9 weeks

Even as I type that I'm in complete shock, 9 weeks till graduation.  These last 2/12 years have truly flown by.  There is so much to do to prepare.  So much work still to do.  So many tests, exams and NCLEX.  I've been applying everywhere and my head is spinning trying to figure out where to go and sort through what offers there are.  It's happening so very quickly.  Tick, tock, tick, tock.  For right now, its spring break and I am going to try to relax and enjoy.  Until next time!

"Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking, ticking, away.."

Just as the lyrics above state, time is ticking away. I truly can't believe how quickly another year has flown by. My family and I have been blessed with so many things this year and we are now looking forward to a Thanksgiving with all of my husband's side of the family...close and extended. We expect to fill our house with 20-30some odd family members and some friends. I haven't figured out the logistics of that many people in the house but one thing is for sure no matter how cold it may be outside it will be toasty warm with body heat inside. At first when my husband suggested hosting for that many people I panicked, I thought there is no way I can feed that many people nor do we have the room. I've solved the feeding part by asking everyone to bring a dish and a few beverages of their choice. The seating part we still have to work out but God willing the weather will be nice and we can enjoy the outdoors as well.

School has been a jumble of stress, joy, eventful experiences and so much more. My grades have been holding up well and our clinical experiences have been very interesting. We have been all over the place seeing all aspects of nursing from hospitals, clinics, schools and health departments. There are countless opportunities for an RN. Even though graduation isn't until May 2010, I've been offered positions at several clinical sights as well as 3 of the home health agencies that I've used for Nickie over the years. I have received several letters of recommendation from professors, nurses and my supervisor at my externship at the local hospital. I never knew I would love being a student nor the nursing field as much as I do.

Age old question...

Why is there so much HATE in our world? Today's shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC was apparently stopped just in time, they found explosives in the shooters car. You can read about it here. I pray for the family of Stephen T. Johns I hope they will be able to recover from this tragedy. I also pray that the haters of our world find peace not hate. We don't all have to agree on anything really except that life is a precious gift and no matter how much we disagree with anyone we have to learn to stop the HATE and learn to live our lives the best way we can.

Interracial couples

Today while reading the Yahoo headlines I read, Dating 101: Dealing with the RACE fact. Which lead me to a little investigating. I wondered just what the definition of interracial was. In doing so I found that we all have our own ideas just what that is.

The most basic definition I found was: A relationship between people of different races.
OK, that seems straight forward but what exactly are the races. Caucasians for example are whites right? Is an American Caucasian the same as a Greek Caucasian or an Italian Caucasian or Hispanic Caucasian?

I read several posts and articles on the WWW that left me as confused as I was when I began my search for an answer. Here I read a post from a couple that some might consider interracial however I would have just considered intercultural. I always wondered just what others thought of Bob and I. He is Caucasian and I'm Hispanic. Whenever we or should I say I got those stares I thought it was because people in our Southern state confused me for black or mixed due to my olive coloring and their ignorance. Now I'm not so sure that is the case. This article seems to lean to more acceptance of racial mixing with Hispanics and whites and Asians and whites over blacks and whites.

Truth is I guess it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks. We've been married for over 25 years now and though we have both made many mistakes (like most couples in a long marriage) we are still going strong.

But surely you jest

Half of this year 2009 has come and nearly gone and I have not visited my blog in all that time. So much has happened and I've been so busy with life that I have forgotten to mention any of it here. A quick run down of all that has happened since my last visit.

1. Part time job at the Hospital
   
2. Start of the 2nd semester of RN school (whew)
   
3. 25th wedding anniversary
4. Bob had surgery
   
5. 44th birthday
6. Bob had surgery again
   
7. Bob's 50th birthday
8. Jackie turned 21
9. The end of 2nd semester! Hip Hip Hurray!
10. Celebration of the completion of 1st year RN program!
    
11. The start of summer
12. Foot surgery to remove a cyst that has been aggravated by being on my feet all day
13. Many other things I don't have the time to share or would rather keep to myself : )
    

I'm amazed at the swiftness that this year has taken. I know the older we get the faster the years go by. However, I'm not getting older I'm getting better! Like a fine wine! I have been so blessed with great family, friends, classmates and co-workers. There was a time I had regrets and now I see only successes. Everything in my past has brought me to this present. This glorious here and now that the Lord Almighty foresaw so long ago. For all the mistakes and the heartaches I am stronger, more insightful and grateful than I've ever been in my life. I know it is due to the road I've walked thus far and the education I gained along the way that has strengthened me to be the mother, wife, student, employee, daughter, etc that I have become. I still have a long way to go and the Lord it forever molding me. I look forward to the coming school year and my continuing education post graduation. I'm sure it will be sometime before I post again as I don't seem to have the time to do this, I think this is a good thing, but I will stop in from time to time.

