Graduation!!!

Last night was one of the best nights of my life! The last 2 years (3 1/2 if you count my pre-requisite courses) was so crazy (lots of hard work, time away from family, and lack of sleep, etc). I don't know how many times I told myself "it will be worth it" over these last 2 years and last night I realized it was!

Here is the group of girls that were my sanity and helped
me make it through the really tough times

After we all had our names read and walked across the stage we went down below and all together (120 nursing graduates) rose up holding "candles". (we joked that it symbolized our rise from hell (nursing school) into the profession)

Then we recited the nursing pledge and were officially welcomed into the profession.
It was an amazing feeling!

I would not have made it these last 2 years without all my family and friends' support. I am very blessed to have so many supporters and those who love me. Here I am with 2 of those people, my mom and dad. I have the BEST parents in the world, they help and support me in countless ways. Love you mom and dad! THANKS!!!

This last picture is the reason: the reason I went to school and the reason I made it through.
I love you Mike, Rylee, Cole, Noah, and Jenna!

Let the Graduation Festivities begin...

Our cohort, which consists of the 39 individuals that I have spent the last 2 years with, had a pre-graduation luncheon yesterday. It was so fun to have most of us there together with our families to just relax and have fun. We had a potluck with soups, salads, and desserts and everything was so yummy! They gave out "awards" that we had all nominated our fellow classmates for. I got "most put together." Man, I fooled them. ;-) Then we watched a slide show that one of the girls has been working on for the past 2 years. It was awesome to watch how much we have changed, learned, and grown these past 2 years. Here is a picture of most of us, some were unable to attend. There were like 20 cameras all taking pictures at the same time so it is not the best picture, but the best I had on my camera.

DONE WITH NURSING SCHOOL!!!

I am officially done with nursing school and it doesn't seem quite real yet. I have graduation on Friday night and I am going to enjoy celebrating with my fellow nursing students, my friends, and my family. Then I have to start preparing for my boards and find a job. Pray for me! I figure if we survived the last 2 years the next month or so will be a piece of cake.

Last Day of Class Ever!!!

Well, at least for now. All I have left is 2 finals next week!!! Of course I still have boards to take and to find a job and someday I will go on and get my bachelors. But I am feeling good today after my last day of class.

The Real Storm Arrives

The blizzard earlier this week turned out to be a bunch of nothing, it was really cold, but that's about it! Today we woke up to a few inches of snow and it was still coming down. It has been coming down all day and I took these pictures of the deck this afternoon. I am very grateful all our family headed home yesterday so they didn't have to contend with the snow. I hope everyone else still traveling arrives to their homes safe and sound.

A Week of Thanksgiving part 5

Thursday night the girls stayed the night at my parents with their cousins and my boys slept over at Mike's moms so Mike & I had a nice quiet evening at home. The best part was sleeping in and being lazy all morning. The boys wanted to stay and help grandma put up Christmas stuff and Mike went skateboarding with friends so I went up to my parents for the day. The girls went shopping at Tai Pan (my grandma's favorite store)! Then we went back and ate left overs and relaxed some more.


Later that evening Jenna was not feeling well and threw up, I am grateful (so far) that no one else has gotten sick. Here & I had to miss the drive to see the Christmas lights in Layton. But I got to visit with my dad and Nate while everyone was gone. I love my dad and enjoy just talking with him about church stuff, politics, and whatever.


Here is my dad with Wyatt and Mara. He is the best grandpa! So much fun!


Here is my mom and Wyatt, he actually kept "tooting" on her, too funny!


Here is my cute sister, Sara, with cute Audrey! It was so fun to have them around for a week! I miss them already.

A Week of Thanksgiving part 4

Thursday, the actual Thanksgiving Day, was the best!!! Most of my mom's family gathered together at the Odgen Institute (thank goodness for a big place for all us crazy Higginsons)for the day. We had tons of yummy food (I forgot to take a picture of the feast) and had tons of fun. We played basketball, volleyball, pool, ping pong, air hockey, fuse ball, visited, ate, laughed, watched movies, etc. It was so fun to catch up with everyone and just relax and enjoy one an others company. I think there were 45 of us there. I feel very blessed and am extremely grateful for the incredible family that I am a part of.


