My second nursing application is turned in...

It was dropped off on Tuesday and I am happy to have it in - now all I have to do is wait!  I am really good at that ... tapping my little feet and waiting.  So much easier said than done!

Acceptance letters are supposed to go out from OHSU on April 15th.  I find it a bit ironic that the deadline is April 15th again this year.....as an accountant, rounding April 15th is always great news as that means a big chunk of busy work is out of the way.  How funny that this date is making another presence of sorts in my life ... seems very appropriate!  Anyways .. just ten or so more days to go before I will have an answer.  It has been a long wait and I find my self checking email frequently to see there are any news...but no news yet.  So I am going with the "no news is good news" at least for now.

Week one of the term is over and we are right back in the deep of things.  It will be a busy term so I am glad that I just have one class to concentrate on.  I am trying to get Spanish lessons worked into my schedule as often as I can and I have managed to make it through the first four lessons.  It is actually lots of fun to be studying Spanish again.  Thinking that I need to plan another trip to Mexico just so I can practice!

...by the way .. is it April 15th yet?????  ;-)

Been a slacker on the workout front...

But April 1st is here and I am back at it!!!   I managed to keep below 125 for a while but with out consistent workouts my weight has crept back up to just under 130.  Not happy with that so April 1 is a new day ... and 125 watch out - I got my eye on you!!!

Started my morning bright and early on the abglider and with a hand weight work for upper body.  After the kids went to school, I attempted the cardio insanity workout ... yuck... I did not get far :-(  I did about 1/2 the workout but with breaks in between - this is crazy that my stamina has taken such a quick dive. 

I want to do the Spartan Sprint again but they changed the Northwest dates to August this year so it will all depend on timing whether or not I can do it.  So in the short term I will need something else to focus as my goal ... now off to ponder which race I want to run and where :-)

Happy April 1st y'all :-)

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.