Day 1

Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

Tonight, I figured out how to use the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed correctly (key word: correctly) on my camera. I watched some tutorials on youtube.com and played around on my camera, and loved the results I got. Luckily, it was dark outside, so I could play with pulling in light and snapping pictures of the moon, etc.

Chuck and I also went running in his neighborhood, and I snapped a few pictures of him running, as well.

I know this is supposed to be a one-pic-a-day project, but give me a break.. I'm excited about figuring it out, so I'm posting a few!

First picture ever to capture a moving object with light.. It's hardly professional quality, but I'm satisfied for now!

Beautiful moon and clouds from Chuck's front yard.

Chuck's house.

Ok then. Day 1 down.... 364 to go :)

Project 365

Tomorrow I'm starting Project 365 -- a photo a day for a whole year. I absolutely cannot wait. This is something I was so excited about doing when I got my new camera. And now that I have it, I can actually do it!

Speaking of new camera.. check it out!

Is it not THE most beautiful thing you've ever seen? Yes. It is. And it takes beautiful pictures, too.

So get ready. Tomorrow, a year of life will be documented in a picture a day. Can't wait to see the changes that are captured through photos over this next year.. it should be quite an adventurous year :)

Katie Graves, BSN

IT'S OFFICIAL!! I'M GRADUATED!!

I'm done. finished. the end has arrived. there is no more. the finale has come and gone. IT'S OVER!!! I'm done with school for forever, and it feels amazing. I never, ever, ever have to sit through another class period or study for an exam ever again if I don't want to... graduate school may be an option in a few years if I feel like it, but I don't HAVE to ever go to class ever again!

WHOO HOO!!!

The ceremony was long and boring.. haha of course, the nursing school was the very last to walk across stage. So, we sat and watched people walk across stage and heard names being called out for about 2 hours before we even moved. But, eventually, I stood up, walked across stage, received my diploma, moved my tassle to the other side of my cap, and graduated! :)

Here's me walking across stage, shaking President Witt's hand.

Me and the sisters in front of Denny Chimes.

My wonderful, beautiful, loving family!

Me and wonderful Chuck who supported me so much throughout nursing school.

Me, Nick, and Kim.

I love goofy pictures.

So, to wrap up an exciting week, yesterday I turned 22. I'm such a big girl now. All grown up and graduated from college... ;) Chuck took me to PF Chang's for dinner and then for dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. It was absolutely delicious! What a sweetheart he is.


Love you all and hope you are all having such a wonderful week!

NURSE'S DAY!

So today was Nurse's Day! THAT'S ME! (almost). What a good feeling.

I have two days until graduation. TWO DAYS. Whoa. I mean, I knew time would fly by fast, but holy cow.

I love how I can look back over these last 4 years and see a definite change in myself.

- I know for a fact that I can live on my own.

- I know how to manage money, pay bills, etc.

- I have become quite the little studier, and I know how to survive a strenuous college curriculum.

- I know how to surround myself with the kind of friends that I need, rather than being friends with the people who just happen to surround me.

- I know how to look for a job.

- I've learned that God knows the answers to everything, and if you just ask, He will give you the peace you need.

- I've learned to trust myself.

- I've learned how to deal with mice in an apartment at 5am.. :)

- I've learned how to deal with roommates... which unfortunately teaches you that the world isn't always as kind as the naive person assumes it to be.

- I know that the friends that are across the country are sometimes the friends that are closest to the heart.

- I've learned important time management.

- I've learned to cook :) some things, at least. Thanks Cameron!

- I know now that it's okay for friends to see you cry. And crying on a friend's shoulder is often a good way to make the tears go away.

- I am finally a little bit better with confrontation. Not by much.. the tears still pour every time, but at least I feel as though I can someone confront someone regarding my opinion, now.

- I appreciate the lazy days, because the not-so-lazy days occur way too often.

Those are just a few. If I really sat down and thought about it, I could come up with a million more I'm sure.

My next post will be after graduation, when I am OFFICIALLY an alumna of The University of Alabama!!

