New Chapter

5600 practice questions, 75 NCLEX test questions, two days of waiting and a PASS on my boards! Yay!!! Rachel H. Jordan, RN at your service. It's been a long road, but one I can look back on fondly. I learned a ton, saw and did all kinds of interesting procedures, made some friends, had some fun. A new chapter is beginning. I've helped numerous nurses care for patients over the last two years and now I'll be the one responsible for their care. It's intimidating, but exciting. I really do love (most of) my patients. The ones who come in with legit problems, call for their PRN pain meds every four hours on the dot, but don't want to do any of the other treatments/tests/meds that will actually help their bodies heal...well, they can be a little frustrating. If you want to get/feel better, come see me. I'll do everything in my power to help you. If you don't, why did you come in today?

Ironically, the same night I found out my 'pass' results, we got our 1st glimpse of Nurse Jackie (Netflix rocks!). We had heard about it...some people were offended that she's a nurse hooked on pain killers, some people loved that she says 'Doctors diagnose, nurses heal.' We had to see for ourselves (and we loved Edie Falco on Sopranos). Survey says: LOVE it!!! We've only seen the first four episodes of Season 1, but so far, so good. It's a drama...it's fiction. But there is truth in it. It's a fun show with some great personalities. A new fave.

This weekend I'm so excited to start converting the office from my study zone into a real office/creative workshop! Yippee! I won't have to move school books or study guides out of the way when I want to work on our vision boards or play on FB (found a new addictive game...Gardens of Time. It's a hidden treasure game-I love those!). It'll feel so good to either get rid of or put away all this excess material, but a little sad too...I have a wall that is covered with cards and notes. It's my At-A-Girl wall that is right behind my PC. Check it out:

Some of them are from my days back in the Navy, most are from the past two years cheering me on, making my day, making me laugh. Still haven't decided if I'm going to take it down just yet. It may look messy, but it makes me smile every time I see it.

Guess it's time to start being productive. Happy Saturday!!!
:)

Surprise!!!

Shocked. Awed. Flabbergasted. Speechless (yes, me). What an amazing night! Graduating was fantastic, but this...this blew me away.

Summa Cum Laude

Oh...and my 'major award' I told you about a few weeks ago...here it is! :D

Yes...I am a nerd. And that's okay.

Still here...

I know, I know...I'm a horrible blogger. The last few weeks have been so busy with my final, starting management (7 12-hr shifts with a nurse for school), nurse tech-ing (shadowing a nurse at work), getting ready for pinning/graduation and just living life. I've started reading 'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin and have 'The Art of Happiness at Work' by the Dalai Lama waiting in the wings. Been trying to hoop regularly (quite unsuccessfully, I must admit), but working on it. Finally got an SD card for my MP3/phone so I can download some fun music and get some hooping inspiration! Lon just finished reading 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell and that too is on my new reading list (now that textbooks are being sold to Amazon!) My pinning is the same weekend as Mother's Day and I'm going to have all our mothers here in town at the same time! Busy, busy...I hope to blog on a more regular basis once life settles down a bit...we'll see!
Time to get out and enjoy this super pleasant April Saturday! :D

30/30 Hoop Challenge

Well, I started another challenge for myself. Beginning Friday, April 1st, I am challenging myself to hoop for at least 30 minutes for 30 days. So far, so good! Friday I worked my first 12-hr shift as a Nurse Tech (shadowing a nurse with multiple patients) so I did 15 minutes before work (to wake up and get some hoop-energy) and 15 minutes after I got home and showered (to relax and hoop the stress off). Yesterday was my Cool Tricks in Coolidge Park class...two hours of learning new tricks in 65 degree, sunny, breezy goodness! Even got my first sunburn of the year! :)

Lon met me down at the park, we had a picnic (a la Subway), walked all over downtown Chattanooga, checked out the Saturday River Market, wandered back to North Shore and popped in on some live music at a local brewery (out back, in the sunshine, of course!). Great day!!!

Today is gorgeous once again. Did some homework, made some super yummy pumpkin-oat-blueberry pancakes for breakfast, played with my hoop and we're heading out for a walk shortly. One more week until NO MORE HOMEWORK!!!!!

AND....just found out Friday I'm getting some sort of 'major award' (hope it's not one of those sexy leg lamps...I have no place for it!) The cool thing is the awards ceremony is on my birthday! (It's from school...Hats Off to Excellence Award Ceremony...sounds impressive, doesn't it?) So, I'll let you know what it is once I find out. Yay!

Here's to a fantastic week!

Bliss

[blis]

n.

1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy.

2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.

Phrasal Verb:

bliss out Slang

To go into a state of ecstasy.

