OMG. 6 weeks to go!!!

I cain't hardly believe it.

But boy am I ever tuckered out. I have 2 mental health clinicals remaining, and one hospital clinical left. It's rather hard to believe. I'll be nose to the grindstone from here on out, but it will be worth it.

Heading to Dallas in the morning to see my sweet Momma and Poppa.

Wrung out, and I have to head out early in the morning tomorrow. But before I do, I have to take a test online that's due by midnight tomorrow. Might as well knock it out, now.

The best-- absolute best-- thing about the semester is that I get to go to clinicals at the hospital.  I may not be perfect and I don't know everything down pat, but I'm doing alright, and I love the patients, and they seem to love me. I feel like I'm sort of getting my mud in a ball when I'm at the hospital, and it's amazing how quickly a 13 hour day passes.  Just got home, and it's a little after 8PM. I left the house at 5:30 this morning. Time to take that test and hit the hay.

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: the smell of puppies in the morning

Sometimes, I can't resist the urge to make Mochi's lip stick on her toofies. My ginger pups were super snuggly this morning. So peaceful!

Bonus pups! No, they're never NOT cute, but...

I love how Mochi is kind of giving me the stink eye in the first photo. "What're you up to, Mommy?"

Amazingly...

To my relief, this year I managed to submit an essay entry into a scholarship conpetition. The workflow with school is perpetual, and though I've given a bit of thought to the essay and what I wanted to achieve, I only had clear decks to work on it the day it was due. 

It would be a nice feeling to have my writing recognized in that way, and the scholarship money wouldn't break my heart, either. Keeping fingers crossed!

The last time I had "thigh gap"

Dad has often said with pride how Mom would scrub us until we squeaked, that we were never seen dirty, unkempt or looking uncared-for. Mom is a brilliant seamstress made a lot of our clothes. 

This morning is the last day of week nine.

Things are going somewhat well. I did poorly on a Med/Surg test last week, but I was one of 10% of the class who scored 100% on the dosage calc, so it wasn't all bad. Meeting now for more study groups. 

I need to get into the habit of doing my patient reports immediately when I get home from clinicals. This is difficult because at that point, I'm so exhausted. 

Mental Health is a hideous gauntlet, and that's all I'm going to say about that. I wish I'd have a semester where I didn't feel like I'm in danger of not passing something, but I guess that feeling of peril is what makes nursing school so notoriously difficult. 

Oh well, seven weeks to go!

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: early to bed

The pups believe that if it's dark outside, all decent folk are already settled in for a long night's snooze. They tolerate me, anyway, but after dark, they always get a head start on the sleepings, sweet little darlings that they are!

Moar puppy action

The pups basking in the sun on Wednesday was just too perfect. Since the weather is dry, I'm biding my time on hauling off the old mattress. I love finding them on it, basking in the sun. 

Bonus pup

Sorry I've been so busy between school and Blogorado. The semester is going well, and my sweet pups are so glad I haven't hauled off the old mattress yet. 

Seven weeks down, Nine to go. Road report from Blogorado

This semester my schedule functions in two-week cycles in which the first week is hectic and jam-packed with obligations for 5 or 6 days, and the following week will only have 2 or 3 required attendance elements. I was fortunate that this Fall, my "light week" coincided with Blogorado, which is where I am now.

Sadly, Himself had other obligations and would not be going, so there went my ride. I had a major test on Wednesday (passed!) and two assignments were due, one by Friday night and the other by Sunday night. I ruefully told friends a couple weeks back that it was not in the cards for me, as much as I wanted to go. Mrs. SCI-Fi asked me if I'd be willing to come if she could coordinate a group effort for transport, and I said I would. She is a very determined lady, and through the kindness of various folk, I had rides to and from Colorado, and was sweetly offered the hospitality of staying at the home of Farm Family.

The week was hectic leading up to the trip, and I turned my due-by-Friday assignment in on Thursday morning before heading out with one gallant fellow. It's about 5AM and I just submitted my due-by-Sunday night assignment to the professor through the university's drop-box system for submitting documents-- living in the future has its advantages.  Now I am free to enjoy the remaining day or so I will be here. A different gallant fellow will chauffeur me back home tomorrow.

I am so happy to not miss Blogorado like I did last year, and I'm very touched that my lovely friends would pull together to make the trip possible for me. There is no tonic in the world to rival the therapeutic effects of time spent with friends and family, and most of the friends here ARE family to me, now. My cup runneth over.

Friday turned out to be drizzle-fest, so we congregated at Farm House and people drifted between chatting in the kitchen/living/dining rooms to gathering around a respectable blaze in a fire pit out in the (huge!) shed. Incredible cookies and breads flew in from the northeast, as did a batch of unfortunate lobster that were flown with attendees from Boston. In the traditional way, men folk gathered around a treacherously high barbecue fire and seared a nice passel of steaks. FarmMom makes the best cinnamon rolls evah, btw. Good food.

Saturday will be a shooting day at the range, but I may sneak off with a hen party to look at the local antique places. I'm sure I'll be at the range before the day is out.

I expect to head home after breakfast tomorrow, and as always, it will be bittersweet to leave here. I observed to several people that I think our group truly gelled that first Blogorado in 2009 when on the way back to town from the range on the final night of the gathering, Ambulance Driver took out a sizable buck with the radiator of his Dodge Dakota. Up until that moment, we'd had a cordial congeniality. 20 or so folk on the side of a dark road by a field at 9pm on a November night, we truly bonded. Many of us learned the importance of a cordless Sawzall when dismantling a deer in the field. It was one of those great, unplanned things that cemented us as a group. I was delighted to be here then, and I'm so glad I still get to play their reindeer games.

Have a great weekend!

49.

Got up at 5:45 to see the Blood Moon eclipse thingie, and looked on as the coyotes yipped from outside town. 

Test in mental health today, and I'm pretty nervous about that. Also discovered that I didn't save about 3 hours of work I did on my laptop recently, and I have to re-do that. Ugh. Should be faster the second time, though. Still, I hate feeling rushed to finish things. 

It'll be alright. 49 will be good. 364 days from now, I'll be within 2 months of completion of nursing school. Yee haw!

I just hope this test goes well, today. Fingers crossed. 

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: new old toy

Found a very old toy under the bed, one bought for Praline many yonks ago. Mochi is besotted with the little bubbly barbell, and has had many tooth (hopefully) cleaning hours nomming this thing. :) hand-me-downs are not just for people, apparently!

Thursday was a great day

I am SO wiped out, but it's a good happy. 13 hours at clinical yesterday only cemented my instinct that nursing is for me. I helped with several lovely people, one of whom said Nice Things about me to a manager, and I generally had a great day. 

Boy, am I wiped out, though!

My preceptor is fantastic. Grateful I got so lucky, there. 

I think I can!

This is one of the heaviest weeks this semester. I'll be done with the week by early afternoon Friday. So glad. 

It's going well so far. I'm the Little Nursing Student That Could. (Who could? Shrug)