Weekend and happy days in between :)

So, what's everyone doing for the weekend? Misti and I are going to help me take a break by eating Papa John's pizza on Friday :) That makes me happy- but mostly just because I love the garlic stuff (garlic butter?) they give me...it's my favorite thing about eating pizza. Anyway, after that I suppose it's write, write, write -plus a little studying. But it's okay, I'm happy.

Oh, and because I watched a "letting go" video about death and dying (yes, isn't nursing fun) I don't have to be in class tomorrow from 1-3...so, I'm out early!!! Hurray!!!

Let's see...Oh, I love Gwyn -she emailed me today (I emailed her first, but she wrote back!!!) I think that I'm going to be in Bloomington on her birthday! This could be fun :)

Okay, so bed sounds wonderful...that's the next thing on my agenda.

Stupid time...

I just realized that the blog thing is posting the wrong time -because all the rest of the world changed, and we didn't. I'm not bitter -honestly, I lived where time changes, and I would much rather stay how I am...but it's okay -I'll change if everyone else wants to ...it's just that central Indiana doesn't want to be like everyone else :)

Reminiscing

I went to wal-mart today (and no -I don't have the gene, andy). Anyway, so I left with my meager purchases. Then, I did a drive by thing at the Justisons...they were outside, which was even better. So, I jumped out of my car and attacked both of Andy's parents with hugs :) I think they recovered well.

Anyway, when I returned I started hanging up pictures of people...and then I wanted to find my pictures of all my friends that I had up last year. The problem is -I didn't know where they were. So, I started looking through all my stuff. And can you believe that I found a couple of old journal -entries that date back to 1994?!? Wow, that's crazy...and I have to say, I was a funny person :) It cracks me up to read them. The really funny thing is that since I have about three journals, sometimes I wrote in all three within one day.

Oh well, so I found all kinds of neat stuff...an awesome mouse pad, my coca cola glasses that I love, a whole package of unopened strawberry creamsavers, some winnie the pooh pencils, and an absolutely adorable picture of me in a superman t-shirt when I was about three...I think I have ketchup on my nose :)

So, remembering is fun. I have clinical tomorrow, but I don't have to get up early because it's the evening shift -how happy I am.

Nursing

There are some people that just have these wonderful inclinations for things such as teaching, listening, musical tendencies, caring for others, fixing things, putting stuff together, or solving problems. And, if these people realize their talents soon enough, they know right from the start what they really want to be when they grow up. I envy these people...but since I'm different it makes me appreciate God and how awesome His plans are for me.

I suppose that admitting all this in my final year of nursing school...four years almost over... But the point is that I never wanted to be a nurse. I was never that cute little five year old girl that told my mommy that I wanted to be nurse when I grew up...I wanted to be a teacher -and my brothers have torterous stories to tell about that.

But I love nursing. Through all the horrid stress it's brought me, having no one understand the harshness except another nursing student, to have no time for extracurricular activites -or killing yourself to try to have a life-, to have no time to cry because there are other things more pressing than the very aspects of life itself. Even though all of this is true -I love nursing.

I am so thankful to God that He brought me to Indiana and that he allowed me to be in circumstances that would cause me to see that what I really wanted to do was be a nurse. I hate the politics of the hospital, but I love nursing...and I love caring.

God's plans seem to never make sense at the time that they are slowly being unfurled, but when you slowly start to see the picture that is forming...it's so awesome -and too magnificent for words...

just a few thoughts I had -I'm off to class to learn some more now :)

Highlight of the week :)

ANDY'S WHERE??? ANDY'S HERE!!!

Oh, he said he would come, and he did. Yes, it's insane that he chose to spend his vacation here...but, it's his vacation...

It's been fun...it's been exciting...it's been happy

God is awesome in all His ways
c'est vrai, n'est pas?

Woo-Hoo!!!

This describes how I feel (lyrics from DCTalk Free At Last)
"Cause I'm free, free at last
And I'm free, from my past, and I'm free
Free from sin, and I'm free
And I ain't going back again"

Okay, well...I suppose that the part about "ain't going back again" probably isn't true. I'll probably go back...and finish school...and get my degree...and become another Anderson University statistic. But for right now, I'm on Fall Break...and I'M FREE!!! AND I'M EXCITED!!! AND ANDY IS COMING (unless he goes to Arizona...) AND JONATHAN LOVES ME!!! AND GOD LOVES ME MORE THAN MY BRAIN CAN UNDERSTAND!!! AND WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!

I hope that you guys are just as excited about things as I am :)

A Break!?!?

So, today I finished my nursing test -not quite sure how that all went, but it's done and over and I'm the most joyous person in the whole world, I think. Of course, I could never prove this because I don't have any way to measure the joy of the world.

Anyway, roomies are leaving this weekend...but then Andy's coming next week.

Happy thoughts, happy times, happy days!!!

Ostomy

So, we had our ostomy lab this morning...and now I'm ostomized until 5p.m. tomorrow night. It's kind of weird feeling, but I have much easier than people that really have to experience this. Oh well, Mary and Dorito both have pouches too -so, your self esteem doesn't go plumetting down to the bottom of the earth since there are others like you. Such a fabulous support system...and Tracy helped us to put them on. How wonderful!

