AACN NTI Conference

My friends and co-workers, Sue and Regan, and I decided to attend this year's AACN NTI conference (critical care nurses). Kathy was going to go but had to cancel at the last minute. Our director of education, her husband and two of our educators also attended (that includes my good friend Jill!) Sue's sweet sweet neice graciously welcomed us into her gorgeous condo for the week...she and her husband and baby boy were awesome!

We were VERY EXCITED to be at this national convention in Washington DC with over 7,000 critical care nurses!!! Opening ceremony was inspiring!!!!
the expo was in the basements of the convention center and covered two city blocks!! It was a bit overwhelming...

We found a little breakfast joint called First Cup Cafe and we enjoyed getting off of our feet each morning!! and the food was GOOD...especially their MUFFINS!

These medical products companies stop at NOTHING trying to lure nurses to their booths...this model does not resemble any patient I have ever had!!! (but the nurses all stopped at his booth!)

Sue and I loved the Army booth...and they gave us surgical hats and ALSO gave us a hat and a scrub top for one of our docs! We have a fellow nurse (love you Melissa!!) in the reserves and she told us that they had to pack it in on their backs and set up a surgical tent like this in less than 30 minutes...

AH-mazing!

This is the newandimproved allthebellsandwhistles CRRT FLEX machine...mega bucks but we REALLY want one or two for our unit...know any millionaire wanting to donate one???

Next year's AACN theme is STAND TALL and we all received "Tall Stan" (as in flat stanley) to decorate and take back to our units to remind us to STAND TALL for our patients, our hospitals, our units, our professions and ourselves!!

We took a break one night for "Nurses Night Out At The Smithsoniums" This is Jill, me, Sue and Connie (another educator) at the Museum of American History

All the vendors gave out free pens, measuring tapes, flashlights, t-shirts, bandaids, books, hand sanitizers, etc and I brought home a ton of stuff!!!

The expo also had head hunters, shops, colleges, and educational opportunities

Regan and I making one last check to be sure we hadn't forgotten any booth we wanted to visit!

When the convention ended, I had several hours to waste before heading to the airport (I drove up with Sue but she stayed to visit with family and I was ready to come HOME!) Since we hadn't seen D.C., Sue and I took the METRO (I loved navigating around on the Metro) and visited the old Post Office...we saw some sites...

to prove we had actually been in Washington!!

and in this gorgeous old building, I actually found a nail place and got a MUCH NEEDED pedicure before taking the metro to a bus to an airport to fly to Charlotte where Ellen picked me up and drove me HOME!!!

Loved it! Glad I got to go...want to go next year but there truly is

NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!!

Pre-Wedding Celebration

Peter and his cousin Jacob were born 9 months apart and grew up really close. They spent hours playing ball, going to tiger games (before Jacob became a gamecock!), and just being silly together. With grown-up responsibilities, they haven't spent as much time together in the last few years but the bond is still there...still strong! How appropriate that they are graduating and getting married within 6 weeks of each other! We had a pre-wedding celebration on May 15th and it was a blast! (editorial note...I put captions UNDER the pics this time) Peter, Ellen, Brittany, Jacob (LOVE the headbands!!)
Sweet Amy came to wish them well!!!

See this sweet lady? She is "Mrs. Nadine" and way back in 3rd and 4th grade, we lived in Orangeburg and Nadine and Hugh Grambling were in our congregation. I ADORED them and Mr. Hugh spent hours riding me on his tractor through his peanut farm (and to this day, boiled peanuts are my FAVORITE treat!!). They didn't have children and spoiled me totally rotten!! I learned to make hospital corners on sheets from Mr. Hugh (funny how some memories are so clear!) and loved looking at their hundreds and hundreds of arrowheads. Anyway, right before we moved away, they had their one and only child...she is sitting across from Mrs. Nadine. They named her Elizabeth (after her grandmother) but call her Libbi after ME!!! It was so awesome to see them but I was too busy being hostess to sit and talk so I'm heading to Orangeburg soon to see that old rascal Mr Hugh...he also taught me how to play Rook (and cheat too!).

J Con participated in a triathalon that day and we missed it! but he had a great time with the Whetstones!

Pete is not feeling so well so he had to take a break!

Floyd and Laural liked the inside a/c!

Gifts were not expected at this celebration but as hostess, I wanted them to have picnic baskets to remind them of the party!!! (and they did appreciate the gifts that were brought!!)

This table (and another) was LADEN with food but we enjoyed emptying them both!

Pete and Peter grilled about 100 hamburgers and almost 200 hot dogs! (with a little help from Ellen's Dad (David) and me!)

My Dad (DT) and my cousin Gini

The proud Mamas of the Grooms

cousins Gini and Keli

Kristen, Beth and Chloe at the outside tables

Everyone loved the swing and the cool back porch including David, Jared and Chloe

My Mama (Granny) and Beth's twins loved the pool

Sarah Beth and Beth's daughter Carolyn (the ULTIMATE princess)

Seth and J Con cooled off in the pool as well (it was > 90 degrees)

Best Wishes/Congratulations/and tons of LOVE to two OUTSTANDING young couples! Thanks for letting us share in your joy!

