Family Photos

So while we were up for Thanksgiving, well a few days before since i worked turkey day. I had my dad takes some family photos of me and Jesse so here are a few! enjoy!

photo giveaway!!!

hey guys my friend is doing a photoshoot give away, if you are interested go to this site and check it out!!!!
http://dahlquistphotography.blogspot.com

busy busy busy

I know i am like the worst blogger ever! I guess you could say i have been really busy lately, which is partly true, but also i just really haven't gotten on the computer in a long time. so here is a quick update,  in September we were able to go up north to one of my best friends wedding, Briana Harlan, and it was a wonderful experience she looked so beautiful and i was so glad that i was able to make it to her reception! also that weekend i went and saw The Lion King at Capital Theater with my mom dad and sister, it was amazing!! i would love to see it on Broadway!
Lets see then 2 weeks ago i went to Manitou Springs with my mom aunts and cousin, we went for a girls weekend, and it was really nice, i needed a break from work and all the stress it gives me. but it was a nice little resort town, we saw some cliff dewlings did a lot of shopping and yummy eating! :) it was fun i did miss Jesse lots though because i was gone for 5 days, then had to come back and work 4 days in a row so it was like i didn't see him for a whole week!

OK so here is some kinda big news, that makes me happy, i switched to days!! i am no longer a night shift nurse!! yay i have only worked 2 days shifts so far and both were one where i was orienting and the next i oriented a new girl. haha so way easy, im really nervous for my first day by myself. it is crazy working days but i already like it so much more, i feel like im getting back into being a real person!! and the day goes by really fast so that is a nice plus too. on a sad note, they had to make some cutbacks at work, so they are cutting a day shift and night shift nurse, so we will all be losing hours, not fun at all, but at least i still have a job, gotta look on the bright side. it really is going to suck losing hours, because Jesse is starting school in January so we need to save everything we have for tuition, because stupid FAFSA said we make to much, so lame, i hate how FAFSA works, i feel like we are always going to be in debt and never get out of it! ugh oh well, so that is what we have been up to nothing to exiting. 

about time for an update!

woo hoo for road trips!

ok ok i know my last post was in May! i am a complete slacker and should of posted stuff a long time ago, i just never really got around to it! :) so since i woke up at 4:30 in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep (thank you night shifts) i will update you all on what has been going on this summer.

graduation :)

      first off I graduated! yay my graduation was may 1st, it was awesome lots of family came down to support me and it made me feel really good, and proud of my accomplishments. Julie, Sarah, Chelsea and baby Ila came down as well as my family and aunt Traci, Dave and Jeni. Nana and Popo had plans to come down but because of health problems didnt make it, i was bummed but im so glad they are doing better and plan to see them in August some time! but can i tell you how excited i was to see baby Ila? man it was only for a day but i already love that baby so much! Chelsea you need to come out again, or wait me and Jesse need to come visit! that would be even better! :) she is the cutest happiest baby i have ever seen! :) way to go chelsea!  so yeah graduation went well i will post some pics at the bottom.

    Well 3 days after graduation I started my New Job! i am a RN at Kolob care and rehabilitation in St. George Utah! it was  a huge blessing that i found a job in southern utah! i had been looking forever, and my hopes were not very high, that when i got a call from Kolob i immediately took the job! yes its a nursing home and i told myself i would never work at one, but i enjoy it. it has been really hard, stressful and frustrating working there, but i feel like i am learning lots. after my 6shifts of orienting i was thrown into being a charge nurse, i work in the front with the more needy, critical patients. most are knee/hip replacements, but i also get all the people on feeding tubes, and IV's. it keeps me busy let me tell you! it has been tough because i have had to learn a lot of stuff by just being thrown into it. i wasn't ever trained on being the charge nurse so i am still learning all the responsibilities that come with it. I have had many a night where i feel like i am completely inadequate and dont know what the heck i should be doing, and i swear every night i work my patients turn into crazy people! but i have really grown alot, and do love almost all the residents i take care of. let me tell you there have been a few that have pushed me to my breaking point! but yeah its been good, I work the night shift so from 6pm to 6am, hence the reason i am wide awake right now! my body is still trying to adjust to the change.

