Thisaway Kate

Retail Therapy

2011-07-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

July 11-24, 2011
Retail Therapy

I apologize to those who were expecting a post last week. I was overwhelmed with school and wasnt able to get to it. Also, I post little bits during the week when things happen, and I failed to do that, making writing/remembering a WHOLE post/week on Sunday very hard. Forgive me? K, thanks :)

R-eady to be done with anatomy attitude, i had during July 12-21. Those were my last few days of studying for anatomy tests. I know I will always encounter anatomy, but I was ready to be done with Hurricane Hermey exams.
E-xperienced my first time as a medical provider for a sports physical July 12. There were about 10 highschool football players who came to DCOM to get cheap physicals for school. They cost only $5, what a deal! :) I was partnered with an OMS-I because the exams were not in my 'scope of practice'. I observed cardiac, musculoskeletal, lung, and male exams. Let just say it was interesting, and leave it at that ;) oh- I had to sign off on the students school physical form, making it the first time I signed an official document with "Katie Cole, PA-S" :) i was screaming with excitement on the inside and wanted to take a picture of it, but I figured that wouldnt be very professional, so i didnt. :( I have a mental picture :)
T-old all the latest information of the Uganda rotation. I am so excited to announce that it is very likely that I will go on this rotation. I will be learning/working around the top 3 infectious diseases in the country: HIV, TB, and Malaria. It is about 5k to go on the trip, so I am going to have to save a little each semester to afford it. The opportunity is amazing and its through a Christian ministry. I will go sometime in June or July of 2013. :) Seems far away, but Im sure time will go by very fast.
A-ll day on Friday July 15, I had no classes. You are unaware, but our schedule is very random. It changes ALL the time and sometimes we just have days off for no reason. Its good to relax and get some studying taken care of, but we arnt given much notice. some people like to plan ahead, but in this program, you definitely cant.
I-n a year, the length of time I will see 2nd year students again: a year. The week of July 11-15 was the last week of classes/tests for the 2nd years and they start rotations tomorrow (Mon July 25). It was fun getting to know them and watching them interact with each other. I especially loved attending the Bible Study that Harry led and I am excited to see where it will go when our class takes over. One girl in the class created a PA video to the tune of Tik Tok by Kesha. You can see it below and get a feel for what its like to be in PA school at LMU-DCOM!
L-egitimately in 'charge' now. the new student society members have met and we are officially planning events for the next 3 semesters we will be in Harrogate. I am the board secretary and am excited to work with the other 10 members to serve the class/community and build our school's reputation with organizations like AAPA and TAPA. (note: the real TAPA is the Texas one ;) these TN people are just copying-lol) If you want to see some of the work I do as secretary, click here to view our social calendar.

T-icket is purchased!! i bought my plane ticket home. ETA: 10pm Aug 18. I have never been more excited to be in Sherman, but I am so ready to eat some of my mommas cooking, enjoy a ranger game IN PERSON, and see my family and Dylan :)
H-ome AND away games. I get to see every ranger game now because my dad got me a subscription to MLBTv since NO ranger games are shown through the local cable:) i love it and go rangers!!
E-stactic to be DONE with anatomy! The last test was July 22 and was not as difficult as I expected it to be. I am still waiting for grades to be posted, but I hope I made what I needed to get an A in the class. *fingers crossed*
R-etail therapy, major retail therapy. The past couple of days have been tough on me emotionally and I am so ready to be home for a while. To help me get over some of it and also to reward myself for my hardwork the past 10 weeks in PA school, I bought some new 'school' clothes. now when i say 'school' clothes, i mean business clothes. I am slowly accepting the fact I am growing up, cant wear jeans and t-shirts all the time, & my school requires me to wear business clothes, so I had to expand my closet 'business' stock. I didnt have much, and consequently i wear the same things every week. im excited to wear new things now :) will make me feel all official/grownup/businessy
A-partment moving. I was supposed to move into an apartment off campus Sat (7/23) because its getting close to when the undergrads are needing to move into my apartment. I went to pick up my key from the Graduate Housing Assistant, and proceeded to my room and found a MESS! nothing was cleaned and the person who had moved out left several of her things, including food in the fridge. I quickly confronted the housing lady and told her I would not move in until it was cleaned. When I finally move in, I will post pics of the new place even though it looks VERY similar to the first one.
P-hysical diagnosis is going to take up all of my study time now that anatomy is over. I enjoy that class and am looking forward relaxing and practicing the cardiac and lung exams on classmates. We are coming up on our first OSCE (Aug 1 to be exact) and I am starting to get nervous. OSCE stands for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations and is where I will perform a history and modified physical on a person from the community. They will be in the 'office' for a fake 'chief complaint' and I will be required to act like a practicing PA and be graded on my skills. I am paired with a classmate, so it takes some of the pressure off, but not all.
Y-ou want the paired shoe?" I was asked as I went to check out at JcPenny to buy a pair of shoes. They had a clearance rack with only one of each shoe so its harder to steal them, i guess. Well i approach the guy to check out and he makes that lame comment. Im thinking to myself, "No, I just want to buy this one shoe, Im just gonna wear it by itself, im on a budget and can only afford one shoe at a time" lol. 'bless his heart'

38 Days!!!!

2011-07-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

July 4- 10, 2011
38 Days until I am in Sherman! I have never been so excited. Well, as you can probably see, no one asked a question, so I will not be answering any this week.

3- rd anatomy test DONE!!! 1 more to go-over the head and neck! bring it on!! I know what I have to make on the test to get an A in the class, and Im gonna bust my butt to get it!
8-pm EST on Mondays is when the bachelorette normally comes on, but since it was July 4th, it was a rerun. It bummed me out because my 4th was so boring, I was hoping to atleast watch my show! :(

D-idnt do much this past week. most of it was spent studying for my massive anatomy test on thursday, therefore there is not juicy adventures this week!
A-ll alone. I spent 4th of July all alone. It was a first for me and honestly the day didnt feel different than any other day. Actually, it doesnt even feel like summer or July for that matter. The only thing keeping me in check is my family back home enjoying all the summer funness :(
"Y-earn for you, I wanna burn with passion". I have been listening to Shane and Shane recently to get me through studying and keeping my eyes on God. I love the energy worship music gives me. Listening to S&S especially though makes me miss Dylan, who sings just like them ;)
S-ang a Phil Whickam song, the worship leader at Pump Springs did. It made me really miss home/dallas/dbu even more than I already do. Never thought I would say I miss DBU, but I do.

HealthCare USA

2011-07-05T11:09:00.000-05:00

July 27-July 3, 2011
HealthCare USA

In an effort to get more involved with my readers, I have decided to start answering questions from readers each time I post. Therefore, if you have any questions you would like me to answer regarding any aspect of the PA life (application, schooling, profession) or simply life in general, PLEASE comment under the post. Im excited to see things my readers want to know :)

H-ow are we supposed to have classes when the power to the entire building is out??? monday ended up being a free day since there was no power to dcom. as soon as an email was sent saying classes were cancelled, the electricity came on. fancy that ;) however, for once in my life, i wished we would have had class so we didnt get behind.
E-xciting topic in anatomy and physical diagnosis: the HEART!!! i love studying the heart and i think it's such a reflection of God's perfect design.
A-ctual clincal experience--our public health professor is trying to arrange the opportunities for us to get more real world experience in ob, emergency department, etc
L-atest way to procrastinate: pinterest. if you want to know what it is, click here. if you like it, join and follow my boards :)
T-errific video i found on Cindy Evans facebook! it is from the SkitGuys and called Gods Chisel. Please take the time to watch this 9 minute video below! its an eyeopener!
H-ad first casserole/crockpot luncheon with the class above us! there was so much food and it was all so delicious! I didnt bake anything, but Alisha let me "share-bring" her dish: mexican chicken casserole.
C-oming to the end of the bible study led by the 2nd year PA students. it has been such an encouraging fellowship of believers, but it is sad to see them realize that they will be leaving each other in a matter of days.
A-nyone in the healthcare field and eligible for loan repayment through the National Health Service Corps needs to check it out! I totally plan on doing this and this past week i got really excited about it!
R-eally not into studying for my medical law test this past week, so I started a new show: Combat Hospital. Its a medical show on a military base, so its abunch of trauma action! I have really grown to ~~like~~ love it even though there has only been 2 episodes!
E-xpected my medical law exam to be tough since the content of the test was somewhat vague! it wasnt as bad as it could have been, but there were only 25 questions, so the pressure was on! you miss 3, and you get a B... no pressure to get an A! HealthCare USA, the title of this blog, is our text for this class. it is a very interesting book, but can also serve as a sleep remedy!

U-nknown info about health care in the US! here are some things i learned from my med law class: The US spends almost 20% of its GDP on healthcare. Only 8% of that is spent on pharmaceuticals. The ratio of generalists to specialists is 35:65. The hospitalist speciality is growing rapidly! Most of long term care happens in Home Care. There is such a thing as "Adult Day Care." Health Care employs 10% of the US Workforce.
S-pent friday and saturday studying with paige. on friday night, we treated ourselves to some blizzards from Dairy Queen, yummy!!
A-rugments, closing arguments. my roommate Alisha has gotten me addicted to the Casey Anthony. and sunday, both sides of the case gave their final words to the jury! I was glued to the TV! I did however, go to Pump Springs again--it was a very patriotic service--Happy Bday America.

