Welcome to post 151!!

Happy New Year!!!!! Thanks for all the nice wishes regarding my pinning. It is exciting to be so close to the end. I will actually finish all my classes in mid-February. I should probably be testing my end of March or early April.

I have 6 weeks of leadership to complete. During this time I will be attending class (It's calles seminar this semester for some reason) on Monday evenings, and then clinicals for 11.5 hours both Saturday and Sunday. I will also be working my full-time job during this time. I figure my house is going to be in shambles by the end of this semester.

We are going to be starting out with one patient and end up with five at the end. We are totally going to be caring for them. I am excited and oh-so nervous. There are still so many practical skills I have yet to do. Still, my goal is to learn as much as possible during this time period.

Well, another year has passed, and I went back to look at my resolutions for 2006. I had some every day goals and my goals for the year.

Some of the everyday goals I kept going for a good long time until I became totally overwhelmed with school work and work-work and gave it up. My ultimate goal was to get good grades in school and to get my GPA up. Well, that one I did, and I am going to be graduating with honors. (I know that everyone says that even if you make c's you're still a nurse. However, it was important to me to get the best grades I can, especially since I plan to continue my education.)

So, after some reflection here are my goals for 2007:

1. Graduate (ok that one's a given)

2. Get my RN on the first try of the NCLEX (that means studying my ass off in preparation for the test).

3. Get a job at a children's hospital, preferably Joe DiMaggio's.

4. Either get my marriage on track, or get out. If I am going to be going to counseling, on antidepressants or whatever, I need to get happy. I have been more and more miserable for way too long. I hate being angry all the time. It is so not me, and my child suffers the most from it.

5. Pay down debt.

6. Go to Canada for next New Years.

7. Do more things with my son. He has suffered so much during these past two years. I owe him big time.

Here are my daily goals for 2007:

Drink at least one liter of water in addition to the other fluids I consume. And I can't have any of those other things until I drink the liter.

Move more. I spent the first 5 months of 2006 walking my butt off, literally. I felt better than I had in a long time, and my clothes fit better. I want that again. I gave myself some new inline skates for my birthday. My best friend and I are going to make a goal to go inline skating together. I am looking forward to it.

Weight train. I need to so I will have good body strength as a nurse.

Bring my lunch to work. Saves money and calories.

Put all my change into my Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower to save for another trip.

There, those are my goals. Not too terrible. Not unattainable.

Well, I wish everyone a prosperous year.

Oh yeah, one more goal. Go to as many softball games as I can, home and away. Go Bucs!!!

W. :)

Pinning!

I just got back last night from Las Vegas. What a blast!!!! What a way to spend my birthday.

So, out of 4 adult guests, no one thought to bring a camera. So here are my very limited pinning pictures.







The pinning was long, and the guest speaker boring. Just like any graduation, I suppose. Each of the groups had a class speaker. We had this rose that we had to carry for some reason (I guess to give us something to do with our hands in pictures). After my picture, I gave my rose to my grandmother. Then we all lit candles and recited an oath. I know this is bit boring, but to be honest it is a bit of a blur now.

W. :)

Holiday meme

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Cocoa with tons of whipped cream

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa never wraps.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? No lights on the house. As for the tree, depends on my mood. I tend to like white lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the weekend closest to Dec. 11th. My son's birthday.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I don't have a favorite Christmas dish.

7. Favorite Holiday memory? Christmas in NYC.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I accidentally found all my presents when I was 7 years old.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. The husbeast's Latin family celebrates La Noche Buena on X-mas Eve. And we give our gifts to each other when we come home. That way we can concentrate on D. in the morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With my son. We put the lights on first, and then all the crystally, sparkly things, and then fill in the holes with all the other ornaments. Takes HOURS.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it, but then I live in MIAMI. So my snow exposure is extremely limited to say the least.

12. Can you ice skate? I can stay upright, move and stop. If that counts as ice-skating, then yes.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? When I was 17 I got a honkin' huge tower stereo system. It was great. I had an old stereo with an 8-track and my needle broke. My family told me that they weren't able to afford a new stero for me, but would replace the needle. Then they told me to look under this table cloth that I had been leaning against all morning. There was my stereo. Loved it for years.

14. What’s the most important thing? Peace on Earth, and loving your fellow man.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? None.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating the tree.

17. What tops your tree? For years it was a teddy bear angel. Now it is a Crystal star from pottery barn.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving - I love seeing the faces of the recipients when I get the gift just right.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Gabriel's Message by Sting from A Very Special Christmas 1.

20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? Yum.

Pictures will be coming soon.

W. :)

Fame Part II

No, I didn't get Shaq's autograph. I had to leave to go Christmas shopping, and really, not that interested in him. The menfolk did stop by the office just as he was coming out of the gym, and Shaq waved to D. Like me, D. was more impressed with 7'1".

This is who I get excited to see:


Billy the Marlin. Mascot of the Florida Marlins. Love him. I get more excited seeing mascots than athletes. Billy came to visit D. when he was hospitalized at age 3. Loved him ever since.

This past weekend, the VEU athletes hosted a party for Safespace. It's an organization that provides shelter to battered women and their kids. The athletes all buy toys for the kids, and there was all sorts of entertainment, and Billy was there.

