April 2011

“The seasons are what a symphony ought to be:  four perfect movements in harmony with each other”   ~Arthur Rubenstein

Well here we are, just about finished with spring semester, and our junior year! We are definitely coming down the home stretch. It’s hard to believe we’re so close to the finish line. If next year goes as fast as this year, we’ll be graduating before we know it.

This last 8 week session sped by particularly quickly. We’ve been writing papers for dear life, going to clinicals, and studying for exams.

In Mental Health, we’ve been learning about dysfunctional families, domestic violence and substance abuse. These issues are pertinent to every area of health care, and we will use the training every day.

In Nursing Research, we delve further into evidence-based practice. I’m finding research to be really interesting! It’s cool to be learning about cutting-edge standards of practice. It is also empowering, to know that we can effect a change on the way we deliver nursing care, or staff our units, etc. We will be well prepared when we begin our work as BSN prepared nurses. We have papers to write for this class, and journal club research projects to present.

Nursing Roles continues to help us examine how we care for our patients, and each other. One of the books we are reading for the course is titled “The Art of Nursing”. It offers nurses’ stories, addressing qualities of good nurses – compassion, caring, spirituality, advocacy, and presence. It is important to explore these qualities now, as well as after we begin our work in the “real world”. 

Our mental health clinical at the VA is winding down. It has been a unique experience, and one I won’t forget. The inpatient psych unit’s nursing staff is second to none! They made us feel welcome and useful, allowing us to participate in groups, spend time in 1:1s with patients, and help with vital signs, dressing changes, etc. This reminded me that often we nurses address both medical and psychiatric issues in our patients.

The VA MH Clinical group: Me, Jamie Mann, Kelly Rawlins, Alma Chavez, Sirina Loya, and Jenny Oilar

Ann Patterson, SW at VA, presenting a quilt at PTSD Graduation

We also got to attend a patient graduation ceremony on the PTSD unit. This was touching, and made me proud to be a nurse, as I was reminded again of how much our Veterans have sacrificed for us.  During the ceremony, Ann Patterson, a VA Social Worker who works with the PTSD program, presented each graduating Veteran a hand-made quilt, designed and sewn by a group called “Quilts of Valor”.

Our Nursing Research class also attended an awards ceremony sponsored by Sigma Theta Tau, a nursing honor society. One of our own Regis nursing instructors, Linda Campbell, PhD, R.N. received an award for research, “A Case Study of the Clinical Nurse Leader Role”. The meeting was held at The Children’s hospital, and we also saw a presentation by Anne Hovasse, BSN, RN, and BC. Her topic was entitled “Nurses Eating Their Young, Our Need for Dietary Reform”. It was both entertaining and enlightening. Good information for us to know now, before we head into the trenches! It felt great to dress up, and meet with other nurses and CU nursing students.

Linda Campbell, PhD, R.N.

Classmates Tifany, Stephanie, Brittany, Joy and Aaron @ TCH for Sigma Theta Tau presentation

Sara, Leah and Emily @ Sigma Theta Tau presentation

I’ll be taking a religion course this summer, and reading what textbooks I can, in preparation for the fall semester. Can’t wait, though – to take some time off and relax by the beach. We’re going to Cabo in August! Have a good spring, and a relaxing summer~

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March 2011

“There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting”.

~John Millington Synge

Happy St. Paddy’s day! My married name is Murphy, which makes me an Irish Colleen (from the Irish cailín) so I celebrate this holiday as an honorary Irish. Denver is famous for its St. Patrick’s Day celebration and parade. It’s one of the largest in the country! There is also the 23^rd Runnin’ of the Green, a 7k run that benefits Volunteers of America – they help the elderly, homebound and victims of domestic violence.

Irish step dancers

We have many things to celebrate, including the beginning of spring. I can definitely feel the warmth infusing our afternoon air. Even though we’ve had a mild winter, I am certainly ready for spring!

It’s hard to believe that we’re half-way finished through our spring semester. We say farewell to pharmacology, and hello to mental health nursing. We are also completed adult 1, and begin nursing research and evidence-based practice (heretofore referred to as EBP). This is again an opportunity to broaden our horizons. I am not so much wired for statistical analysis and research, but know how important it is to explore our methodology in nursing, and strive to improve patient care.