     ok so what else have we done this summer? really not much, we were able to make it up to Island park, ID the last week of June for Jesse's birthday! it was a much needed break! adn so much fun, it was a really short trip but we both needed it and had a blast. were were able to see tad and sarah on our way up, and spent a few days with Julie at the cabin, even getting so spend a day with Jesse's Aunt Marilyn. it was really nice we just hung out most of the time, we took roxy and she loved it! haha Julie might still be recovering from her, she is still a very vibrant puppy! i will post some picture of our trip! while we were out for a walk we saw a mama moose and her baby! it was awesome and they were so close that it was a little scary. but cool still.

    well we really didn't go anything fun for the 4th or 24th of July because i worked both those weekends. complete bummer because i didn't get paid time in a half because i was still technically on probation. LAME! oh well what can you do? lets see, we have just been working like crazy, i work 3night shifts a week, and jesse has been working like a mad man, we never seem to get a day off together, but hopefully this month will be different. man i can't believe its august! well this month we are going to go out to Salida, CO to my cousin Karen's wedding which is very exciting because Jesse hasn't met that side of my family yet and i can't wait for him to! i know they will love him and they will get along great! ok so thats about it for us i will post some pics from graduation and summer! and i promise to be better about updating! :)

Traci, Dave and Jeni

family photo at cabin!

Jesse's family, well the girls at least :)

I love this man!

the moose and baby

mi familia

this is how roxy likes to travel! haha head out of the car window!

happy b-day love!

 

quick update

This will be a quick post, since i tried posting twice yesterday and it shut off on me both times, i just dont feel like retyping everything.

-i graduate in 2 days! :) picked up my cap and gown today
-i recieved my much wanted/ needed call from dopl, and yes they cleared me so now i can get my license! finally!
-i have a JOB!! i got hired on monday to work FT nights at Kolob rehabilitation in St. George, i know its not a hospital or my dream job, but it is a job and with the economy right now im happy for what i can get, plus i start working on tuesday and make more than a hospital would pay! :) so bonus
-my family is coming down tomorrow! and that means i FINALLY get to see baby Ila!! yay so excited.

ok thats about it, ps i love my husband.

One hell of a day!

Ok so yesterday I got a call from DOPL (department of professional licensure- the people i get my RN license from) saying that i need to come in and answer some questions about my application, that is all they told me so i was a little nervous but figured maybe i needed to sign something or whatnot, i wasn't perpared for what they really wanted.

ok so i drive down to St. George this morning, getting more and more nervous as i drive, i get there and im taken into a small office and asked to sit behind a table. its just me and the lady and she doesn't have a happy look on her face, she shuts the door and turns to me

dopl lady: "we have some serious concerns about you test you just took."

me: "ok what about?"

dopl lady:  (opens up a manilla folder and pushes it towards me) " who are these two people?
inside were my two pictures from taking my nclex test, one from vegas and one from draper.

me " thats me, those are from when i took my nclex"

dopl "are you sure you? you dont have a twin siblings that took the test for you instead?"

Me: " no, i dont have a twin, i have an older bro, younger bro on mission, and a sister that is 17"

dopl " does she look like you? did she take the test for you?"

Me: "no we dont look anything alike"

she goes on to ask me questions about my family, if i was married, where i went to school what i studied and what test i was taking, if you are going to accuse me of cheating you better know what the hell you are talking about and do your homework on the person! she should of known it was for the nclex, idiot!!

ok so this continues and she pulls out my drivers license picture( 2 years old by teh way), and school id from my freshman year so 2005, and points out that my signature on my license is different from the one from my test.

me: "well thats because i had just gotten married and was still trying to figure out how to sign it. and that school ID was from my freshman year before i was married. like 4 years ago!"

dopl: " could you please sign your name 7 time on this paper for me"
so gay so i did that and the whole time she is writting everything i say down.

dopl: " why did you take your test at 2 different testing centers? if it was you. "
ugh the nerve!

