The Elderly are Wonderful People

The elderly are wonderful people.

They have all the stories in the world to share if you take the time to listen.  Having been placed in a long term care facility this semester, I now know more than I thought I did.  I was never a person to look down on the elderly or disrespect them.  I just think that I see them more now.  They are there waiting to be heard, to talk, to laugh...it's amazing to me that many people don't understand that.  There was a great quote from one of my textbooks about the elderly.  It talked about a grandmother of three and she said "I'm not old, I'm the same me I've always been!".  That quote really hit home to me.  Of course they're the same person!  They don't lose their personality or their values and beliefs as they age.  Sure, some may decline cognitively or physically, but they are still the same person.  Working with the elderly is both a challenge and a blessing.  I admit, when you are working to clean someone who cannot communicate with you, it is easy to take them for granted.  You just scrub away and try to get the job done quickly and smoothly.  You do not ask questions because you know they cannot answer you.  That is not how it should be done.  It should be done with dignity and respect and always taking a minute to think about how you would feel if you were in their shoes.  You need to look at the person.  You need to SEE them.  When you do see them, you begin to understand what they're going through...dealing with a body that doesn't do what it's supposed to do or dealing with a mind that doesn't stay on track.  When you start to understand them, you ask questions.  The question could be as simple as "How's your family doing?".    When I ask this, I often see their faces brighten and a small smile will appear.  They'll then go on to talk about all sorts of things like what they used to do as a child or how their parents raised them.  I believe that the act of simply talking to the elderly is one of the best things you can do for them.  It allows them to reflect on their lives and talk about the joys and triumphs they were a part of.  When someone shares their memories with me, I treat them like a treasure.  It is not only a memory of one specific person...it is a story passed down through generations...it is a life lesson...it is a part of someone's being.  

And that's why, without a doubt, the elderly are wonderful people.

Second Year Thoughts

So it seems I like to blog the most during Christmas break or at the times when I'm not busy...which in my mind, is totally understandable because of the mass amounts of papers I have written this semester.  With all of that writing going on, there was no desire to write for another reason.  I missed it though.  Writing is one of my most treasured hobbies that I have.
My first semester of actual nursing classes was really great.  We learned so much.  Nursing in the community setting is so much more than I had first thought.  Public health is really starting to interest me, but it's too soon to know exactly what area I'm going to go into.  I have had minimal exposure to nursing life yet so yes, much, much too soon to know.  My second year (so far) is much easier to handle than my first year of nursing.  I'm still busy, but it's a different kind of busy.  It's not the 'studying every hour of every day' kind - it's the 'group projects and group work and those people every day' kind of busy.  I like it way more now.  My clinical group and I have also gotten really close over the semester so that was just an added bonus.
Here's to hoping next semester is just as great!

My Face Grew 3 Sizes that Day...

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed.  -.-
Needless to say, it was not a very fun experience.  I was awake for the procedure (a decision I regretted immediately after sitting down in the dentist's chair).  I have had oral surgery before, but I think this time around was worse.  This time involved a drill.  Drills have no place being inside a mouth, let alone mine!  One of the dental assistants offered her hand to me during the surgery (her mistake!) and I'm pretty sure I squeezed the life out of it.  Afterwards, when all the awfulness was over, the dentist told me that he hadn't anticipated my bottom two wisdom teeth being so big and that he had had to break them into pieces to remove them!  Well, that explained all the horrendous noises...
I had taken a drug before the surgery that was supposed to make me feel all chill and relaxed, but it didn't really do anything for me.  I think it was meant for people with super high anxiety.  I mean, I was nervous but I wasn't freaking out or anything.  The only thing it did was make me really, really sleepy after the surgery.  It felt like I could've slept for days!
And today?  Well, my cheeks have become larger than my forehead and my whole face has taken on the look of a chipmunk.  The process of eating is so incredibly slow.  I want to eat and I'm hungry, but the amount of food I can take in at a time is smaller than a spoonful and the consistency has to be somewhere between soft and mushy.
Here's to hoping this chipmunk curse doesn't last very long!

