"I would have lost heart, unless I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living..."

Two months ago, I had no hope for any type of job opportunity after my time at Columbus Public Health would come to a close. I was afraid that I would be out on my butt again unemployed for another few months. I would have never guessed that I would be here on January 22, 2011, trying to decide between two separate job opportunities!



I was so sure that the Lord had finally heard my cries and relented, giving me a wonderful part time position at Mount Carmel West in the Mother/Infant Unit. This past week I have been eagerly awaiting a call from their Human Resources department with an offer. Eagerness turned to frustration as I had still not recieved any word from them on the job and it was FRIDAY! Will I really have to wait until Monday to finally have a job????? Finally those 3 beautiful numbers showed up on my caller ID 234 (234 is what all #s at Mount Carmel start with). When I answered, it was Tiffany the unit director. While I was happy to hear from her, I have to be offered the job by HR not her. So long story short, the woman from HR that is in charge of my employment was not in Friday because of the crazy snow storm we had. Tiffany says she hopes to get the ball rolling this Monday.



Then only an hour later I recieve an email from a Jani Hendrix from OSU. In her email she is asking if I am interested in the NICU track of the OSU internship. She wanted to set up an interview with me on Wednesday Jan 26 at 9am.



THE NICU????????



As in Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit??? Uh yes that's right. This is, no offense to Mother/Infant, a huge step up! With NICU experience I can go to any Labor and Delivery Unit I want. And NICU experience at the only Magnet hospital in central Ohio (Magnet is the highest nursing honor a hospital can recieve in the US and OSU is one of like 30 all over the country). Not to mention, I could honestly stay in NICU for the rest of my life, whereas Mother/Infant was solely a stepping stone. I had the opportunity to be in the NICU at Children's hospital. I was in the small baby unit (babies born before 27 weeks gestation). And it was such a fascinating, moving, and beautiful experience I had the opportunity to have as a nursing student. Without a doubt this would be a wonderful job. And it's a full time job!

However, Mother/Infant would be a great job too. When weighing the pros and cons of each, it's clear to see that the NICU would be much better---the only negative is that I only have an interview whereas the Mother/Infant is pretty much a sure thing.

While 24 hours ago I was complaining about how MCW still had yet to call me, I can see now why it's important for me to be on my knees praising my Lord. Had Mount Carmel called before I set up the interview with OSU, I probably would not have gone for it. God is so good! When two months ago I had nothing and now I have surely seen the goodness of the Lord: I have TWO opportunities at my feet! Please be praying for me as I start this, as Dad calls it, journey. It is overwhelming to think that I have a huge decision in front of me. I am not sure where the Lord is leading me (although I do hope it's to OSU) but I am confident He will show me the way.

Is it weird to ask you all to pray specifically? Well if you want some specifics, pray that I will have wisdom to choose the right place, that MCW will call after I hear more from OSU, and that I will have the strength to seek the Lord first, instead of do my usual complain and freak out for nothing bit.

Love you all!

"I would have lost heart, unless I believed that I would see

the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13

---(thanks Tiffany--my cousin, just in case that wasn't clear)

Let me listen to You! muwahhahahahahahahhaahahah!

So today, Mom got a package and inside was my graduation present from 8 or so months ago!

It was


A NEW, HUNTER GREEN LITTMAN CLASSIC S.E. II STETHOSCOPE:








Mom got this engraved on it-Kari Lopez, RN, BSN:





Let me listen to you (said in creepy voice followed by maniacal laugh):





Just in time for my new job! That's right everybody, it's getting closer. I haven't told everyone everything yet! So after my two interviews with Mount Carmel West Mother/Infant Unit, Tiffany (the Unit Director) called and said that she offered the job to someone with a little more experience than me. Boo! BUT, she was still very interested in me and she wanted to hire me as well, however they were still waiting on getting another position approved. She said that if I am still interested in them, she is definitely interested in me!!! Yay!

So I just got a call from her again today and she said that they job was approved and ready for me. However, I guess for HR purposes I need to apply for this particular one. So I was like-great here we go again-. Then she said that after I apply I won't hear from her until after HR contacts me with the official offer! So this time next week I will be in employee health, peeing into a cup to make sure I didn't become a drug addict in the past 8 months (one more month and....just kidding).

First off, all my praise to my gracious and amazing and perfect Heavenly Father! I know that this is seriously His timing and it couldn't have been better! I am so excited and so thankful that I serve an Awesome God!

Second, thanks to my really wonderful family, your prayers have been heard and answered and I am thankful for you and them. Also thanks for your words of encouragement, I would not have been able to stay SANE without it! Love you all!

Poor God, what a visual!

I finally broke down! I have been slowly building up frustration about how I still do not have a full time job.... and last night I blew. Like literally it was the messiest blow, so messy I'm not even sure how to spell 'messiest' or if it's even a word...but it needs to be used.

I cried...hard! I really hate the health department! Not only am I doing NOTHING at all with this job (I don't think giving a few shots a day qualifies as Nursing) It's just a bunch of politics. If I wanted to be in politics I would be working on being in the Senate, where at least I could make closer to six figures while doing Nothing!

I just can't see Community nursing as the best place for me. It is not what I am passionate about (actually I am passionately against it...well only for me others can certainly do it). It's getting to the point where my entire day (five whole hours worth! she types sarcastically) is a LIE!!!! I pretend I like it and that everyday is a great and wonderful experience, when in reality I am screaming on the inside...I HATE THIS!!!!!

