Returning Home

I’ve been away from my home town for a long time. I recently got married, started classes at a new college, and moved hours away from where I was born. It’s odd that I’ve been gone a few months and that’s the longest I’ve ever been away; that’s either quiet funny or sad. Being away for a while has given me such a different perspective on my home town and the people in it. It’s funny that just a short period of time on you own can make you question so many things, and give you a whole new outlook.

I haven’t kept in touch very well, but then again people haven’t kept in touch with me very well either. I hope that no one takes that as a bad reflection on our friendship..but then again should I take that fact as a bad reflection? Either way, it’ll be nice to see old friends and family again.

Looking back on my old posts is kind of funny, I was so focused on getting into nursing school. Now that I am in a good program, my worries and attention is completely redirected. At least I marked one more thing off my check list, right?

Speaking of checklists…it’s crazy the list I have right now, and the sad thing is it’s not even a christmas shopping list..that at least would be more fun to complete. Nope, it’s immunizations, physicals, TB tests, scholarship applications, admission fees, book search & purchases, ect.

Ah well, it will be worth it in the end, so excited to start my clinical in a real hospital and work with patients.. even if it will be all the dirty work for the first few clinical semesters.

Still deciding if I would like to continue blogging, I suppose it’s a great way to procrastinate (I should be pulling out my flashcards right now) 😛

-TL

The diversity of community college..

Yesterday after my A&P class I went and sat next to Kayla and her boyfriend George, and Anna like I usually do. We began talking about our classes, just normal chit chat, when Anna said that she was going to get some lunch. Before she left she remarked, “I’m so happy that I have 2 months off of work!”, never before hearing her talk about work, I inquired “Oh, cool, where do you work?” Anna stumbled on her words and made a funny face before saying: ” oh, I work at McDonald’s, it’s horrible” and then quickly left. Kayla, George and I continued talking, and I didn’t think anything of Anna’s remark.

Later that day, Anna friended me on Facebook. Curious about her background I looked at her info.. To my surprise she’s actually 25, 7 years older than the rest of us, and she recently graduated from a prestigious college. Under her employment, It read “government employment, home land security”. I was really surprised at seeing this, why would she lie about working at McDonald’s? Or was it possible that a graduate from this IVY league school was actually working at a fast food restaurant? Then it dawned on me, that she could be working for a classified government agency, and had to lie about it, just like another friend of mine occasionally does.

It’s interesting to realize how diverse community colleges are, you never know who you will meet, they are not all high school drop outs..

Need Direction..

Sometimes I wish divine intervention would point me in the right direction. I’m lost in a sea of nursing programs with various admissions criteria.. I don’t want to make the wrong decision, there is just too many options. It’s hard not knowing where I’ll be living next semester, or where I’m going to school.. I’ve applied to 3 schools, one is far too expensive, the other is too far from where Paul wants to go, and the last Paul is now saying he does not want to move there..

Hoping for some direction soon.. Is it supposed to be this hard to earn a degree in nursing ? :p

Good Sportsmanship

So if I haven’t mentioned before, Paul is a HUGE sports fan. He’s very athletic, participating in almost every sports team throughout middle school and high school. Paul’s family encourages his athleticism as they are all pretty competitive. Almost all of Paul aunts and uncles (mostly on his dad’s side) played college sports, and were apparently very talented. paul’s aunts and uncles were not only competitive in sports, but also in every other aspect in their lives. They are all very successful in their careers, they went to prestigious colleges, and they push themselves to the physical limits to maintain their thin image (his aunts do anyways). Heck, Paul’s grandma even works out daily. WHO’S GRANDMA LIFTS WEIGHTS?! Anyways, I’m going off on a tangent, back to Paul.

Ever since I’ve known Paul, he has aspired to have these same accomplishments. He has very high expectations for his life and wants to be as successful as his family. He strives for perfection in everything that he does. He works towards a 4.0 and is VERY dedicated to his high school sports teams. At this time of year, Paul is focused on wrestling season. Paul started wrestling last year, and I used to really hate the sport. Maybe it’s because it looks like this to me:

Regardless, Im supportive of Paul and if wrestling is something that he’s interested in, then I am. (To some extent) Tonight is regionals so I went out to support him as he attempts to make it to the state competition. Even though Im not as competitive as his family, and Im really not a sportsy type of person, I want paul to succeed and achieve his goals! I went to half of his tournament today, ( I had to get home to Marie ) and he just texted me saying he won 2/3 of his matches today! I’m so proud of him!
For some reason, whenever I watch Paul wrestle the sport appears like this: (He makes it look much more intense and interesting) 😛

A New Game Plan!

As I posted previously, my original plan was to attend the nursing program at a local community college near my parent’s house. I have been working on pre-reqs for that specific program for almost a year, and was pretty much set on going. Until I learned that
1. They are much more exclusive than BSN (schools that have more resources, credentials, and higher pay for graduates).
2. Because I have taken so many health related courses, I could get my BSN in the same amount of time as an associates degree
3. Paul would have to commute from WVU in order to see Marie and I. (a long drive from my home town)

That being said, I have decided to pursue the nursing program at wvu, so Paul and I can go to the same school. This means that we will finally be moving out on our own.. 🙂

I’m a little scared to venture out into the unknown with Paul; we’re so young and we have a baby to also provide for. However, we are eligible for getting a free ride to the school, Paul has a very good job where he can work over summers, and if we need to, we can take out a small student loan for extra expenses. (Which is what pretty much everyone does now a days anyways.) Our plan basically is to come out of college with as little debt as possible, hopefully less than the average college student.

