Nearing an End

The last fifteen months have been quite the adventure, heartache,  and struggle.  I have never in my life experience such a level of achievement and defeat at the same time.  Not a day has gone by that I have not regretted my decision, bur still believe it will lead me to where I am suppose to be in my life.  This is by far the hard thing I have ever done in my life.  And there was a large price to pay.  Not only monetarily, but personally and professionally as well.  I have sacrificed much over this time; friendship, family, and relationships have suffered, my job and performance has suffered, my peace and creativity have suffered, but most of my health has suffered.  Both mentally and physically I have taken a sharp decline.  I have pain in places that even my doctor does not understand.

What really has not started to set in yet is that in less than 3 weeks I will graduate from nursing school.  I will forever be done with Baker both as a student and as an employee.  Ready or not I will be "thrown from the nest" and on my own to becoming a registered nurse.  I have some mixed feeling about this.  But I do know that I will be more than happy to be done and that my life will no longer on someone else's schedule.

Furthermore, I have learned a lot during this time... in a few sentences...
I never knew:
I could function on so little sleep.
I would see miracles happen right before my eyes.
I would find my breaking point, yet be able to continue on with success
it would be such an uphill climb, and that upon graduation the journey has only just begun
I could change someone's life
that nurses eat their young.

I have gotten myself into this position, it is what I wanted for my life, and I will be focusing on how to make the most of it!

A little time to cook

I have not had extra time in months... So this weekend I took some for myself. Just enough to cook up a few dishes... Which all turned out very well.

Bacon wrapped sea scallops in Hawaiian BBQ sauce infused with sautéed peaches.

Loaded nachos topped with seasoned beef, slow cooked yellow pepper, onion, and tomato, fresh avocado, salsa and sour cream.

California roll sushi.

Watermelon and lime smoothie.

And ... I didn't make it, but i also enjoyed a bottle of my favorite wine!