Inspiration

I have so much to update about with Christmas and visiting with friends and things of the sort. However, this is more important right now. When I was in Charleston, I saw a sign. It opened up my eyes! I'll explain more later, but anyway, after doing some research I saw that the sign was a line from a book called "She" by Kobi Yamada. I found a list of quotes below that I believe are more lines from the same book and I really loved it. I'm not sure why this book was originally written (it almost sounds like it's written for someone who has passed) but it's super inspirational and I wanted to share it with all of you! So here goes.

She 

She must be something special. She is. Celebrate her.
She loved life and it loved her back. Celebrate her passion.
She listened to her heart above all other voices. Celebrate her wisdom.
She pursued big dreams instead of small realities. Celebrate her priorities.
She saw every ending as a new beginning. Celebrate her resiliency.
She discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers or statistics. Celebrate her self-esteem.
She was kind, loving and patient…with herself. Celebrate her tenderness.
She woke up one day and threw away all her excuses. Celebrate her accountability.
She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible. Celebrate her spirit.
She turned her can’ts into cans, and her dreams into plans. Celebrate her goals.
She ignored people who said it couldn’t be done. Celebrate her independence.
She had a way of turning obstacles into opportunities. Celebrate her magic.
She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she could fly. Celebrate her faith.
She discovered she was the one she’d been waiting for. Celebrate her self-reliance.
She added so much beauty to being human. Celebrate her presence.
She walked in when everyone else walked out. Celebrate her friendship.
She just has this way of brightening the day. Celebrate her radiance.
She made the whole world feel like home. Celebrate her warmth.
She decided to enjoy more and endure less. Celebrate her choices.
She decided to start living the life she’d imagined. Celebrate her freedom.
She colored her thoughts with only the brightest hues. Celebrate her optimism.
She was an artist and her life was her canvas. Celebrate her brilliance.
She ran ahead where there were no paths. Celebrate her bravery.
She crossed borders recklessly, refusing to recognize limits, saying bonjour and buon giorno as though she owned both France and Italy and the day itself. Celebrate her joie de vivre.
She held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye. Celebrate her strength.
She not only saw a light at the end of the tunnel she became that light for others. Celebrate her compassion.
She designed a life she loved. Celebrate her joy.
She took the leap and built her wings on the way down. Celebrate her daring.
She said bye-bye to unhealthy relationships. Celebrate her happiness.
She remained true to herself. Celebrate her authenticity.
She made the world a better place. Celebrate her.

By Kobi Yamada

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First Semester -- Check!

Well, the semester is over. My first semester of PA school. I can't even begin to describe the emotions I experienced over the past 4.5 months. I don't ever want to live through that again. It was terribly painful and stressful. I know I still have 6 semesters to go ... but there's just something about moving to a new city, making a new group of friends, starting a full-time program all over again after years of NOT being in a full time program, finding your way around campus ... it's just a big, huge adjustment. But don't get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE the program where I am and I have the most phenomenal classmates in the world. I still love it and want to be a PA - no doubt in my mind. I'm hoping and expecting next semester to be different. Still stressful but in a different way. I just know this is all part of the process and it's something I have to push through.

So, I haven't posted since Thanksgiving. Let's do a quick recap ...

1. Since Thanksgiving, I studied a whole lot. More, in fact, than I have studied all semester.
2. Casey and I had intentions of making a Christmas tree skirt, but Hobby Lobby didn't have the materials that we wanted so that fell through. :(
3. I went with some girls in our class to a Shane and Shane (and Phil Wickham) Christmas concert. Their voices were AMAZING. And I got a free Christmas CD out of it. Win!
4. We celebrated Adam's birthday which was so much fun! He had to guess his gifts (and the location of our dinner) based on clues that I gave him.
5. I wrapped some Christmas presents, which of course implies that Adam and I did some shopping.
6. Casey, Katie and I threw rocks at a huge tree outside of our school with the intention of knocking down some mistletoe (Katie had never picked mistletoe before, but Casey and I -- being GA girls -- had done it plenty of times before, from our driveways in fact). Unfortunately we were unsuccessful at this BUT we happened to have noticed that there was mistletoe hanging very conveniently in a tree that stood right next to the walking bridge to get to cadaver lab. I HATE that I didn't take any pictures of us picking it because we did kinda have to risk our lives, but we were successful in our mission and now it's hanging in all of our apartments. :)
7. In one week, Kristen and I successfully planned a double bachelorette party for Katie and Heather that we had this past Friday night. It was SOOOO much fun, and a perfect way to end the semester! I'll have to get appropriate pictures from someone else ... all of the pictures that I have contain unmentionables. :)
8. I have a new nephew!!! I love him so much and I've never even met him. :( But he is so so beautiful and perfect and I want to squeeze him! Here are some pictures! I can't not post pictures!

