Still Here!!!!!!!!!

Ok, I'm still here :-) I think about blogging all the time, I just get distracted very easily. I'm hanging on by a thread... taking my final course (Pharmacology), working about 10-15 hours a week at the apartments, being a stay at home mom 5 days a week and going crazy trying to get things done for U of M and looking for loans. Eva started PRESCHOOL this week! I'm so very proud of her and I know she's very happy in her new room. I was a bit nervous about her starting so early...there's a big difference between 2 1/2 and 3 years old, but, her teachers convinced me that she was definitely ready for the early move. Hopefully some time very soon I will sit down and catch everyone up. Ideally, I will keep a blog during school so that everyone can go thru the nursing program with me! Only 2 more months and I start! Oh yeah, most of you probably don't know that U of M decided to start school THREE weeks early, so I will be starting August 17th now and not September 8th. I wasn't thrilled about losing my last few weeks with Eva, BUT we will be doing non-stop skills labs, so, it really will be nice to get the jump on learning and practicing nursing skills BEFORE we start in the hospital the first week of September.
Love to all,
ME

60 and loving it!

No no, I'M not 60, it's 60 degrees outside! WHOOO HOOOOO! Not only is it warm, and occasionally sunny, I DON'T HAVE TO BE STUCK IN THE OFFICE ALL DAY!!!! I'm thinking I should hurry and take advantage of the weather and finally clean my car. Saying it is long over due, is a drastic understatement. My car is gross inside. My original plan was to pay someone to clean it, BUT since I have the time and should save the money, I will do it myself :-) It won't be as pretty as it would be if somebody detailed it for me, but it will be bearable and less embarrasing. I haven't gotten around to studying yet today, my brains a little burnt out. Taking a break to clean the car would probably be a great idea. This morning I was focused on getting ready to drop off an appliction and making some changes to my resume. I have to take a test tomorrow, so of course I am a bit nervous.

GOTTA GO, don't want to waste from 60 degree March day on here!
ME

The latest piece....

I love the way life works out sometimes....just a little over a week ago I was talking with my dad about my latest "plan". I was contemplating leaving my job in May, instead of July, and rolling around the idea of getting a part time job, and the whole time I still asked myself....."Why don't I just quit now and try to find something in the medical field to get experience?" As always, I grumbled about how nice it might be to have a psychic on hand, once in awhile. All I wanted/needed was an "omen" to help me make a decision, because, the truth is I was held in place by the fear of making the wrong decision. Well, I got my omen!!!! On Thursday I was "let go" from my job. At first I felt humiliated, being escorted to my desk as if I was a criminal. There was also quite a bit of anger towards a few people and some fear of what would happen next. But, then I started to fit the newest piece of the puzzle in with the rest...This was exactly what I had asked for, it was my sign. I was absolutely miserable at Domino's. Every day it felt like the life was being sucked from me as I did absolutely NOTHING to better the World. All I did was push paperwork so that people who already HAVE money, could continue to get more. Since leaving, I've been applying to a bunch of part-time jobs, enjoying my time with Eva and getting my studying done. I'm being frugal and cutting out wasteless spending. Medical insurance for Eva is the one big thing I need to work on right now... Right now I feel really content. And relieved to be out of that place. Since I got pregnant with Eva, things are working out the way they are supposed to. I believe I am on the right path and each big event like this reminds me of that and encourages me to keep going. Even the little things are falling in to place. :-) What more could a girl ask for?

Yum yum yum yum….I love Fattoush Shwarma salads! YUM! Baby girl is going to be happy tonight too when I surprise her with the chicken and hummus. She’s been eating hummus for a year or so now and she can eat it (and guacamole) by the spoonfull!!! Things are well. I finally made headway with U of M yesterday. Got the enrollment fee issue settled, the transcript update cleared up and now understand the financial aid process. Every now and then I start feeling a little anxious, like there’s something big that I’m supposed to be doing and forgot to do, I don’t know, it’s a little hard to explain. I think it’s a strange combination of anxiety, excitement, anticipation, fear…. I’m on a pretty big journey right now and each week brings some new piece of the puzzle that I need to figure out how to fit it in and make it work, and not just for me, but for everyone involved.

In other news, I’m starting to get the travel pangs again….I’m trying to subdue it until I’ve made it through school and gotten settled in a new job (in 2011!!!!!) I’m thinking that once I get in to the full swing of school I won’t have time to even think about travel, so the time should fly right by.

