Trip to Tuscaloosa!

Andrew and I had the opportunity to go to a Bama game! We haven't been to a game in two years! It was a great trip for us to have some fun just the two of us! I hope we can go back!

It was a great day! We wanted to go to the museum and watch the team walk into the stadium, but we worked late the night before. We didn't get up in time to go. We were so worried that it was going to rain. I packed like we were going out of town for two days! It sprinkled on the way and at the start of the game but that was it! It was a beautiful day and it warmed up!

We walked around before the game and once we got to our seats, the sweetest little boy walked up the stands.

I looked at Andrew and told him that I can't wait to bring our kids to the games. Dress them in Houndstooth and Crimson! I loved watching all the kids watching the game and laughing at Big Al. I also told Andrew that I want to tailgate in the Quad someday.

Big Al was a joy to watch as always! He even got in some crowd surfing!

Outside of the stadium walking in you make the walk of Champions.

Nick's statue was added after the 2009 Championship Game! There was a huge crowd around it all day! We decided to take our picture by it after the game. After the game, we waited around a bit to see if we could see any of the players!

Jeremy Shelley #5 Position PK

Trey Depriest #33 LineBacker He was just the sweetest! Me and one of the ladies that we met while waiting and watching the players chased down Barrett Jones to get his autograph. He is soo tall! I know I'm short, but he makes me feel even shorter than I am! While the lady and I where there, AJ McCarron came out. We never got a chase to even see him. It was like bees drawn to honey. He did play a great game. I hope next time we can get his autograph! We had a great time! And yes Bama won the game! I can't wait to go back! Thanks Sean for the tickets!! There is nothing like Alabama football!!

What's going on?

I know it's been almost four months since my last post. SO much has gone on! Andrew has graduated, Jake has turned 3, and Jaylee has turned 2! It's been so busy! Graduation was a lot of fun! I cried listening to the speakers talk about how much work went into reaching that goal for him and the family support at home. It was hard on both of us for him to finish school. It was a bittersweet moment to see my husband graduate with a degree from a school that he wanted to go to. Now we are just sitting back waiting patiently for the perfect job to come around! I'm so very proud of him and all the work he did to get there. Jake turned 3 which makes it 3 years since my surgeries! Jake is losing his baby face which makes me feel old. I can't wait to watch him grow into a young man. Jaylee has turned 2 and is in love with Dora. She has everything Dora that is made with Dora on it! She is so sweet and her personality it starting to show! She loves her pet duck and can't wait to see Lady and Casper again. School has been a world of emotions for me this trimester. It was a lot harder than I expected. There have been so many times that I have cried and said that I couldn't go through this with the thought I'm not smart enough to become a nurse. Andrew has been great with helping me around the house so I can focus on studying and doing about 8 hours of paperwork for clinical. Clinical this trimester was a lot of fun. I was given more freedom to treat my patient and worked hard to get to were I was. I had some great patients, and there are two that I will never forget. The first one had a colostomy bag and had never met another person who has had one. When I shared my story with her, she opened up and started asking me a lot of questions. She was so polite, and helped me understand what it was like to be older to have one. The next patient had Crohn's disease and was trying to decided to have bowel surgery to remove an obstruction. I again shared my story with him and worked on a project with him. I love being able to help people! I really know that this is my calling. I know that I don't want to be a floor nurse for the rest of my life. It's not the kind of nursing that I feel like God wants me to do. Class was the hardest! I know study groups really help and will use them so much more in the future. I did pass this trimester, and it was a huge relief! It's kind of cool to think that this time next year I will be four months to graduation!! I can't wait either! I have also been able to talk to several wound care nurses about how to become one. I have looked into it but haven't set any kind of plans in motion. It will be there when I graduate, and I hope I could possibly find a job that would possibly pay for me to go the certification. Casper and Lady are fine! They are playing so well together. Casper is still his lazy self were as Lady is still all over the place. I have had my 3rd checkup with Dr. Cannon. It was great seeing her. I'm doing well and couldn't have asked for a better surgeon. This has been our lives for the past few months. School starts back on September 4, and I will be in Adult 2. December will probably be my next post! Until then!

School is over just for a little while!

