Utah Trip!

So my program gave me a BLESSED 3 week vacation between summer and fall.  IT WAS AMAZING!!!!

And included a wonderful trip to Utah!

It was so nice to see all my friends again.

I got to go on a great walk with my Iggy.
Got J-Dawgs with Spencey-poo
Had a great chat with my Person
Got to chat up my favorite Traci-girl
Saw Jess and Scott...my FAVORITE couple
Had a civilized run-in with "the ex"
Danced with Jose again!!!

Went on a fun shopping trip with my favorite cousins
Spent some quality time with my Grandmother, Mother and Big Sister

Held my favorite "nephew"  Charley/Aaron for as long as people would let me!!!

Momentary explanation of why I call my cousin Jessie's son Aaron, Charley.  Jessie is practically my sister and when she told me she was pregnant, I decided I wanted a name to call it before one was actually picked. Call me crazy...but this is my first "nephew".  Anyway I picked the name Charley cause that could be a boy's or a girl's name.  And it just kinda stuck.  Isn't he the CUTEST!!!

I ADORE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (ps he LOVED the fountain...fell right asleep!)

AWWWWWWWWW

BESTEST CUTEST BABY IN THE WORLD!!!

And ran a wedding!  Well I didn't actually run it....I just played a pretty big role in the running of it.
There were outfits to buy, fruit to cut, center-pieces to decide about, pictures to get taken, ties to purchase, receptions to set up, chocolate fountains to man, and of course the occasional fire to put out here and there.  Granted some of those fires were started by yours truly!  (Note to self...lots of stress plus lack of sleep usually leads people to be on edge...novel idea right???)

But the wedding turned out lovely!
Here's some pics!

I placed all those little diamonds individually...and they looked...well no one could really tell haha

Me and the magical picture list....and my CRAZY EYES!!!!  

Its the happy couple!!!  Melissa and Kenny Moake

The couple with my aunt and uncle...mother and father of the bride

The Pallot side represented!!!

all the sisters....gorgeous right!!!???

me and the bride!!!!  Love ya Mel!!!!

this was the beginning of a kissy shot....ya not so much haha

hopefully the photographer got one better than this of the whole wedding party!!

either Kenny is really heavy or the bridesmaids are SUPER weak!!!

bride and groom and grandparents

the seven dwarfs expanded

bridesmaids

bride and her parents!

Me and Anna

Me and Mikayla

Me and Kestra

Me and My Grammy

Me and the BESTEST MOMMY EVER EVER EVER!!!

My bestie!!!! Jessie!

Me...my mom...my aunt (who could be considered my second mother for all the help she gave me while I lived at BYU)

thanks Grammy for capturing me telling the story of my burned finger

My mommy..the baby whisperer!!!  Seriously Charley calmed down almost immediately when she held him!

My cousin Laura caught the bouquet....much to her delight....I stood way far in the back!!!!!!!!!
 I did not want to caught that thing AT ALL!!!!!!

I got the most HANDSOME guy in the whole room to dance with me!

May I introduce the current love of my life???  This is Charley!

This is me cleaning up....thank you Thomas and Wilson for capturing my ROCKIN dance moves!!!!!

He's Just Not That Into You

Ok--So I realize that this may be silly
But I have been inspired!  I have been inspired SEVERAL times by this movie...but this time is different somehow.

Everyone knows someone who dated a jerk......or who married their best friend from their childhood....or who dated someone long distance.
And in all of these stories....he changes....they don't end up with a ruined relationship...and they always end up together.  Everyone knows someone who got a happy ending from a dreadful situation.

But let us all be honest!!!  THESE ARE THE EXCEPTIONS NOT THE RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have to learn that we are NOT the exceptions.  If a guy treats us like he doesn't care.....he probably doesn't really care!!!  If he doesn't want to call..he won't.  If he doesn't want to ask you out...he won't

Now on the surface this seems like perfectly legit logic.  But guess what my friends????  WE ALL HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED TO THINK THAT IF A GUY TREATS US LIKE A JERK HE MUST LIKE US!!!!  (ever heard the phrase..."oh he pulled your braid...that means he likes you!")

NOT TRUE LADIES!!!!!  Don't let yourself fall into it!  I know it is hard.  Trust me!  But also trust me....its SUPER liberating!

So I have included a few INSPIRING moments...ENJOY :)

Elder Garrett Willyerd

After 19 years and almost 5 months of waiting...my little baby brother has left us for 2 years to serve a proselyting mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Cape Coast, Ghana, Africa.

