Current State of Mind

loving // So many things! Clinical. Friendships. Hockey. Yoga. Work {yes, I said it}. This past month {so this past year} has been off to good start, and if every month is as good, then I think I'm set for a great year!

watching // Well, now that Once Upon A Time is on hiatus, I've had to find other TV to occupy my time {although there hasn't been much free time to do that}. It's no secret that I've been keeping up with the Vancouver Canucks {boo to the shoot-out loss last night}. I saw Hansel and Gretel in theatres this past weekend. And to everyone who is just catching up with Downton Abbey {I watched it online when it came out in the UK}, how do you feel now after the "Sybil" episode!?!?!?

wishing // That eating healthy and exercising wasn't so hard to coordinate. I realized that I need a routine in order to get my health in order, but the difficult part is my life is so void of routine due to the school schedule {I know, excuses, excuses}. 

eating // On that note, I went grocery shopping for chicken and penne over the weekend, and now am anxious to try out a good cheese sauce. Yet another area of my life I wish had more forethought {oh the ever looming meal planning}.

reading // My first choice for my 100 Books reading challenge was the Harry Potter series. I'm excited to read all seven books again! Another series I'll be rereading before November will be The Hunger Games. There are some books that deserve to be read over and over and over.

looking forward to // Reading week. I get to go on a mini-vacation, and just spend time not studying or getting up early. Plus after reading week, I will only have a total of 7 weeks left of third year! Booyah!

kudos to much love, illy for the idea

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. I can't wait for everyone to see what is happening here on the blog on Thursday! Make sure to clear your schedule cause it's exciting stuff!

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School Sweatshirt Fashion

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{P.S. Thank you to Cassidy @ Things Like Skeleton Keys, & Me for nominating me for another Liebster Award!}

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Anybody have their school hoodie hanging somewhere in the back of a closet or packed away in a box in the basement? Or sports sweatshirt? Or really, any organization that decided to print labelled clothing. I bought this hoodie to support the 4th year nursing students fundraising for their graduation, and here is a fun and fashionable way to wear it.

Personally, this is one of the comfiest outfits ever. Obviously can get a bit chilly, but the pain is worth it :) Check out the nursing logos.

Hoodie: School // Scarf: Bargain Shop // Shorts: Gift

Tights: Joe Fresh // Boots: Gift

Tell me if you have any fashion tips for school sweatshirts in the comments!!

Happy Tuesday!

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Four Tips for Finals Week

The date: November 28, 2012
The objective: Complete Nursing 394 {aka half of 3rd year}
The plan: Get through finals week
The assignments: 1 class + 1 lab + 1 self-evaluation + 2 finals + 1 paper = 6 total

Tip #1: Prioritize. Figure out what needs to be done/studied first, second, etc.

Tip #2: Make study guides or outlines. Nothing wastes time more like opening up a textbook at the beginning and expecting to get through an entire course's content.

Tip #3: Sleep. Minimum 6 hours a night. You WILL NOT PERFORM WELL IN AN EXAM with no sleep behind you. Proven fact.

Tip #4: Let it go. You've taken the class, you've put in the work and hours. Don't over-stress it. Just write the exam and move on.

Now, wish me luck as I attempt to make heads or tails of Inferential Statistics . . . perfect bedside conversation for all my patients :P

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OSCEs 101

As some a few most of you know, I did my OSCE {Observed Structured Clinical Examination} on Monday. 

I PASSED!!!

However, I would just like to share with you the moments leading up to and within this practical exam.

1. Scrambling to figure out what content we'll be tested on and what content will be left out.
2. Stress headaches . . . or as I am now calling them . . . stressaches.
3. Chips & Cheesecake. Yep. I'm not proud. One whole month of no sugar or chips down the drain. Hey kids, don't eat junk food while under studying stress. It doesn't help.
4. Role playing clinical scenarios.
5. Waking up at 4am and wondering why.
6. Shaking uncontrollably while attempting to draw up Demerol. Those ampoule openings never seemed so small.

However all of that was not in vain, because there are no more OSCEs . . . EVER! That's right, I just completed my fourth out of four, and I couldn't be happier. I said to a friend yesterday, now I can graduate, haha.

