My Proudest Accomplishment

In all my (almost) 23 years of life, this particular day topped the charts.

I've had good days.

I've had bad days.

I've been proud.

I've been ashamed.

I've exceeded.

I've failed.

All of which have molded me into the unique person I am today.

Since 2011, I've hit some major milestones in my little life.

~ opened up and ran a functional brick and mortar storefront and two online websites

~ graduated nursing school from GSU

~ got married

~ expecting our first baby

Saturday, I woke up at daylight to get ready for a test I've prepared for for months on end.

The dreaded NCLEX (nursing licensure exam).

All the schooling and absolute H-E-double hockey sticks that you go through during nursing school and yes, you still have to take a national licensure examination to determine whether or not you can officially "practice" as a registered nurse. I guess it makes some sense, but all the tests and preparation during nursing school should suffice for something! If you don't pass this exam, you get no license. In which, you can't get a RN job. And basically, your entire four year degree = worthless.

In saying all of this.. I failed the NCLEX on my first attempt.

I waited until October 2011 to take it for the first time. From graduating in May, that was almost 6 months of no nursing refreshment. Mind you, my last semester of nursing school was complete in March. From March to May was my preceptorship and once that was complete, we waited for the day we would walk across the stage! My mind was very well occupied on planning a wedding and running my boutique during this time. I had been through two years of hellacious nursing school, and wanted to now focus on planning the wedding of my dreams and then buckle down and think about a future nursing career.

Wrong choice.

After waiting a month to finally get my results back, I got the dreaded call that I had not passed the examination. The NCLEX is comprised of a variety of questions. One can have as little as 75 or as many as 265. There's no rhyme or reason as to how many you will have other than the fact that you have to provide "minimal competency".. which you could gain at 75, 86, 165, or 265 - including anywhere in between. Each individual is different and it can cut off at any particular time. I've known students who passed at 75 and those who passed at 265. I've heard of those that failed at 75 and those that failed at 265 - I was that statistic.

My first attempt resulted in the dreaded 265 question maximum and four hour time frame.

Can you imagine?

I probably lost consciousness around question 125, if not before.

I felt like such a failure.

It was embarassing.

I hated to get asked the question "have you taken your nursing exam yet?" or "have you found a nursing job yet?" or even the funnest of them all "did you pass your NCLEX?!"

Ugh.

Sigh.

Hide my face.

Puke.

Growing up I did well in school. I didn't put forth much effort, but did enough to get by and did surprisingly well. So to fail such a big test was devastating for me as I had always had no struggles with school whatsoever.

It took me 7 more months to gain enough courage and confidence in my ability to sign back up for a re-take.

Balancing a store, two websites, a husband, family, friends, housework, life in general, and trying to study and re-teach myself the basics of nursing (a year later!!) was quite a challenge.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to toot my own horn by any means.

I'm just being real and honest.

I've cried. I've been uptight. I've hollered and became easily angered over teeny tiny things.

 I've not been myself all because of this additional stress not passing this horrid test has brought upon me.

It was intimidating.

Not only did I feel like a complete idiot, but I felt like I had wasted a valuable college career studying something that would be of no worth to me.

I had lost sight of my dream goals of one day becoming a NICU nurse, eventually a nurse practitioner, and maybe one day going back to teach other nursing students. With a nursing job, I would be able to provide for myself and my family, have insurance, benefits, and start a savings and retirement fund.

All of these things were no longer in sight for me.

Yesterday, I signed onto my account to check the status of the exam results from Saturday.

Surprisingly, there on the side of the screen was the "quick results" tab I had hoped for but thought it would be another day or two before it become available.

I immediately clicked on it and entered in my checking account information in order to recieve my results right then and there.

After completing the information requested, my heart was pounding out of my chest and my hands were shaking and sweating.

It felt like a life or death situation.

The next click would either fill me with complete gratitude or break my heart into a million pieces.

When I clicked that little "next" button on the bottom right of the screen,

I couldn't believe my eyes.

I had PASSED this test.

I did it.

I had studied my butt off for the past several, several months and all the hard work and dedication had finally paid off.

Tears began streaming down my face.

My hands were shaking so terribly that I could barely life my phone from the counter.

I knew I wouldn't be able to talk if I attempted to call anyone, so I took a picture of the computer screen and forwarded out a text message to those who were anticipating the results.

It felt SO good.

I cry as I'm typing this because it makes me SO happy.

I can now grasp those goals that I once admired and lived for.

Although there are several different aspects of life that has changed for me since I made those goals years ago, I still hope to achieve them one day.

