My Stats "Miracle"

I said it would be a Christmas miracle, and while I don't want to throw that term around lightly these days, I do want to say that a minor miracle HAS occurred--I GOT AN "A" IN STATS.  Seriously, I have no idea how, but it's on my official transcript so I am not complaining!!!  This is AWESOME news, because this will only help all my pending applications.  Hooray!

When I was talking to my mom the other night (I called them as soon as I saw the grades posted), she said, "Isn't it awesome that your perfectly executed plan is falling right into place?"  And I said, "Mom, I think that's how it works when it's the right thing.  When you're doing what you're supposed to do, it DOES fall into place and it IS easy."  And I think that's the truth.

So, apparently praying my guts out about what is "right" for me seems to have worked, because so far things are falling nicely into place, and it's kind of amazing.  In a season when Christmas miracles are seeming a little bit hard to find, I will cling to any I can find, even if they are just as little as an A in Stats.  Here's hoping we all find a few more miracles, big and small, over this next week.  I think our country needs them.

BIG, EXCITING NEWS!!!

So, I promised big news today, and here it is: I GOT INTO NURSING SCHOOL.

I got a letter last week from a student in the Admissions Office at the University of Southern Maine saying, "Congratulations on your acceptance and welcome to USM" and proceeded to tell me why she loves it there and why I should choose to go there...except I was really confused, because I hadn't actually been told I WAS accepted.  I decided to just wait a few days and see what happened.

Waiting paid off, and Monday night when I got home I had a letter from USM officially congratulating me and telling me I have been accepted into their Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program starting Summer 2013.  HOLY. MOLY.

This doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to GO there, but it does mean, no matter what, I'm going SOMEWHERE, and you guys, THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!!!!  I won't hear back from Binghamton or VCU until the end of January, and I won't hear back from Duke until February, so I'm not making any decisions just yet, but even if I don't get accepted anywhere else, I'm accepted there so I'll be going to Nursing School in 2013!

IF I end up going to USM, the program starts mid-May, which means IN LESS THAN FIVE MONTHS I COULD BE MOVING TO THE EAST COAST. HOLY MOLY!!!!!!  Their program is 15 months, which means I would be done by August 2014.  I have not allowed myself to be excited about any of this until today, so I am freaking out a little.  Of course this awesome turn of events is tempered by the fact that it means I'll have to move away from my sister and brother-in-law and sweet little newborn nephew (coming in February) when he's only a few months old, but as my sister reminded me, he'll be too young to remember anyway, and nothing says I have to stay on the East Coast forever.  ;)

So as it stands, here's the update:

• University of Southern Maine--ACCEPTED!!  Starts mid-May.
• Virginia Commonwealth University--application being reviewed, should hear by the end of January.  Starts mid-May.
• Binghamton University (in NY)--application being reviewed, should hear by the end of January. Starts mid-May.
• Duke University (in NC)--application being reviewed, should hear something by mid-February.  Starts mid-August (which is why I said "could" be moving in 5 months--it might be slightly longer depending on what I decide).

I go back and forth on what my top choice is, but right now I'm just pretty excited that there is a light at the end of this tunnel, I have some direction, and I know for sure what the next step is--that's been awhile for me.  And as much as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE living in the same town as my sister (and now that I live just a few minutes away, it's been even better), I've known for awhile that God was calling me to a new adventure and that Portland was probably not it, at least for now.  So I'm excited (and totally freaking out nervous) about the possibilities that lie ahead.  But no matter what, HUGE changes coming in the next few months!  :)

So that's my big news.  There are a TON of logistics to work out over the next few months and more big decisions to make, but I feel really confident that this is the right path and I have a lot of peace about all of it (even though I'm freaking out).  Thanks for being excited for me and thanks, everyone, for your encouragement and for being so supportive!  You have NO idea how much it means to me and how much I need it.  Cheers to new adventures on the horizon!

Phew.

First of all, if you've heard about the shooting at the Mall in Portland (just down the street from my office), don't worry, I am a-okay, and so far so is everyone else I know.  Scary stuff.  All the folks affected by this tragedy are in my prayers--thank you, God, that it wasn't so, so much worse (as it easily could have been).