Evidence-based practice lecture

 A great way to do this is to perform research and present the evidence, and perhaps change the reason for doing something from “Because that’s how we’ve always done it” to something new and improved. Being a “lifer” nurse, I know how difficult it can be to try new ways of performing care, especially if I base it on personal experience. It’s also an important reminder to keep my eyes and my mind open, and be willing to change.

As far as mental health nursing, I look forward to swimming in warm, familiar waters. I have practiced for years in psych nursing, and love it! My MH clinical rotation will be at the VA, which is also familiar. I look forward to embracing all of it, and helping my cohorts feel at ease. Education is one of the hallmarks of the VA, and the staff is wonderful, dedicated and invested in helping students learn.

Our Med-Surg 1 Rose clinical team.

In nursing roles, we are covering compassion, and next week will do group presentations on a nursing theorist. My group chose Jean Watson, who is a marvelous human being, and a local legend. She practices out of U of C Denver at Anschutz, and created an international nonprofit Caring Science Institute. Her theory has been chosen by many hospitals worldwide for a framework for caring.

We celebrated my step-son’s birthday on March 13^th – hard to believe, Rich is the same age as my classmates! His girlfriend Carly is bright, sweet, and definitely a member of our family. Our son Jeremy is 17, done with high school, and looking at colleges. I’ll be a senior next year, and he’ll be a freshman- who would have thought! Just goes to show that you’re never too old to follow your dreams.

The younger Kissinger-Murphy clan - Jeremy, Carly and Richard

Mine are coming true – hope yours do too~

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March 2011

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” 

–  Doug Larson

Goose tracks

Well here it is, March already! And spring almost… The quote is so true – our weather is subject to change at a moment’s notice, and may well leave us whistling with our shoes full of slush. We bungeed from minus 7 to 57 degrees in a day. Only in Colorado! During my commute to school on icy roads (a full 60 minute trip that usually takes 30) I had ample opportunity to listen to lessons on CD. I made it through a series on values – lectures by a Stanford University professor. OK, I admit – they made my head spin. This helps to reinforce to me that nursing is my calling!

This week we are reaching mid-term of our spring semester.  Seems we are mid-other things too – not really winter, not yet spring. This is how we spell stress: Completing mid-term exams, taxes, and FAFSA forms.  Then next week, I return to work. I can’t wait! It will actually feel like a break, not having to read anything for a week. But if I know myself, I’ll have to crack the textbooks for Mental Health and Research/EBP (Evidence-based practice).  It feels comforting to have a brief familiarity with the subject matter, especially given the complexity of the subjects!

We are finishing up with Med-Surg I, including our clinicals. I have so much enjoyed my time at Rose. I will never forget the nurses there. It is comforting to know that nursing standards of care are being upheld, and delivered with such professionalism. The students that get jobs there will be blessed!

In Nursing Roles, we have discussed issues and values relevant to nursing: advocacy, presence, ethics, spirituality and compassion being just a few. It is refreshing to hear my classmates express their thoughts on delivering nursing care. They amaze me every day, these young people with mature insights.  They also give me hope – that there are so many bright and articulate people out here, who want to take care of others, and to do it well.

My classmates Alma Chavez, Kayla Austin and Jenna Smith soaking up the Colorado sunshine~

Pharmacology is every-challenging, as we sprint from Diuretics to Diabetes and Anesthetics. To think that we’ll be done with the school year in just a couple of months is mind-boggling – seems like we just introduced ourselves to each other!

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February 2011

 

Love is what you’ve been through with somebody. 

~James Thurber

A snowy day on campus

February has been a terrific month so far. We are mid-way through our clinical rotation at Rose.  The experience has touched me – I am reminded again and again why I want to keep nursing. I am humbled daily, as people entrust their health and recovery to us. I also love seeing the connection between what we read in our textbooks and discuss in class, to actual patients with real maladies.  And even though our technology is constantly being upgraded and refined, we humans still come with the same parts we had thousands of years ago. We can now replace a lot of parts, but we are still uniquely individualized hearts and souls. This alone makes nursing fascinating. Every single patient comes with their own characteristics, life situations, and family dynamics.

