Work and Riding

I had my six month review because I am quickly approaching half a year working as a registered RN. The last six months have been very busy. I graduated from nursing school, brought home Dickie, and started a new job. They are all positive changes but it has been a whirlwind.

One thing that has become apparent is how hard it has been to keep up a horse routine with my work schedule. I am technically a part time employee which means I am only scheduled ahead of time for two shifts per week (three is full time). However, I need to work full time so from week to week I pick up an extra shift. Some weeks I get in my extra hours by picking up overtime. Other weeks I pick up last minute shifts. For my pre-scheduled shifts they make an effort to give me a break between shifts. However, when I pick up extra shifts sometimes the only option is taking a shift at the end of one set and the beginning of another. This means I might work five in a row or six shifts with just a day in between.

I am very careful about getting enough sleep and being on my game because my patients depend on me. My partner is also my priority. That means ride time takes third place. I do get out to see Dickie and love on him but I haven't had the time I want to ride Josey. I also know that once I can actually start doing real work with him I will be bummed if all I have energy for is brushing when I finally can get on him.

Soooooooooo I let me boss know that I really need more set hours. I am starting up school again soon (need BS in nursing) so it is even more imperative that I can plan my life. As of last week I am officially a full time employee. I will know my schedule two months ahead of time. I can plan ride times, flip myself to being awake during the day, know when I actually have time to show, plan weekend beach trips..... All the fun stuff that keeps you from getting burnt out.

I didn't realize how much having a variable schedule was stressing me out until I had a set schedule for two months sitting in front of me. I am sure I will still pick up the occasional overtime shift but doing it because I want a little extra cash is different than doing it because I feel like you HAVE to because I don't have enough shifts later in the month. YAY!! I am thrilled.

Watch out Dickie and Josey. Some hosses are gonna be trained!!

Absent Blogger

It was a crazy week. I watched Bre's barn last week. It was fun to take care of the animals but it's always disorienting to sleep away from home. Midweek I worked the last three days of orientation on my unit. For the first 6-8 weeks nurses orient to a unit with someone experienced. You are assigned the same patients and as the weeks go on the new nurses takes on the full load. From now on I will not be working with another nurse. It is all me all the time. Luckily I have an AMAZING team to work with who will help me anytime I have questions. The saying "Nurses eat their young" is true in many places but not on my unit. Every nurse there has made an effort to help me feel welcome and confident. I didn't get much done on my work days. There are pros to 12 hour shifts but they are pretty tiring. You don't get much done during work days. If I get home by 8am, crash by 9am it is 4pm before I get up. That only leave a few hours to wake up, do dishes, and make a lunch. I don't like to plan anything during that time. I like to be in a relaxed space when I get to the unit. What that all means is three straight days not going to the barn, or seeing friends. This week was particularly tiring. I had a few patients who needed me in their rooms pretty much every 15mins. That meant lots of laps up and down the hall between my computer and their rooms. I really need to wear a pedometer to see how much a walk on nights like that! I spent the last few days housesitting at my parents house. I can't wait to get back to my routine of a familiar bed, work, my honey, and the ponies.

I have a great pony week planned. Sundays have traditionally been horse days for a years. That went out the window the last year of nursing school and during the first month or so of the new job I worked almost every weekend. Now I am getting into a routine of having a few weekends off a month. I actually have every Sunday off this Sept. Tomorrow I am going to clean tack with my new horsey BFF, ride her adorable draft/appy cross. I just love her horse. She is half draft but isn't too stocky and is light on her feet.

I will be able to head out every day until Thursday to work with the big guy. I also want to work with Bre's BFF Romeo a little too this week. He has been worked western (he is built like a WP guy) and is looking hollow in the back, and scrawny in the butt. A teen was giving a lessee lessons and was very focused on what his face was doing. I want to get on him and feel what is going on. I am hoping that now the the "trainer" is off to college the girl will either take some lessons from me or from the trainer where I now have Dickie at. Some good solid dressage lessons will help build up his bum and back. I also noticed the lessee starting some bad habits with her hands. I was really bummed to see it because when I last saw her riding she was lovely. She is wonderful posture, soft/tall back, solid leg, and her elbows were bent like a pro dressage rider. She was still more of a passenger, than an active rider but at 13 she had all the tools to be a really great rider. She now has her hands back at her thighs and is seesawing and jiggling. It was such a bummer to see that. Most people have to work their tails off to get where she was naturally riding, now someone has grilled bad habits into her. Hopefully all is not lost though. I am thinking if they get out of the western saddle and do dressage and trot over some little jumps he will get moving out again and she be able to forget about fussing with his face.

I am excited to have horse projects all around. After being away from riding for so long it feels great to have horse problems to solve. I love have goal to work on. At the same time I am grateful for miss Bre. Bre has been there done that and it is heaven to have such a connection with an animal. It is nice have an animal you know inside out to fall back on.