Oh, by the way, it is 2013!

So I have slacked big time as far as keeping this thing up-to-date... The part where they joked about having no time/life in nursing school is true!  I hope you all are doing well, here is a recap of happenings from my 22nd birthday (back in October!) to now :)

Ruger with his buddy Bryce celebrating Thanksgiving!

Nothing like a night out with your classmates after finishing winter finals!
(The bar loved having all of us on a Tuesday).

Who would have known it is possible to dress up and look nice in nursing school!

My UW roommate Kaela graduated this December- woohoo!  And my first snow home was in Laramie, of course!

The first powder day of the season, and we managed to find the "thin-snow" sign!

Bundled up to ski!  Love the Colorado sunshine!

WRR was a winter wonderland! 

The fjords were much more social than Mindy and Sadie. 

Can't forget the big boys!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Speaking of Christmas, the barn dog, Kay, had 5 puppies on Christmas Eve!

We celebrated Christmas with the Naumovich family in Illinois, this was the first year we had to rent a facility to hold over 70 people!

I rang in New Year's at a Florida-Georgia Line concert... here is a guitarist with an anatomically correct heart tattoo!

Uncle Joe, the family bachelor, gets his picture taken each year with a number of Naumovich girls to celebrate anything-but-a-birthday!

Kay, Sean, Riley, and I kicked off spring break with a brewery tour!

Sunburnt noses snowmobiling in March, talk about slushy-snow! 

Bacon smores are quickly becoming a Wyoming tradition!

Better tanning than any beach at WP!
I am still leasing Ruger and have managed to make it to the barn 7 days a week to feed and or ride!  It is a great brain break and I have had a great time working with him.  I tried my hardest to find a puppy-sitter house and failed, so I'm putting a dog on my post-graduation wish list!  I had a blast back home over Christmas and spring break hanging out with friends and I cannot wait to be done with school so I can see them more often.  I met my boyfriend, Kevin, (don't choke on your drink) in the Chicago airport flying back to Springfield and had a blast dragging him to all my "must-visit" spots over spring break.  Classes are going well and are finally on a roll toward completion (have I mentioned only 51 days until GRADUATION?! Not that I'm counting...)  I am working on applying to jobs, this nurse thing is becoming real!  I would love to work at Children's Hospital in Aurora, CO, but have plenty of other applications going out as well.  Work is an ever-ending adventure but I still enjoy it and saved my first life this week (that CPR training really pays off!).  I think that is all for now, I hope to hear from you or better yet, see you in Colorado soon!

Woo-hoo, 22!

Wow, I'm 22, 203 days away from graduating college, and my friends are getting married!  Since my last post, I turned 22, decided to full lease a horse, Ruger, from Wisconsin; have spent entirely too much time at school, and my best friends Liz and Ian got married!!  

I celebrated my birthday by going to dinner with friends from school at Westwoods Lodge, it was low-key and perfect!  That Friday I went out to Boondocks with a couple friends from the barn... After Ruger came!! He is a 4 year old mutt (appaloosa, thoroughbred, warmblood) who looks like a paint.  The little guy is already winning me over!

Nadia, Rachel, Jason Michael Carroll, and I after his concert!

Ruger

Little man can jump!

Liz and Ian tied the knot October 7th!  The wedding was two years in coming and I was so thankful that I got to be there!  We had a Wyoming reunion in Maryland for the wedding- Ian, Liz, Bea, McCabe, JJ, Wade and I all went to school out there!  It was one fun weekend that will go down in history until the next wedding!

Ice Cream is a pre-wedding essential!  McCabe, me, Bea, Lauren, Liz, and Elzabeth!

Girls- all dressed up and ready to go! Bea, Me, Liz, Jackie, Lauren, and little Clare!

Possibly the most fun wedding party in history... Kevin, Brian, Bea, Clare, Jackie, Liz, Ian, me, Lauren, Wade and JJ!

 I cannot wait for Christmas break and some time off from school- my courses this semester are not my favorites... but work is going very well!  I am hoping I can move home after graduation, but I won't know till later, so keep those fingers crossed!

Hope all is well where you are!

May, June, skip a few, now we're in September!

Holy guacamole, it has been a busy few months!  I went home at the end of July/beginning of August for my roommate, Brittany's wedding!  It was a great time and a perfect excuse for all of the UW crew to get together!  Only problem was that there is never enough time for all the things I want to do in Colorado... Oh well, I'll be back in December!

Landi-Lu is a big boy now that he is 5!

A pretty good turn-out from the UW equestrian team at Brittany's wedding!  Weston, Katie, Liz, Kaela, Brittany, Kenzie, me, and McCabe!

Back to life in Illinois... 

I truly got to experience the fair this year, living right across from a pretty busy gate!  It was a blast!  I consumed way too many corndogs, fries, shake-ups, and tom-thumb donuts; enjoyed time with the family, attended two concerts, and just soaked it all in!  

Colleen and I grabbed Vose's corndogs after the Eric Church concert!

I braved the odds and had 7 cousins for a sleepover during fair week... it was a blast!

I am a tech on 2e-Oncology/Hematology at Memorial Medical Center.  I work as needed so anywhere from 4-24 hours a week.  I am really enjoying my time there, but in the future still have my heart set on working at Children's Hospital in Colorado... whether that be soon or in a few years!  I am back in school and busy as ever.  I am taking a Complex class with clinicals on the cardiac unit, intermediate medical center, and oncology unit at St. John's Hospital.  I am also taking a Community class with clinicals at the public health department, home health services, and a variety of "experiences" throughout the county.  Also, as of today, there are 234 days until graduation... but who is counting? :)  

My last first day of school!  This is a picture from our day at the Chiara Center with Tori, Shannon, and Lexy.

