GRRR

I have got a splitting @ss headache! I have *got* to study for my microbiology exam that is first thing in the morning. I feel like puking and I can't even concentrate, it hurts so bad! :( To top it off, the stupid dog across the street keeps barking incessantly and I seriously want to just go over there and punch it in its freaking throat!

I...

...am tired.

...am sick of sneezing and blowing my nose.

...could use a drink!

Ugh!

I do not feel well. Not sure if it's allergies or a cold but BLAH! Runny nose, constant sneezing, headache, watery eyes, fatigue. Hope I can get some good sleep tonight...long day tomorrow. :(

Today

Well, Bella was somewhere around 23 lbs this morning at the vet. It's difficult to get an accurate weight on her because she won't stay still on the scale. She absolutely *loves* people and other dogs, she gets really, super excited when anyone pets her. If I take her for a walk and someone stops to pet her she goes crazy; tail wagging, can't be still, starts peeing all over...it's comical. The peeing thing can be somewhat embarrassing, though. It happens every. time.

I also stopped at Starbucks before heading back home and got my free coffee today for taking in my own mug! Too bad it didn't taste that great to me. I didn't even finish it. Good thing it was free.

Eye doctors, and Dentists, and Vets...oh my!

I finally went to the eye doctor and got a new prescription. I'd had my previous glasses for about 3 years and my vision through them was getting pretty blurry. So, I got some new glasses and new contacts. I am not 100% sure how I feel about my new frames. I guess I'm just not used to them yet, but it is definitly nice not to have to squint to see things anymore.

Last week, I went to the dentist to get a filling that had fallen out replaced. However, right after she was done, I told her my bite didn't feel right and she checked it out and said that it appeared to her to be ok, and that perhaps after the numbness wore off it would feel better. Well, it's now been a week and it still feels off. Not only that, but it actually hurts to chew on that side of my mouth now. It's also extremely sensitive to temperature. Cold actually makes it hurt *really* badly. :( So, I go back next week for a regular cleaning, and hopefully I'll be able to get it fixed.

Tomorrow I'm taking Bella to the vet for another round of immunizations. She is getting SO big! In the 6 weeks I've had her, she's gone from 9 lbs to 19 lbs (as of her last visit). It will be interesting to see how much she weighs tomorrow.

Clinicals

It looks like my clinicals this quarter are going to be pretty interesting. At least I hope so. There are only 4 other people in my group this time, which is awesome. A smaller group means better odds of getting something interesting. We will also get to rotate to different areas. Each week one of us will get to go to the ER, one to the OR, and one to the cath lab, possibly another area too, that I don't recall, and then one or 2 will be left on the floor we're assigned to for one on one with the instructor. 12 hours will be a long day, but hopefully we will be able to get some really good experience!

I also found out on Friday, at clinical orientation, that my clinicals are going to be on Fridays instead of Saturdays! I am totally cool with that! Not only will I not have to feel like I have no weekend for the next couple of months, but there will likely be more interesting things going on at the hospital on a weekday as opposed to a weekend. Woot!

Longest. Day. Ever.

I thought my classes were never going to end today! Argh! Micro and A&P lectures are soooo boring! I have a rough time staying awake during them. Especially when the teacher dims the lights to make it easier to see the projector screen. :( The nursing class was the last one of the day, yet also the least boring. I felt the most awake during that one, oddly enough.

Looks like tomorrow might possibly be a little less busy than I had thought. My grandma has a doctor appointment in the afternoon, so it looks like I may not have to go out and help her tomorrow. Not that I don't want to help her, it's just a little bit of a drive, and it takes away from time I can actually be doing my own laundry or dishes or...nothing at all. :o

Is it the weekend yet?

It's only Tuesday night...this week is draaaaging! And tomorrow is going to be the longest day of the week. School 8:30am to 4:00pm, all lectures. :( Then a dentist appointment and possibly going to help my grandma with some packing on Thursday and clinical orientation for 4-5 hours on Friday! At least I don't have go to my 12 hour clinical this Saturday!

It's over.

My Spring break is over!! I didn't really get much time to relax over the past week, just as I had expected. Oh well. It's back to school tomorrow! :/

Done

Another quarter down! I ended up getting B's on both of my A&P finals. Phew! So, that gave me a B in that class and A's in English and Speech. Woohoo!

I have the rest of this week off and then starting next Monday, I'm back at it. Next quarter looks like it's going to keep me quite busy. Another A&P, Microbiology, and a nursing class. I'll be in classes Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and then clinicals all day on Saturdays. Kinda makes me tired just thinking about it.

Just 5 more quarters to go!

I could use a nap!

I have been quite busy lately. On Tuesday night around 9pm, my grandma called to let me know that my grandpa was doing worse and she was not sure if he would make it through the night. I was still studying for my 2 finals on Wednesday but, my family comes first, so I decided I needed to drive out there to be with them. Fortunately, he did make it through that night and after a few hours of sleep, I got up and went to take my first final Wednesday morning.

I left that not feeling extremely confident since I did not get to finish studying all of the material. I came home, took the pup for a walk and chilled for a few before heading back to school for my last final.

After that was out of the way, around 3:00 that afternoon, I headed back to my grandparents' house. The pauses in my grandfather's breathing were getting longer and the effort it took him to breathe seemed to be getting greater as well.

My dad, his mom, and one of her friends stopped by to visit and see how he was doing that evening. They all went in to see him (he was set up in a hospital bed in the spare bedroom). Then as we were sitting in the living room talking, my grandma had an urge to go check in on him. Less than a minute after she went in, she came back out and asked me to come back with her. I did, of course, and as I walked in the room, I noticed that he was not breathing and his face was very pale. I checked for a pulse on his neck and felt his last few heartbeats before they just stopped.

I stayed with my grandma again that night as I had planned. Thursday morning, she and my brother and I went to the funeral home to make all the arrangements. I brought my grandma back home with me last night. I didn't want her to have to be alone but, I didn't want to sleep on the love seat or recliner at her house another night. :o

This evening are the calling hours at the funeral home. We have to be there at 5:00 and that lasts until 8:00. My grandma is going to spend the night here again tonight and the funeral is in the morning.

So...I've been doing a lot of running around with my grandma...taking her to get her hair did and look at apartments and generally just trying to keep her occupied. I am hoping that I'll be able to just relax some tomorrow night, or at least Sunday, but who knows.

Just a lil stressed

Must. Study. Don't. Want. To....I have two finals on Wednesday. Both for A&P. One in lecture, one in lab. I really need to finish studying for them! After those are done, I will be off for a week and a half. However, it looks like my time off will not be as relaxing as I was hoping for. My grandfather is not doing very well and is likely not going to make it very much longer. :(

I have been spending a lot of time at my grandparents' house, trying to help my grandma out however I can. I've been doing dishes, folding laundry, getting up in every few hours during the night to give granddad his morphine and syringes of water so that my grandma can get some much needed rest.

