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A HUGE "thank you" to Ashley for pointing out my comments are messed up! I changed my comments to a pop-up, so hopefully that has fixed the problem! If you read this, would you mind leaving a comment just so I know the comments section is working?? Thanks! :)

What Have I Been Up To?

I haven't updated in a while! I have thoroughly been enjoying my nice break. No worrying about passing the NCLEX, no worrying about finding a job, no worrying about homework...it's been nice! So what have I been up to?

• I've been doing a lot of this: My mom and I have been watching all of the Harry Potter movies to get ready for the last movie coming out in July. I think I'm pretty lucky to have grown up in the world of Harry Potter :) (I used to dress up in my mom's black graduation gown and play with a pointer as a wand...I am not ashamed.)
• My mom and I also started working on wedding programs...I can't believe my wedding is less than 3 months away!
• I am loving Pinterest! I didn't understand it at the beginning but I can't get enough of it now! I found a very cute nail style using newspaper clippings and it didn't turn out fantastic but I think with some practice it will be very cute! I couldn't get a picture of it, though. Ugh.
• Not only am I loving pinterest, I'm loving the styles I've been finding on there! I've decided I need a huge shopping spree, haha! I loved all of the yellow and gray outfits so when I was at Target and ran across a cute yellow cardigan with rosettes...I had to buy it! This is what I wore today: I loved the white shorts and how the yellow and gray looked! I might need some cute jewelry though... :)
• Marley has been busy napping today. Doesn't he look precious? His ears stick up even when he sleeps, haha.
• I also took pictures in all of my "party" dresses so that I can match up my jewelry and also make it easy to look for jewelry when I'm out shopping. Having a picture of the neckline will hopefully make it easier to find jewelry that will match!

The power has gone off twice while I've tried to update blogger, haha! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! :)

A Story for the Books

This is a story that I just don't ever want to forget. I have worked so hard to get where I am and everything all seemed to just come together all at once! It may not be interesting to you, so I won't be offended if you stop reading now, but it's a story I want to remember! :)

Last Friday (06-10-11), I had an interview for a position in the NICU. My dream job. I worried and prepped for that interview for days on end! I was supposed to meet the nurse manager (NM from now on) downstairs in the lobby of the hospital near the piano, so when I arrived 10 minutes early, that's where I stood. I made the mistake of standing right next to a huge sign in the shape of a teddy bear and people were asking me all about it! I had no idea what it was for, but one man in particular kept up a conversation with me and come to find out, his wife worked in the ICU unit I did my internship in last summer! She ended up coming down to meet her husband and I got talking with her and found out she was great friends with my preceptor, too! Such a small world :) I was still talking to them when the NM walked up and the man just kept saying, "Oh, she'll hire you, she'll give you a job!" I think I was mortified, ha! I had never met the NM in my life and here is this guy telling her she'll hire me! I was so embarrassed....not a great start to the interview, I'd say!

I came prepared with my resume and she asked me a bunch of questions and even though I had prepared, I was still a nervous wreck! I had some questions for her and then she gave me a tour of the unit. I could not read her at all. As she was walking me out she made the comment, "I have 5 positions, but I don't think our budget will allow 5, I will most likely only be hiring 2." I pretty much took that to mean...."don't be offended when I call you and tell you you didn't get the job!" Ha! She told me she had interviews all the next week and I could expect to hear from her either way sometime the week after that. Like I said in my last post, I rehashed every. single. thing that went on in that interview--poor David! :) He assured me I was fine and that I did great and I just convinced myself otherwise.

Flash forward to yesterday. I had an interview in the MS-ICU where I did my internship last summer. My granddaddy drove me down, just like he did for my interview last year. I interviewed with my NM boss and nurse educator that I worked with! I hate to admit this, but I didn't really prepare as much for this interview. I knew that they wanted me (NM had been e-mailing me quite a bit and kept saying he "couldn't wait for me to be a part of their team" and they had been "waiting a while" for me to graduate and pass etc.) and I had already prepped my answers from my last interview. They were just as friendly as I had remembered them and they asked me 2 PAGES worth of questions! And they both wrote my answers down! What?! I had my answers ready, but I couldn't believe they asked me 20 questions, haha! I figured that once they were finished, I would hear from them pretty soon.

