Farewell, January!

Hello! Long time no see!

A lot has happened since I blogged last! I went to Ireland from January 9th-January 17th. It was AMAZING! My mom went with me and it was her first time to ever be out of the country! I would've stayed if I could have stayed there by myself without the group of 52 other people. We saw some very neat things and had a blast! It was BEAUTIFUL and I think the cold January Ireland weather traded continents with us while we were there. However, it did rain every day. I guess I should have expected this....

My Blarney Stone kiss!

Mom at the Cliffs of Moher. It was SOOO windy!

The Ring of Kerry

The Ring Fort!

This thing is OLD! It was built in 2000 B.C.!

(To date it, it was about the same time Jacob (who was later named Israel) was born which is also about 500 years before Moses led God's people out of Egypt!)

We got back from Ireland and the semester was ready and waiting to slap me in the face. The big challenge this semester is not the scheduling, but the enormity of it all. We have to study for HESI (the test we have to pass to graduate) which is on March 28th, apply for jobs, interview for jobs, and somehow fit our clinical hours & class work in there somewhere. When you add wedding planning to the list, it becomes a huge mess!

And to boot, I seem to be attracted to adding more & more on to this huge mess! I am now the Senior 2 Student Government Association class representative. :)

I scheduled my bridals, sent out MOST Save the Dates, scheduled 2/3 wedding showers, and scheduled the fitting for my wedding dress! AHHH! It is really going to happen and it will be coming much faster than it seemed before Ireland.

I'm also faced with a major decision that is not one that has to be made too soon, but will eventually have to be made. Do I want to start out working at a smaller (131 beds) hospital in a Medical-Surgical unit [meaning 4-6 patients who are fairly stable] or do I want to work at a bigger hospital (420 bed) in an ICU internship [meaning I have 2 patients and start out learning before training for my job]?

A little background on me: During the course of my nursing career, I hope to work in an ICU, ER, and Labor & Delivery along with possible working as a float nurse (works all around the hospital wherever she is needed while getting paid much more than most nurses) at some time. Medical-Surgical floors are great floors to learn on, it is just taxing as there are so many patients to the nurse. I, of course, know the only way to find out which one is right is to apply and pray but I would also appreciated any suggestions/advice.

Oh, and did I mention that with the Medical-Surgical job, I might be able to get 2 months with Seth prior to starting work whereas with the internship there would be a set start date?

Oh wedding, how I am ready for you to be here. If you want to check out our wedding website, it is http://www.mywedding.com/mrandmrssethking/ .

Thank you for any advice I might receive & I hope all of your weeks start off beautifully!

My current countdowns:

10 days until I see Seth

24 days until I get to dress up for Seth's last West Point ball

39 days until Spring Break

102 days until my very last undergraduate final EVER

109 days until Seth's graduation

122 days until I marry my best friend!

Wedding Frustration

I've listed many wedding things that are frustrating but I've figured out the most stressful part of wedding planning. Ready??

DRUM ROLL

The Guest List.

I really wish I could invite everyone. I would if I could. This is what happens when you book a facility before you get your hard and complete guest list. We said "250? That is so many. We could never come up with that many." Ha! That was only 9 months ago and I can tell you that we were young & dumb.

I'm so terribly sad that we cannot invite everyone we know. I'm sad that we can't invite all of the people that have helped me make decisions or been incredibly excited with us along the way. This sucks.

So this takes the cake as the most incredibly frustrating part of this wedding planning (as of yet). Please, please don't be upset if you don't get an invitation. Most of my blog followers will not. That makes me sad. It would be a lot more fun with you guys there. Please don't hate me. Please don't be sad. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you guys. It just comes along with booking a facility before you're ready.

So wedding tip of the day: Don't book your facility until you have seriously considered your guest list. (I'm sure no one else in the whole world has made this mistake.)

Hello 2011

I have done a lot since I posted last! I finished my semester, had our 1 year anniversary of being engaged, went to Florida for the first time, went on a cruise to the Bahamas (first time cruiser!), had a WONDERFUL Christmas, registered for wedding presents, and rang in the New Year with my best friend and favorite person, Seth!

I think too much has been done to be able to post about everything! The cruise was spectacular! We had such a blast even though 4 people were confined to a space the size of my closet for 9 hours of the day (at least!) for 4.5 days. I love Seth's family and it was great to see his cousin, Amber, marry her husband, Trey, and to celebrate with the whole family.

Registering for wedding presents was.... difficult yet fun! It is so hard to pick out things for people to give you. I don't want anyone to feel like they have to get us something, and yet that is what registering feels like asking. It was fun to plan our new life together and to figure out what it was important for us to have in our home. Today marks 5 months to our wedding. The time is flying so quickly! I cannot wait! I love him more and more every second and I am so glad God gave me Seth!

This break has been lots of fun & I can't believe it is my last Christmas break. That is so sad. From now on, I will be working. Sadly, nurses are still needed on holidays and the hospital can't close for Christmas.

In 6-ish days, we leave for Ireland. My mom still has not warmed up to the idea of going, but it is inevitable. She will have fun (hopefully). I'm excited, but wish I could give her some 'chill out' that could make traveling with a group easier! Hopefully it is just a fear of the unknown and when she sees that it isn't scary, she'll be much better! Hopefully.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a safe and fun New Years! Hello 2011! This year, I will graduate, get married, and move to Alabama! Bring it on!