Yeah!

Hurray for Kim!!!!

Ok...that was my giddiness for now... I passed Level 2 and am now Level 3 which means I'm in the hardest semester but graduation is on the horizon (December!) I'm nervous and excited at the same time and as of today half of my stress seems to have melted away like nothing. I officially know where I'm going to live next semester, where I'm storing my stuff over the summer, and have a general idea of how I'm moving my junk. This may seem like trivial small things but I have no time to make these decisions and didn't want to apartment hunt, storage center hunt, etc. I'm moving to Deerwood Apt. which was my second choice for this semester so I know I'll like it. I can do a 5 month lease instead of a 6 month one (with additional fees of course but to tell you the truth, it is cheaper anywho.) I am number 1 on the list for a big one bedroom and number 2 on the list for a midsized one so I will have 0 worries about getting an apartment. Right next door is a place with storage shed things and I checked them out and you can rent sheds out for a month at a time with the minimum being 30 days (hurrah!) So I have a cheap place to leave my stuff over the summer so I don't have to move things back and forth (which gets sooooooo annoying. Plus, where would we have kept the recliners, washer, dryer, couch, furniture, etc.) We would have had to rent a place no matter what and now we have one right next to where I'm going to live. *Sigh* It's a good day.... the only bad thing about today is that I have a test next week and I'm behind since I haven't studied a dang thing this semester... Pfft...

Oh yeah, and tomorrow my clincals start again so I have to go to bed early tonight or I'm going to die. I have a 12 hour shift at an ICU...don't know which one yet since my nurse floats to all of them. I also have another 12 hour shift on Saturday. Really though they are longer shifts than 12 hours since we have to get there at 6:30 am for report and we start right then and depending on paperwork we may not get out until past 7:00pm. I just hope that my preceptor is nice and a good teacher... and that tomorrow she lets me shadow and not chart anything XD Also I want to see a code somewhere (I just don't want to participate, yet). Hmm....also I don't want to do an IV yet, luckily ICU patients usually already have them so I don't have to worry about that until next Saturday when I'm in the ER and I know I'll be doing IVs then.

So...All in all, its a good day. I got my living arrangements squared away, all my clinical hours for the adult half of the semester planned (I finish by Feb. 15, except for one 8 hour shift at the ER on March 3 XD), and my room is halfway clean.

Ciao!

I don't want to study or do my homework....so I'm stalling...still. I've been stalling all day successfully and probably won't be too happy about it later tonight when I'm doing my stupid worksheet and journal thing....stupid clinicals. Anyways, My room is all decorated (I need to clean it again sadly...since I gained stuff this weekend). Life is good...and I got to go home last weekend!!!

YAY! I was home Thursday night through Monday afternoon and it was great. I can't be the only college student who is giddy when they get to go home. I did absolutely nothing but hang out with my family and it was good. Plus, mom was off work since she just had her thyroid taken out and she's still on leave for her shoulder. She sewed my patches on my scrubs and fixed my pockets. It so made my day. We made it a birthday weekend...dad's birthday we celebrated on Sunday (since it was his birthday) and mine we did on Saturday because we're crazies and figured it was one week before the actual day so it'd work. My parents are good at following my lists for what I want XD I got a bunch of cool patterns and knitting needles and sheet protectors! (I'm a nerd and they are useful for when I print out patterns and organize them). I also got a movie (Millions...I love that movie) and a couple of other things...then I was conned into driving grandma to Michael's and going to Hobby Lobby where I ended up getting a few things I wanted (not needed XD). Good times...good times...

Now I'm trying to figure out some junk about schizophrenia and a PICO question and debating how much I want to stall on my ERI exam... I should probably do that soon...maybe Thursday or Friday.