Here are some pictures of everyone enjoying themselves doing various activities.





Cole enjoys reading more than Jenna and had to finish his book so he could work on his book report. He didn't sit and read the whole time, he did enjoy some of the activities too. Go UTES!!!

A Week of Thanksgiving part 3

Tuesday I took my 2 tests, did ok. Not as well as I would have liked but SO glad they are over. All I have left is 2 finals!!! There was a huge blizzard predicted for that afternoon and evening and they closed everything down in SLC. Rylee's game was cancelled and we didn't want to risk driving to my parents in the storm so we all hung out at home again and stayed warm. The blizzard came and went without much excitement.
Wednesday the kids didn't have school, but I did and I did not want to go. I had decided not to go even though I hate missing lecture, but I was grateful to find that SLCC had canceled classes for the day due to the icy roads. The kids & I spent the day just hanging out, making treats, playing Wii, and just being lazy. Then my parents, grandparents, a couple aunts and uncles, and my cousin & his cute wife came by for dinner. We had yummy soups and super fresh french bread. It was fun to get to spend some time catching up!

A Week of Thanksgiving part 2

Sunday we decided to stay home and spend the afternoon just the 6 of us all cozied up inside together. It was so nice.
Monday morning I had a BIG test, called the HESI. It was 160 questions and took me almost 3 hours to complete. We had to score at least an 800 to pass and not have to retake it. I was stressing!!! and was very THANKFUL when my score popped up and it was 952!!!
Then I went home to study for my 2 tests the next day, not so thankful for all the tests so close together, but thankful to be almost done!
Then I got to go watch Rylee cheer and perform at halftime. I love watching her cheer and am grateful she has something she enjoys and that is teaching her and instilling so many good qualities in her.
Then we all went up to my parents for another yummy dinner, homemade chili and rolls. My grandparents and my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jimmy arrived safely from San Diego, another thing to be grateful for. We visited with them for a bit before heading home.


Ry doing a back tuck, I am grateful everytime I see her land on her feet instead of her head!


Here she is cheering, you can tell she loves it!


I am also thankful for my ipod, which keeps Jenna occupied when she starts to get bored at Ry's games.

A Week of Thanksgiving

We were lucky enough to "celebrate" Thanksgiving for almost an entire week this year. It started last Saturday when my sister,Sara, and her cute family arrived from Las Vegas. We got together at my parents that evening for my mom's yummy tacos! It started snowing and my nephew, Wyatt, was SO excited! He wanted to start making snowballs as soon as he saw the first flake and anxiously waited until there was enough snow on the ground to go out and make some snowballs. We all hung out and visited.


Here is my brother in law, Nate, with his crazy hair. It was his idea for them to come for the week so THANKS Nate!!!


Here is Sara & Nate's youngest, Audrey. Isn't she beautiful!?!? She is 13 months and all smiles!


Here is Mara, who is just 7 weeks younger than Jenna and LOVES reading and horses and the Eiffel Tower. I wish Jenna loved reading as much as she did. Oh, well...to each his own, right.


Here is Wyatt looking at us from outside my parents sliding glass doors which he had covered in snowballs. He had a blast!!!

Volleyball

I started playing volleyball when I turned 12 and became a YW. I remember being a brand new Beehive and feeling very shy and intimidated but the older girls were all very nice and inclusive. I learned to play volleyball with them and fell in love with it! I started going to volleyball camps, played throughout Jr. High and High School, and even played on a Jr. Olympic team during my senior year. I have played on some rec teams and even coached a bit. The last couple years I have played on and off with a group of ladies and some guys at a near by church. There are times when my schedule has been so crazy and I feel like I am drowning, but I have to go to volleyball. It is my stress relief and my sanity. This last week we played in the region tournament. We won our game on Wednesday night and played 3 games on Thursday (2 for 3 that night). Then we played on Saturday morning and lost, but it was close and we played great! It was so much fun!!! I love playing especially with these girls. I have been sore since Thursday night though, but a good feeling sore, definitely worth it!