I'm so excited that I passed my first trimester of clinicals. Grades were posted last week, but I got busy and our internet went down for a couple of days. I really enjoyed this trimester and can't wait to see what Adult 1 has in store. I'm also really nervous about going back. This will be one of my toughest trimesters. I know this nursing is what God wants me to do so I know I will make it! I have a great group of girls to help me study and cry on their shoulder when it gets too hard for me to handle! Like I did a couple of trimesters ago I want to share the Blessings that I picked up. "You are the best." You would not be here otherwise. God has prepared a path for you and I am glad BCHS is a part of it. May you have a blessed day. PEACE Follow your hear, we are given only one and it's filled with love and devotion to share with those who we surround ourselves with. God has faith in you and so do we!!! All things can be accomplished when God is in your life, and you depend on Him for strength. Philippians 29:11 For God knows the plans for your life!! Live your life to the fullest! You are special. We are so glad you chose to here with us. Keep your head up and your heart open. Place your problems in God's hands and you will succeed. God bless you! Dear Friend, I pray God provides the strength for you to reach your goad and that you allow Him into your heart. God Bless...Have a good day. My grace is sufficient for you!! Dear God, Thank you for giving me opportunity for being a part of such a loving, caring, and religious environment. Best of all, thanks for this extended family that provides such great support. Amen As God blesses you the day, take time to also be a blessing to someone else. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Don't forget to invite God to walk with you today. These little slips of paper helped me through this trimester. Especially during test days. I'm so glad I chose nursing and Baptist! ----------------------------- Andrew graduates one week from this Friday!! We both are so excited!! We are leaving next Thursday night and flying to Orlando! We will also spend a couple of days in Disney and we haven't been there since 2005. I'm so very proud of the man that he is and will become once he has graduated!!

All good things come to an end!

This was my last week in the hospital for the trimester, and I have to say that I'm kind of sad. Last week, I was asked to start an IV which I was so excited to do. I was unsuccessful but got the much needed confidence and practice that I needed. I was so devastated, but all nurses start somewhere.
This week I had another great day in the hospital. My patient was to have a thoransantisis done, and I could watch. Well, he didn't have it before I left so I missed out on that one. I was sad about that too. I love all the interesting stuff. One of the other girls in my class got to watch a colonscopy. I was jealous about that! I would love to see one done on someone other than myself.
I had a project due this week about my vision in nursing. I have share on here what I want to do so that project came easy to me. The topics I had to discuss were what was my defining moment, current educational goals, future educational goals, where I want to be in five years, and what impact I want to have on nursing. It was a fun project to help keep me focused when this get tough!
I have had a great time in the hospital and can't wait to go back this summer. My attitude my change though when I have to write care plans for my patient. I'm not sure if I'm for that part of it.
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Andrew's graduation is fast approaching and we are both getting really excited because it's a mini vacation for us. This week we have booked our flights and hotel. I called today to book what building we wanted to be in and transportation to and from the airport. I love flying and can't wait to go. Andrew is looking forward to not having homework anymore for a while, and so I'm I!

First Day in the Hospital

Today was our first day in the hospital. I was so excited this morning I could hardly sleep until my alarm went off. I woke up at 4 which is so hard for me to do! I'm not a morning person at all. Ask my parents and Andrew; they'll tell you the same thing. I hate getting up early. I do know that I want a night position first!
Once we got there, we were split into groups and then went to our floors. I went to 4south of Baptist East which is the skilled nursing floor. It means the patients on this floor are not quite ready to go home yet. They still need some hospital care such as pt or ot. I was paired with a friend, and we were sent to visit our patient for the first time. He was a sweet man and very patient with us. He let us give him a bath and do vitals on him for 9 and 11. I had a great first day in the hospital.
I'm getting more nervous about next week because I will have one patient to myself, which is a little overwhelming to me. It's a huge responsibility.
Before we left the hospital, we had a sweet ceremony that is called Blessing of the Hands. It is where the hospital preacher and our school's Spiritual Life leader come to pray over our hands. It was so nice to have someone pray for me, my school work, my good days and bad days, and the help that I will be giving to my patients. I hope that I will be able to help in the lives of others the way the nurses I have had given me.
After the hospital, my friends and I went to lunch to celebrate not dying or passing out once we walked in our patient's room for the first time. We had a great time comparing stories and learning so much from our first visit. I have a great group of friends in school. All we want to do is pass and learn everything we can.

Mary, Cathi, and I at the hospital!

Morgan and I at Olive Garden!

Where does the time go???

