Updating My Blog?

I just published a post that I typed up over a year ago. It is unfinished but it doesn't matter cuz I don't remember what I was going to say next. Anywho, I'll just write up this new post since I haven't done it in a Coon's Age!

First of all, life has been going on as normal, with some new developments! Good and Scary developments! Here they are in no particular order:

1) In April I received two letters from Mid-State. The first said that I had orientation in two weeks and the other told me what I needed to have by said orientation date. I was like "Holy Crap! I actually get to start some classes in August! Huzzah!!!" I also needed to go all the way to Rapids to the bookstore to buy an orientation packet. I took Kassandra along and purchased the packet. We also stopped at a Uniform store where I purchased two pairs of scrub pants, one pair was a dark green the other a bright blue and a scrub top which is light blue with blue and green flower pattern things that matched both pairs of pants. We also stopped in at some bridal shops.

2) That brings me to the next point: The Wedding. I have been asked to be in my cousin Michelle's wedding. The week before my trip to Rapids we went to Appleton dress shopping. Oh please dear God, that was painful, never let me do that again! As painful as it was I'll be happy with whatever dress she finally decides on and I'll wear it proudly on May 25, 2013. So that's why Kass and I stopped at those bridal shops to see if any dresses caught our eyes as to what Michelle wants. Kass and I have very different tastes on the dresses and what I like she doesn't and vice versa. That's why I'll be happy with what Michelle picks, it's her day and I would hope she wouldn't make us wear a big bow on our ass (which she says she's not. Well Thank God!!)

3)  Back to Nursing School. I went to orientation and as it turns out, I've been bumped so far up on the list that I start ALL my classes in August! Nursing Fundamentals, Nursing Pharmacology, Lab & Clinical. Woohoo! In 2 years I should be Samantha Klish, RN, STB? I'm still not sure what the appropriate letters are that go behind my name for my Bachelor in Theology. My goal is to make my RN into a BSN. Apparently you can transfer your Mid-State Nursing Credits to the UW system and upgrade your degree. I have (I think) all those requirements met from attending UWSP and Franciscan. Lets hope, I don't want to pay more tuition! Prior to starting classes I need to have several things done. I need two TB tests (one I have done already and I have to get another in August). Become CPR re-certified. Get a titer to make sure I'm immune to MMR and Chicken Pox. Even though I had those Pox I still need to be immune. I do not want to do this, I hate needles! I will probably freak myself out from this and cry.

4) Before I freak myself out thinking about the titer, I'm going to talk about work. I have begun passing meds! Yay! I get to give my residents their pharmacy of drugs now! It's a nice break from working the floor. Less stress and less call lights. However, it comes with more responsibility. You can not have errors and you have a lot to accomplish. Making sure they are given out. That the resident actually swallows it. You have marked it off in the MAR. Lots to do but I'm getting better at it every day. The worst part is giving them out cuz they all just don't take them. They argue with you, hit you, spit them out at you, swear at you, etc. Oh I love my residents. I just wish there was a cure for Alzheimer's/Dementia.

5) I am going Up North this summer! WooHoo! Last year I had to stay behind and watch the shit store for my aunt. I'm so thankful to have washed my hands of that place. I have now been at my new job for 9 months at the end of next week. The time has FLOWN! Since I've been there I haven't requested any days off or called in sick. So I BETTER get my week off for Hayward, otherwise let the call-in's start! It will be nice to live there for a week. So many good times! I'm just curious as to when we will get stranded again. Will it be on the island? Or on a broat again? Oh the stories we can tell! Rescue broat 911 to the rescue!!!

6) So as I begin my Nursing classes in August I suppose I'll have to re-name my blog. I will no longer at that point be a "Nurse in Limbo". Limbo will end. Perhaps Nursing Student in Limbo? I dunno. I have a couple months to think about it.

Limbo has an Expiration Date!