Pretty soon turned out to be right after the questioning was over. The NM told me they already knew they wanted to hire me. I could. not. believe. it. I was being offered a job on the spot. Fortunately, the NM is a great guy and he knew I had interviewed with the NICU and basically told me he wanted me to be 100% sure if I chose to come to the ICU. In his experienced opinion, if you entered a job with any doubt in your mind that you may have wanted something else, you won't be happy. I agreed and he gave me until Monday to give him an answer.

I was ecstatic...I had a job if I wanted it! But I didn't know what to do about the NICU position. I knew I wouldn't hear about that job until the following week and I wouldn't have enough time to find out if they wanted me. I had a long talk with my granddad on the way home and we thought it would be good if I went ahead and e-mailed the NM of the NICU who I interviewed with. So when I got home, that's the first thing I did. I basically just told her that I had interviewed and received an offer from another unit in the hospital, that my passion was the NICU and I didn't know how to handle this situation, but I was wondering if I was being considered for a position in the NICU.

In my head at that moment, I really thought I would hear back from her in a few days and she would either say, " I'm sorry, I can't share that information with you" or "I'm sorry, but we are looking for someone else." (Would make my decision an easier one, though!)

In REALITY, this is what happened: I sent the e-mail. Literally 2 minutes later, I got a phone call from the NICU NM and this is how the convo went:

- NM: Can I please speak with Erin?

- me: This is her. (The period seems to serious, the exclamation point seems to excited...I was somewhere in between, haha!)

- NM: Erin, this is _____. I just received your e-mail and I was calling to tell you, you better stop interviewing for jobs, haha! I want you here in the NICU with us! I am officially asking you if you would like to accept an offer to work in the NICU.

-me: Oh my gosh! Thank you so much (smiling and jumping up and down as quietly as I could....)!!! That is wonderful!

-NM: Your interview was phenomenal, by the way.

-me: Thank you so much! This is so great!

After that, I started freaking out a little bit and asked her if I could just have the night to get my thoughts straight and I would call her tomorrow to let her know for sure. She was so kind and agreed.

This morning, at 9:30am I ACCEPTED my first ever nursing position in my dream job after having two people really, really wanting me to come work for them. I am just in shock. I have worked so hard for this and I am so excited to start this new phase in my life! When I spoke with the NM this morning, she said, "I told ____, I can't do anymore interviews until I know we have Erin! We really need her!" I guess I did better on the interview then I thought--and David loved that he had been right all along ;)

To say that I am humbled is an understatement. I just can't believe all of this happened to me in a 24 hour period! I can't wait to see what the future holds!!

Will I Get a Summer?

Things have been moving right along for me! I think it's because I spend the weekdays in Charlotte and the weekends in Greenville. I've been taking a load of my stuff down each time I go so the end trip won't be so much of a big deal! And it seems that the "big trip" may be coming sooner rather than later.

I headed down to Greenville Thursday because I had my NICU interview on Friday. I got a phone call Friday morning from the MS-ICU (where I did part of my internship last summer) and they wanted me to come in for an interview as well! I made plans for that interview for Wednesday (tomorrow).

My interview went as well as can be expected I think! I couldn't read the interviewer at all so I have no earthly idea if she liked me, wants me, or anything! Of course I rehashed everything after I left and there is nothing I would have changed about what I said so if it's not in the cards for NICU then they were just looking for someone else :) She did happen to give me a tour of the unit and oh my gosh. Those little angels! After seeing the unit, I have no doubt I would enjoy it. Hopefully I will hear from her after Monday of next week.

I got home a little before David did and when he walked in the door, he had these little pretties for me:

Isn't he amazing?! I was rehashing every little detail with him and he was so sweet to pick me up some flowers on his way home :) I am a lucky girl!

I also got my first ever mail at David's house- my official certificate that I passed the licensure exam and I really am a registered nurse! Officially official as I like to say.

David works as an electrical engineer for BMW and because it's a german company, there are a lot of germans who work there. One of David's co-workers had some of his "group" over for dinner Friday night and we went! It was so much fun! They cooked out pork, had potato salad, some vegetable dish, and a delicious salad. I spent a lot of the time trying to decipher what they were saying, but they were all very kind to speak to me in english :) For dessert, we had espresso and home-made tirimisu! I wish I had some right now, it was so good! David has already decided we need to have them over for dinner once I move down--I think it sounds like a wonderful idea!

