Whew!

All done!! Haaaallleeellluuujjjjaaaahhhhh!!!!!! :) So, I'd like to say it wasn't stressful at all and it was a breeze...but I don't want to lie to you! I can say, I wasn't as stressed out as some of my classmates were, but it was quite a morning! We had the first exam at 9. It was ok...covered some different material than we were all expecting, but we got through it. During the break until the nextt class, the student lounge was more full than I've seen it yet. Not many went to lunch, and we all had our laptops and notes out for the Pharmacology exam. It was kinda comical, but actually very helpful! The Pharm exam took about an hour, and our teacher let us go without a lecture at the end. It was a nice surprise. A few of us met afterwards to have some real food (I made cookies and the teacher brought cupcakes) and just relax and get to know each other a little outside of class. It was fun! Tonight, I plan to not even look at anything that has to do with school! :) Im going to try not to think about school at all, but that's hard! Our grades don't come out until Monday sometime...so I'll worry about it then!! I'm sure I passed both of them, I'm just not sure how well, and I've gotten used to only getting A's! I'm sure it'll be a humbling experience!! :) I'm looking forward to a special date with my husband tomorrow. A girl in my class works at a resaurant down the street, so we are going there for Valentine's Day. It's a steackhouse called The Keg, and it's very good! We went there with my Mom and Jon's parents when they were all in town. Well...I'm going to go get in comfy pants and take my place on the couch instead of my office chair for the evening. It'll be nice to see Jon again after this week of my nose in the books every waking second! :) Oh, Kellie is doing great today. Her eyes both look much better, and her mood is much happier!! She is playing fetch again, and we just got back from a walk in the park where she ran around and had a great time! The doctor even called this afternoon to check on her. Man, nice guy!! Happy Valentine's Day! Wish I could give you all a big hug....so get a hug from a loved one and pretend it's from me! (And give someone a hug for me too!) :) I'll let you know what my grades were when I get home from school on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Poor little Kellie girl!

I got home from school this afternoon a little early...about 2:00. Our teachers had mercy on us and let us go so we could have a little extra study time for the exams tomorrow! (SO NEEDED!) As soon as I got home, Jon asked me if Kellie's eyes looked funny and I noticed that they were swollen, red and draining...both of them!! Poor little thing looked absolutely pitiful! The most obvious sign that she wasn't feeling well was that she wouldn't play with any of her toys or balls!! Of course, I wanted to take her to the emergency vet immediately, but Jon insisted that we just wait a little while to see if something just got in her eye and would wash out by itself (voice of reason). We had a couple errands to run, so we loved on her a little and went to get a couple things done. I was feeling horrible about leaving her (probably dramatic, but I adore her) and even worse when we got home and her eyes were more swollen, more red and had more drainage!! Bad Mom! Anyways, we loaded her up in the car and took her to the vet. He was very nice and very thorough! (I love it when vets treat your pets like a doctor treats your child! Pets are family too!) Anyways, after a battery of tests on my poor, patient pup...we found out that she has "Conjunctivitis" (Pink Eye). :( They gave her a shot of antibiotics, and a shot of pain meds, and sent us home with some goop for her eye. She has been knocked out since we got home, and kinda walking around every now and then like she's sleep walking! It's kinda funny to watch her, and then I get sad and cuddle her! I feel so helpless when she stares at me to fix her! All that to say...our baby girl is not feeling well, but she's on the mend!! (And, I was happy the vet didn't take all night because I have lots of studying to do still...) And, on that note, I should get back to the books...just thought I'd take a break to let you know what was up over here. I'll keep you posted on Kellie, and I'll be able to tell you on Monday afternoon how the exams went! Have a great weekend! Happy Heart Day!

I'm running for President!

It's true! :) Each year, the Student Nurses Association (SNA) on each campus votes in a new board...and I'm going to run for President! There are a few reasons why... First reason is: I want to! :) I think it would be so fun! I love organizing things and getting to know people! What a great way to meet so many new friends (and job references!). Second reason: It's true that you only get out of it what you put into it...and this is the best way I can think of to be fully immersed! :) I've worked long and hard to get here, and I don't want to miss a single moment!! Third reason: It'll look great on my resume and scholarship applications!! Fourth reason: I don't want to not do it and later wish I had! Why not just go for it! This is the only time I'll be in Nursing School (except when I go for my masters...but that'll be a while yet), so I figured it can't hurt to give it a shot! :) I'll keep you posted with stories and pictures as I go! We have such a great group of students, and I have no doubt that it'll be a fun Board to be a part of! Our essays of intent are due on Monday, and then we "campaign" for a few weeks, and voting is on March 2nd! I think my campaign slogan will be "Vote for Me, Sarah B!" What do you think?! :) Tomorrow afternoon will be spent studying for my exams on Friday, and then my wonderful husband that I love more than anything in the universe is going to take me out on a date for our first "married" Valentine's Day! Nothing fancy, but now I don't have to do dishes! :) Man, what a lucky girl am I! I'll let you know how tesing and campaigning go! Happy (2 days till) Heart Day! XOXO!

