What is this world coming too!

Ok, so I must admit that I am not a shopper. I do not like the crowds, and the hunt. I am just not your typical girl who likes to go shopping. Some people get depressed and go out and spend money. I get depressed and go out and run! So that being said I am a little biased. Today is called black friday and maybe it is appropriately named. It is the biggest shopping day of the year. People give up there thanksgivings to go stand in line for days just to get some great "deal". Now was it really worth it. My friend Robyn went shopping today and did get a good deal but she was not one of the crazy ones out in line for hours. I am amazed she even made it out of bed to make it shopping that early. She normally thinks 8am is too early.

I was reading an article about the shopping today and it made me even more annoyed by the black friday shopping. 3 people died in shopping related incidents. One was here on Long Island. It was a 32 year old man who when the crowd of more than 2000 were annoyed at waiting, pushed through the door, crumpled the door frame and stomped the guy to death. People even saw him and just climbed over him. When the store staff told people they had to close down for a few hours due to a death people got mad and kept shopping. Now this is ridiculus. Was it really worth the "deal"

Alright so my venting is over and as you can proboly figure I did not go shopping today!

I am THANKFUL

I am thankful for a lot of things and in this season of thanksgiving I started jotting them down! Sometimes remembering so many things we are thankful for and that we forget about in our busy daily lives helps to change our perspective on all the big and little things. !

I am thankful for:
- Family, Family and Family
- Friends
- The move I made across the country and the experience
- God and His ever present Grace that despite us and all our mistakes, He loves us as we are!
- My church I have here and my church back home.
- Nursing school.
- Challenges.
- Running- my greatest time of reflection.
- The heart God has given me to care for people where they are at!
- Music which can cut to the sole.
- The seasons (even though right now it is hard to remember that I love winter, when it is 20 degrees outside).
- Books.
- Movies.
- Days off.
- Work.
- My Dog! Dogs teach us to love and be patient! My dog has softened me around the edges.
- Heat
- Phones and email: ways to keep in touch with friends and family.
- Experiences that shape our lives and make us who we are.
- Another breath.
- Another second.
- Gas prices dropping.

I pray this time of Thanksgiving brings you much joy and peace.

4 more weeks!!!!

I am 4 weeks out from finishing my first semester of nursing school! Hallalujah! Next week we have only 2 days and then the last week we have no school because the Final is so intense they give us the week to study. From Dec 1st through to Dec 22nd I will have 4 test in those 21 days. It is going to be the most intense part of the semester for me. Luckily we only have one more week of clinicals so that will be a lot of work that will be lifted...since we spend 2 days just doing paperwork for that till 12 or 1am.

This week my clinical experience was very good! I had a great learning experience with my patient. I did lots of dressing changes including very complex ones as well as worked with a feeding tube, gave medicines and lots of other great stuff. I felt like a real nurse. The nurses were ever grateful for my work with the gentleman because they have 5-7 patients and this guys care takes a huge chunk of your time. He is contracted, in pain, physically very poor and came to the hospital with very, very, very severe bed sores. the one on his back is 14 1/2 cm x 8cm and all the way to the bone if that gives you any idea. It really makes me sad how some facilities can be in the bussiness and allow there patients to get so bad. The person walked into the doctors office in Sept and by the end of October he is contracted, emaciated, and has severe bed sores. Granted I know that he is is sick but this is inconceivable to me. Makes you scared to send a loved one to some of these places.

For those of you have been praying for me, THANK YOU! And please continue as this next four weeks is really going to be difficult for me.

This semester I have been holding onto the verse from the Bible that says:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

I know that God has opened this door and that He will help me through. That gets me through every week when I feel like giving up. The interesting thing is it is the clinicals I love but the school I battle. For me I learn soooo much in clinicals and I feel it is the greatest learning environment for me. Ever since I was a little girl I dreaded school. It has never been easy for me. I worked my tail off to barely get by. But interesting enough I keep going back. I even have thought of going to get my masters after this but we will see!

The down hill slide continues!

