the updated "new"

First off, who's m? Dang I go crazy trying to figure out those anonymous commenters! Well, since the last blog, I took a test got a D+ (yep, a 74% in nursing is a D! eeeek, i'm usually okay on tests!), turned in a baby concept map, had 2 teaching projects, 2 one page papers, 2 community nursing days, nursery, and mom/baby clinicals. Had another exam this week with a 82%! Yay! This weekend I'm working on the mom concept map. So it has been rather busy! This week is our last week in OB, and i'm going to weep since we'll be leaving the best clinical instructor in the whole wide world! We'll have a new teacher for peds that no one knows. Yeah, that makes me a bit nervous, since I've had 2 hellish instructors previous (though not at my new school). I am really excited about the Peds rotation starting though, since I am thinking of heading that way eventially. Maybe PICU, or Peds Oncology, or just plain 'ole peds. We'll see. L&D was really fun too.

It is Erics birthday this coming wk, so we are gonna hit the Huntington library next wk, so that should be relaxing, I am looking forward to that.

Kierstin had her first boyfriend, and has been so sad lately trying to break it off with him, but she's so tender-hearted that she just can't stand to see him so heart broken. It is so sad to see her going through it. She is such a neat girl. Not perfect, but pretty darned sweet.... some of the time. hee hee.

bry seems to be getting the hang of jr hi a bit better now. I am praying that he will get a great buddy, someone he can have a lot of fun with, but a good kid.

so i think that's it for me for now. leave a comment if ya can. And heck, sign your name if i know you!!

what's new...

Well, I've been so busy. Last week I had to study all wk for our first exam. BTW, I didn't do well at all, I got a D! It was such a strange test. Very subjective questions. No excuses, but I really did feel ready. So, I'm buckling down to pull it up. I usually get B's on exams, but oh well. I went to the nursery for clinicals this wk. It was a bit slow, but the nurses kept telling us that, that is very unusual for them. The baby's were cute, but the day went very slooooooooooooow, with only 2 babies all day.

I did my patient teaching project also on Pregnancy Loss. I think I did well, I guess I'll find out next wk. Due next wk, is my concept map. Scary, so very different from what I'm used to. So that is what I am working on now.

I have to say, that I love, Love, LOVE the students over at my new school. What a great group of folks. (And.... nurseSF, I don't mention schools because I switched schools, and I don't want to hurt any one's feelings since I have friends at both schools. It's just a personal thing)

My dd has her first boyfriend. It's pretty cute, and the guy is a very nice guy who adores her. (maybe a bit much, but it's okay for now) My boy struggles a bit in Jr. Hi, it's such a big transition, and so very different. But I hope he's getting his footing now.

My hubby is doing pretty well considering he's got some pretty tough classes. (he's a teacher)

and me... as you know... I'm just a hangin'. :0

spread 'em bucko

yup, i gave my first foley. fascinating. and darned slimy. hard to keep those suckers open! I can't say I had much success, or finesse, but my instructor helped me, and it was just magic when that pee came down that tube. Beauty in a tube, I'm telling you. I tried to help out my nurse this week, but she is so danged skilled and fast, that i generally try to stay out of her way. There is so much to know in L & D, that it's very overwhelming.

This coming Tuesday, I will attempt the Foley once again. Hopefully without shaking so much. I did watch another delivery, and... egad.... an episiotomy! I will never be able to scissor chicken breasts again without thinking of her episiotomy since that is what the dr used. Eughhhh, i kinda shiver every time i think on it. Scary. Also witnessed an eclampsia pt. 14 yo. frightening! Poor girl. I hope she's doing better. So again, never a dull day in nursing. So darned fascinating, and I feel so privileged to be able to be part of peoples lives during such trials. I thank God that I am part of it. (Even if all I do is get ice chips!) And I never tire of hearing one more patient tell me, that I'm going to be a great nurse. I hope so.

Life is good....

Yeah, I continue to have a great experience at my new college and L & D clinicals. Me and my fellow transferees are constantly in awe at what we hear from instructors, and what is required of us. An absolutely positive experience. I am very overwhelmed however with our IV book. I swear i'm reading russian. I get how to run the IV machines, but the IV book so far is a lot of chemistry which i never took. We will have our first exam in a wk and a half, and from what I hear, most of the questions will come straight from the texts. I'm good with the mother/baby text, but I worry about the IV one. I will go to lab tomorrow, to see if i can get some help.