Now, they seem possible.

I look back and think, above all, God's timing is so perfect.

We couldn't want such great news at a better time.

With expecting a baby in December - the jobs we both currently possess, insurance isn't readily available. We've been stressing about this concept along with the fact that we will have another mouth to feed and provide for. With my income from my boutique a year into business, it isn't a whole lot.

I hope to seek out a part-time or PRN nursing job close to home so that I can obtain some nursing experience and put this degree and hard earned work to good use.

Things are beginning to finally look up and I couldn't feel more at ease with life at this time.

-xoxoxo

currently

I ran across this fun link-up last week through Jamie at This Kind of Love. Although I'm not a very 'active' blogger and don't keep up with all the link-up's and such, I still thought this was a fun idea and looked forward to participating this week. Looks like Jennifer, the blog link-up host, is out for vacay and won't be doing it this week unfortunately. But since I worked diligently on it, I'm going to post it anyhow..

current book(s)

{NCLEX study questions - yes, I have still yet to take my NCLEX exam and become an official RN. I'm ashamed. But good news, I should have a date set to take it within the next week!}

{Mom bought this for me as an early Mother's Day gift. It has ALL the answers.}

current playlist

Pandora

Reba McEntire, Avalon, Casting Crowns, or Third Day stations

current color

Coral & Aqua

current food

fried chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, and chocolate milk

current favorite show(s)

{this is a must watch every Monday night. yet, this season is becoming very boring to us!}

current needs

maternity clothing.

current banes of my existence

studying for the NCLEX.

current celebrity crush

{Blake and Miranda - LOVE them}

current #1 blessing

{our baby!}

current indulgence

Hunt's Brothers Pepperoni Pizza

current outfit
{that i am in need of}

cute, maxi dresses from Target and Old Navy!

current excitement

 getting my hair done this afternoon! it's been since february. yes, you read that right.
i'm adding some blonde. getting tired of being a total brunette, i need a summer color!

current mood
happy! we got to hear our baby's heartbeat yesterday. now looking forward to planning our gender reveal partay with Jess. invites have been ordered and being sent out very soon. that's something to be happy about!

current favorite quote or verse

{via Pinterest}

current wishlist item

the wand.
have you seen these things? they're incredible.
my friend's hair looks amazing after using this bad boy.

it looks like a curling iron, yet it has no clip.
instead you use this to wrap the hair around the "wand"

go here to watch a video tutorial via youtube

current favorite product(s)

Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream

LOVE this stuff. I've been working on the same teeny container for 3, probably 4 years now. I use it every night before I go to bed on my lips. It keeps them moisturized for the entire next day. No chap stick can compare!

Hope you all have had a terrific THURSDAY!

Cheers to Friday & the weekend ahead- xoxo

christmas card picture sneak peak!

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving week & week-end. 

One of these days I'll get around to compiling all of my pictures & writing a re-cap post :)

In the meantime, I thought I would share some of our Christmas card pictures we took this past Sunday.

(Thanks to my Mom!)

If you're wondering why the hubs is looking a little scruffy..he's participating in 'no-shave November'.

I'm wondering if he's going to join the local bandwagon and keep it going for 'don't shave December'?

In which, my cousin totally made that up today. (ha!)

I'm using some of these on my website for my Etsy items.

I needed a few good pictures using these wooden signs.

They worked out perfect for the occasion!

attire:

dress- Charming Charlies

boots- Rack Room Shoes

-xoxoxo

....surprise!

It's a NEW me!
I just went..

Last Thursday I built up the nerve to chop an entire ELEVEN (11) inches off of my wavy, blonde hair. 

This type of stuff hits me in spurts. 

I've been in dire need of some color on my dark roots & I honestly just can't keep up with them every 8 weeks or so. So, I went ahead and hit the dark streak again. 

And I love it, really I do.

Do I not look like a totally different person?

Crazy!

Ok, so..Why 11 inches, you ask?

I've always wanted to donate my long hair to the Locks of Love foundation.

"Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis."

If you've never heard of this organization, you can read more about it here.

You literally braid or tie your hair back with a pony tail holder, measure 10-11 inches, and snip.

Sounds so simple, right?

There's documentation that you print and fill out from the Locks of Love website.

Once completed, you put your hair in a plastic bag & place it inside a mailing envelope!

And BAM, you have just helped out a needy child!

I feel so "fall-ish" now!