It has been two weeks since I have received news that my "Limbo" has an expiration date! I received my Nursing Acceptance letter! I'm in! I'm a Nursing Student! No longer am I a "Pre-Nursing" Major or a "Conditionally Accepted" Nursing Student! I am a full fledged, in-the-program Nursing Student!!! I have a start date of January 2013! Which is awesome! The letter also said that depending on availability I could start taking two Nursing Coursed in August 2012! They don't have clinical but who cares! I could be actually taking Nursing Classes in 17 months! I never thought this day would get here, knowing that I finally have a start date. I received my enroll letter before March 1st, and we weren't supposed to start receiving them until after the 1st.

The funny thing about this post is that I started it a long time ago. I should just post it now and then I'll re-write one about the here and now. Oh procrastination!

I want to be remembered as...

Yesterday I had a continuing education class at work. The state of Wisconsin requires us to have 15 hours of continuing education a year to be able to continue working in healthcare. If you are unaware, I work for North Haven Homes which Specializes in Dementia and Alzheimer's care. This means I get kicked, slapped, tripped, stabbed, spit at, called every 4-letter word in the book, etc... This seems crazy, yea I know, however, the more I understand the disease and learn about it, the more I just keep caring for my residents and giving them everything I can to make their days that much more better, even if they don't remember 5 minutes after the fact. Anywho, each resident has hanging by their room an "About Me" poem. It includes things like birthdays, religion, children, grand children, jobs, hobbies, travels, etc. These are so much fun to read cuz you get to know who that person is and not just their disease. The last part of each poem goes "I want to be remembered as..." most of them say a good wife/husband and mother/father. I often think about what mine would say if I died lets say today. Well it just so happens that that question was posed on us yesterday at the continuing ed meeting. When it came to my turn I was like "I have no idea."  Some things were suggested like "compassionate" or "outspoken" but to say those or things other people said would be lies. This has been bothering me me since the meeting and the only thing I can think of is that I want to be remembered as a Saint. And I mean that in the most humblest way possible. I also know that I am very far from that so I think I have to change somethings and actually be a saint so that when I die people can remember me as that. I don't think in my short 26 years I've accomplished anything to be remembered by and I wouldn't even mind being forgotten. For now, I'll just try to come up with a better answer.

Narrow Gate

So I'm pretty moral, for the most part. I teach Theology of the Body, so I have to live what I teach or as best as I possibly can. Well tonight while out, I just observed the people around me. These people are drinking like fish, and the dancing. I'm not a dancer, AT ALL. You won't catch me grinding, I'd have to be pretty out of my head to do that kinda thing anymore. But the one thing that really struck me was what is it like to live without morals? To not care who you hook up with? To just do what you feel like? To suffocate your conscience and to (as Obama is trying to force us) violate it? As I go through Lent, I guess I'm thankful that I've tried to change my ways as best as I can. Those kinds of things make me uncomfortable and I'm really glad that they do. Who knows what kind of situation I'd be in right now if I didn't have the formed conscience I do now? Not that I'm perfect, by any means, but I'm glad I've chosen the path I have.

"Enter through the narrow gate;  for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
- Matthew 7:13-14

Ah, Behold the Power of Lent!

