Balancing College, Work, and Life

I am one day away from the end of the second week of college, and I'm finding that I have less time than before I started college. I underestimated the amount of homework and readings that would be assigned this early on, and I didn't anticipate picking up as many hours at home health care as I have. I also have many friends wanting to meet up, and trying to make it to a lot of Friday night football games is taking up a lot of my time.

For now I am focusing on college and homework. Every weekday I have a class that starts at 8:00am and most days I am done by noon. In a perfect world, I would be able to be home alone to focus on homework and readings until my siblings get home from school around 3:45pm. But recently I have been picking up hours at work due to another coworkers needing to take off for family reasons. I'm not upset about picking up the extra hours, extra hours means extra money, right? It's just hard to get homework done when I have to be somewhere else.

I wouldn't say my personal relationships have suffered, but I definitely don't have the amount of time to spend with friends that I would like to. This Saturday I'm going to be meeting up with my mom, a couple of her friends, and my friend Joey to do the Steppin' Out in Pink walk, but for now that is about as social as my social life is going to be until I fall back into working just every other weekend.

First Day of Sophomore Year!

Today marks the first day of my sophomore year, and my first official year in Viterbo's Nursing Sequence! My class schedule for today was microbiology, fundamentals of nursing concepts, and health assessment. So far my teachers seem pretty cool, and not many assigned homework other than readings, so that's good. My school day started at 8:00am, so I had to be up by 6:00am and out the door by 6:45am. Somehow I managed to do it. My school day ended at 12:10pm, so I met up with some friends and we all went out for lunch. After lots of laughs and a full stomach I headed home. Once I got home I laid down for a half hour nap, and ended up falling asleep because I had a headache. If this keeps up, I don't know what I'm going to do. But once I woke up I headed outside to take progress pictures for Country Heat, and do my workout for day 15. Now I'm inside getting ready to shower, and eat supper. Once that's done I'll probably start going over readings and homework that is due for Wednesday.

Tomorrow's schedule is a bit lighter, going 8:00am to 11:50am with pathophysiology and health assessment lab. I also have a call with my Beachbody coach at 3:30pm, granted the day goes smoothly and nothing pops up for neither my coach or I.

I hope everyone is having a good end to their summer!

Beachbody Coaching

As of August 10, 2016 (seven days ago), I am a Beachbody coach. I've been following a handful of coaches on Instagram for months, and even connected with one on Facebook not too long ago. I ended up receiving that initial "Hey girl, I've been loving your page and I think you would be an excellent addition to my team, are you interested?" And to be completely honest, I dodged responding to it for quite awhile. Her message peaked my interest, but I really didn't have money to spend on anything at that moment, so I let the message go and later told her that I wasn't financially able to commit to Beachbody at that time.

Well, fast-forward a couple of months, I have two part-time jobs with a steady income and thought "I can splurge on myself now." So I contacted her again and asked what Beachbody was all about and what it takes to be a coach. Long story short, here I am. I just had my first official call with my coach, and it has set my day up for success. I have a planning binder that I finally got to putting together yesterday, and so far it's helping me so much. In the beginning there's a bunch of basic information and goal sheets, and toward the back there are daily entries. It's helping me check in every now and then and helping my business grow.

A Déjà Vu Break-Up?

Every now and again some people get a case of "Déjà Vu" in which one has a strong feeling that the individual has already experienced an event that is currently being experienced. Just this past week, I got dumped, and am feeling like I had a case of déjà vu.

The Backstory
A little over a year ago, my boyfriend of almost three years dumped me. Our relationship had been going through a rough patch, and he had talked to a girl that only wanted to watch me fail. Within 24 hours of him talking to her, he sat me down and we had "The Talk." He said we needed to take a break, and when I asked why his response was "You don't seem happy anymore. I just want you to be happy, even if that doesn't include me." From my point of view, I was actually feeling happier. I had some bad things happen the month before, so I had fallen into a slump, but then I noticed and decided I needed to change. I was feeling happier, and I was willing to work through my relationship problems. But then the break happened. I though it would be okay, "it's only a break. After a little bit we will be back together and things will go back to normal," but then he wasn't talking to me and all the pictures he had posted of us were gone. That is when I knew the "break" was really a "break-up."