so then i had to go and explain i took the first in vegas because the was the soonest date and i wanted it to be done with, and that i wasnt planning on failing the first time, i had to tell her if i went by myself or with someone, good thing my mom came with me, (they are calling her to verify i bet!) then i had to tell them that it was my birthday teh weekend i took the 2nd test nad it was easier and cheaper for us to go up north so i could see my family and stay with them since we don't have the money for a hotel.

dopl " well you can see our concern since you failed one and passed the other, and you do look different in these photos"

me " not really, i think i look the same i can take my glasses off if needed"

dopl " take you hair down and glasses off please, "

i do all this and she jsut stares at me then finally says that she can kinda see a resemblance! ugh!!!!!

then we talk about some more stuff, and she says that i dont have my license and wont until she has teh FBI verify my fingerprints. luckily she said that will be next week sometime, but if it takes any longer i will be pissed and take some action because this is bullshit! so much for being innocent until proven guilty, way to accuse me right of the bat, and without doing any research on the subject!

sorry this was a much needed vent session today, i hope it made sense if not then im sorry, just know that it sucked and i felt like i was in jail being accused of murder!

i know that nursing is a huge deal and that you have to be supercareful about who gets a license, but i passed my test, i DIDN"T cheat and would never cheat, im just hurt i guess that i was accused of such a thing and that they treated me like scum, im just so tired of hitting all these roadblocks, i really feel that its my time to have something right happen to me for a change! im just hoping some thing good will come out of this.

on a happier note i have an interview for the residency program in st george next week! pray and cross your fingers i get it!!!!

I am now a REAL NURSE! :)

I PASSED!!! woot woot! as of today i am a RN!! im so happy, and im ready to find a job and start looking! i have applied to 6 places already so cross your fingers I get interviewed! yay i am so thrilled that the stress of that test is behind me! now i can breathe easier and have a life again! yay!!

ps i will post more about my birthday adn the test later! but right now its time to celebrate!

2 days, and a happy suprise!

2 days till my birthday! this Saturday i will be turning 23! me and Jesse are lucky enough to be able to go up north this weekend, sadly not only for my birthday but also so i cant take my NCLEX (4 days). but im still excited all the same! we don't have anything super big planned, i just know that i need to go to the temple before i take my test. i have a really strong feeling that if i do that i will pass my test! so im going to follow the lords prompting! :) plus it will be a good experience anyway. Ok well i have to get back to studying, even though its so nice out and i want to go play outside!

p.s. I got a letter from my brother Austin today, he is serving a mission in South Carolina. I was so happy to read his letter and after reading it i truly feel that it was meant for me to receive this letter today. my brother had made a few comments that i really needed to hear, and just strengthened my testimony that the lord truly knows us and knows what we are capable of, he loves us and has a plan for us all, and if we stay true to his words and commandments we will be blessed. Thank you Austin i love you so much and im so proud of the man you are becoming. I truly feel that the lord is going to bless me with passing this test, and that he has paved the way for me.

6 days!

6 days till i retake my NCLEX!! so nervous but feeling more confident this time! wish me luck!

good weekend

so last night we went to our friends Mike and Shelly's house for dinner, we met up with Terri, Bryan and there two kids Emma and Nathan. it was a great night of playing games, eating great food, and delicious cake bon bons! mmm... my mouth is watering just thinking about them. so delicious! i must say that i LOVE these two families, i have known them since before i got married and they have always been good to me and my family! mike and Shelly have 2 wonderful children Madi and Logan they are the cutest little kids ever. and Emma and Nathan i have known since they were tiny! Emma has always been my little pal, and when our family's would go camping we would always play, or i would do her hair. i just love these kids and there parents. I feel so grateful to have great friends down here that treat me and Jesse like family. It gets hard being away from mine and jesse's family so it's really nice knowing i have someone to go to if i need anything! speaking of Jesse's family, his mom, sister and her husband are coming down this weekend to celebrate Easter with us! im very excited to see them! I miss my niece Paisley! she is the cutest girl ever and so fun to be around. i just know its going to be another great weekend.


on a more educational note, i take my NCLEX 2 weeks from today! so scary! I started the Kaplan Review today and i can already tell that it is going to help me out so much! I know that im going to pass it this time, i feel that this Kaplan Review is what i need to help me with my test taking anxiety and how to answer the questions correctly! so im very grateful to be taking it!!

any-who hope all is going well and that everyone enjoys  general conference this weekend!