It was quite an interesting experience.  Filled with both good and rough moments.

It all began (for me at least) on Friday afternoon.  My older sister Kimberly and paternal grandparents when I got home from Columbia.  And so lots of visiting and excitement took place.
Then Saturday came....the older half of the clan went to the temple, while us younger ones stayed home and hung out.  This day also brought lots of song practicing.........
We had been asked ages ago to sing a song in Sacrament Meeting when Garrett would speak, but since we were not all in the same place at once...the practicing came down basically to the day before!  YIKES!!!
The end of the day brought an open house at the Neuburger home.  They are a close family friend who also has a son entering the Missionary Training Center at the same time as Garrett.  So a whole bunch of people from church, and school ans family too came over to celebrate and say farewell to two great guys!
After hours of mixing and mingling...we came home and practiced some more before crashing into bed.

Looking back, our busy schedule and company likely helped us maintain our emotional health at least a little, since we were too tired and crazy to really think about what was about to happen!

So Sunday came and my little baby brother gave a GREAT talk.  For those who don't know, before a guy leaves on his mission, he is often asked to give a short sermon in the main Sunday meeting.  And Garrett did an AWESOME job!  I recorded it and will try to upload it....not sure if I will have success or if anyone will be able to hear it but.....

MP3 PENDING!

Right before he spoke, us (all four of his sisters) sang a song called "I Know My Savior Lives" (if you want to know more check this out!) It turned out pretty well....if I do say so myself!

My maternal grandparents were also able to come into town just for Sunday, which was really great.  They got here just in time to hear Garrett speak and us girls sing.  They were quite proud I think!

After church THOUSANDS of pictures were taken of course.  Hundreds of groups/combinations, tons of angles and several cameras were involved.

here's some faves

The first set of grandparents left Sunday evening, and the second set and Kimberly left Monday.
So by the time Monday night came around we were all alone again.

The next couple of days were spent finishing up all the things that needed to get done before Garrett left.
Then Wednesday night came.  We all piled into the car and drove to the stake president's home.  When a guy gets a mission call he gets a special blessing "setting him apart" before he leaves.  This basically means that he is given rights and privileges from God to be able to serve his mission the best way he can.  This was the official moment.  And this is when the emotions really began to run strong.
Its weird how after all the waiting and all the time we spent knowing it would happen and preparing for it...I was still shocked that it was happening.

Thursday morning we got up and headed to the airport.  We got him all checked in and then waited for a while until it was time for him to go through security.  We took a few more pictures and sent him off with lots of tears and lots of hugs.

Dad then found a creepy corner of the airport that I highly suspect we were not supposed to be in, where we waited and watched his plane take off...first for Atlanta, Georgia and then for Accra, Ghana.

It was a while before we heard from him.  But he is now out of the MTC and in his area teaching the Gospel to the people in Ghana.

He is loving it and doing very well.  Doesn't stop us from missing him or worrying about him.  But the fact that he is doing the Lord's work helps.  He is where he is supposed to be doing what he is supposed to do.  And I couldn't be a prouder big sister!

Week 8----FINALS!!!!

So I'm not quite sure how it got to be so long since I posted on this blog...but it has.  So be prepared for a CRAZY influx of posts.  But they are all going to be kinda short.

So lets rewind back to finals week.   Amazingly enough...not terribly stressful.  Other than the fact that I couldn't get below a 73% on anything unless I wanted to be KICKED OUT of my program!!!

I wasn't really thinking/worried I would get below a 73%...I mean nursing school is rough, but not that rough!  But there is always a worry in the back of your mind.  What if I totally implode?  What if I freeze and suddenly can't remember anything!!!
And on top of all that you have added in the fact that I was on the cusp of letter grades and had to do super well either to maintain, or bump myself up.  (In both cases I was able to do both!!!!  YEAH!)

But with finals week comes a little bit of extra time.  We only had one test a day, which gave us lots of study time.  I spent most of mine at the pool.  My study notes got a little wrinkly...but I got a fabulous tan!!!

And everything went well.  I didn't epically fail...which is all that matters right????
And after a LONG summer.....my 3 week vacation was soooooo welcomed!!!!

Summer Clinicals :)

This summer I spent 5 weeks on the Medical/Surgical floor of University Hospital.
This floor included mostly orthopedic surgical patients as well as several bariatric and other misc. patients.

