Bottle it and sell it kind of motivation

I've been super motivated lately. I don't know exactly where it's come from, but I've very thankful it's here.

For the last three years, I've been putting off taking my CCRN exam (an exam for nerdy critical care nurses that want to be certified in what we're already doing :) Well about two weeks ago, I just decided enough is enough, and I registered for the exam. For one, I think I kept putting it off, because its a $300 exam, for which I will not receive a raise (God-willing I pass the test). At least our hospital doesn't for people with my employment status.

The date is set for August 13th.

Oh, and I'll post this also, because I'm proud of it, what with being the horrible procrastinator I am... I've started studying for it! Haha, I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but seriously, this is post-worthy for me :) I'm very excited to take the test. I'm a super nerd. For life.

Oh, (again) and following the CCRN exam, I plan to take two sub-specialty certification exams. The CSC and CMC (God-willing I pass those also) will certify that I am competent and able to take care of cardiac patients of acute illness, such as heart attack and open heart surgery. Both of these I do already, but again, out comes the nerdiness :)

So, when all is said and done, my new credentials will be:
RN, BSN, CCRN, CMC-CSC

Not too shabby, eh?

Haha, I'm not doing it so much for the letters, but because I know that having 100 hours of continuing education due every three years will MAKE me stay up-to-date on the most current critical care info, and being the procrastinator I already claim to be, I can use all the help (aka, mandatory education) I can get.

Besides getting a second wind in my professional life, I've also done so with my fitness life as well, being that I haven't had one in the last 3-4 years.

I'm so sad and embarrassed to admit, but since Sam and I were married, I've not exercised routinely or even not routinely at all. When I was in college and high school, I worked out all the time. Not in the obsessive, so concerned with my weight kind of worked out, but the maintain my muscle mass type.

Then, we got pregnant two months after we were married, and I honestly just lost all interest. I didn't see the point, although I do now. And not that it's an excuse at all, but I nursed Ella eight months, and was afraid to work out the whole time, thinking that if I did, I'd make my milk supply go down. (I think I read that somewhere- that if you do cardio/aerobics, it will do that. Probably bogus.) Then when Ella was eight months, we conceived Samy, and the same excuses perpetuated themselves, all the way up through the eight months I breastfed him. Sigh.

But in the last three weeks, I realized how much I missed breaking a good sweat and feeling like I'd done something good for my body. I talked to Sam about it and he was all supportive of me joining the Y and signing up for the nursery, so that I could take the kids with me to work out. So I did. It's been wonderful! I feel confident and strong, and dare to say it, sexy! Maybe the last part is due to the first :) Who knows?

Well, I've enjoyed it very much. But, alas, I'm having to slow down a bit and take a break. The last time I worked out, which was about a week and a half ago, I started to have chest pain. It's not chest pain in the usual sense, rather a pain I had in high school. The exact same pain, actually. Same location, same intensity, everything. I was checked out by a cardiologist at the time, and he couldn't find anything.

Now that I'm a CCU nurse and studying for my CCRN, I think I may know what it is. And believe me, I'm the last person to self-diagnose, especially the end of the world, worst possible scenario diagnosing types. But I think there's a difference in self-diagnosing my Google searching symptoms and an educated guess as to what it may be by assessment and findings as compared to legit medical/nursing references.

I dont' know what it is. I'm planning on going to a cardiologist for another evaluation in August, so we'll see then, but in the meantime, I'm going to start working out again, but maybe with less intensity.

Overall, I'm just really, really happy to be improving myself right now. I feel like God put a fire in me to be a better person. The Holy Spirit is with me every step of the way, gently guiding me in the way to be a better nurse to serve His people. And a better wife for my husband.

I want to live with a fire for life that doesn't dwindle because I'm used to the same 'ole, same 'ole. I want to be the fire that enflames others.