Lauren and Kris get Hitched!

Let the wedding festivities begin!

The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner...

 We were ready to get the show on the road. 

  How Lauren was feeling at the rehearsal. Haha!

 The bridesmaids after the rehearsal at the church. 

 This cake was the most amazing cake I have ever tasted. 

 The bride, MOH, and myself waiting to be seated at Ihop for our wedding day brunch.

 Right before walking down the isle. 

 Taking advantage of sitting down on last time before the wedding. 

 My sweet Josh. 

 Can you just check out Lauren's grandma in the back! She was having a ball!

 Landon was my little sidekick during dinner, I could eat him up, so precious!

 My pretty flowers from the wedding.

 Brooke, me and Emily

And they are off....

Let the 'clean up' begin. 

I wish them many, many years of happiness. I know their marriage is going to be a rock solid marriage because they are perfect for each other and both know how important it is to have God in the center of a marriage! What a honor it was to get to stand beside Lauren on her wedding day. So many good things are coming their way and I can't wait to see what they are! 

Although, I know it's not true, I felt like I lost my best friend on June 15th but I know not a thing has changed. Lauren is like my sister and now I have another brother in Kris. I can't wait to continue to live life and hang out with L & K as a married couple. So fun!!

It's NCLEX time

Today I took my nursing boards, the NCLEX. 

It's safe to say that was the HARDEST test I have EVER taken in my whole entire 21 years on this earth. 

If I passed that thing, I will give each of you 100 dollars. (I can say that because I don't have any readers anymore probably because I have been slackin' :)) 

If you like praying I want you to pray for me and the state of my heart, figuratively and physically, on Wednesday. If I pass it might explode and if I fail I may have a heart attack. Either way I need some prayers, that's all I'm saying. 

In these next 48 hours I may try out some pinterest DIY things. Who knows? I've got to busy myself with something.. 

Anyway, I'll be getting back on here hopefully more frequently since I have taken my NCLEX now. 

Lauren's Bachelorette Weekend

We decided to go camping at the beach for Lauren's Bachelorette Weekend/Party.

We left on Friday afternoon to head down to Emerald Isle until Monday. I was the lucky one who got to be the driver and pull the camper down there, thankfully it wasn't all that bad. 

The only thing I was worried about was backing it up into the camp site but thankfully they did that with the tractor because of the hill that our camp site was on. 

We ended up with a great camp site that proved to be in a great spot, it had some shade on it, it was close to the pool, gas station and most importantly the bathrooms. It was a slight walk to the beach though. 

We went out to eat all nights, we went to Beaufort one night. We shopped and walked around on the water front, had ice cream. 

We walked on the beach and watched Kris and Coty fish a little bit, but not for long. 

                                                       I had a great time with the girls.

Just for the records, we only had one little period where we weren't all getting along. I'd say that's pretty good for 5 girls staying in a pop-up camper. 

I think it's safe to say we had a good time but we were all glad to be coming back home on Monday. 

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Little side story, when we got to the camp ground the workers had me pull over until they got the tractor so they could get our camper up the hill. While we were pulled over, a man came riding by on a golf cart, not unusual, and was casually talking to us. Then, he later came back and was talking to Casey (the MOH). Somehow it got brought up that he had a son that was single and coming down for the weekend, and of course it was mentioned that I was the only single one in the group. So later on I meet the single son, who's name is Chad, when his Momma took the picture above of us five. He is very quiet and shy and didn't talk much but he did get my number, thanks to his Momma and Daddy getting it for him, and has been texting me. More to come....hopefully!

finished

Yesterday was the day that I finished college. I took my very last final exam in the undergrad.

Now don't be thinking that because I said undergrad that means I'm going to graduation school, cause you would be WRONG. I'm done with the whole school thing, you can stick a fork in me!

... maybe in 10 years I'll go back and get my Master's who knows...

It's a really strange feeling to not have anything to study for, at least that needs my immediate attention. I don't have a clinical to go to, a clinical journal to complete. I got nothing.

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I have learned so much these past 4 years. I have learned how to live by myself. How to take care of myself when I'm sick. How to take care of others. How to cook. How to keep a dorm room/apartment clean. How to manage my time. How to study. How to cry. How to laugh, sometimes at myself. I learned to cherish my friends, old and new. I have grown a backbone. I learned to have compassion everyone. I have realized just how much I love my home and the people there.

