GRADUATED!

Well, it's really over. I have graduated from nursing school! No more pencils, no more books... and all that jazz! :-)

I spent a couple days in Louisville for graduation activities last week. Wednesday I drove over so I could pick up my cap and gown and then attend the graduation rehearsal at the Fair and Expo Center. This proved to be a little stressful, as I'm not familiar with Louisville at all, definitely not knowing where I was going on the Belknap campus to find where I needed to pick up my cap and gown. I'm really not used to a college campus right in the middle of a large metro area! Thanks to Google Maps (absolute GODSEND the whole time I was in Louisville!), I found where I needed to go, picked up my graduation garb and checked my eligibility for honor cords. I was *STOKED* to discover that I was graduating MAGNA CUM LAUDE (woohoo!) and got to wear pretty red honor cords (see dorky graduation picture).  After I got all that figured out and made my way back to my car, I had some time to kill before I had to be at the fairgrounds for rehearsal, so I zipped back downtown and visited the Health Sciences Bookstore and shop for some official UofL Nursing swag.  Walked out with a sweatshirt and a window cling for my car!

I then headed back down to the Fair and Expo Center to go through rehearsal. This whole deal was rather lackluster, probably could have made it through the ceremony without having been through rehearsal, but whatever, I was there. Once that was over, it was time to head to my lodgings for the night - my friend's parents who live near Louisville were kind enough to offer me a place to stay, saving me the hassle of getting a hotel room. Before I went there, I made a trip to Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies so I could decorate my mortar board. Yes, I was just like a little kid playing with fabric puff paint...but I thought I turned out a decent nurse-themed decoration.

The next day I had to be back at the Fair and Expo Center for pinning and graduation. I got there plenty early and took some pictures with my classmates, then we had to line up for pinning. To cut to the chase, I got my pretty BSN Nursing pin pinned on me by my program director, who told me that this was just the beginning for me. More pictures, more visiting with friends and classmates, then it was time to line up for graduation! The whole ceremony took a little less than 2 hours, and nursing was the last batch to graduate. I was, quite literally, the 2nd to last person to walk across the stage! "I declare you graduates of the University of Louisville"...moved tassel from right to left...and that was it!

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So now what? Well, watching the job postings for jobs that interest me, for one thing. Haven't seen anything lately, but I'm sure that will changed. Also still waiting to hear from the jobs I have applied for, hoping to get an interview.

Oh, and there's this little thing called NCLEX..and I'm all scheduled for it, test date noted and countdown started! But I'm saving that for a separate entry. Graduation is such a big thing that it deserves its own billing!

*sings* I'm finished with nursing school, I'm a BSN graduate nurse... :-)