Rest and Relaxation

2011-06-27T22:57:00.002-05:00

June 20-26, 2011
Rest and Relaxation.

Another week, another blogpost. I'm sure all of you want to know who was the lucky 1000th viewer of my blog?? I was so suprised that within minutes of me posting the semi-contest, I had an email in my inbox! I was so shocked there had been so many views. I even wondered if there had been some 'refreshing of the browser' action going on since one of my friends told me he had done that about 5 times in class :) haha! anyways this winner was....*drumrollllll* Daisy Rogers from Sherman, TX! She is a family friend from back home with 4 very cute boys! Daisy, if you are reading, you will recieve your gift in about 53 days when i come back home for my break! sound ok?

Question--i have had several people tell me they try to comment on my blog, but have troubles! if you try to comment but have trouble as well, will you click the box at the end of this blog that says "not working" next to the "this blog is..." thankya :)

R-idiculous amount of stress when i took physical diagnosis test on wednesday- written part was super hard (alot of diagnosis) practical part was ok. I had my classmate Carrie as a patient. I WAY overcalculated her pulse and then couldnt figure out how to lay the table down, and then forgot to palpate her sinus'. oops- wont ever forget them again
E-wwww, said my bff, Hayleah. I grossed her out when talking about cadaver meat ;)
S-tudytunes now consist of christmas music. i start early, dont laugh :)
T-unnel/Middlesboro flooded from all the rain-- if you wanna see video footage from the flooding, that was posted in Facebook click here

A-TV awareness is my group's topic for our community service project. This past week we solidifed where we would present our information: Tommy's Motorsports in Middlesboro, KY
N-ational and state organizations that support PA's... another one of my group's paper topic! turned in my first group paper this past week. it was semi-difficult to write a 2 page, single-spaced, paper with 5 people who all have different writing styles.
D-idnt realize how much the state of Texas makes an impact on the PA profession and the nation in general until I moved here. it makes me miss just the state in general. i miss being familiar with roads and knowing i can find my way around.

R-ejected contestant for the free trip to Paris from Oh Happy Day. thats ok because I'm not sure when I would have been able to make the trip. Click on the blog link above to read who won! Congrats Beth!
E-arthquake of catagory 7, Hurricane Hermey warned us of the upcoming anatomy lectures. This next block of material contains the thorax, abdomen, and peritoneum. this means the test over this info will cover 3 CHAPTERS in GRAYS!! unthinkable! each previous test had been over 1 chapter and had felt like studying for finals. im not sure how I will be able to conquer test 3 alone. I see extra Jesus time in my future :)
L-azy for a WHOLE hour. on thursday I was on a roll studying, then i started texting like 4 different people and realized i had wasted a whole hour. felt defeated by my evil phone, but realized it was some good chat time with my friends :) it was a re-energizer!
A-lisha invited me to her condo for the weekend in Gatlinburg, TN see pics below of the town
X-cited to get away for the weekend for some R&R. we had both studied very hard and been successful on our tests, so we deserved some time off :)
A-lternate routes to gburg.. 3 to be exact. it was dark and the signs were either misleading or completely invisible! we finally made it to her cute place there after about 2.5 hours
T-ried several different restaurants while in gburg: Crawdaddy's (had a yummy shrimp po'boy), Fannie's Corner Kitchen (got a delish sausage/hotdog thing filled with onions and peppers--see pic below), and Flapjacks (got traditional breakfast foods). There are a TON of pancake places there. I counted, literally, 10 on a strip of road as we went to WalMart.
I-nteresting to see Taffy being made as we walked up and down the strip on Saturday afternoon. It was fun to see how it goes from being pulled apart on the machine to packed little pieces. I bought some of my favorite kind: banana and peppermint! Also while walking on the strip, Alisha and I went through a Ripley's mirror maze. It was a dark maze filled with nothing of mirrors and the goal was to make it through without touching a single mirror! im proud to say, we did it!! we kinda cheated by looking at the smudges on the mirrors, but for the most part, we used our smart PA judgement :)
O-n a t-shirt, Alisha got a airbrushed t-shirt for her boyfriend as a joke! It turned out great and I cant wait to hear about his reaction to!
N-ever thought I would miss my family as bad as I did on Sunday night. Being in gburg really made me miss summer vacations, just spending time at the pool with them, and being in their company. speaking of missing people, i really miss my boy :) i think he's kinda cute/funny/everything, so follow his blog too... Dylan's Blog

***DISCLAIMER: these pictures were jacked from gatlinburg searches on google.com. I didnt take any of these.***

Missing In Action

2011-06-21T09:21:00.004-05:00

June 6-19, 2011.
Missing in Action. 4th and 5th Week in PA school.

If you haven't noticed, posts have been MIA! This is because I have been so busy and honestly do not have time to sit and write up a blog if I havent written it in little bits throughout the week!
Heres to catching up, while I should be paying attention to the histology of cardiac muscle..

****NOTE: READ THIS!!! I have decided to give a gift to the 1000th viewer of my blog, in appreciation of taking the time to read about my PA life! Im not sure what the prize will be, but I have narrowed it down to some type of gift having to do with the Cumberland Gap Historic Area. On the bottom left side column of my blog, there is a counter, showing how many views have been made on the blog! If you notice you are the 1000th viewer, take a screen shot with the '1000' view in plain site, and email the picture to me at katiecole3@gmail.com **** I will announce who the winner is on my next post!

M-ack truck.. the upper limb information hit me like a mack truck! there was so much information; it was taught so quickly, it was rough! We learned the information in a matter of 4 days..
I-ntense physiology exam was kicked in the butt by kcole! i was so nervous of what was going to be on it, that I studied my butt off and it was worth it!
S-kills are being learned in physical diagnosis that i will use my entire lifetime! it is so fun to learn all the different eye, ears, nose, head, neck, and mouth exams!
S-cared about the 2nd anatomy exam because there was so little time to learn the info, but I showed it who was boss!!
I-ncandescently excited to be 1/2 way done with anatomy!! July 22 can not come fast enough!!! (not sure if incandescently was used correctly here, I just like it cause Mr. Darcy uses it ;)
N-ew ways to understand stress and burnout--we are required by law to take an "intro to the PA profession" class, and we have recently talked about ways to manage stress and burnout.. I will definitely be referring to this lecture in the future.. possible NOW!!!
G-roup projects... we have so many with so many different people!! they are overwhelming me, trying to keep up with what group for what class with what people... its so confusing, its making me write confusing sentences :)

I-n anticipation.. waiting in anticipation. with my family coming here, all I could do the week before was think about them! I had to focus on anatomy but after 2:15 pm on Thurs (6/17), I sat by the window waiting on their car to drive up! ok, not really, but i was so excited to just be able to relax and wait on them!!
N-ever been more excited to see my family! I miss them so much, but I hadnt really been able to think about it from being so busy.

A-te at every place possibly good in Harrogate and Middlesboro. Pelanchos, Haymaker, Oasis, Gondolier
C-umberland Gap National Historical Park--The family and I hiked on Sunday up to the Pinnacle and also to the TriState Spot (where TN, KY, and VA state lines meet)
T-ried out Pump Springs Baptist Church on Sunday with my family! it was good and I liked the worship!
I-I would say you guys get a party tray.. said from the mouth of the Oasis waitress. Mind you, we have 3 adults (who were planning on eating 2 pieces of pizza each and 2 boys who planned on eating 3 pieces between the both of them!) When the party tray arrived, it was GINORMOUS. There was like 25 pieces and now i have leftovers for the rest of the week--for breakfast AND dinner!
O-ne big sleepover party! the last few nights on my family's visit, they all slept in my room! we had 2 queen (or full, im not sure) air matresses on my floor! There was no walking floor room.. it was like one big bouncy floor!
N-oooo, dont go! I didnt want my family to leave because I love their company! There was a crazy thunderstorm the night before they left. Even that morning as their were loading up, it was a torentual downpour!! my dad was suited up in trashbags to avoid being wet the whole ride home!

It was a pleasure to have my family visit and now Im counting down the next 58 days when Ill be in SHERMAN!! WOO HOO!!! ready to be out of Harrogate!

Sartorious = Liberty!

2011-06-06T00:19:00.002-05:00

May 30-June 5, 2011
my third week of PA school is over. it was an eventful week, see below :)

one of my new favorite blog sites is Oh Happy Day! The writer, Jordan, is giving away a 7 day trip to Paris, and I have registered in all 4 ways!! Im sure most of you know, but i have an unhealthy obsession with that romantic city and I was able to take it all in for my 22nd birthday but without my sister! I would love it so much to win the trip and be able to explore the magnificent city with Claire! The winner is announced 6/20/11, so I will keep you updated :) If you would like to lessen my chances of winning, enter to win yourself, or take me along if you win, click here to register!!

