You guys, I finished nursing school!
We had our final exam yesterday, and that means I'm well and truly done!!!
Also...I did squeak by with an A. 😉 It's my lowest A ever, but it is an A and I will happily take it.
I didn't think I was very nervous for the exam, but when I was walking out of the school afterward, my teeth started chattering and I felt almost shivery even though I wasn't cold. I think I just had some nervous energy to let out.
Last night, when our grades were released, I didn't cry at all; I just felt happy, and also very very happy when, "I passed!" texts started coming through from my friends.
But then this morning, it all just hit me and I could not stop crying. Not sad tears; more just...overwhelm.
I thought back to when I quietly made my online college account back in 2020, and how I looked through the many prereqs, and then I thought about how I made it through all of those, plus all these semesters of nursing school.
And of course, in the midst of all this, I left my marriage, navigated a rather lengthy divorce, and started life over in a lot of ways.
I almost can't believe I'm here now. I did it! I really did it!
I think it will take me a minute to adjust to a life of not thinking about school every minute.
I was folding some laundry this morning and my brain said, "Pull up a lecture video to listen to while you fold." and then I was like, "Ohhhhh, wait a minute. I'm done! I don't have to listen to lecture videos anymore!!!"
I do still have to pass the NCLEX, of course, so I will be doing review work in preparation for that. But I hear over and over again that the NCLEX is easier than my school is, so I'm not too stressed.
I can take my foot off the gas pedal and breathe a little more now. Amazing.
Thank you!!
Thank you all for cheering me on through all of this! I am lucky to have the biggest group of supporters in all of nursing school; your virtual support has meant the world to me. 🙂
And now....I am going to gleefully make a big recycling pile of all my school papers. So satisfying!
P.S. I'll do a Five Frugal Things post tomorrow instead of today. 🙂
BIG HUGE LOVING CONGRATULATIONS FROM ONE NURSE TO ANOTHER! YOU HAVE JOINED THE CLUB!! IT’S A FOREVER THING!
I also cried the day I finished… I waited to my 30’s to find my career and buckle down to school.. by then I had a husband (also in school!!). and a kiddo to care for..plus 2 cats.. it was a wild and crazy and totally satisfying few years!!
You will never ever forget nursing school, your clinicals, your fellow students,your instructors and mentors, and your trials and tribulations. I know they have made you into a new verisonversion of yourself.. nursing does that, in a good way!!
I hope you are doing the HAPPY DANCE ALL WEEK!!
Many hugs to you!!
AND YOU GOT THE A.!!!!!!!
Thank you!!!
Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you, you worked so hard and totally deserve your success!!!
Congratulations Kristen!!! I don’t post often, but have been following your blog for many years, and have been a nurse myself for many more. You will be a great nurse; I hope you enjoy your profession for many years!
Congratulations!!
You did do it, and I am so, so proud of you. I vote for a bonfire of papers. Much more fun to see them burn than to recycle them.
Hmmm, that is a fair point. It's a very rainy day here today but maybe I will wait for a dry day!
@Kristen, Congratulations! But maybe wait for the bonfire until after the NCLEX in case there's anything in those papers you want to review....
@Kristen,
I kept my college papers for almost 20 years. I loved looking through them 2 decades later. (essays and a few classes of notes)
You won't benefit from having any of these notes for your online BSN?
This is the best news I have heard today! I knew you had it in you.....Way to go! Many congratulations and best wishes for the best future!!!
Huge congratulations! You've worked so hard for this through huge life stressors, and not just succeeded but thrived. You've done so much work--both what we see; what you share with us here, and also what you've worked on quietly with your in-person people, that we don't see. It makes me happy to see you so happy and confident!
Thank you! <3
Congratulations!!!
It was a long, hard road and you have walked it with courage and grace. Well done.
Congratulations!!! I wish we could throw you a party!!!! Sending you so much love!
Yay!! Congrats! That is amazing. Enjoy your moment.
Congratulations!!! You should be so proud of yourself! You worked really hard and finished. I'm so happy for you!
Congrats!
CONGRATULATIONS! FROM ONE NURSE TO ANOTHER! WELCOME
Congratulations! This is such a meaningful accomplishment. You have helped many people along the way, and you will continue to do so.
Hooray!!!!! Three cheers, congratulations, and whatever other laudatory phrases we can think of! You did it!!!
Congrats!
Ad astra per aspera (To the stars, through difficulties)! Once more, three hearty huzzahs for our Kristen! Huzzah! Huzzah!! HUZZAH!!!
Congratulations Kristen!!! You must feel so proud!
