Cindy's BYU Graduation

In April, I drove up to Utah with my best friend's family to go watch her graduate from BYU with her husband! It only took her 4 years, which is CRAZY because these schools make it impossible to graduate that quickly anymore..without a lot of extra class cramming and hard work (which she did!).

It was so nice to go up and visit her, even for a few days. It was a much need break for my reality at home, even though I brought all my school work with me anyway -_-

As a little graduation gift, I made her a college of our memories from both high school and college together. Time flies!!

Side note: apple beer is delicious and I can't believe how low of sugar it is for a "soda"!

Graduation day #1

That night, we went to this delicious Mongolian stir fry place...and they had gluten-free rice noodles, yay!

I got my first hair cut in 1.5 years for only $20 in Provo, YAY!

Lunch before graduation #2 at the pizza place

Cindy and Jordan getting their diplomas! :)

My little graduates!!!

The next day, Cindy and her family went up to BYU Idaho to visit the school Kaylee will be attending in the fall. It sounded like such a pretty drive and I really wanted to go, but I had to be a slave to homework :(

But I did do some couch yoga for Cindy. She said her apartment was too tiny to do any yoga ;)

Brazilian food...made by Cindy's mom, my favorite!!

The study cave of mine that ruined my Idaho fun :(

FAIL.

Okay, so I know I whine about nursing school a lot. I really do. I am grateful of being in the program (I better be, I nearly killed myself trying to get in on my second try), but sometimes it's hard to show it when it is SUCKING soooo bad right now.

I studied all weekend, non-stop for the test I had on Monday. Word on the block was that this one was suppose to be easier...but I still studied like there is no tomorrow because Pathophysiology is an evil, evil class! I got my grade last night. I failed. Again. I do not do bad in school...I work too hard and I make it happen somehow every time. I've never even got a C in a course in my entire academic career. But so far this semester, I've gotten a B and 2 Ds in this god awful class.

Right now, I have a 70.8% average on my Pathophysiology tests. You need a minimum of 71% on the tests/quizzes combined. And of course, if my other course work doesn't meet that average as well, I am failed from the class and kicked out of the program.

Last night, my friend Sharon was over to work on our group presentation and we saw our grades posted together. She's doing better than me, but we're still in the same boat of being terrified of getting kicked out. We calculated that I need a minimum of a 52/70 on the next test and a 5/7 on the next quiz to pass the class with a minimum of 71.6%. Wow. That means I can only miss 9 questions to pass. I know that sounds do-able, but you have NO IDEA how tricky they made these tests. It's like they're trying as hard as possible to set us up for failure. I missed 11 questions on this last one 12 on the one before that, and 6 on the one at the beginning of the semester. Props to everyone who passed or is passing this class with flying colors. You amaze me!

This is REAL life right now. It's crazy how one little test in one little class can determine so much of my future. If I fail, I have to wait a year and I get ONE more chance to take and pass the class. If I fail, I'm done with all nursing programs in the Cal State system. They don't allow you to fail two classes. No matter if it is in the same semester or not. You only get ONE mess up.

As horrible as it sounds, it's nice that I have about 1/3 of the class right there with me. I'm not positive, because it's just an estimation based on the comments I've heard, but either way, at least I know I'm not the only one.

I'm still in amazement by how some of these questions are truly chosen to pick to see if we are eligible for the next semester. I don't get it. I know I rock my clinical rotations. I work so hard to make sure I learn more and more every day and put myself out there to gain practice in more skills and patient interactions each day. And it pays off. I've had great experiences with all my patients. And I am loving what I do. It's scary to think that this could all be taken away from me in one month because I am not as good at test taking as I am smart. And I am most DEFINITELY not a good guesser!

No matter how much I try to fight it, I am going to have a pit in my stomach and secret anxiety jitters for the next month. I am going to live by my Patho books. It is going to kill me, and maybe even bring down my grades in other classes, but I just have to pass. Thankfully, I have a handful of friends in my cohort who have offered to help me and work with me so we can get through it together. Doing this alone would suck. This is seriously going to take all the energy I have left in me.

I'll be in my room, alone, studying for the next month. Please excuse me from being antisocial until summer when the decision has been made. :/

A little positivity before I ruin myself with all this negative rambling. This awful, horrible thing called nursing school, is just a friendly reminder that the rewards will be equally as good. 2 more years to go until I can begin rebalancing:

70th Birthday

This weekend, my boyfriend's grandpa had a huge 70th birthday party at my boyfriend's family's house. Unfortunately, I was locked away in his room, with my headphones on, studying for my most dreaded test ever: Pathophysiology/Pharmacology.

