It's Finally Over!!!

Last night was my pinning ceremony and this morning was my graduation. I took my camera but no one got good pictures. I wish I had some good pictures to post, but I have none of me on stage, and just a few of me with other people. But never fear! I'll post them!
In order of appearance is Michelle Phillips, Sandra Payne, Josie Wampler, Wendy Thomas, Heather Self, and Yours Truly:
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This is me with one of my favorite instructors, Carolyn Aguilar. She really encouraged me. Now she wants me to go back for my BSN. NOT!!

This is me and my sister after it was all said and done last night:

I had 13 people at my pinning. Doug was there, my son Doug, my dear mom, my sister Gerry, my step brother Gary, his wife Reba,my mother-in-law Elizabeth, my neice Kelli, my dear, dear friends Mary, Bucky, Lillian, Monroe, Justin, Tori, and Ryan. We were all going to meet somewhere to eat and Doug couldn't make up his mind about what the restaurant was called, and we got separated from Mary and Bucky and them. Lucky them. We ate at a restaurant called Puelos, and they bring you too much food and the prices are too high. The thing I really enjoyed was the fried asparagus. It was yummy. The rest was so so. I got in bed finally around 1:00 and had to get back up at 6:00 to go back to Morristown. We should have just spent the night. That was originally the plan, but we both had people we had to take home. But that's okay. To all the people who gave me gifts, I told you not to get me anything! But thank you anyway. I love each and every one. Even Tracy, who didn't get to come, sent me a gift card. I love you all. Doug and I went to the graduation alone. Just me and him. Can you believe it? My mom got me a beautiful throw with my name and stuff on it. Here it is:

This is kind of dark, but it's the only picture of today that I have that's worth posting. It's a picture of me with my "bud", Christina:

Bridgette sent me a picture of me and her at graduation:
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And what blog of mine would be complete without grandbabies!?! My son made this picture of Billy, Shelly, and Hannah. I think it's adorable!

I don't have any pictures of Rebecca and Nicholas. But my daughter did call today and tell me that Rebecca's cheerleading team won 2nd place in state, now they're going to nationals. That means a trip to Wisconsin. That should be fun. Okay, I'll quit now. No more pictures. Have a wonderful day.

Med/Surg final

I was really worried about my med/surg final. I took it today and it's the hardest test I've ever taken in my life! I've been checking my web ct every 5 minutes to see if the grades were posted. She told us they would be posted tomorrow. But you know me. I can't wait. I PASSED!!! I couldn't believe it! I did better on this test than I did on most of the others! I have one more final tomorrow but I only have to make a 40 on it so I feel like I've got it made there. So I guess I'll have to rename my blog in the future. It won't be rngonnabe. Hmmm...give me some suggestions.

I Want This Guy

I want this guy (Oh wait! I already have him!)

I'm the guy who will text you every single morning and tell you good morning and every single night to tell you sweet dreams.

I'm the guy who will hold you when you're crying and wipe away your tears.I'm the guy who still thinks you're beautiful with no makeup on wearing sweats and a big t-shirt. (and smelling like a tanning bed) :)

I'm the guy who won't pressure you to do things you dont want to.

I'm the guy who will show up at your house with soup and a movie when you aren't feeling well.

I'm the guy who kisses you on the forehead.

I'm the guy who doesnt kiss and tell.I'm the guy who actually listens to you when you talk. (or tries to...) lol

I'm the guy who's excited all day because im looking forward to our date that night.

I'M THE GUY WHO IS CONTENT TO JUST HOLD YOU AND NOTHING MORE.

I'm the guy who can't help but smile when you walk into the room. (or when I hear your ringtone) lol

I'm the guy who's perfectly content with staying in and watching movies (some strange Steven King crap) and cuddling.

I'm the guy who won't lie to you about where he's going or where he's been or who he's been with.

I'm the guy who gets butterflies when he hears your name.

I'm the guy who's not afraid to tell his friends he loves you.I'm the guy who doesn't care about your imperfections and loves you more for them.

I'm the guy who will hold you while we watch the sunset.

I'M THE GUY WHO REALLY WANTS TO MAKE YOU THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD.

