Homesick

13 days, 16 hours until I am done with all of my undergraduate finals!!!

There is a case study, two clinical days, and 200 multiple choice questions in the form of two finals standing in the way of my diploma. Sweet freedom is so near.

39 days until I become Mrs. King :) This is actually happening.

I did my bridal portrait session last Tuesday & I cannot wait to see them (Thursday!!!). I know they will be fabulous. Our photographer is AMAZING!! I felt gorgeous during the session. It gave me the confidence in my wedding dress that I need before walking down the aisle. I cannot wait to share them (but I'll have to wait until that wedding happens!).

But really, right now, all I want to do is go home. I want to sit on the couch with my mom and watch Gilmore Girls on a Sunday afternoon while Seth and my dad go shoot stuff. I want to jump on a trampoline with my niece and nephew. I want to go shopping with my sister. I want to talk about the news with my dad and hear all the latest country music gossip. Yes, all I want is home.

Endorphins

Today, I was feeling sorry for myself. Crying & that whole jazz. I was being dumb. The Devil was really getting through to me. Don't you hate it when that happens? And you don't even let yourself realize that your world is not bad & that Satan himself is working on you..

So I went for a run.

I think God stuck endorphins into our body so that He could give us a personal hug from the inside. It made me feel so much better. I realized how silly I was to be so weak.

So I just did some quick reading on endorphins since they kind of gave me a realistic kick in the butt today. It comes from the term "endogenous morphine." Morphine--the great pain killer that so many drug addicts search for; the gold standard of pain control. Except I'm pretty sure endorphins don't cause your respiratory system to be depressed or cause constipation.. But you know--still good stuff!!

Have you experienced God's natural hug from the inside lately??

New Realizations...

I'm really graduating in 37 days..

and

We're really getting married in 58 days...

WHOA! I can't believe these things are actually happening. We got a P.O. Box in Fort Rucker, Alabama today.. We're growing up.. Holy Cow..

:)

NO MORE HESI!!

I PASSED!!!

Thank you all for your prayers! My score converted to the equivilant of a 99.99%! Whoa! I am so very blessed to have all of you guys praying for me!

Pre-HESI

I thought I should document for you guys what I've done with the week that they gave us for studying for HESI:

Everything but study for HESI.

I thought this would be important for you all to know so that when I fall apart after failing it, there is proof that I did not study.

I've rationalized that not studying is a good plan. I will now explain why.
(1) I have done well on all 4 so far and I only studied for one (which was my worst score).
(2) I get another chance to pass it before graduation (April 21st. That date will soon become much more important than it seems at this point).
(3) I think I needed to come home and relax while enjoying family time instead.

It's mostly that last one. I have had the most wonderful week. After giving a talk to the Nursing NET floor on Tuesday night (or I guess I should say part of Wednesday morning), I traveled home. One day, I worked out twice. I have done Zumba with my mother three times. I have slept in every day. I have been eating lots of fruit. I got to spend all of yesterday with my Sister & we drove around looking at houses for her & met her dream builder who will hopefully be building her home. I got an eye exam and more contacts & found out that despite my high pressure in my eyes, my optic nerve looks "Beautiful" per Dr. Eubank.

You see, this week has been wonderful. And if I fail on Monday, I have 3.5 weeks to get my act together & pass it the 2nd time! Yes, friends. I think it is a very good plan.

So, if you happen to think of me around 8am Central time on Monday (through 1pm), throw up a prayer that I have learned enough through nursing school to be able to make an 850 or better on the exit HESI. And please throw in there that if not, I have peace enough to know that it will all be ok the next time.

DIY Invitations & Showering

Wedding Invitations = Done!

The Do-It-Yourself invitations were extremely simple & easy to do! I was able to do them on my parents' printer at home & used probably less than 10% of an ink cartridge. Probably around 25% of them were reeled into the printer a little ahead of themselves (the type started closer to the top than I had hoped), but all-in-all I was very happy! So, if you won't be anal if the printing doesn't go exactly on the paper where you had hoped then this might be for you! I hope to get a picture of the wedding invitations & our Save-The-Dates because I am so very happy with them!

Our first wedding shower was on Saturday. It went well! It was a little awkward at times as I wasn't sure what do/say.. But the shower hostesses did an AMAZING job & everyone seemed happy! The cake and punch was wonderful! We got far more than we would have ever imagined and I had a blast catching up with people I haven't seen in a while! We are so thankful for all of our friends & family! I can't wait for the next one which is with Seth's family on April 2nd! His Aunt Becky is doing a bridal brunch in her backyard & I know it will be delightful!

Today marks one week until HESI (deep breath)... I'm nervous/ready for it to be over.. I'm hoping it goes well & that I find out in one week that I will indeed be graduating on May 13th (of this year). If I don't pass it, we get one more chance to pass & still graduate in May. The 3rd chance to pass it puts you graduating in August. If I don't pass it at that step, I either have to take the class over again (graduating in December) or have to start the nursing program over again.. I'm not sure of the rule if you don't pass after 3 and hope that I don't have to know it EVER.

Let the wedding festivities begin!

Today is our first shower. I'm nervous. My mom only ever did family birthday parties so I've not been the center of attention around friends & such very often. Seth is here, but refuses to go with me. He says that showers are for women. He is going shooting with my Dad instead... Thanks, bud.

It seems unreal that it is actually time for all of these things to start happening. We had our 4 years of officialness on Tuesday. Neither of us realized it until that evening when someone mentioned that it was March 15th. Weird, I know. It is because we're not really sure at what point we became exclusive. We had our first date on February 18, 2007 after having been friends for a year and 8 months and after sharing our first kiss in the beginning of December 2006. Sometime during Spring Break while sitting on his tailgate in my parents' driveway, we shared "I love you"s and decided that probably meant we were 'going out.' Neither of us happened to look at a calendar for a while and could not remember what day that was... So we picked the day in the middle of Spring Break that year, March 15th, and decided that would be our anniversary. Hopefully we'll be more attentive to our wedding anniversary.. :)

So today, let the wedding festivities begin. I really wish people wouldn't buy us things, but that is the way American's do weddings. And we will need some stuff to start off our lives together. So I will receive these gifts with a welcome heart and try not to think of how many mouths could be fed or good could be done with the money that was used to purchase them. I'm a better gift-giver than gift-receiver.

I hope you all have a very blessed last Saturday of Spring Break. This is my last Spring Break ever.. Weird.. I might be able to convince my first employer to give me a whole week off next year to properly observe this sacred holiday... ;)