So, I did not get much study time in over the weekend since I spent a good portion of my weekend there. I did make it to open lab today, though, and that was really helpful. He is holding another open lab in the morning, and I will be going to that too. I need as much hands-on studying as I can get!

I am just feeling really down, and really tired today. It didn't help that it was all rainy and gloomy out today or knowing that today would have been my mom's 52nd birthday...

Seriously...

I give up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I really just want to scream right now!!

60's = awesome weather!

I am loving the weather the past few days. Minus the rain, of course. But, I'll take some sprinkles over a foot of snow anyday! I would be completely cool with one week of snow, one month of summer, and the rest of the year being in the 60's!

I have been going for walks just about every day lately. I still need to fit in a walk today. This morning I had A&P class and then lab. (The poor puppy had to be in her crate all morning.) Now I need to run to Meijer to grab the rest of the groceries that I didn't get when I went shopping a few nights ago. Sigh. At least this time I am not taking any kids with me AND...I can wear flip flops! :)

School

This quarter is coming close to an end. Next week, I have to give my final speech in speech class and then I will be done with that one. Sunday, my final paper for English is due. Then the week after next, I'll have my last practical in A&P lab, and the final exam in my A&P class. Then Spring break. I think that is only one week, but better than nothing. After that I get to look forward to 12 hour Saturday clinicals for the next three months. But... I'll be one quarter down, and 5 more to go!

Aww!

My son is laying against me watching tv. Then out of nowhere, he turned and gave me a kiss and said "you're pretty, mommy". Awww! It's nice to hear that now and then. I love this little man SO much!!!

Puppy Love!

I got the kids a boxer puppy over the weekend. She is so cute and such a sweet girl! Housebreaking is definitely not a fun job. But, the kids have been very good about cleaning up after her. If she has an accident inside, they clean it up if they are home, they take her out for potty time and walks around the block. So far they have been asking me if they can do these things. I really hope they keep this up!!!

Here are some pictures of my new little girly, Bella:



Can't. Stay. Awake. Much...

zzzzzzzzzzz

More studying!

Wow, long day. I was in class this morning, then ended up staying for lab today. I usually go on Fridays, but I am trying to switch over to the Thursday lab, just so I can be done earlier on Fridays. After lab was over at 1:00, I grabbed some lunch with a couple of classmates from the school cafe and spent the next couple of hours studying. Even with going over things for 2 hours, we only made it through one chapter. Sigh. However, I definitely understand a few things now that I don't think I would have if I hadn't studied with other people. So that is a plus.

After that, I stopped and got the last part of my TB skin testing done (all negative, of course). So, I finally got to register for next quarter's classes. Aaaaand, as I expected, I ended up with Saturday clinicals...7am-7pm. =( I did get my name put on a waiting list to switch to either Thursdays or Fridays if a spot becomes available, but I'm not going to hold my breath for that to happen.

Now, I need to spend the evening going over the other 2 chapters that I need to know for tomorrow's test. On a positive note, at least after my test in the morning, I'll be done for the week!

My day

Today was speech class. We gave demonstration speeches. In mine, I demonstrated how to make a chocolate cream pie. It turned out pretty well, and everyone really liked it. Some of the other demonstrations were how to tie dye a shirt, how to change the strings on an electric guitar, as well several other easy desserts.

Then I came home, had a decent workout, and ate some yummy roast with potatoes, carrots and onions that I threw in the crock pot this morning.

Now I need to study for my A & P test coming up this Friday. Can I just say that I freaking HATE chemistry?!!!

Good news and bad news

The bad news is that the results from my grandfather's liver biopsy are in, and it is malignant. My grandmother was not sure of what questions to ask the doctor when he called with those results, and apparently the doctor didn't really elaborate much past that. So, we still do not know what stage the cancer is nor what the prognosis is. As I've mentioned before, he does not want to have any surgeries, and my grandma says she cannot see putting him through chemo with all of his other health issues. So, I am not really sure what will happen from here. They have an appointment with their family doctor on Thursday, so hopefully he will have some answers for them.

I stopped by their house for a visit yesterday and gave my grandma a chance to go to the grocery store without having to take him along. He is not really able to stay alone anymore, and he has not been doing well with going out lately. Each time I see him, it seems that his memory gets worse and worse. While my grandma was at the store, he asked me if I have any kids. I reminded him that I do, and pointed to a picture of them on the wall. He asked me for their names and ages because he could not remember them. He also asked me if I have any brothers? I told him yes, and said his name. He then said "oh, I've met him, but I didn't realize...". It's really saddening.

The good news is that I went in for a parent-teacher conference for my younger daughter this evening and got nothing but good reports! The teacher said that she is doing very well in every subject and is always on task. She told me that she is actually pretty advanced in reading and math. In reading, on the scale they use, they want the kids her age to be at a reading level Q and she is at a level V. In math, she always gets 98%-100%'s and is actually helping out other students in her class. I am very proud of her!

Got Sleep?

Why on earth am I still awake? I have no idea. I laid down *hours* ago and was very sleepy. However, here I am at well past 3 am unable to drift off. So frustrating!

2/19

Today would have been my parents' 34th wedding anniversary. I know my dad was feeling down tonight. He sent me a few sad texts this evening. :( We all miss my mom so much! She was an awesome lady.

Aside from that, my oldest daughter did very well in her play this evening. She had 3 lines tonight. Tomorrow she has a much larger role. She and another girl are sharing the role of the "nurse". She is a little nervous since this will be her first time in a play with this many lines. But, I know she will do great! They don't allow video taping of the performances (I don't really know why) or flash photography, but hopefully I'll be able to get at least a few decent pictures.

Pictures

I took lots of pictures of my daughter's birthday party(s) last weekend. So, naturally, I need to post some. :) In all the confusion of getting all the kids out the door to go to the bowling alley, I forgot to grab my camera. I did take some pictures there with my phone, though.

Here are a couple of her on her actual birthday, February 9th:



Opening presents at her party:


Decorating cookies:



Hmm...somehow, I missed taking pictures of the girls making their crafts...

Bowling:




Cake:


Getting ready for "sleep":


Opening presents at Uncle G's house:


Her face in that last one cracks me up! :)

Sick of being sick!

I feel even worse today! Now on top of my increasingly stuffy/runny nose, I have a very itchy throat and yucky cough. My nose is getting sore, too, from using toilet paper and napkins to blow my nose a million times a day. Man, I could really go for some puffs plus with aloe, some afrin, and some dayquil. But, that would require getting dressed and driving to the store. Blah!

I tried to take a nap, but couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep before my kids got home. Guess I'll stop being whiny and suck it up and go to the store now.

*sniffle*

How is it that you can be all stuffed up and have your nose running at the same time? I had a difficult time sleeping last night. I kept waking up not able to breathe through my nose. Not cool! I still don't feel like doing anything. I want to take a nap, but I can't breathe when I lay down. =(

I also wish I could stop all the sneezing!