S-leepin in, I did on monday-yay-we were off for memorial day but i spent it studying from 3-11pm at the DCOM with alisha. we spread out in the classroom. see pic
A-rrival of package for me!! i got an email from the lady in charge of my housing that I had mail.. I LOVE MAIL... hint hint ;)
R-eady to get this anatomy test over with! Thursday at 2pm I will take a LONG nap :)
T-rial run.. with my first anatomy test on Thursday, we had a practice exam on Tuesday. It was my first practice test as a PA-S and alot easier than I expected, which was a super confidence booster.
O-our apt seemed so far away. One night after late night studying at Paige's house, Alisha and I got lost getting back to campus. Not only did our cell phones have no service, I had been on E for a while. I almost had a mini breakdown because I was scared we would get abducted or run out of gas in the completely UNLIT back country roads of TN. Finally we got service in our phones long enough to call for help from Paige and find our way back to civilization. Note to self: dont ever go into the country on an empty tank.
R-egistered my exam software-sounds lame but it was fun finally being able to click on an application on my desktop that I had been wondering about for so long. All our exams are through this program which allows for quick and easy grading :)
I-nventing a new dance, some PA friends and I are. Our first test was over the back and lower limb. In this section we learned about Trendelenburg gait and shoulder drop. It reminded us of a swag walk or dance so we joke about it now :) want to learn more about T.gait? click here
O-hhhhiiiiiooooo, Oklahoma, Oregan, Pennsylvania.. Anyone recognize this song? Its the fifty nifty united states song. after one delirious night, I was in Alyson's apartment and the song got brought up. I was wondering if people from different states say their own state in the "Texas is the best of the.." part.. When she mentioned she did, I said that was dumb-remember, I was tired! She followed that statement with literary genius.. "dont hate the state, hate the fifty nifty song" HILARIOUS!! want to learn the states in alpha order?? here you go
U-nloaded the pocketbook to buy my first PANCE review book.. big deal people!
S-uper pumped about the Western Conference Champs mavs shirt my mom is mailing me :) even though they are down 2-1 to Miami, Im still proud and think they can pull it off..

=words dont start with '=' signs.. katie=tired of studying the back/lower limb though

L-ibrary orientation.. so much information given.. i will never forget the funny videos I was shown nor the awesome "instabow" i got from the 'freebee' bag
I-ntense studying.. so far as to assigning cheerleading stunts to remember what muscles do what movements! in the test it was very helpful because I had an association to something more familiar. Examples: scorpian, liberty, heel stretch, spread eagle, correct toetouch. see pic below
B-AMM!!! first 2 anatomy tests are conquered and over with! I exceeded my expectations with an A :) Everyone in class was so exhausted after the test we all felt like it was the weekend. Alisha made a rule for our apt for thursday night "No Higher Level Thinking Tonight" haha
E-xpelling gas, something alyson hoped the skunk digging in the trash outside her door WOULDN'T do. she was freaking out of the little thing, then after it ran away decided to run after it! crazy girl!
R-iiinnngggg, rrrriiiinnngggg. one day in the elevator i heard a loud ringing noise. I soon found out I had accidently hit the 'HELP' button. 911 answered and I had to tell them I had hit the button on accident. OOPS?!
T-rip to Knoxville on Saturday with Kelcye for some shopping therapy and REAL food! ate at The ChopHouse for the first time and it was delicious! The mall in Knoxville was very nice, had every store you could imagine. Even a Francescas! The people in the mall were dressed in the crazies things.
Y-es Mam, gas is cheaper on the other side. As Kelcye and I stop for gas on the way to Knoxville, we stop for gas and accidently pull into a fullservice lane. We didnt even realize those still existed. He wouldnt move away from the door and let Kelcye out, so we had to move to a self service one..
!-excited because I attended a bible study held by one of our TA's who is also a DO student! it was fun to fellowship with Amanda, Brooke, Kelly, Alyson, Christina, and the others who were there! im looking forward to next sunday night.

information overload...

2011-05-29T23:24:00.001-05:00

2nd Week of PA School. May 23-29, 2011. This week has been crazyness!!

I-nteresting lecture in "Intro to the PA Professions" by Professor Metcalf; it was all about his experiences as a PA and physician/PA team!
N-ot enough brain space.. i dont think i have enough
F-inally when I have gotten the muscles of the back down, we get the muscles of the lower limb.. fail
O-vertime in the Mavs game caused be to REAL tired tuesday morning.. if they would have lost I would have been mad.. mad and tired are not a good combination. Im so excited they beat OKC and are moving onto the NBA Finals!! I love the mavs :)
R-ecieved White Coat-- embroidered with "Katie Cole, PA-S' and "LMU-DCOM" :) :) see pic below :)
M-astering the feet muscles is something I do not have at the moment-- there are SO MANY MUSCLES in the feet!
A-bsolutly nothing.. there was so much fog wednesday morning, you could literally see nothing past the hill... see pic below :)
T-riangle..Femoral Triangle! growing to love this thing--hahahaha!
I-nfarction.. i would have had a myocardial infarction if my professor had called me out today. there were 8 students he randomly called out to interview/give a report of a 'fake patient' aka, himself in front of the WHOLE class! the students who were called on did great and after seeing them 'perform', i will be confident next time.
O-ne last anatomy lecture on thursday to finish all the material for our test next thursday!!
N-erves, nerves, nerves.. WHY ARE THEY SO HARD TO LEARN???

O-opportunity to finally practice clinical skills on our classmates! Professor Hobbs taught us how to do a head, neck, ears, mouth, and nose exam!
V-aluable experience.. getting to practice these exams on each other is not only fun but valuable to learn professionalism and how to not look clueless with out instruments.
E-ars.. watchout for wax in ears.. its gross and will cover up the tympanic membrane so you cant see it!
R-idiculous amount of cops/sheriffs on either side of the tunnel on friday night!! LITERALLY there were probably 30-40 of them.
L-iscense, registration, drunk driving.. apparently all the cops were conducting a road block! picture below was not taken by myself. it was adopted from my classmate, Jenna Dixon. Thanks Jenna!!
O-nly resident in my apartment this weekend. my roomies left me :( they each went to visit their family! wish I could visit mine.
A-bsolutely nothing fun happened on Saturday.. slept in late, did laundry, went grocery shopping and watched alot of TV while having a long date with Dr. Gray. Kelcye and I planned on going to Knoxville, but I was too tired.
D-oors were locked-- on sunday after a nice morning at church with Paige Goforth and a study session at school, Kelly, Alex, Ryan, and I tried to go eat at some local BBQ place but it was closed. Next we tried Webbs country kitchen but it was closed too! We finally landed at J. Miltons.. like a Golden Corral but worse, if thats even possible- wait, yes it is-- its called J. Miltons.

With his ~~sarcastic~~ interest in my blog, Alexander E. Jones, one of my classmates/friends, will be a guest blogger soon! Not sure what the content will be, but it's probably gonna be legit/awesome.

first week is over

2011-05-22T18:52:00.003-05:00

May 17-20, 2011
the first week of PA school is over! It was an exciting and busy one. I am definitely going to have to get used to the lack of sleep and go into hyperstudy mode!

F-inally got on a normal sleep schedule. This whole 8-5 stuff makes me tired and feel like a 'real' adult.
I-ntense amount of material being taught!! I have to study several hours every night to make sure i dont get behind
R-eceived my equipment on Wednesday: stethoscope, otoscope, opthalmoscope, and sphygmomanometer!! see pics below!!
S-econd year students threw a picnic for us 1st years at the Inn pool. It was nice to get some advice from those who have experienced what we are going through
T-ons of new friends were made in the first week!!!

W-oohoo!! got to sleep in on Friday until 8:15!! That was a whole extra hour and I was loving it
E-veryday, i have seen city/school people mowing everyday since I have been here. we have decided there is so much to mow, by the time they are done with the whole thing, its time to start at the beginning again. esp with all the rain that we have been having!
E-njoyed a nice run/walk at the local park on wednesday afternoon. the men who were mowing the park, were so nice- each one of them waved at me as I ran or walked by! haha :)
K-atie--i figured I would be the only one, but I have met 1 or 2 others in my class.

I-nfused with formaldehyde are my scrubs!! I have to take them off as soon as I get home or else I will smell like it for the rest of the day.
S-pent doubledigit hours in the cadaver lab ALREADY and its just the first week..

O-KC aint got nothing the MAVS!!! GO MAVERICKS!! the games come on so late here, which means I go to bed late, cause a true fan wont fall asleep until its over :)
V-isited Crosspointe Christian Church on Sunday with my roommate Alisha!!
E-zperanza-- Mexican restaurant we went today for lunch with the pastor and others from the Crosspointe- it was fun to chat with some people from the middlesboro/harrogate area
R-ain rain go away, come again some other day.. just as I was walking out my apartment door to go get some groceries, it started raining. Half of the time I have been living here it has rained...

orientation is over!

2011-05-17T18:51:00.004-05:00

Real Classes finally start. May 16-17, 2011

O-ver, orientation that is. i had my first real class today (5/17)

R-ex Hobbs is the Director of the program and he moved to TN from McKinney! small world

I-m not used to waking up early--had to be at class on monday morning at 7:15!!!