Girls if this is your perfect guy repost this with the title "I want this guy"Guys if this is you repost this with the title "I'm this guy"

Hannah Jane Marie Carter

Hannah Jane Marie Carter made her arrival today at 11:06 am. She weighs 7 lbs 10 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, and beautiful!!! Just like her MeMe! Don't you agree?

Mama Rose was tired but didn't really mind holding her at all.

Sitting up for a burp:

And you know I'm not proud! I was in such a hurry to get there, I forgot my makeup:

Rose denied being very tired, but I think she looked exhausted:

Proud parents:

Of course PaPaw fell in love with another woman:

Doug's already spoiling her:

Here are some better shots of her (sorry, I still don't know how to make them smaller):



I don't know if she's going to be rooming in or not, but she looks content to me:

Daddy put a pink hat on her:

Billy doesn't quite know what to think:


So...tell me what you think of my beautiful new grand daughter. You'd better say she's pretty or I'll have to hurt you. LOL

Test, Test, Test

I was really worried about today's test. I know I know the stuff, I just have test anxiety. But I did great on it! One more step closer! I have a test in management Thurs then finals Mon and Tues. I'll be so glad for all this to be over. Then I'll be doing a review thing that guarantees that I'll pass boards the first time or my money back. Then after all that, I have to take a critical care class at work. Will I ever get done?? I just want to quit studying and enjoy life! But I guess it'll be over before I know it. And when it is, I'll look back at this blog and think, "Wow! It wasn't that bad!"

Getting Closer!

I CAN'T WAIT!! Three weeks from today is graduation!! It's almost here! I'm getting so excited, or can you tell? But what I'm looking forward to is the pinning ceremony on Friday, 2 weeks and 6 days from today. That's what I want everybody to come to. And I want NOISE!! I have 2 unit tests and 2 finals to go. So I'm still studying. So I hope to see everybody at my graduation. I'll be the first college graduate in my family. And I waited til I was 52 to do it. But I'm doing it. That's what counts!

Closer than it has been

Okay, I know I said no more blogs until after I'm out of school, but I couldn't resist. I got my cap and gown today, and my picture (ugh!). I'm going to Walmart to have another picture made. My hair was a mess. The wind was blowing hard outside. Anyway, I had to make pictures of me in the cap and gown, so here they all are:

No More Blogs

There will be no further blogs from me until I get out of school. I flunked a test today and it's only because I have been playing on the computer instead of studying. So until I'm out, have a good life. But look out, when I graduate, I'll be posting alot of pictures. So I'll see you then

A Blog for Anonymous (this means you, scum!)

I have been very busy during my spring break, so I didn't see the comment left on my previous blog until today. I am sorry to say that because of one sick soul, I have had to set my blog not to allow anonymous comments. Some people can find nothing better to do than put down other people and really make themselves look stupid. I will never have to worry about this person again. But he/she had better worry about me. I have decided to get the ISP address and find out who you are. And when I do, you'll be sorry you ever heard of me or Mary either one. Maybe no bodily harm, I'm not stupid enough to go to jail for the likes of you. But you will be sorry. And you will apologize to Mary.
So...enough said!
Mary, get hold of me and let me know when will be a good time to get my cookies. I'm off tomorrow if we could do it then. I have to work the weekend. I have the money for them. Talk to you soon!

Woo Hoo!!

Spring break is finally here! Yeah!!! So what will I do? I'll study for the test I'll be having on the day I go back to school. YUK! I got to keep all 4 grandkids this weekend. I kept Billy and Shelly on Friday night and Rebecca and Nic on Saturday night. We felt bad though, because Billy and Shelly wanted to go to church. Well, Shelly anyway. So next time I may go back to keeping all 4 at one time. That wears me out but if they want to go to church, they need to go. It would really be better if their parents took them and set an example. But I can't make them go, so I'll just take them. Wouldn't it be nice is we could drill a hole in people's heads and pour in the gospel?
Hey! guess what? I remembered my password! I forgot I had changed it. How can I expect to be an RN if I can't remember something that simple?
One of my church members had a motorcyle wreck up in Cosby last week and she's still in intensive care at UT. Last I heard, she's still on a respirator and they'll probably have to amputate her foot because 4 inches of bone is still on the highway somewhere. Please pray for her. She got out of church for awhile and had just recently come back a couple of times then hadn't been back for a couple of weeks. Shows you can't run from God. But God didn't do this to her. She did it to herself. Going around a curve and hit a car head on. She probably wasn't leaning enough and went in the wrong lane. I'm not sure. But she still needs prayer. I know she would appreciate it. I'm going down there to see her husband tomorrow. He was behind her and he saw the whole thing. He's blaming himself.
I'll go now and get some studying done. Have a most wonderful day!