Tired

I'm still not feeling well tonight. My nose is still stuffy, my eyes are burning, and I'm crazy tired. I haven't really done anything today at all. I didn't even get outside to shovel the driveway tonight, so it's going to probably be crazy tomorrow. :(

I did, however, take a hot bath this evening. That was most productive thing I accomplished all day. Heh.

So, now I'm gonna try to get some sleep and hope to be feeling better in the morning.

My weekend

I spent my day Saturday baking, cleaning up around the house, and finishing up some shopping for my daughter's birthay slumber party that night. It went really well, too. I didn't have to break up any little girly fights, so that is always a plus! They had a fun time decorating cookies, doing a craft, going bowling, eating pizza and cake, and running all around my house.

Yesterday we spent the day with family to celebrate birthdays. It was good to see them all, but it's sad seeing how poorly my grandfather is doing.

I started feeling a little icky yesterday evening, though, so I laid down in bed and watched tv for a while, and fell asleep pretty early. I woke up this morning with a headache, stuffy nose and a slightly sore throat. I am also having a little pain in my ear now and then. :( Sigh...not fun. Hope I feel better very soon!

Note to self:

Don't work out with a belly full of chili and 2 cups of water. UGH!

10

My youngest daughter turned 10 on Tuesday. She's growing up too fast! She got a lovely birthday present of a snow day on her birthday, though. So, that made her happy. As a bonus, yesterday was another snow day. So, today I took in a snack for her to share with her class for her birthday. She informed me later that a kid in her class thought I was her sister. Haha! Best compliment I've received in a while.

This Saturday night, she is having a slumber party. Oh joy. A house full of 10 year old girls...that should be relaxing...

Then, Sunday we're going to go spend the day celebrating her (and my sil's) birthdays with the whole fam.

Soo, looks like my Friday night will be full of baking! At least I don't have anything pressing to do for school this weekend.

Ugh

I am really freakin' sleepy tonight. My comfy pillows are calling my name!

Just Shoot Me

I finally got my seasonal flu shot today. I was just going to skip it this year since my doctor's office, as well as a few other places, have been out of them for a while. However, it is required for some of our clinical sites. I can't help but wonder how people who don't believe in vaccinations (or worse, have an egg allergy) get around this. Everyone is making it out as though there is absolutely, NO WAY around getting it. You either get it, or you're s-o-l and can't complete your schooling because you aren't permitted into the clinical sites. That's what they're saying, at least. Whatever, I have no qualms with vaccinations nor do I have an allergy to eggs, so it's really a non-issue for me. Just curious.

Besides that, I passed my first test of the quarter. Yay! I was concerned. I didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped to, but I passed, and scored higher than the class average on it, so I'll take that! This weekend, I have an English paper due and I need to start writing my speech that I have to give on Wednesday. Fun, fun...

Over the river and through the woods

My kids have the day off school today. Not exactly sure why, but they do. So, we are going to go visit with my grandparents this afternoon. My grandfather is not doing very well at all. On top of his progressing alzheimer's, his doctors have done a few different scans lately and have found several masses that are "suspicious of cancer". He is not eating well and is losing weight very quickly. It is hard to see him deteriorating so quickly. It makes me sad that I do not get to see them as much as I did when I lived closer to them.

My grandma has said that he "does not want to be cut on", so I don't believe he will be undergoing any treatments. I am not certain of that though. I know that my grandma wants to be able to keep him at home as long as she can, but I know that it is a lot of work for her to take care of him. As of now, she is still able to get him out of the house now and then for a trip out to lunch or a quick grocery run. I have to wonder how much longer she will be able to take care of him by herself, though.

Procrastinate much?

So, I did play some Rock Band on the wii with the girls last night and I must say: I kicked A$$ at singing Eye of the Tiger. HA! I did not, however, start my English assignment. :( I really should be working on that but, I'm going to go hang out with my dad for a bit and take him out to dinner tonight for his birthday, so looks like I'll be doing this assignment and turning in tomorrow. Nothing like putting things off til the last possible minute. :/ Ah well.

Phew

Just got done with a good workout. I am beat. I tried some burpees. I'd never tried doing those before, they are much harder than they look! I kind of did my own modified version of them. I did 5 of those, then 2 sets of 10 knee push ups, 20-not sure what they're called but- kind of a half side lunge/twist thing with an 8 lb medicine ball (10 per side), and 100 rope turns with the jump rope. I did this circuit 3 times and then did 3 sets of 10 bench presses (65 lb) and then hit the punching bag for about 5 minutes. May not seem like a lot, but I could feel my heart pounding throughout my entire body and am dripping with sweat.

Now, it's time for a shower, then dinner, and maybe some wii with the girls and a friend's daughter that's staying the night. OR, I could always start my assignment for English that's due on Sunday. Hmm...

Lame

I've been feeling rather blah today. =(

I did, however, get in a good workout this evening. So, I guess that's good. I turned the music up loud and did a mix of some free weights, body weight exercises, and dancing to the music until I was completely worn out. Now I'm all showered and ready to just lay in bed and read. I'm so lame.

In the words of Queen...

Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Each morning I get up, I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord what you're doing to me?
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody, somebody
Can anybody find me somebody to love?


(lyrics found at http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/13168/)

Keep on going

Today I am starting my first class in the RN program. This quarter I will be taking Speech, English II, and A & P II. So, since there are no actual nursing classes this quarter, that means no clinicals! Yay!

I passed!

I passed the HESI yesterday! I needed an 850 and scored a 1027. I am SO relieved! Now, hopefully tomorrow, I will get a call from my school about moving on to the RN program this coming week. I talked with someone about it last week, and they told me that I should be able to. I certainly hope so!

Last night, I was up several times during the night with my little man who kept vomiting. He doesn't seem to have any other symptoms, no fever or aches, so I'm not sure what has made him sick. I just feel so bad for him. I hate it when my babies are sick!! :(

2010

It's a new year! Here's to hoping it is a better year than 2009!

Ugh!!

Why won't my stomach stop hurting?! Christmas night, I was feeling pretty bad. My stomach was upset and I had some major acid reflux going on. I figured it was due to the fact that I forgot to take my antacid med that morning.

The next morning, I woke up with horrible stomach cramps. Let's just say I spent a good portion of my day in the bathroom either hugging or sitting on the toilet. Yeah, good times.

Yesterday, I felt better. Not great, but I wasn't in the bathroom all day. However, last night I started getting stomach cramps again. And, what do you know, this morning, woke up sick again. Deja vu of 2 days ago.

This is SO not cool!

Hmm...

I wonder if I will ever enjoy this time of year again. I used to love Christmas time, but for the last couple of years, I have just not been feeling it. Bah! Humbug!

Another quarter down!

I took my last final today for the quarter. Now, I just need to pass the HESI in January!!

Two days of freedom then the kids will be on break too. I need to finish my Christmas shopping and then start wrapping!

Long day!

