Transitioning into March

Spring break is on the horizon. Only 5 more days until we head back to Texas for some much needed time away from my current routine. We pretended like it was warmer today and took the dogs for a walk in downtown Springfield. I felt like I needed to get outside for a little bit at least. I have to buckle down for the next 3 days and study for my 3rd anatomy test covering the thorax. Thank goodness we no longer have a house in Texas as of this past Friday. God was faithful again and sent us a buyer. That takes quite a bit of pressure off of us to pay double bills every month. I have definitely come to the conclusion that I could not have put our life on hold for 7-10 years for medical school and residency. Just thinking about 2 years is long enough. It is a small sacrifice for the ultimate outcome though. I will just keep absorbing like a sponge for the meantime. Aubrey is now 22 weeks along and the anticipation to see our little girl grows steadily every week now.

Shout Out..

Oh how the musings of Colette regale my deepest thoughts. Her mindless banter somehow captivates my attention when I look for an outlet from my studies. The simplest of things seem dramatic as they leap from the silver tongued mother-to-be. I think she missed her calling as a frothy journalist exaggerating every ounce of life as we know it. This is why Aubrey and I love our friend who can best be described as simply Melodramatic. Keep it real Colette.

Crunch time..

Three class days in a row, three test in my top 3 hardest classes. I give in. Although they are now over, I am severely feeling the ramifications of the marathon study session = stressed. You might think that I would be relieved now, but I now have to start studying for a radiology test on Friday and another test on Tuesday and then catch up on the mounds of new information I have. Praise be to God he will sustain me.

That Chili is smellin' good..

Oh spring break where are you. Well folks, it is still cold in Springfield. Has not really gotten out of the 30's in quite some time. I am really looking forward to our trip to Austin over spring break and I hope it is 80 degrees. Just before my 2nd anatomy test I took on Friday, I was able to get Carrie Underwood concert tickets after 40 minutes of trying. They were sold out in about 1.5 hrs. None the less, we are going in June! The 2nd Anatomy test was a bit more challenging for the most part b/c of the content. We learned all about the upper extremities(arms.) Interesting and funny is that there are several muscles associated with your little finger that end in "digiti minimi." It is more amusing in class when your professor doesn't speak very good english and the only word you can understand is "minimi" blah blah blah "minimi." This next week will be very challenging with 3 tests but then I'm home free until spring break which is in 3 weeks!

The chili I'm making for dinner tonight is really beginning to smell good (hence the title.) Aubrey is eating her almost daily snack of apples with peanut butter. She will be 20 weeks pregnant tomorrow! That is the half way mark. Sometimes it is like I forget we will be having a baby, then when I think about seeing our little girl for the first time it makes me smile. Well I should do some studying before filling my belly and getting sleepy because all the blood is shunting away from my brain to aid in digestion. Until next time. Love in Christ.

It's a girl, It's a birthday, It's a 97!

THe title sums up this crazy week. First off, we found out that we will be having a Girl for Independence day and we are very excited! Aub had an ultrasound on Wednesday and it was all good news! Healthy girl and developing normally. We found that out on Aub's birthday. We had a great dinner with friends and then watched the MSU basketball game. Overall, it was an amazing day.

Rewind to last weekend and my days and evenings were filled with anatomy and more anatomy to prep for my 1st test which I had on none other than Wednesday also. I'm happy to report that the studying paid off and I got a 97 on my first test! Who would have thought?

The big news of today is the fresh snow we are getting. Will probably be about 4-6" before the night is over. So hopefully we can find a place to go sledding tomorrow. Hard to do that in East Texas. THen it is back to the books for round 2 of testing. Will be an interesting weekend.

Oh and these are the flowers I got Aubrey for her Birthday...

The end of Week 2

We pulled out a couple of spinal cords today during lab. It was a bit barbaric in nature. Using the bone saw and a hammer and chisel to break through the posterior(or rear) portion of the spinal column to get to the cord. The general consensus among the class is that the spinal cord was smaller than we all expected. Just estimating, I would say the diameter is not much larger than a pencil. But amazing is the only way to describe it.

After finishing the second week of school, I continue to feel pretty good. We had our first anatomy quiz today and that only verified that I need to study harder for our first test next week. All things considered, I am just excited to be starting my 3rd week already on Monday!

Another high point this week is the activity on our house back in Texas. We are currently in negotiations over an offer and we are praying to have a contract by next week. Aubrey and I are anxiously waiting to find out if we will be having a boy or girl on Wednesday Lord willing. Next week will be exciting and eventful to say the least!

I can't help but Smile..

I have officially finished my first week of PA school and I feel...great actually. The fact that I am learning the intricate details of the human body just makes me excited about the future. For the first time in years I feel like I am in the right place and preparing for something that I love to do. So everyone has a natural curvature to their spine that begins in utero. Your spine is essentially c-shaped as you are curled up in the uterus. Then as an infant, you begin to lift your head which forms the curve to your cervical spine through this repetitive motion. Finally upon standing and walking, our lumbar curve is formed when our weight is shifted to the rear during walking. I thought that was kind of interesting. This upcoming 3 day weekend is going to give me plenty of time to catch up and review everything from this week. I'm actually looking forward to studying just a little bit(Never thought I would say that). All I can say is that I prayed that God would make this transition easy for me and give me the ability to do something that I was uncomfortable with(long hours of studying) and He has shown to be faithful to me. Again.

Along those same lines, Aubrey was offered a job today and we are super excited about that. Will give her a chance to get to know some people and provide for our living as well as occupy her time. She starts next week. Well it is time to get back to the anatomy before I get lazy.