E-ventually hope to have lots of PA tshirts like the one below!

N-ot moving at all-- the line to get our IDs made took forever!! we sat in line for about 30 minutes

T-alktalkandmoretalk.. there was so much talking going on monday

A-LOT of new friends :)

T-ime for lunch yet?? there was so much sitting, I was so ready to just go eat something- plus my stomach was growling

I-nformation OVERLOAD!!!! so much to get aquainted with the first day of orientation

O-minous clouds covered the mountains/hills on tuesday afternoon

N-ew COMPUTER!!!! included in program costs is a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet! its amazing

I-nstant food: will/has been my favorite way to 'cook' while i have been in TN
S-avvy is something im not when using Windows 7. I gotta break my mac habits!

O-ne note-- my new favorite way to take notes!

V-ery quick pace, anatomy went on tuesday.. it was my first class in PA school :)

E-xcited to get my equipment: stethoscope, otoscope, othalmoscope, ect...

R-eady to embark on this first semester in PA school!

From now on, I will post weekly with updates of things I am learning and doing in school :) I hope yall enjoy sharing in my exciting journey of becoming a PA! Now for some orientation pics...

it all starts tomorrow...

2011-05-15T19:08:00.001-05:00

The final days leading up to the 1st day of PA school. May 13-15, 2011

I-m gonna miss my sisters presence.. she left may 13
T-oured Kelcye's apartment- it was cute and her bed is amazing: king sized tempurpedic :)

A-ttended a 'nonmandatory' informal picnic to meet some other PA students! it was super fun!
L-oved chatting with my new friends Courtney and Erika with Kelcye till the wee hours in the morning :)
L-aaaateeee.. is when the time i woke up on Sunday because of our girls chat the night before

S-eriously?!?!?!? Kelcye and I got lost trying to find a target from the airport!
T-icket--i almost got one at the airport for parking in a no parking zone!! yikes!
A-ssignment.. already have my first reading assignment as a PA student. good thing its only 3 relatively small chapters
R-etreat retreat!! kelcye and i were going out an entrance at target.. oops!!
T-each me how to dougie- the girls and i are determined to make a PA parody video, possible to teach me how to dougie- lol
S-moking?? are you smoking?? There was a group of high school students smoking outside the prom that was happening on campus on saturday. see the picture below of the pic i got from the 'driveby' we did

T-alked with some new PA neighbor friends today -- 2 who actually played basketball for Alabama!
O-ne more night of freedom--orientation starts tomorrow
M-et one of my roommate Alisha from Alabama- she is super sweet and gorgeous!
O-hmygoshmetoo!! Alisha and I have found a silly connection: we love the show 'sister wives'
R-idiculous, kinda- we had a mandatory picnic today in the cafeteria to meet others and have a talk from the PA program staff. we had a dress code to start out habits of professionalism!
R- eally-who is that? saw lots of new faces I didnt recognize at the 'picnic'
O-ff a bridge--thats where I want to throw my phone right about now. no service, EVER, and its not picking up my finger tapping.. UGH!!
W-ow!! we have a new favorite show: mob wives.. its scares me sometimes. haha

finally able to relax, ahh!

2011-05-12T11:27:00.047-05:00

Goodmorning Harrogate. May 12, 2011

F-irst time to wake up in the apartment.. it was different
I-nside the Middlesboro Mall, we found a belk, sears, jcpenny, claires, movie theatre, hibbets, and a cookie shop- i think i will be able to survive now :)
N-uhhh uhhh!!! only cost Claire and I $5 totaly to see the new Madea movie.. I will be seeing alot of movies there in the future
N-ever going to take for granted curtains- the sun works better than any alarm, ive determined
A-nnoying to get used to new channel numbers.. i cant find anything
L-ist of channels should help- I typed out a nice sheet with them all on there so I can watch something other than the crazy tvguide channel
L-ate lunch at Hardee's- which I thought was kinda like a Carls Jr, but it isnt
Y-ou have to turn the straightener ON before it works. I tried 4 different plugs, thinking the straightener didnt work until I realized I didnt have it turned on :)

A-m I really living in TN now, still kinda blows my mind
B-unches of rain today- claire and i had sit extra long in Hardees until it lightened up so we were drenched while going to the car
L-oud voices woke me up this morning-- people were IN my apartment...
E-xcuse me, but why am i watching my door be unlocked and someone about to see me sleeping??

T-aking out the 'trash' was the excuse the janitors told me as they opened my door to find me sleeping
O-n the tips of fingers is not where superglue is meant to be.. its super hard to get off (pun INTENDED)

R-emedy for super glue on tips of fingers- soak fingers in fingernail polish remover, then use sharp end of scissors as a scraper :) LOL
E-njoyed a quiet night in the apartment watching Julie and Julia for her last night in TN
L-ocated a new coffee house with a really cute outside sitting area: Shades of Brown
A-te dinner at a REALLY nice Dairy Queen that had its sanitation score posted for all the see
X-erox... its the only word i can think of that starts with an 'x'.. dont judge ;)

driving is boring!!

2011-05-11T12:56:00.002-05:00

Arrival/First day in Harrogate. May 11, 2011

D-o not pull out of a parking lot and try to cross to the other side of traffic if it's dark and you dont know the area- you might drive across abunch of grass, which is not a middle turn lane at all :) I almost did this said tip
R-am the key into the lock, and THEN it will work- I had lots of trouble getting the door unlocked
I-nfinity... is the amount of time it take to drive the last 60 miles of this trip!! driving through small towns and on the sides of mountains was torturous
V-acant... claire and i are the ONLY people in this ENTIRE apartment building until Friday... kinda creepy
I-ce machine.. the apartment doesnt have one- HELLO ice traysss
N-othing missing so far.. i have unpacked everything and i seem to have forgotten anything. WINNING
G-ondlier will be my favorite Italian restaurant in Harrogate

I-75... road we were supposed to be on, but we missed the exit.. oopps!
S-pent too much money at walmart buying things to fix my room up.

B-utterfinger cheesecake :) claire and I shared some at dinner with Kelcye, her mom, and stepdad
O-ooouuuccchhhhhh!! I walked into Subway and it WREAKED of onions- my eyes immediately starting watering and itching like crazzzzyyy- we left before I was even finished eating because it was TERRIBLE!
R-uuuudddeee!!! claire and I felt like EVERYONE was being rude and staring at us! its like we had signs on our backs that said "we are not from here, please stare, no really, please!"
I-nsane amount of trees in this town-- pretty sure we will NEVER run out of oxygen here
N-o problems unloading the car even though there were only 2 people!
G-oooo ahead and sign here, even though all these blanks are filled out, just sign saying you agree... the check in papers were already filled out.. hmmm... i hope this doesnt backfire on me

will we EVER get there...

2011-05-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

Goodbye Sherman, Hello Endless Driving! May 10, 2011

W-estbound traffic is invisible as you drive through parts of TN- a forest separates the two sides of the highway
I-nsane amount of unmarked cop cars in TN- i think we saw maybe 1 or 2 marked cars the whole time we were driving
L-ittlerock, AR is the only interesting thing in AR.. seriously, it is all soooooo boring!!
L-ETS GO BILLY PAUL, shouted a woman in Texarkana at a Chikfila playground at her child- you know you are near arkansas when a childs name is "Billy Paul"

W-ater was so high EVEN on our side of the highway- it was all the way up to the road- like if you went off the edge of the road you would have been swimming!
E-njoyed riding with Claire the whole way- we jammed out!

E-ager to get to my new home :)
V-ery crazy road names/towns in TN: christmasville, providence Rd (like road island), spain, england, mila, paris, arlington, mousetail, pillow creek
E-ating TOOO much fast food on this trip- im just ready for a simple sandwich
R-an into a cone in a construction area outside of paris!

G-oodgrief- I saw 3 canadian liscense plates- and I thought I had a bad drive... dang!
E-xcited to get my equipment on monday :)
T-N bridge was awesome!! see pic below :)

T-raffic issues caused me to hit a cone- dont worry, parentals (if you are reading this), it didnt leave any marks/damage on the car
H-ideout spots for cops in AR and TN are crazyness- they have like these cut out areas in the trees that separate the sides of traffic and they sit in them and hide, waiting to catch you speeding and ruin your day
E-cstatic to get out of the car after driving from 10am-9pm
R-are was it to see any Texas plates one we were out of the state: I have only seen 3 car plates and 2 diesel plates
E-xtreme mpg at some points of the trip- at certain times, i was getting almost 100mpg.. thats what im talking about honda hybrids!!!
?-*insert scooby question noise* are we EVER gonna get to nashville???? i didnt think we would

texas au revoir

2011-05-09T01:38:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I leave my great state. Away from family, friends, and familiar places, but I move to what God has planned out for me, going ahead to prepare a place for me.

M-om is sick :( not a fun note for me to leave on

O-h, i cant believe im gonna be in PA schoool

V-icks puffs have helped calm me down tonight before the big moving day

I-need less stuff because i have a small car, and im not sure it will all fit.

N-ew surroundings begin TOMORROW!

