So Nervous

The "event" is finally here.

It's the event that every graduating MCON senior dreads the entire two years.

It's Senior Scenarios, and mine is in half and hour.

I feel fairly well prepared. Then again, maybe I don't.

When something is worth half your grade in a six credit hour class,

it doesn't matter how much time you've spent on it,

you're never prepared enough.

I am shaking. Literally. My knees feel weak,

and I think I might be sick.

Dramatic, yes, but it's truely how I feel.

Marsha and Heather made me eat some food,

which is now sitting heavily in my stomach.

My sympathetic nervous system

(fight or flight)

has kicked in and stopped digestion.

True story.

15 more minutes.

Panic plays no part in the training of a nurse. ~Elizabeth Kenny

Yeah right.

Paranoid?

You know, maybe nursing wasn't quite the career for me. I love everything about, except for having to learn about all the things that can go wrong with a person.

The first paranoia episodes came during mental health class, during which I was positive I had a personality disorder or schizophrenia or bipolar....or something terrible.

Then there was med-surg, and all those everyday things like eczema (I diagnosed myself, thank you very much), UTI's, etc.

Next there was complex med-surg and critical care and a new paranoia of strep throat. Did you know it can cause kidney failure and endocarditis if not taken care of?!!! Yeah, me neither. To further my paranoia, my teacher informed us that unless you are already being monitored for some heart problem, you don't usually discover that you have endocarditis. Until you die, that it, since it can kill you within hours.

Anybody else paranoid with me yet?

To worsen the matter, someday I hope to have children, and I will be just like the mothers whose children I don't like to take care of. You know, the ones who have just a little too much medical knowledge for their own good.

My husband has already been strictly instructed that if one of our future children hit their head (even just a minor bump), and they throw up or act sleepy, that he is to take them to the emergency room immediately.
He didn't seem to deem the information necessary at that moment, but I figure there's nothing like planning for the future.

The wedding

At 5:30am the alarm went off, I jumped out of bed, showered, did hair and make-up,
donned the fancy dress and uncomfortable shoes,
and was out the door for wedding pictures.
We had a wonderful, beautiful day for
Mark and Kate's wedding.
I did just fine all weekend, until I had to watch Kate walk down the aisle.
I was pretty sure I was going to lose it, but I managed to keep calm.
We all did a good job, and stood up when we were supposed to be standing and
stayed sitting when we were supposed to be sitting.
Anyway, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
(and yes, I do know they are in the wrong order)

Decorarting the car

Leaving!

Kristen "caught" the bouquet. In actuality, Kate through it
right over everyone's heads and it landed on the car,
right in the middle of a pile of shaving cream.

Kate and Amanda- nursing buddies

Me and Amanda- also nursing buddies

Aren't they just darling?

Cutting the cake

Red eyes, white nose :)

Linda with her new son

Bridesmaids in front of the amazing cake

Bridesmaids and Kate

Bridesmaids with Mark and Kate

We got dirty dresses and shoes during pictures, so before the wedding, we frantically
cleaned and ironed our dresses, and scrubbed our shoes.
Jodie is being a good bridesmaid and drying Kate's dress with a blow dryer

Emily blow drying our shoes. We pretty much stuck them in a sink of water to scrub them off

The amazing and beautiful cake

Jodie, me, and Emily

Luke and I

Shoe scrubbing

The was the least muddiest shoe.

Kristen being a good bridesmaid and cleaning Kate's shoes

Kate and Emily scrubbing Kate's dress
(I don't know why it showed up sideways, and I can't get it right!)

Kate and I at the rehearsal dinner

And now that it's all over, I have boatloads of school work to do before tomorrow morning.
What a terrible way to end a wonderful weekend!


Congratulations Mark and Kate!!

I had WAY too much fun with this!

You guys should seriously check out yearbookyourself.com.
I was laughing SO hard!
Take a look at some of these pictures!



1982

1966

1962

1954

1972

1984

1986

1990

1994

Water

And lots of it!

We got home from Jeff and Janel's tonight, and Luke and I figured we should check out basement for water...just in case.

Sure enough.

There was lots of water, not because it came from the sides of the house, but because the two drains in the basement backed up.

So right now my husband is sucking it all up, and I'm not helping cause there really isn't anything I can do but sit and watch.

This is REALLY not what you want to find at 10:20 at night.

Thursdays are NOT my days

It probably has something to do with my having to get up at 5am.

The first brilliant moment of my day occured while I was packing my lunch. I grabed the ziploc bag with 2 pieces of pizza in it, put both pieces in a new ziploc bag, and threw the first one away. Sigh.

My second brilliant moment was while driving to my clinical site. Instead of going where I was supposed to be, I went to the hospital. As I got out of my car, it occured to me that I was supposed to be on the other side of Peoria.....in 5 minutes. So I headed over there. I was already on empty and my car was letting me know. Ding...ding...ding...ding...ding. So as I stresfully drove to my actual clincial site, my gas tank continued to empty. Ding...ding...ding...ding...YES, I KNOW I'M ALMOST OUT OF GAS!!!

And when I arrived at my clincial site, my preceptor informed me she had to leave at 7:30am. I listed to report, and then left. Now I'm stuck at school until 12.

This day really couldn't end too soon.

Pure goodness

After a long day of school and scenario practice, I needed a pick-me-up, and nothing works as a pick-me-up quite like:

YUM. Seriously pure goodness in a cup with ice.

Back to reality

Today I've been wishing I was back in Michigan, playing volleyball at the beach, having a care-free, good time, and not studying.

But I'm at home, doing laundry, scrubbing floors, and feeling guilty for not studying.

Labor Day Weekend

For the holiday weekend, we headed up to Caladonia, Michigan to visit our very much missed friends, Jake and Meika. There was much fun to be had by all, and there was plenty of sand, sun, water, and volleyball.
(And sore muscles and sunburns)
We all ate way to much junk food, and had way too little sleep, but it made everything all the funnier.
("Burn the chair!", and "Ife-Arted!")
I apparently missed out on a convicting topic about having children, and learning that Jake is
NEVER
going to change his kid's diapers.
Jake, we all pray you change your mind.


Thanks for the amazing weekend, Jake and Meika!