Shooting w/ Britney!

This week we have a week off of clinical, so after class today me & Britney went shooting! She has her own gun and concealed weapons permit (it's hilarious because she's this cute little blonde girl w/ her own gun!) so we went to Caswell's in Mesa. She taught me how to do everything like load the magazine, load the gun, and shoot (but I have a problem w/ anticipating the recoil)! It was SO SO SO much fun! Almost more relaxing than a massage. Now I want a gun, haha. Then we went shopping for swimsuits and dresses. Love her! Can't wait to go to the shooting range again (side note: Steve extremely jealous and mad that a "girl" taught me how to shoot). Girls are a better shot than guys, anyway:)

Drowning in school...

Well, we just took our third test...two more to go then the final! Our next test is cardiac and neuro, yikes. I had to do a teaching plan for clinical, an evidence-based practice paper, study, work, and now we have to work on our presentation tomorrow. On Tuesday we have a CLA, which is like performing a nursing scenario-thing while your instructors watch (last time it took us about 15 minutes to notice our patient's NG tube was dislodged...uuuughhh!) plus going to the hospital to pick 2 patients, plus doing 2 care plans til like midnight. I'm tired and in a bad mood. I feel like no one understands sometimes! Well, maybe just Steve. He's supportive, but I think he thinks I'm crazy and study too much. But if I didn't do what I do, I wouldn't have the grades that I do! Plus, I love it. I have the worst headache. I need some food. And I need to workout, which I haven't done in 2 weeks...double uuuugghh. But I did have fun last weekend for Steve's birthday! I posted a picture. OK, I feel better. I needed to vent.

Could I really move?

So, Steve's dad owns his own janitorial business in Cut Off, Louisiana called Coastal Janitorial. He makes a crazy amount of money, and offered Steve $80K per year to start, and then taking over the company in 5 years. We could have everything...living close to his family, a close-community to raise kids, have his uncle build our house, fish, eat, go to Saints and Hornets games, go to New Orleans all the time, etc. He likes his job now and makes great money (Liberty Mutual), but I feel like he needs more out of life. I told him that I would have to finish school and apply for a job out there (probably in New Orleans...yikes!). If I got offered a really good job, then that would be our determining factor on if we moved or not. It makes us really sad to think about leaving everything here though! Steve said he would definitely cry (hehe). I know coaching at Aspire is not considered a "real job", but I don't think I'm ready to leave it yet. Even when I start working as a nurse, I still want to coach 2-3 days a week. I want to see the girls achieve their goals and still be in their lives. I know this isn't going to be for another 2 years if it actually happens, but I am already kinda sad that it's a possibility. But I guess you have to do what's right for your family (me and Steve, haha). And it could be fun, right? We had so much fun when we went this December:

My favorite restaurant in New Orleans...mmmm Bourbon Milk Punch! And all the Abita beer flavors!

Steve absolutely loves to fish!

On top of the amazing houseboat during a fishing break (it even stays during hurricanes! and it's nicer than my house!)

Steve's sister Jennifer and her new fiance (they just got engaged) Josh!

This is us outside of Steve's cousin's restaurant that he owns...so good!

Drive-thru daiquiris??? Do I even need another reason to move???

Bourbon Street!

The Superdome!

25 Interesting Things...thanks Kari:)

You've all seen these 'Interesting Things' I'm sure...You just list 25 interesting things about yourself. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as you think it's interesting.

25. I will never, ever forget my first semester of clinicals in the nursing home. I took care of a really young guy who was a quadriplegic. He had gotten in a "dirty fight" where somene stepped on his head and he was paralyzed. In the notes it said he was often abusive and mean to the staff. Well, let me tell you he was just the opposite. At the end of the day he said, "I don't think I want you to leave"... I still think about that!

24. I miss all my gym friends from growing up and just standing in line and learning the lyrics to "Waterfalls" and "Hook".