Me and my preceptor, Kelly, RN extraordinaire, at Rose Medical Center

I read in “How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci” (Michael Gelb, 1998) that Da Vinci embraced the idea of connessione – finding connections between everyone and everything. This is also a fundamental nursing concept – finding a connection with our patients and building a trusting relationship. It also involves trusting relationships with co-workers. We are interdependent in taking care of our patients. It was a joy to see how nurses, CNAs and housekeepers work together at Rose; efficiently and with a great balance of independence and camaraderie.

Our Nursing Roles class is discussing advocacy, a primary nursing responsibility. I saw this in action every day at clinicals. Our pharmacy class is moving from cardiac medications to diabetes and anti-neoplastics. Seems like there is a new drug out there every day! I’m sure by the time we graduate next year, there will be a whole textbook worth of new meds. In Med-Surg I, we are covering cardiac, pre and post-op care. This all ties in with pharm. It helps that so much of our study schedule is in synch. The lessons in one course reinforce the lessons in others. This is truly helpful when there are so many new medications and symptoms to learn. Somehow we will retain it, I am sure!

I mentioned last time that I would be increasing my exercise. I am going to the gym in the evenings, hopping on the treadmill, and reading whichever textbook I can prop up!  We also went for a brisk (in pace and temperature) walk to our neighborhood wetlands. It feels great to get the blood circulating, and oxygenates my brain, to make room for more facts!

Jewell Wetlands in Aurora - a terrific study break!

Spring break is coming up. Hard to believe, as it seems we just took down our Christmas lights.  I’m sure Spring will be right around the corner!

7 degree day at Regis

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February 2011

 

 

“The snows that are older than history,

The woods where the weird shadows slant;

The stillness, the moonlight, the mystery,

I’ve bade ’em good-bye — but I can’t.”   

~Robert Service

Colorado snowy pine

 I love getting up to the mountains, to soak in the scenery, the scents and the stillness. I can close my eyes, and infuse my study time with brisk pine air. This is a good thing, because we are starting our semester in Adult I learning about  respiratory disorders. Makes sense to begin with oxygen, right? We are often reminded in our practice exams to think of nursing priorities “ABC” – airway, breathing, circulation – for answers.   

Our labs have included caring for tracheostomies and colostomies. These used to scare the dickens out of me, but I feel much more confident now. It helps having opportunities to handle the equipment, and practice techniques with instructors overseeing the procedure. Then we can hit the ground running when we get to our clinicals. I get to spend my first 6 weeks at Rose Medical Center. The staff there have been gracious, helpful and very generous in sharing their time and experience. Our clinical instructor Corissa made sure we were all welcomed and oriented to the medical center and the computer system. It is a beautiful facility, and I can’t wait to spend more time there! We will spend time in Telemetry, Medical-Oncology, Ortho/Neuro and Surgical.  I read that Rose Medical Center was founded in 1945 by a group of Denver Jewish community leaders who wanted to create a hospital that was free of discrimination and open to doctors and patients of all creeds, races and origins. This philosophy ties in beautifully with what we have been studying in Nursing Roles about the core Jesuit values, including social justice. It is one of the things I love about Regis, and about nursing.

This month has flown quicker than most. Maybe it’s that a good part of it was spent working and studying. It’s familiar to me to keep vague sense of the time by the expiration dates on our milk cartons, or exams and assignments.Otherwise, it’s all a blur. This is fine with me; it means that we’re getting a lot accomplished, and growing! Speaking of growing, I knew that it would be easy to gain weight, if I wasn’t watchful (and active). I’m afraid that the only thing I’ve exercised since August is my brain~   it is a syndrome I am well aware of, and a truly preventable one. So, as part of the New Year, I have resolved to move, even in small steps. I made this resolution after I had to buy new scrubs – an alarming fact, since we are just one semester down. I do not intend to repeat this purchase incrementally in the next three semesters!

While I was snuggled into studying in my nice warm home, I read vicariously on Facebook of my classmates’ activities during Christmas break. Thought I’d share a few here (to further feed my resolve to move):

                                                      Aaron Parmet, skiing

Aaron Parmet - BSN classmate

                                                      Dani Davis, skating

Dani Davis, BSN classmate

Next blog, I’ll share a photo of an alternative study site – one where I can exercise my mind AND body!

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November 2010

“How important it is for us

to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”

~Maya Angelou

 

Greetings and salutations!

