Some more summertime

Keep in mind that my summer vacation was only three weeks because I was in school but it was an awesome three weeks! I already put up some pictures that I had from my camera, but I just got the ones from my mom's camera.

We found this cool waterfall on the side of the road, so we pulled over and Clayton and I climbed it. We are waving just to the right of the top of the falls. My shoes are still muddy. I haven't washed them yet from this ordeal 4 Corners: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico

I got the whole world in my hands










Dad thought he was pretty funny posing for a picture, I was funnier :)

BACK TO PROVO:
Jolysa and I were Y-group leaders together for freshman orientation.

Mom still likes to take 1st day of school pictures. Even though this wasn't the first day, we'll just pretend.













My stylish nursing uniform

The many sides of Clayton Rountree

Today is my brother's 16th birthday, whom I so loving call Claymeister. Here is some of the sides of my totally awesome brother, who is now totally datable :)

The "get the camera outa my face" side

The uncle side

The brother side

The scout side

The "I can't decide which team to support" side

The stud side

The "I can't smile for the picture unless you make me laugh" side

The cute side

The even cuter side

I love ya bud! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!

Practically 36 hours of freedom

I just got back from the hospital from picking out my patient and there's a voice message on my phone that says I don't have clinical tomorrow, I also got an email. This means no homework tonight and no 12 hour class tomorrow. I don't know what to do with myself. Any ideas?

My day

In college we never take tests. We take midterms or exams. I don't understand why they call them midterms, they aren't in the middle and we have like 3 or 4 of them...oh well.

Today I had my first midterm of the semester. It went surprisingly well. It was my test for Med/Surg, my 8 credit class, so if I don't get at least a B+ I lose my scholarship. It was easy, which makes me nervous and makes me happy. Nervous because things can only get harder, happy because I did well.

I also picked out a new blog layout. Janelle, my sister, picked a new one out this week too so being the annoying little sister that I am I copied :). But it was time for a change anyways.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY PARENTS!!!!! They have been married 30 years today!

My Politics

Here are a few political issues and where I stand, some things I've thought about more than others, and some things I don't know as much about as others...

War in Iraq: No one cares at this point if you originally voted that we should enter the war or not. That's ancient history, the question now is what are you going to do about it? And my view on the war: a timetable is a bad idea. A goal would be good but locking ourselves into a date is dangerous. We need to finish what we started.

Universal Health Care: absolutely not. You think there's a nursing shortage now...

Abortion: This one's tricky. I think that it should be legal and here's why: if it were illegal, women would still find a way or a quack doctor to have it done and end up screwing up their bodies and potentially causing great harm to themselves. I don't agree with the decision to get an abortion, but I think it needs to be legal.

Energy: people need to get over their fear of the word "nuclear." Let the scientists do their research so that they can find ways around oil. I want to preserve as much of the beautiful lands in America (which are probably full of oil) as we can, but I also want to drive my car. It's a catch-22.

Stem-cell Research: again people need to get over their fear of the term and learn what it actually is. Scientists aren't killing babies. This research needs more funding so that we can find the cure for cancer and other deadly diseases which is killing more people the war in Iraq.

My dilemma with this election: I was truly gung-ho for McCain from the beginning, even while Romney was running, but then he picked Sarah Palin as his VP. If McCain were to win, I would feel really good but if he were to die in office, we'd be screwed. Palin is not even close to being ready to be our Commander in Chief. Russia's in my backyard...give me a break. On the other hand, Obama scares the crap out of me. I think the terrorists would love having him voted into office because he's a softy. Also I hate hate hate the idea of universal health care. I also feel like he talks and talks and talks and that's it. Not visiting the middle east at all until a few weeks ago also troubles me.

A week in the life of...

So it's been a few days since I last posted anything, and the it was just pictures. I am starting to finally settle into the semester, as much as I would like to still be on vacation. My typical week this semester goes like this:

Monday: I wake up at about 7 and am to class by 8. At 9 I head to the library to do my Church History reading, but usually end up falling asleep. I go to church history from 11-12 and then I'll eat lunch and settle in for a long night. I do my nursing reading until about 7 when I break for dinner and Family Home Evening. Then it's back to the library until I finish my homework for nursing the next day, which is usually midnight.

Tuesday: I have med/surg from 8-11, devotional from 11-12, hurry and study for pharm from 12-1 and Pharmacology from 1-4. By the end of Tuesday's I am ready to run 17 miles because I have literally been on my butt ALL DAY! Last week I played tennis with a friend after class, the week before I cleaned the kitchen.

Wednesday: Again the Doctrine and Covenants and then Church History routine, at noon when I get out of class I speed walk back to my apartment and scarf down lunch. At about 12:20 two fellow nursing students and I head to the hospital, about a 40 minute drive. I go to the floor that I will be working on the next day and look through all the patient charts and pick a good one (meaning lots of tubes, and pathologically interesting diseases, someone I can learn a lot while taking care of them). We usually get back to Prove at about 3 and I start the pre-assessment. What this means is I research the diagnoses of the patient I just picked, look up all their meds and write out important things about them, plan what I'm going to do for them, and review the labs and interpret high/low values. This usually takes me till about 7-8pm. At 7 I try to go to 80's movie night and just sit in the back and finish homework if I'm not done. I crash as soon as I can.

Thursdays: Wake up at 5:30 and head up to the hospital. Work with my patient, follow my nurse, learn lots of stuff till about 4pm and head home. I usually am so exhausted that I sit around for a while and procrastinate doing my homework for the next day. Maybe around 8pm I'll start it and then get to bed by 11 or 12.

Friday: I have nursing lab from 8-10 and we learn valuable nursing skills like how to put patients through pain. Just kidding, but seriously it is good to be able to learn skills and practice on each other or the mannequins before we do it on real people. Friday I usually study for a test, do reading for next week, or work on a paper. A group of us get together on Friday afternoons to work out case studies for the following week's nursing classes. I usually veg out with the roommates on Friday nights, which includes going groceries.

So a day in the life of Candice Rountree is always different depending on which day you chose to spend in my life. Thursday's tend to be the best but the most overwhelming also. Friday's are the most relaxing. Tuesday's are the hardest to get through. But I have learned that Sunday's are the days that I look forward to the most for lots of reasons: feeling the Spirit at church, I can think about something other than nursing, I spend time with my roommates, I have large chunks of time that I can talk to family, I can write in my journal, update you on my blog, I have time to cook, and I can take naps.

Other happenings: BYU(#8) has passed USC(#9) in the rankings this week (just had to mention it, sorry Clayton and Grandpa Rountree) and we didn't even play--we're just that good, my mom had a big birthday this week, my parent's 30th wedding anniversary is tomorrow, and I got tickets to go to General Confernce next weekend, and I watched the debate on Friday night and am scared out of my mind for this country! But I don't feel like discussing politics right now...

Nursing kills, I mean Skills

Here are some pictures that we took the day we learned to give IV's and scrub down for surgery. Like almost all our other skills, we practiced IV's on each other.

I don't know why I'm so excited here, but it's a pretty crazy picture :)




Prepping for IV's, Megan's scared



I hadn't actually poked her yet.

Trying to smile through the pain. My first IV try was unsuccessful. When I poked Megan, I missed the vein so I had to go fishing for it, Debbie (right behind me) basically guided it into the vein for me. Poor Megan was shaking it hurt so bad. I practiced again on Saturday and got it in right away.

I had never gotten an IV before that I can remember. They hurt!