i'm baaaaackkkkkk + good news :)

bonjour my loves!  how are you?  sorry to suddenly disappear for a bit with no explanation.  it's been a busy few weeks round these parts :)  a few weekends ago we headed up to st. louis to go to the wedding of one of Alaa's good friends.  i've never been to st. louis and we had fun going to 6 flags, the galleria mall (nordstrom yay!), and the hill (eat here! and make sure you get the salad, it is so good!! and the gelato here is ah-mazing!).  we had a really good time, but when we came back to memphis i knew it would be back to business.  you see, i was finally given the "okay" to take my nursing licensure exam (the NCLEX..dom dom dommmmm)  basically, my whole degree is pointless without passing this exam.  so i decided that the best thing to do was to pry myself away from blogging for a little bit.  

on monday, aka d-day, i finally took the NCLEX and left feeling like the scum of the earth.  i was 100% certain that i had failed.  i literally could not sleep for days, and i just kept dwelling on the exam.  my results were available this morning and i am SO SO SO happy to announce that i PASSED!!  let me introduce myself to you as Nuha A. RN,BSN!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!

i'm planning on writing a post dedicated to my experiences throughout nursing school.  i remember at the beginning of NS  all i wanted was advice on what to expect and how to prepare myself.  i mean i've always heard that nursing school was hard (that's an understatement!!) but i never knew why people felt that way.  i'm hoping this post will be a good place for people to really know what the pressures and joys of becoming a nurse.  

for me nursing school was a long, tough battle and i couldn't have done it without my family and friends.  i started this blog as a way for me to deal with the stress and to give me a life outside of studying.  thank you all for letting me do that.  i feel like the past four years we're spent in a boxing ring, battling it out...and now the bell has been rung and i've finally won.  the nightmare is over and i'm excited for the "real world" to begin :)

you knew these were coming

this past week was a whirl-wind of getting things done.  i probably slept less than 40 hours the entire week...i was on go! go! go! mode up until 3:30 a.m. the night of the party.  but in the end it was ALL worth it.  i had the best time celebrating with my family and friends

two days later, i'm still finding glitter on the floor and half empty bottles of coke on the counter....it really was a great night :)

Snippets

 graduation is this weekend and it seems so surreal.  i've been waiting for this day for four years and now it's finally here.  funny, a few months ago all i wanted was to walk across the stage and be DONE...now i'm a little hesitant, a little nervous, and a little scared.  but i've got a to-do list that's a mile long so i'll leave you with a few snippets of what my weekend will hold.

lets just pray that this weekend is everything i want it to be...oh, and that i don't fall across the stage ;-)

Currently Coveting

This year I've promised myself that I would only buy things that I really really loved.  I have way too many things that I bought on a whim and never really used.  Well, with graduation right around the corner (T-3 months!!)  I think it's a good time for me to get presents that are ....ummmm.... an investment as well.

And trust me...I'd really really love any of these babies.

le sigh

Survival Guide

Sometimes you get sick of seeing this..

{at 3 in the afternoon..}

  and this

{all day long..}

 and lord have mercy...definitely this

{exam checklist: notes, gum, chapstick, and copious amounts of food and drink..oh and a blanket too}

You make some of this

{mmmmmm carbs}

{this is the best bread ever...it will make your house smell like a restaurant..so yummy}

 and have a nice cup of tea

And then you click your heels together and say go away tornadoes and exams

For the love of God

GO AWAY

Shine bright firefly, shine bright

This morning I woke up thinking "what should I blog about today?"  Should I blog about my gorgeous sisters who just got back from the bahamas and all of the wonderful gifts they bought me?  Should I blog about food, because it's always on my mind?  Should I blog about the knew Tibi collection?  So many endless ideas, but still, I was at a loss about what I should post today.  I argued not posting and studying for my huge test on Monday.  Does it matter if I post everyday anyways?

  School has been difficult the past few months and many times I question my ability to graduate nursing school.  I have always made good grades, but NS is a completely different ball game.  I know I'm an extremely sensitive person, why am I chasing after a career that could possibly bring me heartache after heartache?

As I soon as I logged onto blogger I was reminded of why I want to be a nurse so badly.  A while back Sam blogged about her friend Sarah.  I followed the link to her blog and immediately I was humbled by Sarah's love for life.  Sadly, Sarah passed away yesterday.  I have never met her and I have only been following her blog for a short while, but I am speechless and saddened.  Never in a million years would I have thought that I could be touched so deeply by someone I have never met.

Today I want to blog about Sarah. 

Sarah and her loved ones are in my prayers.  If you'd like to send encouraging words to Sarah's family, you can do so here:

Just Some Thoughts

  I am going to go study for my exam.  I know that the odds to finding a cure for cancer are slim, but I want to be the nurse that is there encouraging patients and their loved ones to never give up.

 Thank you Sarah for reminding me why I want to be a nurse.

Monday, Monday, Monday

Have I ever mentioned that I am a nursing student?  How could I not ?!...Being a nursing student consumes every aspect of my life.  It is my main priority and it definitely affects everything else in my life.    Mondays are always tough because I have two three hour classes back to back.  Go to the hospital.Then do hours upon hours of homework (which I can never catch up to!) And be present at the hospital bright and early at  6:30 a.m.  

Did I mention I love it?  As difficult and stressful as it is, I love nursing.

But, needless to say my veins are concentrated with this stuff 

 And I have learned the beauty of this little guy

But honestly, I couldn't be able to do it without this guy

or this lady

My husband and mom are my everything.