Graaaaaaduate, Good Times, Come On!

It has been a busy few weeks.

I had my last final on June 12.

I graduated on June 17. Nursing schools have pinning ceremonies.
My Mom, Grandma, Aunt Patty, Aunt Elizabeth, and her 3 kids Cady, Maddie, and Michael all came to see it.

So did 2 friends, Kathryn and Tamara. I really appreciated all the support and love.
After the ceremony, we went to dinner at Everett Street Bistro. If you haven't been, you should go. So good and my outfit matched the decor. My Uncle Mike was very distraught that my school didn't have nurse's caps so my mom made some and each family decorated one for me. When I asked my Aunt Patty if I looked dumb, she just laughed. I meant dumber than I should with handmade decorated caps on my head.
On Thursday the 22nd, I took the NCLEX, the national boards for nurses.

It takes a couple days to get the results so I threw a party on Friday night to celebrate the graduation and distract me from waiting for the NCLEX results.

Tamara made me this super-cute cake!
I got to bed at 2am, but I woke up at 7am and couldn't go back to sleep, wondering if my score was in. So I got up and checked. And it was. It took me 3 tries to get all my info and credit card number entered correctly to get my score, I was nervous and sleepy. But I finally was able to get my results.

It's official and legal, I'm a nurse!

7 Down - 5 Letters - Big Screen Entertainment

I should be writing about my graduation yesterday and I will soon but I just found out about this movie, Wordplay. It's about crossword puzzles and competitions. It's a documentary with Will Shortz, the guy who creates the NYTimes puzzles and is also the puzzle master on NPR. Plus Jon Stewart. I have liked him for at least 10 years, especially after I heard he proposed to his wife in a crossword puzzle.

The movie opens next Friday, the same day as my graduation party. I've never semi-regretted having a party. So this is my new mantra, "I can wait for the movie..."

What Not To Wear

It's bad enough when celebrities with professional stylists make huge fashion faux pas, but when it's Trinny. Best. Fug. Ever.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's 60th birthday!

So here's why I celebrate him:

• He's following his dream
• He just "retired"
• He's building his new dream house
• He wants to buy a Vespa to get around town
• He went back to school for another degree in his 30s
• He reminded me of that when I wondered if I could do it
• He buys my gas while in school
• He reads my blog
• He hosts Christmas at his house every year
• And cooks too
• He runs into at least 3 people he knows everytime he goes to the grocery store
• He taught me to do stained glass
• He gave me his SLR camera
• He works with several charities in his town
• He looked at all my pictures from Thailand, about 600 of them
• He loves his family
• He supports me even when he doesn't understand my choices or beliefs
• He tries to understand me when he doesn't
• And I get to see him in July!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Smiling About The Land of Smiles (That's Thailand)

One year ago today, after taking my finals early, cleaning my cute little studio apartment where I had lived for 3 years, and moving all my stuff into the garden shed of the lovely and generous Tamara, I got on a plane to Southern Thailand. After over 40 hours on planes and layovers, I reached my final destination, Khao Lak.

I know I have written about this before but not a day goes by that I don't remember that trip, think about the people there, the changes I hope are still happening, notice sunspots and freckles I got while there, wear some cute shoes from Thailand, or look at pictures I took. So here are a few pictures...

The view from my hotel room. How lucky was I?!

My first day, going to the worksite. The rainy season if you couldn't tell.

Mixing cement with some visiting monks

Yep, that's me, twirling fire on the beach

I'm posed like a dressed down Vanna White but I built this whole wall all by myself. My eyes are closed from fatigue, it's either that or the dust from sawing concrete blocks in half is in my eyes.

Jaime and me after a long, hard day of work

Thanking Linda the Elephant for the adventure

Oh, Are They?

I should be working on a presentation for class tomorrow, or studying for finals, or studying for the NCLEX, or, or, or...

But I just had to post that I finished clinicals! These are my scrubs on fire. I never have to wear navy blue scrubs again. I got a uniform catalog in the mail yesterday and it was the first time I really looked at one. I had been avoiding them as I got sicker and sicker of the navy but knew I had no choice. Now I could actually get something else. The problem is I'm not really a flowery/Disney/heart/angel/cartoon type of girl. So I'll probably just end up with some solid color, anything but navy.

Only 13 days till graduation!