G-oing to be a long 14+ hours in the car the next 2 days

I-ngrid will be blaring through the speakers my countless hours on I-40

S-o so so many shoes and nothing to pack them in

B-logger hopes to see more action from Katie in the next few months.

I-in the morning, moms making waffles as my send off breakfast

T-erry is the bomb.com... GO MAVS!!!

T-ime is ticking away tonight, which means i need to hurry up and post so i can atleast get SOME sleep

E-nding on my name.. i will have a new one in a week: PA-S :) :)

R-eading, reading reading... there's alot of that in my future

S-omething i take for granted- dishwasher. my apartment WONT have one. :'(

W-here in the world am I going to school?? www.lmunet.edu and see below

E-verything is going to be OK, God's got it in control!

E-ven though Im away from everyone, I will blog so you all can keep up!

T-exas ranger baseball games will be miss greatly

2 des plus grandes étapes importantes dans ma vie jusqu'ici

2011-02-03T17:14:00.002-06:00

again: this post, written on 2/3, actually occurred 12/17-18
title translation: 2 of the greatest steps in my life up to now!

Since my interview on Dec 3, I have been in agony waiting for a phone call from LMU. On some occasions, I am excited for a call because I am confident in their decision. Ironically, its the ~~arrogant~~ confident thoughts that always bring me to the reality they might decline me a position. I try to mask the agonizing thoughts with the excitement of GRADUATION!! I cant believe its finally here! I have finished my bachelor's degree a semester early and ~~ready/prepared~~ scared to move on, in all honesty! On the senior-itis days, I am so glad to have a break and then go onto PA school. The other days I am scared to become a REAL adult: pay for things, actually be responsible. and face the workworld. The only thing keeping me unruffled, besides knowing I am part of God's plan, is that I only have a few months until I resume student status. After graduation of PA school, I will REALLY have to deal with those emotions.

Dec 18
I decided to wear my suit from my interview to graduation. Noone will see it because of my gown, and I kinda like how it looks me (very professional!) Graduation morning, I had to report at like 8am sharp for a practice or else I would not be able to walk! I made it in time and we went over the order of service while I 'illegally' texted and talked on the phone to help family and friends find the Burg (location of graduation). Before graduation was scheduled to begin, we were led to another building because we were to walk at the beginning of the graduation. Let me mention- it was oh so cold, but I'm not complaining- would have preferred it cold than hot! So we get to the holding building, all lined up, and start walking back towards the Burg when my phone drops out of my gown and the screen CRACKS!! I have gone a year and a half without a phone cover and it has never cracked! never! That definitely made graduation not-so enjoyable because I was worried what my dad would say and if would operate with the crack. Graduation began and went as smooth. I managed not to trip/fall while walking across the stage and they even gave me the right diploma! After graduation, I met with some friends to take pictures and then I headed over the 'Sweet Tomato' to eat lunch! My family and some close friends joined me. I had such a great time getting to talk with all them and eat. Note: I left my phone in the car this whole time because ANYONE who need to contact me was with me (that I knew of)! So I get back in the car, check my phone (bc im OCD -haha) and I have like 2 missed calls from a number from TN!!!!! I am riding with Claire and Alyssa, and I begin to freak out because I know its from LMU and they are calling to let me know if I was accepted or not! I see they leave a message and I ~~confidently~~ anxiously check it! They tell me to call them back, and after much coaching by Claire, who assured me it would be fine. Michele (the dean) was actually on the phone with another student when I called, so she had to call me back. We were playing phone tag! She calls back and I ...answer. Shes does this whole small talk thing, congratulating me on graduation, and OFFERS ME A SPOT IN THEIR PROGRAM!! I excitedly accept. She asks if I have any questions and I am so stunned at what I just heard that I say no and get off the phone quickly! Claire and Alyssa can tell I got in and when I hang up the phone, I literally start BAWLING!!! No joke, the waterworks/flood gates were OPENED!!! I am like huffing and puffing because I am so overwhelmed with what just happened! Claire almost starts crying from seeing me cry- one big crying party! After I gained a little composure- some not much- I call my dad and try to tell him I got accepted. He cant understand me through my sobbing and he thinks something happened to us. He starts looking out the mirrors (bc he was a car ahead of us) and he cant see anything. I am so loud on the phone my mom can hear me and she starts wondering whats going on too! I mean, the last they saw me, I was happy to graduate and be with family and friends! When I finally speak clear enough for him to hear, he screams and tells everyone else in the car. I proceed to call all my family and friends and tell them the good news! They are all so excited for me! I get back to DBU and get the last few things from my apartment and make the ride to my new home for the next 6 months! Needless to say, I will never forgot December 18! It was a monumental day in my life!

Here are some pictures of the day :)

Interview at Lincoln Memorial University

2011-02-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

forward: although written today (2/3) this actually happened sometime in mid November-Dec 3.

One day while I was sitting at lunch on campus at the Patriot Cafe, eating quickly before I headed to work, my phone rang. I didnt recognize the number, which made me excited because I was expecting to hear from PA schools. I answered and found out it was a lady from Lincoln Memorial University! I was so excited to learn they wanted to bring me in for an interview! She gave me the choice of 3 dates of which I had to get back to her because I couldnt decided right then. I would have to plan out flights and when it was best to miss school. I returned her call the next week with my interview confirmation of Dec 3. I was so excited about this interview yet VERY nervous at the same time. My dad and I began looking at flights and where to stay and how to get around while I was there.

I flew out of DFW on Dec 2 at 12:30pm. Dylan dropped me off at the airport with a bittersweet attitude. He was sad to see me leave for a few days, but just as excited to see me get to start the interview stage of PA school. It was the first time I had flown by myself and I was a bit nervous. I had already checked in online and reserved my seat ( I made sure to get a single seat by a window)! So when I got into the check-in area, I didnt really know what to do. I managed to get a print out of my ticket and make it through security without any trouble. God was watching over me :) Once in, I had some time before I boarded, so I had lunch at chilis, by myself, like a loner. LOL. I moved to my gate and waited to board. It finally came time to board, and I made it to my seat. The flight was short and we made it without and problems in the air. When we began the descend, I could see the landscape of TN (it was my first time there). I was so impressed to see it looked straight out of the woods! There were trees everywhere! The airport was so small and very cute! The decorations represented to wooded scene of Knoxville and I was excited get out of the airport to see it all. My dad and I decided to rent a car to drive from the airport to the hotel. I follow directions to the rent-a-car place (of which I got a discount for being with LMU.. FTW). My assigned car was a new Jeep Cherokee with push start- very cool! The trip was supposed to take a little over an hour to make, but I made it in a little over 2 hours. The delay was because ALL the roads are like on winding mountains, I didnt know where I was going so went slow to not miss any road, and it was getting dark. When I finally made it to the hotel, I checked in, dropped my bag off and got out to find something to eat for dinner. I also needed to make a trip to walmart cause my purse didnt match my suit for the interview- gotta be in style for the first impression- LOL! The hotel was in Middlesboro, KY and it was so small there was not many restaurants. I ate some tacos, found the necessary purse, and went back to my room. I had a paper due the next day in a class I was missing back home, so I had to sit down and write it. Between paper writing and cramming for interview information, I went to sleep nervous/anxious/excited/prepared for the interview.

I did as much preparation the night before for getting ready as I could so that waking up and getting ready would be easier. The morning of Dec 3, I made the last minute preparations and headed down to put my bags in the jeep. I came back in to grab some breakfast. In the lobby, I noticed other students in suits and I knew then they were other people going to the interview! They were waiting to ride the shuttle to the interview. Although I shouldnt have started comparing myself to how 'smart' they looked (how I could tell that by their appearance, IDK), I did. It didnt make my nerves very calm. I followed the bus to the school, parked, and went to check in. In all there were 7 students there for the interview. We were led up to a meeting room and given a folder. The folder had contents about the school, profession, and schedule of the day. We sat through some presentations about the program and then the interviews began. I was VERY LAST to be called. Dont be worried, the order was preplanned and I knew I was going to be last from the beginning- made my nerves calm down even LESS! While waiting to be called, those not in the interview chatted and got to know one another. When I was called back, I met with the dean of the college and her assistant. It was much more laid back that I expected. Afterwards, I knew there were better ways I could have answered the questions, but it was over! I was DONE with my first INTERVIEW!!! I was so excited, much better than I thought! They werent trying to stump me or ask me questions I wouldnt know. They were more interested in myself rather than knowing I knew everything about the profession! After I had finished my interview, we were led to lunch where we were able to get to know the other interviewees better. We were then able to tour some of the student housing and the campus. After all that, we were taken back to the DO/PA building and allowed to leave. I got in the Jeep and called my parents, Claire, and Dylan to tell them I was headed back and how the day went. They were all very excited for me.

Back at the airport, after parking my rental car in the wrong return spot (woops), I got some food and waited to board. It was then the nerves of 'will they accept me??' started. Their website said a response will be given in 4-6 weeks. A PA 1st year student told us he got a call the monday after his friday interview. So from then until I got the call, I was on pins and needles not knowing when they were going to let me know. I landed back in Dallas and was picked up by Dylan and headed to Sherman to rest and relax from the stressful few days!

