know where to begin to tell you all the places I see our parallels. My first car was a 93 Mustang LX, the last of the box body style. I was 18 when I bought it myself. LOL. My dad had a Challenger a few years back which was also one of our favorites and he was brave enough to let me drive a few times. There's only one way to drive a car like that when you're young so it was fun, but I understand now why those old folks take a slow ride in those classic cars. XO.
I was a charge nurse at the start of the care planning care teams period. I turned simple kardex systems into care planning systems. The nursing process was very much to the fore
Oh I miss the Kardex Charles! I was just writing about the care plan. The biggest joke of all is the shock you feel upon graduating and never really writing another care plan. It's been drilled into you and you don't have to because you know it by heart. I was just writing about it and stopped to check something and read your comment.
We developed the system. It got me head hunted and promoted. I taught people how to use the system. Its main use is communication across teams. And consistency. My setting was very different from yours. Mine was long stay rehab in decrepit institutions that served a purpose up to a point and beyond that point crippled people.
I spent some time working in an involuntary psych ward. I absolutely loved the board report , not sure what you call it there? Sometimes the previous shift would record it on a tape recorder then we’d stand in what looked like a fishbowl and watch. Fascinating actually
So awesome that you had time to see your folks (despite the screaming it out part). And yay for school once again- is it two of the kiddos who will be out of the house now, and one in high school? Quiet during your days off will be a change.
I do indeed know what I thank my nurses for. Every single bit of it. From all the days and nights I stayed with both Mom and then Dad in their last few years, to now all the weeks I have been watched over during the past four years. Thank you for what you do.
Thank you and I appreciate you, both here and in our inbox. So my oldest daughter is at home quietly studying for the LSAT when she's not working this year. I had to ask my friend's husband (who's an attorney) what it's like because she seemed so stressed about it and I wanted to understand. He gave me a clearer picture of the test which is different from other entrance exams in that each score has to be submitted. I didn't know this and my basic understanding is you want to do well ideally in the first shot. Of course this depends on the law school and other factors, but I see the pressure. My middle child is already safely back at college and the baby will start his junior year of HS in another week. My mom always used to say the days drag and the years fly. Btw--I have the words tenacious and stubborn stuck in my head and thank you for that. XO
Sweet and funny Kristin, love how you so cleverly weave all aspects of yourself into your present moments, and how you are able to keep your humour in those family moments when we allow our child-adult buttons to be pushed by our parents… and the grace to let things slide by … just a joy to read the authenticity of voice. Thank you 🙏 . Nanny Shirley and the fly swat 🤣. It was the wooden spoon in my household 🤣🤣🤣
Aw Simone thank you, I love that you said sweet and funny that's how I see myself sometimes. I can be so fun loving it's almost childlike-- ice cream cones and ponies make me smile. My job has given me the ability to appreciate the very small things in life, but I snap back into cranky middle age woman just as quick. LOL.
Not everyone appreciates my darker sense of humor, part of it comes from the job, but not all of it. So I always love when people get me. It usually tells me more about them😜
Oh, I get you Nurse 🙏🤣💜 ... I know you are a kind, beautiful soul with a cracker of a sense of humour and a tell-it-how-it-is necessity which I reckon is what people in dire need ... and any need ... need. Honesty. Thank you ... and hang on to the inner child ... she knows best.🤗
Thank you Simone for your understanding and encouragement. Believe me I’m listening to my teacher 💫💛😘
I’m going back to the first and read it again. I want to be in the right mind frame for this. I’m looking forward to it. I probably understand you a little better than most with family and plenty of acquaintances who are nurses. Yet, I think you are special and unique as to how you deal with things and your dedication to the profession is unmatched to anyone I know who does it.
