Category Archives: Me

Aug18

The Mountains Look A Lot Higher From The Valleys

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Monday will mark the official start of my second year of nursing school.  I haven’t talked about it a lot here but I am currently in the middle of my Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program.  One year left and I will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to officially become a registered nurse.

With less than a year left (really only NINE months – WOO HOO!) it actually feels like this goal is in sight.  The next two semesters are not going to be easy but it doesn’t feel as overwhelming as it did last year.

Last year it felt like I was flying blind and felt like I was learning a whole new language.  Now it feels like I have the basics and just have to build on them.  I was looking through my old notes (yes, I keep all my old notes and just about everything else and it drives my husband INSANE – love you babe!) this week and came across things I wrote down on the first day of class.

These may not mean anything to anyone else but to me these are a victory.  I have conquered APA style (I still don’t like it but I can ROCK it) and have no problem writing anything in this format.  I know what PPE (personal protective equipment) is, how to use it, how to remove it, and the rationale behind it.  ROM (range of motion) seemed scary and intimidating and now I could do ROM exercises on any patient that needed them.  I passed every “check off” (completing an assigned procedure in front of an instructor) on my first try and would feel comfortable trying anything from a catheter removal to starting an IV (I did get to do both by the second semester and couldn’t have been happier).

The first day of class felt like I was looking at a mountain that I might never get over.  It was intimidating and overwhelming.  Now I look back at how far I have come and I’m proud.  I can’t say that the mountain didn’t knock me down a few times (there have been very real breakdowns in the hallway after a test) and send me sliding down just when I thought I was making headway.  I can say that looking up the mountain doesn’t seem nearly as high and that I know I will make it to the summit before I know it.

If any new nursing students or prospective students come across this blog please keep your head up, even when you get knocked down a little, and know that if you keep going that you will have your victories too.

Aug3

Friday Fire Up – Discipline

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Ever need something to get you motivated? Just speaking for me, I do ALL THE TIME. I wish I could say that I’m always motivated to do the things I need to do or live the healthy life I need to live, it’s just not always the case. That’s what Friday Fire Ups are going to be for!

I’ve always seen myself as someone that has had issues with discipline. I am faced with a temptation and my willpower falls. It’s frustrating and tiring. I don’t like it and I want something more.

Tonight I saw a quote that rocked my world.

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Could that be any more simple?? It’s not about giving something up and depriving myself, it’s about choosing what I want MOST.

I want to like myself more. I want to feel better, be healthier. I want to push past the voice that says to veg out and instead lace up my running shoes to help propel myself to my goals.

I’m done looking at what I want now and I’m ready to fight for what I want MOST!

Jul30

Freedom of Expression

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Aren’t we all allowed to have an opinion, even if we don’t agree with each other?  Aren’t Americans still entitled to protection of free speech and expression?

I’ve avoided this topic on my blog because I try not to get too political in a public forum.  I don’t think it’s necessary and what it usually results in is miscommunication, arguments, and hurt feelings.  I don’t want that in any way.  I’m not going to get into the specifics of my beliefs regarding the topic I’m going to discuss.  I want to talk more about the generalities of how we treat each other, especially in the media and in social media outlets.

By now I can’t imagine any of you out there have missed the controversy stirred up by the CEO of Chick-fil-A and his comments on gay marriage.  Again, I’m not going to comment about that specifically here, as I have no desire to get into a debate about whether he was right or wrong.  What I care about is that he is entitled to his opinion.  He was asked a question and he answered honestly.  I know that’s not popular and I know that many people feel discriminated against because of his opinion, but we do live in a country that supposedly offers us the freedom of expression.

Social media and news outlets have made this controversy all the worse.  People are posting on Facebook and Twitter on one side or the other, often alienating their friends and hurting feelings.  I absolutely can see that when said in certain ways, expressing an opinion could be hurtful.  The problem is that I have seen some people simply agree or disagree only to be vilified online.  Why is it okay for someone to vilify their so-called “friend” but it’s not okay for that friend to have their own beliefs?

What made me want to write this post today was a news story I saw this morning.  CNN aired an interview with Sarah Palin regarding this controversy.  Honestly, I don’t care what Sarah Palin has to say, or very many people affiliated with news outlets for that matter.  I do care that CNN chose to play the song “Stupid Girls” by Pink* to lead in to the Sarah Palin segment.  I mean, really??!!  Isn’t this supposed to be a well-respected news outlet?  Now it’s reduced to playing “Stupid Girls” before a segment to disparage the person getting ready to speak?

I find this so disrespectful and discouraging.  Yes, people may be offended by her opinion but isn’t she entitled to it?  Please, let’s have a bit more respect for each other.  I may not agree 100% with everything every one of my friends agrees with or supports but I have enough respect for them to love and support them no matter what.  I read a quote recently, which I think I saw floating around Facebook, that says “your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does”.  I like this because while I have strong beliefs, if I don’t back them up with actions, then truly they mean nothing.  I also know that my beliefs mean very little if I don’t respect that other people have different beliefs, and are allowed to express them, than I do.  I’m pretty sure the people who wrote the amendment for freedom of expression would be a bit disappointed in the way we are treating each other these days.

*To be clear, I actually really like this song and am a fan of Pink.  I have the album and this song is currently on my iPod.  Just want to make sure no one thinks I have a beef with the song, which I don’t, only the context in which it was used.

Apr29

Why The Radio Silence??

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I am looking down the barrel of final’s week and it is kicking my butt.  I am buried in things like this:

Chemistry.  Blech.  I absolutely hate chemistry.  I will try to avoid anything in my nursing career that makes me have to break things down to their molecular formulas.  I say that with all seriousness.

