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~January 1, 2003~
Well, it's finally all over. Today I went
to Mrs. Lorrie's funeral. What a way to
spend New Years huh? It was so sad.
Her husband and four sons are not
taking it well at all. I have been
praying for them. I figured it was the
least I could do. Last night Leanna
and I went to the viewing. Derek, the
guy I was talking to last summer
was there. He's her nephew. The entire
time we were at the funeral home
he stayed planted to the pew. He also
was staring holes through us. I just do
not understand him at all. A
little over a month ago he was flagging
me down in the road and both last
night and today at the funeral he did
not so much as speak. He kept staring
at me at the cemetary and always
seemed to be within earshot; like
he was waiting on me to be the
one to break the ice and speak to him.
I'm sorry, but I was not going to
do that. I figure if he wanted to
talk to me, he should have been the one
to take the initiative. Honestly, I could
really care less. He is too wishy-washy
for me anyway! To change the
subject totally, tomorrow is my
last day of work at the Mental Institution.
I start my nursing program on
Monday. I am really excited
about it, but I'm also very nervous
all at the same time. I wish I knew
somebody, ANYBODY who was going to be
in my class. Then again, if they are all
complete strangers I have the opportunity
to make 39 new friends!
~January 16, 2003~
Nursing school is officially
in full swing! Yes, I know I wanted
in so bad, however I never imagined it
would be this much work this soon! We
have all these skills to master, books
to read, diseases to know, and it's
overwhelming! I have to admit, I was
a bit intimidated the first week, but
now I think it is going to be alot
of fun, in spite of all the hard work!
Another good thing is I do actually
know some of the people in my
class. Out of my 38 classmates, I
know 4 people. I know that is not
alot, but it is better than not knowing
a single soul! I hate to be so short,
but as usual, I have schoolwork to
do. I will write more
when I get the chance!
~January 23, 2003~
Boy oh boy, I have sure gotten
myself into something! This school,
I swear, I had no idea there was so
much to being a nurse. Assisting physicians,
caring for patients, and monitoring
medicine are just a few things
it entails. It's okay though, I
absolutely LOVE the program!
I got all my uniforms the other day.
Now I've just got to take them to
my grandma so she can sew my patches
on the left shoulder. I've also been
house sitting for my aunt and uncle while
they have been in Thailand. I'm
glad too; I get to stay the night
away from home and that is wonderful!
I get so much more done as far as
school is concerned without my dad
hovering over me. I know he means well,
but about school, he drives me absolutely
NUTS! I cannot take him!
He thinks that if I'm not either in class
or on my way to/from school, that
I should have my nose in a book at
all times. I'm sorry, I just am not
that passionate about studying like he
was in college. I know I could stand
to devote a bit more time to
my classes, but as long as I pass, I
don't care! I know that sounds horrible,
but it is how I feel. So what
if I do not get an "A" in every
single class, I'm gonna be an RN in
August of 2004 just like everyone
else in my class; even the ones
who spent the majority of their time
worrying and stressing over class. I
want to be a nurse for a long time,
not just for a few years, then die
of an ulcer or a heart attack! Ok,
I believe I have rambled enough.
I will now get off my soapbox!
~February 16, 2003~
Happy Valentines Day!
I can say that now being it's
over and done with for another
363 days! Can ya tell it isn't my
favorite holiday? Anyways, even though I
did not have a valentine AGAIN this year, I
did have some fun this weekend. Me,
Kisha, and Leah went to Stetuns in
Panama City last night and had the
best time! A bunch of our friends met
us there as well and that made it
even better! Leah even entered the
thong contest which was pretty
hilarious! She could have got herself $100
but she was beat out by this nasty
girl who was practically stripping
onstage. Leah just has too much class
to take it that far. It just isn't
worth it to her. After we left we
had to drive ALL the way home! It
rained on us the entire time so it
made the hour long trip well over two
hours. It was close to 7 am when
I finally arrived at my final destination;
MY BED! It was alot of fun, but
that it's one night that I
am glad is OVER!
~February 18, 2003~
I am so glad that this day is
finally over! Today we had the ribbon
cutting ceremony and health fair at
school. This is the first year our
health science building has been open, so,
being the small community that it is,
you know that all the local newspapers,
tv cameras, and radio personalities were
there to witness the grand event. If
that were not annoying enough,
we also had ALL 120 nursing students
hosting. Now THAT was a major
undertaking! I have never seen so
many white uniforms in my life! We
looked like the invasion of the
marshmallow people! It was
fun, but it was tiring as
well. Walking around smiling and
being nice to everyone surely takes
it out of a person! Therefore,
I am headed for bed
to get some sleep!
~March 7, 2003~
Reality; what an AWFUL phenomenon!
I got a BIG dose of it today.
Today was the first day we had
clinicals at the hospital. We had to
be there at 6:30 this morning and as
if that wasn't bad enough, me and my
partner got assigned a patient who was
not just knocking, but BANGING FURIOUSLY
on death's door! She really was a
sweet old lady, but she was very
very ill with pneumonia. Then again,
I do work on the Step-Down floor,
so I can't expect any of them to
be the picture of health I don't guess.
I learned so much stuff today that
I had no idea went on in the hospitals.
Mostly it was just how they go
about dispense medicines, their shift
lengths, and that ALL 9 o'clock
medicines must be pulled before 8:45
because the cart goes back down
to pharmacy, even though it isn't due
to leave until a little after 9!
The most valuable lesson I learned
though was when giving a shot,
like to a real person, and not a
plastic "life-like" dummy, is that
NEEDLES BOUNCE!!! Giving shots is
NOT as easy as it looks! There
is alot more to it than just gently
piercing the skin. With the shot
I gave today, it was more like winding
up to pitch a baseball. That poor
little old lady, it just did not want
to go through her skin! I felt so
bad because I knew that me using her
as a pin cushion had to hurt! I was
nervous and she knew it, but I never
let on that this was my very first
experience giving an injection. She didn't
die, so I guess I must have
done something right! I guess I have
now officially been initiated into
the nursing world, although I know
more traumatizing experiences are
sure to come in the future!
~March 10, 2003~
What a weekend! For someone who
had NO plans on Friday, I sure was
busy! Kisha came home being it was
her spring break. Saturday night her
parents threw yet another party. We
hung out there for a while, but about
11 o'clock we got a wild idea to
ride to The Riverfront in Tallahassee.
We met up with some other friends
there and had a really good time.
Afterwards, we went back to Kevin
and Jake's apartment. I had not seen
Jake since we were sophomores in
college, so that would be since
about 1998 or 1999. He went in
the Air Force, but he is out now. Upon
leaving there, we made a trip to the
Waffle House. I'm sure EVERYONE knows
that a night out on the town just
is not complete without a trip to
the Waffle House! We hung out
there in the parking lot with Jerica,
Chuck, and Kevin J. for a few minutes
to make sure Chuck was really going
to drive Jerica home. Once all that
was settled, we went in and ate our
pecan pie. We did not intend on
staying that long, but it came a downpour
outside and we didn't want to
drive in that kind of rain. I was so
sleepy, but then again I did not want
to chance a battle with Mother Nature
either. Finally, it slacked up enough
we could drive somewhat safely. By
the time I hit my bed around 5
that morning, I think I honestly
was already asleep!
~March 15, 2003~
Oh at the tidbit of news that
found my ears this past week!
Adam and his "lovely" bride
are going to be parents! Yep,
that's right. He is going to be a
daddy. No, let me take that back;
he had one sperm with a sense
of direction, therefore he has fathered
a child. Being a daddy is a whole
different ballgame than fathering a
child. I know that a month
ago she was not pregnant, so this
is a VERY new condition. Isn't it
amazing in a small town, how info about
your ex, whether you want to
know it or not, just seems to find you?
That is how I feel. I'm just glad
it isn't me he chose to breed with.
At this point in my life, I just
really do not think I could tolerate
him long enough to create a child,
much less raise one in a collective
effort. Actually, as I've said
many times before, if I had met him
when I were 18 instead of 16 we would
have never dated. I would have seen
right through his little game, instead
of being this little head-over-heels
in-love school girl. WHATEVER!! It's
amazing how wise a person can become
in just a few short years filled
with various life experiences. Heck, I've
had so much going on lately,
at this rate, by the time I'm 25, I
ought to be an absolute genius!!
~March 23, 2003~
I finally got to hang out with
my friend Carla this weekend! I had
not seen her since her birthday last
August. She has been wanting me to
come down for the longest time now,
but every weekend it would rain and I
did not want to drive in that kind
of weather. This weekend the weather
finally cooperated. When I first
got there we planned on going to the
air show at Tyndall Air Force Base.
We got there and saw they had people
lined up for as far as we could see,
searching them and checking them with
a hand held metal detector. Well,
the thought was nice, but we were
not going to stand in that line!
We left there and met her friend
Melanie at Pineapple Willy's to eat
lunch. Afterwards, being we had nothing
better to do, we went and rode the
strip like spring breakers! How retarted
is that! We then went and
visited with Melanie's mom at La Fiesta
where she works. She gave us some VERY
yummy frozen margaritas on the house. You
can't beat that price! While sipping our
drinks we also got hit on by this
12 year old (ok, maybe he was 13)
from Alabama. He thought he was
just the little pimp daddy I tell ya!
He told us how beautiful we were
and gave us each 2 strands of beads.
Talk about a little charmer! Later
on that night, Carla and I rode to Shalimar
about 45 minutes from Panama City to
go to Cheers Karaoke Bar. Todd, a guy
she met the night before hosts there
on Saturday nights and asked her
to come. So, that night we made us
a road trip. We hung out with his
friends from college who were staying
the weekend at his place. They were
so cool! Carla was a bit skeptical
about him having 4 girls staying at
his place, but once we met Jessica,
Breckin, Angela, and Heather we
knew that they were nothing more than
his friends. They said that Todd was
like their brother and nothing more.
They spent the entire night talking
about how he was a great guy and how
he and Carla should hook up. She really
likes him alot and he said he was
coming to take her out on a date
this week. We shall see how that
turns out. Carla really is a good
girl and deserves alot better than
the past 2 guys that I know she dated.
They totally did not appreciate
her at all. Maybe this one will
work out better for her.
I sure hope so!
~March 30, 2003~
Today I got to visit with
my Austin! He is getting SO BIG!
He is 19 months old now
and into everything! I guess that
trait just goes with the age
though. Other than keeping up
with him, Janice and Ricky really have
not been up to much lately. I had not
seen them in over a month, so it
was time for me to visit. Tomorrow
it's back to the ol' grindstone. I never
thought I would say this, but
I am kinda ready to get back to school.
I miss seeing all my friends from
class, so going back will be
fun! I'm not quite as eager to
go back to the hospital for my clinicals,
but I know that is part of it.
Just yet another one of the hoops I've
got to jump through if I want to do
this nursing thing. This semester has
really flown by, so before I know it,
August 2003 will be here and I will
be all done. I am anxious for that day,
but then again sad in a way.
Our class has become such good friends,
it will be hard not getting to see
all of them every day. Well, I had
better run. Morning comes way too soon
and I need to get into bed!
~April 7, 2003~
What a week! I am thrilled to be
back in school, but I'm even more
thrilled that this week is OVER! It
all started Monday when another of our
teacher's quit. It's like musical instructors;
we never know who we are going
to have teaching us on any given day.
Then, on Thursday, my partner and
I had a patient that worked us
to death! He was a very sweet old
man, but he had alot of health
issues and needed a great deal of attention.
His son was there keeping us
company and helping us out alot. I
also got a "Satisfactory" on my
paperwork from last week. I was very
shocked about that considering out
of 36 in my class, I think only 12 got
an "S". I hope this trend
of good grades continues! Saturday
night, Kristen and I went to Panama
City for the night. I called Carla
and she went to the beach with us
for a few hours when we got there. Then
later in the night, Me, Carla, Kristen,
and Melanie went to dinner at Schooners.
After that, Kristen and I went
to visit with Kristen's friend Keith
and his roomate Josh. We stayed over
there for a few hours and watched
American Pie 2. Me and Kristen
later went to Stetsuns. That place
has changed SO much since we first
started going there over 3 years
ago. They've built onto the building,
changed the looks of the interior,
and all sorts of other things.