I am exhausted. I spent a majority of my day, from around noon until well after 8 pm, shopping. I do love shopping, but mostly when I can just go browse and not "have" to buy something. However, tis the season, so Christmas presents must be bought. I was anxious, after many hours fighting the crowds, to get back home and into my comfy jammies. I feel like I could fall asleep where I sit. The good news is that I did get quite a lot of my shopping done today, and without the kids in tow, which is always a plus. There are still a few things that I need to get, but I pretty much know what it is I'm looking for in those few things, and it shouldn't take me terribly long to finish up (fingers crossed!).

Now it's time for a nice, hot shower and then some relaxing with some bejeweled.

What a mess

My life is crumbling. I give up.

It's amazing...

...how one can be surrounded by so many people and still feel so, completely alone.

Friday

Well, I made it through another week! Ended up not having to take either of the 2 quizzes that were scheduled for this week. Bonus! The IV teacher was sick on Thursday and cancelled class, so we will take that quiz in 2 weeks (no classes next week because of Thanksgiving). The Pharm teacher turned our quiz for today into a take home, open book quiz. Nice.

The kids all seem to be feeling much, much better after a few days of having the flu and feeling miserable. So far I have managed to avoid catching it (knock on wood) and I hope that it stays that way!

Tonight is a quiet evening at home. My oldest is chatting on the phone with a friend from school, The younger two are playing wii, and I am laying in bed watching White Noise and playing bejeweled. Tomorrow I'm going to see New Moon, I've been waiting for it to come out for a long time...like...since I saw the first movie, and then read the books! My girls and I are very excited to see it.

Gah

Well, I made it through midterms (and passed them all, btw). This week, I have a quiz on Thursday in IV, and another one on Friday in Pharm. After that, next Monday is my check off in lab for starting an IV. EEK!

I am seriously considering staying home from clinicals tomorrow. I may have an excuse to anyway since my little man is sick, but I am just really not feeling being at the nursing home tomorrow!

Midterms

Three down, one to go. I had my IV midterm last week, today was med/surg and nursing concepts. Tomorrow is pharmocology, and I am SO stressing out about it! Everyone in my class failed the last pharm quiz. Then she did something with the grades due to a "miscalculation" and nearly everyone's grades went up by various amounts. I am still unsure how that quiz was graded. I'm a little nervous to even ask her about it, since she has been very pissy whenever anyone has asked her about it. But, I really need to find out what is going on with it. It just makes me extremely worried about how tomorrow's midterm will go. =(

Back to studying...

Finally Friday

This week has been just creeping by. Monday seems so long ago. In lab, I got checked off on IV drip rates and did my first practice stick on a mannequin. Tuesday and Wednesday were clinical days. I did treatments this week. Tuesday, I mostly applied TED stockings and ointments. Woo. Wednesday, I followed around the wound nurse. That was a bit more interesting. I assisted her in lots of dressing changes on bed sores and other wounds. Those can get quite nasty, for sure.

Yesterday was the mid-term in IV. It was much easier than I was expecting. I still think I missed a couple, but overall, I think I did well.

Today is finally Friday, but I have a feeling this afternoon at school is going to drag, and I will likely spend a lot of my weekend working on online quizzes for school, and hopefully doing some studying for the rest of my mid-terms next week. Sadly, I don't usually get much of a break from school even on the weekends, but at least I don't have to go sit in class. :-/

Sad

='(

BAD day...

Yesterday was a crappy day. It actually started out well. I was up and working on some note cards to study for school and was in a pretty decent mood. However, that was changed rather suddenly, and I started feeling really down about myself, life, etc. Shortly after that, I spilled my coffee all over myself and my bed. That certainly didn't lift my spirits. So, I get up to get a towel, and step on my laptop cord, twist my ankle, and fall down. At that point, I just burst into tears. Not because I was hurt, I was not. Physically, I was fine, but emotionally....I just had a meltdown.

It seems like things just add up, and I try to ignore how I'm really feeling. Some days are better than others, but there are times, like yesterday, when all those little things, that normally wouldn't be such a big deal, have piled up so high that it's just too much.

To top it off, I went out to do some shopping, and I guess I was distracted and not paying attention to where I was going because I ended up running into a curb with my front tire and putting a hole in it. So.....even more crying for me. :( By yesterday afternoon, my head felt like it was about to explode from crying so much all morning and afternoon.

If I never have another day where I feel like I did yesterday, it will be too soon!

Here we go again!

Well, back to reality with school this week. I am so not feeling it. I can't seem to get motivated to really get started on anything. I am just dreading this quarter so much. :(

Yesterday was lab, and it went alright, I just completely did not feel like being there. I was also hoping to be able to trade with someone from the earlier lab so I could have the whole afternoon off, but the teacher knows no one likes her due to her overall teaching suckiness from last quarter, so she is refusing to let anyone switch. Oh well. It's still only 2 hours.

Today was orientation before clinicals at school, then we went to our clinical sites, where my group and I spent the afternoon giving flu shots. Tomorrow will be more of the same, and apparently next week we will be giving H1N1 shots.

I'm not as impressed with the facility I am at this quarter. It is another long-term care and rehab center. I would still rank it much higher than where I was placed 1st quarter, but far below where I was 2nd quarter. I got kind of spoiled 2nd quarter by being in a clean facility and not having to endure the oh-so-unpleasant strong aroma of urine all day long! Sigh.

Hoping I can start feeling a little more motivation before classes start on Thursday!

My break

My break from school is going by way too quickly! I had last week off, and spent it in Kiawah Island, SC with my cousin. Just us girls, no kids! It was very relaxing, but went by way too fast!

This week, I have off as well. Don't really have anything planned except for a lunch on Thursday with a friend from school and an old middle school friend. I recently found out that this person from my nursing classes is best friends with someone I used to hang out with in middle school. So, we thought it would be pretty cool for us all to get together.

Next week, school starts up again and I'll have a full schedule. I will have something school related M-F, no days off. :( At least I won't have to get up crazy early on Saturdays this quarter, so that's a plus. I am hoping for a really good clinical assignment this quarter with a nice instructor, fun group of classmates, and a good facility.

Finals and a birth

Well, I am 2 finals down, and have 2 to go. I know I passed the first one, still not sure what I got on the second, but I'm pretty certain I passed it. The one today I'm faily comfortable with. Just need to look over a couple of things about congenital heart disease. Then I really need to cram for my last final on Thursday for IV Therapy!! That's the one I'm worried about. :(

Satuday was a good day at clinicals. I woke up late, and barely made it in by 7:00, but I still got to go in on a birth! Two of the other people in my group did not show up, so it was just me and one other girl. Obviously she was there first, since I was late (she would have been there first anyway since she lives less than 10 minutes from the hospital and always got there first...) so the laboring patient was hers. Fortunatley, I got to go in with the nurse that was to triage the baby right after birth, so I got to see the whole thing. Very exciting!

One more!

