Millie’s Blog

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!

So the summer class is over and I am awaiting my grade– not really sure if it’s going to be what I was hoping for, but I guess we’ll see. The class definitely wasn’t easy, but I’m just glad that there are a couple weeks for a break before the Fall semester starts.

Speaking of the Fall semester, I’m attempting to get everything in order for the Nursing program. Turns out there are a lot of requirements just for beginning the first semester that I wasnt even aware of, such as a background check, CPR certification, uniforms, a ton of books, etc. I’m working on getting it done by our deadline. My advice to anyone who is thinking about pursuing this major is to talk with someone who has already begun the program and find out all the details from them so you know what must be done aside from the info that isn’t revealed in the preliminary stages of applying.

On a more personal note, I don’t think I have ever been more thankful for the privleges we have in this country, specifically– AIR CONDITIONING! It truly is a great thing as I found out with the 3 weeks I was without it in our 100 degree temps. With the way Clarksville’s weather has been fans just weren’t doing the trick and attempting to look presentable for school and work was a fruitless effort. But finally after many visits from the Sears guy and two new parts later I am no longer miserable in my own home.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with some pics of a concert I went to on the 6th of this month. It was a great thing that the country artisits did for the men and women at Ft. Campbell– bringing their tour to the soldiers for free! We ate s’mores, sang, danced, and had a blast!
Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Kelly Pickler
Kelly Pickler
Taylor Swift

My summer class is in full swing and I’m finding it a little overwhelming and having somewhat of a problem adjusting to the pace of things. For instance, the first day our instructor told us that missing one day of this class was like missing a week of a Fall or Spring semester class?! I’m finding out this is true as we’ve covered a chapter a day and are well into labs– there’s already many things to turn in and I’m already feeling as though I’m losing track of them all.

Anyway, I’m sure that in a couple days I will feel much more adjusted and will be moving with the flow of things, but right now it’s not happening. Our first exam is Monday and my fellow blogger, Chiquita and some other classmates will more than likely get together to cover all the material we need to know….moral support always helps :).