Highlights of 2011

2011 was a really busy year and it has changed my life completely.  It's hard to even believe all the things that have happened in just a year.  Actually I didn't even realize how much had changed until I started thinking about what I was doing in each month:

January-I began my last semester of nursing school (at least I thought so).  I only had to take one class which was very nice.  Our teacher went around the classroom the first day of class and asked us each specifically about our work experience and job prospects, when I stated that I was a cashier and had not worked as a CNA but was looking for LPN jobs I was told that it was going to be very hard if not impossible for me to get a job as an RN.  Steve and I were dating, but just having fun at this point, but we were and still are very good at just having fun.

February-I was still working on school and getting very excited to do my preceptorship at Ogden Regional.  I was working almost full time at Smith and Edward's.  Valentine's Day was so much fun this year and for once I had a for real valentine.  Steve and I walked around Willard Bay on Valentine's and listened to the ice cracking.  It was beautiful and really cool.  Right around Valentine's we talked about when we might want to get married and I said that I wanted to get married during the Summer.  We kind of started making plans for that and it was very fun and exciting.

March-I got to start my preceptorship at Ogden Regional in the Family Birthplace.  I had the most amazing preceptor and learned tons and decided that I would really love to work in this unit someday.  I think Steve was almost done with his EMT and Fire classes at this point and I really looked forward to when those where over.  We only got to spend weekends together because of our work and school schedules.  I also found an engagement ring that I really liked at about this time.

April-We got engaged and I finished my preceptorship.  It was really sad to be done with my preceptorship and to not be able to play nurse everyday.  It was so nice to be able to tell people that we were getting married and to pick a date and really start making plans.  My dad actually accidentally called to congratulate me right before we got engaged, which was really funny.  That kind of took the surprise out of Steve proposing, the little bit of surprise that was still left ha ha.  I also graduated in April.  It was amazing to see all of the other nursing students graduating too.  I sat with the girls I went to Ecuador with and we got to catch up a bit.  It was crazy how many nurses there were graduating and we realized that we had a lot of competition for jobs.  Also in April I was applying to every nursing job I could find and getting a rejection e-mail every other day.  Steve was also getting ready to go to Peru with his family.

May-I signed up to take the NCLEX and took the most important test of my life.  That test made me feel so stupid, I was sure I had failed it.  I started house sitting for Steve's family and found out I passed the NCLEX.  I finally got a job interview for a nursing position.  I went down to Salt Lake to interview on my Birthday and got the job.

June-I started working as an RN down in Salt Lake.  I worked nights, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  It was really hard and really scary at first.  I got to know some amazing CNA's, patients, nurses and respiratory therapists.  Steve and his family were back from Peru and Steve and I worked a lot trying to get everything planned for our wedding.  I had to quit Smith and Edwards, because I couldn't keep up with two jobs and planning a wedding.

July-We got to clean our rental house and I got to see it for the first time.  It had a lot more space than I expected.  We started moving our stuff in and then after we got married the rest of it got dumped in their and it was quite the task to get it all organized.  I went through the temple and then got to go again when Shaylee went through the next week.  Our wedding day finally came (whether everything was done or not) and it was amazing.  :)  There were a few things that weren't quite as we'd planned (we forgot to take Steve's ring to Draper with us and my sister accidentally drove off with my dress right before the reception) but overall it was a great day.  We flew down to Cabo San Lucas and had a great time in San Jose Del Cabo for our honeymoon.

August-Shaylee and Luke got married right after we got back, so we helped as much as we could.  Steve got to go to a brush fire on the mountain above North Ogden.  I started my BSN degree classes.  Going to school full time and working full time was very stressful and many times I said how much I hated school and wanted to just be done.  Many times I wished I hadn't enrolled in the bachelor's program.

September-I think we finally got the house all organized and put together by now.  Steve was and is awesome, he not only did all of the yardwork but also did (and still does) almost all of our laundry and a good part of the dishes.  He also started working for Petzl again at about this time.  I got switched to Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights and started going to the football games with Steve when the fire department was there.

October-We finally found a pumpkin patch were we could pick out our own pumpkins!  We ended up going to pick them right before Halloween though and we only got the leftovers.  Colleen was not impressed by the little leftover pumpkins, so we went to another place in Plain City where she picked out a massive oddly shaped pumpkin.  We got it for free because the lady knew Steve.  When we started carving Colleen realized that her pumpkin was actually a squash and that it was much harder to carve.  She got it carved though and it was pretty impressive.  I had to work Halloween night which was kind of sad.

November-I was still looking for a job that was closer to home and found an opening in Brigham City with the same company I was working for.  I got called for an interview and got the job.  I finished out November in Salt Lake and had to say goodbye to my amazing co-workers and residents.  Trish gave us a white and a pink christmas tree before I left and the game operation and a card signed by co-workers and some of the residents.  Thanksgiving was an interesting holiday with work and multiple family to visit.  I was originally scheduled to work early in the morning, but when I showed up early Thanksgiving day I was told I worked a little later.  Of course that meant I had to do something in the meantime and then work while I had planned to eat with family.  I ended up going home and coming back to work later (which resulted in 4 hours of driving in one day) and then going to my grandparents by myself and later meeting up with Steve and his family.  It was super frustrating but in the end it was still a great day.

December-I started working in Brigham City and adjusted to working days instead of nights.  I got to finish up the school semester and figure out what to do with the next semester.  I decided to get my medical coding certificate along with my BSN.  That way I have more future job options.  I also got a call from Ogden Regional about a possible night opening in the Family Birthplace unit.  Steve and I celebrated our first Christmas together.  It was a great Christmas but it would have been so much better without the stomach flu.  I was so sick Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  We got to spend time with my Dad's family on Christmas Eve and be part of the nativity.  It was as crazy as ever and still fun even though I didn't feel very well.  Steve made me a beautiful kitchen island for Christmas and I bought him a new ipod.

I feel like this has been such a great year and that I really need to remember how many amazing things have happened.  It's hard to believe how different everything was a year ago.