Well this post is all about GOOD news! I passed the state board exam, so I am officially a Registered Nurse! Finally, after 6 years of higher education, 2 Bachelor's degrees, and enough student loan debt to have IVF 3 or 4 times (maybe more), I am done with school! *happy dance* I received my diploma last week; it looks really spiffy. I am going to try and find 2 frames that match Amber's diploma frame that I got for her, so we can have like a diploma wall @ our place! I am leaving for europe in about 8 hours, but I need to get on with the rest of my packing cuz i've gotta be @ the airport in 6 hours. I will have 4 days in London, and 6 days in Berlin. Yay! I'll try to post some pics on here or facebook. When I get back, my anniversary (6 glorious years) is on the 25th, PRIDE is on the 27th, and my birthday is on the 29th. Eeek...i'm turning 24! One more year and my car insurance rate will go down and I can rent a car, woo hoo!
On the baby front, Amber confided with me that although there's still that whole list of things that she wants to do, she is ready for a baby and hinted at a "sooner than later" start date for TTC! Yay! So excited there too.
Well I hope everyone is having a good week. I know i am. =)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
39 weeks...
NCLEX tomorrow!!!
...and of course I haven't prepared enough. I've done about a tenth of what I should have to prepare...but life keeps getting in the way! So i would really appreciate all the luck/wishes/good thoughts/fingers crossed/prayers/hopes/and pennys thrown in fountains I can get! I should know 48 hours later if I passed. *sigs* I really hope I can pass so I don't have to give up my position at the hospital.
...and of course I haven't prepared enough. I've done about a tenth of what I should have to prepare...but life keeps getting in the way! So i would really appreciate all the luck/wishes/good thoughts/fingers crossed/prayers/hopes/and pennys thrown in fountains I can get! I should know 48 hours later if I passed. *sigs* I really hope I can pass so I don't have to give up my position at the hospital.
Friday, June 5, 2009
40 weeks...(2)
I got the job! I received the call yesterday and was so happy/shocked that I just sat there for a while like it didn't actually happen.
I will be a pre-op nurse @ a private orthopaedic surgical hospital in the Houston area. I will start off making $26 an hour. My hours will be 5am-2pm Monday thru Friday (no weekends). Even though its just as long a drive to the medical center, and I didn't really want to have such a long commute, because of the hours I wont have to worry about traffic (which is what made me hate commuting so much). I start July 7th. I go in Monday for some pre-employment stuff.
Now the only thing I'm worried about is passing NCLEX. Everyone is telling me "oh you'll do fine; you'll pass it the first time." I hope that's true, but I know I that my brain has been on anything/everything non-nursing for the last month. So I guess its time to hit the books!
Wow...everything is falling into place. Amber graduate, check. Amber job, check. Heather graduate, check. Heather job, check. Oh man...I just keep thinking about how up until 2009 Amz and I have never made over $6K a year, and now our combined gross income is almost $90K!
Things I'd like to do with my $: 1) Pay down student loan debt. 2) Get a new (reasonably priced) car. 3) Personal trainer? 4) Puppy classes/daycare for Kota. 5) Baby fund. 6) Travel. 7) Help my mom.
Ok...so on a different note, Kota decided he was going to be big enough to jump up on a shelf that's way taller than him, grab a toy snake (the kind that grow larger in water) and eat a piece of it. Sooo...i've been waiting for his poop like a mad woman. I want to make sure it passes, and if I don't get poop soon he's going to the vet. I'm thinking he might have gone out before I woke up, cuz I found (sorry if this is too much for some) a fresh pile outside in a spot where he likes to go...but because no one told me he went and I didn't see it...i'm not counting it as his.
Also, my sinuses are acting up. Of course. It's been about 6 months since my last sinus infection, so I guess I'm due! I don't know how I'm going to survive a day around Amber's mom and Craig...they both smoke like chimneys and I get stopped up every time.
Enough rambling...