Sooooo we had our first of two trips to Tyler to see our new apartment and unload junk and I have to say.... YAY!!! I have a new huge place mwahahaha...twice the size of our old one, less expensive. Also, since it was unfurnished...that's right, we went shopping! I got my little bed, a couple new shelf things, some lamps, etc. The best things about our apartment are:

1. A separate dining room which we put a folding 5 foot circle table...which is spiffy and we aren't going to fold it, but we have the option
2. A Fan in the living room!!
3. A fireplace!
4. Mom and Dad's Lazyboy recliners (That's right, mom and dad bought new ones for themselves and are donating theirs to us....yay!!!! Although, the "bad" end of the deal is that we have to take the end tables and coffee table which we wanted anyways (well, not really the coffee table, but we could care less, recliners, plural, two!)
5. Our loveseat which I found.... I lucked out while I was talking to my dad on the phone outside school I saw an ad on the bulletin board saying someone was selling a couch for 60 bucks...she added in the 30 dollar cover for 10 bucks so we got a nice couch and cover for 70 bucks!
6. The pool...with our new rafts...Kerry and I have used it many times already...lovely
7. Separate bathrooms!!!
8. I have enough room in my room to put the old Schwinn Exercise bike...oh yeah, old school.
9. I have two closets in my room a walk in one and a "linen closet"
10. We are right by the mailboxes and dumpsters..and trash is picked up on Wednesdays
11. We have a huge balcony
12. We have an alarm sytem
13. We are downstairs (moving in was 3 times as fast as last time XD)

AND LASTLY....

14. WE BOUGHT A WASHER AND DRYER!!!!! No more laundromat blah blah blahs!!!! Yay!!!

Sadly, I can't wait to go back to school.... although I'm a bit bummed out that I have mental clinicals first then the adult health ones. On the upside though, Jim and Janine are still in my group! Yay....too bad Kim wasn't in it though.

One bad thing did happen today as well...the blue car died on me.... I started my errands for the day and after the first stop it went kapoot.... It had to be towed... It angered me slightly (I kept calling roadside assistance and it was busy...thank goodness my lovely dad found the number of the actual towing company to get a truck)... On a positive note, I did get to ride a tow truck so that was cool.

My room is clean, my stuff is being packed....it is official, I'm going back to school! And, in a new apartment to boot! Hoorah!

I am sooooooo back from vacation! That was fun.... To make a really really long story short, we left for Seattle June 2 and got home June 18. It was a blast!  But for the long story...bahahah...keep reading (plus if you get to the end, you get to hear about how my mom is doing after surgery (oh man....what a teaser!))

Getting to Seattle was no biggie, the flight went well...we went to a store to get drinks for the road etc, but the next morning Myles woke up going "Uh oh...I'm Fr..fr...fr...fr...freezing ing ing..." (He was shivering and stuttering which means one thing usually...his leg flared up). My family knows the drill though so we figured we be ok till tomorrow on our own with our emergency stash of medicine. This time though his fever was 104 something for a long period of time and we decided that we should take him to an emergency room...so we had to find one and then I stayed at the hotel  by myself, slept and watched tv while Myles got treated. It was just Cellulitis but it was acting funky and then the guy made a prescription for more medicine which we filled. Myles was better the rest of the trip and only had to elevate half of it.

The next day we did stuff...we went to the Pike market in Seattle and the international district since mom heard it was cool. We went to a grocery store with food we didn't know what it was (it was written in weird symbols) so of course my mom bought a bunch and we took turns that night sampling odd things.  

We then left for Mount Ranier...We stayed in a town that was located on half a street...you literally could walk everywhere and back about 100 times before feeling like you got a good walk. It was tiny. We went to this zoo like place and Mount Ranier then headed to Mount St. Helen's which erupted a little bit while we were there (I got pictures!), Then we headed south and went to The Dalles (anyone having a flashback to Oregon Trail?) We did some stuff there then headed to the Columbian Gorge. Then we went to Mount Hood..and did part of the fruit loop (which is a loop of markets/fresh fruit stands and farms)....the one stop for me was at an Alpaca llama place which sold yarn mwhahaha... I so got a drop spindle and some roving, and a book. *sigh* Good day. And I got to see the llama's which were all nakie since they were just sheared....talk about horribly cute! I'm so getting one when I get older...

