Newlyweds: The DeWitte's: July 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Nursing Graduation 2011

It's now official......I am a nursing graduate!!

Friday night, my parents came into town for our graduation banquet which consisted of dinner, speeches from faculty, and a slideshow presentation of pictures from the past 14 months. It was so awesome to look back on all those pictures and realize the wonderful friendships that have been made just in a short 14 months. We all may not work together, or see each other again, but we do all share the same passion for nursing which is something that we will always have that will always keep us close.

Here are a few pictures from the banquet:

We did it, Hollie! I'm so thankful for our friendship. Love you tons!!

A gift from our class officers; our class picture.

Jessica, Hollie, and Jani (our instructor)

I owe so much to this wonderful man in my life. He has been by my side to share in the joys and tears of this program. I am so blessed to have such a strong support and never ending encourager.

I love you, Wes! I couldn't have made it through without you. <3

The other half of my strong support and the one's to thank for raising me into the woman I am today. My parents are truly unbelievable. Their love and encouragement has been such a stronghold in my life. I love you both SO much!

Jani made a comment to our families and said that this degree is just as much theirs as it is ours. It is so true. I could never have done this without you guys. I am SO thankful and SO blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Saturday was graduation. We decided to go out to lunch before and what better place to celebrate than...Ted's! Oh yes, love it!

But before we left the house, I had to get a picture taken with my sweet, little Lexi. :)

The twins at Ted's (aka Wes and Dave) :)

My father-in-law, Terry

Okay, the rest of the pictures ended up being those pictures that everyone is embarrassed of because someone either 1) snapped the picture before you were ready or 2) snapped it when you weren't looking. Here are a few of those just for laughs. :)

Dave and Jessie

That is classic "deer in head lights" look

And the laugh is on me in this one.. Wes is smiling so nicely and then there's me...

What exactly am I looking at?? haha

We had some time to kill before heading down to campus, so we stopped at the Sooner Mall. Really just ended up sitting in the cool air conditioning, not much shopping. Gotta kill time somehow.

Might as well take some pictures! Think we look much alike? :)

Graduation itself went really well. Minus the lack of not having sound into the microphone for the first two speakers, but luckily it did get fixed just before our class President went up to speak. She did such a great job of summing up what this experience has meant for us. I was proud to be a graduate of the Class of 2011!

Walking across that stage really makes everything seem finalized. It really IS over and I DID make it through. Now onto to studying for boards. We don't get to take boards until the first part of September but that gives us all plenty of time to study. Then it's back to the real world of work!

A few pictures from after the ceremony (None from the actual ceremony, they didn't turn out so well).

Part of my support crew, Darren and ReJeanna. Love you guys!

My other half <3

At least everyone was having a good time, even though we were standing in the 100 degree heat. :)

Jessie and Dave

Wes and Bobbye

Me and my entire support crew. I am blessed!!

Happy Graduation!!!

Friday, July 29, 2011

A look back at what has brought me here....

This time tomorrow afternoon, I will officially be a nursing graduate. Wow.

If you would have told me about four years ago (right after graduating from OSU) that I would one day go back to school for nursing, I don't know that I would have believed you.

Not that I have or had anything against nursing at that time, I just really didn't see my life heading in that direction. I've told several people this story so if you have heard it already, now you get to read it! :) A little glimpse of "karma" in my life...

I will never forget sitting in my "office" during my Internship my senior year of college looking for a job. I had only one month to go until I was going to be kicked out into the real world. I needed a job, quick!

So I started to browse all the health related organizations I could think of.

Back up...for those of you who don't know, I have my undergraduate Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion. What can you do with a Health Promotion degree? Umm..good question!! Not as much as I had hoped!

This quickly became my attitude towards this degree that I had worked so hard towards for four years. Yes, it's great that I have a Bachelor's degree but now what do I do with it?? What CAN I do with it??

My original intention behind choosing Health Promotion as my degree of choice was wanting to go to into Physical Therapy. Long story short...that path didn't work out and honestly was not the right one for me.

So back to the job search.....