Well, just one more OB clinical tomorrow. There haven't been any babies born on Saturday mornings there since my clinicals started. :( Even if there were, we are chosen to be in on a birth according to the order we arrive at the hospital. So, if there is one birth, the first person to arrive that day would get to be in on it. Unfortunately, I live the furthest away from the hospital I am at and am always the last to arrive, even getting there at 6:15 for a 7:00 clinical. Sigh. We are also getting our clinical reviews tomorrow. Hopefully that will be painless.

I cannot WAIT to be done with this quarter! Lots of studying to do this weekend and throughout the coming week. But at least then I will be off for 2 weeks, yay!

Well, guess I'm gonna watch a little tv as I go to sleep. Btw, I still hate getting up at 5:00 am!

Stress-out time!

Next week is finals week! I will have one final each day, Monday through Thursday. At least they're spread out a little, so I don't have to go in Monday prepared for all of them. I am going to be stressing out for the next week until these are over!!

Not only do I have to study for all these finals, but I have to write a 5 page research paper for my English class and do peer reviews for 2 other people's papers and submit feedback on their papers to my teacher. The paper is due to my peer group by tomorrow, and then my final paper as well as the feedback on the other papers is due Sunday. AAAAHHHHHH!!!

Two more weeks...

I just have 2 more weeks of school for this quarter! This Tuesday in nutrition, we are presenting our 2nd projects. Each of us was to choose a dish that relates to our culture, make it (along with the recipe and nutritional value) and bring it in to class. So, all we're doing in there is eating and reviewing for the final. I think I can handle that. :)

Just one more week of Saturday cinicals, woo! I hate getting up at 5:00 am!! Though, next quarter, I'll have clinicals 2 days each week rather than just one. That's gonna suck! Hopefully I'll be somewhere that's not 45 minutes away from where I live. That would be a nice change. Not gonna count on it though.

Now, I'm getting ready head out with my kiddos for one last trip to the pool for this summer, then home to work on some assignments for school.

Just a few more days!

The kids will be starting back to school next week. It didn't really seem like summer break to me this year. Probably because I have been going to school summer quarter. But, we didn't really do much in the way of "summer activities" like we normally do. In the past, the kids and I spent a lot of time at the pool, going to the park, etc. This year, not so much. The number of times we went swimming this summer can probably be counted on one hand. I feel kinda bad, like they didn't really have much of a vacation, but at least they had time off from school, and that's the biggest thing, I guess.

If the weather is nice on Monday, I am going to take them to Zoombezi Bay. I think it's the least I can do for them, since Tuesday is the first day of school for the girls (the boy starts kindergarten on Thursday). I really don't want to go on the weekend, as it's likely to be much, much busier. Plus, I like the idea of doing something fun with them on their last day of summer break. Fingers crossed for warm, sunny weather on Monday!

Midterms done, time for more quizzes!

Well, midterms are finally over. I did well on them all, thankfully. I actually got an A on my IV Therapy midterm, which is good, because I did not do so hot on the first quiz in there. However, the really hard stuff in there is yet to come: respiratory and metabolic alkalosis/acidosis. For some reason, I have a very difficult time grasping this, especially the more in depth it goes.

This week, I have 2 quizzes. One tomorrow in maternal/child and one Wednesday in psychosocial. I've been a complete slacker since I left school last Wednesday. Winding down after the stress of midterms, I've not done any studying and have done very bad on my diet and exercising. :(

Today, I did get back to some studying, since I have a quiz tomorrow. I also have some case studies to do for homework, due tomorrow, that I haven't started on. :o

So, I suppose I need to stop blogging and start working....cannot freaking *wait* to be done with school!!!

Ok...

Three midterms down...one to go! The hardest one! I really hope I pass it. It is worth 35% of my grade in the class. EEK!

Just wondering...

Will it ever get better? Sigh!

FML

Can't shake the funk!!

I need motivation!

I am sick of being stuck at my current weight! Sometimes I wish I didn't hate vomiting so much. :o

I also have tons of work to get done for school; studying, papers, etc. I can't seem to just sit down and do it. Then, I always end up cramming at the last minute...argh!

I have plenty of things left to unpack and put away at home too, though at least I'm FINALLY done getting everything out of the apartment and got the keys turned in today, so no more trips back there!

I just can't get motivated, I'm feeling very depressed lately :(

I'm a loser!

So, I'm not only a slacker on this blog, but also on my "weight loss" blog. And, let's face it, on the whole "losing weight" thing as well. :( I haven't updated my weight loss blog since freaking MARCH! Gah! I suck at life.

Well, I guess I mainly stopped updating because I wasn't losing any weight. Somehow I've managed to lose a couple of pounds over the last week. Probably stress related. I definitely haven't been actively trying, and I haven't been to the gym in at least a month. I really do need to get back on it. I also need to start drinking more. I think I'm likely a little dehydrated.

I have 2 more quizzes this week. One in my online English class, and one in my IV Therapy class. Both are on Wednesday, and neither one am I prepared for. I am such a procrastinator! Sigh... Well, at least if it's the stress causing me to drop lb's, then this should be another good week for it!

I'm a slacker

It's not so much that I haven't had anything going on lately, I just never feel like taking the time out to blog about them. Here are the basics:

New house- still moving stuff, still unpacking...slowly between studying and writing papers for school...still have blinds and ceiling fans that need put up, still need a fridge!! You don't realize how much you rely on your fridge until you don't have one. :(

New quarter at school- 2 weeks into 3rd quarter. Already turned in one paper, taken 3 quizzes, and gone to 2 clinicals. I won't have any clinicals again this quarter until August 15th. So, good news this quarter is I don't have to go every week. Bad news is that my clinicals (aside from the 2 I already had) will be on Saturday mornings. Early. 7:00 am- 11:30 am. At least they're only 4 hours. The first one though, I have to be there at 6:30 am. Nice.

Umm, I guess that's about it.

The weekend...

It has been a very busy weekend so far. Looks like it will stay that way too. On Friday, we dropped the kids off at my grandma's, went to get utilities turned over, closed on a house, went to lunch, stopped at a friend's house to pick up some paint supplies, then it was back to pick up the kids, stopped to buy a bunch of paint, and head to the house to start a crazy amount of painting.

There are 7 rooms that I want to get painted before moving in. So far, after spending all of Friday evening, and all of yesterday afternoon/evening there, I think 2 of the rooms are actually all the way done. Two other rooms have been started, one of which 3 of the 4 walls are done, I just forgot to buy the paint for the "accent wall", so that's all that needs done in there. That leaves 3 rooms that haven't even been started. I knew that this was going to take a while, but I figured, for whatever reason, that it would be further along by this point. Oh well.

So, now I need to get ready for church, then it'll be back to the house for yet another day of painting. At least it's good exercise!

Hmm...

I'm very sleepy. Guess I should go to bed instead of trying to think of something to blog about.

Today:

This morning, I spent well over 2 hours in the waiting room of the dentist's office with two whiney kids while we waited for my oldest to get a root canal and a broken tooth fixed. (Long story short, we were told she had this root canal done 3 and a half years ago when she first broke her tooth, and were charged for it, but it had actually not been done...we find this out when she breaks the resin off the tooth again a week ago and we go to get it fixed). Anywho, she had to be on antibiotics for a week before they could do the work today. So, silly me, I thought I would just take the other 2 kids and hang out in the waiting room. Not sure what I was thinking there...

