And the race is on!

So last week I sent off my application to the Athletic Training Education Program at NAU.  So the wait begins, I will hopefully have an interview at the end of the month/beginning of March.  It will probably be on a Friday or Saturday and I should know by the Monday after my interview if I have been accepted or not! So keep your fingers crossed, they only accept 15 people into the program! I don't think that I have ever wanted anything more in my life, if I don't get in then I might just die!!! Ok well maybe not die, but I will be devastated! So pray with me and send me positive vibes for the whole process.  At least the wait isn't long, right?!?  I'll let you know what happens next!!!!!!!!!!

Yay for big sisters!!!!!!!

Now I know some of you are saying wait I thought Shelli was an only child! Well I am but 10 years ago I met my long time friend Ali who took me under her wing as her little sister! So this past weekend Ali and I went up to Flagstaff with her friend Tarah and Tarah's friend Genaro! Ali and Tarah graduated from NAU so they showed me around campus and town.  I learned all the cool spots to party at hang out at haha! We also went to the Grand Canyon!!! It was so pretty all covered in snow! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

 From right to left: Me, Genaro, Ali, and Tarah.  At the Grand Canyon! It was free this weekend too! So if you want to go to the Grand Canyon and get in for free I suggest on MLK weekend haha and you'll see some snow!  Actually it's probably most holidays!

 Work it girl!!!!!!

 Me and Ali, big sis and lil sis!

 We saw two deer and took like 100 pictures just of them, I'll only put one though!

 Me and Tarah with the infamous french fries at South Campus!

 Me, Tarah, Ali, and Genaro at Old Main on north campus

I had so much fun, I was jumping for joy haha! It was such a fun weekend! I am glad I got to spend it with three wonderful people, I couldn't have had a better time!  Flagstaff is such a beautiful part of our state and I can't wait to live there in 8 months! Oh and here is kind of a hint hint nudge nudge, I think I would love to have visitors!!!!!! It's only 2 1/2 hours away and Flagstaff has some good restaurants that would make your stay there quite enjoyable!  :) I hope you had a great 3 day weekend also!

Banner Simulation Center (Coolest place on earth)!

So last Saturday, I went with a group that I volunteer with for the Cardon Children's Medical Center, to the Banner Simulation Center at the old Banner Mesa Hospital at Country Club and Brown.  I volunteer for the hospital ( Cardons) with a program called the Cardon Compass Program.  We help with events for the hospital and in return for volunteering we get to shadow people who work in the hospital and go on cool field trips like the one this past weekend.  Our wonderful leader, Lindsay, arranged for the group to take a tour of the Simulation Center.  It was the coolest thing ever!

In the Simulation Center, Registered Nurses who are certified to run simulation mannequins, teach new nurses who are just hired by Banner hospitals how to do procedures how Banner specifically wants them done and also make sure the experienced nurses are on top of their game!  These Mannequins are both high-fidelity and low-fidelity.  High-fidelity means that the mannequins have a chest that rise and falls when they breath, and pulses that you can feel, they also blink (which is really freaky!).  Low-fidelity means that they still have breath sounds and a heart beat, but the chest does not rise and fall.  Both of them can talk (Which is also really freaky!)

So what did we learn while on this tour?   First we learned how to change a dressing for IV's and central lines.  I think putting on the sterile gloves were the hardest part of that part!

Then we got to take a tour of the center! Since the center was a hospital they have every part of the hospital exactly the way it was, like the intensive care unit, the emergency room, the operating rooms, and regular patient rooms.  Our first stop was the intensive care unit, or ICU, where each of our groups went through a scenario.  In my scenario my guy went into cardiac arrest, so we had to perform CPR.  Of course me being the only CPR certified person I started it off.  Then we took turns! Now I know that if I really had to do it, I could.  I knew it was ingrained in my head, but there was still doubt that I wouldn't be able to remember when my adrenaline was pumping.  Now I know that I can haha.

I know I shouldn't be smiling, but I was kinda freaking out and then Lindsay took the picture!

This is the computer they were running everything off of.

So all in all this was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done!!!!!!!!

Yay for 2011!