I eventually end up on a hospital website looking for jobs that I might be qualified for. I mean, I now have this fancy Bachelor's degree, surely there are numerous positions that I am qualified for just for having a degree, right...?

Wrong.

I quickly began seeing a theme in the medical world of job listings and here's what it was:

RN
RN
RN
RN Director
RN
RN Team Leader
RN
RN Case Manager
RN
RN Home Health
RN
RN

Does that get the point across????

All I could think of at that moment was this, "Wow, I really seemed to have picked the wrong field. Maybe I should have just gone to nursing school. Too late now."

Karma.

I remember thinking to myself that nursing didn't really interest me. I really had no desire to be a nurse. Even though the field of nursing looked like a great option as far as job opportunities went, it still wasn't enough to make me feel like it was something I could see myself doing.

Fast forward two years....I started working as Medical Assistant and was told by my boss at the time that I could go back to nursing school and finish in just 14 months. 14 months?? Really?? Well, I maybe could do 14 months of school but nah...not right now.

Fast forward one more year....I met my future husband and my life changed forever. I brought up the idea of going back to school for nursing to Wes and received nothing but encouragement and support to become everything he (and I) knew I was capable of. He kept telling me that I should do it and could do it.

He believed in me. That was all I needed to hear. I felt like it was now within my reach and I went for it. One year later, I got my acceptance letter and 14 months later...here I am....DONE!

What a journey it has been to get to this point. Many, many late nights studying and trying to finish up care plans while trying to stay rested for the next day. And many days that led to tears of stress and frustration.

But I made it through and I am so proud of the choices I have made. God knew what He was doing all along. Each one of those steps that lead me to today were guided by His mighty hand. It was all a part of His plan for my life and what a wonderfully beautiful plan it is!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Weekend Recap

Wes's last day at the Post Office was this past Saturday, ya hoo!!! He had to take a picture of his last piece of mail....

It was "bittersweet" he said. He is definitely glad to be done but will always have good (and some not so good) memories to look back on.

Our weekend always start on Saturday night since he has always had to work Saturday during the day. And since this was still a full week of work for Wes, this week was no different. But we did take the time to enjoy it and enjoy just being together.

I have been doing so much better with taking pictures lately. Wes is actually starting to get annoyed at me whipping out my camera in the middle of dinner...church...haha Get used to it, honey! :)

So here is our weekend recap:

Saturday night, we wanted to celebrate Wes' last day and my finishing up school so it was a date night (long overdo!) for us to Charleston's. This also happens to be where we went on our first date, two and a half years ago. Crazy how fast time flies...

Begin the pictures where Wes started to get embarrassed because I wanted to take more pictures. :)

I was lucky to get this one, he was done taking pictures after this!

Sunday morning was church as usual. Wes hardly ever dresses up this much for church so I had to capture the moment. :)

Can't ever have enough pictures of us. I am a lucky, lucky girl. Just look at that smile. <3

Sunday night started Vacation Bible School at church. This was our first year to volunteer and even though we went home each night completely exhausted, we had a good time and enjoyed being a part of God's ministry. The theme this year: Get the Word Out!

The sanctuary decorations looked great!!

Darren, ReJeanna, Me and Wes

A few of the kiddos working on their craft projects.

Me and Julie

Outdoor games were a hit!

Overall, it was a very busy but very good weekend. The rest of this week had been the same, busy...busy...busy.... VBS ends tonight with Family Night. Should be lots of fun!

Wes has been able to book a few sessions in the studio this week which is great. We've been brainstorming all week about ways to improve the studio both on the business side of things and also design wise. Changes most definitely for the better.

As Wes and I were talking today about all the "visions" we have for the studio, we both realized just how blessed we are to be where we are at in our lives right now. God has truly blessed us and guided our paths every step of the way. From how we met, to getting married, to getting into and finishing nursing school, to giving Wes a great job to support us, and now to this new adventure of the beginning of two wonderful careers.

There is no doubt in my mind that God's hand has been over our lives since the very moment we met. We have been able to not only grow together in love as a couple, but have also grown together in Christ. What an awesome feeling it is to have a spouse who strives to live their life for Christ on a daily basis.

God is SO good!!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Attempt to Save Money...Again...