I love Spring. Period. End of story. Fall is a close second, but the fresh air, birds chirping, new leaves and flowers, shaking off the cold/dullness of winter, opening the windows again, warm air, cool breezes...what's not to love? Oh yeah, the pollen (esp. here), but I'll deal with it. Totally worth the trade-off! This spring is especially exciting...why, you ask? You know me...I'll tell you!

Well, this spring not only am I graduating nursing school and starting a new career, I've also been taking hooping classes and am in LOVE with this new blissful activity! As I'm writing this, I only have 42 days (6 short weeks!!!) until RN Pinning/graduation. Ahhh...so close. The weather is gorgeous and life is good. In fact, it's so good that I signed up for another class. It was 'reward/celebration' for finishing my last clinical (on Tuesday...I'm done!) This class will be held in a beautiful city park on the TN River and is a two-hour workshop that is all tricks. How fun! The last class of my current March Hoop Dance Madness is tomorrow morning and the Cool Tricks in Coolidge Park is next Saturday. Perfect!

The benefits of hooping/hoop dance are numerous. I feel better. Lon has noticed that I'm standing straighter and using better posture. I feel amazing when I hoop and when I come home from class. My clothes are getting looser...yay! (Too bad I'm not a fan of shopping...I'll muddle through somehow.) I'm laughing and smiling more (and hopefully spreading that to others). It's such a huge stress reliever (even when I didn't know I was stressed!) It puts me in a good mood just talking/blogging/researching about it! Crazy, right?

Well, I hope you have something in your life that makes you feel, well, for lack of a better word...blissful. No wonder so many hoopers use that word in everyday life. That's what it does. Makes you feel blissful.

Plan for the day: Study for Test #4, walk in the park, hoop, study some more, maybe venture to the thrift store for some new duds, enjoy every minute as much as possible. :) That's a good list for a sunny Friday, right?

Time flies!!!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted...life has been BUSY! Still busy...shouldn't be blogging. I'm working on finishing a major project for school that's due by Monday, have a test on Monday, have my 2nd hooping class in 2.5 hours, have another school project due Thursday...and here I sit at the computer. Just wanted to pop in to say Hi and that I've not fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, after this weekend my time should open up a bit. I'll do a blog post dedicated only to my hoop class...I LOVE IT!!! School is good, just busy (as noted above) and I only have 30 days until the final and 55 days til pinning/graduation! Just worked my last day as a patient care tech yesterday and will be moving on to nurse tech here in the next week or so. Lots to blog about, lots going on...not much time. Yet. Enjoy the sunshine and warmer temps (hope that's what is going on where you are.)

Til next time (which I promise won't be a month from now!)...

Test 2...done.

High on cold medicine is not my ideal way to take a test, but I feel pretty good about it. I'll find out how right (or wrong) I am in test review in about 30 minutes. The weather has been gorgeous lately and we've had our windows open for almost a week now. The power bill should be much kinder to us next month! Getting excited about what this spring is bringing. A hoop class, completion of a long-time-coming goal, a new career...and beautiful spring weather!!! Last year we didn't get a spring...went straight from winter to summer. Yuck. 2011...it's gonna be a great year! :)

(Later that same day...)Wa-hoo! I was right...had good reason to like that test. Made an A! Two more and the final...and then (dum da dum dum DUM!) The NCLEX.

Funny thing about hindsight...

it's 20/20. But if it wasn't for stupid mistakes some of us would NEVER learn! :) Our 1st test of the last semester is done. I did well, but could have done better had I not made two stupid mistakes...on two of the easiest questions! I got cocky, glanced at them and just 'knew' the answers. Oops. But you know what??? I won't get them wrong again. Got it...in my brain...cemented. That's what mistakes do. Teach you that you're not as smart as you think you are. But now I'm two bits of information smarter for having gotten those wrong. Sure, I changed a right answer to a wrong one, too...but I already knew I shouldn't do that. However, I did go back and change a wrong answer to a right one...so, it's a wash and those aren't the mistakes. Hindsight. Ahhh...next test on Monday.

Yesterday we had our first (of several) NCLEX success classes. (For those of you not well versed in my 'nurse speak,' that's the National Council Licensure Examination for RN's) Talk about getting me excited. I am so ready (but not yet prepared, mind you) to take my exam! I'm ready for pinning. I'm super ready to graduate. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that in just a few short months, I'll have NO.MORE.SCHOOL. Yippee!!! It's only been three years, but I feel like it was ages ago that I had a job and a life. No studying, no exams, no papers, no mass amount of text that I should be reading. And I only have 79 days til pinning/graduation and then a few weeks more before I can take the NCLEX and be completely done. Oh man, does that feel good to say. I've enjoyed school, but I'm ready for a real paycheck again. Won't that be nice? I'll take a gamble and say, 'Yes, it will.'

