Hello my lovely Pinkettes. I am SO glad that I am here to write a new entry after my experience in the garden today. It was horrifying. I almost died. I was freaking terrified and my life flashed before my eyes..... it was short. I cannot even look at my pretty flowers without reliving the near death experience. So, I bet you are wondering what happened...
It is very difficult for me to write about this as it brings that moment back to mind and is as clear as when it happened. Let's go back to the beginning. Today, my mom and I decided to work in my garden and plant my wondrously beautiful flowers. I set up a little flower pot station in the back yard with all my tools around me and arranged my creations perfectly. I sat on my bucket to begin the fun process of planting and was having a grand old time. I love this time of year because it isn't too hot to do yard work and everything smells so fresh! But back to my story. I was hard at work, minding my own business when I ran out of potting soil. I was making my way toward the garage where the extra soil was.... when IT happened..... I was a step away from the garage when I looked down.... and there it was. A big, no, not big. GIGANTIC, UGLY, LONG, RAPIDLY MOVING snake!!! But before you brush me off and call me a drama queen (cuz yes, I will be the first to admit that when it comes to drama queens, I am the queeny-est!!), you should have seen that thing!! It was all slithery and kinda looked like a fake snake. But it was most certainly NOT a fake snake. It slithered right in front of me (practically over my feet!!). Needless to say I jumped back about 10 feet and proceeded to scream like the little girl I am. No seriously. I screamed. LOUDLY. And my neighbor was out. He probably thinks I'm insane now. Oh well. And all my mom did was laugh. Thanks for nothing mom. It was like something out of a cartoon. I jumped 100 feet and screamed and, lets be honest, almost cried. It was terrifying. I thought it was going to eat me. And I think I heard him mumble something antisemitic as he slithered away. I am afraid he is going to come back, slither up the side of my house, shimmy open my window, slither over to my bed and EAT ME!!! It IS possible people!! Watch Dateline! That shit can happen!!
Plus he looked like he was ready to strike and drain all my blood. Not unlike this:
SICK!!!!!
So obviously I am able to look back and laugh about it now, but at that moment in time I was fearful for my life. I am deathly afraid of snakes (me and Zak Bagans have that in common!!). I am just glad I didn't pee my pants, and if you have read my other blogs you know that was a high probability!! So that was my near death experience for the day! I was soon recovering with some retail therapy at DSW and Michael's where I got some awesome stuff! Two pairs of sandals and some new painting gear! OH! And a new Gone With the Wind poster!!! Best way to spend my new found zest for life! ;-)
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully now that I have less school work to do, I will be able to write more entries!! My goal is AT LEAST one per week!! Thanks!!
"So we talked all night about the rest of our lives. Where we're gonna be when we turn 25. I keep thinking times will never change. I keep on thinking things will always be the same. But when we leave this year we won't be coming back. No more hanging out cuz we're on a different track. And if ya got something that you need to say, you better say it right now cuz you don't have another day" ~Graduation by Vitamin C
Yes! Graduation is right around the corner. Literally, right there- Sunday May 22nd. That's in 3 days! The approaching release has had me thinking and, dare I say it- REFLECTING on my past 4 years in college. Damn you, St. Kate's nursing program for making me reflect! I always knew this day would come, but I hadn't anticipated having these kinds of feelings. I thought I would be in a state of pure joy! Joy in completing the nursing program, my preceptorship, and leaving the school years behind me. In my reflections, I have been feeling very different emotions. As the end crept toward me, I didn't really have time to think about being done. I had numerous projects, papers, and preceptor hours to get done and I had to focus and ensure these things got completed so that I COULD graduate. Now that these projects and papers are done, I have had time to think about things and I realized something very frightening.... I'm actually SAD this chapter of my life is closing. Who would have thought that I would be sad at a time like this! Maybe it's not sadness. Perhaps it's nostalgia mixed with amazement at how fast these 4 years have flown by. Call it what you want, but I can't help but shed a few tears as I sit here remembering my life as a 'Katie'. It makes me sad to think that just as I have made these wonderful friends, both in the Nursing program and not, I am forced to say goodbye as we part to put our very expensive educations to use! I hope we stay in touch cuz you ladies make me laugh so hard (you know who you are- and if you don't then just pretend that you are cuz, let's face it, I need all the friends I can get!). I'm also feeling a bit melancholy because I'm going to miss (most) of the things about college life. Things like wearing sweatpants everyday, staying up late, being able to text a friend saying "Come over" and all they have to do is walk down the hall to get there, and a very special roommate(s). Now I will have to wear actual work clothes, go to bed at a decent hour because I have work, friends will be spread about the state or even country, and I won't be roommates with Lisa anymore. Don't worry, Dee. I will always miss you too, but I'll still be able to visit you regularly.
