Overwhelmed.

This weekend will be interesting.

For the first time, OBU is giving us Good Friday off. :)

My roommates are leaving. I will be alone.

I am not going to church on Easter Sunday for the first time since probably 3rd grade. I somehow agreed to do child care at this church with this girl Amanda. I am not thrilled about this, but it's ok. I will have to be really conscious of making time for the Lord on my own on Sunday. It will be different. I pray God will use this time to teach me more about Himself... even though I won't be in a church setting. I pray that I am able to reflect on the meaning and the power or Easter on my own.

I did lent for the first time this year. I gave up all carbonated beverages. The first 3 weeks felt kind of like torture to me. I totally missed the whole point of the practice of lent. In fact, the only reason I stuck it out was because I was too prideful to back out of my commitment. However, the past 2 weeks have been much more fruitful. The horrors of not being able to drink Dr. Pepper has faded and I have had time to think about the meaning behind this all. I am glad I stuck it out, even if the beginning was a little shaky.

I have a ton to do in regards to school. Hopefully I use my time wisely over this 3 day weekend. I really need to stay on top of things before BF. Luckily, I love to plan, so I am ahead on my homework and paper writing thus far, but I need to make sure I do not loose steam between now and this weekend.

As much as I want to be productive over break, I really need to make time to be in the Word and be in prayer. I have been trying to ignore it, I have been getting attacked from all sides lately. Details really aren't important (and if you have talked to me at all you know bits and pieces), but I desperately need some peace.

So, if you don't mind, pray with me this weekend. Pray for me. Pray for my family. Pray as I begin to prepare for breaking free. Pray as I spend this Easter Sunday differently than I have before.

Bring on the sunshine

It has been a while. So I suppose I am do for a boring update, so bear with me.

• Spring break was wonderful. It was so relaxing. I didn't really do much once I got to Houston other than hanging out with DG during the weekend and Danica once during the week, but I am definitely not complaining. I got to see my cousin and uncle. And I got to sleep. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was.
• I came back to Oklahoma in the middle of blizzard. It was basically awful. Definitely not the welcome back that I was looking for. Luckily, my roommate Lauren was the one to pick me up from the airport and I stayed with her Saturday night and we came back to school Sunday. Coming back to a friendly face made it easier to be back.
• Sunday night, Lauren, Casie and I got to actually hang out. We ordered pizza and watched He's Just No That Into You. It was a nice was to kick off this last half of the semester.
• Getting back into the swing of things is a little difficult. I am not totally in school mode yet. We will see how this works out...
• In nursing lab today, we fed each other pudding and brushed each others teeth. It was truly ridiculous. No one could get through it without laughing hysterically. It was awesome. I wish we had a camera in there today!
• In April, OBU is holding this event called Up Till Dawn. It is a massive fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital. Well, today, my friend Jenna (one of the co-chairs for the event) asked me if I would be a team leader for the event. Basically, I get a team together of 5 people including myself. In April, we go to the wellness center here with all the other teams and address a bunch of envelopes to people we know and send out letters asking for donations to this wonderful hospital! Of course I was more than thrilled to be a part of this! I am so excited. It is such a great cause. This hospital does so much for children with cancer. I would love to work at this hospital one day, actually. So anyway, be warned, YOU may be getting a letter towards the end of April. ;) oh, and if you want to know more about the hospital, check it our here: http://www.stjude.org/about
• Over springbreak, I started the Peasant Princess series that Mark Driscoll did. As of last night, I am half way done. I was pretty adequately warned about the shocking things in this series, so nothing has really caught me off guard. Due to that, I have really been able to enjoy the series without being distracted by the bluntness used. It has been really encouraging and challenging, even as a single person. I am excited to keep going with this. I feel like I have been learning a lot and looking at things I have already known in different ways. It was been really cool.
• Last but not least, my birthday is coming up. 2 weeks from tomorrow, to be exact. I am ready to no longer be a teenager! :)

