Some things.

Oh blog of mine. I have neglected you it is true. In my defense this past semester kicked my ass left, right, up, down, and every which way in between. I had my last exam on Monday and immediately went to Extras in Carytown with most of my class for celebratory drinks. And they were celebratory. But they also felt weary. Sure we tried to dress as cute as possible (and this is no easy feat after a week of finals), but we had the fatigued, slumped over look of battered soldiers.

The important thing is we're done. I have officially one semester left of nursing school, at the end of which I will (all fingers crossed and wood knocked on) become an RN. This whole process has been so mind, body, and soul exhausting that I think sometimes I've forgotten there's an end point. All the sudden you look up and realize, wow, there's a period to the end of this run-on, rambling sentence. I will have a career and a profession and a salary. All of these finals and clinicals and projects and papers and concept maps and reflections are leading somewhere. And it's getting so tantalizingly close.

But for now there's summer. Beautiful, sweet summer. And I am going to hopefully be a much more frequent poster. For now here are some things that make me very happy and excited about the next few months.

1. On Saturday I go to Nicaragua! I'm going with Habitat Global Village, and I am so ready to be back in my dirty, sweaty, unkempt travel mode. I've unpacked all my travel/work pants (these are never worn between trips, because really, how often do you need convertible, mesh paneled, sun/bug protectant, ultra moisture wicking, 12 zippered pants in daily life? I'm going to stock up on wet wipes, Cliff bars, hand sanitizer, and tiny toiletries (my mission type travel staples). I have my malaria pills and just in case antibiotics ready to go. And the best part of all, I'm going with my best friend Mary Catherine. We have been best friends since we were 6 and haven't traveled together (other than the local girls weekend kind of trips) in years and years. I've done these types of trips solo and that can be special in its own way. But I am so thrilled and happy to share this upcoming experience with my friend. Definitely a blog recap and lots of pictures will follow.

2. Speaking of my best friend, Mary Catherine, she and her husband just moved back to Richmond from PA. And yeah I may or may not be insanely giddy over this. I am very selfish and like all of my best friends in the same city. There are still several who have not complied with this, but my evil plan is to lure them back one by one.

3. I went to the outlets yesterday. I have not really shopped all semester because I've been too busy and more importantly broke. I wrote a boat load of Richmond.com articles last month though and my pay check finally came in yesterday. And damage may have been done. All I know is that there are a lot of really cute summer items in my closet today (shorts and skirts and dresses oh my!). And it makes me happy.

4. In June I'll start a nurse externship (don't ask me why they don't call it an internship, I don't know) at St. Mary's on a med/surg/hospice unit. I will be shadowing a nurse full time for 8 weeks and I think it's going to be scary, hard, and an incredible learning experience. I am nervous but mostly really looking forward to "working" as an RN full-time for 8 weeks. I'll get used to 12 hours shifts and possibly night and weekend shifts (I work whatever schedule the nurse weeks), and I think that will be a really nice way to ease into my future life ahead of time.

5. I'm going to see The Shins in Norfolk with the boyfriend in a couple of weeks. They've been one of my favorite bands for years and I think it's going to be incredible to see them live. I know it's the biggest cliche in the world, but New Slang is one of those songs that I think will just shatter my heart to hear live in the best possible way.

6. I'm playing in a kickball league with most of the same people I played dogeball with earlier this year. If my skills at dogeball are any indication, my kickball playing will be a sight to behold. People will likely stop, open-mouthed, and stare in wonder. I will become legend by the end of the season.

7. In general I am just very excited for a Richmond summer, for food truck foods courts, the Greek festival, warm nights at Fan restaurant patios, outdoor concerts, running in the heat and sweating my butt off, boat trips on the James, walks at Maymont. I love my city in the summer and for the next three months I can enjoy it without any of the stress of school.

And I've broken this promise before, but there will be many more blog posts this summer than there have been this spring. Pinkie swear :)