Anyway, they told me as we were checking out that she was due to come back for a cleaning. I told them that I was also due for one and she said they had openings this afternoon. Well, that's good, I guess. Usually we have to wait a bit before getting in. So, I'm headed back out in just a few to get my teeth sparkly clean! :-) This time, I am dropping the other 2 kids off at my SIL's house first!!

Tonight, I have some family coming into town and we are having a get-together at my grandmother's house for pizza and chillin'.

One more to go...

I have 3 finals out of the way. Just have to go in tomorrow for my lab check-off final. We checked off on 4 skills this quarter: sterile dressing changes (wound care), trach care, NG tube, and foley catheter. I'll draw one of these 4 skills out of a bowl, and that's the one I'll have to do.

It kinda sucks that I don't know ahead of time which skill I'll need to do, because I can't just concentrate on practicing that one skill. I have to know them all beginning to end, and know how to properly document each procedure as well. In a way, I suppose, that is good, because I have to know how to do them all, but for the sake of studying it would have been nice.

So, once I get that out of the way I will officially be half way through the LPN portion of my nursing program! Woo!

Well, guess it's time for me to go get my sleep on so I can be ready to get this over with tomorrow!

UGH!!

I am SO ready for this quarter to be over! I hit a wall about a week ago. I have spent many hours studying in this last week and I feel like I just can't retain anything I am reading! I am in dire need of my upcoming 2.5 week break before Summer quarter starts!!!

Taking a breath

I spent a good part of the afternoon yesterday working on school work. Today, I finished up with some assignments I'd been working on and got them all submitted. Just that much less to worry about.

I also went to the pool today, for the first time (of many, I'm sure) of the season. The kids really wanted to go, as they do every day, so I took a book over and read for an hour while they swam. It was sort of relaxing...except for about the 100 times I got splashed with freezing cold water. We got back home just as Pete was leaving, with his dad, to go to PA to pick up his grandfather's vehicle to bring back to Ohio. His grandfather recently passed away, so his dad is going to either keep or sell it.

Right now the kids are outside playing, I finished my book, and I'm enjoying a few minutes of quiet. Sure, I have more school stuff I could be working on, but...nah....I think I'll just sit here and enjoy doing nothing! :-)

Cancelled

I got a call from my clinical instructor this morning just as I got out of bed and turned on my flat iron. She is sick and was calling to tell me she was sorry but would have to cancel our clinicals for today. To which, of course, I told her it was ok, and that I hope she feels better, but on the inside was saying YES! I'm going back to sleep!!

Unfortunately, I was unable to fall back asleep, because since I was awake, my daughter was apparently incapable of pulling her own hair up into a ponytail, like she does herself every other morning, and so I had to do that, then listen to my other daughter complain about how she was running late because she was waiting until the last minute to get ready, and then my son woke up.

So, now that I've fed my son and myself breakfast, and I have some coffee, I should get started on studying for the quizzes I have tomorrow and Friday...

No rest for the weary...

This week is going to be pretty busy too, looks like. I just finished with my 1st psychology assignment for this week, so at least that is out of the way. I don't have another one due in there until Sunday night, and it involves a 2 page paper, or 8 PowerPoint slides. Probably won't be terribly difficult, but most likely rather boring work and may be slightly time consuming.

I have a care plan rough draft due at my clinical on Wednesday, as well as another paper on a disease process.

This Friday, 2 other assignments are due as well. One is a case study for my pharmacology class, and the other is a group poster project that our clinical groups have to work together on. One other person and myself are in charge of making up the poster to go along with a paper on the musculoskeletal system. It shouldn't be very difficult either, but it will also be time consuming.

I've been in a funk lately, and haven't been feeling very motivated. It's really not cool! All I want to do is cry or sleep. Or, sleep so that I'm not crying. Hhhhhhhhhhh. It's frustrating. I hate feeling this way. Perhaps it's partly due to PMS (cramping and bloating is on it's way this week!), but I know that isn't my main problem. There are other factors too. But I have just got to get over it!!

...

:'(

Phew!

I'm so glad to have this week behind me! Midterms are over, I survived. I am taking tonight off...not working on any school work. Gonna maybe have dinner with my dad and the kids, and then hang out just me and my kiddos tonight. :-)

Stressed

I have been totally stressing out the past couple of weeks with school. There is SO much work and SO much studying, it's insane. I knew this was not going to be a cake walk going in, but sheesh! There are papers and care plans and case studies and quizzes and skill check-offs and registration for next quarter and MID-TERMS!!! It is never-ending!

This week has been extremely stressful. On top of all of my regular school work that needs taken care of, I have been studying for exams (one Monday, one today, and one tomorrow). I literally spent all of last evening studying for today's test, which I think actually went pretty well, and have spent all of this evening so far, studying for tomorrow's.

I know, this is what I signed up for, I shouldn't complain. It's just kinda taking a toll on me. I have housework backing up, my kids can't seem to leave me alone for 5 minutes straight when I'm trying to study, I'm biting people's heads off left and right, and, and, and....I just need a break!

I think if I make it through tomorrow's lectures and exam, I'm going to need a huge drink of something strong!!

Welp, gotta study some more, so off I go. I *really* wish I had a photographic memory!! (I also really wish I could stop effing stress-eating!) hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Hmmm...

Had a friend from the past request me on facebook recently. We were very good friends for many years, then she met some loser and married him 6 weeks later, now he has spent all her money, left her crazy in debt, and finally has left her (so I hear). While she and this guy were together, he would totally manipulate her and keep her from interacting with any of her old friends because we were apparently all "bad influences on her". So, over the last couple of years, we have basically fallen out of contact with each other. I did babysit her daughter for a while, but beyond that, we had no friendship whatsoever. She had just turned into a completely different person than the one I was friends with.

Anyway, she asked me tonight to meet her for lunch next week. I'm a little concerned. I didn't want to be rude and not respond, or tell her no. And, I am interested to see how she is doing now and I hope she is doing well. So, I will meet her (unless she cancels, which she was notorious for doing in the past) but, it is probably going to be a bit awkward. We'll see...

Study time

I have so much studying to do! So, naturally, I'm blogging instead. I have 2 tests on Friday. One in pharmacology and one in my nursing class. For my pharm class, we are covering beta blockers, alpha blockers, expectorants, and I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now. In nursing, we are going over common lab tests, and I have to know the normal values for like a million different lab tests. There is no freaking way I am going to remember all this crap!

Thursday, I will have to check off on sterile dressing changes in my lab. Hopefully that will go ok. As soon as I get that one out of the way, I need to begin looking at trach care and suctioning (yum) for my next checkoff.

Tomorrow is clinical, and I still have paperwork to complete from last week to turn in tomorrow. *sigh* At least I got my Wednesday psych assignment done yesterday, so that's one less thing for me to worry about this week.