I will be a pre-op nurse @ a private orthopaedic surgical hospital in the Houston area. I will start off making $26 an hour. My hours will be 5am-2pm Monday thru Friday (no weekends). Even though its just as long a drive to the medical center, and I didn't really want to have such a long commute, because of the hours I wont have to worry about traffic (which is what made me hate commuting so much). I start July 7th. I go in Monday for some pre-employment stuff.
Now the only thing I'm worried about is passing NCLEX. Everyone is telling me "oh you'll do fine; you'll pass it the first time." I hope that's true, but I know I that my brain has been on anything/everything non-nursing for the last month. So I guess its time to hit the books!
Wow...everything is falling into place. Amber graduate, check. Amber job, check. Heather graduate, check. Heather job, check. Oh man...I just keep thinking about how up until 2009 Amz and I have never made over $6K a year, and now our combined gross income is almost $90K!
Things I'd like to do with my $: 1) Pay down student loan debt. 2) Get a new (reasonably priced) car. 3) Personal trainer? 4) Puppy classes/daycare for Kota. 5) Baby fund. 6) Travel. 7) Help my mom.
Ok...so on a different note, Kota decided he was going to be big enough to jump up on a shelf that's way taller than him, grab a toy snake (the kind that grow larger in water) and eat a piece of it. Sooo...i've been waiting for his poop like a mad woman. I want to make sure it passes, and if I don't get poop soon he's going to the vet. I'm thinking he might have gone out before I woke up, cuz I found (sorry if this is too much for some) a fresh pile outside in a spot where he likes to go...but because no one told me he went and I didn't see it...i'm not counting it as his.
Also, my sinuses are acting up. Of course. It's been about 6 months since my last sinus infection, so I guess I'm due! I don't know how I'm going to survive a day around Amber's mom and Craig...they both smoke like chimneys and I get stopped up every time.
Enough rambling...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
40 weeks...
I have an interview tomorrow! It's not my first choice...or my 2nd...or even my third...BUT it's an interview! I'm very excited. Yay!
NCLEX in 8 days...eeeeee!
NCLEX in 8 days...eeeeee!
Friday, May 29, 2009
2 days...
So...........no job prospect there. Kind of sucks. The lady was super nice and bought me lunch. She gave me a lot of good advice, and gave my re'sume' to several people in the hospital (HR/nursing admin/nurse manager/nurse recruiter). She said that "when they hire new grads, I'm sure you'll be at the top of the list." That's all gravy...except they're not hiring new grads until December. However, when they hire...it'll be in all the departments I really want to get into (OB and Women's Services/NICU). She said there is likely to be internship in every area, since they are expanding that department dramatically. Plus Methodist has a 4:1 patient to nurse ratio (even in med/surg) and day 1 benefits that are super great. *sighs* I can't hold out on a job for 6 more months though...
...and if I get a job at a hospital that has an internship...I can't leave until that internship is over. =( There is an internship opening up at St. Luke's that I am going to apply for on June 15th (or as close to June 15th as I can...since that's when I leave for Europe). That will start in September. The nurse lady was like "i know it may be below you, and that your grossly over qualified, but you might want to apply to be a PCA/CNA (an aide) so you can make some money." Yeah...i'll be the only PCA with 2 Bachelor's degrees and an RN. That'd be taking away my right to do all the neat stuff I learned how to do in nursing school. Things...by law...that I am able to do.
I really don't know what to do...
I can't financially/mentally wait until December to work, but if I did I'd pretty much be getting my dream job. I'd feel stripped of my abilities if I worked as a PCA, but at least I'd make some money. *sighs*
What do I do?
...and if I get a job at a hospital that has an internship...I can't leave until that internship is over. =( There is an internship opening up at St. Luke's that I am going to apply for on June 15th (or as close to June 15th as I can...since that's when I leave for Europe). That will start in September. The nurse lady was like "i know it may be below you, and that your grossly over qualified, but you might want to apply to be a PCA/CNA (an aide) so you can make some money." Yeah...i'll be the only PCA with 2 Bachelor's degrees and an RN. That'd be taking away my right to do all the neat stuff I learned how to do in nursing school. Things...by law...that I am able to do.
I really don't know what to do...
