Another Year Over...

...And a new one just about to begin.
The last short leg before we enter 2009 has finally begun. Tomorrow is Hogmanay, and thankfully we can get ready to give way to a brand new year. Halleluiah!
So, in the style that all the cheesy T.V programmes do at this time of year, I think this is a good time for me to wrap things up with one final look back at what has happened during the bonnie year of 2008...

January - not much going on here really, other than my ambition to participate in more Red Cross duties. This included the Finale of Highland 2007 (previous blog posting!) and the Burghead Clavie (again a previous blog post) amongst numerous other bits and pieces. I think it was also the month I officially decided I wanted to leave the familiar sights of Elgin Academy and go to Moray College to ensue nurse training, because I had finally made an important and taxing decision; I want to be a paramedic. Oh, not forgetting study leave for the dreaded Higher prelims - the joys!
Ok, maybe it was quite a busy month...

February - fewer Red Cross duties (only a marathon I think - probable previous post) because of pain-in-the-ass prelims! However, an immense - and very romantic - long weekend made it all feel so much better. That was the best Valentine's Day ever... although the HNC Healthcare interview kinda held up procedings slightly, hehe.

March - this was a fun month! A good, varied handful of first aid events, including the almighty Manchester National Assembly!!! Such fun times. Fun...interesting...times ^^
Other Red Cross-themed events were Casualty Simulation training - also fun, and very messy, hehe. And a variety of motorbike races. Always good for a casualty or two.
This was also the month for my practical Music exam *eep!* and for S5 reports - both turned out pretty damn good in the end.

April - was hell. Initially, it was really ace. It wasn't until the end of the second week that things turned out to be a bit...wrong. First, there was a wedding; that was the good bit (had never been to a wedding before, and it was quite a special one, so that was grand). Then there followed a week of...well...what felt like absolutely amazing moments at the time. But things got a little out of hand with the family. They say that when one part of your life goes fantastically well, another part will crash and burn. I found myself torn between two loyalties - one was to a boy I was pretty hopelessly in love with for some bizarre reason, and the other was to my family. At that time, my heart ruled my mind, and I wanted so much to get away, just run away from the people who were trying to stop me from achieving what I wanted so badly. It all fell apart over university in the end; over going to England to live and study (and work, but they didn't know that part yet). It sounds rediculous now, but at the time it was heart-wrenching. Now I sound really spoilt...ok, it was heart wrenching because it meant me being separated from my 'amazing' boyfriend for even longer than I could ever want. And all this happened the day before my Emergency Response training course out at Glenmore Lodge. I wasn't exactly in peak form for it after all the comotion, and I think I gave a pretty bad first impression towards some folk. I bet they all thought I was well boring, sitting there all tired and gloomy, looking incredibly pale. Of course, they ken different now!
On reflection, I feel so awful about that whole situation, for everyone, but perhaps in particular for that boy of mine. I actually said to him I'd go with him to England (finally, I was given permission by my parent to at least try it!) after telling him it wouldn't work, and we got all excited about the thought of it... But then it all kinda fell through again (ouch, again) and I had to tell him it wasn't going to happen... again. Yeah, I think I messed him around a little with that.
The thing is, after my ER training, and just before my all important Higher Acting NAB, he dumped me. Yeah, that's right, after all that crap I've just splurted out in the midst of this post, he went and frikkin' dumped me. And for what reason? To this day I still don't know, cos he told me he didn't have a solid reason. The cheeky part was that he tried to twist things, and make out that I was asking him to leave his work for me, when all along I said to him I'd never expect it of him. Besides, it was always him that said he would leave it one day to come back.
And amongst all of this, I had to perform in my Higher Acting exam, which was made no easier by any of the above situation, or the fact that I had tonsillitis and a blocked ear because I was so run down.
Anyhoo, moving swiftly on...
The lesson I learnt that God awful month; if someone truly loves you, they'll wait for you.

May - things quietened down here, with the beginning of study leave for the real-deal Higher exams. Oh, and it was also Red Cross Appeal Week, so there was an additional ceilidh thrown in here for added fun. It was welcomed.

June - the end of the exams and the end of my school years! Finally I was waving goodbye to Elgin Academy and saying hello to the open world of opportunity. This was also the month of Rockness '08!!! What a fantastic weekend, only made slightly awkward by a brief meeting with the ex. But hey, it was a brilliant experience, and gave me plenty of opportunities to deliver some first aid, whilst listening to some live and funky tunes.