I was actually nowhere near the mall at that time because I was headed to the other side of the city to take my last final.  This whole final debacle has confirmed that I loathe my stats professor (seriously.  He's horrible), but no matter what, now it's over.  Not gonna lie, it was hard.  I'm not holding my breath for keeping that A (that would be a Christmas miracle), but hopefully I can pull out a B.  I guess we shall see.  But IT'S OVER.  Thank God.  Hopefully he'll grade it and post my grade soon so I can breathe that sigh of relief for real.

I definitely rocked that A in Human Development, so I guess all was not lost this term.  :)

I have BIG exciting news to tell you guys soon.  Probably tomorrow.  Stand by for more info soon.

Happy December!

Crazy is Winding Down. A Little.

Since I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my delayed flight to Phoenix, this seemed like a good time to write a quick update before I get down to the business of working on my stats homework.

I have officially submitted applications to:

• University of Southern Maine (in Maine, obviously)
• SUNY-Binghamton University (in upstate New York, about 1 1/2 hrs from NYC)
• Virginia Commonwealth University (in Richmond, VA)
• Duke University (in Durham, North Carolina)

I'm still looking at a couple more schools, but looks like my next deadline is not until February, so I think I can breathe for a minute.  Phew!  This has been CRAZY.

I am FINISHED with my Human Development class!!  Yay!!!  I think I only missed 8 points in the entire class and I did 20 extra credit points, so pretty sure I will solidly pull off an A in there with no problem.  I actually really enjoyed that class (and probably would have enjoyed it even more had I not been also taking stats).  

I have another 2 weeks left in Statistics (ugh).  I seriously HATE this class.  My teacher is horrible (he honestly hasn't taught me anything, I've taught myself the whole thing, which I realize is one of the dangers of an online class, but sheesh).  Also, he made us do a GROUP PROJECT.  In an ONLINE MATH CLASS.  Are you kidding me?  Have you ever heard of anything so dumb?  Don't worry, it gets better.  We got the info for the project on October 1st, and it was due the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  The WEEK BEFORE it was due, he emailed us and was like, "Oh, by the way, 2 of your 5 group members have dropped the class."  Seriously?  Freaking ridiculous, especially since the drop deadline had been weeks before, so obviously he'd known this well before he told us.  Ugh.  He had told us to set it up in such a way that at least two people completed each section of the project so we could check our answers, and with two people gone, that was no longer an option.  So we finally got our stuff done (we couldn't finish until the week before it was due because we hadn't learned the material yet) and then we had to compile it.  We made arrangements to get together in person to put the project together, then on the day we were supposed to meet, one of the women bailed.  The other woman and I got together and worked on compiling it for SIX hours (in the meantime the third woman said, "Oh, I thought you'd be done by now so I just went home because I was going to be late" after we'd only been working on it for ONE hour...laaaaaaaame).  

So, long story short, we finally got it all finished and compiled and finalized and submitted it.  Then, the night before Thanksgiving I checked my grade he had just posted and it said we got 90/150.  I was FREAKING OUT.  That's only 60% and I was literally CLINGING to an A.  This dropped my grade to barely hanging onto a B.  And did I mention not one of the points we lost was from the sections of the project I completed?  I was SOOOOOO frustrated.  I even called my folks in tears at like midnight because I was so upset.  So the next day (Thanksgiving), at about 12:45 PM, he posted an announcement that basically said, "Oops, um, I accidently posted your percentage instead of your points.  So, uhhhh, it's fixed now."  That's right folks, we got 90%, not 90 pts.  135/150.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?  I hate this guy.  Seriously, who requires a group project in a math class, or in an online class, let alone an ONLINE MATH CLASS.  SO dumb.  I am still somehow clinging to that A, so hopefully I'll be able to pull of these last two homework assignments and the gigantic comprehensive final.  I am more than a little stressed out about this.  Can it please be December 15th already?

Anyway, that's my story.  I am waiting at the airport to go visit my college bestie, Debi, who is there with her hubby and new baby, visiting from France and staying with her parents.  I cannot wait to see her!  And Southwest has been SOOOO impressive today.  Having a delayed flight is frustrating, but their gate agents have been AMAZING.  They have gone out of their way to reschedule folks who needed to make connections, and they have been incredibly accommodating and friendly and polite.  They even put out pop and snacks for us while we're waiting, and when they changed our gate, they packed up the goodies and moved them over to our new gate for us.  Seriously, what other airline does this?  Yet another reason to always fly Southwest.  They're amazing.

Cheers to December and the start of the Christmas season!

Yep, DEFINITELY Crazy.