His name is Huston-Liam.

These are my favorite nieces in the whole wide world, aka the big sisters. They have my heart! Sorry about the trademark across the picture.

This is Emma-Grace, and yes, she's one year cancer free! Praise God! PA school buddies -- she had a Wilms tumor.

This is Molly-Kate. She's a little horse-back rider. I love them so so so much!

This is my other nephew, Gavin. He's a brother from another mother. And by that I mean, he's my other brother's son. He's one tough kid. Do not mess with him!

I love all of my nieces and nephews so very much. They're the best!! And they're all so beautiful. :)

Anyway, that brings me up to right now! I guess that's about it. Future topics to expect: Katie's wedding!! A quick visit to Charleston! Going home! Christmas!!!

Laters!

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Thanksgiving numero dos!

I had my first final of my first semester of PA school today and I must say it went swimmingly. Glad it's over ... one down, six to go. Bring. It. On. This girl is ready for Christmas break.

So last Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving, Adam and I drove to Atlanta to meet my in-laws at the airport so we could all catch our late night flight to Arizona. It was a pretty exhausting trip but it was so much fun! And so beautiful. I had no idea that it would be as pretty as it was. Before we left Adam kept telling me "it's just desert out there" ... but I was even excited about that because I'd really never seen "the desert" before. Everyday John, my uncle-in-law, would take us sight-seeing and each day the landscape became more and more incredible! I'll just post some pictures to share. I don't have many ...

This is me standing beside a giant cactus. But it's actually no where near the height of the tallest ones. 

 This is a jumping cactus. If you touch any one of its pricklies, the entire arm will fall off. I didn't actually see this happen in while I was in Arizona, but I did youtube it as soon as I got back home. Pretty neat!

 Exercising the panaroma mode on my phone

We also visited an ostrich farm while we were out there. :) I don't have any pictures of that crazy event, but it was silly fun and very educational! Oh, and Thanksgiving dinner was super delicious, too. :) As was In-N-Out Burger. De-licious.

I may not update for a little while. Finals are coming at us pretty heavy ... but Adam and I don't have any crazy and exciting events coming up anyway, well aside from that silly SEC Championship game this Saturday. Go Dawgs!

I'll holler at y'all later!

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Early Thanksgiving and Christmas Decor!

Adam, the pups and I went home this past weekend to have Thanksgiving with my parents since we're flying to Arizona for the rest of the week. It was a nice, refreshing weekend. I got my hair trimmed and touched up, Mom and I went shopping, and then we had a delicious dinner. It was a perfect weekend just hanging out with my family. Thankfully we only have two days of school this week, and then the other Thanksgiving festivities can begin! We actually have a lot of traveling to do over the next few days, but it'll all be worth it.

So before we left Birmingham last Friday, I decided to do something that I knew would make me happy ... and since it did make me happy, I really don't care if you think I'm crazy. I put up Christmas decorations!! :) :)

So, this is our Christmas tree (obviously). I wanted to show the glowing lights, but also just a regular picture so you could see our ornaments and tree decor. Mom and I bought the tree topper this past weekend, and I really liked the idea of it because it was different. I also thought it would add more height to our cute little tree. I'm actually not sure how I feel about it. Part of me likes it, part of me feels like it's a little too Harry Potter-esk. The star to the left of the tree is what usually goes on top. Maybe I'll leave it for a few more days to figure it out ...

This isn't everything I've put out, but I didn't want to bore you with the rest. :) Anyway, happy holidays!!

