Dirty Nurses

Last Saturday a few of my coworkers & I ran the Dirty Dash as a bunch of Dirty Nurses! Talk about the time of my life! I was a bit apprehensive at first because it was a 10K with obstacles & this girl here is super out of shape! Then as it was getting closer I figured why not?  There was a 5K shortcut & I figured I could talk a few of them into that.  We also struggled finding an outfit that we could all wear, luckily one of my coworkers thought of the old green scrubs (we now have required navy & grey colored scrubs).

 Genius!!!!

 Pre-Race pose (we were so clean)

Thank you IHC for the scrubs!

Mid mud puddle with the sprinkler spraying us a Dirty Nurse decided this is a perfect picture & whipped out her iPhone, great picture, but I hope her phone survived. 

I felt like I could balance better if my hand was in the air ;)

 

Dirty Nurses!!

We decided to keep going after reaching the 5K point & I'm sure glad we did! We hit so many fun obstacles: mud guns, foam pit, rope climb, tubes to crawl through (this is where 2 Dirty Nurses tackled me & I became completely submerged!!) & the largest mud puddles!

The end was the largest water slide ever, which was more than fun & was my only face plant, right into the water & hay at the end, it was so worth it!!

Dirty Dash 2014 we are ready & already working on outfits!

The Waiting is OVER!

About 2 weeks ago I was feeling rather discouraged about where my life was going. I had just received news that I wouldn't be accepted into the University of Utah's nursing program, this makes rejection number 4 in the last year. I can't help but think what in the world is wrong with me? Why will none of these schools accept me?? What in the world do I do now?
I immediately went for my back up plan & scheduled an appointment with an advisor at UVU. She was super nice & super helpful & super encouraging in helping me change my life long major of nursing to community health. For the first time in months, seriously months, I finally felt peace about my life, finally felt a little relief. I immediately enrolled in classes. If I started now I could graduate June 2014 with my bachelors degree. I would then try again for an accelerated nursing program & graduate with my RN & 2nd bachelors degree 16 months later. 2 bachelor degrees in 2 1/2 years? Sounds good to me!
Last Friday night I was at work & decided to start working on my online class, I read a few pages in my textbook & was too tired & bored to continue. Community Health is not the "nitty gritty" of healthcare as my advisor put it, however I thrive on the nitty gritty.
Sunday then rolls around, Mother's Day, I'm in Provo still. It had been my weekend to work & I was super tired after my last 2 nights with very little sleep. I sent my mom a happy mother's day text right before I headed to bed. A couple short hours later I receive a text, usually I sleep right through a text, but not this time. This time I open it to find this......

An acceptance letter?? From none other than my last, last resort for nursing school & the school I applied to last minute if nothing else worked out, the school I have already graduated from. This is not happening to me! If I choose to accept it would mean moving home...to Manti! 

My initial reaction was NO! I am going to get 2 bachelor degrees in 2 1/2 years. Needless to say I didn't go back to sleep. I tossed & turned, then a couple hours later I got out of bed & all I could do was cry! This must be some joke.  I had a talk with my Mom who gave me some things to think about. The next 24 hours this was all I could think about. Then a thought came to my mind about a blessing I had received last October. It was specific in saying the Lord is going to ask me to do something & I will think it is completely crazy, but I must exercise all the faith I can to act upon it. Then I was promised blessings & specifically to be more financially stable than I am now. I felt like this blessing was a little odd & so did my friends dad who gave it to me. We then discussed it & he had shared with me a time where he didn't act on something he was asked to do & how I must follow whatever it is, not matter how hard it will be. I have thought a lot about this blessing since October & have wondered what in the world would be crazy? I think I have found it.....this is it!! Crazy would be the word to describe this.
So here I am, officially accepting Snow College's offer for Nursing School, dropping out of UVU & preparing to pick my life up in Provo & move to Manti.  I have only been waiting 5 months for all of this to come together, not a long time, but it has sure felt like forever! All I know is Heavenly Father has an odd sense of humor & a plan I don't understand for me at all!! There have been a lot of deja vu moments of back when I was deciding to serve a mission that have happened to me lately that I know this is right. I know from that experience that I will never regret something the Lord has asked me to do. This has been a very hard decision to make, I have pretended for the last few days that it doesn't exist.  However I am relieved, the wait it over & I'm finally going to be a nurse...in 2 years that is!!

Time Well Waiting

The last few months have become a time of waiting. Waiting for pieces of a puzzle I have worked on for years to finally come together. I began nursing school applications for a number of schools back in December, submitted them in January & now I wait. I have received unwanted news from 2 of them & am waiting to hear back from 2 other schools in hopes to finally be able to go to school for what I want to do.
I haven't been enrolled in classes this last semester because all I need at this point is nursing school. I've been working in the Adult ICU for the last year now & decided to work & just enjoy this waiting period I seem to be stuck in.
Here is how I have been spending this time of mine, waiting.
January started with a trip to a city I have been dying to meet!! I feel rather connected to this city due to my name & its name.....San FRANcisco! My mom needed to visit for a conference so I decided to ask for a few days off of work & explore the city with my dad & baby sister.

There is just far too much fun to be had in this city!! I anxiously await my return! #FransForever

I then headed north for a little Logan reunion & cabin trip to Bear Lake. This place holds a special place in my life of the hard times in Logan, but some of the best friends I could have ever asked for to share those hard times with! Also on this special trip I shot a bow & arrow for the very first time! 