This is so nice having time to blog again! Two posts in two days, yes!!

Here I am back to blogging about my attempts at saving money on groceries. I have tried planning ahead (still spent too much) and even tried the whole crazy couponing (saved money but not enough). So I am trying something new this time and it's probably something that I should have been doing a loooong time ago.

So what is my new secret to saving money? Or I hope it will save us money...

Sam's!!!!

I know, a lot of you are probably going, "Well, duh! Why haven't you been doing that all along?". And I'm pretty sure my wonderful sister has even told me to go to Sam's.

I guess I like to learn the hard way. :)

I spent pretty much the ENTIRE day yesterday getting groceries. I started out at Sam's and let me tell you, I was shocked at the prices!! 32 bottles of water for $4!! You can spend $4 at the grocery store and only get 12 bottles of water!

Some more examples:

2-96 oz bottles of Apple Juice: $5
30 rolls of toilet paper: $20
4 boxes of Capri Sun: $7.50

Really?! Why have I not shopped here until now?? What really made me realize just how much Sam's can save people money is when I overheard two ladies talking about how they drive from Perry (at least an hours drive) and other small towns just to come to Sam's! There must be some real savings if one is willing to drive almost an hour to load up on groceries.

And Sam's is just a short 5 minute drive for me and this is the first time I have chosen to shop here. What is wrong with me?

I called Wes about every 5 minutes starting out every conversation with, "Man, this is so crazy! I can get _____ for only $_____!!". I'm sure he was annoyed after about the 4th phone call from me. But then he just had to hear more about it all when he got home from work because I had to physically show him what I had accomplished.

My husband is so patient with me. :)

Here is a picture of what I hope is the answer to our grocery money woes.

As I was leaving, I started to think about all the things I could get at Sam's that could potentially save us a lot of money by buying in bulk. I was worried about where I was going to put all this stuff but I managed to find a place for it all. Success!!

What is not in this picture that I really wanted to go to Sam's for in the first place is meat. I have noticed that when I go to Homeland and buy meat, my grocery bill is always outrageous. Now, we can't just go without meat (ha) so I knew I needed to find a solution that wouldn't cost us so much money.

Solution found! Sam's!!

I got 5 lbs of hamburger meat for $14, 4 strip steaks for $15, and a bag of chicken breasts for $14.

But we are only a family of 2 so of course we aren't going to go through that much meat before it goes bad. Even though I have the smallest freezer in the world, I decided to try freezing everything I bought and use it on an as needed basis.

Once again, most of you are saying, "Meredith, where have you been? Freezing meat WILL save you money!". I got it...I got it...finally...after being told many times. :)

So I bought a small scale to weight out 1 lb of my meat and baggies and foil to get it stored away. I took some pictures of the process:

5 lbs of meat

1 lb weighed and ready to be "bagged"

All 5 lbs ready to be frozen

Steaks and beef; I guess this does mean I have to plan ahead :)

I will update on the results of my freezing meat attempt to save money. I really hope it helps.Now, if I had to choose one item that I was totally excited about saving money on it would have to be this:

I was just telling Wes the other morning that I have to find a way to save money on my Keurig K-Cups. I have found a flavor that I absolutely love and have only been able to find it at Homeland. But the price is pretty ridiculous. At Homeland I get 14 K-Cups for $10. That's about .71 cents per K-Cup.

Now Sam's: 80 K-Cups for $40 which is about .50 cents per K-Cup.

This is so worth it when it is something you use every single day. Not a single morning goes by that I don't have my cup of coffee. So I was pretty excited about this find. Not to mention, it is my favorite flavor! Score!!!!

I did end up having to go to the grocery store for other items that I really didn't need 20 of but tried to stick to my list and buy things less expensive: rice, beans, canned foods, Ramen (the only way to eat on a budget, for me at least, Wes won't eat it).

When I got home, I decided to make an Excel spreadsheet of the prices of the items I bought and when I bought them. I really want to see how long the Sam's items last and also be able to compare prices with the grocery store.

I know, I'm a nerd...such an organizer...what else am I supposed to do with all this free time??

