Feeling very young in Alabama

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you had no business being there because you felt so inadequate and young and inexperienced? Where you feel like you're getting to be a part of an experience that you don't merit? That's sorta the way I feel here at this nurse educators conference in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I have to be the youngest person here. There's a 24 year old here with us from SAU but of the 6 of us, I'm the only unmarried person still working at their first nursing job. There are about 40 people here attending the conference done by Sylvia Rayfield. If you know anything about nursing, you know she's a guru in the field. For those of you that remember my AS Nursing days, she's the one that came up with that 3 day review I did in the top of Thatcher South with that book with lots of... what do you call those things where they do a word and each letter stands for something. Anyway, we had to color the pictures and go through that book to help us remember things for the NCLEX exam (what allows you to become a nurse). So I'm in this class with a lot of veteran nurses, all nursing professors so my youngness stands out big time. I can almost feel the stares. ;-) The stuff we are learning is so amazing though! Who knows when I will ever use it since I don't want to teach for awhile yet, but WOW! I've come up against the dilemma of looking at how my life will play out: career vs. motherhood (if that should ever happen). There are so many options and so much I could do!

The lady that did my NCLEX review from their company recognized me today which was kinda nice. I talked to her for awhile and she had a lot of positive things to say. The general consensus I get is "That's so wonderful that you're doing this at such a young age!" or "Wow! You're only 22 and partway through a masters?" To which I think... that's what happens if you go straight through... These women have it so much harder than I do; trying to run a family and take care of kids while they go to school too. I really have nothing to complain about.

We're at The Beach Club in Gulf Shores, AL. Big huge skyrises with condos in them. We're in a 3 bedroom one. I'm sharing a king size bed, how amazingly big it is! Last night we went to a local restaurant where the "all you can eat" part of the meal is fried potatoes (to DIE for!), black eyed peas, okra, and macaroni & tomatoes. They all wear overalls and a big tall black man comes out and throws rolls to everybody. The kids love it, all standing up with their hands in the air. (I can definitely see Carrie working at that job. She would love to get paid to throw food and with her accuracy, they would want to keep her forever!) We spent some time in the ocean today and there are several pools here. It's rained here a lot today, hopefully it will hold off.

On the verge of comatose?

This week hasn't been as busy as I thought it was going to be since I got called off work Monday (I was supposed to work overtime) but I think it has definitely made me tired! Last night Carrie called me when I'd already fallen asleep because I couldn't stay awake any longer and I couldn't even remember what I was saying halfway thru a sentance. Carrie says I wasn't making any sense and she finally said "I'd better let you go cause you sound like you're about ready to slip into a coma..." This morning I barely remember what we talked about for 8 minutes and I remember thinking to myself last night, "This must be what it feels like to be drunk or very drugged."

Tuesday my orientee, Emily, and I didn't get to eat lunch until 3:30 PM because we were so busy. Needless to say, we were very hungry and on the verge of fainting. She said "Is this normal?" to which I responded "NO!" but I suppose its better for her to be aware that days like that do happen when she's got help to get thru it than when she's by herself drowning. I'm enjoying teaching her things and she's catching on quickly. Who would have thought I'd be training somebody how to be a nurse this quickly? How far I've come...

Wednesday I met Hollie at the Lookouts stadium for a noon game. It was great fun and we enjoyed catching up a bit. Somehow my face got toasted even though we were in the shade the whole time and no other part of my body is burned! Go figure. Several people did a double take at work looking at my sunglass raccoon tan lines. Here's a picture of the fun and there are some more on Hollie's blog from boating a few weekends ago.


Hollie and Brooks are coming over for lunch. We're having spaghetti, the Sabbath tradition, wouldn't the Heilmans be proud? It's really because that's all we've got but hey, it works...

Tomorrow I'm off to Gulf Shores, AL for Nurse Educator's Boot Camp. I'm not really sure if that sounds like fun but maybe being on the beach in a condo payed for by SAU will have it's pluses. I get back Wed. night late, work Thurs/Friday, then my parents come for the weekend and my birthday! Maybe some time in the midst of all this I'll actually get to see Ryan. He's supposed to get back sometime before next weekend.

Isn't that an awful lot of cat?

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

I'm still an ISTJ

I took this in Meet the Firms class and I'm pretty sure this is what I was then... sounds like me doesn't it?

You Are An ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

What's Your Personality Type?

The End of an Era: Ryan moves (Heilman that is)

So this was the big weekend. Carrie came down to visit and we spent a lot of time at the lake. Unfortunately, the boat wasn't cooperating; it started overheating immediately when we took it out. So we spent a lot of time floating and jetskiing. We went down to Coolidge Park on Sabbath afternoon and Hollie & Brooks came over to play games on Saturday night. I took a lot of pictures on my oldster film camera so they won't be available to post for awhile.

It was strange and sad to see Ryan's room completely empty. It's like watching a part of your grandmother's house get dismantled or something. I'm losing my brother! Good ol' spaghetti Sabbath dinners around the table with all the right people will be fewer and farther between now. Although, the seating arrangements were gonna change anyway. :-)

Look at the ominous clouds! But it never rained...

In front of the Hunter art museum minus 1 Ryan...



Are they cute or what?

Ok, ok, here's a picture...

Thanks to Mary Jane, here's a picture for you of the latest news in my life. Right now she's the only one with evidence so I had to steal it from her blog. For more you can go check out her blog at http://keepinntouch.blogspot.com/ There's a really neat series of Ryan Heilman dunking a basketball while jumping over Eric too! How are we ever going to keep these Ryans straight???