13 More Days

Just want to share my joy for a minute. I'm having a proud aunt moment, so bear with me. It will be 13 more days until I get to see this little guy!!

(Love those blue eyes; they're just like his aunt's.)

Brian (often referred to as Lil B) and my sis, as well as his sib (set for his/her public debut on October 8th this year) are flying in from Alabama for my graduation. Now, for all of my Alabama readers (as there are a few of you) don't get me wrong, I really do like Alabama. The green landscape, blue sky, friendy strangers, and those addictive praline pecans are awesome. But... there is a time when people should be exposed to their roots, especially at his young age. He will have spent nearly 88% of his first year of life in Alabama and perhaps it may have had an influence on him already.*So, although Alabama will miss one of their native sons for a few weeks, it will be good for him to get some exposure to Mom and Dad's Southern California roots. Perhaps he might have his first taste of an In n' Out milkshake. Maybe his next word will be "Dude" and he won't pick up "y'all" for quite a while. We shall see... I have yet to discover if his baby babble has picked up a southern accent.

*No offense is intended if reader finds any stereotypes to be insulting in this blog. We just don't have as many tractors in California. They are pretty cool and I'm actually kind of jealous. How fun it would it be to drive the real thing as a kid!

12th Post: 12 Things I learned in PA school

Now that PA school has come to a close, here are just a dozen of the many things that I learned these past three years...other than all that medical stuff. So, in no particular order...

12. Everyone needs a Crazy Hat Day to offset the monotony and stress of school.

11. "Herpes, like true love, lasts forever." -Dr. Holtom

10. Provigil is great stuff, especially for the OB Labor and Delivery night shift.

9. Sleep and sunlight are things not to be taken for granted.

8. Trail mix brings people together.

7. I will always need a creative outlet, I think that is how I discovered my talent for rapping.

6. USC football is truly amazing.

5. Dim sum is a pretty interesting experience, especially when you have the real stuff in Alhambra.

4. The last patient of the day in pregnancy clinic will be a new patient on her double-digit number pregnancy (example: This is her 13th pregnancy, and I would need to take down the pregnancy/birth history of her previous 12 pregnancies -- yes, a bit time-consuming).

3. A STD (sexually transmitted disease) is almost always a differential diagnosis.

2. People's wisdom (especially the lack thereof) will never cease to amaze me.

1. The ability to keep a straight face is a divine gift.

Living the dream

So my 20 year journey through education (in an institutional sense) is coming to a close. It's been quite a road for me. There have been some rough patches, some tears, struggles, a few blows to my self-esteem, quite a bit of mileage and wear on my little Toyota, a large amount of debt, many frustrations, anxiety (especially those OSCE's), unpaid labor, and many, many late nights extending into the early morning hours. I know I share many similar sentiments with my classmates with whom I will miss all of them. I really will. So as a tribute to them and all those who find themselves on a long and seemingly endless journey, I would like to share a quote by Thomas Paine:

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."

Not that PA school will be the hardest thing I do in my life. I think parenthood will probably top that. I need to go knock on some wood now... We all find ourselves going through different situations, different struggles, and sometimes wondering if it's all really worth it, if this is the place where we need to be and are we doing what we need to be doing. Early on in my first rotation, I wrote on my styrafoam cup: "I'M LIVING THE DREAM!!". That statement has become my motto and I would often repeat it in my mind or share it with my colleagues while I was going through some hard times or just doing the less-desirable tasks. And it was true: I was living the dream, I just had to take it in steps. I would remember back to how desperately I wanted to get into PA school, and then later on how eager I was to start my rotations. I think lately I have been really eager to get out of school, find a job, and actually get PAID for the work I do. I will probably soon realize the advantages of being a student (not worrying about getting fired or sued, having the "excuse" of not knowing an answer or two), and especially the awesome classmates I have had shared many hours and a few laughs with.

I hope I haven't taken these for granted too much. I will still be learning and still continuing to study. My character will continue to be built up and refined, and as Richard G. Scott said, "Character is the manifestation of what you are becoming." So here's to another glorious triumph, and as we Trojans say, "Fight On!"

10th post: 10 things I look forward to this year

It seems like 2008 will be a pretty eventful year for me. These are some of the things I'm looking forward to for the rest of the year, in no particular order...

1. Graduating!! No more school...ever.
2. A new niece or nephew in October.
3. Seeing my nephew and sister in May; and yes Becky, we'll have a great time visiting the Huntington Library Gardens and especially the new Chinese Garden.
4. Seeing my big bro Joe in June, it's been over 2 years.
5. Reading some books for fun like finishing The Alchemist, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, a Jane Austen novel or two, and quite a few others.
6. Getting a job, having an income again and begin paying off student loans.
7. Knowing where I'm going to live for the next 1-3 or more years and settling into an apartment.
8. Achieving my 17-year dream of going to Norway. It's because a few years ago I decided to eliminate the word "someday" from my vocabulary and decided that 2008 would be the year.
9. Seeing old friends I haven't seen for a while, including a sister missionary I lived with in Argentina
10. Going to the Getty, explore Santa Barbara, and other adventures to experience for the first time.

I've been tagged!

My darling sister tagged me. I guess it shouldn't be too hard to come up with weird things about me....

1. I have trauma shears and The Alchemist in my purse and a stroller in the trunk of my car.

2. I have a pink stuffed elephant named "Brother Hirschi." It was a gift from him and now a memorial to him.

3. I have never been able to blow a bubble with gum. I've tried many times and have blown the gum out of my mouth. Be careful if you make me attempt this again.

4. I spent quite a few Friday and Saturday nights in the cadaver lab at Weber State University. Alone. I see dead people... they smell bad...

5. I was bit by an ostrich.

6. The muse that inspired my third-grade writing assignments was Bud the class guinea pig.

7. While I was in the MTC I developed an addiction to wintergreen breathsavers (I think it was the retzin buzz). I once consumed a whole roll in under 2 hours. I've also been known to get a little buzzed off of Orange Bang. It's probably the sugar.

Hmmm... who am I going to tag next??

Angry Dance

This past week I had a moment of anger. For those of you who know me, this is a pretty rare event. A house that my family owns in Utah was broken into. Quite a few appliances, including my future appliances, if my sis doesn't need them, were taken: the washer and dryer, the microwave, curtains, lamps, heavy tv, the garage door opener, and some other things. They were going to take a bathroom sink (at least not the kitchen sink) but we found it in the garage. To add one more insult, they didn't flush the toilet! My other disappointment of the week was the new car air freshener I bought. I, being a lover of all things coconut, was disappointed that it made my car smell bad, prompting another trip to the store and settling on a tangerine/grapefruit scent. I will never buy a "California" brand air freshener again. Just needed to vent. My moment of anger did pass, but I'm sure if I was more experienced with this feeling, I would have learned to channel the energy into something creative, like the funky dance as seen below...