I was talking to a school nurse at one of our sites and she was asking me about what I really wanted to do with my career and I told her about Mother/Infant and Labor and Delivery and she was like, "blech, I hated both of those units when I was in nursing school" and all I wanted to say was, "Good that makes it even, You hated what I loved and I hated what you loved! Now we won't get in each other's way! (smiley face smiley face)" but what I actually said was, "well I just love nursing so anywhere is great for me I love it I love it all"

LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe I have become a lying maniac! I just want this Mother/Infant job and they still haven't called.

In Sunday School dad was teaching us about something...I was listening I promise but we touch on so much it's hard to remember it all. What I did remember was disappointment. He was like "Does God ever disappoint us?" Well of course not! But we feel like it! and Dad went on to talk about when we feel disappointed we should just remember that God wants the VERY best for us and He isn't disappointing us, He is redirecting us. Because why would He give mediocrity when we can have AWESOMENESS (I'm pretty sure that is in the Bible somewhere and if not...it should be... I'm talking to you 'The Message' writers).

So when I look back at this actually small unemployment timeframe, I realized He really is redirecting me...

For starters: 6Tower. When I prayed for my interview, I'm pretty sure that Jesus looked down at me and said "6Tower Kari? Really? You think I don't have anything better than that up my sleeve? Please!(zig zag finger snap)" Then came the opportunity for the ER and God was like..."You need some practice interviewing with a panel...even though this is totally NOT the job I have for you-waste 'o' time in the ER when you want L&D". Then just when I couldn't stop wearing my pajamas 24/7, I did AMAZING at my temp interview, cause I think God was like, "Ok so you need an income for bills and such so here you go...easy nursing job...silver platter..." And then Midland, TX called and God was like, "Kari it's a small town...you're a city girl...and you don't own a gun so...you know, you CAN'T be a Texan"

That brings us back to the present: Mother/Infant awesomeness! I just don't get why I haven't gotten the "we want you, you're hired" call. And that's why I broke down, because I am ANXIOUS and CRAZY and IMPATIENT!

Today at my painful job I went to the bathroom and grabbed my usual stall, the one with the broken lock that I always forget is broken so I have to hold the door closed, (this is the only 3ft x 2ft room I don't have to pretend in, I can be myself completely), and I prayed! Poor God, what a visual!

Anyway, prayer is the only secret I have left. I still hate my job but at least now God has given me the grace to do it. and hopefully he will redirect me to the Mother/Infant Unit!!!!

2010 was Wonderful....can't wait for what 2011 holds!

Last night to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another, I went to my friend Tiffani's house (funny side note story...Kevin asked us what we were doing and I said 'We're going to Tiffani's' and he got really confused and I was like, 'yeah we are driving up to Michigan to see Tiffany!' too bad that couldn't have been true...miss you Sullivans!)

Any way, I brought Tom and Anna with me and we played Quelf and also the three round game that you pick papers with random things written on them and have to describe, act out, and say one word describing them, it has no name except the unfortunate 'threesome' so I decided to call it, wait for it....Random Draw! Let me know what you think of the new name! It's interesting to play those games with different mixes of people. We had baked spaghetti for dinner and this delicious and inappropriately named cake for dessert. Then after the ball dropped and we said our happy new year's, we watched Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. It was pretty terrible but I am glad I got to spend my evening, night, and early morning with friends. We left at like 215am and because the cops were out all over the place, I couldn't speed (slash) 'break the law' so we didn't make it home until 3am.

Good times.

Reflecting back on 2010, I am really thankful for how great my life is and wonderful my friends and family are. So I created a:

Top Ten Favorites from 20Ten:

10. Discovering the Sitcom, How I Met Your Mother

9. Getting a nursing job at the health department when I needed it most, Thanks God even though I easily forget, You always provide what I need.

8. Being on the Mother/Infant Unit for my leadership quarter during school, it was a great experience and could possibly get me a job there!*

7. Bringing home Skittles, my Chihuahua pup (that was on last years list of things I wanted for 2010 :) )

6. Seeing my little bro experience a Finals performance and then Award's ceremony at his first BOA.

5. Learning about myself that I can stay positive and focused on the Lord, even though not having a secure employment is scary, frustrating, mind-boggling, and depressing---it helps that God placed me in the most amazing and supportive family there is -from my loving and wonderful Parents who let me live in their house and supported me even though they had plans for my room, to siblings who always have the best words of encouragement and advice to give, to my nephew who is cute and hilarious, to aunts and uncles who I know have been praying for me everday and one who tried to hook me up with a job, to cousins who read my blog and leave me wonderful comments, make me laugh, and even email friends and family to get me hooked up with employment, to Grandma-my beautiful and wonderful prayer warrior, I love your FACE! I have the BEST family EVER!!

4. Buying and reading Matt Redman's book The Unquenchable Worshipper

3. LeiLyLoBoFelVanApp's Reunion Pigeon Forge Twenty Ten.

2. Graduating from Mount Carmel College of Nursing with a Bachelor's in Science and Nursing!

and the Number 1 Favorite about 20Ten:

1. Passing the NCLEX-RN so that now my full title is: Kari J Lopez, RN, BSN

Woohoo what a great year! I only have one Wish for 2011 (because I suck at Resolutions):

That 2011 will beat the crap out of 2010 with Awesomeness!

*From number 8, because I don't think everyone knows, I have had two interviews with the Mother Infant Unit at Mount Carmel West and I expect to hear about whether or not I have the job on Monday!