Teacher vs. Nurse

Beginning our teaching project in an eager class of second graders!

Amanda and Jessica

These are a few pictures from my teaching projects last week. The first was a teaching session for refugee elders (the bottom pics) where we (Jessica, Amanda, Kaitlyn and myself) taught about joints and muscles. Second was my peds teaching project which was so much fun! Kaitlyn and I went to an elementary school and taught about helmet safety to second graders. Wednesday was elderly refugees and Thursday was second graders! Big difference! So, the question is- do I still feel called to nursing or is teaching an option? I am 100% positive teaching is NOT for me and nursing is my passion. Danielle & Todd and the many other teachers out there....I don't know how you do it! You are AMAZING.

Can I borrow the baby and pelvis?

1. The baby sits happily inside the amniotic sac

2. Baby begins to make its way down the birth canal, holding the placenta nicely between its legs.

3. The baby slides out with much ease with its hands together as if to say, "God, please let me fit!"

4. Happy mom, happy baby!!!

Yup, that's pretty much it, right? Oh the joys of nursing school and being able to borrow a baby and pelvis from my professor to study with.

Unconditional love

Rylee- this is the picture I took of Sam when I was talking to you on the phone!

I know I am only reinforcing bad behavior by taking pictures instead of taking him off my curtains, but it is just TOO funny to watch!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the babies! They are growing so fast and are already way bigger than they are in these pics! I cannot imagine not having them. They bring me so much joy, entertainment, and above all, unconditional love.

The b-hole of nursing school (censored for younger viewers)

The peds exam did not go well AT ALL. I was incredibly discouraged after all the effort I had put forth. The worst part was when I spoke with my prof she was completely cold and had not a shred of compassion. The only bright spot in my day was meeting with another professor, whom I adore. I had called her in tears and she told me to come to school so we could talk. She spent nearly 45 minutes with me. She reminded me that I will be an amazing nurse and this is no reason to give up. She has easily become my favorite professor for many reasons. Her encouragement and advice was exactly what I needed. She said I did not have to like my peds professor at all, I just had to get thru the class. We both agree that this professor is the b-hole of my experience in nursing school....her idea, which I find hilarious!! I am moving on from this bump in the road knowing that I have people who truly believe in me.

Solid A

So, most of you know that I was VERY happy with my community health grade last week, which was a 94% (A-). However, I am even more happy to report that we got an extra point added and I have officially earned my first solid A on an exam this semester!! For some of you it may not seem like that big of a deal. If so, take a senior level nursing exam and then we'll talk!! I have my big peds exam tomorrow morning and I am very anxious. I have studied and studied and studied some more. I know that I know the material, but I just need to get my anxiety under control. Again, PLEASE PRAY. Hopefully I'll be sharing good news with you tomorrow. Love to you all.

Study buddy

So, I have been studying so hard for my peds exam tomorrow. I did the same for the last exam and didn't do that well.....very discouraging. I was trying to make studying a little more enjoyable so I took pictures from the the skin disorders chapter and made myself a matching game. Brilliant!! We got some macules, pustules, crusts, and vesicles!! Who knows if it will help, but it was fun! Sam and Chloe don't love my studying and usually find toys to bring to me and just sit and wait for me to play with them! It's pretty cute. I take the exam tomorrow morning so please say a prayer for me :)

The Four Things List

4 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1-desperately trying to pass my driving test without much luck
2-not enjoying the life of a teenage girl in high school!
3-borrowing Danielle’s clothes without asking
4-working my first official job

4 things on my to-do list for today:
1-clean house
2-study for my peds exam
3-empty the litter box
4-put clean sheets on my bed. I love the feeling of clean sheets!!

4 random things I love about my husband:
1-I’ll let you all know when I find one :)

4 jobs that I have had:
1-barista at Market St. Perk in Kirkland. Putting up with Rich was always a challenge, but I loved this job and loved my customers!
2-sales associate at Paint on Pottery in Phoenix. One of my favorite jobs!
3-nanny for the O’Connor family. I was honored to care for their precious children, Quinn and Donovan!
4-worked the front desk at several different fitness clubs

4 movies I have watched more than once:
1-Billy Madison- super stupid, but I love it!
2-Anchorman
3-Titanic- I know, I know
4-The Sound of Music- same as Karissa!

4 places I have lived:
1-in a few different places in Phoenix (family knows about those special places!)
2-off and on with my sweet parents since high school. They just don’t have the heart to tell me to stop coming back!
3-in West Seattle with Colin and Shiho. It was a very fun place to live and somewhere I would consider moving back to when I am done with school.
4-a dorm at Belmont University in Nashville. I had never lived on campus before so it was an interesting experience.

4 places I have been (I can’t keep it at just four, and I'm sure I am forgetting some!)
1-many states from Washington D.C. to Seattle. I took a roadtrip with mom and gma Larson. It was such a special trip and one that I never forget
2-Hawaii
3-New Zealand for a family reunion. By far the most beautiful place I have ever been. I still can’t believe we all went! Thanks gma and gpa!!
4-New York for New Years 2007 with Todd & Danielle! It was a quick trip, but we can say we did New Years in NYC.
5-Many family reunions in Colorado
6-Dominican Republic- seriously, the best spring break!
7-Guatemala- an amazing mission trip.
8-Argentina- I traveled all over the country during my outreach phase of my DTS.
9-Alaska- Mom and Dad won a trip to Alaska at an Auction and Danielle and I tagged along. The scenery was breathtaking!
10-Mexico- my very first mission trip, which was very challenging and fun!
11-Various little trips with mom & dad…Victoria B.C., Leavenworth, Snowater.
12-Birch Bay- it wasn’t too far from home, but some of my sweetest childhood memories are from summers spent there with Grandma and Grandpa Sween.
13-Lakeside, MT- lecture phase of my DTS.

4 places I want to visit:
1-Europe- I want to travel ALL OVER Europe!
2-U.S. British Virgin Islands- perhaps a honeymoon!!??
3-Figi
4-New Zealand- I would love to travel to New Zealand again

4 TV shows I watch:
1-Dirty Sexy Money
2-Private Practice
3-Ugly Betty
4-The Hills- guilty pleasure!

4 things you may not know about me:
1-I’ve climbed Mt. St. Helens three times
2-I have had over 30 jobs! I’m not proud of it, but you may not know it!
3-I’ve taken belly-dancing lessons
4-I pluck my eyebrows everyday!