TGIF

The semester is coming to an end! It’s Friday, officially the last day of classes! My morning was awesome – no nursing class. My nursing professor was kind enough to give us a study day. I still had my American Literature class at 11 though. Review for the exam of course. But, I also found out that my professor has written two books about the author John Kerouac and will be flying to England to speak at a conference honoring the author. Pretty cool - I had no idea. You learn new things every day.

Next week is exam week. . . . .

I only have two exams, which is a blessing. One on Tuesday and one on Thursday. My nursing pediatrics final is on Tuesday. I will need all the prayers I can get! After that exam, my first semester of my 2nd year of nursing school will be over. . . . .it’s crazy how fast it went! Yet, there are fun things to look forward to during exam week like the Pancake Supper and end of the year parties. Speaking of which, last night was the SRA/SAA Admission Christmas Party. All the counselors made different kinds of homemade soups for us to enjoy. I must say that they chicken chili soup was amazing. There were also some delicious desserts like cup cakes and Fruity Pebbles krispie treats (like rice krispie treats). I really enjoyed hanging out and sharing laughs with my fellow co-workers. It was the best meal I’ve had since Thanksgiving Break!

Thanksgiving Break

Yes, finally a break! Thanksgiving break. Time to recoup and recharge – two things I really needed. The day before Thanksgiving I helped my mom prepare the turkey and helped her mix up her famous apple crisp and pumpkin pies. But, believe it or not, later that day my mom, my brother, and I decorated our Christmas tree in the living room! We had Christmas music booming through the house while Thanksgiving food cooked in the kitchen. With two holidays being only a month apart, it makes this an exciting time of year at my house.

On Thanksgiving Day we had family over at our house for a delicious meal. One of the things I was really looking forward to at Thanksgiving was getting to enjoy an amazing home cooked meal, which I haven’t had in months. I ate so much food, and enjoyed every bite of it! Of course, I brought back some pumpkin pie to school with me when I came back. It was also nice to spend time with family I hadn’t seen in a while. I love it when my family gets together for the holidays.

Now, I’m counting down the days until Christmas break. I just have to get through the last week of school, take my exams and then I’m done! Only 11 more days. . . . . . .

On My Way to RENO, NV!

Exploring Downtown Reno at Night

We were in sessions during most of our time at the Conference. We went to workshops on everything from tips to consider when choosing a school to earn your masters or Doctorate in Nursing Practice to increasing membership at your local SNA. The exhibit hall was filled with hospitals and nursing schools from all around the country. I got tons of information on orientation programs at different hospitals and information concerning admission and incentives for continuing my nursing education through various masters degree programs. It was not only a fruitful first traveling experience for me, but it was also a great learning experience as well. I was able to present myself professionally and hand out my business card to NSNA board members, and hospital exhibitors. The opportunities I got to meet and speak event speakers and National board members allowed me to network and make connections with people from all over the U.S.

After all the conference sessions on Saturday, our group of board members decided to go and check out downtown Reno. We all walked from our hotel, John Ascuago’s Nugget, to the bus station across the street, to catch bus 11 to downtown Reno. We entertained ourselves while we waited for the bus by taking funny pictures. When it arrived, we paid our $2 fairs and headed downtown. We decided to explore a little and then find a good place to eat for dinner. The lights from the hotels were awesome! Donna and I took so many pictures. I got my picture taken with the famous Reno sign in the background (one of my favorites). We walked all along the downtown Reno strip, making sure that we stayed together. I’m glad we had three guys in our group because downtown Reno didn’t look like a place you wanted to be at night by yourself. I’m also glad that we were in a big group; I would never venture out down there by myself. We finally decided to eat at a restaurant inside the Silver Legacy Hotel called the Smokin’ Gecko BBQ. (I felt safer when we were inside the hotels.) The food there was delicious. Tiffani and I split a pizza – half pepperoni and half pineapple and cheese. Neither of us normally orders pizza at restaurants, but as we were walking in to be seated we saw someone else’s order of pizza and decided to get it because it looked so good. And believe me it was!

On My Way to RENO, NV!

