The best day ever!

Today has been the most awesome day ever! My morning started out with sleeping in a little... I'm used to waking up at 4:45am for work, so sleeping till 8 is a treat! One of my graduation gifts from my sister and Graham was a gift certificate to a spa here in Waco, so this morning I went and got a full body massage! After that, I went shopping a bit. I got a sachet for my car because of a long story: I was at HEB one day a few weeks ago and got a gallon of milk. Well, for some reason they put it in a plastic bag and by the time I got to my car the bag broke. I picked the jug up off the ground, quickly inspected it, then put it in the trunk with the rest of the groceries because it looked fine to me. Well when I got home, there was a small puddle of milk in the trunk of my brand new car. Didn't think anything of it, so I just sopped it up with an old towel and went inside. WELL, the next morning, my car smelled like the worst smell I've ever smelled (and I'm a nurse, so I've smelled some pretty bad smells). I was so upset, so after work I immediately took my baby (car) to get the carpets shampooed. That pretty much got all the smell out but it didn't smell like a new car anymore, so I went and got a sachet today! Anyway, after I went shopping, I went to grab some lunch at Panda Express. I don't like to eat the fortune cookie that they give you but I like to read what's inside. So, today my fortune cookie said "You are going to have a very comfortable life". At that point, my already wonderful day just got even more wonderful and I got really excited....so excited that I decided to go out and buy some lottery tickets. I went to the truck stop and walked up to the counter. I said "um yes, I'll take a quick pick.......actually two of them.....the texas ones......and a scratch off......a one dollar scratch off". The lady was really sweet and said "you don't do this very often, do you?". I said, "how could you tell?!". Then she asked me for my ID.....I really wanted to ask her if I seriously looked younger than 18 but I realize they have to card everyone who looks younger than like 30 or so. Anyway, my scratch off didn't win me anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to win $7,300,000 tonight...we'll see!

first day at my "grown up" job...

I just realized that my last post was the day before graduation. A lot has happened since then. Obviously, I graduated! My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and I spent all day Saturday the 15th packing up all my stuff and moving me to Waco. Every time I move, I realize that I have way too much stuff! Once I got to Waco, I was only there a mere 24 hours before I left again! I visited my parents in Allen for most of the week, then headed to Abilene to spend some time with my friends and go to a wedding. I'm becoming quite the Texas traveler, however, I only go to the same four places over and over again.

Oh, I almost forgot some other big news...I got a new car! I traded in my little Celica for a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. It is white with black leather interior and it is beautiful! I love it! Some people have asked to see pictures of it because I don't live close enough for them to see it in person. I don't have any pictures of my car itself, but here are some pictures of the exact same thing from the internet.







Now, I'm back in Waco and today was my first day at my "grown up" job. It was a general orientation day for all new staff members whether you were a nurse, housekeeper, finance person, accountant, secretary, etc. The orientation covered policy, procedures, benefits, infection control,....just basic stuff. We learned the different codes that will be called over the PA system for different situations such as cardiac arrest, fire, infant abduction, bomb threat, weapon/hostage situation, and chemical spills. Overall, it was a really boring day, but it was also very informative and very necessary (if that makes any sense at all). Tomorrow, I start general nursing orientation for all LVN's and RN's. I think there's about 25 of us, but I'm not quite sure. I'm excited because I get to start wearing scrubs and tennis shoes tomorrow! I'm also very excited that I have my name badge now because it makes me feel very important. I can swipe it and get through any door in the hospital! On the back of my badge, it even says, "please permit this individual to cross disaster and emergency lines to reach Scott & White". How cool is that?!? The only bad things about my day were the TB skin test that I had to get and the shoes I wore. I wasn't thinking when I locked all my good shoes in the storage unit and didn't realize until late last night that I didn't have my shoes. So my awesome sister (who wears a size 6.5) let me borrow some cute flats to wear on my size 7.5 feet! She's a lifesaver, but my feet were killing me all day!

