Gone to Alaska. . .

Only in Big Spring. . .

My family are not known as "big spenders" . . .we are more like "big savers." Get ready for a visual - my entire family (well, my two aunts, mom, cousin & I) all croweded into KFC at lunchtime. We are all fighting - over two pages of coupons - the coversation goes like this "I think I want a chicken wrap". . ."but we don't have a coupon for a chicken wrap - why don't you get the snacker meal" (insert wisecrack in the background). . ."we only have 2 coupons for the buffet - but we could get a family pack as long as we all agree on what side" (as if that would EVER happen.)

Somehow we survived lunch - which was good because we had a girls spa day. . .manicures & pedicures. I told them we could just have waited for our cruise & thrown in something weird like mud wrap w/ some bell therapy. "But this place has manicures & hair cuts for half off during June." Since my mother was there - I told the lady at the front to add me to her bill & to add me haircut too. My mother left there with her astounding bill - $22 (which included 2 pedicures, 2 manicures & 1 haircut plus $2 tips for all our practitioners.). . .ok - so it was the College Cosmetology department - and she has an employee discount & my aunt is in charge of the program. . .aghh well.

I have to drop Jezabell off at the kennel tomorrow - I feel like a mother who is about to leave her child at the evil daycare for the first time (I can say that because I am a prodagy of daycare - so I know that it isn't that bad & that I turned out alright). I've let her in the house & played with her more today than I ever had before - she is lapping it up! I know she'll love being with the other dogs - but I'm gonna miss her. I think that is the only reason that I didn't take Rianne up on her offer to take Jez to Dallas (and then on to El Paso) while I'm on surgery rotation isn't because I thought that Ada & Cory would object (they probably would) - but I'd miss her too much.

Well - Rianne & Kirtana - I wish you the best tomorrow & I will be praying for you! Cory - any niece yet? Lina & Ellen - moving day! how exciting! Rachel - move now please!

so long Lubbock

I'm going to leave Lubbock for a little while - I won't be back for good until time to beginning of thrid year (on July 7th). Its going to be so different - all of my friends I've made in Medical School will have moved to El Paso or Amarillo. Its going to be quite different without them being here - but I'll have a good distraction called Surgery Clerkship.

There are a few things that are going to happen while I'm gone to Alaska - so I'm gonna have to put them in this one blog: first of all, I still have 3 dear friends that are taking their Step 1 exams in the coming week - Rianne & Kirtana take theirs on Friday & Lina takes hers on Saturday. You will all be in my prayers!

Life does exist after Step One

Its been a few days since Step 1. . .it was - in a word, terrible. Eight hours of sitting in a cubicle, reading questions and randomly clicking your mouse to what you prayed were some of the right answers. It was good though to be surrounded by people I knew - including my good friends Ellen & Jon. Oh well - enough about that.

Since then I've been busy doing all kinds of things I've neglected. . .I've played with Jezabell, run, gone shopping with friends, cleaned & decided to make my house look more like a home. With the help of two others friends of mine that are finished with Step 1 (Ellen & Kelly), we've put up curtains, shelves, and wall hangings. (Well, to be honest - Ellen did about 65% of the work, Kelly did 30%, and I only did around 5%.) Ellen & I even did a pretty decent job at putting together a flower arrangement for my wall. . .I'll have to post pictures when I have a chance.

I've been feeling bad about neglecting Ms. Jezabell - plus she's a little sad that her boyfriend Bode is moving away - so I bought her a new bed - it is a sassy lepoard print bed. . .and I think she likes it.

Edit - WOOPS!! She fell off!

Ellen, Jon & Me

Note: yeah, I know - the dude in the picture isn't Jon, its Cory. . .but I don't have a picture of Jon & Ellen & I (or of Jon for that matter) - so this picture will have to make due.

Yep - the clock reads correct. . .it is currently 5:45am - and I'm up. . .I've been awake since 4am - DANG me for getting used to 5 hours of sleep a night! I went to bed at 11pm so I could be rested. . .only to wake up 5 hours later & not be able to go back to sleep. . .I layed there wondering "what is Chediak Higashi syndrome again and how is it different from chronic granulomatous disease. . .they both have to do with neutrophils. . .right?" and saying "Hashimotos is low thyroid whereas Graves is high thyroid. . .and where does that Myxedema word fit in again?"

Aghh well. . .I'm hoping I'll be ready for an hour long "nap" at 6am. . .Please, Please, PLEASE keep Ellen, Jon & I in your prayers from 8:30a-5p. Thank you all so much for helping us get through today. Oh yeah - and keep Cory & his parents in your prayers too as they help him move to El Paso.

Cory

Dear God,

First of all, I pray that Cory is awake - oh my goodness (as soon as I typed that, my IM thing popped up & said that he signed on. . .awesome.) Anyways, please be with him today as he takes his exam - give him clarity of thought & endurance for today. When he struggles with questions or the time issue, please remind him that he is not in this alone, he has friends and family behind him - and most importantly You are there.

P.S. please give his parents safe travel to Lubbock this evening & be with Ms. Sarah and baby Collier during these last days before her birth.

