Mind is Racing yet...

I'm lying in bed trying to prepare my body to go to sleep since I must awake at 0430...

Yes! That's right. For the love of nursing school, I must get my little bunny head out of bed at 0430 so that I can make myself breakfast, dress myself in maroon & white scrubs, freak out a few times making sure I have my paperwork, ID badge and key for unit before I meet the rest of my group in the mall parking lot to leave by 0530 and drive to Waco for our Mental Health clinical at the VA hospital. Whew!

I probably won't have much luck falling asleep before 2200. And if I become lucky, I'll be asleep before 0000 = midnight. I'm not the best at falling asleep or staying asleep but I would probably win the Gold medal for mind racing!

I have had a lot on my mind lately and I shall list them instead of paragraphs because those are just too boring to read...in no particular order...

1. SCHOOL
2. Clinicals
3. Clinical paperwork
4. School schedule ...long story...
5. Headaches and the possible causes
6. Justin and the absence of hugs
7. Weight gain...leading to...
8. Finding time to Workout
9. Making the grades to possibly apply to Nurse Practitioner school in the future
10. Budgeting money
11. Vomit...it's following me...I'll explain later because it's slightly funny yet not really
12. Friends...miss them...
13. Family...missing them even more so...
14. Puppies...I love my parent's dogs like children! 
15. Should I sign up to volunteer for another organization? Google Morning Glory Ranch
16. Prayer life
17. Managing time...am I doing it right? Yet I know I could do better because...
18. TV = I love the shows I record too much!
19. Horses ...I miss riding...and jumping...and barrel racing...and Horses!
20. My Grandparents. I pray to my grandfathers a lot. I pray for my grandmothers a lot too. 
21. Living alone & trying not to become a Schizophrenic Paranoid adult (just had an exam over the subject and had to watch A Beautiful Mind)
22. Finding time to do the things I want to do such as cooking healthy meals, crafts, etc.
23. Disaster Day...March 20th...then the planning begins for DDay 2015!
24. Having I covered everything?
25. Oh...worrying about worrying...HA!

It's kinda sad how long this list is but probably the possible cause of my reoccurring headaches. I have a prescribed med to help with them but I have found that caffeine and yoga help reduce them. I had blood work done and my numbers are pristine! When I went to my follow-up on Monday, my blood pressure was 117/79 and my pulse was 55!!! Really?! I usually measure it between 60 and 70 but who knows. I am healthy and am very blessed to be. I am a curvy girl and have body issues but then I go to the gym and I think, "I may not be the smallest or the strongest but I am healthy, smart and have good things going for me."

Oh about VOMIT...LOL... So Thursday in the hospital, I went to round on my patient, take her vitals and do my initial assessment. She said she was nauseated so I immediately put on gloves and put a basin on her lap. She tolerated the assessment very well and the Clinical Teaching Assistant said I did a good job. When I went back to my patient's room a few minutes later, she vomited into the basin. I was glad I gave her the basin and the act or sound did not bother me UNTIL...(dun, dun, dunnnnnnn)...I had to measure it. There's this thing called I's & O's (intake & output) that nurses have to do especially when ordered. My patient had I's & O's so I had to measure her "output." Yes. I gagged. Yes. It smelled. Yes. I'll stop there. (I'm sure my mother and father are freaking out I'm putting this on the blog, but I have a point!) It's a part of nursing. I handled it very well until...............the toilet pipes blew water everywhere and needless to say, I probably got toilet water and possibly vomit on me. Whatever. Life. I got over it then....

...Sunday, in 0800 church, a little boy threw up. No one heard it because I think we were singing the Alleluia but I saw the puddle. I contemplated getting up and following the boy and his mom and making sure he was okay but I figured I'd say a prayer for him to feel better. Yet I was distracted by the dad cleaning up the puddle and using some aerosol spray to cover up the smell. I dislike smelly aerosol sprays. And this wasn't my last incidence with vomit...

...Monday!!! I was waiting to go back to see the doctor for a follow-up on my headache ordeal and this lady walks to the bathroom, asking another lady quickly if she can go because she had to vomit and proceeds to go in. You could hear her. Then the girl's male significant other tried to check on her but she was locked in. He got the clerk, who got some nurses, followed by a doctor and proceeded to get her in a wheelchair to take her to the back. She was okay but my nursey-spidey instincts were going crazy by that point!

Long story short, I want to be a nurse. God created me to become a nurse. I want to be an awesome nurse! So please pray that I can achieve this goal and that my stress and headaches decrease because I seriously will start resorting to eating chocolate anything while getting massages if I don't start feeling better! ...LOL...

Love y'all,

A

P.S. Another reason I'm going to be a Nurse - coercing Justin to get his Flu Shot this past December. 

He HATES needles..........he he he

Foodie Taking Too Many Naps

In the past 2 weeks, I've come to realize that I love food and naps TOO MUCH. I get a hankering for a particular food and that's it, I must make it or a variation of it to curb my craving. I've started cooking interesting meals such as boiling red potatoes and sweet potatoes together then mashing them with butter and garlic. Oh so yummy!

The next craving I had was mac n' cheese but it took me awhile to get to making it because I had other leftovers to eat first. After boiling whole grain noodles and using yogurt instead of cream or milk as a base, I added onion and bacon and peas. Little did I know, yogurt gives an interesting taste to the dish but my bacon and onion made up for it.

And of course, don't forget I have the sweet tooth of the ages! I have to have some sort of sweet thing every day...not good for my hips...yet sometimes it's healthy and sometimes it's sinful. Friday, Kerry & I treated ourselves to cupcakes for successfully completely our simulation labs. Then Saturday night, instead of running to the store for ice cream or frozen yogurt, I made oven-dried apple chips. They made the house smell HEAVENLY and tasted very delicious but the mandoline is an evil contraption. I cut my thumb pretty bad but no worries, the nurses in training knew what to do and I fixed myself right up!