Sam's List

Homeland List

Ramen? Hamburger Helper? Yes, please!

I will try to "spice things up" a little bit. I might have to get a little creative and get brave with my spices, but I can do it!

Any suggestions are kindly welcomed. I feel good about what I have done so far, I just hope it will pay off in the end. We will see!

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Last Days of Nursing School

It's official...my last two days of nursing school were this week so it's all OVER! We don't have actual graduation until July 30th so it hasn't really sunk in that I'm really finished. (Other than I have all this free time to do absolutely nothing, wonderful feeling!!)

Tuesday we had to present our Evidence Based Practice presentations to the Juniors. It was crazy to think that was us not that long ago. I remember going to the Seniors presentations last year thinking, "Gosh I wish I was where there are right now, almost completely done" as I had 12 more grueling months ahead of me.

Although I can say that it did go by pretty quick, I look back and realize how much we had to go through to get to this point, and then the whole process seems like it was sooo long. This program crams so much into a short amount of time. It's overwhelming to look back at the numerous amount of tests we took, care plans we wrote, papers written, and assignments completed. So although it seems like it went by quick, this program is no joke! Tough!

Making the decision to go back to school, however, was such a great choice. It amazes me to look back before school and realize just how far I've come and how much I know! I know that might sound crazy because one would think after14 months of school, you better know something right? Yes...But I think as students we see all these what we call "seasoned" nurses and feel less competent and doubting what we have really learned.

My Leadership experience was when I first really realized how much I DO know. Yes, the "seasoned" nurses know a lot more because they have been doing this for so long, but I am competent and am capable and ready to do this on my own. They all work as a team and no nurse is ever really alone. In my experience, they were all so willing to jump in and help each other without even having to be asked. This was so comforting to know someone will always have your back.

Not only have I gained a ton of knowledge during this program, but I have also gained a lot of great friendships. I remember the first day of school, looking around the room at all the unfamiliar faces, and thinking that these people are going to soon become some of my closest friends. And within the first few weeks, those unfamiliar faces became the people I truly enjoyed being with and could count on for anything.

More than the knowledge I've learned, I will always cherish and value the friendships I have made. It is so sad to think that we will all be going our separate ways after graduation and possibly never see each other again. But we will always share this nursing school experience and can look back and appreciate all the people who helped get us through.

Here are some pictures I took on our last two days. Some are from our EBP poster presentation and others are from a Geriatric Conference that I helped out with.

I passed by this sign many, many times.

This is just another look into the College of Nursing. Walked this hall many times too!

My group in front of our poster presentation. Our poster was awesome (thanks to Sara)!!

I was very proud of our poster, so I have to show it off a little bit. :)

The pictures up top were hung with clothes pins. Our topic was the effects of skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding immediately after delivery. So we put up all these sweet pictures of babies, skin-to-skin.

Now onto the pictures of all my wonderful, nursing school friends.:)

Jessica and I

Alex and Randa

Sara and Bethany

The person I probably wouldn't have made it through nursing school without.

Hollie and I

(kind of a bad picture with the sun glaring and shadows)

Bridget and Miranda

Brittany and Taylor C.

Alesha and Whitney

Amber, Jessica and Sara

Alison, Marcy and Glory

Me, Randi, Kirstan, Erica, Jenny, and Whitney

The rest are from the Geriatric Conference in Norman.
These glasses simulate what it might be like to have different vision impairments.
Jani, Me, Randi, Ana, and Hollie

Randi and I hard at work :)

Our job was to create a "Hazard House" that would give people an idea of various hazards that you might see in an elderly persons home. See if you can pick out the hazards!

This cute little dog can be a hazard but what else do you see that could be as well....look closely!hahaha We had way too much fun with this project! :)

More hazards...

Eeewwww!

Hollie and Ana

Hollie and I, love this girl!!

Gotta love free t-shirts! I sure will miss my nursing friends :(

Well, those pictures sum up the last days of nursing school. Once again, I am so thankful and blessed that God has given me such a wonderful opportunity to further my career and meet such great people along the way. It has only been with God's help and guidance that I have finished this strong.

James 1:12

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."