It was all a dream...

This picture was taken on November 5th, 2008 (Haley walked at 10 months, which is why she's standing here at almost 8 months of age!) I was studying Anatomy and Haley was hanging out...we've come a long way!

editor's note: there will be no bikini pictures, no haikus, and no pictures of me on a Slip n' Slide in this blog post, so read at your own risk...

I'm sitting in an unfamiliar room at a table with two people I have never seen, but I understand them to be professors. I am also pouring wine into my water bottle (damn, why did I never get this idea while I was in school!?). They are telling me I've failed Nursing V, and I start crying...

I awake with a start. It's Sunday afternoon, I'm getting over a stomach bug and I'm taking a quick power nap while Haley sleeps. There's something pressing into the back of my neck. It's one of my notecard books and I must have rolled onto it while I was asleep. My dream was obviously just that, a dream, but it propels me out of bed and back to studying. My last final before taking my RN boards is Tuesday. I only need a 45 (or approximately 68 of 150 questions) to pass, but I'd like to do a little better than that so I'm not panicky until the grades are posted.

So, back to the original point...this blog is my thank you.

Back in September 2008 I went back to school. I had a six month old Haley, and I knew I could be a better mom if I had a career and the means to take care of her should the need arise. Nursing would afford me the flexibility to still be able to participate in the during the day stuff while showing her I could work outside the home (and it was the awesome nursing care I received during my crazy pregnancy and birth that partially inspired this...except for the nurse who told me to stop swearing while I was in labor, that just wasn't cool).

Along the way, I feel like I've become a better person, a better mom, and hopefully a great nurse. But, all this would not have been possible without the help of you. During this time I have been so totally overwhelmed by the support I received from my friends and family. Your 'likes' on Facebook when I talk about school and the messages of encouragement I've received have meant the world to me. It's been a long road, but I've finally made it...well, providing that I get that 45 on Tuesday.

So, you have my eternal gratitude for being my perpetual cheerleaders for the past three + years...and hopefully we'll never run into each other in a hospital setting...but if we do, I promise to be extra gentle with the Foley. And if you got this far, here's a picture of me on the Slip n' Slide, for old times sake.