For about the first hour we were
there we did not see the first soul
we knew. Then, about 1 am, Drew, Chuck,
Flop, and some other people from
back home came in. Kristen and Drew
use to have something going on, but
he was ignoring her and it really
aggervated her. She eventually got to
talk to him. He told her he was
not mad at her, he was just mad at
the world in general and not to take
it personal. That made her happy
and she chilled out about that whole
deal. We finally got in around 6 this
morning. When we got up we made
a trip to the Waffle House, slept on
the beach and got a tan, went
shopping, to Sonic for a quick snack
then came home tonight in time for
Kristen to get to church. Needless
to say, it was a FULL weekend
and I got no schoolwork done! I
really should be doing it not, but I'm
way too exhausted!
~April 13, 2003~
I am being so lazy today!
Yesterday was our annual family
reunion and I ate SO MUCH! They
always have such good food out there,
it's hard to choose! Anyways, me,
my mama, Aunt Dot, My grandparents, and
Aunt Somjit & Uncle Tommy all went
out there. It was hot, but nowhere
near as bad as it was last year!
Last year it was absolutely
miserable! At least the clouds helped
us by making it a bit overcast
outside! Today I rode up to Leanna's.
She was in need of emotional
support. She broke up with her
boyfriend (THANK GOD) and was having
herself a pity party. She just doesn't
realize what a blessing putting him
out of her life really is. I'm
sure in time she will though. I've found
things like that just don't get
understood overnight. It took me a
long time to realize that about Adam.
What I thought was the worst thing
that could possibly happen to me
was in all honesty the biggest
blessing that I could have EVER received!
We sat out in her yard on the
swing and just talked about all of it.
Yeah, I want her to have someone
and to be happy, but someone who drinks
all the time and is abusive
is not the ticket to happiness
in my opinion. Oh well, enough for
my ranting on her business. I
need to run. Mama wants to go
for a ride so I can show her where
the dirt road a few miles from here
has been swallowed by the pond!
~April 20, 2003~
I am so exhausted! Today I went
with Kisha to her family get-together.
Every Easter her entire extended
family congregates to eat lunch and
play softball. We played not
just 1 but 3 whole games today! So
not only am I tired, I'm FILTHY! We
probably would still be playing if it
hadn't got dark! After we left the park
we had to stop by her great uncle's
house so he could take a look at
her car A/C that has been blowing hot
air for about 2 weeks. She thought
it was something serious like the
compressor; however all she needed was
the coil cleaned. Now it works
like a charm. Finally, after all that
was taken care of, I came home.
I've had a busy weekend all together
actually. Yesterday I went shopping in
Tallahassee with my friend Candy. We
went to both Wal-Marts in town, Target,
Ross, Home Depot, Publix, and
this cool consignment shop called
Plato's Closet. We stayed in there
for what seemed like forever!
It was worth it though. I got me
an American Eagle khaki skirt, a pair
of Abercrombie & Fitch flare-leg jeans, and
this really cute little garnet shirt.
It's so adorable! The best part
was I got all that stuff for
only $32! Tell me that isn't
a deal! I'm gonna have to shop there
more often. Then on Friday night me
and Leanna rode to Tallahassee to
see Kristen. Being Leanna is
no longer attatched so to speak, we
had a girls night out. She REALLY
needed that! We met up with Kristen
and her friend Rachel at this place
called Paradise Bar & Grill. They had
a band playing on the back deck
and there were so many people there!
We were there about an hour then
we went to Sloppy Joe's. Now that
place was fun! We are definitely going
to have to go back there again! It
finally closed at 2 am, so me and
Leanna started home. We ate a quick
snack at Taco Bell and I spilled
taco sauce ALL over my jeans! Needless
to say, I was not a happy camper!
Eventually, we made it back
home relatively unscathed!
~April 29, 2003~
I'm so sad! My patient
from last Thursday, who was also a
friend of mine's Grandaddy, passed
away yesterday. I know that he was
80 years old and had a massive heart
attack on easter, but still, thatR
doesn't make it any easier. He was the
first patient I had to die after
I took care of them. What a way to
end the semester!! I dunno how I will
ever make it being a nurse! The
thought of death just depresses me!
I knew when I saw him that morning
that he was not long for this world,
but I didn't have the heart to tell
my friends that. His visitation is
tonight. I have thought about going,
but I don't want to go by myself.
I'm probably going to get my mama
to go with me; she won't mind
at all.
~May 6, 2003~
It's back to school for me tomorrow.
Not that I mind; I've really
started liking school alot. I got
my grades and I did ok in everything
except Anatomy & Physiology. We nursing
students have to have a "C" in
all science classes, so it looks
like I will be retaking it either
this summer or in the fall. Tomorrow
I start Obstetrics and Pediatrics. I am
pretty excited about that being
I think that is the area I want
to work in once I am done with school
next August. I just love little
kids and the whole pregnancy and
birth process thing has always interested me.
That is what I think as of
now, but after going and working
that floor in the hospital I might
change my mind completely! Today,
I also went and picked
up an application for a
job at the hospital where we
had our clinicals last semester.
It would allow me to work any
day I wanted and the hours I
wanted, so you cannot beat that at
all! It's a job strictly for students
who are already in the nursing
program at my school, so that cuts
the competition considerably! I really
hope I get it because I think it
would be alot of fun; not to mention
give me a lil' change to play
with on the side!
~May 16, 2003~
I went to see Alan Jackson and
Joe Nichols in concert last night in
Pensacola! It was an awesome show! Me,
Carla, 2 of her friends from work,
Melanie and her dad all went together.
We were suppose to go eat at
this place called Copelands, but by
the time we all got to town, it was
too late. I didn't stave to death by
no means, so it was ok. After the show
me, Kisha and her 2 roomates Beth Anne and
Annie all went to Seville. I had
never been there before and
they wanted to expose me, so we went.
That place was SO crowded!
We could barely even walk! It's actually
a really neat place. I hope when
I am over her way again I will
get the chance to go back.
~May 30, 2003~
Tonight I went and visited with Amanda,
Wesley, and Lil' Miss Mandalyn. She is
getting so big! It seems like she was
just born yesterday, but on June 12th,
she will be 16 months old. My how
time flies! She didn't have much news;
just that she hates her job and wants to
go to nursing school like me. I really
love it! It's so much fun to
abuse the public! Other than that, I
have not had much going on. Me, Kristen,
and a group of people were suppose to
go to Panama City Beach and out
on a pontoon boat tomorrow, but Kristen's
friend's dad died and she has
to go to his funeral. It's ok
though because I planned to go for my birthday
next weekend initially in the first
place. So, in the end, it will all
work out. Well, since I have nothing else
going on I will quit rambling for now!
~June 4, 2003~
I am SOOOOOOOO mad! Today I went
to Sonic and ordered a chicken fingers
meal. I was absolutely starving when I
went there.......and guess what, I
was just as hungry when I left!
I never did get my food!! Oh I was
angry!! That cured me from
going there anymore. I swear I won't
ever go back, they do not have to
worry about it! I went home and then
my mom called and told them I was
a bad diabetic and I can't play around,
I have to eat when I order, not
a week later! It was funny to hear
them stutter out excuses! Well, I finally
have my plans made for my birthday
this weekend. Me, Kristen, Kisha, and
her roomate Bethanne are all going
to Panama City for the night. We
plan to go out Friday night then
go out on a pontoon boat Saturday. That
is, if the weather cooperates; it
is suppose to rain all weekend. I
dunno, if it doesn't work out,
I'm sure we will find something to
get into. I ain't even worried about
being bored, 'cause it ain't gonna happen!
~June 6, 2003~
Happy Birthday To Me!
I'm 23 already? Where the heck has
this past year gone? Well, in
that case, these past 5-7 years! It
doesn't seem like I should be this
old already. Maybe 18 or 19, but 23?
This is insane! Time has flown
by! Anyways, so far I've had a
pretty crappy birthday. Leanna and
I fought on the phone earlier because
she waited until now to let me
know she wasn't going with me and
my friends to Panama City Beach tonight
to celebrate my birthday. SOME
FRIEND SHE IS! It just makes
me so mad she allows that boyfriend
of hers to control her every
thought, move, LIFE IN GENERAL! I told
her so too! I know it made her
really mad, but honestly I do not
care. I mean, I was 110% up front and
honest with her about my feelings on
the whole deal, and I do not regret
that. I feel that if I cannot express
myself to my friends without them
getting in a tizzy then they aren't
true friends in the first place!
Oh well, enough on that, I'm off
to the beach with my "REAL FRIENDS"
and I will update later!
~June 8, 2003~
What a fun birthday I had!
I knew I would! My
friends, they are the BEST! We
had an awesome time to say
the least! To see pictures from my
birthday click here!
Friday when I got to Panama
City it was storming, but I
wanted to go to Target so I waded
through the parking lot to go
shopping. I bought myself a pretty color
of expensive nail polish that I wouldn't
normally buy as a "Go-Me-It's-My-Birthday" present!
Shortly thereafter Kristen arrived and
we went to Luigi B.G.'s for dinner.
Afterwards we went and picked
up her friend Kevin who she hadn't
seen in a while. He insisted he take
us ladies out for a drink so we
ended up going to good ol' Sidekicks.
I had not been there since shortly
after my 21st birthday, so it had
been a while! We stayed there for about
an hour then went back to wait for
Kisha and Bethanne to get in town. They
finally made it and we went to Sweet
Dreams out on the beach. By this time
it was STORMING and we all looked like
drowned rats! There were alot of people
from back home at Sweet Dreams that
night so it was pretty neat. We were
only there about 45 minutes before
we decided to head on out to Stetsuns.
Not long after getting there we
ran into some old friends that neither
me nor Kristen had seen in 2 years;
Jay and Craig! It was so awesome
seeing them! Jay did not even recognize
me! He couldn't believe how much I
had changed since he last saw me
in September of 2001, or so he said
anyway. Other than that nothing to
exciting happened there that night. Kisha
did tell the DJ it was my birthday
and he announced it to the entire
club! I was so embarrassed! She just
laughed and was like "What are best
friends for other than to embarrass
ya sometimes?" Ok, so she has
a point! The next day her
Aunt & Uncle called and wanted us to
join them at Roadhouse for lunch. They
were in town for their anniversery
so we just had one big lunch
celebration. We had planned on renting
a pontoon boat for the day, but
being it was raining, that kinda changed
our plans. After lunch we all ended
up going to the movies at the mall
and seeing "Bringin' Down The House".
Now that is one funny movie! I laughed
the entire time! By that time I was
exhausted and it was time for me
to come home! I was totally
birthday-ed out!
~June 16, 2003~
It's all over! Summer Session I is
complete! We had our Obstetrics/Pediatrics
final today and I think I
did pretty good. I am so excited!
Now the real fun begins; Monday
we start our 8 hour Basic Medical/Surgery
class. That is going to be
interesting! We are going to be
taking a class that the group a
semester ahead of us said they couldn't
even learn everything they needed
to know and they had it in the spring
over the course of an entire semester.
I know if they had trouble doing
it in 16 weeks, it's going to be next
to impossible for us to do it in 6!
It's going to be rough, but then again,
I am kind of glad we have it in the
summer. After all, there is absolutely
no way they can cram that much
info in us and actually expect us to
retain all of it. They will have to
be cutting us some breaks somewhere along
the way or else our graduating class
of August 2004 will dwindle down to no
one, and they can't do that! Failing
every single one of us just isn't
an option! Well, I guess they could,
but I think it would be very bad
for their program's reputation! Oh well,
as of now I am not even getting
worried over it. I'm going to be a
nurse come hell or high water and
this one lil' class ain't stopping me
after I've already come this far!
~June 25, 2003~
Well, I was right, Basic Med/Surg. is
going to be a doozy!! They want us
to learn like 5 chapters every Monday,
have clinicals at the hospital Tuesday
and Wednesday, then come in and take
a test first thing Thursday morning
over the stuff we discussed in class
on Monday! With all that stuff, that
doesn't even count the 3 satisfactory care plans
they expect us to complete by the
end of the semester! Those things
are so time consuming! I
just dunno where I will ever get
the time or energy! I just hope and
pray God gives me some energy boosts
because with my sleep schedule now, I
will never make it! This week
we had clinicals yesterday only to
find they have implemented a new computer
documentation system throughout the
entire hospital that we couldn't use
being we didn't have a password. As
if it would have mattered being not
one of us had a clue how to operate
it! Today we had a BORING class
on how to use the system. It
was so long and tedious. I
doubt I will recall any of it
when I go to do my documenting next
Tuesday at clinicals. Oh well, enough
of my fussing; on that subject
anyway! I have another issue at
hand today as well! Adam, the FREAK,
followed me through town after my
computer class! I pulled in a gas station
to fill up and he saw where I went.
