Times are a-changing.....

We celebrated graduation this weekend...well, thursday and friday. It has been a fun last two days of partying!

Thursday night was the Faculty of Nursing Pinning Ceremony. I hadn't really thought about our grad until the day before. It hasn't been on the top of my priority list. Well, once we (Christina and I) got there and we're chatting with all the grads, including Kendra, I started to realize how special this experience really is! I started to feel really honored and proud to be finished my degree (except my senior practice which begins next week). I did four years of university and am emerging with an actual career! That is something to be proud about! And so I will be!

Here is a funny and sweet little story! During the Pinning Ceremony, we had to line up and each grad went up to the stage seperately to shake the Dean's hand and receive a pin. Before going up, someone read your name aloud for all to hear. Well, I was concentrating on not tripping while walking up the few stairs and across the stage to where the Dean was standing. I started to shake his hand when I heard, loudly, from the balcony......"Way to go, beautiful!!!". Well, the entire place heard it along with me and there was a buzz and some chuckles in the audience. My lovely hubbie had cheered very loudly for me. I was tickled inside, and a little embarassed as I, with a very red and warm face, finished shaking hands, explained that the fellow in the balcony was indeed my husband and turned to face the audience and walk back down the aisle to my seat. Ahhh....love.

Friday night, last night, was the party! We had our grad dinner and dance, tropical style, at Canad Inns Polo Park. It was really quite fun to dress up all formal, see my babe in a suit, and dance the night away! Boy, Steph and Christina have incredible endurance on the dance floor! They hardly stopped all night! I needed breaks in between for sure! My poor hips needed rest from all the swinging and shaking! A little different style than the regular worshipful sunday morning dancing (which I must say is still my fav).

So, now some doors in my life are closing and some are opening. Graduation really did signify the end of my time at the University of Manitoba and saying good-bye to all our fellow nursing students really was the end of something. Yesterday was also my last day at Unity Massage. I can't work there while doing my senior practicum because of the crazy shift work, and senior practicum is full time hours anyways. So, ode to the life as a student, the familiarity of the university campus and my nice job as a receptionist. Hello, ward nursing!

I begin my senior practicum at St. Boniface on Labor and Delivery on tuesday night. I begin on a set of 3 nights! Yikes! I hope that I adjust to my new schedule of life well! It should be an incredible learning experience and I hope to absolutely love my time there! I am going to miss all my evenings and weekends with Shaner though. There will be some weeks were we just pass like ships in the dark unfortunately.

So, off I go to relax a little more before bed! Ta ta for now!

Ahhhhhh......going for a massage today!

I'm pretty excited to relax for an hour and not have to give someone a massage back! It will be wonderful! This massage (yeah benefits!) and a hair cut this past weekend were two treats for being finished my semester!
I've spent this morning at home working on my proposal for practicum. My practicum schedule is looking better to me since my last post. I was pretty bummed but I'm adjusting now! I think I just might finish the proposal today! That would be such a load off! All exams for my degree are over and done! No more classes either! I'm almost there! I can't believe that the end is almost here. It went by really fast!

This thursday and friday are grad! It should be a fun time! It is going to be weird to say good-bye to all the fellow nursing students!

I've had a bunch of blogging thoughts in the last while, but I haven't taken the time yet to actually type them out! Maybe a little later! It takes less time to blog the regular life things and more time and thought to go a little deeper!

It has been a long time since my last post and today's post is not a great representative of what has been happening generally in my life lately...

It is kind of a crappy day. I've spent the entire day inside, going between studying for my exam tonight and tomorrow's too, and distracting myself on the computer.

My crappy day began with receiving the practicum schedule that I have been waiting for for weeks already! I finally got it......and it is pretty sucky. I work more weekends than I was told I would have to. I will have to miss a bunch of things in the next 3 months that I love. For example, I work 8 out of 11 sundays, including my first anniversary. Sundays are pretty special for me....and I will be missing most of them. I'm just pretty bummed about it. I had myself a nice, hands-over-face, cry out loud experience at the kitchen table this morning. If felt a little better but I might have to do it again. Not really a great day to have gotten the schedule with an exam this evening and no brain for it, or motivation to study. Well, good thing that I'm not worried about tonight's exam. It is tomorrow's that I'm concerned about.

So, to make this somewhat positive instead of all complaining, here are some positive parts:
- by 4pm tomorrow I am finished all my exams of my degree (beside my national RN exam in August)
- I get to go for coffee after my exam tomorrow with a good friend whom I haven't seen one-on-one in a while!
- At least I am doing my senior practicum in an area that I hope I absolutely love and therefore it won't be so difficult to miss out on other loved things.
- the good thing about working so many evening shifts is that I get to sleep in.
- starting with my first 3 shifts all being nights will be a nice excuse for why I'm totally disoriented and don't know anything
- having 4 plus preceptors means that I can learn a bunch of different styles and if I don't absolutely gel with one, there is still many others!
- my last day is July 20....so already there is secured dates for this process. I appreciate knowing the beginning and the end.

I'll have to post when I'm a little happier! Back to the books for another hour....exam starts in less than 2 hours! If you think of me, say a little prayer. Thanks!

Yesterday was my last day of classes forever........well, for now, probably not forever!

I have 5 exams left, 3 on tuesday and 2 the following week! And a heck of a lot of preparation to do for my senior practicum which is starting in a few weeks (May 2).

I had my site visit at St.Boniface Hospital yesterday. I met with the unit manager, found out who my preceptors will be for the first part and had a meeting with my faculty advisor. I have SO MUCH to refresh and learn before I start!!! Oh my goodness!!!! I hardly remember any of my
L & D stuff from second year! That was so very long ago!

I'm spending my first 6 weeks on LDRP and my second on L & D (high risk area). It should be an incredible learning experience and really hands-on compared to second year!

So, I'm really excited, and since my site visit, quite nervous about starting!!! It is going to be great!

Jumping over puddles hand in hand......

Ahhhh....love.........
Shane and I just arrived back at our appartment after a nice little date this evening! He wanted to take me out for a date... a little bite at Moxie's.

Unfortunately I got home a lot later than I had expected today and didn't know that he had these intentions! I was rushing home and wanted to take the faster route. Well, it ended up being the route with all the puddles! I was stuck in the field-like area behind our appartment surrounded by water. I could walk all the way back or just go straight into the water, hoping that it wasn't very deep! So, I went for it in my hurry.....and boy do I have a super wet shoe! I hope it dries before tomorrow when I need its services again!

When I arrived home I found out Shane's intentions, we decided to take a walk to the mall and have ourselves a little date! We looked around for a grad dress for me, but didn't really find anything. Then we enjoyed a bite to eat at Moxie's, some great conversation and hand-holding, eye-gazing from across the table.

Again I repeat, "ahhhhh......love......"

A highlight of my evening was the discussion we had at Moxie's. I love discussing our future, marriage, lives, what God is doing in us, etc. It is so exciting, sometimes challenging, but not usually boring! I have an incredibly great husband. I am so glad that I married him.

And now for the sweetest highlight......I was wearing flip flops for the first time this year and was getting pretty wet feet from the still-present puddles on the sidewalks. So, Shaner gave me a piggy back ride over the puddles to spare my feet from the water!!! That tickled my heart!

How sweet!