Congratulations! It is worth all the angst and sacrifices. The best of luck for your NCLEX. I did not cry finishing nursing school but I cried after taking the NCLEX. My computer stopped at 75 questions while most of my classmates got more than a hundred. It was the most scary 2 days waiting for the result.
Wait before you recycle!!!! When I went back to school to get my BSN my oldest was in college and told me to keep papers because I could "double dip." So an English 101 paper launched me to a sociology paper. Since you don't know yet what your BSN classes will look like, keep anything that might help you with your BSN.
I am so thrilled for you.
Hmm, maybe I'll just make sure I have the electronic copies downloaded!
Congratulations Kristen! Your succes at school is very impressing - but I do think the major changes you navigated and happy adjustments in your life during that time are just as astonishing and something to be proud of!
Exquisite news. Many warm congratulations, Nurse Kristen.
So enjoyed the journey with you. Look forward to the next bits.
Long time reader, rare commenter.
So very proud of you. Congratulations through and through!
A BIG Congratulations to you!!! You did it! When do you have to take that test? When will you start your job?
Again Contrats!!!!
So, I will get approval to take the NCLEX about 4-6 weeks after graduation. I already did all the applying so now it's just waiting.
And I start with the new grad cohort in August at my hospital, on the floor where I currently work as a tech. 🙂
Congratulations! I hope you feel tremendously proud to add this to your accomplishments. I bet you feel like Rocky running up the staircase with his arms overhead!
Yay!!! Doing a Snoopy happy dance for you.
Hehe, that's perfect!
Congratulations! I hope we get to see you in your graduation garb!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! well done.
I teared up just reading this! AMAZING! So000 so happy for you! Enjoy your hard-earned and well-deserved rest from schoolwork! Wishing you all the best in the next chapter!
Good job, friend. Gold stars.
Congrats from one nurse to another! I, too, completed nursing school a decade ago while leaving my marriage and navigating a challenging divorce. I look back and am so proud of the exhausted, scared, sad yet determined 29 year old I was back then and celebrate her strength. I hope you know you deserve this, you’ve worked for it, and you're stronger than you know. It’s no small feat!
Awww, I'm so sorry you went through that too, but I'm so glad you hung in there and got it done. Go you!
I am so very proud of you! What an amazing accomplishment! You are so inspiring! I have been reading your blog for a long time and following along through your various phases of life ~ and knowing you completed our nursing program makes me smile so big. You will be such a blessing to your patients! You go, girl!! YAYYY!!!
I will try SO hard to make their days brighter. 🙂
Have probably said this before, but You Are AMAZING full stop. Congratulations, Kristen!!!
Congratulations Kristen! You are amazing! I wish you nothing but the best!
Congratulations! ❤️
Let me join all the other comments here and congratulate you! You are a role model and such an outstanding person! You are strong and committed and intelligent and emotionally present and independent and such a bad@$$!
You have navigated the last couple years with such grace and dignity and privacy while still sharing yourself with all of us
Congratulations again and that crying from relief and just general emotion is so normal and healthy— just let the waves come and ride through to the other side where you can be fully proud of yourself and your accomplishments. You deserve all the credit and all the kudos!
Hooray!!! Congratulations!!! You’ve worked so hard for this…I’m so proud for you!!!
OMG CONGRATS!!!!! And with a 4.0!! STUNNING. I'm so excited to see where the rest of this journey leads 🙂
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, I never had any doubt she’d earn a C 4.0. But it’s still awesome to see the screenshot.
@April, whoops. The dreaded Added c in my posts!
That is AWESOME!!!!! I am so happy when people finish college or additional schooling. It's one thing to get thru high school, but that is with teachers assisting and pushing you. In college, it is all up to you to make it work. You have to push yourself (which a lot of drop outs don't understand). But I did not have any doubts with your Kristen. You knew how hard it was going to be going into it, but you kept going. Even with everything that was happening, you kept your head up, made new friends, and studied hard.
Congratulations to you and your fellow students! Here's to a wonderful future!!
I remember when my then-boyfriend (now husband) was in his last semester of nursing school. He got to pick who he wanted to pin him during the nursing school ceremony. He chose his mom. His dad went to go pick up his kids so they could see him walk the stage (they lived out of state). And I was SO SO proud.
And now I am SO SO proud of you, too! You're amazing, Kristen! And what a wonderful thing to also show your kids.
You are going to be such a wonderful nurse--and I do hope, in time, you'll consider teaching future classes of aspiring nurses. Because the journey you've just been on is such an inspiring one, and you have a wonderful way of speaking with others! <3
Dear Future Patients of Nurse Kristen:
If Kristen is your nurse, you are truly fortunate!