Happy New Year!

2009! May we all have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2009!

Whew!

Now that Christmas is behind me I can begin to breathe! We had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends! Though the build up to Christmas was hectic and crazy with finals, shopping, baking, and such, it has been one of the most enjoyable and peaceful years that I can recall.

I made it through the first semester of RN school! I've been blessed with the best instructors. I have a great bunch of classmates and I had the best clinical group I could have ever asked for. I've made some wonderful friends that I hope will be in my life for a very long time. Thanks to the recommendations of my instructors I will be working in the new year in a part time position working as a nursing assistant at a local hospital. This will provide me with a TON of experience. I am very excited about this new job. It will mean of course that it will be that much more difficult next semester to keep up with my studying but I am very determined and I know I can do it!

I hope each and everyone of you had a blessed Christmas! I'm looking forward to the new year and ending this year by forgiving all those that in my past I felt had wronged me in some way. I also ask that anyone that feels I may have wronged them would also forgive me. I am wiping the slate clean from this point forward! God bless you all and may 2009 bring us all peace, good health and prosperity!

7 year anniversary of 9/11

I can't believe we are fast approaching the 7th year anniversary of 9/11. I'm posting this a little early because I'll be in the middle of a HUGE nursing test that morning and may not have the time to post all the things I am feeling. I find it difficult to even use the word anniversary as I always think of that word as a celebration for a happy event. Celebration of course clashes with the events of 9/11. Seven years later and I still can recall the gut wrenching fear I felt that day. I didn't personally know any of those that lost their lives that fateful day and I know my losses don't compare to those that did lose a loved one. Like the rest of the Americans, true Americans I should say, I lost a sense of comfort, safety, and many other things that I can't begin to articulate.

Seven years have passed and like many other Americans I have gone about tending to the things in my life that needed to be tended to, caring for my family, working, schooling, and so on. The events of what happened on 9/11 though not in the forefront of my mind on a daily basis is still never far away. I just wanted to say that though on 9/11 I will be sure to take time to pray for all those that were involved that were injured or lost their lives that day, for those that were involved in taking down a plane or saving people from burning buildings, for those doctors, nurses, emergency personal, firefighters and all the countless others I'm not mentioning, remember them. I pray too that we will be able to soon find all those involved with that horrible act and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Please don't forget on that day of remembrance to also pray for the men and women risking their lives to find those evil men and women that were involved with the acts that culminated in the attack that day. They need our prayers each and everyday.

I MADE IT!

It's official! I've been accepted to the RN program at my community college! The next 2 years will be tough! I won't have much time for blogging, eh, I know I haven't blogged much anyway, I won't have much time for much else. I can use your well wishes and prayers. I'll try to post when I can. I'm off to enjoy the few weeks of free time I have between the end of summer classes and the start of the most rigorous time of my life! I'm off to the Lake!

After some long hard thought

And reading and answering so many emails from my readers I decided it was silly for me to abandon this blog. I never should have let a few unscrupulous people move me from my blogger home. I promise to blog in my "true to my heart style" as my long time loyal reader Victoria put it. If the truth stings then so be it. And that is all I have to say about that.

This has been a GLORIOUS summer thus far! We have spent days at the lake soaking up the sun and enjoying the cool water (in between my studies, of course!) I was taking a 5 week Microsoft class that I completed last week. I had a wonderful instructor that gave us tons of work but made the class interesting. I'd never worked in Excel before and though it was at times frustrating, I hope to use some of that knowledge in at home budgeting. I'm in the middle of my Sociology course, as a matter of fact I have to take 2 quizzes later today. This class has proven to be very enlightening though I won't bore you with any of the details. I'm hanging on to a 4.0 so far.

I must mention here about a young man that I had the privilege to meet, spc. Dean Schwartz. I had the opportunity to meet him on the day that Dean was being honored for his sacrifice for our great country. We can all take lessons from this young man. He has lost so very much and still has a wonderful outlook on life. It was a pleasure meeting him. I was so happy to present to him the Silver Star Banner and certificate on the 19th of June. He was completely surprised by the event as his mother and father had kept the night a surprise from him.
Above Dean is receiving the Golden Heart award.
Below Dean's father is presenting him with the Who's Who award. Finally here I am presenting Dean with the Silver Star Banner and Certificate.

I hope and pray the best for Dean in his future. He will be getting married next month so he has plenty of change in his near future. Below I have added some links on more about Dean.

Defense Link News
Soldier Ride (scroll down to July 3 to see Dean's picture)
America Supports You ( see Harrisonburg, VA)
Far From Virginia
It's a Long Road Back For Injured Soldier
Blogger post

The list goes on but here were just a few to give you a glimpse of the kind of man SPC Dean Schwartz is.