more pictures

I know my blog posts have been mostly pictures lately.......here's a few more

 

 

 

Drew and his girlfriend Zoey all dressed up for prom

 

 

 

 

Andrew T Sorensen

Hunter High School

Class of 2013

 

We are so stinkn' proud of him!

 

Drew plans to come to St George and attend Dixie State to major in criminal justice.

 

He's got his whole life ahead of him.......so many possibilities

 

 

Graduation Party

 

The newlyweds

Dave at the grill

 

The guests

Of course I wore my luck shoes.......

 

 

Most of our graduating class (we are missing two)

 

 

 

The Nursing School Graduate!!!

 

My graduation speech

      I kind of kept this a surprise, but I was chosen to speak at graduation.  Here is a copy of my talk. 

Congratulations to all of my classmates!  We made it!       

During all of those LONG drives to campus, I heard these song lyrics by AWOL nation……..”Never let your fear decide your fate.”  I let that line become my mantra.  There were so many things that scared us in nursing school…..tests, clinicals, writing papers.  But, we made it through.  I want those lyrics to be the theme of our nursing careers.  Never be afraid to learn and never be afraid to teach……..don’t let fear determine your choices.

Nurses need to be constant learners.  Be humble and realize that you can always learn more.  Not even Dr. Chew has ALL the answers.  Gain knowledge from every situation.  Parents know that we learn from our children and good nurses know that we learn from our patients.  Those difficult days may teach you strength or organization skills.  See the lessons in everything.  Realize that not everyone will have their “teacher” hat on;  learn from everyone you encounter.  Let your peers guide you, let your superiors mold you.  Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know or ask for help.  Be brave enough to admit your faults and work to improve them. 

Teaching will be our most important role as nurses.  Be confident and use what you have learned to teach others.  Be a role model and nurture the relationships in your life—with your family, coworkers and patients.  Seek new and better ways to do things and share them.  Let your compassion guide you and always see the bigger picture.   Mrs. Miller taught us to verify understanding; use this tool to make sure your patients have the correct information and that they really understand.  Take advantage of those “teachable moments” every time.

As nursing students, we KNOW how to overcome fear.  We need to keep this bravery as we transform into working nurses.  As we move on and part ways, I want you all to remember those lyrics.  When you hear that song and those words let them remind you that fear—of any kind,  should never dictate your future.  Have the guts, always to go after what you want in life. 

Never let your fear decide your fate.

 

 

 

 

All this free time......

To actually do some projects I have pinned from pinterest

to read fiction

to take a loooong bath

to just hang out with Dave

to work an extra day a week at my job

to bake

For Mr Mack

I sent out my graduation announcements with a "Thank You" to all of those that helped me along this path.  Dave watched me writing all of those letters and then asked "where's my letter?".  It was then that I realized that Dave made it trough nursing school, too.

I had planned on thanking him, but as I though about all that he went through these last two years, a card and letter didn't seem like enough. I don't know how I will ever show him how greatfull I am for his love and support, but I hope this is a start...........


My Mr Mack,

     You have believed in me, and that in and of itself is amazing.  But, you have also done so much more.  You pushed me to go back to school, you spent many lonely hours while I was studying (away from you and the kids so I would not get distracted).  You woke up after working a graveyard shift to come pick me up from class, everyday.  You helped me through those rejection letters and you cried with me when I finally got into a program.

You put up with my OCD, took me out to movies just to get my mind off of all the stress.  You made me laugh through my tears and tried to convince me that I was worried over nothing.  You gave up your computer, your free time at home, your happy, stress free wife.  You realized (so many times) the real reason I was grumpy and nagging (and you had the patience to stay calm and indulge my rants).  That deserves a medal!

There were so many times that I was pushed to the edge ( I had not gotten an A on a test, or was worried that one concept or another would never sink in).  You would pull me out of my pity session and tell me how awesome you thought I was.  Then you would make me laugh.  You participated in my pre-test rituals, as silly as they seemed, and  you helped me celebrate when the test was over. 

You loved me, through it all, despite my personality changes.  You are my rock, my dependable guy, my strength and my humor.  I am here because of you, because you always believed in me.  Because you are my husband.

Love,
Angie Mack, RN

Here we are

I am sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee, getting ready to dive into my books to study for my LAST test of nursing school!  It is bittersweet, but I am so glad to be done! 

It has been a trying couple of years.  I cried, a lot.  Mostly due to stress and feeling overwhelmed, sometimes because I thought I wouldn't get through it.  But, here we are.........

I MADE IT!

I didn't make it alone, however.  I had a lot of people cheering me on.  I had an amazing support system.  People believed in me when I had trouble believing in myself.  Every funny picture or encouraging facebook post got me through it.  Every time Dave made me laugh through my tears is worth it now (see my next post for my "thank you" letter to Dave). 

I am Angie Mack, RN!

The only thing in my way now is the NCLEX.  But with a 96% percent chance of passing on my first try and a month to study, I will rock it! 

Thank you all for believing in me and helping me along the way.  I hope that I can pay forward all of your kindness as I become a nurse.