Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Class Act

Congrats to my little brother for being nominated AND being awarded the University of Illinois Medical Center's "Class Act" Award.This is a HUGE deal!
The Class Act Award recipients are people working in the Medical Center that have demonstrated values and service recognized as being exemplary.
The criteria for this award: This employee is a role model who continuously demonstrates exceptional competence and compassion in the performance of his/her job responsibilities...an outstanding example of the University of Illinois Medical Center’s five values: Integrity, Innovation, Service Excellence, Safety, and Accountability.
Chief of Staff, ER physician and the "class act."
Jared: "I am still trying to figure out how this happened. Paperwork mix up?
This is the first time a Resident has received the award.
And it's the first time someone from the Emergency Department has received the award.

Normally, when someone new or a resident is nominated, it's brushed off.
This award is for someone who has a history of excellence and has made a difference, not just in their department but in the entire organization.

Here are some of the comments from his nomination:
“Throughout his shift in the Emergency Department, Dr. Marcucci spends as much time as needed with each of his many patients. He makes sure each patient had a clear understanding of the care they are receiving while in the ER and the plan of care as far as discharge or hospital admission.
Dr. Marcucci is very approachable and has a professional attitude. He listens attentively to anyone who speaks to him. Everyone who worked in the ER is equally as impressed with Dr. Marcucci as I am.

But the events that happened at the end of his shift, make Dr. Marcucci so deserving of the Class Act Award. I received a patient at 05:40am who was in quite a bit of pain. Dr. Marcucci's shift was to end at 6 am. I asked if he could order pain medication for the patient before he left. Not only did Dr. Marcucci immediately order pain medications for this patient but he stayed until 8:30am caring for this patient. I accessed the patient's port-a-cath to administer fluids and pain meds. The patient needed a CT scan of her chest and the port-a-cath had to be removed. Dr. Marcucci started a peripheral line using ultrasound to locate the vein.
Dr. Marcucci explained all the procedure to the patient; he explained the need for admission to the hospital and our plans to control her pain while she remained in the ER. The patient was very appreciative of the care she received from Dr. Marcucci. Dr. Marcucci truly embodies the values of UIMC. His dedication to his patients well being and his profession is genuine.”

The following remarks are summarized by John Williams MD. He incorporated his comments and other comments from various attending physicians and nurses in the ED.
Jared is an intelligent and outgoing resident who is thorough, energetic, genuine and unusually compassionate. Jared’s significant life experiences have given him a sense of perspective beyond his years. In a discipline where the physicians pride themselves on being patient advocates, Jared clearly goes the extra 2 miles. He routinely stays late after the end of his shift to address patients’ needs and assist them in ways both clinical and personal. In fact, he has been known to come in early for shifts in order to go upstairs and see patients he cared for previously in the ED.
Jared is sensitive to the patient’s perspective: he’s committed to ensuring that the patient is well cared for both medically and emotionally. Jared is humble and conscientious, showing a level of empathy that is rare in young doctors of his age. Jared is aware of the many factors affecting illness that others often brush aside.
Jared is friendly and outgoing, and goes beyond being a “team member” by personally engaging with and assisting other individuals no matter their role. He reaches out personally to everyone, it seems, including the entire ED team. As an example, our Emergency Department PharmD and our regular APN in Fast Track both commented on how he introduced himself at their first meeting and made them feel welcome from the beginning and offered his help to them.
Jared always seems to have keen insight into patients’ family and social conditions that ultimately affect their health care. This is a rare trait among young physicians. Our attending physicians agree that he is an astute clinician, keen observer, and an excellent patient listener with a “heart of gold”—an unusual combination. His sense of humor is refreshing and uplifting to those with whom he works. He’s eager to learn and strives to improve his medical care. What is more, he is eager to share his energy and talents, and we are much richer for it.

Congrats Bro!  You ROCK!

Gina

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Can it Get More Random?

It doesn't matter that the Christmas tree still only has 5 decorations on it and the ladder is STILL in the middle of the family room.Life goes on.
RaNDoM goes on.
In fact, RaNDoM REIGNS!
If you don't believe me,
go see the queen of RaNDoM
Stacy

Stacy knows RaNDoM!
I'm pretty well acquainted with it myself!


* And now, just FYI -
REAL cowBOYS do NOT wear earrings.
It's not up for debate.
They just don't.
* Yesterday at 2:30 pm, I drove into my neighborhood.
The thermometer in my car read 14 degrees (the high of the day).
By the time I got to my house 1.8 miles later,
the thermometer read 9 degrees.
Wow, that high was short lived.

* I didn't mind that it was so cold because -
the sun was out,
the sky was bright blue,
and I was wearing these -
Yep - my friend Margaret spied them in a shop window in London.  When she stopped short on the sidewalk and gasped, the man right behind her, who ran into her, thought she was hurt. As he started to apologize for injuring her, she explained, "Oh no. Those gloves are so cute, I have to go into that store and get them for my friend."  He thought she was crazy.