If this means that I’m moving in a few months, I have a lot of work to do :P! Paul and I need to figure out a budget, housing, day care, class schedules, groceries, ect. The biggest priority will be finding a day care learning center for Marie that is up to par with my standards on a budget. I want to find a place that provides a good environment with educational stimulation, social interaction, nutritional food choices, and a place where she’ll just have fun! We have so much to do but I can’t shake the feeling of being excited! I want to chase my dreams; everything seems a little scary, but I’m ready to be on my own! (I hope :p)

Engagements ?

So, Paul and I talk about our future together a lot, and whenever we talk about it it’s taken for granted that we will be getting married in the near future.
Since we’re catholic, we need to have a minimum of a 6 month engagement.

So the big question is.. If we talk as if we’re getting married this year, it should be coming up right?

And so the wait begins…

On another note, school is going okay. I’m a bit over whelmed, but with the help of my family it hasn’t been unbearable. It’s kind of scary that I don’t know where I’ll be living or where I’m going to college next year, which is surprising given the fact that I usually have everything planned out in my life. I pretty much have to wait until I get a since of where Paul is going to college and base my decisions around that. Hopefully he will know soon.

Anxious

Academic Success

At the beginning of each semester, I always feel stressed and anxious. I feel like my academic success is reflective of my self worth. Everyone looks down on community college, people from my old private high school openly say that it’s where all the dumb people go. I know that community college is the only option for high school dropouts, and that even people with a gpa below a 2.5 can get in. However, that doesn’t mean that I’m part of that group of people. I can use the fact that the classes aren’t as challenging to my advantage; by boosting my gpa, I will become closer at achieving my career goals.

At my academically rigorous private high school, I was a B student. I was doing

okay

, but was never able to achieve a perfect 4.0. After I chose to leave the private school and become dual enrolled at the local community college and do homeschooling,I now have a 4.0 gpa. For once it feels good to feel like my work is paying off.

If I had stayed at the “superior” private school that I had previously attended, my gpa would be that of a B student.

Not only is my overall gpa higher now, but I also have many college credits on my résumé.
I stand my decision to leave, and I won’t look back. I don’t care if its not prestigious enough for my peers. I now see there’s no reason to feel anxious.

About Me

A New Year

I do not know where to begin.. this past year has been one of the most challenging and difficult years of my life. I know what you’re thinking, “everyone says that”, but believe me when I say, my year was absolutely extraordinary. I’d like this opportunity to explain the caption of my blog:

“Teenager, college student, girlfriend, and most importantly mother.”

Girlfriend and Mother:

Paul and I have been dating for a little over two years. Right around our first year anniversary, we found out I was pregnant with our daughter, Maire. She wasn’t planned, and we were in denial that it could ever happen to us. Adoption and abortion were not an option; Paul had a good job to support her and my parents allowed my baby and I to still live with them until I was finished with college. My pregnancy was terrific, no horrible symptoms (except feeling like a whale towards the end :P), and with no complications or c-section. Paul was loving and comforting throughout the whole pregnancy, he made me feel beautiful, even though like I said before, I felt like a whale at times. Marie was born 7Ibs 12oz and 23 inches long, completely healthy and absolutely beautiful. Although I will admit only getting about 3-4 hours of sleep a night the first 2 weeks out of the hospital (she had her nights and days mixed up) was very difficult, it was absolutely worth it! I love my daughter more than anything, and I can now proudly report that she sleeps almost completely through the night, and sleeps in until 9-10am :)! Paul has stuck by my side through all the difficulties and challenges we have faced, and is a wonderful father and boyfriend. (As a side note, it’s odd calling him boyfriend.. because he’s so much more to me than that.)

College:

I attend the community college a few minutes down the road from my home. So far I’ve completed 36 credits with a 4.0! If everything goes well next semester, hopefully I’ll have 53 credits with a 4.0 (fingers crossed). My goal is to get accepted to lfcc’s lpn or rn program (nursing). The courses I’m taking are pre-reqs to their nursing program, and will increase my chances of getting accepted, they include:

SDV 101	Orientation to Health Professions	1
ENG 111	College Composition I	3
BIO 141	Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIO 142	Anatomy and Physiology II	4
BIO 150	Microbiology	4

As well as Ethics, Sociology, Dev. Psychology, nutrition and diet therapy, and public speaking. I’ve completed about half of these, the next half will be next semester.. taking 17 credits starting Monday.

Teenager:

I recently turned 18, but sometimes I oddly feel as if I’m already in my 30s. There are two reasons for this:

1. I do not party, drink, or smoke, and I don’t date around, (though I did date in middleschool, and my freshman year of highschool).

2. I simply do not want all of the things listed above. I’m not interested in that life style and never have been. I just want to settle down and raise a family with Paul, that’s the most important/fulfilling thing that I will ever do. And just do my homework..as nerdy as that sounds..

Well, that’s kind of an over view of me, more to come!