He then just "happened" to pull up
next door in the pawn shop parking lot,
knowing the pawn shop is ALWAYS closed
on Wednesdays, and has been ever
since they opened for business a gazillion
years ago! C'mon now, him playing
it off like he was trying to go
pawning wasn't even believeable! Everyone
knows the place is closed Wednesdays!
He has a new truck, so I guess
he doesn't think I know what it
looks like. Therefore he could feel
safe watch me from afar incognito so
to speak, and I would be none the
wiser! Wrong again! OOPS! Seems like
no matter what he does, I am always
at least one step ahead of him! It
probably would have really scared me
to know that someone was sitting and
watching me pump gas, or do anything
for that matter. However, being it
was him, and I know he is a complete
IDIOT and would never harm me,
I kinda got my kicks out of it.
It's just one more thing
to add in my mental notes
about him and his feelings. I mean,
it's not that I want him, or ever
will again for that matter, I
just get my jollies out of knowing
that he is obviously miserable in
his marriage, or else he would not
be doing stuff like that. He
has a wife and a son on the way
this fall, but he is still doing crazy
mess like watch me pump gas? Ok,
we ALL know who his real true love is,
ain't no denying that one. He may
say one thing, but like I've always
said, actions speak louder than words!
~June 29, 2003~
What fun we gals had this weekend!
Yesterday me, Kristen, Misty, and
Jessica all went to Dothan so we could
make a final decision about our
bridesmaid dresses. We all ate at
Applebees then went dress hunting. It
took a few hours, but we finally decided
on this simple, red satin, mock
2-piece gown. It is sleeveless and
has a few beaded accents around the
neckline but that is it. I think
they are going to look really pretty.
Now if only Kristen knew for sure
when Robert was going to be home from
Iraq we could get this show on the
road! I can't wait! I am so glad
she is happy and found someone she
loves, but in a way I'm sad that she
is getting married. It means she will
be moving off to Colorado and I
will miss her! The things we do for
love! Ha! Ha! Her happiness is
what is most important, and if Robert
is who makes her happy, then I'm
happy for her. Well I hate to
run, but I have lots of studying
to do as usual! This Med/Surg
thing, if it doesn't absolutely kill me,
I think I will be a great nurse!
~July 6, 2003~
Happy Be-Lated Independence Day!
I know I am behind times, but I was
out of town this weekend! I went to
Panama City on Friday and stayed with
Carla. We, along with her friend
Adrianne, went to her boss's house
for what was suppose to be a cookout.
It stormed all day, so that kinda
put a damper on the whole grilling
out idea. We were driven inside
by the weather, but we had a good
time nonetheless. He boss had several
friends over, and later that night we
all went to the fireworks show out
at the Grand Opening ceremony for
Pier Park. We considered going out
afterwords, but we were both
exhausted! We are such party animals,
we went right back to her house and
went to bed! I guess all the walking
and excitement of the fireworks
just wore us out!
~July 13, 2003~
I just love the beach! It's so
much fun! Every year, Kisha's family
rents a beach house for the week
following 4th of July. I usually
go down at least 1 night and stay.
I went down on Friday. Upon arrival,
I immediately went to the beach
and proceeded to bake myself in the
sun. I didn't realize I was that
burnt until I got out of the shower
later that night. That is when
the REAL redness set it! It was
ok though, my skin needed a little color.
Afterwards, me and Kisha made a
trip to Stetsuns. We had so much
fun! After we closed
it down (as usual), we went to
Corams and had breakfast. It was
hilarious because the whole crowd that
was at Stetsuns came wandering in
within an hour. It was like they
left there and came to eat, just
like us. We finally made it back
to Mexico Beach at daylight. That
was ok except for the fact they
were leaving the next morning and
had to be out of the house by
11 am. We did not get much sleep
before we had to get up and help
clean the house. After that I
thought about laying out some more,
but I was absolutely too tired. In my
sleep deprived condition, I decided to
come on home. Last night I ended
up going to bed at 5 o'clock and I
did not get up until 10 this
morning. I guess I was catching
up on that sleep I missed out on
while I was partying at Stetsuns!
~July 22, 2003~
Today was my very first time
doing clinicals in the emergency
room! I never thought I would like
such work, but to be honest, I fell
in love with it! The whole idea
of never knowing what
you would be faced with or
asked to do next is the part
I was afraid of, but now, that
is the part I like the most. I
think it would make the day go
by fast and keep things interesting. No
two days would ever be alike,
and I find that very appealing!
Well, I hate it, but I have
to cut this short. I have
so much studying to do!
~July 31, 2003~
I got back my Neuro System test
today and I made a 92!!! How'd
I mess up and do
that?!?!?!? I dunno, but I'm
sure glad it happened! I can always
use a good grade every now and then.
Anyways, today was our last official
day of class. We come take our
final on Monday then we are all done
until the Fall semester starts on
August 25th. I have it figured, I can
make a 44 and still keep my C. That
makes me feel pretty good. It relieves
alot of the stress to know that
I don't have to make like a 85 on
the final to even stay in the program.
Sadly enough, that is the situation
some of my classmates are facing
at the moment. I just hope everyone
does ok and we don't lose anyone,
but I know that will not be the
case. Well, I guess I better get
started studying so I can at least
make my 44!
~August 6, 2003~
Last night I went to Tallahassee for
Kristen's birthday. She turned 22,
and several of us went to TGI Friday's
for dinner. Afterwards, her new
roomate Stacey was throwing her a
surprise birthday party at their apartment.
Kristen was completely clueless about
the whole deal, so that made
it alot of fun! I didn't go to the
party though, I had to get up early
this morning and go pay my tuition
and buy books. My classes cost
me almost $500, and that was
only for 2 classes! Ridiculous!Plain
ridiculous in my opinion! College
is just TOO EXPENSIVE! It's almost
been priced out of reach for all
but the rich kids, and that is a
shame! Since I am getting off on one
of my tangents, I will go ahead
and wrap this up here!
~August 11, 2003~
I am SO DISGUSTED!! This whole
past weekend I spent in Milton helping
my parents clean up our rental house.
I have never in my life seen
a place so disgusting! It was so bad
even the maggots had committed suicide
and dried up on the counter. We
had to literally soak them down in 409 and
scrape them off with our hands! ICK!
How can people be so nasty?
I just don't get it! I'm
just glad that is all over! Our
new puppy that we got last Sunday,
Cuddles the Chihuahua, went with us.
She was so well behaved. She even
got along ok with Misty's 3 rambunctious
little boys and Nonnie's dog, Miss Penny.
I think I am going to go back
in a few weekends and help finish
up the painting before I go back
to school. What a way to spend my
short summer break huh?
~August 17, 2003~
What a fun weekend I had! Carla
and I took a trip up to
Valdosta, GA yesterday and came back
late this afternoon. Yesterday when
we got there, we went straight to
Wild Adventures and got our season
passports. That way we can go back
for free any time we want for the rest
of the year. We rode alot of the
rides then went to our hotel. Kisha
and her family was suppose to come
into town and stay at the same
motel, but they weren't there yet,
so me and Carla went back to Wild Adventures
to see the Vince Gill Concert.
The thought was nice, but it just
didn't work out. It began storming
right after we got there and the
concert was postponed. We didn't wanna
wait around, so we went back to the
hotel. We were hungry, so we ended up
going to Outback. We met a really nice
man there who told us all the fun
places to go. We went back and got
Kisha, then went to this place called
Rascals. Ok, yeah it was pretty
redneck, but we had alot of fun!
We even met some guys there that knew
people we knew from back home and
that was pretty neat. This morning we
got up and went back to the park. We
saved today to go to do all the water
rides since they built a new water
park section in Wild Adventures. It
felt so good to just lay on a float
and cruise down the lazy river. So
relaxing! We did unfortunately
get pretty sunburnt, but I guess
that is just par for the course
when you go to a water park. It was
alot of fun, and I think Carla wants
to go back Labor Day weekend. Hank
Williams Jr. is doing a concert there,
and you just can't miss Hank;
he's a legend!
~August 25, 2003~
Sad but true, school started
back to day. Nah, actually,
I was kind of ready to go back.
When I'm out for over a few days
I start to miss seeing my
classmates. We've all gotten to be
like one big happy family, and being
out for 21 days like we were
made me miss them! We only lost four
students last semester to grades which
was alot less than I expected. That
class we had was so hard! We also
gained like eight, so we are back up
to 40 in our class I think.
Anyways, I only have one nursing
class this semester also. The
other two are both sciences. Ick! I
hate science! Then again, I guess if
I really want to be a nurse, taking
Anatomy & Microbiology are just two
of the hoops I've gotta jump
through. I hate to cut this short,
but I have gotta start
studying already!
~September 4, 2003~
I am completely relieved that
today is over! We had our first
clinicals at the mental institution
today. Yes, I use to work there,
but I had an office job.
Our class was assigned to
a forensic unit with criminally
insane patients! That was
the scary part! I guess
I got lucky though, because
I got a very good patient.
He's an older man, been at
the institution for 7 years, and
very talkative and open to telling
me all about himself. Today, in
the few minutes I got to spend
with him, he told me all about
his family, hobbies, his illness,
the medications he was taking,
his crime, and pretty much anything
else I asked. Some of my classmates
were not as lucky. One even
got a man who didn't say 2 words
to her hardly the entire time we
were there, and then when we went to
leave he told her he didn't care
if she came back or not. Hopefully
before our 6 week stay there,
he will open up to her. If not,
she is going to have a time
doing her paperwork for school!
~September 9, 2003~
Ok, so maybe Microbiology isn't
going to be ALL that bad! We
had our first test yesterday, and
it was surprisingly easy. Our
teacher had told us it would be
easy, but you can never put
too much faith into that. After
all, she is the teacher, she
makes the tests, therefore they
are all easy to her! However,
this one was pretty true to
frame. I think I did very good
on it. I sure hope I did. I
can use all the help I can get
to bring up that "C" I made
in Basic Medical/Surgery this
summer. My GPA can use a boost
anywhere I can get it! We also
had lab yesterday, and it was so
much fun. Well, it was for me
and my 2 friends Ashley & Kellie
because we made it fun. We sit
in the back of the lab, and
Ashley is a trip! She is
absolutely hilarious! Before it was
over, Kellie and I were rolling
laughing at her. Even through
all that, we still managed to
get our lab stuff done which was
always a plus. Maybe the rest of
the semester will be just as fun.
I sure hope it is!
~September 17, 2003~
I'm SO falling down on
my job updating, but school is
running me ragged! I tell ya,
I never knew being a nursing
student was so tiring! When I
come in from clinicals I'm
especially tired. I just want to
fall right back into bed and
sleep for HOURS but that
isn't an option!The thought that in
only 10 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days
I will officially be
eligible to take my RN state
board test is all that keeps me
going sometimes. I'm excited that
it's flying by so quickly!
Other than school, I've started
walking every afternoon with my
friends Leanna, Jerris, Amanda and
her lil' girl Mandalyn. We walk
approximately 1.2 miles every afternoon.
I hope this will jump start
my metabolism and my weight will
start dropping again. I know
I've lost 40 pounds since last
christmas, but I'm still not
satisfied. I want to lose 20-30
more; then I will be happy. I
know that sounds like alot, but I
was way over my target weight this
time last year. Me losing a
total of 70 pounds isn't going to
hurt at all! Well, I hate it, but
I have got to get some rest.
Tomorrow it's back off the
mental institution for clinicals. I
wonder what my patient will have
in store for me this week?
~September 28, 2003~
Well I made it through one
more week. Only 10 weeks left
to go this semester, and
I'm so glad about that!
This Anatomy stuff is a trip!
I'm so sick of it already, so
I will be glad when it's all
over! Anyways, other than school,
I'm still trying to walk every
afternoon with Amanda, Mandalyn,
and Jerris. We only got to go
like twice this past week though
because it kept raining in the
afternoons. Maybe we will have
better luck this coming week. I
made up for it yesterday though. I
went car shopping with Leanna. Her
cousin Jennifer & her 2 year
old son Ethan went with us as
well. It was an adventure to say
the least! Leanna's car got
vandalized, broken in to, and
burned a month ago while sitting
at a garage to be fixed. The
rental car she was driving had
to be turned back in last week,
so she was really hoping to get
something yesterday. No such luck!
She cannot seem to find anything
she likes! I can kind of
understand that though, its hard
to shop for a car! Last night
after we got back, all three of
us decided to go to Stetsuns. We
hadn't had a girls night out
in over a year, so it was fun.
We ran into lots of people from
here at home that we knew
which was neat. This guy who
is in my nursing class also
came in with his wife which
I thought was pretty funny.
