When They Think You’re Nobody Special:)

I sometimes sit back and think about people, places, and things. I tend to be more of an observer and not much of a talker. I’m a lot more observant of how people treat me now then I had been before. I used to give people a pass, trust them until they did something horrible that made me not believe them and seek other’s validation to determine who I was, am, am going to be, etc. Life, however, teaches you better when you’re open to learning. People will look at you as a nobody, treat you like you are nobody, stand in judgment of you, and act as if you’re beneath them. God has given me discernment about a lot of things, and now I can chuckle at other’s actions regarding me instead of running into a closet and crying. I mean, when I learned that my life or outcome wasn’t tied to anyone’s perception of me, I could keep trucking and chuck up the deuces, honey. I don’t know if I have haters, but I do know jealousy, envy, and a sense of feeling superior to me in other people. I guess that is a form of hate, isn’t it? Yup, I think it is. Well, I love how God turns things around and makes my enemies my step stool, how he has taken me from the gutter, and placed me on top of mountains where I couldn’t even be touched. I want to say I’m not bragging, but then and again, I am. My heavenly father takes such great care of me so that I can boast on him. So, let people think you’re a nobody, that you won’t succeed, that you can’t possibly rise above your circumstances and keep shining and moving in quiet. Stay humble and work. Remember, you’re not you’re past, and you’re not what people say or think you are. You are somebody pretty impressive and unique in your own right. You are who God says you are, who He created you to be, be the underdog and you will succeed! Trust the Process because you are special:)

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRN

April Cook Salon

Hey, hey, hey y’all. I’m back, starting out my week by promoting a young, very talented young lady named April. April has her own hair salon business in the DMV area. April Cook Salon LLC provides her clients with an opportunity to express their own individual personality and fun side without ever going against their hair’s integrity.

April Salon was a dream that came to fruition in 2014 when the love of hair and people came together. April and her salon value services that maintain the integrity of the hair, skin, and nails while respecting the body holistically. The salon prides itself on providing quality customer service while creating an atmosphere where you can let your hair down and be pampered.

What can I say about April and April Cook Salon? I can tell you this, she has been taking care of my hair for a few years now. She lives out in my area of town, so it’s so convenient, but know she books up quickly. April can do everything from processed hair, natural hair, braids, twists, rods, locs, and so much more. Oh, did I mention she is a beast with hair color? Yes ma’am, yes sir, April can mix, match and blend those colors together to perfection and make you look incredible and fierce. She takes excellent care of my hair and keeps it very healthy. It is vital that the people who touch my hair, believe in hair care and not just doing a beautiful style. This is April Cook Salon. When you sit in her chair, it’s like sitting down with a girlfriend. There’s a comfortable, relaxed, sister to sister atmosphere that promotes not just hair care but mental and emotional well being. You can laugh, cry, pray, sing, or talk with her, and it’s easy.

So, let me tell you how you can reach her. On IG: aprilcook_salon, FB: April Cook Salon, LLC, Website: http://www.aprilcooksalon.com or via telephone at (443) 314-3265. I forgot to mention she has done a lot of traveling in and out of the country, city, and state for special occasions such as weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, etc. If you’re looking for someone to provide your hair with care and your person with a fantastic experience, go check out April Cook Salon, I would say she’s worth it, but no, you’re worth it.

Missing In Action

I didn’t write anything last week, and that’s unusual because I’ve gotten into a rhythm of writing at least once a week. Now, it’s not that I didn’t have things to talk about, but I wasn’t with it mentally. You know how it sometimes gets when you feel a bit off and out of sorts. Well, last week that was me and I couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it. I literally didn’t feel like doing anything at all. Not work, school, blogging, just absolutely NOTHING! And I was okay with that because my mind was on 1,000. It was a revolving door of all the things I needed to do, what I couldn’t do a darn thing about, and taking care of the things I could. My last week consisted of working out and work, and I’m surprised I managed working out the way I was feeling.

