3 down, 5 to go

Well, Dad says that I don’t update this often enough, and I told him it was because there wasn’t ever anything to say, but I suppose that now that a new semester has started I can talk about that.

Coming back to school was nice. My flight was an hour late, which was a bummer, but not as late as originally thought. I have decided that I really do hate flying, and that it hates me back. Last year I don’t think I had a single delayed flight. This year I don’t think I’ve had a single flight not be delayed. I always try to have a good attitude about flying, especially because I hate it when people start yelling at the ticket agents like it is THEIR fault that the plane is late, but this time I suppose I’d gotten my hopes up a little too much. Brett was nice enough to pick me up from the airport, even though I’m pretty sure he hates driving in Chicago more than I hate flying. Either way, I really appreciated not having a two hour bus ride at the end of a long flight. We got back to Valpo around 11pm Sunday night.

Classes didn’t start until Wednesday, so that gave me some time to spend a fortune at the bookstore and get organized. I think I spend more money on books each semester than some people have the entire time they’ve been at school so far, but I guess that’s just one of the many perks of being a nursing major. It doesn’t help that all nursing textbooks are freaking expensive.

Another perk of being a nursing major is having homework due the first day of class. There should really be a rule against that. Instead of getting to enjoy my last night of freedom like most people, I was stuck doing worksheets and going to bed early for my 7:30am lab. Luckily, the lab was really fun. This semester is when we learn how to do the real nursing stuff- like catheters and different methods of drug administration. There’s no doubt that when I finish this semester I’ll feel like a real nurse. After this we learn a lot more specifics to different fields- psychiatric nursing, pediatrics, OB/GYN, geriatrics… you know the fun stuff. I can already tell that my pharmacology class will be a lot of work, but I’ll feel really smart for having taken it. There are some classes that you take, work hard in, and don’t feel any smarter at the end of the semester- this is not one of them. I decided that is one of the reasons that I like science classes better anyway- I’m always learning something new. After a while, every English and Theology class seems to be the same thing- read this and discuss how it affects you and the world. Not that I don’t enjoy that, because I do, but I don’t always feel like I’m learning. Liz would probably say that’s one of the strengths of English, that it teaches you without you noticing that you're learning.

My microbiology professor (who sounds like an auctioneer when he lectures) has already claimed that his class will be my favorite of the semester, but I’m not really convinced. It’ll be really interesting, but I think I’m going to REALLY like my child and adolescent development class. Professor Hughes is hilarious and I know I’ll like the subject matter. He’s really sarcastic and already admitted that he likes smartasses, so I figure I’ll do just fine there. That class also has some non-nursing majors in it, so it’s one of my last opportunities to interact with normal people. I’m excited.

I guess that’s about all so far. It hasn’t snowed since we got back, and the campus being green is kind of strange. I’ve been taking advantage of the slow start to the semester to do some reading as well. The musical “Wicked” is on a long term run in Chicago, and I figured I’d try to read the book first. It’s not at all what I expected it would be, but it’s kept me entertained, and I’m interested to see where it’s going. I went to church at the chapel this morning which was kind of weird, as always. I just don’t think I’ll ever be fully comfortable in a Lutheran service.

Hope the holiday season treated all of you well!

Love and miss-

My First White Christmas!

This Christmas season didn’t disappoint. I was glad to finally get home after finals and fourteen hours of flying on the 22nd. Whoever is in charge of the academic calendar should have to travel on the days they make the end of the semester because it was hell this year. After stops in Phoenix and Las Vegas, I was ecstatic to see the green carpet of PDX. I feel like I’ve seen my fair share of airports, at least west of the Mississippi and hands down Portland is my favorite. Not just because it’s home, but because it’s has the best customer service, most food choices both in and out of security and the fastest baggage return. If I had to fly in and out of O’Hare or BWI every time, I’d probably fly a lot less.

Anyway, I got to see almost all of my friends right away because my friend Chris hosted a Christmas party, and was nice enough to make sure I would be home for it. Most of the schools on the West Coast finished their terms the week before I did, so they were bragging about being done before me. We’ll see who’s laughing in May when I’m finished a month early and enjoying the sun at Fenway.

Christmas itself was a little strange this year since neither Nate nor Liz was home, but I suppose that’s the way life works nowadays. My birthday was fun and a lot of my friends stopped by to help me celebrate my last year of minordome. (yes, I made that word up) It was really fun to have Liz and Billy out here to help ring in the new year, and just spend some quality time together. I’m headed back out to Maryland in May after I’m done with school and before Dad graduates and I’m hoping to get to see Mrs. DePriest in action- I still haven’t made it to Northern HS.

Thank you to everyone for my gifts- between Christmas and my birthday, I really got everything I asked for and more. Not sure how I’m going to get it back to school with me, but I’ll make it work somehow.

I’m excited to start the new semester, which is full of science classes. Two nursing courses including pharmacology, two biology classes (microbiology and human nutrition) and a psychology class about child and adolescent development mean a lot time spent in labs, but I’ll probably love every minute of it. Everyone at school asks me if I hate nursing yet, and I just don’t see that happening any time soon. This semester also brings the dance concert, A’s baseball (when they play the White Sox) and a trip to Boston to bring it all to a close. I can’t wait to get back to school. Not super excited about the “feels like -3” that I’d be experiencing right now, but I guess I’ll be using all of the winder weather gear I received.

Love and miss-