Happy Tuesday! I hope to see a birth or C-section today in clinical...talk about birth control!

OMG!!!!

I am NOT a fan of texting, but this title was very appropriate....I made a frickin' A on my final!!!! OMG! I can't believe it! I knew I felt good about it, but an A? Sweet!!!!
Woo-hoo! Christmas break has begun in a very good way!
Several of my classmates got together at Mellow Mushroom (super chill place to eat/drink/be merry) after the final to relax, chat, get to know each other as people (not nursing students) and just celebrate the fact that we are done with the notorious and deadly 3rd Semester....yippee!!!

Ahhh....time for some real relaxation. Catch ya on the flip side....

I'm pitiful...

How sad is it that I just spent time figuring out how low of a score I could get on my final and keep an A or get a B for the semester? It's only because I'm ready to be on break, do some crafts, hang out with the hubby, etc...
Here's what I came up with. If I get at least 70% on the final, I'll end up with a high B. If I can pull off at least 80%, then I'll have a good chance at an A. But that depends on what I scored on my online ATI tests yesterday and we won't get those scores until tomorrow. But once I graduate and have my license, my GPA won't matter (unless I decide to go BACK to school later to get my BSN or MSN). So, needless to say, I used all that valuable time figuring scores and blogging about it when I could have just been studying. But who wants to do that?
Oh my goodness, I just did some more math and figured out that I could make a 50% on the final and still pass the class this semester...with a B!!!!
REALLY makes it hard to start studying...but I will. I don't want to fail or make a C or anything. I WANT to make an A and would be happy with a B on the final. Blah, blah, blah...but this is my blog, right? That's what its for...for me to blah, blah and you to read it (or not.)

On the next post I'll let you know what I decided to spend my Wednesday doing (oh, and Lon is home today...that may have a LOT to do with my decisions...) :D

Test 5

Made an A!!!! Yippee! One week left and then Christmas Break!!! :D I'm on my way...

Holiday Checklist

Test 4: Done (worst grade yet! But passing...) Okay day...on to Test 5.
Turkey Day: Done (worked 6-3 and the house smelled great when I got home!) Good day.
Black Friday: Done (worked 9-9 and if I hadn't, would have been home studying. You shoppers are crazy!) Really good day. :D
Today...
Update Blog: working on it
Clean out closets for donations: Done
Study my butt off: Next on the list!

I'm not an SEC fan, but most of my patients had the Iron Bowl on yesterday and...what a game! Way to go Auburn! Just squeaked by, but a win's a win. Wish we were going to be able to watch Michigan play in a bowl game this year, but it may be a while before that happens again... :( Still love my Wolverines, though! I'm not giving up on you boys!!!

Only 16 days and a wake up til the final!!! I think I may actually have time over the holiday break to get back to some crafts. Hemp jewelry, painting, tie-dye...I want to do it all! Oh yeah, and work on the massive study guides we're going to get for next semester. I'll do that too...
Happy Saturday!

20 days and a wake up!

Bear with me...don't know how much I'll be updating in the next three weeks. I have Test #4 tomorrow at 0730, Test #5 on Mon, Dec 6th and the comprehensive final on Mon, Dec 13th. I also have three online tests to do in between. Add that to working three days this holiday weekend (plus my regular days) and I'm not going to have a lot of time outside of studying for much else. I did my studying for tomorrow's test and have put those notes away. Wish me luck...
Lon's decided to spend his Thanksgiving day making dinner for us (I get home at 1530). Have I mentioned...I have the best husband EVER! :)
Guess that's it for now...better start thinking about sleepy time. If I don't update before then...Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
I'm so thankful for my best bud/husband, my friends, my family, a job, a roof over our heads, cars that run, food on the table, and a smile on my face. :D

5 weeks and counting...

Test 3 is done. Two more tests and a final in the next five weeks...
The light may be faint, but it's there!!! I can just barely make it out...

Happy Halloween!!!!

It's sunny, 62 degrees, beautiful blue sky...and I'm studying and Lon is working. Being a grown-up sucks some days. I'd much rather be out enjoying the day with Lon, NOT worrying about Test #3 in a week. And I know he'd rather not be inside with no windows working on a computer. Only 187 days til pinning...then no more school...for a while, at least. Hopefully unscrewing our porch light alleviates any would-be trick-or-treaters and we can enjoy our evening. :)
That's it for now...have to get back to cardiac drugs, dysrhythmias and coronary artery disease. I really am fascinated by this stuff...I just don't want to do it right this minute.