OK, I can’t focus right now, soooooo I’ll write another time.
ME

Not bad, huh?

Only been a few weeks since I last posted, not bad, huh? The getting to U of M road continues to be a bit frustrating. It's been a month and my transcripts still have not posted, I've sent two e-mails to Nursing Admissions a couple of weeks ago and still haven't heard back, and I left a VM for a woman at Jackson CC and still haven't heard back! I keep reminding myself about Randy Pausch's quote in his book "The last lecture" that the "brick walls aren't there to keep you from realizing your dreams, just to determine who wants it bad enough" (THAT WAS A VERRRRYYY LOOSE QUOTE BY THE WAY). I won't give up. If I have to, I will drive over to the school and track down somebody to talk to in person.

Anyways, all is well. I am kicking a$$ in my Pathophysiology class. I currently have 147/150!!! I've fallen behind in my Bio/Org Chem class and have to take my second exam by this Sunday afternoon, so, I really need to step up and do this reading and practice questions before then. It should all turn out ok. I'm not too worried...yet. I was thrown a little curve ball this past week by being sick and it has been difficult to study and concentrate. Heck, it's been hard to stay awake!

Oh well, all is good. Speaking of chem, I better get to it! Take care :-)
ME

My response to an online application question...

Question: Name one person that has had an impact on your life. Answer: My daughter, Eva Kristina. When I found out I was pregnant in 2006 I was packing for Chile to teach with the WorldTeach program for 10 months. Within a very short time-span I had to come up with a plan on how I was going to, not only be a single mother, but how to support a child. In the past 27 months I have been very successful at raising a beautiful, intelligent, funny and extremely independant little woman. Our journey has taught me patience, unconditional love, gratitude for the smallest things in life, how to laugh at and forgive myself when I make mistakes and how to get out of bed, even when I don't feel like it. Her presence has brought an indescribable amount of joy to my life and each day, each moment, brings a new challenge, a new lesson, and a distinct purpose to my life.

Question: What do I see myself doing in my professional and personal life after qraduation: Answer: After I complete my nursing degree in 2010 I will set to work to establish my basic nursing skills. When the necessary prerequisites have been met I will pursue a Master's Degree in Midwifery. I would like to work with teenage girls and single mother's to prepare them to be successful and happy mother's as well as to help decrease future unintended pregnancies. As opportunities arise I would like to travel outside of the United States on medical missions to help with similar issues as well as with HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. Further down the road I would like to be involved with an international disaster response team (such as Doctors without Borders, OXFAM, RedCross, United Nations, etc.) to help with global emergencies such as earthquakes, mudslides, etc. In my personal life I will continue to spend time with my daughter and to help her be a productive, intelligent and ethical young woman; full of compassion and a willingness to help others.

I'm on cloud 9.... I'm on cloud 9!

Today is a wonderful day! I have yet to receive a letter from U of M, BUT, they let the cat out of the bag a little early…Here’s how it played out….. I came in to work this morning and was checking my email. There was one saying that I needed to “reactivate my uniquename” and at first I thought it may have been some type of spam, since I already have a uniquename with them, one that worked just fine yesterday. I opened the e-mail and could barely concentrate because it was giving me the impression that I had been accepted. So, now my heart wasn’t beating and I rushed to the U of M prospective student site to see if my application page had any updates and it no longer said “under review” it said “YOU HAVE ACCEPTED ADMISSION TO THE UNIVERSITY”!!!!!! At this point I wasn’t even breathing and just made some grunting noise since I couldn’t even get out “oh my god”. I grabbed my phone and I ran downstairs and called my mom. I barely got out “I got in” before I started crying. Well, the crying kept going for quite some time. Every time I called somebody, I’d cry some more. I think my dad’s heart stopped as I called and barely got out a pathetic “daddy” and then just cried…I’m sure he thought something awful happened to me or Eva, maybe both… When I got back up to my desk, I cried more, for my coworkers and boss to see! OK, maybe it sounds crazy to cry so much over an acceptance, BUT, you have to understand that I have been waiting since AUGUST to hear something and with every communication my hope for getting in dwindled, they were receiving soooooooo many applications and there are ONLY 55 spots. Not only that, but I have so much riding on this, this is going to change my life, and my daughter’s. They were tears of pure joy and relief! Well, now I just have to wait for the official letter to come in the mail, and hopefully there is a package of information about the program and what to expect, because I still don’t have much idea of what the heck I’ve just gotten myself into!!! Crazy, right?