Monday, August 19, 2013

One Down, One to Go!

Thanks for the well wishes last week! I passed the final and finished the class with a high enough score to get a personal letter of reference (my goal when I set out). You had to get a 97% or better in the class, overall, and I did. Shew. Still got it!

People have asked what class it was. I'm studying to be a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). Now that I've passed the program and the final (which consisted of two parts: written and skills demonstration), I just need to pass the state boards to be certified. At this time I'm considered a GNA, or General Nursing Assistant.

The reason I'm working for this is to care for a loved one with ALS, better known as Lou Gherig's.

Now that classes are behind me, I'll be going on a one-week road trip with a few family members, leaving late Tuesday night and returning the following Tuesday or Wednesday. I've decided to take a break, rather than scheduling advance posts when I can't respond to comments and visit back. As I have no idea how much online time I'll get, it's best just to be on break. I'll return to posting either next Wednesday or the Monday after.

Before I go, I want to make a quick announcement concerning a friend's serial. Andrew Leon, of Strange Pegs, has been putting out pieces of a series in serial form. He is now releasing these as sets, with parts 1-5 coming out in one set today. The price is $1.99 for five parts of the story. If you have previously read parts within 1-5, he's asking that you purchase this collection and leave a review: Shadow Spinner, Collection 1.

Back to my vacation, I'll hopefully be visiting Crater Lake and the Vortex, both in southern Oregon. Look for pictures coming after I get back home!

Did you take a vacation this summer? Where'd you go? Ever been to Crater Lake or the Vortex? 

May you find your Muse.

14 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations, Shannon! Now, go enjoy that vacation. And definitely picking up Andrew's latest.

Mark Means said...

Congrats and have fun!

I've never been to Crater Lake or Vortex, but take some pics so I can live vicariously through you! :)

Tina said...

Congrats, again on your fab grades! I'm confident you'll do fine on the rest of the tasks to earn the "C" in CNA.
I've never been to Crater Lake, but I've seen pictures, and in elementary school, I did a report on Oregon. I've always wanted to go there...
Tina @ Life is Good

Unknown said...

CONGRATULATIONS! We have a lot of nurses in our family, so we know how challenging those tests can be.

I did go on vacation this summer. We went to the Yosemite and Sequoia. It was beautiful. Have fun on yours!

Carrie-Anne said...

Congratulations! Good luck with your nursing career, and have a great time on vacation.

I was working at camp for the third summer, so I didn't have a chance to go on holiday. I don't think I'll have time to visit my aunt in Florida during the remainder of the Summer, but maybe there'll be room in the fall.

Andrew Leon said...

Will you do anything else with your degree? Is it called a degree?

Thanks for the plug!

Unknown said...

Alas, we haven't taken a vacation this summer, but have a great one! Sounds like fun.

James Garcia Jr said...

Congratulations on your journey so far and best wishes as you near the end. It sounds like a very noble thing you're doing there. Good for you!
Enjoy that vacation. No, I have never been. We did a few small things this summer, but nothing too big. My youngest has a couple of large school trips coming up that we may be joining him for. We'll see.
Take care.

-Jimmy
http://jamesgarciajr.blogspot.com/

Libby said...

Congratulations and enjoy your break!

Julie Flanders said...

Congratulations!! And best of luck with the last step. I admire your reason for doing this - best wishes to you and your loved one. I'm sure you will make an amazing caregiver.

Enjoy the trip!

Yolanda Renée said...

Enjoy your time away, sounds like you've really earned it. That loved one must be so appreciative! Wonderful dedication!

M Pax said...

Enjoy your vacation! Congrats on how well you did on your test!

John Wiswell said...

It's so good of you to put in such work to support an ALS-sufferer. Bless you, and enjoy your well-earned time away.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Alex, thank you! I did enjoy the vacation, and enjoyed being a bit of a kid on it.

Mark, oh, you bet I did! They'll show up here over the next few months, I'm sure.

Tina, Oregon is definitely worth a visit. So many neat places there. The coast, the Columbia River Gorge that separates Oregon from Washington, the mountains (just ask M Pax), and the city of roses (Portland). I'll always be fond of my original home.

Karen, I did love it! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon how you look at it), I was there in the evening, so didn't get to see it in the full splendor of daylight, but it was gorgeous in the setting sun.

Jenn, I would love to go to both of those places, as well! Some day. I was born in California, but moved before I was a year old. I have family there, though, and used to visit frequently when we lived in Oregon.

Carrie-Anne, I imagine Florida in the fall is a bit more friendly than in the heat of summer. I hope you can make it out there in the fall.

Andrew, it's just a certification. I could go on to get higher nursing degrees (they would be degrees, but CNA isn't), but I won't be, at least not any time soon. My dad will hopefully be here for several years (he is the one with ALS--I figure family members we don't want to know won't be reading these comments a week after the fact, so I can say it here), so that is where I will be. I found working in a nursing home terribly depressing, so if I do ultimately use it for a job, it will not be in a care home. :(

Jan, I hope you can get a vacation this year at some point.

Jimmy, wow, I'm intrigued as to the school trips. Where are they to?

Libby, thank you!

Julie, aw, thank you very much. I hope so.

Yolanda, thank you! He is. He hates that it has to be that way, but I don't mind caring for him at all.

Mary, thank you! I waved to central Oregon.

John, thank you, it's easy to do when it is someone you love.