I can't financially/mentally wait until December to work, but if I did I'd pretty much be getting my dream job. I'd feel stripped of my abilities if I worked as a PCA, but at least I'd make some money. *sighs*
What do I do?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
4 days...
Tomorrow will be the closest thing I've had to a job interview...ever! Here's how it started:
About a week ago, some girl that is starting the program that i just finished contacted me about buying used books. We agreed on a price for a nursing research book, and then made plans to meet up to exchange it. When she asked what time/day would be good for me, I replied "The job market hasn't been good to me, so I stay at home all day with my puppy filling out applications." Well...turns out her mom is a charge nurse at a hospital kind of close to me (not really...but its a hospital) in the...get this...OB unit! So the girl offered to talk to her mom. Later yesterday night I got an email from the girl asking if I had a re'sume' that she could pass on to her mom. Well I sent her that, along with some letters of reference, and her mom supposedly was going to talk with some directors. Well this morning, I get a call from her mom, offering to buy me lunch so that we can "discuss some things that she hopes she can do for me!" How sweet is that?!? I mean it is nothing official yet; we're not even meeting at the hospital...but to have someone on my side who can actually pull some strings at a hospital...that's the closest I've gotten to a job prospect! I can't help but be excited. I really hope things work out. =)
About a week ago, some girl that is starting the program that i just finished contacted me about buying used books. We agreed on a price for a nursing research book, and then made plans to meet up to exchange it. When she asked what time/day would be good for me, I replied "The job market hasn't been good to me, so I stay at home all day with my puppy filling out applications." Well...turns out her mom is a charge nurse at a hospital kind of close to me (not really...but its a hospital) in the...get this...OB unit! So the girl offered to talk to her mom. Later yesterday night I got an email from the girl asking if I had a re'sume' that she could pass on to her mom. Well I sent her that, along with some letters of reference, and her mom supposedly was going to talk with some directors. Well this morning, I get a call from her mom, offering to buy me lunch so that we can "discuss some things that she hopes she can do for me!" How sweet is that?!? I mean it is nothing official yet; we're not even meeting at the hospital...but to have someone on my side who can actually pull some strings at a hospital...that's the closest I've gotten to a job prospect! I can't help but be excited. I really hope things work out. =)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
5 days...
So I've had a lot on my mind lately...
I'll start with the most trivial and work my way up the seriousness ladder:
1. I need new techniques (that work) to stop puppy nipping. Kota thinks hands and feet are toys. He is pretty good when he's calm, but when he first gets out of his crate or when we come see him after a little while alone, he gets really excited and forgets he's not supposed to nip. We have tried the "yelp and ignore" technique, telling him "no bite" when he nips and then removing the hand/foot/object from biting range, and we've tried keeping a toy handy to put in his mouth when he's excited and likely to nip. However, after seeing some initial progress...he hasn't progressed too much. This has to be his least favorable quality.
2. Dakota surprised us with a "pee/poop free house" this weekend. We got him on a pretty regular schedule where he went out pretty much every hour to hour and a half. No mistakes in the house for 2 days, and only 1 mistake on Saturday. Then today, although different from the weekend, he decides he should poop inside just a few minutes after I took him outside. I told him "no" and pointed out the poop and placed him in his crate while I cleaned it up. Then I took him straight outside where he tinkled twice. I played with him for a while, and then went in my room to check my "stuff" online, and after about 30 minutes came back to check on him. I was welcomed with a FRIGGIN' HUGE puddle of piss. He used to ring the poochie bells to at least let us know that he had to go, even if he didn't give us enough warning to get there in time to take him out. Now he seems to have forgot about the bells, and just does his business quietly and then barks at it until we come to clean it up. I guess I'm frustrated because it seems like he took a step forward and then 2 steps back. *sighs* I'm still being patient with him, although if I didn't get a chance to express myself here I might pull some hair out.
