What a difference a year makes

I have been sans blog for some time now, but I think I am back. Alas, I have finished my second year of nursing school. Since I last wrote- much has happened. I am now a nurse. It is official. Since April, I have become a registered nurse and a thirty year-old.  I have also become the proud owner of a second dog. Meet Nico the cutest puppy in the world (see hairy-being in photo). She was a gift to Taylor & I this Christmas from my sister and her boyfriend Chris. She makes nursing school easier- if that is possible- mainly because she makes me laugh all the more, and she sleeps on my lap while I study...

The second year at YSN- and first year of the master's specialty portion of my degree has been an adventure to say the least. I have learned more than I could have imagined and yet in the scheme of things I feel I know nothing. I have finally really entered the world of women's health, and I spent a semester doing a rotation in a GYN practice and just completed a clinical rotation doing Antepartum care. I loved both of them and especially loved working with the moms-to-be. It feels good to know that becoming a Nurse Practitioner seems to really fit me. So much of this year has been not just about learning boat loads of information, but also about learning to utilize my senses in a new way. I have had to learn to trust my touch, my eyes, my ears, & even my nose to guide my decisions and inform my reason. What a difference a year makes. 

This year I have also been awarded a fellowship called the Down's Fellowship for International Travel & Research. I have spent oh so many hours working up to this award and oh so many hours since, doing the work I will need to do in preparation for my research. I will be going to Georgetown, Guyana. As travel nears again, I am once again attempting to be a blogger- so that I can communicate with all the people I love and hopefully some I don't even know. So here she goes again. Let's hope, no pun intended, that this full year will close with an African American presidential candidate that inspires...