Snow day number 2!

On Saturday following our snow day, I went with my brother, my nephew, and his friend back to the sledding hill by their house. Someone had created a small jump which turned out to be quite the ride. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Good Friends



He loved the challenge of this jump. My nephew on the other hand was not about to go on it by himself.


Sean convinced me to go down on the saucer. Not only did it spin but it went faster. After this picture I ended up flipping over my back and kinking my neck. I think I need a chiropractor now.


More crazy shots!

Oh my hiney!!!

Going down without the sled. He liked to try to avoid the jump by going on his belly.

Me and the boys!!!

Take a look at the boys face. Classic!!
Ohh that was a rough landing. I think our backsides are going to feel that one.
But no fear we are tough!!!!

Snow day!

The weekend before my finals in December we received snow. At around 10am the snow started to fall and it went all day. By the time it was finished we had received 8+ inches of snow. My nephew called and asked if I would take him sledding so my roommate and I bundled up and brought Faith along. We walked over to their house and were able to let Faith run. Faith enjoyed being tied to the sled and pulling the kids like a sled dog. The kids thought it was the best thing ever. Unfortunately the few pictures we tried of that did not come out.

My niece went out for a short time but explained to me that she does not like snow because it is too cold. My nephew on the other hand had a blast sledding down the hill by their house.

Audrey and I then walked Faith back home, dropped her off and trekked out to the diner about a mile away. When we sat down to eat, I couldn't believe how much food I was able to pack away. We had been outside walking for more than 4 hours through lots of snow.

This weekend we are expecting snow as well. Oh how I love the snow. Though, I have learned that where I live...snow and sleep don't go well together. My bedroom window butts up to the driveway for the local sweeping company. And when it is snowy or icy out, they are in and out of that driveway all night with there tractor to reload the trucks with salt. Between the flashing lights, the beeping of the trucks (in reverse), and the scraping of the tractor shoveling up salt, there is not much room for sleep.

Faith and Audrey (my roommate) ready to go to the park!

Making snow angels

Faith being a good dog! She was like a crazy woman in the snow.

update

Monday is my final test for this semester and it is worth 40% of my grade. It is a cumulative test for the whole semester. I am hitting a bit of a mental wall but have managed to get 2-5 hours of studying in a day so hopefully that will help. Tomorrow I only have the AM to study because of work and then I will have all day Sat and Sunday.

For all of you on the West coast who have been having crazy weather...well you sent it our way. As of now they are predicting 6-10 inches of snow tomorrow starting in the afternoon and accumulating at about an inch per hour. This could be fun considering I go to work at 3 and don't get off till 11:30pm. And being a hospital...weather doesn't stop the sickies so I must go into work. I have been looking forward to snow and it looks as if I might finally get my wish. I wish I wasn't stuck at work though. The only thing I don't want is snow to happen on Sunday into Monday which there has been some talk about. I am ready for this final to be over with so postponing it does not sound like a great option to me. Good thing that is a few days a way...a lot can happen between then and now.

Good night!

One test down and 2 to go!!!

Today I had my skills appraisal test. You go into the school for a half an hour and draw two cards. On these cards is a skill that we have learned during the semester in lab and whatever skill you received you get to perform. Well, I drew IV lines and a wet to dry dressing. My skills went well and I passed with flying colors. Even so it is a bit nerve racking to try to perform your skill exactly by the book with your instructor watching your every move. This is a test you must pass in order to go on in nursing school and 2 people did not pass. However, they will go back next week and try it again as we are given 3 chances.

This Monday is my 6th exam for the class and it is a huge test for me. I did not do well on the last exam and I am at a do or die point of the program. I have been studying 4-8 hours a day trying to prepare for this exam. The next exam is next Monday the 22nd which is our 200pt final. Between these two tests I have 50% of my grade to be determined which is a blessing but also a lot of pressure.

My big brother came up with the idea of a tutor and told me that for my birthday a few weeks ago that he would pay for me to have a couple sessions with a tutor. The problem is that most tutors are just general tutors and it is tough to find someone who has been through nursing school and tutors. We have a tutor at our school but she is an English teacher not a nurse and all she can do is give us strategies for general test taking. She can't help us understand the rationals behind the test questions and how to approach them. Nursing school is not like other schooling and the tests are very different. Straight A students come into it and find themselves with 70's. Well, I found a retired nurse who was also a nursing educator and now does tutoring on the side. She will go over nursing test questions with me on the subject that I will be tested on and then I will give my answer and my rational. We will then evaluate my answer and rational and help me understand, if I got it wrong, how I should have approached the question.

