The Fun of Fall

Hello Everyone! It seems like forever since I have posted. (I guess it kinda has been)

So unfortunately my life hasn't changed very much since my last post. I am still going to school 4 days out of the week for lecture and clinical rotations. I know I mentioned before in my last post that none of the classes  I am currently taking are ones that I am very interested in. Although I hoped I would end up liking them, I actually have not. Overall its been a boring sort of semester. But I would take boring any day over "extremely busy, don't have a life or time enough to breath" semester like the summer.

So far my clincials have been pretty uneventful as well. I am basically just trying to get those done. I thought I would enjoy Psych clincials more than I have but they actually make me sad so I haven't liked them very much either.

But then again there is always room for improvement. Maybe things will get better toward the end :)

So other than school I have just been enjoying time with Aaron and time with my family. Aaron has been helping coach his younger brothers football team this year and I've really been enjoying the games on the weekends.

We have also, of course, been enjoying Alabama Football this fall! Boy do I love my team! I promise I love them win or lose but it feels much better to be winning :) Roll Tide!

 So to wrap it all up, anyone who knows me knows that October is one of my favorite months because its my birthday month, my sisters birthday month, and Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays. Although Mallory's birthday has already passed we still have some celebrating to do. We are having a birthday dinner together with our family to celebrate both of our birthdays on Sunday. So excited :)

I should have some great pictures from the party to share in my next post, but until then I will leave you with a picture of my Baby Love; little Jay.

See you soon!

The Future

So now that school has started back across our area everyone is getting back into the swing of things including me. I have class lectures on Monday and Wednesday at UAB and then I have a clinical rotation for community health on Tuesdays. Where we go on Tuesdays varies because it is community so we go where ever the community needs volunteer nurses. So far it is has been a sort of boring experience but hopefully it will get better the more I get to volunteer!

But with schools starting and college classes beginning I can't help but think of Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama. I miss it very much. I think to myself  what I wouldn't give to be a student on that campus again. I know that it is hard to understand and its even harder to explain. I feel like my heart lies there; NOT at UAB. I know that I am getting a wonderful education by very skilled and intelligent instructors but I can't help but wish I was at UA instead. I honestly feel that it was where I was meant to be. It is everything that I dreamed it would be in high school and more. I loved it. Sometimes I feel disappointed in myself for not trying harder while I was there. I thought I was doing the best that I could and maybe I was but today it feels like I could have done more and maybe I would have gotten in. That phone call from their college of nursing offering me a spot was one the happiest and saddest days of my life because I had to tell them no.

Don't get me wrong, I am very happy I got in at UAB and I have made wonderful friends and I know I am receiving a great education but doesn't everyone think about what might have been? What would things be like? What would it feel like to walk across the stage at Coleman Coliseum and get my diploma? I will only know what it feels like to wear an ugly green robe for UAB.

Its hard to fully explain how I feel and maybe it doesn't make any sense but lately it has been weighing on me and I needed to vent. Thanks for listening! ha

But one thing I can still look forward to from UA is football. This Saturday is our first game against Kent State and I couldn't be any more excited! RTR!

----post again soon

The summer is ending...

As much as it saddens me to say I guess I must face the facts: Summer is ending. Mallory will starting her senior year tomorrow morning at SCHS and I will going to back to UAB next Tuesday to begin my 3 semester of Nursing School.

Although the thoughts of wearing coats, boots, and sweatshirts seem so nice I know it will be long time before the state of Alabama cools off so I think I'm better off not getting excited about that part of fall. But I am SO excited that Alabama football will be beginning in less than a month! I'm so ready for some games and some football domination :))

This fall I will taking 3 lecture classes and 2 clinical rotations:

Community and Public Health Nursing- along with a clinical

Nursing of the Psychiatric Mental Health Client- along with a clinical

Nursing of the Older Adult

Although I am not especially interested in any of these fields I am hoping it will still be an interesting semester!

I will, of course, keep you updated as I go!

Here are a few pictures from a spur of the moment beach trip with Aaron's family to Orange Beach. We had a great time! :)

Love the view from my beach chair!



Much Needed Update

Hi, Everyone! It is way past due for an update so let me fill you in on the new in my life! :)

(Although there isn't much to share)

I completed my summer semester of nursing school and I couldn't be happier to have this one under my belt. It has been very hard to stay motivated this summer and to top that off I had one of the hardest classes I have ever taken in the line-up. Difficult is an understatement.

