Pondering My Future

I've decided that every month I'm going to answer the same questions for the 2 years i'm earning my R.N. I thought this would be a fun way to get me through nursing school. So here goes!

1. What are you scared of right now?
              Finals in 2 weeks. Gulp.
2. What have you thought about most today?
             My Disney roommates. And finals. 
3. What did you learn about today in class?
              Endocrine glands in Pharmacology and pediatric mental health in 1020.
4. What was your most recent test on?
              Pharmacology today, drugs affecting the CNS and nutrition and elimination.
5. What is your next test on?
              Nursing Fundamentals next Wednesday.
6. What was the best part of today?
              Walking out of the testing center after passing my Pharmacology test.
7. What are you stressed about?
              Making it through the nursing program without becoming a legit hermit.
8. What/ who do you miss right now?
              Leslie, Naomi, Chelsea, Lindsey, Heather, Briana and Brianna.
9. What did you have for dinner?
              Spaghetti and marinara sauce. Yum. Me love pasta.
10. What field do you want to work in?
              Oncology or a WDW park nurse.

{when plans go differently than expected}

Sometimes we come up with amazing, wonderful plans, that give us joy and hope for the future. Sometimes those plans don't go the way we anticipated them to.

No, I'm not talking about my plans, I'm talking about my friend, David Zahm's.

He left on a mission In October. He is now home.

And I learned an amazing lesson from him because of that.

He was wondering why Heavenly Father would call him on a mission, just to send him home a few weeks after entering the MTC, and while we were talking, I realized something.

Sometimes Heavenly Father wants to see if you have the Faith to step out of the boat.

What the heck am I talking about? Let me refresh your biblical memory. One day, Peter, James, John and a few others were fishing in a boat. In the middle of a body of water. And Jesus Christ was walking on water near them. Peter, with extreme faith in the Lord, stepped out of the boat and took a few steps on water. Granted, fear took over and he started to sink, which is when Christ stepped in and took his hand.

So let me restate my realization.

Sometimes Heavenly Father wants to see if you have the Faith to step out of the boat.

Peter had the faith that he could walk to his Lord, on top of water. He had enough faith to throw his legs over the boat and stand.

David Zahm had the faith to step out of the boat. And when I say step out of the boat, he more like jumped out of the boat. He left at 21 years old, which is the age guys are when the return from a mission. He left a thriving business, siblings that were going to be moving to other states (and by that I mean Hawaii), friends, and a really good productive life.

So yeah, he's home. And he'll probably pop up in future posts. And I'm not gonna give details into a life that isn't mine. But know this:

Some boys serve missions to gain a testimony. To figure out who they are. To mature, learn to fend for themselves. To gain a true love for the Gospel. David's already got all of that. So yeah, he didn't serve a full mission, but he's just as great, if not more great than most of the guys who serve missions cause they 'have to'.

So welcome home David. I'm sorry you have to deal with people who will say rude condescending things to you about your mission. I'm sorry you live in Utah, home of some seriously judgmental 'holier than thou' people. But in the long run, I'm not sorry about you not serving a full 2 years. You left on a mission. You served. That's all that should ever matter.

Welcome home :)
~Courtney

A Post for a Pin

Seriously. That's the only reason for this post. So I could pin this to Pinterest. Photographer is Sydnee Palmer Mecham. Never met her or the couple in the photo, but I saw this and instantly fell in love. Hope the love birds don't mind, and the photographer is flattered that I love her idea soooooo much.

Why Do I Do These Things?

Guess what ya'll! It's.......

NO

SWEETS

NOVEMBER

And I'm dying.

It's only day 10, and I'm already wishing it were December already.

It's a good thing really, get me to cut back on my sweet tooth and focus on eating good snacks, like pineapple and strawberries (gotta have my sugar somewhere) instead of chocolate chips and Pudding Cups.

It's like everyone knows i'm subjecting myself to this. 

There are 3 delicious looking chocolate chip cookies that Steph made sitting in the kitchen. 

I have a leftover bag of starbursts from Halloween.

