The End is Near

With only less than a week until graduation, I FINALLY have some time to sit down and update the blog. We are finally in the home stretch! Only two more days of class, a few more finals and then graduation on Friday! 

When I first started the nursing program, I thought it would never end. I'm pretty sure I cried everyday for the first week and wanted to drop out everyday for the last 15 months. It has added a LOT of stress to my life (including gaining weight and raising my blood pressure to stroke levels), and cost me way more money than I could ever afford. But even with all of that, I wouldn't change a thing. I have had some of the most spiritual, touching and life-changing experiences during the nursing program. I've met some of the most amazing people and made the best friends I could ever ask for. I have learned so much and gained a greater appreciation for the human body. I've become more confident in my skills and found one of my greatest callings in life. So yes, even though I've probably cried more times in the program than I have in my entire life, and even though it seemed a whole lot easier to just give up, I can finally look back on my experience and say that it was definitely worth all the tears and the stress. Here's to enduring to the end!

Last day of clinical for the program

Well, just to catch up on this year's Thanksgiving celebration, Jordan and I decided to make a surprise trip up to Washington. It had been three years since having Thanksgiving with my family so we figured it was probably time to head up there this year. The fun part was that only my parents knew so it was going to be a complete surprise for my sisters. Mom and Dad bought us a hotel room near Boise since we were going to split the trip up, and then we arrived in Richland the next day right before the girls got out of school. It was so great cause Mom had the video camera ready to record their reactions. Once they turned down the street, they saw our car parked in front of the house and started to freak out. But Sammie told them not to get their hopes up in case it wasn't us. However, as soon as they saw the Broncos sticker on the back of our car, they knew it was us and started screaming! Apparently Shonna and Ronnie jumped out of the car before Sammie had even parked haha. We saw them running and screaming up to the house and then they burst through the door to hug us. It was the best reaction ever! That's how you know your sisters love you haha. 

Then it was time to surprise Lydia. We all went to the elementary school and stood outside in the play field while we waited for her to get out of class. We were probably about 100 feet away from the door but we could still see her perfectly once she came out. She saw us, froze, and then took off running towards us. I started to head towards her and she jumped up in my arms. It was so sweet! To be honest, surprising my sisters was the part of our trip I was most excited about. I love love love my family and love it when I get to be with them. 

Thanksgiving was great. We cooked a giant feast, got out our China dishes, set up fancy tables, Skyped with family in Texas, Olympia and North Carolina and stuffed our faces. We played tons of card games and ate Grandma's delicious homemade pies, Later that night we braved our way to Wal-Mart to get a few necessities (like phone cases for Jordan's and my new phones) and watched lots of movies. On Black Friday, we went to a few more stores and saw Mockingjay Part 1 as a family. Such a good movie! Saturday was busy with helping a family move into the neighborhood, eating lunch at Shanghai, and having Juli and Trevor Webb over for homemade pizza. Sunday we left for Rexburg, but it wasn't too sad of a goodbye since we knew we would see them again in three weeks for graduation. And here we are only a few days away! 

 

So that was Thanksgiving for us this year. It was just what we needed and everything we wanted. Since then, we've been busy working and finishing school, going through boxes in preparation for moving, applying for jobs down in Salt Lake, Christmas shopping and enjoying time with family here in Idaho.

ward Christmas party

As a final thought, I just want to share my testimony on the power of prayer. At the end of the nursing program, we are required to take three exit exams and pass at least one of them to get our degree. So yeah, you could say there is quite a bit of pressure for those of us getting ready to graduate. Well we had to get a 62% on the first test to pass it and I got a 60% (that probably sounds ridiculously easy but trust me, it's not. They make the tests extremely difficult in order to give us an accurate idea of how prepared we are for the NCLEX.) Needless to say, I was very discouraged when I left the testing center. I cried, got depressed, lost motivation to do anything and felt like a failure. After talking to my parents, we decided we would put a lot more spiritual effort into the next one. I studied more, prayed almost every second of everyday, all of us fasted on Sunday (including my sisters which I thought was very sweet of them), got a Priesthood blessing from Jordan the night before and my dad even fasted during work the day I took my test. This test was 180 questions and I needed a 65% to pass. After almost two hours, I finally ended the test. As an answer to all of our prayers, I passed the test with a 70.6%! I no longer had to worry about graduation and getting my degree and it was such a relief. I know I couldn't have done it without my amazing and supportive family. I know it was their faith and positivity that helped me the most. I still thank God everyday for helping me get through it. I know Heavenly Father hears our prayers and is aware of our needs. As long as we are willing to do our part and put in as much effort as we can, then he will sustain us the rest of the way. This is true no matter how big or small our needs are, no matter where we are in life. There are many new and exciting adventures in the near future for Jordan and me and we can't wait to see where they take us! 