These past 4 years have flown by and many memories have been had. Thankfully, I can look back and am regret free! Everything I have done has been an honest reflection of who I am and where I want to go. If you are still in my life at this point- congrats! I consider you a true friend. You are so lucky to have such an awesome friend like me! ;-) Whether it was time spent with my lovely sisters of Lambda Sigma Tau or having a dance party with the roommates, I will treasure every moment of my college years. So many inside jokes, dance moves, tears, and laughs have been shared and I am truly blessed that I was lucky enough to make these memories with a lot of you who read this. That's why I want to say thanks. Thanks for making me laugh. Thanks for listening to me bitch. Thanks for understanding. Thanks for being a part of these wonderful memories- either voluntary or paid! ;-) My wish is that when you look back on our memories, you think of them and smile!
After thinking about college in general, I am forced to think about something that has basically been my entire life for the past 2 years. Yes, the dreaded nursing program. Now that I am soooo very close to being done I can shrug and say "Huh, that wasn't so bad" but in reality it really was that bad. Each time I made it through a semester of nursing school I was in a state of amazement and shock that I had made it. I didn't know how, and quite frankly, I STILL don't know how I made it. I am running dizzy and disoriented to the finish line. But I AM crossing it and that's all that matters. I have worked SO hard for this and have wanted this for SO LONG! I am utterly astonished that my dream of being a nurse has finally been reached. It seemed so distant and out of sight just 4 short years ago. I am so proud of myself for being driven enough to reach out and grab this dream by the balls. Mixed in with these feelings of accomplishment are bits of sadness. Sadness because there are certain people that are not here to see me reach the top of my mountain. I know they are proud of me but they really should be here to see me get pinned and walk across that stage in my cap and gown. I was talking to my mom the other day about these feelings and how, yeah, I think it's pretty shitty that my dad isn't here to see me and that I'm sad about it, but I realized that I was more sad that my grandpa isn't here to see me. I know he would be amazingly proud because I am the first member of the family to achieve a college degree. And then there is my great aunt Jane. She should be here too. She was so excited for me to be in the nursing program and was a fabulous support. But I realized something very valuable. If it wasn't for all these people and what they meant/still mean to me, I wouldn't be where I am today. It was these losses, mixed with other experiences that helped me to hear the calling of being a nurse and i was lucky enough to hear it. I'm also lucky because I still have amazing family members that have supported me and encouraged me throughout this journey- especially my mom. When ever I achieved an accomplishment, she was there to praise me and when ever I felt like I couldn't do it any more, she was there to pick me back up and remind me what I was fighting for. I owe her more than I can ever repay, but I can start by saying how much I love her and appreciate the support she has given and I know she will continue to support me in any endeavor <3 <3
So here we are. At the end. But is it really the end? I think it's just the beginning. Sure, one chapter of our lives is closing but, a new one is just opening. Fresh and new and ready for anything. So I would like to say: Congrats to my fellow nursing graduates 2011! We made it! We rock!!!!!! Let's fly!!
"I keep thinking that it's not goodbye. I keep on thinking it's our time to fly" ~Graduation by Vitamin C
