My Latest adventures

it's been some time since I've posted on here. Here's what's new: I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing- yeah! I have been working full-time in palliative and acute medicine. That basically means I take care of people who are dying, along with people who are acutely ill, most of whom get better, some get worse. I love it, but it gets political sometimes and the work is physically and emotionally draining but it's rewarding because I didn't work my butt off in nursing school to do something I never liked anyways. I am learning to love and appreciate it with every set I work. I admire the folks I work with they do an amazing job and put up with a lot of crap and still show up.

I also have been enjoying seeing my bible study group grow every week- we have up to 7 of us right now. We are young women in our 20's who lead busy lives and we make an effort to get together once a week to study God's word, to encourage each other and lift each other up. We are getting to know each other so well we can challenge each other. I look forward to it- love you ladies! at my birthday party at the Vaut

celebrating our birthday together- jennica and I

My little sister is getting married sept 20th- so I get to be a bridesmaid along with Jennica:) My mom is making these fabulous chocolate brown satin dresses and we'll be outdoors in the Okanagan for it!

I moved into my own apartment and it's been fun- i do lots of cooking and entertaining. I am learning lots and I hope to get to know my neighbors soon as it's a brand new building and lots of young people moving in. I am thinking about hosting a little party. Here's some pics:

at my housewarming party
doing winery tours part of my 10 yr high school reunion


I have been getting more energy lately so I am wanting to do rock climbing again, and want to join a drop-in sport group like volleyball. I would like to try to start a women's drop-in floor hockey night at my church.
in victoria this summer

well that's all I have for now, hope everyone's having a great summer!

almost there....

at the top of windy joe

so my final day for nursing school is may 2nd 2008- that's soon! All I have to do is finish my last paper and continue to work 12 hour shifts full time for free (plus paying to work there- cause, hey, it's school). I got hired at the hospital I'm preceptoring at- so excited! Sounds like I will be working full-time (hopefully into a perm.. position right away). I will be looking to rent a place of my own- I've been living with friends of mine and their 2 little boys in a house with a nice yard and garden, the thought of moving to an apartment makes me a little sad cause I love living in a house, doing yard work, ect. Well, I will be helping out in the backyard at the house even after i move out cause i love it so much.

I have been trying to have somewhat of a life in between working full-time and writing papers and assignments. In the last 3 months I have been sick 3 times! I am currently getting over the flu (influenza- a bad combo for an asthmatic like me) despite having the flu shot :( Last month I had the stomach flu and then a cold.....and in jan I had a cold. I bought some vitamins to take but I hate taking pills- I really feel for patients a the hospital who have a hard time choking down those pills- especially those horse pill sized antibioitics and multvitamins- seriously can they BE any bigger.

I also joined the chilliwack hiking club and did a 5 1/2 hr snow shoe trek up windy joe in manning park. It was a beautiful day- sun shining, then showing, then sun, at the top it was foggy and snowing so not much of a view but an awesome accomplishment to have made it to the top- it was my first "hike" of the season. I'd like to do more tennis this spring and summer- last summer I couldn't do much with my foot surgery.

So- anyone have any ideas about how I celebrate finishing 4 yrs of nursing school?? My class is going out for dinner and dancing on may 2nd should be fun- I hope to bring my twin sis- Jennica, it's fun to play tricks on my class mates and have her pretend to be me- it gets most of them everytime!

I write my RN exam on june 4th in surrey, so do pray for me on that day- I will be prepared and do lots of studying but I don't feel too anxious at this point besides the fact it's an 8 hr exam (lunch break after 4 hrs) and it's all multiple choice.....good and bad but hey I'll take it. It the last hoop I'll have to jump through for now.

it's been awhile, I don't know if anyone even notice though...

I just wrote my last final for nursing this morning! who hooo! That's the last one I will write for the nursing program (except for the 8 hour RN exam in June that's province-wide). So, I am one exam away from being done this semester (I have a philosophy final tomorrow). I will be heading off on Friday to Regina to meet my family (by plane) where my younger sister will be graduating from RCMP Depot training. For some reason I am really excited to be in Regina, last I heard it was -11 Celcuis, no doubt they have snow~ I am also planning to donate blood my first morning there- it's blocks away from my hotel! I can't convince my twin sister to donate, apparently she gets queasy (sounds like some of my other friends....). There are in desperate need for blood donations especially during the christmas season. www.bloodservices.ca

oh and i will be preceptoring in palliative care (taking care of the dying) it's my final practicum where I have a preceptor/mento nurse I work with full time- 12 hour shifts for 16 weeks. All for free - as in I'm not getting paid.... I work my last few undergrad (paid) shifts this christmas break.