Winery? More like WINery.

I love my job at the winery!  I'm kept pretty busy all the time and I'm not always doing the same things over and over.  I like some variety!  Whether it's making cheese platters, weeding the grapevines or talking to customers using my newly discovered knowledge of wine, I'm loving every bit of it.  It also hasn't gotten super busy yet so that may change...
Honestly though, working at the winery is such a great summer job.  I don't have to spend all day stuck indoors when the sun is shining.  I also work with some really great people.  I swear, everyone is funny there.  It's like if you don't have a good sense of humour, you won't be hired.  I'm pretty sure it's a secret job requirement.
Also, I've found that driving 40 minutes to work each day isn't too big of a deal (especially when I can use my Dad's gas tank on the farm to fill up) because it really gives me the opportunity to work on my future singing career.  HA.

A Sign of a Good Book

Have you ever read a book that you get so emotionally attached to, that you feel that you are personally invested in the outcome?  That you feel all the emotions the characters feel and get upset when they make an obviously wrong choice?  A book that haunts you with thoughts of it during your everyday life?  Or a book that you feel like you need a time to 'heal' after reading it before you read another one?
I just read a book like that.  It was Allegiant - the last book in the Divergent series.  Only a few books have done this for me such as the Chronicles of Narnia, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, the Twilight series (yes, yes I know), this one really obscure series I read when I was in Grade 7, etc.
I didn't even see this one coming with Allegiant because as I read the book, I wasn't feeling too emotionally attached to it.  It wasn't like it wasn't good, I just didn't get connected with it.  It wasn't until halfway through Allegiant that I really got into it.  It just struck me and made my heart hurt and made me feel everything that was going on.
Thought I'd share this since I'm currently in the 'healing period' after reading that book and I needed something to distract me from my emotionally distraught state.

A Fancy Evening

Last night my friend, Arielle, and I wanted to go out for supper somewhere good, somewhere different and somewhere slightly nicer than Boston Pizza.  By the time we realized we wanted to go out somewhere for supper, it was around 6:00pm.  So we set a reservation for 7:45 and set about getting ourselves ready since we looked a lot like street rats.  We put on dresses for the event even though it was a tad chilly in the city that we went to...

Once we got to the city, we found a parking spot in a parking lot near the restaurant.  I mean, it was pretty close to the restaurant, if you count 4 city blocks as close.

The restaurant that we had chosen to eat at was in a hotel.  When we got into the hotel, we were speechless.  It was SO fancy.  I'm almost positive that there was gold on the walls or something.  The restaurant was just as nice.  We sat down and were afraid to touch anything for fear of doing something wrong.  Arielle was super impressed with the menu since she lives a tragic life from having pretty severe allergies to gluten and dairy.  She ordered the mustard and pistachio crusted lamb and I just ordered a steak.  They were both so good!  It was the kind of steak that just melted in your mouth. 

Our first course (if you could call it a course) was a taste of the sea.  Literally, a taste.  I got a spoon with a minuscule amount of smoked salmon on it and Arielle got a mini shrimp cocktail thing.  Arielle doesn't like shrimp so she gave me the shrimp and I gave her the smoked salmon.  She attempted to separate the salmon from the creamy sauce that she was most likely allergic to.  She somewhat succeeded and the little spoon was a big mess when she was finished with it. 

When we first went in the restaurant, Arielle swore she recognized a man sitting at a table with a large group of people.  She thought he was from some Christmas Hallmark movie that she had seen and that he had played 'a bad guy in a coat that was trying to ruin Christmas'.  I thought she was crazy because I didn't recognize the guy at all.  Arielle was so positive and couldn't get it off her mind.  Halfway through our meal, we heard that table talking about Hallmark.  Arielle looked at me and whisper-shouted "HA!".  From then on, she was set on figuring out the name of the movie she saw him in.  A little while later, a man from another table went up to the Hallmark man and asked for a picture with him and commented on how he loved his acting in Hercules!  At this point, Arielle and I were freaking out because our experience with famous people was limited to the occasional country band that we saw at our local community hall.  Arielle figured out who the man was when our meal was almost done - it was Kevin Sorbo!  I then recognized him from playing the dad in the movie, Soul Surfer.  We didn't want to go over to him and ask for a picture because someone already had and we didn't want it to look like we were just recognizing him just because someone else had recognized him.  We didn't want to look like 'those people' who were just jumping on the bandwagon.  Feeling like failures, we ate the rest of our food and curbed our curiosity about Kevin by talking with the waitress. ;)