As for school, our first Med-Surg (medical-surgical or Adult Health I) Exam is tomorrow. I've been preparing a little bit at a time for a week now and am getting more comfortable with the content. I have 2 books that are very helpful instead of just reading the power points over and over. I order another review book to help me through this semester and the reviews on Amazon said it will continue to help me through my next Med-Surg or Adult Health II class next semester.

I have my 1st Mental Health clinical in Waco on Wednesday. Our 1st exam is next Monday and I have yet to start preparing for it. I also ordered a review book from Amazon to help me in that class because I'd rather read that than a giant textbook that has too much information!

Anyways, I have a busy week with a partial paper due, exam and 4 clinical days in a row with paperwork to get through but I can do it! I just can't take as many naps (sad face).

Oh! Those naps...yeah, I like to nap...a LOT! I have never been one for naps until the past couple months. I don't understand why but I need to stop the cycle. It's not only cutting into my study time but I haven't been working out as much. Yet another reason for napping is that I've been suffering from severe tension headaches. I went to the doctor and the eye doctor and nothing is severely out of whack but I have a med to help.

So as long as I stay up-to-date with my assignments and studies, take less naps, and not cause any headaches this week, I think it'll be a good long yet fun week!

Love,
A

One of my concoctions - Almost Stuffed Bell Pepper

Back on the Grind or Grinding Coffee Beans?

Yes...I broke my promise to keep up with this blog weekly throughout the semester. I was stressed with studying, overloaded with paperwork, and completely and utterly tired of being on the computer day-in and day-out. We use our laptops for EVERYTHING!!! E-mails, Blackboard, Assignments, Power points, Microsoft Word & Excel documents, Facebook, Pinterest, buying supplies and online shopping, and many other miscellaneous things...but I'll spare you the details...

You see...School started out like this...All fine & dandy

I was able to attend a few football games! Thanks DAD!

Then came the time we had to bring almost every book to each simulation, making my backpack weigh about 50 lbs...NO JOKE!!!

Oh, I sang at Jody & Stacy Erwin's wedding = BEAUTIFUL yet stressful weekend = Never go to New Orleans thinking you're going to study for Pharmacology = Miserable Mess... Yet I go to spend all my time with this HANDSOME guy!

And finally, it turned out that my books started following me everywhere...

So maybe with this semester "supposedly pronounced" is to be less stressful, so I can keep up this thing! I'l try, at least!

I had a lovely Christmas break at home with my family and the few times I was able to spend with Justin. I was able to shadow nurses in the Operating Room and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I am still unsure which route I will pursue but that's what each semesters wonder's bring!

He bought me flowers :)

I shadowed awesome nurses!

We drank Hot Cocoa & Apple Cider!

I made my man get a Flu shot 

(he HATES needles)

HA HA

And I spent time laughing at this dog's antics! 

Here he thinks he's taking over Dad's position!

We are taking Adult Health 1, Mental Health, and Evidenced-Based Practice. Here are some short details:

AH1: Going into detail over specific disease processes, causes, treatments, meds, patient care, etc. Such as this morning, we covered COPD, Emphysema, and a few smaller upper respiratory diseases. In conjunction with the lecture, we have a lot of clinical and lab hours to complete. I will be checking off on my IV insertion skills this Thursday and hopefully will be allowed to start my 1st real IV next Thursday at my first clinical, which is at an Endoscopy clinic in Bryan. The majority of my clinicals will take place on the Telemetry section at the College Station Medical Center on Thursdays & Fridays every other week. Perfectly located down the road from our Aggieland home! I will also get a chance to be with wound care and OR nurses. Yet I have to keep up-to-date with my skills in the lab on my off-weeks. Fair enough because I love learning and taking care of real or "standardized patients."

MH:  Learning about more disorders while visiting the VA Hospital in Waco and going to Morning Glory Ranch in Waller for hippotherapy = Horse Therapy!!!! with children who have disabilities. Pretty much, that's it......more to it but I'm getting tired of explaining...

EBP: We are going to be digging up important reasons why it's important to research techniques in the Nursing field. I don't know how I feel about this class because we have to write papers. We have a big group assignment so I'll have some help but I still am not the greatest at writing. Mom, get ready for a few more e-mails from me!

I am also busy learning the in's & out's of planning our school's Disaster Day. I am partially in charge of it for 2015 with my co-commander Elizabeth or as I call her "Mize" (her last name). So we're just attending meetings, doing small tasks to help out, and soaking in all of the info we need to carry out next year's simulation. If you want to volunteer or just get some info, check out our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/disasterday

I also signed up to volunteer for an organization called Muzzles & Manes! I have orientation tomorrow evening and will learn a little more about what I will be doing. 2 nurses put together this organization after witnessing the healing effects animals had on different populations of patients. So I'll be dealing with dogs and miniature horses...EEEEKKK!!! I can't wait! I produce more details with my next post so so long for now...

Thanks for reading!
LOVE, A

Me, Kerry, Kelly & Kendra on Kerry's 23rd Birthday last week

My Nursing Friends 

Falling into...

FALL!!!      My favorite season! And yes, I have pumpkins on my porch & all over my house!!

And I'm sorry I've been slacking on the blog but time has literally gotten away from me and studying has become the taker of that time. It's been a little over a month since I've wrote and I probably cannot tell you what I last wrote about but here I am! I have some time this week and I'm going to take advantage of it!

