And a Wonderful Time Was Had by All!!

Again it's been months since I've posted. Many things have happened since I last posted!

1. I have been to China/Thailand and back home! I had an absolutely fabulous time visiting Heather for 5 weeks. I had no idea that 5 weeks could go by soooo quickly!!! It felt far too short, and I may have left some of my tears in the airport ;) I could have easily stayed for another 5 weeks; I loved living life out there and reconnecting with my sister again. Those times seem far too few! I also really enjoyed the chance that I had to get to know Heather's housemates. It was a great experience, and I miss them tons too. I accidentally left one of my shirts in China (and didn't notice that I had) and received it in a package last week. Not only was my shirt in there, but cards from Heather and her housemates as well as recipes from the time that I spent with them and other Chinese things such as wet wipes (the Chinese ones are packaged really nicely!!), Chinese soda crackers (a great snack), flavoured puffed corn (so addictive and tasty!), a really pretty scarf, and other lovely items. The package absolutely made my day! Next time I visit I won't accidentally forget something...I'll purposely leave something there so that they have to send me a package!!!! Also, while we were in Thailand, we stayed at a resort where we were the only guests! That was actually quite enjoyable :) I have posted pictures at the end of my time in China and Thailand.

2. I got a job! I was looking before I left for my trip, but while I was gone I actually secured a job. I have a position guaranteed to me until August 2013. This is an absolute blessing and I am loving where I am right now! I also am really enjoying my work; I work with awesome people who are always willing to help me out when I have questions or concerns.

3. I graduated :) I finally am finished my B.N., and now have a parchment to prove it!! My grad day was lots of fun; my class planned a dinner and little ceremony after the ceremony that the university put on. It was a great time to connect with my classmates before we all went our separate ways. Amazingly enough, all 46 of us have jobs! How awesome! We are all very fortunate and have much to be thankful for!

Let me leave you with some pictures...unless I said it's taken by me, Heather took the pictures!

Heather and I on the Great Wall of China (taken by me)

The Great Wall

On the bus...this one must have been fairly empty because there was room for me to back up and take this picture :) (taken by me)

With my Chinese tutor, Ruby (taken by me)

We had the BEST Kung Pao Chicken here! (Besides the stuff that Heather made for us at home....)

In the same restaurant

Pineapple on a stick...mmmmm!!!

With Abigail; one of Heather's housemates

With Eliana; one of Heather's housemate's foster children

On the beach in Thailand (taken by me)

Beach in Thailand

Our last day together in Thailand

Beautiful!

I'm Lazy...

And that's why I haven't posted for a while. Really, that's the truth. I've thought about posting, but I never really think that there's anything that's exciting enough to talk about. That, my friends, has changed :)

Exciting things to talk about:

1. In 7 days I leave to go to China to visit my sister. I am really excited...I mean really excited :) I am going for 5 weeks. We will spend the first 4 weeks in China, and then will head to Thailand for 1 week to lay on the beach. It will be a wonderful 5 weeks!

2. I have 4 days left of my senior practicum, and then I will no longer be a student nurse. Yay!!! I have been waiting for this for a long time, and although I am excited, it's a little scary too. I have absolutely loved my practicum time on the surgery/maternity unit at Boundary Trails Health Centre. The staff have been extraordinary, and I have learned so much! I have had to wear white while I've been a student, so watch out for me appearing in coloured and patterned uniforms!!! I have not yet signed for a job, but I have applied, and things are definitely looking hopeful :)

I really think that that's all of the exciting news that I have for now. I wish everyone a wonderful week!

A Little Update

I know that it's hard to believe I'm posting again. I just thought I'd share a little update. I am doing my practicum at Boundary Trails Health Centre. I have been there a week, and so far I love it! I am getting used to being back up on the ward, and it feels really good. The nervousness has left for the most part, and now I'm just excited for these next few months. Tonight is my first night shift, so there is still a little nervous energy left ;)

On another note, I definitely enjoyed the weather that we were having before Christmas. I could easily do without temperatures of -30 and -41 with windchill. That is just not fun for me in any way. Oh well...so it goes!

It's Been a While

There are so many things that have happened since my last blog post! Let me try and bring you up to speed.

-My university went on strike. For 50 days. Long story short, all worked out and I still will graduate on time this year. Yay!

-My sister, brother in law, and niece left today after being here for 15 days. It was an absolutely wonderful 2 weeks, and I had so much fun with my niece :)

-I start my senior practicum this coming Wednesday. It'll be an interesting experience that I am looking forward to. It will be neat to become more independent and learn how to practice as an independent nurse. I have 450 clinical hours (3 months) of this clinical experience, and then I am finished! My last day is March 30, and then I can apply for grad nurse status. Once that paperwork goes through, I can work as a grad nurse.

I hope that you had a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

My Week at a Glance

This past week has been rather enjoyable for me. A week ago, my brother celebrated his birthday :) He had a party, and I made a cake. His favourite kind of cake is Black Forest Cake, so I agreed to make one. I had never made a Black Forest Cake before. Do you think that I made a trial cake before the party? Nope. I sure didn't. I still think it turned out okay. What do you think?

This was my first time ever piping on a cake with a star tip. I was fairly happy :)

I also went for a walk in the beautiful Brandon Hills with my 2 roommates. It's about a 10 minute drive out of Brandon, and the scenery is just amazing. The fresh country air was wonderfully refreshing, too. Here are some photos that I took.

So, that's how my week went. I hope that yours was just as enjoyable :)

Back into the Swing of Things

It has been a long time since I have posted. I know that. I have had no motivation to write a blog post for a long time. I still have not motivation to write this. However, I am anyways, hoping that someone out there will enjoy reading this :)

I had a lovely summer. At the end of May and beginning on June, I went to Pennsylvania to visit my sister Cheryl, brother-in-law Andy, and niece Elyse. I had so much fun and the 12 days that I was there went by very quickly for me. I wanted to stay longer, but so it goes.

The next exciting thing of the summer happened in July - when Cheryl and Elyse came to Manitoba to visit :) Those 10 days also went by in a flash. Before I knew it, they were heading home, and I am almost counting the days until they come again; hopefully sooner rather than later!

August started out with the long weekend and our annual family trip to Clear Lake. The weather was exceptionally wonderful, and we enjoyed a few days of relaxation. It was absolutely wonderful :)

I have also attended my fair share of weddings this summer. Since May I have been to 6, and I have 2 more coming up in October. After that I think I may be finished with weddings this year - that is unless someone surprises me with an engagement!

Now it is September (crazy!!) and I am back at school, trying to get back into this routine. Right now we have not started too many things, so it's not an insane schedule yet, but I know that soon it will pick up and the few months before Christmas will fly by.

I will leave you with a picture - hope you enjoy :)

Summer

Okay, technically it isn't actually summer yet, but with the weather that we've been having, it may as well be! I don't know about all of you, but I have been thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather that we have been blessed with for the past week or so. I have spent a lot of time outside, and I'm trying to really take advantage of this weather while it lasts!

I am on my summer break, and this makes me quite happy :) I finished my clinical rotation last week Thursday, and I've been basically hanging around at home since then. I have picked up 1 shift, and have picked up 3 more for next week. My rotation really only starts on June 25, but this is okay because I have plans before that...

On May 30, I am leaving to go to Pennsylvania for 12 days. I get to visit my sister, brother-in-law, and niece! I am really quite excited and am eagerly anticipating this trip - only 12 days away!

That's about all that I have to share in terms of excitement. Hopefully I will do a picture post soon. I just have to choose my pictures :)

Enjoy the rest of your week!