Eventually, our meal ended and our really expensive bill was delivered to us.  We left the hotel feeling a little more poor and slightly more cultured.  The 'cultured' feeling didn't last long because when we arrived back at my car, I had gotten a parking ticket for not paying the fee of the parking lot.  Oh well, the whole experience was an adventure like it always is when I'm with Arielle :)

DONE

The face of an extremely happy person ^^

I am officially done my first year of nursing and it feels great!  I've finished all the exams, taken a few courses I need for next year and have moved back home.  It is so nice to be able to do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty about it...at least until Monday when I start work at the winery. 

But of course, being me, I'm never really doing nothing.  I'm going on a road trip this weekend to see one of my best friends and her quaint new house.  A couple of days ago she asked me if I was busy this weekend and I wasn't.  I mean, I could be doing lots of other things but I liked this option better :)

This past Wednesday, I went Old Time Dancing with Teagan.  It was so fun.  I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about 'actual' dancing and came out knowing a whole ton of new dances.  Teagan had been there once before so he taught me a few of them.  I'd have to say my favourite was the Jersey.  In that dance, you take 2 steps forward, 2 steps back and then 4 steps forward.  With our long gangly limbs, Teagan and I could easily get straight across the dance floor in those 4 steps!  This led to quite a few almost-collisions.  Another favourite dance of mine was the Butterfly.  That one is just the old fashioned swing dance.  It was pretty fun just getting swung around all over the place! 

So, anywhos, I'm off to go see my pal and will have a wonderful time driving by myself and singing super loud to my music. 

Six Points of Power

Today was my last Kinesiology class of the year and my prof told us these six points of power.  He didn't make them up.  He got them from some seminar he went to but they're really great!  They just seemed to hit a chord with me.  If you live by these, I truly think your life will be at least ten times better!

1. Pay attention - Live in the moment!  Put down your cell phone when you're talking to someone.  Actively engage in conversation.  Notice the beauty around you. 
2. Speak the truth - Don't lie, it never gets you anywhere.  Honesty is always the best policy :)  If you don't like something, say it, but don't complain. 
3. Be responsible for your life - Take charge and go out and do what you want.  Don't blame others or society for not being where you want to be.  It's all on you.
4. Ask for what you want - What's the worst that can happen? Someone will say no? 
5. Keep your agreements - People who keep their agreements are people you can trust.  You want to be trustworthy!  If you don't honour your promises, then what will you ever be able to honour?
6. Strive to create value in all things - When you are doing something, ask why you are doing it and how it benefits you.  If you can't think of a reason, stop doing it.  Enjoy life and give things a try :)

Crow Pose

I am so proud of this.  I learned how to crow!  This is my first hand balance yoga pose that I can now do.  I would love to be able to do all sorts of hand balance poses, but this is where I'm at now. :)

I GOT A REAL LIFE JOB

Yes!  I got the job at the winery for the summer!  This is technically my first actual job.  I've done volunteering and I've had a "sort of" janitor job at my church but, this is my first job!  I'm super excited.
The funny thing about this is when I was told I had the job.
Today I was feeling really sad and just down in the dumps because I didn't think that they were going to hire me.  After all, it's the Monday following the week they said they would let me know by the end of.  I figured all hope was lost.  So, I called my mother and told her how I didn't think I got the job and just expressed a really 'feeling sorry for myself' kind of attitude.  After the call, I saw that someone had tried calling me while I was on the phone with my mom.  I immediately thought it was the winery.  It would be pretty typical for that crazy coincidence to happen to me.  And it turned out it was the winery congratulating me on my new job!

