Green Valley Lake 
This is my favorite spot to study! There is a picnic table sitting here and it's lovely and peaceful. One of the nicest things about it, is that it's only 2 or 3 miles from where I live! Even on the weekends, it's quiet with few people about other than an occasional quiet fishermen.
Today was church. I have joined the choir. My voice is rusty after many years of little singing, but I'm enjoying it! One of my fellow nursing students is also a member of the church. It's nice to have a little comraderie with someone else close to my own age!
Here is an update on my kids for those of you who want to know!
Stephen called this afternoon and was full of excitement about things he is doing and learning in Marine Combat Training! He's doing well and seems happy and content. For those of you who don't know, Stephen and Marsha are engaged and planning on a wedding in a year or two!
Talked with Jonathan yesterday and he is enjoying his new position in the maintenance department at TSI. It was a promotion and has the added benefit of being just a daytime job rather than the rotating day/night shifts that he had been doing. It's also much safer for which I'm very thankful!
Jessie has a new job, working in the Bakery at Safeway! She's wanted to go into the bakery field for a long time, and is really enjoying it so far.
Zach is in his Junior year at Broomfield HS. He's active in youth groups at Broomfield Presbyterian and Broomfield Community Church. He's intent on going into illustration as a career and trying to figure out how to work some type of ministry into that! Zach and Paul will be moving to Broomfield in the near future as Paul is in the process of purchasing a home there close to the school!
Gary, my "adopted" son is currently working at King Soopers. He is looking at Bible Colleges as he would like to become a minister!
As you can tell, there is lot's going on in my kid's lives as well as mine! God has richly blessed us this year!
Fun things one learns in the first month of nursing school.
- How to wash your hands (there really is a right way to do it!)
- How to put on sterile gloves (and keep them sterile ~ it's harder than you think!)
- How to move someone who can't move themselves (easier than you think)
- How to make beds with and without people in them (Stephen, I can do those military corners now!)
- How to brush someone else's teeth (or dentures)
- How to feed an adult (just like feeding a little one! Open wide!)
- How to give bed baths
Now we get to learn "real" nursing skills like taking vital signs. Looking forward to learning how to use the stethoscope that my fellow childbirth instructors at Boulder Community Hospital got me! We are also moving away from generalities and getting into specifics of care which I'm liking better.
The nursing program I'm taking at Southwestern Community College is a 2 year "ladder" program. That means that in the first year I will get my LPN (licensed practical nurse) and the second year I will get my RN (registered nurse). A number of individuals in my class are only doing the LPN portion, but if I want to work in OB, I need the RN, so I'll stick it out for two years. All the courses will transfer if I decide to go on to a BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) which is still an RN but would make me more eligible for advanced positions.
Thankfully, there are only 2 or 3 tests next week instead of the 4 we had this week. Nice to have a bit of a break before the first week of October. It's a doozy with 5 tests if I counted correctly! Lots of memorization and more math :( Study study study!
Whoo Hoo! This has been a great week as far as tests go! I got an A on my unit Anatomy and Physiology test and an A on my Pharmacology test (which was all math - my most dreaded subject!) and an A on my last Nursing Fundamentals test! Today we had group presentations in Fundamentals. Our group presented on bed positions and why they are used and on making beds. Not a thrilling subject but I was able to put together some stunning posters on the bed positions which got high marks from the instructor! Have another Fundamentals test on Friday so better get to studying!
Here is the first post in my new weblog. Hoping that this will be a good way to keep all who are interested up to date on the progress of my dream to become an RN! This has been a journey of faith, of courage, and the grace of God. My heart sings with joy and wonderment at the enormous amount of encouragement and support I have received as I pursue this dream. Thank you all, from the depths of my heart and soul!
The history of my dream began way back, when I first got pregnant with Jonathan. I became enraptured with the miracle of pregnancy and birth. By the time Jessie was born, I knew I wanted to be more involved with it. By 1983, God had led me to working with single women in crisis pregnancy situations through Mother House in Boulder. Through labor coaching and teaching childbirth classes for Mother House, I knew I wanted to do more and the dream of someday being a midwife was born. By 1987, our family included 4 children and those dreams were set aside and I focused on raising my children and staying involved with birthing though teaching and labor coaching.
Through the wonderful mentoring of Helen, I pursued and recieved certification as a childbirth educator in 1986 through ICEA (International Childbirth Education Association). In 1987, I began teaching classes at Boulder Community Hospital and taught there until Spring 2004. In addition, I taught for the Boulder County Health Department from 1990 through 1995. From 1998 through 2002 I taught about labor and delivery in the health classes for Horizon High School in Thornton and for New Vista High School in Boulder. I recently counted the registration forms for all the parents in my classes through the years and found that I had taught over 3000 families! Wow!
In 1987, I was given the opportunity to act as the Colorado Coordinator for ICEA which I did through 1990 I also worked with ICEA on various conventions and committees from time to time. It was also my priviledge to evaluate a number of ICEA Teacher Certification Candidates over the years.
Through all of this, I've never lost my passion for the intricate and amazing process of birth. It holds just as much awe for me today as it did when I was priviledged to participate in the first birth I ever saw other than my own, that of my niece Elizabeth. So, after many other jobs which I've alternately enjoyed, despised and struggled through, the dream of being a midwife arose again.
As being a midwife requires at least 6 years of college, I knew that I had to break it down into smaller pieces. The first step is to get my LPN license. Then my RN license. Then I will most likely work as an RN on a labor and delivery or Mom/Baby unit. At that time, I'll make a decision on whether or not to pursue a BSN and then take the steps towards becoming a CNM or certified Nurse Midwife. I'm excited to be on the road to my dream after a long detour!
For right now, I'm just beginning down the road to getting the LPN license. I'm attending school at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. I chose SWCC as they have a quality program, a high rate of passing on the nursing boards and a low enough cost of living that I can afford to go to school full time and not have to work with the amount of savings I have. It's also on the Amtrak line from Denver and Chicago which is a convenient way for the kids to come visit and it's within a long day's drive of Colorado should I need to get back there quickly for any reason. I also have cousins who live a little over an hour away.
I need to add that without the grace of God, who has seen me through each and every step of this journey so far, I would not be here. I have seen miracles happen in the past two years, from the moment I prayed for God to show me my "gift" so that I might better serve him, to the day I sat in the park in Creston, Iowa in tears because I couldn't find a place to live. Over and over, I struggled with steps along the way and God would say to me, "Pray to me. Give it over to me. Let me handle it." The moment I would hand it over to him, it would be taken care of. Over and over again without fail! What a journey of learning to trust in Him and letting Him lead my life! What an incredible adventure it has been! Truely, through the ups and downs and unexpected events, this has been the best year of my life!