Oh Springbreak

This will probably be the most chill break I will have had in a long time. This weekend was semi-eventful in getting to Houston, but other than that I am not planning on doing anything. Danielle and I had a wonderful time, and I am so grateful for that. I even got to hang out with Danica and Jeremy Sunday night. Then my cousin and uncle came Monday and left this morning, which was a blessing. My cousin is so fun these days. Other than that, I don't plan on doing anything at all while I am home. It turns out though that I have A LOT I need to get done while I am in town, and very little time to get it all done. It is kind of overwhelming. My flight Saturday is at 4, so I have to leave my house around 1, so I pretty much only have Wednesday-Friday to get everything I need to done! Yikes. and I haven't even thought about homework yet. Ha. Man, I really hope I can find enough hours in the day to get it all done. I have also noticed that I am pretty much sleeping constantly. It is insane. I will get like 10 hours or more at night... then nap for at least 6 hours throughout the day, then still sleep at night. I guess I didn't realize how desperate my body was for rest! It has been nice.

I have decided that staying at home is a good decision for me this break. I need to use my time here wisely, and I really want to spend time with my grandparents. This is a little bit of a different springbreak than I had initially envisioned, but I am totally ok with it. I think it is the break I need. :)

I just can't wait until summer (assuming I can find a way to get out of Oklahoma...)!

What a blessing

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.

2 Corinthians 3: 4-5

This semester has gotten off to a really good start academically speaking! It has been such a wonderful blessing. I have been doing really well in all of my classes, and it is purely by God's grace. I have such a wonderful opportunity to boast in Him this semester. Last semester, I found myself in such a slump with my grades for so long. I had to work so hard to bring my grades up and I often felt discouraged. But this semester has been completely different. God is so faithful. To me, the most exciting thing about doing well in my classes is that I feel as though I definitely put in the work that is required, and by God's grace, I am able to produce the grades to back it up. I just feel like God has been sustaining me so much in my studies, and it is so exciting to see the fruit of my labor. I am so excited to be getting deeper and deeper into the nursing program. My application is due the week after springbreak and I should find out mid May whether or not I will officially enter the OBU nursing school. I feel as though I should mention, they have room for 64 students, and we only have 31 nursing majors in our class, so my chances are good, but it will be nice when it is all official.

I leave for Dallas tomorrow. Basically, I am pumped. Seriously. Springbreak will be wonderful. Here are some of the things I am extra pumped about:

sunshine. chacos. tan lines. snow cones. family. be2010. grandpa date. movies. sleep. frozen yogurt. GH with my gma. relaxation. joy. best friends. hnw. road trip. goodness I love springbreak! :)

Long Time No Blog

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't had anything interesting to say. Well, I still don't, but I figured I was due for a simple update.

1. Life all the sudden got really crazy. The first 4 weeks of school were relatively calm. Homework, sure, but nothing major. Week 5 hits and now I have something to do/study for every day and I suddenly have no free time whatsoever. Interesting how that worked out this semester.

2. Last week my roommates and I went out on a Thursday night and had dinner at chili's (thank goodness I have a gift card!) and then went and saw Valentine's Day. I had already seen the movie once, but I really really liked it and so I wanted them to be able to see it so I went along! It was just as good the second time around. This was the first time in my entire life that I had gone out on a school night (other than when I went to abs, that is). I felt like such a rebel. ;) It was really fun though and I am so glad we did that.

3. Last weekend I was supposed to be in Houston, but that didn't work out. I was already way ahead on most of my homework since I thought I would be out of town, so I got to just sleep and chill during the weekend. It was tight. I watched and finished season 3 of Greys Anatomy. My addiction is getting a little out of hand. Luckily, my roommate doesn't have season 4 yet so I don't have to worry about that becoming a distraction. It has been fun watching the show entirely in order!

4. I was luckily enough to enjoy 2 phone calls this week from some dear friends. It is so wonderful how such a small gesture can boost your spirit. I enjoyed catching up and laughing and telling stories. I can't wait until I am actually home for springbreak and can see everyone!