The semester is halfway passed and we took our Pathophysiology final last Monday. I rocked it! I was super nervous about it but it turned out great. I learned a lot in 7 short weeks and I think it was a great trial run for the College of Nursing. We are the "guinea pigs" in which they are trying different strategies on us. So instead of taking all 4 classes at one time, we are taking 2 classes the entire semester then Patho was the 1st 7 weeks and now we're in Pharmocology for the last 8 weeks. It was rough but I think it was worth it. There was some things they missed in teaching for Pharm but they can't cover everything!

This week will be my 4th week in the hospital. On Wednesday's, I have to go pick up patient info at the hospital then go home and do some homework on their meds, history, medical diagnosis and a few other things. Thursday, I go to the hospital for 6 hours and take care of him or her. I take vitals, give meds when allowed (with supervision, of course!), provide hygienic care if they cannot do it themselves, assist them with activities and many other small tasks. I still have not given a shot but hopefully this week!

My patient this past week was an Angel. Literally! I was fumbling around with the lancet to prick her finger to check her blood glucose and she was so patient with me. After apologizing a zillion times, she said it wasn't her role to get angry with me because I'm learning. She was the sweetest lady I've ever met and had so much faith, compassion, and knowledge to share. We walked around the hospital floor for a little bit of exercise and she told me about her family. They were from New Orleans and came here after Katrina. Her grandmother outlived her own children to pass away at 95. My patient said she hoped the Lord would bless her with an amazing life like her grandmother had. I replied that I'm sure the Lord has amazing plans for her. And that's when I teared up... I felt something from this woman. She was amazing. I believe she is an angel and she shared her faith with me. So I asked if I could pray for her. We bowed our heads, lifted her up in prayer, said amen and exchanged hugs.

Because of her, I want to be a better person for everyone, not just my patients. The little things can make a big difference. The little prayers can change someone's life even if you do it out loud or the silence of your heart. I may not be the best Christian and I am a sinner. But that lady made me even more compassionate about what I'm training for. I cannot wait to fully care for God's people. It may be stressful sometimes but I am here to serve for Him. I am here to do something special in my life someway, somehow.

School sucks sometimes but with the Lord, all things are possible.

with love,
A

Double Whammy

I used to love that show - Whammy - but that's when I went through my Game Show Network phase. Now I look forward to my precious 1-2 hours a TV each day! I'm very conservative with what I watch & when I watch it. My TV gets turned on every morning so I can watch the news & the weather while I eat breakfast & get ready and gets turned on once or twice in the evenings for a short breather from school and studying.

Today though...I treated myself with several TV shows and am about to watch a few more because I had a Patho exam Monday and a Fundamentals exam today and my brain is shot! If any of my 50 classmates are doing school work, they're nerds. Unfortunately, I am going to fall into that category because I would like to start studying for my Medication Administration check off on Thursday.

I made an 82 on both exams. I was very excited I made that grade on Patho because the exam had A LOT of material but wasn't too thrilled about the B for Fundamentals. But you get whatcha get and I deserved what I got for both exams. This week is slowing down which is great because I have a lot to catch up on and things I want to accomplish like fill in my little 3"x 5" Memo Pad with skills, techniques, stats and extra tidbits for when I start going to my hospital clinicals on October 3rd! I also need to make electronic flashcards for Medical Terminology. On top of it all, I have to make a "pathology tree" for a group project that is being presented on my birthday, the 25th, and my group is meeting Sunday to finish everything and film our little skit. I have various other tasks I can't think of right now but I don't have the capacity to think about them because I'm brain dead.

But it's going to start all over again next week and the week after that and continue until the 2nd week in December...argh...Don't get me wrong, I love nursing school. I love my professors. I like most of my classmates but it is difficult and strenuous and time-consuming and I feel scatter-brained every single day of the week! They say this is the hardest semester and hopefully it gets better because I hate being scatter-brained. I hate how my anxiety has worsened. I hate how I barely have time to talk to Justin on the phone or my other friends...sorry girls & guys...I love y'all though!!!

But here's some funnies to laugh with me so we can all breathe a little easier, sleep a little lighter and think about the light at the end of the tunnel!



This was me the past 3 days...translation: Caffeine, by mouth, every 4 hours, as necessary or when needed.







My personal favorite because this will be me one day...inevitably...

Love y'all!
A

When I thought...

...I had it all organized and in control...the following happens:

1. Football season starts...and of course, I went to last weekend's game v. Sam Houston. Glad to see a win and non-starters to get playing time but I slightly worried about all the school work I could've been working on at home. Oh well! I had a great time with my family and Justin. We got to go on the field while the teams warmed up. Pretty amazing to see Kyle Field from a different perspective on a game day!

But what makes me more nervous is that I had opted out of going to the 'bama game this coming weekend because I have exams Monday & Tuesday of next week but after much contemplation, a few tears, and hearing that "it's going to the most important & historical game played on Kyle Field EVER" ...I thought...eh, probably need to experience this... and this is where I go into my 2nd point...

2. My nose is in a book every night... for at least 3-5 hours. So far, school has not been tough. But give it a 2 weeks and I'll be waist-deep in EVERYTHING that I'll be drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes with double the espresso for every meal. I haven't really kept up with most of the readings assigned. The professor for Health Assessment said don't worry about reading the book. Fundamentals is just WAY TOO MUCH reading. And I didn't get my Patho book in via the mail until last Wednesday afternoon so as soon as I get done reading for my Dosage Calculation exams, Patho will be my go-to book for the week. 

3. Professors add more to your calendar! This does not make anyone happy and adds extra stress to my daily life. I made my own weekly planner and have everything from readings, assignments, exams, what color scrubs to wear, and other helpful things that I use daily to help me study the important stuff first and keeps me in line for the week. What upset me the most is that our course coordinator for Fundamentals exclaimed we could have "Medicine Administration" skill check-offs this week and half of us would have our first Simulation this week or next. Thanks Professor for the heads up! I thought our skill check-offs were going to be over nasogastric tubes and catheters?!?!? ...errr... 

