Well I did it!! My dream has finally come true and all of my hard work these past two years has finally paid off. I am now a Registered Dental Hygienist!! I really don't know what to think right now. I am so excited to be finished with the program but I am really sad that I am not going to be seeing all of my best girls every single day, learn from some of the best and caring instructors, laugh with and about all our patients, have our nightly rants and raves in the locker room, having late study sessions at Dennys, looking forward to eating at a new place and stay there forever while studying, supporting each one of the girls 100%, and last but not least feeling the hardships and successes throughout the year. This really has been a difficult two years but it has been some of the best years of my life. I have made lifelong friends with a strong bond that nobody can explain, describe or understand. I have grown to be a more confident woman than I was the first day I walked into orientation when I had absolutely no clue what fun I was getting myself into, I have found that I do love the dental field and working with the public. While I was going through the program I was wishing I would have known what it would have been like so I could have changed my mind or gone to a different school, but now that I am done I would not have changed anything and am so grateful that I was able to push through and have the support and encouragement from Cody, my family, friends and instructors. They were the ones that helped me get through by having the confidence in me when I lacked it many times throughout my whole journey.Las Vegas has been our home for the past two years and it has been good to us. In the beginning it was definitely an adjustment and I couldn't wait to get all packed up and head back to Reno.While we have been in Vegas Cody went through four different jobs and many different callings in our ward. There have been some difficult times while living here but we were able to get past those while our relationship strengthened and grew. Now it is time to go back to Reno and I don't want to leave my home now. This is home. I have grown to love Las Vegas and everything about my perfect little life down here. I have made some of my best friends. I absolutely love our little house and our neighborhood, I especially love that I can just walk to the pool everyday. I love our ward and all of the friendships we have made. I love that we are close to Utah, California and Arizona. I love that the speed limits are 35 or 45 on residential streets. I love the weather!! I love that there are so many good places to eat. It is so nice that we live right across from Albertsons and a Red Box. I love our hair cut, pizza factory St. George day trips. And the biggest thing that I am going to miss and is so hard to leave is our AMAZING gym!!! There is nothing like it and the price is very hard to beat.
Now it's time to go back up to Reno and start a new part of our life. Cody has been up in Reno for the past two months working for Quill.com while also trying to find a new job. The house we have been renting has been in foreclosure since September and it has gone up for auction. We don't know how much longer we have in the house so we just decided to get our bags packed and head up to Reno in the next couple of weeks to avoid any problems. I would love to stay in Vegas but I think Reno is where we are suppose to be. It will be fun to be near family and be involved with all the family events that go on.
Who knows where life will lead us next. I am so grateful that I have been able to move from Reno for a little bit and meet new people and see a different side away from the biggest little city.
My graduation was on May 17th, 2010. I graduated with my Associates of Science, Dental Hygiene. I am taking online classes right now to get my bachelor degree in dental hygiene so I can eventually teach. My family all came down to celebrate the big day. It was so nice to have all of them here. I unfortunately still had to take a huge Western Regional Clinical exam the next week so I wasn't able to fully enjoy the entire week while they were there.The Saturday before Graduation we had a BBQ at my cousin Sarah and Rob's house. It was so fun and perfect. Most of my family was there, Cody's mom, Brother Ryan and Katie were there, and my good friends Elizabeth Jenkins and Jaclyn Hutchens Anderson came out. It was so fun to see everyone that I hadn't seen in awhile.
Jaclyn and Elizabeth came down. It meant so much to me that they both took time out of their busy schedules to come and support me. Throughout the whole two years I would always cry to Elizabeth saying that I thought I wasn't going to make it through the program. She was always positive and had 100% confidence in me. I am so grateful for her strength and encouragement.
Maxxwell, Megan, Monte, Wyatt and Simon all hangin out in the hot tub at Sarah and Rob's place.
Megan eating her cupcake
Rub a dub Dub look at all those men in a tub!!
We had our pinning ceremony on Monday morning. It was a very personal and intimate ceremony. We had a slideshow featuring our whole two year journey, Blaike Kohlmeyer our SADHA president spoke, and Ms. Neumann spoke. It was such a great pinning ceremony. During the pinning ceremony awards and scholarships are granted to those who have been an outstanding student who the instructors have voted on and decided who each award should go to. I was so honored to receive the award of Academic Scholar Excellence having the highest GPA in our class. I was seriously so shocked and could not believe that I was receiving that award. I have never been at the top of my class or even received any honors. It felt really good to know that all of my hard hard work and determination paid off. I also received a scholarship with that award. After I was awarded the honors and scholarship they inducted the top ten percent academic students into the Dental Hygiene Honor Society Sigma Phi Alpha. I was inducted and Caitlin was also inducted into the honor society. I was so excited and very honored that I was able to be a part of that with my very best friend and roommate who I have gone through everything together with these past two years. It truly was an honor. Caitlin has been such an amazing friend through this whole journey. We could not have done it without eachother. We were roommates, study partners, shoulders to cry on, supporters, cheerleaders, encouragers, St. George buddies, poolside buddies, and best friends. When one of us was feeling down or discouraged the other would always be there to lift each other up. I absolutely love Caitlin and can not even express how much she means to me. It is going to be hard not being with her every day all day long.
