4 years later

See what happens is, lots of fun things happen in the space of a couple of weeks. And then when there is something to blog about it's all backed up. 

This post is dedicated to our 4th anniversary!

Maybe someday we'll have a big fancy anniversary celebration. This year was not that. But I was in between tests and getting ready to graduate and stuff and Burke took the day off work, so we actually did spend the majority of the day together! Our plans were limited by Burke's rec-league basketball game and my job interview, so we weren't able to go hiking like Burke had hoped (but we try not to complain about basketball and job interviews). 

So we went to the awesome park nearby and played disc golf. I had never seen such until we moved to Wisconsin, but they had it there and Burke used to play a lot. I can't say I'm good at it, but we had fun!

Burke's basketball game was right in the middle of the evening, but it was great fun. And then we ate dinner at home and slow-danced in the kitchen. (And took a self-timer picture of it, of course.)

Before we got married, maybe at my bridal shower (?) when people are suppose to give advice, my mom said "End each day with a slow dance." I was surprised and said, "Um do you do that?" and she said "No, but I thought it sounded like a good idea!" 

I always think of that on the rare occasion that we slow dance in the kitchen. You should try it!

And then, the next day Burke took off work early and we did get to go for a hike. It turns out we should have gone west instead of east and it wasn't much of a mountain (even for North Carolina), but that's ok. Nothing like a hike for some quality time together.

And that was our anniversary. I like celebrating us, however we do so.

Rotations Recap

This past year has been an exciting and interesting one, a special and unique year for me. As a PA student we only do 1 year of clinical rotations, and it was a whirlwind. Our rotations were typically only 4 weeks long. That's 4 weeks to get used to a new hospital or medical office (or sometimes multiple!), new preceptors, new medical staff, new responsibilities, new patient populations, new procedures, and new ways to do the same procedures. Leaving home extra early because it takes twice as long to find where you're supposed to be. Never knowing if I should bring my own food, if there would be a place to put it, if I'd even have time to eat, if there would be a place to buy lunch, or if my preceptor would be eating (and let's face it, that was deal to me). Often following someone around and adopting their schedule and routines completely. Feeling like I was just in the way and often serving very little practical function. Gauging when and what questions to ask and how to make the most out of this experience and the best impression. Feeling out what was expected of me and attempting to communicate my own desires and expectations. Trying to be as enthusiastic as possible while actually feeling just tired. Getting told the same things over and over and just nodding my head. Treating patients while not always agreeing with the plan, and having preceptors not listen to my ideas and concerns. Feeling nervous so very much of the time.

I'm so grateful for those preceptors, though, and for the countless other people I met that made an effort to make me feel like I wasn't just a waste of space, who encouraged me and befriended me and taught me. Every single experience has served to make me better now, taught me about what to look for in a job, and will make me a better practitioner in the future. I wouldn't trade the 4-week rotations for anything. Having exposure, even just a short course, to certain specialties has really helped. I have to focus the majority of my studying now for my boards exam on the areas I did not get to rotate in, and am much more prepared in the areas I worked in. I think that was even more beneficial than longer rotations in the general things like primary care would have been. It's experience I obviously couldn't have been without. Am I ready to be a health care provider? I think so. I know it will be a big learning curve in whatever I work in, but I have confidence in my ability to make a difference in patients' lives. And I'm committed to keep learning. Always.

It's been kind of tough, maybe emotionally more than anything! So many things about it were uncomfortable. But like we all know, that's how we grow.

Now then. It's about time to swap that short white coat for a long one. A real one.

Home Stretch

As of last Monday, I started my very last clinical rotation of PA school. This is a 6-week rotation in an urgent care. It's actually a great rotation to finish up on because it's a good review of a lot of stuff. Plus they are having me do things quite independently, so it's really good practice.

I work 12-hour shifts, 3-4 days a week. On my days off I sleep in, exercise, make annoying but necessary phone calls, try and stay busy, and look for and apply for jobs. I've had some recent setbacks on the job-search front but I do have one interview scheduled for later this month, so I'm trying to keep hopeful and keep working at it.

And when I'm not busy I feel guilty because I should be studying for the big, looming exam that I have scheduled for the beginning of June. Maybe tomorrow. Today instead of studying I spent the afternoon with Aimee and Callie and felt completely guilt-free, because taking the opportunity to spend quality time with people I love is almost always more important than studying!

Callie riding a rocking moose

Did you know you could get size 22 basketball shoes at Ross?
Believe it or not, they're a bit big for Burke.