It's weird to see people
like that out away from
school, or at least I thought
it was!
Well I really
should be studying for my
Microbiology test tomorrow, so I
will wrap this up!
~October 7, 2003~
I'm so glad today is Tuesday! It's
been designated as my "lazy day"
every week being I have no school or
clinicals! After yesterday, I REALLY
need a day to lounge around! I
had 3 tests yesterday, so I spent
my weekend studying. It paid off
too, because I got one of the
highest grades in the class on my
Mental Health test. I was so glad
of that! Our teacher told us it
was going to be hard, and she
was not lying! If I hadn't done
all that studying I know wouldn't
have done very good on it! I
also had an Anatomy test and a
Microbiology Lab test. I think I did
ok on both of them as well. Maybe
I will find out tomorrow. Then,
on Thursday, we have our
termination party for our patients
at the mental institution. I
hate we have to leave, but I think
it's time. My patient, last
week, he kinda scared me. He was
very frustrated and anxious. I had
no idea what to do, so I just left
him alone and went to play spaids
with some of the other residents
on the ward. It's all I knew
to do. I hope he
didn't take me not talking to
him personal. After this week I
will have both Tuesday and Thursday
off every week, but I'm hoping
to work those days. I have a
job at the hospital, and my boss
should be calling me any time now
to set me up some type of
schedule. I want to work 15-20
hours a week. I figure it will give
me some good experience for when
I get out of school and start
practicing as an RN. I've found
you can read all you want in
a book and know it backwards and
forwards, but if you cannot do
the hands-on stuff, you have no
business being in nursing. That's
harsh, but it is true. I'm
not confident at all with my
skills, but I hope with me
working every week it will make
me feel better in the clinical
setting. Other than all that,
I do not have much going on.
This weekend in the FSU vs. Miami
football game, and I cannot wait!
It will be one of the biggest games
of the year. Everyone I talk to
thinks I'm crazy, but I think FSU
is going to beat them by at least
2 touchdowns. I could be wrong, but
I think that Miami is way
overrated and they will crumble
once they meet the FSU defense.
Only time will tell, and
Saturday is still 4 days away!
~October 14, 2003~
Can we say MISERABLE!
That is exactly what I
was at the FSU/Miami game.
Not only did FSU get beat, but
it rained the whole time! If
I had known beforehand that I
was going to be half as miserable
as I was, I would have gladly
sold my ticket to someone outside
the gate. They were going
for $175 a seat! That is
mega-bucks just for a football
game! Needless to say, I was
stupid, kept my ticket, and got
drenched! My pants were wet from
the knee down, and felt as if
they weighed about 50 pounds per
leg! Anyways, on a happier note,
I got my Anatomy test back and
I made an 85! I
couldn't believe it! An 85,
that is a good solid B!
It wasn't on purpose I swear
it wasn't! if it were there is
NO WAY I'd ever have made
that good. I'm sure it won't
happen again, but its fun to
enjoy it while it lasts. This
week is also our first week
being clinical-free. It is
really kind of boring only having
one nursing class this semester.
It means that I only get to
see some of my classmates only one
day a week. There are alot of us
in my Microbiology class, but not
everyone, so it's not the same.
Next semester will be a whole
different ballgame when we have
Advanced Medical Surgery. It will
be more like this past summer
when we were together 24/7 it
seemed there for a while. I think
that class is going to be
alot of fun!
~October 21, 2003~
What a weekend this has been!
I'm glad it's finally Monday,
and I NEVER say that!
It all started last Thursday
afternoon when my lovely neighbors
across the road shot my kitten,
Grey, with a pellet gun. He
was playing in my yard and they
just shot him for no reason! He
went missing for a few hours, and
that is totally unlike him. I
kept hunting for him and finally
he staggered out of the bushes.
I first thought he had been
run over, but he hadn't. He just
had a bullet in his back left
leg. Me and my mama examined him
and with a few days of pampering,
I think he is going to make
it. He was lucky, the bullet
lodged in his muscle. It didn't
touch his bone at all. I called
the vet and he said to just
leave it there because with that
type of injury, more harm than
good is done when they are taken
out. It made me so mad when I
saw he'd been shot! He
is such a sweet lil' kitty
that wouldn't harm a soul
and they shot him! Then, after
we got his squared away, we
realized that his mother had
abandoned 1 of her 3 new kittens.
We kept thinking she would
come back to get him, but she never
did. He cried and cried and all
that stupid cat would do was sit
there and watch him then run
away. She wants nothing to do
with that one for some reason, so
we've been feeding him through an
eyedropper. He's only about 2 1/2 weeks
old, so without that he would have
starved. My chihuahua, Cuddles, has
also seemed to have adopted him.
She lets that little kitten
snuggle right up to her and
they sleep just like he belongs
to her. It is so sweet! I
guess that's just her maternal
instinct kicking in. I swear,
if I don't have some kind of drama
going on with me it's my animals!
Oh well, I guess someone has
got to keep it interesting
around here!
~October 26, 2003~
One more week down, only 6 more
to go this semester! I am so
ready for it to be over! I do like
my mental health class, but I do
not like the fact it's only one
day a week. That just irks me!
This spring I will have Advanced
Medical Surgery, Pharmacology II, and
Professional Seminar II. That means
nursing classes 2 days a
week and one day of clinicals
; much better in my opinion. This
past week I had a Microbiology test,
an Anatomy test, and my bone
test in the Anatomy lab. None of
which were too hard, but still,
that is alot in one week. This
coming week won't be much better
either considering I have a nursing
test and ANOTHER Anatomy test!
I just don't know what they are
thinking piling all these tests on
us! Who knows! Anyways, in
other news, I went to the fair
last Thursday night with my friend
Jerris, her sister Jeannie, and Jeannie's
lil' bit Madeline. We had alot
of fun! It took a while for
Madeline to warm up to getting on
rides, but eventually it happened. We
tried to get her to ride everything
a 3 year old would normally
want to ride, but with her, it
didn't work. She wanted to ride
all the "big-kid" rides with me
and Jerris. Several operators wouldn't
let her on because she was small,
but finally we got her on the
Scrambler and she was hooked! That's
all it took. All was well from
that point. Afterward we went to
McDonalds, got her some chicken nuggets
and we had a really happy camper
on our hands. I guess a little
food and alot of persuasion was
all it took! After all that
excitement on Thursday night, yesterday
I went to the FSU game. They beat
Wake Forest 48-24, but more
significantly, it was Bobby Bowden's 339th
career win. He passed Joe Paterno
of Penn State and is now the
winningest coach in football history.
They had a little ceremony after
the game last night where the team
carried him off the field on their
shoulders. It was very nice. Today
my whole mom's family is eating
lunch at my grandparents house.
My Uncle & Aunt are going to
Thailand next weekend and won't be
back until April. This is going to
be their going away party of sorts.
While they are gone, I get to
house-sit and babysit their dog, Gussie.
They paid me very well last
time I did this for them in the
spring, and I hope it works out the
same way this time. I am sure it
will, they know I'm a struggling
college student! Well, before I go
eat I need to do some studying
for my next week's full of tests.
I shall update again soon!
~November 4, 2003~
I had so much fun last night! I
went to the Peanut Festival with
Leanna, her new boyfriend Jason,
and one of his friends, Gary.
We first dropped by the Blake
Shelton concert that was going on
there at the ampitheater, then we
rode alot of the rides! I wouldn't
get on some of them though,
they were just too much. I don't
do all that spinning around way up
in the air stuff. It's just not my
thing. Other than that, not much
else has been going on. I made
a 55 on my last Anatomy test. I
felt so bad about that until I saw
the girl beside me made a 17. The
the teacher told us the average
was a 32. Overall, I felt like
a genius when it was all said
and done! We did have
the option of getting 20 curve points
if we did extra work. That wasn't
bad at all! It brought
my F up to a C! I was
sure proud of that! Maybe I
can do better on my next one plus
get extra points! It would sure
do wonders for my grade!
~November 14, 2003~
I figured I would do a quick
update since I hadn't done it in a
while, but I really do not have much
going on. I did start to work
at the hospital on the
Step-Down/Progressive Care Unit on
Tuesday. I worked 2 days this
week, and it was alot of fun. On
Tuesday I got to work with Gerri, a
girl in my class. She showed me
around and basically just let me
know what my job entailed. She was
very helpful! Then yesterday, I
worked with Queen, the CNA on the
floor. Tuesday was not bad, but
yesterday wore me out! I was so
exhausted when I left work, I went
to bed at 7 o'clock last night!
Today I went to school, then
after class me and my
friend Ashley went to San Marcos
to eat then to Wal-Mart. This
weekend I will be going to the FSU
homecoming game, so I won't get to
rest up any then either. I am sure
I will also go back to work for
at least 2 days next week as
well. Then, during Thanksgiving and
Christmas Holidays I plan to work
alot because I need to start
saving up for me a new car.
Mine will roll up on 200,000
miles probably either today or
tomorrow, and I need a new one. I hope
it will at least last me until
August when I finish my RN, and
if not that long, maybe it will
hold off until I have a sizeable
down payment to put on a car.
I do not want high payments,
so the more I put down up
front the better!
~November 27, 2003~
Happy Thanksgiving!
I spent my day at
work. What fun huh? It
really wasn't that bad.
I had lots of fun. All
our patients were pretty stable, no
one complained, and best of all,
the employees at free
Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of
our cafeteria! You can't get any
better than that! After work I
went over to my Aunt Dot's and we
ate again. I will be so lucky if
I don't gain at least 10 pounds
by the time this holiday
weekend is done! Other than
that, I really don't have
anything new going on with me.
I am impatiently awaiting the
FSU vs. UF game on Saturday. I
hope FSU wins, but in reality, I
just don't see it happening. Oh well,
I guess it can't hurt to dream!
~December 7, 2003~
I am SO sick! I
hate feeling this way, but I
guess it's my turn. It's been
a year since I have really been
ill. Last time it was my wisdom
tooth, now it's my sinuses. This
mess all started last Thursday afternoon
when I was at work. I kept
thinking it would stop at a
runny nose and get better, but I
was wrong. Since then I have
developed a sore throat, stuffy
head, headache, and now I am
all nauseated! What else can
happen?! I even missed my
Microbiology test on Friday! My
teacher was very understanding though.
She told me to stay home in
bed and come take it whenever I
could. I sure did appreciate her
being that way about it. Not all
teachers would be so kind. Other
than being sick, me, my mama
and my Aunt Dot all went to
Dothan yesterday to look for a
new computer. We didn't have any
luck! There isn't the first
computer store in the whole
town! I couldn't believe that!
So instead of a computer, I ended
up with some new scrub tops for
work. We just had to go to the
uniform shop while in town! I
love that store! They have so much
to choose from there; it's
incredible! Even though we had
no luck yesterday, me and mama
went to Tallahassee today and
ended up buying a new E-Machine.
I like it so far. Well, I've
only been using it for about
3 hours, so I cannot really
say for sure, but so far so
good! I guess I should get going
and continue exploring my new
machine, so I will write again
when I feel better and have
more time!
~December 15, 2003~
What a weekend I had! It
was so much fun! My
good friend Lakisha (Kisha),
graduated from college this past
weekend, so I went to Pensacola
to help her celebrate. I
went over on Friday afternoon. I
stopped by my grandma's for a short
visit, then went on to Kisha's
house. That night me, Kisha,
her extended family, and her
other friends Annie, Tonya & Leah
all went out to dinner at
Lonestar Steakhouse. Afterwards, we
all went back to Kisha's and
watched "The Princess Diaries" and
went to bed. Saturday morning
all of us were up before dawn
so we could be at the civic
center by 9 o'clock. It was a
rush for 5 girls to all get
ready, but we made it, and made
it on time at that! I was
shocked! After the graduation was
done, me, Kisha, and her friends
and family all ate at Barnhills
then returned to her house. A
few hours later, once everything
had calmed down a bit, me,
Kisha, and Leah went to the mall
clothes shopping for over 5 hours!
None of us could find ANYTHING
we wanted to wear! It was a
mess! By the time we got
back to her house, more of
her friends from home were on
the way over to celebrate her
graduation. Soon, Jerica & Brandi
had arrived. Jason W., Jason T.,
and Amy followed behind within 30
minutes. We all played a card
game, Waterfall, then headed out
to Kisha's favorite club, Seville.
We spent the rest of the
night at Seville just hanging
out, meeting all of Kisha's
friends from Pensacola, and
partying. Finally, somewhere around
3 o'clock in the morning we
made it home unscathed. Yesterday
morning I got up and came on
home because I had 3 finals today!
