And...I'm Done!

Two weeks ago my brain was doing the standard “shutting down” that annoyingly always happens to me right before the end of a semester (when it would actually be semi-appropriate). All I could think about was Christmas trees, decorations, family, upcoming baby, cookies (?)…well, basically my mind was thinking of everything but finishing up my last papers and assignments.

Then I had a little moment.

I thought: After the bell rings at 2:50 pm on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010, I will never sit in a classroom in the SWKT again—in fact, I may never go back to school again. My BYU student computer log-in will expire and I will not have ready access to loads of knowledge at my fingertips. My student ID will expire and I will no longer check out books from the Harold B. Lee Library... 

and then I was sad.

Don't get me wrong...nursing school is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done at my ripe old age of 22 and I am so excited to be done!

But change is hard for me.

The thing I’ve been thinking about the most lately in regards to finishing school is how much of a mind-and-body stretching experience it has been and how blessed I was to have the support and encouragement of wonderful family and friends to help me through it. As I've pondered on the last 4.5ish years of college, I can't help but think of a few extremely key people that really influenced my decision to be a nurse and my ability to get through school.

So thanks, Mom…

• For bringing me down to college as a nervous new freshman
• For letting me call you after almost every test I took in my pre-requisite classes and joining in my joy or frustration.
• For always reminding me that it wasn’t the end of the world.
• For letting me phone you this semester during my morning drives all the way home from a night shift when you were probably busy making breakfast and getting 5 other kids off to school…or work (just kidding dad)
• For sending me little packages and notes in the mail
• For praying for me and believing I could succeed.

Thanks, Dad…

• For being proud of me.
• For always pushing me to be my best.
• For driving down to Provo my freshman year to pick me up and bring me home when I couldn't find a ride at Christmas.
• For being a hard worker and helping me financially those first couple years.
• For giving me the “Biggest Loser” money that you won, so I could buy a bike.
• For listening to my nursing stories and being interested in my life.

and thanks, Peter…

• For not being (outwardly) annoyed at my long hours spent in the library during our dating days
• For making numerous trips up to campus to bring me my forgotten assignments from my (and later, our) apartment :)
• For putting up with a tired wife after clinical
• For the countless breakfasts/lunches/dinners you've packed or cooked for me
• For waking up to drive me to school on snowy mornings when you could have just slept in instead. Even more, for getting me to class on time (even when that meant standing at the door announcing “your ride will leave in 30 seconds” while I’m simultaneously trying to brush my teeth and put my shoes on).
• For joining in my joys and frustrations
• For keeping me laughing and having fun through it all. I especially liked the Nursing Diagnosis you formulated for me: "Failure to hang out with your husband"

So what now?

The plan is to have a wonderful Christmas break in Nyssa, then study like crazy and take PASS my nursing boards in February. Next, I will exchange backpack for diaper bag and prepare for life's next task...being a mom. I'm pretty sure this will be much harder than nursing school...and as far as I know there's no graduation. 
Ever. 

This Spring, our little family will be moving to...somewhere...where we will get settled, and I will find some part time work while Pete goes to Physical Therapy school (He got accepted at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and Loma Linda University in Califonia! We'll see where else he gets in and make a decision from there).

4 years ago...

Fall 2006

The morning I left home to go to Provo. This picture makes me cringe (because I look absolutely terrible) and laugh (because everyone looks so young and Wyatt's trying to be cross-eyed).

Fall 2006

On BYU campus "studying" Geology with roommate Brooklyn.

Fall 2006

Same Geology book a few weeks later. When I learned how studying really was (exhausting).

Fall 2006

In Nutrition 100 with friends Yoko and Sabrina. This was one of my first college classes. 

(And this may have been the day I met a boy named Peter)

And NOW!

August 2010

Still enjoying the journey...

Caitlin, me, Karli at our pseudo-graduation in August--right before the start of our last semester

Well, I thought I should follow up on my previous post about making the most out of my last semester, because now it's halfway through! As predicted, the days are going by speedily. Projects and papers are underway and I’ve only got 558 of the 1500 NCLEX questions left to go. Also, after 6 or 7 more hospital shifts, all my clinical hours will be done!

Honestly, the hardest thing about this semester has been clinical (and probably the paper I should be writing right now instead of this). I don’t know whether being pregnant has something to do with it or not, but waking up at 5am, driving an hour to clinical, spending 12-14 hours at the hospital, then driving an hour home is just plain exhausting. Add in 12 hour night shifts--driving through stop-and-go traffic on the way home in the morning--and my body has come to know a whole new feeling of “tired.” Taking turns closing each eye one at a time to try to relieve the constant desire to close both, hitting myself in the face, calling my mom to talk to me, and smacking the muscles of my hands and legs to keep them from shutting down are all methods I’ve used to cope with the exhaustion on the drive home from a night shift. Ultimately, I’ve come to know that there is nothing better than crawling into bed after being up all night.

