We PASSED!!

So this is the Pre-Exam picture - we were freaking out!!

The Friday night session started with a mock exam that the instructor gave us. 50 questions and we had an hour and a half - I through 36 of them and only got 25 right. Then we started going through each question and learning why the right answer was right, why the wrong ones were wrong, and clues to look for in the case studies so that the right answers could start POPPING out at us..... We only got half-way through reviewing the questions on Friday night, but it felt like information overload already at that point. I tossed and turned a lot that night - my brain wouldn't slow down so I could sleep. Saturday was 9-6 and really intense. MAJOR INFO OVERLOAD, and we were really panicking by the end of it - our exam was the next day!! We had only just learned most of this stuff for the first time, nevermind studied it or ready to write a test on it!

Saturday night I met Geo at his parents place for Gpa Gord's Birthday dinner and then we took I the girls home to bed. I stayed home and studied while George went back to his parents to play games. I studied from 10 until 1:30, and then could NOT fall asleep. My head was just buzzing with information. Geo got home after 3 and I was still awake. He fell right to sleep and I layed there awake until 5 when I decided to go on the computer for a bit. At 6:30am I finally fell sleep for about an hour then got up to get ready. At that point, I was not so much worried about the test itself, but worried how I was to pass a test with no sleep under my belt!

We finished learning a few of the modules and reviewed with the instructor for 3 hours Sunday morning and then took a lunch break before starting at the exam at 1:30. We were stressing out BIG time. Didn't even take our books to cram with over the break - what could we possibly study in an hour that would cover 17 hours worth of classtime material???? Just before the exam Marci learned over and said "Did you say a prayer? I just asked for help and left all my stress in His hands so that I can relax, and I feel so much better!" I love her so much. Her positive attitude and spirituality is so uplifting.

We were given a 4 hour time limit to do 150 questions. About 8 questions in, I stopped and took a deep breath. "I can do this!" It was tough, but somehow I understood what I was doing. 4 hours is a LONG time to sit and concentrate so hard when you started off frizzled in the first place. My body was aching by the end of it. Marci finished just before I did, and we were done with nearly a half hour to spare!

This was after the exam and we felt haggard and exhausted, but relieved to be done - and feeling pretty good about things, I think. Then we waited for our results - which was almost as stressful as waiting for the exam. It had become so important to us that we pass - we wanted it to be done so badly!! We were the last ones to get our marks back and WE PASSED!!! 60% was a passing grade and I got 85%! Marci got 82% ! Top marks in the class of 8 people - 3 of which didn't pass at all. We felt like giddy school girls we were so excited!

I'm so proud of Marci, and I'm so glad for the time we spent together. We are a good team and I'm so thankful for her support. I'm also really thankful to George for watching the girls all weekend while I did this. He did a great job. I'm so blessed to have a hubby that is so good with our kids and is so supportive of me.

So now we study for the provincial exam at the end of the month - but we're pretty confident about it. They say that you tend to do about 10% worse on that exam, so even still, we should do ok if we can keep the knowledge fresh in our minds until then.

Here are some new pictures of London. I put her hair in a barrett for the first time the other day. It was really hard to get used to it since she always has her hair on her forehead. The BEST was when the clip came out and her hair stood straight up! I loved it!