Last wk was amazing as I actually got to watch a real live baby get born! It was pure magic. Just completely amazing seeing one born from that angle. I tell you i could not stop smiling. I also got to observe up close an epidural being administered. What made that so interesting is that the anesth. was completely teaching/explaining to me personally each and every step. I've never seen a Dr. want to help out a student, me, before. It was great. I did get to be up close through the whole delivery, and after. By far the best day I've EVER had at clinicals.

Tuesday I will give my first Foley. I'm up for it!

a little help here???

does anyone have a microsoft Word I could download? I promise I will give it back when i'm done... pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

I keep getting downloads froms others which are not compatible w/wordperfect or Works, dangit. Thanks!

A breath of fresh air.....

Yup, that's what this week has been. Now, I understand that not every semester will be like this, but let's just do something together shall we?

Breathe in through your nose slowly, raising you hands to the sky, and release through your mouth slowly.... Feel that? That is something that I have been feeling this week.

Thank you to those who have sent up prayers for me, I so appreciated it. And God was in this move from one school to another. Now it occurs to me that the OB, Peds rotation might just have the most nurturing type teachers of the program, but I am just going to enjoy it. The workload appears to be MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE than I am used to. Not easy, but definitely manageable. I took a math test, which i did great in, and a quiz on Thursday that i did great in too. All in all a great way to start off the semester.

My first rotation (for the next 3 wks) in OB will be L/D. Kinda intimidating since I have SO much to learn. There is so much more going on down south than I ever knew as a mom, or even as a woman. But again, my fascination with Anatomy and Physio keeps me delightedly wanting to learn it all. I went to the lab yesterday to prep, which i watched a DVD on positioning during labor for pain etc. I feel so ill equipped to tell another gal to move it when in so much pain. Maybe if I suggested the new positions during the no pain cycles? Some of these positions would require a lumberjack to assist. Sadly I hung up my axe long ago.

On another note, the program really went out of their way to make us transfer students feel welcome and at ease. I have met so many very nice folk so far. And there are a goodly amt of us newbies, that we are never lacking for someone who understands what we're going through. I think one of the most challenging things homework wise will be the concept maps. I am a very linear learner, and the maps are NOT linear! It's a thing in the middle with lines connecting to other boxes, where it looks something like a spider web with a bunch of different colored boxes scattered in it. I know I will get used to it, but eek, it causes me anxiety at this point. Also, I don't have the Word program (not WordPerfect or Microsoft Works Word which is what I have!) that would make it possible to do ALL of it on line, as opposed to cut and paste (literally) that I have to do now. Soooooo if anyone has the software for that, that you would like to lend me, I would gladly give a foot or shoulder massage! I'm desperate. I'm not sure of the exact name of the program but I know I've heard it called Word, and it's not mine.

On the home front: We painted my little strip kitchen (AKA galley) a beautiful kinda pacific or Williamsburg blue (a tinge of grey in it). Once Eric put all my junk back up on the walls, it looked beautiful. I have always collected Delph plates/tiles, and it looks much more amazing on a blue wall than white. I am loving my little kitchen. We also got some much needed carpet replaced in the living room, and we splurged and got DEEEEEELUX padding! Yup, it's so squooshie, it practically bounces. I love it. The color is a little more brown than before, but it has some lovely little specks of color, that i will later take advantage of, with some new curtains. I will make them, so it will be a while before that happens. And Eric is presently tiling our shower, yup, real tile. He removed our fake tile piece, and I was glad to see it go since it had cracked and was molding, probably with some of that KILLER mold that is insidious, and makes everyone sick with it's flying spores.... but I digress. For now, we are all sharing the kids tub. Quite the hub, that. And thus we conclude the "This Old House" portion of our show.

Bryce started Jr. High this week, and so far loves it. Kierstin is liking 10th grade so far, with her new goal of being nicer, and smiling to those enemies of hers from last year. Both my kids are cute as can be. Okay, I am their mom!

So please tell me how you are doing? How was your wk back to school, or how was your week with WHATEVER you are doing! Thanks for reading my blatherings.

two days until D day...

That's my boy on the right taking fencing this summer. It was soo fun, and he loved it.