To bed at 1 am last night, up at 5 am this morning. I arrived at the Charlotte/Douglas airport by 7:30 am to catch my 9 am flight out to Reno, NV for the National Student Nurses Association Mid-Year Conference. My friend, Ariel, was graciously willing to drive me to the airport so I wouldn’t have to pay to park my car at the airport while I was gone. I was glad to get there an hour and a half before my flight left so I could have plenty of time to get my bag checked, get through security and to my gate. The lady at the ticket counter was nice enough to upgrade my seat to a window seat after I told her it was my first time flying since I was 12. I met up with Donna, the District II Director for NC, at the gate. We had the same flights and decided to be travel buddies. Donna told me that her number one rule was to never sit in the back of the plane (if she could help it). We went together to the service counter at the gate and she got our seats up graded to seats right behind 1st class! And, I still got my window seat. I took tons of great pictures of the view outside my window. Our connecting flight in Dallas, TX was delayed for almost 2 hours, so we had a chance to grab some lunch in the airport. We also met up with 4 of the other members on the NCANS Board of Directors who were taking the same flight in to Reno. After lunch, four gate changes, and a 30 minute wait later, we finally boarded our Boeing 757, 3hr flight to Reno, NV!

When we finally arrived at our hotel on Friday night, we had just enough time to get our bags into the room, change clothes and meet in the Rose Ballroom of our hotel, John Ascuaga’s Nugget Resort, for the Opening Ceremony and Keynote Speaker Event. The keynote speaker was Dr. Patrick Hickey, a clinical assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, College of Nursing in Columbia, SC. He is an experienced nurse and an avid mountain climber. In an effort to raise money for nursing scholarships, he became the first nurse to climb the world’s seven summits including Mt. Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mt. McKinley just to name a few. He performed all of these climbs and made it to the summit of each in spite of his extreme fear of heights!! He continues to teach nursing students, climb and travel around the world. His presentation was titled: “Conquering Your Own Everest: Do You Have What It Takes?” He related his experience of pushing to the top of each mountain despite his fear of height back to the challenges we face as students in nursing school. Nursing school is like our Everest and when we finally reach the top and graduate we will look back over our experience and know it was all worth it. He had a slide show presentation of pictures from his travels and summits. Hearing him tell of his experiences and instances where he used his nursing skill on climbs was fascinating to me. He kept the attention of the audience throughout the entire session and his presentation left me feeling inspired and motivated to continue on my track to the completion of my nursing degree.

10 DAYS

The countdown has begun. . . . . .

I fly out to Reno, Nevada for the National Student Nurses Association Convention in 10 DAYS!!

I can’t believe it is this close already! I’m very excited; I know it’s going to be a great experience. For the last couple days I have been getting all my flight information in order. I printed off my itinerary today. I will leave the Charlotte/Douglas airport on Thursday morning, land and switch planes in Dallas, TX, and then fly out to Reno. There’s just a twinge of apprehension though. I’m not afraid of flying - I’ve flown twice in my life, and I loved it. What I am a little anxious about is checking my bags in and getting through security. I want to make extra sure that I have everything packed right and that I have all my information in order. I would hate to get there and have forgotten something or miss my flight! What a nightmare……
But, I haven’t let those anxieties get the best of me. Tiffani, who is also going to Reno, flies all the time and she has agreed to help me pack my suitcase. That takes a load off my mind because she’ll be there to help me make sure I’m packing correctly. I am thrilled about this trip! This is my first trip to the western U.S. – I mean I’ll be crossing over three time zones! I’ve wanted to travel ever since I was 12 years old, so I’m looking forward to Reno being my first stop on an extensive list of travel destinations. I can’t wait!!

October Fest

Halloween is near! Every year Gardner-Webb puts on an event called October Fest. This is an event open to the kids and parents in the community to come and trick or treat in a safe, fun environment. This year it was on Thursday, October 30th – the day before Halloween.