4. Balancing school, relationships, extracurricular & chores is really tough. I am very blessed to be back in a very familiar atmosphere (i.e. College Station Home) and have an amazing support system (i.e. Steve, Kim, Shelby, Justin and various others). Yet I'm still figuring out how this balance system is suppose to work. I am now considering working out with my trainer at Gold's Gym fun because I do not have the time to go ride horses with Aubrey. I sit at school all day so when I come home, I try to find tiny things to do while standing = let me do the laundry or dishes = love/hate relationship with chores. 

I really can't think of why I need to jot down a couple more numbers because I've summed up my life tale, for now. I could go into great detail about my daily activities and/or thoughts but I'll spare you the misery. It can be pretty boring. 

Don't get me wrong, I love learning the new things I need to know to become a successful nurse but it's a hard road ahead. I have a million thoughts swirling through my head many times a day of topics I can't even remember because I'm thinking of medical terminology, the pathology tree I have to create for a group project, the argument I had with Justin (now resolved, thank cheesus), the stupid, confusing dosage problems, making sure I remember to wear my ID badge to school and so many other things I can and cannot control.

Please just say a short prayer for me - please and thank you - I'll say a prayer for you.

Forever and Ever! ....lol....My Best's Friends Wedding...

Man, I need to watch some old movies soon! Any suggestions?

Anyways...

With love always,

A

A New Chapter

I'm sorry I was not in the mood to blog the past month but I am going to try and keep up with it as the new semester begins. I went to EC for my 2 week break and did not take my computer and did not want to hog Mom's computer for such an amount of time so I just kept putting this off. But I did pass with A's in my first semester!! Anyways, on to a new chapter...

Last week, I started my 2nd semester of nursing school. I am taking Fundamentals, Health Assessment, Pathophysiology for the 1st 7 weeks and Pharmacology for the last 8 weeks. My schedule is very interesting and busy. I attend class Monday-Wednesday and have labs Tuesday, Thursday & Fridays. What is going to be the challenge is keeping up with all of the studying, reading, and assignment when we have to be in lab from 8-5 on Thursday & Friday for the next 4-5 weeks. After that, they will assign us clinical rotations, in which we will attend once a week and possibly have supplemental mandatory lab once every other week. The professors were pretty easy on us this week. Not much reading, only 1 assignment and very short days in the lab Thursday & Friday. But I do not expect that from here-on-out...

Patho is interesting so far. I've learned about cancer and some mental health issues. I'm waiting on my book to come in so I can study the power points and read the book to reinforce what I'm learning. My friend, Kerry, said that she did that the other night and it was very helpful.

Health Assessment has been boring thus far. Our professors for that class are very intellectual and have AMAZING examples but we've gone over the basics so yeah...can't really put that picture into view for y'all.

Fundamentals has been good. I love learning hands-on so I will probably give y'all more experiences from lab than anything else! Last week, we learned sterile technique and enemas. Great fun!

I'm looking forward to learning but I know everything is going to be challenging. Hearing the phrase "check-offs" makes my blood pressure and adrenaline rise immediately. I have to read 1,000 pages a week it seems like and to make it a little more difficult. I'm learning how to use my new computer because my red Toshiba decided to die last Wednesday. I'm very lucky and blessed to have gotten a new one on Friday afternoon per delivery of my parents. Thank y'all very much!!!

I did get a small treat before I hit the books hard - GIRLS WEEKEND - Austin Edition!!! It was great to visit and have fun with some amazing girls this weekend. The highlight was our trip to Painting with a Twist, where we painted a beautiful picture while drinking wine. I'm trying to find a place to hang it now...and sorry for no pictures, I haven't plugged my phone into my computer yet since I'm still downloading files from my external hard drive.

So as I'm typing, my mind is going super crazy with all of the things I need to accomplish on my day off tomorrow. I'm glad I got to sit down for a short while and send out a little tidbit but if you don't get a post for 2 or 3 weeks from me, I'm going to crazy hardcore to accomplish an important goal - to serve God by taking care of His people.

God Bless,
A

Time Flies when...

You're pumping up Blood Pressure cuffs several times a day!!

And the reason for the previous statement is because I have skill check-offs TOMORROW!!! Ahh! No worries...well, slightly...I went to a classmate's apartment tonight to practice with some other girls. We each ran through a scenario and took a patient's vital signs. Other important points to remember is that I must wash my hands upon entering and leaving the room, introduce myself, identify the patient by name & DOB, explain what I'm going to do, raise & lower the bed and hopefully ensure safety the entire time! The professors are not setting us up for failure but they want to make sure we are instilling all of the little things before they release us into the wild hospital halls this fall!

So I ask please say a short prayer that I remember all of the key things to pass tomorrow!

On Tuesday, we take our lecture exam. Dr. Livingston went over some of the exam and it seemed pretty common knowledge yet I'm sure there are some trick questions. Example:

What is the most important part of giving perineal care?
A. hand hygiene
B. gloves
C. keeping the patient covered
D. raising the bed to a working height

Yeah...confusing, right?! Well, they answer is B although all of the answers are important. Dr. Livingston said that we're nursing students now so we need to be able to decipher the BEST possible answer, not just a good answer.

This past week wasn't terrible. I turned my paper in early and did pretty well on the quizzes. We had the PTA students from Blinn come to our lab to teach us about ambulation and transfers. It was very helpful and glad I was able to learn very important tips on saving my back. Some of our professors even learned new things!!

