Week Five

Despite last week being one of the worst weeks for me, I actually tested the best I have so far… What to even say about that I don’t know. I seriously crammed the night before my exams but didn’t do much else. I was completely stressed and promise I will not procrastinate…

I am still struggling with incorporating exercise into my routine. I know that this probably is a big reason why I have been so stressed but I just can’t seem to make it happen. It is top priority this week. And just to increase the stakes a bit more I am planning on starting marathon training. I use Nike+ training tools. I am hoping to run my first marathon in September or October. We’ll see how this week goes. A few weeks ago I said that I was going to stop watching TV. A lofty goal that was dropped within 24 hours of writing it down – however, I think I really need to not watch TV. This week I was engulfed in a show that I didn’t really even like. I know everyone needs brain breaks but this was a serious time waster. So, seriously, this week, no TV (with the exception of the Biggest Loser)!

This weekend I did some volunteer work with Project C.U.R.E. It was actually really great. We started off with learning about the medical supply needs of third-world countries and then about the incredible waste of our country. Literally, we toss tons of perfectly good medical supplies if they have been in a patient’s room and weren’t used, brought into surgery and not used, past their expiration date (some things really can’t be used past their expiration date). Their warehouse it packed full of medical supplies just waiting to be shipped to countries in need. Time went by really fast and I felt like we accomplished a lot. If you are looking for a great volunteer experience that doesn’t require a lot of time commitment, experience, this is a good one. And their administrative overhead is only 2% which is really great.

My awesome trivia team came in second again and I can’t be happier. We probably drank way too much and I was rocked on Thursday but hey what can you do? C’est la vie. One of my teammates is also a school friend that I met recently. I think we are becoming quite good friends. It is always nice to develop new friendships.

I have my first clinical tomorrow and am feeling really excited.

Hope you all have an awesome week. I am looking forward to Denver’s Restaurant Week – Jerome and I are going to Root Down, so excited.

Week 4 Recap

So this week I was seriously in a funk and it showed. I had my usual round of tests and on one of them I preformed pretty poorly. Not poor in everyone's book, but I certainly was not happy with my grade. That being said, I just could not motivate myself to 'do it' so to speak. I am starting to be really frustrated with myself. All I want in the world is to be a midwife, and even though nursing isn’t exactly what I want to be doing, it is a step in the direction I want to move. 6 months ago I was so excited about this and now that it is here I am really struggling. Not sure what my problem is.

Part of my midwifery dream includes having a full-service birthing clinic. I would love to be able to provide pre/post natal care, birthing classes, yoga, and of course a place to birth. I would love to be able to teach yoga, not that as a midwife I would have a ton of free time to teach yoga but I thought if I don’t get certified now I will probably never get certified. So I did some googling and found Core Power – if you are not familiar I recommend checking them out (they offer a free week). I had done lots of other classes mostly through my gym with different instructors but this was totally different. I really enjoyed it. I found out about their program and am hoping to start training in June. The training is pretty pricey but they offer a scholarship of sorts - if you clean the studio once a week for at least three months, you get half off the cost of the training program. You also get free membership while you are cleaning. So, timing may not work out since there is a wait list for the cleaning but nevertheless I am excited and looking forward to it.

Next month I had planned on starting training for my first marathon. I am looking forward to being overwhelmed at fitting in more into my schedule…

On a lighter note – my trivia team and I won 2nd place!! We are moving on up. Our bar tab this week was only $7 after our certificate from last week. This means we can actually start drinking more for less. Awesome, right?

This week was not great but I am aware and all I can say is that next week will be better. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I heard this in yoga this week and I really liked it so I am sharing. She said, “I hope you are happy, I hope you are well …can’t remember… I hope you know the true nature of your being.” I love that I hope that as you travel through this week that you know the true nature of your being and are able to love and be loved just as you truly are.

Week 2: This is awkward...

This is the second week I have been blogging about school but the third week of school.

So, really waking up at 6am is really not my thing. I do have to wakeup at 6 on days that I have to be at school at 8, and it is really not fun. I just seem to be more productive in the evenings. Maybe my goal should be staying up later instead of getting up earlier...? Never the less, I do think that I am getting a better handle on my time management skills.

I took three more tests this week. I did fine. There was public outcry regarding these exams. The one thing I learned about my colleagues this week is that they are really high anxiety. Several of my professors talked about the number of emails they received prior to the exams and the number of complaints they received after. I have never really been one to complain to professors. What else can you do but try harder next time. We just finished week three, and I expect it to get harder not easier, so just breathe, relax, and try harder. This is advice to myself as much as it is to any other students that might be out there.