I had absolutely no idea how hard Nursing School was actually going to be. Yes, I had heard what upperclassman were saying about it, and yes, the prerequisite teachers told me it was going to be tough but there was no way that back then I would have gotten through my head what they were trying to tell me. Beware to those of you planning to take this path, just as everyone told me, I will tell you; Nursing School may be the hardest thing you ever do but it will be worth it in the end.

I ended this semester with these grades:

Maternal/Newborn    B

Maternal/Newborn Practicum    Pass

Nursing Informatics    B (an 89 I might add. UGH)

Pharmacology    C

These are not the best grades I've ever earned but they will get me to next semester which will begin on August 16th.

I will leave you with this picture of possibly the cutest giraffe in the world. I found this on pinerest.com and it has made me giggle for days!!!

 

Until next time......

Long Time, No See

So it has been a pretty good while since I have updated. I am sorry for the few of you of do still read my blog, haha.

I have been really busy these past few weeks with school. I didn't think it was going to be bad only going to school 3 days a week this summer but it turns out that even though I wasn't at school I still had alot of work to do at home. It has been very hard but it has been a little fun too!

So I decided I would do a list of 3 things that are new in my life since I posted last:

1. During my clinical at Brookwood Medical Center I got to witness my first live birth. I saw a young mother give birth to a beautiful baby girl. She had a very short labor, only lasting around 3 hours, so I was able to observe the whole laboring process from beginning to end. It was a beautiful experience and for those who know me and are wondering, yes I cried.

2. Aaron and I have celebrated 3 wonderful years together. I find it hard to imagine my life without him in it, and sometimes I wonder how I ever lived before we were together. We have such fun when we are together no matter what we are doing and this may go without saying but I love him.

3. My schedule of only 3 days of class a week worked out well in the fact that I got to go on my family vacation. I was so afraid that I was going to have to miss it but I was so blessed that it fell on a week when I had a Tuesday clinical and when I was off the following Monday. It was awesome! We had a great time! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

This was John Thomas' first beach trip and boy was he the cutest beach bunny!

This is Will and me playing Cornhole. We were high-fiving because he had rung the hole. "Cornhole!"

And yes, this was my embarrassing moment when I tripped over a hole in the sand and busted it.

"Aaron, lets do a prom pose!"

Take one....

Take two... haha

An absolutely wonderful trip! Can't wait until next year! :)

Learning Lots...

I have now completed 2 weeks of my my 9 week summer session and it is impossible for me to express how much I am learning. And the most interesting thing is that I am loving almost every minute of it. I say almost because I am not enjoying one of my classes in the least bit (Nursing Informatics- I don't care at all about research; I just want to care for people) and there is always studying to do and I never really like that but Maternal/Newborn has be glued to my PowerPoint's. To be honest I was hoping that this would happen since this is going the area of nursing I plan to join and I am glad that I love it!

I have done one round at the hospital but unfortunately I was not on a Labor and Delivery, postpartum, prenatal, or NICU floor; I was on the women's health floor caring for women who had recently had a hysterectomy or cancer patients with breast or ovarian cancer. Not very fun. But hopefully next week I will be on a good floor!

I hope everyone had a wonderful memorial day, we sure did! Here are some pictures of the balloon fight we had at my Nana's!

I think we were going over the rules here and I'm not sure what Will is telling us but it looks like we don't understand!

Yup, they both got me!

Then I got Brittany on a sneak attack!

"On the count of three say hot dog. One, two, three HOT DOG!"



"I don't know nothing 'bout birthing no baby!"

Well, even though the character in the movie that said this line didn't know anything about birthing babies, I soon will!

Monday I started my summer semester at UAB. I will be taking Nursing Informatics, Pharmacology, Maternal OB, and of course a clinical. This week has really worn me out. We had to go pretty much all day every day this week. Our summer is only 9 weeks long so they have to pack as much material in as they can get! But starting next week, I will only be going three days a week. Two full days for class and then one day for a 6:30-3:00 shift at the hospital. I will be working at Brookwood mostly on Tuesdays and some Thursdays.

And as most of you reading already know, Labor and Delivery is my chosen field at the moment. I say at the moment because you never really know what things are like on a floor until you get there but I am pretty sure that this will be something that I love! I am very excited!