And Now Today
For the past month, my boyfriend and I (of almost 11 months) had been fighting due to not being able to see each other much anymore and trying to make each other a priority. The same girl that the last guy had talked to was trying to make her way back into my life and I was dodging it, and then she started trying to get into my boyfriend's life. He didn't want to put up with it, so he blocked her, at least that is what he told me. However, she messaged him Monday night and they talked about our relationship problems. Within 24 hours of them talking, my boyfriend told me that we needed to talk, and it would be best if I went to his house. I was already planning on doing this because our fighting was becoming draining and I wanted things to go back to how they were; however, as soon as I arrived, he said those same words: "I think we need to take a break." Again, I asked for a reason, and his response was "You don't seem happy anymore." And just as before, I was actually feeling happier in the days leading up to him breaking up with me. I had gotten off a great day of work, and I signed up to be a Beachbody coach as well as signed up to join a challenge group. I was floating on cloud nine and I couldn't wait to see my boyfriend. But then the break happened. I had the same thoughts as before, "just a break, soon things will be back to normal." But within 6 hours of him saying we needed a break, all of his posts of us were deleted. That is when I realized that this "break" was really a "break-up" again.

State Certification Exam for Nursing Assistants

On the last day of my nursing assistant course, we filled out the application for the state certification exam. I planned to get it in the mail as soon as possible to ensure that I didn't forget any of the skills before the test. However, due to babysitting the two days immediately after completing the course, finding money for the fees, and life happening, I didn't end up sending my application in until the Friday of the following week. I waited to hear about when my test date was, and after about a week I got a phone call saying that my test was Wednesday, July 13 in Altoona, Wisconsin at 8:00am.

Prior to finishing the nursing assistant course, I had been offered a job at in home health care. Wanting to have a job and get experience, I jumped at the opportunity, even before having taken the state certification exam. I had only worked 16 hours, so I didn't pick up any bad habits (luckily).

Then the day of the exam came, I had to wake up early and make the hour drive to Altoona, all by myself. The end of the drive was nerve-wracking as I hate driving in big cities, and driving in Altoona is practically like driving in Eau Claire. I arrived at the testing site about 15 minutes early, which gave me time for my nerves to settle. First we took the written test, which wasn't too bad. Most of the written test is common knowledge, and I passed with no problems. I had about an hour break between my written and skills test, so I talked with the others there taking the test and learned a little about them. Quite a few of the people taking the test were there to re-take the skills portion which made me a little nervous. I was partnered with a middle-aged woman who was a mother and a CPR instructor through the Red Cross. She was fun to talk to, and getting to know her for a little bit helped to settle my nerves before taking the test. I decided to test first, and she was my "patient." To test out on the skills portion, you perform FIVE different tasks within a thirty minute time period. Every person tests out on hand washing, one measuring skill, and three other skills. My measurement skill was counting and recording respirations, and my three other skills were performing a modified partial bed bath, assist with use of bedpan, and transfer from bed to wheelchair using a gait belt. I pretty much got the triple whammy, the three most time consuming tasks, almost dooming me to fail due to time constraints. Just as I started my final skill, my instructor announced that I had five minutes left. I stayed calm because I knew I could get a transfer from bed to wheelchair done within five minutes, and I think that may have been my saving grace. I successfully completed all five of my skills within the given thirty minutes. I had to wait around for a little over half an hour to hear the results of my skills test, and all that time I sat thinking over all that I did and the mistakes that I had made. I was thinking that I had passed, but I wasn't for sure. Finally, I was given my results: "PASS." I was relieved. I wouldn't have to re-take any portion of the test and I would be able to get a job as a CERTIFIED nursing assistant and not have to worry about getting certified later.

To those of you thinking about becoming a nursing assistant and becoming certified, do it! If you're unsure if the health care field is for you, think about becoming a PCA (personal care assistant) first. Losing yourself in the service of others is one of the greatest rewards.

An Eye-Opening Accident

"Life is precious." I never quite understood the power behind those words until Saturday, July 25, 2016. My boyfriend was driving me to a bridal shower because we were behind schedule from coming home from a family camping trip and stopping at the Tomah Tractor Pull. We were navigating a hilly, curvy road that we had traveled a couple times before and we were driving a little fast. My boyfriend recognized the corner that we were approaching as a sharp one, and said "Shit, sharp corner" and he slowed down. Just as we had made it into the corner, we saw the most terrifying scene of our lives. We were the second vehicle at an SUV versus dump truck accident. It did not look good at all, and I immediately jumped out of the car. I told my boyfriend to park the car along the side of the road. There was one man walking around, he was the first one on the scene and I yelled to see if anyone had called 9-1-1. He said that he had not and that I should. I immediately called and tried to explain what I was seeing with a shaky voice. The first man on the scene asked my boyfriend if anyone had CPR training as he had tried to find a pulse but wasn't sure if he had found one. My boyfriend proudly boasted that I was CPR certified and called me over. I handed my phone off to the first man on the scene and let him describe what he knew about the accident. I searched for a pulse, but was so full of adrenaline that I was unable to determine if what I was feeling was really a pulse, or just the feeling of my own heartbeat in my fingertips. After checking on that person, I moved on to the next who was alert, responsive, and in a lot of pain. A group of dump truck drivers that travel the road frequently gathered around the man and talked to him and did their best to make him feel better.

