We live in a beautiful world

On Saturday I returned from a short trip to Arizona where I went for an interview at AT Still University. As my plane landed in Phoenix I looked out the window, saw the brown desert and the absence of green grass and trees, and thought, "What am I doing here? I could never live in such a desert!"


I spent that afternoon with my dad's cousin Richard and his wife Cindy. They showed me around Mesa, took me to see the temple, and told me all about what it is like to live there. The next day was my interview. I liked a lot of things about the school, and I didn't like a few things. By the time I flew out of the Phoenix airport on Saturday morning I had a new perspective. Arizona is beautiful, in a different sort of way. I know I would have a hard time with 100+ degree weather from June til September, but maybe the September til May weather would make up for it. :)

I was looking out the plane window somewhere over Colorado or something, and the mountains had a strange yellowish color in some places. It took me a few minutes of staring to realize that it was the leaves on the trees. It was fascinating to see from the air, but I just kept wishing I was down there, on that mountain, surrounded by those beautiful trees. Later when I looked out, I saw where the mountains ended and the great plains began. Goodbye, Rockies; Hello, Midwest.

When I landed in Wisconsin, my view from the plane window showed a huge green field, a wide blue sky, and perfect, white clouds. It looked just like a picture. And I realized, this world is so beautiful; at least it is everywhere I've ever been.

The leaves are changing and it's getting cool, and it's happening so fast that the snow will be here before we know it. I'm afraid of the winter, but I decided that I need to quit dreading winter so much that I don't enjoy the fall. And I also decided that our decisions on where to live don't need to be determined by the climate. Whether it's brutally cold, snowy winters, blazing hot summers, or humidity, every place has something to put up with. But every place has so much beauty to offer, too.

It's Official--I'm going to PA School...

...And now the question is, where?

This whole process has been very different than I expected. I completed 9 applications for PA programs, and so far I have been invited to interview at 8 of them. It's been pretty overwhelming, actually, especially because interviewing involves buying a plane ticket, hotel, transportation, etc. Finally we were able to narrow it down some and cross Philadelphia University, Missouri State University, and Barry University off the list. I'm going back to North Carolina this weekend for an interview at Wake Forest University on Monday. I'm still interested in AT Still in Arizona and Rosalind Franklin in Chicago.

Last week I was accepted to the PA program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Their program starts in January, and they are the most expensive program I applied to, but I loved their program and we think Norfolk, VA would be a great place to live. We don't know yet when we'll have to decide for sure and pay a deposit to claim my spot, but in the meantime we're exploring a few other options.

All I can say is, I am so grateful that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. Without that, this process would be a whole different issue. With that gift, I know we can make the choice that will be best for our family.

Catching up

Burke and I finished up at BYU, Burke in April and I in June, and we moved to Appleton, Wisconsin. Burke's got a good job at an insurance company and he's working in internal consulting/continuous improvement, which he likes a lot. I recently started working at an assisted living center doing CNA work. My job is part-time, 2nd shift, and they don't pay me much, so not ideal, especially since we share a car which makes transportation a major issue. We are in the same ward as Burke's family, which is fun, and we live less than 10 minutes away from them in an apartment. I applied to 10 PA programs all over the place back in May and I'm starting to hear back. We'll be moving somewhere if all of that pans out, because there are no PA programs within an hour and a half of here and the programs in Wisconsin all wanted classes I didn't have time to take. We are anxious about the next phase in our lives (mostly about making up our minds about it) but really enjoying this current phase. We are staying surprisingly busy and happy. We miss Utah some, especially now that school is back in full swing and we aren't there. But it's kind of nice, too. Mostly we miss so many friends and family in Utah, North Carolina, and all over. Maybe this will help us keep in touch better. :)