We are off on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday and I will begin clinical on Tuesday so I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes!

Also, busy things were happening around Columbiana with all the students graduating this week. I would like to congratulate all the grads and say good luck in your college years!

This is Aaron and me at Colby's graduation party :) Congrats to Colby!

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Back from the Beach...

Well, we have returned but only because we had to. If it was up to me I would never, ever leave the beach; I absolutely love it there. Aaron and I had a wonderful time. We left very late on Wednesday night and returned on Sunday. We stayed in Orange Beach, AL at Palm Beach.

This is Palm Beach looking from the beach side.

And this is the view from our condo.

Our first day was a little busy. We got in at about 2:00 am on Wednesday night and went straight to sleep. When we woke on Thursday we went to the store and got all then necessary items and then hit the beach.

Boy, do I love this view. The view from a beach chair :)

Later we went to Hazel's for dinner.

The rest of the trip was basically the same. We spent most of our time on the beach and ate very well. We had Live Bait Friday and The Original Oyster House Saturday. 

The beach was beautiful as always and we had a great time. I feel so lucky to have a boyfriend who would take me to beach during my time off from school; otherwise I would be missing the beach all summer long. He, of course, is absolutely wonderful :)

Excited!!!

So there is not very much new to tell about my life in the past week. Nothing much going on and I am starting to really like it that way. No papers to write, no videos to watch, no clinical paperwork to do and its awesome! I have been able to just hang out at home and just chill with one of the absolute loves of my life; my dog Jammer.

Mallory and I joke that he is "an angel reincarnated as a dog". There is no mistaking that we both love him with all our hearts.

For Mother's day yesterday my Mom, Mima, Aunt, Uncle, younger cousins, and I went down to Beeswax for a picnic by the lake. It was a very pretty setting and of course Jay came with us and he had a ball. He sniffed and tinkled on everything and play until he was just worn out; it was a fun day!

He played until his tongue hung out! haha

Emily and me had a great time!

But I guess there is one more exciting thing to tell you all about. I am leaving for the beach on Wednesday! I am very excited to be able to get down there and relax some more. I am sure that Aaron and I are going to have a wonderful time and I am sure I will have lots of pictures to share when I get back! :))

The End Has Come!

It has arrived! (The end of my first semester of nursing school that is!) Back in January when I entered my orientation and the instructors bombarded me with information and tasks I had to complete I was completely overwhelmed and I honestly didn't know if I would make it this far. I have been working hard, studying alot, and devoting the majority of my time to nursing but it looks like it is already paying off!

Foundations of Practical Nursing    79%=C

Pathophysiology    84%=B

Skills of Practical Nursing    89%=B

Clinical Practicum    PASS

(Clinical is pass/fail)

I am pretty proud of these grades. I have never really been proud of a "C" before but as hard as nursing school is, I'll take it and love it! And as a side note, these 79's and 89's won't round up to an 80 and 90. Sadly there is no rounding in nursing school :( But I can deal with it. As some of nursing school friends and I like to say "C's get degrees" haha

Thank you so much to everyone who has given me the support that I needed this semester to make it through; I wouldn't have been able to do it with you all. I am going to enjoy my 3 week break and prepare myself for Summer Term. I am going to try just as hard and I hope to make you all proud!

Great Weekend!

I was very sad to see this weekend come to an end this morning; it was a truly wonderful weekend! Friday was really not much out of the ordinary but Saturday more than made up for that!

Saturday I got up early to go watch Aaron play in his second softball tournament. I love to go and watch his team play. They are very good and I can tell that he has a great time out there with all of his friends. They started out a little slow but the more games they played the better they got and they ended up winning the tournament again! I could only snap a few pictures of him playing but I did manage to get a video of him at bat. This is actually not one of his best bats but I had to upload it because it's hilarious.

Aaron and his team were winning big time so they weren't really taking things as seriously as they should have been and he got up there and MISSED the ball. This hardly ever happens in slow-pitch softball because you have plenty of time to see it coming toward you. Please excuse it if there is any "language"; with a team full of young guys you never know what you might get on camera.

After watching a few of Aaron's games I came back to town to see Mallory leave for prom with her friends. She had an awesome dress and of course looked great. She told me later that she had a great time and her date got crowned Prom King! These are just a few of the pictures we took that day, I am sure she will upload more to her Facebook.