-xoxoxoxo

becoming a member.

these last four days have left me at a loss for words.

this past Sunday's service at church marked the first day of a 4-day revival.

first off, i should probably give you a little background..

cliff and i have been raised up in two different churches our entire lives.

"mine", so to speak, is a small, non-demoninational church.

whereas "his", is considered "The Baptist" church of our community.

their members probably quadruple the amount that we have at ours.

mine has never been overflowing with youth.

it's walls contain members my parents age or older, for the vast majority.

of course, this doesn't matter in the eyes of the Lord.

just as long as we are all there for one main purpose.. and that is to worship Him.

but to Cliff and I, we struggle there with people of "our" age.

there aren't many, if any at all, that are recently married.

in all essence, we long for a place to call "home".

a place to be involved.

a place to go and chat about certain issues with people who are going thru and experiencing the same things as us.

at the Baptist church, we've found that.

it's been a long time coming, but i've been struggling with the issue of "transferring" my membership to this partcular church.

it's not about them gaining "another" member.

it's not about them "winning me over".

it's not a game, per se, at all.

did you know that this actually crosses some folks minds?

we honestly like it here.

the Lord spoke to me over these last four days.

Monday night, again Tuesday night, and last night I made my way down to the altar to pray.

something I had never done before.

I've knelt at the altar to pray during Christmas communion each year and as I was saved during Christian camp.

But, walking to the altar, alone, was a big move for me.

The Lord was powerful. I found my heart beating harder with every word the guest Pastor would pour out.

this feeling I had never felt before.

it was so intense that I knew without a doubt that the Lord was speaking directly to me.

the Pastor nailed it when he asked the simple question, "are you a benchwarmer or a player on the field?"

it hit me. my stomach fell.

i am a benchwarmer.

i never before had gotten up off of my pew (aka "bench") unless it was to stand as a congregation to sing a song of praise.

last night and the two nights before, i was changed.

i was moved by the Lord's spirit.

my final decision was made Tuesday night after discussing things over with Cliff.

last night we made it to the chuch a few minutes early so we could meet with the Pastor before service started to discuss transfer of membership details.

and at the end of worship, cliff and i walked to the front of the church and stood with the Pastor as he announced our/my decision.

the entire church was so kind as to "welcome" me in with warm hugs as i stood at the back door as they each went to leave.

i am proud to say, i am revived.

what a glorious few days it has been!

down home.

don't read any further.

scroll to the bottom of this post, turn up your speakers, and hit play on the youtube video.

you must listen along as you read.

------------

ok, now you may continue :)

around here,

the weekends are spent outdoors.

the sun shines bright,

the fields are planted with crops,

& the roads are made of clay.

we drive 4x4 trucks,

sunglasses dangle from our necks,

we let our hair blow in the wind,

& a Sunday drive is with the windows down

and the radio up.

nothing beats a good, country song.

the sky is blue,
the clouds are white,
pine trees are abundant,
rain is scarce,
& the bugs are plentiful.

"Down home where they know you by name and treat you like family.

Down home a man's good word and a handshake are all you need.

Folks know if they're fallin on hard times they can fall back on..

Those of us raised up down home." {Get the full lyrics, here.}

strong-willed.

independent.

determined.

firm.
confident.
assertive.

decisive.

---------

{yes, indeed. I'm a Leo.}

some good, some not so much.

these word are all adjectives that describe a big part of who I am.

did you know, these same exact adjectives also describe my husband?

--------

at times, we clash.

we clash because we are.just.alike.
we do have our differences, but both of our attitudes regarding life are described above.

--------

this can be a good thing.

yet, this can be a little tricky at times.

--------
sometimes we get along great.
other times, we challenge each other and bicker about pointless stuff.
-------
now, let's be honest for a moment. raise your hand if these have happened once or twice in your time between you and your significant other..
how many of us are so firm and decisive that we both believe our opinions are 'the best' and 'better than' one or the others and we stand tall to back our decision?
how many of us get so pushy to the point of pure aggravation with one another?
how many of us are so determined that both of our answers or opinions are correct that we often lose sight of reality and begin to make up every excuse in the book to back up our statement we felt so certain about to begin with?
{sigh} i think it happens to the best of us.
---------
while this doesn't happen often, it's something worth looking back on & remembering in the days to come.
i see us 40 years from now looking back and laughing at just how gung-ho we actually were.
wonder fills my mind when I think back on how we gained these said characteristics.
was is because cliff moved out at age 18 and moved off to college on his own?
he had to support himself, make decisions on his own, learn to cook & clean, and begin to pay his own bills.
was it because I decided at the age of 15 that I wanted to have a job so I could earn money to buy the 'wants' I had growing up as a teenager?
was it because good moral values were instilled in both of us to do and make the best of what we can be?
i'm not really certain as to why we are the way we are, but i am glad.
--------
i'm glad we are independent, determined, firm, confident, assertive, and decisive. 

