Why a Gas Pump in Murray Means So Much to Me

To anyone else, this looks like any old gas pump. To be honest, you're probably reading this and thinking, okay where is she going with this? This gas pump is located in Murray and is the first gas pump you see on the right when pulling into this gas station. This gas pump is used who knows how many times each day and is just any old normal gas pump to most people. To me, this gas pump means so much more. This gas pump brings back so many vivid memories. This gas pump makes my heart hurt. This gas pump involves one of my favorite, funniest, most vivid memories I have with my Granny.

I don't remember what year this happened but I'm guessing probably 2015 or 2016. My great aunt and my grandmother both went on vacation in the fall and every so often, their vacations would overlap by one day. One of them would be traveling home from vacation the same day as the other one would be leaving for vacation. For some reason, this really really irritated my Granny. She got her panties in a wad so bad over this because she always wanted one of them to be home, even though the rest of us would take great care of her even though they were both gone one day. But, to ease her nerves, I would usually go spend the night with her the night they would both be gone, and usually that was enough to suit her.

I remember it was a Sunday; it very well may have been the Sunday that she was 1000% convinced that church started at 8:45 instead of 9:15 and she insisted that I be ready to leave by 8:30. We got to church 30-40 minutes early and she was BAFFLED as to why there was only like two people there already. She finally admitted that maybe, just maybe, I was right, and church did indeed start at 9:15. hahaha! Anyway, we had gone to church and then to Murray to eat lunch. I don't remember where we ate lunch, but if I had to take a gander I would guess we ate at August Moon because Granny LOVED to eat there. Now, we always drove Granny's car. That tan Buick that she kept spic and span. After we got done eating, Granny said "how much gas do we have?" The gas tank was over 3/4 full, and when I told her that she said "oh me, we better get gas, that's getting kinda low...." She would faint and fall over if she knew how low I let the gas in my car get before filling up hahaha, but nevertheless we went and filled up the car with gas. We pulled into this gas station in front of Walmart in Murray and pulled up to this pump. I got out to pump the gas while she wrote the check. It literally took her forever to write the check because she had to dig her purse out of the floorboard, get her checkbook out, put on her glasses, get a pen out of her purse, and she wrote so neatly and so precise you could literally sit for forever waiting for her to write the check. She handed me the check to take inside. I took it inside and the cashier told me that Granny would have to come in with her license because she was the one who wrote the check and they couldn't accept it otherwise. I walk back out to the car to tell her, and y'all, I'd never seen my Granny so aggravated haha. She gives me this look that would've scared even the bravest of people, throws her purse down in the floorboard, flings the car door open, and gets out. She starts marching up to the door, her heels clicking across the pavement the whole way, while she's giving me an earful "Do they not know I'm 88 years old and I don't care anything about getting out of my car to come in and show them my license?" 

Finally after her blood stopped boiling because they had the audacity to ask her to get out of the car (I mean after all that WAS why I was there, right?! Haha) we had a good laugh about how mad she got and how shocked and to be honest, a little afraid, at how mad she'd gotten. We had one of our "giggle fests" as we called them the whole way home.

What a day that was, and I pray I never forget about it.

She was something special. She was a prime example of everything I hope to be one day-a loving wife, mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother, but most importantly, a strong Christian. She is one of my greatest role models and closest friends. Sometimes I can keep the fact that she is gone off of my mind, and then randomly she will come to my mind and it's like a punch to the gut. The fact that she really is gone is so overwhelming, so painful, and so absolutely unbelievable some days. Other days, it's a blessing to know that she is no longer in pain, that she is reunited with my Granddaddy Dig-her husband of over 65 years, and that she has went on to the reward that she worked her whole life for.

I'm so thankful for my Granny and the wonderful example, source of laughter, fountain of love, and dearest friend she was to me. I'm also thankful for Jesus who loved us enough to give us the gift of eternal life with Him, and the gift of being able to be reunited with our loved ones. What a day that will be.

"I thought of you today but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and the days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and your picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake from which I'll never part. God has you in His arms. I have you in my heart."

Why Nursing?