She is meticulous.
She is compassionate.
She will encourage you.
You are in great hands!
@Kathy L,
I so agree with this!
I will do my very best to be all of those things. 🙂
I am so proud of you! Congratulations for navigating all of life's changes while working towards your goal. YOU did it! What a testament to the saying, "We can do hard things!"
You inspired me to back to college, and I should be an Speech-Language Pathologist in a little under 1 1/2 years. Like you I started off taking prerequisites, and wondering why is this going to take so long? I'm also your same age and in a similar life stage, so your continued success encouraged me to have my own continued success. Bless you in your career! I know you will give your patient's the BEST care!
@Amber, keep going! You’re doing so well and that’s such a worthy subject.
And no student loans to pay back? That is a huge weight you don’t have to carry in your new working nurse life.
Yes, you really did it! Am so happy for you, Kristen!!
Congratulations! So happy for you - and for your patients ☺️
CONGRATULATIONS!!! And way to go on that A! I know how much that meant to you (I can relate!) and you did it!
Congratulations, Kristen! So happy for you! It's been really fun to follow your journey through school. I know you will be a fabulous nurse. My mom was the best but you'll be right up there with her.
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! I think we all feel like proud parents here. You are awesome and amazing and one of the most disciplined people I've ever run across. We all know how hard you worked and the many obstacles you faced, you are very, very deserving of everything you've accomplished and have so many reasons to be proud of yourself. Celebrate, Celebrate, Celebrate!
This is great news, congrats!
Congratulations, Kristen! Your discipline and work ethic have been truly inspiring to see.
Congratulations!! You truly are an inspiration!
Congratulations! That's so wonderful. Everyone will be so lucky to have you as their nurse.
Congratulations! You are unstoppable.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! KRISTIN, RN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations Kristen!! You deserve all the happiness in the world. Your strength, perseverance & honesty has been a beacon of light & hope for many, showing what kind of person you truly are. There was no doubt that you would do great!
Congratulations Nurse Kristen.
Congratulations, Kristen! I could not be happier for you!
Congratulations
I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!
Oh, giant congratulations!! SO happy for you!!
Congratulations! What a milestone to reach. So happy for you!
Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!
Congratulations, Kristen! I remember when I finished everything for my PhD. It was 2am. I went to the 24 hour grocery store to buy some donuts for my kids. I knew my dear friend was probably still up packing as she was leaving in the morning on a work trip.
When I got to the cashier, I said, “I just finished my dissertation and I’m done!” She said, “I don’t know what a dissertation is, but it sounds like a big deal.” I told her it was and that I was so excited and just wanted to share. She ran up my donuts and gave me a half-hearted “good job.” Fortunately, my friend was still up and she was far more enthusiastic! My children were delighted when they found donuts for breakfast.
Anyway, it was the best feeling ever! I’m hope you feel absolutely fabulous!!! You deserve it! Best wishes as you move forward into a new chapter. As a friend once told me, it’s time to turn the page!
Blessings!
Woohoo!!!!!! Such an amazing accomplishment!
You will pass the NCLEX with flying colors, I have no doubt!!
Just wonderful!
4.0 is incredible! So proud of you! Congrats, Nurse Kristen! Virtually dousing you with a bottle of champagne! You're our heroine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It took me 2 years after I got my bachelor's degree to not think I had to go study at 6:30 p.m. Had this nagging feeling I was forgetting to do something important each evening. So I hear you about the listen to your lecture in the laundry room thing.
Keep the notes you're going to need for your exam and the next phase of your nurse education; IIRC, you did say you were going into online night school at one point. Is that still the plan? (Although I wouldn't blame you for taking a breather.)
Again, whoopee! You did it! You rock!
Congratulations!! It's all such an accomplishment!
Doing the Snoopy Happy Dance!
https://de.pinterest.com/pin/snoopy-dancing-sticker-snoopy-dancing-happy-discover-share-gifs--796855727830770230/
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
I never post here but I just have to say a huge congratulations to you! What an inspiration you are! I'm so happy for you!!!
Awww I’m touched you popped in to say this. Thank you!
HOORAY!!
Congratulations, Kristen! I'm celebrating with you!
Congratulations from one nurse to another, Kristen RN.
As Dr Seuss said - You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
Nursing has so many opportunities and options. Your incredible focus and determination is commendable.
What a blessed day! I am so proud of you! Thank you for being a good representation of Nursing as a profession and calling. The (imaginary) balloons are reaching the skies!
Congratulations! You have achieved so much, Kristen!