Tonight I am watching my youngest 2 nephews for about 5 hours, so I guess I should get off of here now and get my study on!

Next week: mid-terms! Ahh!

New bike and 4 less teeth

My baby boy turned 5 on Sunday, and we had a party for him at Magic Mountain. He had a good time and got lots of nice presents. His favorite was his new bike! He calls it his "two-wheeler bike". So cute!



Yesterday morning I went in and had my wisdom teeth extracted. That was not very fun. I have been told for years, by more than one dentist and my orthodontist, that they needed to come out. I even went in for a consultation with this oral surgeon back in 2006, but then didn't end up going through with the surgery then. After having more issues with pain and swelling around the teeth, I finally decided it was time to get them out.

I went in at 7:40 in the morning and they pretty much took me right back. Once I was in the chair, they hooked up all these monitors and oxygen to me and started an IV. The next thing I (vaguely) remember was them having me stand up from the chair and get into a wheelchair where they then wheeled me out to my car. I had gauze sticking out of each side of my mouth, completeing the effect of my looking like a walrus.

After that, I remember getting home and walking inside and down the stairs to the recliner. (I was told not to lay flat, and that a recliner would be ideal.) I laid there and slept for a few more hours. I pretty much stayed in that chair for the rest of the day, except for trips to the bathroom and getting water. They actually recommended that I sleep last night in the chair, but I was actually quite uncomfortable from sitting there for so long. So, I ended up sleeping in my bed propped up on my pillows. Surprisingly, I slept pretty well.

I'm still in some pain today though. It hurts quite a bit to even open my mouth to talk. I've taken 2 vicodin since the procedure, and I'm trying to avoid taking them if I don't absolutely need to. But, I may have to take one more today and hopefully I'll be good to go.

My weekend...

Wow, let me tell you, any time your day starts off with sitting on the toilet and puking into a bag, you can pretty much guarantee it's not going to be a good day. That was my day yesterday. I spent my enitire day either in bed or in the bathroom. Not good times! I did lose about 4 lbs of water weight yesterday though. Of course, I expect those to all come back. :(

So, I missed a quiz in my lab yesterday, but hopefully I will be able to make that up next week. I feel much better today. Not great, but significantly better. I had my first 2 tests of the quarter today. I think they went pretty well, so that is good.

Tonight, I agreed to watch a friend's daughter, and I have to take my son to the first of 3 birthday parties for this weekend. He is bowling from 6-9 tonight (and I'll have to take all the girls with me too. Fun, fun). Tomorrow, I am going to a bridal shower, and my son has another birthday party to attend at the same time, so Pete will have to take him to that party and deal with the girls. Haha! :o Then on Sunday, my baby boy is turning 5!!! His birthday party will be Sunday afternoon.

Some time tomorrow, I will have to fit in buying presents and party stuff for my son's birthday. I stopped after classes today and bought the shower gift and the two kiddie birthday presents. I will also need to find the time to do my psych assignment that is due Sunday night. Ugh! My weekend is gone before it even starts!

Today in a list:

*My head is throbbing!

*I've been having the same stomach pains all day that I was having a few weeks ago

*I had a consultation with an oral surgeon today

*Have an appointment to get my wisdom teeth extracted next Monday! :o

*I started my period (I know you were dying to know that!)

*Still have to study my patient's meds for tomorrow's clinical so that I can pass them. (Of course my patient would have to be one with 20+ different meds!)

*All I've had to eat today is a handful of pretzel sticks. I'm hungry!

* I am hoping to go to bed early tonight. I feel like I could pass out now! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I just need to do this...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carry on.

Learning, Shopping, Gyming

Well, we ended up having clinical today. We got a new instructor, so it doesn't look like there will be any going in late or leaving very early, but I'm pretty sure it will be a good thing. The facility I am at is a million times nicer than the one I was in last quarter. Last quarter's place was a filthy, nasty, dump. I seriously didn't even want to sit down in that place let alone touch anything. This place seems very clean and actually nice, as far as nursing homes go.

We did get finished a little bit early today, which was nice. So, since I had some extra time, I stopped at the mall to do a little shopping and then hit the gym before picking up my son. :)

Spring Quarter

Spring quarter at my school officially started last week. I ended up only having to go on Thursday, though. Wednesday was my first scheduled clinical of the quarter, and the instructor cancelled because he couldn't make it, and Friday the school was closed for Good Friday.

I've been assigned to the same clinical instructor as last quarter and I'm not sure if this will be good or bad. He is a really nice and laid back guy. More often than not, he has us come in later than the scheduled 7:00 am, and leave before the scheduled end of shift. However, he's also quite unorganized and I think everyone in my first quarter group agrees that we did not receive the highest quality clinical experience with him. It wasn't such a huge deal first quarter, because we were mostly doing STNA work (such as filling ice cups, taking vitals, giving bed baths, etc.). None of us really minded missing out on some of those things, but this quarter we will be passing meds to patients along with other more in-depth nursing skills that will be essential for us to get adequate practice with.

I noticed my instructor's facebook status yesterday said that he is sick. I am hoping that he is not going to cancel on us again tomorrow!

Pedi anyone?

So, it is officially Spring, right? Which means it's time to break out the flip flops and sandals. It also means that the piggies need to be pretty. Am I right, ladies? So, I put away the darker colors I'd been using for Fall and Winter, and decided to give myself a french pedicure.

I am by no means a pro, and it always takes me forever to get them to look half way decent, but in the end, it makes me feel just a little bit better about myself, so, I endure the process. Up close they aren't so great, but from a distance, they don't look terrible.

And, since I know you're dying to see pictures of my feet (ha!)...

Ow!

I guess I'm just full of whiney lately, but my throat is hurting so bad! I really hope it isn't strep. I used to get strep throat at least once a year, sometimes more. I think my kids are carriers! The past year or two, I have been fortunate enough not to get it. I don't seem to have a fever with it, at least for now, so I'm hoping it will just go away soon. I still feel like crap though. =(

Lazy day

I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. I stayed up way too late reading Eclipse. Then, sometime in the night, I started experiencing very sharp, stabbing pains across my upper abdomen. It would come and go, happening a few times and then subsiding. Each time, it disturbed my sleep.

Then I had to get up early, so that I could go pick up my grandparents and take them to an eye Dr. appointment at freaking 8:10 in the morning! They insisted on stopping for breakfast at Cracker Barrel on the way home, so we did. I was still having the pains in my stomach though, so I only ate a few bites. It seemed to get worse when I ate. They hurt soooo bad! I felt light-headed and nauseous with each pain.

So, I dropped them off and headed home. Since then, I've spent pretty much the rest of my day in bed. I am still getting pains now and then, but not as often, and not as harsh, it seems. Now I'm extremely thirsty, because I haven't even felt like getting up to get water. :( I think I need to go do that now though.

One good thing about being in bed all day...I finished Eclipse and started in on Breaking Dawn!