But sadly now it is time for me to get back to work. I have got one more final tomorrow before I am done and I will get to relax during a two week long summer break. I am so tired of studying that I could just scream, haha! I'll just have to keep telling myself, "one more day!"

Hope everyone has a good week! :) 



Happy Easter :)

It has been a wonderful Easter today, I got to spend the day with my family. We enjoyed a great service and some great food afterward!

I feel so very blessed to have such a wonderful family!

But now that Easter is over it is time to let the studying begin.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

It takes us a few tries to get a good one! :))

2 tests awayyy...

So my first semester of nursing is coming to an end. I am only two short tests away from wrapping up my first semester and I don't think I could be more excited! Nursing school has had its ups and downs but in the end I have learned alot, met some really great people, and gotten alot of awesome experience in the hospital setting.

I will be beginning my second semester on May 10th and we will be doing Maternity and Pediatrics which I am very excited about. For anyone who doesn't already know that is the area I want to be in once I graduate; Labor and delivery. I want to be able to help mommies bring babies into the world every day and I can't wait to get started!

Nothing too exciting has been going on in my life lately but I do have some recent pictures I would love to share with everyone!

This is my clinical group, we worked together at the hospital every other week for two shifts this semester. Great friends, who will make great nurses!

Lauren, Mandy, Rachel, Cuong, Emily, Me, and Yi

Will (my cousin) has started playing T-ball and boy are those little guys cute in their baseball pants and jerseys!

He played so well and I was so excited to watch him!

Aaron has also started back into sports. He joined a slow-pitch softball team with his brother and some of their friends. Their team is really good and won a tournament a few weekends ago. This is them celebrating after the win! (Sometimes I think boys think they are too cool to really celebrate!) haha



Post again soon :)

Back to the Old Grind...

Well, starting back to school hasn't been easy, spring break spoiled me big time. Getting up at 4:30, driving to class in rush hour, staying at school all day, driving home in rush hour, and doing homework before bed and then starting it all over again the next day. Needless to say it is very tiring. But I only have a few short weeks left of this semester and then I will be able to enjoy a 2 1/2 week long break before I start the summer session, Yay!

I am also excited to let everyone know that I passed another validation! I can now insert nasogastric feeding tubes (those are tubes that go in through the nose and down to stomach. They are mainly for patients with swallowing problems or who have a hard time keeping food down) and I can insert Foley catheters into female and male patients. As you can imagine it was a hard validation and not the most fun to learn to do but I am sure I will use to skill in my nursing career. My next, and last, validation will the Physical Assessment Validation that I will have to complete in a couple of weeks. Wish me luck, looks like my family will all be getting physicals in the coming weeks! haha

Next week is going to be a busy clinical week, I only have four more clinical days left this semester which is definitely awesome! I am on the countdown; the end is near!

Everyone have a good week! :)

Downtime..

This week has been one of the best weeks that I have had in a long while. I thought that I needed this week very badly, but I truly had no idea; I needed it more than I could have ever imagined.

Saturday my sister and I left for the Gulf Shores at about 9 am. We made some pretty good time and got there to check in at about 12:30, which was wayyy before our check in time at 2 pm. But we pulled in anyway just to see if they would let us check in early. I was skeptical because I didn't think they would let us check in at all seeing as you have to be 25 years old to rent a room and it was just us two with no "adult" but the ladies at the rental place must have trusted me and they ended up handing over the keys to us early. We met up with Mima and found our condo. After we unloaded we did the whole grocery thing and then ordered in a pizza and relaxed for the rest of the night. They next three days were spent baking in the sun, shopping, and eating good.

This was the view out of our condo, on the 15th floor!

Mallory and me before heading out to the Original Oyster House, one of our family favorites!

I know this is the same picture as before but I had to zoom in on Mallory's new nose piercing for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Mima with the "girl-who-forces-nudity". (This was the Indian name given to Mallory on the trip)

Mima and me; the "girl-who-didn't-get-an-Indian-name".

My cousin Brittany with me at Live Bait, which I think may be my most favorite place to eat!

The trip was wonderful and I did not do anything that was not necessary for school and I loved every minute of it. I wish I had not had to leave but I guess all good things must come to an end.

We had an awesome time and now I have been enjoying the rest of my SB with Aaron. We are going shopping tonight for some new spring clothes so it should be lots of fun!

Hope everyones SB was awesome :)