Longest Winter of my lifetime {I think} //April Review//

Photos from April instagram @AJKram

April 2013

Well, April...you usually are my favorite month of the year for many reasons; but this year I was disappointed. It incurred a lot of stress, snow, and time doing things that I had to do not chose to do. I suppose that's life, life is hard, life is tiring, and life is not always what we want it to be. I try to learn from it and take it in strive. From the pinwheel of instagram photos above top left - snow, yes SNOW, in April (enough said), studying with my roommate at the best neighborhood coffee shop around; should have discovered it sooner in my college career, sun!! The first nice day we had since September (no joke!), and last photo was I celebrated my 23rd birthday at Cheesecake Factory with my family. 

Lasts: college simulation in nursing lab EVER (hopefully!), SNOW (PLEASE mother nature PLEASE!), of having our heat turned on for the winter season (I hesitate to even write this because of what the future weather report is...)

Firsts: being present for a code-blue, getting blood on my scrubs (I was doing so good guys!),...

What I've learned: balance is important (hard) but important, when your body says rest - please rest, taking things one day at a time is usually the best option,...

Looking forward to: nursing pinning, graduation, summer, tan, post-graduation life, getting a break from being a student 24/7,...

What I'm missing: time for myself, not being a student, summer, flowers...

Faves: birthday meal with my family, hearing my brother got chosen captain of his college swim team as a junior,..

***Past monthly installments {here}

*** See where I've come from April {2011}, {2012}, {2013}

I'm ready for May, more than ready for sunshine, and ready to move on and grow into young-adulthood!

Life's Hard Sometimes.

 

My grandpa is in the hospital, I don't know what else to say than that. This was taken from Thanksgiving weekend during his birthday week when he turned 85. Surrounded by all his closest family except one who is pursuing God's call for him and his wife in Papa New Guinea, who was definitely apart of the day via skype (good thing for technology) it was truly a celebration and fun time together.

Every lifetime has stages and sometimes they are celebratory and happy times, others are of transition, and even still sometimes life is just difficult.

My grandpa is feisty and a fighter when he wants to be, so if you can keep him in your prayers I would really appreciate it.    

Throwback Thursday {Almost graduated!}

Since college is quickly fading into something of the past, and that one month from today I will be walking across the stage at graduation I thought I would throw in some photos from the past 5 years of a crazy journey that has gotten me to today.

Move in day for my first year of college - September 2008

My family and I on move-in day.

"Halloween Practice" Freshman Year - 2008

Julie & I on J-term training trip to the Florida Keys January 2009

Sophomore Year Roommate Julie & I 2009 - 2010

January 2010 - swim team training-trip to Costa Rica

Roommates Mary & Bridget in our room in Costa Rica

Jump forward to January 2011 - Training trip to the Florida Keys again; para-sailing with Alli!

March 2011 - MIAC Conference Swim Meet with Lena

Brother's High School Graduation - June 2011

First day of nursing school clinicals - Fall 2011

Senior Meet - January 2012 (Last year of college swimming!)

On the African Safari in Botswana - January 2013

This is only a glimpse of all the memories I have from the past 5 years and how much I have accomplished, it's crazy to think that in 5 short years I may have accomplished and traveled even more places and grown even more.

What an exciting journey it's been; can it be May 25th yet?!!!

coffee date.

source.

I know that spring is coming when I wake up to birds chirping, the sun was out more than less of the day, rain clouds moved in, only to rain for a tiny bit, then stop and end the day with a beautiful sunset. Now if only we could get the temperature up so it's less of the "wet & cold" and more of the "warm & dewy".

1) All my prayers have been answered with my supervising RN at my preceptorship for nursing, need I say more? She is awesome, supports me, and really has been a renewing feeling and hope for my career in nursing. I have my mind turning on how to really say thanks!

2) My dad is awesome, he picked me up at 6:20am, brought me my glasses I left at my parents house the night before, a rent check, and I exchanged it for a fresh-brewed travel-mug of coffee. Then after work he brought me from one side of the city to the other in the middle of rush hour.

3) I have been having an increase in cravings for beef (which is weird for me), I usually choose to eat chicken or vegetarian option when I can. My roommate is great, she came with me to dinner so I could get beef, but then also to coffee at my favorite place.

