Not taking out $150k+ of private loans for a bachelor's degree in nursing at a private school. waited an extra year to fatten up my resume and experience to apply to the cheaper (more competitive) nursing programs and got into an accelerated 15 month program that only costs $45k. on the trajectory to walk and take the nclex next may. no regrets.

When I was about 8 years old, we went on a family vacation to the mountains in western North Carolina. While we were there, we went tubing on a river. At one point there were some rapids and I fell off my tube and got caught in the undercurrent created by the big boulders in the river. I was stuck there for what felt like minutes and was unable to get to the surface.

My parents didn’t see it happen, but some stranger did and he yanked me out. I doubt I’d be here today if it wasn’t for that man, I wish I knew who he was so I could say thank you.

My anorexia was so severe that the doctors didn’t think I would make it. Hospitalized for over a year, and now 9 years later, I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been and am currently in Grad school to be a therapist that specializes in eating disorders. Pay it forward.

Driving to my girlfriend's parents place in Montana for Thanksgiving...

Crossing a mountain pass in my 1984 Toyota Tercel, it was a beautiful, sunny winter day, but coming around a bend I hit an ice patch and immediately started sliding off the road. It was next to a cliff, with no guardrail, and it was a slow-motion freak out. The car came to a stop just before going over. My girlfriend didn't even have room to get out on her side.

We slowly and carefully slid out my side and both got out safely, but then our previous freakout turned quickly into some real concern about what the hell we were going to do next, and how we were going to get out of there in the middle of nowhere. And, it was cold.

Not two minutes later a pickup truck with two guys in the cab and three in the bed came around the bend toward us. They pulled over in front of my car, and they all hopped out like a pit crew. One guy with a tow strap hooked it under the front axle, hooked it on the back of the truck and they pulled my car off the cliff and back onto the the shoulder of the highway.

I thanked them PROFUSELY, and asked them what in the hell they were doing out in the middle of nowhere like this. One guy said that "there wasn't much to do around here" and helping people on the highway was kind of a fun activity.

The entire event took a total of about ten minutes.