Category: Lifestyle

Virtual Valentine 2022

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I Love Nurses

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day on Peace Love Nursing if I didn’t talk about my love for nurses or nursing. While I still do love nursing, given me still being away from my profession, I decided to talk about my love for nurses today.

Nurses are the best. They are kind, intelligent, bad ass life savers. I may be bias, but they will forever hold a special place in my heart. Nurses I have worked with have helped me through some of the best and worst times of my life- both professionally and personally.

Thank you- CNAs, Nurses (LPN, RN) and NPs, Phds, & CRNAs for all the amazing things you do with your patients and your coworkers. The work you do is so important. You are so important. And you are so much more than your title and profession. You deserve love and happiness.

Self Care Week

A reminder, that this week is self care week in honor of Valentine’s Day! You can find my full blog post here, but I would love for you to join us in being mindful about taking a few minutes out of each day to take care of ourself and do something that makes us happy. Check out my blog post for more information! You can follow me along on this self care week and share yours by joining me on Instagram.

Thank You, Thank You 

Thank you all for being here and the love you have shown me over the past five years! I can’t tell you how it means to me when anyone takes the time to read my blog post. I hope this Valentine’s Day you know you are worthy of love and happiness.

Xoxo,

Megan

Valentine’s Self Care Week

Hello! Happy Saturday! I hope everyone had a good week. Let’s be honest, I say it a lot, but the past two years has been difficult for all of us. So much change and unknown in our daily life. Self care is a very easy thing to put on the back burner. In honor of the day of love (Valentine’s Day) I am hosting a self care week and I would like for everyone to join me! Nurse or not. It is super simple, each day I have a self care activity for you to engage in. If the activity doesn’t work for you or that day, feel free to improvise with what does! The point of this is not to be stressful or another thing on your “to do list.” It is meant to simply encourage you to find joy in something everyday.

I know that there is a lot of toxic positivity and superficial self care on social media these days and I don’t want you to view this as that! I know that self care is so much more than skin care or taking a walk- but those things can be self care and they can be helpful! Finding joy in small things, even when life is really hard, is an act of being human and helping to find your way to happiness again.

If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram! I will be sharing my self care week on stories and would love to be able to see yours as well! You can always email me using my contact page to share! I love connecting with nurses and anyone who is kind enough to take the time to read and engage with my blog!

Thank you for being here and the continued support on my little corner of the internet. Let’s all take some time next week to should ourselves some much deserved care and love!

Black Nurses Leaders- Black History Month

February is Black History Month and we are celebrating it today on the blog by discussing three influential Black nurses who helped to pave the way for equality and provided excellent care to their patients.

Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN (1958-Present)

Dr. Ernest Grant was the first male to be elected president of the American Nurse Association. He has over 30 years of nursing experience and is a burn-care and fire-safety expert. His career achievements include serving as the burn outreach coordinator for the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Grant ran the public burn prevention program, promoting safety and works to reduce burn-related injuries through education and legislative process. He has received multiple awards for his work- including Nurse of The Year award presented by President George W. Bush for his work treating burn patients from the World Trade Center site.

Estelle Massey Osborn, MSN, RN (1901-1981)

Estelle Massey Obsorne lead the way for Black nurses to enter leadership and education roles in nursing. When she entered nursing school, only 14 of the 1300 nursing schools in American were open to Black students. She went on to become the first Black nurse to earn a Master’s degree. In 1945, she became assistant professor at New York University, and was the first black instructor. She was a member of the ANA Board of Directors and served in many leader ship rolls- including first vice-president of the National Council of Negro Women.

Adah Belle Thoms (1870-1943)

Adah Belle Thoms studied nursing at the Women’s Infirmary and School of Therapeutic Massage. She graduated as the only Black woman in her class. She continued her education at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing. She went on to be named acting director of Lincoln Hospital in New York and served in that position for 18 years. However, she never received the official title due to racist policies. Ms. Thoms cofounded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, serving as President for 7 years. Later, she successfully lobbied for Black Nurses to serve in WWII with the American Red Cross and Army Nurse Corps. In 1976, she was one of the first inductees to the America Nurse Association Hall of Fame.