Because I was in there for 12 hours straight. I decided I needed to make an appearance, even if for an hour. I through on a dress real fast-like (I can't even remember the last time I wasn't wearing sweats/workout clothes, aye!) and went down to visit for a little while. I HATE how nursing school is making me feel bad about socializing...ever! But the end is coming near and I've got to step it up if I'm going to make it out of these classes.

I'm not gunna lie, the party looked like a good time. Who says you can't still throw and awesome party on your 70th birthday?! ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA JERRY! :)

NAMI 5k Walk at Point Loma

Yesterday, a bunch of us from my nursing cohort went down to Point Loma to do a 5k walk for NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) for extra puntos for my psychiatric health lecture class. My professor wanted us to represent where she works aside from school, Aurora. The students who participated in the walk are allowed to miss a day of pscyh clinical...and I'm taking that Friday off to go visit my Cindy and see her graduate! CRAZY!! I'm jealous ;)

Michelle came down from Murrieta and met me at my house to drive down together. Haha, and we almost ran out of gas looking for a gas station in all the wrong places...stupid gas sucking car!!

We got there just in time for the walk to start, although we were running through the streets of Point Loma looking like freaks and not knowing where to go, haha.

Doing some warm-up acrobats

Michelle, Christine and Michelle

Everybody starting the walk...with our new photo bombing friend

Doing some yoga in a pretty grassy area ;)

DONE! There is no way that was a 5k because we were done in 30 minutes. AND we stopped to do random yoga poses at least 3 times. Haha oh well!!

Twins!

Flagpoles

Now I just have to kill my Pathophysiology test tomorrow, do a few more assignments for the rest of the week and in just over a week, I'm off to Utah to see Cindy for 5 days!!

Can't wait!! :D

Health, Love & Fitness

So, I made a new blog and attached to this blog. There is a link to it in the tabs at the top of this blog.

I'm not sure how committed I'll be (especially with this whole nursing school things getting in the way, haha), but I'm gunna give it a try! I'm planning on posting recipes, workouts and other health & fitness related things...gotta start writing more about the things I plan to involve my career around! :)

Here is a link to it for now. Share it, follow it, or read it if you want. Maybe I'll find some more people to share the same interests with! 

Haha, I'm not too savvy on this social networking thang, but we'll see how it goes! 

http://healthloveandfitness.blogspot.com

Simulation Lab

This week, we had our first simulation lab in clinical. We meet at the school instead of the hospital and we get to simulate a real-life scenario with the robot dummy we have at school. I thought this was really cool, and a great learning experience! We were videotaped and the rest of the students got to watch the live feed from the other room, so we got to learn from what they did right and wrong. Each time a new student went in, was like "shift change" so we all had the same patient as if the day were going on in fast forward. I'm really glad they changed the way they did this...before, the students who hadn't gone yet had to wait in another room that doesn't watch the live feed, and I feel like that would just hinder the learning. 

I was a little nervous going into it, until I found out that it was an ungraded activity, so all the stress was off my shoulders and I just got to play nurse for 15 minutes without someone over my shoulder watching my every move. Although, that would be important in the real life, of course...but I think the dummy could handle a little error or two ;)

We got to school at 8:00am that day and later found out that our sim appointment was not until 1:00pm -_-

After we all did our patient teaching presentations (EASY. I could talk for DAYS about nutrition to a patient, haha), we had 3 hours to kill. Michelle, Gina and I decided we were sick of studying and decided to go kill our antsy-ness at the Discovery Lake across the street from campus and climb half of Double Peak...in our scrubs.

Haha, yes. We looked like losers. But it was better than sitting in a classroom all day telling myself I SHOULD be studying or doing something productive for school ;)

Discovery Lake...so pretty, yet so nasty on the inside, haha

Gina and Michelle

White shoes for uniform are overrated. Nike rebels. My knees and back thank me!

Haha, love my nursing twin, Michelle :)

Bahaha...wildobeasts

Budokon Yoga

Today, Lindsey and I finally got our chance to do a Budokan yoga workshop! I've been waiting a long time for this day! Because of my tight nursing student budget, I'm limited to only the yoga classes offered at 24 Hour Fitness. A couple weeks ago, one of my favorite instructors at all of the gyms, gave a sample seminar of this Budokon yoga, and I loved it! It was a high energy and constant fluid movement class that was a surprisingly intense workout. And it made my body feel extra good (and tired) afterwards. So, I saved up the $20 to sign up for her Budokon yoga workshop to give the full flow and 2 hour class a try!