So a lot is planned for this year!!!!! In two weeks my friend Ali and I are going up to Flagstaff with her friend Tarah!!! They are both NAU Alumni so they are going to show me all the hip places to hang out at! Then on February 15th my application to the Athletic Training program is due, hopefully I will get an interview then a couple days after my interview I will hopefully hear if I made it into the program! Keep your fingers crossed!!!! I am also applying for a promotion for my job.  I want to go into management at the pools, so I will be filling out my application in a few days! Then in the fall I will be moving out! Ok well moving into a dorm at NAU, but still I will be living on me own!!!! So this year looks like it is going to make up for 2010, and boy do I hope it does!  I hope everyone had an awesome and safe new years celebration!  Make the most of the year, after all life is short! 

2011 can't come any faster!

Well 2010 will be a year I will never forget, unfortunately this is not a good thing! At the beginning of the year my grandma (my mom's mom)  had meningitis and had to have brain surgery, so we spent 6 months trying to get her better.  She is on her way to being better so that is a good thing.  Then in July my other grandmother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  She passed away in October.  As you would think things could only go up from here right! WRONG!!!!!!! Just early this morning and I mean early like 2:00 AM, our precious and beloved chihuahua Minnie went to doggy heaven.  We all knew that when she went it would be hard, we just didn't think she would would be the icing on the cake to end a horrible year! She was 12 years old, and up to 2 days ago she was doing just fine! She ate a lot of almonds and was throwing them up. We took her to the vet and they wanted to keep her for the day to do an enema (clean out her colon) and hydrate her.  Well we got to take her home, but I guess her 4 pound body just couldn't take it anymore.  So here's to a way better 2011!!!!!!!!!  Happy New Year Everyone!

I'M A LUMBERJACK!!!!!!!!!!

So last night I got an awesome phone call! So as everyone knows I applied to NAU a couple weeks ago.  My friend had told me when I get accepted they will personally call you.  Well I thought how could they personally call every student they accept? I thought it would just be a recorded phone call saying congrats on being accepted.  Well, last night out of the blue, the phone rings and the caller ID said Northern Arizona University! So of course I answered it and it was a REAL person!!! He told me that I have been ACCEPTED! Woohoo I have one step down! Now all I have to do is apply to the athletic training program and hopefully be accepted into that!

Sunny Side Up Challenge! Can you do it?

So after this weekend I have a new philosophy on life! And I would like to thank the wonderful country artist Martina McBride.  Have you heard her song Sunny Side Up?  Well if not, here are the lyrics...

I still get that feeling I felt when I fell in love with my baby

Everytime he makes me smile

I still see the beautiful in your favorite song on the radio

Turn it up and here we go

Look at everything we have

Baby, it ain't so bad

Today everything is sunny side up
I'm hangin' on to happy and pushin' my luck
You're lookin' at a girl whose lookin' at the world
And no matter what
Sunny side up
Sunny side up
Yeah, yeah

It seems like everybody's way too sad
Come on let's lift each other up
Look at all we have
Baby it ain't so bad

Oh, today everything is sunny side up
I'm hangin' on to happy and pushin' my luck
You're lookin' at a girl whose lookin' at the world
And no matter what
Hey, today everything is sunny side up
I'm hangin' on to happy and pushin' my luck
You're lookin' at a girl whose lookin' at the world
And no matter what
Sunny side up
Sunny side up
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, sunny side up

I still get that feeling I felt when I fell in love with my baby
Everytime he makes me smile

On my way home from school today this song came on my ipod. I think it was a sign! With finals coming up and my last semester in the valley starting in January, I am feeling a little stressed. Ok a little is an understatement! Now after hearing this song, I decided I am going to always look on the sunny side of things.  Yes times may be stressful, but you know what?!?!?!?! They will soon be over!!! So I encourage and challenge everyone to look on the positive side of life and forget all the gloom.  I know its easier said than done, but don't you think the world would be a better place if everyone did this.  So pass this idea along and maybe we can change the world.  And just remember when times are stressful, just think it could always be worse.  Let's all look on the sunny side of life and give smiles to everyone around us.  After all isn't the best gift to give someone, a smile?!?!

Also a little update on my trip to NAU! It was AMAZING!!!!!!!! I can't wait to go to school up there next fall! I did find out that the AT program only accepts 15 people a year! So think happy thoughts with me on getting into the program!
Have a great day everyone! And give your best in everything you do! :)