5. On Thursday I had my first "clinical" as a nursing student. There were 4 of us in this round and we went to the Shawnee Free Clinic. It was a very interesting experience. Two doctors volunteer every Thursday night, but they can only see 20 patients. The nurse I was with was in charge of going through everyones charts and lab work and deciding who needed to see the doctor and who should come back next week. It was sad turning people away. We also screened a number of the patients, meaning that we interviewed them and did an initial assessment, including vital signs. I got to do the vital signs. It was pretty legit because we had to do manual BP, not just hook them up to a machine. I also got to go out in the waiting room and call patients back. It was pretty fast pace and the 2.5 hours we were there flew by! I was so nervous going into it but so excited when we left. I can't believe I will be doing this the rest of my life! :)

6. Last night my roommate and I watched The Time Travelers Wife. It was so sad! I really enjoyed it though. I was in the mood for a kind of serious movie. It was a little hard to follow, and I was confused at parts, but overall I really liked it. I kind of want to watch it again now that I get all that happened. I must say, I am so grateful I do not have a time traveling husband.

7. Housing sign ups are coming up soon! I am a little nervous because I desperately want (and kind of need) and apartment for next year. My roommates and I should be in the second group to sign up so hopefully all will work out. I need a kitchen. I need to not eat in our cafeteria every meal. And I bake when I am stressed. I need to be able to bake. It's going to be wonderful living with my roommates again next year... especially if we are in an apartment!

8. The library opens in about 10 minutes and that is where I will be headed for the rest of the day. You see, I have 5 tests in the span of Monday-Wednesday next week. It is kind of absurd. And I am pretty much overwhelmed. But it is only three days, so surely I will survive. ;) With that being said, I really need to get to work this weekend and do all I can to make the week a little more bearable.

9. Springbreak is almost hear. I can't wait. I am so ready to see DG. and then to see my wonderful grandparents. I miss them so much. I love home!

10. I almost forgot to mention this. OBU offers yoga on Mondays (and Tuesdays, but I have class when its offered Tuesdays). They can't call it yoga here, so it is called "dynamic stretch," but it is yoga. It is absolutely wonderful! I look forward to it every Monday! Gah it is so great. Talk about relaxing. I seriously love it. It is hard for sure, but I already feel like I am getting better at it. I recommend it to everyone!

Sorry for such a dull post. My life hasn't been too exciting lately. I probably won't post again this week due to lack of time, so be warned.

I am feeling legit.

I have entered the beginning stages of the OBU nursing school. This semester I have my first real "nursing" class. It is Intro to Nursing and the class portion is 3 hours long on Wednesdays and a 2 hour lab on Tuesdays. This class will allow me to get my CNA (certified nurses assistant) license at the end of the semester, and hopefully work in the hospital this summer (I hope!). This class is what the title implies, an introduction to all things nursing. I have my first shift as a nursing student on February 25 in the Shawnee Free Clinic and an 8 hour shift at the nursing home in April. It is all still a little surreal. Of course, I had to have a uniform, which includes scrubs, white shoes, and a stethoscope. Putting all of this on was SO exciting for me, and so I decided to share some pictures with you all! Enjoy! (ps: sorry if the pictures are small, I got tired of trying to fix it).

This is me in my official OBU, hunter green scrubs, along with the OBU patch on the sleeve that I sewed on all by myself! Notice the matching stethoscope, compliments of my wonderful aunt. This was ridiculously expensive, but it is so so so exciting!

This is me in my scrubs and in my PPE (personal protective equipment). These booties, hair net, mask, gown and gloves will need to be worn anytime I see a patient in isolation. I must say, wearing this makes me feel the most legit of all!

Putting all of this stuff on reminded me how excited I am to be a nurse. The process may be rather frustrating, but I am so looking forward to what is in store for me in the future. :)

Coincidence? I think not.

I got my first flu shot ever on Friday. This was not my choosing. OBU nursing school told me I had to. So I did.

Now I am sick. With many flu like symptoms.

Oh... and I think it is important to point out that I have never had the flu before.

To recap:

1. I have never had the flu before. Nor have I ever had a flu shot.

2. OBU made me get a flu shot. I did.

3. I am now sick, with what is looking like the flu.