Update

Nursing school- is going well! I have made it past the 1/2 way point of the first semester! Each week is crazy & the next week is even crazier! Next week I have 1 competency, 1 paper due, 1 quiz, 1 test & 1 midterm ... it all should be very interesting! BUT even though it is crazy busy I am still loving every minute of it! I love how much I am learning & not only learning but I love that I know I will use this in the future. I hated taking classes & thinking "will I EVER use this again in my life, probably not" but with the classes I am taking now I KNOW I will be using this information for ever!! My hardest class of the semester is Medical-Surgical Nursing! We study a new system every week & we are learning everything about it. NOT just the basic we are learning every part of every function of every system lol! It can be very overwhelming!

Ryan - is still enjoying his job! He is so cute when he talks about things that happen at work. Recently he had to call the cops on a homeless man for a dine & dash, just listening to Ryan explain what he had to do was interesting! It is weird to think he is "the boss"! The homeless man not only got a huge meal (steak & all) but he also decided to help himself with 2 Jack & cokes! Ryan loves the people he works with & what I think makes his job is he gets along with his boss & the other managers! I love that he never complains about going to work!

Life- is good right now besides work & school Ryan & I are just finding out how to adjust are schedules to our new routines! It was very hard & stressful in the beginning but I think we are getting better! The hardest thing for Ryan & I recently has been cleaning & chores around our apartment. Before when I was working I worked Monday-Friday & then would clean, do laundry & cook. Ryan's schedule has always varied so he helped "straighten" which normally meant straightening the living room. Well with school I haven't had a ton of free time so it was important for Ryan to help more around the apartment! I am home more but I am always studying so I know it was hard for Ryan to understand why the apartment wasn't clean! I explained to Ryan that I go to school & come home & study/do homework all the time & then he goes to work but he doesn't bring any work home with him. After many discussions & some arguing I know Ryan understands that even though I am at home I am studying & he has helped A LOT!! Also I talked to some of the other girls & guys who are in my group @ school & they had the same problem so it was nice to know I wasn't alone! I love Ryan so much & I am so happy he supports me going back to school to start my dream of being a NURSE! He also supports us financially which is awesome- right now we are SINKS (single income no kids) & that is not so awesome!! I know this is only temporary though so that is nice!! :)

This weekend I will be studying but tomorrow night we are going out with some friend for Halloween. I am going to be Little Red Riding Hood, Ryan is going to be the Big Bad Wolf & Taylor (Ry's step-brother) is going to be the lumber jack. I didn't even know there was a lumber jack in the story but after googling the story I found out the lumberjack killed the Wolf to save the girl & her grandmother!! I am really excited to hang out with friends, it will be nice to relax!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated, I will try harder but this just show how life is for me right now :) CRAZY busy & random! --- My friend Jamie texted me & told me she has been waiting for me to update & I told her I would try this weekend, so LOOK at that! I DID IT :) My new goal is to update at least once weekly! We will see :)

Update

I've completed 4 weeks of nursing school!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every day is hard and I am learning so much but I am so glad to be living my dream! I knew going back to school it would be a challenge and it hasn't disappointed me LOL! I have read so many chapters, had many quizzes & even a test already!! I start clinicals this week & I am so excited to put into practice what we have been learning in class. Working as a Medical Assistant I know I love patient care & I'm excited to experience the hospital setting!

A lot has happened in Aug/Sept! Here is a brief summary:

• I helped throw a baby shower for one of my best friends Annie! It was a great day & baby Simon got so many great gifts! I was glad Annie had a lot of friends & family members come to the shower! I can't wait to meet Simon... come on NOVEMBER!!
• We had the beer pong tournament! Grandpa May & Matt Dunn won again (they won last year too)! Next year they are going to be the team to beat again! This was the night the stage collapsed at the State Fair so the weather was really crazy & it poured for a few hours! We had great food & beer...Diana & Glen May made BBQ sundaes, they were mason jars that we filled with corn bread, pulled pork & many other toppings - they were a huge hit! We had a great turn out but we definitely missed Katelyn & Ryan Marando! Katelyn got a new job & the beer pong tournament happened to be on their busiest time & her companies championship weekend!
  
• Ryan had his 26th birthday! We celebrated multiple times with friends and family!! I can't believe we are SO old lol It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his 17 birthday with a monster cake in high school! Love you RY!
• We went to our friends Brooke & Steve's wedding in Merrillville, Indiana. The wedding was on a Friday night & we had a blast! The reception was so much fun & we danced the night away! Congrats to Brooke & Steve! I know they will have a life of love & happiness!
• Ryan & I went to Lake Erie over Labor Day weekend w/ Katelyn & Ryan to visit Mary & Ross (Ryan Marando's parents)! We had a great weekend! We spent one night over on an Island & hung out with Ryan Marando's high school buddies! We had a great night going out in Put-In-Bay, it is such an interesting little place! We also went to a birthday party with the Marando's, it was at a local bar & we had a blast drinking & dancing! I also got my first experience tubing behind a boat! I had a blast & got beat up by the waves. I was really sore the next day but it was awesome! The Marando's are always so much fun to visit & we love them both!