Luckily, I have several things that keep me motivated and many beautiful reminders of how good life is and how blessed I am to be having these opportunities. For example, when my sick patient barely at talking age has been in the hospital long enough to know her medications by name, I have new determination to handle 12 hours a couple times per week. Also, I couldn’t have asked for a better preceptor---her patience and teaching have definitely been a blessing this semester (check out her blog here!). Listening to the words and music of Mo-tab on my way to the hospital remind me what nursing (and life) is all about, and the hot dinner and big hug Pete has waiting for me when I get home at 9pm make it possible to do it all over again the next day. The beautiful red and gold colors I see creeping over the mountainside on my way to a night shift remind me how fast time passes and how soon this time of my life will be over.

Better enjoy it while I can!

VA clinical group and instructor ---Winter Semester 2009



Nursing peers and dean at the Sigma Theta Tau 5k---Fall Semester 2009

Good Things Happen in Threes

At 9:24pm on Sunday the 15th of August, we were still trying to decide how to celebrate our two year Anniversary. Hmmm. I like that both Pete and I are not too extravagantly minded when it comes to these things. About a month ago he asked me what I would like to do for our Anniversary.
I replied “I dunno, something simple.”
Pete explored, “Like…go camping?”
“Um, maybe” I said
“Like…get to sleep early?” He asked.
I said, “Yesssssss!”
Apparently I was a little sleep deprived back then.


This weekend, my family came to Provo for my graduation! It was so fun having them around (side note: I’m actually NOT graduated…technically I still have one semester left and will be done in December). As it ended up, the weekend kind of turned into a big family reunion. Almost all of my mom's siblings and their families were in Provo, along with my Grandma and Grandpa. With all the family in one house, chaos (a good kind) ran rampant. Many small feet running through the house, nerf darts whizzing through the air, the deck full of swimsuits hanging out to dry, playdough covering the counters, growing piles of BYU paraphernalia by the day, and never a dull moment. Just a few things I did with the fam include picking apricots and making jam, playing legos and watching Star Wars with Nate, doing a little craft with Mallory, and spending a day hiking and shopping with my mom. Now I wish I lived closer to my family! Luckily, we are going up to Nyssa next weekend.














With all the family in town, Pete and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to let everyone in on a little secret. Here’s Nate, my 4-year-old little brother:




(You can tell that he's trying REALLY hard to do a big smile)

Now that I’ve told my family and closer friends (well, almost...a letter is high-tailin' it to Poland as I type), I guess it’s finally blog-post worthy: New baby Hoyt is due March 17th---a lucky day (St. Patrick’s Day)! We would have liked to wait longer before making it public, but we just couldn’t resist with all the family in town.

Pete and I are super excited and feel so blessed to be married for 2 beautiful years, almost both be graduated, and to have a baby on the way! We feel even more blessed to have such wonderful, supportive families that help us in so many ways!

What I planned on posting a month ago...

1. Pete not only achieved a 4.0 GPA this semester at BYU, he graduated!!

2. I’m growing herbs. Better yet, the herbs are destined not to be a complete failure as manifested by a tiny green speck I discovered emerging from the soil today. I was talking to Pete on the phone at the time. I stopped talking midsentence and our conversation went something like this:

Steph: (stunned) Oh my gosh!

pause.

Pete: What?

Steph: I can’t believe my eyes!

Pete: What?

Steph: (happy noise resembling a squeal).

Pete: Wife, what?

Steph: My herb sprouted!

Pete: (sigh) Oh. I thought our house was on fire or something.

3.Despite feeling a little sad these past two days as I was surrounded by excited nursing school peers heading off to their spring term adventures in various places around the globe (Ghana, Ecuador, Tonga, etc.), my Spring is going to be good. Although I’m staying here and getting my “cultural” experience in the area of complementary and alternative therapies/integrative healing (my teacher is still debating if that is actually a culture or not), I’m going to have a good experience. This was impressed upon me today as I sat alone in the Nursing Learning Center reading about chakras, auras, and energy fields in my textbook entitled “Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Nursing Practice.”

In all honesty, I teeter on the fence of skepticism—not fully embracing alternative therapies and not fully turning completely away from them. But I think learning and understanding these different modalities will be a good thing in my life as I try to help others. I must admit/confess that I was getting pretty into my reading today…before you know it I might be getting myself some essential oils. More on my experiences will come later—and probably quotes from Glenda, my teacher, because she’s hilarious. Today during class she literally jumped up and down yelling “I’m so excited” over and over again. She also danced around the classroom in an effort to demonstrate how energy should flow through a room.

4. Pete and I are going to Washington this week and staying with his family. This means not only do I get to hang out with family, stuff my face with all kinds (and I mean all kinds) of delicious food, we get to go to the Vancouver B.C. Temple Dedication! I’m really excited and think this will be a great experience. Most of Pete’s other brothers will also be there too, which leads to my next item…

5. My New Favorite Couple. Brian and Ashley are perhaps the greatest people ever. They met in Pathophysiology class and have been dating for about 4 months now I think. It’s so fun to hang out with Pete’s brothers now and actually have another female around—and not just any female, an awesome one! Ashley is so nice and funny and really genuine. The two of them are so cute together. It’s so fun to be around them and to feel how good of people they are and how much they like each other.