So, if you wanna know what it's like to wear an ostomy bag, ask me and I can let you know -or you can ask a person that might know for real.

Okay, off to eat, career development, and then study for a nsg test tomorrow!!!

(Fall break is Friday, and I'm going to a concert with David :)

It's Saturday!!!

I slept in and everything...how extremely exciting. I'm pretty happy about the whole thing. I have lots to get done today. Right now, we are talking about going out to eat since we haven't done that in forever and a year...The only problem is that none of us can decide where we should go...and none of us actually want to get dressed to go somewhere. In the mean time I'm writing a careplan, and Mary and Dorito are looking up something nursing that we seem to have forgotten. Oh well...we'll be much smarter in a few minutes :)

Okay, so today is work, work, work! Next week's destined to be insane...mid-terms. It's only a four day week, but I have several papers and some tests to get ready for...maybe when this is all over I'll still have a little brain functioning left!

I'm so happy to be alive! "Life is precious, life is sweet!!!"

I love you guys...thanks for being so awesome!

"Today We Showered Separately"

"today we showered separately" is what dorito explained to people when we came into class with wet hair. Now...I find this odd -but mostly because if someone says "today, we did..." it obviously implies that other days are different. That's great dorito -you're hilarious.

I feel like today can't possibly be wednesday, because Sunday still seems like it was so close...I feel like I lost a day, or something.

Andy got the pictures up. I'm so happy...I was a little worried last night, but good job :)

Oh, and the entire apt crew has the Larry boy song memorized -at least one of the three versions... it's great, it talks about purple spandex and everything!

Okay, so I should go to class now. School is getting to the point now where I need a break. I'm almost there!!!

Pancakes and Puzzling Problems...

so, I got to sleep in this morning... 9am! How exciting. Seriously, it was great :) I'm happy. So dorito, mary, and I decided what all we needed to get done today when we woke up. We also decided that we needed to eat some pancakes. Dorito is the best pancake maker...but she needed to go to the bank first, so she left to do that before the cooking fiasco started.
While she was gone, Mary's computer destroyed her careplan -yes, this 15 page in depth patient plan of care that she was fairly done with...format changed, never to be returned to it's true form. I couldn't for the life of me help her...cutting and pasting wouldn't even work...it was gone. Horrid, but true. At this very minute she's still attempting to retype it all -the whole situation made me sick. We ate pancakes and I made the horrid mistake of saying, "People say I'm the gangster of love." outloud...I should really keep these things to myself.
Anyway, dorito wanted to "work" while watching t.v. so she took my laptop to the living room to get all her stuff done. I've been writing in my cancer diary -it stinks to have cancer...and I don't like dying. Right now I'm listening to the soundtrack of Mulan.
I feel pretty happy, but just a little tired. Oh, but I keep finding bruises all over...today, two more on my arm. I'm thinking it might be from the hospital the other day...otherwise, I have no idea what's going on.
I'm going to a play at Byrum Hall tonight. That's exciting :)
I hope that you're having an absolute wonderful day!!!

Notes on Nursing

Alright, so I'm glad that I view myself as a nice person; therefore, I believe that I will be a kind-hearted nurse...but let me just say, there are some nasty nurses out there -and I had the distinct priviledge to work with them today...and because of them, my 8 hour clinical turned into a 10 hour clinical. I'm physically, emotionally, and essentially drained. And today wasn't a wonderful experience, although I do feel that I bonded with my AU colleagues. This week -in a word- has been terrible. I'm sure that there have been worse weeks, and I'm sure that there will be more horrid ones to come...but for those that I live with as well as myself, this week has brought entirely too much pain. I need a break, time to breath. And I need support -and let me just say, praise God for this fabulous support system that I have...you guys are great. I realize that I'm probably using you quite a lot right now...and I'm sorry, but I love you...lots :)

Dorito, I'm praying for you lots...and Mary, I'm praying for you too. Tracy, I'm so thankful to God for how you love us all no matter what and for all the counseling sessions we've had. Thanks Misti for keeping me grounded and remembering to laugh at things that normally get overlooked. Thanks David for bringing me music and making me smile. Thanks family for supporting me...Thanks Justisons for opening your home to me and letting me just talk -and listen to great puns :)...and thanks Andy for being awesome and listening to me and caring...oh, and thanks Brandon for having a really cool voice and hugging me everytime you see me :)
p.s. bubby and chicken, I love you...

Content of Thought...

so, this is going to be a less in depth blog...you see, on Sunday night while I was studying for the nursing test Tracy really wanted to do my nails...so, I said okay. So, she shined them and buffed them and painted them blue :) I really liked them, but tonight I had to take it off because we're not allowed to have nail polish on during clinical...and when I just took it off, they were still so shiny and wonderful...now, I realize that this is odd -and nearly a stupid thing to write about, but it made me very happy...so, thanks tracy -you're the greatest :)
ooohhhh, so shiny!!!