Oh Kristen, how absolutely wonderful! I'm so glad you had a moment to wrap your head around the enormity of what you have accomplished and to see that you are rightfully proud of yourself. You are such an inspiration to all of us!!
This is so exciting and inspiring, CONGRATS! Soak it all in and enjoy some downtime.
Congratulations!! You have worked so hard. You deserve all the success. And a 4.O GPA is super impressive. You will be an amazing nurse.
Yes! This is the news we've been waiting for all day!
CONGRATS
Woot! Woot! I could not be happier for you! You achieved so much. Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!
So happy for you (and your future patients)! Congratulations!
Congrats!!!!!! You did it!!! You worked so hard and you did it! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so happy and proud for someone I’ve never even met before!
Congratulations, Kristen!!!! You should be SO proud of yourself! You're such an inspiration!
Congratulations on finishing!! You are an inspiration with what you have accomplished, but most of all, with an AMAZING positive attitude! I wouldn't say that I am frugal per se, but I continually learn by reading your blog and come back for the joy that you spread. 🙂 (I think this might be my first comment ever, but I've been reading for well over a decade and keep coming back.) Again, congratulations on a job well done!
Oh wow, thank you for delurking today! I am touched.
Congratulations, Kristen!! You are amazing!! and you will be a great nurse.
Congratulations!!!
You made my day hearing this great news! I would have cried also. God's grace got
you through all this my friend of many years. I am still smiling seeing your smiles.:)
Onward to a life of serving others Kristen. Congratulation's!!
Congratulations!
Woohoo!! Celebrating with you, Kristen.
Well done, Kristen!! And I mean that in every way possible. You have juggled so, so many hard things in the last 5 years, and you not only made it through intact, but you have thrived and blossomed and proven that you are entirely capable of rebuilding a life on your own terms. You have modelled the values of integrity and perseverance and empathy, taking time to reach out to others on your way. It has been beautiful to watch… So take a bow, and enjoy a celebratory meal, and take a vacation! You have earned it all! Speaking as a retired nurse, I would be thrilled to work with you or to have you care for me or a family member. Your future patients (and colleagues!) are in good hands!
Well done. Congratulations.
So proud of you! Never comment but had to Congratulate you! Big Hug !!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations!!! You are such an inspiration!!! Best of luck on your next exam!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! So excited for you.
SOOO happy for you and for the people who will reap the benefits of all of your hard work. Celebrate!
Congratulations Kristen! I'm in awe of your hard work and perseverance.
When I finished my masters, my friends and I baked all day the following weekend and made a periodic table of cupcakes (a few of us were chemistry undergrads). I hope you can do something fun to celebrate!!
Congrats Kristen!! You have done amazing things, especially with all of your challenges. And you have done it with grace, hard work and a heart of gratitude. Well done lady!!
So, I'm pretty sure this is grounds for an impromptu dance party at the FG meetup. Pick your song! 🙂
Super happy, excited- and so very proud of you!!!
Congratulations!!
I almost never comment, but I have to send you my heartfelt congratulations. So much courage, perseverance, determination, and plain old hard work went into where you are right now. And there’s so much discovery to come on your nursing journey—while you are getting paid and continuing to learn and make a difference in the lives of your patients! Kristen, you are an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your journey, the hard parts and the joys.
p.s. I finished nursing school 15 years ago, (at 40) and I still and will always remember the elation! One of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done.
*tosses confetti* You did it! You rock!
I put myself through college without any loans or parental help -- but did have some academic scholarships with pretty stringent requirements. The night I turned in my final paper, I scraped together enough money for a take out sandwich and a cheap beer, the only drink I ever had in college because money was so tight. No meal has ever tasted better.
Adding my voice to the congratulations! Enjoy the feeling. You've earned it!
That is so exciting, Kristen! WELL DONE!! Enjoy all of the celebrating in the days ahead!
Congratulations!
Take your time to realize you DID IT and enjoy.
You really can be proud of yourself!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congratulations! Kristen, I am so very proud of you. The nursing profession is better for your being in it.
So happy for you!! Excellent job on maintaining that 4.0. CONGRATULATIONS!!
Congratulations!
Yippee! I was thinking of you yesterday and am so glad to formally hear your wonderful news! So proud of you.
Congratulations!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! So much hard work has gone into this - what a feeling that must be! It's been a journey, for sure. I'm so happy for you!!
Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so happy the NCLEX is different now: no more only 2 days/ times per year, no more 2 day 4 session pencil&paper test and no more 6-8 week wait for results.
Yes! I think we get our results in a week or so.