To learn more about Black Nurses who have lead the way in nursing, see 2020 Influential Black Nurses blog.

 

References:

https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/leadership-and-governance/board-of-directors/ana-president/

http://ojin.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/AboutANA/Honoring-Nurses/NationalAwardsProgram/HallofFame/19761984/osboem5559.html

https://www.chamberlain.edu/blog/a-celebration-of-10-famous-black-nurses-in-history

https://www.nahc.org/bhm-thoms/

Snow Day in the NC Mountains

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a nice week. I am still healing from some post Covid symptoms, so it has been a slow week for me. As part of my mental health recovery I wanted to start writing some more lifestyle post to go along with my nursing post. Something a little lighter and more fun to write. So today I’m sharing a very pic heavy post (lots of dog pics!) about our snow day in the North Carolina mountains.

We went to visit my sister in law and her boyfriend New Years Eve in the mountains of Western North Carolina. We were all vaccinated and being cautious, but unfortunately my sister in law and I both contracted Covid. Between Covid and some snow fall we ended up staying about 3 weeks with them! It was so great to spend time with them and we really appreciate their hospitality! I also enjoyed getting to see snow. Unfortunately, Stephanie and I didn’t get to enjoy the snow as much as we would have liked, but we did get time outside in. And lots of time by the fire with some hot chocolate.

This was Declan’s first time seeing true snow and he LOVED it! He and Haze, Stephanie’s dog had the best time playing together out in the snow! It was so much fun to watch. The second snow we got while we were there was 18 inches! I haven’t seen that much snow since I lived in Ohio.

My dog niece & nephew- Chinook (black and white) and Haze

Declan in the Snow

S.K.C. Photography

Stephanie is also a very talented photographer and owns her own business! She focuses on Real Estate Photography, but also does engagement, family, nature, and pet photography. She is so talented! She did our engagement photos and they are some of my favorites. I highly recommend looking her up if you are in the Upstate SC/Western NC area and need a photographer! Check out her Instagram here. She was kind enough to share some of her awesome snow day pics with me for the blog.

Haze

Chinook

Declan and Haze loved playing in the snow

We are now back in Florida and enjoying the sunshine, but it was fun to enjoy the snow for a little bit. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2021

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope your day is full of good food and time with your family and friends who have become family. If you are working the holiday, thank you! I know working the holidays can be tough, and I appreciate your service. If you are away from a loved one, or estranged from a loved one, I’m sending you love. I have spent eholidays away from family and I understand the pain that can cause.

A few things I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving:

My Family & Friends

My Husband

Travel Nursing

The Capitol at night- Washington, D.C.

My Furbabies

Living Tiny

My Fellow Healthcare Workers

YOU 

Thank you for the continued support of my little corner of the internet. Taking the time to read what I write means a lot to me. I appreciate you so much.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Please share with me below! I know the past 2 years have been hard on us all, but let’s all take a moment to think about what we are thankful for and the beautiful people we have in our lives. If Covid has taught me anything, it is to never take this life or the people in it for granted.

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving, friends. Thanks for being here. <3 

Love, Megan xoxo

Life Lately- Spring 2021

Hello! Sharing a little catch up on what we have been up too the past few months. We are still on assignment on the Space Coast, Florida. I renewed my contract for another 13 weeks because I liked my job and was LOVING my time off! Beach, pool, river, sunshine all make for some great days off. 😉

Life Lately…

We weren’t sure if we would like our campground when we first arrived. We had very little options coming at the time of the snowbirds and this was the only long term spot I could find. Thankfully, it’s turned out great. There is a nice pool, laundry facility, the neighbors and staff are friendly, and we have settled in to our new home.

My sister in love, Stephanie, was working as a photographer at a sports complex about an hour from us. When she realized that, we decided to make a trip of it! She was able to come stay with us for a few days and enjoy some beach and pool time, cook out and chill at the camper, and see her first rocket launch!

My sister said yes to the dress! We spent a weekend in Charleston, SC dress shopping and I am so excited to say that she found the most perfect and beautiful dress!

