75 Questions Later...

I PASSED!  I have officially taken and kicked the NCLEX's tail.  I could not be more relieved. 

Throughout nursing school, we all talked about how there was no way that the NCLEX could be that horrible, we would all do fine, etc...   This all changed when I started hearing horror stories from my classmates who were lucky enough to take it before me.   After reading a 1200 page NCLEX textbook, reading another prep book called the Hurst review, and taking over 1500 practice test questions... as I sat down to take the test, I still felt unprepared. 

I'm usually a fairly calm test taker.  I get anxious beforehand (I told my dad an hour before I took it that I felt like I was going to vomit), but after I sit down and start taking it, I'm fine.  Thankfully, this was true for the NCLEX, and after about question 5, my heart rate had slowed, despite the fact that I could still hear it beating loudly through my head phones. 

So this is how the test works.  You start out with fairly easy questions, and as you get them right, the questions get harder.  If you get them wrong, your questions get easier again.  Eventually, if you're doing well, you should be getting questions that you have NO IDEA what the answer is... this happened to me.  The minimum amount of questions you can get is 75.  So, if your test cuts off at 75, you either did really well, or really bad.  As I was sitting there about to submit my 75th question, I kept thinking, "Do I want more questions, or am I good enough to be done?".  It didn't matter, my test cut off at 75.  My heart stopped. 

I called Matthew as I was leaving the test site, and told him that I had absolutely no idea how I had done.  I know that I had at least 20-25 "select all that apply" questions, which people had told me that when you get those questions, it means your doing well...but honestly, how do they know?  Why they can't give you your results right after the test is beyond me.  It's torture.

There is apparently a trick to see if you passed that you can do early before you get your "official" test results 48 hours later.  You go onto the testing website and try and re-register to take the test.  If it takes you to the credit card page, then you know you failed, but if a message pops up saying "Contact your member board", it supposedly means you passed. 

I was too nervous to check this out myself, so I called M to see if he would do it for me.  He told me he would call me back in 40 minutes to let me know.  An hour or so later he called me and didn't say anything about the test but said, "I think I'm going to come home from work early today".  At this point, I know something's up.  His tone is off, and I knew he was busy that day at work...no way he needed to leave early.  I immediately ask, "Did you check it?"  He replies, "Well, I dunno, I'm not sure, I...."  At this point, I'm on the verge of a full blown panic attack and said, "JUST TELL ME WHAT IT SAID!".  He tells me that when he tried to submit to re-register it took him to a page that asked what test I wanted to register for.  I'm still freaking out, so I hung up on M and called my friend Erin to ask her if that means I failed, or if I was supposed to go back through and do the whole thing all over again.  Long story short, M didn't go far enough into the process.  I eventually got the message telling me to call my member board.  Lesson learned...Man up and do it yourself next time.  My poor husband had no idea what to do when he thought I had failed... bless his heart.

At work two days later, I officially get the results on the Alabama Board of Nursing website.  There I was...Andrea Lynn Hardison, RN.  I finally got to sign something in my patients chart with RN after my name later on that day... sweet.  You can see it for yourself, https://www.abn.alabama.gov/apps/lookup/verification.aspx  Just type in my first and last name, and there I am :)

I'm off for the next 3 days.  This 3 days a week thing is the best thing since sliced bread.  5 days a week is for the birds...or everyone else in a normal profession.  But the best part? (Besides my first paycheck that I got last Friday)  I don't have to study when I get home from a 12 hour shift.  I'm done.  I was straight up crazy when I contemplated starting back to school this Fall.. no thanks.  Not the spring either.  The earliest this girl will be hitting the books again is next summer...the earliest.   I'm enjoying being a normal, working, adult.  Hello real world!

Sincerely,

Andrea Hardison, RN, BSN

If I Have To...

So, I turned 24 on Saturday.  Please, hold your "happy birthdays".  I'm not thrilled.  Birthdays used to be fun and exciting.  As you got older, you got more responsibilities, like riding your bike out of your mother's line of sight, going to the movies with friends sans parents, getting a cell phone, learner's permit, driver's license, being able to vote or get a tattoo without parental permission (I didn't take advantage of that last one), etc...  What happens at 24.... a big fat nothing.  Sure, more responsibility, but most definitely not "fun" responsibility, like remembering to feed your pet goldfish. 