{all photos via pinterest}

what are some adjectives that you and your significant other have in common?

ever been in the ocean during a thunderstorm?

we have!

we are vacationing in florida this week and by golly, we just can't find the sun.

morning after morning we rise up to a few rays of sunshine shining through the blinds.

by the time we get up, dress, and gather up our belongings.. it disappears.

all that's left in the sky, is this....

well, today was like any other. however, we wake up and decide that regardless of these unfortunate circumstances we are going to make the best of this trip. so we did.

we loaded up the little red wagon. stuffed a few beverages in the cooler. grabbed the umbrella. and down to the beach we went.

it wasn't long before the winds began to pick up. the clouds rolled over top of us.

and this was the result...

it seemed like 70 mph winds & dime sized hail.. it wasn't too bad.

we stuck it through & put up a fight.

with a smile of course :)

greetings from Sanibel friends! More pictures to come soon :)

life update.

where are we in life?

1.75 months post-wedding

how old are we?
25 & 22

what are our occupations?

i'm a boutique owner in our smalltown, recently graduated in may with a bachelor of science in nursing.

i've signed up to take my boards, just waiting on my ATT.

cliff works for an electrician wiring houses and plowing fiberglass cables for telephone lines during the week.

he's still attending grad school to get his master's in middle grades math & social studies in the meantime. on the weekends, cliff sprays yards for fireants, molecrickets, fleas, & weeds.

where do we live?

we live in a 1.5 story home my aunt built in the 1970's. cliff purchased this from her about 3.5 years ago & we've been remodeling room by room ever since. we still have a long way to go, but it's looking better and better in the coming days. so far we've revamped the master bedroom, master bath/laundry room, the kitchen, the guest bathroom, & the office. we still have the living room, foyer, stairway, & the upstairs loft & bedroom to complete.

what do we drive?

2008 chevy equinox

2009 toyota tacoma 4x4

how many children do we have?

one, if baby bella counts.

how many children do we want?
we want 3.

we've discussed baby "names" here and there & so far we've come up with two of each gender. ya know, in case we have two boys, 1 girl or 2 girls, 1 boy..that kinda thing.

we're going with the "all C's" theme... {for now}
for the girls: chloe & claire
for the boys: clinton & clay (or collin)

what do we enjoy on friday nights?

enjoying dinner at Cilantros Mexican Restaurant with the family and afterwards playing a round or two of cornhole at mom & dads

what's the last movie we watched?

'we are marshall'

yes, i bawled just about the entire time. such a tragic story.
'love & other drugs'
'lincoln lawyer'

what are our new favorite songs?

blessings - laura story
barefoot bluejean night - jake owen

what are we looking forward to?
cliff longs for the cool, crisp nights of fall when dusk begins to set about 6 o'clock.. where you rush home from work to throw on camouflage & make a mad dash for the nearest treestand.
i long for the day that i take & PASS my state nursing boards. i think that will be the biggest accomplishment of my lifetime. i wouldn't necessarily say that i'm quote-on-quote "looking forward to it", but it will be a huge relief to have that part behind me. i'm not going to lie, i long for hunting season as well. there's something about a quiet retreat surrounded by a beautiful landscape that the Lord has provided for us to enjoy. it's entirely too peaceful sometimes and other times can be a little rowdy. all in all, it's a good time. plus, it's something that we both enjoy doing together.

what are our current most prized possessions?
my fabulous Nikon D3100 camera. i take this baby everywhere!
cliff is still obsessed with baby bella. remember when i mentioned a while back that Mr. Y said absolutely NO pets would be allowed inside our home. after i bought bella as his birthday gift back in january, she stayed inside cuddled up IN THE BED with him for quite some time. when she started tearing the bathroom to shreds, we had to build her an outside pen. now, she's his definite sidekick at all hours of the day when he is home. she truly is a sweet, sweet puppy!