It's a privilege to be among this group of amazing women!

I will miss this girl terribly when she moves all the way to Washington!

Goin' South

Bonnie's leaving on her mission next week so a couple of weekends ago Becky came to visit and we took a little road trip south. 

We hit up Savannah on St. Party's Day weekend. In case you didn't know, it's famous for it's huge St. Patrick's Day parade. We didn't. 

We did eat dinner in the oldest standing building in Georgia.

Then we headed over to Charleston and enjoyed the best BBQ in South Carolina while in Battery Park.

We ferried over to Ft. Sumter, where the first shot of the Civil War was fired.

And then we headed home to Charlotte, stopping for some delicious fried fast food dinner and Cheerwine floats from Cook Out, a North Carolina classic.

So it was a lot of driving, but a delightful weekend. Did I mention that I just love Charleston?

I also love being a part of Burke's family's first-time experiences of the South. 

I love living here.

Wedding Weekend

I still haven't recovered from our 4-day trip to Utah last weekend, but it was absolutely wonderful. It was a whirlwind, and definitely not long enough.

It was a beautiful wedding at the Brigham City temple. That particular temple had special significance because our new brother-in-law's father carved much of the intricate wood decorating the interior of the temple. It's amazingly beautiful, by the way. The happy couple were too!

It was so much fun to be together with Burke's fam, as usual, but it was also really great to see his extended family we hadn't seen in a while. At the reception I got to see a couple of old BYU friends, plus meet a bunch of Burke's old family friends that I had heard about but never met.

We spent a little time with Aunt Janeen's family, and Burke and those 4 boys (that aren't so little anymore) found new ways to rough-house, giving Burke a nice workout, as usual. 

We sure had a blast sledding! 

Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house, which will always be held as one of my favorite places in the whole wide world, and enjoyed some time with Grandma and Grandpa. 

Thanks so much for letting us stay with you! We love you both so much and miss our more frequent visits!!

 Now if only this girl would come out east.

Looking forward to that trip really helped me get through my last rotation. I would be surprised if Burke and I ever moved back to Utah, but we're going to have to keep visiting every so often. There are just too many important people there.

New year

Now that it's FEBRUARY and I have been blogger MIA, I guess I'll say hello. I hate playing catch-up ever, which is why when I used to be a good journal writer I wrote every day, and now that I don't I'm doomed to never ever write.

So it's old news by now of course, but it's 2013! I don't know if I've ever so whole-heartedly and excitedly welcomed in a new year.

Graduation year!

I know comparatively I've not been in school for-ev-er like some people do. But there's a big reason (or a few) that I didn't go to medical school and I am so excited to be done.

There are a lot of up in the air details again, as is wont to happen. Our heads are full of questions about houses, jobs, schools, kiddies, monies, and travels, but that's really not anything new. We're taking it as it comes and happy and excited about life.

I'm just glad we have each other.

Boxes and mess to holiday fest

So, it's been a crazy month and a half since we moved! It has taken every bit of that time for us to get settled in. 

It was a nice move, as moves go... Being able to load the truck, move, and unload the truck in one day is a big (and welcome!) difference! We are so excited to be here in Charlotte. So far we like the area we are in and we like our ward. We love being able to hang out with our families more often. Our apartment is not without it's flaws but it's a definite big step up. One of the big highlights of the last month or two was purchasing our very own washing machine and dryer! I'm still getting excited to do the laundry, if that tells you anything. Once we finally got a few pictures hung on the walls and put up our Christmas tree the place really started to feel like home! That Christmas tree is on it's 5th year and holding strong.

In the lower left picture you can see the TV stand/shelf Burke built/stained/etc. It added a lot of time to our "getting our stuff situated" but he did a great job and it's what we needed. Also it gave Burke a hankering for power tools and space to build stuff. 

Burke's been very busy with his new job, including a trip to Denver. I loved my orthopedics rotation in November. Really, I loved it. Except I'm still not super crazy about surgery. I started pediatrics in December and am really enjoying this one. I haven't yet found as much fulfillment on any rotations as I feel when I walk into a room and get to make friends with a sick little kid. It doesn't happen every time, but it's so fun. 

I took my first sick day since I can remember last week and today Burke left work early sick. I'm not sure if I should blame working in pediatrics but I have sure been exposed to a lot of germs over there. It's a bummer, but hopefully Burke will be better tomorrow so we can start our Christmas partying! We're feeling so blessed to have each other, wonderful people in our lives, and all that we need and so much more.

By the way, I'm super excited to live in North Carolina again.