Always in some kind of soccer paraphernalia! :)

Saturday David watched the movie 300 and I learned my way around Pinterest! Y'all, I am still not 100% sure how to use it, but so far I am loving it!! We also took a trip to the mall and I found my dress I'm going to wear on the plane to Hawaii!!! I wanted a cotton maxi-dress for the plan ride and some cute wedges--found those too! The only thing left is a cute jacket to go on top in case the plane is cold :)

That evening, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings with another co-worker of David's- Phil, and his wife Emily. I had never met them before, but they are a very sweet couple. After dinner we saw Hangover 2 which in my opinion is equally just as hysterical as the first one! I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard!

This picture just cracks me up. I guess Marley hadn't had enough attention over the weekend because he came and sat right in my face when we got home!

I headed home sometime in the afternoon on Sunday and while I love coming home, I sure do miss David. I am about ready to be in one spot and not going back and forth every weekend! And hopefully, fingers crossed, one of the 2 positions I have interviewed for will want to hire me and I can make my final move to Greenville! :)

PS- Monday afternoon, we went to the graduation party of a kid mom had in 1st grade and someone I used to babysit! She had 2 of the 3 kids...crazy. How in the world are kids I babysat old enough to go to college??! His younger brother (2 years younger) couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that I was drinking a beer and said, "at my graduation party, make me a deal that you won't drink there...that's too weird!" And my mom promptly looked at him and said, "she may not be able to drink at your graduation party!" They fist-bumped that comeback and I started planning baby names, ha!

Short Post!

Hi all!

Short post today! It's been quite a busy day and it's not over yet! But I just wanted to check in:)

Today I:

• Okay'ed my wedding party favors!! They are so cute! I don't normally keep things I get at weddings...they don't really mean anything to me because they don't have any relevant info for me! (I mean, it's not my wedding date...it's yours??) So I wanted something that represented us, but that people could use. So...David and I decided on shortbread cookies in the shape of bells!! (Our last name will be Bell...well, his is already...mine will be.) The icing is cream colored with purple trim and our monogram initials in the middle! I love the way they turned out! We are going to put them in clear bags and tie them with purple ribbon :)
• I also went looking for my bridesmaid gifts! I know what I want, but the store didn't have quite what I was looking for. I looked through their catalogue and the lady was so nice! She ordered one pair of each thing I was looking at and when they come in she is going to call us to come look. Then I can choose my favorite out of those :) I am so excited that things are moving right along!
• I also received a phone call from the hospital in Greenville about an interview for the NICU!!!!! This would be a dream job for me and my interview is on Friday at 2:00pm. If you happen to think of me around that time, I would be so thankful if you would send up a prayer for me! I'm not getting my hopes up but it is still very exciting :)
• On top of that high, I also received an e-mail from the nurse manager I worked for last summer in Greenville! (MS-ICU) He told me he wanted me to apply for 3 positions he is posting so we can get that interview process moving along, too! Oh my gosh y'all, I am over the moon that in one day I have 2 potential places of work! I loved working in the ICU last summer and while NICU would be my first choice, I know I would love working in the ICU as well so I am hoping that one of these 2 will pan out for me :)
• And tonight, I am going with my mom, aunt, cousin Amy, and close family friends, Mrs. Wanda and Karen to see the movie Bridesamaids. I am so excited because I've heard it is good!!

Last, I would love it if you would say a prayer for my sweet friend Mandy. Sunday morning, her long-time boyfriend went into cardiac arrest and passed away. He was only 30 years old. I am so heartbroken for her and I can't even begin to imagine what she is feeling right now. I know it would mean a lot to her to know so many people are lifting her up in prayer! Thank you :)

Now, I hope everyone has a wonderful hump day tomorrow! Anything interesting going on in your lives?? I need to live vicariously through you now that I have nothing going on!! :)

Motivation?

This marks the 2nd time today I've tried to sit down and come up with a blog! Apparently I'm lacking some motivation right now!! :)

Saturday, David and I took a trip to Dahlonega, GA for one of his Clemson teammate's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was at a ranch in the middle of the mountains so it was a wonderful view! I left my camera at home so I have no pictures :( I'm apparently really bad at taking pictures....maybe I should work on that.

Today we slept in and I officially decided what I want to do with my free time! I'm going to continue learning how to sew and start making jewelry. Unfortunately no job leaves me with little money to be "crafty" right now so I'm going to have to work with what I already have, which isn't much. It'll work out! And to top it off, I have been figuring out how I want my future craft room to look! David was just thrilled about that, ha!

Othar than that I don't have much going on so I'll leave you with a list of what's on my agenda!