October Update

What am I doing on this sunny, cool October morning, you ask? Well, right now I'm enjoying some tasty hazelnut/french vanilla coffee and updating my blog. This morning I got up and fixed open face egg sandwiches with spinach, tomato and avocado and a side of turkey bacon...YUM-MY! Lon left for a day of editing commercial shoots and I have a day of yoga, studying and whatever-else-comes-up ahead of me. It's 62 and gorgeous right now...our high might reach 80 today. Have I mentioned how much I love, love, LOVE fall??? Now I have. :)

Test 2 is down and boy, was it a doozie! It was all GI (gastrointestinal) and you wouldn't believe how much crap (ha, ha) goes on between the blow hole and the poop shoot! I passed, but with my lowest score yet...an 80. I'm making myself be happy with it, too...not everyone passed and it has the notoriety of being one of the more difficult exams. We'll see...still have two cardiac tests and one on endocrine/DM/trach care before the comprehensive final. BUT there is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel...the FINAL final (last test at Chatt State) is now LESS than 6 short months away!!! Woo Hoo!!!! That means the NCLEX should be in about 8 months (we have to wait for them to get our transcripts and contact us with approval to test, THEN we can schedule to take the exam.) Whew! I can not even describe to you how sick of studying I am. I am trying my hardest to keep my eyes on the prize. It is worth it, I know. This is the first step towards our big dream and I'm so excited to be so close to having one thing done and being that much closer.

Yesterday we received our first copy of betterRving.com magazine in the mail. It's a free publication from one of the larger RV supercenters (sales, repair, camping, classes, etc.) located in Tampa, FL. Eyes on the prize, right? We have visions of new territories to explore, good friends to visit, freedom, road trips, bike rides down forest paths, through 'tree tunnels', alongside brooks, streams and lakes, playing cards underneath a blanket of stars, trying new foods and new activities, meeting new people, learning a ton and enjoying every minute and what it has to offer. Ready to join us yet? I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it sure does seem custom made for the two of us. So all of you out there...be prepared. We might just show up to say Hi, but don't worry...we'll bring our own bedroom. :)

The Race...The Race...The Race is on Fi-ah

It's over and done with. We had our Race for the Cure, got pictures made (complete with hot pink feather boas), got a bunch of cool freebies and enjoyed the 5K walk around historic Fort Wood.

Today is our FIRST official day of Fall!!! Hallelujah! Our high today was around 75 and next week our hottest day is supposed to be around 81. Can you say 'Happy?' I can....cause that's what I am!

Next week is my last at The Bend...I've really enjoyed it, but I'm sure Med-Surg will be interesting too...
Here's a little pic of me, Jen and Elke with our fabulous face paintings from the Race. Yes, I did tie-dye my shirt. What else would you expect???

Yep. I did it. Woo Hoo! :) First test down...four more to go and a final. Eight short months til the NCLEX!!!!

Still at Moccasin Bend Mental Hospital and still enjoying the experience. My coloring books and crayons were a hit last week, but my client said he couldn't see well...so tomorrow I'm taking Play Doh! I can't wait...it's been years since I've played with the stuff.

Did you know patient care can be fun, too??? :D

The Race for the Cure is this Sunday and our team consists of 41 members! Great turnout...Elke (the other co-captain) and I will be wearing quite fashionable tie-dye t's for the walk. Lon liked my Hippies for Nippies idea, but I knew that team name wouldn't fly for the college. ha, ha, ha!

Babies, babies, everywhere! My little brother's second baby (another girl) is due in a few weeks; Christine (my good friend from our Navy days) has her second baby (another boy) due at the same time! And I just found out a few weeks ago, someone else I know is preggers...they're everywhere! :) Congrats to all you guys!!!

Time for some well deserved R&C time on the ole' PS3. Catch ya on the flip side...

What time is it???

Too damn early. Especially since I've already made my lunch, got the coffee ready and have my oatmeal cooking....ughh...Oh yeah, and I got off work at 9 pm last night.
Yes...in my honest opinion it's too damn early for me to be awake. But alas...life goes on.

LOVING Psych! So interesting, the patients (clients) are fascinating and I'm learning a ton. Hopefully it's all sinking in pretty good because my first test is on Monday (all Psych, including the drugs). And if you haven't guessed by my bright and early rising today...I work from 6-3. So it'll be a busy weekend with a bunch of review.
If I can manage a little break for some fun, there is a cool band playing (for free) on the river front. I've never seen Blueground Undergrass Reunion in person, but they sound like a blast! They've played with Phish and Widespread Panic (who I'd love to see!) We could use a little no-charge fun. :)

Have a great weekend! Here's to hoping for cooler weather soon (oh yeah...summer came back.)