For the past few weeks, the Student Nurses Association (SNA) has been hard at work planning the decorations and activities for our booth at October Fest. Our SNA booth at October Fest had a skeleton theme. There were two activities going on at our booth. At one end of the table, the kids got to “listen” to their own heart, lung, and bowel sounds with a stethoscope, and at the other end they got to play a game of “Pin the Bone on the Skeleton”. There was a great turn out at October Fest. We had hundreds of kids come by our booth and we had enough candy to feed an army! I really enjoyed working and talking with the kids. I loved seeing their eyes light up when they heard their own heartbeat or heard their own lung sounds for the first time. They loved playing around with the stethoscopes and a few kids even tried finding their parents heartbeats. Our “Pin the Bone on the Skeleton” game was a big hit too. We blind folded the kids, spun them around and let them blindly put the bone where they guessed it was supposed to go. And, of course they got loads of candy for participating. It was a lot of fun for the kids and for us! I’m very pleased that our first service learning activity for SNA went so well.

Weekend in Boone, NC

This Friday was a cold and rainy one. I left Gardner-Webb and headed up to Mooresville to pick up my brother. We were driving to meet my parents in Boone, NC for a little family vacation! When my brother and I arrived at our room at the resort, my mom and dad met us at the door with warm hugs. As I walked into the living room, I discovered it was decorated with streamers, balloons and a Happy Birthday banner. My parents had prepared a birthday dinner of ham, cream potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, steamed vegetables, and homemade biscuits. Afterwards came a delicious chocolate birthday cake, baked by my mom, and birthday presents! I loved every minute of it – my family always knows how to make my birthdays special.

Saturday morning we all got up early and went to breakfast at the Dan’l Boone Restaurant. It serves a country style breakfast with free refills of anything you want - and you pay one price. It was delicious! Afterwards, we went shopping in Boone. Later that afternoon, we played games, watched movies and relaxed at the resort.

It was so cold up in Boone! It was raining when we got there on Friday afternoon, and it was misty and foggy on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon the sky cleared up and it was clear and sunny on Sunday. The leaves were so beautiful! It is peak time for the leaves to change, and that’s always something I enjoy about having a birthday in October. The burst of orange, red, and yellow color on the mountains is breathtakingly beautiful. I like to think of that as one of God’s birthday presents to me.

It was a fun and relaxing weekend. Mind you, I did do some homework while I was there, but no more than I had to. The time with my family was priceless, and I’m so glad we got to share that time together.

Boone

It's My Birthday!

Today was my BIRTHDAY!
My roommate, Christa, made it special for me. She made me a homemade birthday card in the shape of a sunflower (which is one of my favorite flowers). She also took me out to eat at Georgio’s Italian Restaurant and paid for my meal. She told our waitress it was my birthday and I got a free piece of chocolate peanut butter cake. Midterm Munchies was also tonight. This is an event that Campus Ministries sponsors every year during Midterm week. They set up out on the quad and provide Krispy Kreme doughnuts, hot chocolate, cookies, soft drinks – basically anything sweet. It’s a chance for everyone to take a break from studying and refuel with sugar. I went to mingle and enjoy some of the goodies, then headed back to the dorm with my roommate and a group of girls from my hall. I had no idea, but I had a surprise waiting on my when I got back to my room. When I opened my door, I had streamers hanging everywhere, happy birthday signs on wall, and a huge cookie cake on my dresser! That whole group of girls piled into my room and began singing Happy Birthday to me. I loved the surprise and it made my night! I got so many calls from friends and family wishing me a happy birthday. My dad told me that this weekend we would celebrate my birthday as a family in Boone, NC. I can’t wait to celebrate with my family – they always make my birthdays awesome!

It's going to be a crazy Monday

From now to Thanksgiving Break – the busiest time of the whole semester. We are nearing the end and everything is coming due. I have so many projects due in my classes within the next couple weeks – it’s ridiculous. Not to mention, there are extra things outside of class that are vying for my attention, like SNA, NCANS, and family. This coming weekend I am going with my family (Mom, Dad, and Brother) to Boone, NC. I’m really looking forward to the time with my family because this is the first time in a couple months that scheduling has allowed all four of us to get together. Yet, the ending of the semester has struck once again and loaded me down with homework. So now, during my weekend in the mountains with my family, I’ll have to finish an assessment project for clinical, and work on a group presentation for my American Literature class – both of which are due Monday. Registration for juniors is also on Monday so I will have to get my schedule together so I’ll know which classes I need to take during spring semester. A busy weekend for sure. What a crazy Monday it’s going to be when I get back! But what can you do – that’s the life of a nursing student.

