Summer...

At least for the day!  It was in the 70's today and an absolutely amazing day to live at the beach.  We spent the better part of the day at Hug Point playing in the sand, relaxing and this year's first attempt at surfing.  The water was great and I totally loved being back in my wet-suit for some wave fun.  I took Sebastian out in the waves and he had a blast.  We played with the boogie board and just jumped around.  After he was done in the water, I took out my surfboard.  It was fun .. but the undertow was too much and the break between the waves very short, so I only got on the board a couple of times .. still it was lots of fun.

We came home from the beach, took a quick break, reloaded the car with firewood, dinner stuff and sand-toys ... and back to the beach again.  This time we went to the local beach and met up with some great friends for a beach fire and hotdog roast.  Yummy!!!!  The weather was just amazing.  The fire was keeping us nice and toasty as we watched a glorious sunset and as the stars came out. 

I am totally beat as I write this ..  but boy this was just a perfect day.

Winter term is over...

Grades are in and I am a happy girl.  Two more classes crossed of my list ... just one more term of Anatomy and Physiology and I will be officially done with all the prerequisites for nursing school. 

This week is spring break for both the kids and myself.  Rio took the week off too and we are all enjoying family time without many plans or things that we need to do. 

I have been at the hospital the last two days in a row.  Yesterday I went for some lab work in the morning .. then it was off to volunteer in the emergency room for the afternoon, and finally to a NODA meeting in the evening.  NODA stands for No One Dies Alone and is a volunteer program at the hospital and is a program where trained volunteers sit with patients during the final days or hours of life especially when family members or friends are not near.  It is truly a special program and while I have not yet had the opportunity to sit at a vigil, I think the idea behind it is wonderful.  Oprah wrote an article about here: http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Kindness-of-Strangers-How-One-Nurse-Made-Sure-No-One-Dies-Alone. 

Then today I went for an all day training and it was interesting to participate in a structured corporate style training again but this time in a healthcare environment.  I am truly excited about the path that my life is taking ... 

"Sorry you did not make it through this round"...

Today I read an online posting about the accelerated nursing program that I have applied to.  Apparently they have sent out the first round of e-mail notifications to those that have not made it through first round selections...and guess what????

I did NOT get one!!!  Woohoo I really hope this means good news .. reading that posting this evening totally gave me little butterflies in my stomach.  The possibility that either I am in or potentially on the waiting list is great.....more waiting here we go :-)

...tapping my fingers impatiently!

My baby is 8...

As I sit here and write, I am watching my sweet little boy sleep.  He is not so little anymore but the sweetness lingers and I love him more than words can describe.  I cannot believe that he is so big already.  Speaking about big and grown, my oldest just realized he is taller than me!  I know I know ... I am not tall by any means but still - I have officially been outgrown!!  ... and my kid is happy as a clam about it!  Really it does not seem like that long ago when I held snuggly little babies in my arms and now one is 8, my girlie is 12 and my bigger boy is soon to be 14 - if time could just stand still for just a moment.  I know how lucky I am to have my three beautiful children ... they are my world!

I am totally stuffed with birthday cake as we celebrate with cake for a second night in a row.  Since Daddy was not home on Sebastian's actual birthday, we had to celebrate his "fake" birthday yesterday!  Boy who does not love getting presents a day early!!!  So we did the whole celebration last night with cake, presents and goodies.  But there was enough cake leftover that we sang to him again tonight and he got to make another wish and blow out candles again ... he loved every minute of it too!

This week is finals week and I am up to my eyeballs in my A&P notes and trying to get my genetics final completed.  There is so much stuff to know and it is overwhelming knowing just how much I still have to review before feeling ready to take my final on Wednesday and turn in my paper on Thursday .... I will be happy to have two more classes behind me especially when I think about the  mountains of stuff I have yet to learn in nursing school.  But man - I am just so excited about it!  Each time I volunteer at the hospital, I try to just take it all in.  I really am lucky that I am able to volunteer in the emergency room.  It is a great way to listen and observe and now that I am almost through the second (of three) anatomy courses, the "details" are beginning to come together and make sense in a whole new way.

Application #2 is available and due by April 5th...

I am applying for a second nursing program at the local community college where I am taking my pre-requisite courses.  The good thing about this program is that admission is purely based on a point system.  There are only 20 spot available in the program, but I think I have a great chance of getting one of them.  Obviously it will depend on the rest of the applicant pool and how my points match up against everyone else.  I will be competitive as I know there are some great students applying as well..so I am just keeping my fingers crossed that I have enough points to make it in!

The are several upsides to the program here.  For one it is a lot cheaper than the program in Portland and no more is required for me to attend.  Also since the curriculum is spread over a longer period, I will have more flexibility with my schedule. 

Then again, there are several downsides ... isn't there always.  If we stay here, we are still not in one place...and since Rio works in Portland, relocating to the city is a great option so we can all be together more. 

The biggest downside in my eyes is perhaps program length.  The accelerated program will conclude in 16 months and I will have my BSN whereas the local program is an ADN program.  Here it will take 7 terms (almost 2 years) to get to my ADN and then I will need to complete an RN to BSN bridge which will take another year.  But then again slow and steady still wins the race ... it truly is about making sure that I find the right fit.  Not only for me but for our entire family.

So which program do I choose.... the obvious choice is - the one that accepts my application!!!  If I only get accepted to one school, then the choice is made....but if I get accepted to both, then I need to make a decision and hopefully the smartest one for all of us.... and which one is that exactly!!!

I have all these thoughts just rummaging around in my head ... competing for my brain cells that are trying to retain all about the brain, the endocrine system, and shortly the circulatory system.  I swear the more I learn the more I realize how much I have yet to learn.

BLS certified...

Yippeeee... one more thing of my To-Do list. 

As I am planning (wishing, hoping, praying!!!) to start nursing school this year and currently volunteering in a local emergency department, "now" seemed as good as time as any to become up-to-date on my CPR certification.   I started it back in December and finished the online training portion through the American Heart Association for getting my BLS (Basic Life Support) training for Healthcare Providers.  Due to the holidays and such I was not able to fit in the practical aspect of the training and the test at that time ... but it got done this morning and I have my certificate to prove it!!!

Woohoo for small victories :-) ....now on to dealing with an emergency dental visit for Olivia as she chipped a tooth this morning and yet another orthodontic appointment for Magnus, who hopefully will not get yelled at the dentist for non-compliant brushing!!!

Happy Monday :-)

I am waiting...

For news on two fronts!!!

The longest wait is going to be related to school.  My nursing school application was submitted and received and the long wait for acceptance letters to come out mid-April is going to be .. well LONG!!!!  However, I am so excited about having it turned in.  School is going well and I am so happy to be at the point when I can once again apply to nursing school.  It was disappointing to decline my spot in the program back in Illinois last year, but it was the best option for our family at that time.   But now I am just really happy to once again be at this point where I am waiting to hopefully be accepted.   I am going to think only good thoughts.   I really know in my core that this is the right direction for me and every time I volunteer in the Emergency Room it just reaffirms that I REALLY really want to do this.

The other piece of news is related to this amazing thing called surrogacy!  It has now been year since A&S and I decided to explore the options for pursuing a journey together once again.  There have been some hills to climb in this journey and a few things still need to fall into to place ... but the possibilities of continuing our journey is here.  A and I have been chatting back and forth a lot and I think we both have little jitters.  A&S have dreamed of adding to their family for a long time and at times I know it seemed like we would never get to this point ... yet here we are.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring :-)

...Happy waiting!!!