1 Year of blogging; and completion of front-loading week!

1 Year of Blogging! 

This blog is as much for me as those who occasionally stopping by and seeing what I have to say. I hope that I can continue to use this to filter my thoughts through words without much interference. My goal has never been to be the most popular blog on the web, and I make sure of that by my settings saying they won't be able to google me...so we'll see what happens, but I just let this blog be a good outlet. 

Statistics: 

Pageviews today - 0

Pageviews yesterday - 1

last month - 34

All time history pageviews - 206

Apx 148 total posts in 1 year!

Anyways......here are a few of my favorite posts from the past year:

Favorite "New Music" page: {Submarines}

Closer Look {here}

Beyond Beats and Rhymes {check it out}

Music Mondays - {favorite artist ever} & {here}

Words to {Consider}

Bucket List! {things to do!}

My favorite fur ball every {here}

Saying goodbye to my brother going to college {changes!}

First day of nursing school! {scary}

College swimming through the years {visit}

First Clinical Ever....{exhausted at 5am!}

Happy Christmas {falalalala}

Final training trip {EVER}

Color run is FILLED I CAN'T DO IT :( {boo}

Bittersweet endings {memories to last forver!}

Browse a little, and maybe comment?....haha or not.

Have a good weekend!

 

My dad, who knows me very well, and has a whole lot of wisdom to share to anyone who wants to hear it said to me today, after a frustrating day filled with disappointment and may I use the "f" word "failure" or maybe not end-all-be-all-failure but the feeling of failure.

He said something like this, "remember your goal, and everything else doesn't matter as much, and do everything to accomplish that goal no matter what the set-backs"

I love my dad, my Aunt, and my friends today, even amidst the disappointment. I know I can do this, I just have to take it a day at a time and not let things that I can't change hold me back.

Tomorrow is a new day, and one day closer to Friday!

Disclaimer [If you don't watch or appreciate reality tv...you won't be interested..]

Total Guilty Pleasure that got me to survive my first day of front-loading week....

Bethenny Ever After - Season 3

Note: the views expressed on her show do not express everything I believe, I just appreciate her personality and up-front way of living life.

I have a true appreciation for this woman, and this show saved my 9 hour academic day! {Welcome to 3500!}

I suppose people have their opinions, but I like her openness and personality, who knows if its genuine in the way it's portrayed on tv, but even so I will enjoy the life that she holds on television and let her have her private life to herself. {I'm rooting for her marriage and family, they all need each other!}

In case anyone is confused about nursing student lingo - 

front loading week - 

A week that nursing faculty just want to see what we're really made of. It's the first week of a course where we have class M/W/F from 8am - 5pm with a lunch break, and T/TH - patho as usual. It's a long day to stay focused and on-task for that long. The hardest part; going back to your room and doing the homework and studying to be prepared for the following day. 

This weeks check list:

- Complete Patho prep 

- Patho Quiz

- Pass Med-calc exam

- Finish clinical prep

- Survive!!

- & still learn something and have a {little} fun

Spring Break is coming to a close :(

So I have successfully completed NURS3400 - Nursing Care of the Family, and I have to say I ended well and finish my first class of the semester out on a good note! Now if only there was a way to send my care plan with all these applications I've been doing for CNA positions so these employers can see all these awesome comments that my professor gave me on my work..........well even though that's not an option maybe they'll see that I'm a worthy candidate for the job. 

So this week is going to be a week testing my limits in all my abilities and capacities. This is the doozey class that everyone says is the hardest, most exciting, crazy class EVER. So needless to say I'm scared out of my wits but willing to take it head on. This week my schedule is awful, and for some reason I thought it was a good idea to not take off work at all. 

So here's to a week of new beginnings, increased intensity, and truly starting now until the semester is over seeing what I'm truly made of! 

Real-World-Realities

{Source! Check them out!}

So I realize that apart of growing up and getting older is you apply for jobs and work the rest of your life away. I get it. HOWEVER, the whole applying for jobs and being rejected thing is completely freaking me out. In order to get nursing jobs you need to have experience, well fun fact, I am in nursing school getting "experience" but I have not held one job in the context of a hospital EVER. So Summer 2012 is the time to start I suppose. So for the time being I'm applying to various hospitals in the twin cities area that require a CNA certificate in order to work. I'm hoping the fact that I'm no longer 16, currently in nursing school, and willing to work as many hours as they give me with low pay will seem appealing enough to hire me (and that I am a hard worker and willing to learn as much as possible!). I'm just worried because every job I've ever held was at a pool one, and two most of the time people asked if I was willing to work for them (it's been a pretty sweet life!). So the reality is, I'm applying to most of these jobs blindly, crossing my fingers, and hoping someone is willing to take the chance to hire me. So by the end of this week my goal is to have job applications sent and then be waiting for a response.

Admittedly maybe I'm over-reacting slightly, but it's intimidating. That's all.

House-Sitting + TNC Writing = My weekend!

   

He thinks he's so funny!.....

 

These cats are truly a hoot...even if they are slightly annoying at times, I'm going to miss them when their family returns!

 Finally finished after a long 4 days, but Spring Break has officially started! I am ready :D ... I even get to spend a few more days with these cute kitties (sometimes terrors!) I'm kinda intimidated on future TNC writing starting after spring break because that means I have some efficiency to learn (this one took too long!)!

Oh yeah...in a few weeks, no more babies, replaced knees/hips/shoulders/etc...!

Today I successfully checked in on a patient without my nurse or instructor by my side,
Assisted in holding her baby,
Saw a need,
Figured out an appropriate nursing intervention,
Successfully implemented the intervention,
Left my shift with a happy mama & babe.