So, I'd say today was a pretty good day.

Job Interview

I had a job interview on Friday.  My very first one.  Yes, my first one ever.  

Growing up on a farm, my parents thought that it was much more cost effective for me to just not have a job or my own money for that matter.  It didn't really matter to me a whole lot.  It wasn't like I was a lazy kid who never did anything.  I was probably the opposite.  I loyally volunteered to counsel at camp 1-2 weeks (sometimes 3) every summer.  I feel like that's a sort of job experience. 

But now that I'm in college and supposed to be a grown-up, I have to get a job for the summer.  I applied at a few places around home because I would really like to live at home for the summer if I can.  The interview that I had was for the local winery.  

I arrived at the winery half an hour early for my interview at 2:30pm.  Sitting in the car, I contemplated getting out or just waiting a few more minutes.  I didn't want to outrageously early; I wanted to be decently early.  After changing my comfy driving shoes into my much less comfy heeled boots, I finally decided to get out of the car.  

Once I got into the winery, there was no one there.  Since I was early, I didn't find this unusual and assumed that they were busy.  I walked around the empty gift shop and deliberately clacked my shoes when I walked so that someone would hear me and notice that I was there.  I didn't want to waste the good impression of being early!  Eventually an older man with a fantastic mustache came out from the back.  He saw me and said that his name was Marty and that he was one of the owners.  I talked with Marty for quite awhile until I spotted a back room filled with large metal cauldron-like basins.  I asked him if that's were he made the wine and he responded by giving me a tour of the wine making area.  

Eventually, 3 o' clock rolled around and the two ladies that were to interview me came and found me. We sat at a table and chatted about what the job would be like and what was all involved and expected of me if I got it.  I was expecting a lot more questions to be thrown my way but there wasn't as many as I had thought.  I tried to keep smiling and keep the mood light by saying some jokes at appropriate times (ex. they asked if I had a tattoo and I said 'yup a giant skull on my back').  Halfway through the interview, Marty wandered into the room.  He looked at the interviewers and said, "Just so you know, I like this girl!".  YAY.  My early arrival paid off!  The rest of the interview went well and I ended it feeling good.

So here's to hoping I get the job and if not this job....any job really.  Someone give this job experience-less person a chance! 

My Camp is My Second Home

I've been going to Pinecrest Baptist Bible Camp ever since I was little and it has been one of the best experiences I've ever had.  It's one of my most favourite places to be and I love that little camp nestled in amongst the pine trees so much.  

Recently, I wrote this up for the camp website.  There was a page for testimonials and I figured I had a pretty good perspective on camp and I wanted to share it. 

Here it is :)

Growing up with Pinecrest

Posted by Daylynn Knodel on March 15th, 2014

I was a camper at Pinecrest every summer since I could go to Scamper camp, was a C.I.T. ever since I was old enough and am still a counsellor and loving every minute of it. Honestly, Pinecrest for me, is more than the amazing good times spent there. I grew up with it and it has shaped me into the person I am today. Every time I go, I get reenergized by God's spirit and no where else has been able to do that for me like camp does. Camp is like my summer home, complete with a second family (fellow staff, campers). Just driving into camp and seeing the familiar cabins and hearing the camp bell ring, makes me feel like I'm seeing an old friend. I've met so many awesome people along the way and still keep in contact with a lot of them! The friendships I've made at camp have lasted well beyond the cabins and the pine trees. Each building and little clearing at camp holds a memory for me and I look forward to heading back there and create new ones every summer. I'm in college now and I can say that Pinecrest is still just as important to me as it was when I was younger. The memories I've made there will last me a lifetime and I can say with certainty that when I get old, I will look at the times spent at camp as some of the best of my life.
As a kid at camp, I loved kayaking. Canoeing was also fun - especially when we were allowed to 'gunnel'. If you don't know what that is, I guess you'll just have to experience camp to find out! Another good memory is when some of the older counsellors would tell us campers scary stories of 'the Wookalar' (the spelling of that is always a mystery to me...). I also loved campfire. It was so awesome singing by the fire and looking up to see the big trees swaying in the wind.
Each time I'm a counsellor, I'm so amazed to watch how much the most reserved and unsure children blossom and create friendships and grow in their faith throughout the week. I haven't seen one child that hasn't grown in some way at Pinecrest. It's one of the best things to watch happen. All the campers that I have every year, become really special to me throughout the week and I just love to see the smiles on their faces and see them soak in what camp has to offer and what God has planted in their hearts.
Pinecrest Baptist Bible Camp will always have a special place in my heart :)