Now, on to me.... I am feeling a bit nervous about starting school on Monday. It's a new school, totally different program. I just don't want to make mistakes concerning how they do things there. So i'm having major butterflies! Today I will review all the drug conversions, and practice blood pressure and the pt exam. I need to practice some math probs that they gave us for peds. I think i understand the whole weight and dividing 4 times or whatever so i think i'll be okay. I just need to practice until i'm real comfortable with it. I will have a 10 hr. day on monday, but I guess my clinicals are not starting the next day, so at least I can relax a little bit about that.

I finished one of my fave books last night, and I kinda said goodbye to fun reading for a while, sigh.

Please pray for me, that I will feel more confident than I am right now! Thanks!

On Etsy

isn't this so whimsical?! I love this girls artwork. I am not stealing it, you can buy her stuff on etsy right here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=12865 Gosh, maybe I'll get a commission. no, probably not.

I took my french college students to get some free furniture yesterday at our church. That went pretty well, and then a couple hours later I took them to Walmart. They are amazed at that place. It was so fun watching there little eyes light up at all of the great deals. They were so cute and fun, I had a blast with them. There are four of them, three out of four are staying for 2 semesters, and one of them for one semester. I am hoping to keep up with them throughout the school year. They are all going to CSUF.

We got back from San Diego on Thursday. We had 2 days at a KOA, and 2 days on the beach dry camping. We had a great time going to the zoo, seeing the MIDWAY (that was soooo coool), shopping in Coronado and playing on the beach. It was our last hurrah before I start school next Monday.

I know some of you are starting school tomorrow, have a great week! I need to study up for a math competency that I will take the day i start back. I've done most of it before, but with children medicine it is a little different. My first day will be a 10 hr day! Egad, way to throw us into to the school year, aaaaagggggghhhhhhh! I guess I should be happy it's not a 12 hr. That will start the next wk with clinicals. But I am sooo looking forward to that, I love clinicals.

Wish me luck!

check, garcon.

(just a lil' pic of us at the redwoods up north)








physical? check
immunizations? check!
CPR? check!
background check? check!
malpractice insur.? check!
Pay for classes? check!
Pay for testing fee? check!
nursing clothes? nope, had to send back
nursing badge? check!
books? Not available yet.

So this is what I've been getting ready the last few weeks. Hard to feel like summer when I've had to keep up on all this business.

I also had a french student this week for a few days to help. Boy, they don't make it easy to get an apartment for them! We are still working on that. You can pray for her concerning that and furniture etc.

We are leaving for our last hurrah on Sunday. We are going down to San Diego for 4 days. 2 days on the beach and 2 at a KOA. And Eric is hoping to also squeeze in Lego Land before school starts.

We also celebrated my moms 72nd birthday by taking her out for Chinese food. It is still shocking to me to see how much her memory has deteriorated in the last 2 years. My sister tells me she is having a hard time w/her bladder too. I get sooo sad and overwhelmed every time i see her. But at least she is happy, and doesn't really seem to know what she has lost.

That's about it for now. School starts on the 27th, so i still have a few weeks to smell the flowers. Leave me a message, K? Hey and if you don't have an account, make sure you leave you name on your messages okay? I go crazy trying to figure out who the heck left the message!

august countdown...

I love these old books, they crack me up!

Geeps, i only have a few weeks left before school starts. It occurs to me that this summer has been somewhat surreal. Yeah it's summer, but I also feel like I'm in a waiting room. You know, like when you're in the waiting room of the dentist? You are not being tormented yet, but you sit there nervously trying to have some interest in "Daily Dental Stories" that you are reading. Well that is somewhat what i have been feeling. I am not IN school but feel like I am nervously waiting for the thing.

We went to Monterrey, and I had clam chowder 3 times, yum. We went to the aquarium there, just amazing. My favorite thing to see? All the little and varied colored jelly's.

We camped in the Redwoods up north. That was beautiful, and we had a lot of fun swimming, kayaking, and just plain old lounging. Beautiful scenery on the coast w/all those giant rocks on the coast.

I have been doing all the paperwork etc. for transferring schools, and everything has gone smoothly so far. Tomorrow I will get my school check up, Wed., I will take CPR again which is required. I have to mail back my uniform, because it was too big. Did my background check etc. Lot's of little details I guess.

I will start school on the 27th. My dd on the 30th, i'm not sure about ds, and hubby. How 'bout you? What are you up to?