We started Wednesday afternoon with preplan.  This was time when we went to the hospital, were assigned a patient, and got all their basic info--labs, condition, treatments, procedures etc.
Then I would head home....plop down in front of So You Think You Can Dance (FAVE SHOW!) to do my care plan.  This involved very little thought...mostly a lot of flipping through the book and copying it down...making it ideal commercial/boring parts of the show work.  After the 2 hour show I was almost always done....so I got myself ready for bed...packed a lunch and went to sleep.  BY 10PM...BECAUSE
Thursday bright and early I got up...dressed like this

PICTURE PENDING!!!!

....grabbed some breakfast and my sack lunch...and ran to the hospital.

From roughly 6:45 to 7:15 we had conference...basically hearing about our patient from our instructor.  And then we ran out onto the floor to get vital signs...and the day began!

Seeing as we literally just started school, we are not exactly the most trained nurses ever, but we did have several responsibilities.

1. Bed baths....Have you ever given a bed bath to a 300+ pound immobile person?  NOT FUN!!!!
But usually these were not too bad.  It gives you lots of time to talk with your patient..learn about them and their condition.  It also gives you an up close and personal look at them, so that if there are any physical issues you can consider and treat them.
Although another downside to bed baths was the fact that you often had to change their sheets while they were still in there.  Possible...but takes practice!

2. Physical assessments......Head to toe we had to check them out.  It is both a good and a bad thing to have a student nurse assigned to you from a patient's perspective.  Good cause you get lots of individualized attention.  But not so good because they do much of what the nurse has already done again...just for practice.

3. Vital signs and I/Os...every 4 hours we did blood pressure, respiration rates, pulses, temperature and pain. We also had to keep track of everything that went in (I) and everything that came out (O)  LOVELY RIGHT??  haha

4. Simple procedures...these usually included wound care and dressings.  But sometimes if you were lucky you got a feeding tube or catheter you got to take care of!

5. Some people got to ambulate their patient.....this basically just meant help them walk around the floor to maintain good circulation.  I never got this job, since I only had 2 of my 5 patients that were mobile, and they were specially walked by Physical Therapy.  So sad!

6. If you had a nice nurse you also got to give shots, administer medications and draw blood.  This was always very fun!

7. GOPHER!!!  Lets be honest...this was our main job.  The patient or nurse needed anything...our job!

We actually got to do quite a bit if you think about it.  Not much else was done that we couldn't do.  We were nurses...we just always had to be supervised!

Weeks 6 and 7...Oh the happenings!

So it has been 2 weeks since I last updated.  So lets see what I can do to get you guys all caught up.
Its been a roller coaster and A LOT has happened...so hold on tight!

Week 6

Monday--pretty normal day I think (its hard to remember that far back haha)  Went to my first FHE with the ward and had such a good time.  It was at the Bishop's house.  This couple for reals is like the sweetest old couple ever!!!  And SUPER funny too.  I am bummed that I came out when their time in our ward is pretty much done (they release them after 3 years)  But there is talk of still getting together with them...which I hope happens cause they are GREAT!

Tuesday--This was an interesting day....  Some of you might know I had been dating someone long distance while I was out in MO.  Very short version of the story....we started dating right before I left...kept in contact...I went out to visit him..had a REALLY great weekend...we talked every night for HOURS..he was planning on coming out and seeing me 4th of July weekend.  So that catches you up pretty fast.
Anyways..he decided that Tuesday that he wanted to see other people and that we would break up and he would not come visit me that weekend.  It was really hard and there was a lot of drama involved....that you don't need to hear about.  But anyways.  That is what happened...and kind of shaded the next several days in an unexpected light.

Wednesday--I had gotten to talk to several friends and family members the night before and talked with some friends in my program during the day....so I was holding up pretty well.  I stayed busy and went to Preplan that afternoon.  Preplan is when we go to the hospital the night before clinicals to get all our patient information so we can write a care plan for the next day.

Thursday--FIRST OFFICAL NINJA SCRUBS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (our scrubs are black and the patients sometimes joke that we look like ninjas wandering aroudn the hospital)  Our patient was the sweetest old lady who was actually several days post-op so she wasn't too difficult.  I think I am going to put up a whole post about clinicals cause it would take too long to do it now...so stay tuned ;) 
I was SUPER tired by the end of the day even though she wasn't a hard patient....because I had to get up at...wait for it.....5:30!!!!!!!!!!  ICKY!!!!!!!!  and anyone who knows me knows that the phrase "not a morning person" doesn't even come close to being strong enough to describe me.  haha