Today,Andrew and I are celebrating four years of marriage!! I can't believe it's been four years since I married my best friend. I tell him everything, and he does not judge me! I couldn't have prayed for a better husband! I have the best!! Sickness and in health are his speciality! We have planned to go out to eat tonight and then I have set up a couples massage on Monday afternoon! I accidentally let that slip! He's really excited about it!! It will be his second and my first massage!!
I'm so proud of him! He graduates in less than two months from FullSail University in Winterpark, FL. We are planning a trip to go to graduation and I hope we can slip some time in to go to Disney World while we are there! We have a time crunch though. I start back to school for my summer on May 1. So, I pray my teacher will not have class on Thursday so we can go early that day!! All I can do is pray that it works out that way! He's taking his first part of his Senior project this month and is really having fun with it. He's so special to me and I thank God for him everyday!!
School has been non-stop for me!! I never thought I would love school, but man do I love nursing school. A few weeks ago, we did ostomies! I was so excited!! I gave the teacher tricks to use! She pulled me to the side while other students were practicing and asked me if I have ever thought of doing Wound Care Nursing. I told her that I have but don't think I could handle burn patients. She said that I wouldn't see every many of those in a regular hospital because they go to a burn center to have their treatment. So, I've started looking into how I can be a Certified Wound Care Nurse. I even meet another Wound Care Nurse while I was visiting a friend in the hospital this past Tuesday night. She gave me some great tips!! If that's what God wants me to do, it will all work out. I don't really care where I work when I'm done I just want a JOB! In five weeks, I will have finished my first trimester of Nursing with 5 more to go!! I think I can; I think I can!! I'm so excited and can't wait to finish!! We go to the hospital for the first time on Tuesday!! I'm not nervous now but by Tuesday morning I feel like I will be a little nervous! I don't want to hurt my patient!
Casper and Lady are finally getting along! Lady is completely house trained! The carpet thanks you! She has also turned one and has moved upstairs with us at night! Casper is still the same easy going pup! They are sweetest!!
This has been our life for the last few months. Work, School, and church! It's been fun!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hey blog world! I know it's been a month since the last time I posted. I have been really busy getting the house ready to paint! Yes, paint! I finally talked Andrew into letting me paint the house. So I called my friend Catherine Claire to come over to help me pick out colors. We at first said that we were only going to paint our room and bathroom, living room, and dining room. Once we got started we noticed how bad the rest of the house looked so we decided to paint the whole house!! So, I got busy! I painted our bathroom all by myself but called in help for the rest. Todd, Jake's dad, came over to help me paint our room, living room, and dining room. Then, my dad came over to help the tackle the biggest part of the whole house. We have at least a 25ft ceiling in the entry way. I have say thank you to everyone who helped!! I love the house! It now feels like a home!! Here are before pictures.
I can't get pictures to load. Hopefully one day soon I can get them up.
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Christmas was great! Jaylee got a lot of good things this year. Santa also visited Jaylee at my parents house. Jonathan, my brother-in-law, and I had the best time putting together her kitchen set. Everyone made fun of how long it took us to put it together but hey it got done and it was done right!
Andrew got me some camera accessories like extra batteries, external flash, and a tripod! I was so excited!! He hasn't surprised me in a long time!! I was glad to have a surprise this year! I got him an iPhone 4s and an external hard drive for his computer and on the side business.
I even got the sweetest present from Jake! He gave me a new coffee mug that will keep my coffee hot for hours!! I have used it many times!! I gave him a new Thomas the train and bowl and plate set with Thomas on it!! He is just the sweetest and cutest!! He was so excited to get both!!
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Andrew's cousin Lindsay got married the day before New Years. It was a beautiful wedding and we wish you all the best!!
Speaking of weddings, my really good friend, Christina married her best friend the first weekend of the new year! It was another beautiful wedding. I was so glad that she asked Andrew and I to help with the planning and all the wedding get parties! We wish you guys the best as well!!
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Over the weekend, aunt Jeanna and I hosted Laura's baby shower for Zoey. She got a lot of great gifts. Zoey is due any day now! It was so great seeing family that I haven't seen since Papaw Jim's funeral.
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I started back to school last Monday!! We go to the hospital in March! I'm really glad I listened to God telling me to go to nursing school! I can't imagine doing anything different!!

I know this was a random and short post but don't have much time now especially since school has now started back! I'll do my best to keep up!