Just Because I'm a Procrastinator

So, I'm sitting here typing this post and thinking about all of the millions of things I have yet to get done this week and the next...and then the next...

But, the end is near!  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  When I say tunnel, I mean a tunnel that has caved in towards the end with a ton of rocks blocking the exit and only the faintest of light coming in through the cracks.  I have so much to do before this school year is over such as a test next week, a research essay, an oral presentation, a big lab report, multiple quizzes, a lab final.....and the list goes on.  This is only within two and a half weeks! What!

So it obviously makes sense that I'm typing this instead of being productive right? 

To Make Everyone Happy

I may write a post tomorrow but I also might not.  That's the beautiful thing I want everyone to know about this blog.  I don't want to make myself feel obligated to write on here all the time, just when I want.
So, I wanted to share this song with you that my boyfriend showed me.  It made me happy and I hope it makes you happy as well.  Have a good night :)

Middle of the Madness

Yep, I'm at that point…the halfway point of the semester, the 3/4 mark of the first year, the point where everyone is slowing down and stressing even more.  To be honest, I'm not too stressed.  I feel good about how I'm doing in college and what's going on outside of college.  To mark the middle of the semester, we get a week long break called Reading Week.  Yeah, as if I'm going to spend it reading.  It's college common sense that it exists because people get too stressed at this time of year so it's to help with the jitters of college life.
Two days ago was Valentine's Day and I spent it back home with my most favourite person and boyfriend, Teagan.  He got me a bouquet of Gerber daisies and chocolates.  I like daisies, they're much nicer and not as cliche' as roses.  He also wrote me a letter.  He's wrote me many letters and I absolutely love each and every one of them.  He took me to the Star restaurant (the fanciest one in our little town) and we had a four course feast that consisted of pesto bread with olives and cheese, a wedge salad, Rosemary chicken and dark chocolate mousse.  After supper the waitress gave us some champagne and a carnation to me.  It was so nice.  Afterwards, we went for some drinks and spent the rest of the night playing pool with our friends.
As for the rest of the week, I'm spending it snuggled up watching the Winter Olympics and maybe baking a red velvet cake…who knows.

Don't Try These at Home

So there I was, at noon today, sitting cross-legged in front of my fridge and trying to decide what to eat.  My selection was limited (as it always was) and I wanted to cook up something that was creative and delicious.  I had boughten some Pillsbury crescent rolls the other day and I decided that I would use those and stuff them with something else from my fridge.  Looking through my shelves, I figured pre-cooked chicken, Swiss cheese and orange peppers was my best bet.  Feeling like a cooking mastermind genius, I set to work making my creation (Please note: my cooking skills are VERY average at best).  I wrapped the crescent rolls up with my fillings and put them in the oven.  I made two with peppers, chicken and Swiss and two others with just chicken and Swiss.  I was getting pretty hungry by this point since my lunches normally only take about 10 minutes to make.  I looked in the oven and my crescents looked delicious with oozy Swiss cheese peeking out of the folds.  When the timer rang, I quickly pulled my crescents out of the oven.  
They smelled good.  
They looked good.  
There was no reason for them not to be good.  Until I tasted them.  They did not taste good at all!  The first one that I tried had the peppers in it and I thought 'Well, maybe it's only the peppers making them taste bad' hoping my cooking wasn't such a failure.  I tried the other one.  Still gross.  Dismayed, I put them down and threw them in the garbage, watching my attempt at a good meal go down the drain.  So, if you ever feel like chicken and cheese in crescent rolls will taste good, you are sadly mistaken.  
Needless to say, my lunch in the end consisted of a yogurt, the two crescent rolls I had made without any filling whatsoever and a glass of milk. 