Nursing Conference in Durham, NC

WOW, this weekend has been amazing! I’m still trying to take it all in. The North Carolina Association of Student Nurses (NCANS) Annual Convention in Durham, NC was awesome. This was our (Melia, Tiffani, and I) first time at an NCANS conference. It was also the first time that Gardner-Webb had been represented at an NCANS conference in years. Each day we went to sessions where nursing professors and educators spoke about different fields of nursing and did NCLEX reviews. (NCLEX is the national test we have to take to get our RN license.) There were also representatives from the National Bone Marrow Donation Registry there signing individuals up for the national registry. A sample has to be taken so that they can identify what type you are, and all you have to do is swab the inside of your mouth with a sterile cotton swab. There is usually a fee for this registration, but at this conference they were offering it for free. All of us signed up to be on the registry.

NCANS has a State Board of Directors that serves for the year. The Executive Board includes: the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. NCANS has divided North Carolina up into 5 districts and one person from each district can serve as a District Director. There is also a Publications Director that edits the NCANS website and journal, The Hypodermic. Any nursing student in North Carolina can apply for one of these positions. Students at the NCANS conference will vote and elect new officers for the upcoming year. We didn't know anything about this until our second day at the conference. Tiffani and I talked with a lady who had been President a year ago and was now the Executive Consultant for this past year’s board. She was very helpful in giving us information about it and in motivating us to seriously consider running. I ran as a write-in candidate for the District I Director, and Tiffani ran as a write-in candidate for the Publications Director. Everyone voted and we were elected for those positions on this year’s board!

I am now the 2008-2009 District I Director for the North Carolina Association of Student Nurses!! I can't believe that I'm serving on a State Board of Directors! God has truly had a hand in all that has happened – from making a way for us to come to the conference virtually free to allowing Tiffani and I to participate in nursing on a state level. I'm so thankful and so excited about all the new opportunities and experiences coming up this year!

One more thing. . . .
Since we are on the Board of Directors, Tiffani and I get to go to the National Convention in November – in Reno, Nevada!!!!

Melia, Tiffani, Bethany

NCLEX Review Session

Signing up for Bone Marrow Donation

The 2008-2009 NCANS Board of Directors

Fun Times in Durham!

Nursing Road Trip

Today is a full and exciting day for me.

The Student Nurses Association (SNA) had its monthly meeting at noon. We discussed some service learning projects planned for the coming months (October and November) and a new fundraising opportunity. We took suggestions and got some feedback from members on what fun activities should be planned for October. There are some great events and activities coming up. I’m excited about getting those going and also participating in them.

But, there’s something that makes this day even more awesome. . . . .
A couple of weeks ago, I was on the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) website and saw some information about the North Carolina Association of Nursing Students (NCANS). I made a note, and planned to look into it more later. The next day during my nursing class, my professor talked about that same organization, saying that they were have an annual conference in Durham, NC on October 2-5th. I went to her office after class and picked up some more information she had found on the internet. I called a meeting with the rest of the Executive Officers of SNA to tell them about it. They were all very interested. But none of us were sure if we would be able to go, because the registration paperwork and fees where due the next day!! We all decided to go and ask our SNA advisor about it. The next day, our advisor took our proposal for going to the conference to the GWU Board of Nursing. The board approved it that day and decided to pay our registration, hotel fee, and give us transportation there!! I was shocked and thrilled at what an amazing opportunity God had given us.

So today, right after the SNA meeting, I (SNA Vice President), along with the SNA secretary - Melia, treasurer - Tiffani, and a nursing professor (Mrs. Walker) loaded up the GWU car and headed off to the NCANS Annual Conference in Durham, NC!

