Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music.....

Though I'm not doing any big dancing...I am celebrating!! I successfully finished my nursing degree and graduated with my ADN on May 21st. All 400 graduates were sitting on the hot stage in our large, heavy, choir looking robes facing the audience. Now this probably looked very nice to our family and friends able to look at all their graduates, unfortunately for us....we couldn't hear a thing said. It sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher...."whaaa, waaa, waaa, waa" Which led to many of us nursing students in the final row....just having our own conversations :) The ceremony was nice, I recieved my fake diploma, and my nursing pin. I was joined in celebration by Dan, my mom, and Dan's family.

I then was informed the next day that I have a job! I was accepted full time in the ER as St. Alexius Medical Center. So that worry is gone. It looks like I will be working pm's and nights again. It will be nice to be back with my night shift buddies!!!!!!!!!!

Hermitsville

I think I have traded my formerly social life for the life of a hermit crab. It seems I never so anything fun anymore. I never seem to leave the house except for work and school. If I'm not working or in class, I'm trying to catch up on sleep or have my head stuck in the books trying to learn everything for school. Well....that chapter in my life is ending!!! YEAH!!!!!!

I took my last critical care test today. I have my last clinical tomorrow, my exit exam is Friday. Then my final exam is Thursday May 14th...just in time to celebrate Girls night out. I have an interview for a nursing job on May 19th, very hopeful that will pan out for me :)

Not much new going on here....times are tight as Dan's job is constantly cutting hours and days. Same boat as so much of the economy. The ER is busy as ever, we are seeing record numbers with the Swine Flu pandemic. Luckily for all of us the swine flu is not nearly as dangerous as the regular flu!! And I have learned how truly ignorant so much of the american public is. You cannot get the swine flu by shaking the hand of a man from Mexico, by eating mexican food, or by working with two people who came back from Mexico over a month ago!!!

Now I count down the days. I can only imagine what it will be like to have time to myself again. Woo Hoo!!!!

fever free

It's been a long week. I was sick all week long. Now granted I didn't get sick for my wedding, and I wasn't sick for the holidays, so I guess it's time. Everyone at work has been sick. I had been avoiding it, but I guess I didn't avoid it well enough. I came down with bronchitis earlier this week and I've been plagued with a fever ranging between 100.6 and 102.2 since Tuesday. I called off sick on Tuesday and only worked a half a day today. I've spent the majority of the last 4 days in bed. Finally this afternoon, I am feeling a little better. I don't feel on fire or have those awful chills anymore. That is much better.

I did venture out Wednesday night to see Dan sing at his contest. I sat in the bar with my water glass and my diet coke with my coat on shivering most of the night. I should have listened to Dan and stayed home, but I wanted to be there for him to see him sing and support him. As always he was great. Below are some pictures of Dan on stage.

Rain Rain Go Away.....

It's Sunday. My weekend was ruined as I have weekend clinicals every other weekend. No fun. This was the end of our first week. Only two more weekends. In all actuality, only 8 more weeks of class total!!!! 68 days until my final!! Woo Hoo

I am currently in a gimp boot. I did a very gracious Bambi on ice demonstration one very cold morning at the end of January. I stepped out of the apartment and boom down I went on my left side. Now imagine every time you attemp to get up....you slide.. I was a mess!!! Well, what I thought was simply a tweaked muscle causing me pain in my foot while taking dance lessons prior to the wedding, actually ended up being tendon damage from my silly ice acrobatics!! So, now a month later we have figured that out and I will be in the gimp boot until end of March!

Dan is singing in a kareoke competition at the Fox & Hound in Schaumburg, every Wednesday night around 9-930 pm. It's been fun. Some people are totally horrible, some are decent. Of course Dan is awesome! There are 6 weeks left and the winner gets $1000 and to sing the National Anthem at a Schaumburg Flyers Game. We all hope he wins!!

Thats all for now!

We did it

January blew in and out didn't it. I can honestly say, it was awesome.

The wedding we had anticipated and planned for 16 months came in with a heat wave, up from 18 below to a balmy 25 degrees with snow showers! I made it to the church looking like an oompa loompa, as I had climbed into a garbage bag to keep my dress clean, and my steps were very very awkward.