It's only 75 lbs. to pull back

A few weeks later I was able to return to my mission. Something I feel very fortunate to have done! The feeling of entering the sacred ground of the Washington Kennewick Mission brought tears to my eyes! I had a flood of emotions return along with the many memories of things I learned & was able to experience & the many people I was able to meet who touched my life! My 2nd home, which happens to be one of the most beautiful places!

Multnomah Falls

 Sun setting on the Columbia River Gorge

 (this picture does not due justice to how gorgeous the drive across the gorge is)

I went with 2 elders I had served with & we were able to meet up with President & Sister Greer. This was the highlight of my trip! The Greer's changed not only my mission but my life!! 

It was incredible to see people who I had taught who are doing so well in the gospel & unfortunately others who weren't doing as well. Regardless the people of Washington will hold a special place in my heart!

I had only returned to Provo for a couple of days when I headed down to St. George for a few days! One of my very best friends was getting married so a few of us headed down for a little bachelorette party. It was a fun couple days of playing, eating, swimming & laughing. I then stayed down there for a couple more days to spend time with another of my best friends Ryanne. Where we scootered the blvd & rode the carousel.

This waiting time has also been filled with love & marriage. Showers, Temples, Receptions & Perfect Days. My best friend up in Salt Lake was married to Mr. Jeremy Felt. #FeltWrightWedding It was such a fun day to share with Jess & a sweet sealing! It was so apparent all day how much Jeremy loved Jessica & how he will take care of her the rest of their lives!!

After a bit of traveling & wedding I took some time here & picked up a few extra shifts. But also trying to make the most of this waiting time I went snowboarding, hiking & shopping:) I also put in another application for nursing school just as a back up, applied to be a CPR instructor at the hospital & made a few trips home to Manti to spend time with my nieces.

Then this last weekend was one of my most favorite mission companion, roommate & dear friend's wedding. I miraculously had that weekend off & found a super cheap flight out of vegas in order to spend this special day with her & Mr. Redding. They were married in the Oakland Temple & it was a perfect day! It was such a special sealing! Katie was absolutely stunning! They are a couple that compliment each other so well.

4 months of waiting & here I am. My mom opens Main Street Clinic, her very own clinic, where she will practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I start working for her this week on top of the hospital. Summer is going to be busy, but exciting! I'm still just trying to hang on with the little bit of hope I have of pieces in my life falling together. Trying to understand that it is not going to happen how I have wanted it to, but it will be the way it is supposed to happen.

So in the meantime I will do my best to spend my time well waiting......

Knocking the Curve Ball out of the Park

I feel that often in our lives we are thrown a curve ball & not sure how to handle it! A lesson has been learned by me in the last few days, one that has finally brought acceptance on a couple matters in my life. The Lord is truly in control of our lives & puts us where we need to be & with the people we need to be with for that time period. My life has taken a number of twists & turns in the last 6 months....
Moved from Logan to Springville, quit a great job, started another great job, started dating a great guy, things end with a great guy, played as much as I could for summer, moved from Springville to Provo, started school back up, great roommates, my job becomes perfect for me, working crazy night shifts, sleeping crazy hours, studying, meeting new people, working in the temple, & randomly applying to BYU's nursing school.
 & here I am laying in my bed, rather tired, but reflecting on the last months in my life. The hard times that I have faced & the great times that I have faced & just feeling beyond blessed. In my recent application for school the question was asked to explain a setback in my life, how I handled it & what I learned. & maybe the only reason for this application was for me to finally realize why somethings have happened the way they have. My setback I explained was a challenging year in Logan where I feel that I only became farther from where I need to be with my schooling. But I now see it as a detour & the Lord preparing me to come to Provo to be here at this time for who knows what reason. All I know is that I am exactly where I need to be & at the time I need to be here. A feeling I haven't had in a really, really long time. I just have this feeling inside that I'm on the verge of something great....kinda like I'm up to bat & I see the pitcher position his hands to throw a curve ball &  because I saw it, it isn't a surprise & I know I can hit it out of the park!
One of my nearest & dearest friends currently serving a mission in Germany sent this video in her e-mail this week & I'm certain that it was sent for me!! It has helped me understand this lesson that has been learned lately.

I need an update!

Seriously Caitlin. . . update your blog. You have a new computer now, push some keys and write a couple of paragraphs! PLEASE!!! Your old stuff is sooo boring now!!!

I need a vacation!!

Well I think I need a vacation.....Thank goodness in....

I will be off to Washington D.C. for 4 days, then up to New York City for 3 days!!

I went to D.C. when I was wee little one & don't remember a thing! & I have never been to NEW YORK!! I can't even wait!

Then I will return April 26th & be home for a couple days before I head to the other Washington!

For this wonderful couple who was baptized a little over a year ago.....

Because they are being sealed in the temple for time & all eternity!! I am so happy for them I can hardly stand it!! & I can't believe I get to go back to be there to share their special day!!!!! They were baptized Feb 27, 2010 (Becky's Birthday) & will be sealed May 2, 2011 (Bill's Birthday) I couldn't be more excited!!

Kissed.....

Well here is my new love & obsession.....Just let it melt your heart like it has melted mine!!

In all honestly I don't really like Gloriana all that much, but this song is my new favorite!

One day I might just get around to giving a real update on my life up here in Logan.....but I have mostly just been working at the hospital quite a bit, which is great! I have started dating one of my best guys friends, hang in there, there may be a post shortly. Due to this new activity I find myself in the SLC more than I am in Logan sometimes, which really I don't mind, I love the SLC!!