Big Weekend :)

I'm sitting in the living room floor with my computer in my lap because Goodwill came by today and took my couch and my coffee table. Only two more days in Abilene. It's so bittersweet. I have that lump in my throat like just before you cry, but I'll try to save my tears for tomorrow. I am so excited about having a real job with real patients and a real paycheck. I'm excited about living with my sister and my brother in law. I'm just sad because I don't want to leave my friends at all. I know I'll come back to visit as often as I can, but there's nothing like the spur of the moment movie nights or just driving around town at night when we can't sleep. I'm also going to miss all of my classmates who have become more like family throughout the past year. I saw them all day 4 days a week...way more than I got to see my family. I think they seem like family to me because we went through everything together...all the stresses of school, and all the joys that came when we passed comp exams.
Anyway, my parents will be here in Abilene by noon tomorrow and Erin and Graham will be here around 5. We have such a busy day! I have rehearsal for graduation in the morning, then a hair appointment, more packing, actual graduation, then dinner. My mom, dad, sister, brother in law, Becky, Ben, Josh, and I are all going out to Buffalo Gap to eat at Perini's ranch after the ceremony. Perini's is named the 2nd best steakhouse in Texas, but I've never been, so I'm really excited to try it! Then, Saturday is the big moving day. I'm hoping that the storms will hold out till Sunday but that's doubtful! I'm so lucky and blessed to have my family and my best friends here this weekend. It wouldn't be the same without them! I better go to bed so I can be well rested for the next two days. I'll blog again once I get settled into my new apartment in Waco.

Here I go again

This is exciting news to me: people actually read my blogs! Some girls from school told me that I hadn't blogged in awhile and I was shocked that they actually read them! It makes me happy!

I woke up this morning in a fantastically awesome mood! I'm not really sure why, but my guess is that it's because I got 11 hours of sleep last night. Either that, or because I woke up and my hair looked really pretty. It was perfectly wavy, no frizzes, not tangly, just perfect! I didn't even have to brush it. So, now I believe in good hair days.

I am determined to get a lot done this weekend, and so far, my motivation has stuck with me. I paid my internet bill, paid my rent, went grocery shopping, filled up the car with gas, ate lunch, and went to buy some plastic storage bins at Walmart.....So far, so good! I have a ton of homework to do this weekend though. It's the end of the semester, so I have a research paper, some other papers, lots of testing, and paperwork to do before graduation. It's a little overwhelming, but it's nothing that can't be done! 2 weeks from today is GRADUATION!! And, 2 weeks from tomorrow I'm moving :(

In other news, my Blackberry broke and I need a new vehicle. My choice for a phone replacement is easy: an iPhone. But my choices for a new vehicle is quite a dilemma. I think I've got it narrowed down to 3: a Chevy Equinox, a VW Jetta, or a Nissan Xterra. I'm just so picky, I can hardly stand myself. The color of the vehicle is a big concern too. I'll only buy a car that's white, black, or charcoal grey. Don't get me wrong, other colors are pretty, I just don't want to drive a vehicle that's red, green, blue, silver, or gold. There's nothing wrong with those colors, I'm just TOO dang picky. Hopefully I will purchase a vehicle the week after graduation when I'm visiting my parents in the metroplex. And, hopefully I'll purchase the iPhone at the end of June when the brand new 4G iPhone comes out!

Almost time to say goodbye, Abilene :(

Well, as of tomorrow, there is exactly 4 weeks until I graduate. And, as most people know, I will be moving to Waco the day after graduation to take a job at Scott & White hospital in Temple Texas. I've lived in Abilene for the last 4 years of my life and I've really grown to love it here. It's a big city with a small town feel. I'm making a list of all the things about Abilene that I will miss when I move:

1) My friends. They are the best.
2) Bonfires with my best friends.
3) Jumping on the trampoline at Becky's house.
4) Laying out on the trampoline at night looking at the stars - and scaring everyone by squealing every time I see a shooting star.
5) Being so scared after going to the Chimney's in the middle of the night at Fort Phantom Hill.
6) Getting lost somewhere between Tuscola and Buffalo Gap and driving around for hours trying to figure out where we were in the pitch black on old country roads.
7) The crosstown showdown football game between Abilene High and Cooper (even though I didn't go to either of those schools) - don't worry, I'm gonna be back for it this year and I promise I'll sit on the Cooper side.
8) Not the studying part of study group, but all the fun times that go along with study group and being on brain overload in the wee hours of the morning!
9) Texas country concerts at the Lucky Mule and two-stepping.
10) Watching fireworks on the side of the Loop by the airport on the Fourth of July.
11) My gym, and especially my workout partner.
12) Watching scary movies at Becky's and sleeping on her couch every time because I refuse to go home after they're are over.
13) The person who cuts my hair, Michelle. She is awesome, and I don't think I'll let anyone get close to my hair with a pair of scissors besides her.
14) The Eskimo Hut...haha!
15) Late night Bueno trips...or Whataburger.
16) The drive-in.
17) Walks around ACU and/or Cooper.
18) The West Texas fair and rodeo.
19) Just a tiny piece of me misses living in the dorms, but a big part of me misses my Tri Phi sisters!
20) I will miss how everyone in this town is so friendly and how everyone's accents are worse than mine! I won't ever forget that cute lil old man that struck up a conversation with me in the Wal-Mart checkout line.
21) The way that football runs this town...well pretty much every town in Texas.
22) Are those the banditos? Haha, only Becky, Ben, and Josh will get this one!

