Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Change is Coming

I'm not a big fan of change, I'll admit. Even when the change is a positive thing (like a new house or a new baby), I still feel sad and uneasy during transitional times. I'm going to have to get over it, though because my world is about to get a little shaken up here in a few months.

I won't be able to go to nursing school unless John goes to the dreaded evening shift. The problem with this is that in the past, I have really, really struggled with John on that shift. He'll be working from 3 in the afternoon to 11 at night. It has its perks... Like John actually sleeping next to me and him not being so tired all the time. However, he'll miss the precious hours of dinnertime and bedtime. I will miss him so very much but I have to remember this is a season in our lives, not forever.

This is what my schedule will look like...

Tuesdays: 8-9:30 (nursing seminar), 9:45-10:45 (nursing discussion)
Wednesdays: 7-2 (Clinical)
Thursdays: 8-9:30 (nursing seminar), 9:45-11:30 (nursing lab)

I will also be taking Human Development II online so that will add to the stress.

The original plan was for John to come home from working overnights (11 P.M. to 7 A.M.) but it takes me 30 minutes to get to the college, provided that there is not traffic. This doesn't include for extra time to find a parking spot and get into the classroom. John gets home right around 7:30 in the mornings now so my morning commute would be stressful. There are also days when he gets late calls and doesn't get home until the afternoon. It's not always predictable. After thinking it through, we decided that him working evenings beats the stresses of him making it home, only to take care of the kids and not sleep.

I am so blessed that I have a wonderful husband who would be willing to sacrifice so much for me. He's not the biggest fan of evenings, either:-( He is so committed to my success and I know that somehow, someway we will make it work together. We always have! Wednesdays will be tough because I won't see him but he also gets Wednesdays off sometimes so it won't be horrible. This is temporary!

After I first got my schedule, I felt really conflicted about all that I'll be laying on John and I told him that I was just going to decline my nursing school offer and scholarship and not go. I meant it, too. I felt selfish messing with our happy family so much. He insisted that I have worked too hard to give up now and that we will get through this. I repeat... My husband is amazing!!

So now that we've figured things out and I've had time to process, I'm really excited! I think that this will all work out in the end and I will always, always be happy I stuck it out. I keep reminding myself that, "anything worth having, is worth working hard for."

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Blessed Beyond Belief!

Over the past few weeks there have been more and more exciting things happening in my life!

For starters, I was awarded a very generous scholarship from the school. I applied for it in January and I never really thought I had a chance. It's a scholarship for married students and I had to have to have 2 staff recommendations and one personal recommendation, along with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. I also had to write an essay. So anyways, I was chosen for this award and the amount is triple what I thought it was. I'm just blown away at how God has provided for my school in some miraculous ways! I'm also invited to an awards dinner where they will present me with the scholarship in front of everyone. I could totally do without that but hey, I'll take it!

This is a huge deal to me. I can remember being the one and only senior in my graduating class of like 33 who didn't receive an award. I know that was almost 9 years ago but I still think back on that day and remember how stupid I felt. God has brought me so far and equipped me with the knowledge to become a good student. Talk about a transformation!

John also bought me an amazing new van yesterday! After driving clunkers for the past 4 years or so, we finally have a really nice vehicle that's reliable and stylish. I feel so blessed and I never think I'll get sick of driving this:-) It's a Nissan Quest and it's gorgeous, inside and out.

I am so thankful for all of the blessings in my life. I could sit here all day listing them all day and I thank God for all of it!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Exciting News!!!

First of all, NO! I'm not pregnant:-) That's what everyone assumes "exciting news" is when you're in you're childbearing years. Hahaha

I found out last Friday that I got accepted into the nursing program at my college!!!!! It's a highly competitive program and my advisor told me that over 250 people applied this semester and only 90 were accepted. That means that only 36% of people who applied were accepted. How impressive is my math? :-) Lol. I knew I had really good grades but I always doubted that I would get in. This whole being a good student thing still doesn't quite fit me yet! I'm very, very, very excited and I cried tears of joy and relief when I opened up the acceptance letter. I did NOT want to wait another year to go to nursing school but I was assuming I would have to before that all-important piece of mail came.

