Goodbye, spring break... Hello, neuro..

Today is the final day of a week of bliss and sleep. No, seriously, I stayed in bed until lunch just because I knew that things would be very different this time tomorrow. So let's take the week day by day:

Friday: finished up the board, relished in the fact that phys was (almost) over, spent the afternoon eating leftovers and watching Nanny McPhee with two of my favorite girls, said our goodbyes (a week feels like eternity when you basically spend ALL of your time with the same people), and packed a bit.

Saturday: Headed South. Got home, saw my parents, went to visit my friend A - we went shopping, eating, catching up. Found some peanut butter fudge with my name on it at a local gift shop... drool. I've never had it before, but I'll definitely have it again.

Sunday: Lazy day at home. Didn't do much of anything. Made plans for Monday, slept a lot, watched some tv.

Monday: Started off the day at good ole WCU. So much fun to see my old coworkers, catch up with everyone. It's funny how while some things change, others seem to stand still during the test of time. I'm grateful that some of my best friendships fit into that category. Had lunch with L, then went to visit K & B in Financial Aid and see if they had any more information on ObamaLoans than I did... yeah, not so much. But I got lots of gossip and caught up on everyone's lives, and that was fun. Then I waited impatiently for my sister to get off work and headed to her house as soon as I could. I miss her & M so much. We had a great dinner that M cooked for us - bacon-wrapped cheese & jalepeno stuffed grilled chicken. It was heaven. He is an amazing husband (and a pretty darn good brother in law). B came over to eat with us, and once again, catching up was great... more of those "friendships withstanding the test of time".

Tuesday: Headed South (yes, further south). Tax day. ALWAYS fun. Wasn't too bad actually, and I'm getting a nice refund. Got to see my puppies for the first time in a very long time, they were sooo excited. I was too :). Went to see my cousin on hospice, then went to dinner with the grandparents. OS is known as the town in MS with the most restaurants per-area. 106 to be exact. People in my hometown know how to eat. Starting with my grandparents, who might as well be food critics. I said seafood (I mean, who can go to the coast and NOT have seafood?) and they found the perfect place. I ended up with Creole Mahi Mahi.. drooool...

Wednesday: Went to visit my great grandmother at the assisted living home for a few hours. We had a really nice visit, it was great to catch up. Then I went to get my hair cut. I've been thinking/talking about doing Locks for Love for a really long time, but I figured it would be next year before my hair was ready. Recently, I realized it'd been getting really long really quick, so I had been thinking more seriously about it. Turns out, there's a local lady in our hometown who takes donations and makes wigs specifically for Mississippi kids. I told S to chop off that ponytail :) Not only is my cut a great change, and I really like it, but it was so rewarding doing something for the kids.

Thursday: Down day. Basically a repeat of Sunday.

Friday: Back to H'burg, Dad got new tires put on the car and I went to see Bounty Hunter with M & S. It was sooo funny (and you can never have too much sister bonding time). I finally did FAFSA and the rest of the financial aid stuff that's already "late", but M1 year kind of took precedence.

Saturday: Back to Jxn :(, cleaned house, groceries...

Sunday: Here we are. The end of a fairly unproductive, almost study-free week. Tonight we're going to get the girls together and give a last hoorah to Spring Break before neuro starts tomorrow. I can't help but be a little nervous about that... it's a lot of material, and only 8 weeks. However, God's always right there, and so are my girls! We're going to kick neuro butt. We also start psych... and being only a few classes short of a master's, that one doesn't bother me a bit ;)

Tomorrow we're having our PIG officer's meeting for next year, and PIG's bake sale/PIG roast events are kicked off in full force. I've got lots of baking to do this week. It's gonna be a busy one, but I'm ready.

M1 year - last round. Me vs. neuro/psych. I'm going to win. Just sayin.

Vacation is what we take when we can no longer take what we've been taking...

We have reached the end of physiology. It culminated in a week of test hell - Monday was respiratory, Wednesday was the cumulative class final (40 pages - I'm pretty sure several forests were killed in the making of that test) and this morning the NBME exam. The saturation point has been reached, and I'm pretty sure that if we'd had one more I may not have even shown up. Oh yes, it was that bad.

Funny thing about med school - from day to day, it seems like we're dragging, like we're never getting anywhere. And then you turn around and M1 year is almost gone. I stand in awe at the work God has created in me and around me this year, thanking Him for the amazing people He's put in my life along the way to make things just a little bit easier... and thanking Him for his grace. Grace enough for one day at the time. To somehow be able to look back and say "we did it". No matter what the grades are at the end of the week, the month, the year - we survived. And in the midst of it all, maybe even grew.

Spring break plans? Almost non existent. Lots of visiting with friends and family, catching up, getting the taxes done before I don't get financial aid next year, and getting a haircut. I plan on sleeping a lot and eating a lot more, living in the moment, and soaking up every hour I'm given.
.....however, I'm kind of ill that we're "given" one hour less than we should be due to Daylight Savings Time. Of COURSE we'd have spring break the one week that you lose an hour *roll eyes*.

I'll spend the next week preparing myself mentally for the last 8 weeks. I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys their breaks!

Spring Break!

It is officially Spring Break around here! Three blissful days of no work & sleeping in... definitely looking forward to that.

I started doing some pre-studying this week. I know, I know. Everyone says "don't do it". But I'm not everybody. On the upside, Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy is fascinating. Studying is completely different now... it's like every sentence I read actually applies to real life, as opposed to college where you could or could not be getting something out of the studying.

I pray my zest for learning is intensified as I go through my years of training and that I don't become numb to the miracle of this knowledge. May every breath I take and every decision I make be used to the glory of God, that He may be glorified.

139 days until orientation.
51 days left of work.

I'm reading a book called "A Balm for Gilead" by Dr. Daniel Sulmasy right now. I'd like to share the following prayer from this book:

"Thus my prayer for my brother and sister physicians is that, like the man born blind,

You would announce to everyone you see that you have been transformed by his power, even if you do not understand how;
That you would name him as the one who has healed you;
That you would go to him
And when he asks you, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" and you find yourself asking, "Who is he, that I may believe in him?"
That you might recognize the truth of his words when he says "You have seen him."

For you have seen him - in eyes yellowed with jaundice and wide as saucers.
You have heard him - in the cries of the crippled, wondering aloud how God ever allowed this to happen.
You have touched him - in the bloody wounds of the traumatized.
(You could have felt the nails if only your own fingers had been healed.)
You have known the wonder of his presence in the moments of healing that occur over and over again each day, moments in which you have been privileged to share in his healing works.

So, when he asks you, say, "Lord, I believe". And worship him. For he is what healing means. "


I just thought that was a fitting prayer, and worthy of sharing with you all. May we all continue to strive toward the prize.