My Mental Health test was at 8
this morning and I didn't have my
Microbiology final until 2 this
afternoon! Being we had such a
long break, me, Ashley & Kellie all
went and ate lunch at Ruby
Tuesdays. I also ended up at
Wal-Mart. After the Micro test I
went to take my Anatomy final
because it was scheduled at the
same time as my Mental Health
test and I could not be in
two places at once. My teacher
didn't give me a hard time
about that at all, and that
gave me great relief because I
was worried about her making
me miserable over it! All in
all, I think my weekend and my
finals day was a success!
To see pictures
from this past weekend, click here.
~December 27, 2003~
The christmas season has
mercifully come to an end!
I don't think I have
ever been so glad to see
a holiday pass in my life!
My grandma came over on the
23rd and stayed with us until
yesterady. My mom's family all
came over on christmas day and
we ate here at my house, then
the following day we did the
gifts thing over at my aunt's
across the street. I got some
okay stuff, but nothing to
write home about. I guess I'm
just getting too old to really
enjoy christmas like I use to
or something, I dunno. I know
this is probably hard to
believe, but I am ready to go
back to school. I won't get
to do it until January 7th,
but I am so ready! I've
only got about 7 more months
until I am finished and
officially an RN. I cannot
wait!
~January 7, 2004~
Happy Hew Year! I spent
mine working. What fun
huh? It wasn't bad
though, I got holiday pay
for being there, so it
could have been worse. Otherwise,
I started back to school
today. I think I really am
going to like Advanced Medical
Surgery. It will be tough,
but nothing I cannot handle
I'm sure. Then again, this is
just the first day of class,
so let me wait on saying
how much I like it for
at least a month. However,
at this point, I do
think that it will be
alot of fun. I am still
working at the hospital
on the 3rd floor and
I absolutely love it.
Every day there is something
new going on; that is
what makes it so much
fun! I am so
glad that I have finally
found what I was
meant to do with my
life. I wish I had known
this all along. If that
would have happened, I could
have gone to nursing school
when I finished high
school 7 years ago, but
I guess God had other plans
for me and wanted me to
experience other things before
finding my true passion in
life. Oh well, I did learn
some valuable lessons along
the way in those years
I spent floundering, and
I think those experiences will
make me a better nurse
in the end.
~January 19, 2004~
I cannot believe it! My
neighbor, Mr. Andrews died
this morning! I am
still in shock! I was
asleep in my bed when his
daughter ran over to our
house and told my mom to get
me out of bed that her daddy
was having a heart attack.
I ran over there, but once
I saw him, I knew it was
too late. His step-daughter
Sue was doing CPR on him,
but it was a lost cause. I
could tell he was already
gone. The ambulance got
there to take him away, and
me, my mom, Sue, and his
other daughter Lisa followed.
Upon arrival at the
hospital we did not have to
wait, they led us right back
to the ER where the doctor
told us he was gone. It
was terrible! Mrs. Andrews
is the one who has been
so sickly for so long now,
not him. He was the picture
of health and had only
been to the doctor once in
the 15 years he'd lived across
the street! I just don't know
what Mrs. Andrews is going to
do without him. It's going
to be tough, but with prayer
and alot of help from her
friends & neighbors she will
make it through.
~January 24, 2004~
Oh I have been so sick
this past week! I got
so nauseated at work
Tuesday night. I came home and
threw up for the next two
days! I was so sick,
I didn't even get to attend
Mr. Andrews' visitation or
funeral. I missed school on
Wednesday, my first day of
clinicals this semester on
Thursday, and work Friday.
I've never been so sick
that I've missed that many
important things in a row
like I did this past week!
I went to the doctor on
Thursday and got a Phenergan
shot which was a blessing
and a curse. It was a
blessing because it relieved
my nausea, vomiting, and
all that fun stuff. It
was a curse because I got
it in my arm and I am
STILL sore! Just a few words
of wisdom, don't EVER take
a Phenergan shot in the
arm, take it in the hip
instead! It's alot less
painful in the long run. Maybe
after resting up today I
will be well enough to go
back to work tomorrow and to
school on Monday. I hope so,
because I cannot afford to
miss any more!
~February 3, 2004~
Have you ever had so
much to get done
in a short amount of time,
but just are not motivated?
That is where I am
right now. I worked tonight,
which was no big
deal, but I have 2 tests
tomorrow! Two of them! That is
alot in one day considering they
are nursing tests and nursing
tests are HARD! And instead
of going home and studying,
I went to eat with Kisha
at the Waffle House after
I got off work! So much
for the school books huh?
I know it's still early
on, but I am so ready
for this semester to end!
I've got a rough load
this semester. The Pharmacology
class I thought would be
relatively easy is pretty tough.
Actaully, it isn't so much
the material as it is our
teachers. The like us to
do alot of self-instruction and
they lecture us less and
less. I personally learn
better when we get a lecture.
Hopefully I can make it
through this semester and it
will get easier once the summer
arrives. I only have 5 more
months until I'm an officially
an RN, but this semester
has already seemed like an
eternity!
~February 13, 2004~
Ok, so do I REALLY want
to be a nurse? After
these past 2 days, that
is a very good question.
Actually, yesterday was very
interesting. Me and all my
classmates attended the Florida
Board of Nursing Disiplinary
Action meeting in Tallahassee.
It was awesome to see
all the charges people have
against them and they still
try to get nursing license.
It never ceases to amaze
me. The one who really got
me was the lady who had multiple
drug, battery, and prostitution
charges. And they are going
to let her be a nurse?
Puh-leeze! I wouldn't want her
taking care of a corpse, much
less anyone in my family!
Anways, me, Angela, Kellie,
and Ashley all rode over
there together. We went to
eat at Chilis for lunch then
went to the mall. We had
alot of fun shopping. My big
purchase for the day was a
cute little mood ring. It cost
me all of $1.75, so I think
I can afford to eat until my
next paycheck. Then, last
night I was at home in
the bed trying to
take a nap and my phone rang.
I should have known better
than to answer when I saw
it was the hospital calling.
I answered it though, and
ended up going to work from
7-11 last night. It was wild.
I swear, those 4 hours I
was there felt like a 12 hour
shift! I have never in my
life seen that place so busy!
It was terrible! The time flew
by, but still, it was a
zoo in that place. Tonight wasn't
much better, but at least I
had a little bit of help being
a new CNA, Cindy, was
there with me. I don't know
if it is a full moon or
what, but this madness has
got to stop! I really think
the reason all the stress
is getting to me is because
I have so much going on
right now. Between school and
work I have very little
spare time, but to top it
all off, this past weekend my
friend Kristen un-asked me to
be her bridesmaid when she
gets married in May. This
really has me upset, but I
didn't want to show it to
her. However, the more I've
thuoght about it the madder
it's made me and I plan on
calling her tomorrow and telling
her under no circumstances
will I be a cake server.
I'm sorry, she asked me to
be a bridesmaid and I said
yes. I refuse to take a
demotion and if she doesn't want
me as a bridesmaid then she
doesn't want me in her wedding
at all. Honstly, I'm so
aggervated at the situation right
now, unless my mind changes
between now and May, I
won't even be attending such
a function much less serving
her cake!
~February 29, 2004~
Happy Leap-Year Day!
I absolutely love
this day! I don't know
why, I just think it's neat
mostly, but oh well. Anyways,
I worked tonight and I
am thoroughly exhausted. Things
have slowed down a bit, in a
way it's bad because the time
just drags by so slow.
I guess there are worse places
I could be, so I guess I
shouldn't complain. It's now
almost mid-semester and I am
so ready to be done with school.
My Advanced Med./Surg. class
isn't bad at all, but
Pharmacology II, it SUCKS! We
only have 6 tests in there,
so if you flub one up
you are pretty well messed up
for good. I am worried about
my friend Ashley. She isn't
doing too good in there at
all. I hope she brings her
grades up because she is my
buddy. I don't want her to
have to drop back to the
class behind us. I would miss
her if that happened!
Hopefully she will get it
back together soon!!
~March 4, 2004~
I got to observe in the OR
today at Southeast in Dothan!
It was so exciting!
I got to watch a carotid
endorectomy, a breast augmentation,
and a foriegn body removal
when a girl from the local
psych ward decided to swallow
a pair of eyeglasses. I have
to admit that was the neatest
surgery of the day! Soon
as she was out all the people
in the room were cracking
jokes about the situation.
It was rather humorous I
have to admit. Other than
that, not much else has been
going on here. I'm just ready
for spring break in 2 weeks.
I am in bad need of a rest
from class! Maybe over that
week I will get some time to
mentally regroup and stuff so
I can endure the last part
of my nuring school career.
~March 14, 2004~
I had so much fun last
night! My friend Carla and
I went to see Alabama
in concert! They were playing
in Tallahassee, and put on a
spectacular show! On stage they
weren't as good as Cher, but
then again, who is?
We went and ate
at Longhorn beforehand, then
afterwards we stopped by
Bullwinkles. My friend Meghan from
school is getting married next
Saturday, and her friends were
suppose to take her out for
a bachelorette party. That was
the plan, but it didn't
materialize. It ended up just
being her and her friend Maegan,
so me and Carla stopped by
to see her. I felt really
bad that her other friends
stood her up. We stayed
there about an hour before
we came home. I thought I
was going to get to sleep in
this morning, but wouldn't ya
know, I got called into work!
Ick! I told them I couldn't
make it in by 7, but I'd
be there around 10-11 after
I got a little sleep. They
said ok, so that is what
I did. I ended up working
until 7 tonight, so I am
pretty tired! Matter of fact,
I think I'm going to get
into bed now and catch up
on my sleep!
~March 25, 2004~
It seems like forever since
I updated, so I figuerd that is
what I could do today!
I haven't had much going
on with me at all. Work
and school is about it. This
week has been my spring break
and I've spent my time relaxing.
I was called off work
Tuesday because they closed our
floor down due to lack of
patients. I was thankful for
the night off, but then again
I am use to my paycheck being
about the same, so I'm going
to have to pick up some extra
hours somewhere! My Aunt Dot
also made me this really pretty
pink scrub top with white
and blue flowers. I think it's
absolutely darlin' and I cannot
wait to wear it. At this
rate it will be Sunday before
I get that chance. Well
since I haven't had anything
else going on, I think I
will cut this short!
~April 7, 2004~
I am so sick! Yes, AGAIN!!
I have had this mess
that I thought was my
allergies acting up since last
Thursday. Finally, after being
awake hacking my brains out
all night last night, I decided
to go to the doctor. I
thought he was just going to tell
me it's my allergies, inform me
about the benefits of Benadryl,
and send me on my way. No
such luck! I now have developed
a double ear infection and
have bronchitis! Lucky me huh?
He also told me not to go back
to work until Sunday. That
would mean I have to miss
this Friday. I hate missing
work because it cuts into
my paycheck that I have grown
so accustomed to getting! Maybe
I will feel better by Friday
and can go in, but if I
don't, I'm not going to push it
by no means.
~April 18, 2004~
Oh what a night! Last night
I went to Dothan with
a bunch of people from
work and had a blast! It
was me, Crystal, Patsy,
Jason, Kim, Leeann from our
floor, Debbie & Greg our
supervisors, Beth, Debbie, and
Valarie from resipiratory. We
first went to The Bar, which
yes, it's a gay bar, but it
was pretty interesting I must
say. We watched the drag
queen show and I don't think
I've laughed that hard in a
long time! After that Debbie,
Leeann, Patsy, and Greg
all left. The rest of us
were not tired so me, Crystal,
Jason, Kim, Beth, Debbie,
and Valarie all started out
for Grand Central Station, another
club across town. We got
there and the line was pretty
long, but we were going to
wait anyway. However, after
standing there like 20 minutes
we got tired, so we walked
around the corner and went to
another club, The Darkside. We
stayed there until it closed
then went to the Waffle House.
We sat in the Waffle House for
what seemed like an eternity and
just talked. I tell ya, I know
I work with him, but Jason is a
cutie. He's also so sweet,
you can't help but like
him. I'd love to go out
with him again sometime
just the two of us. He
really didn't openly show
any favortism to any of
us 6 girls he was out with
(4 of which were married so
that could have been why),
but I just kept getting
vibes from him. I don't
know though, maybe that is
just his personality and he
is like that with everyone.
Who knows, I guess I
will find out in the coming
days/weeks at work if
he is interested.
