The last one of these I did was in 2011! So much has happened, since then. (Please see my life update blog post if you’d like to know!)

1. Mom and Dad are back from the Philippines!
I don’t tell all my secrets to my parents, but gosh, I loooooove spending time with them. My parents just love me and I’m so lucky to have them. Since they’ve been back, we have spent so much time together. My mom has been sewing for me, cooking up a storm, and she even taught Prentyce and I how to cook sinigang a few weeks ago. My dad is back making us all laugh, especially when he teases Prentyce and I about our past. I hope they don’t ever move back to the Philippines!

2. Our Housewarming Party was so very warm!
This was the first big event we threw at our house. We also had a super fun Super Bowl in February, but it definitely wasn’t as big as our housewarming. We had family come in from California; it was so sweet they would travel all this way. My Tita Nene also came to America with my parents and was here for the housewarming. We had international guests! Ha! There were over 50 people in our 3,000 sq. ft. home. Yikes! Thanks to everyone for not complaining, it felt a little tight. People are so nice to us, we got such wonderful, wonderful gifts. The weird part was that so many items were left in our house after the party, including a pair of sneakers, an iPhone charger, and a Bluetooth earpiece.

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A few of my nursing friends and I at the Nevada State Board turning in our applications.

After the exam, I did the Pearson Vue trick (AKA PVT) in my car while still in the parking garage. I just couldn’t wait! If you don’t know about this trick, please search the forums on AllNurses.com. A lot of people have gotten good results when they have gotten the “good pop-up”. Although, I have read that a “bad pop-up” does not necessarily mean that you did not pass. (It even worked on my iPhone. Check the screenshot of the pop-up below.) I checked it about 5 more times until I got my results.

The PVT pop-up on my iPhone after going home & rechecking AGAIN.

I am sooooo satisfied with the Nevada State Board of Nursing. The day after my NCLEX, which was a Friday, I saw that a temporary license posted for me on their website. I texted my nursing friends, nurses I knew, and a previous professor to for their input regarding this ‘temporary’ license. I called both their Las Vegas and Reno offices and asked them to clarify what this meant. They said that I needed to send in my transcript and that then it would become a permanent license. I asked both the women I spoke to if this meant I had passed the test and they told me yes. After I got off the phone, I screamed at the top of my lungs with excitement. I called and texted my family & friends to share the good news. Continue reading →

I drove to the Pearson Vue test center the day before my exam. I even parked, got on the elevator, and found the exact floor and room. I did it the day before instead of a week before because I didn’t want too many changes to occur that would alter my path, e.g. new construction.

The location in Las Vegas is not hard to find (due to the great directions provided by Pearson Vue, which I failed to read so I got lost), but I still didn’t like that the parking is underground and that it is near the Las Vegas Strip. Don’t forget to bring cash for parking, which at a max, is $10 per day. I suggest bringing cash; I was told they can take cards, but I haven’t tested that out myself.

Don’t forget to go through the NCLEX online tutorial the day before the exam. You will need to do it on a Windows computer (or one that opens .exe files). It was helpful to do this, so you know how the exam will look and how to maneuver it. Doing this decreased my anxiety. Find it here on Pearson Vue.

I woke up early and made my self a hearty breakfast. I had eggs, rice, and bacon. Delicious, right? This might not be the best breakfast for you, but this is what I like to eat.

I wore comfortable jeans (not the tight ones you wear to make your butt look nice), a tank top, a long-sleeve top over it, and my UNLV School of Nursing zip-up sweater. I brought my ATT (which you no longer need to bring; they didn’t even ask for it), my driver’s license, bottled water (with the label removed), and snacks (rice cakes, granola bar). I also had a hair-tie on my wrist. Bracelets are not allowed, so I put the hair tie in my hair (which I was planning to do anyway). Continue reading →

Hi there loyal blog fans. There were two of you last time. I think there might be zero now. Haha! : ) I don’t know what you guys have been up to, but for me, it has been awesome, stressful, fun, crazy, and absolutely phenomenal. I didn’t blog because during my free time because I spent it actually resting and trying to enjoy myself. Not that blogging isn’t fun, but it is a lot of work. (I make tons of typos! Some that I don’t find until months later…)

The past 18 months, I do have to say, have been the most life-changing 18 months of my life. That seems a bit dramatic, but it’s true!

9/2013: Started nursing school
12/2013: Moved into our very first home!
4/2013: My parents came back from the Philippines
5/2013: Housewarming party
5/2013: I got a brand new car!
12/2013: Graduated nursing school

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House Hunting
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am that Prentyce and I are moving back in together (again) soon, if we find a house to call our own. I’m hoping everything pans out and we do not get any unnecessary headaches from this. We are property virgins after all! I just want to find a house we love that does not have too many unfixable issues — is that too much to ask? I actually think it is, especially since we don’t have a million dollar budget!

No School
I have taken all the classes I need to apply for the BSN program at UNLV’s Nursing School. We shall see how it goes… I apply in June and should start in late August IF, IF, IF I get into the program. I heard it was very hard to get in and that it is even harder to stay in! How scary! Nonetheless, I’m going to enjoy this summer of freedom.

More Working
I have a really great job; I wish everyone were as lucky as me. During this past semester, I worked only 1-2 days per week. We will see how much that paid off once I get my final grades in though…. In the summer, I plan to work between 2-4 days a week. I’m so happy! That means more money to spend on decorating the house (that I’m hoping we find). Continue reading →