Thanks to an awesome nurse, mama, hubby, & babe, all in a days work :)

It was a good clinical shift, I really think that nursing is the job for me!

Still Alive - Barely....

 

 {Seriously though....these were the only two things that helped me through my day yesterday!}

I am here! Well not here.....blogging, but alive and trying to keep up with school by the seat of my pants. It's midterms/ finals this week. I have a midterm in one class, and for another it's the last week so a final on Friday! WooHoo super fun! Luckily I'm house sitting so hiding away in a house with no internet has been suiting me well to studying and finishing strong before spring break. I am looking forward to a few days of from the daily nursing school grind. I'm hoping to take a few pictures of these cute cats I'm responsible for, as well as a post on my swimming banquet, so we'll see when I get around to it....Have an awesome day!

I just realized!!! Today is Tuesday....and you know what that means?!! My Aunt & Uncle moved/ are leaving today for 2 years to Papua new guinea to work for Wycliffe Associates at their main base camp there. I'm so excited for them and are praying for them daily that God will show them all that he has prepared for them there! {Wycliffe Associates} I'm so happy I was able to see them one last time last week when they made their final visit to Minnesota, they have been a blessing in my life throughout the years and I think they have a lot to offer to others. Much love!!

Movie Night tonight! {The Lorax!}

So I am falling in love daily with the local movie theater by school. It's the perfect atmosphere, and not until recently they've been changing the movie selection more frequently (which is a big deal considering there's only 2 screens playing at a time)! One problem, Kirsten (my roommate and I) haven't figured out how to get there on time, because we're so last minute on whether we want to go or not! Last week we saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, you can read my post {here}. And mom, if you're reading this don't worry; note the time 9:09pm that I'm writing this, yes we always see the early movies so we'll be back before 10pm.

As for tonight's festivities, we went to Noodles, ate there, and headed straight over to the movies that's 2 blocks away and saw The Lorax {Official Site}. It was a cute short film, and the movie theater was filled with many tiny tots so I enjoyed their laughing as well {Synopsis Here}. It was cute, and for an animated film (which are never my favorite) I was entertained and engaged. Since I'm really bad at predicting what movies I'll see next week...we'll wait and see. I still want to get around to seeing Contraband and The Vow...dunno when or how though....

{Source}

I'm home from my first day at clinical. I survived...and it wasn't so bad, though..I think I have added to the list of reasons I probably never really actually want to have to go through pregnancybirthbabiespostpartum....the shift was a little slow for my liking, but it was a good day, it grew on me as the time progressed. As I did more it became a little more exciting.

I really like Emily my clinical instructor, she's straight forward, blunt, and no sugar-coating, borderline too honest... my type of girl!

Babies and their Mommas! {Clinical 1 of 2 - NURS 3400}

{Source}

{Source}

Clinical today. The shift is from 3pm - 11:30pm; with a orientation from 1pm - 2pm and clinical prep from 2pm - 3pm. I'm excited/ nervous/ have no idea if I even know anything that I need to know! Hopefully it all goes well. Maybe I'll get to get my TNC done early? That would be amazing, though seemingly probably not an option, so lets not get ahead of myself. I can't say that this is my life-long calling to deliver babies, and take care of moms, but I am very excited to have the experience. 

In light of the whole baby fever that I have been living in nursing school (not my own baby fever don't you worry!) Here are some of my favorite blogs of moms and their children, maybe you'd like them too!

Rockstar Diaries; Taza & Husband, baby Eleanor, and Kingsley (there dog), plus expecting baby #2

boho baby bump; Momma married with one very cute toddler and baby #2 on the way!

Somtimes Sweet; stay at home mom with a baby and a hubby :)

Project: Bebe; currently abroad their family of 3 and adventures of motherhood is always fun to read!

Camp Patton; I love her because she's a stay at home momma of 2 and brutally honest, and sees the irony and humor in motherhood daily; did I mention her husband is doing his residency for being a doctor!

Well those are my favorites...maybe you don't read blogs like I do. It's a nice distraction from my fairly uneventful life as a college student, so I enjoy them!

words worth reading

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."
-Louis de Bernières

Behind every success is effort...

Behind every effort is passion...

Behind every passion is someone with the courage to try

- Unknown

Learning to be patient, loving, and kind {no matter what}

Friday's Fun Fact {I have never ridden in a taxi before}

 

I think it's something I should do someday, 

in a big city far, far, away...

Well here's to the weekend where I have lots to get done, and should have enough time to do it....now there's the just do it part! I think I can...I think I can...

Hello March {Movie Night Thursday!}

 

One of my roommates and I don't have class on Friday, and since both her and I work on Friday night, Thursday is our version of Friday night out. So we're starting to make it a tradition (budget pending of course!) to get a dinner out and see a movie. Last week it was Big Bowl and "This Means War" at Roseville AMC and this week was local in highland we got Noodles and went to the Highland Mann theater and saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy you can see the review {here}. I don't think this was my roommates favorite movie of all time, but I do enjoy watching movies that aren't mainstream too, so I was happy. It was slow to start, but definitely ended up being a good movie worth the money. This was the first movie in a while that I have seen that had very few women, I don't think any of the women in the film had a main role or a speaking part really, so that just made for a different dynamic.

Next week if it's still available somewhere in the world Contraband is on our list, and if we missed out, red box might be a good option. And of course we haven't seen The Vow yet either, so add another chick flick to add to the collection I suppose. 

Contraband {here}

 

The Vow {here}

I'm not a huge fan of cliche chick flicks that are all hollywood and such, but I do like Rachel McAdams...and all, and since it's not Valentine's day maybe I'll go venture out to the theaters...we'll see.