This month we celebrated Marine Corps birthday (# 235) and Veterans Day – both reminders to pause and honor those who have served us. My husband Tommy is a Viet Nam vet – and I’ve heard that “once a Marine, always a Marine” – Semper Fi!

I believe that nursing gives us a great opportunity to give back.

This month has afforded the “ best of times, the worst of times” – struggling with Maternal Child – so much new material – even though I’ve been an LPN for a long time, my clientele has largely been made up of adult males. This doesn’t lend itself to practicing terms like fontanel, gravida, and phenylketonuria. It is such an interesting area, and wonderful to be able to attend clinicals, to witness births, and spend time in newborn nursery.

Our clinical instructors at Skyridge are kind, patient and supportive of our angst in practicing our newly learned procedures on real live patients. The patients are kind enough to allow students into occasions as momentous as giving birth to their children – we honor their trust in us, by studying the materials, discussing with each other, and formulating care plans based on assessment of the moms and babies.

It is exciting and scary! I was in newborn nursery last week, got to hold 1 day old babies, and monitor their vitals, watch them under phototherapy, and observe as RNs and pediatricians performed assessments. It’s miraculous, that ones so tiny can manifest such robust health!

Trying to come up for air periodically, observing the changing of the seasons through my windshield on the ½ hour commute to and from school. I never cease to be amazed at the uniqueness of every sunrise – I come in westbound, and marvel at the endless cloud formations and light shows.

View across campus to Main Hall, last day of leaves on trees...

It is also easy to get caught up in the short term stuff, like nursing care plans and exam preps, and take our eyes off of the prize – the ever-hovering and daunting NCLEX-RN exam. I find it helpful to study NCLEX exam questions online, or in the books recommended by Regis. Our instructors try to include these questions on exams, to get us used to thinking in a specific framework – “NCLEX World” – it is helpful and fun. Critical thinking is something we need to weave into the fabric of our being, to incorporate into every facet of our lives. 

Nursing Roles – We’re discussing ethics and nursing standards, building a sturdy foundation for our nursing practice.

Pharmacology – Learning about anti-inflammatories and anti-infectives. Lots of categories and names to memorize. I’m sure they’ll be easier as we administer them!

Assessment – This is an art that is taught beautifully by our instructor. I think she breathes assessment, and is teaching us to do this as well – to assess everyone, everywhere – to look beyond the superficial, and watch for expression, posture, gait, etc. It’s becoming a hobby, and gives my husband a chuckle!

There is a cool exhibition of artwork at the O’Sullivan Art Gallery, until December 10^th. It’s called “Santos”, and includes paintings, sculpture and wood carving. It’s wonderful to have these beautiful pieces on campus – I popped in between classes, and plan to go again.

Santos at O’Sullivan Art Gallery, on Regis Campus

We’ll try to get to the mountains this weekend; I need to breathe that mountain air periodically, to feed my lungs and my soul. It’s easy to get into a routine, and forget that we live in such a beautiful state.

First snow from our front porch

You can drive in any direction from Aurora (OK, maybe East isn’t so exciting) and find something interesting to explore. Rockies to the West, Garden of the Gods to the South, Estes Park or Boulder Canyon to the North – a veritable smorgasbord for your eyes! I know we need to stop and smell the roses. I’m reminded of John Lennon’s words, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans”.

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October 2010

“Thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined

And spreads a common feast for all that live.”

–   James Thomson

Fall tree at Regis

Of all of our beautiful seasons in Colorado, I appreciate Fall the most.  This year has been particularly awesome, although I have to appreciate it on the run, commuting to school and home.

We had a brief Fall break, and checked out the pumpkins at Rock Creek Farm in Broomfield. Amazing place, with pumpkins as far as the eye can see!

Pumpkins at Rock Creek Farm

Spent two afternoons at Little Sisters of the Poor, working towards my required 20 service learning hours.  I assisted with lunch service to the residents there. They are treated so well, and with so much respect. It is a lovely place, with the Sisters lavishing love on our elderly poor.

Here’s a brief summary of current classes:

NR 408 – nursing roles – Service Learning – We had a reflective session with Mr. Abdelhamed , the head of Regis Service Learning, examining our values and what we have learned from the experience so far.  In class we discuss the evolution of nursing roles, and current issues and changes in roles.