So, here's the update for a few people who have asked:

As of today, November 2nd, I have officially applied to the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs at the University of Southern Maine and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Applications are in progress for Binghamton University (in Upstate New York) and Duke University (in North Carolina).

I will likely also apply to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (but that one isn't due for a few months, so it's much lower on my radar).  I'm looking for at least one more school to apply to (I feel like six-ish gives me a decent chance at getting in somewhere).

So far, so good with my classes.  I am ROCKING Human Development.  My professor said about my latest discussion post, "Another graduate-school level discussion post, Jennifer.  Save it for a research paper start.  It is that good."  :)  Haha, this made me laugh super hard, seeing as how I do have a masters degree and I certainly should be able to write a high level discussion post for a 200-level class.  :)  But a nice compliment and a nice assessment of my skills from my professor.  Glad to know I can still write like a grad student, even though I hang around with 12 year olds all day.

Still clinging to that "A" in Stats, although I will admit it is a harder fought battle for sure.  Not so sure I will make it out with an "A," but so far I have about a 93-94% in the class, so all is not lost yet.

Handling working full-time and half-time school would be A LOT easier if I didn't have all these applications on top of it, but I'm getting through it.  I need an academic reference for a few of these programs, and I was really stressing out about finding a professor to write one (since my professors now probably won't actually even meet me, and my Gonzaga professors haven't known or worked with me for quite awhile now).  In a moment of bravery, on Halloween evening I wrote a few old professors a "Hey, I don't know if you remember me, but on the off-chance you do, will you be a reference for me?" email.  A former Biology professor (who I took three classes from) wrote me back first thing the next morning and said, "Sure I remember you!" and told me if I send him the criteria they're looking for he will happily tailor a letter for me to any programs I want.  SO AWESOME!!!!!!  And a HUGE relief.  So at least my academic reference is squared away now for any programs I apply to, and it is a bonus that he is the current chair of the biology department at Gonzaga, so that looks pretty great, too.  YAY!  So things are going well on that front at least.

Anyway, that's where I'm at.  I pretty much spend all my time either working or studying, so I hope you all are doing amazing things so I can live vicariously through you until Christmastime.  If you've got a few prayers to spare, I would REALLY appreciate them.  Please pray that I make it through these next few weeks with my classes, and please pray that I get into (at least) one of these programs.  And you are all in my prayers, too!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

I decided I really wanted to try using butternut squash in a recipe.  I love squash, but I'm not a huge fan of the "roast it with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon" plan (although that is super delish if you like sweet stuff).  I went on a mission for a savory recipe, and holy moly, this one is sooooooooo good!!!  It took me about an hour to make it (I cut the squash up and cooked everything else while the squash was cooking).  It was a little labor intensive, but so, so worth it.  And it's from Cooking Light magazine, so it's actually pretty healthy.  And soooo, soooo good.  So, if you want something different and autumn-y for dinner, make this.  You won't be sad.  Even kids would like it.  Seriously.

I did NOT take this photo, but mine looks pretty much like that,
and it tastes awesome!  :)

• Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta
• 
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash 
• Cooking spray 
• 6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw) 
• 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.
3. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.
4. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
5. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Karen Levin, Cooking Light
MARCH 2004

Pretty Sure I'm Crazy.

So, I'm a student again.

I know, right?

Because a Master's degree isn't enough?

Apparently.

I have decided to go to nursing school (fingers crossed I get in, that is).  I have always been interested in the health field, I am ready for something with more stability, and I'm tired of being poor.  Among many other reasons, of course.  So nursing school it is.  I'm in the process of applying for Accelerated Nursing Programs, which basically means (if everything goes according to plan) I will start school sometime in the next 9 months or so and be done 12-18 months after that.  Holy moly.  Thankfully my biology degree has me well on the way, at least by way of prereqs.

There are a couple classes I'm lacking, though, so as I said before, I am officially a student again.

And forgive me if I totally forgot how freaking busy it is!!

I'm taking 9 credits (2 classes) online--Statistics and Human Development.  I've taken online classes before, but these ones require me to straight up teach myself, and on a huge time crunch, too.  Someone should have reminded me that working full-time and taking 9 credits is crazy-making!  But I'm almost halfway through (week 4 out of 10!), and so far so good.  We'll see what I say after my first exam next week in stats.  Eeek!

Anyway, that's the plan.  Wish me luck.

I'm pretty sure I'm losing my mind.