Christmas Etc.

It never really felt like Christmas to me this year. It just came too fast, and though I was NOT one of those last minute shoppers (I've been done since the week after Thanksgiving), it just seems like the year flew right by and I'm still stuck in June...or something. I dunno. I did all the stuff I usually do...put the Christmas tree up, decorated the house, saw The Nutcracker (becoming a tradition), made cookies with my Dad and Sam, Christmas-Eve service at church, time with family and friends, mediating on the Reason for the season. Don't get me wrong, it was a great Christmas, it just didn't feel all Christmas-y and stuff like usual.

Most of my "free" time this month has been spent searching for homes. I'm getting rather frustrated...and today one of the houses that we were going to go see tomorrow just went into escrow...so we can't go see it. I was/am really irritated with myself about that one because I saw it when it first went on the market 2 weeks ago, but thought it was too far out and so didn't inquire about it. Then we decided it wouldn't be too far and scheduled a showing two days ago for tomorrow. And today it became unavailable. Grrrrrrrrrr!!! I don't want to just settle for something that "will work", I want to LOVE it! I know it may take a couple of months, but in the meantime I will be starting Block 4 in just a couple of weeks and so I know that the time I will have to look is going to drop drastically. Maybe I just need to rely on the daily email I get with "new matches" from the search I have set up on our realtor's website. *Sigh* I know we'll find a house, I just want it to be perfect in every way (not literally perfect, but perfect for us, you know--location, price, floorplan, yard, condition etc). We've put offers on two homes, but I don't think either of them is going to end up being the one we get.

Besides house hunting, I've just kinda been relaxing. That will be over after this weekend. Back to the grind of homework and studying, as I explained in the previous post. For Christmas Scott got a game for his Xbox360 called Rockband. It is AWESOME!!! And I don't play video games...but this one I do!! It is a set with a drum set, guitar, microphone and of course the game and it is SO much fun! We bought a bass to go along with it because Scott also got a Gamestop giftcard. I've only played the guitar and bass, I refuse to sing and the drums just look too hard, lol. I've been able to play a couple songs on the "hard" setting, but mostly I stick to Medium. We literally spent all day last Friday playing this game and then some of Saturday and Sunday too. It's a blast, especially when played with a bunch of friends!! :-D

I know I was going to write something else, but I can't remember what at the moment. I'm a little distracted, thinking about houses, school, the dishes in the sink and getting ready to go to our friend's house for a party tonight. I will try not to go so long without writing again. :-)

Goodbye 2008!!
~Abigail~

School Frustrations

Is it over already?? I can't believe another month is nearly gone. I have completely enjoyed Christmas break, and haven't cracked a book even once. That will have to change after the new year. Four of the case studies I mentioned a couple of posts back are due on Jan 16th--our first day of class. And three more are due each of the following two weeks. Plus we got our reading list...and it's insane. Good thing it's OB first!! It will be fun for me! :-D I am SO mad at the school, though, because they scheduled our tests this semester on SUNDAYS!!!! HELLOOOOOOO, I have to WORK on Sundays because I'm already in school on Saturdday and weekends are required at the hospital!?!?!?!?!??! AND SUNDAY IS NOT ONE OF OUR CLASS DAYS!!!! I was furious when I read the schedule...and get this...it wasn't even the school that sent it out it was another student who happened (luckily) to hear from ANOTHER student that the syllabus had been outside our upcoming teacher's office door at the school for the past two weeks. Did she (the teacher) even bother to send out an email letting us know it was available and where?? NOOOO! I am so over GCC. They never tell us anything--and this is an instance where I CAN say never and not be exagerating. Thanks to one of my classmates who scanned it into her computer and emailed it to everyone I don't have to go down there to get it (not to mention the Nursing Department is closed until the 5th). I am so glad this will be my last semester. I don't think I can take much more of this disorganization and lack of inforation. AND wishy-washy school regulations. At the end of last Spring a new school policy was made saying that they couldn't make us come in outside of scheduled class time to take tests. We had to do that last Spring (we were forced to come in on Thursdays to take tests), but that was before the policy. Now they've gone and scheduled us to take test on Sundays this semester...supposedly against school policy. I could scream I'm so irritated. So I had to explain this to my Supervisor at work yestereday. They already bend over backwards for my scheduling needs, and we had already filled out the February schedule...which I now had to CHANGE and it totally messed things up. She was understanding...and it's a good thing I can fill 3 job descriptions--I'm now a nurse extern one day a week, and then my second day each week I can be EITHER the Nurse's Aide or the Secretary, whatever is needed...so at least that helps. But still, I felt so bad having to change the schedule and take myself off of those two Sundays in February to accomodate GCC. Good thing there are only 4 tests this semester. Our final is on April 10th (a Friday). Hmmm, I wonder how many days until then (I've been counting down to May 15th--my tentative graduation day--since the school hasn't bothered to tell us the actual date yet--big suprise). 99 days until April 10th. I like that better...it's under 100, lol. :-D Plus, after our final we'll just have Preceptorship to complete and that (hopefully) will be fun.

I guess I'm done complaining for now. I just want to be done. Soon, very soon. It couldn't come soon enough...

