The Weekend Update

I don't know what it is about orientations...and me...but we don't get along....it always seems like what I have planned out in my head....is never what actually can happen in real life....but I guess sometimes....that's just the way it goes! The ideal way...isn't always the way things happen....ever...or at least in my case....but nothing easy ever came without a few speed bumps!

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

So I went to orientation on Thursday....and while it was a tad stressful...it was really enjoyable. As most of you remember ... quite the opposite of USC's orientation...which if you didn't get the memo was A-W-F-U-L and ended in tears! Thursday however, was encouraging...people actually helped you....and even went out of their way to help you....very very refreshing! Two thumbs up to UI and their fantabulous staff!
The day started out a very brisk negative 6 degrees....and in case you didn't know....everythings pretty much frozen at negative 6 degrees...especially power windows in your car...and ramps you have to go up in parking garages....very scary! But the morning progressed very quickly...a few quick encouraging words from the PIC (aka. "people in charge"....everyone here speaks in acronyms or shortened versions of words...you'd think we're in the military or something...weird)....and we were all off to our advising appointments....I met with my advisor early (which is a good thing b/c if you know me at all you know that if something can go wrong...it will)....and she had some grim news (or so it sounded at first)....the nursing program at UI is restructuring....so lots of classes that I don't have that I need to take don't exist yet...so I had a few options...and I finally chose one....and with a few trips between the financial aid office and back to meet with my advisor I had my plan mapped out! :)
In the interim I got to explore campus and the downtown area a little more...which was cold yet fun....and even had the opportunity to be thoroughly entertained by a waiting room full of Asians...I know this isn't "pc" but who knew there would be 4 people named Chow Wong in one waiting room....yea the lady who called their name had no clue either...everyone found it quite hysterical!
So back to the plan....I'm now going to be going to school part time...taking only 2 classes a semester for the next year....then the following fall I'll be ready for clinicals and finish up my degree by 2014...which sounds kinda crazy I know...but only going part time allows me to pay by the credit hour instead of out of state tuition which allows me to pay less money and work more in the mean time....which is uber exciting!!! So by the time I have to go full time for clinical rotations I'll be considered a resident of Iowa...and thus get to pay the in state tuition rate! And in case you didn't know...that's a woping difference of a couple thousand dollars in my pocket! The University Hospitals have lots of opportunities for students to work as nurses aids....and I can get experience and go to school too...SCORE....which was exactly what I wanted to do in the first place! So while 2014 sounds like its light years away....its really just right around the next corner...or two....
So there you have it...the new and improved revised PLAN! This plan will probably change 4 more times before I'm actually done with this....but that's ok with me....for now...I'm looking forward to finding a job and starting Intro to Animal Bio and Inorganic Chem on Tuesday!

Top 10 cRaZy things I've learned about Iowa so far....

#10: Target isn't as exciting as it should be .... forcing me to shop at Wal-Mart...which I HATE! Grrrrr

#9: Everyone (so far) has been uber nice and welcoming (I think they can tell I'm not from around here) --- Southern Hospitality may have worked its way to the mid-west!

#8: I thought Columbia loved their Gamecocks....but Iowa City LOVES their Hawkeyes!

#7: People sacrifice style for warmth...I haven't quite been able to let myself go there....and its probably why I'm still cold....but after all pain is beauty!

#6: The whole state (in terms of roads) is square! Seriously...you can turn down any road to the left or right and find a main road....so weird.....my new motto if I get lost....turn right.....

#5: It. is. cold. --- while I know all 48 states (except for Florida) have had their share of winter weather these past few weeks...the feeling of below zero temps are ridiculously insane...and you just have no idea...until you feel it...

#4: You can't build snowmen .... the snow here is like dust...it blows everywhere...and it blows.....literally

#3: There are all kinds of crazy gadgets and gizmo's to get you through the snow and ice....today I invested in a mat you lay over your windshield at night so you don't have to scrape it/brush snow off of it in the morning...you jsut lift the mat and go! Can't wait to use it bright at early at 7am tomorrow!

 #2: Parking SUCKS! And I'm not talking about the availability of parking...I'm talking about how it is so incredibly hard to do something so simple like parking in a parking space....they scrape the parking lots...but not the parking spaces...wtf?! Everything about parking....SUCKS! (as well as driving in general...I swear I feel like I'm in Drivers Ed again in high school...State Farm should probably not lower my insurance just because I turned 25)

 #1: People talk funny....and while I'm sure they think the same about me....there's no getting around it...everyone...talks...funny.

