Always Improving

"Just do the best you can, but be sure it is your very best."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

Since the beginning of last year, instead of picking and choosing what Ensign articles to read I have read each issue from cover to cover. By doing so I know that by doing so my testimony has been strengthened. Much thought goes into each article and no matter the topic, or your life circumstance, each article is in the Ensign for a reason.

Today I was reading an article in February's Ensign titled "Achieving Your Full Potential" and it offered the reassurance and motivation that I needed and reinforced choices I am making.
Here are a few points that I especially loved that I thought I would share.

-Each of us can and should do more to meet the Lord's expectations of us.

-Complete your degree or vocational training no matter the intellecttual or financial strggles you encounter along the way. (no excuses)

-Education is a vital key to the dooe of opportunity

-Stay focused and stay on course-to finish what we have started.

-Satan's biggest tool is distraction and discouragement. He finds ways to help us make excuses about why we can't do this or that. He blurs our focus by diverting our attention.

-Staying focused, discipline, and committed to meaningful goals, both spiritually and temporally, is an important-in fact, an essential-key to your success here in this life and in the eternitites to come.

-"Behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."-Mosiah 2:17

If I had more time I could explain what each sentence meant to me but I won't go that deep. I try not to get preachy on the blog, but I felt the need to share so maybe this will mean something to someone else as well.

Side Effects

Until this week, the last three weeks have been Mon-Fri 8-5...at least. The days were long and the nights well, they weren't long enough.

After I would get home the last thing I wanted to think about was school but our teachers had other plans with readings and assignments. With that said, here's a recap from the last couple of weeks of school.

After a week long class, I am now certified to perform IV sticks. In order to be checked off for this skill we had to stick a classmate. I was worried because when I had Carson it took the R.N. over two hours to give me an I.V. and I am thankful for my uncooperative veins because I didn't have to get stuck! The first time I did a "live" person (vs. a fake arm) I was kind of nervous because you can do quite a bit of damage if you do it wrong. With that said, it went perfectly and I apparently was the fastest at doing it...not quite sure if that is good or bad.

Poor Mark, he is constantly surrounded by jabbering women but this semester he has another "testosterone buddy" but they aren't in the same hospital rotation so he's by himself again.

For my maternal child class I received and I am not exaggerating a 176 page syllabus, yes, it was only the syllabus. To make matters worse, we received this gigantic syllabus the night before I was supposed to have read it and be in class by 7:00am. To make matters worse, it printed with all of the teachers formatting so it is not the prettiest thing to look at but for now it is my "Bible". Receiving 176 pages is funny now, but it wasn't so funny then.

So far I have read 20 chapters, taken two exams and have had two quizzes. before the month is over I will have taken (and hopefully passed) five more exams. Overall, I am doing pretty well. I have prepared and am a little bit ahead of the game as far as reading and assignments go. This week marks the beginning of practicals which I have twice a week and require insane amounts of paperwork...one guy a couple semesters ago got hemorrhoids from sitting so long doing paperwork...that better not be me.