Smile.

This is a card from one of our patients. J.M. is the cutest, sweetest, elderly man you will ever meet and just seeing him yesterday completely brightened my day. I posted this because:

a.) It brings an smile to my face and reminds me how unbelievably cute he is. He and his wife are adorable. I love seeing patients' spouses care for them and this couple is beyond precious. The two of them together just warms your heart. Their relationship is like one out of a fairy tale; it almost seems like its too perfect, too happy to be real.

b.) It reminds me of what kind of person he is and of the kind of person I want to be. He has the best attitude towards life. One morning I walked into his room and asked how he was doing (he had had a rough night). He said, "Well you know, I'm not feeling too great... But, the sun is shining and I'm alive, so I guess today isnt so bad!" He's so happy and always has a smile on his face, no matter what. And I want to be just like that.

c.) I remember exactly why I wanted to be a nurse in the first place. But you dont have to be saving lives to make a difference in one. This man brightened my day just by saying hi. A "kind word or a generous act, a tender touch or a friendly smile" can go a long way.

So if you're reading this and feeling down, or havent heard a 'thank you' or an 'I love you' yet today, consider this is mine -- Love you guys :)

poolside :)

I finished school on Saturday (note: less than a week ago) and have only had 2 days off since then and I'm already bored. I am seriously going to have to come up with a hobby... But! I've discovered that my new favorite thing to do is sit out on our balcony overlooking the pool with a drink in hand. And actually, at this very moment I am doing just that while writing this blog. :) My current view:


For those of you who have not seen my apartment (which is probably about 98% of the people reading this), you now have an idea of what it looks like - the outside of it anyway. If you look closely the pool apparently has some kind of grossness growing in it, so hopefully they clean it asap or else I'm shoving Laura in the pool first to test out the waters. (Sidenote: did you know that sunscreen is bad for the environment? Yes, DJ says that apparently sunscreen in the water turns male fishes into females. I found it hilarious. He did not. His response: "How?! How would you like to grow a penis just because of what's in the water??" haha touche, little bro. Touche.)

Anyway, love sitting out here with my computer, relaxing, drinking, people watching (aka judging), etc. :) I imagine I will spend many upcoming days doing practice nclex questions out here. Joy. :-p

Bachelor of Science in Nursing :)

yay! :)

Future nurses

My school requires us to participate in a mandatory NLCEX review course, which is great in theory... aside from the fact that it's from 8-5pm for 4 days straight. (fyi, your ass starts to fall asleep around hour #3.) I honestly dont know how some of my fellow graduates intend to pass the nclex. I cant believe that in a matter of months they'll actually have patients' lives in their hands...

Instructor: "what are we worried about here?"
Student: "Eye blindness!"
...eye blindness. ...as opposed to the other kinds of blindness that exist? :-p

Instructor: "Honey is contraindicated in babies less than 12 months old."
Student: "What does that mean?"
...seriously? what about that statement do you not understand?

Student: "What is string?"
Instructor: "um, a short rope."

It blows my mind that this student will be caring for patients. Of course she represents the minority, but knowing that people like her carry a nursing license makes you question the competency of health care professionals... scary.

Anyway, aside from the obnoxious people in the class, it was helpful. And if anything, we got to listen to some interesting stories. ...Ask me about the penis story, the story about family members who lie, and how to get out of a speeding ticket. ;)