Also a little funny picture of me practicing NG tubes for your viewing pleasure.

I think I missed my nose. And I look a little crazy. I probably was.

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Little Letters

Fort McMurray is the prettiest in the fall. I'm in love with the changing trees.

I was going to link up with Emily from The Freckled Fox for her "Little Letters", but I don't think she's having that linky party today. Either way, kudos to her for the idea!

UPDATE: Linky party was on Thursday. Whups, my bad!

Dear September: Where did you go? First semester is almost halfway over...
Dear Once Upon A Time: You were everything I hoped and nothing like I expected. Best episode yet!
Dear J. K. Rowling Book: You are a grave disappointment. Expect a full blogpost book review soon.
Dear Final Exam: You are NEXT WEEK!?!?! Um, what!?!?! Surrender flag being raised now.
Dear Sister: Happy travels as you're off to the Amazon. Love you.
Dear New Taylor Swift Songs Begin Again and Red: Love, love, love. I am so excited for October 22nd!
Dear Halloween: I am getting excited for costumes and the party I'm hosting :) Gotta love dressing up.
Dear Music Covers: Occasionally Sometimes Most of the time, I like you better than original music. Whups.
Dear Thanksgiving: I hope you are filled in an incessant amount of turkey, pumpkin pie, football, friends, and laughter {oh, and of course, studying}.


Happy Wednesday!

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Friday's Letters

Linking up early with Ashley from Adventures of Newlyweds for her weekly "Friday's Letter's".

Dear Third Year: You are everything and nothing like I planned. I'm so nervous and excited all in one bundle. Help? Dear Once Upon A Time: NINE DAYS! Dear Brother: Random pizza and Booster Juice dates are the best. Let's never stop doing that, okay? Dear Burn-Victim-Simulation-Lab: I will never be as unprepared for anything else in life as I was for you. Let's all agree to forget that disheartening moment in my training. Dear Dan Bremnes Concert: There are no words. The Lord truly works through your music and the message that goes with it. Dear Fall: I love your yellow, falling leaves. Dear Whose Line Is It Anyways: Why ever did you stop? YouTube reruns will have to suffice. Dear Fiction: I miss reading you. Come back into my life. Dear Kate: Phone calls with you are the best. I miss you. Dear Meal Planning: Still searching for you.

Happy Weekend! ♥

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Back-To-School Study Tips

Well, it's that time of year again.
That time of year when a shopping trip to Staples is better than a shopping trip . . . anywhere else.
That time of year when assignments and deadlines and due dates and cramming becomes common conversation.
That time of year when we make goals . . . and break goals.
It's BACK TO SCHOOL!

Now, this is my third time going into it, and fortunately, I've found a few tips and tricks along the way that have greatly added to my scholastic {and social, believe it or not} life. Use them, change them, or throw them away, but here are Silver's Study Tips.

• Daily Planner

This is my little black book on my entire life. Every class, every appointment, every assignment, every coffee date, yes, every blog post . . . goes into this book. And being the girl that I am, I got a pretty one, not your typical black scheduler. This is a must for the high school/college/university student. 

•  How to Become a Straight A Student

My friend suggested this book to me last summer, and I've actually blogged about it before. I would recommend it to ANY student. Not everything Mr. Newport suggests is applicable, but I learned so much from his books {he has more than one}. Some chapter titles include "Manage Your Time in Five Minutes a Day", "Declare War on Procrastination", and "Choose When, Where, and How Long". Buy it! Read it! Do it!

• Daily Schedule

As per one of Mr. Newport's tips, I do daily schedules. This is different than my daily planner, because I actual plan out every hour of my day. "That sounds like so much work" you say? "That is impossible" you say? Think again. By scheduling my study time, free time, eating time, etc., I actually am more proactive. It's a mentality. I will study hard because I know I have free time. 

Another tip is that I only schedule studying in one hour time-slots. At the end of each hour, I take a 5-10 minute break to get a drink, do a household chore, or check Facebook.  That way I give my brain a bit of a rest before diving back in. This takes five minutes in the morning and radically changes my study habits.

• Coffee

Enough said . . .