The Monkey Bars Strike Again

Last Thursday I was at work and the kids called me when they got home from school and they said Jenna thinks she broke her arm today. I thought yeah right, the school would have called, and told them I would look at it when I got home in a few minutes. I looked, it looked ok. I bent and moved it, she said it hurt. I figured I'd see how she did the rest of the day and she wouldn't use her hand or arm at all. Since it was her left arm and she is left handed I figured we should probably at least get an xray. I left for work the next morning long before she was awake so I called to see how she was and she said it was ok so I sent her to school. Mike picked her up later and took her to the Dr and sure enough it was broken. I was feeling like worst mom of the year...at least it's not a bad break and she will be fine. She likes all the attention, but I told her no more monkey bars. 2 broken arms a year apart both from monkey bars is not a good record. I don't think it will stop her and I fear with her if it's not the monkey bars it will be something else. She is too crazy!

28 days...

28 days from now I will be ALL DONE with nursing school. The only thing left will be taking the NCLEX and finding a job (which may be more difficult than the last 2 years combined). I had a great last day at the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for my independent study clinical hours on Sunday. Had a good day yesterday at my RICU (respiratory intensive care unit) clinical, got to do a couple things I had not done before. And I did way better than I was expecting on my test today (especially condsidering how much studying I did,)! 3 more days of class, 3 tests, and 2 finals to go! Some of us were wondering what we were going to do with all our "free" time once we were done. My mom said it perfectly..."get everything done you put off the last 2 years". So hopefully I will find a job soon and can get caught up on my house, my kiddos, my hubby, my self, my life!

The Countdown continues...

5 weeks from tonight I will studying for my last final in nursing school. In 39 days will be my graduation. It all seems so close, yet sooooo far. Today I had my first of 3 clinical days in different ICU's at IMC. It was a good day, I was feeling very overwhelmed and unprepared, but it was all good. These same feelings creep up on me when I think about whether or not I am ready to be a nurse. The nurse I worked with today said something that hit home to me. He said he felt like he learned "nothing" in nursing school and clinicals. He said you get your clinical hours done by following nurses around and doing some hands on stuff a few times but you don't really learn how to be a nurse. Then you get a job and they train you and you get to do tons of hands on over and over and see the same meds or issues over and over and then you know. He said he hated his job the first 6 months he was a nurse and that it took him over a year to really feel comfortable and 3 years to feel like he really knows what he's doing. Our conversation made me realize I need to quit doubting my self and learn what I can where ever I can and that it will all be ok. Where ever I end up working I will learn and I can be a good, no a great nurse!

Happy Halloween

Every year we spend Halloween evening at Mike's sister's house and eat chili cheese dogs and trick or treat in her neighborhood. This year the boys had a party they were going to but the rest of us still headed over. Rylee, her friend, and my niece and her friends took Jenna trick or treating with them so Mike & I could just hang out and not have to go out in the rain. It has been such a nice fall and it was even pretty nice most the day. I dropped the boys off at 5 and shortly after that it started pouring! Luckily it pretty much stopped by the time the girls were ready to head out. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

Noah

Cole

The boys with their friends, yes they are all 11, even the tall one.

The girls heading out to score some candy.

Halloween Fun at Grandma & Grandpa Deloziers

My mom tries to have the grandkids over for each holiday to decorate sugar cookies, they love it! We went up on Friday for lunch which consisted of candy corn pizza (looked like candy corn, not with candy corn on it), mummy dogs, and witches blood. It was all very yummy! Then the kids decorated cookies and made slime. It was fun to hang out with my parents, just wish more of my siblings and their kids could have been there too.



Rylee's purple slime


I think Jenna ate more of the frosting and candy than what she actually put on the cookies.


My crazy boys having fun decorating their cookies.

My Life Right Now...

consists of: My books, my smurf scrubs, my stethoscope, and my diet Dr. Pepper among other things

I have only 54 days left until I graduate (December 17, 7 p.m.) from nursing school!!!!! I cannot believe it, and hope I survive. I feel so close and yet have so much to do before I am done.
In the last 10 days I have worked 48 hours, had 36 hours of clinicals, taken 1 test, 5 hours of class, 2 hours of meetings with recruiters, and all of this besides my "regular" life of kids, laundry, cleaning, cooking, driving carpool, etc, etc, etc. I am functioning on very little sleep but it's all good because I have also had time to spend with family and friends. My parents took us to a beautiful play about The Savior on Friday night and it was great to spend time with them. Lastnight after work I met some of my girlfriends from school for dinner and a movie. I have been able to watch Rylee cheer at a game. I have spent time laughing with my kiddos! I have spent time baking, which is stress relief for me. I have got to play in 2 volleyball games! I got to watch my boys give talks during the Primary Program at church today. I think the only thing I haven't done in the last 10 days is go on a date with Mike, sorry babe!
So if I can survive the last 10 days I can do 54 more. Only 8 more days of clinical (3 in the ICUs, 4 in the NICU, and 1 paramedic ride along), only 8 more tests (5 unit tests, 2 finals, and 1 HESI), only 6 days of class.....I can do it!!!