I know I know, I'm really not at all old.  There are plenty of people older than me, don't hate.  I just know that next year I will officially be mid twenties, as in closer to 30 than 20.  Fortunately, there are upsides...If anything, being 24 has been an even better reminder to put on my anti-wrinkle cream at night and my sunscreen on during the day... I refuse to have bad skin. 

Now instead of wondering what I'm going to wear to Homecoming or formal.  I worry about 401k's, Roth IRA's, student loans, car payments, or even better how we're going to pay for our future children's college education.  No fun! I remember thinking adulthood was so glamorous :) Luckily, there are a lot of things to look forward to as well...focus on the positive!

 Thanks to all who made my bday great!  It was so fun being in Nashville to celebrate mine and Ashley's birthdays.

Dinner at Sperrys.

 

 

So I have been dying for a pair of Ray-Bans.  But, I accidently got my mom to order them in the wrong size... Bummer.  Now I'm having a change of heart, and don't know if I should stick with my Aviators (in the bigger size) or get Wayfarers.

Wayfarer

Aviator...All my fashion-forward friends out there.. Help!

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, there was a Pi Delta Alumni Breakfast.  Yay for seeing old friends!

My pledge class...7 out of 13.  Not bad.

Thanks Dad

Most of you who know me would assume that I received about 90% of my genes from my mother.  Well, I'm here to tell you, that although I am almost completely a mini me of good ole' Vick the Chick.. I have a lot of my Dad in me as well.  We're both night owls, love history, sports, and reading pretty much anything and everything, have bad vision, share a love for old black and white movies, especially anything by Alfred Hitchcock or starring Jimmy Stewart, and we're two of the more frugal ones in the family (ahem, Ash and Mom).  Unfortunately, I didn't receive his rationality, levelheadedness or patience, but I mean hey, we can't win 'em all.  But I was lucky enough to get his....Allergies.  Awesome.

While my mother usually gets to enjoy this time of year, the rest of us spend our nights hacking and sneezing.  When people ask me what exactly I'm allergic to, my response is everything.  I'm not kidding.  According to my allergist, mold is worst for me, along with pollen, ragweed, grass, and pretty much anything green or growing outside, plus dogs that shed and of course cats.  I'm still scarred from allergy shots.  I began taking them when I was little, and the only thing I remember was running around the house screaming, while my mother most likely chased me around with a needle... not open of course.  In high school, I was the only kid I knew that had to go downtown to Baptist after school to get not only 1 allergy shot, but 3.  Not to mention, that you have to wait 30 minutes after your shot to see if you had a reaction to it.  Who has time for that?  I loved the weeks that I could convince my dad to be a rebel and leave before we got checked.

Currently, I'm sleeping on 3 pillows, trying to prevent myself from coughing and keeping my husband up at all hours of the night. I've taken more than enough Zyrtec and Benadryl.  So now I'm wishing I was still taking allergy shots, but if I can't give them to myself... I'm not interested.

So thanks Dad.  Appreciate it :)

So Long Black Beauty

So long

We sadly ecstatically got rid of our good friend Black Beauty this past Sunday.  Matthew and I bought a new car!!  I'm sorry Black Beauty, your worn out AC just wasn't cutting it anymore.  Your time had come.  Now, you can rest in the great car heaven in the sky, or the dump, either/or.  I wish I could say that you've been a great car, but in all honesty, you were sort of a headache, or a wallet ache.  I wish Serra Hyundai/Kia/Mistubishi/Chevy/and whatever else they sell the best of luck in selling you...