• Go Hard

This is something my sister told me awhile back and it stuck with me {the same sister that inductively studied the entire Bible in 9 months}. She said, "When you study, study hard. When you eat, concentrate just on eating. When you exercise, exercise hard. Then, when you rest, rest hard." And that is Biblical, folks. So whatever you do, GO HARD! You can do it. Two years, four years, six years, all time is relevant, and it will be over and done with before you know it.

Let's do this!

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Friday's Letters

Check out this picture I took on Saturday night. 

This is what happens when I actually brush my hair.

Brother said I looked like "that red-headed girl from Brave", which prompted me
to go around in a Scottish accent saying, "I'll be shooting for me own hand".

Anyways, today I am participating in Friday's Letters featured by Ashley from Adventures of Newlyweds. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now, so here goes . . . .

Dear Labour Day Weekend: You were a wonderful time that prepared me to go back to school. Dear Once Upon A Time DVD Series: You are an amazing solution to a show that doesn't begin until October 30th. I am learning so much that I didn't pick up the first time around :) Dear Autumn: You are my favourite season. I love boots and scarves and hot chocolate and falling leaves and crisp mornings and pumpkin spice lattes and coziness. Dear Flaxee: YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW! How awesome is that? I am so excited to see you start this new chapter of your life. Dear First Week of School: You have been a lot less scary than I originally mentally prepared myself for. I have a really good feeling about this year. Dear Traveling: Please be nice to me. This is a record fast trip for me, and I don't do well being rushed. Dear Young Adults Group: I love just being around all of you. That is all. Dear Tuition: My bank account and you don't get along very well. In the future, please refrain from robbing me. Dear Blog: I am starting to get in the swing of things without the 365 photo a day challenge. I think posting every other day {with a few extras} is working out quite nicely for us. Dear Meal Planning: I want to figure out how to incorporate you into my life. Dear Lord: Thank you for grace.

So excited to read some of the other Friday's Letters. Happy weekend! I'm off to Crowsnest Pass ♥

  
 

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Two Hundred & Twenty-Seven Days...

...until the end of THIRD year {the picture was taken yesterday}. I mean, what?!?!?!? I still remember sitting in Indonesia wrestling with this decision with God over whether or not nursing was my calling, and now I'm over halfway done. I am so thankful for where I am and ready to face the year one day at a time.

A Few Facts

• I am in the classroom setting until December, and then in the hospital from January-April.
• My rotations this year include Mental Health and Medicine/Surgery.
• My shadow day in ICU will have big implications for the future.
• I am in a class of twenty-seven.
• I am excited ;)

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September 2012 Desktop Calendar & My iPhone

This picture was taken during the Young Adult's prayer & worship night at Abram's Land.

It was a beautiful night full of powerful weather and community.

And so begins, fall . . .

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Here are some quick snapshots taken with my iPhone recently.

{1} Elizabeth B. buying 120 timbits . . . for The Experience.

{2} And so it begins . . .

{3} Brother & Bella being . . . well . . . Brother & Bella.

{4} Red hair process.

{5} Marshall writing in his little "black book" about me . . . oh dear.

 {6} Chalkboard musings.

{7} Sociology reads.

{8} The location for Nathan's art show.

{9} Quaint cabin we stayed at.

{10} . . . continued

{11} We were a bit crazy by this point. 

{12} The best mail present EVER!

To see these quick snapshots of my life on a more regular basis, follow me on Instagram!
My user name is asilversnapshot.

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365 Photos Recap: Funniest Picture

And the winner is . . . No. 234: Changes & An Announcement!

I know the picture itself is not funny, but I found the story surrounding it hil-ar-i-ous! Basically, I posted this picture along with this huge story about how I planned to transfer to the University of Alberta in September for my final two years of school, except it was April Fool's Day! I was actually able to fool quite a few people with this post :).
Read the whole story here.

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No. 252 - Call Me 2nd Year One More Time . . .

So . . . I AM OFFICIALLY DONE 2ND YEAR OF SCHOOL.

Yes, this is me burning some of my second year schedule.

Yes, I know that is a bit extreme and dramatic.

But you would be extreme and dramatic too if you were in my shoes.

Also, here are some pictures from our 2nd year celebration!

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