New beginnings

Hello everyone !!!

We arrived back on Aussie soil on Saturday after a truly blissful week away from reality. The kids were fine and Nanna and Pop did an awesome job keeping the home fires burning without burning the home down !!! Our welcome home was gorgeous, although I am going to be honest and say the HAPPIEST to see us was the two dogs, they were over the top, back flipping, hooley dooley, don't ever leave us again, yippy-yappy excited!

Since arriving home life has taken on a craziness that is great in a stressful "OMG what was I thinking" kind of way. I have finally commenced nursing in an acute ward, and have had my first three shifts this week - 1st on Monday, then Tuesday Overnight and again yesterday afternoon. Finally I am using those skills I have worked so hard to learn...  I am also experiencing brand new situations and thinking "ARRGGGHHHH what do I do???" The whole shift is like being on an adrenaline rush of hyperalertness, coupled with absolute certainty that I have forgotton something crucial.
I love the challenge even though I am also terrified by it, I am told the worry will ease as I gain experience. In the meantime, each shift leaves me exhausted as I try to rearrange my brain into some kind of normal thinking pattern.
Luckily the house is very, very quiet while the kids are at school so I can just BE in my own thoughts.

However, something new is brewing on the horizon and I am a wee bit excited... next week is my J-man's very last week at school. If you've been reading this blog for a while you will know that his schooling has been Bloody. Hard. Work. (If you're new here, read this for a little background).

From very early on I have said to each teacher "If we can just get him to the end of Year 12 and he still likes himself I'll be happy"... And as I type this with actual tears on my cheeks, I am realising that we have achieved exactly that.
The end is merely days away, and he has grown into a gorgeous, self assured, kind, giving adult who likes himself and doesn't feel the need to change to suit anyone else. He doesn't apologise for his quirkiness, he is aware of it but just assumes that others will accept him and go with it.. and mostly they do! He has friends around the world on his XBox live (best thing he has ever had access to .BEST thing ever!) He has solid friends here in our town. He has a set of core values that he sticks to unwaveringly and he assumes the best of every person until proven otherwise.

I have no idea what the future holds for him, whether the career path will eventuate. I don't know when, if or how he will form romantic relationships, build friendships with others, earn money or live fully independantly.

I do know he likes himself. I know he is a good person. I know you couldn't get a more loyal friend than him. I know he doesn't play mind games or offer anything he hasn't got. He's straight down the line & honest to a fault.

We got to the end of Year 12 and he still likes himself. I am happy