Millie’s Blog

Just wanted to say that I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and ate plenty of turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, and all that good stuff!

I had most of my family to my house and just got to sit back while everyone else brought the food– I’m not brave enough to do the turkey on my own yet. LOL. For those of you who went shopping on “black Friday” I feel for you because I was at Wal Mart late that night and it was still ridiculous so I can only imagine what shoppers faced in the early morning. If you went out that day, I hope you found some good sales though.

All in all it was nice to have a small break from class, although I spent most of it studying. This semester has really flown by and I’m finding it hard to believe that exams are almost here and winter break will be here before we know it- all the Christmas songs I’m already hearing on the radio are definitely reminding me of that!

Until later,
Millie

Over last weekend, I spent time with my husband’s family from Michigan. Each time they had been here they had not gotten to go to Nashville, so we decided to go and let them see what downtown was like. We ended up taking a trolley ride and it hit all the high points of downtown Nashville– the Ryman, the Sommet center, the Parthenon, Music Row, etc. It was really a lot of fun and even though I’ve been in Nashville several times in the past I surprisingly learned a lot about the city that I didn’t know before. The trolley or any of the other buildings tours (like the Country Music Hall of Fame) are something I would definitely suggest doing if you want to get a feel for the area. After the tour we ate lunch at the Wildhorse and the food was great and watching other people take line dancing lessons was pretty amusing, as well.

Oh, and here’s a fun fact from something I watched on the news about Nashville– people who commute to Tennessee’s capitol (whether it be from Clarksville, Hopkinsville, etc.) rank in the top in the country for individuals who travel the most miles to get to work. Also, they offered the statistic that one of the station’s newscasters (who commutes from Hopkinsville, KY) spends at least $5400 a year on gas vs someone who lives downtown spending $72 a year! Yuck! That’s not very comforting to me knowing I’ll probably be commuting to a hospital in Nashville after graduation.

And for just a small update– I am walking– without the use of crutches or a boot on my foot. (yay!) But when I stood up to try to take my first step on it, it was as if I had forgotten how to walk! Anyway, walking hurts right now, but I know the more I keep using it, it will improve. It makes me realize how much I took for granted just being able to walk, much less exercise like I used to.

Hey all! Just wanted to write and give a short update of what’s going on in my life. Right now I am out of the wheel chair and up using crutches (man, they hurt after a while- I feel for people who have to be on these for months on end). Anyway, I should be walking without help by the 6th of Nov! Yay! Anyway, my husband will be leaving for Iraq soon, behind all the other people in his company. Please keep him and all the other soldiers in your prayers for their safety and especially as they will be away from home throughout the holiday season.

On another note school is going well, lots of papers and tests coming up though. I’m really excited that several of my friends have gotten into the Nursing program for next semester. Congrats to Megan, Katelyn, and Chiquita (and all the others).

Also, AP Day this past Saturday turned out really well. The Govs Ambassadors gave lots of tours and everyone worked really hard to make it a success. If you haven’t come to see APSU and didn’t go to the last AP Day be sure to come to the one on Nov 3rd. It’s a great way to get lots of questions answered for parents and students and to talk to APSU students while seeing the campus.

That’s about it for now, I’ll write more later!

Well I had a rough start to school to say the least– guess I shouldn’t have complained about all the stuff I had to do to get ready for Nursing or have said that I wasn’t quite ready to get back into the swing of things. The day before the Fall semester started, the 26th of August, I went out to eat with my mom and husband after church. On our way back a lady turned in front of us on a main highway and we practically hit her head on at about 50 mph. Surprisingly we all got up and walked away from the car, but as soon as I started to walk I noticed my foot was definitely broken. My mom and my husband were just bruised up with a few cuts thankfully.

A couple had stopped when they saw the accident so I went and laid flat in the back of their SUV until the ambulance arrived. I figured that my foot was the only thing wrong with me and that the rest of the pain was from the impact of the airbag. Anyway, the ambulance finally arrived and they told me I was getting Lifeflighted to Vanderbilt (a hospital in Nashville about 45 minutes away). I was shocked, but they told me that the extent of my foot injury would require orthopedic treatment that our local hospital couldn’t provide. After I got checked out in the ER they told me I had two broken ribs, a lacerated spleen, and a foot that would definitely need surgery. I ended up spending about three nights in a trauma ward and 3 nights on the orthopedic floor. In all, I spent two weeks out of school.

Thankfully my spleen didn’t need to be removed and my foot surgery went well. I will not be able to walk on it with full weight until sometime in the middle of November. To me, it’s not so bad considering the way the situation could have turned out. Right now I’m making it around campus in a wheelchair, which can be difficult, and will soon be putting some partial weight on my foot. Needless to say, I’m not giving any campus tours right now unfortunately. Also, I’ve had to postpone the clinicals that are part of my nursing classes until next semester.

It’s amazing how supportive all my family, friends, church family, and various other people around campus have been. Everyone has been so nice in helping me get around, letting me know that they’ll help me get to school if I need it, and asking how I’m doing (especially my fellow Ambassadors and our GA coordinator). Overall, I’m thankful to be back to school where I can get caught up on my work and see a lot of my friends I hadn’t seen in awhile.

Today I began running around trying to pick up last minute things I will need to begin my classes– books, binders, folders, APSU patches to go on my scrubs and lab coat, etc. By simply performing these menial tasks I actually began to feel as though I am finally getting closer to my degree– a career and a life in a field where I am truly using my talents for the Lord, doing what I want and helping others. It’s actually pretty exciting.

Over the past few weeks all I’ve been hearing is “So, are you ready for school to start?” And I think, “Are you kidding me, I just got out of my summer class two weeks ago– no I’m not ready to go back.” But now I think I am ready to be back into classes and begin learning new things, adjusting to a new schedule, and one of my favorite parts about starting a new semester is meeting new people in my classes. Of course there will be some people who you’ve had in many previous classes or that you recognize from around campus, but through my two years there has always been someone in a class that I met for the first time and really enjoyed getting to know throughout the semester. Thankfully, I’ve stayed in touch with several of those people after the class ended.

Aside from school, on a more personal level, I am preparing myself for my husband leaving for his second deployment to Iraq. In fact, we just got through seeing his brother and sister in law and their 13 month old son (he’s so cute!)Me & Isaac (My Nephew). Over the labor day weekenf we’ll be making the 10 hour drive to Michigan to see family before he ships out. We’re trying to fit this in now because he will be gone for at least 15 months. Situations like this make me very thankful for a full schedule– with the Govs Ambassadors, PELP, and all my nursing classes I know my time is going to be more than occupied.

Well I will sign off for now. Try to stay cool in the midst of the ridiculous temperatures we have had!