July - I bagged myself a job this month in a Nursing Home (name remaining anonymous for obvious reasons) which didn't feel like heaven for the first couple of weeks. However, after now being there for six months with flexible hours and a friendly care team, it's a pretty grand job to be in. It was also the month for more Red Cross duties; the month where the Galas begin! From the warm and toasty Forres Highland games to the wet and very wet Dallad Gala - just an idea of the contrast in weather that can happen in a "summer" month.

August - A most important month, because it's my birthday!!! Ok, I'll put my ego away now. Aside fae this, it's also time for the banterful Speyfest duty; always good for the mix in people, music, and drink. Of course, we can't forget that Glenalmond also happened this month! The ever amusing, entertaining, enlightening week which never gets old, despite the same old rountines that happen each and every year. No sarcasm - seriously -, it is a fantastic week. Got to meet with some old friends, as well as make a few new ones, both in delegate and leader form. In fact, it was Glen that really let the old heart-ache wound heal after my dumping five months prior. It showed me I could always feel a little something for another special person, and that's all I will say about that for now!
Another monumental moment was that dreaded large brown envelope falling through the letterbox - that's right, it was exam result time! Although, I was stuck at work all day and had to wait until four o'clock before I could get mine. Meanwhile I was tormented by texts fae all my mates asking me how well I'd done and getting to hear their brill results too. 4pm came, and with it came my mother, standing at the front gates of the Home with the envelope. My heart skipped a beat. I opened it the moment I reached her, tearing it open in all my anticipation...
Oh yeah, I'm a scoob - straight A's for me! So, that's something else I won't forget in a hurry.
Along with starting driving lessons; that was a fun one.

Sptember - back to education now, which meant the beginning of college and a whole four years of nursing. Ach, what a depressing thought... nah, I joke ^^
Once again, its the same old pattern of Red Cross duties and training events (advanced airway management, oh yaas!) and a chance to pop down to Dundee to visit an old Glenalmond pal. Might have to do that again some time soon me thinks...

October - not much on the go here. Red Crossing again - a healthy balance of training and duties. By the end of this month I was a pro in manual handling and buzzing people with highly electric pads. Always an interesting topic to bring up in conversation.
There was also Karen's 18th birthday party - drunken banter galore with Emzie, coupled with the drunken creation of a probably-not-so-brand-new cocktail... ah dear me.
Not forgetting a brief trip to visit Stirling University, after which I decided I'd rather go to the Highland campus, one benefit being that I could keep up Red Cross stuff in Inversneckie and Elgin on the odd occasion too.

November - relatively busy month; a month for bonfire night duties anyway...well, obviously!
More training, more events, Caitlind's little birthday surprise (lol!) and a most memorable moment - the beginning of the first nursing placement. Community nursing, Health Visitors, working with the practice nurses, all of it was valuable experience. A not so enjoyable part was the essay writing... as I said before, there's always something! Still, it was worth it, just to jab needles into a few deltoid muscles, or bandage up the odd leg ulcer. Sounds gruesome, but I enjoyed it! Heh, sounds so twisted...

December - twelve months on (that's 52 weeks, or 364 days later!) and here we are again - back to the beginning, well, almost. Placement has ended, as has the essay writing. The Red Cross duties have finally been rounded up with a brilliant joint Christmas/Birthday party, and a big thanks for all of our hard work. Of course our wonderful boss plays a big part in it too, so thanks to him. I'm now roughly 32 driving lessons on, and nearing the test with surprising speed (no pun intended) and it's back to revising for college assessments after the Christmas hols, which I should be doing right now, but unfortunately my laptop is just far too tempting.
I'm another year older, that little bit wiser, a vast amount more experienced in all realms (educational and otherwise) and I'm practically driving. Tomorrow night I'm spending Hogmanay at home, dreaming of next year when I can go out and legally get pissed in a pub, which is in great contrast to last year when I was out having a romantic stroll along Roseisle beach watching distant fireworks after nearly being forced into singing karaoke for a room-full of tipsy people I barely knew.
In short, and in true Bridget Jones' Diary fashion (but under slightly different headings);

Total number of voluntary hours spent on Red Cross duty (approx): 156 hrs and 30 mins.

Total number of first aid training hours (approx): 139 hrs

Total number of hours where things are pretty much Red Cross themed: technically every other hour of the year

Total number of hours spent working the above calculations out: 1 hr

Total number of hours spent on laptop doing random things like writing blogs: too many to count.

I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy (ha!) New Year, and I will return to writing blogs next year!!!
Roll on 2009!

Thanks to everyone who has helped me get through this year, and make it one of the most exciting and special years yet.