Then we went to Crater Lake where I saw the most snow I'd ever seen in my life as did my parents...that was fun. Then, we headed to California to see the Redwoods...and headed up a scenic highway. We then went to a big Sea Lion cave with lots of Sea Lions...and Dad then had to find a special way for me to see the ocean...cause we past the other ones hehe.... Let's just say, my family hadn't been to a beach in a while...and while it was really cold, we walked (wearing jeans and our shoes and socks....) too far in (it was foggy!) and a wave kind of caught us...just a foot...foot and a half deep of water. Oh my gosh, my dad and brother were mad, I laughed way too hard. We had to stop at a McDonald's to change our clothes/socks/shoes.... It was great! The ocean embraced me!

Then we went to Olympia and the rain forest....and we saw Mount Olympus which made me laugh again.. Then we went to Olympic Wildlife park....one of those drive through ones which my family is a big fan of...we love them. We were the first car through so the animals were messing with us. First the llamas attacked us in a group...one stalked us for a while, then we came across the bears. At first the bear waved at us and we thought it was an accident, but it was cute so we gave it some bread. Then it started doing tricks...turns out all the bears did tricks for food....it was way too much fun! The rest of the animals weren't nearly as cool.... We ended up going through the place twice to do another bear run.... The animals are actually ones that had been trained to do movies and television. This park is like a retirement home for them (for example, the tiger was from the Jungle Book, etc.) 

After that we took a Ferry back to the Seattle area and went to the Boeing factory. The next day we went to the zoo, the aquarium, and took a harbor cruise which taught me that I don't like that kind of boat...it made me queasy. Then the next day we did the Science Center, Space Needle, Music Experience place, and the Science Fiction place. Deciding to get away from the city we took a ferry the next day through the San Juan Islands and saw a couple of wild bald eagles and interesting shops. On the way home we spotted our first Super Walmart and took a picture...and shopped a little... then we went to a Casino where Myles did his first gambling and came out thirty dollars richer. We then packed all of our things and were ready for our last day, but before we flew home we went on a floating bridge, saw some big waterfalls, and went to the museum of flight. Our flight was at 6.30 pm and we were at the airport at 4.00 which is what my dad likes to do since we had to deal with a rental car, baggage, etc. We checked in and were inside when we learned that our flight was seriously delayed because of Houston weather. The plane we were going to take, hadn't even taken off from Houston yet so they said we wouldn't be going until 9ish. We figured oh well and went on our way.... Had a nice meal in the food court...blah blah blah.... 10:50 we are finally in the plane. 11.00 we took off (note: this is 1.00 am in Houston time). We ended up landing in Houston at 4.45 am and getting our baggage/car took extra long and we got to the car at 6.00 am, and we were home finally at 6.30.

Thus ended my vacation...and sadly that long thing is the shortened version...so many great things happened... I have to say them because I talk a lot more than I can type...and its more entertaining when I narrate things. Which means only Monica and Kerry will probably get the full spiel.

As for other things, I got an apartment!!! Woot! Hudson here I come! Kerry and Monica are moving there too so it shall be fun.... And it is a downstairs apartment so I don't have to move my junk up and down stairs anymore.... well except to leave the house. Anywho, I move August 4th. And lastly, My mom had her shoulder surgery on Monday when we got back. She was wonky for the first day and half of the second day because she broke down and took a pain pill (she refuses to take more now XD) Today I took out the pain pump catheter thing and removed her dressings (ah....it was like clinicals all over again heh). Therefore she finally got to take her shower and change shirts and we figured out how to get her sling off to get her arm through an armhole of a shirt so she got to put on the shirt right instead of all funky like they did after surgery. She is definitely happier today....Needless to say, she is on disability now so she will probably be getting bored soon since it lasts for a while.

That's all for a while then! Ciao!