what are our "bad habits"?
the hubster has a tendency to begin shredding layers of clothes on the back porch after a long, hot day at work. this is usually what i come home to: collared work shirt & filthy shorts lying on the backporch stairs, dirty boots or tennis shoes lying in front of the backdoor, a belt on the ground immediately as you enter the backdoor, boxers & undershirt lying on the bathroom floor in front of the vanity, cell phone, sunflower seeds, receipts, and anything else out of his pants pockets makes it about two foot inside the backdoor onto the dinner table and/or the fireplace mantle. = not something i look forward to encountering on a daily basis. yuck.
don't get me wrong, my bad habits lately have been cooking up a large meal and leaving the dirty dishes overnight, sometimes two nights, in the sink. i've recently caught myself washing a load of clothes, switching them over, and throwing the dried ones on the bedroom floor because i'm too tired to fold and put them up. leaving chipped, almost entirely gone, horrible-looking polish on my toenails. i finally painted them the other day because i was soo embarassed. and yes, i painted OVER the old paint because i didn't have enough time to take it off & tend to it like it needs. gross, i know. instead of typing this, i should be doing that!


and since i love pictures, i thought i'd add one of the little BFFs!

♥

10 day you challenge {one picture}

ONE PICTURE

of yourself.

22 years ago, i was brought into this amazing world.

i couldn't be more thankful & proud of where i am in my life today.

21 was full of fun & major life changes.

i'm ready to see what 22 may have in store ♥

And that ladies wraps up my 10 day you challenge!

10 day you challenge {two songs}

TWO SONGS

1. Blessings - Laura Story

amazing song.

i listen to it at least once a day.

Lyrics:

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace.

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep.

We pray for healing, prosperity.

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering.

All the while, You hear each spoken need.

Your love is too way too much to give us lesser things.

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this night, are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear.

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near.

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love.

As if every promise from Your word is not enough.

All, the while, You hear each desperate plea.

And long that we'd have faith to believe.

 

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

 

What if trials of this night, are Your mercies in disguise?

 

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win;

We know that pain reminds this heart, that this is not, this is not our home.

It's not our home.

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments, or the aching of this life;

Is a revealing of greater thirst that a world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights;

Are Your mercies in disguise?

2. Remind Me - Carrie Underwood & Brad Paisley

the more i hear this song, the more i love it.

carrie has such a beautiful voice.

10 day you challenge {three films}

THREE FILMS

 I probably could count on one hand the amount of times in the last six years that I've actually sat down and watched an entire movie from beginning to end. I enjoy them, but obviously I enjoy sleep a little more ;) I'm proud to say, as of last night, I watched not one, but TWO movies {at night, too} from start to finish!

1. Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Dolly Parton & Burt Reynolds

The name sounds hideous, but it is indeed a good movie.

If you like musicals, you will love this!

2. Lincoln Lawyer

A few days ago, I found these Free blockbuster rental discount codes. 

Cliff and I rentted & watched two at home last night!

 Matthew McConaughey was the bomb! The hubs REALLY enjoyed this movie.

He said it was 'the best to date'.

3.  Love and Other Drugs

{2nd movie of the night}

This was a pretty good one too!

xoxo-

[a taste] of country elegance.

our photographer snapped 2,000+ of our wedding day.

it's been almost two months, and i still have not made it through them all.

it's a shame, i know.

last night, i nearly made it halfway when my computer decided to gain a low connection to the neighbors internet [we get free internet, thanks to my grandparents living next door ;)]

it must've been a sign for me to give up and go to bed.

fair warning: this post is full of pictures, and more pictures.

every.thing. was unique in it's own little way.

each part represented us, somehow, some way.

i like being different.

i wanted our wedding to be unusual.

something everyone would remember for years to come.

the boutonnieres were made from fresh gerber daisies. we simply pulled the petals off & added a few berries. the wooden C + C = <3 sign, i handpainted. the tutorial is found HERE. the wood came from an my daddy's grandparents farmhouse. the pink C & C wooden letters (pictured in the very beginning image), were purchased from hobby lobby at 50% off. i handpainted them with a sponge brush & acrylic paint.

the flowergirl carried a wooden heart sign stating "here comes the bride" on one side and "thank you" on the back. my maternal grandpa made & painted the sign for me. i attached the ribbon, & wa-la!

the pillows were old pillows laying around our homes. our wedding planner covered them with a pleated brown fabric & placed them upon the hay bails.

the fingerprint tree guestbook(s) was handpainted by my former high school art teacher. she did an absolute fabulous job! she painted two identical ones. hobby lobby framed them.

i loved how they turned out.

looking forward to hanging them in our home.

six doves were released. two signifying our new life together. two in rememberance of cliff's grandfather & grandmother. two in rememberance of my grandfather & great grandmother.

part II coming next week, hopefully ♥