Summer trippin'

The end of June took us to Utah and Idaho, because it's cheaper to fly to UT than ID and because we love the chance to see Grandma and Grandpa, Beth, Ian, and Emma, any chance we get. It was a busy trip centering around this lovely occasion in Boise.

Bride and Groom. They are so beautiful.

I spy Bonnie... 

Burke loves to be with his brothers.

 Next up was a very short weekend trip to Atlanta to see the Escobars. Life is super busy for all of us so we just had about 24 hours there, but we loved every bit of it. Of all the Atlanta attractions we picked a Braves game and a hike up Stone "Mountain." But the main attraction was catching up with these lovelies! Thanks for putting us up, we loved getting to see you!

And then it was our upstate NY trip. Whew. I think I'm still not far enough removed from it to forget how terribly much driving it was and how terribly hot it was up there, which wouldn't have been as big of a deal if places had AC. The occasion was a family reunion near Palmyra. We spent some time with some distant family (cousins of my dad, etc) and our closer family (my own cousins, aunts and uncles, etc). I was really looking forward to Niagra Falls which I vaguely remember seeing when I was about 5. It was so fun. Burke and I got to spend some time exploring super rural Amish country around Lake Ontario while Mom and Dad helped out with Youth Conference for their stake which happened to be the same week up in Palmyra, but we didn't take any pictures there.

We walked up these stairs next to the falls after our boat tour...

...And got completely soaked. There was no helping it.

Before we headed out of town we took a beautiful hike near Lake Seneca.

But this picture pretty well sums up the trip. 

And in case you hadn't heard, this is the year of the wedding in the Anderson family so our summer travels will wrap up in a few more weeks with a trip to Wisconsin/Chicago for Becky's wedding! Wow, three new sibs in one year!
In the meantime we are enjoying being home. sigh.

He's home!

Is there anything more fun than having a missionary come home? Aaron came home from his two year mission in Monterrey, Mexico complete with a sweet little Mexican accent. We were so happy to welcome him home! Beth, Ian, and Emma came out from Utah for a short trip so they could be here too.

The next day we packed up and headed to Virginia to a nice campground on the New River to spend a couple of days of quality time camping. 

On Friday we drove to Mt. Rogers to what must be my family's favorite hiking spot. Seriously, this place is beautiful and unique in so many ways. 

Usually the wild ponies are hard to miss, but we had to go looking for them this time. But we found them! And when we did, they started following us. They must get fed a lot.

Before we left we did some canoeing, kayaking, and tubing on the river. So fun!

It was kind of a whirlwind, but we loved being in some beautiful places and being together. And of course we loved chasing around this firecracker. 

MPA, PA-C

Yesterday I found out that I passed my national certification exam. That's it, I'm a PA-C!

When I get all retrospective, it's interesting to think about the journey that got me here. The conversations and experiences that shaped my goals and allowed me to reach them, step by step by step. I'm really happy that I had the opportunity to do this. It was right for me. I'm really excited to be a PA and really grateful for the knowledge I have and will continue to gain which will allow me to bless others. 

I told Burke I couldn't have done it without his support, and he looked at my skeptically. But his support and strength were a tremendous blessing. The many decisions we made together surrounding PA school were difficult. We decided to move specifically for my school, which left him working from home in our dingy apartment for almost 2 years! {Some people don't mind working from home full time but I can tell you that Burke will never go back.} He helped me in a million and one ways and I am so grateful for the million and one things this experience taught us in our marriage.

I will miss my friends lots, but in case you need medical advice I will have some stellar PA contacts all over the country.

My family too, have been so supportive, and it made a huge difference for me. It mattered, more than I could have imagined. 

My parents, especially. They have been the biggest influence on me getting to this point. I always knew how important it was to both of them that I gain a good education and prepare myself for the unknown future. When I decided that the best way for me to do this was to become a PA, they were 100% supportive. I often wished I could have come up with something that didn't require grad school, but this is what fit me. I am so grateful for their wisdom and guidance, and their love. It makes me so happy to make them proud in whatever way I can.

And with that, we say Ciao, Norfolk. I don't know if I'll be back. But it's been real.

[And to myself I say, quit wasting time and get a job already!]

Ghost of Christmas future, anyone?

I got muddy

I am only posting this because Burke paid $5 (and complained about it LOTS) to come watch and take pictures, and he got some good ones, so it only seems right that we should share.

The weekend before last I ran in a mud run. It was literally only 10 minutes away from our apartment, and some girls from church were doing it, so I joined in. It wasn't your Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash or whatever those other mud runs are; it certainly wasn't hardcore like I thought a mud run might be. But it was fun! I love races, so a race with friends and mud was a win-win-win.

For some reason I felt zero pre-race jitters this time. See, it was low-key.

The obstacles were fun. This one was a series of things to climb over and crawl under.

Mostly it was fun to do the obstacles with the group. There was usually a little bit of a back-up waiting for the obstacles. This one was called fish nets. 

I have no idea why I was the delayed one.

Or why I ended up going completely under water

Or why I was never as muddy as everyone else on my team. They kept helping me.

One last mud bath before the finish line.

See how much fun we had?

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!