1 more day!

Only 1 more day till my husband comes home! yay he has been gone for a week. he went out to maryland to visit his sister Chelsea. he is having a blast and im so glad he got to go, but im ready for him to come home, ive been so bored this week! and im getting lonely! 1 more night of no husband than he will be here yay!!!

job interview

So I got a call this morning, from Kolob Rehabilitation Center in St. George for a Interview! i was so excited i got ready adn headed down there, started the interview adn they lady was ready to hire me until she found out i had already taken the NCLEX and what that means is that i can't get a temporary license because once you test they wont let you get it until you pass it. so she had to say no. it was a sad day! but she said that if i call her in april after i pass my test and she has an opening she will give me the job! so at least i got my foot in the door somewhere. it jsut sucks, i wish i would of known about that rule, but oh well. at least i got practice interviewing!

im so sick of being sick!

So for the last week and a half i have gone to bed sick, and woken up with a massive migraine! im so tired of being sick, i just feel like blah, and have no motivaion to do anything because all i want to do is sleep! ugh stupid life, i just want it to be warm out and for me to feel better!

late valentines day post!

So i know this is really late, but considering that i was freaking out the past 2 weeks, i think its ok that i post this late! so me and jesse didnt do anything to big this year for valentines day because we are really poor! but we did make it a goal to go to the temple, so we went on Saturday. it was really nice, it has been so long since we have gone, i forgot how amazing you feel afterwards. I really needed to go and feel the spirit, while we were there i got this overwhelming feeling of comfort and peace, and an answer to my prayers, I had been praying really hard that i would pass my test and that everything would work out for me and Jesse. Well while in the celestial room i got a very strong feeling that things were going to work out and i felt very comforted and confident for my test. well seeing as i failed my test, i was questioning these feelings and was a little angry that my answer wasn't in the way that i wanted it to be. during this past week i had the opportunity to talk to my parents and my bishop and they helped me to realize that this is an answer, jsut not the one i wanted and that i need to look at the bigger picture, that maybe i didn't pass this test because i need to grow spiritually, (because honestly me and jesse haven't been as active as we should be) or that maybe the lord is paving the way for a job, or a way for us to stay in Cedar longer. My dad and bishop (both great men) told me to keep remember the feeling i had in the temple and trust in the lord. well i have been doing that and reading my scriptures and i do feel so much better about the situation, i know that i am capable of passing this test and that i will do it the next time. and that as long as i trust in the lord and stay close to him everything will work out the way it is supposed to.

Sorry that was a longer sidenot than i thought. now back to what we did for our valentines date. so we went to the temple had a great time and after we met up with our friend Amy and Mike and went to eat at the Mongolia BBQ! which is amazing so yummy! then on sunday i made this really yummy crock pot enchiladas (thank you julie for the recipe) Mike and Amy came back over to eat with us then we played some games and they left. then me and jesse played a game of Left for Dead, haha i know zombie game, but its so much fun and what a good way to relieve some stress! i love killing me some zombies!

So that was our Valentines day weekend. this week i have been working lots, helping jesse out at work, but that wont be for much longer because i got to start studying again! but tonight i got in the craft mood, and made a picture frame for my M-I-L and a birthday gift for my sister in law but i will have to wait to post that ;) but yeah im glad to be feeling happy again, and i know jesse is glad to have me back to normal too! he is such a great husband, he watched plenty of chickflicks with me, and got me ice cream, adn some new scriptures (they were my valentines day suprise!) which i love them all!!

oh i also dyed my hair, i dont know if you can really tell, it is a lot lighter but i dont know if the pictures do it justice, its not as light as i would like to go, but one day i will get there.

Everything will be ok....someday.