Well our hardest test of the semseter is now over and I did not face the challenge too well. With 4 weeks to prepare for this test they gave us the bulk of the difficult material less than a week before the test! This did not bode well for many of us. The class average was a 69 for this test and mine was not much different. This was difficult material but what can you say! I am still passing but I feel for those who have been not passing and are trying to bring there grades up.

We have straight A students who are doing just as bad as I am on the tests. She did finally say that she realized that the way the material was laid out, timing and the amount of material was too much and that she would need to change it for the next class! Wow, thanks, glad she could figure that out after us. Oh well, no time to grovel. We have a mere 5 weeks left in this semester and have 2 tests and a comprehensive final to boot! I hit my wall this past week and decided that tonight, I was not going to pick up the books but was going to take a night to recover. You spend 30 hours a week in class and then another 30 or more hours studying and your mind just hits overload. At some point if I don't figure out how to manage the stress I will weigh absolutely nothing. Nursing school for me is like being on a diet. I'm still eating but 10 lbs lighter and another 2 1/2 semesters to go.

Thanks for all of your encouragement. On the lighter side. Last week in clinicals I got to give medications and give shots. My clinical instructor has been wonderful as have the nurses and they jump on any chance to teach us a new skill. There is still a lot we are not allowed to do, because the rule is if we haven't learned it in class then we can't do it in clinical. However, every week that list gets smaller, and I feel like a nurse more every day.

My challenge for the week was having a client who spoke only arabic and was mentally confused. This combination does not bode well for the typical ways we try to communicate with them. When I first came in I was not looking forward to it but by the end of the week she really grew on me and we began to figure each other out. It was funny, they have this thing called the stera phone. It is a phone that has two headsets on it and I would call a number and ask for an arabic translator. I would say something in english and the translator would communicate it in Arabic. Then she would respond back to the translator in arabic and they would translate it for me. Well, with your average person this would work well. However, in this case there were times when the process made sense and then there were times she would just stare at the phone with a look of what is this.

Test 3!!!!

Well, At last we have our midterm test! This is the 3rd of 6 test. However the rest are very close togethor. One is 3 weeks away (with thanksgiving in between) and the next is 2 weeks away. Then we will have one week to prepare for our comprehensive final! The next few weeks are going to fly.

This test material is tough! Even more so I have hit a wall on studying. I feel as though my brain has no more room! I know it is not true but some how I have to find a way through this fog to prepare for this test that is monday! I could use all the prayers I can get for this test and the upcoming weeks as it is going to be tough.

Today in clinicals I got to give meds to my patient for the first time. This included 2 shots. Also, I find that the nurses and my clinical instructor are coming to me to do a lot of stuff. It is kind of nice. My patient this week spoke only arabic and was confused so trying to speak even through the translator phone was not always easy. However, by today we found a way through it and she really grew on me. I have really come to enjoy my clinical time and am looking forward to next semester when it is 3 days a week.

Well, enough of the procrastination and back to work. Thanks for all of your encouragement!

Overwhelmed!

I will admit, it is not often I feel overwhelmed however I do feel it now! Since nursing school started it has been challenging. I am currently 9 weeks into the first semester and preparing to take the 3rd of 6 tests. Next monday we have a huge test that is over very difficult stuff. I have been studying and yet feel so far from where I need to be for this test. I really want to do well because I feel I could use a bit of a buffer. After this test we will have a test 3 weeks later (following our thanksgiving break), then 2 weeks later and finally a week after that will be our cumulative final.

On top of tests our clinicals are getting much more demanding and taking up a lot of prep time. I am currently exhausted and needing a break but that is not going to happen. I see why they say not to work while in nursing school. I lose 2 days every week of study time because of work and another 1 1/2 days to clinical prep time.

I know I will make it, it is just difficult to see right now. I guess it is just one step at a time and lots of prayers for strength, memory, focus and the ability to stay standing and not collapse before this term is over.

Thanks for all of your encouragement. It will be worth it in the end. It is just hard to see the next step in front of me right now.