Another Hurdle Out Of The Way

My last day of my management clinical was Thursday. Whew! That's over. Another hurdle accomplished! I have a test in my management class Thursday, and I have to take the college exit exam tomorrow. Then I get a week off for spring break! WOO HOO!!!! Can't wait for that. I get to keep Rebecca and Nicholas this weekend! I had my weekends messed up and just now got them back on track. So I haven't been able to keep them in a couple of months. I can keep Billy and Shelly any weekend but Rebecca spends every other weekend with her dad. I can't wait to have them up here again! Only problem is, Nic doesn't like to be here when Billy's here because Billy's a little rougher than him. My opinion...let them duke it out and he'll get tougher. But Billy does need to learn to calm down some. I wish they would get along better. They are cousins and should look forward to seeing each other. Billy loves Nic so much and wants to play with him, but Nic's afraid of him. So I won't be keeping them on the same night. Billy will still be here when Nic gets here, but he'll be going home around 8:30. I know he'll be upset because he'll want to stay here and play with Nic and Rebecca. And Shelly will want to play with him too. Maybe some day they'll get along better. The hearing testing people sent Rose a letter home telling her she needs to have Billy's hearing tested. They evidently think he has a problem. So I'm anxious to hear what his dr said. I'll try to post more often, but I'm going to be busy studying for all these tests and my final so it won't be too often. Take care and I love you all!

It's me again!

It's me again. I passed my first test, last night was my halfway mark for preceptorship, and less than 3 months to go! Needless to say, preceptorship is no longer boring. Last night I had 5 patients and I had to depend on my preceptor to help with stuff that probably never would have gotten done because I was busy with one patient. It has been interesting and she is a great nurse. I wanna be like her when I grow up. And do you know what's cool? She rides a motorcycle! We should make plans to go riding sometime. I would love that. Anyway, I'm having a good time in school, but I'll be so glad when it's over. The good times are one thing, the studying and taking tests and working for free is another. I babysit Billy and Shelly today so I guess I'd better get the house cleaned and get ready for them. LOVE YOU ALL!!

Preceptorship

I started working with my preceptor today. I have one word to say about that. BORING!!! Maybe it will be better on Friday. It was a slow day and all I did was follow her around, give a few meds, and help the secretary take orders off charts. But Friday I actually get a couple of patients. It will be something kind of new, because these are surgery patients. I'm used to taking care of hearts. And I get to do 10 hour shifts instead of 8. That way I can get my hours in sooner than I thought. My preceptor is an RN who works on the same floor I used to work on. I knew who she was but didn't know that much about her. She really knows her stuff. And she's actually nice! My instructor came by for a surprise visit just to make sure I was there, I guess. Anyway, it's gonna be really busy the next 7 weeks, because I can't work except when my preceptor is there, and she doesn't work all my days off and I can't work too late when I have early class the next morning. But I bet this semester is going to fly by. They made the passing score on state boards higher, so that means that my test will be harder than it's ever been. Everybody please pray for me.
OH!!! WONDERFUL NEWS!!! Remember Florence from my church that I requested prayer for? She went to the doctor and he told her that her cancer is almost gone. PRAISE GOD!!! She's still going to take a couple more months of chemo. She's on cloud nine.
AIN'T GOD GOOD?!?!?!?!

A HAPPY BLOG!!

There is a marine I have been praying for. He served 2 tours in Iraq. He was back in the US for 8 hours (hadn't even gotten home yet), when he ran out into the street to catch a football and was hit by a car. He suffered extensive brain damage. That has been over a year ago. Last night, he wrote his name by himself without anyone helping him. That is a major milestone. He watches football, recognizes his mother, and points to things he wants. He has come so far!!