So now we are praying for good scores and for it to just click. It is not an issue of time or understanding as much as it is the fact that the tests have become a speed bump. Once I understand them then the sky is the limit.

Thanks for the many of you sending me notes of encouragement. I don't think I could have made it to this point without it. I am not a quitter or a failure but this program can make you feel like both sometimes. It is tough to keep your head above water let alone swim for the goal. My only solace in it all is that God is my strength and that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" This is the door He opened for me and there is no looking down or back just straight ahead. When I finish this program the opportunities ahead of me are endless and many of my life long dreams will then be able to be fulfilled.

Such a sad morning!!!

I went to bed with snow coming down and the cars covered and when I woke up this morning nothing more had happened all evening. I was really looking forward to a beautiful snow covered morning.

I am such a kid when it comes to snow. Many people get annoyed by it but for me it is such a joy and I love it. I love to be surprised and wake up to a full covering of snow. Ahh the simple pleasures of life. I guess I will have to wait till next time.

Christmas time is here!!!!

Today my roommate and I went out and got some ornaments, went to her families house and got some christmas stuff, and picked up our tree! We spent the evening decorating the tree and my roommate calls it my "designer tree" The colors this year are royal blue and silver which is new for me but I love.

We took Faith with us out to her parents house where she loves to play with her dad! There is a farm out there that she use to work at that we got our tree from. It was a little more spendy than here by us but it was good for her to go back and see them.

Now as I write this message it is currently snowing outside and we are possibly going to have 2 inches of snow in the morning when we awake. I love the snow and feel like a kid even at 30 when it comes.

Last 2 weeks in a nutshell

Well, I turned a whopping 30years old, but for some reason people think I look in my early 20's! I chopped my hair 8 inches (will have to post some pictures soon so those who are asking can see), worked at the hospital for thanksgiving, and my nephew and brother made me an awesome chocolate cake for my birthday. Oh and can't forget that my Oregon Ducks took Oregon State Beavers down hard in the civil war Game. Go Ducks!!! Last but not least Greg Oden and my Portland Trail Blazers took down the NY Knicks!!!! Sweet wish I would have been there to see it!

That was the good part of the last 2 weeks. Beyond that Nursing School has kicked my butt, but even in the very difficult challenge, I have come away with two good friends and allies in my program. We have decided to stick together and find a way through nursing school together. I have been given lots of advice this past week about succeeding in nursing school much of which I would not repeat on this blog.

Well, there is my past few weeks in a nutshell. I hope that in 2 1/2 weeks I will have some good news for you on the school front. Either I find a way to stop the bleeding and pass my test on the 15th and the 22nd and continue onto the next semester or I have to find a new plan of action for my future. Either way I appreciate your prayers and look forward to some good/positive updates!

Very discouraging!!!!

Well, test 1 of 4 happened yesterday. Many of us opened up the test and went "uh oh". The test was a bit off the wall and stuff we had no idea about was on the test. The last test had an average of a 69. Well, today when we walked in she informed us that she could not give us the scores of our test because they were so off from our normal scores. She hoped that she could reevaluate them and maybe it was the scan tron machine. I don't know what happened but I do know that when I received my test score...all I could do was cry. I studied and studied and even gave up my birthday and thanksgiving to study for this test and my ever plunging scores continue. I have not heard what the overall average was but based on the delay in the test scores my guess is that the average was even lower than the last score of 69.

This test officially puts me into crisis mode as I am no longer passing. I stand a very real chance of failing if I don't figure out how to fix the problem. I ask the teacher for advice and all I am given is "if you are in class and listening to the lecture and doing the reading you should be fine." Well I am doing that and move and I still am failing. I think that 2 tests with class averages in the failing range should be reevaluated but they have shown no signs of doing so.

Well, back to the studying and trying to stop the bleed. 2 more tests left to get my grades back up and my skills test. All this in only 3 weeks. I took time off work and hopefully will be able to do so until finals are over but we will see.