Last weekend in Tuscaloosa before GRADUATION!

This weekend was my last weekend in Tuscaloosa as a student. The realization of everything hit me today... HARD. I just suddenly realized that I'm leaving. Soon, when I come to Tuscaloosa, I'll have to find somewhere to stay because I won't have a place of my own there anymore. Which, under any other circumstances, wouldn't be too upsetting because I'm ready to be done and graudated. It's just sad because from now on, Chuck and I won't live in the same city anymore until we are married. And it's going to make things difficult regarding visiting him because I won't have a place of my own to stay when I'm down there.

But, on a happier note, my graduating class rented on the Bama Belle on Friday night to celebrate our graduation. We had such a blast! I loved getting to spend one last get together with the nursing crew before graduation. We went on the Bama Belle (which is a riverboat that goes down the Black Warrior River by campus) from 8-9:30pm and then everyone went out together to The Bear Trap, which is a bar on the Strip. I'm not much of a bar person, but it was fun for a little while ;)

The other day, Cameron, Kim, and I went around campus taking pictures on campus in regular clothes and in our caps and gowns. Chuck was so nice and put up with us (mostly me and my ridiculousness) and took the pictures for us. He even was nice enough to pose in some with me. Cameron was amazing and let us use her fancy, shmancy camera, too! I need a nice camera SO badly it's insane.. I will buy one SOON! Hopefully before camp so I can use it on the road trip and while up there to take pictures of the beautiful, northern landscape. So, anyway, here are some of the pictures... again, they are SOTC, but because they were taken on Cameron's good camera, they don't need much editing anyway :)

in front of the stadium.

good 'ole Paul 'Bear' Bryant.

Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Cameron, me, and Kim in front of Denny Chimes on the quad.

These two girls got me through nursing school.

Cameron and I literally became best friends basically the very first day of nursing school. She was my partner through everything and held my hand as we walked into our first patient's room ever the first day in the hospital... which turned out to be quite an interesting patient. I almost threw up in the bathroom before walking in.. I was terrified. And she's been by my side since.

Kim has been a blessing in the last few semesters of nursing school. Pharmacology was when we first became friends, and since then she has been quite a hilarious addition to my life. My weeks during my Preceptorship would have been so boring if she hadn't been there in Tuscaloosa with me to keep me sane. AND she's going to be my sound support up in Pennsylvania because she's going to be a camp nurse with me this summer! I'm so excited about spending our first nursing experience together and growing even more close :)

Me and Cameron. Gosh, I love her and am so blessed to call her my friend.

Me and Chuck in front of Denny Chimes. What a support he has been to me throughout school. I am so blessed to have the kind of outstanding guy who will simply sit with me in the library while I study because he knows it's the only time I'll get to see him :) I'm sure he's about as glad that I'm done with school as I am!

I am so lucky :)

I love this picture. Girls, we are grown up now!


Ecstatic to be an almost graduate!

This picture captures us perfectly. This is such a definition of my personality.. I'm sure I was saying something that was totally NOT funny, but I cracked myself up. Cameron knows I'm a total idiot and was telling me so, I'm sure. And Kim? Well, Kim just plays along and laughs at me despite my ridiculousness.


Alabama Alumni! (almost)

I'm so proud to have gone to such a wonderful school.

Us 3 girls.

In front of Gorgas library, where we spent many hours studying our lives away.. ;) We became quite close with the both the comfy chairs and the tables on floor 4M.. the silent floor. hah

Russell Hall. The nursing building. We are the last graduating class from Russell Hall. A new nursing building is currently being built, and it looks beautiful so far! It opens in August. I'm sad I won't get to see the new building or spend anytime in there going to class, but it's cool being the last graduating class from the old building.

This week, I plan on going around campus and taking pictures of things around the area. Of buildings, people, the quad, just things I want to remember. I do love this school. And the campus. And the wonderful people I have met along the way.

I'm still feeling confident about camp. And I'm hoping it stays that way for a long, long time.

Love you all.