The joys of Joy

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am a Marine Corps Brat. For those of you not in the know, this means I was brought up on Marine bases AND indoctrinated into Marine Corps lore. This also means, ours was a very patriotic family. Every morning we heard Reveille and every evening, if we were on the Base, we stopped for Retreat. I am so very proud that my father was a Marine. Giving due to my brothers, husband and two of my nephews, my Dad was always the best looking man ever in his uniform. Love and respect for Country was ever present in our home. People say a lot of bad things about service life, but, for me, it helped me quickly make a variety of friends, meet many different types of people, see places and do things I never would have otherwise. It taught me independence and the knowledge that no matter where you live, home is where your family is. I am grateful to have grown up in the Marine Corps with all its ups and downs. On this special day of remembrance, I wish to thank all those men and women who have ever served our country, past, present, and future. Their devotion and sacrifice are responsible for keeping our nation free. I am one grateful woman." Semper Fi"

SUE, this one's for you

2009-05-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Nursing school two different times.The first during the late 50s',early 60s', the second , the early 90s'. During the big gap, I took time off to raise 5 children. My choice was to do the whole thing over again, including all the prerequisites. I figured too much time had elapsed and too many changes had come to pass. I WAS SO RIGHT!! The knowledge base had grown tremendously. First, I'll tell what we did not have, no IV pumps, no disposables, needles were cleaned, sharpened and autoclaved, put onto glass syringes. We learned to use sterile forceps like extensions of our hands. Oxygen and suction,etc were not at the bedside ,needing to be brought if needed. So much more, I'll stop here. There were nurses' residences adjacent to the hospitals, which we were required to live in for the first year, married or not. The hospitals depended on student nurses to help staff the hospitals. After the "probie" period, we worked 5 eight-hour shifts a week, in addition to classes. These shifts included week-end and holidays ,winter, spring, summer and fall. Our curriculum was divided into "specialties", such as pediatrics,psychiatry.OB and surgery (OR), public health. The floors in the hospitals were divided into medical, surgical, etc. We were instructed in each of these, taking classes,etc and were able to put into practice what we were learning while working with patients in each of these specialties. So, that was a good thing. We had mega clinical practice. As advances in medicine and technology occurred, the way nurses were taught had to change. The role of nurses changed with much added knowledge and autonomy. No longer were we "handmaidens" to the doctors, but, professionals in our own right. One thing that has not changed is the spirit of nursing, we are now, always have been and always will be there for the patient and his family., caring for them with expertise, compassion, and empathy. Most of us came into nursing, hoping to make a positive difference in the lives of those we would serve. This is why I came into nursing. I love and so miss it. It is something that gets into your heart, never to leave.

Wondering?

2009-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Any of you that read my blog must wonder about the last entry. Well, my grandson, Jared is trying to show me how to post pictures, etc, so that was my first attempt. Hopefully I will get better and use more current photos and videos. Bear with this computer challenged grandma, who never the less wants to learn. I'll post more later on my 2 months in Utah with Sue and her family. I leave Sat. to return to Washington.

2009-01-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

Oh, how time flies........

2008-12-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

Here I am again, only much later. I really don't know where the time goes. It's not like my life is crammed full , with every moment occupied by something that has to be done or else. With the holidays now ongoing, family comes foremost to my mind. I have to inform everyone that reads this post, that contrary to their belief, I have the most remarkable children and granchildren on Earth. Each one has such unique talents and abilities. I marvel at them and wonder where this came from, definitely not from their father or me. To have my children and grandchildren surpass me brings great joy and happiness How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father in bringing these very special spirits into my life. No one could be more blessed than me. I want them to know of the eternal love I have for them, how extremely proud I am of each and everyone of them.

ongoing saga

2008-08-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Thought I would continue the saga of Bill & Joy. We continued our courtship on a long distance basis, Bill was stationed At Beaufort S.C. and I was in Nurse's training in D.C. Whenever he could get liberty and I was off, he would either drive up to D.C. or fly into Andrews Air Force base on a military flight and Dad and I would pick him up.. Mom and Dad were now living in Springfield, Va., as, Dad was stationed at the Pentagon, so he had a place to stay. We had a lot of fun, seeing all there was to see in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Sibley had regular dances and sometimes Bill would be able to make those. Yes, children, your Dad actually danced back in those days. On one of our sightseeing trips in D.C., we actually walked up to the top of the Washington Monument and down again. I don't believe they let you do that anymore. Maybe, that is why I have such bum knees now.!! Oh. well it was worth it. In all , we, probably ,were only together, at the most, 6 months out of the 2 years until we got married. I'll write about that later.

procrastinaton

2008-07-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, yes I am posting again , just ,to let you know I am still able to write. I won't go into the reasons, it has been so long,but they are legitimate. Actually , this won't be long. I'm looking forward to visiting many more family members this year, or what is left of it, and Katie I'll probably be back in N.C. for a reunion next spring. I, like Jared felt guilty when I saw how long it had been since words were put to paper, so to speak. I'll be back soon with,hopefully, more interesting stuff.

