Sick of Being Sick!

Last Tuesday I managed to catch the worst cold I've had in years. Congestion, sinus pressure, nonstop runny nose. Even two days of nausea and vomiting at night - and I never throw-up! Brandon was a good nurse though. He bought me soup, gatorade, 7-Up and rice krispie treats.

I still don't think I'm quite right. It's been tough at work. Almost every tech has the sniffles, so at least we're in it together. Some patients have commented on my sniffles... so embarrassing. But, I'm really careful about washing my hands and using sanitizer after blowing my nose.

Ugh, then I had to take an exam yesterday. I was the sniffling kid. I'm taking Anatomy part 2 this semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My class has 10 students. Smallest class ever. And our teacher is so perky! She teaches it like a high school class, so I think I'm going to ace it.

Can it be Spring yet?!

Monday Message

First of all thank you to everyone who made my 25th birthday special! With so many of my friends and family spread out around the country it was awesome to get all your birthday gifts and wishes. You will be seeing a recap of many of them very soon!

Unfortunately, I have a test this afternoon in Microbio on microbioal metabolism, the control of microbial growth and viruses, viroids and prions - fun stuff!

So, I will leave you with the scene I came home to one night last week:

What is THAT on my door?

Frogs like me.

Body Parts

The problem with having Anatomy & Physiology once a week is that you might have a quiz and a test on the same day ... like tonight... and then we had lab afterwards! I've never seen someone write on a chalkboard so much:

Things to learn for the Lab Practical

How old do you think these slides are?!

"Skin, Negro"

So earlier today I think a patient was flirting with me... until he told me I looked like the daughter from Mrs. Doubtfire:

Source

Haha! Good night folks.

School has been keeping me very busy:

Tissues

Check out my guest post over on the CKI Alumni Blog. I also have some stories to share from the Murphysboro Apple Festival. Stay tuned!

Blood & Country Music

I had to work on Saturday. Actually, I was sent to class. A bunch of the techs from Marion Eye Center were sent to John A Logan to take Introduction to Phlebotomy. The course went from 9-4:30. While it was a long day, it was very informative and will prove useful in my career in healthcare.

We learned how to tie the tourniquet, palpitate for the veins, insert and remove the needle. Not as hard as you would think, but definitely not for everyone. We practiced on some dummy arms filled with water and then on our fellow classmates. I was able to draw blood on my second try. Our teacher, Van Hendrickson, was very informative and calm when we poked him in the arm :)

On our lunch break, many of us went to Arturo's Mexican Grill in Carterville. We had the lunch buffet which was a good deal for just $7.00.

When I got home, I found out that the plans for the evening were to go to the Williamson County Fair for the LoCash Cowboys concert. This was the first night of the fair. Can you believe it has been occurring annually for 155 years?! We went with Brandon's parents and his niece Kayla. We were able to get into the concert for free because Nancy is the childhood friend of Juli Ingram aka "Honey" from Z100's morning show Nut 'n Honey. Her son Ryan was going to be playing drums in the opening act Jared Thomas and the Vagabonds. Listen to their music on facebook.  They gave a good performance and the crowd seemed to be into them.

LoCash Cowboys followed them with lots of energy and excitement. They shot off red, white and blue confetti! But their loud base started shaking Nancy and we decided it was time to go, lol!

First (and Last) Day of School

As you know, I've been anticipating the start of summer school. Wondering how I was going to manage all the hours of class and homework. Turns out I will have one less class to worry about.

I showed up to Anatomy today 10 minutes before 6pm. Only 2 other girls entered the classroom. As 6 o'clock hit we all looked at each other and asked, "Are we in the right place?" Turns out we didn't get the notice that the class was canceled. Bummer!

 

So I headed home never to return again! Haha, but really... this leaves me with just one class that is completely online. Maybe next semester.

Summer School

Today I headed to Carterville on my lunch break to pick up textbooks for my summer classes.

$480 for 3 books, wahhh

I forgot how expensive textbooks are... sigh... I'll be taking Anatomy & Physiology (with lab) 3 days a week and Genetics online. I'll be working my full time job and studying at night with the goal of becoming a more competitive PA school applicant. Wish me luck! Classes start Monday!

Guess who got into college?!

When I got home I had this letter waiting for me:

I've been accepted to John A Logan Community College! I'll be taking some classes this summer and fall to strengthen my applications to Physician Assistant programs. This summer, the plan is to start with Anatomy & Physiology and Genetics. I hope I can do it! I'm not gonna have any free time, as I'll work my full time job from 7:30-4:30 and take night classes 3 times a week.  The school is located in Carterville which is a twenty minute drive from home. As a resident of the school district, classes are $92/credit - very affordable! But, I can't forget textbooks which can get pricey.

Tonight was also a Kiwanis meeting. Check out the agenda:

Our Club President is a Catholic priest, can you tell? I left Kiwanis early for Zumba. So glad I went! The group was in a really good mood and so Joann got creative and had us split into teams and create our own routines. Then we battled it out on the dance floor :-)

What's making you smile today?