Good life.

This song has been my ANTHEM today! I have had such a good day!

Today, as many of you know, is Eid al-Fitr, or the end of Ramadan. It's a big celebration amongst my group of friends. Even though I'm not Muslim, I love celebrating holidays with my Muslim friends. It sucks that I couldn't be there today to go to the masjid with them, but I could feel their joy from 300 miles away.

The only downer to today was pathophysiology. We started almost an hour late, but we got out early and our test was pushed back a week. I also am starting to make more friends out here! Got a weekend of fun and family time coming up, too. Life's looking pretty good.

I didn't think I'd be this happy here, but considering everything that's happened, I'm doing pretty damn good. Even through all of the dark times, I've realigned myself (with the help of friends, of course) and I feel like I'm on a good track.

I should probably go get on my homework. Gotta keep on top of things now that we're in the full swing of things.

This is me, and I'm just alive.

The first ten floors.

I've definitely been jamming to "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato lately, and I feel like I've built my foundation and the first ten floors of my skyscraper in the past few days. I've planned out most of my semester on a giant paper calendar, which is really overwhelming to look at at first. However, now that it's all written out, I can space things out more evenly and know how much time I'll have to read or write something before I need it. Three cheers for organization!

I read a few days ago that karma is a bitch. Yeah, karma IS a bitch! Some people are about to get their worlds turned 180 degrees. The best part is, I don't have to do a damn thing. I just get to sit back and watch the lies and deceit unravel.

So, to my dear blog readers, I leave you with this. Make sure you get your facts straight before you open your mouth, be careful about who you get photographed with (trust me, it WILL end up on Facebook!), and remember, what goes around, comes around.

This is me, and I'm just (SO) alive.

Hypnosis.

I went to a comedy show with some friends last night in Rival City. The comedian was actually a hypnotist! I have never laughed so hard in my entire life! Go check him out! http://www.chuckmilligan.com/

The last two days have been really strange. I don't think I've ever gotten more phone calls in my entire life! I've found out so much stuff, and I can't even begin to say how glad I am that I'm standing on my own two feet today. I've learned some really terrible things, and I can't even get mad over it.

I have recently been accused of cheating and being a whore. Let me make something clear: I never have and will never, EVER cheat on someone, even if I have every right to. I've been cheated on before and would never wish that kind of pain on ANYONE. I hate cheaters. I can't stand them. I will never be one of them. I never ONCE stepped out on my ex in the 14 months that we were dating, and he should know me better than that.

I ended my relationship because I was tired of everything that was going wrong with it. We were not compatible for each other and it was time for it to end. I am trying SO hard to be amicable about this whole thing, but Lord, it's really tough.

To those of you who wish me harm or have ill will toward me: I am not afraid of you. I promise you, I will not fall. I will not be broken down and I swear on a stack of Bibles that you will not see me suffer.

This is me, and I'm just alive.

Chewing pencils and three inch textbooks.

This has possibly been the most stressful week of my life. I'm sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and homesick. Only 6 days and a wake up until I can go home for Labor Day weekend. Thank. God.

I'm 99.9% sure that my clinical will be on the day that I wanted (Tuesday), which is really good. This will leave my Thursdays completely open after these first five weeks are over! It'll be so nice to have a break.

I had to go back to Hometown yesterday to get those retainers. Unfortunately, the company that makes the retainers messed up the bottom one, so I'll have to go back and get the correct one later. My orthodontist said the one I have now will do (it's going to fix two of three teeth that need fixing) so it's no rush to get the new one.

After Hometown, I went to dinner with a friend I've been talking to for a couple of weeks. Afterwards, we went to the local hookah joint for awhile. I had a really good time with him and I hope I get to see him again.

I'm hoping to go to AnyTown University's rival (we'll call it Rival City) tomorrow with some old friends and a new friend that I made over the summer in NewTown. I have an itch to go to a club and I don't think I can wait till Labor Day.

I survived the first week. I am so relieved. This weekend should be pretty easygoing. I hope I can get all my reading done by Sunday!

This is me, and I'm just alive.

The beginning.

Today was soooo stressful! We had orientation today, which means papers, introductions, more papers, signatures, more introductions, and TONS of lectures on how to be successful. We finally figured out how scheduling works, so I feel better knowing when I'm free and when I won't be. We already had a take home test, which I finished about an hour ago. Good Lord.

I'm going to get my corrective retainers on Thursday! Ladies and gentlemen, do NOT live by my example and wear your retainers! If you don't, you wind up like me, needing new retainers that are going to work just like braces. Boooooo!

I don't have class on Tuesdays until 4:30 for the first five weeks. I won't know about my clinical and lab schedules until next week. I'm so glad that they're trying to ease us into this intense program. I don't think I could handle taking all of this work on at once!

My friends are being really supportive today. I'm so excited at how many phone calls, Facebook messages, and text messages I've gotten. I seriously have the best friends in the world. I couldn't do this without them.

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. ~Walter Elliott, The Spiritual Life"

I found this quote on perseverance, and I think it definitely applies to nursing school (or any school in general) because we just take it one semester at a time.

I can do this.

This is me, and I'm just alive.

Green grapes and a Swiffer.

Well, I'm all done unpacking. Mom and Dad left a few hours ago and are now safely back in Hometown. I went and bought a vacuum cleaner and some candles from Wal-Mart. Now this place is starting to feel like home. I Swiffered and vacuumed the entire place (it was pretty dirty from us tracking in and out for three days straight) and I just finished a nice bowl of green grapes on my comfy couch. I also just finished reading my old blogs and am sending huge thank yous to my past self for posting some of the encouragement meant for others going through my same situation.

Nursing school orientation is tomorrow! I'm super excited, but I'm also really nervous. I hope that I make some new friends! I'd love to be able to have company over sometime. Some of my friends have already said that they plan to come to visit. It sucks being so far away, but I'm glad that my friends from the big city and Hometown want to see me!

Tomorrow, I'm going to start what may be the hardest two years of my life, but I've never been more ready than this.

This is me, and I'm just alive.

One day and a wake up.

One day and a wake up until nursing school starts. This is so surreal! NewTown hasn't been so bad now that more students are around. There's still not too much to get into, but there's a couple of towns 1-2 hours outside of NewTown that I can easily go to on the weekends.

I feel like I'm in England while the rest of my friends are in Narnia. Some of my big city friends went out and I couldn't help but tell one of the girls that I wish I could go with them. It's going to take some getting used to. I hope that everyone doesn't forget about me!

Today was soooo busy! Dad came up and brought some more furniture and household items. The 'rents and I went to Target and Sam's Club and got another shelving unit and bought basic pantry supplies in bulk. Mom and I are going to go grocery shopping tomorrow for the rest. We put together the TV stand, coffee table, another bar stool, and fixed the internet so I don't have to use a hard line. I also put together a shelving unit all by myself! I'm so happy that this is coming together so easily!

One day and a wake up. Damn.

This is me, and I'm just alive.