~May 3, 2004~
Ok, I may be WAAAAAYYY off here,
but I think Jason just might
be interested in me. Like I
said, I could be wrong, but my
gut tells me the opposite. Last
night at work he was
transfering one of his patients
out to our floor. He came
out and was telling the nurse
accepting the patient all about
the lady. I was sitting at the
desk typing on the computer
and I asked him when he
was moving her. I still do
not know what he said to
me because he went to massaging
my shoulders and my mind
was shot when that started!
Then once the lady was
in her room on our floor
I went in to ask if they
needed any help and he
responded, "Yeah, if its you
we need help". I asked what
they needed me to do and
he told me my job was to
stand there and look pretty
and that was it. Right after
that he was like "So when
are we going out again?". I
really did not know how to
respond to his question being
I did not know what he
meant. Did he mean we as us
from work who went to Dothan
a few weekends ago, or we
and in me and him? I was
confused to say the least. I
didn't know what else to
say so I told him I had a
birthday coming up on June 6th
and birthdays are always partyable
excuses. He agreed and said he
could go by then for sure.
Shortly after that 2 other
male nurses came in and he
was telling them how cute I
looked a few weeks ago when
we went out. Later on
that night he was out at
our nurse's station when me,
him, and another girl got
to talking about our days off.
We all said we have Fridays &
Saturdays off. He responded by
saying "Well then, we should
all start hanging out on
the weekends then since we
are all off work." He also
commented on how all he did
on the weekends was sit home
and he wished somebody would
call him occasionally because
he gets so bored. I think
that comment was directed at
me and he was trying to
"dig for digits" as Leanna has
labeled it. I just don't know
what to think! I'm pretty
overwhelmed by it all to
be honest. I've spent months
at work thinking how cute
he is and now he is the
one flirting it up with me!
It really is kind of exciting,
but I don't know what
to do to let him know for
sure I like him. I never did
come off my phone number the
other night nor did I make
any plans with him set in
stone. I was unsure at the
time of what he was doing,
but once I thought back about
what all took place it became
obvious what he was doing.
Of course by that time it
was too late. I figure when
I see him again alone at work
I will have to slip him my
number. Just tell him when
he gets bored on the weekends
or whatever he can feel
free to give me a ring and
maybe we can hang out sometime.
Then I will just wait
and see how long it takes
him to call me and ask
me out point-blank. I think
he was afraid to do that
at work the other night,
but if we were to talk
on the phone I think things
would be different. Only time
will tell, and I will be
sure to keep my journal updated
on this situation.
~May 10, 2004~
I started my very last
semester of nursing school today!
It's only a little over 2 months
now until I can take my RN
state boards! I am so excited! I
know it seems like an eternity,
but I'm sure those 2 months will
fly by. Now that I think of it,
it seems like just yesterday when I
started the program way back in
January 2003. It's hard to believe it's
almost my time to graduate already.
This first summer session we
are doing critical care, then next
session it's advanced obstetrics and
pediatrics. I know this 6 weeks is
going to be tough, but I know I
will make it. I've come too far
now to fall off track. I know
this is short, but I've got to
get in bed so I can go to school
early in the morning. I will
update more later!
~May 17, 2004~
One week down, 5 more to
go! Not that I'm couting
the days down or anything!
I really have thoroughly enjoyed
nursing school, but I am
ready for it to be over so
I can start making the big
bucks. Tonight on our floor
there were only 4 patients,
so about 7:30 I got shipped
to the ER. That was cool with
me because Jason got moved down
there with me. I had a blast
working with him and he said
that a group from work is
going out this coming Saturday
night. He asked me if I
was going and I told him that
was the first I'd heard of
this trip, but I did tell him
I would go. I don't work
again until Friday and he
won't be there, so he gave
me his home and cell numbers
and told me to call him
and he would tell me the deal
for the weekend. I'm so
excited, I got the digits!
Woo Hoo! I also gave
him mine in exchange. I
hope he will be the
one to call me about the
weekend. I would feel better
about that, but if he doesn't
I guess I will give him a
ring about Friday. After all,
he did tell me to call him
like 4 times before I walked
out of the ER tonight. I
hope this is a positive sign!
Everyone keep their fingers
crossed for me!
~May 24, 2004~
Ok, can we say aggervated?
That is what I am with
Mr. Jason. Here is what
happened. I worked Friday
night and I called him just
like he told me to so I
could find out the plans for
Saturday night. He wasn't there
so I left a message asking him
to call me and let me know the
deal. Well I never did hear
from him all weekend! I was
so irritated Saturday that I
treated myself to a shopping
trip! I kept thinking he would
call up during the day
even if they were not planning
on going out just to let
me know something, but no such
luck. I saw him tonight at
work and I already had my mind
made up that I was gonna avoid
him if possible. I did good
the first hour or so he
was there, but I fogrot about
my plan when I was asked
to take a telemetry monitor
back to ICU. I remembered it
about the time I walked through
the door. I said a quick
prayer that he would be in a
patient's room, but oh no, that
couldn't happen. How 'bout I
almost knock him down with the
ICU door when I opened it! How
bad is that?! So much for
avoiding him! Anyways, the minute
he saw me he came up and
threw his arm around me like
always and apoligized for not
calling me back. He said he
did not even get my message
until Sunday afternoon and by
that time it was too late.
Plus, he said they ended up
not going out because whoever
was suppose to call him and
confirm plans never got in touch
with him so he didn't do
anything all weekend. I dunno
whether to believe him or
not. I mean, he has no reason
to lie to me at all and
for him to just totally ignore
the fact I called is totally
out of character for him.
I don't know what went on
there, but I told him it was ok
I had other stuff to do anyway.
He did seem interested in
that and wanted to know what
I had to do that was so much
more important than going out
with him. I figured it's his
turn to wonder so I didn't
elaborate on the details of
my weekend. After he apoligized
he acted just like he always
does the rest of the night.
That too leads me to believe
he was being honest, because
he acted like he had nothing
to hide whatsoever. I am just
not real sure what to think
now. I guess in time it
will all become clear.
~May 30, 2004~
Can we say SUNBURN?!?!
I am fried! Me and
my friend Gerri went to
Panama City Beach yesterday and
I got WAY too much sun. We
got on the sand about 11:30 in
the morning and did not leave
until a little after 2 o'clock.
It was so crowded down there
too, but I guess that should
be expected being it is
Memorial Day Weekend. I just hope
and pray I don't peel to bad
because I would like to retain at
least a little of my suntan. We
had a great time though, even
if it was a little overcast
and scorching hot! On our
way home we were coming up
the cutoff road and we spotted
Jon who works with us at the
hospital. He was running his
father-in-law's vegtable stand so
we just had to stop and get
some free boiled peanuts and
drinks. We hung out with him
beside the road for a while
then traveled on home. I will
keep everyone updated on the
status of my newly acquired suntan!
~June 6, 2004~
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Today I am 24! Woo Hoo!
Yeah right! I am getting SO old!
I hate it, but I guess it beats
the alternative. I went with
my parents to Dothan and we ate
at Crystal River Seafood. After
that we went to the mall and
I was going to try and buy me
a cute little purse, but that
did not work out at all. I
could find absolutely nothing I
liked! I guess I am just too
picky. After that we came home
and I went over to work for a
little bit. I hung out there, ate
some cake, then came on home. I
knew Crystal would be there and
since we have the same birthday,
I had to go and see her. I
am a little disappointed though. I
asked Jason if he was still
planning on going with us next
weekend when we go out for our
birthday and he said he didn't
know. Ok, all this time he
has said he was going and now
right here close to time he is
backing out. Makes me so
ILL! I was hoping he would
go, but it's not looking
good at this point. When
he said he didn't know if
he was going I was like "Yeah I
see how you are gonna be" and
he was like, "I said I didn't
know, I didn't say I wasnt
going." Only time will tell
what happens, but I sure hope
he can make it.
~June 15, 2004~
Oh what a weekend it has
been! I ended up not even
getting to go to my
own birthday party from work,
my mama is sick, school is
almost over and stressing me out,
you name it, it has happened
this past week or so! First
of all mama got sick over the
weekend, she went to the doctor
yesterday and he told her she's
had a heart attack, a raging
case of H. pylori in her
stomach, and she possibly has a
bad gallbladder. She's got to go
for all these blood tests, x-rays,
and an ultrasound this coming
week. I knew she was sick,
but I didn't realize it was
this bad. Also, on top of all
that, school is winding down for
this summer session. Critical
Care has been tough, but
it's still possible for me to
come out of there with a B and
that would be great! We shall
all see how that works, out
but boy would it be nice!
~June 28, 2004~
Will this madness ever end?
Some of my classmates are
SO stupid! There is a group
of them that have been cheating
their way through school since
it started and the teachers
finally have wised up to
this fact. Now, instead of just
taking care of the ones who
have done this, the teachers
are interrogating random people
in the class and making
everyone feel like we are on
trial. It sucks majorly! I
hate going to school every day
and feeling like I am on
trial and I'm not guilty! They
called my friend Gerri up
the other day and questioned her.
She knew it was going on
because she is friends with some
of the people who have been
cheating and knows all about it
even though she was not guilty
in the whole test-stealing
ring. She feels bad because
she knew about the whole
deal, but did not want to be
the one to rat them out to the
teachers. So far it sounds like
this one guy in my class paid
the janitor who cleans our
building to steal or make copies
of a test last semester in
critical care. Now they are
trying to get to the bottom of
it and erridacate the problem
students. One girl who stole
a test has already been kicked
out, and unles I'm very wrong,
there will be several more to
follow her at this rate. I just
wish all of this could get
resolved and we could go on
with our class as normal. Here
we are 5 weeks from graduating
and our last summer
session is going to be
tainted with controversy.
~July 4, 2004~
HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!
It was so great
for me, I was at work!
Ok, now I'm being sarcastic!
Actually it wasn't that bad.
I am not really big on
fireworks anymore, plus I was
getting paid extra to be there
being it was a holiday, so
that made me feel alot
better. All I did was work
the monitor and that is a
nothing job. I am so glad
school is closed in the
morning also because I need
a break from all the drama!
Alot of the scandal has cooled
down, but I still get the
feeling I'm on trial from time
to time. I'm just ready for it
all to be over. If I can make
it exactly one more month
from today I will get my
wish. It cannot get here
soon enough!
~July 26, 2004~
Yes, I know it has been
a long time since I
have updated, but I have
been busy! Today Gerri and I
went to Dothan to find her
a uniform dress for graduation.
I got mine this past weekend
when me, my mama, and my
Aunt Dot all went to the
uniform shop. We also made a
pit-stop at Longhorn for lunch
and at the mall to shop.
I thought I had to be at
work at 3 so we were rushing
around, but I ended up
being cancelled again for the
second day in a row. There
just aren't enough sick people
to go around so I have not
worked in a week. I hate to
wish bad on anyone, but maybe
it will pick up in the next
few days so I can have some
work! Without illness I don't
get a paycheck!!
~August 4, 2004~
I never thought it would
happen, but I finally made it!
Tomorrow night I graduate from nursing
school! Today we had
our last assessment test that
we take at the end of every
semester. Then we all went
to the Arts Center to practice
for graduation practice. After
that our class went to The Gazebo
and had our class luncheon. It
was really good! I had what is
called The Lafayette. It's a
grilled chicken sandwich with
onions and mushrooms. I'd never
been to The Gazebo before. I'd
meant to go on several
occasions, but had never quite
managed to make it there. I
tell ya what though, this will
not be the last time I go
because that was sure some good
food! Tonight Nonnie is coming
into town for my ceremony
tomorrow. I cannot wait because
I have not seen her in about
6 months. I hope she has a
good visit here and my graduation
tomorrow goes well. I've
waited so long for this day,
so it better be great!!
~August 7, 2004~
So much for a fun graduation
weekend! For me it just did not
happen. As I mentioned before,
my grandma, Nonnie as I
call her, came over here
on Wednesday for my graduation.
She had done nothing but
lay around since she got here
really, then right before
the ceremony she got nauseated
and started throwing up. Needless
to say she did not make it
to the graduation. Then yesterday
she continued to get worse
so we took her to the ER.
Finally about 7 last night after
sitting there close to 7 hours,
she got admitted. This
morning my Aunt Kathy & Aunt Annie
came over and Nonnie got
discharged from the hospital at
noon. They stayed for a little
while to make sure she was ok
then went back home. Nonnie slept
most of the afternoon, but when
she did finally get up she
seemed to be worse so we ended
up back in the ER tonight. The
doctor seemed to think she was
still just a bit dehydrated, but
he told us to just bring her
home and watch her. If she
continued to be sicker and
sicker bring her back. So
now her going home tomorrow as
planned does not look like
it's in the works. She is
just too sick and weak to
maintain on her own at home.
