A long time coming..

Happy Thanksgiving! It's been more than 2 years since I've checked in with an update, so here's some highlights from my last post...

I started my RN career as a New Graduate Nurse Resident at Palomar Medical Center in their Intensive Care Unit. I stayed there just over a year. Megan, wasn't able to return to Palomar due to a number of factors, ultimately finding her way to Scripps Health as an ICU Float Pool nurse. Within months of Meg's jump to Scripps, I followed as well. 6 months on, however, I progressed further by leaving the ICU Float Pool and joining the Cardiovascular ICU. This time, Meg followed me into CVICU a few months later.

On the home front, after having lived with my Mother-in-law, Bubby, for more than 6 years, Megan & I were able to use my VA benefits to secure a loan, and new (to us) digs. We only moved a couple of miles down the road from Bub. Being in a house is spendy! 😂

On the kid front, we've topped out with a 3rd (together) for a grand total of 5 kids. After Violet's birth in September of 2015, we were blessed with little Dashiell Xavier Clemencio at the start of 2018. It was a traumatic experience welcoming Dash to the world, but that can be fodder for later posts.

As the rain tumbles down hard (for Southern California, at least), I'll wrap this up for now and leave more frequent updates (hopefully) to fill in the blanks.

Catching up.

            It has been a long time coming!...last I updated Darryl’s Digest, back in February of ’16, I found myself in the midst of the 2^nd semester (of 4) in Palomar College’s RN Program. In that time I put to bed my nursing school aspirations and turned it into a reality.

            Thursday, May 25^th, 2017 I was pinned by my wife (an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) RN), Megan, bringing to an end my journey started in April of 2009 when I enrolled in my first prerequisite for nursing school, albeit at National University (NU). Unfortunately, by April 2012, I found myself out of NU’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program, without a degree after some technical difficulties. No matter, come Easter, Megan and I were engaged and before the end of the year we found ourselves hitched.

            Fast-forward to June 2017, the 21^st to be exact, I faced the final challenge on my path to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN); I sat for my National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN); only after nearly 5 hours and 265 questions had passed, did I finish. Early (before 0400, 4AM for the non-24-hour clock fans) June 24^th, Megan, who was at work at the time, texted me to let me know that I was successful. I passed. I am an RN! w00t! After verifying my license number myself and firing off a quick message to my wife and a co-worker, I took a little time to sit by myself, verklempt, having a little chat with mom.

            Mom! That reminds me, I received word about being accepted to the Palomar College RN Program the self-same day that she passed. After a diagnosis of cancer that had metastasized in the vicinity of Memorial Day weekend, 2014, and a very poor prognosis, an estimated life expectancy of a month, Mom fought on for 10. Before she left, Megan and I were able to let her know that we had a little girl on the way who’d be carrying on her name, in the middle at least; little Violet Josefina.

            Little Violet’s coming was a whole ‘nother story of its own, beyond the ordeal that is birth. In the span of a week, August 30 – September 4, 2017 (Sunday to Friday)…let me tell you about that week. On Sunday, August 30^th, 2017, Megan’s aunt Chris-Ann passed away unexpectedly whilst on the road to recovery from a series of ailments. Tuesday, September 1^st, 2017, Violet Josefina made her appearance with little over an hour left in the day. Finally, on Friday, September 4^th, 2017, Megan’s father, Roger, passed away (he suffered a major brain bleed on August 18^th, while I was at the 2^nd day of my nascent Palomar College RN Program experience).

            Back to the future we head again, on to June 29^th, 2017, it was a Thursday; I had the great opportunity to sit for an interview for a local hospital for 3 RN positions I hoped to possibly work in. I was still in disbelief of becoming an RN, but there I was, on the cusp of an opportunity to become a real-live, employed, RN! It was more like speed-dating as me and 6 candidates faced 7 different panels with 10 minutes to talk to each. Of the 10 groups of candidates interviewing over the 28^th and 29th, for a total of 70 suitors, we were the last. Amongst the lot of us, only 30 opportunities existed. Game on! :P

            Days later, as I awaited the results of my speed-dating for a new job interview, I was at work, on my last shift as a non-RN. Thankfully, it was a short shift I spent on the floor. Unfortunately, it was because I was kicked in the head and had to be evaluated and told I had a concussion. You win some, you lose some. In the end, I won; as of last Friday, July 7^th, I received an email from my prospective employer. Like my wife, I too was going to be an ICU RN. wow. Wow. WOW!

            Much like finding out I had passed my NCLEX-RN, I still have some disbelief I’m processing of the whole thing. Later in the day, I received an email from another prospective employer about their interest in my application to another ICU RN position and forwarding it to their hiring manager; bringing to mind the adage, ‘when it rains, it pours’. No word yet on an interview or further steps yet, but I feel good about my chances.

            So, that’s about it, barring the minutiae of my life over the last year or so. As other thoughts and memories come to mind, I’m sure they’ll find their way here on Darryl’s Digest. Until then…

Roots Redux

In 'Roots', back in September of 2012, I blogged,

              " 'Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose' – February 4, 2001 was an interesting and exciting day for me. After months of learning, studying, and praying I took a big step away from my life as a Catholic from birth, by being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; I became a Mormon. A curious step from any casual observer, obviously.

               My life as a Mormon, overall, was a good one. As a new member of the church, my zealousness often shone through. Eventually, the newness wore off and I went about as a run-of-the-mill member; doing as best I could. Over the more than ten years that have passed, I have had many great experiences. Some of those experiences will live with me throughout life. In fact the remnants of those experiences still show up in my blog on recent posts. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many great people through my association in the church and will forever be grateful for the contributions they’ve made in my life during that time.

               Now, however, is a new time. And in becoming anew, I’ve simply gone back to my Catholic roots. After attending mass (without taking communion, mind you) with the folks for the last few months because my clinical schedule kept me out of sacrament meeting on Sundays, I decided it’d be time to really consider what it was I was doing or where I was at in life. Sparing you the psychoanalytical and meta-physical wrangling of personal thought and prayer, it was time to go back to my roots. This wasn’t simply a cursory shift back to my life as a practicing Catholic during my pre-Mormon days, but a (hopefully) more balanced, sophisticated, adult approach.

               Shortly thereafter, on an otherwise unmemorable Saturday afternoon, the last in August, I took it upon myself to visit with the priest during confession, attend mass, and finally receive communion. As mentioned, I appreciate my experience as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon, it will always be a part of me. I, however, am no longer a member of the church. I am a Catholic. The zealousness I held as a Mormon manifests itself these days as an enthusiastic Catholic who goes to church and looks to get involved. Choir has always been fun..."

15 years removed now, from my LDS "Detour", and I continue to approach and look at things through my Catholic, but LDS-tinged, looking glasses. That said, those glasses have gone through quite a bit with some marriages, some births, and deaths gone and did.

Change...

At 4 years and counting, a cursory glance at past posts may not reveal much change. Then again, it might. I suppose it's all a matter of perspective. On one hand, I find myself in nursing school once again. Alternately, it could be said that I'm STILL in nursing school. Then again, Megan, the 'New Girl', and I got married and had a couple of kids of our own in addition to her 2 munchkins. So, now we're a family of 6 and I'm still in nursing school. No change and change to be continued...