She also asked me to be her Matron of Honor and I happily said “yes!” I can’t wait to stand by her side on her special day!

My husband and I are fully vaccinated! Along with my parents, Bradley’s parents, my sister and future brother in law! I am so thankful for all the hardworking scientist, researchers, healthcare workers, and all the other people involved who helped make this vaccine possible.

We were able to see a manned rocket launch! This rocket was heading to take four astronauts to the International Space Station! I have seen several launches between the shuttle program and the current rocket launches, but this was by far the most beautiful and amazing launch I have ever seen! We sat with my parents on the beach at 0600 and watched the launch, it was an awesome experience.

The Cocoa Beach Air Show thankfully was on a weekend I was off, so we got to sit on the beach with my parents and watch! So many awesome planes and talented pilots, the finale was watching the Thunderbirds perform- so amazing!

Our friend Justin came from Greenville to visit the past week and we packed a lot of adventure into his time here! I was thankfully off for 8 nights (thank you, 3 12s) so it was like a vacation for me too! We went kayaking at Merritt Island Nature Refuge, went to the beach, saw two rocket launches, rented a pontoon boat for the day, and explored Kennedy Space Center! Bradley and I purchased season passes to Kennedy Space Center so expect a full post to come!

Declan’s first boat ride- he loved it!

Assignment #3, Covid Vaccine, and RV Life

Hi, friends! It’s been a while! How are you doing? We are getting settled into our new home for the next few months- The Space Coast of Florida! I am currently sitting outside blogging in 82 degree and sunny weather, so no complaints from me!

Assignment # 3

I am starting week 6 of this travel assignment and I am loving it so far! The hospital is on the water and has beautiful views. Last week I was able to stand in an empty patient room and watch a rocket launch light up the night sky. I also have seen cruise ships in port and you can even see Kennedy Space Center in the background! Definitely a very cool location to work.

I am on a PCU (progressive care unit) and really like the people I work with. They have all been nice and welcoming. I still work with Covid patients but this unit has a limited number of negative pressure rooms so I usually only have 1 or 2 Covid patients shift. That has been a welcome break from 5-6 Covid patients. I am working with the patient population I enjoy and get to have cardiac patients again!

Covid Vaccine

Disclaimer: This is my own personal experience and it is not to be taken as medical advice. I am in no way telling you you should or should not get the vaccine. I do, however, encourage you to speak to your own health care provider about the risk and benefits and make an informed healthcare decision that is right for you. If you follow me on Instagram, I have a highlight section linking my favorite MDs, NPs, and infectious disease researcher that share factual, easy to understand information on the vaccine. 

I am so incredibly thankful to science and that I was able to receive the Covid vaccine last month. The first shot I only had a sore arm and went back to work the next night with out issue. The second one I had a few more symptoms but still nothing terrible. I was fine when I went to bed that night but I woke up with nausea, hot/cold flashes. and general body aches. I tossed and turned and was up for most the night. The next day I was able to nap and felt better by that night. Even my nurse friends who have much worse reactions- fever, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, etc. all agree- there reactions were still better than getting Covid. We have seen how sick patients can get with Covid and the devastation it causes to both the patients and families. They are thankful for the vaccine and they would do it again. We are all so thankful for this glimmer of hope and the opportunity to be a part of science and history.

The RV Life

We are officially back to living in our tiny home on wheels! The month I was off work in December we stayed at our apartment in Greenville. The past month Bradley was in the apartment while I was staying with my parents in Florida (thanks mom and dad!) Bradley had some things to finish up with work in Greenville so I had to come down a month before him to start work. Last week he was able to bring the camper and the fur babies down and it’s so nice to be reunited with my little family again! We really do love living in the RV, which a lot of people are surprised to hear. It does not feel nearly as small as people think and it really feels like home to us now. It’s also wonderful to literally be able to take our home wherever we go! No moving in and out of short term rentals or hotels every 3 months, or having to try places that are accepting of a 60 pound dog and sassy cat.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week! I am off the next two days and my parents are coming over to cook out tonight. It’s so nice to be close to them again!

