My zion hike

Today, I find myself remembering a hike that I took in Zion National Park many years ago. It was a hike that was designed to be extremely challenging, something that all of us who took it were to liken to our lives. Like life, it started out gentle and easy, on a downward slope. It progressively got harder, and there were challenges that each of us were presented with, for some those challenges were a breeze to get through, and for others they were monumental. One of the challenges on that hike for me came when I had to listen carefully and follow the instructions given by another...I didn't like those instructions and argued with the one who gave them to me. I thought that my way would be so much simpler and easier to accomplish the task that was set before me. I. Was. Wrong. The next hard part for me was actually the very last stretch of the hike when we had to climb almost straight up to return to the point we had started from. It was brutal, I was slow, I wanted to give up. To just sit down and cry because it was so hard and it hurt so very much. I could not focus on my goal of returning to the van, the van that would take me back to my dwelling place, where I could rest and reflect upon the journey. I had to rely on the encouragement that others gave to get me through. That whole hike came during a difficult and enlightening time in my life. Its an experience I will never forgot and I would love to take that hike again. Its just got me thinking about how much I have learned about myself and just exactly what I am capable of doing when I set my mind to it.

Adjusting...or trying to

Getting ready to start week 3 of my semester. And the overload has set in! Working hard to maintain a positive attitude is more crucial than ever right now. My biggest struggle is adjusting to night clinicals...3-11pm and then I get home around 1am and asleep by about 2. I just feel horrible the next day and doing homework hasn't been possible. I have to figure out how to adjust and make it work. On the sweet side I got to spend some time working in the special care nursery or NICU(neonatal intensive care unit). All the itty bitty babies were so precious! And let me tell you, the atmosphere in that unit sooooo calm and quiet compared to the med/surg floors. Even when nurses are 'rushing' around it stays calm and quiet. The patient to nurse ratio is incredibly low too. Rarely will they have more than 2 to work with. Sometimes 3, but only if one of them is going to be discharged that day. Coming from med/surg floors that is just astounding to me, they carry a load of 5, 6, or even 7 patients per nurse. The math has been a bit of an issue for me, but I refuse to let it hold me back and am determined to pass the exam this week(it has to be passed with 100% and you get 3 chances), the biggest problem is my learning style. Just hearing it explained isn't enough for me, I need the hands on....and I need to ask lots of questions. So now that I've worked that out, and I've been practicing and using my resources, I fully plan to pass it this week. In other news...well honestly, I have no clue what is going on with everyone else around here. Ok, not true. Ethan lost a few more teeth this past week and has quite the jack-o-lantern smile going on. He also had a friend break his beloved Beyblade :( I just got mid term grades for Emily and she is doing really well. Her lowest grade is a B in pre-algebra. I got a mid term for Rylee as well that has all excellent grades as well. Nataly is getting used to having homework every single night since her teacher last year did not believe in homework, or as he called them "shut up sheets" Everyone is getting better with their reading and spelling. Emily is looking forward to trying out for advanced band-she plays the clarinet. Girl Scouts should be starting up soon for Nataly as well. ♫♪Carry on, Carry on, Carry on!♫♪ Its my motto right now.