Congratulations! Well deserved!!!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations, Kristen!!! *\0/* Woo-hoo!! You did it! You will be (are) a magical nurse!! I've been following your blog since the days of photos of "stuffed animals with groceries". You are an inspiration!
Ohhhh, you HAVE been around here for a long time then!
@PatC, I remember those!
@PatC, Those were a lot of fun.
AH-MAZ-ING!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
You have persevered through SO many things and stuck with this goal! You are gonna continue to do great things and everything is deserved! Don't minimize everything you have accomplished and what weight you carried with you along the way!
Congratulations! You deserve this after all your hard work.
Oh, amazing, well done you! Sending love and good wishes from England.
Congrats! We have enjoyed being the cheering section! You did it:) Now to get some well-deserved rest.
Hugs, more hugs and congratulations! I'm so proud of you.
None of your readers are surprised. Best wishes for a happy future. You deserve it.
Congratulations! From someone else who started again in midlife, I know how hard it is. The only way is up from here, and your new life begins!
The post we've all been waiting for . . . CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm sure that many of us here cannot wait to see your graduation photo, which hopefully posts as you're heading off to somewhere wonderful for a graduation vacay. As many have said, you deserve it! 🙂
Congratulations! You’re a beast!
Congratulations! I have been reading your blog for a while (found through Katy's blog) and have maybe commented once in all that time but wanted to say congratulations, well done, and wishing you the best.
I'm so, so happy for you! Congratulations! You've worked so diligently, and I can't think of anyone else (that I know in person or online) who I'd rather have as a nurse, truly.
Congratulations! This is a huge accomplishment! You did it! Enjoy the fruits of all your hard work!
P.S. I was the same way at pharmacy school graduation. I cried and everyone was like: “what’s wrong”?. But I was just so happy and it was a huge milestone and I had hardships during school too- different than yours. It felt like a huge relief to be done. Don’t be afraid to express your emotions or feel like you have to suppress them.
Yes, I think relief-tears might be the appropriate way to put it!
I'm so incredibly happy for you!!!!!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations, that’s amazing!
Congratulations! You did it!!!!!!
Congratulations! Your hard worked paid off!!
Heartiest congratulations
Congratulations on putting achieving your goal! It has been a joy to read about your journey - I'm so proud of you!
I wish I had some totally witty or profound way to congratulate you but I am stuck with some version of "well done, you!" I envy your future patients, having you for a nurse.
Aww, coming from someone who has seen a lot of medical professionals, I take this as a high compliment. Thank you. <3
Congrats, $ou deserved this so much!
Congratulations!!!!
I am so very happy for you!!!
Way to go, Kristen! Enjoy some well deserved rest and recreation before getting back into study and working mode!
Congratulations, Kristen! I'm thrilled for you! (and your future patients ... they'll be in the best hands ever!)
Yay!! So proud of you! Thanks for sharing this journey with us.
Awesome job!
Congratulations! A journey of 1000 steps begins with the first one. Yes, the registry is easier than the cumulative final. I remember throwing away all of my notes and such because Real Life in my profession was going to teach me so much more. Give your brain a well-deserved rest! (:
Congratulations! It’s been an incredible journey.
Congratulations!!! Thank you for sharing your days with us! You are already an incredible nurse in training and will be a balm for patients in all of the years to come!
I can't wait!
I’m so, so proud of you! Yay! A 4.0 is amazing too! Congrats!
Congratulations!!!
Congrats!!! What an amazing feeling it must be! You have come a long way, worked very hard, and faced many challenges. I am also a solo momma (my girls are a bit younger) and it has been good to see you happy. The Lord is so kind to carry us through the hard times. Congratulations again!
Congratulations Kristen!! You have worked hard despite the challenges of your life situation. I bet your girls are so very proud of you!
Huge congratulations. You worked so hard for this and I'm so happy for you.
CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTEN! So proud of you!
When will you start full-time work? It must feel soooo good to have your position already in place.
I will work two days a week just as a tech in June and July, and then the new grad cohort on my floor starts in August!
Congratulations! God bless you as this new chapter begins!
Are you planning to write to any of the places that awarded you scholarships to let them know that you did it? Not sure if that's a thing or not.
Congratulations, again!
There is one very local one that I will write to; I know they'd love to see a graduation picture!
@Kristen, PEO I hope? If so, yes they will love to have a photo and celebrate your success!
Yes yes!
YAY! Congratulations! You are such an inspiration and have worked so hard to be where you are now.
Congratulations!!! I knew you would graduate with the 4.0....you are such a dedicated student. I wish I lived closer so I could have a chance of having you as my nurse!!!
Adding my congratulations - and thanks for bringing us all on your journey! Maith thu (well done in Irish)!