3. I am getting very frustrated about not having a job. I was not cut out to be a housewife. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being lazy, and I thought I'd relish in the time I get to spend loafing around before getting into a stressful job, but (after that long run on sentence) I find myself having nothing to look forward too. I don't have a goal...and I've always had a goal...and I guess I'm left feeling a little (lot) lost. Starting June 1st I'm starting hard core study sessions for NCLEX. I'd begin now, but I'd honestly forget all the new stuff I'm learning. I need to study closer to the test in order to retain the info. (I know that sounds like a lame excuse, but after getting thru high school, college, and nursing school being a procrastinator...it just doesn't "work" if i study early. Honest.) I've filled out about 8 applications in the last week, and probably about 20 total, and I've only heard from 1...and that was a formal rejection. I've even been flirting with the idea of applying to open positions in other cities. I'd have to make arrangements to have my shifts go back to back so I'd be done in 3 days and be able to come back home for 4. Its not something I want to do, but it's beginning to be something I might be willing to do. Altho, I'm sure Amber would hate the idea. Jobs for new grads seem abundant in other cities (Austin, San Antonio, Dallas) but the job market has been hit hard here in the Houston area.
4. This is my "baby blog." The thing that I created to chronicle my journey to motherhood. As the countdown on my blog and in all the subject lines suggests, the original "start date" for TTC is in a mere 5 days. Five days. *sighs* I will not be starting that process next month. Nor the month after. Probably not the month after that either. One major hold up is me not having a job. I've always promised myself and Amz that we'd both be comfortable in our careers before we try to bring a baby into the world, and I only think that's fair. Even tho I know I'm having difficulty finding a job at the moment, I totally think I'll find one before the summer is thru. So you may ask why don't we start after the summer? Well...I'd love to. But Amber and I have talked and she feels that there are things that she wants to experience before having the responsibility of a child. She wants to travel. She wants to be able to go out and have fun. She wants to not worry about money for a while, before we take on more debt in order to get pregnant. We both want to get healthier and we both want to find a better living arrangement before TTC. I completely understand her wants and she deserves to have those things. I have to admit, and its no secret to Amber, that I am a little crushed. I'm ready now. I've been ready for a long time. I agree that we should try to make conditions for TTC as favorable as possible, but I am scared that if we wait "for the perfect time" we will never have a child...and the thought of not ever being a mother makes me feel dead inside. So...all that being said...I have reluctantly given her UP TO a year from June 1st to have her experiences/fun. During that year I'm going to focus on getting healthy, making those TTC conditions as favorable as humanly possible, getting a job, paying down student loan debt, and focusing on my relationship with my wife. So instead of being pregnant these next 40 weeks (starting on June 1st), I am beginning what I call a reverse pregnancy. I will take the belly that I already have and reduce it, I will take the debt I already have and reduce it, I will take this time to prepare for motherhood in another way. I already know so much about the TTC process...i know about OPKs, FSH tests, fertility monitors, temping, fertility friend, insemination timing, ovulation pains, hormones, questions to ask the OB/RE, gay friendly OB/RE in the Houston area, cryobanks, dewars, sperm counts, and so much more. I now have to prepare my body and my relationship for motherhood. So if you've actually read this far (as I seriously doubt most will, cuz I'm sure I've rambled so long your scroll bar is tired) after I count down the next 5 days...a new count down will begin. 40 weeks.
I'll start with the most trivial and work my way up the seriousness ladder:
1. I need new techniques (that work) to stop puppy nipping. Kota thinks hands and feet are toys. He is pretty good when he's calm, but when he first gets out of his crate or when we come see him after a little while alone, he gets really excited and forgets he's not supposed to nip. We have tried the "yelp and ignore" technique, telling him "no bite" when he nips and then removing the hand/foot/object from biting range, and we've tried keeping a toy handy to put in his mouth when he's excited and likely to nip. However, after seeing some initial progress...he hasn't progressed too much. This has to be his least favorable quality.