I NOW HAVE WATER!!! My yard is still torn up because it got dark the other day and he didn't have time to get the water line covered up. Then yesterday it rained all day. So maybe today he'll be out to do it. He worked so hard and did it all by himself. I felt sorry for him because he did the work on Saturday and couldn't find anyone to help him. But I guess he's done it before and I'm sure it won't be the last time. Now maybe I can clean my house again. I had just scrubbed the floors when the pipes burst. Now I'll have to do it all over again, because I haven't been able to mop since then. But that's okay. I HAVE WATER!!1

Still No Water

Day number 6 with no water. I'm really starting to stink now. LOL I go to my mom's to take a shower, etc. I have bottled up some water for rinsing stuff out, brushing my teeth and stuff like that. The guy came out yesterday to fix the water, which he did, got paid and left. But by the time I got home from school, water was bubbling back out through the concrete in another spot. I had already lit the gas on the water heater and was looking forward to a nice, hot shower. He came back out today and we are going to have to have a whole new water line put in. The leak is in another place. He's coming back tomorrow to do it, and it's guaranteed for 25 years. It's really pricey, and I wish I had the energy to dig and do stuff like that. It sure would save me alot of money. But since I can't do it, and Doug's in no shape to do it, I guess I'll run up another credit card. I'll NEVER see the light of day again. But at least I'll be clean and well hydrated. Hopefully I can get things taken care of and not ever have to worry about that again. We'll see...

Tests and Water Leaks

Well, yesterday was the first day of class. What else but a math test on the first day? I'm pretty sure I passed, but they haven't posted the grades yet. I had about 30 pages to read for tomorrow, then a bunch more for Tuesday. It's not like last semester, when it was one class. It's two separate classes and there are separate reading assignments for each class. Talk about a bummer!
Monday night I was doing laundry and I noticed the water pressure was low. Then when I took a shower, it was low there, too. So I went to the basement, where it floods everytime it rains anyway, and it had been raining, so I paid no attention to the wet ground. I didn't see anything unusual. At 3 am I heard water when I went to the kitchen to get a drink, so I went back to the basement. There was about 4-6 inches of water that I had to wade through. I got a flashlight and there was water pouring in through the wall. So I went to the water meter and cut the water off. I thought the water heater was busted. The water heater is fine. We called a plumber, he cut the water off to the inside of the house and turned it back on at the meter. Wow! You should have seen the little red thingy spinning! Which means the leak was underground, probably under concrete. So we had to call somebody else to find the leak. He found it and dug it up. The pipe is corroded! Has a big hole in it! But...he's not a plumber, all he was doing was locating the leak. So now, we have to go ANOTHER night without water. The plumber will be here in the morning to fix the leak. So much for paying off my bedroom suite with my scholorship money! It cost $250 just to find the leak, and it's going to cost over $600 to fix it. I'll be glad when I start making good money and I won't have to put everything on credit cards. So maybe I'll get VA checks started coming back in and start paying on that bedroom suite. If I have a rich relative out there somewhere, and you just happen to read this, HELP!!! Have a wonderful day and I'll post again later...hopefully.

End of Vacation

Today is Saturday. School starts back on Tuesday. I don't want to go back. But it's only 3 1/2 months. I have so enjoyed being at home with Doug without having my nose stuck in a book or doing homework. It will be worth it in the long run. It's going to be a rough start, because I have to work 90 hours with another RN without pay. It's called preceptorship. I have 7 weeks in which to do that. And the RN I'm working with only does 8 hour shifts, so that means 12 shifts in 7 weeks. This is on top of classes, tests, homework, and projects. This semester is probably the one that makes or breaks people. I am determined it won't break me. I have come too far to let it get me now. So sometime in April, be expecting an invitation to my pinning ceremony. Because I WILL make it. Wish me luck, and I guess I won't be posting many blogs until May unless this semester is easier than I think it will be. I want to thank everybody for their support and faith in me. You just don't know how much it has helped. I love you all.

