csusm graduation

i'm done! the cap and gown ceremony was held at the school for the very first time on friday may 20th. the smith's came to see me walk and then took me out to my very favorite bbq place (phils) and then we went and saw pirates 4 in 3D (which was actually pretty good).

i of course have more graduation photos, but this is what i could salvage for now. . . a nice graduation proof :)

the photographer took individual shots of us also, but she failed to tell me that my tassel was covering my eyes and in fact you couldn't see my eyes, or that the stole on my right side was covering my diploma. thanks, but no thanks.

a gorgeous day in OC

blabs and i

after the pinning ceremony the family and i drove to il fornaio (one of my favorites) in orange county. it was just as good as i remembered. i think i stuffed myself to the brim and look about 4 months pregnant but it was so worth it. thanks to g-ma for being so generous and taking us out to dinner! we all had way too much fun :)

number 2 baby!

love these girls. rin, jam, and mel.

phew! i'm done! well for a little bit at least. who would have thought this day would have ever had come? not me that's for sure. i was just thinking about how i've been in school for 6 years straight. i think i'm in dire need of a nice vacation.

today i had my exciting and wet pinning ceremony at a winery where i was "pinned" a nurse. it's so great to graduate with 45 of your friends who you've spent everyday with for the past 2 years. it just had to rain though. . . seriously?? the rain didn't make for a good hair day.

my bestie reiko (mel)

look at the familial support :)

just pinned as a nurse!

passing the flame

hello have you seen such pretty flowers?? they're in my room right now and they smell wonderful. thanks g-ma :)

semester 2 complete

my instructor pam (she's a dream), mel, and me

my buddies

semester 2 clinical group med/surg

we were obviously caught off guard

mel and me

(no lie, the person that i've had the most crazy nursing experiences with. she's always there when i'm in need of a helper and trust me, it's always the most unpleasant of experiences! )

i think our last day of clinical for this semester was the most eventful because of how busy we were with our patients. what a way to end the last day let me tell you! i think we were all looking forward to going out to an early dinner by then.

here's to next semester in the ER/ICU and hoping for more crazy experiences!!

yard house

sharin' some laughs, and eating some din din with the nursing girls.

1st semester as a student nurse

i can't believe i just finished my first semester of clinicals as a student nurse. it was filled with everything from tests and care plans to taking care of sick and dying patients. i met some really cool people at the skilled nursing facility. i learned a lot about life and how important it is to take care of your body. this was my instructor Barb. she was with us from the start. she was there on our first day at the hospital when we were so apprehensive and nervous to get out on the unit. she was there when i passed meds for the first time frightened that i was going to give the patients meds that would affect their health drastically. or the time when i gave my first insulin shot, another scary day. however, overall i learned so much from her. she taught us what to really expect in the acute care setting and to that i am grateful.

i spent everyday with these girls and we all became so close. there were times where we would all die laughing during post conference discussing our experiences, and there were times where some would cry. if there was one thing we learned together it was that we could count on one another. after all, we are a team.

my new littmann

look what came in!

this pretty much only applies to those who understand how amazing medical tools are. this is my new littmann stethescope. i have already been putting this thing to good use. take for example this...

everyday i get home i ask to listen to everyone's heart beat. they definitely get a kick out of hearing their own heart. it makes being alive just that much better. can't wait to start using this to hear abnormal beats!

graduate party part due

grandma, mom, child

who knew nicoli was so good at being a florist. i taught him well.

the party was an absolute blast. gram went WAY overboard. thanks for everything! love you!

graduate party part uno

my party planner of a grandmother decided to throw us grads (me and ash) a little get together with tons of food (delicious pasta...a staple in our house), gorgeous flowers, and wonderful friends and family


grandmama and girls

cousins sean and joey

my adorable cousins jord and morg

miss sassy

i'll always bleed blue and white

who would have thought that i would graduate a cougar, and become a cougar all over again? definitely NOT me. i was admitted to the summer 2009 nursing program at cal state san marcos (who just so happen to also be the cougars like my alma mater!) as a grad student. i start in a few weeks and couldn't be more excited.