It all came down to this.

What a week. Far too many things happened every single day to describe each, but there were several highlights that can be briefly mentioned. Last weekend was a stressful one in that I was working both days when I should have been studying for my 6 EMT practical exams that were upcoming. Monday was uneventful, but Tuesday rolled around and made everything a little more interesting.

It began with the alarm chirping away at 530 AM... Always a good start. I got to work at 7 to change the entire department around while running on minimal sleep. More fun. Luckily I got out at 11 so that I could get to lunch for my highly anticipated meeting with one of the most well known and respected journalists/anchors in Colorado: Ed Sardella.

It is really a fluke how things worked out. For starters, My mom's boss just happened to start talking to a friend from high school, who just happened to be the news anchor that put KUSA on the map. He just happened to be working just an hour south of Fort Collins, and when he learned of my career plans, he was more than happy to meet with me. So we went to Austin's Grill in Old Town for lunch. He gave me a ton of advice and told me a ton of stories that ranged from interviewing presidents and being on Walter Cronkite's show. This guy won a ton of awards and is one of the most highly regarded people in the state, and he had lunch with ME, of all people. Funny how things work out.

Once lunch was done, it was back to the grind of cramming for the week full of testing I had. Practicals wrapped up Tuesday night, and as soon I was out, I went for one of the best rain-runs I've had in quite a while. Huge thunderstorm popped up just to the east and the trail I was on had a view of everything, all at dusk. Amazing.

Wednesday was spent studying all day and night, and Thursday was do or die day. I worked all day, studied for a couple more hours, and then walked into my final not knowing what to expect. Sure, I felt OK and could tell you the difference between diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome, but I was still wary of his 200 question, timed final.

Nearing the end of the exam was like ending that Marathon back in May all over again. 10 weeks and endless hours of studying, thinking, stressing, and working were all about to pay off. Walking out of that room was great, and hearing that I did great on the Final and wound up with a B in the class was the best news all week.

It was over. Totally over. All that is left is to take the national registry exam next week and then I will be a fully functioning and certified EMT.

Friday was spent starting and finishing my final project for that easy journalism class that just nagged at me all summer, and I fully expect an A in there as well.

Needless to say, the week was stressful and rewarding; the culmination of an entire summer's endless day's of work, school, and stress. Above all, I am glad it all happened the way it did. Yea, things wound up a little different than I planned, but hey, 1 year ago at this time I was a completely different person. I like who I am now and wonder what the upcoming 2 weeks of summer (camping, traveling, and biking) and next semester will have in store.