Sick

So for the past 2 weeks I have been looking foward to today because my entire extended family goes up north to my Aunt and Uncles cottage on a small lake. It is so much fun to see everyone and the food is so delicious! It's fun to sit outside and chat with everyone I haven't seen since Christmas (most likely).

My family has been taking turns getting sick and yesterday was the begining of my turn. I spent the day going from the couch to the bed. I couldn't keep anything down. I was hoping to sleep it off yesterday but today was even worse! I had a fever of 100.2, runny nose, vomiting, headache and extreme fatigue. My fever didn't begin breaking until about an hour ago where it is now holding steady in the 99s. This is not the way I planned on spending memorial day weekend! I just hope I am better by tuesday when I am suppose to go back to work!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Summer is here and its busier than ever!! I have scheduled my NCLEX test for July 1st. This means I have a month to study, study, study!! It is so hard to study when I know it's summer and school is over, but I just need to make it through the next month!! I am working 40 hours a week so I am also tired and don't feel like studying and than you throw in trying to have a social life and there just seems to be too few hours in a day!

Monday night I had a meeting concerning reaching the lost college students in the area where I live. We are working on a program called "cru." I am so excited as we discuss ministry opportunities, it is so exciting to see what the Lord is going to do through this. I a few years ago I was doing it all on my own, now I have a small team of 5 people working to make this happen. It is awesome how the group keeps growing!!

Tomorrow I am going to a graduation party, having something to look foward to at the end of the week always makes it go faster. Also monday is memorial day so that means no work and on Sunday my family goes up north to my aunt and uncles cottage. It is on a small lake and so fun to get the whole family together!

Dreams

While moving I found a paper I wrote in 8th grade about what my life would be like when I was 30, it was an assignment for my language arts class. I still have 8 years before I'm 30 but so much of my dreams and what I thought life would be like has changed. In my paper I wrote that I would be an assistant veterinarian who graduated from UW Madison. I was also married with 3 children and living in my hometown. I also said I was going back to school to become a vet.

When I entered high school my dream changed, my sophomore year I decided that I didn't really like animals as much as I once had and I wanted to be a nurse. I wanted to help people because I care so much about people. Also around this time my grandpa was diagnosed with colon cancer, he spent the next 4 years in and out of hospitals, it was through that experience that confirmed that I wanted to be a nurse. I saw how much the good nurses impacted him and my family and I also so how a bad nurse can change everything. I wanted to be one of the good nurses who made a difference in the life of others. At this point in my life I thought I would go to Bellin College of Nursing and go back to hometown to live and work as a RN in the local hospital.

My parents got married right out of high school and so did my brother so naturally I assumed that this would be the case in my life too. Well friends, I am 22 and a college graduate and have yet to date anyone or ever be in love.

Another majore event happened when I was a sophomore in high school, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. This was something that totally changed my life! (I will write more about this in a later post)

I never went to Bellin College of Nursing, I ended up going to Marian University. My sophomore year of college the dream once again changed. This time it was God calling me to a different path than the one I had for myself and I decided to listen. That year I felt a call towards missions in my life. I also decided to stop looking for my own dreams to come true and search for Gods plan, I decided that nothing else mattered as long as I am serving my Creator, nothing could be better.

So, what's life like now? Well I am one step away from being a RN and am doing everything possible to learn more about missions. I am so excited for that day when I will serve as a missionary nurse in a foreign country but for now I am going to serve where God as placed me......I have stopped trying to figure out the future and am just trying to enjoy the here and now and enjoy everyday the Lord as given me. I still hope to one day be married and have a family but I'm trying not to focus on that dream as much and joyfully accept whatever God has for me. For now I am just using everyday to get to know my God more and allow Him to captivate my heart.

Moving

I spent the last 2 days moving and now I am really tired! This was a unique move because I moved into 2 places, a new apartment and my dads. I signed a lease for an apartment with some friends and moved most of my stuff there however my current summer job is located near my dads house so I am staying with him until I find a job closer to my apartment, I'm looking for a nursing job so I can use that wonderful degree I worked so hard to get! I'm hoping to be fully living in my new apartment within a month, I've already applied for over 40 jobs! (I've got to get one of them, right?). I know that there is a great job out there for me, I'm just praying that it is sooner rather than later!

My summer job starts tomorrow so there was no time to relax. Thankfully tomorrow I don't have to go to work until 8am, all the other days I start at 5:30am! I know, I find it a little crazy too that I spend my summer waking up at 4:30am, its still dark when I leave for work but on the bright side I'm done every day at 2pm and have the afternnon to enjoy myself.

This summer will be so different, for starters I will be spending the next month or so studying up for the NCLEX, the state board nursing test to become a RN. Secondly, I won't have to return to classes in the fall. I don't think this as all sunk in yet!

Well, I am exhausted and still have a little more unpacking to do, although i'm trying to live out of boxes as much as possible so there will be little re-packing to do in the hopefully near future!

Change

Life is changing all the time whether we realize it or not. Sometimes the change is big and other times it may be too small for us to even notice. Yesterday I experienced a BIG change, I graduated from college! All my life I have been going to school, I've been a student. Now its all over, done, good bye school. I graduated with a BSN in nursing. I still have to take the NCLEX before I am a RN (Registered Nurse), right now I am a GN (Graduate Nurse). It still has fully sunk in yet that next year I won't be going to school.

I am currently searching for RN jobs, there are not too many available at this time in the area where I want to work. I have signed a lease for an apartment with 3 others girls who will be Juniors at Marian University. I prayed long and hard about whether or not this was the right choice. By signing a lease, I have commited myself to staying in the area. I am excited for the opportunites this will bring such as; living with my best friend, helping out with the college ministry and much, much more!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This verse has given me much hope and much to look foward to as I begin a new chapter in my life. I am excited and scared for what lies ahead but I know one thing--- I will never go alone, God will always be with me, whatever I do.

Now that I no longer have school, I hope to be able to update this more often! So look for more updates!