It is done!

The hardest goodbyes have been said... I finished work on Friday, and walked out of Tatum Court for the last time as an employee. I'm sure I'll be visiting some this summer... but as a student and employee, I am officially done.

My coworkers and friends could not have done a better job making the day memorable and as fun as possible. The baby even came up at the end of the day to lighten the mood :). I love you all sooo much and you know I have a second bedroom in Jxn, so you better come recruiting up north! Ha!

I took off for home the following day, and I'm settling in to a routine of no routine. It's the first Sunday night in a long time that I haven't truly dreaded Monday. I do have an eye doctor appt AND dentist appt (ICK! Nicole, hurry up and start/finish dental school!) tomorrow though. If the dentist finds anything, he's gonna do fillings while I'm there hopefully. I may have to go back one more time.

Wednesday I'm getting my hair done - and for those of you who've only known me in college, it may look a little weird... but I'm going back dark (almost natural) since I won't have time to keep it up in med school and I think it looks awful growing out. Oh yeah, I'm chopping it off too...

Then this weekend is the big going-away bash! It's mainly family and family friends, so there won't be any tears there - I know I'll be seeing all those people again it just may be a little while. We may make a visit up to J-town to secure the apartment as well.

It's getting closer... and I'm getting excited. Here we go!

Last week

Last week of work. It's bittersweet- the long weekend totally ruined me and made me look forward to the sleeping in days, but of course I'm going to miss everyone here. Seems like forever ago and just yesterday that I got the news I was accepted and decided on May 29th as my last day of work.

I'm so excited to get moved and settled in to a routine. Looking forward to spending my days in the lecture halls, and really looking forward to being in the hospital/clinic again. In post-bacc and master's work, there were times I felt l couldn't do any more. Those days, I shadowed or volunteered.. found a place where I was needed, made a difference, and remembered the reason for all the work. It never failed, the next morning I was good to go again. To touch just one child is to make a difference - to touch so many is something I stand in awe at. I saw one of the kids I assisted on in the NICU last summer recently - she's a bright, happy, healthy one year old that is doing so well. It's amazing to see miracles in action.

Work is busy so far this week, which is good. The days and goodbyes won't drag.

Please keep me in prayer this week as I get ready to say my goodbyes/see-you-laters to a world I've become so accustomed to over the past six years. Also please be in prayer for a special little boy who is fighting for his life in the Batson PICU. I've grown to love him through his blog alone, and I can only imagine the wonderful person he truly is. I'm sure his family would appreciate any extra prayers you guys can afford to him.

Buddy List!

The buddy list came out today - it was our first chance to actually get a complete class roster to look at, see where everyone was from, and find out who our M2 buddy was. It's one step closer to August 4th!

Of course, being the overachiever that I am, I already "aggravated" my buddy. Hopefully she's on a nice vacation somewhere, celebrating finishing M1 year, and won't be bothered by my trivial email for a couple weeks, ha. I just got so excited with the new info that I couldn't help myself from dropping an email.

Watching the Dancing with the Stars finale and hoping Shawn Johnson wins, although the sexy French guy is pretty amazing too. I miss my gymnastics days so much. Shawn is just so cute! Her artistry reminds me a lot of myself in gymnastics years ago (of course I wasn't that good... haha).

I finished my read-through of Lippincott's Biochem today. Yay! Probably didn't learn much, but it didn't hurt at all. I can't believe I've only got 7 days left of work. Ready or not, here it comes...

Life in the Arctic..

As I look to my final two weeks at WCU, I can't help but think of all the fun outfits I'll be able to wear and things I'll be able to do when the constant environmental temperature is above 65. Yesterday, we started out at 57.8 degrees and warmed up to slightly above 60. When I got home last night, after my 30 minute drive (in the 90 degree heat, with no air on, mind you) my internal temperature was 96.8. Almost two full degrees below normal. That's pitiful.