More on Joy and Bill

2008-02-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Bill and I continued our casual dating through the summer of 1958. His folks came to visit him in N.C. They ( Mom, Dad, Jan and Candy) came to our house for dinner and a visit. I was told later that his Mom (Jean) told him not to let me get away. However, at the time we were not going there. I was helping him save money to go back to Kansas to visit his girlfriend . Bill had trouble saving, so I told him I would help. Later on, he and my brother Roger went back to Olathe, Kansas to visit. His supposed girlfriend was involved with someone else and had just neglected to let him know. Meanwhile, I was deciding what to do with my life, career -wise. I had always wanted to be a teacher and wanted to go to Duke in N.C. Even though I took the year off after graduation to work (at a dry cleaners), there was not enough money. This was before the days of student loans and such. So, I spent many hours in prayer. One particular night, I prayed the whole night and the next morning, had an unexpected answer. Nursing, which I had never considered. Mom was happy because she was an R.N.
When Bill came back, I told him I would be going to Washington D.C. to go to Nursing School. I didn't know where yet. I had applied to a couple of places, one being Sibley (Lucy Webb Hayes School of Nursing), where My mother had graduated and another George Washington University. Well, GW wrote back and said they no longer had a nursing program. Sibley accepted me. That fall, off I went. Bill was still stationed at New River MCAS.
I never believed in "going steady" as, it was termed then. Bill knew this because I told him from the beginning that I would be dating until I had a ring on my finger. So, I began the great adventure of learning and practicing Nursing. I also dated up in D.C. Bill would come up when he could get leave and I was off. Back in those days, we not only had college and nursing classes, but, also worked 5 days a week including weekends at the hospital.
Bill must have wanted me not to date any one else, because on Dec. 29, he came up to D.C., where I was at the Mayflower Hotel at a Sibley sponsored dance with a date. I told him I would see him later at the nurses residence at Sibley. We did and he popped out this lovely engagement ring. I said yes, because we were both so very much in love and so on Dec, 29,1958. we became engaged to be married, date unknown.

anticipation!!!!!!

2008-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Eagerly awaiting the birth of my newest granddaughter, brought back (for some unknown reason), memories of my paternal grandmother (Alice Louise Candler Hines), sharing some remembrances of her life with babies. She shared with me a time when my grandpa was in the "great war" (WWI) and she was alone with 3 children. My grandparents were British and they lived near the water. Grandma said there was no running water near the house, so she had to go down to the river(?) to bring water for all their needs into the house. It also seemed that she was warned that the ememy might access that area to infiltrate . I cannot imagine what fear that must have implanted into this mother's heart. Alone with 3 little ones, one a babe in arms. I remember my grandmother always being this calm, stoic woman. Looking back, was that where she developed this trait or was she always that way.? She said, nappies(diapers) became a huge problem,due to the water factor. Therefore, only those soiled nappies were washed, the wet ones were just strung indoors to dry. Many years later, I also had diapers to wash, but, I had a Washing machine and hot indoor water. What a great invention disposable diapers are!!

celebrations

2008-01-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

Since today would have been Bill's and my 47th wedding anniversary, I've decided to write about us.I first met my future husband an evening shortly before Christmas, 1957. I was coming home from an annoying blind date with an Annapolis cadet (home for Christmas leave), who thought he was the most amazing male ever. NOT. . I walked in the front door of our home in Cherry Point MCAS and Roger, my Marine brother and this Marine buddy of his turned around to greet me. Roger and Bill had just returned from Air Traffic Control School in Kansas . Roger had orders for Cherry Point and Bill was to be stationed at New River MCAS in N.C. Roger introduced Bill to me. He didn't impress me in any particular way. This might have been flavored by that evening's dating experience. I had just turned 18 in October. Bill was 21 that July. After awhile we started casual dating, movies, dinner and such ,but, nothing serious. When Roger noticed that our dates were becoming more frequent, he warned me that Bill had a reputation. Since I had no intention of anything developing from our acquaintance,this didn't bother me. My brother as always was just being protective. Plus, Bill was almost engaged to someone in Kansas, so he said. More on this later!

explanations

2008-01-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

I feel I need to explain what I am planning to do with my blog. My life at the moment is most uneventual. Therefore, I am planning to write, in no chronological order, about my life memories. It seems that I am the keeper of the family memories. This is due to the fact that Mom, Dad, both my brothers, all my aunts and uncles on both sides are no longer living. This also means that no one is around to dispute my recollections. How advantageous for me. Were any of them still here, they might see things differently, because, all of us do view events with our own perception.
I still reserve the right to also include from time to time , ruminations about my extraordinary children and grandchildren. Until next time!!

A new year - A new resolution to blog more....

2008-01-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

I guess I only have to do it twice to keep my resolution!

I can't make up a title right now!

2007-09-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Hey Jared, look what your grandma is doing! That's all for now.