Lizzy Jenkins. The one and only friend who knows my entire past. She is definitely my memory. I was so excited when I found out she was going to be down for my graduation. She has been there for me through everything. She is my go to girl. Like I said earlier, whenever I needed encouragement she was the first to call. I would talk her ear off for a half hour and then let her say that I can do it and I would have to get back to studying. I am so grateful for her and her undying full supporting friendship. While she was down in Vegas she celebrated her birthday by going to see Donny and Marie Osmond. She let me tag along and it was definitely a memory I will never forget!!! She is in LOVE with Donny boy!!
Saved the best for last. Cody was my full support. He sacrificed everything he had in Reno to help me follow my dreams. Las Vegas was not very good to him in the beginning but he kept pushing along and never complained. He encouraged me every day and told me that I could do it no matter what. When I would come home crying thinking I had failed he knew that I didn't and would try to give me the confidence that I needed. Everytime I would tell him I passed a test he would say, "I knew you did Jen, You always do. I have no doubt in you" I could not have asked for a better person to go through this with. Even though he was going through his own trials he never made me feel guilty for bringing him down to Vegas, he never complained, he constantly was patient and positive. Not only did he have to deal with me and be there for me 100% but he was also there for Caitlin. When she was feeling down he would also encourage her and be there for her. He is a strong individual and probably knows more of what I went through than anyone else. He was my guinea pig (my patient) every semester but especially my first having to come in at least 10 times for 3 hour appointments. He was my chef by having dinner ready for me when I would have been at school for 14 hours. He was always willing to pick up my patients and take them home, even though the majority of them were psycho. He never once complained about me having to pay for my patients. He was always there for me 100% and I could not have asked for anything more.
Cody's mom, Debbie also came down. It was so good to see her and know that she sacrificed to come all that way. They have also been very supportive and have helped us out and encouraged us the whole way.
Mandy is one of my very dear friends. I learned so much from her and she always had us laughing. She introduced me to Indian food and I sometimes crave her food. She makes the best rice that I will dream about and have to have!!! Love her
Me, Victoria, Professor Gerber, and Caitlin. Professor Gerber is definitely one of the best instructors at CSN. She was real and she taught us what the real world is like. Unfortunately she has retired from CSN this past year. I learned so much from her and she is a very respected instructor by all of the students. She made a 4 hour long class very interesting and I always looked forward going to her class. She will definitely be missed and CSN has a huge hole to fill!!
Pinning Ceremony. I loved our pinning ceremony. It was so personal and very intimate!!! I just love all of the girls that I have become life long friends with.
Just after I had been inducted into the DH Honor society Sigma Phi Alpha. Professor Abel, another one of my absolute favorite instructors, pinned me as a Dental Hygienist. I could not have asked for anyone more special to pin me. I truly admire her for everything she has done for me. Not only did she teach me how to be a great and ethical dental hygienist, but she has taught me to be a more confident woman. She has taught me to go for things when I am scared that I will fail. She always had her door open and her phone available no matter how late it was. She was there for us and wanted us to know it. She treated every single student like they were her favorite!! She truly is so admirable for the person that she is. I am so glad that she has been apart of my life and I will be forever grateful for her!!
Right after I was pinned. Such a great feeling to know that I have accomplished something so great with so much success!! I actually did it.
My wonderful parents. They are so amazing and I could not have asked for better parents. They are so supportive and always made sure that I knew how proud they were of what I was doing. They were always there through thick and thin. My mom and dad would travel down to Vegas just so I could clean their teeth or bring Annacy, Simon and Wyatt down so I could clean their teeth. I love them so much and will be forever grateful for the way that they raised me!!!
Cait, Professor Abel and Me. I have been surrounded by wonderful, intelligent, amazing people these past two years. I could not have asked for better friends. Our bond is so strong.
Some of my favorite people
Caitlin, Professor Gerber, Professor Craig and Me. Eventhough I felt as though the instructors were out to get us the first year I truly am so grateful for the hard working diligent instructors that we had. For the most part all of the instructors were so great and devoted to us. I learned so much from them. And think very very highly of them. Professor Craig is another instructor that has a very special place in my heart. She is an amazing clinician, she cared about the students, she is extremely knowledgeable and I love it when she laughs!! I had her for most of my classes my first year and truly gained an appreciation for her. I have been so blessed to have so many wonderful instructors in my life. I hope to be an instructor someday and want to take the good qualities from each and every one of them and become a great instructor!!
My sister is my best friend. I am so glad that she brought her whole family down for the big day. She has been there for me through everything. She has heard all my complaints, wiped away my tears, heard my fun stories, and encouraged me the whole way. I absolutely love her patience when I would call and just talk about myself and my day. We would try to talk everyday even if it was just for a second or leave eachother a message. She would brighten my day when I would get a message from her and Wyatt telling me to work hard and show that she had confidence in me. I could not have asked for a better sister and friend.