Today, I came prepared with an additional sweatshirt and my heating pad. We're sitting in the mid-sixties right now, so it's not as bad as yesterday... but I'm prepared!

I'm also looking forward to getting some extra sleep this summer- something I haven't done in a very long time and probably won't do again for even longer. The anxiety is settling in a little, but so is the excitement.

As far as work goes, awards week is going decent. Monday wasn't bad at all - and after tomorrow, I'm completely done with ceremonies. I actually have a morning AND night tomorrow. I'm feeling a little under the weather and hoping I'm not getting sick - but the office temperature makes me think a cold may be immenent.

And even though I'm not supposed to pre-study, I've made it almost all the way through Lippincott's Biochem and most of Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy. I by no means get it all, but I've understood more than I thought possible... at least it won't all be a foreign language on first day.

Tonight is the Grey's season finale... two hour special! It's pizza night at my house so that all the attention can be on the television. Will Izzie die (possibly)? Will George join the military (I think so)? Will Derek & Meredith (finally) tie the knot (I doubt it)? Will we be left hanging in the way we were when Private Practice reached the end of its season? Ah, the possibilities...

Happy Mother's Day to My Mom

Happy Mother's Day... to my mom and all of you out there who are moms, surrogate moms, or any other inspirational woman in my life... I love you all. We had a great, quiet weekend and mom had a really good day.

I have completed all of the preliminary financial aid paperwork and it is signed and sealed. Also applied for my MPN today. It is fabulously easy to borrow money for med school... almost scary how easy it is.

The rest of the checklist is:
-Last shots due 6/1
-TB test/physical form June
-Dentist & Eye Doc - 6/1 & 6/2 (I'm going to 24 hour contacts for convenience on dry-eye days)
-Hair Appt - 6/3
-Family/friend going away party - 6/6
-Move 7/3

One of the doctors that helped a lot with my shadowing, letters, and overall encouragement during this journey so far is going to stop by the party for a little while... that means a lot to me.

This is going to be a busy, busy week at work. Award Ceremony Hell, some may call it. I'm only covering three this week (one tomorrow night, two on Friday) but all of the recruiters have one behind the other. In addition, finals finish up Monday and Tuesday, so there are more goodbyes to be said this week. The summer work studies are off, preparing for and taking finals, so I'll be covering tours this week too (and reverting to my undergrad days... sigh). And V (my coworker's daughter) has her chemistry final in high school next week, and the crazy teacher is giving a test THIS week as well... so I'm tutoring Monday. A classic case of crazy teacher who probably is really smart but can't explain anything... I'm no teacher, but she's really smart and picks up quickly when we go over things. He must be THAT bad, because I know I'm not THAT good.

I hope everyone has a fabulous week! Hang in there all of you newly minted M3 step-studiers :)

The end of an era...

Last night was the final night of my final class at Carey. It was a bittersweet night. I was glad to be done, but at the same time I was sad to be at the end of a road I've traveled for so long. I didn't get melancholy when I finished my undergrad because I knew I was returning for post-bacc and master's work. This time, it's real. And real is scary.

I'm excited and terrfied. I can't wait to get started, but jumping into the unknown is frightening. I'll feel a lot better once I get settled and get started. Leaving is the hardest part.

I've never been good at goodbyes, and I guess I never will be.

Welcome to the world of debt...

My financial aid package arrived on Wednesday. It actually is quite promising. My loans are all Federal, so the interest rates are good - I won't need any alternative loans or PLUS loans. Plus there's some scholarship money in there which helps a lot.

It's a solid investment, but debt scares the heck out of me. I know I've been blessed to keep out of it this long. Here goes a new horizon - as I sign my life away :)

In other news, today is the last Preview Day I'll be a part of at WCU. I'm actually in the office instead of in the middle of it, which is probably a good thing. I get sort of sentimental over these things. Today marks my 8th one, and it's really odd knowing I won't be here in July for the next one.

God's walking beside me and leading the way. I know I'm doing the right thing. I just wish leaving didn't have to hurt so bad.