It's a first! Blog 1

      Hello, everyone! This blog is me making an attempt at mass communication on a wildly efficient scale. I have been realizing for awhile now how out-of-touch I really am with friends, family, and normal Mennonite society. This was driven home to me yesterday as I helped a group of ladies with the hurricane relief efforts. I realized that I don't really know how to relate to their lives, and they certainly don't know how to relate to mine. Any of my friends and family can tell you that I don't do well when it comes to replying on "chats" and to text messages... I guess I take after my mother and tend to procrastinate on things that don't HAVE to be done. At any rate, after some thought, I decided to attempt a blog. This way I can relate some of my crazy stories and give you a glimpse into my life without interruptions, and you, the reader, can decide if what I have to say is worth your time.  
     Most of you will know me fairly well, but, since this is a new blog, I feel compelled to tell you a bit about myself. My name is Vanessa. I am a 30 something "single sister." More on that sometime later most likely... I am a Licensed Practical Nurse by trade, and am planning on starting back to school in January to finish those last 3 semesters to Registered Nurse... I was lucky enough to land a job at the only hospital in my area that uses practical nurses in their emergency room, so I guess you could call me an emergency room nurse. I usually work about three 12-hour shifts per week. My off-days usually consist of time spent with my niece and twin nephews, an occasional surf day, very few shopping trips (mostly to Walmart for food), marathon Amazon sessions, and other various methods of recovering my sanity in time for the next shift. I do go to church on Sundays and smile and say Hi and occasionally I go to the youth deal in the evening in a weak attempt to stay somewhat current. I love traveling when I can afford it, which isn't often anymore. I really enjoy working out in the gym, just, obviously, not as much as I enjoy eating... 😯 I have a morbid affinity to blood and gore that most people find strange, except my coworkers. None of us have qualms discussing the trach loogies on the wall in room 9 during lunch break. LOL! I still have hopes for a family someday, but just trying to be useful where the good Lord has put me at this point. That about sums me up! 
     So, yesterday, as I did my best to be a useful member of the group, trying to tear up lettuce into the perfect size for sandwiches and gingerly dry it with paper towels (who else on the planet does this besides Mennonites???), I listened to the ladies discussing whether cheese looked sloppy sticking out the side of the sandwich and how to fluff the meat on the bun to make it look more full, and I realized how far removed from Mennonite normalcy I am these days... I've never used an InstaPot, I don't have the first clue how to quilt or crochet, I haven't been away to a wedding in probably 3 years or so, and all the people I used to "hang" with now are married with multiple children. I've more or less lost touch with a lot of the people that once I was really close with, like my mission families and my youth "squad" from back in the day. The last couple of years, most Christmas letters have dwindled down to nothing more than a Merry Christmas status on WhatsApp. I feel like I have more in common with the people I work with than I do with my own church family! 
     Now I'll be the first to admit that I have no one to blame for this but myself... but, the truth is, most people aren't all that interested in hearing about the misadventures of a 30-something "single sister," and one can only listen to so many discussions on the best types of flour and the merits of Liverpool, so I usually just defer to the peace, quiet, and tranquility of my memory-foam mattress over social deals. However, I do have some pretty amazing stories to tell, so maybe this can be my way of letting all of you into my world. Just a word of warning,... most of my stories will not be exactly the delicate type, just saying, it's the ER. 
     I can see that this is already getting long-winded, so I am going to end it now. However, I am going to give you an option on what story you want to hear on the next blog... text or WhatsApp me your choice! Don't expect a reply! LOL!

• the roach in the ear and other roach stories
• the Hmong shaman
• my first time witnessing a resuscitative thoracotomy
• the carotid tumor guy
• the girl who was a guy who used tampons