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In nursing school I have been taught way more than I could ever write down. Mainly I have learned that I'm going to love what I'm do for the next 30 years. I have learned that we, all my fellow Pirate Nurses, are in this together and will support each other for the rest of our nursing careers.

The faculty at the college of Nursing have been amazing (...for the most part). They have all taught me invaluable lessons in nursing, as well as life.

I can now care for a patient physically, but also support them emotionally.

I have learned to work as a team and on a team. Not just with nurses but MDs, RTs, PTs and everyone else that is part of the health care team.

Gosh, I love that I get to be a nurse, where I get to go to work and care for a patient, but they also give back to me and keep me wanting to coming back. Nursing is such a rewarding profession.

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I have meet so many great people while in Greenville, I wish they could all follow me back home and just continue their lives with me in Zebulon. :) 

But, I know we all will go our separate ways and some I may never see again. 

I've met many great people but I'm especially glad that Sarah and I met our freshman year. We have had many, many great times together and I believe that we have many more in the years to come. 

Most of all, I'm thankful that Lauren came to ECU with me 4 years ago. Or I guess I should say, that we went to ECU together. We have stuck by each others sides since 3rd grade (except for the rough time in 6th grade when she didn't say "hey" to me :)) and college was no different. I'm truly thankful for that girl! 

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Now there are only a few more small steps until I enter the big girl world.. 

in the midst of chaos

Life is zooming by, right before my eyes.

You probably wont hear from me much on the good ole blog until May 11th, which just so happens to be graduation day.

Well maybe after that because of that lovely test called the NCLEX.

But it will be okay, just know while I'm absent that life is going splendid! And I'm loving every second of it, that I'm not studying.

All of this is going to be so worth it in the end.

85 days and I'll be back...

Until then, know that I would rather be blogging!

"The Best Years of Your Life"

Here goes the only thing I know to write about as of lately. College.

I'm about to start my very last semester.

Where did the time go? I have 119 days. One. Hundred. Nineteen. Days.

Think, freaking out mode on my part.

My college days are gone, what many people say are "the best years of your life." They are gone. Almost.

I sure hope they aren't the best years of your life. I hope the years to come are even better.

Understand me when I say that though because I have loved the last four years I have spent in Greenville. I have loved the people I have met. I have loved the experiences. I love the independence I have gained. I love just how much I have grown as a person, I have gone from a teenage girl to a lady in Greenville. Literally and figuratively.

But there are many things that didn't happen that I thought would...

When you go to college you are suppose to make friends that will be in your bridal party, the only person that will be one of my bridesmaids that I met in Greenville is Sarah. You are suppose to meet your husband while at college, nope, didn't check that off. People think that you are at school partying it up, nope, haven't been downtown once. A scene not for me.

You see where I'm going, I feel like stages in our lives (umm, college!) are "predetermined" as to what is going to happen. I feel like this sets some people up to feel like they failed or missed out.

No regrets or wishes for "do overs" for me. I don't feel like I failed or I missed out but I do wish that people would let go of these ideas that "so and so" happens while you are in college. I'm tired of people asking me if I have a boyfriend and everything else. If I did and I wanted them to know I'd tell them and also not everything happens at the "predetermined" stage in life.

BUT EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT THE RIGHT TIME IN LIFE, DETERMINED BY THE ONE WHO KNOWS BEST!

And today and forever ever that's what I'm going to rest in.

This next semester I'm going to live just like I have for the last 7 semesters I've spent at ECU.

This next semester is going to hold a whole, whole lot of change and I'm going to try my very best to embrace it.

Here's to my final semester!

Christmas, Just A Little Late

Our Christmas was great, filled with lots of family time. I loved it, being that I'm not home anymore and when I'm home for break everyone is either at work or school. But I feel like Christmas made up for it. 

We all rode around looking at Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music, it was just a good time! 

I really enjoyed watching Josh open his gifts this year, it seems I'm finding more joy each year watching others receive than getting gifts myself. So fun watching their excitement!

My big gift this year was a Mossberg 935, those ducks better watch out once I ever go duck hunting. :)