We tried a new (new to us) trivia night at the Irish Rover and came in third place. We had been going to The Snug and the best we placed was fifth. The Snug has something like 40 teams and the Rover has something like 9. What can I say at the Rover we are big fish in a small pond and I don’t mind it a bit. We won a $10 bar tab.As a side note: I think one of the hardest/biggest things to learn about time management is learning what is important and making time for it. I know going to a bar with my trivia team may not seem like the best use of my time but I think it is. I was talking with one of my classmates on the bus and I was telling her that while I study in the evenings my husband will come in and say do you want to (fill in various activities)? For the most part I have been saying no. But at some point I am going to watch that movie, I am going to join him on a dog walk, I am going to run to McDonald's to get an ice cream cone, and that is OK! Spending time with my loved ones is important to me, doing fun things that don't involve school and involve reducing my stress are important to me. Sometimes doing absolutely nothing is important to me.

One of my favorite pastimes is reading, the non text book type of books. I finished Midwives, a novel. I know it is in my bio but I haven’t really mentioned that my career goal is to be a midwife. I like to read lots of books about birth, midwives, etc. This book is a novel but was pretty well researched and for all I know could have been based on a real-life story. I have read many memoirs and those stories and this novel are very similar.

As I said last week I joing CUSNA. I was wondering why we don't have a facebook page and was told that we weren't allowed. And because I don't like being told no, I did some sleuthing on my own. I learned that CUSNA is actually able to have a fb page, contrary to what we were told. So exciting. I am not a huge fb fan but think it is pretty vital for our organization and will improve event participation. Which is awesome because most of what we do is volunteer work.

I did do the Jillian Michaels video and it was awesome and hard. I work out pretty regularly but it has been a while since I have gone to an aerobics class. Working out on your own, or running is totally different than these types of cardio workouts. And according to Jillian, if I keep doing them I will have a rockin’ swimsuit ready body in no time. And the weather in Denver was absolutly gorgeous this weekend and I did an outdoor run, woohoo! It has been a while.

In lab I we practiced the head/neck and ears, eye, nose and throat exam. I saw the red light reflex and used an ear scope for the first time. I really enjoy lab.

Perhaps in the future I will write a whole post dedicated to my favorite time wasters. But this weekend my husband said he wanted to get rid of our internet service. This is because he doesn't want to watch TV. To him it is all or nothing. So I said, "just don't watch it." Then we went over the list of shows that we really enjoy and we'll keep watching them. The others, we won't. The list is Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and I watch the Biggest Loser but this will probably be my last season. About 3 hours after this discussion I heard a King of the HIll playing. But I think I might actually stick to the list. We'll see...

We waited too long and did not get reservations for our traditional Le Central Valentine's Day celebration. Which was in some ways relieving; we are tight for $ and I have an exam at 9am the following morning. Nevertheless, I was in a V-Day mood and watched Sleepless in Seattle (and cried) and baked heart-shaped sugar cookies. I hope everyone feels happy and loved this V-day. In addition, if you are able or interested I hope you support any V-Day celebrations in your area. <3

I hope everyone has a great week.

Week 1 Update and Recap

Well, I probably picked the worst time to decide to make a "wake-up at 6am goal". Denver had unusually low temperatures and continuous snow all week. I did not wake-up at 6am for the past week but did decide that in order to achieve that goal, I should also institute some goal about going to sleep at a reasonable hour... Just a thought. That being said, I am actually pretty happy about the past week. For most of the week I did wake up at a reasonable hour except for today. I actually woke-up at 8:30, then stayed in bed and cuddled for the next hour and a half. Which, is important too.
• I had my first two exams of nursing school and did quite well.
• I joined the student nursing association, and became a member of the board. Of course this is a time commitment but one that I think is important. It will be a resume builder, will give me the opportunity to volunteer, something I have been wanting to do but haven't been able for whatever reason, and will give me an opportunity to meet new people.
• I learend how to take blood pressure
• I think I am letting go of the fact that I will not be able to read my nursing texts cover-to-cover, as I like to do with other text books. And this is ok. It is just not the best use of my time.
• I found a really great study spot – Coffee at the Point – my local coffee shop. It is only a few blocks away and I loved it. I had a great mocha and was able to get 4 continuous hours of study.
• I didn't really workout at all this week :( Partly because of the snow and subzero temperatures and partly because my gym membership expired. I love working out, not only for the health/physical benefits but for my sanity. Next week I am really going to focus on incorporating more workouts into my week. I haven’t decided if I am going to rejoin my gym. For one I have a membership through school and in April I will have a membership through work. Maybe just a 3 month membership… I did get the Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and I am excited.

Have a great week!