Its official! Wahoooooo!! I read old posts and feel like my blog has officially come full circle. When I first started this blog I was heart broken and starting my road to nursing-- and now I am EMPLOYED and dating the most amazing guy. I am so happy and SO in love.

Monday I had my first day of orientation for the residency program and met the other 40 people in the program. It was so great to meet the other people Swedish hired. I met the other 2 girls hired on my unit and am SO happy, they could not be anymore perfect. This week of orientation was long and really slow but I can hardly wait to get on the floor and actually do what I have been taught for 2 years. Although I still feel like I am in school with "online modules" and juggling clinical schedules. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been given.

Update on my life through pictures:

double date bowling couldnt be happier-- great friends and my boyfriend/best friend

nye with the girls 

nye with the Lauren  

nye with Riley. couldnt start the year off any better than with my best friend xoxox

Tubbs Family sweater party 2012 

So I have made a resolution to get things done off my "Bucket List 2012". I have also added a few things...

-Save someones life
-Graduate Nursing school/Pass my NCLEX
-Go to Europe
-Buy a home
-Go on a healthcare humanitarian mission
-Own 2+ pairs of Christian Louboutin
-Train a dog
-Get a big girl job (start at Swedish in Issaquah in the Residency Program 1/21!)
-Finish my BSN (accepted in UT-online ADN to BSN) 

-Skydiving
-Go to Karma on the Jersey shore
-Go on a cruise
-Learn how to play the piano (again...)
-Run a half marathon (signed up for and paid! BOOM! june 22!)
-Get my concealed weapons permit 
-Be confident in my body

2012

This year has been a hard year, one I will look back at and remember the morning is darkest before dawn. Life seems to always get hard before it gets better. I learned a lot about myself this year and challenged myself in my struggles. This year I overcame hardship in school, being away from family, defeat, not passing my NCLEX the first time and my first real heart break. Many times I could have used excuses and given up, but I didn't. 2012 taught me that I am strong.

I have spent a lot of time this year thinking about how to make the years to come more successful and enjoyable. 2013 will be my year-- I am going to live life everyday and remember to be grateful. Grateful for the struggles and hard times so that I can appreciate the good. I read an article on "12 things happy people do differently" and I am going to work hard at developing these traits in myself.
1. Express Gratitude
2. Cultivate Optimism
3. Avoid Over Thinking and Social Comparison (**this will be a challenge for me! I am my toughest critic!!!)
4. Practice Acts of kindness
5. Nurture Social Relationships (**balancing my friendships with my time with my boy friend)
6. Develop Strategies for Coping
7. Learn to Forgive
8. Increase Flow Experiences
9. Savor Life's Joys
10. Commit to Your Goals (**this year I've set a lot of BIG goals so committing is important!!)
11. Practice Spirituality
12. Take Care of Your Body

2013:
-nursing job
-buy a house
-get a puppy
-run a half marathon
-go on a spur of the moment trip

I promise more entries to follow.
Xoxox
N

Music always seems to capture my mood and feelings better than I can articulate my feelings. Here are my 2 songs that seem to illustrate my life the last few months.

Life is a challenge and the struggles are the things that shape us and mold us into better people. 

Today is the day I finished nursing school. I have been looking forward to this day for almost 3.5 years! When I finished my test I didn't feel relieved like I had imagined but more full from "eating my elephant". All I could think of was going home and taking a longggggg nap. Maybe tomorrow it will really hit me? Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow feeling relieved, and itll hit me that I am graduating from nursing school! Thanks everyone for putting up with my emotions, the ups and downs of the nursing school. I love you all!! xoxox

Sorry its been a while--

In the next year I have lots of goals. The rest of this year I am going to focus on the things in my life that I want to accomplish and do. Side note: Graduate from nursing school May 11.

• Humanitarian Health Care Mission- Nicaragua and/or Africa
• Start BSN program online
• Pass the NCLEX
• GET A JOB
• Get a puppy <3
• Run in the Tough Mudder or Dirty Dash 

My parents just came into town, it was SO great getting away from my apartment, work and school and taking time to be with them and my grandma. My grandma was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and flew up here to be treated at the Huntsman cancer center. Keep her in your prayers...

(**Update: my mom has an appointment Wednesday with her neurologist- keep her in your prayers!!)

This week I have clinicals Wednesday AND Friday- I am loving my preceptor and am learning SO much and beginning to trust myself as a nurse. I started my first IV by myself (without an instructor breathing down my neck!) and have taken out central lines, and reviewed lots of medications. I am learning to manage and prioritize multiple patients. <3

Valentine's Day is coming up...ughhhhhhhh......here we go again! Wish me luck. Boys are so frustrating lately and I am realizing that I am just not going to give dating time and just focus on school and the NCLEX.