Maybe it is a sign...

So, I was going to run with my running club tonight, but I accidentally left my PT bag at school today... Argh! Oh well, maybe I'll catch them on Saturday for the long run. Anyhow, my cardiac exam did not go as well as I had hoped, but I think I still managed to get one of the highest scores, so I am happy. Since I wrote last, we had our Pediatric exam, and I kicked some serious butt... Yeah! For those that don't know me that well, I am a tad competitive and I tend to be very tenatious to acheive my goals... Ha-ha. I am sure that you are all chuckling to yourselves at that last remark Mom, Dad and Auntie B...

Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it out to any of the Smithsonian museums this past weekend, but I am determined to get out and see one this weekend! I will have to be very judicious about studying tomorrow and Saturday, so that I can play a little bit on Sunday. I was thinking about going to the American Art Museum, or Renwick Gallery down by the White House... We shall see. I am saving the National Air and Space Museum for when Geoff comes to visit, since I think he would dig it, being a pilot and all. Actually, visiting the Air and Space museum kills two birds with one stone, since some of the collections from the American History Museum are there during renovation. I can't wait for that one! They have Dorothy's Ruby slippers on display, plus Abraham Lincoln's top hat, Custer's buckskin coat, and Kermit the Frog!

I am really missing Will right now... He is busy getting ready to move again, and won't have any sort of internet connectivity, so I am hoping for a letter every so often. He has been deployed for four months now, so we have eleven to go, and only eight months until he comes home on leave. I guess it has made me sort of down lately... I was hoping that the nursing course that I am doing right now would help keep my mind off of it, but it really hasn't. However, it does make the days go fast, which is about the best thing I could ask for right now. Although, having little Jinx here helps, she always makes me smile and laugh, because she is so cute and funny. She was sleeping under the covers by herself the other day and just looked like a little princess, so I had to capture it in digital media... On the subject of random photos... I don't know why I felt compelled to take a photo out of my window the other night, but I thought it just looked so cool with the moon where it was and the fact that I could see it so well because I am on the fifth floor. So here it is...

I guess that is about it for now... I have a paper that I need to start working on in order to continue my bid for Distinguished Honor Graduate of my class... Ha-ha.

66H8A (in training) out...

18 degrees this morning...

So, it is officially cold here! I experienced my first snowfall here in DC a few days ago and it was beautiful! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me at school and by the time I got home, it was raining and nearly all the snow had melted. Boo-hoo on nature!

I know that you are all dying to know how school is going for me, so here goes! As I mentioned to a friend of mine that I use to work with, I began my bid for class domination with the highest score on the first exam... Oh yeah! We have our second test tomorrow on the cardiac system, hemodynamic monitoring, the 12-lead electrocardiogram and cardiovascular drugs. I have A LOT of studying to do today!!

The one feature I feel that need to revive in my blog is the quote of the day... We had an awesome guest-lecturer at the begining of the week on the cardiac conduction system and he provided me with a gem of a quote!

Quote of the day (Monday): MAJ Price, AN - "PEA (pulseless electrical activity) works great if you want to die..." I just about laughed out loud because of the way he said it, it was so funny. For those of you who are unaware of what PEA is, it is when a patient's heart is generating some sort of electrical impulse (that you can see on the cardiac monitor), but it is not strong enough to actually make the heart beat, so if you check their pulse, they don't have one. Sort of strange, and REALLY bad if you are just treating the monitor and not the patient!

On to the rest of the week... My friends Niki and Janston stopped through DC on the way to go skiing for the long weekend, so we hopped on the metro and went to the National Museum of Natural History on the Mall and peeked around for a bit. We saw an awesome wildlife photography exhibit, lots of animals and the Hope Diamond. It is absolutely breathtaking and blue, for those that don't know. Just a picture or two for your enjoyment! Ha-ha, I just realized the angle of the skeleton photo is awesome! Like the skeleton is looking right at Niki as she took the picture... Good camera work girl! I couldn't help but take a picture of the dingo... "Maybe the dingo ate your baby!" Oh, too funny... Anyhow, after we closed the museum down, we hopped back on the metro and headed to Buca di Beppo for dinner. I am so excited... I live less than a mile from the Buca here in DC! I have a feeling that more often than not, there will be Buca leftovers in my fridge! Sweet!

Well, other than studying here and there this weekend, that is about it for now... I am off to hit the books!

66H8A (in training) out...

The fun begins...

So, I am getting settled in here in DC and I just started the Critical Care Nursing Course here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and I have the distinct feeling that it will be the most challenging 14 weeks of my life. It is like drinking from the firehose of knowledge and spitting it back out on a test every week for the first six weeks. Then, we move onto clinical for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week... Not to mention the 3-4 hours of preparation each night for clinical the next day. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there, we need to fit PT in too. Ha-ha!

For a bit of socialization and exercise, I joined the DC Roadrunners and I am going to try to run with them a few days a week. I figured that I would need a little diversion so that I won't go totally crazy! Along with the DC Roadrunners, I have a few friends here to keep me sane as well, one of which just finished the course in mid-December, so she can empathize with me fairly well. Ha-ha. Thanks Erin! We actually went out to dinner the other night and caught up on what has been happening in our lives since Officer Basic Course. And both of our lives have changed tremendously!

I rented a furnished apartment in DC that is in a very up-and-coming neighborhood, with a Starbucks on every corner and lots of bars and restaurants... Perfect for a girl who likes the nightlife and studying at Starbucks. Jinx loves being here and adores not having to share a living space with anyone but me... She is such a princess, I swear! Here is the view from my apartment, nothing spectacular, but definitely different from my apartment in Georgia! It isn't as big as my old apartment, but it is definitely liveable for the next few months. The big challenge is going to be finding somewhere to live in Hawaii!

Well, I must get back to studying, I have my first test tomorrow, and I want to do well! It is considered bad form to bolo the first test and really doesn't make a good impression on the instructors... And for those of you that know me fairly well, know that I don't tolerate poor performance from myself! Ha-ha.

Until next time!

66H8A (in training) out...

A new chapter begins...

As most of you know, I made the difficult decision to pack up my life and leave my friends in Columbus, GA and move to our nation's capital... Washington DC. I am starting the Critical Care Nursing Course tomorrow, and am a little nervous to say the least. Driving around here is a huge challenge and it will be interesting to see if I can find my way back to the hospital tomorrow morning! Ha-ha.

My trip up here was largely uneventful... Jinx surprisingly did fairly well in the car. I am very proud of her! The first day of driving ended in Chapel Hill, NC and I stayed with my cousin, Emily and her boyfriend Josh. Jinx found a nice spot in the back of the couch to hide out in via a rip in the fabric... Ha-ha. The next morning, we headed out again with Dumfries, VA as our next destination for the day. In Dumfries, I stayed with my cousin Jim, his wife Rhonda and their four children. I had to board Jinx for a day, then retrieve her on Saturday and she stayed in the garage until we took off on Sunday. I think riding in the car was less stressful than when we actually stopped for the day. I felt so bad for her, because she was so scared when we would get out of the car and stay somewhere new. She is still adjusting to the new apartment as well, but things will be back to "normal" soon for her. Just a few photos from my trip... Just in case some of you have never experienced the Southern, or Northern Carolina, or Virginia state lines. They were all new for me, so I had to document them! Ha-ha. I am a dork, and yes, I am already aware of this fact!

Well, I am off to bed, so that I can be at least semi-fresh for the first day of class... Yikes, it is back to school for me! Wish me luck, I might actually need some for this new chapter in my Army adventure!

66H8A (in training) out...