One down Two to go!

Yesterday I finished my first semester of nursing school! I am elated at the thought that I am going to be an RN in less than 9 months! Seeing as I haven't posted anything in a ridiculously long time, here's the semester scoop:

This semester I took Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Adult Health, and a Health Assessment class -- my favorite class was Pharmacology. The more I think about it, I want to become a nurse anesthetist...which requires 2 more years of school (of course!).

The most interesting part of the semester was my clinical experience. Every Thursday, I worked at a nursing home from 7am to 3pm...and let me tell you, I met some of the most interesting people in the world.

One of my favorite residents was this 96 year old woman...let's call her Pearl. She was so full of life...sometimes I wondered why she was living there in the first place! Every Thursday she was there to greet us "hi my pussy-cats!" What a character. Not only did I learn about life in the early 1900s, I learned about happiness. "We didn't have much but we made the best of it." I looked forward to her stories every week. Pearl had 3 sisters and a brother - "my brother was the KING...anything he said, we did." She told us about her favorite games growing up - kick the can & hop-scotch.

Pearl watched the world grow into a sophisticated land where kick the can and hop-scotch grew obsolete. "Kids these days have so much. They don't know how lucky they truly are. Kids today have the world at their fingertips. But with a can and a rock, I had it all. I was happy."

When Pearl was in her teens, she married the love of her life and they had a son. Pearl says that her son was the most magnificent thing God put on this Earth. And then she told us that he passed away when he was 20. She said she was blessed to have him for 20 years. She smiled.

Pearl is the shining light of the nursing home. She wheels around in her wheel chair, getting up occasionally to give someone a hug. When you see her, you can't help but smile. I learned so much from her. I will miss her stories, her cheerful greetings, and her smile. Maybe I'll go back and visit sometime!

Hello Nursing School. Goodbye Nail Polish.

hello text books. goodbye television.
hello exams. goodbye tan.
hello library. goodbye bars.
hello ugly white shoes. goodbye jimmy choos.
hello nursing school. goodbye nail polish.

Did you know that nail polish harbors germs??? I didn't, until I started nursing school...

We have begun clinicals and let me tell you, it's a whirlwind. Yesterday was my second day at my clinical location and it started off pretty standard. I fed a nice man his breakfast, then I brushed his teeth...good oral hygiene is essential for these people. Then another student and I went around and took blood pressures. Not too bad at this point right?

Then, it happened. A CNA grabbed my friend and I, threw us into a room and said "bathe him. he has an appointment and he's a mess." As soon as we walked in, we knew this was going to be bad. Heat rolled out of the room and hit us like a freight train. To make things worse, a horrid stench almost knocked us to our knees.

The poor guy, wheelchair ridden, had defecated in his bed...and we had to clean him. Neither of us had actually given a bed bath to anyone. Of course we'd seen it done on tv...but this was nothing like tv.

After washing his face, arms, chest and back, we went to the battle zone below, his buttocks. The smell and heat were overwhelming. My friend and I looked at eachother in fear. Holding back tears and controlling my gag reflex, we got the job done.

It was a good day in hindsight. I helped people. I learned how to put learned concepts into practice. Now I know I can do this. Now I know I can do this well.

Soooo much reading...I think I'm going cross eyed!

I am sitting here reminiscing about last weekend -- it was wonderful. Not only was my main squeeze in town, it was our one year anniversary. One whole year. Can you believe that?!

I love when David comes into town, he has this ability to make everything better. sweeter. So as you can imagine, I was elated when I picked him up at the Miami airport. This weekend was going to be fabulous.

Friday night was perfect. As if a reservation at Capital Grille in Brickell was not enough, David surprised me with a hotel room a few blocks away from dinner! now we wouldn't get lost driving after dinner through downtown miami! The hotel was awesome and the views were spectacular. We got ready then walked to dinner.

The waiter brings us to a corner table, sprinkled with rose pedals. beautiful. David and I had a delicious dinner and a bottle of red wine. The night was perfect.

The next morning, after brunch, we explored Mary Brickell Village. What a cool area of Miami...and I never knew it was there!

Overall, the weekend was spectacular. David and I celebrated our one year anniversary, went to a party at Lillian and Nick's place, went to the Grove, and had grilled steak and lobster with my family. ...I can't wait for the next time David comes into town...

Fontainebleau

Yesterday my friend Katy and I went to South Beach for some fun in the sun. When I picked her up she reached into her purse and proudly pulled out an old hotel key to the famous Fontainebleau hotel. This key had amazing powers...it would allow us to basque in the sun at one of the hottest hotels in Miami. I was psyched!

When we arrived, it was absolutely gorgeous...there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We walked through the grandiose lobby, and straight out to the pool...or should I say pools. There were 4 or 5 pools (I think) a plethora of lounge chairs laden with fresh towels, and water stations every 20 feet. Rhythmic beats of reggae floated through the air. This was paradise.

We chose our chairs and claimed our territory, close to the spot where James Bond and Goldfinger sat for that heated game of gin rummy. This was awesome.

Several hours and dips in the pools later we were famished. We had the best tacos at a place called Lime. Give me chicken tacos and a drink and a nice table outside and I am happy.

I only took a couple of pics but I think you'll get the idea

PS - I totally scorched myself...Brent says I'm a rookie when it comes to tanning...I think he's right.

U of M

School starts in less than a week so today I decided to explore the campus. It is absolutely gorgeous...like a tropical paradise (although I'm sure class going to feel more like tropical torment). I know my classes will be difficult, yet I am oddly excited about them! I am going to work extremely hard for one year, and after that, I will be a nurse! I have been warned that the Accelerated BSN program is tough, but I've been through "tough" before and I'm ready.

I'm ready. I know the location of all the essentials on campus: my classes, the gym, Starbucks, and the library. I'm ready. I have my dark green scrubs and my UGLY white nursing shoes. I'm ready. I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to study. I'm ready to work. And most importantly, I'm ready to help people!

Here are a couple of pics of UM's campus...woot woot!