I don't mind at all though,
I kind of like having her
around the house. At least with
her here I know she is being
taken care of.
~August 14, 2004~
I am so tired! This past
Sunday I not only worked in ICU,
but I worked a double!
By the time I got home
I was so exhausted! Then every
day for the past 3 days I
have worked midnights. I like
it because I make more money
an hour, but its a little hard
trying to get my body to
adjust. I'm hoping in time
I will become accustomed to
such and I hope it is soon!
I really like it though. The
nurses back there are really
nice and it is very interesting
to see these patients who
have so much wrong with them.
I think it will be very good
experience for me to work back
there. My boss also told me
since they have had 3 nurses
quit back there in the last
month she wants me to work
back there as soon as I get
my letter from the state saying
I can work as a graduate
nurse. It is kinda
overwhelming and intimidating
right now, but maybe in
the next few weeks, after getting
a little more experience back
there I will be at ease when
my letter finally arrives!
~August 23, 2004~
I have big news! I rented
me an apartment today! I
am so excited! It's a
2 bedroom/1 bath duplex in
a very nice neighborhood about
3 miles from the hospital where
I work. I wasn't really
planning on moving out until
I started getting paid as a
Graduate Nurse, but since places
to live in this area are so
limited, I decided to go ahead
and take it. I have enough
money saved up to pay my first
month's bills. Hopefully by
the time my October rent is
due I will have gotten my raise.
I hope to get the majority of
my furniture off layaway this
week so by the weekend I can
move in. I guess the coming
days are going to very busy
for me, but it's ok. I'm so
glad to have my own place,
it's worth it!!
~September 6, 2004~
Oh what a day today has
been! I worked midnights last
night and just as I was
getting ready to leave I
got a call from my mom
saying my Grandma had a heart
attack and she was on the way
to her house. My grandpa
called her and said he
needed help he thought my grandma
was sick so mama called the
ambulance. I was worried sick so
I ran down to the ER to meet
the ambulance because I thought
they were bringing my grandma
to the hospital. Well come
to find out, the paramedics
got to her house and she
refused to go with them and
would not agree to even come
to the hospital unless my
mama brought her. She
and my Aunt Dot brought
her over to the ER where
she got checked out. Once
I realized she was probably
going to be ok I came
home to go to bed because
I was exhausted. At that
time I figured they would
just admit her upstairs for
observation, but was I ever
wrong. Once the doctor saw
her labs he immediately made
some calls and got her
hooked up with a cardiologist
in Dothan, Alabama. He said
there was nothing more they
could do for her there, she
was too sick, and had her
shipped to Dothan where they
admitted her to the Cardiac
ICU. They were suppose to
schedule her a Cardiac Cath for
the morning but her kidneys
seem to have shut down as
well so the dye needed to do
the cath cannot be injected
into her veins! I swear,
I dunno when this will
all end!! I am really worried
about her and I will
probably go up there tomorrow
morning if possible. I have
been having alot of trouble
with my car lately and I am
kind of scared to go off on
it. It really needs a new
battery, which I did buy one
tonight at Wal-Mart and my
friend Jason (yes the cutie I
work with) lives right down the
road from me now and he has
offered to come put my battery
in for me when he gets off
at 7 in the morning. I
thought that was really sweet
of him. He is such a nice
guy!! It's good to have
good guy friends like him
nearby, especially when you
have a car like mine that tears
up ALL THE TIME!! I hope
he comes by early so I can
go ahead and go see my grandma
because her health is not
so great at the moment.
~September 14, 2004~
Just a quick update to let
everyone know that my grandma
is doing good. She got
out of the hospital today and
is so glad to be home. She
spent the first 4 days there
in the Cardiac ICU. After
that she moved to a Step-Down
room on the Cardiac floor. She
had her cath on last Wednesday
and it showed some blockage,
but to all of our surprise,
it wasn't bad enough to
need surgery. The doctor said
for 84 years old, her heart was
actually in pretty good shape,
but she did in fact have a
heart attack. He also said that
he plans to treat her with
medication being the blockage
is not major enough to
warrent surgery. I am so glad
she got good news and is
finally back at home!!
~September 26, 2004~
Could life possibly get any
busier for me? I doubt it!
First of all, on
September 10th I FINALLY
received my graduate nurse letter!
I'm finally getting paid
decent money now! Woo Hoo!! Now
all I've gotta do is take my
state board exam on October 12th
and then I will be set!
Next, on the 16th Hurricane
Ivan decended upon us.
That wasn't very much fun
at all! I was so scared while
listening to the news. I was
at my parents' house all
these tornados they kept talking
about were flying right
through my new neighborhood! I
was thinking, "Great, I just
got moved in and now I will
not have a house to go home
to!!" Somehow, by the grace
of God, I lucked out and
only had a few downed limbs
and whatnot. However, not
even a mile down the road,
people did not fare so well.
We had homes completely destroyed,
businesses demolished, it was
terrible!! There is an area
between my apartment and my
parents home that the Red Cross
has been at ever since the
morning after the storm. It
looks as if a bomb went off
and wrecked everything in its
path. I've honestly never seen
anything like it. I hope this
whole mess gets cleaned up
and stuff gets back in order
soon because I cannot stand
all the chaos, loss of life,
lack of electricity, etc. Also
the week of the storm
my car REALLY started trying
to tear up. Every time
I cranked it up it would
be running hot before I
could get it in gear. I
really didn't want to buy a
new one just yet, but I don't
have a choice. Me and my
mom went car shopping last
Wednesday and I think I'm going
to get me a new Acura RSX. I
liked it the most and they
cut me the best deal. Plus,
that car is gorgeous! I told
them I wanted either a black or
silver one so they are trying
to locate me one right now.
I am suppose to be back over
there Wednesday to pick it up
if it can be found. I sure hope
they can because I really like
that car! Anyways, when we got
home that day from car shopping
Nonnie told us she was
having chest pain and had
laid down in the floor and
slept because she thought she
was dying. As you can already
guess, off to the ER we
went! They admitted her once
more and she is still in the
hospital. She looks pretty bad.
I know she looked bad last
time, but this time she
looks even worse. She is
just so weak! I hope this
time they can get to the
bottom of what is causing her
to continue to be sick because
I don't think she can take
too much more of this. She is
80 years old and her system isn't
as strong as it use to be by
no means! Then, (as IF I didn't
already have enough crap
going on), Saturday morning
at like 4 am when I was at
work the phone in ICU rings.
Gina, my co-worker, answers
and was like "Mandy, it's
for you....some guy" and I was
thinking, "Huh? some guy??" I
answered and he was like "Hey
there, remember me?" The
second I heard his voice I
recognized it; it was ADAM!! OMG,
what is he doing calling me?
And not only calling me,
but calling me at work!?!?
I had not spoke to him in
over 4 years (purposely I might
add) and here he is ringing
me up at work asking me to
come down to second floor to see
him. He was guarding a prisoner
down there and somehow he
found out where I worked and
that I was there and he got up
the nerve to call me! What is
HE thinking?!?!? So I made him
wait about 2 hours then I
went down to see him. I have
to be honest, I was SO
nervous! I thought I was going
to be sick! It
actually went well though. He
told me how good
I looked and I was like
"Yeah, I know". I also told
him how much I was bank rolling
now that I'm a nurse and
stuff such as that. You know,
just stuff that I knew would
be like salt in an open wound
to him. I couldn't miss that
opportunity. Then I had the
nerve to really stir the pot
and gave him my digits and told
him to call me sometime, just
to catch up and stuff. I wasn't
being serious, but his
response was, "What my wife doesn't
know won't hurt her". I wanted to
be like YOU SLEEZE! I mean,
there is NO telling how many
times he said that to other
girls when we were together!
He is such a dirtbag!! Anyways,
so much for my drama as of
late! I have to get some rest!
It's back to work for me
tonight at 11pm!
~October 14, 2004~
Life is good; VERY good!
I found out today
I passed my RN state boards!
I am tickled pink!! Now it's
time to celebrate! I
took it on Tuesday and
these past 48 hours
of waiting have been sheer
hell on earth! I was so
nervous because I didn't spend
the weekend studying like I
thought I should. I went to
Panama City Friday night. Me and
Carla went to the Seafood
Festival. They were having the
Honky Tonk Tailgate Party concert
that night which entailed Rhett
Akins, Darryl Singletary, David
Kersh, and Chad Brock. They put
on a spectacular show. On
Saturday Leanna and I went
shopping in Dothan and then later
that night me, Leanna, my friend
Neil from school and his friend
Chris went to Cowboys. We
had a blast, but it was a far
cry from studying! I did try
and cram some Monday night, but
I didn't think it was near
enough. I'm just glad it is
all over and done with now and
I am officially an RN! It
is such a relief to have that
weight off my shoulders because
I sure was sweating it
there for a while!
~October 31, 2004~
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
This weekend has been
so much fun! Friday night
me and Leanna went to Panama City
and went to the Haunted House
downtown. We went with Leanna's
sister Sarah, her boyfriend Chris
and their friends Mandy & Toby.
It was pretty scary and Leanna
about cried because she was freaking
out so bad! We laughed and
laughed. Before we went though
we met a guy who is the DJ at
a local radio station. We were
just going down the road and
started talking to him in
traffic. Before we knew it we
were at this little hole in the
wall bar, Good Time Charlie's,
having drinks with Dr. Shane
the DJ. It was fun to meet
him and also hang out with a
different crowd. Finally after
the haunted house we ended up
going to Stetsuns. We met
these 2 military officers, Steve & Jake,
there. They were really nice
and fun to hang out with. After
that we came home. Then last
night me, Leanna, Neil, Karen & Wayne
all went to Cowboys. It was
alot of fun! After we left
there we went to the Waffle House.
Our waiter was wearing this
big purple and black velvet and
Leanna kept referring to him as
Pimp Juice. It was a trip! We
laughed and laughed! Finally after
the Waffle House excursion we
came home. Sadly enough I start
working my real schedule this
coming week and I have to
work every other weekend. I hope
it will not interfere with my
social life too much, but we
will see!
~November 15, 2004~
Oh what a week this has been!!
First of all, I am now back working
nights which I dearly love! However,
Thursday was the worst night I
have ever had at work since I
became a nurse. Me, Emily, Kim,
and Jason were there and at 5:15
that morning we got a admit; a
13 moth old baby girl. None
of us really like dealing with
pediatric patients, but she did not
seem that sick so we were ok
with it. Well her being ok
quickly deteriorated and at 7:17,
as our shift was trying to leave,
she quit breathing. Before any
of us knew it she was in
complete cardiopulmonary arrest. We
did all we could to save her,
coded her for over an hour, but
nothing we tried seemed to help. I
know in my profession people die
all the time; especially since I
work in ICU. However, it is one
thing for an adult to go south
and then have to try to bring
them back. When it's a baby
it's different. At least with an
older person you know they have
had the opportunity to live their
lives, but a baby hasn't been
given that same chance. I
know you win some; you lose some.
That is all part of the
ballgame, but it still does not
make watching a toddler die any
easier. I don't care how old
I get, where I work, or how long
I'm a nurse, I will never
forget what I witnessed on the
morning of November 11, 2004, NEVER!
That, unfortunately, is a
memory that will be etched in my
memory forever. We all had to
work Thursday night and it was
so tough for us to walk back
through those doors after what
had taken place that earlier
that morning. It was so
hard, but we got through it. Then
Friday night, since everyone in
our little group had the night
off, we needed to do something
to take our minds away from
work related issues. Therefore
me, Leanna, Kim, Jason, Waylon,
and Neil all went out in
Dothan. We started at Jake's then
made our way to Cowboys later on
that night. We met up with some
of Jason's old friends at Cowboys
and they all went to the
Waffle House with us afterwards
He ended up having to take
all 3 of the guys home. I told
him he was NOT driving home
alone, so I rode with him to
take his friends home then back
home. It was great to finally
get a little one on one time
with him. I was so nervous at
first, but he soon removed my
jitters. He is such a nice guy!
I just wish I didn't work with
him, but oh well, if it's meant
to be it will be no matter
where we both work. He
did come down to the house
tonight because he wanted to
see the pics that were taken
that night. He wanted to
borrow them so he could take
them to work and show Kimmie
since I don't have to be back
there until Friday. I let him,
but told him I HAD to have them
back because there were some
real frame-worthy Kodak moments
on that roll of film! He
came down yesterday morning, but
I was not out of bed yet. He
banged on my door for like five
minutes and I was asleep and by
the time I got up and answered
the door he was already
leaving. I was in my pajamas,
but I went down to his place
like 45 minutes later and he
was already sleeping. I found out
what he wanted so that is all
that is important. I shall keep
this situation updated because
I believe it has the
potential to get very interesting in
the near future!
