Goodbye 26

My birthday is in a half hour (July 17th)! Seems like each year is just going by faster and faster...feels like my birthday last year just happened.

Can't believe I haven't written since February. I finished my 3rd semester of nursing school (maternity and psych!) I have been enjoying my summer break, and not looking forward to going back to school so much. I will be starting my LAST semester this fall. I can't believe it! I am very nervous though, I have to admit. This is when things "get real." Plus there are so many things to do during the semester; like apply for nursing jobs! I still don't feel ready or like a "real" nurse. I wish I had been able to get a SNPCT job (student nurse patient care tech) but they were just never posted. Instead I've been working for my father this summer, and reading way too many books (i've discovered a great love for Agatha Christie novels!), and watching way too much Netflix. I've also started volunteering at a city elementary school at a literacy program. I really love it, and know that I could have been a teacher if I wanted to. Working with small children just comes so naturally to me, and I really enjoy it.

What else? My mother lost her job after being out sick for 6 weeks (and on short term disability). I think it's better in the long run, the company was getting very shady. She is a dental hygenist and worked in the medical dept of a nursing home. It is not that easy to find a FT dental hygiene job, but once she does, she will make more money than she was making. She needed a change!

Oh! We got a dog! We rescued her from a local group, she was originally seized from a horder in KY, and brought to a high kill shelter. The rescue group from here went down there and brought back a bunch of dogs; she was one of them. She is a 1 yr old (age is approximate though) Boxer, and SO SO SO sweet. Seriously, one of the sweetest dogs since the white boxer my family had when I was a child. She is only 40 pounds, so she is VERY small for a Boxer, but I actually like her small size.

First Day Home (she's not allowed on the furniture, but the couch was the first place she went to when she first came home!)

Walking around with her toy (and to show her little size)

I've lost 30lbs and am feeling good about that, but still have more to lose. I've actually been slacking lately; my workouts have become non-existent. I am feeling flabby, even though I have not gainned any weight back. I really reccomend Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred; that DVD really jump started my weight loss.