A funny note about this semester- so I taught about 70 grade 10 students (35 at a time) about sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDs and how to protect themselves, mostly scared them with my graphic pictures and shocking statistics and facts. I was teaching in a small auditorium! So- picture me teaching with these giant disgusting pictures on the projection screen! I had a box of 144 condoms and I handed out at least half of the box, now i had been storing them in my room, and put a bunch in these cute paper things that folded with the condom inside- it included some facts and pics of how to put on a condom. Well, over the last couple of weeks I keep finding condoms in weird places in my room! Under my bed, behind my dressser. I had my guy friend over and I think seeing all these condoms make him a little uncomfortable! So many condoms for someone who is definately NOT having sex ( I choose to be a virgin for now, I am waiting for the right one to marry...)

Other than that I plan to go snow shoeing at Manning park after christmas (before I start my preceptorship), and I hope to do something fun for New Years, so if anyone has a fabulous party to invite me to call me! or better yet- blog me!

I hope everyone has a wonderful christmas season spent with people you love. Be safe, be merry, and blessed!

Keegan

check this out!!

chillin after a day at school on the mountaintop

chillin after a day at school on the mountaintop, originally uploaded by KeeganS.

exciting things happening...

So my friend Melissa and her former roomate (Jesca) had a fundraiser dinner and dance on saturday night. It was so amazing to see people come together to raise money and support for 12 orphans in Uganda, Africa to feed and cloth them and send them to school. Melissa's roomate (Jesca) is from an area in Uganda called "Mukono" and her sister lives there- and her sister is a nurse who has taken these kids and fed and clothed them herself with the little that she has. Jesca went to visit her and saw this and told Melissa about it: in response to this Melissa said "how can we not do anything about this?" and from there the idea came alivefor the people of Chilliwack, Abbotsford----basically the Fraser Valley and the West coast (and even beyond) to respond by sharing our money and resources to see these kids, and future kids taken care of. The idea is to get the people in the village to be the ones to help build the orphanage (once we get 10,000 dollars- over 10 % of that was raised on saturday night alone!!). The plan is to set the local people up with a garden so they can grown their own food, and have chickens (and a chicken coop) so they can sell eggs to support themselves. The plan is to ensure these orphans, many of whose parents have died of AIDS ( a huge epidemic in Africa right now), the material things they need and a roof over their head, and education so they can be raised up to be successful and make their own impact in their community!

The neat thing about the dinnner and dance was how everyone rallied to support this cause; Melissa's dad's band played (they were awesome!), Jesca's family provided food for everyone (Ugandian food- yummy..) and both of their friends donated their services for the silent auction. Photographers taking pictures and offering portraits, drum lessons donated, handmade jewellry from Uganda, ect.

Another neat thing was when I left I ran into a couple of girls in the parking lot asking about what band was playing and what venue it was. I explained it to them and they got so excited because their church is doing something similar for an orphanage in Africa! So I invited them in and introduced them to Jesca and they got business cards. There is a website but I don't know what it's called yet. So for now there is an e-mail: mukonohome@hotmail.com and look on facebook for future events. If we had 9 more events like that we could have enough for the people of the village to build the orphanage!!!!

After the dinner- I had this sense that somehow I was making a difference in someone else's life, and I truly believe that we as people put in the work and effort and God will mutiply it and bless it! God loves children!

my summer....

Randy and I went for lunch at a winery in Naramata





so this summer has been a real change for me. I worked full time at the hospital for a couple of months, then had surgery on my foot, spending most of july recovering, then late july and early august I went to Creation fest (!!) and was a camp counsellor for a week on thetis island. I also caught up with some old friends, boyfriends, ect on the island and in the okanagan (where I grew up). I have spend most of august gardening and landscaping, which is hard work, but it keeps me active as I am not working till sept (can't work till 9 weeks post-op) so basically I've make no money for the last 2 months which is why I have all this free time and and I am not taking any extra trips :( too bad it's either time of money that seems to get in the way. So now I am going to catch up on some summer reading seeing as it's raining now, and do some pre-reading before school starts (if I can get my butt over to the school bookstore)...so the pace and flow has been nice, I've been able to help people out with babysitting and odd jobs, ect. I would like to go camping before school starts but I want to go with friends and they all seem too busy these days (unlike me) but starting sept that will change! yeah I am so excited to be graduated in june '08!
visiting Aaron on the island