Check out my pictures on facebook :) I don't want to upload them on here too! SORRY!!

It's Beer Pong Tournament TIME

Yeaaaaa it's Thursday :) This weekend Ryan & I are going to Lafayette for the May's 3rd Annual Beer Pong Tournament. Ryan & I look forward to this every year! The whole May family plus a few friends get together & we all have so much fun! The variation of people & their"level of expertise/experience" is huge. It's interesting because we pick partners by drawing out of a hat so you never know who you will get. The weekend is a great time with amazing people & yummy food. Tonight Ryan & I are going to make jello shots (you know...the essentials) & tomorrow I will make cupcakes & brownies. When Ryan & I make jello shots we have an assembly line & it is hilarious! I will post a picture later of the finished products!! Can't wait for Saturday :) Hope you all have a great weekend & I will post pictures later!

Hello Hello Hello

Hope you all are having a great day! I'm currently at work bored out of my mind because the doctor I work for is out the rest of the week. Like I have said before I hate when one of the doctors is out because it is soooo boring here. It is already a slow office & not having all the patients we normally do makes for a really long day. I hope this week goes by quickly!

Last night I went to dinner with some of my family, it was fun hanging out & walking around Broad Ripple with them :) Aunt Angie, Aunt Amiee & my cousins (Kayleigh, Lisa, Brian & Arika) & I all went to Bazbeaux pizza in Broad Ripple & then got BRICS ice cream! Brics is easily becoming one of my favorite places. Pizza + ice cream = pure love. Both of my aunts are RNs so I love talking to them & getting advice from them. One of my aunts actually works @ the school I'm going to starting in August. Both of my aunts have been very supportive about me going back to school, I think they both understand how much I want to be a RN & what it would mean to me to accomplish my goal. Yesterday at dinner I got lots of presents, most people wouldn't love the presents I got but I LOVED THEM!! I got study books, class books & some uniforms! I am so glad both of my aunts were able to help me, it was a huge relief.

Aunt Amiee, Arika & Kayleigh in Broad Ripple

Aunt Angie & Lisa

Lisa, Me, Kayleigh & Arika

Ryan & I have been talking a lot lately about what we are going to do about our living situation. BEFORE I got into RN school we talked about buying a house before our lease is up at the end of October. It felt kind of natural to talk about buying, we have been living in apartments for 4+ years together. We have been looking for months online to see what type of house we would get for our money & the location we wanted. I was really excited about the thought of being a home owner. NOW that I am going back to school this month Ryan and I will be a SINK (single income no kids) HAHA my friend Roxanne taught me this terminology & I love it. Before buying a house made sense because we were a DINK (double income no kids). After talking about this for so long we have decided it is not in our best interest to buy a house now. We would have to get a less expensive house & maybe not be able to afford features we want in the house. I think waiting until I graduate is smart. Then we will be a DINK again & will be able to afford a better house.

NOW our options are a) move into a new apartment b) rent a house c) renew our lease at our current apartment complex. Ryan is very adamant about not moving again until we move into a house. He hates moving & I don't blame him. My only thought is if we can save money why not move. Our apartment complex is raising our rent again. This will be our third year living there & every year they have raised our lease about $50 a month. Now $50 doesn't seem like a lot of money but being a SINK we need to save all the money we can. A lot of the apartments I have looked at are very similar in price to the one we are living in now. I still haven't been able to find that many reasonable houses to rent. I don't really know where to look so that might be the problem. So for now we are leaning towards staying at our current apartment until I graduate from school. We have until the end of October to decide but I have so many other things on my mind I don't think about it a lot! This whole going back to school has thrown a wrench into our housing plans but I believe it is for the best. I am so excited & I cant wait to start our new journey. NURSING SCHOOL HERE I COME :)

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago & look at the guy in the background HAHA!

He looks like he is in the picture!

Rachel, Liz, Me, Brittany & Amber (oh & how could I forget our friend in the back...I'm going to call him LARRY)

Oops I forgot I had a blog =)

