Sunday, August 1, 2010

OMG

How is it possible that it is August 1st right now & the only thing I posted in the last month was a few sentences about going on vacation? OMG...I am really slacking.

I wish I could blame it on overworking or having such an exciting, busy life that I haven't had time to post...but umm, no, that's not it. In fact, I've been off of work for nearly 2 weeks now. I go back Monday night. I guess I've just gotten super lazy. Sorry.

My latest orientee just took her NCLEX board exam & passed. Yay! So that means she'll still be on orientation until the end of September....again Yay! I'm getting really used to teaching new nurses. I hope I'm doing a good job. My first orientee is doing wonderfully for a new nurse. My second one seems to have conflict everywhere, that even I don't understand. And my latest one...it's like having a puppy. New nurses are so eager to learn, so eager to do stuff. I looked back on one of the sayings I read back when I was a new nurse. It basically compared experienced nurses to new nurses & it cracks me up cause it's 100% true.

Anyways...let's see...I can't really say much about work. Nothing outstanding really comes to mind. My oldest niece has decided to go to nursing school though. She was in college to become a dental hygienist, but after 2 yrs of working towards it....I guess she found it boring. I don't think she has any idea what she's getting into with nursing, but boring would not be one of the words I used to describe it!

My vacation was wonderful. I went to the exciting city of Orlando. Yep....about a 30 min drive from my house...lol. For those that don't know....the south is experiencing an unbearable heat wave. It started in June & just does not seem to be letting up. At 7 pm this evening it was 92 degrees out. And it feels like I'm stepping into a sauna whenever I go outside. I should just sit out there...I swear I could lose 5 lbs just from being outside for about 20 min.

Anyways, I searched & searched & searched every hotel room from Daytona to Fort Lauderdale...looking for something nice, but not too pricey because I needed 2 rooms....my brother & his kids were tagging along & while I don't mind sharing a room with my niece...no way was I going to have my brother & nephew in the room with us. So for a good 2 weeks I looked at nearly every hotel room online. I'm sure I set some type of world record!

The day BEFORE we were set to begin the vacation, I started to panic as I still had yet to make a decision on where to stay. I somehow stumbled across a message board regarding Priceline.com. I am soooooooooo glad I did. It showed me the hotels that are "usually" chosen when you bid. I decided to take a chance. I figured anything rated 4 stars (highest ranking) would be a decent place to stay & secretly hoped for the Hyatt Grand Cypress. The usual rate is around $200 or higher. Hotels.com was offering it for $159. Nope...I wanted a better deal. Soooooo I took a chance & tried priceline. My first attempt at $62 was rejected....grrrr. So I upped it a little & put in $80 & it was accepted!!!!!!!!!! How awesome is that??? It wasn't a bargain...it was a steal!!!!!!!! I reserved it for 2 nights.

Next I attempted to bid on a hotel near Wet n Wild water park...figuring my brother & his children could walk over there while I do a little R&R at the pool. Low & behold, I got my favorite hotel (the one I usually always stay at while in Orlando) for $30 a night. Usually it's $75 & that is with a Florida resident discount. Usually the rooms are like $125. Needless to say...I love priceline. I will attempt more future vacations using it.

We pretty much took it easy. One day of shopping. A night of Wonder Works and the Fun Spot Amusement place. Nothing big....but I am happy as long as I have some sun & a pool.

Hope everyone is doing well. Congratulations to my friend Amanda...she delivered a healthy, beautiful baby girl a few days ago!!

2 comments:

KimberFNP said...

I am a NP hospitalist, former ICU and ER nurse, enjoy reading your blog, and could you share the site where you found the discussion about priceline (the one that gives you examples of what they usually give you when you bid)?
Thanks!

Jen said...

Hiya Kim! This is the site...you have to pick your state, then it will give you the option to look at "hotel lists" that are most commonly chosen thru priceline & hotwire. Good luck...let me know if you get any good deals!

http://www.betterbidding.com/