So, here I am starting a new week and trying to prepare for it mentally and thought I’d let everyone know that I’m not totally gone. I took a hyena for a bit and trying to get back into the swing of things. When you’re carrying all the burdens, it can get overwhelming sometimes, and those are the times you have to step back and let go for a bit. Now today, I woke up with an excruciating headache that I’ve taken everything possible for, and it hasn’t helped one ounce. Because I know myself so well, I know that I must be stressing about things subconsciously because that’s the times when my migraines won’t go away. I’ll talk to God about that tonight before my head hits the pillow. I’ve been in bed since Friday when I got home except for showering and eating. I got up today to wash clothes and clean up, which is my typical Sunday ritual. Now it’s time to prepare for the bed for another work week and week of taking care of business. I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and you were able to recharge and gather new perspectives because I have. We’ll talk tomorrow as I already have a new business blog to write and post for your enjoyment. Have a great week, everyone.

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRN

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

When you have a thousand decisions to make and no idea which direction to go in. Well, you know what you want, what you need, and the path, but you don’t have a timeline or exactly how it is going to get done. That’s my dilemma right now. I’m not too patient most of the time, but I think until I can see the light, I’ll have to be still. Stillness is essential to the process, so I’m being still. Geesh, at 47, life is still teaching me a great deal, but I guess that’s because we’re continually learning. Learning more about ourselves, the world, and living this thing called life. Sometimes I wish things were straightforward and just handed to me, but what would I learn from that? Or more importantly, would I actually appreciate it or develop a sense of entitlement? Up to this point, all the stuff I’ve been through has taught me some pretty valuable lessons that I can be thankful for learning. Things that have given me a more unobstructed view and a better perspective. All I know is my change is coming, and I’m looking forward to it. Getting ready to handle all that I’ll be handed.

MirrorMe Creations

As promised, I’m introducing another young business owner that is creating wealth by using her natural God-given talents to customize beautiful works of art. Brittany is the creator of MirrorMe Creations, which specializes in custom pieces, including nightstands, end tables, vanity trays, personalized mirrors, and mirrored flower boxes. In addition to all those items, she also personalizes wine glasses, mugs, and ornaments. MirrorMe Creations are continuously expanding and adding new items weekly. They are a small business that only ships domestically but intends to expand internationally very soon.

I have the pleasure of working with Brittany and MirrorMe Creations to produce some of the products for my business, “ShesThatRN.” She is nothing short of amazingly talented and is a visionary. She is professional, and her work ethic is impeccable. She listens to what you need and delivers exactly that. We’ve met on more than one occasion to discuss my business needs and the length of time for the delivery of my order. She even brought me samples of what I wanted to show me how it looked and make any necessary changes I wanted. I love showing love to our small business owners who are making strides and taking the steps required to create generational wealth.

You can find MirrorMe Creations on IG: @Mirror.me_, Facebook: @TakeaLK, and to shop her beautiful products, please visit her Etsy shop @MirrorMe Creations. I’m honored to promote her business now let’s go and support this young sister who’s doing BIG things.

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRN

Laying My Burdens Down

So, lately, I’ve been feeling blah, full of emotion, and tears galore. If you follow me, then you can kinda pick up that I’m an emotional being. My oldest son will say to me, “Ma, stop that foolishness. Lord, you’re the biggest cry baby in the world.” And I would respond, you’re right, and I’m okay with that lol. Today though, I came home, and after working out, eating a bowl of vegetable soup, and lying in bed, I felt I needed to do more. I grabbed my Bible and was about to read it when I suddenly couldn’t open up. I mean, I knew the scripture I wanted to read but couldn’t. So, I laid my head on my pillow and began to pray, but I went from lying to sliding off the bed onto my knees. I haven’t prayed on my knees for a long time. I usually talk to God on the way to work and back (beautiful drive from Baltimore to Delaware).