Matthew and I had been eyeing the 2011 Hyundai Sonatas for the last month or so, apparently they have been rated the "best" car for your money the last couple of years, plus it looks pretty.  We had decided to wait 6 months, save up a little more, and then take the plunge.  This all changed when Matthew found an ad in the paper saying they would give $4500 for any trade-in.  Obviously, Black beauty is not worth a dime over $1500, so we opted to go check it out, vowing that even if we fell in love with a car, we would "at least" go home and sleep on it.  5 hours later we walked out with our lives and any valuable organs signed away to a car loan :)

On a side note, if anyone needs a great haggler, you are free to borrow my husband.  He stuck to his guns and said he would not pay a dime over a certain price, even when the guy basically begged.  The car guy wanted $10 more a month, which I thought was reasonable... but not to M.  Through all the negotiations, we got the car for about $8000 off the sticker price.. have no idea how that came about.  I clammed up in through the negotiations (I feel awkward in confrontations), so I excused myself to go "study" for the NCLEX.  All I know, we're the new proud owners of a car that will hopefully survive for a VERY long time.

 On a side note, as if I needed any other reason to be glad I got a job at UAB.. I was shown this little jewel in orientation today.  I've gotta meet this guy. 

Year Two

And then there were two...years that is, two wonderful years married to an amazing beautiful woman. I was planning on doing a long post and I still may do an addendum later this evening depending on the schedule (right now the power is out and my computer has to be plugged in to work), but due to un-for-seen technical difficulties (it took about 6 hours longer to finish the video and get it on the blog than expected) this will be more brief than originally planned. I will simply say this, after two years of marriage I have it all figured out. The secret? The big mystery behind such a lengthy marriage? Realize you are not as important as she is, or as important as the two of you are together. Be constantly aware you married up and hope like crazy she doesn't figure it out. Be thankful every day for your time together and know when who cleaned the kitchen last is not worth arguing about. Also, flowers, jewelry, and the occasional surprise from Chick-Fil-A or Milo's doesn't hurt either.

Enjoy the video that is a definite joint effort between M and A. Also, Ann accepted and will start her new job on Monday, but I will let her blog about the job drama that has finally, and thankfully come to a close!



Year Two
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I Almost Forgot

Remember that time I graduated 3 weeks ago? The thought almost escaped me on the blog, I know I promised pics of the big event, but the excitement over the cruise masked the real reason we were celebrating. I'm DONE. Peace out UAB School of Nursing. It's been real. I'll catch ya on the flip side.. but seriously... please accept me into your graduate program (if I decide to go there) I promise I'll be a good nurse.. the best in fact. I will make your NCLEX passing rate statistic proud... I hope.

I learned a lot in nursing (state) school. Like the simple fact that teachers outside my Lipscomb bubble do in fact curse in the classroom. That NO subject is off limits, and that in the "real" world, you apparently can get away with cheating.. not me, obviously.

In all seriousness. I am super grateful for the stellar education I received this last year and a half. (No alumni association, I'm not ready to give you any money). I would like to take this moment to thank several people: my wonderful husband for putting up with me through everything, my awesome parents, brother and sister for being there to hear me complain :), my incredible in-laws for being ever-supportive, and the ever-giving Stafford Loan peeps..without them my education would have never happened. I promise I will pay you back...with LOTS of interest :)

Enjoy the pics from grad weekend.

Sincerely,

Andrea Hardison, BSN

Last day of school.

Right after my last final.

Girls Night celebration

Pinning Ceremony

Best friend since Day 1. We've been through it all together.

Sweet friend Jessica.

Hooray!

Thanks fam for coming!

"Snap Back to Reality"

I feel disheartened to even sit and write this post, because it really means that our long awaited vacay is over. You save up for so long, get so excited, and then it's gone... like it never even happened. Not that I could ever be on a cruise boat for very long (I would eventually run out of Dramamine), but I think I could suck it up for an extra week or two :) Not to mention that M and I would eventually probably kill each other living in a 12 foot by 12 foot box...

Our cruise was da bomb... I would venture to say that it was quite possibly more fun than our honeymoon, but that's a close call. I like the feel of a resort, but I loved that there was always something to do on the boat if you wanted to, and it helped that we had fun friends there with us! I would however trade our 11 hour car ride to Ft. Lauderdale for a nice 2 hour plane ride next time... I am not the most pleasant of car riders, but I'm better than Heather :)

It was the perfect celebration for M's graduation, my graduation, both of our bdays, and our 2 year anniversary. It was completely worth every dime we spent, the final amount I'm completely unaware... I don't like finances or knowing how much money things cost... ha

We drove to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, stayed at a snazzy 4 star resort that M found on hotwire for $50, way to go M. Sunday afternoon, we boarded the boat and spent most of the day exploring the ship... and eating, obviously.