What I'll be doing this sem

Today, I picked up my papers for my new nursing school, and I am sooo danged (is that even a word?) excited! The first half of the semester I'll be in Labor & Delivery! Wow, how fun is that! I hope to get practice in foley's since I hear that we'll do a lot of those. I'll have my clinicals on Tues. for a 12 hr shift. I haven't done a 12 hr shift ever, but I used to have 10 hr shifts that just about killed me at first. I did finally get used to them though.

The second half of the sem will be Pediatrics! Oooooh that is so dang thrilling since that is where I think I might want to eventually end up.

I got all the other papers also, the only other exciting (so-so) news is that I will actually have a strip of color on my new scrubs for SAC! Whoo-hoo! I mean before, we were the marshmallow brigade!

Well that's the news for now. I'll need to update my CPR and physical, but that's no biggy. See ya 'round.

Goodness, I've got some GREAT news!

Well, I have gotten my official letter of acceptance from another nursing college, so I will be LEAVING the college i have been at this past year! YAHOO, WHOOO HOO! I am sooo thrilled, i can't tell you. There were 6-10 of us from my "other" college trying to get in too. Three of us got in for the fall semester. I can't tell you all how elated i am. I really didn't think i had a shot until spring, but I got in! Yeah! So anyway, thanks everyone for your prayers and/or well wishes. I will be starting second semester at Santa Ana College, and I couldn't be happier!

happy summer!

No, I don't know who the heck these kids are, but I love the feeling of summer, they exude!

Well I began summer for one week then began a nursing class, urgh. Ah well, it's a good class, just more work then I suspected.

The good news? A group of friends and my daughter when to see WICKED. Amazing, honestly, you have GOT to go see it! As I was walking out, my first thought was, "I have got to see that again!". So there you have it, the best part of my summer vacay so far.

In another week or so, our family will hit the road up to the redwoods, santa cruz, and monterey. I am looking forward to the aquarium and lots of clam chowder! We will have a great time. Then we are back for dd's chicken contest at the fair.

I'm scrapping as much as I can, and again... trying to find one weekend to get away to scrap. Pickin's are pretty slim for all of us gals to get together. That's it with me, how bout you? Leave me a message, and let me know what you're up to!

Phew! All done, well, one semester anyway

sorry i've been incommunicado. Just too busy, too stressed, you know what that feels like eh? I finished and passed all clinicals, exams, and competencies, whoo hoo! So i am relaxing and playing housewife. It's much more fun, since i don't do it so often. I finished my online pharm class with an A! You don't know how darn rare those A's are for me. Few and far between believe me! I got B's in Nsg. and clinicals. I'm just darned glad i passed this time. I've got 3 more semesters to go which feels like eternity after doing the first semester twice. But plug away I will(oooh i'm talking like yoda).
I will be seeing Wicked on Tuesday, and I cannot wait. Bought the tickets months ago knowing i couldn't enjoy going with school hanging over my head so i put it off. I am so glad I did, i will have so much more fun being able to play all day.
This summer i'll be relaxing and going on some trips to Santa Cruz, Monterey (I NEVER get tired of going there), and some other places. It doesn't matter where, as long as we go. I wanna take some sort of fun class this summer but I haven't decided what yet. But I am a schoolie, and happiest when i'm learning somethin.
My kids will be finishing 9th grade and 6th grade. It is so hard to believe my 'baby' is going to Jr. Hi next year!
I plan to do lots of scrappin' this summer, hopefully including a girls wknd! I so need a girls wknd! Leave a comment okay!

Last clinical!...Whew!

Yep today, I finished my last clinical of the first semester!! Ya hoo!! I am so glad, and believe me, i was a little nervous at competencies today when I failed the assessment the first time. Eeeeeeeeeek, I just about started crying, and fallin' apart, thinking i may just not make it, when some of my group came to my rescue and built me up. Believe me I was praying, and so were a couple others. It's the only way I got over my anxiety to do it the second time. I pictured David and Goliath when facing my second time chance. Knowing that I didn't have the courage, but God did. I did much better that time. And yep, I passed it along with professional communication comp. I only have one left, my care plan comp. I've turned it in for the 3rd and last time. I think i'm okay with that one. We'll see. Two weeks to go. Now...back to my homework, ick.

two down...three to go

as in competencies. I passed the medication comp. today which is such a relief. I had done my prep work on the drugs for a pt who was NPO when i got there! Egad, it was beginning to feel just like last week. The big difference was, that my other pt, had fairly simple drugs, supplements and hormones, and one steroid. Phew! All done, and my CI actually said, "Good job"! And believe me, compliments from her are EXTREMELY rare. Tomorrow is our last clinical of the semester, can you believe it??? This quarter seems to go so much faster than the first. Tomorrow, I will need to pass assessment and professional commun. I think i'll be okay, but i'll need to practice on my kin again tonight (whether they like it or not).

so right now, i need to fix up my final care plan competency.

dang ladies, we are almost...done (with the first semester, dang). then 3 more, egad.

not counting the two exams, and 90 synthesis cards i need to make... but hey, i don't want to think about those today. As Scarlet said, "Oh fiddlee dee, I'll think about that tomorrow!"

