all aboard!

first, i want to thank you all for the congratulations, sweet messages, and encouragement these past couple of days...and for joining me in celebrating my final farewell to UTMB! :)

now onto the good stuff...want to know one more good thing about living in Galveston? it is home to several cruise ship terminals, and there just so happens to be a cruise leaving from here tomorrow. and here's where the past couple of days come into play...

wednesday night: my roommate and i call carnival cruise lines on a whim just to check it out

same wednesday night, 10 minutes later: phone call ends, with our names are on a waiting list, deposits paid, with the promise of a phone call if a room opened up.  no obligation, we can decide then if we really want to go or not.

thursday afternoon: sally from carnival calls with an opening, we realize this is really the only week we know we won't be able to take NCLEX, and we tell her to book it. we're going on a cruise. :) 

friday: graduate!

saturday: play time with fam and friends

sunday: realize we have no summer clothes here, and frantically go shopping. "swine flu in mexico" becomes the most popular news story.

tomorrow: leaving for a cruise!!!! :) 

so that's the story. yaaaay we're going on a cruise! i'm so excited. it's random. i'm looking forward to just relaxing! (and i know my pasty white skin is looking forward to a little sun as well, it neeeeds it!). so there ya go, open water here i come! and don't worry, i won't be making out with any pig farmers in mexico during this vacation. (guess i'll have to save that for next time? ha)

but seriously, how ironic is it that the swine flu is taking over now of all times?  antibacterial hand sanitizer will be my best friend for sure!!!

anybody know what today is?

my graduation day!!!

the day i thought might never come is here and i could not be more ready! yes, it was just one year, but oh how a year can drag on and on, and be full of so many 'wonderful' surprises! and a whole lot of school was packed into these past 12 months! and today, it's over, and the next chapter can begin! (well, i still have to take boards and yada yada yada, but...). my parents drove in last night and katie's here too! we have a pinning ceremony this morning (a traditional nursing graduation ceremony), and graduation tonight. except i'm not going to the actual graduation, just the pinning...decided the beach (or anything really) would be more fun than a loooong graduation ceremony! but the point is I'M GRADUATING! YAAAAY!!!

weird weather

yesterday i got caught in a monsoon. it was insane. i had no real plans yesterday, and decided it would be a great day to nerd it up. i left galveston right after lunch to hit up hobby lobby for supplies, and maybe rent a movie. hobby lobby is up the interstate only about 20 miles from galveston. my quick trip turned into hours when the sky apparently had a huge seizure about 10 minutes in and slammed I-45 with ridiculous amounts of thunderstorm rain, lightning, wind, and zero sunshine. we're talking pitch black at 2 in the afternoon. tornado anyone? interstate traffic completely stopped, signs falling on cars, access roads flooded and tons of cars stuck and flooded. it was weird weird. i ended up in houston because i couldn't get off the interstate (you thought i was being dramatic about the access roads flooding? nope). and what better place to take refuge from the storm than by shopping at the galleria? haha. but didn't even buy anything. anyways, it was weird. and kinda scary. and makes me want to live in a place that doesn't flood just that much more.

in other news, we just turned on the AC. the AC and heater haven't been turned on even once since the end of october. open windows with the breeze (ocean breeze at that) has been enough on hotter days, and lots of blankets when it was pseudo-snowing. knowing me and my major aversion to being hot (and my deep love of the AC), you realize this is momentous. the electricity bill has been our friend lately. buuuut welcome back air conditioner, how i've missed you.

some call it OCD...

...but I call it drive. Or excitement. Or vision. Or something. Whatever you call it, my fixation lately is SEWING! I don't think it quite meets the requirements of OCD yet, dad, but thanks for the suggestion. ;) 

So, can I sew? Well, no, not exactly. But that's not the point. Because I WILL learn to sew. Soon. I have my own private tutor named Laura...I pay her in kolaches and sonic slushies. It works out well for both of us! I have a book from my mom, and fun random things from my grandma. And as of tonight, thanks to a sale on amazon, I will soon have this.....

This beauty should arrive sometime next week. And once I get my hands on this thing, your grannies better watch out! Cuz I'm for sure going to give 'em some competition! ;)

quality news

"POTTY-MOUTHED POO FIGHT LANDS MAN IN COURT"

These are the things that concern the people of Galveston. This was a headline in our daily paper. I was really just looking at the paper to see how Saturday worked out as the locals joined together on the seawall and attempted to set the world record for the longest Cupid Shuffle line dance. I'm so disappointed I missed this occasion, seriously. This is just one of the reasons Galveston is great. And ridiculous. And you should come visit.

the big one (x2)

this morning was stressful. the test of all tests. the big one. all of the things from this past year came down to passing this one test..i wasn't so much concerned about just passing the test, but if i failed i would have to keep dealing with this school, and i really don't think i could handle that. i read a 1200+ page book cover to cover and then some in prep for this test, if that shows you just how much i did not want to be stuck with them for any longer. and guess what...

i passed!!!!

my heart was beating way fast the whole test, how lame. i stalled out at the submit button at the end, may have freaked out a little, clicked it, and i passed! i cannot even begin to explain to you how excited i am. the freaking roller coaster ride is over. it's over! no more tests for this school! 6 more clinicals, 2 little assignments, then DONE!

thank god. thanks for the prayers. thanks for the encouragement.

so what's the plan now? well...ANYTHING I WANT! we're about to go to a movie, then to the Spot with some friends to cheer on the Baylor basketball boys who play in NYC tonight...tomorrow = floating in the ocean with laura and MA if the weather's nice. (oh yah, they passed 2! yaaaaay!!!) maybe fishing? sandcastles? no school? P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N. 

in other news, my favorite little girl turned the big ONE today! Happy Birthday to miss Kylie Brooke! look at how CUTE she is! she must take after her favorite cousin ;)

43,200

that's what stands between me and graduation. in minutes. this also translates to...

one month.

2,628,000 seconds.

30 days.

one HUGE test.

8 clinical days.

a million frustrating school employees.

and one impossible clinical instructor.

today is a good day, in that it marks the beginning of the end of all of this. for fear of being permanently labeled a "negative nancy" or "debbie downer" or some other equally lame and non-positive name, i hesitate to vent yet again. but i'm doing it anyways. 

i am so far beyond frustrated with my school, the administration, and circumstances beyond our control. it is hard to remain positive when our hands are tied and there's nothing we can do to change situations that desperately need changing. and yes, my attitude stinks now. it does, i know. but regardless, i'm discouraged. and still have a lot to deal with. also, i'm applying for jobs, trying to figure out where i'll be next year, and basically just having a bad attitude. 

so here's where the request comes in. a request i don't often make. prayer. pray that i don't explode. and don't blow up on these ridiculous people. ha. kidding...kinda. but really. i'm stressed, even if it is overreacting. and i'm just overwhelmed. i need to do well on this test, i need to feel at peace about career decisions, i need to know the best ways to handle situations with difficult people in positions of power, i need an attitude adjustment, i need direction, i need...

i don't know what i need. what we need. what my class of 34 needs. all i know is what we don't need. and that's anymore barriers. or disrespect. or discouragement. or this school.

one month. dear lord, one month.