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Love/Hate Relationship

So, Georgia fans ... well, I suppose for the sake of understanding I could extend this to all of the college football teams in the south. Ok, so football fans ... you all know how football is like a religion down here. Your college football team holds such a special place in your heart, especially if it's your alma mater. You have this fire the burns inside of you for that school and no one can really understand it other than, well, the person standing right next to you at a tailgate or football game. But as soon as you hear the marching band play the first few notes of your school's equivalent to our Battle Hymn, you can't help but get a little choked up. You literally have a lump in your throat, chills on your arms, a tear in your eye and a smile on your face. It's just something that makes you happy on a level that's hard to explain. Well, this is how I feel about PA school when I start thinking about how blessed I am to be here. (And let it just be said -- once a dawg, always a dawg - how sweet it is! That'll never change!)

Every now and then I stop to think "Holy crap, I'm really truly actually in PA school. Holy crap. God has actually gotten me this far." And it just makes my heart soar with pride that I'm here. In school. Right now. But not just in any school. I'm in a nationally ranked (top 25), kick-ass surgical program that has a reputation and renowned faculty members. 

I've tried to really step back and evaluate my current situation, and in doing so I've really come to appreciate all the thoughts, hard work, and dedication the faculty and staff have put into this program. I can't even begin to explain all of their hard work, but I've taken note and I've ever so thankful for it. It's the little things, ya know? And they all add up to mean a whole lot.

I remember in the first few days of school Dr. Jennings, the director of the program, told us that over the course of the next 27 months she would push us to our limits -- past our limits, farther than we ever thought we were capable. I can already see that happening. It's SO very soulfully painful to go through at the moment, but I know it'll translate over to a successful career in my future, and when I finish it will contribute to the pride I already feel for being here in the first place.

PA school is hard. Like soul-searching, soul-sucking, emotionally/physically/mentally-draining hard. It's by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, which I guess isn't saying much because I've lived a wonderful, blessed life in my 26 years, but still. :) It's such a challenge on so many levels. But it's also already one of the best things I've ever done in my life. And it's introduced me to some absolutely wonderful people. I guess awesome people are attracted to awesome places and it's an honor for me to be here with these genius people!

I took a screen shot of my desktop on my mac. It's full of inspirational quotes and bible verses that I've gathered over the years and from friends. One of my new best friends, Katie, designed it for me. :) I love looking at it, especially when I'm having a hard day. It keeps me motivated at least long enough to get through the day. And that's all I need, right? Cause I can only take this one day at a time ... 

Anyway, back to studying. That's enough insite to my brain (head) for now. ;)

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A quick catchup!

Thankfully, this past weekend was just what I needed to recuperate from last week. This past week was horrific and didn't fair as well for me as I would have liked. But the good news is, our third round of tests is more than 1/2 way over! And believe me, that's excellent news.

This is Casey, Katie and me after our third anatomy exam!

 And this is how we really feel.

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Let's see ... I need to recap last weekend's events since I haven't really blogged in a few weeks. Although I was extremely busy studying basically every waking moment, I did take time out to relax and have a little bit of fun.

I watched the GA/FL game (GO DAWGS!!!) and we went to a Halloween party.

 Flo and Mayhem!

Here's a close up so you can appreciate my double winged eye liner. :)

Sunday I studied all day, and took a break to carve a pumpkin with Adam!

And after my ridiculous week was over, Adam and I loaded up the pups and headed to Florida.

We watched the Blue Angels homecoming show! It was AMAZING.

This is a plane circling two parachuters. One released the American flag.

I have some AMAZING videos of helicopters doing back flips and some other super cool things, but they aren't showing up well here. :( Maybe this video will show up ok ...

The Blue Angels! Only 18 inches from wing tip to wing tip. AMAZING! Sorry about the ending ...

The Blue Angels!

We didn't get many shots because we were too busy watching the show. Sorry!

That afternoon we went back to the hotel and CHILLED OUT and watched some football since I really hadn't had a lot of time to breathe in the last two and a half weeks. The dogs got their own bed because the hotel had booked all of their king beds so we got two doubles. Marley was in heaven.

The next day we went to the beach. This was Marley's first time and she LOVED it. Lucy liked wading in the water, but she got nervous for Adam and Marley going in so deep!

Nervous Lucy!

Oop! When you've gotta go, you've gotta go!

Lucy tried to warn Marley...

And before we loaded them back up in the car, Adam bathed them so they were clean girls instead of smelly dogs.

It was a perfect, relaxing weekend. Now back to school! Till next week, friends.

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