Lent is upon us and sometimes that can mean a whole hecka lot, or not so much to me. As I look at Lent's past, I see my Lenten Promises and what I can do different this year. Some years I did crazy things, others not much. As I reflect on Lenten past I see a pattern. I get really lazy/bored/uninspired? I can't necessarily describe it around the January/February time. A lot of the time, I start missing Mass. I just don't have the desire to go or necessarily want to go. And that is horrible. I do the same thing around late July/early August. I usually don't do this twice a year, just once. Well I just did that in the last month. With Lent coming up, I forced myself to go to Mass again. I'm not like super-hyper Franciscan Student about Mass right now, but I'm making myself go - no matter if I 'get anything out of it' or not. Lent is about sacrifice and that is why we make Lenten Promises. It's not about 'giving something up' but it's supposed to, in the end, make you holier. I sub taught the 7th graders on Ash Wednesday and presented them with a list of 100+ things to 'do/give up' for Lent. I didn't make them choose any of them, I just gave them some suggestions for something different than the 'give up candy/tv' usuals. It never fails, an Ash Wednesday doesn't go by without hearing the "I'm giving school up for Lent" thing which means I have to explain why that's not the point. It gets old, but I'm sure as long as I'm a CCD teacher I will ALWAYS hear that.
Needless to say, I'm not giving up candy for Lent this year or tv. I'm not going to divulge what Lenten Promises I'm doing, all I know is that in the end, I want to be out of this desert and somewhat back into my faith life that means something to me. A few years back, one of the Friars at FUS read a letter that the Bishop Daniel Conlon wrote to all the people of the Diocese. He asked us to abstain from meat every Friday for retributions against the sin of abortion and for an end to abortion. At first it was like, "Really? No meat on Fridays? Ever?" But I was up to the challenge. I'm not saying I have 100% accuracy, but it sure makes it more tolerable to fast during Lent, when I'm so used to Fasting on the majority of the Friday's of the year. Basically it was some good training, because it makes no meat Friday's in Lent not something to pout about. It gives me the courage to say, "I can do this!!!"
Some people are able to make their Lenten Promises and follow through with them flawlessly. They are some pretty remarkable people, especially when they are pretty tough challenges. I'm not that good, I slip, stumble and fall. I'm imperfect. I was just reading my reflection today in my "Give Us This Day" book. (It's seriously awesome, it contains Morning Prayer, a reflection on the saint of the day or a holy person, Mass Readings, a Reflection about the readings and Evening Prayer.) Today's reflection says:

"Have you stumbled upon this surefire way of connecting with God?
If you can be brave enough this Lent to let your heart be broken (again) by your own patterns of missing the mark, God promises to hear you, and heal you." 

When I read this I was like, okay, this speaks to me. I have been stumbling with connecting with God. I'm also not perfect, and I sometimes miss the mark. However, if I keep going to God, whether I'm 'getting anything out of it or not' I have to remember that He a) Hears me and b) will heal me. Wow! I love it! If you want to read reflections by the author, check out Kathy McGovern's website at http://www.thestoryandyou.com/.  That list of 100+ things to do for Lent I talked about earlier, included suggestions for those who are addicted to the internet, which I'm sadly one of. Instead of just giving up the internet, one of the suggestions was for those who blog, to write an entry about God/your religion/Lent once a week. So I'm going to try to do that. Somehow, I think these posts are rather just ramblings and such. Oh well. I'm trying and I'm not forcing anyone else to read it ;) Anywho, Lent has begun and behold it's power!

I took this picture a couple of years ago at The Shrine of Christ's Passion in St. John, Indiana.

A Permanent Tent

This reflection has NOTHING to do with St. John the Baptist!!! He just seems to be taking over them, so it's refreshing to not have to think about him.

Today's reflection talks about how we are nomads. We can't stay in one place for long. We set up our tent and then something happen and we take it down and pitch it elsewhere. When I was a senior in high school I was scarred shitless of moving away. So I went to a college in my hometown and lived at home. Well 3 years later I picked up my tent and pitched it 850 miles away. My high school self would've told you you were crazy if you would've told me that. Then 2 years after that, I picked up my tent and pitched it roughly 4493 miles away in Austria (the distance calculator let me choose Innsbruck, Austria not Gaming, so the miles are not perfectly correct). We humans on earth, have no idea what permanence is, we are always changing. When the Arc Angel Gabriel visited Our Lady at the Annunciation, he announces God's promise of 'forever' and 'will have no end.' No matter where we pitch our tents, they will never stay until we pitch them in Heaven. That's where I plan to pitch mine for the last time. Hopefully I get to!

Jesus has DNA!

Today's Gospel is kinda crazy. It contains many names. Some very recognizable (Isaac), some unpronounceable (Amminadab?), some hilarious (Ram! teehee), some that sound like exclamations (Jehosaphat!). I think it's really cool that sacred scripture can trace back Jesus to Adam, the first man. I can only trace my ancestors back to my great-great-great-great grandparents on my mother's mother's side of the family. This is only due to the fact that one of my distant cousins decided to put all this up on a website. What is even more cool is that even though Jesus didn't have children, you can still trace all of the popes back to him. I find it ridiculously amazing that this is documented so well. Yay for scripture!!!