NR 441 – Child-bearing family – This class is generating a million questions from the students – it is a lot of information, and reminds us that we care for not only the mom, but the baby when working in Labor & Delivery. We spent many (Our group consensus was 24) hours working on clinical prep guides, in preparation for our clinical rotations. I began mine at Skyridge Medical Center. Our group got to work in Labor & Delivery, Post-Partum, or Newborn Nursery.  In the next 5 weeks, we will have rotated to all three areas. Fantastic experience, with a super group of nurses and clinical instructors. It is miraculous to see babies coming into the world, and all of the modern technological tools we have to help make it as safe as possible.

Classmates at Skyridge

NR 439 – Pharmacology – We have learned about antimicrobials, and are moving on to the inflammatory process and immune responses.

NR 415 – Assessment – Continuing systems assessment, having taken Fall break, we are picking up with cardiovascular systems. Cool skills lab, where we listened to lung sounds and murmurs.

Skills lab

So busy, and so used to sitting at the computer, seems like life is happening on the periphery – TV shows, Bronco game (maybe that last one was blessedly vague) I love every minute of it. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to attend school full-time, and to dedicate my time to studying. It is great to see how the studies overlap, and the learning is woven together.

Tips for studying:

According to an article I ran across in the New York Times last month, it helps to change settings for study from time to time, perhaps hourly or so. This helps us make the associations in different locations, versus marathon sessions at one site. I can appreciate this, having studied my prereqs at all hours, in different rooms at home, or at parks, or coffee shops.

“Cognitive scientists do not deny that honest-to-goodness cramming can lead to a better grade on a given exam. But hurriedly jam-packing a brain is akin to speed-packing a cheap suitcase, as most students quickly learn — it holds its new load for a while, then most everything falls out. With many students, it’s not like they can’t remember the material” when they move to a more advanced class, said Henry L. Roediger III, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis. “It’s like they’ve never seen it before.”

Benedict Carey, “Forget What you Know About Good Study Habits” NY Times 9/6/10

Works for me, I need a reminder to get up and stretch my legs from time to time, it’s easy to sit down to study in the afternoon, then look up and see that the sun has gone down!

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October 2010

 Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~~John Muir

Rocky Mountain Sunset

Autumn in Colorado – how can life get better than this? Colors of the changing trees, elk bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park. Morning nip in the air. Reminders that older greater life goes on with or without our acknowledgment of it. Comforting that hands much bigger than ours are managing the universe. And speaking of places to pray in, how about this beautiful chapel, greeting us every morning when we arrive for studies?

Regis University Chapel

Clinical rotations are up and running. Shalom Park is a beautiful facility, staffed by caring and competent individuals. Our clinical instructor is patient and kind, helping everyone feel at ease.

We are in the process of applying what we have learned so far in theory, to nursing care plans for our assigned residents. I love this part of nursing – the individual aspects. This is where I look at the resident not as a bundle of diagnoses, but a whole person, a unique and valuable member of society – with a set of signs and symptoms. I love the opportunity to connect – the residents we are assigned to all have something to teach us. Often their speech is impaired, so they have learned to communicate with us in many creative ways. This also forces us to develop our resourcefulness, in assisting them.

It has recently occurred to me that the five members of my nuclear family cover a span of 48 years, and represent five phases of Erickson’s developmental theory. It is great to have such a wide and varied sociological representation under my nose! This provides personal frames of reference and makes it easy to tie theory to experience,  a helpful learning device, and a benefit of being older. I’ve been there and seen or done that!

After a test...

At school I have witnessed a decline in the energy of our group, as the newness of school wears off, and the reality of the rigors of studying and exams is hitting. Some of my classmates have verbalized frustration and overload,  as their immune systems and stress response mechanisms are reacting to the late nights and early mornings. Some have gotten sick, some are just tired or discouraged. I feel that I have something to contribute to these bright and driven young classmates – I have been through the tunnel, and can shine the light from the other end – perhaps helping them keep the larger perspective, and past the current stress of exams, etc, to the time when they will indeed be nurses!