I won't be able to stay gone for long, that's for sure. I'll be back to visit very often!

Hurt So Good!

I've decided to lose 10 pounds in the next 5 weeks because I graduate in 5 weeks and I want to say that I lost all the weight I gained in nursing school plus some! I decided this a few days ago and I've already lost 2 pounds, so there's only 8 more to go! I'm going to start writing down everything I'm eating and drinking, just so I can keep track of it. And even though I'm not really big into snacking in the middle of the day, I'll still be aware of it if I do it. I'm still going to be working out with my "trainer" Josh. Haha, i love calling him my trainer even though he's really not. He just motivates me and makes me work hard! Today, we worked out with kettlebells. Let me tell you, if you want to feel like a Greek god, do a kettlebell workout. It's fantastic! It works so good and it's fun! We also did some medicine ball stuff. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, that's for sure! I love working out to music and this would be my ideal pumped up workout playlist:

1) Hurt So Good- John Mellencamp
2) Let's Just Fall- Reckless Kelly
3) The Good Left Undone- Rise Against
4) Toma- Pitbull
5) Love In Her Eyes- Reckless Kelly
6) Chicken Fried- Zac Brown
7) Feel Good Drag- Anberlin
8) Imma Be- Black Eyed Peas
And of course, a little Jack Johnson to cool down!

That's all I have for now. I'm writing all this on my blog to keep myself motivated!

I got a JOB!!

Sorry for not blogging in awhile! A lot has happened in the past few weeks! Right now, I'm currently taking a little break from ATI remediations. ATI is a standardized test for nursing school that is supposed to get us ready to take the NCLEX test, which is the state boards to get your nursing license. Anyway, there's a different ATI for each section, fundamentals, pharmacology, pediatrics, OB, mental health, management, and a few others. Once we take the test at school, we have to come home and correct the ones we got wrong. So, that's what I'm working on right now!

Spring break was really fun! I got to go relax at my parent's house in Allen for most of the week. On Friday, I applied for jobs at Hillcrest hospital in Waco, and Scott & White hospital in Temple. We also went to eat lunch with my sister at the school she teaches at. Then Saturday, we went to Fredericksburg and went shopping and ate and stayed all night and Sunday we went to Gruene to eat lunch at the Gristmill, my favorite place in the world!

The Monday after Spring Break, I got a call from Scott & White Hospital wanting me to come interview for two positions....an LVN on a med/surg floor and in the ER. So, my interviews were the Friday of that week. I was nervous as all get out because those were my first real interviews ever! I ended up getting a job offer from both floors! So then, I had to make up my mind....I never in a million years would have thought I would have gotten job offers from my first two interviews ever, but I did! I ended up choosing the med/surg job and I'm so excited about it! Med/surg is an extremely busy floor and you get patients of all ages (the youngest would be 19, since patients younger than that would go to the pedi floor). The nurse manager I interviewed with said there's everything from spider bites, cardiac patients, post-op patients, mentally ill people, prisoners, tuberculosis, MRSA, bad infections, just some really sick patients. I'm excited about the variety and broadness of med/surg because it will solidify my nursing skills. The floor I will be working on is in the North Tower of Scott & White's main campus and it's a brand new building. Really, it's the nicest and prettiest hospital I've ever stepped foot in! Oh, I forgot to mention that Scott & White is one of the top 15 major teaching hospitals in the country! Among Scott & White are hospitals like Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the Mayo Clinic, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. To say the least, I'm very proud to be a part of one of the best! I start on May 24th!

This is the North Tower and it's the building my floor is in!


This is the lobby area of the North Tower. It's a very peaceful environment for a hospital...there's even a piano in one of the corners that plays by itself!


And this is most of the Scott & White campus....my new place of employment!



I'll blog more later! Gotta get back to my busy work and laundry! Happy Easter!