Today was a good day overall, I was exhausted and consumed way too much caffeine in order to stay awake for it, but it was definitely a good day.

Today was the first of 4 days in a row of 8-hour shifts in a hospital; ready or not here I come!

here comes the sun.

I woke up this morning to sunshine, sunshine that stayed all day until sunset. I think today was the first day all spring where we have had solid sun and enough warmth to melt the 6 inches of snow that accumulated overnight last night so that we didn't have to shovel.

I am thankful for a mini reprieve from the whether, a day out of a hospital, and time to teach swimming lessons to some pretty cute kids.

Tomorrow, another story, I have a bright and early wake up call at 5:15am to get to the hospital by 6:45am.

To hoping that the sun is here to stay!

Monday Blues.

I really want to try to find positives in everyday so that I can try to enjoy the remaining part of my time in nursing school. 

So here's what I got for the day:
 - Waking up too early for anyone to my dad making me coffee
 - Having an awesome supervising RN that comes in on her days off when she knew I was shadowing the charge nurse to say hi
 - Having a dad who loves me and drops me off and picks me up for my hours at the hospital

I could go onto a list why I had a no-good-very-rotten-monday but that would not really be the point.

Happy Monday!

- I hope wherever you live that it's not snowing when it's supposed to be spring and at least 50 degrees out! :-)

Sunday.

Because I've been of few words lately I am going to try to do even a short post everyday of memories or little things from my day ~~

Early morning wake up for my first Sunday-day shift at my clinical site for school, blessed that it was the only one for the entire semester.

For the first time this "spring" I appreciated the low-hung grey rain clouds in the sky on my way home from target.

Go into target, stuck to the list, still cost more than I was anticipating.

1 week until my birfday!...

Funk.

 

source unknown.

I am in a FUNK. And I don't like it, but then again...who does?
Everything is going as it should be for any student who is in their final semester of nursing school, for the most part, and I am on schedule to walk across the stage at graduation on May 25th.

BUT. It's the little things that are throwing me off, it's the little details of everything that I am trying to keep up with, and more times than not, I can't seem to get it exactly right.

My shift for the afternoon got called off at my preceptorship because of low census...unfortunate because it puts me back up to needing 5 shifts completed in the first 10 days of May.

When my inbox has over 4 emails that are important that need to be attended which includes action and follow-up my stress level increases exponentially.

So here's to one day at a time, 42 days until graduation, and knowing everything happens for a reason and will get done in time.

Oh man. It's already Friday.

 

source unknown.

I have finally laid in my bed back at 1504 and feel settled. Last week was spring break, then Easter, then more time off from classes, and it wasn't until Wednesday that I finally got situated back at my home away from my parents home. My mind I don't think has been able to play catch up yet and is needing to switch from "break" mode to "school" mode again. This spring break pretty much lasted two weeks considering this week the only official class I had to attend was my final exercise course - that is required to graduate - and only is an hour long. My life keeps moving faster than a speeding bullet and I can tell myself starting to transition into graduation mode, into work mode, into take my boards and pass the first time, to let me just graduate already! It's hard to live a life where I am spending 40 hours in a hospital (combining paid and clinicals for class), taking time to study and take online exams, class time on campus, and still being able to relax a little bit and enjoy my final semester of my college career.

Everyday though even amongst all the craziness around me there has been moments where I definitely can see how all this is going to work out and that I have been on the right path all along. That is reassuring and I can't complain.

Well, it's Friday night and I don't work until Sunday - so I'm thinking I should take advantage of my weekend! .... now if only these flurries and snow could stop and mother nature remember what month it is!!
xoxo

{Easter Monday}

I attend a Catholic College, and my brother attends a Lutheran College, and among the both of us we have an extra bonus day off added to our spring breaks called "Easter Monday". Here are a few photos from the church service yesterday morning. Because I am awful at taking photos of people/ being in photos this is mostly of the artist that painted during the service going alongside the theme of the day "Painting on a New Canvas". I appreciate how our church tries new things, embraces difference, and provides an inclusive environment for everyone especially on this Easter Sunday, with the ultimate love and sacrifice that is celebrated Sunday of Easter when Jesus rose again.

 

 

 

Even if you didn't get the Monday off of school or work I hope that just because Easter is over that we forget the reason for the holiday celebration. I have school off but still will be going into the hospital for an evening work shift!