Goodbye Break

Yes, my break is over and I already have homework I could be doing.  If the rest of the semester goes anything like my first day did, I think it'll be a good one.  My anatomy class just continued into this semester so nothing was new on that front.
Kinesiology is going to be interesting, that's for sure.  It's kind of weird because there's book and movie reviews to do.  I thought that class was all about fitness…?  The prof seems like a really deep thinker but he couldn't be teaching a course that was less deep than this one.  The lab for kinesiology is working out.  I'm with my good friend, Kayla, in it and I can only picture us just laughing at each other's feeble attempts to work out. :)  It'll be some sort of a gong show.
Micro-biology seems pretty intense.  My prof for that class insists on being called 'Peggy' even though her first name is Margaret and her middle name isn't Peggy…okay then Peggy.  She speaks at the speed of light so I'm sure her lectures are going to be a big panic.  But other than that, she seems nice.

P.S. - I feel like my posts end really abruptly.  Is a goodbye necessary?  Should I end it with a sentence that has an inspirational quote relating to what I talked about?  Is that what people do on blogs?  Probably won't do it anyway.


Bye, I guess. :P

Back to the Grind

So today marks the day before my second semester of nursing begins.  It's going to be chaotic and busy and probably full of reports I'm going to put off until the day before but I'm looking forward to it.  It'll be nice to see everyone again and I'm hoping we can all go for wings on Wednesday since that has yet to happen this year!  I start the day at 9AM tomorrow.  That's one hour later than last semester which is fine because it just means more Zzz's for me!

Top Notch Christmas Gift

I just want to talk about the Christmas gift I got from my Aunt for a moment.  I think it is my favorite one I received this year.  My Aunt and I went to the new Alice in Wonderland movie with Johnny Depp in it when it was in theaters together.  We had the best time and we both loved the movie.  So, she got me the original Alice in Wonderland storybook and a scarf that had excerpts from the book on it.  I just completely love this gift.  I'm a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland.  If you took a look at my past two Halloween costumes, you would understand!  Last year I was the Madhatter (the Johnny Depp version of course because it's just so much more crazy) and this year I was Alice (a creepy sugar skull version of her but Alice nonetheless).  Oh and I just love the Madhatter's rambling nonsense. 

'Why is a raven like a writing desk?'

'Why, sometimes, I've believed at least six impossible things before breakfast!'

Yup, this gift was just my cup of tea.  Or at least, that's how the Hatter would put it! ;) 

Seeing the World

Isn't it crazy, how in our one existence, we only see small snippets of the world?  Sure, we can go places and see things…but different things happen in those places at different times all the time and there's just so many places in this big world of ours.  No one can truly see the world.  You can go to each and every country on this Earth if you wanted to but I think the world is more than just locations.  It's words, traditions, people, food, 'remember-that-time-when' moments, smiles….everything that makes each and every place and moment unique.  For me, I want to see as much of those things as possible and to do that I can't just go on a trip and rapidly try to fit in as many locations as possible.  I have to stay a little longer in one place and just live in the moment and enjoy the now.  I need to have conversations with people, experience things and just live.  It's much simpler than it seems.  People who are always on the go never truly enjoy where they've been or what they're doing.  Those people may have been more places, but have not seen a lot of world.  It's a much better idea to go to one place and truly experience what the place has to offer instead of going many places and maybe only experiencing one thing at each place.  

And in the end, life isn't about where you've been or what you have.  It's about the experiences that you've had and what you've learned from those experiences.  

So, seriously, stop to smell the roses.