So, so very impressed with you & all of your accomplishments! Making a pivot like that is really overwhelming, and you did it, and not only did it...you crushed it! In the middle of your divorce, in the midst of mourning your old life, and during all of the changes that came your way. You kept on & took one step at a time - and, many steps during some of those classes. You are incredible!
From one internet acquaintance to another, take some time to let yourself soak in your accomplishments & how awesome you are!!
Thank you, thank you!
Many congratulations on accomplishing such a big goal!!
Congratulations!!! I’m so happy for you!
Well done and Congrats!
AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOYCING. Not that we had any doubts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yciX2meIkXI&t=25s
Haha, thank you!
Congrats Kristen!!
Congrats; you can feel your happiness, relief, and prob a bit of exhaustion in getting this all accomplished so well! Yay for this time of relief and reward. Rest well this week.
YOU DID IT!!!! Nobody but you doubted you could.
CONGRATULATIONS.
P.S. Nobody cares that it was the "lowest A ever" except you. It will go down in history as "straight "A's", a 4.0, a wonderful academic record". Bask in your accomplishment. Feel proud of all your hard work. Forgeddabout a low "A" or high "A". It doesn't matter anymore.
Rest your brain before you start up on NCLEX. Nobody doubts you can pass that, either. That doesn't mean you don't have to prepare (as if you wouldn't). But it does mean you are on the downhill side of the race. Frugal Girl, RN, is in the near future.
Enjoy your graduation. It's more fun than you can imagine to have an entire group proud of you.
Congratulations you did good.
Oh, Kristen, I couldn’t be happier for your successful completion of nursing school! It takes me back to 1979 when I completed nursing school, what a grand celebration, a relief, and a flood of tears. I’m so proud of you, navigating nursing school is hard enough, but all the other life changes you had to deal with along the way, wowza. You have come out the other side of it so much stronger, I’m sure.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! Enjoy your study free days!
Absolutely amazing! Congratulations on making the life you wanted a reality!
Congratulations, Kristen! What a wonderful accomplishment! I'm so happy for you!
Kristen, I am so proud of you! Congratulations. You did it! This is so epic that I finally commented for the first time since you started blogging. Our paths have some similarities. You go girl!
Congratulations, Kristen!! What an accomplishment. You SHOULD feel very proud of yourself!
Congratulations!!!! You've been so inspiring to me!
BIG CONGRATULATIONS! I am so proud of you! You’re truly a role model!
Sooooo proud of you!!!
Big congrats!!! We're all proud of you!
Congratulations! You must be so proud of yourself. I know your children and readers will be so proud of you.
I went back to school recently (as a mature age student) and it is hard! Especially when you are old enough to be the mother of most of the other students.
Good luck for the future exam!
So happy for you!
Congratulations!
Long time follower
Congratulations!
So many congratulations!! It has been fun watching your adventure. Brought back many fond memories of my 3 yr nursing school. I cried almost my entire pinning ceremony!
Congratulations Kristen!! I am so happy for you. As a long-time consistent reader (and only occasional commenter), I am so moved to cheer you on along with everyone else. It's truly been inspiring watching your journey and your patients will be so, so lucky to have you!
Oh, Kristen, CONGRATULATIONS!! We are all so proud of you.
Congratulations Kristen! So very excited for you and so very proud of you! You are absolutely amazing!
Cheers to you and all of your accomplishments! The world is a better place for having you in it and future patients will be blessed to have you as their nurse.
Sending you a big hug!
Congratulations!!!! I am so very very happy for you!!
Yay! So proud of EVERYTHING you accomplished! You are remarkable. What an inspiration you are.
I am so excited for your Kristin! You will be an amazing nurse and continue to flourish, I'm sure of it 🙂
From a very longtime reader: a big congratulations! ❤️
Whoo hoo! Congratulations! You made it! You have been such an encouragement and inspiration as you have been on this journey.
I am so, so happy for you! You are such an inspiration. It's been amazing to follow your journey. I'm so grateful you allowed us to follow along as you made it through this process. Congratulations!! I don't know you personally, but I'm still very proud of you! Well done!
I don't know you personally - just through years of reading your blog - but your announcement makes me so happy!!! Congratulations - job well done! May your accomplishment bring you joy and may you truly enjoy your work life as a nurse. My guess is your patients will be lucky to have you caring for them!!
Congrats Kristen and you did it on your own.
Congratulations! I am so very happy for you!!
Congratulations! Well done. I am so happy for what you have achieved.
BIG BIG CONGRATS! You rock! This prof sends you all the props for all of your hard work! Enjoy your graduation celebration!
