I will admit..

.. that I am a total sucker for reality shows, and almost anything MTV has to offer in that category (aside from Jersey Shore, which I absolutely refuse to watch.) I watched The Real World before it was cool, and long before it was the complete joke it is today. (and probably before any normal parent allows his/her child to.) After enjoying 16 and Pregnant, I was excited to see that the cameras would be following four storylines further, and Teen Mom was born. Or perhaps birthed is a better term.

Farrah I can't stand, because she was obnoxious before she had a kid, and now that Sophia is around, she still refuses to give up her "teenage" status. Amber and Gary provide a good example of how having a baby changes a relationship, and I was glad to see that Amber finally stopped acting like a victim. Catelynn chose adoption which by far is the hardest choice of all, and I'm glad MTV chose to show how even that can make a big difference in your life.

By far, though, my favorite is Maci. First of all, Bentley is the cutest child in the world (would even give little Clara a run for her money) and it seems like Maci is the only one who has realized that "mother" is her primary role now. And she loves her baby to death. She has the most family support, and seems to be the least stressed about raising her baby. The problem for her, is her DB of a baby daddy- Ryan, who is pretty much the scum of the earth. Thankfully she has finally realized that no matter how much she wants him to be a good dad, he won't really be, and has decided to give up trying to make their relationship work.

All of this to say, that I'm getting my hair cut eventually, and I'm thinking it might look like Maci's.

Study Abroad Envy

So I could be studying in Australia:

China:

France:

Or South Africa


But instead, I'm here:


Don't get me wrong, I love Valpo, but it's no Paris. Hands down my biggest regret about college (and perhaps the only one worth anything) is that I didn't take the time to study abroad.

I Survived

Recently my parents asked me if I wanted to include anything personal at the bottom of my graduation announcements. I’m sure the company was implying something like “thanks so much to everyone who has helped me get this far” and all that jazz, but all I could really think to write was “I survived” which my mother didn’t find nearly as amusing as I did.

At the end of the day, and more realistically the semester, that really is my goal- survival. To make it one more semester without being close to academic probation. This isn’t because I’m lazy, even though I am. It’s not because I don’t like my classes. It’s simply because nursing school is HARD. There is a lot of information being crammed into my head on a daily basis, and I mostly pray and spend a lot of time studying in hopes that the important parts will stick. Apparently enough of it has.

For instance, last night I dreamt that my 95 year old grandmother experienced a textbook stroke right in front of my eyes. She started acting funny and immediately my mind went “Face, Arm, Speech, Time… TIME! WHAT TIME IS IT?” That’s the acronym for strokes- FAST. It’s important to note the time because that can make life or death difference in treatment options. As she was experiencing this stroke, she fell and hit her head, breaking her skull (ok, ok, so I have some strange dreams- I promise this is no reflection of how I feel about my grandmother). Miraculously she was still okay, (to which I thought, She’s 95! How has she survived this!) and while her skull was fractured, I knew it wasn’t the occipital bone. I can remember saying “at least it’s not the occipital, she’s got a great occipital.” I called 911 and can remember chewing out the EMTs because it took them so long to arrive, telling them that I would sue if we discovered she was suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage, because time is of the essence.

Clearly, I’m learning some of this info. I also need to stop having such vivid dreams.