This is Med-Surg.  I think my binder may explode if I try to add anything more to it.  Each one of the things in that binder might possibly be on the final.  My head aches just thinking about it.

And finally…

My Pharmacology review.  These are the kinds of things I need to go over before Friday.  My eyes start to cross every time I look at these papers.  I do very much care about medications and knowing what they do so that I can be the best (and safest!) nurse possible for my patients one day.  I get a bit nauseous when I think about trying to get it all out on to a test paper though.

So this is what I have been doing and why I haven’t been giving this blog the proper attention.  Hopefully after this week I will be back and definitely getting ready for more summer fashions and fabulous deals!

Feb8

Fear Is Not An Option

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Yesterday I saw a quote that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. Actually, it was on a fortune cookie of all things, but it stuck with me.

“Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.”

How profound is that? Too many times I worry about starting something because I have fear. I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to quit and not accomplish something. You know what that leads to? Not trying anything. That doesn’t help anyone and doesn’t get any of us anywhere.

I’m scared to death of not completing a goal this year that I’ve put out there for myself, completing a half marathon. It’s easy for me to use fear as a crutch and an excuse to stop me from doing something great.

It was fear that made me believe I couldn’t question my place in the nursing program, not being accepted into the ASN but rather the lower PN program. It was faith in myself and the hard work I had achieved, along with the awesome scores I posted, that made me ask for my scores to be reevaluated. It was the knowledge that I worked hard and deserved to be heard that made me go back a second time, even with the dean looked at me like I was insane, and tell her something just wasn’t right. It was not listening to the fear that was ever present in the back of my mind that was telling me not to question, not to put myself out there, that made it possible for my scores to be reevaluated, for the mistake to be found, and for me to be placed into the ASN program in the spot that I earned (and receive an apology from the dean for the mistake being made in the first place). Had I not had that faith in myself I would still be in the PN program (which is completely OK!) but it would have taken me an additional year to complete my course work and be able to become a registered nurse, which is where I want to be.

That’s a big price to pay (time and tuition) to let fear have a place in my life and it’s not worth it. Shadows are okay because it means a light is shining and I’m ready to run to that light.

Jan28

Introducing the Gang

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I have a lot of plans for this space, including themes for different days, or at least some possibilities in mind.  I want to talk about all things modest, not just in my clothing.  I think you can be modest in so many ways, whether that be in food (which I have NOT been doing lately) and in your finances.  Budgeting is one thing I have learned to do even better after losing my job in November.  Beyond that I want to talk about my family and all of the things my life holds right now.

Of course if I want to talk about my family, it really seems like I should introduce them.  First, there is Gabe.  He is my husband of 13 years and the love of my life.  We met in 1996, got engaged in January of 1998, and were married October 24, 1998.  We have been through good times and bad, side by side, and he is still the love of my life.

Besides being the amazing husband and father he is, Gabe is also an amazingly talented author.  I am an analytical person and while I think my writing is okay (I mean, I can put together sentences and stuff!) it’s nothing like his.  I can write about myself and things I know (or heck, research for school and all of that) but he comes up with things in his head and I am immensely impressed.  I don’t have the level of imagination he has and I am always in awe each time he writes something new.  If you want to check him out I HIGHLY recommend swinging by his blog or heading over to amazon to check out his novel or his collection of short stories.  Not to shill for my husband or anything but I definitely do not think you will regret it if you do.

Now, he’s probably going to kill me for posting this here but one of my very favorite things about Gabe is his ability to laugh and be silly.  I think this photo pretty much sums that up and I can’t help but share that side of him with all of you.

This man put on my hat and then actually let me take a picture of it.  Yep, that’s just who he is.  And I love him.

The other two most important people in my life are the tiny humans called Aiden and Olivia (better known as Livi or Miss Livi).  Aiden will be turning 5 in March and Olivia is 3.  They are CONSTANTLY on the go and up to something. Aiden is in pre-school and learning every day, which is AMAZING to me.  I have always loved school and want my kiddos to have a love of education too.  Livi isn’t quite old enough for pre-school but she is definitely busy all the time and absolutely learning, school or not.  Aiden has a love of all things video game related and Livi could not be a bigger girlie girl.  He loves Mario and Lightning McQueen, while Livi is never happier than the times she is dressing up in her ballerina dresses or playing with her dolls.  They bring joy to me each and every day and are part of the huge motivation I have to be something better than I am.

So that’s pretty much us.  Hopefully I will be sharing them with you as much as possible from now on because I wouldn’t be who I am without these people in my life.

Jan27

My New Digs

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I have owned the rights to this space since July but because of a combination of work, school, church and just plain life, I never got around to using it.  That is about to change.  My husband, Gabe, has been encouraging me to start a public blog and get my voice out there to talk about the things I love.  I have no idea if anyone out there will enjoy reading about the things that really interest me but I am going to give it a shot.  Right now one big thing on my mind, as you can probably tell by the title of this blog, is modesty and how that affects my life.  Modesty comes up in so many aspects of my every day life that I wanted to talk about all of the areas that so many people may not think of.  I also wanted to introduce some of the awesome modest fashions I have found because I know so many people who also have a hard time finding the great things that are out there.  Being modest is just one aspect of who I am though.  Right now I’m a struggling student and mom who cares about finances and fitness and just plain getting by.  I have a feeling this space will be an outlet and a fun place for me to bring out parts of my personality that may never get seen by people other than Gabe (and he already knows how insane, silly, nutty, frustrating, etc) I can be.  Welcome to my new little piece of the net and I hope to see you around.