Photo Fun Game!

So before I left I tought it would be fun to play this super cool game I came up with in my head....its sort of my spin on those "games" that used to be on the back of cereal boxes when you were a kid...or on kids menus in resturants....where they would zoom in on a photo like super hard core and you had to guess what the picture was???? Well its kinda like that....except for these pictures are completely random things I saw along my superhero long car ride....as a way to entertain myself (believe me...when you're in a car for 16 hours....anything other than sitting and listening to books on tape sounds like fun)

So here we go....take a wild guess....anything goes!

Disclaimer: Winner must correctly guess 3 out of 6...no monetary prizes will be given but you could "win" something fun...that must be claimed only by your superhero fun visit...to see...the fabulous...awesome...really fun....IOWA CITY...and meeeee :)



Photo #1: This one is an easy one to get you started...don't over think it! Hint:We kicked off our drive here

Photo #2: Another pitstop along the way....bonus goes to the person who guesses the correct state this was taken in too!

Photo #3: Ok so this is an easy one...but to make it not so easy....you have to name the state too!!! :)

Photo #4: Good luck!

Photo #5:

Photo #6: Last but not least.....





Lets get our brain juices flowin people!!!!! Guess your little hearts out!!!!

...from the land of snow and ice...

So we made it...and while it still feels a little unreal (kinda like I'm just on vacation)...its been quite the adventure already so far. It all began with a 16 hour car ride through ice, wind, snow, and all kinds of craziness that I'm pretty sure aged me 30 years. While driving a solid 130 something miles through a straight up snow storm from hell...I can honestly say I had a moment where I didn't know if I was going to have a stroke, heart attack, or poo in my pants...thank goodness none of the above took place and we made it out alive...I'm just crossing my fingers now that I never have to do it again...and Daivd can make it through with a lot less stress and a little more time....and for that I think we should all say our prayers!

Day #1 was full of lots of errands...doing things for school/financial aid etc (not very fun...and VERY stressful). It included 3 calls to the IRS...2 incorrect tax return trascript forms...and one insane drive by yours truely in her very first snow storm (ok I exaggerate...snow "flurry")

Day #2 has been WAAAAAYYYY more fun!!! Still lots of driving to get familiar with the campus/city/town/etc. (in the sun!! yay for feeling halfway normal for 2.5 seconds!)...an adventure to find the cupcake shop.....that will hopefully become a staple in all my fav girls trips to see me (as well as a treat to myself for all the A's I'm going to make this semester)

(it was closed...opening back up on Monday...sad times)

...and a trip to the super cute Crazy Girl Yarn Shop....where I found my new Thursday activity..."Knit and Wine"....

http://crazygirlyarnshop.com/

For the past 3 days temperatures have been from the low 20's...all the way to NEGATIVE 7!!! I now realize why bears hybernate...and am STRONGLY considering it myself! Praying I make it through the winter...and desperately needing the love of my pookie bear to keep me warm!!!! (Hurry up February!!!)
In closing I must add...its way more fun "living" with your parents when they're older and a little more "senile" than it was when you were 12 and they were trying to tell you what to do...because while they still try and tell you what to do...its way more fun to laugh "with" them in their senior moments......and remind them how crazy they still are!

That's all for now....from the land of snow and ice....stay tuned for my featured game...guess what random thing this is...where everybody gets to guess... nobody wins a prize ... and I got to take random pictures along the boring ride to iceland!!!

...It's my year....

"It's my year"...that was my mantra...last year....and I really thought it was....my year..this time last year. Turns out...it was my year....just not in the way I had hoped....but that's the funny thing about life....sometimes the things we think we want/need/would like to have...turn out to be things we never knew we wanted in the first place....
As another year begins....I still have yet to determine what it holds....but I do know there are adventures to be had....challenges to over come...and plenty of things to learn...about life....about our relationships....and about starting over....in a new place....with new things to experience...new friends to make...and new sights to see.....
So I think I'll keep my mantra....and make it another..."its my year" kinda year....and as an old chapter closes...and a new one opens....I can remember that I don't have to be sad about the things I'm leaving behind....because there is a whole lot of room to be excited....about all the things to come.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

...I think I can....