A Look Back at 2020

We made it out of 2020! I think that is definitely worth celebrating. I hope everyone was able to enjoy a safe and relaxed New Years Eve/Day. If you worked, THANK YOU! I have worked New Years Eve and I know it’s not alway the most fun, but if you have good coworkers and sparkling cider, it can make it a little better. I feel like we all have dwelled a lot on the bad of 2020, and let’s face it, there is a lot of it. But I wanted to start out 2021 with a post about the positive things that happened in 2020.

Annabelle and I had girls nights while Bradley was out of town- it involved cuddles on the couch, Taylor Swift & lots of snacks

We adopted a puppy- Declan! We love him and he is one of the best things to come out of 2020

I worked my last shift at my staff nursing job- it was so hard to leave my nurse family

My sister road tripped with me to Washington D.C. during a pandemic so I could start my first travel nurse contract

I was a float pool RN and floated to 12 different units at the hospital, mostly Covid units

Culbertson’s Go Tiny! We bought our tiny home/camper and started our dream of traveling and living tiny.

Annabelle became Queen of the Camper

Bradley and I explored D.C.

My sister visited for my 30th birthday

We took Declan on his first camping trip in Shenandoah National Park

Halloween arrived to Camp Culbertson

I got one of the best FaceTimes ever- my sister was engaged!

My parents visited us in D.C.

We packed up and moved from D.C. after living there for 6 months

We got our first “real” Christmas tree since I lived at home with my parents

We rung in the New Year with my sister in love, her boyfriend, and my fur niece/nephew. Declan and Haze became best friends and Cousin Camp 2.0 was born

I didn’t get a pic of the four of us 🙁 but here is a pic from our Bachelor/Bachelorette party 🙂

Thank you to all the healthcare workers, essential workers, EVERYONE who helped us make it through 2020. Please continue to wear your mask, wash your hands, stay home if you are sick, and socially distance.

Happy New Year! Cheers to 2021!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Merry Little Christmas- 2020


Hello, friends! It’s really hard to believe Christmas is just a few short days away. I know Christmas is filled with joy and magic but it also can be filled with a lot of sadness for people. Add in 2020 + the pandemic and it really can feel unbearable. This year I know most people are feeling at least a little bit of grief, sadness, anger, frustration, guilt, or maybe a combination of these things. I’m here to tell you, that’s okay. I know some people have suffered unimaginable losses this year- loved ones have passed, jobs have been lost, families are separated. If you fall into any of these categories, I truly am sorry for you hurt and I’m sending you love. If you don’t completely fall into these categories- I’m sending you love too. It’s easy to hear, time and time again, to “look on the bright side” or “others have it much worse.” While I think appreciation and gratitude are important, I also thinks it’s okay to feel whatever you are feeling, and not have to apologize or feel guilt on top of it.

Last night, I snapped a picture of Declan in front of the Christmas tree and posted with the caption “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” This got me to thinking, this year is hard. We are all trying to make it through. What if we try to have a Merry Little Christmas, too? It doesn’t have to be perfect, we don’t have to ignore our sadness or loss, but maybe we can find a sprinkle of Christmas cheer among the hurt? I got to work last night and came up with four simple tasks to do each day to try to bring some happiness into Christmas 2020.

Tuesday

A Few of my Favorite Things

Today, I want each of you to think of some of your favorite parts of the holiday!

My answers: Favorite Movie: Christmas Vacation, Favorite Song: Carol of the Bells, Favorite Treat: Peanut Butter Blossoms/Good ole fashioned cut out sugar cookies! The next part of this activity is to find time to enjoy all of these things this week! Listen to your favorite song in the car, bake or purchase a holiday treat, and curl up with a blanket and hot chocolate to enjoy your favorite movie!

Wednesday

Self Care Day

Before we head into the holidays, I think it’s so important we find some time to practice some healthcare! This can be anything that brings you peace and relaxation.

Some ideas may be:

  • Get out in nature! Go on a walk, run, or hike. If there is snow, build a snowman!
  • Drive around a neighborhood to look at Christmas lights! Bonus if you bring a delicious hot beverage with you.
  • The typical but always relaxing face mask, bubble bath, painting your nails….
  • Read a few pages of a book or a blog that you enjoy.
  • Color, doodle, paint, or craft.
  • Bake your favorite holiday treat or meal.