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Wowzers. It's been awhile since I've last written. But what can I say. . . life will do that to you! Remember in my last post how I said I had only gotten through the first two weeks of the semester but at least I was two weeks closer to graduation? Fast forward to today, and now graduation is only a month away.

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!

Visiting AJ during our Utah trip

Had an ultrasound done on my leg to make sure there wasn't a bloodclot

Well I'll tell you. In the last two months, I've taken at least 15 nursing tests, completed over 100 hours of clinical, almost finished my preceptorship in the Labor & Delivery department at the hospital, applied to a few hospitals down in Salt Lake, gotten sick several times, taken care of a sick husband, completed thousands of hours of homework (okay maybe not thousands but it feels like a lot), went to the doctor too many times for various health reasons, took a trip down to Utah, had a dog, sold a dog, celebrated four birthdays and Halloween, went to a ton of football games,

helped grandma babysit the cutest boys and slept when there

Goofing off at a football game

was a little extra time. Oh and we've been spending a lot of time with family watching The Walking Dead. So yeah, that's where the time has gone.

21st birthday lemonade at Texas Roadhouse

Birthday cheesecake cake

Cort, the cutest little boy out there

She comes home in less than a month!

Our Halloween costumes

One of my many injuries/health problems this semester

It still hasn't really hit me yet that I'm graduating from college soon. It probably won't hit me until I'm walking across the stage at graduation haha.
Maybe I'm just denying the fact that I have to actually become a real REAL adult in a few weeks.
Am I ready to be a nurse?
Am I ready to leave all of my nursing friends and work on my own?

I think I am ready but it's still a scary thought sometimes. However, I know that God has everything figured out already because things are starting to fall into place. Jordan and I found a very affordable basement apartment down in Salt Lake that is in his mom's ward, so that will be nice as we're transitioning. Jordan has a job lined up for when we move down and I've applied to a few jobs already. And of course, we'll be living near family which will really help a lot.

That's about it for us. Crazy to think that in less than a month my best friend will be home from her Provo mission already as well. Time definitely flies when you're busy. I can't say that time flies when you're having fun cause it's not always fun haha. But we've made some pretty great memories through all of the chaos and I wouldn't change anything.

I honestly can't wait for my family to come down for Christmas and graduation. I can't wait to move down to Utah and I can't wait to become a nurse. But I'm not going to wait to be happy until those exciting things happen. I'm going to try to find happiness in all of the tests, the homework, the night shifts, the bills, the snow and the sickness. Because life is too short to wait.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Two Weeks Closer

For this blog post, I wanted to catch up on everything that's happened since I started my last semester in the nursing program. I've only gotten through two weeks of the semester but it already feels like an eternity haha. At least I'm two weeks closer to graduation, right?! Only twelve more weeks, but who's counting. . .

Anyway, we celebrated Jordan's 23rd birthday on the 16th and it was a lot of fun! I had a nine hour clinical orientation that day but I still tried to make it special for him by bringing him taco bell during my short lunch break and then leaving some of his favorite treats on the bed for when he got home from work. He said it was a nice surprise so I think it was a success! After I got home from school, we hung out for a bit before we headed to dinner. Jordan wanted Sizzler's steak and all you can eat shrimp! It had been years since I had eaten there so it was fun to try something new. Even though we had to drive the long 30 minutes to eat in Idaho Falls, it was nice being able to spend some alone time together, especially since this was our first birthday celebration as a married couple. Shortly after dinner, we Skyped my family and Grandma and Grandpa Warren came over to our apartment to sing happy birthday and watch him open presents. Jordan was definitely spoiled on his birthday! He got giftcards, movies, some of his favorite snacks and a Nintendo 64 game he had been wanting, just to name a few. Oh and I think the Seahawks shot glass was his favorite gift out of all of them ;) Then he blew out his candles which were stuck in a caramel brownie, the dessert he requested for his birthday "cake" haha. My goal for his birthday was to spoil him as much as possible because he certainly deserved it. Jordan gets up for work at 4:40 in the morning five times a week and works 40 hours to support us. Even with all of the frustrations that come with work, he still manages to keep a positive attitude and take care of me. I love him more than I can express and admire his hard work ethic. I'm glad we get to celebrate a million more birthdays together!