I have been spending as much time as possible at the barn... I need a sanity break!  I absolutely love getting away from town and out to my own little world!  There are quite a few critters out there now, too!

Ruby really wanted to help me drive the Kubota

Chickens... farm fresh eggs, anyone?  I found 57 last time I had "bird duty!" 

While we're talking about birds... Anyone interested in a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving? These guys are HUGE!

We also inherited two baby bulls somehow... Memories of WRR dance in my head!

 Saving the best for last... I went to Notre Dame for the Purdue game, and had a blast!  My friend Lexy, from school, and I drove down to meet up with Maggie (who I've known since kindergarten!).  We had a great weekend, and so far ND's record is 3-0!  Maybe I need to go to a game every year...  

I can check doing crowd push-ups off my bucket list! 

GO IRISH! with Lexy and Maggie 

Walking around the "Holy Land"... had to show off the jerseys!

I hope everything is going well for you!  I can't wait to "get my life back" after graduation and NCLEX so I can go on more trips and catch up with people!

I have absolutely no idea where June went!

So the "mountain therapy" I referenced in my last post was a month ago, I cannot believe it is already July!!  I hope everybody's summers are going well!  Here is an update from my last post!
I went to Colorado for a week or so and enjoyed every minute!  I made it up to Winding River and got to meet the new barn girls and a few of the new work campers.  I got to ride the two new horses- Moses and Cowboy (Rootbeer II).  We invented a new dessert- bacon smores... you can feel your cholesterol levels rise while you eat them!  And Mitch is finally taller than me... who knew the kid would grow like a weed?!  I water-skiied for my first time, nobody told me how sore I would be the next day!  It was a great time seeing friends from all over both in the mountains and closer to the city, and as always WAY TOO SHORT!  

Carmel Apples are the perfect snack after pedal-boating... and of course fried zucchini later :)

Little Sienna is growing up slowly but surely!

Katie, Kay, Sara, Amanda and I watching Jerry's favorite comedy show (we had to initiate the girls!)

Mitch is growing up- yikes!

Water skiing Cherry Creek Reservoir with the Deas!

After I got back in Illinois, I started my internship on the oncology floor at Memorial Medical Center.  Talk about an experience!! I have seen codes, rapid responses, deaths, patients going home, and all kinds of new things.  I am happy to have the experience and am sure it will help in school next year!  I typically work three eight hour shifts (3-11pm or 11am-7pm) and one twelve hour shift (11am-11pm) a week, which for most people would be plenty of work and the rest of the time saved for sleep and relaxing... well, we all know I have the horse bug, so that is not an option! 

I started working/assistant training/riding at Capitol Stables in Sherman, Illinois almost three weeks ago.  I can work to ride, and hopefully will start teaching some lessons soon!  It is a great barn full of friendly faces and some pretty nice horses :) I am loving it, and get made fun of for smiling while mucking stalls and spending five hours at the barn before eight at the hospital... I guess it is good to be young and not need too much sleep!!

 Last weekend I went to Florida to catch up with some friends from Wyoming.  I fell in love with a barn out there (cheapest horse was "only" $125,000.00).  Liz is barn manager there so I helped her with some chores, went to the beach, went bowling on base, had a bacon party, and just enjoyed a break!  I can't wait for their wedding in October!  

Aubrey Hill in Pace, Florida... my dream barn!

 

Swimming in the gulf with Ian... tropical storm Debby made the water look gross!

Friends! I can't wait to live close to them again!

Done done done!

Hooray!!  It is finally summer, I successfully completed my junior year of college, this means just one year and passing NCLEX until I am a BSN Registered Nurse!!  I cannot believe that in just one year I'll be graduating, watching the seniors was a great reality check!

Dave, Elysia, Lauren, Kelsey, Emily, Nicole, Jessica, Kayla, Sarah, Eryn, Alecia, Brittany, Maridon, Kathryn, Morgan,  Seth, and I after a lunch celebrating survival of our first year of nursing school!

Kat, Emily, and I modeling the Meconium Happens shirts... inspired by Forrest Gump!

I had a blast this year, and really think I may be a pediatrics nurse in the future, but summer is welcome!  I am going to Colorado/Wyoming tomorrow thru the 30th and can't wait to see all of my friends and the critters back there.  After that is back to Illinois for an Oncology internship starting June 1st!  I will keep you all updated on how my first summer in 4 years with temperatures consistently above 90 and humidity goes, I am thinking I will spend a lot of time swimming!

Lucia stopped in Springfield for milkshakes!  Crazy how we met in Colorado and both are in Illinois!

I hope all is well with you, where ever you may be!  I will be sure to post another update after my "mountain therapy session" :)

One Month To Go!

Quick update!

I'm going to do March for Babies for Walk of Dimes this Saturday, a few classmates and my cousin Maria are going with me to try to raise money for NICU babies.  If you would like to donate, the money goes to a great cause!

I will have a new classmate starting in the fall, Jenna took a year off for cancer, but is in remission now- hooray!  She had a rockband party at her house a week ago that was a lot of fun!

Jenna, Kelsey, Shaylee, me, Maria, Lauren, Angela, Brittany, Rebecca, Randi and Kaitlyn in for a night of rockband!

I also got suckered into helping my friend Kathryn sell Thirty-One stuff... here is a picture of us at a fundraiser for Justin Smith, a friend with colon cancer.

Kathryn and I all dressed up to sell Thirty-One... I'll stick with jeans and boots :)

I hope everyone is doing well, just one month until summer is here!!  I will be working as a nurse intern on the oncology floor at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield... I can't wait!