This came in the mail yesterday :D

along with my NCLEX-RN candidate report and some other things. I look TERRIFIED in my candidate report picture lol.

Wedding planning is really coming along :) The invitations have been sent out and the RSVPs are slowly starting to trickle in. I finally found jewelry for my bridesmaids and jewelry for myself. I think I'm going to opt out of a necklace and just wear these diamond/pearl drop earrings and this diamond/pearl bracelet instead. They're not REAL diamonds...but they look expensive! The only reason being because my dress has so much detail in the bodice a necklace might take away from it...unless I can find a very dainty single pearl necklace that won't be too long.

I met with the florist! I'm very excited to see how she is going to do everything. She gave me a price quote before but when I met with her we added more stuff...I was thinking it was going to be very expensive but when she gave me the new price I was surprised. It's still a lot of money, but cheaper than the average cost of flowers. And these will be fresh flowers :) Now the question is, do I tip her? How much should I tip? This is her own private business so I don't know...I feel stupid for asking her haha.

We're going to have bows on alternating pews. They will be a dark sheer purple with white and then some random flowers on them. My bouquet will have white calla lilies with a purple center along with purple alstromerias; my bridesmaids will just have the calla lilies. Both will be wrapped with a pretty dark purple ribbon :) We're also going to do some arrangements in the front. I can't wait to see everything! She is also going to do my centerpieces. Awhile ago I posted pictures of those kusudama flowers, which I still love, but that will be too time consuming. Instead, I'm going to do these:

It's called Ting Ting, it's sparkly and can be twisted...and it comes in any color! I requested a dark sparkly purple instead of the silver...and then it will be placed in a vase on a piece of mirrored glass with 2 votive candles like in the picture. We're also going to sprinkle some (fake) purple/ivory flower petals on the tables.

I'm going to alternate with THESE to give the reception hall some depth and dimension. But instead of rocks (which I don't really like anyway lol) we're going to put purple marbles in there and put the same calla lilies that will be used in the bouquets. These will also be on top of mirrored glass. :)

I'm happy that things are finally coming together :) I'm meeting with the organist this Friday to discuss music for the ceremony.

I have to work the next 3 evenings. I feel like crap :( My sinuses are all jacked up and my throat really hurts...and I have really bad cramps on top of it :( Part of me wants to call off (I have 15minutes to decide if I only want 1 point instead of 2!) but I think I'll just suck it up and deal with it, especially since I will not be working at this hospital much longer...I want to continue to make a good impression because that will be so important when I'm being considered for my grown-up nurse job. I do not want my current employer to tell them, "yeah she called off sick" (which I have done maybe TWICE in over a year I have worked there) or telling them I had a no-call, no-show (which I almost had...thank goodness I checked my schedule!) I just wish this crappiness would have happened on my 5 days off, not when I have to go back to work!

Military Monday! and Getting to Know Me!

Here are this week's questions:

1. What inspires you?

My hubby, my mom, my fellow nurses...though I'll admit, there are some nurses out there who shouldn't even be in this profession... -_-

2. What is the last thing you bought yourself?

I bought this dress from Target. I don't know why I like it so much. But I decided to get it, because I always find something that I like, I don't buy it, and then I regret it later. I *might* wear this to E's MPBOLC graduation in April depending on the weather unless I find another dress that I like...or maybe I'll just wear jeans lol.

3. Would you rather watch a movie in a theater or from the comfort of your own home?

I like doing both :)

4. Household chore you don't mind doing?

Lol I hate them all!

5. Coffee or tea?

Coffee!!! I cannot physiologically survive without it. I drink about 4-6 cups/day. I love tea too, but coffee is definitely my favorite.

6. What could you eat every day and not get sick of?

Bananas. I absolutely love them. Sometimes I'll eat 3/day!

7. What's the last book you read?

My ginormous NCLEX binder, which I consider a book in itself! (it's 600 pages!) Right now I'm reading Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen and I really like it so far. I'm also looking for some more book recommendations! ;)

8. Do you think you "look" your age?

Absolutely not. I am 23 and I get mistaken for being 18 a lot...sometimes 16 at work, but I notice that I look a lot younger with hair up (and I HATE wearing it up!) There is at least one patient or family member who tells me:

"you look a little too young to be working here! just how old are you?"

"I'm 23."

"ohhh well you'll be thankful for it later, hunny!"

everytime.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in!

Head over to Wifey's blog to link up!

1. What is your must have gadget? submitted by Flying High With My Flyboy
Oh definitely my phone. It's like my life-line!

2. How does your adulthood compare to what you imagined it would be like when you were a little kid? submitted by L to the Third
When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I loved animals. I still really love animals, but yeah that didn't happen...and now I'm a registered nurse :)

3. What is your favorite chocolate recipe? submitted by Our First Deployment
I don't have one yet.

4. How do you deal with military life when it gets to be to much or to hard? submitted by Combat Boots And Pointe Shoes
I blog, try to stay busy or hang out friends.

5. What piece of advice would you give a new Military spouse facing their first deployment? submitted by The Albrecht Squad
I haven't been through a deployment yet...but I know it's going to come eventually. E & I have been separated a few times before...just keep yourself busy! It will make the time go by much faster and your husband will want to hear about how you went out and did stuff, not about how you sat around at home all day and did nothing. I know we have our good days and our bad days, but things get better with time.

What's your song? Week 5!

Go link up with Goodnight Moon!