23. We get excited when we hear "Level 1 trauma in 10 minutes by air" at the hospital...is that somehow, like, depraved?

22. I am obsessed with candles...my recent $20 (I know!) purchase was the Sun & Sand Yankee candle.

21. I just picked up that candle and smelled it...mmmmmm spring break!

20. I can't wait for spring break on the beach in Rocky Point!

19. I love Steve even though he's a butthead.

18. My friends at school call me "Marinara" haha (it's not that funny, I know:)

17. I want all of the Grey's Anatomy scrubs in all the colors when I graduate (hopefully I graduate!)

16. Why does Titus still poop in the house???

15. Steve still isn't home and it's 10:30...what the heck?

14. My favorite food is now frozen grapes.

13. I wish I could stay in touch with my friends more.

12. Last night, I fell asleep at 9:30.

11. I really think I should've been born in the '70s. I am obsessed with '70s music, movies, style, everything!

10. I LOVE my birthday astrology book. If you want me to tell you what your sign means, I will because this little book is amazing. I am an aquarius and it fits me to the T! My 3 words are Independent, Intense, Intellectual. Love it!
Kari: Determined, Perfectionist, Organized
Trisha: Active, Ambitious, Powerful
Lindsay: Exuberant, Enthusiastic, Optimistic
Debbie: same as me

9. I love the beach. I want to live in Huntington someday.

8. Pamela Anderson says her doctor says you should have 3, well-formed bowel movements a day. Is that true?

7. I take on WAAAAAAY too much ALL THE TIME and I don't know how to stop!

6. I'm totally saving the environment because I carpool everyday to school (love my carpool, Britney!)

5. I think I want to live in Louisiana. When we were there, the days went by so slow and we went to bed at like 8pm. It was so relaxing. I love to go fishing on the boat, sit out on Steve's dad's porch and drink wine by the fire, eat at Steve's cousin's restaurant (Cafe Oceana), visit their camp in Grand Isle, walk and eat on Bourbon Street, and Cafe Du Monde! There is so much history there.

4. I changed my mind...my favorite foods are cheese grits, beignets, and coffee. And the daiquiris from the drive-thru daiquiri place!

3. I want to move, but I also want my mom to see my kids a lot when I have them.

2. I truly believe that you should be happy everyday. If you hate what you're doing, move on and find something you love! I have quit numerous jobs after, like, a week because life's too short and I didn't like it! Even if you don't get paid as much, it's worth it for the love of going to work everyday. Life really is too short.

1. I am obsessed with stars and space. I want to be an astronaut and fly to outer space (but only if i knew I could come back safely...same reason I have deathly fears of airplanes, elevators, skydiving, jet-skis, you name it I'm afraid!)

Life is good!

So, we had our first test of Block II last week. I think I got, like, an 89% so I was pretty happy. Even better though, is that our clinicals this semseter are at the hospital (Scottsdale Osborn) instead of the nursing home (where we were ALL last semester)!!! The nurses are so nice and helpful...they actually like being paired with students! The doctors are a trip, but it's cool because they will teach you things if you look like you want to learn (even if what they're saying flies right over your head!) Anyways, I started my first IV on a REAL PERSON yesterday! It was pretty cool (maybe not for the patient...lol). I also watched one of the doctors suture a fasciotomy wound. I have met some of the most amazing girls in my class. It's nice to be surrounded with hard-working, motivated people who are just genuinely your friend and care about helping each other through this experience. We even have a little study group that meets at Barnes and Noble on Sundays to go through NCLEX questions...I'm a nerd, I know. I am just so excited that I found what I love! We gave a patient a bed bath yesterday and he told us that we made his day. Just simple things like that mean a lot. I hope I never lose that outlook on it.

In other news, the Level 4 girls that I coach won the Hard Rock meet at University of Phoenix Stadium last week. They won a Fender electric guitar and $100! I have never seen a more excited group of dads afterwards...so fun. Their next meet is the Sun Devil Classic with the new Level 4's (who just started competing this season). It will be their last meet at Level 4...good for them because they have been itching to go full-force training Level 5.

Things with Steve have been going good. He has been really busy with work, even though he hasn't been sleeping. His doctor put him on Cymbalta (which doesn't take effect for a few weeks, but he swore he felt happier the day after he took it...whatever). I can't even imagine what it feels like not to sleep...awful. So he's been pretty crabby the last few weeks, but we'll see how the new medication works. He was also prescribed 30 Ambien (again!), which is weird to me because you're only supposed to take it for 7-10 days. But what do I know...I'm just in nursing school...