Peterson Family Update, Oscar Charlie Tango 2343

Things have been hella busy lately, but not necessarily in a bad way.  They are, however, hella busy in a way that I'm only able to take things in pieces at the moment, which means it's a brilliant time to deploy the bulleted list once again!

• Nutritionist meal plan is still going well. My anxiety around meal planning has decreased immensely and my body is adjusting to different macros and their appropriate portion sizes.  Now that the hypervigilance is continuing to recede, I think I actually feel...pretty good.  A few of my data points are moving in a good direction, too.  I also have not eaten out much since I started this, which is good in its own way.  
• Andy and I are still enjoying rock climbing and the last couple of times I have had some really good climbing days, where I felt I had more gas in the tank than I had previously and subsequently was able to complete a couple of routes that I have been projecting.  We have all learned so much since we started in May, and it's neat to see that progress in something tangible, tackling routes that seemed completely impossible just a few months before.  
• With the last Peterson Family Update, I announced that Andy's position had been eliminated from Rivian.  He has been spending a lot of his severance package time traveling, tackling house projects, the aforementioned rock climbing, and otherwise reacquainting with parts of himself.  
  

• Luna is still a delightful fluffbutt.  She hasn't mastered my attempt at covering her eyes as a trick called "Eclipse," but leans on her side and paws up a bit so that you can move them up to her eyes, so that's a start.  
• Work has been tough lately.  Our current patient population has a lot of confused bodies for one reason or another, which means there are places where logic and reasoning don't apply.  I am solidifying some successful boundaries with a few of these instances.  Sometimes calling security is a way to stop things from escalating rather than waiting for them to escalate past a point--arguing with a patient can be more far agitating than calmly following through with putting them physically back in bed, following through on the choices that have been outlined.  I have wasted forty-five minutes attempting to convince people that cannot understand reasoning--there's no need to continue an unproductive conversation to this degree.  I pick my battles differently; I give choices where I can but not at the expense of anyone's safety.  
• Mike has been continuing in his coursework at Heartland.  We've talked about bones and the like a few times, and I'm trying not to get too pedantic in certain spaces.  
• Absolutely loving the fall weather lately--took an excellent trip to Starved Rock with some friends to catch up, see the foliage, and have a lovely walk.  
  

• The new sofa and chairs we had bought before hearing about Andy's job change arrived and we have rearranged our downstairs accordingly--it's neat to have a new perspective and see our space in a different light.  
• Andy is still sorting through what his next steps might be, but in the meanwhile our health insurance is still covered until the end of the calendar year.  Health insurance plans might sound great until we factor in a Tier 6 medication, in which case I focus only on the max out-of-pocket to compare one plan against another.  I have been managing a lot of spreadsheet action regarding health insurance and starting to look at other employers for different plans.  It's a shitty reason to have to leave my current job, but this is about survival and we'll do what we have to do.  It's a raw but real truth.  I will continue to feel unsettled until we both have coverage lined up for January.  
  

We cannot seem to do big life choices one at a time in our household.  I met some delightful folks at Big Brother Carle through the Ostomy Care Associate class I took who happened to mention that their wound clinic was looking for people.  

I got into nursing specifically to be a wound/ostomy nurse—my heart is in ostomy, with the ingrained compassion from my own experience; my brain, however, is intrigued by wound and the different problem-solving that entails.  I submitted for a transfer that will officially start mid-November.  My plan is still to pick up some weekends on MOSU, but otherwise I'll be commuting for a Monday through Friday, 0800-1700.  This way, I can simultaneously further my ultimate professional goals, keep the relationships I have, while also making some additional money to supplement a higher need insurance plan for my situation.  

I'm still very much feeling the season of change ramifications.  And I'm also optimistic toward the new adventures ahead.