First and foremost, I need to bring attention to the fact that there has been a recent addition to "my" family......
.... meet CHARLIE! I adopted him from an animal shelter in LA last week, and he is the perfect dog for me. He is a 2-year-old Miniature Pinscher, and has been the greatest "best friend" I could ask for. Such a great little personality, and I have had so much fun getting to know him! He's been an outdoor dog, so I'm working on discipline and training, but thankfully he is house-broken.... no accidents in the house (yet.... *knock on wood*). He's been my little shadow, but I'm slowly working on the socialization process and getting him used to being at home alone, in order to reduce his separation anxiety. It's been an incredible learning experience for me, and I'm grateful for this opportunity to include the needs of another in my daily plans. For so long I have only had to worry about my schedule and needs, and this is a completely new experience for me, and definitely one that I need to get used to! He's very active, so I'm excited to explore the neighborhood with him on walks and, eventually, hikes in the canyons. I've been looking forward to the day that I would have my own dog, and it was well-worth the long wait! :)
Aside from that exciting news, I am still studying and preparing to take the NCLEX (nursing boards) sometime within the next month. The longer I sit and stare at my books, the more anxious I get, but I'm hoping (and praying) that this time studying will pay off. Not that I have any job to rush off to... unfortunately I have been met with many dead-ends and "wait and see" responses, so I'm still on the hunt. I don't want to let up my desire to work in maternal/newborn health care to find a position on a med/surg unit, so I'm going to find part-time work in a non-nursing related job until I find an opening somewhere. I have faith that something will open up if I patiently wait. In the midst of this search, however, I have made a very big decision: I plan to enter graduate school in June of next year! Well, that is if I am accepted. I know what I want to do, and I feel confident in my knowledge and skills to begin the road to my master's degree without spending another year working before I do so. Besides, if I wait, who knows what life will throw at me, and will I really be able to start in a couple years? I'd rather just start the program now and get it all over with, graduate, and be "Dr. NEWMAN" -- yes, it is a doctoral program.... so I will have my Doctorate in Nurse Practitioning (DNP) and I will be a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) after the 3-year program. Meaning... I will graduate and FINALLY be done with school at the ripe YOUNG age of 30.... :) haha. I can't even believe it.... me? 30?! But I know it is the best option for me, and I'm excited to get started!! I have a meeting with the program director next week, so I'm crossing my fingers that things go well before I begin the application process. As much as I try to plan, my life has proven to be quite unpredictable... so I've learned to roll with it, and I'm ready for this new direction my life has taken. Trust in the Lord... that's all I have to do, and I know that it will all work out as planned :)
Without sharing all the "boring" details of my trip to California, I will say that I am SO grateful to be back on the West Coast! I definitely belong out here, and I am so happy to be so "close" to my family and friends. It was so great to see everyone and enjoy time basking in the sun on the beach.... but now I feel that I have been re-charged and given the extra boost I needed to kick-start my life here in Salt Lake. So here goes nothing.......!!