THANKS TEAM WHETSTONE!!!

Connor competed in his first triathalon today...we were having our pre-wedding celebration for Peter and Jacob so we missed it but Team Whetstone was there cheering him on...in fact, Connor told us that every time he came up to breathe, he could hear Mary beth yelling "Go Connor" and that made a big difference (he is not a strong swimmer and really was worried about swimming 100 meters!). Jackie came and got him and took him and let him PUT HIS BIKE INTO HER SUV...seriously an honor!!! He finished middle of the pack in 16 minutes and 32 seconds and was on top of the world because he DID IT! Jackie took some great pics and sweet Kenny got this clip of him running..Kenny said he was flying and this video reminds me of Andrew running...I'll be there next time to cheer him on...THANKS Team Whetstone...y'all are THE BEST!!!! and I love you all...

It was your birthday, shout hurray!

Patti Lorraine was born at 9:04 am on the day before Mother's Day in 1990...after a very short 28 minute labor...she was almost 9 pounds, gorgeous, a free spirit from day one and NOTHING could cage her in...and we tried!!! She had to be FREE... In this next pic we were on a hike and she wanted to lead. I asked her where she was going and she replied, "Wherever my feet take me and wherever they go will be great!"

Patti had few fears as a toddler, never met a stranger, believed firmly that everyone who met her would adore her (and they did!), and had the most compassionate, forgiving nature of any child on earth....and all of that is still true today (except she no longer believes that everyone adores her on sight...sad!) Patti-cake was my baby for 10 years...and really, she always will be. The twinners arrived and shoved her out of childhood and out of the limelight but she still holds that "baby" position in my heart (and her Daddy's, too)!!!

Happy Happy Birthday Patti Lorraine...WELCOME to your TWENTIES!!!!!

Hope your birthday was happy my dear flower-child!!!!

I love you Poccahontas!!

Man has a dream...that's how it starts...

For a tiger, this is as good as it gets...a Clemson diploma in one hand and Howard's Rock in the other...at the top of the Hill...and on top of the world...

So Happy that Peter realized his dream and accomplished his goal of graduating from Clemson with honors (and a double major!)The Hill at night...I love this place...
Peter worked for Clemson Security and he spent one night guarding two statues when they were first installed...they will be there across from the hill forever and he can tell his great grandkids of the night he had Dominoes deliver pizza while he stood watch over the tigers...

We stayed at the Stadium Suites...a dorm...Pete and I, Patti, my Dad and DD and Uncle Floyd and Laurel....yes! some of us are way past the age to enjoy a dorm but we survived...and my family was such a good sport about it all...

DT said it was the first night he ever had a girl in his dorm room (not touching that!)

the Breakfast was good once my misdirected self got us to the dining hall

My Daddy, aka Daddy Tom, aka "DT" took Peter to many many games and bought lots of orange shirts and tiger cub memberships...Peter told me once that every time he walked past the stadium, he thought of DT, Granddaddy and Jacob...I know what he means...we all loved our tailgating days in tigertown...today, I don't know who was happier...Peter or my Dad...and we all missed Granddaddy!!! sad...

Ellen's parents came to support Peter...they are AWESOME!

Uncle Floyd and Aunt Laurel always make special days fun!!! We were happy to have family...orange blooded family with us while we watched Peter become the first Clemson Alumni in our family! Thanks y'all!

Connor said on the way home, "It was so cool watching Peter walk across that stage and get his degree" SB replied, "It was really cool watching Peter but it was BOR-ING watching all those other people" True that. But...it was worth it...all of it.

p.s. Dear gamecock friends and family...I love you dearly but this is a fragile day for me so please be respectful or be silent ;) thanks...

This is Peter's season...

disclaimer...So I laugh when people tell me (and they often do) "I can tell your favorite child is..." I laugh because the name they mention differs depending on the "season". We have 7 children and they seem to take turns being "needy" or just grabbing the limelight for a few months...usually coinciding with graduations, serious illnesses, weddings, births, adoptions, etc... sometimes they double or triple up but even then, there is usually one "favorite" meaning of course that one is getting the lion's share of attention (and atm withdrawls). We have never tried to make it fair...it evens out eventually and the cool thing is that they all rally around the needy one...sooooo...all that just to explain that it is PETER's season..he graduates from Clemson on Friday, he starts work at the first fulltime job of his chosen career on Monday and he gets married in June...so he wins (for today anyway!)

And we are SOOOOOOOO EXCITED that he got the job of his dreams...and are thankful for the awesome references his former Bishop and Bishop/Branch President/employer provided. Peter gets to work here...

and he will be in the Columbia area for at least 7 months and then, when he may be assigned to sites out of Columbia, he will get a HUGE stipend for housing allowance. PLUS, he gets a company provided laptop and cell phone. Today, he signed the papers making it official and he was warmly welcomed and given a briefcase and tons of company apparel..nice stuff. He is beyond excited...so grateful for the awesome blessing and so overwhelmed with the possibilities this chance gives him. He is DETERMINED to prove his worth. GO PETER TOM!!!