Apart from microbiology and another psychology class, I only have nursing courses left to take. Most students do all of their prerequisites at the same time as their nursing courses so I think that I have definitely set myself up for success by doing it this way. It will still be hard but soooo worth it! And as a side bonus, all of my classes that I've spent the last year taking (in conjunction with classes that I took fresh out of high school) have given me a degree in Health Sciences. It won't really do anything for me but it's kind of nice to say I have a degree of some sorts!

My family has been really supportive and excited for me. My brother and dad ran out that day and bought me an iPad to take to school with me and my sister ordered me a bright pink stethoscope and had it shipped. I feel pretty special! Apart from that, everyone has been extremely encouraging and excited right along with me!

The days ahead are exciting! I can't wait to buy my shoes and my scrubs. AHHHH!! I'm still not over how amazing this news is:-)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Happy 2nd Birthday, Bailey!!

Happy Birthday to my precious Bailey girl! These 2 years have been a whirlwind with many ups and downs but I wouldn't trade the joy and laughter that she brings into our lives for anything! Mommy loves you so much, Princess! Xoxo





Tuesday, February 19, 2013

6 Years Already??

See this gorgeous girl? She had her 6th birthday on Friday. Where has the time gone? I will never forget the day that she came into the world and I am so thankful for what a precious gift from God she is!



Saturday, January 26, 2013

Celebrate!!!

I have been M.I.A. for the past few weeks and that was mainly because chemistry was kicking my butt. Wow! I don't think I would like chemistry in any situation, it's just not my thing, but cramming 15 weeks into 3 and doing it all online was a killer. Not to be corny or anything but there were moments when I just didn't think it was possible. It was also extra stressful knowing that I HAD to get an "A" for the nursing program. I am happy to report, though, that after lots of help from my sister-in-law (who's truly a genius!) and meeting with the professor, I got a 92!!! I'm over-the-moon happy and I sure worked my butt off. The class ended on Wednesday and all of my other classes start on Monday. I don't see life slowing down at all anytime soon....

Thankfully, John and I had a little breather this weekend. Our anniversary is this Monday so we went out of town last night and had a romantic dinner and did some shopping. We were only gone for 24 hours but it was so refreshing to just be a couple. Every now and then it's nice! I sure love that man and the life we've created together! :-)

That's about it for now! It seems like between school and my family, there is hardly anything else to write about. Such is life!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Extended Breastfeeding

It's really amazing, this blogging app from my phone. Now I update it while putting Bailey to bed. It's so nice!!

Each night I sit in Bailey's room with her and hold her, love her and yes, nurse her. My 22-month-old princess still nurses before nap time and bedtime and I love that in the crazy world that she lives in, she still finds comfort and rest with me in this way. I keep reminding myself that she is my last baby and these last few months of breastfeeding will be it. I've been sharing my body for quite a few consecutive years now but I wouldn't trade the precious moments for anything. I am proud to say that I have nearly 6 years of breastfeeding between all of my children. I'm pretty sure that that's awesome breast cancer prevention so it's an added bonus!

Now that she's sleeping, it's all I can so to take my eyes off of her. There's something about a sleeping baby ( or toddler, in this case) that makes my heart melt! I'm so in love!!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Kindergarten Blues

Here we are in January and every single morning I ache as I send my oldest daughter to school. She loves school and has so many friends, not to mention how very much she's learning. There's just something hard about letting a major piece of my heart go away for 8 hours a day. I think if I could text message or call her teacher throughout the day I would be doing much better... But I don't think that's happening anytime soon! Lol

This morning I watched her walk down the long hallway to her classroom, like I do every morning. The principal said, "It's still tough saying goodbye, huh mom?" I couldn't help but laugh and agree with her wholeheartedly. Maybe she said that because most parents don't stand their quite so long or maybe she could see the look on my face?

The unfortunate thing about all of this is that this is par for the course as a parent. We nurture them and love them without end, only to say "goodbye" for increasingly longer lengths of time. While they're away, we simply have to trust that we've raised them well enough to fly on their own. I just love these children so much and only wish I could keep them little for a while longer. I'm sure every parent has yearned for this at one point or another.

All I can say is, thank goodness it's Friday! I plan on enjoying every second with my girl.