....I thought I could....and I did it!!! I really really did it!!!! I finished out my first semester with a 4.0....and in case you didn't know....thats ALL A'S!!!!!!!! WhAt?!?!?!!! I know now...when you think you can....and you keep your eye on the prize....you can do anything you set your mind to! My only hope now is that I can keep the trend going.....but only time will tell how that one works out.....
Next semester is going to be full of lots of exciting firsts for both David and myself (no we're not getting married and nobody is having a baby)....and I can't wait to share them all....but first David must spill the beans to a few important people (b/c we all know I spill the beans right out of the can...which means I'm sure most of the 3 people who read this already know) ... at any rate...stay tuned for our big announcement....coming soon to a blog near you.....

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Tis the Season...

That's right ladies and gentleman...its that time of year...that time when all the normal folks are out there decorating for Christmas, putting up lights, shopping, getting in the holiday spirit....and the nerds of the world....are studying for finals....although a tad self induced...its not so bad...one more to go and I've successfully completed 1/8 of my nursing education!!! *high fives!* So while I'm studying for this last exam (developmental psyc...BoRiNg!) ... I started thinking about everything I've learned so far this semester...so I of course...thought I would share.....

While the trials and tribulations that were Organic and Bio Chemistry really taught me alot about myself and the things I'm capable of....and while my Evolution of Nursing class was by far my most favoritest class ever this semester (minus the brats who sat behind me that I wanted to punch in their faces on an hourly basis for saying insanely downright stupid things)....all in all I think the class that taught me the most was my Cultural Nursing class....the overall message being that providing culturally competent care involves knowledge and understanding of people and their culture, accepting and respecting differences while resisting judgment by remaining open and comfortable, and most importantly self awareness......

self-a·ware (slf-wâr)

adj.

Aware of oneself, including one's traits, feelings, and behaviors.

---

self-a·wareness n.

Self-awareness is the awareness that one exists as an individual being. Without self-awareness, the self perceives and accepts the thoughts that are occurring to be who the self is. Self-awareness gives one the option or choice to choose thoughts being thought rather than simply thinking the thoughts that are stimulated from the accumulative events leading up to the circumstances of the moment.

....so what are my true feelings, and opinions...what do I really believe...when it comes to topics like abortion, euthanasia, physician assisted suicide (don't worry I won't get into all that here..that's a little deep)....and the ever growing elephant in the room in my family as of late...divorce....

It has come up in topics among my closest of friends....and has even been discussed between selective family members...all the while being tip toed around ever so slightly (especially with Thanksgiving just past and Christmas on the way)....no one wants to say the wrong thing...or hurt any ones feelings (because lets face it when kids are involved too many people have been hurt already)....so here you go folks....my feelings about divorce......and to be quite honest...I don't care who it hurts.......

IT IS WRONG

.....under very select few circumstances is it ever acceptable in my eyes....

I believe...with very strong conviction....that marriage is something that two people should never tread into lightly....the way I see it....until death do us part means one of us has to die....what God joins...no man should ever break apart....vows that you promise....in good times and bad, sickness and health....that you stand up in front of God and everybody to pronounce....shouldn't be able to be flaked out on so easily.....when you make promises and say "I do".....it means you keep it...and you do....even when you think you can't....even when you think you don't....you do.....

.....I think we all lose a little respect for people when they back out of commitments....but I lose alot respect for people when they back out of life commitments...like marriage...I think divorce is for the weak...marriage is for the bold....I think divorce is for the people who say "I can't" and "I quit"....marriage is for the people who say "no matter what....we will" and love can then prevail....all you need is love....for yourself, for the other person, and for the sanctity of the marriage that you both at one point agreed to....the end....and for the sequel you can think about how it will affect the future of the world....your children... research has shown that children of divorce are less adjusted, have more conduct problems, have higher rates of depression and lower achievement in schools due to a poor self concept...and they themselves will be 50% more likely to get divorced....so way to go....way to set your own children up to fail in life because you were too incompetent to succeed in your marriage (and probably in most cases in life)....the sliver lining is that positive life events (like positive relationships with other family members) can counteract your poor excuse for decision making.....

I personally don't care about excuses people come up with when it comes to divorce...because I simply don't believe in it....and when you're telling me "your side" make sure you remind yourself that I'm politely tuning you out....because I won't say all these things that I truly in my heart of hearts believe (being the southern woman that I am)...I'll smile and remain neutral....because after thinking it over a little....I know where I stand when it comes to divorce....and so do the people I love.....and if you didn't know before....you do now....so I guess all that remains to be learned out of this little lesson of self awareness....is how not to judge you for it.........