Friday-- This was a CRAZY day for our program.  We were sooooooo antsy and ready to get out of there!  It had been a long week and we were ready for the long weekend to start.  We were crazy...it seriously looked like a classroom full of 5 year olds not a classroom full of adults getting their 2nd BS degree ;)  But once class was doen we bolted!  And I got to drive home with my old high school friend who is also in my program...Allison.  LOVE HER!!! 
So we got home and I grabbed some dinner and left again to go to a bridal shower.  My sweet little Katy....who I have know since she was 7 and I was 9/10ish....is getting married!!!!  CRAZINESS!!!  Years of Rising Generation and Girls Camp/Young Women's trips and activities and then we took D&C together last year.  SUCH AN AMAZING FRIEND!!!  And I am soooooo happy for her :)
After the bridal shower I was able to talk to my ex-boyfriend on the phone to get some closure that I felt I really needed.  Dramatic phone call...followed by keeping my mom up talking till 2 AM....sorry Mama!!!!!!  But it was important for me to do.

Saturday--quiet day at home.  I caught up on sleep and got to talk to the family and a good friend from Provo.  I also started on a book by my favorite author my sister had made sure would be there for the long weekend I would be home.

Sunday--normal day at church.  Several people were missing from the Primary leadership so my mom...the music leader was doing the whole sha-bang.  Usually she takes a moment to go over to nursery to sing with them...but since she couldn't...I did ;)  I had a blast with the little cuties!
After church I enlisted my little sister to tailor my ninja scrubs to look a little less like...well a tent.  When she finished my first words were..."Look I have a shape!"  She did a GREAT job!  I have gotten many comlpliments and several people who would like to enlist her services as well :)
At some point during the day I discovered how to post videos on people's facebook walls....which provided quite a bit of entertainment for me...and a great deal of annoyance from all my friends ;)
I also drafted my baby sister to help me study for my HUGE patho test that was Tuesday morning.  She did an awesome job flipping flashcards for me.
The evening ended with several games of Uno and Old Maid....TONS OF FUN!

Week 7
Monday--4th of JULY!!!!!  Our family celebrated by going on a mini-road trip to take me back to Columbia.  We stopped at an outlet mall on the way to get some shirts for G's mission.  And then we stopped at...wait for it....OZARKLAND!!!!!!!!!!  BEST RANDOM STORE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!  Lots of pics are up on FB if you would like to look :)  We also stopped at Nostaligaville....but it was kind a let down after the awesomeness that was the 2 floor gloriousness of Ozarkland :)  The car ride was full of dancing and singing.  We made a special playlist for the trip.  Thankfully my family was understanding and accepting of the several breakup songs that were mixed in with the party mix.
It was really hard to have my family leave because they had been such a strength to me all weekend.  But they left and I got back to the studying.

Tuesday--Not a fun day..I wanted to be back on vacation and had 2 tests.  Seriously who plans 2 tests on the 5th of July.  LAME!!!  Did better on the first test than any others in that class...thanks to my study buddy! Didn't do super hot on the 2nd but thats ok  The day did get a little better though because I got to talk to like 6 super good friends from Provo.  Everyone has been so sweet to me lately!

Wednesday--pretty normal day.  Our schedule was changed with the day off...so I had some time off since it was a lab day. Pretty sure I got a nap in there that afternoon Great times!  Preplan was also good.

Thursday--CRAZY DAY!!!!  Got up early and got to the hospital to find out my instructor had changed my patient that I had done my care plan on.  So I spent the morning feeling like I was constantly playing catch up.  She also had a lot that she needed and we literally were on our feet all day caring for her and taking care of all that was involved in that.  But she was a dear sweet lady and this is what i signed up for.  But I got home and crashed for a couple hours!

Friday--VERY ready for the weekend again. The plan had been to get a bunch done that night....but then I turned on the TV while making dinner and got sucked into a Harry Potter marathon.  So on a lamo Friday night I snuggled up with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, some popcorn and yarn...I made a beret to match the scarf I made last winter :)  It is very cute and I am quite impressed with myself!

Saturday--slept late which was MAGICAL.  Then I got all my study materials together, packed up my laundry, and headed to the pool.  The other people prolly thought I was crazy cause I would leave every 45 minutes to check on my laundry!  But a little while after I got there a friend from the ward who also lives in my complex came and we chatted for a while, till I really had to go in and study some more.  After a day of studying I turned on the Harry Potter marathon again.....very nice :)

Sunday--Church of course.  Pretty average.  Went to a dinner with some new friends from the ward and had a blast just hanging out and chatting.  Plus we made Cafe Rio style tacos which I have been craving like since I left Utah!!!!!  Soo yummy!!!!!  After that I got to talk to my sweet Kennababe before she leaves for her mission (this week!!!!!).  I miss her so much already but I am soooooo excited and proud of her!  She is going to be the BEST missionary EVER!!!!!!  Also got to "go on a walk" with Iggy.  Super fun and good to talk to so many good friends!