Why I Love Nursing

For this week’s clinical, I was assigned to work in the nursery. There were three babies in the nursery: two girls, and a boy. The baby boy was being given up for adoption in the morning. He had to stay in the nursery at all times with the blinds closed, because adoption babies can’t be shown to the public. My clinical instructor said that he needed a lot of love and that I could give him some extra attention throughout the shift. He was a preterm baby and weighed only 5 lbs and 8 oz. He was precious and had the cutest little face. I fed him his bottle and changed his diaper. He loved being held and rocked. I had the best time taking care of him. It is sad that he was being given up for adoption. Yet, I had to remind myself that if being adopted meant that he would have a better, happier life with a family who would love and take care of him – that, in the end, would be the best thing for him. I have great respect for his mom because she chose to do what was best for her baby. Selfless acts are usually the hardest, but have the best rewards. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I was able to share some warmth and affection with him during his stay in the hospital. Having opportunities like that is one of the reasons why I love nursing.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience

COLDSTONE Excursion

If you hear Coldstone, does it make your mouth water? It should, because it’s only the best place to get the most delicious ice cream creations in the world! They have so many different flavors and every kind of mix-in you can think of. My friend Mandy, who is a Coldstone connoisseur, introduced me to the deliciousness at Coldstone my freshman year. After my first bite of the Founder’s Favorite creation, I realized I had found my favorite place to get ice cream! Since then, we [Mandy, her apartment mates, and I] have had Coldstone Dates where we go off campus and enjoy some amazing ice cream.


Today was one of those long awaited days, and we all piled into the car and headed off to the Coldstone Creamery in Charlotte. I got one of the new creations called Jack’s Creation. It was made of Marshmallow ice cream with OREO® Cookies, Chocolate Chips and Fudge. It was heavenly! Nothing makes your day like a big bowl of ice creamy goodness from Coldstone!

Dessert: My Favorite Word

This is for all of you who have a sweet tooth and believe that there is always room for dessert. Tonight was DESSERT NIGHT on Spangler 2nd Floor. On the menu: Oreo pie, chocolate chip cookies, M&M cookies, and homemade brownies! Everything was delicious. . . .
After getting our sugar fix, we started a game of Taboo. Many very colorful descriptions went around our Taboo circle, and the guesses were just as entertaining. In the 3rd round, I got some really hard words like Monica Lewinski, revolution, and .com. I didn’t realize .com was a word. . . . . and trying to describe Monica Lewinski . . . .would have just been too much. Nevertheless, my team ended up winning. Go Team 1! After a hard day of classes, all you need is a bunch of sugar!

Spangler 2nd Rocks!

The Votes Are In!

The Student Nurses Association (SNA) had a meeting today at noon to vote on officers. As a nominee for Vice President, I had to give a little speech about myself and why I’d be a good choice. After all the speeches, everyone voted.
As of today, I am Vice President of the Student Nurses Association for 2008-2009! I am thrilled about being an executive officer! I have been looking forward to getting involved with this organization since summer. SNA is an organization specifically for all Pre-Nursing, 1st Year, and 2nd Year nursing students at GWU. It gives nursing students the opportunity to use their skills to give back to the community through service learning projects and fundraisers. SNA also hosts fun non-nursing activities where members can hang out and relax. I have so many great ideas for this year, and I can’t wait to get started. It’s going to be an amazing year!!

The Birthday Girl

Nothing Says “Happy Birthday” Like Pancakes

Wow, so another year has begun and already I’m super busy! Working two jobs and being a nursing student definitely calls upon your time management skills. Yet, there is always room for some fun. Last Wednesday was my friend, Melia’s birthday. She decided that she wanted to have her birthday dinner at IHOP, which is great for two reasons. First, the chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP are awesome, and second on Wednesday’s GWU students get a 50% discount off their meal! At 8:30 pm, a huge group of us converged on the breezeway in between Spangler and Myers residence halls, and then carpooled our way to IHOP. We got there around 9 and didn’t leave till 11:30pm. There were about 20 in our group and only ONE waiter! Yet, I have to give him props because he served us well. He even got the cooks in the back to come sing Happy Birthday to my friend. Oh and of course, she got a free ice cream Sunday out of it! Enjoying a night filled with laughs and delicious pancakes, is a great way to relax!