Check out my blog post from this spring with more ideas on self care while social distancing!

Thursday

Practicing Gratitude

Christmas Eve- and I think this will be a great day to focus on what we are grateful and thankful for. I know this day will look different for many of us, and that may make us feel sad or left out. Again, it’s okay to have these feelings. The point of this is not to get rid of or ignore the negative feelings, but to add in some positive feelings.

Take a moment to list and reflect on three things your grateful for. Even among the hurt, we can find things good in our life if we take a moment to look.mThree things I’m grateful for: My husband and fur babies, my family and friends, and Christmas lights. <3

Friday

Together Even if Miles Apart

Our wedding party & amazing friends- I miss them all so much!

The last day of Merry Little Christmas is reaching out to someone you don’t get to see this year on Christmas. It can be a family member or friend. Even a coworker! Send them a text, give them a call, FaceTime/Zoom, or even send them a Snapchat with a fun filter! The whole point is to reach out and send someone some love. It doesn’t have to be long or time consuming.

Working the Holidays

Before my Christmas Shift in   2018

If you are working this year- in any capacity- THANK YOU! I have worked many holidays including Thanksgiving this year. I know we try to make the best of it, but I also know if we are being honest, it sucks. Merry Little Christmas was made with you in mind! No matter what your schedule is, all these things can be done with very little time! However, I hope they will have an impact on your week and make working the holidays just a little bit better. Again- THANK YOU for what you do.

Join me on Instagram

If you follow me on Instagram, I will be posting every day about the activity, as well as discussing in my stories. I also created some simple templates so you can share what you did each day! I would love for you to join me! If not, please comment on here of FB, or tag me on social media to share what you are doing each day! <3

Instagram: @peacelovenursing

Facebook: Peace Love Nursing Blog

 

Life Lately: Fall 2020

Hey, friends! I thought we may take a few minutes to catch up on life the past few months. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Celebrating my 30th Birthday

The last weekend of September my sister flew to DC a day early to surprise me for my birthday! It was great to see her and we enjoyed some socially distant/masked/outdoor exploring while she was here.

We went to a beautiful winery and enjoyed a bottle of wine and mountain views.

Enjoyed lunch at the cutest Italian restaurant in Georgetown! We got to sit at the upstairs patio under the umbrella.

On my actual birthday, Bradley and I went to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, had a picnic on the lawn in from of The Capital, and then came home to enjoy a sushi dinner. It was the perfect 2020 birthday.

Declan’s First Camping Trip

After my birthday, we drove to Shenandoah National Park. We stayed two nights and it was so fun and I’m proud to say Declan did so well! He slept all night curled up in the tent and did great on our 6 plus mile hike.

1 Year Anniversary

October 12 we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary with an at home seafood boil! It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we were married.

Very thankful to have this amazing person to do life and adventure with!

Halloween at Camp Culbertson

We had our first Halloween in our tiny home (RV). Of course, everything looks different this year. We did get to decorate and leave some candy (and hand sanitizer 😉 ) for our socially distant trick or treaters!

 

End of Contract #2

I have officially finished my second contract as a travel nurse! It was an extension of my my first travel contract in Washington, D.C. I was offered a third extension, but I declined. We have loved DC and we are sad to leave, but we are excited to continue our travel adventure in a new place! I have signed a contract and will be sharing our next stop soon!

My sister is engaged!

I received the best FaceTime call a couple weeks ago from the top of a mountain- my sister was engaged! Her ring is gorgeous and we love her fiancé Nick. I can’t wait to officially have him as part of the family!

Thanks for joining in on my little recap of life the past few months. We now get to pack up the tiny home and head back to Greenville for a few weeks before heading to travel nurse assignment #3! I can’t wait to share where we will be heading next!

I know 2020 is a heck of a year, but what is something GOOD that has happened for you this fall? It can be big or small! We celebrate all the victories around here. 🙂