So that has been my weeks.....  Ups and Downs and lots of LOVE.  My sweet friend Holly sometimes says that people are too nice to her and she doesn't understand it.  (If you knew Holly you would know that this statement is RIDICULOUS)  But though I feel it is ridiculous I am beginning to understand.  Everyone has been so kind and loving to me.  Even people who are not my best friends are calling or texting or facebooking checking in with me and letting me know that they care.

Thank you everyone for making these weeks much easier :)
Hugs and kisses till next week!!!!!

Week 5---We are HALF WAY THERE!!!!!

Yep ladies and gentleman we are half way through the summer semester from....well you know where ;)
Honestly it has not been that bad.  Just lots of ups and downs.  I decided today that its kinda been like a mission in some respects.  You're high, you're low, you're high, you're low....and you only woke up 30 minutes ago!  (hehe I just rhymed!)  This experience has truly been a Charles Dickins one......best of times and worst of times.

so here was the break down!

Monday---kinda a hard day because I had just gotten back the night before from home...and wasn't too thrilled to be back.  But other than that it was a pretty ordinary day.  Classes and homework pretty much took up most of my mental capacity.  Except the part that was full of thoughts about my future.  For some reason Monday I was really concerned about it.  But I went to sleep and it went away too ;)

Tuesday---this was a REALLY long day.  My family has kinda had a disaster month in that EVERYTHING seems to be breaking...like constantly.  And Tuesday it was my turn.  The bike I brought up here broke.  BUMMERS!!! Thought thankfully a few days later prayers were miraculously answered and I was able to fix it.  Then I had 2 papers due the next day that seemed to be taking twice as much time as I had planned.  And I had a test the next day as well.  I only had class from 10:30 to 12:00 which seemed great until we got started 30 minutes late and got out 30 minutes late too.  I had signed up to get certified in CPR that afternoon and had a very short time to transition into that.  And that took FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!  So I got home late...hot tired and cranky.  But I managed to get everything done and fell asleep as my head hit the pillow!

Wednesday---The crazy day of things being due wasn't too hard since all the work was done!  My test went well and our professor in our afternoon class had spent the morning in the dentist chair, and felt that teaching on narcotics wouldn't be the best thing ever and let us out EARLY!!!  MAGICAL!!!!

Thursday---Now this is the day you all want to hear about!!!!  Thursday was the most exciting day of the week.  Why??  CLINICAL ORIENTATION!!!!!!  SOOOOOO fun!!!!!  I mean it wasn't super exciting in that we didn't do anything but wander around and figure out where things are.  But it got me really excited.  Super nervous...cause what if I kill someone!!!!  But excited none the less :)  Also this day started for me at 9 and was done around 1 (it will usually be 6:45 to 3 though so...no rest for the weary!)  So I came home and took a nap.  It was quite lovely!

Friday---Pretty easy day. Nothing extravagant or particularly exciting.  Got out a little early which was nice.  Then I got myself all dressed up (meaning not scrubs and an old t-shirt) for a night out on the town!  I hung out with some great guys from the ward here in Columbia and went to a fun outdoor concert in downtown Columbia.  It was a really good time.  Columbia is just beginning to grow on me...we'll see where we are in the future!

Saturday--seriously boring day!  Spent the day writing a talk for church and studying for my pathophysiology test on Monday.  But I got stuff done and got some groceries so I am in good shape I guess.  Not every day can be full of excitement!

Sunday---still happening I guess.  I went to church early today to meet with a member of the bishopric...I guessed for a calling.  Amazingly I was right...how did that happen???  haha  Anyway they called me to be the ward music chair.  Which is exciting.  Its something I have done before and I feel comfortable with it.  Also it is not too demanding of my time...but is still a really calling.  I wouldn't have been too happy if they gave me the 2nd assistant to the hymn number putter upper man  (if you have not seen the DC sketch about it..you have to watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzEsANb-Crs)  Anyway.  I gave a talk on tithing and fast offerings...which is over so that is good.  This afternoon's plans involve a "family dinner" with some people from the ward and studying a little more for my test tomorrow.  Should be a decent one :)


Till next week ......hugs and kisses!!!!!!