Happy Belated May Day

Hi and news on the Sterile front, you know the dang sterile field, wound change test. Yesterday was the big day. The first time, I failed because I forgot to check the "pt's" ID band. Later I took it and passed, finally. I would like to say I am overjoyed, but I felt guilty for passing because I remembered some things I had done wrong, but were overlooked. Anyway, at least I'm moving on. I still have 3 other competencies to finish next wk, but they are a bit easier so I should be okay on those. Many didn't pass yesterday, probably about 10-15 of us. Lots of tears, including mine yesterday. But dang, I'm glad it's over. This coming week is our last clinical days of the semester, then I can breathe a little. I know I will have to do some prep for the fall, but at least there will be no hospital prep, which is sooo time consuming and stressful. But hey, first, I just need to pass the first semester right? Schedule for the next 3 wks is crazy. Next wk, all my competencies in 2 days, eeeek. The following wk: My final evaluation with my clin. instructor, Mid term exam for Pharm on 50 drugs (know them forward/backward), along with oral report on community visit (sr center), and the final wk: final on pharm, and Comprehensive final for 193 (Gero). Then???............BREATHE..... summer is here! Whooo hooo!

ESCAPED...from the asylum!

Okay, so it feels that way. I apologize for not being on for oh quite a few weeks. I'm sure everyone has given up on stoppin by for a little chat and coffee. But hey, like I said over there =>
I am in nursing school from hell.
My semester is going a little smoother, now that I've got a few weeks under my belt, but dang I was rusty. Trying to remember everything from the fall was a tad difficult. Luckily, my patients have mostly been wonderful and encouraging. My CI is mucho difficult, and very very perfectionistic, but she is also extremely patient and so great at really getting you to think through the answers on your own, which makes it near impossible to forget once you do. She is the consummate teacher. Not warm and fuzzy, but an excellent instructor.
I haven't done any of my competencies yet (believe me, it's not for the lack of trying!), so I still have those hanging over my head. This wk is the dreaded sterile competency, yes the one I failed last semester! So please please, please lift me up in prayer k! The nice thing is that we don't have the hospital this wk. I love working at the hospital, but absolutely hate hate hate all the prep work and care plan that is all done in 2 days. More good news is that I only have to go through it one more time! Whoo hoo, only 2 hosp days left of the semester! YEAH!!! I have an exam tomorrow I'm studying for but it doesn't seem too bad. I got an A on the first exam. Can you believe it? I see VERY few of those babies, believe me. It could be because I took the same test last semester. Ya think??? So, 3 more weeks and I'll be done for the semester! Dang I can't wait. I just hope I pass! How are you all doing anyway? I know I've been incommunicado and I apologize. I have been living in stress town, and i can't wait to move. c ya soon.

Pal o' mine from the big house!

Started back this wk fine, but found out Thur. 5 am that i could not go into hosp. until my new background check clears. All this because I wasn't enrolled for ONE quarter. Egad, like I went out and became criminal during that few weeks. Yup, me and Ronnie. What about all the other students? We all got it done last July or August. They could all be committing crimes too, even while IN the nursing program! So... My wonderful instructor gives me an alternate assignment bless her, so I don't get yet another write up for my lil' ole file. I swear I must have 6 of those from last semester! It still hasn't cleared, so who knows what'll happen this wk. It takes 3-7 days. Trying to keep up on Pharm as well. First exam in program is next Tues or maybe it's monday. I guess i oughtta look that up, huh? Been doing hw today, i think i'll go read a little for fun.

Just checking in...

I'm back to nursing school hell, so I will post this wknd to give you the update. Just know, that I really appreciate your prayers, it's a bit of a miracle that I got one of the 3 spots available!

P.S. Happy belated St. Patty's Day!!!