Thursday, August 26, 2010

Last Semester!!

This is my last semester at BYU (hooray!) and I am so incredibly excited I don't even know words to tell you about it. I'm doing my capstone semester at the Surgical ICU at the University of Utah and it's going to be fabulous, I just know it. My preceptor seems way nice, I love the hospital, the floor was recently remodeled, and it will put all of my nursing thinking skills to work - I can't wait!!!

I have now been at the BYU for 5, yep, 5 years!!! After this semester it will be 5 1/2 and as much as I have loved it, I might be ready to not come back after Christmas (which is probably good because they probably wouldn't let me!). While at BYU, I have completed 168.5 credit hours, made it through the nursing program, finished my art history minor (it's actually Art History and Curatorial Studies, but who says that?), know where all the bathrooms are on campus and which ones are cleanest (except for maybe the ones in the Clyde building, but I don't go in there, it smells funny), have dedicated half of my life to the 5th floor of the library and chosen favorite tables and spots at those tables, know where to find the fastest internet, can locate the vending machines with string cheese in them, can navigate much of campus indoors - useful for the snowy months, and know when various teams are getting out of practice to avoid the entire Richards Building/Smith Field House/parking lot area-or not, depending on the team, and many other things.


It being my last semester, I have focus, drive, and dedication to finishing it out strong. I need good grades, I need a job, and I need to pass the NCLEX - big deal things. I also want to improve my running, maintain my sanity, and have a lot of fun. I have made it through BYU without getting married (I graduated all by myself, thank you very much! Oh, and thanks mom!) and I don't anticipate it happening within the next 4 months either, so really, I have no one to impress and I have things to do! So, if you have questions about my dating life, you can ask, it's just not very exciting sometimes! Those coming home from their missions can date my sister, I don't want to pay for your education. Those who have been at BYU for too long because they're looking for a wifey can stop taking 6 credit hours per semester and continue looking, it's not me. Those who are somewhere near graduation, have possibly applied to med school or something else great and are driven, motivated, and shower regularly, we can go out. And those single grad students who wander campus looking like zombies and playing midevil times on the grass by the WILK, please stop talking to me, we have nothing in common. With this focus and excitement for my last semester, if I come to campus looking like I have just run 6 miles and thrown on an outfit and some deoderant, that's probably what happened. And please still be my friend. Night shifts, weird schedules, football games, buying more BYU paraphernalia (you can never have too many t-shirts), and 1:00 church - BYU Fall 2010 here I come!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

So Long Sweet Summer

I LOVE summer. I can't even tell you how much I love it, I love it so much. I look forward to it all year. It makes me happy. I think I'm just a better person between the months of May and September because it's warm and pleasant outside. Summer and I get along well (no, I will not be naming any of my children Summer, I don't know how I feel about naming children after seasons). I don't mind running errands or driving around or leaving the house or going back to the house because I forgot something - which happens a lot - I just love doing whatever I have to do because it's summer outside! However, with the last week of summer approaching and school starting on Tuesday, I'm realizing that summer is almost over. There was a moment last week when I realized that my last summer of "I'm going back to school in the Fall" is almost over! From here on out I will be part of the "real world", I will have a "real job" and summer vacation no longer lasts 4 months. It made me sad to think that it has passed so quickly, but at the same time, it's been a great summer. I went to Tonga, I was able to spend time at home, and I enjoyed the time away from school. Thinking back, some of my favorite things about summer have been (and still are):
  • Sunshine
  • Laying out
  • No school
  • Strawberries
  • Swimming
  • Sleeping on the trampoline
  • Playing 4-square in the driveway
  • Watermelon
  • Swimming
  • Snow cones, Real games, cheap tacos, the Pie, and the weird gas station in Salt Lake (thank you Jon)
  • Warm nights
  • Not scraping snow off my windows
  • Getting into a hot car (I like that first couple of seconds when you realize that it's so hot outside that the inside of your car is hot - another reminder that it's not winter - maybe it's weird, but I like it)
  • Boating
  • Staying up late and being ok if you wake up a little late too
  • Swimming
  • S'mores
  • Weddings and wedding invites
  • Barbecues
  • Summer rain storms
  • Lake Powell
  • Family vacations (NOT including the road to Hana - I have another name for this drive)
  • Basically, doing anything during the summer is better than doing the same thing in the winter simply because of the fact that it's SUMMER!
My little sisters and their friends summed up for me what summer is all about, especially during high school, I hope they don't mind me sharing this and I hope you enjoy! Oh, and thanks Rose, Kelley, Taylor, and Madeline, it's fun having you guys around and I sure will miss you!! Good luck at the U, Rose, you're going to do great!!

"First Half of Summer"