Thank you Ken, I greatly appreciate your comments and support. To be clear a lot of people are aware of why they like nurses so much. The reasons may be painful or not, my personal reasons are very painful. I haven't yet written of my dad's mom and her nurses at the end of her life. I'm getting there actually as we approach fall. Nurses in general have a wicked sense of humor, some express it in meme format on social media and this makes me nuts! LOL. Thanks for being here. BTW- hope you liked the trainwreck comment.😇
Oh, I got it 😝😝😜
Mustangs are special to me because my older sister bought one the year they came out in 64! She was only 20, and had this amazing car I loved! I went everywhere with her whenever I could! Like my mother, she became a nurse! I love all this Kristin, and especially your description of your parents and their personalities! ✨🥰✨
Oh I just love them! That’s a great year , mid to late 60’s cars are some of the best in my opinion!! Thanks so much, Debbie and Chris would absolutely love you. 😘
Omgoodness! Pleeease don't let any of my kids call me DEBBIE! ha ha! I laughed my way through the first part with your parents and we certainly have a lot in common. I was just writing today about the car and air shows my dad took us to. He also built dune buggies, from scratch, and I learned to drive stick and a motorcycle very early on! I'm most certain if we had immigrated to the east coast, like most normal immigrants (lol), we would have toured every civil war site as well, with my dutiful mom in tow (wishing he was more romantic). As it stood, when he got out of grease monkey suits for real suits he did this on his own, as he traveled for business later in his career (in aviation). I love how you tied your family life into your nursing life. You have a great narrative voice and a unique way of writing your life out. I am so glad you are here and I'm now understanding this "real" wild horse island! Never heard of it until now and I think I'd die and go to heaven there with my fingers clutching the drive on my camera. P.S. I did another podcast with the Queen mum! It's going to air Sunday morning and it's about coming to California in the 60's and her memories + some classic vintage pics! LOVE your vintage collage and totally get the never ending amounts of stuff. I think my mom's house is a living Cracker Barrel as well. lol. Love you. oxox
Oh that’s so sweet, I always know we all have more in common than we realize. The more we talk and listen to understand, the more we make the connections.
Also I’m a third generation Italian girl who knows how to cook, and one of my deepest secrets is my undying love of Olive Garden. Lol.
I’ve never been to an air show, but there’s a base not far from me too. I can’t wait to hear your latest podcast with mom. I asked my mom to let me publish a few of the letters she wrote my dad when he went to basic training after joining the navy in 1971. I used to read them when I was a little girl always wanted a love like theirs actually. We’ll see, I’m still waiting for an answer but I wanted to give Debbie a chance to tell her story too.
That is absolutely hilarious that you love Olive Garden, being a long generational Italian cook! ha ha! I'd kill to try your Italian food! Our daughter is a really good cook and a very good Italian cook. She makes traditional Italian style pizza from scratch. Sometimes with thin sliced zuchinni and potatoes on it :). yum!
Don't know why I read air show in the car show part (perhaps it's embedded in my brain - both!) - The podcast was fun and always love talking to my mum! I don't take it for granted.
That would be amazing to publish a love letter of your moms to your dad :). Those are special relationships. The military ones and the high school sweethearts. It's hard to find that dedicated love. And yes, Debbie should definitely get a chance!! Sending you a bunch of love and a big hug. oxox
When Debbie is done being mad at me over my Substack I’m sure she’ll hand over one of her love letters! Yes Olive Garden haha was there the other week. I certainly have no inclination to cook in the summer and it’s still summer here in NJ. Thanks for all the ❤️ and support Deb! 😘
Awe, Debbie!! It’s so hard to be a mother! We all grow to the older ages and now I look at my mom and I will be there too, probably sooner than not. Mom is on repeat mode and it can be really (insert shocked emoji) And my kids will be me and my husband someday. Round and round we go. Think we’re ordering some Olive Garden this weekend. The temps here are insane. 108 tomorrow. Thank you, too, for the love and support. ox
That is absolutely hilarious that you love Olive Garden, being a long generational Italian cook! ha ha! I'd kill to try your Italian food! Our daughter is a really good cook and a very good Italian cook. She makes traditional Italian style pizza from scratch. Sometimes with thin sliced zuchinni and potatoes on it :). yum!