The only downfall to my week was the allergic reaction I had to a night cream on my eyes. I'd post a picture but I think it would blind y'all because it's scary. I didn't even show Justin... I sent pictures to Dr. Goerig & Dr. Erwin - GOD BLESS THEM!!! - and with some hydrocortisone, Benadryl and 3 days of wearing glasses, my eyes are back to normal. I'm still worried I'll have a flare up because I have sensitive skin but never again will I use a cream that I don't know what's in it beforehand!!!

The countdown to completing my 1st semester of Nursing school is on = 4 days

Skills check-off, exam, discussion board, a project and 2 classes stand between me but perseverance and coffee is key :)

Wish me luck!
A

Blessedly Stressed

It was a good week until I felt like all of my stressors caught up with me on Thursday and ugh............

But I'm better now! I'm enjoying my weekend...yes, it's only Friday but we don't have class...and trying to accomplish as much as possible before my lovely dinner with my boyfriend, Justin, and my favorite engaged couple, Cassey & Scott!!

I was in EC this past weekend because Dad returned home from his safari and naturally, we needed our weekly "lay-in-the-recliner-together" reunion. I didn't get much reading done last weekend because I enjoyed the day riding in the tractor with Justin. When I returned to CS Sunday evening, I got some chores and reading down before heading to HEB at 2130 (9:30). It's a very enjoyable time to go to the grocery. It's cool, dark and NOT crowded!! 

Monday was Monday. We had Professor Middlebrooks lecturing about Hygiene. She rushed through the lecture because she kept telling stories and giving examples. Don't get me wrong, I love personal experience stories but I hate when they rush through the PowerPoint slides. When I got home after class, I started making a new recipe - Chicken & Veggie Flautas. I actually put the chicken with water & stock in the crock-pot before going to school and were ready to be shred when I came home, making the prep time a lot shorter!!! The flauta making was very messy but they lasted me the entire week and were even tastier with guacamole. After I finished cooking, I put my nose in my clinical book before wanting to try another new recipe - Baked Oatmeal. It was very easy to put together and also lasted the entire week with some leftovers placed in the freezer. Very healthy & made my morning breakfast interesting and easier. 

I had to pee in a cup for the Nursing school to rule out I'm not a druggie before heading to workout with my trainer, Sean. Yes, Shelby & I share the same trainer at Gold's Gym but we don't partake in workouts together...yet. She's been so busy that I've taken her time slots to fit my schedule. Sean kicks my ass. Arms are always at the beginning of the week and he just is trying to put my shoulders out of commission. But I'm the weird kid that likes the pain before it happens, while it's happening and after it happens. Justin's afraid I'm going to get super buff and be too sexy for him to call me his girlfriend but I doubt it...I think God meant for me to be curvy and I'm totally okay with that!!

Tuesday was Hygiene Lab. The highlights of that was putting "patients" on bedpans, giving them a bed bath, changing linens on an occupied bed and having my teeth brushed by another student. That afternoon, I was asked to watch my favorite little man, G. Goerig, so that his Mommy could take his siblings and friends to a water park in CS. He was not happy his mommy left but calmed down to realize he was hungry and became a bottom-less pit to baby crackers, pureed fruit and rice cereal. And all while going back and forth from the kitchen, I WAS ABLE TO WITNESS HIS FIRST STEPS!!! I texted Abby wondering how many steps he had been taking and she informed me that he hadn't yet! Oh my gosh....proud babysitter moment yet very heart-broken I didn't get it on video for his parents! (please forgive me)

Wednesday came and went but I tried to stay as productive as possible so I would be able to go to yoga that evening. Our Informatics class is stressing me out because there are so many things to be done - read, study for quizzes, work on paper and ePortfolio, participate in online discussions and read some more. The only good thing that came from Wednesday besides Yoga was that I asked Professor Mountain about the Fall Clinical schedule and was granted the Friday off to fly out to New Orleans for Stacy & Jody's wedding!! So I got our (J & me) tickets booked for late Thursday night for a pretty damn good price = always love a bargain!

Thursday was the stress icing on the cake and I didn't want it to be but we were suppose to have a quiz and we didn't. We were instructed to buy a $180 access code. Got out of class early to be able to work on our projects, in which I got a tiny amount done out of the big piece of the puzzle. Ran around town picking up things for the Howdy Party the Wharton County Aggie Moms host, went to the ENT who gave me antibiotics and a steroid injection to help my ears and head not feel like crap and finally ended up at Gold's for my leg workout with Sean. Oh, kettle balls = sucks balls. Ask me about them later...and yes, Mother & Father, I know that's not appropriate...but it's the truth!

Now I'm just sitting at J's in Rosenberg working on my paper, writing this blog about my crazy life and waiting for his handsome booty to get home before we head to dinner. And tomorrow, Shelby & I are doing our field portion to Hunter's Safety so we can be certified to blast some ugly birds! And on top of it all, life isn't slowing down. Going, going, going is all I know and my t.v. time has cut down to almost nothing, in which I look at it in a healthier than bad way. But to slow down a little, I'm going to relax a little this evening with some great drinks and discussions and some shopping tomorrow before I put my nose back in my books. 

xo, A

1st Week Completed

Whew! I did it! I made it through my 1st official week of Nursing school and there were already some big changes!!

As of July 15th, Texas A&M Health Science Center is officially a part of the Texas A&M University system! WHOOP! I'm sure there are a lot of great things that will be happening but I think the best part of this merger is that my fellow classmates will be able to receive their Aggie Rings! Since receiving mine almost 2 years ago, many students were worried they wouldn't meet the requirements to receive one. And the impossible became possible! So excited that they will be able to participate in an amazing tradition. 

