Hm....

Sooo...its a Saturday, and what am I doing? Staying in and studying. Booo! Two tests on Monday, one in patho/pharm and one in med-surg. I've been trying to study all day, and my brain is just ready to explode. Yikes! So in between my studying I've been talking long breaks to look at some blogs and different things online. Wayyy to distracting, but I've been discovering lots of new things:

1. My love for all things distressed. I've always liked this style of furniture, but the more I see it, the more I fall in love. I could never picture decorating an entire house with it, I think it would be a little bit too beachy/relaxed for me, but it could definately work for certain rooms. Bedrooms are my fav, but I keep seeing distressed china cabinets that I love. I found this picture online for a bathroom, how perfect is that cabinet?! I prefer more all white distressing, this has some green/blue paint, but I love the idea of it. I have decided that this summer, when school is finally over, I am going to learn how to distress furniture!! Wooo! I plan on finding something at a garage sale to start with, so that way it is not a big deal if I don't like how it turns out. So for now, I'm looking up different techniques of what to do!!

2. Quilts. I've been wanting a quilt for FOREVER, I think they are so beautiful. Right now, I really have no place for one though. My room at home has bedding that matches the rest of the room, and the room in my apartment does not deserve a quilt because I would probably ruin it with pen and highlighter and food, because I live in my bed during school. So, I'm left dreaming for one when I have my own future apartment.... I spent forever looking on Etsy the other night at some of the beautiful quilts people have created, and just fell in love. I recently saw one in a magazine that I wanted terribly, but for the life of me I cannot remember the maganize!! Don't you just hate when that happens?! Here's the one I love on Etsy, and its only $60. Not big enough for an entire bed, but it would look beautiful as a throw!! Hint hint boyfriend...It's almost valentine's day. :)

Image via

3. Fleece Sheets. So in has gotten to be quite chilly in the good 'ole Windy City lately, and let me tell you, I am not a fan! My apartment is freezing and the three big windows in my room do not help. I keep my space heater on all the time, and still...freezing. So for those of you who haven't discovered fleece sheets, GO GET SOME!! They are soo snuggly and warm, perfect for these freezing cold winter nights. My aunt got my a chocolate brown set this year, and I'm now a fleece sheet convert. The only problem is, when morning comes, I do not want to get out of their snuggly warmth.

Wouldn't you just love to crawl into this bed every night?

Well, that is all for tonight I guess. I hope everyone is having a more exciting Saturday then I am. It's back to the books, lets keep those fingers crossed for an A!

Clinicals, Day 1

So...it was back to clinicals today. I'm not gonna lie, it was nice having a break from them during winter vacation, and it was hard having to get up at 5:30 this morning to start going back. BUT, I managed to force myself into bed around 12:30, and after a restless night of sleep (because I am paranoid that my alarm is not going to go off, so I wake up all throughout the night), I made it up and out the door by 6:15. Yuck. Clinicals this semester are at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and what a hospital it is. If you live in the Chicagoland area and need any sort of surgery/medical procedure done...that is your place to be. All private patient rooms, state of the art everything...its wonderful.

I had a stresfull day today though. Our computer login's wouldn't work, so we basically spent the first hour of the morning standing in the hallway like lost children trying to figure out where to go and what to do. I've never felt like more of a student who knows nothing before. Finally, we were able to get started, and the day went by fairly quickly from that point on. Bed bath, hanging IVs, vital signs, assessments, medications...the usual for a nursing student. The biggest suprise of the day was that I was told my patient was a man...and when I walked into the room, there was a woman patient sitting in the chair! Oops, looks like a little mix-up by the instructor.

I forgot how uterly exhausted being in clinicals makes you. My friend said that other day that each time we go to clinicals is like starting a new job, and the more I think about it, the more I see how right she is. It's very stressful to feel like you don't really know what you're doing, I just feel so out of place sometimes. But we are learning a lot, and it is something that will definately become more comfortable in the future. Also, how many nurses are with just one patient for the entire day? ZERO!! So having only one patient can make for a long day sometimes, I think my patient was as worn out as I was by the end of my shift.

Highlight of my day... my patient saying that she "didn't order any nurses." She didn't understand why we were there, she simply didn't order us. I forgot hospitals are becoming the new restaurants...

:)

All in all...it was a good day. Now its time to start on the dreaded clinical paperwork, when all I really want to do is curl up in bed and sleep. Grey's and Private Practice is on tonight, might have to be my excuse for not getting everything done. We're back tomorrow morning bright and early again...and then its the weekend. Let's just say, I can't wait!

Things to Do...

Today is my day off from school, and let me tell you, I love having Wednesdays off. I have a list of things to do...make a new "professional" email account, learn my stack of patho notecards among other homework, and create a blog. I have been reading several blogs lately and fallen in love with reading them. People amaze me with their creativity and their wit. So, here is my shot...

My name is Erin, and I'm a 20-year old nursing student living in Chicago. My day is filled up with up with school and studying... Luckily, I have only 1.5 more years of school, and I'm free!! Nursing school has been way harder than I ever expected it do be, but I do find myself actually enjoying it from time to time. I'm so looking forward to doing the labor/delivery and mother/baby rotation, because this is where I want to start my career. 7 more weeks, and I'll finally be there!

Anyways, I think that blogs are a fun way to express your creative ideas and show other people what you are thinking. I don't really know many people who have blogs, so I probably won't have any followers, but I think it will be fun to do anyways. Let's see if I can keep it up amidst school and studying. We'll see... :)