My Pinterest peeps are killing me with dessert recipes.

There were chocolate baked goods around every corner at Wal Mart yesterday.

I have 2 different varieties of chocolate chips staring at me from the pantry.

And worse of all... Stephanie has chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream sitting in the freezer.

It calls me every time I open the door.

I better loose some weight this month.

~Courtney

The Evolution of a Desk

Yeah, that's what this post is about. I've lived in 4 different apartments since graduating high school. I didn't have a desk while living in Florida, I just sat on my bed to use my laptop. For the other 3 apartments I've had a desk. So here we go, the evolution of a desk.

 Living in Valley View at Utah State was likely my favorite room layout of the two dorms. I had one half of the room, and Brianna had the other. My closet was small, my dresser was small, my room was small, but I loved it there.
My desk was huge. I could fit my printer on it! It was a good, obviously messy space that introduced me to the world of college.

 Take 2 at on campus housing. Reeder introduced me to friends that I still hold on to today. Bri and I split the desk here, and it was incredibly smaller than my first desk. Here I learned to work in cramped spaces. I figured out how to really organize myself, note the purple 3 drawer bin that took the place of my drawers full of pens, pencils, post-it notes and desk stuff. The closet was huge, and we had bunk-beds. It was epic.

And now to Cedar Hills Apartments. My own room, a huge closet, walls plastered with my art. The desk is old and ugly, with rusty drawers and uneven surfaces, but it's my nursing school desk, and I love it. My printer fits under it, my trash can fits, my chair fits. It's wide enough to have the computer on and my textbook open in front of me. My calendar hangs at my eye level, and the Disney all over the desk keeps me smiling.

So there you have it! The evolution of Courtney's desk.

I know it's random, but I thought it would be fun to compare.

~Courtney

Pondering My Future

I've decided that every month I'm going to answer the same questions for the 2 years i'm earning my R.N. I thought this would be a fun way to get me through nursing school. So here goes!

1. What are you scared of right now?
              Starting hospital clinical rotation on Monday.
2. What have you thought about most today?
              Going to Florida in June, and the subsequent trips I will be taking with my friends.
3. What did you learn about today in class?
              Anxiety and depression in 1020, and cardiac drugs in pharmacology.
4. What was your most recent test on?
              Mental Health, mainly communication styles.
5. What is your next test on?
              Pharmacology (in 3 weeks, glory hallelujah)
6. What was the best part of today?
              Eating cotton candy and cupcakes at work.
7. What are you stressed about?
              Making it through the nursing program without becoming a legit hermit.
8. What/ who do you miss right now?
              Walt Disney World.
9. What did you have for dinner?
              Mini Ravioli. Nothing like microwaving your dinner in 1.30 minutes.
10. What field do you want to work in?
              Oncology, interventional radiology, or a WDW park nurse.

~Courtney

Apartment Tour Anyone?!

Yay!! Apartment tour!!

A dark picture of our dining table

Love my dishwasher. Makes for a lazy nursing student

Overall a really great sized kitchen for the price

I had a picnic on this deck a few months ago. ...memories

Stephanie's uber comfy couch

My great grandma's rocker and lamp.

Our living room would look so bare without all of Steph's furniture

Our crazy linen closet. Name something
random and chances are it'll be in there.

Our bathroom looks like it's fit for a 4 year old.
Whatever, I think it's cute.

Huh. The sink actually looks clean. Amazing.

How cute is my room?

My study area

my prep area in the left corner

My personality corner

I love the size of my closet. Love it.

I made these drapes out of a shower curtain!

I spend most of my time in this corner of my house.

Well people, that's it! Of course, Stephanie has her room, and it's located in between the linen closet and the bathroom. It's a really great place, I kinda wish I could pick it up and move it to wherever I move after nursing school. Love how cozy the place is, though I would love to paint the walls and nix the dark wood everywhere. Eh, renter's can't be choosers.

Thanks for going on a tour with me, though really it was for me so I can reminisce in a few years once I've left Price in my dust.

~Courtney