my science fair project.

ellie and i had a late night last week working on this. ryan even helped me make that awesome flowchart. we're all pretty proud of how it turned out. 

-kelsie.

almost. there.

(image via here)

i'm SO CLOSE! only about 24 more hours of living on regina spektor pandora, diet coke, coffe and a very gracious husband. and then... SUMMER! 

my dad has been up to some very exciting things and i couldn't be happier for him. yesterday i learned one of his favorite quotes that seems so applicable for right now (and probably forever):

it is a quote from a teddy roosevelt speech he gave in paris, france and was later included in his published work Citizenship in a Republic – 

 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” – Teddy Roosevelt

thanks dad. i love you, i'm proud of you and i'm so excited about your new adventure. 

-kelsie.

fern friday.

(i think the fern is growing)

friends, ryan found me asleep like this the other night (it was probably like 4 in the afternoon):

bad news: school makes me tired

good news: only one week left

good news: i will be in colorado in one week

good news: new belgium is in dc for a limited time

have the best weekend!

-kelsie.

friends.

school has been pushing me to the edge these past few weeks. it's making me tired and grumpy and generally blah. i'm hoping once this week is done i might be able to catch my breath. but i feel like there is a greater chance of that happening once i take that last final exam in may. 

it's not too far away.

but in the meantime, i'm grateful for my nursing school friends. 

today was a test day. that means at lunch we all spout out whatever we know and hope that we will remember something. our test was on the gastrointestinal system. we were discussing things that an average group of twenty-something year old girls would generally not discuss. ever. much less at lunch. but we laughed and cringed and we're going through it all together. and that makes it better.

-kelsie.

hello.

i've been quite the busy bee this week. i cannot believe thursday is almost over. here is some of my week:

 

(image via here)

on tuesday night we had an all church celebration. the church we go to has several different locations so it was really neat to have this whole community together for one night. i am so beyond grateful for our church and its heart for missions and for this city. ryan and i are really excited about their vision.

church met at the lincoln theater which is in an area of dc we have really grown to like. it was the first neighborhood we have been in that excited both of us. we're hoping to find an apartment there and i just can't wait.

wednesday i had clinicals. things were going great until i got a migraine. i get a migraine like once a year. i threw up in a church parking lot. it was really frustrating. 

today i had clinicals again. they were going great and i did not get a migraine. my patient was alert and able to have a conversation with me (which was a first!). i liked her and i think she liked me. she got to go home today so i think she liked everyone.

one other exciting thing about today - it's above freezing, the sun is shining and the snow is melting! i think spring might actually come. 

-kelsie.

whoa nelly.

it is cold cold here. mr. punxsutawney was quite right about the weather. 

it's awfully pretty though. and apparently there's more on the way. i like the snow but i've never been able to put a finger on exactly how it makes me feel. i like it when i can sit in my warm house and watch it, but i do not care for it when i have to be outside longer than 3 minutes. this was my revelation: snow makes me feel cozy when i can be inside. otherwise, it tends to frustrate me.

i'm off to my first clinical of the semester! i'm excited to get started! my goal is to make one patient feel loved and cozy.

-kelsie.

guess what.

school started.

the beginning of the semester makes me insane stresses me out. ryan can testify to this. i love nursing school, but geez, it's intense sometimes. i mean tomorrow we have to go to boot camp. seriously. that's what they call it. to make sure we won't kill someone. this is good i guess, but i hate that they call it boot camp. couldn't it just be called "let's just make sure you didn't forget everything over winter break camp"? that sounds much less stressful.

here's what i'm taking this semester:

gerontology - studying people over 65... it seems like it will be more interesting than i thought

adult health - this class by itself would make for a stressful semester. i can't think about it without breaking a sweat

context of nursing - this class is about......????????? i was in this class for 2 hours today and i'm still not 100% sure

research - this class is about research (!) we get to pick our groups so that makes this class bearable

clinicals - these will be long days but i am with some great friends who will make it fun

i'm already dreaming about summer.

-kelsie.