If you know me at all, you know that ever since I was little I talked about becoming a teacher. I came home after school every day and played teacher; I created powerpoints, wrote on a marker board, and taught my "class." There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a teacher, and I couldn't wait. I was the one who had countless boards on Pinterest for my future classroom and teaching career. I graduated high school in May and started college in the fall and began my journey to becoming a teacher. I hated it-the classes didn't interest me, I hated school, I wasn't doing great in my classes as far as grades went because I wasn't interested, I didn't like it, and couldn't find the motivation to study and do well. The thought of having my own classroom didn't make me excited anymore. (Let me put this out there real quick though: I have nothing but utmost respect for teachers. I had some very special, wonderful teachers throughout my 13 years in school and I have nothing but respect for them. Teaching is a very underpaid job that doesn't get the praise, admiration, respect, and gratefulness that it deserves. I just realized that I was not cut out to be a teacher.) I realized teaching was not for me. I was shocked, confused, and afraid, because for 18 years I had wanted nothing more than to become a teacher, I knew that was what I wanted to do, until it wasn't anymore. I honestly didn't know what to do. I was working at a bank and thought about getting a full-time job there, but didn't want to not get some kind of degree, and the more I thought about it, banking just wasn't something I could see myself wanting to do for the rest of my life. I was honestly hoping God would send me a husband so we could get married and have kids and me just be a stay at home mom because I seriously had no idea what I was going to do. Haha! (Kinda glad God saw the bigger picture and showed it to me in my time of fear and uncertainty! I was not ready to just be a wife and mom just yet! haha!) So I decided to shadow some people and see if I could figure out what I wanted to do. So first, I decided to shadow a nurse and just see where that would take me. Anytime I visited a hospital I quietly thought about how cool it would be to be a nurse, but always pushed the thought away because, hello, I was going to be a teacher. But, I did it. I scheduled a date to shadow a nurse at one of the local hospitals and I shadowed her for a day. I absolutely fell in love with nursing. Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming "this is it" moment I would have. That day, I was able to witness a birth and it was the most amazing thing. Caring for patients is amazing and gives you such a feeling of accomplishment, but nothing is more amazing that caring for a newborn baby in his first few seconds/minutes/hours of his life. It's truly amazing. After that day, I knew. This is it.

And ever since I've begun nursing school, I've loved it. It's amazing to learn about the human body and how to care for others in their time of need. As a nurse, I will get to be that calming reassurance to my patients. I will get to be a comforter to a family who is fearing what will happen to their loved one and if they will be okay. I will get to rejoice with patients during some of the most joyous moments of their life. I will get to comfort patients and families during some of the most difficult and trying times in their life.

I'm super excited about becoming a nurse! I can't wait and I am so excited to finally know what I'm going to get to do for the rest of my life. This is it.

"When you are a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours."

What Am I Watching?

I've always loved watching TV shows, movies, game shows, stuff like that. I'm the girl who can sit down to just "watch a show while I eat lunch" and still be there at supper time! Ha! So, today I'm sharing what shows I love to watch.

Netflix Shows:

1) Gilmore Girls. I'm not really sure why it took me so long to realize the awesomeness that is this show?? I've just finished season one and I am in love. I love Lorelai's snarky, sarcastic, witty personality. I'm just desperately waiting for Lorelai and Luke to FINALLY get together already! Someone please tell me they eventually end up together?!

2) The Office. This one took me longer to get into but once I did I loved it. It's absolutely hilarious and I just can't get enough of it. My favorite characters are Jim & Pam. I also love Michael, I love Andy, I love Angela, I love Stanley, and I love Dwight. Kelly gets on my nerves, and I can't STAND Phyllis. The rest of them are okay. My favorite episode is probably "The Injury."