Kelly

Dear God,

Ms. Kelly is about an hour away from taking her Step 1 exam. . .I pray that you are with her today through the grueling 8 hour exam. I know she is ready & I pray that you bless her preparation & help her to do her best on the exam. Thank you for Kelly - she is the very first person I met at Medical School, and she's been such a good friend throughout these two years. I pray that you give her wisdom, strength, ENDURANCE, and peace today & let her know that she is in many people's thoughts & especially in my prayers!

Here or there. . .its good to have friends

The picutres at the top are the future Dr. Adelina (Lina), Dr. Cory, Dr. Ellen, & Dr. Rianne. . .you can rest easy as their future patients - they did study hard for their degrees. The flowers & balloon are from my friends in Dallas (Rachel, Sarah, Kaci & Travis to be exact.) They came today at a time when I needed them the most. . .so wether its my med school friends saying truthfully "I understand" or my other friends saying "I'll pray for you" - I just feel loved. . .thank you for that!

saying goodbye is tougher when. . .

Chris Anna is 99.4% moved out of my house - which makes me sad - she was a wonderful 8 day roommate & Jez & I are going to miss her! Ms. Ada has begun her "summer." Rianne & Lina still have over a week to study for their exams; Cory takes his on Friday & I still don't think that child has stressed out for more than 7.2 minutes this entire study period. Kirtana & Kelly are leaving Wednesday to go their respective home towns to take their test. Ellen & I are taking our together this Saturday. . .ok just to keep it straight - here is your new prayer schedule:

Friday, June 16th - Cory & Kelly
Saturday, June 17th - Ellen, ME!
Friday, June 23rd - Rianne, Kirtana
Saturday, June 24th - Lina

So now that means that our big "party" that we were going to have after we all completed our exams has dwendled down to Ellen & I. Ada, Kirtana & Kelly are all going to be out of town. . ."the boy" has decided to sneak out of town WHILE Ellen & I are taking our test (we are SO onto you), Lina & Rianne are going to be in serious mode. . .so look out Lubbock, here Ellen & I come!

FYI: popcorn can catch on fire

So Chris Anna & I got to learn a roommate lesson - popcorn catches on fire if you microwave it for 3 minutes instead of 1 minute. . .we will be reminded for a few days when the stentch of smoke/burnt popcorn finally leaves the house. All is well though. . .except that my stupid smoke alarm (which has been super-sensitive in the past when I burn stuff in the oven) never went off. . .man, I feel safe - I'd go check the batteries, but CA is asleep - I'll do that tomorrow.

Maybe its good that Ada's in El Paso

Miss Ada left for El Paso - my prayers are with her. . .she's got to tend to these two!

Rescheduling, Roommates, & Old Friends

I've rescheduled my Step 1 exam for Saturday, June 17th here in Lubbock. I'll be taking it with two good friends - Jon & Ellen. I feel so much better about it now. . .when I told my mom about rescheduling her exact "reassuring, motherly 'I'm always there for you', I gave you life & I support you in all you do" reaction was "CHICKEN!" Got to love your moms!

I currently have a 8 day roommate - my good friend Chris Anna is staying with me for awhile before her new apartment is ready. I told her to call & cancel her apartment & to "stay here for forever." We both were way past ready to go to bed at midnight last night, but we stayed up chatting till 2am! She is so wonderful & a godly woman & I know my life has already been blessed by such a wonderful friend sleeping in the "West wing" of my manor. (She feeds my dog, buys colorful food & leaves the light on for me - what else could you ask for?)

I ran into an old friend (Casey) while walking my dog yesterday - he has just graduated from law school and is currently studying for the bar. Casey was one of the very first people I met when I moved to Lubbock. He and his wife Tracy live two streets over from me - and they like to cookout! BINGO! I also sent out a mass email to almost my entire email address book & got to hear back from some old college friends that I haven't talked to in awhile. Life is good, God is so much better, and life, my life, is a gift & I've been so blessed by the people that I've been able to associate with.

Ada

Dear God,

Ms. Ada is about 10 minutes away from taking her Step 1 exam - please calm her nerves & surround her with peace, comfort, remeberence, knowledge & love. I pray that you let everything that she has studied flood back to her at the appropriate times. Let her know that she is being prayed for all during her 7 hour test. I know how much we love her, and I know that our love doesn't even hold a candle to how much you love her & care for her. Thank you for bringing her into my life & please bless her today.

Amen

UPDATE: Ada just called (around 5pm) - she said "I'm alive." Praise God!

Quick Update

I've been pretty busy lately - studying and what not. Here's a quick update on whats been happening:

Since Wednesday I have: successfully avoided being kidnapped, only to be kidnapped 2 hours later; tried on an engagement ring worth over $88,000 dollars, gone to a high school graduation party, bailed my little brother out of some potential trouble, counseled a friend about life decisions, got a roommate, pulled pranks on a friend, prayed alot, stressed out alot, prayed even more, oh yeah - and studied, studied, studied, studied.

Thats my life - living it, loving it, and glad that Alaska is only 3 weeks away!