I get excited when the VEU mascot shows up at events on campus, and I know the kid who's in the costume (outside of Bucky, the quietest boy. Get that parrot head on him, and a whole other person comes out.). That's just one of my quirks, I guess.

All my tests are complete. I have passed everything, and will probably end the semester with a 'c' unless the instructor drops a question or 2, and then I will get a b since I am right at the threshold. At this point, I am just grateful the semester is over.

I pin in two days. I have my stripes on my cap. Tomorrow, I will iron my uniform and get a pair of shoes to wear. Wednesday, I have a hair appointment, and I plan to get a pedi. Taking the day off of work. Will also being packing for trip. Can't wait for Friday.

And.......exhale. Stay tuned for pinning pictures.

W. :)

My brush with fame...

So, today, here at VEU, they are filming a commercial for some sporting goods line in Japan. A line that is represented by one Mr. Shaquille O'Neal.

He is using our office conference room as a dressing room. And everyone around here is acting generally silly. Me, I am more fascinated with this.....



That is my size 11 foot next to Shaq's size 22.

He has to duck everytime he walks through a door. He smells like vanilla, according to my boss. He was nice enough to take a picture with our women's basketball team.

And........

I got to see him in his wife-beater and boxers. My life is now complete (sarcasm).

He will be here for the rest of the day, and I will try to get a photo with him.

I am having much fewer palpitations. I find that not enough sleep definitely effects them. However, I am sick as a dog currently. Upper respiratory infection and a middle ear infection. Thanks everyone for your concern.

Anywho. Will be spending this evening preparing for my test in the morning. Maybe a visit to the mall.

Freedom is good.

W. :)

Stress

I spent Sunday night in the emergency department. All my stress, caffeine and lack of sleep has given me palpitations. Nothing quite as exciting as watching PVC's travel across the screen, and knowing that they are yours. :P

My best friend has now reached Ultimate Supreme Best Friend Status forever. She picked me up, and took me to the ED, and spent the whole night there with me. Even though she is extremely busy, she was there in 15 minutes (she only lives a mile away, but gets lost every single time she come's to my house), no questions asked.

So, the doctor's orders were avoid stress (haha), get some sleep (haha, again), and no caffeine or CHOCOLATE!?!?! I mean geez. Talk about kicking someone when they are down.

Man this week can't go by fast enough. This weekend the husbeast and boychild are going away for the weekend to Disney. Best friend is going away to AZ, but I pick her up on Saturday. One test on Saturday, final on Monday, and it is all over for this semester.

Thank GOD!!!!

W. :)

99.9 percent finished

We took the pharmacology,critical thinking and careplan tests today. Not without my having a nervous breakdown the past two days.

It started last night, with me surrounded by my drug book, my pharmacology book, my notes, and realizing that there is just no way I was ever going to be able to remember all the actions, indication, side effects and interactions of all those meds. I am sitting there going, "I can't do it. I can't do it. I'm gonna fail."

I realized that I was not going to absorb anything else, and made myself go to bed at midnight, because I had to wake up at 0500. I tossed and turned and sighed, over and over again. Finally, I just got back up and tried reading some more. Bad idea. I burst into tears with racking sobs.

"I can't fail this now. I've given too much of myself, and sacrificed way too much to fail now."

I fell into bed at 0200 and tossed and turned for another half hour, before falling asleep.

I have a tradition of always dressing very comfortably for these tests. Comfy sweat pants, and shoes I can easily slip off my feet. I usually wear the same t-shirt for every one of these tests. It is from VEU's cheerleading team, and the back says "Whatever it takes, make it stick." My friends and I bought t-shirts recently at a pharmacology seminar that say "Anxiety, RT information overload AEB nursing school." We were all planning to wear these shirts for today, thinking it would be funny. I knew I needed to keep myself positive, so I wore my cheerleading shirt.

I was ready by 0548, and sat in the chair and tried to read a little more on the different classifications for the pharmacology test. I opened my drug book, and immediately burst into tears again. W said, "You aren't going to see the answers if you keep crying." I said through my tears, "These are Alzheimers medications. (sob sob) They aren't even on the test. Waaahhhhh."

I gave up. Gathered my things together, and left for school. I got there, and was ok. Then as we were entering, the class, I dropped my books inside, and ran back out the door, bawling again. (Do you think I may be a little tightly wound?!?!) Two of my friends found me on their way in, and one gave me a hug and told me it would be alright. The other gave me a Mento, and in we went.

The test was only 22 questions long. (Crap) 11 of the questions were calculations. (Yay!!! I knew I would have at least 50%) Except that I got my drugs mixed up a little, and thought cimetidine is a neoplastic agent. :P HOWEVER, I passed!!! 9 of our group of 40 failed.

Then it was on to critical thinking and care plan. I was much calmer for this part. I was expecting FIXING TO DIE. While the scenario was lengthy, the patient was not FTD. They had an upper respiratory infection. Yay!!!!

So, I passed everything!!!! 6 people failed the care plan. 17 people failed critical thinking. My heart is still pounding. I am still a bundle of nerves. I am so grateful it is over.

Now on to the final!!!!!!


Trying to explain to someone how stressfull it is in nursing school is impossible. Unless you are going through it. The thought that I may not make it out of this semester was more than I could take. I have my pinning in 11 days. I still haven't glued my ribbons on my cap, because I am too supersticious. (sp) I think it is time to glue one on.

W. :)