allow me to introduce myself

first off - no, my name is not actually abigail annie or abigail or even annie, for that matter. but, it is what my dad would call me from time to time when i was just a whipper snapper. don't ask why...just go with it.

let's see here... i became a proud college graduate in 2004. and then precisely three seconds later realized that i had zero plans as to what i would actually do with that degree. whoops. slight planning issue on my part. so, i did what any other recent college grad with no direction in life would do -- sign up to teach junior high english at a parochial school. makes perfect sense, yes? and after about 6.5 months of that, i realized why there was about 80% turn over rate for teachers in that middle school. but, seeing as how i had no big plans for my future, i decided to do it for another year. go me.

then...i quit. i thought two years of work and then retiring was a great plan. except for the whole money thing. and seeing as how no one volunteered to pay for my life, i had to find a plan B.
enter -- nursing school! great plan. it was what i thought about majoring in my freshman year of college (the first freshman year) and then decided that it looked like a lot of work. and, i really wasn't into working so much at that point. staying up and eating double-decker oatmeal cream pies every other night with my best girl seemed like a much better plan (hey...we were working out at least twice a week *self-depricating smirk*).

so, nursing school it was.

and my oh-so-lovely older sister and brother-in-law offered me a place of dwelling in their house. exactly what every 24-year-old wants to do after they have had their own apartment, in a bigger city, away from their family, and managed their own life for an extended period of time (hey...2.5 years is a very long time...almost like a century, some say). but, lucky for me, my sister is awesome. and having a mini-apartment in my sister's basement has turned into one of the greatest things in my life thus far (see..."thus"...using the english degree. go me.).
so...moved back to where i grew up, into my sister's basement, landed a lame job that would hopefully land me a better job, and started taking classes to get in to the accelerated BSN program. plan B was in full effect.

problem: didn't get into accelerated program. this is the part where i tell you that i really am quite smart. smart enough for their dumb accelerated program, anyways. and now i am going to tell you all the reasons why i didn't get in (that are dumb reasons and have absolutely no bearing on my intelligence or self-esteem).

1. they limited the spots in the program from 16 to 8. damn.
2. evidently, your GPA had to be somewhere around God-like status. my measly little 3.7 wasn't quite up to par.
3. you probably had to pledge your first born child to the nursing program for all of the little students to practice their various new-found "skills" on.
4. it's possible you had to sleep with someone somewhere (but, i'm just guessing on that one).
5. i would also like to add that 45 people applied, 13 got an interview, 8 people got in, and 2 were wait-listed. i was on the wait-list. (cue extra little kick right in the gut) and....i always include this part in my story, because i feel the need to make people understand that i am smart and i should have gotten in, and i probably deserved a golden pathway that led right to graduation day where little angels bestowed a degree upon me with little kisses straight from heaven. that's just how i thought it should have gone....

so...i didn't get in. bummer. (that's a slight understatement. in all actuality, i was bawling my eyes out as i sat in my car talking to my dad. i think it went something like this: "nothing ever goes my way! i always get screwed over! why do i keep making plans when really, nothing will ever work out! i might as well just crawl in a hole and die because that's where i will end up anyways!" and that is probably somewhat lessened version of what my dad remembers.)
(it took me at least six months to get over this and just suck it up)
(i might have been planning a move to a tropical island where i would sell coconut bras and little flower hair do-bobbers for the rest of my life)

but...i did get into the regular program. go me. and even though it is taking me 4.5 years to earn my second degree, i am now well on my way to becoming a bona fide (yes, that is spelled and spaced correctly...i looked it up) RN! i'm just taking the scenic route.

so...this is my life. i'm 27, single, living in my sister's basment (best deal ever), working part-time, in school full-time, dating occasionally (ho boy, it's special out there), and just trying to make it all fit in to some semblance of a life that i enjoy and am proud of.

that's all i have to say about myself at the moment. more insights into my craziness to come. wait til i really get going...it's gonna get a little special around here...