But this time, there was such a sense of urgency that I had to fall on my knees. Have you ever had that feeling or experience? When you just needed something different or something more?
That was my state and my place tonight, and boy did it feel good to purge. I just stayed there, praying and crying out to God. I realized that a lot of the areas I thought were healed, in fact, are still in the healing phase. I was able to get out all the “STUFF” I’d been holding in for a long time. I’m stubborn and prideful, much like my daddy, which is where I get it from lol. I asked God to work on that too because that will hold me hostage, as long as I continue that behavior. Anyway, when I finally got up off my knees, I got back in bed and opened my Bible to Psalm 119 and started to read and meditate on God’s word. Once I was done, I felt a sense of relief and was able to breathe without anxiety, worry, or frustrating pain. In all that I’ve shared, I want to really share one more thing, and that is, don’t hold what’s hurting you in. If you’re too introverted to talk to someone, then talk to God. I find him to be a fantastic listener, he doesn’t judge, and he’s so forgiving. It’s effortless to speak to him, that’s why I do it so much. Be encouraged and be free…whatever free means to you. Just freely be you. Peace and blessings love:}

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRN

Prioritizing

I was too tired to post this last night, but I was at work yesterday, and I had 4 oncology patients all requiring something at the same time. I remember thinking, “Lord machines alarms are all beeping at the same time,” and I felt a little like my head was spinning for a minute trying to figure out what to do next. Then, I literally stopped dead in my tracks. I could hear my professor, Mrs. Robinson, from nursing school, teaching us about the difference between nursing exam questions and regular college questions. She was teaching us on delegation and prioritizing and how nursing requires critical thinking. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know you’re probably saying well that shouldn’t have required critical thinking. However, it stopped me in my tracks to think a second on who took priority and in what order I was going to meet each of my patient’s needs.

At first, I said well, the lady has been waiting, and I need to disconnect her, but there’s chemo I need to hang. Between the two, I decided that the lady was already done, so there wasn’t an immediate need, she could wait. So, I went to hang the chemo on the other patient because that took precedent. To get patients out promptly, we have to make sure the flow of the administration of medication is maintained. It may seem simple-minded to some, but nurses make split decisions every day. Sometimes it makes patients upset because they have to wait, and they don’t often understand you’re only one person. I reminded myself to do one thing at a time, and if need be and another one of my colleagues was available, then ask for help. And of course, the team I work with are always willing to help out, so I was just fine. I just wanted to share that moment in time with you guys. It’s okay to stop and assess your situation and determine what order things need to go in. And, if all else fails, dog on it, ask for help:} LOL

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRN

Thefitthickvegan

Hey guys, so once a week, sometimes twice a week, but I’ll be featuring an entrepreneur in my blog, and I’m so excited to feature today’s small business owner Angel. She is known on IG as “Thefitthickvegan” and on Facebook as “Thefit Thickvegan.” Her business domain is http://www.bankobodies.com, and you can go there to sign up for her fitness challenges, coaching, and meal guides. Angel is an amazing young woman who is changing the world through fitness, clean eating, and motivation. She is an Online Fitness Coach, Yoga Instructor, Fitness & Exercise Guru, The Mindset Mentor, Motivational Speaker, and Fitness Influencer. She has an enormous following on Instagram and Facebook and is doing great things in health and wellness. Healthy and holistic living is her primary focus. It is incredible how her “FITBABES” as she calls her followers, is taking small steps, with her motivating them, to boost self-esteem, build confidence, and lose weight.

Angel didn’t start with a small body frame and little appetite. As you can see by the photos, she has been diligent, dedicated, and consistent with her weight loss journey. There’s no fluff, and she shares her own personal weight loss journey with you. That was major for me as a larger woman. I know, for myself, I look at a lot of workouts with tiny people and think, but they don’t look like me, so they don’t understand how hard it is, but she does. She is very relatable with her IG stories and IGTV. I’m a nurse, so I know first hand that you don’t have to be skinny or obese to suffer from many diseases. Instead, it’s more about being healthy, which includes what you put into your body and getting up and moving. There are no gimmicks or tricks to it, it takes work like anything else you want in life.

