A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step...

We did it! We completed the program and are now Certified nursing assistants! Although we have been attending college for over a year now, and have worked really hard, the 12 week CNA program took it's toll on us! Unlike college classes, it was an in-your-face-look at the real nursing world that awaits us. We chose to complete this program to gain experience in healthcare and to allow ourselves to make some money while continuing our college & studies to become RN's! We gained a huge respect for Nursing Assistants- who basically do all the grunt work in patient care. It really is a thankless job, and the least paid position in nursing. Does that make any sense? We have a newfound understanding in just what a critical role a CNA plays, and we hope this experience allows us to always maintain respect for this work...even when we are Registered nurses. We worked and learned our skills in a clinical setting...which was very trying at times! So, on our last night of class, and after scoring a 98% (Darah and I both) on the final written exam, we joined 4 other classmates at Pickles for food, drinks and chat! It was a way to give ourselves a little pat on the back...for a job well done! 

Darah was all smiles as she showed that hard work pays off in the end...although we have much further to go in our nursing careers, we gained a sense of accomplishment- and crossed one more bridge in our journey to become nurses! A small, but certain feeling of success! 

Katie deserved a drink...as she "cheered" about class finally being over! 

Monique showing proof of her accomplishment! We were so thankful for being done and getting through! 

La Tanya Linedancing?

Tuesday nights at Pickles (as we found out when we arrived) is country linedancing night! Not really our cup of tea, but La Tanya joined right in! You go girl! 

Dining Divas...

Katie, Monique, La Tanya, and Darah munch on some appetizers and have a few drinks while recalling all the memories of the past 12 hard weeks! 

Easter Weekend....

Since Mom Mom was homebound, recovering from her hip replacement surgery, we made the trip to Virginia to celebrate Easter, and help out too! We had an "egg-cellent" time, and Mom Mom and Pop Pop were happy to have us. Mom Mom is recovering and can only get around using her walker, and still has a lot of pain, so we were hoping to cheer her up! Mommy made Easter dinner Sunday, and as usual, the weekend just flew by! But, I think we all had a Happy Easter! Get well soon, Mom Mom! 

Easter Egg Hunt...

Since Mom Mom couldn't get outside, we brought the Easter egg hunt inside! Dabria on her quest for eggs...she woke us up in the morning exclaiming..."Mommy, Daddy!There are eggs everywhere!!!" She finally found all 18....uhhh, with a little help, of course! 

Hey! There's an egg in my shoe!

 

April "showers" bring...bicycles???

After some coaxing...(she hates bathtime)..we got her to take a peek in the shower, where she found her Easter surprise! A new princess bike! What a clever Easter Bunny! 

Trying it out for size!

The Easter bunny guessed right! (Thankfully) While she may outgrow it in the next year or so, she should get lots of miles on those tires! Pop Pop made some minor adjustments, and she was ready to go! 

"Nice.."

Nice... those were the words of choice when she saw the clothes in her bag- then she saw the chocolate bunny! Like most kids, chocolate wins over clothes! 

Easter Flowers...

Dabria was trying to hide Dad with the Easter flowers she got Mom Mom...what could he have possibly done to make her mad???? She is also sporting the easter outfit that Mom Mom & Pop Pop got her...how cute! 

Armed and dangerous...

Hey, I can do this! Dabria was so cute with her bunny in her pack and her juice cup in it's holder! She did a great job! Considering there are no flat surfaces where Mom Mom and Pop Pop live! Practice makes perfect! 

Does this thing have brakes Dad?

Here she comes...full speed ahead! Good thing Daddy is close to catch her if she falls- that's what Daddy's are for! 

Mom! You gave me helmet hair!

Safety first! Dabria knows she must wear her helmet when she rides her bike! Especially on those rolling Virginia hills!!! 

Philadelphia, here we come!

On a whim, we decided to go to Philly for the weekend! Debbie and Kenneth were nice enough to book us hotel rooms at the University Park Sheraton- free of charge! So, we all met up at the Zoo Saturday morning! Me, Brian, and Dabria....Hobie, Darah, Emma, Gunner...and Denise, Chris, Jansen, and Jarren! We had a wonderful impromtu weekend, and spent the whole day at the Zoo! We spent the night in the city and then went to the Academy of Natural Sciences on Sunday! A very busy weekend...but it went off without a hitch! It was great spending the weekend together, and seeing the kids enjoying themselves was the best part! We will have to do this again! 

Monkey see.....

 

Monkey Do!

Definately the cutest monkey on display! 

So that's where tires go to be recycled!

 

Elephants never forget!

And, I hope Dabria never forgets seeing these creatures! One of the neatest exhibits...they were so close! 

Monkeying around, and digging for gold?

Posing with this monkey wasn't enough for Emma! I guess a favorite pastime for 3 year olds is picking noses as well! 

Fabulous!

Dabria having a fabulous time at the Zoo! 

Rain, rain, go away!

The weather was beautiful! Then, black clouds appeares, and luckily we were in a covered bear cave when the rain let loose! We waited for about 20 minutes, and then the sun came back out! Our timing was perfect! 

Polar bears...

These were probably the favorite animal of the day! They were swimming and playing with balls, and they put on quite a show!