Budokon yoga is a fairly new style of yoga which combines yoga and martial arts. It mixes the postural tissue strengthening of yoga and the athletic push of martial arts. I thought it was similar to Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu with yoga mix. It suppose to be great for joint strengthening by increasing synovial fluid and stretching and utilizing deep tissue fasciae.

Anyway, I obviously loved it. She will be starting a weekly class soon, so it looks like I might have to start saving up money for a REAL yoga studio! She also mentioned that Budokon training is pretty affordable (for yoga teaching anyway) and is only $495 in Miami Beach, Florida. Obviously I wouldn't be able to do any of that soon, but it's something to look forward to one day!

Here are some of the crazy things we did (or that I attempted) in class today:

Take a look at some of the videos on their Facebook by clicking here: Budokon San Diego

Reminiscing of Europe

This Spring Break has been a nice break from school, but not so much from the studying and homework. Even though I've been working my butt off REAL hard this entire semester, I am still so behind and have so much to catch up on in these last 5 weeks of school.

Yikes...5 weeks...

Anyway, today while I was working on some projects for school, I couldn't help but keep thinking about my study abroad in Spain. I think about it A LOT! I am still so grateful that I got the opportunity to go when and where I did. It was perfect timing. I met a great group of people and saw amazing things on a daily basis.

It's really a hard feeling to describe...feeling in awe and just SO happy to be where you are and doing what you're doing. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a happy person and love where I'm taking my life...but being in the nursing school grind is not really an incredibly "awe inspiring" lifestyle.

Looking back, I realize how much happiness and gratefulness can really have a major effect on my life and health. My skin was flawless. My stomach problems were gone. No allergies. I know it's part of the "Spain thing" to eat healthy, but it was beyond that.

It's a great reminder for me to remember to take my life where I want to take it. Do what I want to do and what makes me happy. I worked SO HARD to get into this program, and have gotten to a point where I almost hate what it's doing to me because I am SO stressed and SO busy all the time. I feel like I've isolated myself from my friends and family...which I hate. But to remember how badly I wanted to get it, I keep the print out of the one TEAS test score that got me in. It gave me the 4 extra points to make the cut off from the previous year I didn't get it. I have it hanging on my bulletin board as an occasional remind that I WANT THIS!

2 more years and I am done. I can take a break and go back out and see the world! I can't wait to work per diem and take weeks off at the time to go explore the rest of the world.

I will REALLY need some soul feeding after this program.

I'm glad I have the memories of Spain to keep my head up and not get bogged down by the negative side effects that this program has on me.

Haha I'm a free spirit, I wasn't made for this prison! ;)

I miss you España!!

Casa de las Campanas

Last Wednesday, I had my first job interview in 5 years at a luxury retirement living community in Rancho Bernardo. My friend from my nursing program used to work there, and put a good word in for me and any other nursing students who were interested in the job. After I thought about it, I realized I really only had ONE formal and personal one-on-one interview before, and that is when I was 16 working retail! Everything else was a group interview or joke interviews created by the moms I used to nanny for. I didn't know what to expect or really what to say, but I just went for it! After these past 2 semesters in nursing school, I've learned I can talk about myself all day if I needed to! Especially in relation to my "nursing" skills.

My pre-interview, "wish me luck" face :/

The interview was surprisingly quick. It was my potential future manager and an RN I would be working with and they just asked me about my experience in nursing school and how to handle certain scenarios. I have tests almost weekly on things like this so that was cake for me! But because the interview was only 10 minutes or less, I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She said she had a couple more interview and will let me know soon!

WELL!! Yesterday, a week later, I got a call saying that I was hired as their new Per Diem CNA!

YAY!!

I'm excited! This is going to be a great job for me! Because I will be working per diem, I will not have a strictly set schedule. She will send out a monthly calendar and I get to pick which days and shifts I want to work, as long as I work at least 2 days per month...PERFECT flexibility with school! I meet with HR tomorrow to go over some paperwork and start the process of background checking and getting exams done, and as soon as I finish that, I start my orientation in each of my 3 areas: independent living, dementia unit, and assisted living. Hopefully I'll have all of that done before the end of April so I can pick my shifts for May!

I'm planning a camping trip to the Yosemite area during my 2 weeks before I start summer semester! I gotta get dibs on the good shifts so I can make a little summer money before then! 

:D