3) The Flash and Arrow. I've always loved superhero shows and I've always secretly wished I was an actress and could play Lois Lane or Iris West or Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. I'm a huge scaredy cat, though. Once I see something that creeps me out, it's a loooonngggg time before I can forget it. I BEGGED my Dad to take me to see The Dark Knight when I was in 4th grade and I was terrified for weeks haha. Heath Ledger did a killer job (no pun intended) as the Joker and I was scarred for life (I legit still REFUSE to watch that movie. I hate it. haha. I've seen all the Batman movies except for that one.) So, I tried out Flash and I can handle it. It's not too scary/gory for me and I just absolutely love this show. Dad and I watch this show together every week. I love the characters and the show is just so interesting and exciting for me. I can also handle Arrow and love it as well. It took longer for me to get into Arrow (I was addicted to Flash from episode one and caught up on the first three seasons in literally a month and was ready to watch season four when it came on TV). I'm not caught up on Arrow yet but I'm watching it on Netflix and slowly but surely I'm catching up. I tried out Gotham and could. not. handle it. Haha. It was way too dark for me and I just couldn't handle it. I'm not exactly sure what exactly it is that creeps me out and decides for me what shows I can and cannot handle, but I find out quickly if a show is gonna be something I can handle. Haha.

4) Little House on the Prairie. My mom, my sister, and myself have started watching this show together. We rent them from the library one season at a time and watch them whenever we have time. It's funny and has so much humor in it, and the characters are precious. I love that it is a clean show that our family can all watch together.

5) Hallmark Movies. I'm one of those girls who can watch Hallmark Christmas movies year round. Mom & I watched one the other day that was called Christmas Homecoming. It was about a military widow who has kind lost the "Christmas spirit." She meets another handsome soldier and they fall in love and it's just one of my favorites. I also love the one starring Candace Cameron Bure where she plays a doctor from a big city who doesn't get the fellowship she had her heart set on, so she moves to a super small town in Alaska and falls in love with the town, Christmas, and the handsome town handy-man. My all-time favorite Hallmark Christmas movie though is Christmas in Conway. It's such a precious movie, but def a tear jerker. It's about a woman who has a terminal disease but her husband builds a ferris wheel for her in their backyard just in time for Christmas. It's my absolute favorite!

What are your favorite shows/movies to watch?

What's in a {Blog} Name?

You may be wondering how I decided on a name for a blog. I wanted something short and simple, but something that went along with "Pate", since that's a nickname that a lot of people call me. I originally looked for words that rhyme with "Pate". Spoiler alert: those are few and far between. Ha! I can't remember if I just randomly thought of this word, or if it popped up on Google. Precisely. I thought "hmm. This could be it." I looked up the definition and I knew.

pre-cise-ly: adverb. in exact terms; without vagueness

That was it. Precisely Pate. I feel like that describes me. I'm just me: nothing more, nothing less. I'm very exact. Very simple. Very forward. I've never been one to hide things, not one to hide how I feel, not one to keep stuff from people. I don't hide things from people. I don't brag about my struggles or share them for attention, but I don't hide them. I'm not one to pretend like everything is okay when it's not. I try to be real. There's not a person in the world who has never struggled in life. I share my feelings, my opinions, my beliefs, and my thoughts. Wanna know something? Ask me. I can guarantee that I'll tell ya.

So, that's it: I'm me. Nothing more, nothing less. Precisely Pate.

Who Am I?

Who am I? Great question. My name is Patlin. I'm a nursing school student who dreams of the day I get to put on my scrubs and go to work! I'm loving the medical field and cannot learn enough about it. I love my classes and all the interesting things I get to learn. When I'm not at school, I'm a bank teller. I get to wait on customers and answer the question "Can you tell me how much I have in my account?" over the phone approximately 486 times every day and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm an awkward, clumsy girl who laughs at herself daily and often wonders how have I made it this far?! At [almost] age 10, I finally got the baby sister I'd been praying and begging for for approximately 8 years and she's cream of the crop and I'm proud to be her big sister. I'm blessed with two amazing parents who love each other and my sister and I and we are incredibly lucky God chose us to be their daughters. I love all things Disney. My goal is to visit all Disney parks across the world and I can't wait to check that off the bucket list. I love elephants and think they are the most beautiful creatures on the Earth. I love to laugh and make others laugh. I dream of finding my "Mr. Right" one day but I'm not in a hurry-God's timing is perfect. I also dream of being a mom and would love to adopt one day. I look forward to blogging about life and my adventures. Stay tuned!