Miss Megan was born right before we moved. Even though I haven't been able to be right there as she has grown up Amber has made sure that she knows who her Uncle Cody and Aunt Jenny are. She is in love with her Uncle Cody. She gets so excited when she hears my name and starts to talk about Cody. It is so adorable. When I talk to her on the phone she could care less about me and wants to know where Tody is. I am excited to move back up to Reno and get to spend more time being a part of my nieces and nephews growing up.
My whole support system. I love each and everyone of them so much. I could not have done it without all of their prayers and support. I know my little Annacy would pray for me all the time, and I tell ya her prayers were answered. She is my little gem. I love them all so so much.
Sarah Beth, Victoria, Blaike and Me. These are just some pictures of memories throughout school. This was at the Head Start Program. We would apply Flouride varnish on underpriviledged childrens' teeth. This was my favorite part about this semester. We got to see some of the cutest kids and it felt really good helping these children out.
Me, Victoria, Erin L, Katie, and Caitlin. We had to find our own patients and we would do anything to find them. We were looking for boards patients and set up a free screening day at a public facility. We were able to find a couple patients for other girls to pass their exams. It was so fun to build these memories eventhough it was tough and so tiring. I will never forget the fun times I had with my girls!!
Towards the end of the semester we were given the opportunity to do student teaching and go into the first years clinic. I was so excited and I loved it. Victoria, Katie, and I went in 5 times to help the first years out. We were able to administer anesthetic to their patients, give formatives, teach them, and do polishing and quad checks. It was also so fun to be able to go into the forbidden fish bowl and chit chat with the instructors like they are real people with real lives. I really want to someday become an instructor and make a difference in someone elses life. I really learned that I do love to teach as I was able to do some student teaching.
DH school wasn't all hard work, stress, and frustration. We would always go to 99 cent margarita night at the Texas Station every Thursday night and some Saturdays. We had so much fun just hanging out. No matter where we were we were always looking for patients. During one Margarita night I was able to find one of my best testing Patients, Ricardo at the Fat Burger!! It was all worth it.
Sarah Bear has been such a huge part of my life these past two years. I love her to death and so grateful for her wonderful friendship. We will be forever friends.
I couldn't have done it without my best girl. I don't know what I am going to do without her. I have cherished this whole two years having her right by my side the whole time. Love her!
This was a very good and memorable day. This was right after we took our Nevada Clinical Board!!! It felt so good to just be done. It was such a stressful day but we got through it successfully. We wanted to celebrate so we were going to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out with our Sarah Beth while she worked. We couldn't find her store so we ended up going to some Mexican restaurant. We had all these plans to have fun that night but after dinner we were exhausted and just ended up going home and crashing. Oh it felt so good to finish what we had been working towards for 2 years.
Now I have completed 2 years of grueling school. I had so many ups and downs but have made so many great memories and wonderful lifelong friends. We were a great class who fought for eachother and helped eachother out no matter what happened. I have gotten my results from my Nevada Clinical Board and my Western Regional Examination Board and I have passed. I just need to get my license and I can start working. We are moving back to Reno this weekend. It is sad but exciting. This chapter in our life is coming to an end. Now on to the next chapter of our life!!
Today was a big day!!! We all found out that we passed our National Boards!!! Caitlin, Sarah Beth and I all got the same score and I will tell ya that we kicked the boards butt!! Yay! In the middle of the day we were at school and some of the girls found out that they recieved their scores in the mail. So many girls were calling their parents or spouses to check the mail for them to find out what they got. I really wasn't too anxious to find out because ignorance is bliss and I still had a whole night ahead of me in clinic. I didn't want to know and be distracted during clinic. I went throughout the day hearing that all the girls had passed so far and Caitlin and I were still waiting to find out if we had passed. During clinic I did not think of it at all. It finally hit me when we were about a mile away from our house. My stomach sank and my heart started to pound. Caitlin couldn't drive any faster. I had the keys in my hand all ready to jump out of the car and open our mailbox. As soon as Caitlin stopped the car I jumped out while my legs are shaking like crazy I opened up our mailbox. I handed all the mail to Cait with great anticipation. I hopped in the car and opened up the envelope to see that I had PASSED!!! Caitlin didn't want to open hers till she got inside. When she opened hers and saw that she passed the house filled with excitement!! What an accomplishment. That was the hardest test I have taken in my life. A whole 6.5 hours of cognitive torture. Now I am able to take my clinical boards on May 1 and May 21. I only hope and pray that I will find the patient's to qualify and willing to go to Phoenix with me so I can test. One might think that after I take my national boards then I am good to go. I still have so much to do. I have projects, papers, finishing my requirements in clinic, take my mock clinical board exam, and find patients to qualify for clinical boards. I am so close yet so far away! I really have enjoyed school and I have grown so much because of it. I really have impressed myself with the motivation and determination I have gained from this program. It has been a rocky journey but I have loved the majority of it. 
School is going great. I can't believe that I am so close to becoming an RDH!!! Wow my dream is actually coming true. I absolutely love what I do and am so excited to get out into the real world. 
1st year girls who were willing to help us make our project become successful.
