First semester nursing school is in the books!

Here we are celebrating after our last exam in healthy aging. Last exam...that means.....WINTER VACATION!!! Merry Christmas ladies! See you in 2014 :) 

Finals day 2...almost

We got delayed then cancelled altogether! Here's what's going on on campus though!

Sledding right below the nursing building

Candra hard at work on her paper due at 3 since her final was supposed to be today...it became a paper instead.

And of course, glorious glorious snow!

Finals day one on an icy winter Monday

Unfortunate, we remained open today so I had to trudge through and do my finals. On the bright side, I was rewarded with a gorgeous view of our own winter wonderland. Our campus should be on a postcard :) 

Foundations written final done. One online final due tonight, four more posts online, a skills validation, and one more written test and hello vacation. I can smell the crisp Christmas air now! ..wait that's my air freshener oops.   

It's a snow day!

We all woke up to a winter wonderland this morning and we've been itching to cross this off of our bucket list since freshman year! Campus is gorgeous blanketed in white. The campus closed for the day today...do you think we'll be out tomorrow too? Oh I hope so since I have a foundations final tomorrow. Yikes! 

Oh yeah we went sledding with cardboard boxes. It didn't work out so well with this powdered snow....

Happy Christmas from Admissions!

These are the SA's behind the scenes. Love these girls :) Working hard or hardly working? Haha 

This was from Tuesday don't worry not at 1:13AM haha

You know finals are near when...

IT'S MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST!! Food galore

Why yes, the teachers ARE serving us! Even a School Sister of Notre Dame!

Loud blaring music and good food. It's a fantastic way to take a study break! 

Oh, and if you're over 21 there's a treat for you! (Mamosas courtesy of student life!)

Oh, and did we mention writing letters to Santa for the Macy's make a wish foundation that will donate a dollar for every letter they receive! 

Gotta love these Dame traditions. It lessens the sting of impending exams! 

Happy Birthday Guin!

Shout out to our campus visit and event coordinator, Guin, who is celebrating her birthday early (one day) today! Whooo! 

Happy baby day!

Our professor had to be distracted today as we prepped for her surprise baby shower. Her face almost made her go into labor as I freaked out on her to distract her about some nonexistent test :) now we're partying for the rest of class. This is real foundations of a caring profession. Oh, and Notre Dame. :)

A bittersweet morning

Hi ladies! 

It's been a couple of weeks since the last post but don't worry things are going well. It's just really busy here on campus what with thanksgiving around the corner and all that! Papers, tests, projects, skills valuations galore. It's been a roller coaster of more things due but the one thing I have always looked forward to was going to clinicals (not the getting up at 4:30am, though!). This past week was our last days of our very first clinical experience. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to everyone. It was a wonderful experience and I couldn't have done all that I have without these girls (my clinical group). We have bonded over so many little things over the past six weeks and I can't imagine being with another group next semester. It really has been a challenging six weeks but it was a bittersweet moment on Thursday morning as we left out unit. On the bright side, Ill always be able to reminisce with these girls :) 

Good morning Baltimore!

I have been up for an hour and a half now en route to clinicals but I thought I'd share this lovely view with you ladies. Sometimes there are definite pluses to being up this early! (Don't worry I'm not driving! Lol)

I'm dreaming of a...n early Christmas?

Yep, that's right. Christmas. I can't believe it's been a year since I was last posting about it! Today my roommates and I did an early tree trimming and started decorations in our room! We did the tree (which was Candra's favorite part apparently because she never gets o decorate at home), hung stockings. Put tinsel everywhere, and merry Christmas borders everywhere (even the suite door)!  I know it's just November but what with thanksgiving coming so late this year we wanted to have a longer period for decorations before we leave for winter break. We like thanksgiving and all but we LOVE Christmas. It's not about the gifts for us but the spirit of family, friends, and togetherness that the entire world shares for the few moments of December  albeit the frantic shoppers. Anyway, it's a Monday but in college that means a tree trimming, egg nog sipping, "Christmas by the fireplace" station on pandora, enjoying quality roommates bonding time. 

Here's me and Candra putting the tinsel on :). Liz is taking the photo lol. 

A Soprano Kind of Night

Sorry that the picture is blurry but hello (finally right?)! I'm sorry I've been rather lagging on posts. Nursing school has kept me quite busy these past...wow can it already be two and half months? 

Well, I'm taking a day off from nursing and my other responsibilities and enjoying a free performance on campus. Okay technically I get credit for it for music once I write my paper on it but it doesn't feel like homework. It's incredibly relaxing but altogether inspiring to hear her sing and to see her bring the story of the music come to life. I hope I get to be like that one day :)

What are you doing this Saturday night?

We're famous!

Okay no, not really but I just want to do a quick post (more to come soon I hope) while taking a break from Nursing. We dedicated our building today but before we did that, we were on TV to promote how fantastic our Simlabs are!

Check us out!

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/Top-notch-training-facility-prepares-nursing-students/-/10131532/22510104/-/g3jp3p/-/index.html

Another Nursing Milestone for the Inaugural Class

Hello there ladies!

Fall is upon us on campus and it's so gorgeous with all the color changes! 

Today was the School of Nursing's Lighting of the Lamp ceremony which was pretty much an inauguration of all the nursing students into the nursing program. Florence Nightingale, considered the foundress of modern nursing, was once called "lady with the lamp," a nickname she earned in the Crimean war when she'd visit the wounded soldiers at night with a lamp and care for them. It was very apt that at our ceremony we lit candles and were given candles as tokens of our journey in  becoming beacons of hope and care for our future patients just like Nightingale. 