Week 4---Good Moments Come to Help You Get Through

So week 4 is over.....this week had lots of moments that made life quite great!

Day 1--regular ordinary day.  Took a pathophysiology test.  I did better on it then the last one, but I still hope to improve for the next test.  I have the technique  (hundreds of flashcards) down, I just have to give myself just a little more time to be extra thorough.  Also we got out of class early :)

Day 2--Normal day  had a short break in the middle of the day till it was my turn to be in lab.  And then got out early :)  Spent a long time studying on campus and then headed up to the institute building.  Great lesson that really made me think and kinda reevaluate some patterns and habits I have formed.  On my way home I got to have another awesome therapy session with my great "therapist" Andrea ;)  Love Tuesdays just cause I get to talk to her :)

Day 3--very ordinary day (wow if my life continues like this....this blog is gonna get SUPER boring!)  Got out a little early and went home...and took a nap!  Then homework...always homework!

Day 4--another ordinary day...but this day I had LOTS to do!  Cause I had to get all my stuff packed for a weekend home!!!!!  Also I had to study for a pass/fail medication calculations test and get to bed early because......

Day 5--7 AM class....and I had to look nice!  Skirt....plus makeup!!!!  I woke up when my clock still said 5...that should be ILLEGAL!!!!!!!  But I took the test and passed...we had a little bit of class and then headed over to a restaurant for a lunch put on for us by the alumni association. It was very inspiring actually.  I t helped me realize not only how happy I am I chose nursing but also that I chose Mizzou.  It has been hard and will still be hard, but I am glad I made the choice I did.
At the end of the lunch, my roommate Jessika and I headed home to St Louis.  We passed 5 accidents on the way but made it safe and sound.  I was greeted by laughs and dancing to strange "Boom Ba Boombo" at top volume followed soon after by "Turn it down Turn it down!!!  Dad is HOME!"  haha  gotta love the family!
Regular ordinary family life followed.  Watched Tron with the kids after dinner...and was confused the whole time.  Dear action movies---maybe if you had a little more dialogue I would not have had to make my brother stop the movie every 5 seconds to explain things to me.

Day 6--another ordinary day with the family.  Sleeping late and napping.  Chatting with my baby girls about everything!  LOVE BEING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 7--church at the home ward.  Always great!  Got a ton of "I thought you were gone" and "What are you doing here"  But it was Father's Day and I wanted to see my Daddy!  I think it is simply because our home ward is not used to close by college students.  The majority go far away and come home for vacations and summer break.  But when you only live 1.5 hours away....a weekend home is a definite option :)  Drove back up late Sunday night and got ready to start the whole thing over again!


hugs and kisses!

Week 3--Settling In

Well another week done.  At the beginning of the week...it never seems like it is going to end.  But time passes....even if it is slow.

I am kind of getting just a little more settled in.  I have pretty much got a routine down----mainly consisting of wake up ...go to class....come home...do homework...go to sleep.  Boring I know...and prolly doesn't sound much different than my routine from the two previous weeks.  But deviations are not as frequent this week as they were in the past.

So lets do the breakdown!

Monday----pretty calm day.  Had skills the whole day and a 2.5 hour break in the middle to do homework.  Which was VERY nice.  We practiced putting on sterile gloves and created a new nursing catch phrase....."Sterile High Five"  haha!  We also got to insert catheters into the dummies.  Its nice to be doing "real" stuff.  Part of me wishes I could practice on a real human just because I know it will be harder and more important on a human.....but practicing on dummies is much safer!

Tuesday----took a test which wasn't too bad.  Spent more time in the lab and got more time in the middle of the day to study.  I also stayed on campus until late to get some studying done and then attended FMRDASE.  (Forced Mating Ritual Disguised as Spiritual Enlightenment  AKA Institute).  It was nice to have a little spiritual boost in the middle of the week and the teacher we have is REALLY great!  The class is really small and mostly made up of people far more zealous than I am!  I don't really feel super at home...but I know it is important to go, so I will keep going.  Cause its the right thing to do.  But I am going to try to create a system of refreshments.  I mean REALLY...what kind of mating ritual doesn't have a facilitatative mingle moment at the end?

Wednesday---just an ordinary day....nothing to special about it.  Had lots of check-offs  (doing a procedure for the professor).  I think I may have done like 5.....?????