Monday, the boat arrived in Princess Cays, which is the private island Princess owns.. hence the name. We spent the whole day relaxed on the beach, and I finally got to read something completely for fun! Every night we would go to the dining room for dinner, and we became quite attached to our waiter/waitress (is that politically correct now?) Ciska. She was from South Africa, and has been in the cruise business for 8 years! We absolutely loved her, she was hilarious, and I told Matthew that I thought in real life we would be friends :) She also never failed to poke fun at my husband for his outrageous ordering habits at dinner. At the beginning of the week I was thoroughly embarrassed when he would order 3 appetizers, 2 soups, 2-3 entrees, and 2-3 desserts. Yes, it's true. Why he needs to eat that much food, it's beyond me. His response, "I paid for it". Towards the end of the week, I would laugh it off and pretend that it was funny... but seriously, who needs that much food?!



I'm sure as a shock to all of you, Matthew is a huge fan of attending the nightly shows on the boat. Fortunately, Russ was also a closet show lover, and we went most nights to some sort of show, comedian, magician, etc...

Tuesday we spent the day at sea. Great opportunity to hit up the all you can eat lunch buffet, all you can eat soft serve ice cream, all you can eat pizza, basically everything was all you can eat...

Wednesday we came to Ochos Rios. We had friends honeymoon here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they didn't experience the "real" city itself. We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon, and LOVED it, but I'm not gonna lie, this port was SHADY. I'm sure if you're at a resort, it's just as nice as any other resort, but where we docked...different world. My guess is that I'd be dead within 6 hours or at the mercy of some drug lord. We convinced a taxi driver to cart us around for a fairly reasonable price. He said he could take us to the "free falls" or Dunn's River Falls which cost $15 a person. We opted for the "free falls", but after seeing that these "falls" were more like a "dribble" than a fall, located in some man's backyard, Heather, Aimee, and I quickly decided that the $15 was totally worth safety :) I kept hearing my mom saying, "Be aware of your surroundings". Believe me... I was COMPLETELY aware. We actually got to the see the falls for a lot cheaper than if we had booked it through the cruise, so it was actually a pleasant experience. We also met newlyweds Bryce and Mandy in Ochos Rios, and basically spent the rest of the cruise hanging out with them! Thankfully, they are from Atlanta, only 2 hours away!


Thursday we hit Grand Cayman. We had previously booked an excursion to swim with sting rays and snorkeling. It was so much fun. I got to hold a stingray in the ocean. He was cute as a button, and I wanted to bring him home with us. Then we snorkeled on the reef that is right off the coast of Grand Cayman, the water was beautiful, best snorkeling experience ever.


Friday we arrived in Cozumel. Matthew and I had booked a Mexican cuisine cooking class to take by ourselves. Heather, Russ, Aimee, and Geoff spent the morning shopping. Matthew and I took a bus to a private beach where our cooking class was held. It was the best excursion I have ever been on. We got to cook a legit Mexican appetizer called a huarache, main course included grouper wrapped in banana leaf, and a rice strawberry pudding for dessert. Delicioso! Unbeknown to us, we were allowed to hang out at the beach afterward without having to pay.. apparently in Cozumel, the beaches aren't free. So, M and I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach while I lamented the fact that I had left my book on the boat.. I get bored laying out.

Yes, it was as relaxing as it looks.

Saturday was our last day. We spent the day at sea laying out watching movies on the deck, eating more of the "all you can eat" pizza, burgers, fries, dessert, ice cream, etc... Thankfully, the ship had an awesome work out center. I may or may not have gone 6 days out of the 7. Ha. It was so I could eat guilt free :)

Last Night.

That was our week. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it was most likely better than most of yours, not to brag or anything. Don't worry, we're back to the real world of job searching, NCLEX studying, cereal for dinner, and interviewing. Here's to our next vacay... whenever/wherever that may be!