IV Lab

I am heartened to see that so many young people want to get into a helping profession – especially one as grueling as nursing can be. I have been an LPN for many years, and it can indeed be the best of times and worst of times. We have to count the cost, and decide whether we have the heart for a calling that will break our heart, lift it, and test it time and time again. I for one am definitely in it for the long haul. I have done so many other types of work, physical and mental. Nothing comes close to nursing. Nowhere else have I been able to go to sleep with my heart broken, and wake up the next day wanting to dive in and do it again. No other time have I felt that my presence in someone’s life has made such a difference. I have lost some dear patients, and have tended to some that made me want to scream or cry – I will take all of them gladly. They put me in touch with my humanity, and again the big picture. Why are any of us here? To get to know one another, help one another, and move on.

So, enough of me waxing philosophically – must be the gray weather – it tends to bring me inside myself, examining everything up close and personal.

We went to Rocky Mountain National Park last weekend, for one of our traditional treks to see and hear the elk and rustling aspen trees. It was refreshing for body, mind and soul. It’s hard to beat Colorado in the Fall!

Fall tree in RMNP

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September 2009

Did I seriously just have my midterm review for my Mental Health clinical? Wow time flies so fast it’s frightening. You press snooze on your alarm clock once and before you know it, a week is gone!

It has taken me probably all the way up until now to really get back into the swing of things, but ready or not, the car has shifted into high gear and we’re rolling! Such is life that assignments, exams, papers, etc, all seem to pile on within moments of each other. I’m not sure my perfection at procrastination is wholly to blame, either. Those darn conflicting syllabi and clinical schedules getcha every time. So, as I write this blog, I am also writing a nursing care plan, a 10-minute therapeutic conversation and analysis of one of my mental health patients, a 15-page paper on separation anxiety disorder in children, AND studying for my first Mental Health exam. (and of course I have to check my Facebook every now and again too!) The art of multi-tasking has taken on the challenge of painting a masterpiece.

This rotation in a locked down pysch ward was daunting to say the absolute least! I came home the first day, threw on my tennis shoes, blasted my iPod in my ears, and went running. It was intense. It was too much to handle. It got better.

Mental Health is not exactly my cup of tea, but that is not to say I haven’t gotten some profound insights out of it. Until you are talking with people with these types of disorders, it’s hard to understand who and why they are. Just like high blood pressure and cancer, mental illness is another chronic disease, but, unfortunately, society doesn’t see it that way. Society sees these people as outcasts, as parasites, as almost non-human. The purpose of the facilities like the one I am working in is to stabilize the patients, to get them consistently taking medications that decrease symptoms of their disease, and therefore, benefit not only themselves, but also people around them whether strangers or worn-out caretakers.

I did have to take a moment to step away from the milieu room one day as I looked around the room at the scene I was in the middle of. It was like something out of a movie. I’ll just let you use your imagination on this one.

I had the opportunity to watch electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and I guess you could call that modern day shock therapy. It was fascinating. Leads are placed to read the heart and the brain, IV meds are given to paralyze all of the patient’s muscles except one leg, and a seizure is induced which can be seen in the one leg. It is not as invasive or violent as one might imagine, and the patient is not aware of the seizure, but it still creeps me out and 4 days later I still can’t express exactly how I feel about it. It does seem to be a miracle procedure for many patients who don’t respond to medications, but I wonder…

Nursing is all about flexibility. We found out without much notice that in the middle of this particular clinical rotation, we would have to switch over to a whole different facility – a nursing home to be exact. What?! The facility I have been in is switching computer systems and doesn’t feel that they can handle having students at the same time. We were all very disappointed, but we have no choice but to make the best of it. Rather than doing typical patient care in the nursing homes, we will seek out those patients that have mental health disorders such as Alzheimer’s, depression, and dementia and work with them in similar ways we have been working with the other patients. I’m even going to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting!

Another thing I must tell you: I am so blessed that I am able to keep my job with Kaiser part time through this semester. You can imagine that all my travels this summer drained my bank account, and not only do I need the money, but I am able to still get experience working at the clinic. I love the team I work with; they are so good to me.

Better get back to that paper and studying for that exam….

This is me after my first suture removal. Those magnifying goggles were awesome and I couldn’t help but get a picture!

Fall is on its way! You can see the little patches of yellow happening in the mountains already! This was the entrance to the campsite I went to over Labor Day. It was so nice to just get away for a weekend with great friends.

And they even let me use the chainsaw to get our firewood!! I promise that it really is possible to maintain even a small social life outside of school…or at least have breaks now and again. I can’t stress how important that is to recharge and keep yourself balanced.

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