First day in the community!

Today, for school, was out first day working in the community. Our first assignment was to go to preschool! :) We were assigned a classroom that we will visit for 3 weeks, and then we will formulate and teach a lesson plan on some subject related to early childhood health education. The little ones were SO cute! They clung onto us like glue! I loved all the hugs and holding hands! It was precious! We were in our scrubs...very official looking! Today was more of a getting to know the class type of day. We were learning names, personalities, how the teacher runs the classroom, if there are any kids who might be in a high risk category for health and safety...etc... It was very exciting! We all walked away loving the morning and looking forward to going back to see the munchkins next week. Friday is EXAM DAY!!! Both of our classes will be exams that day, and we are all pretty nervous. I'm pretty set on the material...I'm just nervous about how the teachers test. That's the most nerve wracking thing for me!! I'm sure it will go just fine, and I'm looking forward to them being over and enjoying my weekend!! :) So far, we don't have anything planned for our first "married" Valentine's Day. The romantic I'm married to (or something like that) probably doesn't have anything planned, but that's ok. I wouldn't mind a quiet night in...flowers might be nice! :) I actually found a great surf n turf recipe that I think would be great for V Day, so I'll probably do that. I'll let you know! :) Happy Valentine's Day (almost) by the way! Wish I could give you all a big squeeze! Guess I'll run for now! I'm going to do some reading and figure out dinner! Hope all's well where you are!! Love from AZ!!

First test down...

In lab, all of our tests are called "competencies." Today was our vital signs competency...the first official test so far!! We all passed, and I felt alot more confident than I thought I would! :) Tomorrow is a test in Pharmacology...just an abbreviation test, but alot to memorize! Just thought I'd let you know that I passed, and I can officially take your vital signs should the need arise!! :) No big plans for the weekend. I have alot of reading to do, so I'll probably get comfy and get to reading! Have a great weekend everyone!! I'll let you know if anything exciting comes up!
p.s. Here is a picture of me from this morning on my way to school! So official! :)

Week 3...

So, the Cardinals lost...I guess it was expected! Our neighbor's TV went out right before the game, so they took off to a local sports bar and grill, and Jon and I decided to stay home and get comfy and catch up on laundry, homework, etc while we watched. :) Not super exciting, but very accomplishing! :) School is going well still. Not overwhelming yet, but I can see it inching towards that! I've had to stay very adamant about not getting behind on reading because everything builds on everything else! It is very time consuming, but not difficult (thank goodness!). Tomorrow is our first "competency" on Vital Signs, and Friday is our first test in Pharmacology. Next week we have 2 major exams, and we also get to start our clinical rounds next Tuesday! That's exciting! We're starting at a preschool to teach early childhood health education, and then we move on to long term care facilities. I check my email everyday for a link from my photographer, but nothing yet!! :) Really not expecting anything for 3 or 4 weeks, but I'm hopeful that they'll come early!! :) I'll keep you posted for sure!! Hope all's well where you are! We miss everyone so much! Love from AZ!!

The big game!!

Who is going to win today? I guess I should say the Cardinals...since I'm a Zonie now... They did work really hard to get in this year! But, being a Charger fan at heart, I'm just hoping for a good game! One of my teachers is a Steelers fan, and she told us if we root for them we'll get an A! :) I'll wear a Steelers tshirt on Monday if they win! :) haha! I hope you all have a fun day with friends and family! I wish we could be with you! Our new neighbors invited us over for the game, so I think we're gonna head over there shortly. I made a yummy homemade salsa (a famous recipe from Jon's family) that I'm sure will be a hit, and we're marinating some pork spareribs for later! Yum!! Big hugs to you all. Happy Birthday Candi!! Wish I could give you a big birthday hug!! Maybe you can get one from my Angel Face girl! :) Love from AZ!!