We also celebrated Shonna's 13th birthday last weekend via Skype and that was great too! It is so hard for me to believe that she is already a teenager because I remember taking care of her as a baby. Time has flown by so quickly and she has grown into a beautiful, strong, loving daughter of God. Everyone who knows Shonna loves being around her because of her friendly and hilarious personality. I am so proud to be her older sister and can't wait to continue watching her as she makes a difference in this world. We love you Shonna!

Even though it has already been stressful and busy, I'm enjoying this semester the most because of what we're studying. Since we are learning about infants and children, we get to do our clinicals in the labor & delivery departments, NICU's and mother & baby units! For those who don't know, my long-time dream and goal has been to eventually work in the labor & delivery department after I graduate because I just LOVE babies. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Last Thursday, I got one step closer to living that dream when I had a clinical up at Madison! There was one induction scheduled for that day and I had the privilege of helping to deliver the baby. It was one of the sweetest, most special experiences I've ever had. It was a hectic, busy morning trying to make sure that everything was going smoothly and that the couple felt comfortable during their stay. But when the time of delivery came, I had to fight back tears when the father started crying and the mother was finally able to hold her baby. Even one of the nurses who had worked there for many, many years had tears in her eyes because the Spirit was so strong in that room. Another one of Heavenly Father's precious children had come to earth, making the veil so very thin in that moment.

After spending over ten hours with this couple, I became very close to them and grew to love them as I watched their precious son come into the world. I don't know if I will ever see them again but I am so grateful that they allowed me to share those tender moments with them. Never before have I been so excited to have a baby of my own someday and now I know without a doubt that this is what I want to do with my career. When I worked in the nursing home, I got to experience the other end of the spectrum as people I loved left the earth. I know there will be good days and bad days with this type of work. I knew that long before I signed up for the job. But I believe God has blessed me with the talents, the heart and the strength to help those who are either mourning or rejoicing. Life is a beautiful thing, whether we are entering it or leaving it, and I want to be there for those sacred moments.

To add to the chaos and excitement of the last few weeks, I've also been suffering from some pretty bad pain in my left leg. I have no idea where it came from because I can't think of anything I've done recently to hurt it (although I'm sure a twelve hour clinical on my feet doesn't help too much). But it's here nonetheless and I have to deal with it. I went to one of the campus doctors on Friday and after explaining everything to him, he immediately wanted me to get an ultrasound done to make sure it wasn't a blood clot. Considering all of my risk factors---being female, take birth control, sitting in classes all day---he decided it was better to be safe than sorry. And even though I hate the costs of medical treatment, I agreed. So Jordan and I went to the hospital for our first ultrasound (hehe) and found out that the blood vessels in my leg were just fine and clot free. In a way it's good news because I'm not going to die of a pulmonary embolism, but unfortunately, hearing that news didn't take away the pain. So here I am, trying not to collapse every time I stand up and trying not to cry every time I sit down.

On a happier note to end the week right, Jordan and I have some exciting news! No, we are not having a baby (I already ran that course with my ultrasound joke), but we ARE gaining a new member of our family. In about a week and a half, we will finally get to pick up a little cocker spaniel puppy! He's everything we've been wanting: male, white and brown like Pongo, cute, adorable and everything else that comes from being a puppy! We are soooo excited. Jordan and I both feel he will help relieve a lot of stress and bring a little more happiness into our lives. When we get him we will definitely post pictures, but until then we wait. Thanks for sharing the excitement with us!

Just as we've been taught, there must be opposition in all things, and we have certainly seen that in the last few weeks. But without the pain and the chaos, we wouldn't appreciate the good health or the peace as much as we do! It's the little things that make the biggest difference.

Summer Days: Part Two

Previously on Pretty Little Liars. . . just kidding. Previously on the blog, I had written about my family visiting us here in Rexburg. For part two of our summer adventures, I'm going to write about us visiting my family in Richland! I can honestly say that my favorite part of every summer is visiting Washington. Even though I only lived there for 12 years, it will always be home to me. 