• Tomorrow I am going to watch one of my long-time friend's sweet little boy! It's so hard for me to believe we are already at the baby-making age but he is so precious. Lunch and catching up is also on the list ;)
• My uncle coaches a legion baseball team here and they have a game tomorrow. I like supporting my family and this is what he loves to do so I love going to watch!
• Tuesday I'm meeting with Edible Art for my wedding favors!! I am so excited about my favors! I'm hoping they are going to be as cute as I think they will be...and then my grandmother and I are going to work on bridesmaid gifts :) Things are moving right along in the wedding department and it's a good thing, too! It's only a little less than 4 months until the big day. (I also picked up a couple things at the wedding this weekend that I don't want in my wedding, but also some things I'd like to incorporate!)
• Ummm....that's it for this week, ha! So sad, right?

Now I'm off to spend some time with my puppy...I missed him this weekend! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! :)

In Between

I am currently sitting on David's couch while he plays Call of Duty or something like that. I just painted my nails and thought I'd blog a bit! I'll say, typing with wet nails is interesting. It's kind of like "hunt and peck" but I'm not really hunting for the letters! Also, I'm right-handed so the nails on my left hand look way prettier than then ones on my right...bummer.

I came down this afternoon before Dave got off work and the air conditioner in my car was not working. Okay, it was kind of working. It was blowing air, but it was not blowing cool air. It's been in the high 90's this week and my car would pick today to lose the ability to cool me off! I finally just turned the A/C off and rolled the windows down. It was slightly cooler. Once I got here, I got out and my shorts were soaked*, ha! Oh well....

I am in the middle of getting things moved from my house to my new home with David. I brought my first load down today and will spend tomorrow putting it all away. I brought all of my Christmas stuff (4 tubs, 1 box, and 1 bagged christmas tree...) and all of the books I wanted to bring with me (4 boxes). It's kind of bittersweet...I'm really looking forward to this next stage of my life but I'm kind of sad to be leaving family!

I know, 1 1/2 hours away isn't bad at all, but I've been within 5 minutes of my whole family since I was 5!! And, some of y'all can attest to this, but I used to have the worst homesickness ever! Sometimes I would even have to be taken home in the middle of the night at sleep overs. Ugh, I'm still embarrassed about that!!

So needless to say, this will be a transition for me, but I am looking forward to getting all settled in eventually! (I'm bringing a load down each time I come :)...and now that I have nothing to do, that should be often!!)

This weekend, one of David's roommates/teammates from Clemson is getting married so we will be spending our weekend celebrating with friends! I love weddings because they are getting me excited for my very own in just about 4 months!

I guess I don't have much more to talk about now...any ideas to keep a girl busy?? (Besides apply for jobs, ha!) Happy weekend, everyone! :)

*I went back to re-read my blog and just thought I should define that they were soaked with sweat...not pee. I am potty-trained! ;)

Not How I Thought It Would Happen...

I'd definitely say it's been a while since my last update! I have been studying non-stop for the dreaded NCLEX exam. I took my exam on Monday.

I didn't tell anyone when I was taking the exam. Aside from my mom, David, and a few of my close nursing friends, no one knew. I was so scared I was going to fail and then I'd be embarrassed when people started asking me about it. I just didn't want to even imagine the disappointment!

Unfortunately, some things messed up my "secret plan". I started feeling kind of puny about a week ago. Not totally bad, but not that great. I figured it was just the stress of the situation getting to me. After all, I was studying pretty much 24/7! Well. My symptoms continued to get worse over the next few days and Sunday (the day before my exam!) rolled around and I just couldn't eat and I was starting to feel pretty bad.

I will spare you the gruesome details (and believe me, they were gruesome!) but I ended up in the ER Sunday NIGHT. Nothing like a trip to the ER to keep your mind off the NCLEX!

*David couldn't resist a picture...he also said, "It's Murphy's law--anything that can go wrong, will go wrong..." Me and Murphy aren't on great terms right now... ha!

I was diagnosed with an intestinal bacterial infection. Yuck. But I got my antibiotic at 11:00pm and they told me I wasn't contagious so I would be good to go for my exam in the AM!! I wasn't feel too great the next morning but I went to my test anyway!

75 questions and 60 minutes later I was walking out of there and back to bed! I never thought I would end up in the ER the night before the biggest exam of my life, but apparently I was well prepared. I found out today that I PASSED!!!!!

I am now officially an RN, BSN!!!

Thank you for all of your thoughts recently and now I will have more time to update my blog!