Friday, February 15, 2008 (Post-Valentine's Day), a quarter to eight in the morning, Nashville, Tennessee~

Dear Journal~

Louisiana here.

It's a slow day so far in the ICU: only have three patients, and they're holding their own. Let's see: there's Tank Ramirez, an ex-football player who is in for his diabetes, Edna Ganges, a sweet little old lady with a whole host of medical issues, and finally little Barnabas Hector Bustamante, who has severe asthma (he's our youngest patient; he's six).

I just took Tank's vital signs: stable--thank God! :) Tank is my patient.

I go home at two; hopefully it will continue to be an uneventul day. However, in the ICU, patients can crump at the drop of a hat: you never know when they're going to go downhill; we nurses must always be on the ready.

Johnny is tickled pink: he heard from Rebekkah Cohen. She wrote him a very nice letter; he's since fired a letter back to her. He's been singing in his croaky voice ever since; it's like he's floating on air. He's been in a very good mood, the best he's felt in a long time.

Somehow I think down deep inside he's still in love with Rebekkah and vice-versa. :) Ahhh, young love! How sweet it is, especially on Valentine's Day! :)

Speaking of Valentine's Day, after Bill got home from work (and I rubbed him down), we went out to eat at Cotton Patch Cafe'; had a wonderful meal, just the two of us. Felt good to get away from the  hustle-bustle of home life, away from the kids, if only for a few hours.

I gave him a card with $50 cash; he gave me a pair of new diamond earrings. They were beautiful. I cried.

I am such a softhearted person! I'm very emotional; always have been.

The cupcakes I'd baked the day before were a smash hit with the hospital staff. Within an hour, every one of them were gone. LOL I also made cupcakes for the kids, for their parties at school; they were gone there, too, within an hour. Guess that means I'm a good baker! :) I love to cook; always have!

Tomorrow Ronee' goes for her tryout; hopefully she'll do well. Only time will tell. I do know this: she's a nervous wreck. I tell her to try to keep her mind busy on other things. At least she isn't springing an attitude any longer, like she did last Sunday before church. Oh, she was a witch! I'm so glad that's overwith!

I'll be glad when the tryouts tomorrow are overwith; that's always nerve wracking, not only for her, but for the rest of us!!

The weather is warming up: a few days ago, it was cold; now temps are in the fifties, supposed to warm up to the mid sixties by tomorrow and Sunday. Then we're to have rain, then the weather turns sharply colder as another blast of the Polar Express ventures southward into the Tennessee Valley. We may have some severe weather out of it, too.

Wondermous. Just what I did NOT want to hear! Ever since the recent tornado outbreak a little over two weeks ago, my weather senses have been on heightened alert!

Well, I am going to go; grab something to eat in the cafeteria while the gettin's good. I will write in here again, probably Sunday or early next week. Until then, this is Louie signing out of here. Take care and God bless!

~Love, your friend, Louisiana May. :)