Anyway, we arrived in Richland on Tuesday, August 5 after listening to a Mary Higgins Clark book on CD the entire drive. We were happily greeted by Lydia's screams of joy and Pongo's sausage tail wagging. It was the best coming-home welcome ever. As we rested from our travels, Mom treated us to some of the essential oils she had recently purchased (which helped my headache a TON) and then the girls immediately started playing Dr. Mario on the Nintendo 64 we had brought with us haha. That night we just relaxed outside, enjoying the warm Tri-Cities summer weather, and caught up with my favorite Briebers. It was good to be home.

For the next couple of days, we continued with some of our favorite traditions, which included working on our annual summer play. This year Jenna decided to direct our own version of the movie "Frozen," which turned out great and was the first play Jordan participated in. But even though we FINALLY had a boy who could play the male roles, Jenna still had some of the girls play the guys in the movie haha. We ate at Casa Mia with Bri (another favorite tradition), played with Pongo at the park, ate Mom's delicious and famous homemade pizza, visited with the missionaries, watched good movies, etc. And just to make it like old times, Pongo even came into our room to sleep with me once Dad left for work in the morning. It was perfect. 

Early Friday morning, we left for Silverwood wearing our specially hand-picked superhero shirts. I was way more excited for this year's trip since it was Jordan's first time there and I love going to theme parks with him. We were also very blessed this year because a family friend let us stay at their home in Coeur d'Alene so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel, and then we didn't have to even pay for any tickets thanks to the elementary school and to the generosity of some extremely nice friends. So yes, we were very blessed when it came to our annual Silverwood trip and we enjoyed every minute of it. We rode almost every ride in the park, especially Aftershock (in honor of Alex and her favorite ride) and laughed our heads off as we got drenched in the water-shooting bumper boats thing (thank you Dad for ganging up on me the whole time). We stuffed our faces with ice cream, lost our voices screaming on the waterslides, got lots of compliments on our shirts and partied hard until the sun went down. We finally left the park around 10 pm, ordered pizza from Domino's (another tradition), and fell asleep pretty quickly haha. It was a busy and extremely fun day for all of us. 

On Saturday we began our annual shopping trip in Spokane and literally shopped for 6 hours straight. I think we could all say it was a successful and crazy day (especially since I was pretty sure I had a small concussion from all of the rollercoasters the day before), and we all came away with quite a few new outfits. We found lots of good clearance sales and deals, ate lunch at the food court, and I even found some clothes I felt good in, which I think was the best success of the weekend (if you've been keeping up with my latest frustrations then you'll understand why). We got home from Spokane around 9 pm, sorted through all of our purchases, and decided to go to Applebee's for late night appetizers (another favorite traditions). It was such a great weekend. 

One of my favorite parts about visiting Washington is going to church on Sunday because I absolutely LOVE the Duportail Ward. It's really hard to beat those people because they are one of a kind and they feel like family. Richland wards are the best, hands down. We spent the rest of the Sabbath as usual, taking naps, watching home videos and playing games together. 

Monday was filled with more traditions like eating lunch at Shang Hai, our favorite Chinese restaurant ever. In fact, we eat there as a family so much that the owners and workers know who we are haha. Man I'm drooling just writing about it. If you're reading this and you live in the Tri-Cities, please go to Kennewick and eat some of their General Tso chicken for me. Thanks. After that we did some shopping at Target (since the one in Idaho Falls doesn't even compare) and then went to a neighborhood party to say goodbye to the Becker family. For Family Home Evening, we got together with the Hunt's so they could share with us their recent trip to Missouri and church history tours. They also taught us a crazy fun card game---Lucky Unders---which we love to play now. Speaking of the Hunt family, please continue to pray for them and for AJ. I'm sure they could use as much love and support and faith as possible in this time of trial. We love you Hunt family! 

Well, that just about wraps up our adventures in Washington. As usual, the trip was much too short but very much enjoyed. From my experience, some of the best parts of life are the little traditions we create with our friends and family and then continuing those traditions and make memories that last forever. Washington will always have a special place in my heart for many reasons (thank you Jordan for being one of them) and I can't wait to go back!