Thursday----took my first nursing research and theory test.  It was open book and open note so it wasn't too bad.  But we had had check offs all morning too so....it was a LONG day!!!!!  We finished the test and thought we might be able to go home...but our professor kept us for another 30ish minutes to lecture for a bit.  We were DEAD and it was prolly the most ineffective lecture EVER.  That was the latest we had stayed in class for...hmmmm I think all three weeks.  We usually get out between 2 and 4 each day....but we were there till almost 5 and it was TERRIBLE!!!

Friday----Love it every week...still a long tiring day that we just were done with by the end.  We did a class check off----cause I think our professors didn't want to watch us all do it!  We were seriously cheering and doing dances when we finished cause we were soooo done!  Also we got a pretty decent storm that night


Saturday----Studied most of the day for my patho test that will be Monday.  It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon!  The morning was cloudy and cool.  But the afternoon the sun came out and their was an AWESOME breeze.  It was prolly only 70ish degrees.  I studied by the pool for a bit, but soon lost the sunlight...and therefore the warmth.

Sunday---TODAY!  ;)  Church of course.  We sang my favorite hymn as a closing song Abide With Me, which was very nice.  I am getting to meet several super sweet people which is great.  We also had a dinner afterward which was lovely and a great chance to get to know people better.

So that has been my week.  Eventfully uneventful :)
Hugs and Kisses till next week!

Things I Never Saw at BYU

So I am at Mizzou.....University of Missouri...MU.......

But whatever you call it...it is.....NOT IN THE BUBBLE!!!!!!

So today during my lunch break...I made a list of all the things I see here at Mizzou that I NEVER saw at BYU.

1. Girl's upper thighs and shoulders
2. Men with beards and/or long hair
3. Piercings and tattoos
4. Swear words on T-shirts
5. Dark socked in clouds
6. Caffeinated sodas in the vending machines
7. Diversity----I mean there is some....but the whole white, white, super white..not totally untrue
8. Cicadas....EWWWWWWWW

Week 2...and a little of Week 1 too

So my nursing school adventure has begun.  I'm going to try and be good and keep everyone updated.

So the first week.  HARD and BUSY and CRAZY.
Day 1: OH MY HECK!  The amount of information they bombarded us with was insane.  8 AM to 4 PM full of  talking...and lots of scare tactics.  We get below a 72% on an exam...we get a letter warning us we are on thin ice.  Cause if we get an end grade in a class below 72% we are out!  And I came home totally overwhelmed and totally discouraged.  But I called my mom and a good friend and that perked me up a little.

Day 2: Hard still but a little less overwhelming.  Still trying to get all the bureaucracy out of the way...
immunizations, books, background checks, supplies.  It was all crazy and insane.

Day 3:  Class ALL DAY LONG!  Seriously an all day lecture session is NO FUN!  But it got broken up a little by this little tornado that touched down about 5ish miles south of campus.  Luckily the nursing school has a basement :)

Day 4: Pretty much the same as the day before!

Day 5:  FRIDAY!!!!  so happy it was!  And we spent the last half of the day in lab!  NO LECTURE!  This was the day I no longer HATED nursing school.  Not gonna say I liked it yet...but I didn't hate it!
Plus I got to go home for the weekend.  I know I was only gone for 5 days....but I missed my family like crazy and it was sooooooo good to be back!

Great weekend...then Monday came.....it was a hard day.  Dad, Garrett, and I drove up and got me all moved in and settled.  It was an emotional day, but my dad gave me a blessing at the end that REALLY helped.

WEEK 2
Getting into the groove a little bit.  Still unsure in a lot of ways but getting there.  And I am starting to like it...starting...not there yet...but starting ;)

Day 1:  first test!  YIKES!!!!  I was terrified I would get the dreaded LETTER.  But it was ok....I got a solid B+.  And considering the fact that it was the first test and I didn't study like I should have...I was quite pleased.

Day 2: Lots of class again...but we got to go to the lab again and practice which was lots of fun.

Day 3:  Pretty much just like day 2....I have discovered the middle of the week gets pretty much...well boring haha  This night I spent HOURS studying and I am pretty sure it is possible to die from studying too much....cause I almost did!

Day 4: FRIDAY!!!!!!  I have discovered how awesome Fridays are!  I have always liked them but I have newfound appreciation for them!  Patho test this day and a quiz in Assessment....both went pretty well, especially considering the studying I did.  It was not as effective as it could have been.  But now I know how to study best...so it will be better next time!

WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WAHOOOO
For reals needed it!  I did NOTHING on Friday evening even remotely related to school.  And Saturday I hit the books pretty hard, but still took time to spend a couple hours at the pool :)  It was lovely!