So on tuesday i took my NCLEX exam. the way the test it done is you either take a minimum of 75 questions or you can take the max of 265. or they stop you in between somewhere. well i was a lucky one to take all 265 questions. it took me 4.5 hours to test, and i felt really confident about my test until question 180 when i realized i would probably be taking the whole test. now this test is the worst test you will ever take. you go in scared out of your mind and you come out feeling like you failed.  well i was trying to stay positive during the test and i was doing ok, it was when i started to get repeat questions and when they kept asking me the same things that i started to lose my confidence. man this test really just kills your soul, you lose all motivation, confidence, and faith in yourself. so i took the test, left feeling like i failed, went back to the hotel saw my mom and started balling.

well the past two night were hard because you dont know how you did, and i was freaking out, i really didnt feel like i passed it, but i kept telling myself i did. well today was the day i got to find out how i did. well i have been home alone since jesse is at work, i know i should of waited for him to get home to find out, but i just needed to know. well i looked and I failed, my whole world came crushing down on me hard. I immediatly started balling, (still am) im so mad at myself, disappointed in myself, im sorry i let my family down. i know they wont say that i did, but i feel like i did. im just so tired of failing, i feel like i have had so many trials this past year with school i dont know if i can handle this last one. i really just wanted a break, i wanted to see that i passed and that i can now go find a job and be a nurse. but i shouldn't of gotten my hopes up because i suck at taking test, i have horrible test anxiety, even with meds i dont do well. i just wish i would of passed so that i could be happy and my family could be proud. I just am so sick of failing, i know this isnt' the end of the world but it sure feels like it. I know i need to be grateful for the fact that i did graduate, and i am. I am so grateful for the opportuinity i have had to go to school and get my degree, but its hard to feel grateful when you dream doesnt come true right away. I know this will be some huge learning experience for me, and that the lord probably has some lesson he wants me to learn, but why can't i jsut have one good thing happen to me right now? i feel like all we get are trials and struggles. we have a hard enought time paying our bills, that me passing my boards and getting a job would of been a huge blessing to us. but i guess i will have to wait. i know things will work out one day, i just wish it was today. im sorry this is so depressing it just is how i feel right now, i really just want to curl up into a ball, and stay there forever. I just am having a hard time seeing the light in this. i keep thinking that maybe this is a sign that i shoudln't be a nurse, i think back on all the struggles i have had during the nursing program and maybe i wasn't supposed to do this. but this is what i know i am meant for! i know im supposed to be a nurse i knwo im supposed to help people! that is just who i am. but why does it have to be so hard? i just want a break i want some thing good to happen to me and jesse. im sorry im wallowing but i need to vent, i need to cry i need to freak out, or else i dont know how i will face the next 45 days until i can test again.

NCLEX exam!

So I take my NCLEX exam on Wednesday Feb. 17th! this is the biggest test i will ever have to take! im so nervous, if i pass this test i get my RN license and i can work as an RN! words can't describe how scared, nervous, anxious, worried I am. I have been studying like crazy and i just keep praying will remember everything that i need to! So if you see me in the next few days and I look like a wreck this is why! please keep me in your prayers, and cross your fingers that I pass!!

Cruise Pictures!

 

Day 1, the nigth before in miami and us watching the cruise ship leave! dont worry my mom didn't drink that beer, it was for joke purposes!

the first dinner! the food was so delicious!!

those two cute girls are maddie and sadie! they are like my second sisters! we had so much fun together!

Half Moon Cay

a beautiful private island, i could definantly stay there forever!

Dinner night number 2!

i was forced to do Karaoke but it ended up being really fun!

first formal night! more karaoke afterwards, we all got up and sang! well not my mom and aunt they were to scared to!

St. Thomas, Sapphire beach

So beautiful there were iguanas, ducks, lizards and we went snorkiling which was amazing!

PUERTO RICO!!

Im in love with all the architecture here, all the buildings are so beautiful i can't wait to go back and take Jesse.

 

More Karaoke

Grand Turk

We went snorkeling with sting rays! we got to hold and feed them!

Second Formal night

these are all our waiters they were so great!

delicious food! especially the fruit and fruit soups!

Legends Night! way fun!

We met so many new people and they were all so nice!

The Everglades, we went here before the airport! it was cool, smelly but cool.

So there is most of my pictures i hope you all enjoyed!