Being CPR certified makes accidents like this surreal. You've been trained for this, but you never expect to actually be thrown into a real-life situation. You do your best to stay calm, and you don't think. You just do. It's like in the videos that they show you where the people proudly boast, "I didn't think I would know what to do if I was ever put into this type of situation, but once it actually happened my training took over and I just knew." It's very true, you don't think about what you should do. You already know what to do, and while you think your brain has shut down in shock, your body takes over and follows your training.

I praise God every day that I think back to that accident and thank him for reminding us that the corner was sharp and that we needed to slow down for it. I don't want to think about what could have happened if we didn't slow down for that corner.

That day opened my eyes and scared me, but more importantly it made me excited to become a nurse. My deepest sympathy goes out to the family of the gentleman that passed in that accident. My heart broke for you, and I cried for you. My thoughts go out to the gentleman that survived as he will probably be haunted by that day for the rest of his life. I am thinking of you each and every day. I am training to be a nurse, to take care of you and your family. I will feel what you feel and I will think of you long after you have left my care. I look forward to becoming a nurse, and I appreciate being given this experience, as heart-wrenching as it was.

Fitness Mini Journeys

I would consider my fitness journey a series of mini journeys. While in high school, physical activity was built into the schedule, one semester of gym class freshman, sophomore, and junior or senior year; but as soon as you graduate and enter the "real world" there is no longer a requirement to be physically active. I have a Pinterest account and have many boards relating to fitness, and every now and then I'll go through and do a couple of the activities. But with only 24 hours in a day, it gets hard to fit everything in.

Throughout the summer of 2015 I worked at a Boys and Girls Club in town in the afternoons, so I had plenty of time to workout in the morning and on weekends. Many times I would go to Pinterest and find a workout to do, go for a run/walk, workout with one of the many workout videos that my family has, or do some Wii Dance Party.
As I entered college in the fall of 2015, working out became more of a struggle. The homework load was overwhelming and I was trying to stay ahead of the game with the Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) readings. Many times I would end up doing some sort of workout while studying notes in my dorm room while my roommate was away. A couple of times I went for walks around campus and sometimes a bit farther away. I did more physical activity than most freshman year, but it wasn't as much as I would have liked.
Fast-forward to this summer, the summer of 2016. Straight out of college I started the nursing assistant course which ate up most of my evenings and kept me very tired. Some days my mom would call me and ask for my help while she was at work, and other days my boyfriend would ask me to help him at his house. I kept busy, but finding time to workout was hard. After class was finished, I started babysitting two days a week and spent a lot of my free time at my boyfriend's. It's been pretty easy to get caught up in how much I have going on and run out of time for workouts. Some days I lose motivation, and others I have motivation that lasts for a couple days.

These mini fitness journeys keep me somewhat active and some day when my schedule gets more "normal" I hope I can set a routine for myself to combine all of these minis into one large journey.

Wisconsin Nursing Assistant Class

Just last week I completed the six week Wisconsin Nursing Assistant (NA) Class offered through Western Technical College. It was 4:00pm - 10:00pm and covered a variety of skills that I will need to enter Viterbo's Nursing Sequence (which I was accepted into on my last day of NA class!) as well as the skills I will need to work in a hospital or nursing home. We spent the first three weeks in class learning skills, infection control, and many other things related to nursing. The last roughly three weeks were spent in a nursing home setting where we put our skills to the test. In order to pass the class we had to pass five written exams, complete workbook pages for each chapter, and test out of a large list of skills in class then later at the nursing home.

The first night of clinical was very intimidating, but I really enjoyed it. By the last night, I was wishing that I could do it all over again and start from the top. Helping others is one of my favorite things to do, and at the nursing home that is exactly what I got to do. I got to spend that extra time with the residents that many of them appreciated. I worked with some residents that were a breeze, and others that I had to channel my patience, but at the end of the day I knew that I had made a difference in all of their lives. This is the profession that I cannot wait to join. I am here to make a difference.

Hintzy Photography

I have been interested in photography from very early on. My aunt always had a camera when she came over, and she is the one that inspired me to get my own camera a couple years ago. For Christmas two years ago I got a Canon Rebel T3, and since the day I got it I have found many uses for it.
From high school sporting events, senior pictures, scenery, to pictures of my friends and family. I have enjoyed every moment of it.

High School Football Fall of 2015

 

 

Pictures from the Snowmobile Races in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin

Donkeyball 2015 

Pictures of my Cousins

More pictures to come later....some come with stories :)

Surviving Break-Ups

Almost a year ago, my longest relationship came to a screeching halt. I remember going to the farm and crying to my mom while she was milking cows. That was a day I thought I would never be able to get past, but time changed all of that. I spent a lot of my time getting prepared for college, working, and learning more about myself. I picked up new hobbies, found some new ones, and spent time with friends that I hadn't seen since graduation.