2. Dakota surprised us with a "pee/poop free house" this weekend. We got him on a pretty regular schedule where he went out pretty much every hour to hour and a half. No mistakes in the house for 2 days, and only 1 mistake on Saturday. Then today, although different from the weekend, he decides he should poop inside just a few minutes after I took him outside. I told him "no" and pointed out the poop and placed him in his crate while I cleaned it up. Then I took him straight outside where he tinkled twice. I played with him for a while, and then went in my room to check my "stuff" online, and after about 30 minutes came back to check on him. I was welcomed with a FRIGGIN' HUGE puddle of piss. He used to ring the poochie bells to at least let us know that he had to go, even if he didn't give us enough warning to get there in time to take him out. Now he seems to have forgot about the bells, and just does his business quietly and then barks at it until we come to clean it up. I guess I'm frustrated because it seems like he took a step forward and then 2 steps back. *sighs* I'm still being patient with him, although if I didn't get a chance to express myself here I might pull some hair out.
3. I am getting very frustrated about not having a job. I was not cut out to be a housewife. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being lazy, and I thought I'd relish in the time I get to spend loafing around before getting into a stressful job, but (after that long run on sentence) I find myself having nothing to look forward too. I don't have a goal...and I've always had a goal...and I guess I'm left feeling a little (lot) lost. Starting June 1st I'm starting hard core study sessions for NCLEX. I'd begin now, but I'd honestly forget all the new stuff I'm learning. I need to study closer to the test in order to retain the info. (I know that sounds like a lame excuse, but after getting thru high school, college, and nursing school being a procrastinator...it just doesn't "work" if i study early. Honest.) I've filled out about 8 applications in the last week, and probably about 20 total, and I've only heard from 1...and that was a formal rejection. I've even been flirting with the idea of applying to open positions in other cities. I'd have to make arrangements to have my shifts go back to back so I'd be done in 3 days and be able to come back home for 4. Its not something I want to do, but it's beginning to be something I might be willing to do. Altho, I'm sure Amber would hate the idea. Jobs for new grads seem abundant in other cities (Austin, San Antonio, Dallas) but the job market has been hit hard here in the Houston area.
4. This is my "baby blog." The thing that I created to chronicle my journey to motherhood. As the countdown on my blog and in all the subject lines suggests, the original "start date" for TTC is in a mere 5 days. Five days. *sighs* I will not be starting that process next month. Nor the month after. Probably not the month after that either. One major hold up is me not having a job. I've always promised myself and Amz that we'd both be comfortable in our careers before we try to bring a baby into the world, and I only think that's fair. Even tho I know I'm having difficulty finding a job at the moment, I totally think I'll find one before the summer is thru. So you may ask why don't we start after the summer? Well...I'd love to. But Amber and I have talked and she feels that there are things that she wants to experience before having the responsibility of a child. She wants to travel. She wants to be able to go out and have fun. She wants to not worry about money for a while, before we take on more debt in order to get pregnant. We both want to get healthier and we both want to find a better living arrangement before TTC. I completely understand her wants and she deserves to have those things. I have to admit, and its no secret to Amber, that I am a little crushed. I'm ready now. I've been ready for a long time. I agree that we should try to make conditions for TTC as favorable as possible, but I am scared that if we wait "for the perfect time" we will never have a child...and the thought of not ever being a mother makes me feel dead inside. So...all that being said...I have reluctantly given her UP TO a year from June 1st to have her experiences/fun. During that year I'm going to focus on getting healthy, making those TTC conditions as favorable as humanly possible, getting a job, paying down student loan debt, and focusing on my relationship with my wife. So instead of being pregnant these next 40 weeks (starting on June 1st), I am beginning what I call a reverse pregnancy. I will take the belly that I already have and reduce it, I will take the debt I already have and reduce it, I will take this time to prepare for motherhood in another way. I already know so much about the TTC process...i know about OPKs, FSH tests, fertility monitors, temping, fertility friend, insemination timing, ovulation pains, hormones, questions to ask the OB/RE, gay friendly OB/RE in the Houston area, cryobanks, dewars, sperm counts, and so much more. I now have to prepare my body and my relationship for motherhood. So if you've actually read this far (as I seriously doubt most will, cuz I'm sure I've rambled so long your scroll bar is tired) after I count down the next 5 days...a new count down will begin. 40 weeks.
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