What a day. I can honestly say it was AWESOME!!! I would do it all over again. I was totally calm all morning, even when one of my bridesmaids was a little late getting to the house. Mom and Dawn were the stress cases...not me. I got a little worked up as I came out of my "holding room" in the back of the church and met my dad. I was standing there, he told me how beautiful I looked and I started to cry. The music hadn't even changed yet!! Then it changed, here it is....my time to walk down the aisle. Oh man, I'm crying I can't take a deep breath, I'm not nervous, just so very very happy. As I walk down the aisle, therer were so many people...but I could only focus on Dan. There he was, watching me with this grin on his face. My love. He held my hand for dear life during the entire ceremony, which if I say so myself, was rather quick! Before I knew it we were man and wife, and off to the reception in our Limo Bus with our wedding party, complete with stripper pole! What a day.

The reception was so very much fun. I don't think I ever left the dance floor, except for Dan's dance with his mom and grandma. Dan wrote me a beautiful song and sang to me at the reception. My mom put together a lovely slide show. The dj was awesome.

Sunday, Dan and I headed downtown for our minimoon. We enjoyed a matinee of Jersey Boys and Dan thought "it was awesome!" We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Signature Room, followed by a couple cocktails. WE then spent the night on the 40 th floor of the Marriott over looking Michigan Avenue. As we packed up the next morning to head home, we got on the elevator and I looked at my husband, and said..."it's so sad, it's all over already." But, life carries on and it carries you right along with it ready or not!

We look forward to our planned honeymoon either October/November in either Aruba or St. Lucia....minor details to be figured out!

Final Countdown

Somebody told me we were officially at 72 hours until the big day. Holy Cow!! Is that true?? ONly 72 hours until I'm officially Mrs. Eckberg. Hmmm....something to think about. I want to say I have two of the most talented siblings anyone could ask for. My sister, as we all know works wonders day in and day out with her hair stying skills. I can't wait to see how it looks this Saturday. And, my brother, Marty, is an incredible artist. I asked him to do a sketch of Dan and I for me, He did fabulous. Brought me to tears and rendered Dan speechless. This wonderful work of art will be there for all to see Saturday night. If you feel the same way about the talent of my siblings, please let them know. I always knew they were good, I just never quite realized to what extent. Thanks so much Dawn and Marty!!!

Tonight, I sit and watch American Idol with Dan and it's the Kansas City tryouts....it's amazing to me to see the place where I was standing, I haven't seen us yet, but we were there. WE are also seeing some of the freaky people we saw while we visited Kansas City. I laugh as I see some of the people that I have photographed in Dan's American Idol book. Proof that we were actually there.

WEll....I guess thats all my thoughts for now. Back to cleaning my house so I don't come home Monday to a horrible mess!!!!

See y'all on Saturday!!!

Long Week

Surgery went very well. All procedures successful. I went home with my mom Wednesday after the surgery and re-c0uped there. Dan stayed with me Wednesday night, then had to return to work Thursday. I got sent home with some antibiotics and Darvocet for pain. I don't like to take pain meds, so I push as long as I can without then I regret!

I did well Thursday and Friday, feeling a bit better every day. Then Saturday morning I went to breakfast club and visited with Nana and Margie and the gang before Christmas. Saturday was a rough day...I was more sore than I had been in a couple days, I guess the healing process is more painful. Then we headed home, I was exhausted!! I took a little nap, then the emotions took over. I finally had my breakdown. Now, I thought I had prepared myself well for the emotions, had already had several mini meltdowns. But nothing compared to Saturday afternoon. I curled up in fetal position and cried and cried and cried. I don't even know how to explain how I felt. Part of me felt empty, broken, less of a woman. I had gut wrenching sobs that hurt. It was so hard to look at Dan and know the decisions we had made, although they were for the better. I cried until I was empty and had nothing left. Dan is such a wonderful man, he held me the whole time while I cried, he informed me that nothing had changed, even though I felt "different" Thank god I have been blessed with such a wonderful man. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have him by my side. Eventually I went to sleep exhausted and in pain. I woke up this morning not feeling much better, but less depressed :)

Today I headed back to work and I thought it would be easy. Not so much!! First, my car had been parked since Tuesday, so....it was encased in ice! Thank God Dan got up with me and went to help me "brush" the car off this am. I was on time, barely, but I made it 8 of 12 hours on light duty in the god awful cold today. I think I tried to go back to soon. It was tougher than I thought and I was in more pain then I realized, I think more because I had to be more mobile then I had been and only had the comfort of Tylenol!

But in the positive aspect....27 days til the wedding!!!!!