I’m currently in her “Fitgirlwinter” challenge, and I am amazed at how far I’ve come. I have been in it for 2 weeks now because I started late and it’s a 6-week challenge. I was so happy to step on the scale and see that I’ve actually lost some weight even though I don’t really feel it. More importantly, I’ve been remarkably consistent and dedicated to getting up every day and doing my workout plan. It’s so easy, and you can do it in the gym or at home. I choose to do mine at home because I have a lot of fitness equipment already. The first week was hard because I didn’t work out. Still, that second week it became a little easier, and this morning was even more comfortable than the previous 2 weeks. I feel better, I’m not as winded or wheezing as much (I have asthma), and I am getting my water in regularly. Through her coaching (you get daily messages that encourage and inspire you to keep going and daily reminders of what today’s workout will be. I use both my computer and my mobile device so you can literally do it anywhere.

I could go on and on, but my hope is that if you want a cost-effective program and meal guides that are affordable and a coach that checks on you and holds you accountable, then Thefitthickvegan is the way to go. You don’t believe me? Check her out for yourself. Here are all the ways to get a hold of her: IG: Thefitthickvegan, FB: Thefit Thickvegan, and http://www.bankobodies.com. Sending lots of love, light, peace, and prosperity to you all on your journey to healthier holistic living.

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRN

Home Away From Home

Hey guys, so I’ve been back at the Cancer center I left when my contract was over November 1st and let me tell you what. I missed these amazing women I am proud to call a part of my sister circle of nurse friends. I was so excited on Monday when I came in and EVERYONE got a hug, even my preceptor who absolutely hates hugs lol:} In fact, she was the first one I went to when I came through the door. She reminds me of one of those people who tries to keep a straight face when something’s funny but you still see an inkling of a smile come through. Yup, that’s my Sarah! Pam from Alabam is still her crazy, fussing self and Kelli is my diva extraordinaire. Jess and Mary Lynn are forever sweethearts and Nicole, well she’s our “stick and move nurse.” Marie is our gentle lamb, Brooke our “New Baby Momma” and Sheila is our alarm setter, LOL! We have Medical Assistant’s, Tati and Kirstin who rock and roll. Everyone was happy to see me and Lord knows I was happy to see them. I did a quick refresher with Miranda (My Commander and Chief) and got busy working like a bizzy bee.

I know I featured them in December, but they’ll always be worth mentioning because they mean a great deal to me. My New Year is much happier because I got to go to my home away from home. If ever I leave and don’t return for another contract, I want them to know they’ve placed a beautiful red stain on my chest in the form of a heart. I also got to see my “ACE” oncology doctor who wasn’t doing so good today but I was able to give her a great big light hug because of her back pain. The manager was back today and it was so nice to see her smiling face as I hugged her too. I’m just happy in case you couldn’t tell. Although there’s no place like home, this is one place I consider my “Home Away From Home.” So, I’m incredibly blessed and favored that they even asked me to come back. What an awesome group of beautiful spirits. Now, Oh My Guawd, I’m missing my Anne Marie because she retired last week, but she’s always in my heart and prayers. She’s the little lady seated and everyone has a shirt representing her many sayings. We love you and wish all the best living in retirement. I declare, if you ever want to work somewhere as a permanent staff nurse, this would be the place. Peace and blessings to all my nurse sisters in HFG’s Cancer Center in Oncology at Christiana. You women rock to heaven and back and I thank God for you everyday!

Happy New Year

I haven’t had a moment to just sit down and figure out or should I say write out my intentions, goals, and vision for the new year. Yesterday when I came home from work, I was exhausted and laid on the couch and dozed off. I got up in time to get dressed and make it to church. When I came home I went to bed and was down for the count. I slept ALL day y’all, like literally. I woke up around 5 and said hey you need to get up and get moving. So, I got up, worked out, and went to fill up my gas tank. By the time I got back my youngest son was home. We ate and now I’m back in bed. So, I have no new revelations, no wishlist, no nothing right now. I’ll get down to business this weekend. I’m just happy to be here for another year and my family and friends are safe and here with me. For now, that is enough for me. I have lots of plans but until I get them out my head and develop an action plan they won’t mean diddly squat. So, don’t be like me, get up and get going. No excuses….just get it done. Talk soon!

Until Next Time,

ShesThatRNspiration