~Abigail~

"Nursling"

Today was my first day as a Nurse Extern in Postpartum. As such, the nurse who has taken me under her wing as a Preceptor has nicknamed me her "nursling". :-) It was a fun day, but kinda weird at the same time. I felt like a stranger in my own home because although I was working with the same nurses on the same unit that I've been on for 2 1/2 years now, I was doing something entirely different. I guess you could compare it to getting a new pair of glasses--I have to adjust and refocus on the nurse's role as opposed to the CNA role I'm used to. So it's the same stuff, but completely different all at once. Clear as mud? Good. :-)

On my first day as a "nursling", I checked my first fundus (for those who don't know what that is you now have something to Google), and also became the proud owner of an umbilical cord clamp remover: an essential for any OB nurse (especially in Postpartum or Nursery).

I'm getting there!! 4 1/2 months left of nursing school (that would be 137 days--but I'm not really counting--*wink*). Then I'll be official!

My plan is to write a super long post on Wednesday (my next day off) before 2008 comes to an end (cause I know I've been slacking!!). :-)

~Abigail~

162 days...

Until graduation (to clarify...). I'm still only speculating on the actual date, but I can't be too far off. :-D I have three school days left of Block 3, and our last day is the 12th. Then I'll have exactly one month off before beginning Block 4 on January 12th. I have a LOT to do before then. I plan to complete the 10 case studies our instructor has already emailed to us so that I will not have to do them during the semester. They are all Maternity and Nursery case studies so they may actually be fun for me, or at least not as bad as other stuff...right now I'm kinda excited about starting on them, but I have yet to begin so we'll see how long that lasts...I will be getting my OB book back from a friend tomorrow and can start after that (she is finishing Block 2 and I let her borrow my Block 2 books for the semester, but I need them all back for Block 4...then she can have them back again when I'm done for HER Block 4, it works out perfect!!). Anyway, I know Block 4 is going to be extremely tough, so I do need to get cracking on those case studies as well as reviewing other stuff so I'm prepared...

Thanksgiving was great!! Scott and I spent Wednesday night at my parent's house so that I could get up at 7am and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (tradition!!). My dad also made his traditional T-day breakfast: Johnny Cake (sweet corn bread muffins). Yummy!! After the parade my mom got the turkey ready to cook, and I prepped the Green Bean Casserole (my all time favorite) to bake later. I had baked two pumpkin pies the day before, and I even made the crusts from scratch! They turned out GREAT...although I did have to kinda piece the first one together because it fell apart on me as I was trying to transfer it from the counter into the pie pan...I didn't know I was supposed to fold it over on itself into quarters....I figured that out for the second one though and it didn't need any "repairs". :-) Grandpa and Letha came over for dinner and of course Mom, Dad and Sam were all there. Oh yeah. Me, Mom and Scott all played a new game called Alibi that Scott got from his friend Andrew (hi Andrew!!) for his birthday and it was AWESOME. It is very similar to Clue but totally different at the same time. Fun game! We played it again this past weekend with our friends Matt and Angela. :-) Anywho, we had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you all did too!!

I had to work on Black Friday, but Scott went shopping SUPER early with his parents (he was up before 3am!!!). I think he did a bunch of shopping online before leaving because the same sales were online too and NO LINES!! :-D I'm finally finished shopping for him too, and there's NO way he can guess what I got him!!! Mwahahaha! Oh oh!!! I was SO excited about Kohls....Scott's parents gave us their "Kohl's Cash" that they earned from shopping on Black Friday and we also had some of our own, so total I had $70 worth or kohls cash to spend between the 30th and 6th. Well, I bought a down-comforter for us which was on sale this Sunday/Monday for $50, and then I bought an oval shaped tablecloth with fall colors in a leaf pattern along with six green placemats that match it PERFECTLY (different brands though) and some fall kitchen towels. Obviously it's too late to use them this year, but they were on clearance and I LOVE shopping clearance and saving stuff for the next year(s)!!! The tablecloth was originally $30, I got it for $8. The placemats were $8 EACH, I got them for $1.59 ea. Woohoo!! :-D :-D :-D I actually re-found some stuff this year as we were putting up our tree and other decorations that I had bought on the day after Christmas LAST year (on clearance of course). It was so fun to rediscover stuff!! And I even found some Christmas presents I had bought TWO years ago on clearance intending to save them until last year but forgot...well, people will get them this year. :-D

In other news: WE'RE OFFICIALLY HOUSE SHOPPING!!! And yes, I'm excited. :-D We got prequalified for a home loan last week and will meet with our lender next Tuesday. We're going to look at our first house tonight and then another on Saturday. Why now? Because my wonderful mother-in-law gave us the information necessary to show us that we can do it NOW as opposed to six months from now. And no one knows what the real estate market is going to do after January (with our new president and all...grrr.), so now is the best time. AND apparently banks have these awesome loans that only require 1-3% downpayment instead of...well, much more! It's amazing what deals are out there right now!! The house we're going to look at tonight is being offered for HALF--yes, that's 50%--of what it sold for in 2005. That's just crazy!! And it's because it's a pre-forclosure, so they're just trying to sell it and get what they can before the bank takes it from them. It's really sad for those who are facing foreclosure, but a great opportunity for first time homebuyers. Our lender said there has never before been a better time to buy a house if you didn't have something to sell...aka, first time home buyers. US!! :-) So please be praying for us in the next few weeks/months (or however long this takes!) that we will find the perfect house for us in the perfect time. Who knows, it may be this first house we see, or it could be #50 five months from now!! Just for the record though, I'd sure like to find the right one before #50, lol!

I know I have more to say...but I can't think of it at the moment (I must just be too excited about tonight!!). Oh well, I suppose that means I'll just have to post again when I remember!! :-D

~Abigail~