And on to the juicy details of my week...Mondays & Tuesdays I go to my Fundamentals lecture and lab. Lecture was over basics - vital signs, the nursing process, and general surveys. Lab was when we were able to get our hands on some vitals equipment and practice. Blood Pressure deemed to be the most difficult for everyone. My group of 5 practiced and practiced. Some girls had trouble palpating the brachial artery. The rest had trouble hearing the sounds through the stethoscope as we attempted to measure each other's BP. Because of this some of the professors allowed some to practice on them while advising to practice as much as possible and do not get checked off on our skills until we've measured 50 successful BPs. I hope when I start learning more, I remember to write out my acronyms or nursing lingo for y'all!  

Lab couldn't last too much longer because we were sent to attend our Scroll Ceremony. We were going to receive a scroll displaying the Nursing Code of Ethics. This year, they decided to do something a little different. Each one of my classmates and I were paired with a senior student to be our mentor. They gave us our scroll, led us to sign the "book" that will be kept forever and serves as a reminder that we signed to uphold the ethics and answered our questions during the lunch. My mentor is Chelsea. She has been married for almost 2 year and has her Bachelor's degree from A&M. I think she's smart, beautiful, funny, down-to-earth and very helpful. We've been messaging back and forth about school and other interests. Today, I asked her about the textbooks I need for Fall and gave me advice on which ones to buy or not. 

On Tuesday afternoons, the SIM lab is open for practice. So following the luncheon, my lab group went back up to get some more BP practice. It went ok but we decided to get more practice in on Wednesday so I scheduled a room. Dr. Livingston - one of the few male instructors on staff - gave some great advice. He said that we should practice and come to the SIM lab as much as possible. With that said, if he saw us in the lab other than our scheduled times, he would remember that and possibly be easier on us when we have our skill check-offs or exams. BROWNIE POINTS PLEASE!!!

Wednesday & Thursday were long...we learned about Ethics, Values and Culture and were introduced to our Librarian who lectured on how to research proficiently. Following that, we were introduced to our Health Care Issues paper, which is due August 1st. I'm pretty sure I'm writing mine on ObamaCare...hisssss... I was at Hoffer's Auto Care and Fox News had a segment that said the plan was going to increase the cost of health care for young, healthy Americans. I initially didn't know what to think about this because I'm not very political but since I'm going into the health care field, I need to learn about this and other legislation. So give me a few days and I'll have some knew knowledge... Oh, I also made a 100 on our 1st quiz...super proud of myself!

Hopefully I can get my paper done quickly and keep up with all of the reading because these 5 weeks are going to go by very quickly. I'm home this weekend. Justin needed to help his dad in the field and my Dad just returned home from an Aggie Safari. Heading upstairs to read and get some early zzz's since a train was SUPER LOUD at 0500 and I didn't really sleep after that. I'm officially in the early morning risers club...yay! No, that is sarcasm even though I've never really slept past 0930. 

Thank you for reading and prayers. I love y'all!

A

New Adventure!

Howdy! 

It's been awhile but I'm ready to keep my close family and friends updated during the newest adventure of my life - NURSING SCHOOL!!! Yet I had many other adventures in the past year - graduating from Texas A&M (Whoop!), moving to EC, substitute teaching, taking Microbiology at WCJC, babysitting, coaching 9/10 year old Little League softball, and training and competing in Triathlons. Whew! I kept myself busy but I had to because when I'm lazy.......it's bad.........so let's just not go there! But any who...

Mom helped me move back to College Station last Friday and it took 2 days to unpack and organize all the things I took home. What was terrible is that I only wore half the clothes I took home and used about 1/3 of the other things. Ridiculous, I know. Then on Monday, I had a Balloon Sinuplasty done to open my sinus passages. I thought I was allergic to other things besides mosquitoes - well I am - mold, dogs and pecan trees - but I kept getting sinus infections and felt like I couldn't breathe deep enough. It was successful and I'm just waiting for the after-effects to subside so I can get going again with staying in shape to do the next tri with Emily in October. 

Wednesday was the big day! I was nervous yet ready to get the ball rolling. We had a reading assignment posted the night before and I made sure to read it all just in case they bombarded us with a quiz or something. I had my lunch packed and my outfit picked out the night before. We have a dress code for class and for clinicals. They want us to look nice in case guests drop-in during class = no shorts. And if you know me, I was very upset with this. I live in athletic shorts and t-shirts! So I wore a comfy dress to appease them. The class we attend on Wed & Thursday's is Informatics and it runs from 0800 - 1330, with an hour lunch break at 1100.  Oh yes, the joy of learning military time! It covers technology and Electronic Health Records to prepare us for the evolving tech-savvy nature of our career field. It's boring. The 6 CHAPTERS we had to read for Thursday were so terrible that I couldn't remember what I read at the top of the page when I got to the bottom. We'll have a big online project and research paper to write but this class has no final - Whoop! 

Today, I have the day off. Mom had the electrician scheduled to install a light in our kitchen and he has come and gone. So I'm all by my lonesome, typing out my blog, re-arranging my Google calendar, reading for Monday's class and making sure I'm packed, ready and know where I'm going for the All-Star tourney in Seguin. By the way, I was coaching the 9/10 year old All-Star softball team before I moved to CS. I was enjoying it a lot even though my life was revolving around the practices. I really do love coaching and love those girls. That's why I'm going to pick up Justin and head to Seguin to make it to the 2000 (8 pm) game tonight. Wish us luck!!!

On Monday, I will go to my Fundamentals class lecture from 0830 to 1015. Just a basic class to learn how to take vitals, do assessments, bathing, transfers, etc. I was assigned to Tuesday morning's lab (0800-1200) which will take place in the Stimulation Lab or SIM lab or CLRC. So many names!!! And for this first two days of this class, we have to read about 200 pages from 3 different books and watch about 20 videos on vital signs and asepsis. Last night, I got started with marking all of the pages in the books and watching all of the vitals videos. Today, I started reading from one book. Upon completing those pages, I'll probably read from the HUGE fundamentals book - I swear it's 5 inches thick! - and wash some laundry. 