Hmmph!

Life sucks!!

51

Today, my mom would have turned 51. I can't believe it's been over 5 years that she's been gone. I miss her so much! Happy Birthday, mommy!

Field Trip

I got out of my last class of the quarter today (which wasn't so much a class as a poster project presentation day) just in time to go pick up my son from my grandma and take him on a field trip to the Blooms and Butterflies exibit at the Franklin Park Conservatory. He had a good time, and I was glad it worked out for me to be able to take him on his field trip. Here are a few pics from today:


This is one of the butterflies we saw in the atrium. I think this pic turned out really well.


Most uncomfortable chair in the world, I would think. Covered in cactuses (cacti?).


Planting a flower


Us at the conservatory. He always makes the goofiest faces when posing for pictures. This is the best one I could get of him. :)
**(Btw, he insists on buttoning up the top button on his shirts. I didn't do that to him.)

Are we there yet? No.

I am still in need of that break. Just 3 more days of lectures and labs and 2 more clinical days left of this quarter. Next week is finals week! Then I think I have a week off before starting in on Spring quarter. A week just doesn't seem like enough time off. :( But it is better than none, that's for sure! Apparently Winter quarter was originally supposed to start a week earlier than it did, which would have given me a 2 week break. Not to mention, I could still use that break from reality as well! Sigh...

I started reading the Twilight series recently. I took the girls to see the movie and I actually really liked it, so I read the first book (which I liked even more than the movie). When I finished that, I read what is out there of Midnight Sun which, of course, is Twilight written from Edward's perspective rather than Bella's. I am so not happy that the book wasn't finished! I want to read the rest of it, dang it!

Last night, I started in on reading New Moon. I got about 125 pages in before falling asleep. I am going to read myself to sleep again tonight...and every night until I finish the book. And then, I will do it some more with the other 2 books in the series. I guess that this is the closest thing to a break from reality that I'm gonna get for now. :/

For the record...

Let me just say right now, that I never, ever, EVER want to work in a nursing home. More than that, I never, ever, EVER, EVER, infinite EVER's, want to live in one!!!!

This is not anything new. Nothing that just popped into my head recently. My mom worked in a nursing home for years when I was a kid, and I knew this then. But being in a nursing home for my clinicals, just kind of brought this all back to mind once again after so many years. So depressing! Not to mention...they smell bad. :o

Pain, pain, go away...

I just want the pain to go away! All of it. Physical, emotional, psychological, etc. Just GO AWAY!!!!!

Funky Town

I am so ready for a break! From school, from responsibility...from life! I am so tired and I can't seem to shake this funk I've been in. I try to put on a happy face and just get through my days, but I'll tell you what, it is not easy. :(

On a brighter note, I got my classes scheduled for next quarter. It is 3 credit hours less than I'm taking this quarter (which is 17). I don't want to say that it will be easier, because I really don't think that it will be, but my schedule doesn't seem so bad.

I will be "off" on Mondays and Tuesdays, I'll have my clinicals on Wednesdays from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm, Thursdays I'll have classes from 9:00 am until 2:30 pm, and Fridays classes will be 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. I'm also taking a psychology class online to keep full time status (and the financial aid that goes along with it). But, by taking this psych. class next quarter, I won't have to take it 3rd quarter, which will hopefully lighten my course load for that quarter.

I just cannot wait to be done though!

New specs!

My 9 year old daughter got her first pair of glasses yesterday. She had been having trouble seeing the board in her class at school and also failed the eye exam the school nurse administered recently. So, here she is showing off her new specs!

School Update

Well, my first official day of clinicals went pretty well. We didn't really do anything. We had to meet at the facility at 7 am. I am SO not a morning person! I set my alarm for 5:50 am. I think the last time I was awake at that time, it was because I had not yet been to sleep! And that has been a looooong time. Anyway, I ended up making it there on time. Actually, I was there before my instructor, so that's all that matters. ;)

So we got settled in there and then split up in pairs and did a scavenger hunt to find a list of things like med. carts, shower room, fire extinguishers, dining area, etc, just to get us acquainted with the building. After that, we sat back down with our instructor where he just went over the kinds of things we'll be doing while we're there. We were done and out of there by 10:30 am. Next week is when we will be getting into actually interacting more with patients, taking blood pressures, and all that.

This quarter seems to be flying by, which is a good thing, but there is just SO much information being passed in such a short amount of time, and I'm so scared that I won't remember everything I need to know! I have an exam in Anatomy and Physiology in the morning. This is the third exam for this class, and the first one for which the teacher did not give us a study guide. I hope that I can figure out what to study and get a good grade on it. I'm so nervous. Wish me luck!

Bummed!

I was supposed to start my nursing clinicals today. We all met at school this morning, had a short meeting, and then split up into about 7 different groups. Each group has their own instructor and their own nursing home facility to go to. We all sat down with our instructors and got to know them a little bit before heading out. My instructor seems like a really laid-back, nice guy. He's younger than I am, which makes me feel a little old, but it's alright. :)

Well, we got to our site only to find out that we couldn't stay! It's a little unclear to me as to why they didn't want us there. Before we left the school this morning, we were told that there were issues with one of the student nurses from our school last quarter at that clinical site and that the nurses and staff there did not want us to come back.

When we got there, the instructor had us wait outside while he talked to them. He came back out telling us that they were jumping down his throat saying that he looked like he was about 12 years old, telling him they didn't want our school's students there and just being completely rude to him. They also said that they had been cited for a few different things, and they couldn't have any student nurses in there until at least May so they could get their stuff straightened out.

So, I'm not sure if the issue is because of the student nurse from our school, or because they are in trouble for their wrong-doings. Either way, my group did get to have our clinical today. I'm bummed because that is valuable hands-on time and experience that I missed out on. They are looking for another clinical site to send us to tomorrow, which is apparently not easy to do. I really hope they find us a place and we don't have to split our group up to join other groups!

**Update: We got a new clinical site aleady! Woo!

Happy Birthday!

My baby girl turned 9 years old today! I don't really have anything else for ya, and I need to leave and take her to basketball practice, so I'll leave you with a picture I just took of me with her on her big 0-9!



I love you, baby!

Feeling the guilt

I just found out that my son's preschool is having a craft day this Wednesday, during class time, where the moms are going in to make Valentine's crafts with their preschoolers. I will not be able to go to it because I have a lab Wednesday afternoon, and can't miss it. I'm feeling really guilty and totally bummed out about it. I feel even worse that my grandma, who watches my son most days while I'm at school, cannot go in to take my place as she cannot leave my grandfather alone anymore. It breaks my heart to think of him being the only kid there without a mom or grandma to make crafts with.

On top of that, on April 8th, they are having mom's day at preschool, where mom's go in and spend the day at school with their kids. I will just be starting Spring quarter on the 6th of April, so I doubt I will be able to miss classes that day either. I feel so bad that I'm going to be missing out on these things along with, I am sure, several other similar opportunities!! (Great...here come the waterworks... sigh.)