Two months?

Has it really been two--almost three--months since I last posted? Wow!

It's been a busy summer, although not as busy as it might have been. As I mentioned in my long ago previous post, I took the summer off from school. Part of me regrets that. Part of me thinks I should have taken classes over the summer to keep the brain juices flowing and the financial aid funds coming.  But I didn't.

I didn't because I knew that with nursing school imminent, leisure time would be precious. Time spent with my family would be sparse. Bleary-eyed mornings would be abundant and sleeping in would be a rarity.

I did it because my husband asked me to. Actually, he demanded it. Yup, I'm a good wife that way.

But now the summer is nearing its end. My children start school in a couple weeks. My nursing school orientation (yay!) is the same week my children start school. My first day of the semester comes less than two weeks after that, and by September, I'll be well-entrenched.

Probably a little tired.

Maybe a little short-tempered.

And I predict my house will be a mess.

But I will be a NURSING STUDENT!

*not actually me

Step One Achieved

My past two years have been dedicated to getting into nursing school. I had that terrifying first day of college. I studied my butt off. I spent an entire summer threatening to hide a sleeping bag in the back of the Health Sciences building so I wouldn't have to waste study time commuting to and from school. I finished my pre-requisites with a 4.0 GPA. I agonized over my entrance exam. I ROCKED my entrance exam. And then finally, on April 10th, five semesters after I started, I received (drumroll, anybody?)

THE LETTER.

(I really wish I could make those two words flash and maybe play a fanfare. That would be so cool. And add little fireworks. Fireworks would make it even cooler.)

 I'm in!

Yes, ladies and gentleman, I was officially accepted into the Associate's Degree Nursing Program starting fall 2013.  Class of 2015, baby!

I can now call myself a Nursing Student.

Of course the hardest part, surviving nursing school, is yet to come.

But, you know what? In my book, my acceptance alone is quite an accomplishment. So I'm going to bask. I'm basking in my accomplishment. Watch me bask. Bask and engage in many happy butt wiggles.

*not actually me

And I'm taking the summer off from school.

I'm taking the summer off to recharge my nearly burnt-out batteries and complete all the tasks required of me in order to retain my spot in the program. I ordered my background check yesterday and today I peed in a cup.

That was loads of fun.

Friday I get to be poked with needles. Maybe this weekend I'll go check some shoes out at the local
healthcare professional supply store. I'll check shoes out and stethoscopes, too. Stethoscopes! I need my very own stethoscope! How cool is that?

How ever am I going to avoid playing with all my nursing school toys until August?

I should enjoy this excitement while I can. I have a sneaking suspicion that it won't be long before the idea of a stethoscope will no long elicit such giddiness.

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As I work my way through the process of nursing school prep, nursing school, graduation, passing the NCLEX, and employment, I'll try to blog my journey. Feel free to enjoy it with me!

Spring Has Sprung

image from http://tinyurl.com/a2utwa2

Don't be mislead by my post title; I'm not referring to the weather. Instead, I'm talking about the same thing I always seem to talk about: school. Today was the first day of the Spring 2013 semester.

Today was the official first day of Spring 2013 semester. The first day of my Spring 2013 semester is tomorrow. Tomorrow will be my first day back in classes since early December. I've been on my semester break long enough to get used to sleeping late. Urg.

In fact, my children returned to school today, as well. And when my alarm clock went off at 5:45 this morning, I honestly thought it was a mistake. I thought I was dreaming. My first instinct was to grab the television remote because I thought the volume was too loud. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I realized the ugly truth. It wasn't a mistake. I wasn't dreaming. And it wasn't the television.

image from http://tinyurl.com/bbrpkwl

I'm taking a light class load this semester, as I'm preparing to take my nursing school entrance exam in a couple months. In addition to studying for my classes, I'll also be studying for a huge standardized test that will either make or break my mood for the rest of the year. I'm confident enough for the reading/writing portion of that big exam. I'm even running a low panic level for the math portion. But the science portion? That one has me scared. Result: for the next 2-1/2 months, I'll be reviewing all the physiology I learned over the past year.

Double urg.

Two classes. One is a class I need for my degree. The last one outside of the nursing classes I'll be taking. The other is a class of my choosing. One that I hope will help prepare me for nursing school. I'm really looking forward to one of them. Can you guess which?

Intro to Humanities

Human Pathophysiology

And here's where my geek shines through. I didn't have classes today. I didn't have to do anything school-related today. Yet, first thing this morning, I still logged into ANGEL, my school's "web-based course management and collaboration portal." In other words, it's the place where I do all my homework, contact my instructors, get notes and assignments, and often take my quizzes or tests. And I logged on this morning. Just to see what was there.

No, my post title isn't talking about the weather, despite the fact the weatherman predicts a high of 73 this Saturday (wowzers!). It is talking about the school semester, and thus, the conditions and atmosphere in my home.

Hm. Now that I think about it, maybe I was talking about the weather.

Unsolicited Advice Makes Me Think

After my classes today, I stopped at my school's library to print the PowerPoint slides for my next Micro unit. There was another woman in there, also printing. I happened to catch a glimpse of text on one of her printouts. Nursing Diagnosis, it read. She caught me reading her PowerPoint as it sat on the printer, and she smiled.

"What's your major?" she asked.

"I'm in my last pre-nursing semester," I told her. "Once I finish Micro, I'm applying to the program."

She nodded. "I'm at the end of the journey and you're just starting out."

Then she looked me dead in the eye, her expression serious. "If you don't cry at least once, you won't become a nurse."

"Really?"

She nodded again. "It's hard," she said. "Very hard. You'll be overwhelmed and you'll cry. But you'll get through it."

Some days, I'm certain I'm ready for it. I'm positive I'm on the right path. Right where I need to be. It's going to be hard. I know it's going to be hard. It should be hard. Nothing worth achieving is easy. But then there are the other days. On the other days, I'm just not sure. Can I do it? Can I handle it? I guess time will tell.