Thank you Margaret!

* I was feeling so sick last night.  I have had a headache for seven days.  I felt nauseous and every time I bent over to pick something up, I thought I might throw up.  Plus it sounded like there was an erupting volcano in my stomach.  So instead of having chili and cornbread for dinner,
I had candy and cookies.

* Who was the CUTEST indian in Romania on Thanksgiving?
Hands down, it's that cute missionary in the front row with a hot pink head band and a floppy feather. Only Garrett would look good in hot pink!
* Parker does not let the snow stop him.
Yes, that is a snowy, icy street in our neighborhood.
Yes, he is on a longboard.
Yes, he is stupid.

Have a RaNDoM TueSDaY!
Gina

Monday, December 5, 2011

What Could Go Wrong?

It was nice to have Trammell home for Thanksgiving weekend.
It was nice to have Parker home.......wait, he lives here.
Kind of.

The older the kids get, the less you see them.
It's not that hard to say goodbye when they leave for college because they are NEVER home their senior year.
And Parker is no exception.

But he was around more this weekend.
And so, what do you do when the family gets together and you want to have some good ole bonding time?
WORK IN THE YARD.
Okay, so *I* wasn't home.
I'm not stupid!
I heard "work" and I suddenly had to run some errands.
I think I went to the grocery store because there was NO FOOD in the house after Thanksgiving. ;)
But Brian told the boys he just needed an hour or so to gather up the fallen leaves and pine needles.
They had bagged up ten 40 gallon trash bags and still had several to go.
Boredom set in.
Boredom is BAD!
Boredom is dangerous!
But you've gotta love kids who can make work lethal fun.
Why BAG the leaves when you can BURN them?

Is that even legal?
What could go wrong?
Really........what could go right?

Just as I pulled up, a neighbor girl came running down the street to say that some neighbors up the hill had just called them and asked if our house was on fire.  They could see the flames and were getting ready to call 911.
Luckily, no one was injured and no property was damaged.  Everyone just smelled like a forest fire.

Gina

Sunday, December 4, 2011

God Has a Plan

I went to the funeral of my friend, Jane yesterday.
It was beautiful.
All six of her children delivered wonderful tributes to their mother.
She left behind an amazing legacy.

Her family is sad.  They will miss her deeply.
But they feel comfort.  They feel peace.

What give people the strength to carry on after the death of a loved one?
It is the knowledge that there IS a God and He has a plan.



Have a wonderful Sunday!

Gina

Friday, December 2, 2011

Two Parties & a Funeral

Is it seriously Friday?
Well, according to Mrs. 4444 it is.
I need five more days.  We have a crazy weekend and I need it to be Monday so I can get ready for Friday. Can you believe I am saying that?  What is WRONG with me?

Don’t answer that.                            
·         Priorities for today –

o  Order Funeral Flowers

o   Make a Christmas Carol Trivia Game

o   Buy Christmas presents for the Company #1 Christmas Party.

o   Write a letter to the school administration saying I support Parker graduating early.

·         Yeah, the Christmas Party for Company #1 is tomorrow.  It was supposed to be at MY HOUSE.  It was supposed to be TONIGHT.  Yep – Company #1 Friday and Company #2 Saturday night.  My house isn’t even decorated for Christmas……….unless you count a tree with 5 decorations and a ladder in the middle of the room as festive.

·         Luckily, I talked Company #2 into having their Christmas party in January.  And then I moved Company #1 to Saturday………and out of my house. Phew!  Now, I’m only in charge of games and presents.  I can do this!!!!

·         Would you ever order this – for a funeral?
I hope not.

·         Trammell is over-the-top goofy in love.  Yesterday, I spoke with him three times. 

“What are you doing?”

“Well, my beautiful fiancée and I are driving to………..”
                Or
                “We are talking about dates for the Colorado and Minnesota open houses, do you think…. Oh here….you can talk to my beautiful fiancée.”
I love it!
·         Parker may or may not graduate a semester early.  Yeah, we know the deadline to make that decision was 2 ½ months ago. At the time, he didn’t think he would graduate because 1) he was still 16 and didn’t want to start college in January as a brand new 17 year old. 2) he thought 2nd semester would be “fun.”  Having all your college apps turned in, knowing your grades don’t really count for much, hanging out with all of your friends sounded kind of appealing.  But now that he’s bored out of his skull………it doesn’t sound THAT fun.

Well, I've got to get to work on these priorities!
Happy Weekending!
Gina

Thursday, December 1, 2011

I Won! I WON!

Oops!  I thought I posted this last week.
What the heck was I doing?
Shopping for diamonds?
Making pies?
Roasting turkey?
Who doesn't like to win?
I LOVE to win!

