A huge end and even bigger beginning...and more March challenges!

So I might as well and tell everyone the good news right away....

I AM DONE WITH NURSING SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!

Well, technically I have one group project to present to the class at the end of April, but I have finished all of my finals and the final HESI and I was successful!!!
The final that I had on Friday (the one that I said I didn't think I did well on) ended up being better than I thought. I got 8 points higher than what I needed to pass the class with a 75! I guess that just shows that there is no need to cry and stress until you know the outcome for sure!
Yesterday was our dreaded final HESI. HESI is a practice version of the NCLEX which is what we will have to take to get our RN license after we graduate. We have taken a HESI at the end of every clinical course since 2nd semester. It kind of lets you know where you stand if you were to take state boards at that time. We have been hearing since 1st semester about the final HESI 5th semester, and we finally reached the day yesterday! It was 160 questions and we had 4 hours to take it and it is a nationally standardized test so our teachers do not have anything to do with what is on it. So, hopefully we have learned what we need to pass during the last 5 semesters . We have three tries from yesterday until graduation to pass the final HESI with a 900 (most nursing schools require an 850), and if you can't pass HESI you cant graduate. So, anyways I passed whoo hoo and so did Alicia, Ally and Linda!! yay!
After class yesterday a bunch of us went to celebrate being finished with nursing school! Here is a picture of me and Ally!! So happy!
It was just so rewarding to know that after all of the hard work we have put in, and after all of the weekends I have spent studying that it all paid off in the end. AND I will never have to study another weekend in college!!! YAY!! I think that it is starting to sink in that graduation is near!

So, the celebration continued today because my mom and nana drove down to Tuscaloosa to see me! Mom brought me some magazines to keep me occupied during my spare time when I am not working and I loaded up her car with stuff to move back home! We went to eat lunch and mom and dad got me these beautiful flowers.....

AND this awesome balloon!!!!!

I could not have finished nursing school without my parents support because they have stuck with me when I succeeded but also when I had failures along the way. They have always told me throughout this whole journey that it will pay off in the end, and yesterday I think I finally realized that it is true!

So, today is my first day of my preceptorship! For the rest of the semester I will be working with a RN and doing exactly what she does. I work the shifts she works, and I pretty much become her shadow. I will be working Monday and Tuesdays from 3pm-11pm and then Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7am-7pm. I am on the orthopedic floor at DCH, and orthopedics is something that I am not a huge fan of, but I know that I am there for a reason and that I am going to learn so many new things.

So I want to share with ya'll some more March Challenges from my magazine! The challenges for today are coming from the style section!

And this month, why dont you......

Take a mintue to make a blazer work on the weekend. Push the sleeves to your elbows and wear it open-casual and chic!

Replace your old white tees with new ones to make your wardrobe look fresh!

Smooth on a body lotion with a little shimmer for a pick-me-up!

Try a bright polish shade on short nails!

Get rid of the last of dry winter skin in teh shower with a sugar scrub!

Pick up a pair of bootcut jeans-they flatter everyone!

Good and Bad Surprises...And March Challenges!

So update on that final we had on Friday....that is definitely the bad surprise of the week!! It was not so great and I don't feel that wonderful about it at all, but we won't know our grades until Monday night. So keep your fingers crossed and send miracle prayers my way!



But, the good surprise for Friday was our surprise for Micah!! Some of us drove from Tuscaloosa to the Summit in Birmingham to eat at Macaroni Grill for Micah's birthday celebration! Blake planned for us and two of Micah's friends from highschool that live in B'ham to meet them for dinner. Blake surprised Micah on Friday and told her that he was going to take her to eat at her favorite for her birthday a day early! And secretly, we had been planning all week to meet them there! The best part was that Micah told me on Friday that they were going....little did she know :) As you can tell from the picture I captured she was definitely surprised!!! It was so great! Blake did such a good job organizing the whole night! I am so so glad that we got to see her for her last birthday before becoming a mommy! I just can't wait for sweet Anderson to get here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, do ya'll remember these guys?!?! I was thinking the other day that I remember the mascots from the 1998 Olympics in Nagano. I loved them!!! So I grew more curious about mascots that the Winter Olympic Games have had since then.....

2002 games in Salt Lake City!!!

Here are the little guys from Beijing in 2006...They aren't my favorite and I cant quit thinking that they have marshmallows for heads.

And here are the mascots for the games this year!! I haven't seen them yet, but some of you might have. I think that I like them the best!!! YAY Vancouver!

I am really sad that tomorrow is the last day of the Olympics! I really wish that Finals and HESI wouldn't have fallen during the Olympics because I would have loved to watch them more! Tomorrow the US hockey team is playing for the gold medal! Hopefully I will get more studying in before so that I can watch some of it!!! To get everyone pumped up for the big game I want to share a link with you. This little guy gives his version of the speech that Herb Brooks gave the 1980 US Hockey team before their miracle win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CdJTfGiRCI

If that doesn't get you fired up for the game, I don't know what would!!!!!

I decided to take a study break tonight and go through my bookshelf like I said I would in an earlier post, and boy did I! I went through binders from nursing classes and threw out everything that I don't need anymore, and decided which books I want to keep here, which I can take home, and which ones I can hopefully sell on Amazon. Here is the after picture! I know that it might not look too much different than the before, but it is much more organized, and I cleaned out so much that I could combine what was on other shelves with my bookshelf. It would be a lot more empty if I could part with my Harry Potter dvds and take them home, but I just can't help but think that I might want to have a marathon before graduation. I think Ingy (my cute little beta fish up there) is happy because he has a change of scenery. He moved all the way from the right side of the bookshelf to the left!

So I have the March issue of Woman's Day magazine, and it is a good one! All throughout it they have different suggestions to make your month more enjoyable, so this week I will share them with you!!!

Today is how to "live well in March"

This Month why don't you...

Write a letter to say hello, Who wouldn't love to get something in the mail besides bills?

Have a cheapskate spa day: sleep until noon!

Pop bubble wrap with your kids (or friends)

Join the March Madness pool at work

Buy a coloring book and crayons just for you. Trust us, it's fun!

So, my March challenge for all of you is to pick one (or all if you want!) and make it happen this month! Each day this week I will post more ideas throughout the magazine! Keep checking back, they have some good ones!!!