~December 15, 2004~
Oh what a month it has
been! First of all, I
am now off orientation at
work. I was so scared about
that, but I really do not
think it is going to be that
bad. Everyone is still more
than happy to answer any
questions I have. They all
know I am still learning and
I work with some great people.
That makes all the
difference in the world. We
even went and played golf
together last Thursday. Me,
Jason, Kim, Waylon, Leanna and
Neil all went out to The Oaks
and had a blast. I soooo
am not a golfer! Not in the
least! It looks so easy, but
it is so frustrating! I
tried about 5 times and
never did hit the ball
more than a few feet off the
tee. I finaly gave up and
said I would try again next
time! Maybe it will get
better. It cannot get any
worse! Other than that, Friday
was the Hospital Christmas
Party. It was interesting
to say the least! The
pre- and after party was held
at my house. The pre party
wasn't that bad expect for
a girl I use to be friends with
showed up. I like her and all,
but she started telling stuff
about me at work that was
not true and ever since
then I haven't really had
much to say to her. Who can
blame me though? When you have
friends like that who needs
enemies right? I was civil
to her until she started doing
things intended for nothing
other than to piss me off.
I won't get into the details,
but let's just say me and
her almost got into an arguement
in my front yard and she
had to leave before things
escalated. I see it like
this, we were at my house,
she wasn't invited in the
first place and then she
went outta her way to piss
me off, oh no, she needed
to leave! If I didn't have
anything for her before that, I
really don't now. She is not
worth it. I do not need friends
like that. I was so
aggervated at the whole situation
I just had to get away for
a few days. So, with no plans
whatsoever, Monday I took off
to Tampa to see my friend
Jessica. I had not seen her
in 3 1/2 years, but she was
thrilled I came down. I shopped
in this NICE mall on Monday
until she got off work. After
that, me, her, and her brother
TJ all went out to eat at
Longhorn. Tuesday I shopped, ate
lunch at Applebees, and we
watched I Robot at her place.
Today I was ready to come
home, so that is exactly what
I did. I think a little getaway
for a few days was very
therapeutic for my mental
status. I needed it considering
all the stuff I've had
going on the last week or so.
It's been really straining! I
hope with the coming weeks
it gets better for me because
I cannot take much more
of this crap!
~December 30, 2004~
HAPPY ALMOST NEW YEAR!
For me, the New Year's Partying
was tonight anyways! I work
on December 31st, so I had to
celebrate early! Tonight me and
Leanna went to Cowboys. We met
these 2 guys, Alan "Crimestoppers"
as I call him, and Tim.
They were really nice. We
hung out with them all night just
dancing and cutting up. I am so
glad we had a good time tonight
because the next day
or 2 is going to suck for me
. New Year's Eve I have to
work with the girl I've
had trouble with here
lately. It's gonna be the
first time we have had any
contact since the Christmas
Party and I am not
looking forward to it at
all! We work the same
schedule just opposite weeks
of each other. That way
we never have to work together
and we don't have to see
each other unless we want to.
I like it that way personally.
This will be the first
time I have ever worked with
her before and I hope it is
the last! I can be civil and
make it through one 12 hour
shift, but I hope the occasion
where we have to work
together doesn't come up again
for a long long time!!
~January 14, 2005~
Oh what fun I've been
having here lately! Last
Saturday I went up to see
my friend Candy. She is 9 months
pregnant and today she delivered
Miss Marleigh Rhys at 3:01 AM
via C-Section. She is 6lb 1oz
and 18 inches long! I have
yet to see her, but Candy
says she is beautiful in
spite of looking just like
her daddy! I cannot wait
until I get to meet her
for myself! Then last weekend
Me, Leanna, Kim, Waylon,
Neil, Jason, Annabeth, Jen,
Michelle, Denise, Kevin, Chrystal,
& Julie all went to Jake's
then to Cowboys. Want to talk
about a fun night, that was
one! We partied all night long!
I hope to have the pictures back
soon. No one argued, everyone
had fun, everyone was safe.
Just a good night all
together. Guess that happens
when you leave some certain
drama-causing individuals
outta the loop. Can the
sarcasm be sensed there?
Anyways, that was Saturday then
me, Leanna, Lacy, Larrian,
and Leslie all went back
to Cowboys Wednesday night as
well. We had fun that night
as well. I think I have more
fun there on Wednesday nights
than I do on the weekends.
It's sad, but in just a
few days I have to go back to
work and start my next 7 day
nose to the grindstone schedule!
However, it passes fast. I stay so
busy I rarely have time to sit
and clock-watch and it is
over before I know it!
~January 22, 2005~
Guess who I hung out with last
night? Kristen! Yes, my old
roomate that I haven't seen nor
spoke to in close to a year. We
had a disagreement about a year
ago when she cut me and Leanna
out of her wedding, but we
have since mended our fences. She
and her husband Robert were in
Panama City Beach for the weekend
so me and Leanna had to go
down and see them. First we went
to a party in Shady Grove but
Leanna's ex boyfriend happened
to be there so we didn't
stall there very long. After
that it was on to Stetsuns.
It was really good to see
them. We absolutely had a blast!
She said they plan to move
back here from Colorado later
on this year. I hope they do
because I really miss hanging out
with her. Other that that I
have not been up to much, just
the same ol' same ol' working.
There is not too much going
on there thank goodness. I
think it may finally be slowing
down for a bit, but I better
not even think that because
when I do that is when we
get the busiest!
~February 14, 2005~
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!
Yes, I know it has been
FOREVER since I have updated this
thing, but I have been a very
busy girl! Between working and
all my travels as of late,
I have not been on the
computer very much. I spent
all last week in Pigeon Forge, TN
on vacation and it was a blast!
I went with my friend Leanna.
Our friend Jerris got married
last Wednesday and a whole group
of us went up to TN to
celebrate with her. In our cabin
it was me, Leanna, Jeannie,
Nekia, Madeline, Kim,
Waylon, & Jeremy. Leanna and
I left on Monday going to Tennessee,
but we were going to spend
the night in Atlanta with my
cousin. However that did not
work as planned. We ended up
getting lost in Downtown Atlanta
around 5pm which was VERY
scary! We were running out
of gas, it was getting dark,
and we have NO CLUE as to
where we were going. It ended
up ok though. We finally got
in touch with Leanna's Aunt & Uncle
and we stayed at their house
in Loganville, GA which is just
northeast of Atlanta. Tuesday morning
we got up and headed on our
way to Pigeon Forge. We took the
route through the Smokey Mountains
National Park. It was the
most beautiful drive I think I
have ever taken. Being it is
February, there was still snow
all over the mountain tops.
There were several times we
had to stop alongside the road
just to play in the snow. We
were like two little kids at
christmas in that snow! Neither
of us had ever really seen
snow, well not in mass qunatities
like this was, so it was
neat! We finally made it to
our log cabin which was absolutely
gorgeous! That night we all
ended up playing in the jacuzzi
and praying it would be nice
weather for the wedding on
Wednesday. I guess our prayers
were answered because Wednesday the
weather was gorgeous. The sun
was shining, it was only
about 65 degrees outside and
there was really no wind to speak
of. After the ceremony we all
went to eat at Calhoun's, a steakhouse
chain located in TN that we
don't have around here in our
area. As the day went on it
got chillier and we all hoped it
would be nice and snowey for when
we went to Ober Gatlinberg snow
skiing the next day. Once
again, things worked out in our
favor. The next morning we all
awoke to the ground being covered
with a thick blanket of snow!
We were all so excited!
When we got to Ober they
had the snow maker machines up
and running but it was snowing
so hard they really were not
necessary. I had a great time
skiing, but I am not good at it
at all! That is something I am
going to have to practice alot more
before I master it. After we went
up the mountain twice and fell
getting off the ski lift both
times, me and Leanna decided
we'd try out ice skating
instead. Oddly enough, ice
skating is smoething we all ended
up being pretty good at.
Jerris, Jeannie, and Madeline
joined us on the ice before
it was all over with because we
were having so much fun! That
night we were so tired I don't
know how we ever made it back
to the cabin. Friday, our last
full day there, we spent exploring
Gatlinberg. We went to the
Hard Rock Cafe and had lunch and
went to alot of the little
stores downtown. That night
we all went to Dolly Parton's
Dixie Stampede Dinner Show
. That was very neat! I had a
great time there! After that we
all went out to 2 different
karaoke bars; on in Pigeon Forge
then another in Gatlinberg. Saturday
it was back to good ol' North FL
or so we thought. It was
nowhere near that easy! We
planned to go back through the
Smokey Mountains National park
just like we had when we came
into town but the roads were
all closed due to all the snow
that had falled on Thursday-Friday.
We had to find an alternate route.
It took us a while but we
ended up going back west through
Knoxville and down through
Chattanooga. Either way we
ended up getting back on our road
in Atlanta so it was no big
deal, just a bit frustrating at
first when we found out our
original plans were not going to
work out like we wanted. It was
such a fun trip and I am
planning on going back again
next February! Until then,
click here for pics from the
2005 trip!
~March 14, 2005~
Well it's been a nice vacation, but
tomorrow I finally go back to
work! I have been off since
March 4th! Gerri & I swapped a
weekend so she worked one for me
and me one for her. It worked
out good though because it
meant I got to go to Biloxi, MS
with a bunch of friends to
my friend Emily's bachelorette
party. In total there were 10 of
us. Me, Stella, & Stacey all
rode out there on Saturday with
Neil after the 4 of us all went
to the Darryl Worley concert on
Friday night at Cowboys. It was
so much fun! After the show we
went to the Waffle House and ate
and visited and pretty much just
had a blast. On our way to
the hotel in Biloxi we got caught
in the St. Patrick's Day Parade
on Beach Blvd. and accumulated quite
a good amount of Mardi Gras beads.
Now we all have souviners!
Later that afternoon Emily, Dusty,
Tina, Amanda S., Sandra, & Chrystal
all met us out there. That
night we ALL (yes all 10 of us)
rode in Neil's truck to the
casinos! We even valet parked
at the Imperial Palace. That
valet boy's face sure was a
site to behold when all 10 of us
went to piling out of the Ford King
Ranch like it was a clown car!
After going to the club at the
Palace we left and went to the
Beau Rivage. We also went to
the club there and gambled a
little bit. Upon leaving there
we all went back to the hotel
planning on going to bed, but
that just didnt work out. We
ended up walking across the
street to The President Casino
and gambling some more along
with hitting up the midnight
breakfast buffet....ok, well by
this time it was more like
a 4am breakfast buffet! Finally
Sunday morning we all made it
back home. I'm glad I had
today to recooperate before
heading on back to the ol' grindstone
tomorrow afternoon!
~April 1, 2005~
Fun times yet again! Leanna & I
went to Biloxi, MS yesterday! Boy
what a ride it was! It rained,
no, STORMED on us the entire
way there! I kept thinking we
would run through it, but since
it was coming from Texas, us
outrunning the storm wasn't an
option. We were caught up right
in the middle of it! We
finally got there late last night
and found our motel. After
that we went casino-hopping.
She had never been to
Biloxi, so I had to show her the
ropes. We first went to
The Beau Rivage. We were losing
there plus we had this creepy
guy trying to stalk us so we
left and went to The Grand. There
we had alot of fun! We played
Blackjack and Craps all night
long! We didn't win any big
money, but then again, we were
not down very much either. All
and all we had a blast, so that
is what is ultimately important.
We got up this morning
and came home. We were all
gambled out for one trip.
Hopefully before too much
longer we will get to go back
again because it sure was fun!
~April 23, 2005~
Congratulations to my friends Emily & Marcus!
They were married on the beach this
past Friday down in Panama City.
It was so pretty! The sun was
shining, you couldn't have asked
for weather more beautiful! No
rain and barely any clouds in the
sky. Me, Neil, Stacey, Leanna, & Sheela
all went down the night before
and stayed at the beach and went
out. We went to this new place
called Buck Wild and danced
for a bit then on to Sweet
Dreams to sing a little karaoke.
We then went back to the
motel and a bunch of us went
walking out on the beach before
finally crashing. We all got
up just in time for the ceremony
the next morning. After the
wedding I had to leave because I
had to be back im time for work at
7pm! Boy I sure was tired that
night! I do believe that was
the most exhausted I've ever
been at work in my entire life!
Oh well, it was all worth it to be
there for Emily on her special day!