My dear friend Andrea over at Maybe it's just me..... gave me this happy little award!
and I get to pass it on to five blogging friends who keep me entertained.
Ooooo............such power!

Without further ado -
* Julianna - over at Surviving Boys.
She's a newlywed with a teen boy and two youngers who regales us with stories about work, domestic life and romance <- if you count working on home improvement projects together as romantic.  She's UBER talented.  She made her own wedding dress!

* Danelle - over at Outnumbered.
She's a mom of all boys. And they keep me almost as entertained as they keep her!  Her photography is beautiful.  Go for the pictures.  Stay for the writing.

* Mama Badger - over at Out of the Boondocks.
She might have the two cutest little boys in the universe.  They are dolls.
And she almost has me convinced that living in the midwest might be fun.

* Andrea - over at The Sock Monkey Mom.
She's an "old" blogger with a "new" blog.  She's a great writer and always has something fun going on.

* Stef - over at Oops...there goes my mind.
She has a pack of funny kids and a humorous husband as well.
She always entertains and lightens my day!

Congrats girlies!
Go forth and treat some of your favorite bloggers with an award!

Gina

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

All That Glitters Part Two

She said YES!
Trammell and Jen are ENGAGED!
I'm so excited!!!!  Where do I start?

Romance at it's best -
Plan A -
Trammell and Jen were going to fly to Minneapolis on December 17th where sometime during the 4 day stay, Trammell would have a formal talk with Jen's father and ask permission to marry his daughter.
Then when Jen came to visit us in Denver, Trammell would propose on New Year's Eve.

Trammell came home for Thanksgiving and 30 seconds after he stepped off the plane,
we went to our favorite family jeweler - Trice Jewelers - to meet with Ralph.
IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!
And then Trammell was even more excited.........as if that was possible.

Ralph said that he could have the diamond set and the ring sized by the next day if Trammell wanted to.
But, with Jen off at home and the engagement not for more than a month, what was the hurry?
For the next two days, Trammell kept saying, "We should have told him to have it ready now!"

We went to pick up the ring on Friday - Best. Black. Friday. Shopping. Ever!
And then for the next two days, Trammell opened the ring box every 15 minutes to look at the ring.

We all knew that Plan A was going out the window!

Plan B -
Jen and Trammell go to Minneapolis on December 17th.
Corner her dad sometime and propose sometime, somewhere in Minneapolis before returning to Denver on the 23rd.
But Trammell kept looking at that ring and thinking of beautiful Jen.

By Sunday, we were on to Plan C -
Trammell texted Jen's father and knowing that Sunday was a busy day for him, asked him to call him at his convenience........anytime between now and when Trammell would get on the plane to go back to school at 6:30 pm or anytime after 8:30.
Jen's father called right as Brian pulled up to the curb at the airport to drop Tram off.
So that Trammell wouldn't have to have this conversation with "There is no parking in the red zone" in the background, AND to give Trammell some privacy (I so wouldn't have done that!), Brian went in the airport and sat in the terminal and left Trammell in the car in the parking lot to "chat."

Trammell had a prepared speech.
He never really got to give it.
The Kerrs knew this was coming.
Trammell did insist on telling Jen's father how amazing Jen is and how in love with her he is.
Permission granted!

Trammell got on the plane with the ring...........
although security did spot it in his backpack and ask what it was.
Then he had to wait 24 long, painful hours until Monday night.

You see, there is some history with the Monday night after Thanksgiving.
Last Thanksgiving, Trammell spent the holiday thinking.
He was "friends" with two girls.........Jen and someone else.
He knew he couldn't date two girls.
He thought about the two girls and tried to figure out who he should date and who he should "give up."

When he got back to school on that Monday after Thanksgiving,
he called Jen up and asked her to go for a drive.
They drove around and talked.......
and then he said..........
"I really like you.  I don't want to hurt you.  Please don't like me anymore."
She wasn't happy.

He dated the other girl.
He wasn't happy.
They broke up in the Spring.
Trammell went off to Arkansas to work for the summer..........
but he started calling Jen all the time and chatting.
And the phone calls got more frequent.
And by the time summer was over,
he could hardly wait to get back to school and date someone who had become his best friend.

So now, the Monday after Thanksgiving 2011,
Trammell called Jen and asked her to go on a drive.
And they drove to Sundance ski resort and they got out of the car and walked around.
And then Trammell reminded Jen of that painful conversation last year............
and then he told her he didn't want her to NOT like him.
He got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
And he gave her the ring
AND SHE SAID YES!
And they are getting married Saturday, April 21st at 3 pm in the Salt Lake Temple.
Come ON!  They are first borns!  Trammell reserved the time at the temple weeks ago!

We LOVE Jen and we are thrilled and so excited to have her in our family!!!!
I'm giddy!  I might be a little bit more excited than the bride and groom-to-be.
But maybe not.

Gina