Back As A Brunette

Okay, I really liked the hairstyle and how it looked on me, but last night was the last straw. My head started itching (actually, it felt like little needles sticking in my head), and I kept pulling on the hair, I got up at 1am and took a shower and washed it, I scratched and scratched until my head was sore, and the needles were still there. I woke Doug up and begged him to please help me get it out. We got it started, but it was so slow we would still be working on it and not be halfway done yet. So I called my place of work, and Anna and Debbie took scissors and a scalpel and got the hair off the braids. But the needles were still there. It was the braids that was causing the trouble. Shannon at work got the braids out, and turns out, where I had scratched and pulled on my hair so much, I had made sores in my head. But I feel so much better. I can't understand why it took 5 days for it to do that. Maybe it was nerves, I don't know. But my head feels 100% better. I will never get another weave. I think the braids were too tight. But I loved the hairstyle so much, I'm already looking for a wig with that style. So far I haven't had any luck. From now on when I want a new hairstyle, if I don't have a wig like it I'll go to a beauty shop, and ask them if they can fix my own hair like that. I'm going to see about getting color and a perm like that, but I can't do anything until the sores heal. So I'm back to my ugly self, but I'm happy with ugly me right now. I told Doug I was sorry I wasn't pretty anymore. It was nice being pretty for a few days, but not worth the suffering I endured last night. Some people can wear weaves with no problem. I guess I'm just not one of them. Oh well...Look out wig stores, here I come.

Visit from Gerry and Justin

I had a good day visiting with my sister Gerry and her grandson, Justin. He's so grown up. He's only 2 years old, but looks and acts like he's about 3 or 4. He's such a good baby. We went to Walmart and out to eat at Cracker Barrel, then came back to the house and had a good long visit til about 8pm, when they had to go pick up his mom, Kelli, from work. Of course, I made pictures, and like I said in an earlier post, I can make them smaller, but can't take the photo bucket stuff out. Tomorrow, I'll be going to Mary and Sandy's mom's, Lillian, to give everyone their Christmas presents. Can't wait for Mary and Bucky, and Sandy and Robert to open theirs. I just hope they like it. Anyway, here's pictures of Justin:
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Isn't he handsome?
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Justin with Nana:
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Playing peekaboo and looking drunk:
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Kissing a stuffed cat:
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Wanting Nana to kiss the cat:
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I really enjoyed the visit. We had a good time, at least I did. Thanks for coming, Gerry and Justin. We'll have to do it again real soon.

New Hair

Well, I did it. I guess I'll try just about anything once. I got a weave put in my hair. It actually looks halfway decent. It's not as long as I thought it would be, I wanted it long enough to pull back in a pony tail. But it's not quite that long. But it's curly. It's also lighter than I wanted, but I'll get used to it. It looks darker in the pictures. I finally figured out how to make the pictures smaller (thanks to Sandy), but it shows some stuff from the photo bucket. Sorry 'bout that. So now I'll share them with you. You make your own decision:
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Christmas Day

We had several people to our house to eat on Christmas day. I cooked and cleaned til 3 AM the night before. It was worth it though. Everything turned out good. Except when Doug flushed my comb down the toilet. So it wouldn't flush unless you had the plunger in hand. But the food was good. My sister, niece and nephew came, along with Doug, Rose, Billy, Shelly, my mother-in-law, and my mom. Justin, my nephew, was running around the house with Billy chasing him. He stopped in front of Billy and Billy fell, hitting his eye on the corner of the tv stand (which is glass). He cried for so long, wouldn't open his eye. So Doug and Rose left to take him to the emergency room, but he opened his eyes in the van and said he wanted to come back to our house. They came back but he still wasn't in a playin mood. Poor baby. I felt so bad for him. Then when he got home, he started throwing up. I was afraid he had a concussion. But he took a nap and when he woke up he was fine. Later that evening, my step brother and his wife came by and stayed for a visit. It was good to see them. Of course I made pictures.
My sister, Gerry. She had worked the night before and hadn't had any sleep:

My niece, Kelli:

Kelli's son, Justin:

My son, Doug and his lovely wife, Rose:

My granddaughter, Shelly:

My mother-in-law, Elizabeth:

Poor Billy with his boo boo:

Justin getting ready to leave:

I think he likes me a little:

Shelly getting a drink of Daddy's coke:

Don't know who made this, but I wish they hadn't:

Billy finally started playing a game on the computer:


My step brother, Gary. Doesn't he look mean?:

Gary's wife, Reba:

Now the house is back to normal, the trees are down, the decorations are put away. I always love Christmas, but it's way too commercialized. I'll admit, I'm as guilty as anybody. I'm glad it's over. And I survived! Now I'm dead with a cold, but at least I didn't have it on Christmas. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I hope you have a Happy New Year.