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last blogged. I have been so busy & haven't even thought about blogging =>Bad Tiffany! I can't believe it is almost August...where did this SUMMER go? I have a love/hate relationship with this August. I love that I am going to Nursing School but I hate that I will have to be a student again. All the assignments & test make me really nervous. I'm guessing the first semester will be the hardest for me because I will be trying to get back into the swing of school mode. My goal is to be on the Dean's List every semester & to graduate on time!! I will have to be very motivated & manage my time well.
Update on me- I told my office the other day that I will be leaving for Nursing School. Both the Doctors, my manager & the staff were very sweet. They all said how they don't want me to leave but they are happy for me & they think I will be a great RN! Hearing what they had to say was awesome, I really appreciate when people notice my hard work & dedication to the medical field. I can't wait to pursue my dream & continue providing great patient care!! :)
Just a little update on Ryan he is still loving his new job!! He really enjoys the people he works with & he likes his hours. Ryan has been closing the restaurant 3 nights a week, working 1 morning shift & 1 mid-shift (10:30-8ish) & then having two days off. The 3 closing nights are hard because we don't see each other all day! Ryan likes closing though because he gets to relax at the pool during the day!! I'm always jealous that I am stuck in an office & he is lounging at the pool!
Last weekend Ryan & I went to the 16th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Fest w/ Glen & Diana & Taylor. Later Loren met us & we went to dinner at Zest in Broad Ripple! The food was amazing!! I had the chicken & waffles with mashed potatoes & green beans. Everyone loved their meals & we ate way to much.

Taylor & I @ Beerfest

The whole group!! Glen, Diana, Taylor, Ryan & I
We all decided this would be an annual event for us!

Glen was so brave & got a tattoo haha

The day was soooo hot & pretty!

Taylor & Loren at Brothers

Me & Ryan :) We had such a great day!! Love him!!

Why do weekends go by so quickly??

Our weekend was pretty crazy but Friday night was so relaxing!!!! After work Ryan & I hung out just the two of us!! We were planning on going out to dinner but last minute decided we didn't want to get ready (well I guess I didn't want to get ready) so we had dinner at home!! It was so nice to just relax & cuddle on the couch! No where to go, no one to meet up with, just Ry & I ... & the beagle on one little couch!

Then Saturday Ryan & I hung out during the day, I was bummed he had to work at 4pm because we had a graduation party to go to. One of our friends Josh, just graduated from Purdue's Pharmacy school & his parents were throwing him a party - BOILER UP!! Luckily Loren, Ryan's step-sister was going to be staying with us so she came with me!! Saturday night Loren & I took the long trek to Greenwood (approx 45 minutes away) to celebrate with Josh & his friends & family! It was a great time & there was SOOOO much food! I really should have taken a picture of the food spread because they had everything!! I had fun with Loren staying with us & since she just got a job at the Children's Museum I am sure she will be staying with us more often!!

Sunday morning Ryan & I got up extra early & headed to Lafayette. I had a bridal shower to go to for my friend Brooke in Dyer, IN (by Schererville/Merrillville) & I was meeting Amber in Lafayette so we could go together! Since I was meeting Amber in Lafayette, Ryan & I planned a whole day out of it. Ryan golfed with Taylor (his step-brother) & a couple friends while I went to the shower! The shower was so beautiful! It was at a steak house & I had ribeye for lunch... I loved it!! Brooke & Steve are so cute together & I am so happy for them! They got a lot of great gifts & I can't wait until their wedding 9/2/2011!! I really enjoyed the drive to the shower because it gave me 3 hours to have girl talk with my lovely sister!! This seems like a long time but the time really flew by, we laughed the whole time-- I love my sissy sooo much! Mid afternoon after I got back to Lafayette we all hung out at Ryan's Dad's house & had a cookout! We played yard games & had a great meal! I love the time we get to spend in Lafayette with family. We don't live that far away but with everyone having jobs & stuff going on we really have to plan time together!!
Hope you all are having a great Tuesday!!
If you are having a bad day or want a good laugh, watch this ---> http://youtu.be/U0o5ARdrwII --it's a kid that gave a motivational speech after riding his bike!! He is so cute & pumped up!!

Nursing Info Session

On Tuesday I had my first Nursing School meeting :) We went over a lot of information, found out all the fees that go along with being in the program & signed a paper so they could sign us up for classes!! We do not get to pick our own class times they randomly assign us times, so hopefully my schedule isn't horrible. (who am I kidding regardless of my schedule I am so excited to get started) We also got uniform information, we have to wear white tops w/ logo & green pants with white shoes (plain leather) & long white socks!! At the meeting I sat at a table with 7 other women, I thought it was interesting we all had similar stories of our wait to get into Nursing School-- it's good to know you are not alone! I did notice that most of the other students were older. There were a total of 90 students which included a handful of men & a lot of older women! All the women at my table had children (one had 6 & another had 5)!! I couldn't imagine going to school & taking care of a family, KUDOS to them!! I think it is great they are going back to get their RNs. I can't wait to have mine & I can't wait to begin my other dreams!! I will probably be in school for-EV-ER... can you be a lifetime student? lol I should graduate December of 2012 with my RN (Associates Degree)!!!!! After that I plan on working & going back to get my bachelor's degree so I can then go on to get my MASTERS!!

In August the journey begins =)

p.s. I won't be riding the bus when I go back to school just liked the picture lol

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!!!!