5 Exciting Things

Happy Friday people! I hope this week was a breeze for you and that you have exciting plans for the weekend. My weekend plans are a part of the five exciting things that I have to tell you about so lets get on with this five on Friday!

1. My visit home
A few weeks ago, I was able to rearrange my schedule a bit to be able to fly home for a long weekend...actually a really long weekend (Wednesday- Monday). Since it has been hard for me in the past to get home during September/October, it had been a few years since I had seen Maine in the fall. However it was just as beautiful as I remembered. I was even excited when the weather was a bit chilly, because it made the visit just a perfect fall weekend. We went apple picking as a family (but really, the best part was the warm donuts we bought there!) John and I were able to have a date night out at one of our favorite restaurants, and I was able to visit with friends who I hadn't seen since I left to go back to school in August. But most importantly, I saw my cats and dog! Obviously, the weekend went by so fast...Since I was able to do so much though, I was satisfied when I was leaving and just reminded myself that in order to come back, I had to leave first!

John looks so #fall in this picture and I love it! 

My little brothers aren't so little anymore! 

2. Senior Capstone
Last week was my last week of my senior capstone for nursing! At JMU, for eight weeks, we get to to a nurse preceptor one-on-one and we get to follow their schedule and learn from/work with them. I worked 3p-3a (hence my trouble keeping up with writing) in an emergency department, and to say I learned a lot is an understatement. I love the pace and the turn over of patients, and I love that I can see a whole range of issues in just one shift. What I found difficult was patients who weren't pleased with waiting and also getting myself acclimated to working a partial night shift. However, towards the end of my eight weeks, I really found myself enjoying the night aspect and I was able to get used to the schedule. I started to feel like a real nurse and I was loving it!

3. Rocking my practice exam
On my days off for the past eight weeks, I was studying because in order to actually become a registered nurse, I have to pass a licensure exam (the NCLEX) after I graduate. In the past few weeks, I really amped up my studying as I had a special practice exam this week that is designed to predict whether or not we will pass the NCLEX. Although I was super nervous and felt like all the studying I had done hadn't stuck in my brain, I did a great job on the exam and according to this test, I have a really good chance of passing the NCLEX....Will that stop me from continuing to study like crazy and stress about having to take a licensure exam? No. But was it nice to know that my study habits must be effective and that I can continue doing my thing? You bet!

Just a few of my review books...

4. Homecoming weekend 
This weekend at JMU is homecoming! We have a bunch of people coming to stay at our apartment and plans to tailgate the game tomorrow. But what is different about this homecoming weekend, compared to past years, is that the ESPN College GameDay show is being filmed live on our campus on tomorrow! Its a big deal for us, because we aren't a big SEC school or one that gets a lot of attention so this is definitely JMU's chance to shine and maybe get more notice for the future. So if you are bored Saturday morning between 9-12...turn on ESPN and watch to see my beautiful campus!

Throwback to homecoming last year!

5. Future exciting plans
I love this time of year because there is so much happening all in a short span of time. We have Halloween coming up, and then a few weeks after, my family is coming to visit. Next, I have a good chunk of time off for Thanksgiving. After, I come back to school for just a few weeks and then I GRADUATE! I am so ready and so incredibly excited to finally be done with school and get on into the working world. I can't wait to get started as a nurse once I pass my exam and finally put to use, all the things I have learned!

Obviously Liz Lemon is the only one who can depict my emotions most accurately. via

I just realized that I basically wrote a novel for today's post, and I understand that since it's Friday you might be too tired to read it all. So if you're skipping to the end, I will do a TL;DR for you...many exciting things have happened, and many exciting things are coming up. You're welcome! Also, I promise to be back next week to talk about TV and my mascara. Are you excited because I am!