Don't know why I read air show in the car show part (perhaps it's embedded in my brain - both!) - The podcast was fun and always love talking to my mum! I don't take it for granted.
That would be amazing to publish a love letter of your moms to your dad :). Those are special relationships. The military ones and the high school sweethearts. It's hard to find that dedicated love. And yes, Debbie should definitely get a chance!! Sending you a bunch of love and a big hug. oxox
Love this, Kristin. Isn’t is amazing how you are already building your narrative voice and can reference your first article, which as you know, I found to be profound. Thank you, my friend.
I believe the synchronicity is purely profound, especially in this one. Thank you for the long distance and sometimes telepathic tutoring! I hope you see every intended Heidi influence shining through in this one.
You’re welcome! But you get all the credit, my friend. :)
My comments in no particular order:
Your parents sound lovely.
We also had a radio cabinet (with a small B&W TV in it) like your when I was growing up.
My first car was a 1968 Dodge Charger (one of the ultimate muscle cars). So yeah...
I look forward to whatever comes next.
I love nurses. Been in hospitals more times than I care to admit and it was ALWAYS the nurses who were the kindest and who SAW me. So thanks for that.
Oh thank you so much Anne. I feel the same when I read your pieces. Like I don't know where to begin to tell you all the places I see our parallels. My first car was a 93 Mustang LX, the last of the box body style. I was 18 when I bought it myself. LOL. My dad had a Challenger a few years back which was also one of our favorites and he was brave enough to let me drive a few times. There's only one way to drive a car like that when you're young so it was fun, but I understand now why those old folks take a slow ride in those classic cars. XO.
.. holdin my breath.. where this is goin .. come September ..
but someday soon will tell a tale of nurses - have y’all laughin n snortin ! 🦎🏴☠️🎬
Thanks Thomas I look forward to it!
Love the Nursing stuff.
Thanks Charles, glad to hear it!!
I was a charge nurse at the start of the care planning care teams period. I turned simple kardex systems into care planning systems. The nursing process was very much to the fore
Oh I miss the Kardex Charles! I was just writing about the care plan. The biggest joke of all is the shock you feel upon graduating and never really writing another care plan. It's been drilled into you and you don't have to because you know it by heart. I was just writing about it and stopped to check something and read your comment.
We developed the system. It got me head hunted and promoted. I taught people how to use the system. Its main use is communication across teams. And consistency. My setting was very different from yours. Mine was long stay rehab in decrepit institutions that served a purpose up to a point and beyond that point crippled people.
I spent some time working in an involuntary psych ward. I absolutely loved the board report , not sure what you call it there? Sometimes the previous shift would record it on a tape recorder then we’d stand in what looked like a fishbowl and watch. Fascinating actually
So awesome that you had time to see your folks (despite the screaming it out part). And yay for school once again- is it two of the kiddos who will be out of the house now, and one in high school? Quiet during your days off will be a change.
I do indeed know what I thank my nurses for. Every single bit of it. From all the days and nights I stayed with both Mom and then Dad in their last few years, to now all the weeks I have been watched over during the past four years. Thank you for what you do.
Thank you and I appreciate you, both here and in our inbox. So my oldest daughter is at home quietly studying for the LSAT when she's not working this year. I had to ask my friend's husband (who's an attorney) what it's like because she seemed so stressed about it and I wanted to understand. He gave me a clearer picture of the test which is different from other entrance exams in that each score has to be submitted. I didn't know this and my basic understanding is you want to do well ideally in the first shot. Of course this depends on the law school and other factors, but I see the pressure. My middle child is already safely back at college and the baby will start his junior year of HS in another week. My mom always used to say the days drag and the years fly. Btw--I have the words tenacious and stubborn stuck in my head and thank you for that. XO