R: me with President Coley and on the left are my friends Laura (and lab partner Kirsten) after the ceremony!

Btw, snap shot of what we do in class:

Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, it's tape the pulse on Anne our grad-student-teacher! 

Attention: Free Blood Pressure screening!

No seriously. We have a vital signs test on Tuesday so I've been taking everyone-I-see's blood pressure and pulse and respiration. Ah, the life of the nursing major. If you're on campus, find me...or another nursing student. We need practice.

A long long time ago

It's reunion weekend for the graduating classes ending in "3"s! ie 1963, 73, 83 etc. 

Today, Liz and I toured members of the class of 1963 and I can't really say I nor Liz really gave the tour. We learned that even back then, Notre Dame women were a feisty bunch and that bad experiences of the moment turn out to be fun, fond moments 50 years later. Cool fact: we met ladies who had our current room in Meletia when THEY WERE HERE in 1962-3. How. Awesome. Is. THAT?!

Liz is getting tour trained by moi for the time being as she's a brand new shiny SA. Guess you'll see her on tours soon, too! 

Silver Linings

Hi ladies!

I'm definitely putting off studying for my Foundations of a Caring Profession class and this is definitely a good way to do it (shh! don't tell my professors!). It's the fourth week into nursing school and my first big test is in TWO DAYS. yikes. Oh and I have to be able to read vital signs by next Tuesday so if you're around campus and would like a free blood pressure test, pulse reading, and respiration rate report, find me...or any other nursing student. Just look for the scrubs :)

Speaking of scrubs, that's pretty much my uniform now. We have a choice to wear business casual under our lab coats or scrubs. Today I chose business casual because I forgot to do laundry so my roommates dressed me (haha I love that we all fit into each other's things!)

L: my nursing classmate Kim in her scrubs outside the new academic (well, we call it nursing) building. R: Me today :) Excuse the mess...I had an early start this morning and threw everything everywhere...

SO....what's been going on campus?

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS! (okay, we really only had one outside but still, we showed movies...FOR FREE!!!

Bridesmaids as a part of welcome week. Everyone who came got free NDMU blankets and a tumbler!

You know you go to an all girls school when: This scene comes on and there is mad cheering from the audience the entire 15 seconds it was on the screen. Priceless. (why yes, that is The Great Gatsby!)

FOODING. We washed our hands well in Holistic Health Assessment so we got candy. Yeah, I'm still living with Liz. She and I got a triple this year so we have Candra, too! This was the other night when I walked in and heard giggling and a tad bit of arguing. Red handed on the ice cream in the hallway fighting for the last piece of cookie in the cookies and cream ice cream. Btw, SAGE now serves sushi. om nom nom. 

LOOOOVE the new windows in the "academic" building. I put myself on a self imposed exile last week so that I could get some work done. It was fantastic!

So all in all, it's been the same crazy life. One great thing today: I found out a got a scholarship to go to the Maryland Nursing Association Conference in a few weeks! I'm not presenting but I get to hear about all the fantastic things nurses in Maryland are doing! *cue epic dancing music* I'll keep you guys posted on that.

Meanwhile...I really should get back to some studying. Hope your year has been to a great start. 

Oh btw, one more reason why you should come to Notre Dame (for all you baseball fans out there)

FREE O's game tickets. ahhhhhhh! Although I wouldn't mind some Raven's ones either.... GO BAL'MORE Birds!

Wait, it's just September?

Hello ladies! 

I hope your fall semesters have been off to a great start! It's currently the third week of nursing school and as my previous post stated, scrubs and lab coats have pretty much taken over the campus. The new building is almost complete and it looks amazing. (Haha I already have lab there though. Yep, we're such rebels).

Nursing school is tough, I won't lie. It's just the third week and I feel like a fish out of water and buried under the pressure of mountains of readings, assignments, and tests. Still, every time I get to play with my stethoscope, make my roommates sit while I practice taking vital signs on them, and put on my scrubs and lab coat, I feel like it'll be worth it. Everyone knows who we are and are eager to show their support every time they see the sea of white and blue headed to the new building. As a member of the first graduating class of this program, I know I am setting the stage for the classes to comes after me. It won't be easy but I'm happy to have the support and family I have not only with nursing but with the entire Notre Dame community. 

...and CUT on the "deep" stuff. :) I just wanted to say hi, really! No picture today but the will be plenty this entire year, promise! Have a fantastic day everyone!

Scrubs party in the bookstore!

Definite plus of an all women's college is the freedom to turn even the most awkward corner of the bookstore into a dressing room to try scrubs on. Yep, that just happened. But look at my awesome new scrubs!!! (okay, wrong sizes in this pic but whatever. I need smaller pants and lab coat but you get the point lol). Still need to try out the polo shirts and see what's in the nursing kit we need to order and the other instruments we have to have. On the plus side, I already have a stethoscope to go with this outfit. Look out Notre Dame: scrubs and lab coats will infiltrate the campus starting Fall'13. lol toodles!

College Foam Party

Springfest installment part 3! CAB, you guys did a wonderful job this weekend. Thanks for all the fun! So...who's excited to come to Notre Dame now? Haha

 ALL THAT FOAM. whoaaaaaa. 

I really wish I could have gotten in...but I have a recital on Tuesday and I fear for my voice haha. This looks SOO much fun!

LOOOOOVE how these ladies are making use of their orientation shirts!

Last of the pics until I decided that I was cold enough to walk back to Meletia and post these lol