Congratulations!!
I think I never commented here, but I followed you for many years and all the way through nursing school and now I just have to send you
BIG CONGRATULATIONS!
If or when I have to go to hospital, I truly hope there will be at least one nurse like you.
Hilde in Germany
Congratulations! Take time to savor this accomplishment and recognize and celebrate your hard work!
Wow, fantastic! I’m so pleased for you and I’m sure the next phase of studies will go just as well. I hope you’ll be able to relax now and take some time for yourself when you’re not working.
Congratulations!!! I am so happy for you! And you worked so hard to get here.
I also support the bonfire idea!
Congratulations! So excited for you!
Congrats Kristen!
Congratulations! You never know what you can do until you try. Your story is truly amazing and inspiring, Kristen. Thanks for letting readers like me, who are mostly lurkers, tag along.
Amazing!!! Kristen, I'm so happy for you and so impressed by your fortitude and hard work to get here. You will be an incredible nurse!
Congratulations, what an incredible achievement especially after you've been through so much!! So thrilled for you!!!
I am a distant, not very frugal follower in England. I am in awe of your focus and dedication. Thank you also for your comments and thoughts about separating from your husband. I have been through a complicated situation and found them very helpful.
Congratulations!! So, so happy and excited for you.
Congratulations! What a great achievement. I hope you go out and celebrate with your study friends.
congratulations! amazing how you managed to do this under these circumstances!
A huge congratulations Kristen! Your journey has been nothing but incredible. I'm a long time reader(11+ years) but never commented. I've been reading your journey and I'm very sure you will be great Nurse. Wishing you a the best for your future endeavors.
Congratulation Kristen. I have never posted before but I have followed since the time the stuffed animals started appearing in the food shops so a long time.
I have followed your progress ( as one who also went through a divorce in the last few years) and
I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! And well done on your 4.0 - so well deserved.
CONGRATULATIONS!! So happy and proud of you! ❤️
CONGRATS!!! I am not able to read your posts or the awesome comments as often as I would like to, but I do check in once in a while. It made me so happy to read this wonderful news. ♥♥♥
I SUPPORT YOU!!!☺(throwback to your old Kristen prompted post before all of this). ☺
Aww, thank you! I appreciate the throwback reference. 🙂
Congratulations!!! (And drop me an email if you’re ever interested in exploring oncology nursing or letting me invite you out for a celebratory drink or snack before the symphony - I don’t mean to be stalkerish but I’m pretty sure I’m in the neighborhood.)
Oooh I think you are! And I think I was in your neighborhood for my peds clinicals last fall. 🙂
What do I even say???? I've been following your blog for less than a year, but this post made my soul LEAP for joy. LEAP, I say!
Kristen, you are such an inspiration to so many people and I am just so happy you're spreading your positive spirit into the world when people are at their most vulnerable and need love and tender care the most.
Thanks for bringing us all along on this incredible journey and YOU KICKED BUTT! Woo-hoo!!!!
Congratulations Kristen! My eyes teared up for you just reading this post. Job well done!!! I've been a happy reader of your blog for years and it has been a joy to follow along on this nursing school journey with you. I'm currently working to finish up a rather rigorous medical coding program and then prepping to take the certification exams for that, and your nursing school journey has provided so much encouragement to me. Thank you so much for sharing and good luck on the NCLEX!
amazing, amazing!
I have so enjoyed watching and reading about your journey. It has been truly inspirational!
As a member of the first Canadian cohort to write the NCLEX (we used to have our own licensing exam), I would just say practice, practice, practice!!
So many things to look forward to!
Im so happy and proud of you!! School isnt easy under ideal circumstances but you made it through with flying colors under some very challenging circumstances. Congratulations on being done and for this next phase of life!
Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Heartiest congratulations! As a professor, I can say your hard work and dedication will pay off. What I’ve noted as I’ve watched your journey is that your commitment to learning was far more important to you than you concern for your grades. All too often I see students focus on the grade rather than on the material. Your patients will benefit from the knowledge you’ve acquired. Now it’s time to celebrate! You’ve certainly earned a celebration.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! What great news. What an accomplishment.
It's so inspiring.
Congratulations, Kristen! Job well done. I hope if I am ever in the hospital I have a nurse like you!!!
Yay!! So happy for you!
Congratulations! I found your blog back in 2008 when I was trying to make some positive financial changes and have been reading ever since. I love this era for you, and feel like it's only the beginning for how good it's going to get for you.
I am just thrilled for you, Kristen! You have worked so, so hard and deserve all good things that are coming your way !