I also got to go to church today in my new ward.  They all seem really kind and were very welcoming. Its not the 92nd ward....but then again...no ward in the church is that good ;)  But I think I will like it and be happy with it.


Adjusting has been hard.  But I am hoping that someday soon it will happen.
Till next week

Updates and UGGGHH the Complications

I'm going to try and update this blog a little more often.  I update my musical blog daily...it takes my time but doesn't really update anyone.
The music blog is more for me...this one is for you guys.

So what I have I done lately?  First I graduated...as evidenced by my previous posts.  I left BYU and Provo for St Louis.  I will be leaving for Columbia and Mizzou this weekend.

Leaving Provo was really hard.  I have so many friends there.  People who have changed my life and made me the person I am today.
Due to tornadoes that occurred the day before we flew out that hit the airport--closing it completely, we ended up flying into Chicago and renting a car to drive down to St Louis.  We were crushed in the back of a small SUV with far too many bags.  It was a long late ride and but I suppose we made the best of it.
That first day I really didn't think about much else then sleeping.

The next day all I wanted was to go back to Provo!  I loved being home with my family don't get me wrong.  I got to go to orchestra concerts and service projects.  I got to get my sister ready for her first prom and talk to my mom everyday for hours.  It has been awesome to hang out with my brother who will be leaving on his mission at the end of the summer.  My family is the greatest and they have been making me laugh the past several weeks.

But still I wanted a vacation and a moment to be back with my favorite Provo people.  So I booked a flight--crazy but did it.

Awesome weekend let me tell you!
I got to see so many people I wanted to see...though not nearly as many as I wanted to. Dan, Andrea, Traci, Maddie, Lauren, Pappy, Tyson, Beth, and all the 92nd (now 99th) warders.  I got to go up in the canyon, visit my dear Harold, see my second family, go to my cousins baby shower, shopping at the mall with my big sister, go to church with the 99th again, watch a frisbee game, walks, choir practice, Rock Canyon park and Stephandrea time.  It was an amazing weekend.

It was wonderful.  Hard to leave at the end though.  I went back to get the piece of my heart that I left.  I was unsuccessful.  I ended up just leaving the rest of it there.  Guess we will just have to wait till August for me to get it back again.


Then there are all the complications.  First financial aid, then housing, then books, then transcripts.  It seems that I have very bad luck.
A bit of advice.  If you can don't have your foot in the doors of 3 different universities all at once.  It can get very complicated!

Things I Have Learned at BYU

1. Sometimes homework is not as important as other things

2. Sometimes homework is more important than other things

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth.

4. You can’t judge people, because you never know what they have been through

5. It ALWAYS depends!

6. Procrastination is something that can be done…but it never turns out well

7. Never take anything at face value.  Get all the information from all possible sources before you choose or judge.

Things I Will Miss in Provo

1. The 92^nd Ward---yes ALL OF YOU!!!!

2. Andrea—my person

3.  Sunday night chats with Tyson

4. Long walks with Iggy

5. random library parties

6. Impromptu dance parties with Jose

7. Gonna miss the girls who own Jose quite a bit too ;)

8. Long late night chats with good friends

9. Midnight trips to Smiths, Denny’s and IHOP

10. Stargazing

11. Jerome the turtle…and his owners in Marin 10 ;)

12. the mountains

13. Being able to walk to pretty much everywhere important

14. Bonfires in the canyon

15. Cheering for the ward intramural teams

16. Weekend get aways to Vegas or Springville

17. Being super close to my second family

18.  Body Body, Signs, Werewolf, 8-square

19. Being so close to the temple

20. Riding the bus with..the most interesting of the Provo/Orem population

Things I will Miss about BYU

1. Prayers at the beginning of class

2. Professors bearing their testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel

3. Connecting anything and everything to some Gospel principle

4. Amazing forums with really interesting world leaders

5. The fact that campus TOTALLY shuts down on Tuesdays at 11

6. The beautiful grounds…even in a desert they keep things so green and gorgeous

7.  Going to church in the same room as I have my school classes

8. SPORTING EVENTS!!!!!!

9. Running into your favorite people in front of the JFSB or in the quad

10. The music they play at 12:00 to kick you out of the library

11. Working in the HBLL with amazing co-workers!

12. The view from the top of the JFSB

13.  The honor code and the chastity line ;)

14. Amazing performances..plays, concerts etc.

15. Religion classes

16. The stream south of campus, and the terrace garden