Love and Miss You B!

Cannot believe it has been 5 years since you had to go. I am grateful to have you as a big brother and grateful for the knowledge I have that you will always be my big brother and that we will be together again. Love you Brandon!

My Skater

I don't have any my pictures of Mike skating a vert ramp on my computer, they are all "real" pictures that I need to scan. Here are a few picture of him skating over the last few years though. He sticks to parks and bowls more now. But he is still pretty incredible, if you ask me.


Here is one of him on one of his skate trips to CA. We have this one blown up and hanging up, I love it!


This on is at the Carbondale, CO skatepark. We stopped there on our way home from Denver one trip.


This is a park in OR (McMinville, I think) from one of his skate trips to OR.

Skateboarding

I forgot to post about the Dew Tour a couple weeks ago. The Dew Tour is a big event with skateboarding and BMX competitions. I was able to go with Mike for a couple hours and watch the vert semifinals. It seems like forever since I have been to a skateboarding competition like that and I realized how much I missed it. It was fun seeing the pros like Shaun White get huge air on the big vert ramp, but I missed watching Mike get some air on a vert ramp. I remember when we were dating and I would ride with him to Ogden and watch him and his friends skate for hours. My mom always thought I was crazy. She thought it must be so boring to sit there while they have fun. She changed her mind after the first time she watched Mike skate a vert ramp. After we were first married Mike competed each year at the Vans Warped Tour and even won a couple times. It was a lot of fun to go to CA with him for the big Warped Tour finals. I miss the time with Mike and being able to just watch in awe as he goes bigger or finally lands a new trick. The look of determination and satisfaction on his face is inspiring. The more I am thinking about it the more I miss it. I guess I will just have to be grateful for the great memories...


Here is Shaun White:

Funerals bring Faith and Family

Yesterday was the funeral for my sister in law, Gayle. It was a nice service, I learned some new things about my sweet, quiet sister in law. I felt the spirit so strong. It's kind of strange that funerals tend to strengthen my faith and testimony of my Savior. I guess they make you think on more of an eternal level and ponder more spiritual aspects of life. They also bring family close (physically and emotionally). It was great to spend time with everyone who came from CA that we don't see often enough: my sister in law, Cheryl; my niece, Jacque and her husband and baby; my niece, Ashley and her husband and dog; Aunt Steve and Uncle Susie; and cousins. There are also a lot who live here in Utah who we don't see enough either. It's nice to get updated on everyone's busy lives and to feel their love and support. Though I may "enjoy" funerals, I am hoping to not attend any for quite a while.

Here is a picture of Jenna with Lucy, Ashley and Brett's baby. Jenna LOVES Lucy! and loves when she comes to visit from CA.

Here is Jenna with Maggie, Jacque and Mike's cute little girl. The kids all swarm around her when she visits. She is so sweet and so happy! (even with too much attention)

Here is Rylee with Heidi, Kevin & Gayle's older of 2 girls.

Cancer Sucks!!!

7 months ago my sweet sister--in-law, Gayle, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She fought, but that damn cancer won this fight. She passed away early yesterday morning. I saw her about a week before, she was in the hospital and had met with hospice people that day, but she was looking pretty good. So when my mother in law told me on Monday that it would only be a couple days, I didn't believe her. Then I went on Tuesday to see her and hit hard with bad memories. She looked so similar to how Brandon looked the last few time I saw him (hours before he died). I had to leave her hospital room and couldn't hold back my emotions. Cancer Sucks!!!