I went to the first football game of the season upon a friend's request, and ran into someone that I hadn't seen since shortly after graduation. That night we talked and I agreed to meet him again at the JV football game the following Monday night. It was a weird sense of freedom, I no longer had to ask to go somewhere or hang out with someone. It was also weird sitting with a guy and having his arm around me. But I liked it, it was new and it was a feeling that I came to trust. This guy I had come to know in two classes my senior year: gym class and studyhall. He had a great personality and always made me laugh in class.

The night that we met again we knew there was something special between us, but I still wasn't ready to jump into a relationship. I told him that, and asked if he would wait for me. He agreed to wait, but only within reason. With a couple nudges and lots of talking, I admitted that I was ready to be in a relationship again. I waited forever because he didn't ask me out until awhile after, he told me that he was waiting for a way to make it special.

 He asked me out on September 18. We were at the Blair Taylor versus Melrose-Mindoro football game, and the next day was his uncle's wedding. We spent our whole first weekend together and I enjoyed every minute of it. Within 24 hours of beginning dating, I had met his entire family, and most of his families friends.

This guy and I have been together for almost 9 months now, and we're still going strong. This relationship has taught me so much about myself and about life. I'm so thankful that I was able to move on from my ex before it ruined my chances with this one.

Give yourself time to get over the past, but don't let the past absorb you so that you hold yourself back from something that will help you.

Freshman Year of College

Freshman Year of College

Overall, my freshman year was a very fun experience for me. I lived in the dorms, but after the first month I came "home" every weekend. I say "home" because I would say that I have about three places that I would consider home; my mom's house, my dad's house, and my boyfriend's house, when I was at one of those "homes" I would then refer to my dorm as home as well.

My mom required that I stay on campus the first two weekends because my college, Viterbo University, in La Crosse, Wisconsin had activities planned for us freshmen. That weekend I met some pretty cool people, and ended up talking to a couple of them again. Looking back at pictures of that first weekend, I realized that I had spent one of the days with two girls from my floor and didn't even know it. Being in the dorms allowed me to form strong friendships and meet new people, and I'm very glad that my mom pushed me to live on campus.

Freshman year was full of success for me. I made the Dean's List first semester, and I think I missed making the Dean's List second semester by 0.1 on my GPA. I built a firm foundation and was able to achieve a GPA of roughly 3.6. Second semester was considerably harder than first as I ended up taking some of the tougher teachers, but I feel that those teachers challenged me to be a better student. My advice to incoming freshman: take the harder instructors, but don't take them first semester. Ease yourself into college, then take on the tougher tasks.

While academically I did just fine, my living situation was another story. It's not that my roommate and I didn't get along, it was that her hours of studying did not go well with mine. Our class schedules were somewhat similar, but I was studying between and after classes, some days getting up as early as 7:30am and trying to be in bed by 10:00pm. My roommate, on the other hand, found her ideal hours of study to be between 8:00pm and 2:00am. This was a real struggle for me as I'm not a confrontational kind of person and tried to fall asleep with the light on most nights. It was really frustrating, and after trying to switch roommates and being told I couldn't until my current situation became "hostile" I tried to be out of my room as much as possible. That really helped me get out and meet new people, which I enjoyed very much. With two weeks of classes left; however, I began just shutting off the lights without saying anything. My roommate and I didn't talk much, and I decided that I would be living off campus for finals week. First semester of finals week, I came back on Monday and found my roommate frantically getting ready for her final, explaining that she hadn't taken her garbage out because she had been studying so much and pulling all-nighters. I didn't want to deal with that again, so the Sunday before finals I went to campus with my boyfriend and cleaned out my room. The Tuesday of finals week I met with my RA and got checked out of my room.

Despite the conflicts with my roommate, I really enjoyed college as a whole and cannot wait to go back next year to continue my dream of becoming a nurse.

If you have any questions about college, leave them in the comments and I will get back to you!
Look forward to a "Do's and Don'ts for College Freshmen" post within the next month!!

First Post

This is my first blog, and it's something I've been thinking about doing for awhile. College started last fall and I was tossing around the idea of starting a blog, but then I began running out of time to fit extra things in. However, my freshman year of college has been done for a couple of weeks now, and other than my nursing assistant class Monday - Thursday 4-10pm, my days are pretty empty.

This entry is pretty brief and plain, but my next few will explain other topics. One will be on my freshman year of college and how I survived, relationships and how I survived a hard break-up after almost three years, and was able to move on, my love of photography, my brief fitness journey, and my crazy, busy life!