Happy 2011, and quilt world meets lab world...

I hope all of you had a great time ringing in the new year!  Let's all hope that it's a kinder, gentler one for everyone!  We let the kids stay up until midnight, then all went to bed a few minutes later!  They should go to sleep easy tonight, especially since they spent the whole day sledding behind our house!

As mentioned, I'm starting my "fun-a-day" project today!  I've already done a little "prep" work, but today I started in earnest.

I'm calling it "quilt world, meet medical lab world".  Part of my medical technologist world was spent looking at countless  microscope slides of blood and other body fluids.  More often than not, they were stained with vibrant dyes and stains to differentiate cells, organisms and cellular structures.  A prerequisite for medical technologists is a color-blind test.  Even before I started school, we had to be tested, because the ability to see color correctly is essential.  One of my favorite aspects of that job, and of quilting is the variety of colors I got to work with each day.

So, for the next 31 days, I'll try to post my thread and fabric interpretation of different things I saw as a medical technologist, starting with this one I did today:

It's a "normal" blood smear.  The red circles are red blood cells, the tiny purple dots are platelets, and the bigger cell in the middle is the most common white blood cell typically seen, a neutrophil.  By looking at blood smears, part of a "CBC", or complete blood count, we can detect many abnormalities, or diseases.  The red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body.  The platelets help stop bleeding when we are injured, and the white cells help fight infection.

Stay tuned to see what's up my sleeve next.  I promise it will involve a needle, but one sewing thread, not drawing blood!!

50th Anniversary Quilt

FINALLY I get to share with you a big project that's kept me busy over the last month or two. It's a quilt that I made for my husband's aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. They celebrated a week ago with their son and daughters, and lots of friends. Unfortunately, they live far away from us, in Arizona, so we weren't able to attend, but we were there in spirit!

One wonderful thing about marriage is that you gain a whole new family. I quickly fell in love with my husband's family soon after we all met. I first met this aunt and uncle a month or 2 after we first started dating, at their youngest daughter's wedding. At the time we were living in Medford, Oregon, and they were in Portland, about 5 hours north. Soon we began spending many week-ends and holidays at their house with their family.

Soon after I married my husband, I made the decision to go back to school to get a medical technology degree (think hospital lab, or "CSI"). The closest school was in Portland, and "our" aunt and uncle graciously offered to let me live with them during the final 12 month "internship" program at Oregon Health Sciences University. I'm really not sure how we could have done it without their help, and am eternally grateful for this gift. It was the road to a great career that I have had for many years, and hope to continue for many more.

When I found out they'd be celebrating their 50th anniversary this December, I knew right away that I wanted to make them a quilt. Our aunt has admired my quilts, and her daughter, my husband's cousin, soon called me to ask if I could make one for her to give as a gift. I fell in love with this pattern, and as soon as I knew I could get it finished by the party, I said "yes". She paid for all of the materials, and I did the sewing. She also helped me with descriptions of their home decor and what colors they liked. The ladies at our local quilt store helped me select the fabrics, and gave me some tips on how to free-motion quilt it. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. I know they are too.

ISFJ

For a while now, I'm been contemplating my next professional step in life. Quitting my job as a Medical Technologist to be a stay-at-home mom has been such a wonderful thing, but as my kids get older I know I'll eventually get back into the work force. Not that I'm in any hurry or anything, but I do miss the money, the adult company, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with a job well done. Being a good mom, after all doesn't really pay the bills, and doesn't come with any sick leave or vacation time.

Soooo, I have tried on several different "hats" along the way, selling stuff on eBay, etsy, and craft shows, volunteering as a cub scout leader, a drama club leader, classroom aid, etc... I've read books, explored Internet sites, and recently I checked out a book from the library about career choices. The most recent thing I stumbled across was the Myers Briggs personality test. For those of you not knowledgeable about it, it breaks down personality types into 16 different types, based on 4 "type preferences: (Introversion vs Extroversion) (Sensing vs iNtuition) (Thinking vs Feeling) (Judging vs Perceiving). I took this test and got the answer "ISFJ". Reading about this personality type has been very interesting! And guess what... one of the top vocations for ISFJ's is medical technology. Seems as though I did my homework well many years ago when I decided to pursue this career. I took the same test in college even further back, and haven't a clue as to what I got back then, but this time around it really pegs me well.

Among other things, research says ISFJ's have the desire to serve others and to need to be needed. Can you say "doormat"?


We're also very loyal. Chris was happy to hear this ;-). We're "methodical and accurate", with "very good memories and analytic abilities"... sounds like a "med tech" to me! Uncomfortable in supervisory roles, yes, notoriously bad at delegating, yes, and good with people in small groups and one on one, yes... Families are the center of their lives, and they have high work ethics., with a few close friends, yep, yep, yep. Good career matches are religious work (my dad would have loved that), nursing, medicine, clerical, shopkeeping and home making.

I don't know why I was surprised to find that the career I had previously picked is still a good match for me, but apparently it is. I do enjoy "med-teaching", but for a mother of young children, it was and still is almost incompatible with finding childcare. With a husband who fights fire and is on call several months out of the year, my 24/7/365 hospital schedule isn't exactly what we can do right now, but hopefully in the future I'll be able to get back to it. I guess I was hoping to figure out a job I can do at home that involves my hobbies and interests (sewing, being outdoors, blogging (LOL), photography). Maybe I still can, but for now I'm letting my hobbies be just that... hobbies... Other than the demanding schedule, the stress and hazards that come with med-teching, medical technology work is extremely satisfying, mentally challenging, well-paid, and in high demand. I almost never had to take work home with me, and working within a medical team to help patients just made me feel good! I have always loved science, and the physical nature of the job fit me too (no desks to sit behind... just the occasional microscope or computer screen).

The test and reading about ISFJ also gave me a lot of insight into why I do the things I do. I know I have to take it with a grain of salt, but all in all, it was a very enlightening exercise.

So what about you? What type are you?