This week is Waiting On An Angel by Ben Harper. I just love this song, and I love the lyrics.

Waiting on an angel

One to carry me home

Hope you come to see me soon

Cause I don't want to go alone

I don't want to go alone

Now angel won't you come by me

Angel hear my plea

Take my hand lift me up

So that I can fly with thee

So that I can fly with thee

And I'm waiting on an angel

And I know it won't be long

To find myself a resting place

In my angel's arms

In my angel's arms

So speak kind to a stranger

Cause you'll never know

It just might be an angel come

Knockin' at your door

Knockin' at your door

And I'm waiting on an angel

And I know it won't be long

To find myself a resting place

In my angel's arms

In my angel's arms

Waiting on an angel

One to carry me home

Hope you come to see me soon

Cause I don't want to go alone

I don't want to go alone

Don't want to go

I don't want to go alone

Me on a map.

Right now I live in Akron, Ohio...I'll be moving to Fort Hood, Texas in May!
Ohhhh Akron.

I've lived here for nearly 5 years now. I moved here when I started college; The University of Akron is my alma mater.

There are good parts and bad parts, just like with any city, I think. I happen to live in a better part, but when I lived on campus (which was more like off, it was across the street in these townhouses but they still qualified as "on campus" housing) those parts weren't so great. We would occasionally get e-mails about robberies happening south of campus, people being held at gun point...and I lived south of campus at that time! Recently there was a homicide :( But compared to other cities in the U.S. (like Detroit, and East St. Louis!), Akron is pretty safe.

Akron is the home of LeBron James haha.

Um, there is good food here? haha. Luigi's (local Italian restaurant) is pretty awesome. So is Sakura & Big Eye (both sushi places) and Taste of Bangkok, which has some pretty amazing pho (a type of Vietnamese noodle soup, highly recommend trying if you have not already!)

Akron is the 5th largest city in the state of Ohio.

We're also "The Rubber City" - home of tires haha.

Akron is roughly 45-60 minutes south of Cleveland.

That's pretty much it lol.

I am a REGISTERED NURSE!!

That explains why I've been on a mini hiatus :)

I took my NCLEX on Monday morning and I'm not going to lie, I thought the test was AWFUL. I studied SO MUCH from the time I finished my NCLEX course until the time I took the test, and to me the NCLEX was a mind game! I left the testing center certain that I failed. I wanted to cry.

There is a thing you can do called a Pearson Vue Trick, or PVT. After you take the exam, go home and log into Pearson Vue and try to register for the NCLEX again. There is a "good" pop up and a "bad" pop up. The "good" pop up says something like "Our records state you have recently scheduled this exam. Please contact your board of nursing for further details. Another registration cannot be made at this time." That supposedly means you passed. The "bad" pop up takes you straight to the credit card page, which supposedly means you did not pass. The page has to say "delivery successful" before you can try the trick.

Waiting for it to say "delivery successful" was maybe only about 30min, but it was an agonizing wait. When the status changed, I went into sympathetic nervous system overdrive!!! But I got the good pop-up!! The PVT is said to be 99% accurate, but I still wasn't convinced.

Pearson Vue also gives you your "unofficial" quick results, which are still accurate, 48 hours after you test. The only reason why it is "unofficial" is because Pearson Vue doesn't actually issue the license - the BON does, and sometimes the BON is slow with updating their records. Not all states participate in quick results. Thankfully Texas does. I just got my unofficial results and I passed!!!! I am an RN, FINALLY!!! Those dog days are over ;)

Aside from studying my butt off the NCLEX, I was also busy with some other things as well:

1. I met with some friends from the sorority I used to belong to - they are my "family" (my big, my grandbig, and my twin) and we ate at Rocknes. It was really nice to be able to catch up with them :)

2. Saturday I met with the church pastor to discuss ceremony stuff. I also told him that E and I already got legally married in December, but we decided to keep it quiet from pretty much everyone except for our parents and some friends. I was afraid that would change something, but he said that's fine - he usually has at least one couple/year who does this and they are military :) So that made me feel better! He said they will just make some subtle changes in the actual ceremony, but nothing really noticeable. The vows will sort of be like a renewal (saying that we will CONTINUE to promise, etc etc etc).

3. Mama bear and myself spent Monday addressing, stuffing and stamping all of those invitations. That took FOREVERRR. I never want to do that again. If I have a daughter, I'm telling her she's on her own with her invitations lol (probably not). We mailed them out on Tuesday :)

This Friday I am meeting with my florist at the church to discuss options on decorating, as well as for the bouquets and boutonnieres. I just hope she does not go into anaphylactic shock on me!!

She has a problem, and docs can't figure it out. Between January and now, she has gone into anaphylactic shock at least 11 times and has been in and out of the hospital. They can't isolate the cause. It's so bad that she'll be driving and then she'll stop breathing. My big from my sorority and this girl are best friends which is how I know her. My big was explaining to me that doctors are trying to rule some stuff out...and she couldn't remember what they were trying to rule out, but if it is what the doctors think it is, then this girl probably won't live past 30. She's like my age. We're hoping it isn't that, but regardless, it doesn't seem good. The doctors suspect it is some sort of autoimmune reaction that is causing her to go into anaphylactic shock so many times...it is just so strange.

Some big things I can cross off on my list of shit to do. now I can focus more on wedding planning, as well as working on my resume! And so the job hunt begins!

:)

Absence.

sorry for the lack of blogging...I'll be back soon!!