CNA glories

So, I thought it'd be fun to start school a week early, and take a CNA class from 5p.m. to 10p.m. starting this last Monday. I had no idea what to expect, and just knew as a CAN I'd have to give people showers, clean up their poop, and other fun fun jobs that no one else wants to do. Last night I learned a few key things.....

1. How to insert a Foley Catheter in males and females (which I've had inserted in me before, and it is not fun)
2. How to tie "the knot" for restraints (which are rarely used anymore)
3. Watched two C-sections and a vaginal birth

I knew at one point I'd have to see an old guy's penis, and I kind of worried about it. I just didn't need that picture in my head. However, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. And to my surprise, I found myself thinking "I can handle this..." during the whole catheter-insertion-technique-video. CNA's don't actually insert catheters unless trained and instructed to do so by their facility, but we still learn how.

Now concerning watching the three births. I totally thought I'd be grossed out, but I wasn't. I just kept thinking about how amazing it was that there was a little human growing inside this woman, and now it's here for the world to see and love. Watching the incisions of the c-sections was a lot less painful that I imagined, and the whole process simply fascinated me. I loved it.

I had concerns going into my class thinking that I wouldn't be able to handle the "gross parts" of being a nurse/nurses assistant (which there are plenty of those...) but for some reason those things don't bother me. The things in class that stand out to me are helping those who are unable to help themselves, and that we all do it out of caring for others. It makes me so excited to spend my life as a person caring for others, and trying to empathize with them. We'll see how I feel on my first day of clinicals (I'm sure I'll be a little more grossed out then) but for now, I', so excited to be getting into this field of work!

Organic Apples

A while ago, I tasted an organic apple for my first time. What's so special about an organic apple you ask? First of all, they're a lot easier to wash, because they're not covered in wax. That's a plus. But the biggest reason is that other apples are infused with pesticides when grown conventionally. (And in my opinion, they taste better, which I claimed before I even knew the apple I was eating was organic.)

I know my sister, and probably my other siblings think my organic apple fascination is silly, but for some reason it's something that's stuck with me. Do you have any silly food stigmas? If so, what?

Vocal Adventure

Once upon a time, I had lovely little vocal chords that looked similar to these. A nice grey color, soft, fleshy, and mobile in their vibrating capabilities.

Then, the turned in to something like the picture below. They developed calluses (called vocal nodules or nodes) that made my singing voice sound like... well. Just not good. Last summer, I remember asking my mom if I'd ever recover, and I told myself I never would. It was scary, singing is a passion that will always stay with me, and thinking about the possibility of never singing again scared me to death.

I'm happy to announce, that a year later, after vocal therapy sessions, speech therapy sessions, and weeks of complete vocal rest, my voice is back! Some say it's in better shape than it's ever been! As I've finally overcome my fear of never singing again, I'm starting to become more involved in performing around town, and with school groups.

Yay for healthy vocal chords!

First real update in a while

So I finally made it out of high school. Many of you know, the day I left the leopard cage could never come soon enough in my eyes. So now, I embark on my adventure at the University of Utah. I can't wait til my studying actually works towards something, instead of being something I just "have to do"."

First on my list of things to do before classes start is get one of these babies. I have a laptop right now, but it doesn't function completely properly, it's heavy, and it has hardly any battery life. I dunno about you, but I don't want to be carrying something like that around campus all the time. The problem with Macs is they're SO expensive. I've been saving all summer, and hopefully I'll be able to salvage one. I hear they're worth the dough though.

My next piece of equipment before school starts is a uniform that looks something like this. I hope to complete my CNA before classes start, and in order to do so, we need to look professional in our...professional uniforms.

I'll also need one of these...

...And one of these.

Needless to say, my real adventure is just beginning. I'm SO glad to be done with high school. We'll see though, how glad I am when I'm in the middle of Biorganic chemistry.

DONE

Guess who's outta the leopard cage??

The end is near

Today I found a big, huge, full-paper-sized envelope addressed to me. I wondered what the heck was inside, and when I looked closer, I spotted the words "health insurance" somewhere on the side. What?? I am NOT getting mail about health insurance. Backtrack a few days-- dad hands me an envelope with my name on it. I look for clues on it to see what's inside. Before I can tell what the mystery package is, dad already starts telling me why I should get a credit card (for credit history) but that if I do fill out the application, I have to make my payments on time (ya know.. the normal parent-to-18-year-old credit card talk) Excuse me? Credit cards? Health insurance? Taxes? (I've been dealing with those at work) I'm not even out of high school. I'm too young for this.

Which reminds me... 10 days until I'm officially a high school graduate. The end is NEAR. But then again... I guess the end is really just the beginning

Hiking

You may or may not know that I love hiking. Well if you didn't, now you do. I love it. So much! And I am so excited for summer so I can go enjoy my hiking obsession!