Congratulations!!!!!
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations. Well deserved celebration. Study hard for NCLE.X
Congratulations! We'll done!!
Many, many congratulations to you!!!
Good for you! Let the new career and new life begin!
Congratulations, Kristen! You have my respect and admiration for such an accomplishment! I am so happy for you!!
I'm so happy for you and you deserve it.
I remember after years and years of grad school while working full time, it took me a long time to realize I had free time and could read like.. just a book.
Congratulations on a long, hard-won journey! It's interesting, in a slightly similar vein, I had a book release yesterday that I started in 2020. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work with long projects, and it's deeply satisfying to be on the other side.
Congratulations! You set this goal, and have accomplished that goal. I know you will do great on the NCLEX.
Congratulations - so, happy for you.
So very happy for you!
You go girl!!
Congratulations!!!
I’m SO very proud of you ,Kristen!! You have had a positive impact on so many people through your accomplishments over the past couple of years!! Your perseverance in reaching your goals ( especially while going through a rough divorce) has been astounding. I hope you get some time for a vacation before you jump into full-time nursing. Much love to you.
Honestly, even just a few days without schoolwork has felt like a tropical vacation! lol
Congratulations!!
I've been reading your blog for years and years and you've always come across as a caring and kind person - but with a great sense of humor and a quiet strength and resilience.
You are going to be such an amazing nurse!
Oh, those are such nice compliments; thank you!
Yay! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!
Kristen, I have been reading your blog for about a year and a half and I have never once left a comment. But I cannot resist commenting today. Congratulations! I, a complete stranger, have been cheering you on from Pennsylvania. You are amazing. If I was in the hospital, I would want you to be my nurse. I wish for you nothing but happy days ahead.
Aww, I'm so delighted you poked your head in to comment. Thank you for encouraging me!
Congratulations on such a great accomplishment. The world needs more great nurses like you.
Congratulations & so happy for you! Job well done!
I almost teared up when I saw this. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
Well done and congratulations!! So proud of you. You really worked hard! (I'm a nurse as well, an FNP actually).
Congratulations, an incredible accomplishment!
Many many congratulations, and all best for you going forward. You are a star!
Congratulations on your stellar grades and for a fantastic accomplishment!
I was busy applying for jobs and prepping for the NClex (which back then was pen and paper over 2 days, plus waiting until September to know if you passed), so I don't remember that giddy feeling right away. However, a few years ago, when I took my Pediatric Certification exam and learned I passed, I was shaking so bad I could hardly text my work bestie to tell her! After postponing/avoiding studying for it for a few years, I decided I'd just take it and see what I'd need to actually study. I nearly quit after the first 3 questions, but persevered, and passed on the first try! I actually felt more excited about that than the end of school I think.
CONGRATULATIONS
I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.
Lurker here unlurking to say- I remember reading your post years ago saying you thought you would become a nurse. And now you are! I am so proud of you. I’ve been cheering you on silently this whole time. I’ve had lots happen in the same time period and it’s given me comfort to watch you marching forward and you’ve reminded me in the darkness that I can march forwards too. Onwards and even more upwards! Congrats! Enjoy this achievement!
Oh, thank you for delurking to say hi. Thank you thank you for your encouragement!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Congratulations!! Blessings as you start your career!! Nursing is both rewarding and challenging. May you enjoy your much deserved success ❤️
Well done!! You deserve to pat yourself on the back. It just shows that you really can eat an elephant if you just take one bite at a time!
I have never been so happy for a stranger as I am for you. Live long and prosper.
Congratulations!!! So happy for you.
CONGRATULATIONS!! Also, you got an A!!
This is such happy news.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
So happy for you -- you earned it, every step of the way. Congratulations!
Congratulations, Kristen! I’m so impressed at the way you have completely rewritten your own script!
Huzzah!!! Well done you! We never doubted you but are so so happy for you that you're finished with school! Congratulations! I love all of our nurses and I think you're going to be incredible!
Congratulations!
You are a huge inspiration to all of us, and your future patients are very lucky.
I’m SO HAPPY for you! Congratulations! And as an older retired RN, I’m so proud of you. I hope you’re proud of you too. ☺️
Kristen, we are all so proud of you -- me included. You did it, with grace and dignity. Congratulations!
Congratulations!
This made my day! I'm so proud of you! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Wishing you every success!
Congrats! On your graduation, and on your inner strength to leave your marriage and divorce. You are a role model of inner toughness for your daughter.
Congrats, lady! I'm so proud and happy for you!
You did it!! Congrats, Kristen!!!!
So thrilled for you, lots of courage and determination on your part.