I've come to the conclusion they're going to keep up on our toes for these first 5 weeks. Yes, it's a lot of reading and we're in the classroom about 15 hours a week. One of the projects in Info has already been introduced and I will start working on that today also but time management will become my friend and enemy. Yes, I want to go workout with my trainer at Gold's. Yes, I want to be lazy and watch some of my favorite shows...cough, cough, Big Bang Theory. Yes, I want to go take riding lessons and play with ponies. Yes, I want to sit on Pinterest for hours and try the new recipes or crafts I find but I am on a mission. A mission to one day do what the Lord has set out for me to accomplish - care for His people. And in order to get to that point, I need to become successful every day by becoming a better student, staying on top of assignments and chores and balancing all of it in the short amount of time I have between everything! 

Of course, I'm nervous. It's going to be a tough 2 years. I have things I want to do but they have to be placed on the back burner so that I can get through this. Hopefully, the Lord hears my prayers and guides me to do my best, spend my time purposefully and fulfill His will for me. So if you don't mind, please say a little prayer for me. I will be so appreciative for that and cannot wait to share many stories and knowledge with y'all in the future!

The picture above is my goal. At orientation, the Dean told us to write it down and put it where we would see it every day. One rough days, seeing it could possibly make those hard days a little less stressful, knowing that we're working towards something amazing. 

Y'all come back now, ya hear?! 
Alexis

P.S. And yes, I know it's been a year since I last posted on this site. My excuses are that I was very overwhelmed with school, graduating, forgetting about this blog and la-ti-da whatever else!

P.S.S. Justin and I started dating in November. He's my man and I'm very, very blessed to be called his other half. It may not be the best situation (living 2 hours apart) but we have a concrete relationship and understand each other's goals so that one day, hopefully, we will be able to live & work in the same vicinity. 

Trying My Luck in the Kitchen

My adventure this week has not really been about the classes but about what I've been doing in the kitchen. Last week, I figured out what I was going to be doing each day from classes to workouts to lunches. I've collected several recipes this summer and have made my own recipe binder. Knowing that this was going to be a trying semester with 2 harder core classes and 3 writing intensive classes, I wanted to plan different healthy meals to help me keep my energy up and my digestive system in sync. If I haven't already stated this before but I have tummy issues with the nightshade family of veggies - tomatoes, onions & peppers - yep, some of my favorites. And along with that, I have to have extra fiber to help my colon out because of a previous problem. Then there's my sweet tooth, I'm trying to stay away from the processed sugars so I compiled some recipes that would help calm that nagging tooth.

So after an EXPENSIVE trip to the HEB's, I have tried 3 of the 5 recipes I wanted to try this week.
I made my first successful pot of black beans! I've attempted several times but let's just say I've always had to just go buy the darn canned ones. And with those beans, I made some turkey taco meat for Taco Salad, which is a favorite underneath our Aggieland roof.

The second recipe I tried I found on Pinterest yet the want to make a pizza crust out of cauliflower was on my mind all summer and Mom didn't think that idea for supper was too hot...
Anyways, I had my go with Cauliflower Pizza Bites and let's just say I ate 2 and told Shelby she was going to have to fend for herself. When I took them out of the over, the edges were brown in the mini-muffin tin so YEAH, I thought they were done. When I took it out and tried it sans tomato sauce, it had good flavor but it wasn't the texture I was expecting. The recipe called for cottage cheese and having a sister that doesn't like it or cream cheese, I was nice and got low-fat ricotta cheese. I don't know if it was the ricotta or just the bite itself but it was mushy. So I put the oven on broil to crispen them up for a few minutes and of course, like every time I turn the damn oven on broil, I burnt them. Oh well...the cauliflower was getting old and I can always us the tomato sauce I opened to dip the bites in for later spaghetti use.

The third recipe I tried was a vegan snack bar recipe. If some of y'all have ever hear or tried a LARABAR, I love them yet they are pricey. Well...I found a recipe! I have a little food processor but it only holds one cup. I went to Wal-Mart yesterday and bought a Ninja Blender that doubles as a food processor for less than $50!!! And it worked wonders on the nuts and dates I put in it! The recipe and making of it was easy-peasy. Just almonds, pitted Mujool dates, dried cherries, dark chocolate chips and pecans. I forgot a pinch of salt but oh well, more sweet for my tooth.

These are the unpitted dates that I thought were pitted when I bought them but oh well, at least I thought to cut into them before throwing 7 of them in the processor! 

Finished product! I'll give them a try later this week or weekend.

I plan on making Mexican-inspired paninis for lunch tomorrow with my black beans on the side before I go to my classes. And maybe this weekend, Shelby and I will get a treat with Broccoli & Quiona Casserole!

So as you can tell, I've had a lot of extra time yet I am taking a full course load of 12 hours to graduate this December. I have class every day of the week and am aiming to working out 4 of the 7 days of the week at the nice REC classes or taking a neighborhood run or a dip in the pool at the REC, which I did today. And I hate bathing suits but I'm really working on loving my body because I am made in HIS likeness and image so yes, I walked from the locker room to the pool without a towel around me and found out I am not in water-shape whatsoever!

I'm also going to a Horse Show in Bellville this weekend. Although I did not ride but a handful of times in my western saddle this summer, I'll have a total of 4 lessons before the Sunday show and hopefully that will be enough for us to be in Ribbon contention. Wish us luck and pray for our and the other competitors' safety!

Miss y'all already & May peace, grace, serenity & courage surround your inner self this week,

AC


Oh here's some pics from Emily & I's adventures in the EC kitchen. We made Peanut Butter Krispies with Kisses, Nutella Pretzel Drops and Pomegranate Grapefruit Champagne Ice for our evening drink!