I went home and told the kids that Aunt Gayle was not going to get better. Jenna wanted to make her a get well card, she thought that might work. The boys were worried about how you get cancer. Then Noah asked why I would want to be a nurse if people die. I told him about Gayle's nurse that day that had been helping her die in peace without pain. I don't know if I am ready to do that yet...Then Cole said the prayer that night and blessed Aunt Gayle and he asked that Kevin, Heidi, and Melissa would be ok after Gayle was gone. I almost started crying again.

I didn't find out she had passed until I was gone for the day and so the kids didn't know until after school. I was dropping the boys off at home so I could run to Rylee's game and Noah ran back out and asked if he could use my phone real quick. I asked him what for and he said he wanted to call Uncle Kevin to tell him he was sorry about Aunt Gayle. Wow...again tears started to flow.

I don't remember losing anyone real close to me or important in my life while I was young. My kids have lost 4 family members in their short lives, 2 of those were to cancer. Cancer Sucks!!!

Here is a picture of Gayle with her girls, Heidi and Melissa, at Christmas a couple years ago. She was always quiet, but always sweet and always made you feel like she cared about you. We love you Gayle and we will miss you.

3 More Months

It feels so good to say in 3 months I will be all done with nursing school! I cannot believe it! It has been tough but I have a feeling the next 3 months will be as hard as the last 21 months combined. I was looking at my calendar and realized that each week for the next 3 months is different, no consistency.
This week: work 12 hours today (Sunday), work 12 hours Monday, Test (on the respiratory system and it is suppose to be the hardest test ever!), 5 hours of class on Wed, a couple hours of time with my group working on our group presentation, watch Rylee cheer, 5 hours of clinicals in the NICU Wednesday evening, drop Ry at her orthodontist appointment Thursday morning on my way to my 8 hour clinicals at the Bountiful Instacare, work 12 hours on Friday, "Run" a 10K in mud with obstacles with my friends and our hubbies on Saturday. And that doesn't include study time for myself as well as helping the kiddos with their homework, or exercise time, or mom duty (meal prep, laundry, cleaning, chauffeuring, etc), or hubby time, or time to visit my sister-in-law who is now on hospice, etc, etc, etc!
I just keep telling myself take it one day at a time! I can do it! I can do it! Only 3 more months! I have help and support from so many! I am so blessed! It will be worth it!

ONLY 3 MORE MONTHS!!!

Poor Moe

Lastnight after dinner Mike noticed that Moe had cut his leg on something. His fur was hanging off and it looked pretty bad. Luckily it wasn't bleeding much. I called the vet around the corner thinking they were open 24 hours. They were closed but I missed the phone number for the emergency vet on their message so called right back and the vet answered. He said I could take him to the emergency vet in SLC or wait and bring him first thing today to his office. We decided to wait. Then my friend (who is married to a great Dr.) came by and I asked her if he ever stitched up animals. He came over later and was ready to give it a shot, but Moe was not having it. He is too strong and almost bit Ben (the Dr.) when all he was doing was trying to irrigate the wound. We decided he needed to be sedated so waited for this morning. He spent the day at the vets having "surgery" and this is what he looks like now. (I forgot to take pictures before he was fixed up).

We are not sure what he was cut on. Mike looked around outside but didn't really find anything. It looks like they actually cut it bigger before they stitched him up.




So now he is on pain meds and antibiotics and I am praying it doesn't get infected. He is so sweet and I am glad he is ok.

Happy Birthday Mike

I knew Mike's birthday was coming and I wanted to do something fun, but low key as well. I have a friend who I recently found out makes cakes. I asked her if she could do a cake for Mike and told her that he loved The Simpsons, so I was thinking...Homer! She came up with this fun idea and created this amazing cake:

It's all homemade and all edible. It looked AWESOME and tasted YUMMY!!!
Mike was so excited when he saw it! Who wouldn't be excited about this?!?

First Game

Rylee cheered at her first game the other day. It was fun to watch her and the squad enjoying cheering on their volleyball team and getting the crowd involved. I was so glad I was able to go support her.

Nice Ry!

Not the greatest picture, hopefully at some point this year I can get some
good cheer action photos.

I know many people say Cheerleading is not a sport, but I disagree. The girls work SO hard. Practice everyday at 6:15 a.m. and they are not just dancing and prancing around. Rylee was cheering and tumbling and I loved this picture of her quenching her thirst! I think it shows how hard she was working.