Best part about the whole interview process: the very impressive school, God delivering me through the interview, and meeting the other interviewees (esp Kelcye!!, who I have now talked to every day since then and is a highly potential roommate :D )

Here are some pics to help you get a better picture of this adventure

Caution, Beware, Warning

2011-02-03T09:19:00.000-06:00

I am about to get caught up on blog posting! This will entail MANY posts as I have gotten VERY behind! Enjoy :) xoxo

frère joyeux anniversaire!!

2010-11-29T17:51:00.001-06:00

So we ended up not going to blue fish in watters creek :( My brother had chose that for his birthday dinner, but changed to Dave & Busters (@ stonebriar) at the last minute. It was fun to go out to eat for his birthday and seeing him open all his presents. We got him a huge nerf sword that is ridiculous in size! Here are some other presents we got him :)

He didnt eat the dessert they brought because he didnt like it! Dylan really ate it, but Cade wanted to take a picture to make it look like he ate it. Silly boy! After dinner, Cade and Dad went to play some games while Dylan, Claire, Mom and I went walking around the mall to do some Christmas shopping! It was a great night that ended with a game at quelf!

This Friday is my interview and I am so excited to experience it! Dont worry, I will keep you updated :)

bonjour il

2010-11-27T15:21:00.001-06:00

Wow. I have not posted in forever. I am truly sorry. I have been so busy with school, volunteering, PA apps, and the holidays. Since my last post-like I just mentioned, I have applied to PA schools, being going strong at school and work, been volunteering regularly at Irving Interfaith Clinic, not liking that this is my last semester in college, and spending time with my family for the holidays.

I applied to 7 PA schools. 4 in TX (UT southwestern, UTMB, UNT, UNTHSCSA). 3 out of state: LMU, USA, and Harding. At this point, I am willing to go to any school that accepts me. I would prefer a school in TX, but I will go wherever. I have 1 interview until the new year: next Friday (Dec 3) at LMU. I am nervous to make the trip alone, but I know it will be ok. Oh, and I bought my first suit for the interviews... I look so professional in it. hehe :D

School and work are quickly coming to an end. I like and dont like it. I dont like that I will [most likely] move home away from all my friends and become a real adult, but also like that I will have a semester off before I start again. I think it will be a nice refresher before I start grad school.

Volunteering at Irving Interfaith has been such a blessing. I love going and love all the people there. It is going to be sad when I have to leave, but I will never forget them.

Thanksgiving/Black Friday have come and gone which means CHRISTMAS is around the corner! Christmas is probably my most favorite season of the whole year. I feel like everyone is nice to everyone because its a season of giving :) As I type, Christmas decorations are being put up in my house and cakes are being baked (for my brothers 9th birthday!)

Outside of my life, THE RANGERS WENT TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!

GO RANGERS!!!!!! Even though they lost I am super proud of them!

My family's new favorites: watters creek, bluefish sushi, and quelf. we are going there tonight :) I will update you on our night tomorrow. Quelf is a new game that we found at target last night. It is a super fun and hilarious game that everyone should play! Ask me for more info about the game :)

note: I started this post like 4 weeks before it was actually posted.

Les Derniers Jours

2010-08-16T21:24:00.001-05:00

These are the last few days of summer and as I sit back and think about it, I realize how FAST it went by. I have started to notice that as you get older, time goes by faster and faster--like a slippery slope. I cant believe that its already time for me to start my last semester of my undergraduate degree :'( I have ordered my books, arranged my schedule, and gotten on a school sleep schedule... All that needs to happen is to start going to classes.

To update you, I will start volunteering at Irving Interfaith Clinic this week. I am excited to see how God uses me there and his purpose for connecting me with them. I am also applying this week to Charlton Methodist Hospital to volunteer there also. I cant wait to get involved and get some experience under my belt. With volunteering starting and the year coming to a close, CASPA deadlines are arriving very quickly. I have given myself the mental deadline of September 18 to make sure that I get all required documents and things in line so I can make sure I submit everything by the deadline. This being said, it is very likely I will be taking the GRE on Sept 4. YIKES! I am kinda nervous about the test, but I think it wont be as bad as I think. I luckily have been able to borrow a study guide from work so I can get some practice in before I take it.

Today ended my experience with summer tutoring. I was asked by a former IEP student to tutor his child and his friend during the whole summer while the friend was visiting. I tutored 4 days a week at their apartment and the experience was one like no other. It was my first time to tutor English to anyone under the age of 18. In the beginning it was very difficult to manage my control issues, but I was able to loosen up as time went on. The visiting child will return to Korea tomorrow and I hope he had a great summer with me as his "teacher"!

Vacation was great and I am so glad our family was able to get away a little for the summer and be near the ocean. It was filled with seafood, sun, sand, and sleep :) It was a very restful time. The best memory would be going to the Kemah boardwalk: spending the day on carnival rides and the night seeing live music! The worst memory would be the burn I got from using expired sunscreen on the SECOND day--that didnt make the rest of the trip as enjoyable, but it was still great!

My new favorite quote: Je t'aime plus qu'hier moins que demain. (Translation: I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow)

Goodnight :)

la vie depuis la dernière fois

2010-07-21T20:59:00.001-05:00

I have began mass efforts to find somewhere to volunteer or shadow. I again, have wasted most of a summer toying around with the idea and not doing anything! I have contacted Irving Interfaith Clinic, Charlton Methodist Hospital, and USMD Hospital in Arlington. I was going to shadow a PA from back home but since I have waited so long, I feel it is pointless considering it will be August before I get back and school will be starting soon! I am going to try to find one around this GP/Arlington area that I can try to shadow. I talked with the Director of Irving Interfaith Clinic today and I am excited now to start! I can start applying in August to volunteer at Charlton, and I am still waiting to hear back from USMD. I have left USMD a voicemail and sent an email. Hopefully they will contact me soon! I am excited to get plugged in somewhere and get things rolling.

This Saturday my family, grandparents, Dylan, and I are going to a Rascal Flatts concert at Dr. Pepper Park in Frisco. I think it will be fun and we have great seats--floor level! It marks the beginning of my week long vacation at the beach. The day after the concert, my family is going to Galveston for vacation :) It is the closest we can get to Cozumel without actually going there and with our budget. I am excited to relax and finish my book, Eat Pray Love, that I mentioned last post! It is a great book and I cant wait to see the movie!

I have been researching different ways to have loan forgiveness. I have discovered many options: Americorps, VISTA, Teach for America, and other teaching opportunities. I have also looked at ways to have PA school paid for. The US Department of Health offers scholarships to people who sign a contract to work for each year that aid is given! It is a great idea and they will reward up to $25,000 a YEAR! That is a crazy amount! That would cover PA school for sure! They also pay for all fees AND given $1300 monthly stipends for living expenses! I am so tempted to do this, but it almost seems too good to be true... should I trust it? hmmm...

Current Song: Marry Me, Train---Fabulous :)

Until next time..... revoir les amis

Eat Pray Love

2010-07-01T21:41:00.000-05:00

I am starting a new book today. "Eat Pray Love." I am excited to read the book because the previews for the movie look VERY good! It is a true story about a woman and her journey to explore three areas of her life: pleasure, devotion, and the "balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence." I am in the first book about her travels in Italy! It makes me think of my lovely best friend Hayleah. She got to not only experience the captivating country, but she also got to do mission work there! She longs to go back!

I can not believe today is the first day of July! It is crazy how fast June went bye. The time is getting closer and closer to the beginning of my last semester in undergrad and I am quite terrified. I am both excited and scared because of the same reason: new phase in life! Yesterday I talked with Kassidy and she calmed my nerves about PA down, so I am more fired up about the PA school application process. I plan on applying sometime around September. Most applications for Texas are due October 1 and I need to allow enough time for my CASPA to process. I am interested in maybe applying out-of-state somewhere up in the northeast! I love to entertain the thought of living in a new exciting city, but I think the reality of it would not set so well with me. I am still looking however! Also, I am on the hunt for eligible positions to volunteer in the medical field to get good experience!

