Keeping busy

Well it has been a very busy past couple of months down in happy valley USA. I think that BYU and the phrase "Multiply and replenish the earth" go hand and hand down in Provo. During the middle of March my unit hit 68 babies in a unit that was built for 38 babies. Since then my average census has been between 50 to 56 babies everyday, using about 24 to 25 nurses a shift. Now as the manager when I could be making some serious cash by working 60 hours a week I get to be salaried and work 60 hours a week any way. Some of my staff that are picking up extra shifts are making a ton more than me without all the worry of trying to find staff to work in the unit. I still love my job though and I am learning just what it takes to be successful and productive. Learning how to budget a 30 plus million dollar unit is very interesting and spending money that does not belong to me personally is kind of different. I'm mister tight wad and very conservative when it comes to spending money, especially when it is my companies money.
Life at the Wilcox household is slowly starting to settle down, Kathryn is slowing recovering from her hysterectomy and her ruptured appendix. She is feeling much better now that her staples are out since they forgot to get them all before she left the hospital. She said that I was fired for not making sure they got them all out. It was tucked inside her belly button and she made me take her back to the hospital at midnight when she noticed it after her first shower in 10 days.
The wind is blowing so hard right now that I believe that our house might blow away. Our neighbor just call and told us that our cover over our boat just blew over the fence so I guess I need to go. See ya soon. Jerold

It has been a really long time since I have updated this blog, so here we go. Life in the Wilcox family household has been really busy these past few months. Since I last wrote on this blog I have retired from Delta Airlines, graduated with my BSNA, quit a job that I have loved for 24 years, and started as the new nurse manager of the NICU at UVRMC in Provo. I have had a daughter get married, we became "Empty Nester's", got released from my long time church calling, and have been to Maui for a vacation. Other than that life is just fantastic and I am keeping busy doing the things that I love. My job as the nurse manager in Provo has been a great challenge and a wonderful learning experience. I manage a level 3 NICU with about 144 staff members and a totally awesome unit. Learning to be a manager for Intermountain Healthcare is a very difficult undertaking if you had no previous experience. These past few months I feel that I have grown personally in my knowledge and understanding of a manager. I do have to say that I do miss being at the bedside of these tiny and sick infants. But, on the other hand I love what I am doing to help this unit grow and become an even better place to care for the newborn.

Since I no longer work 1000 hours a week, home life has changed as well. My wife Kathryn gets to have me home every night and my "Honey Do" list keeps growing. We are in the process of redoing our master bathroom with a new tile floor, sinks and vanity, fixtures, toilet, and possibly a new jetted tub if I can talk my wife into it.
We just got back from a quick annual trip to the beautiful island of Maui. We like to go every January and see the whales and get out of the cold and take a break from the winter blues. It makes the spring come faster and helps us to endure the rest of the cold weather. I also started to train for the upcoming Ragnar relay race held on June 18-19, 2010 where my team will be running from Logan to Park City in a 188 miles race.

Well that is a small taste of what we are up to and let's you know that we are still alive in the Wilcox household. Looking forward to the warmer temperatures and getting outside to enjoy the spring flowers.