"I am the bread of life...

...whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall not thirst." - John 6:35

For the past 14 weeks, I've been preparing for the Young Adult ACTS Retreat. The team and I successfully fulfilled our duties as a team by putting on an amazing retreat this past weekend. The above verse was our theme for the weekend. We totally hit the nail with integrating that verse into the weekend. If it wasn't for the River Rule, I'd be spilling all of my secrets but ACTS is such an amazing experience that I hope all of y'all are able to experience at some point if you haven't already.

...Just a little dress up fun...

But what I can share is my journey in preparation for the retreat. I e-mailed in my want to be on team  in March and prayed that I possibly would be selected to be on team. This spring was a very trying time - I was taking some hard classes, preparing for the GRE, found out that Physical Therapy school wasn't really doable and was soul-searching for what I wanted to do and get out of life. So prayer and Mass were my go-to activities to keep my grounded throughout all of these troubling times. During dead week of finals in May, I got the call and was asked if I wanted to be on team? Of course, I said yes! I hadn't teamed since 2007 and this was exactly what I needed in my life this summer!

If you have read my blog this summer, I've been pretty busy. This retreat was the icing on the cake and wouldn't have asked for my summer to be any different or less hectic. It kept me in check with my prayer life. Being on team kept my on my toes to keep serving at Church and at work. At A&M, I attended daily mass once or sometimes twice a week. It's just another hour I give to the Lord during my busy week to once again, keep me in check. I know many people work and have families and aren't able to attend so I cherish this ability because I know I'll be in some of y'alls shoes one day.

Some people ask, "Why do you go to daily mass?" Well, I thought it kept me focused throughout the week and I got a little taste of the bible and music in a less distracting setting. But this weekend on the retreat, our spiritual director, Deacon David Valdez, really answered that question. You see that bible verse up there? When we go to mass and receive the body & blood of Christ, we become full of Him. It was a real eye opener to me especially because I've been wanting to deepen my faith for awhile. And this summer on team helped me with that! Not only I was attending Mass twice a week this summer, I attended almost every ACTS meeting on Sundays. It made me stay in check with my prayer life and how I acted all summer.

It's a constant battle between our fleshy human selves and our spiritual need to be closer to Christ. Of course, it's a balancing act too. I try to balance out who I am with how I should act in a Christian manner. And it's hard but it's a delight to know that He loves and forgives us. It's amazing how we have freedom to practice our beliefs and show others discretely how our faith affects us.

Anyways...the 14 weeks of hard work paid off because the retreatants were amazing and all of us, as a team, knew the Holy Spirit was moving through all of us. Yes, we had our up's & down's but the point got across - a life without Christ makes us feel incomplete and hungry.  I don't want that. I don't want to be stumbling all over the place, not knowing who I am or what I want to do because I don't have God. But now that He has moved through the 25 retreatants we had this weekend, I can truly say He wants to feel complete if we will let Him work His wonders in us.

Gig 'em & God Bless,
AC

Busy Bee swarming EC

Since last time I updated y'all, summer has flown by but the activities I've been involved in have felt like I'm riding a roller coaster!

July 2nd - I started working at the hospital in Administration. They needed some help with paperwork so I volunteered and happily learned a few things.

July 4th - Enjoyed my freedom by freely being the laziest young adult in town by staying in my PJs, watching movies, and snacking all day.

July 6th - Cleared my busy brain with some horse therapy via Lonnie the Paint, Taylor Martin's horse. Let's just say he's very much Taylor's horse - laid back and goes about his business when he wants.

July 7th - Attended Kristi Michaelsen's wedding shower. A lot of my good friends were in attendance and had a great little reunion.

July 8th - Traveled down to Victoria for our ACTS Mini-Retreat. It's a beautiful place and I can't wait to get down there and start spreading some of the Holy Spirit to others! And the trip back in a suburban of 4 guys and 3 girls was very interesting...fun yet odd

July 12th - Finished catching up the Administration office and was let loose early! I am going back on the 19th to help organize a few things but otherwise, I'm done working for the summer!

July 13th - Dad turned 56! It was a really interesting day for him since we was born on Friday the 13th in 1956 and turned 56 on Friday the 13th! Meemaw made great Swiss Steak with tasty sides and after deciding that a river trip was not the greatest idea for Saturday since the river was flowing over our docks. After a peaceful afternoon, we headed out to the club for a great dinner with Dad's friends and ate Shelby's delicious Red Velvet cake!

July 16th - I started shadowing a nurse in the ER in EC. Boy, it was interesting but with HIPPA rules & regulations, I must not let out any more information; otherwise, I'd be in big trouble!

July 18th - Shadowed some lovely nurses in the OR. They were very welcoming and showed me a few things. The doctor that was performing the surgeries was amazing and allowed me in the room and explained what and why he was doing what he was doing. I thought I'd get slightly grossed out but the surgeries I viewed were not what I was expecting. So until a bigger, more invasive case, I really like the OR.

I'm traveling to Houston Friday for my 2nd YogaFit training from 12:30 - 8pm. I'm still working on getting my volunteer hours to be officially certified as a Level 1 Instructor but I will be at the YogaLean training that is based towards weight loss and training different body types. Wish me luck!

And for those of y'all that do not know, I have redirected my career path to Nursing. So I'm starting to collect shadowing hours and looking at different prerequisites at various schools. I know I have to take 2 classes in the Spring (after I graduate in December) to be able to apply. If y'all don't mind, please keep me in your prayers for guidance and clarity of mind as I discern this decision further.

With peace & love & hardcore Aggie Football Fan getting excited for the 1st game...

AC