July means birthdays! Like I said in the last post this month involves my darling boyfriend and one of my best friends, Italo! I have a special night planned for Dylan, and I am excited for our time together! I gave Italo's small present and card to his brother today because he is going to Brazil soon and will deliver it for me :D

So as I am writing this, I had to give me some background noise from Pandora! AND GUESS WHAT?!?!?! Pandora is ALREADY playing Christmas music! I may or may not be listening to it already! Dont judge! Hayleah told me it is "Christmas in July."

well, I am going to continue ready my new favorite book! Hayleah just got home and I need to update her of how amazing it is and how she needs to read it ;) 'night

movies, movies, and life things

2010-06-29T00:42:00.000-05:00

why cant life be like the movies sometimes....

i am watching alot of movies lately. i bought two movies at target today: remember me and valentines day! both are great movies! i had never seen remember me, but it was on sale at target, so it was a must! needless to say, it was great! i will definitely watch it multiple times :) let me just say the ending was not expected at ALL! it totally caught me off guard, and i can normally figure out movies. Valentines day, i saw in the theatre, and it was definitely not one that i guessed either!

in honor of the eclipse premiere tomorrow, we are watching the twilight movies. we just love them so so so so much! they are great. hayleah and i were thinking of how dumb some of the things are in the first movie, but we still love it anyways! hehe :D

on the life side of things, june is coming to a close, and i still have yet to shadow a PA! i am getting scared of what this will cause life, but i am just scared to call and ask. it is a pride thing i am going to have to swallow and get over. hopefully i am meeting with a friend to chat PA-ly things this week though to get some encouragement.

life, also- having the world cup on TV and seeing brazilian fans and the brazilian team makes me miss my dear friend Italo! each time i talk to him on facebook, i miss him even more! his birthday is coming up and i shall send him some love from katie/texas!!

life, also also- speaking of birthdays coming up: my wonderful boyfriend's birthday is coming up! he will be the big 24. he is becoming an old geezer. geez! i have a plan to celebrate and i know he will like it! it will be a fun night doing what he likes to do! i just love him so much! also, his birthday also brings up the anniversary of my heart surgery. july 14, 2010 will be the 4th anniversary of my heart surgery! yay for hearts!!!

welp-brain is shutting offfff......must sleep to be rested for ecclliippppseeeeee...

GA Camp

2010-06-23T23:51:00.001-05:00

This past week I went to GA camp. The theme was LIVE LOVE! It was a very refreshing experience for me and my faith! I taught a bible study again this year and was blessed by all the girls in my class. We finally got to stay in the WMU this year, so the YAYA's were excited.

I wanted to share 4 of the experiences from camp that I had never experienced before.
1. It was my first time to experience a foot washing. The pastor had each church and the YAYA group wash each others feet. It was a great time to see each girl take it so seriously and reverently. Our inspiration: John 13 :)
2. It was my first time to experience the desire to read scripture all day long. I have never had a strong desire to read scripture because it has always been kinda a "task" to get done. God worked in my heart that week and gave me the desire to intensively read scripture.
3. It was my first time to experience the urgency to share the gospel. This feeling was straight from God himself and it was amazing to feel him moving! I can not share much about this due to privacy of those involved, but if you have any questions, ask me-please! It was one of the greatest feelings ever because I knew I was completely under Gods direction!
4. It was my first time to experience a sermon that involved action to portray Christ's sacrifice for us. The pastor bought a small gift for everyone in the camp. He said somebody had to make a sacrifice/pay for the gift and he wanted to do it for us. He did a push-up for every person in the camp-225 push-ups DURING the worship service! He gave girls the opportunity to turn down the gift, but he still did push-ups for them to show that Christ died for everyone, even if they dont accept his gift of salvation!

Overall, as you can tell, it was a great week at camp. It was the best GA camp that I have ever been to!

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Sundeenight

2010-05-02T19:46:00.000-05:00

im sitting in the quiet library at the moment :) trying to study but im getting distracted with music, people, and the view. i can see for mmmmiiilllllesssssssss. . .the world seems so calm from this spot.

this upcoming week will be filled with great joy! it is the end to microbiology, english, and art! micro killed me this semester, definitely the worst class of my college career, next to calculus ;) im am very ecstatic they are over, but sad because it means i only have 1 more semester left. but- one step at a time. i just need to worry about what im going to do today!

current tunage: joshua radin, id rather be with you.

Sitting here, on this lonely dock
Watch the rain play on the ocean top
All the things I feel I need to say
I can't explain in any other way

I need to be bold
Need to jump in the cold water
Need to grow older with a girl like you
Finally see you are naturally
The one to make it so easy
When you show me the truth
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
Say you want the same thing too

Now here's the sun, come to dry the rain
Warm my shoulders and relieve my pain
You're the one thing that I'm missing here
With you beside me I no longer fear

I need to be bold
Need to jump in the cold water
Need to grow older with a girl like you
Finally see you are naturally
The one to make it so easy
When you show me the truth
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
Say you want the same thing too

I could have saved so much time for us
Had I seen the way to get to where I am today
You waited on me for so long
So now, listen to me say:

I need to be bold
Need to jump in the cold water
Need to grow older with a girl like you
Finally see you are naturally
The one to make it so easy
When you show me the truth
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
Say you want the same thing too
Say you feel the way I do

side note: colbie calliat makes my day SO SO better. sometimes i wish i could just sit around all day long and listen to her, while doing nothing :)

see ya on the flipflop, later :-|

phew.

2010-04-30T00:32:00.001-05:00

wow wee.

i have not blogged in forever.

its getting to crunchtime in this household. ;) we have picked up a new obssession: pinkberry. very addicting- (mature audiences only). with summer on its way, i have to get things situated for PA school, working, and having fun with my girls!! im excited for a summer in the apt with the roomies.

i am ready to start blogging more over the summer!

see you blog.. hopefully not as long as this last break ;) i promise.

Day 1 of 10SP

2010-01-19T17:52:00.002-06:00

ALERT: katie just planted 3 trees in cameroon to help save the planet. hayleah planted 3 trees in cameroon. brandi planted 1 tree in lake tahoe and 1 tree in guatamala to help save the planet. thank you to chegg for helping us plant trees to help save the environment and saving us money on books :) we love you.  

**gunshot** let the race begin! the semester is underway and i cant believe that i am in my 6th semester of college. i feel like high school graduation was last year. 

current song: reign in us, starfield. sah-weet.  

I had two classes today, cell bio and english... yay for the first, barf on the second. i am dreading english already and i have only been once. i DO NOT like english one bit, esp the reading parts. i think i should have more of an appreciation for it, but its just not there for me. maybe its cause, in english, there is gray areas, and science/math there is less gray and more black/white. i like black/white worlds where there is a right or wrong answer. but then again, i feel like there is some gray areas in my life that i dont want judged to black/white standards. so gray, i welcome you. 

first things first, had a quiz in cell bio! ON THE FIRST DAY! hopefully he wont count it :-/ (cause it was definitely bombed). english was ok, the professor seems very nice and understanding. im hoping she will be able to work with me when i struggle with interpreting these crazy hard poems, stories, and all the other crap literature. i think it will be out of my comfort zone for academics, but i think it will be a good semester in english. 

church on sunday was great. brandi went with hayleah and i, and from what i can tell, she liked it. "farmer phil" (who is from cali, like brandi---ironic, yes!) talked about the matt 13 passage of the different soil types. he challenged us to examine the condition of our own soil and our receptivity to the word of god and christ. out of the 3 soils, i feel like i am soil 3. i have a distracted heart that is caught up in idols of this world and therefore my faith and witness is weakened. to help me move to soil 4 (whole heartedly serving christ), "farmer phil" encouraged us to be honest with ourselves and god and repent. i am know striving to be real and honest with god this semester. pray for me in this journey. 

this next couple of weekends should be fun. i am turning 21 and am going to go wild and crazy- haha, lol. not really. i am going to eat with my parents, and probably my friends, and going to trail dust with some friends for a night of dancing and fellowship :) i cant wait

Move In Day

2010-01-17T10:13:00.001-06:00

writing again, so soon. its a new thing for me. bear with me.

current song: daughters (acoustic live), john mayer. 

yesterday i helped my new roommate brandi move in. she drove all the way from california- 1100 miles. whew! when she got here her dad, her, and i unloaded all of her stuff and took a stroll around campus. her dad had never seen it, so we showed him around. he seemed to like it! it is very small compared to her first school (dbu, 5000. davis, 30000)

after we finished giving a tour, we went to her cousins house in rockwall. we chilled on the couch watching snakes on a plane (very scary to me, i screamed more than once). i also learned a new term that is kinda like mongoloid  ;) <-- thats for you brandi :)

we went out to cici's for lunch- brandi's first time! i think she liked it. but then again, who doesnt like pizza. its kinda universally like from every place...i think? after we got back from lunch, her cousin, her and i talked about the upcoming semester, and many more things to do with life. it was fun :D

around 5:30 we left to drop her dad off at his hotel before we headed back to the apt. we were able to find the hotel and said goodbyes. there were tears- lots. even from me :'( it was a teary moment. her car fogged up- ok, not that much, but there were alot.

we finally made it back to campus and decided to tackle her unpacking. it went surprisingly very easy and smooth. she was able to get everything in place and she realized she brought alot less clothes than she thought. afterwards there was a semi-long list of stuff she needed to make herself more at home! big bonus- she brought cookbooks, and JULIE AND JULIA! i was so happy.

after she was all unpacked, amanda, megan, and brandi decided they wanted to jump into the freezing pool! they were trying to get katie and i to join in, but it was not happening. i was the camerawoman instead. they jumped in and jumped out just as fast. brandi was crazy fast. she was already out by the time amanda and megan were up from the water. they decided to ALL get in a hot shower when they came back into the apt. it was a fun and crazy night..

we are going to church tonight again. im so excited :) oh- and the COWBOYS play today! yay! go cowboys!

until later..... au revoir

bonjour, bonjour

2010-01-15T16:00:00.006-06:00

Im back! after much busyness procrastination, I have come back to let you all know what has been going on in the past weeks. I have to confess, I dont write, because I feel each post has to be long and involve drawn out thought. But I have realized, they dont- so I vow to try my best to blog each day about what impacted me most from the day. 

