It's official. Like, official official. I am Kim Rudness, RN. I still can't believe it. I took my NCLEX exam on Wednesday April 22nd. The NCLEX exam is the mandatory exam that all nursing students take (LPN or RN) to measure their clinical judgement and safety in order to become a licensed nurse. It's a computer adaptive test, meaning as you answer things correctly the questions get harder and you can pass in as little as 85 questions (or fail technically too!) or up to 150 q

March 16th, 2026 I am officially done with nursing school!! Today was my last day of clinical ever. Up next is my NCLEX exam and I will be Kim Rudness, RN. That is absolutely insane. It's been awhile since I've posted. That seems to be a running theme. Other than school and work, life has been a little.. well.. boring. It's been very much school, work, sleep, repeat. This semester I had one online class (which I finished everything back in early February) and my very last c

A little late into the New Year but 2026 is a year to focus on self-improvement. In 2026 I will be graduating with my RN degree. I remember the day I decided I was going to go back to school, thinking about every road block I was facing. I just held my son as he took his last breath and I was DEEP in grief. I was old... at a job that I actually like at a wonderful company, I didn't have any money saved up for tuition, I graduated with my Bachelor's degree 7 years beforehand

I cannot believe that 6 years ago today, I gave birth to the most amazing little boy. 6 years ago, I held Greyson for the very first time. 6 years ago I was petrified because I had no idea what I was doing but also so excited to become a Mommy. How blissfully unaware was I. Every year on Greyson's birthday I spend sometime reminiscing about my pregnancy, labor, and our NICU story, This year is a little different.. it's a little harder. I'm currently in clinical AT the hosp

This time of year is always hard on me. My grief always seems to swell and remind me it's there. My birthday is at the end of August, but...

My last post was in December. It feels weird that it has been that long. Mostly because part of me feels like nothing really has happened...

It's the most wonderful time of the year. My favorite time of year! My parents flew back from Florida to spend Christmas in Wisconsin...

This seems to be a trend in my blogging lately. Once a month type updates. I've been focusing a lot of my time and attention on my...

I hate this time of year. As soon as the calendar flips to August, I can feel my anxiety start to take hold of me. August used to be my...

Grief takes over the 4th of July

I am just having some time to finally sit down and start another blog. It's been a crazy few weeks. Our spring semester just came to an...

Wisconsin (well, mid-west to be fair) winters are long and dull. You hear a lot about seasonal affective disorder (SAD) around here and I...

Let me preface this blog by saying I woke up emotional, lonely, and angry as hell. This blog is one I always debate posting because it’s...

It's been over a month since I've posted. It's been a long month. School has been picking up and I've been back at work trying to balance...

Well, Happy New Years! I cannot believe it's 2024! We had a nice Christmas at home. After having a really hard Christmas Eve, I let my...

-warning; foul language- I am sitting here, 1:25am, crying on Christmas Eve. This is not how I envisioned my life. Christmas is my time...

It's my fourth week back at work and to say I'm overwhelmed would be an understatement. Work has been ok, but it's hard. It's hard to...

November 1st, 2023 Life is a lot quieter without Greyson. Life is a lot less exciting without him. I look for little "wins" and little...

September 15th, 2023 I lost it today. I cried, in the middle of a very busy Hobby Lobby. I went in to find some fall decor. I went in...

And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you. -- The Chaos...