To follow up from the french paragraph from the last post: its in french- the point was for you to translate it! I want to learn French, so I am translating some of my post into french for fun ;)

J'ai découvert des classes de langue française à DBU ! Je suis excité pour leur prendre mes semestres restants à DBU ! En outre, je vais obtenir la pierre de Rosetta (niveau 1-3) en français bientôt de mon ami merveilleux Hayleah ! Je biseaute l'attente pour apprendre !

Current song: The Way I Am, Ingrid Michaelson! 

Since I last wrote, I've experienced New Years, moving back to school to start working, and started going to a new church!

New Years did not go as planned in the last blogpost. There were some changes to the party and we decided to go to the Youth Lock In at Trinity Baptist Church to ring in the New Year. It was fun. I was able to be on the other side of the annual Sardines game. I LOVE the game sardines, its pretty much amazing.

I moved back to school January sixth to start back at work. I work in the international office at DBU and love it! I love working with international students and trying to make their time at DBU fun and valuable. It a great opportunity to show Christs love to those from other cultures. My work schedule has not been the greatest, only because I am not used to it. This past week, I worked full time hours (40 hours). Some people think that is easy, smeasy, but for a girl who is definitely not used to getting up at 7 in the morning everyday, its killer. :) I have been exhausted from it, but its all worth it! Since I have been back at school, I have spent time with my wonderful roomies and Brandon and Julie. They have an awesome new dinner nook area which is too cute! I have also been awaiting the arrival of my other roomie from Cali, Brandi. I am so glad she had to drive, and not me- I would have pulled all my hair out DRIVING from Cali to Texas. Also, since being back at school, I have gone cookbook shopping. Its a rarity for me, since I hardly cook. But my roommates and I are inspired to cook more together this semester. We are going to try to cook real dinners and see how it turns out... it might even be cheaper- a huge PLUS!! 

I have had a passion to make a point to deepen my relationship with Christ this semester. One way I have decided to live for Christ everyday is to start making my prayer, bible reading, and church time an everyday occurance. It is crazy to me how I kinda fell off the church map this past year and lost my daily time with Christ. So, I have decided to get involved in a church around here. Hayleah and I have started going to Fellowship Bible Church, Dallas. They have a contemporary service on Sunday nights that is geared towards college students called Fellowship Metro. We go to that and love it! We look forward to going every Sunday now. The Worship leader there is Jeff Johnson: he is great- you should check him out on iTunes. We have also decided we want have daily prayer and bible studies with/for each other. Im excited to see where this semester will end up! 

AMOUR xoxoxo

As promised here are Christmas Photos :) 

Joyeux Noël

2009-12-29T10:52:00.015-06:00

sorry for the silence. christmas festivites have taken over me and not let me get on here. i try to write, but christmas pulls me away like a parent pulling a child away from something they want badly (like a balloon or something). :) lol

current song: lucky. jason mraz and colbie caillat. love it!

Christmas has been a blast. It was a very good year. We went to Temple to see my great grandmother on christmas eve eve and came home christmas eve. This year, I made a pact with myself not to wake up in the middle of the night to see all my gifts from santa. I thought, I am almost 21 years old, I can hold my nerves and sleep all the wall through christmas eve night. I was doing good until about 2:30, when cade busted into my room. "Katie Katie Katie, I got a dsi from santa. you have to come down here and see it." I was made to get out of bed and go see santa brought. He was very nice to me!!! We normally wake our parents up when we wake up in the middle of the night, but I told cade it was way too early to wake them up, so we went back to sleep. At 3:30, we were awakened by claire, wanting us to come downstairs and look at what santa brought as well. We went downstairs again. The one night im thinking I can sleep all the way, I get woken up TWICE! We looked, went back to bed, and woke up about 7 am! It was a great night and great story to tell my mom. I will share a little of the gifts I got: Ugg boots, Chi hair dryer, Lambie robe, Nike sport kit, camera. My favorite gift was probably my black Toms! I have wanted some for a while, and have worn them everyday since I have opened them! I also love the camera I got from dylan :) its a Nikon Coolpix L100. My SD card with all my christmas pictures is not working, but when I get it up and running, I will post Christmas pictures. :) Dylans brother (Brandon) and his wife (Julie) came over the 27th and we played Wii Rockband! We also watched the cowboys game with them at BWW!! It was fun to hang out with them :)

WE GOT SNOW ON CHRISTMAS!!! It was truely a white christmas this year. When we returned from Temple, we went to Trinity's Candlelight service. When the service was over, the whole parking lot and cars were covered in snow! It was soo fun. Cade was sliding (Risky Business style) across the parking lot. It was so cold, but so perfect that there was actually snow on christmas! When I woke up the next morning the view from my bedroom window was stunning.

Je veux apprendre le français ! Ma pensée de papa d'une idée pour que notre famille apprenne une langue, et moi ont décidé que je veux apprendre le français. Je veux être bilingue un jour, peut-être. Si je peux parler une autre langue, je peux parler et personne ne peuvent me comprendre.

With the new year coming to an end, New Years Eve plans are rumbling in my headling. My family is trying to plan a New Years Eve Party for some people at the church. We are wanting karaoke and other fun things like that! Baby Pictures might be in the mix too! I cant wait, I LOVE KARAOKE! Dylan is wanting him and I to dress up as Jimmy Hendrix and cocaine. We will see how that goes... :|

Have a Safe and Happy New Year. xoxo

A little bit of R&R

2009-12-17T20:39:00.005-06:00

. . . oh my goodness. when i started this blog (a week or so ago), i decided i was going to blog everyday. boy, was i mistaken on that! life has been overwhelming these past couple of days/week because of finals and the last week of class. it is safe to say, that in a span of 2 days, i got about 8 hours of sleep or so. i took my last final today **was that really today, self? wow!**. i dont think i have done that before in my entire life. consequently, i am able to get some needed "R&R" now!

my!! there has been alot happening since i talked to you last! i have taken 4 finals, went home to see my brother perform a christmas play, seen my sister survive her first semester in college, gotten a new roomie, and bought christmas presents!!! i think its quite funny that i made A's in my science classes and a B in my old testament class. per my mother: "she can diagnose you, but dont ask her about the old testament." My home church had a preschool christmas performance and guess who had a solo: C-A-D-E. "When i go to sleep at night, I will not be scared. . . " <-- was his solo, and he did it great! it is so funny to see him get shy in front of people because he doesnt have a shy bone in his body--got it from mom ;). Claire came home from her 1st semester at Tech! she survived hard classes, crazy weather, rush, and all! She is loving the college life. One of my roommates (courtney) is not returning next semester, so we got a replacement: brandi from Cali! All of us in the apartment are excited for the new semester- but think it will be weird with courtney not here. we are excited to see what next semester holds!! Lastly, I bought roomies, family, and myself christmas presents! Of course, I love christmas shopping and i am excited to say that i can finally celebrate christmas stress free now because school is over! I love buying gifts and watching people open them-- the joy on their faces makes me wish i had all the money in the world to buy presents and give one to everybody!

at the moment i am watching you've got mail in my pajamas in my apartment by myself. i dont think it could get any better right now. i love relaxing alone, but sometimes i wish my girlfriends are with me! movies with roomies in pajamas is the best. you should try it if you havent ever!!!

Notes to self as you depart: dont wear shoes that rub blisters if you are expected to walk around at work for 5+ hours. it does not end well for your heels/balls of your feet. you might have to put ice on your feet :( which is not fun, especially if you are tired.

Happy 1st Birthday Blog!!

2009-12-09T13:08:00.012-06:00

The first blog post. History is being made people. Welcome to my newly created blog that soon, will be often imitated, but never duplicated :) The cause of this blog: my roomies and I watched Julie&Julia last night, Katie Phelps has a way cooler blog/web browser than me, writing takes too long.

Julie&Julia might be one of the cutest movies ever made. It makes me want to live in a tiny apartment above a pizzeria in queens with a husband and cat. It also inspires me to cook- but we will see how that goes (im not much of a cook, but then again neither was julie). This blog I dedicate to you, Julie & Julia.

This blog will serve to inform you and your friends (because I know you will tell them all) of whats going on in Katie's life. I hope we can take the right and left turns of my life together through blogs and "love notes." Comment away because I always love chatting with people.

Who knew starting a blog could be so hard? Trying to come up with creative titles and layouts have voided me of all brain cells at a time when I need them most AKA FINALS TIME! I think I should be spending more time with my nose in my books, but here I am, writing on "my blog." Sounds weird. "My Blog." Its like a baby I am going to have to take care of, but I'm sort of excited (only because I know it wont make annoying sounds/smells like a REAL baby :P )

To start my blogging experience I am going to share a piece of advice from my life. Day 1: never put hamburger meat in a skillet, turn the burner on high, and get in the shower. I have a problem with leaving heating elements on, and the other day, I did this exact thing. Needless to say, I didnt burn down our apartment, but it had a nice charred smell for a couple of days afterwards. Who's up for burnt taco soup?

Anywho-Im off to be productive and study my life away for the day. Hope all you readers have an joyful day free of stress :D