Oh Canada!

I used to be able to sing the entire Canadian National Anthem (title Oh Canada in case you didn't know), but I don't know that I can...actually it is one of those things that I sang in choir years ago and still probably resides in my memory, but would need to be dusted off! If only I could remember the names of every diagnostic test I need to know for school as well as I knew my choir music... somehow the choir music has stayed with me for years, but the random facts that I am expected to know for school don't seem to carry on so easily. Anyway, I didn't get to go to Canada, but I did get to see it for the first time! Some day I will get a passport and go up there! But alas, not yet. So here are the pictures I have from Niagra Falls- I stopped here in August when I was driving cross country with my friend Laura. It was a beautiful place to see; yes I have heard that the Canadian side is even better and next time I won't drive through the city of Niagra in a Penske moving van because that definitely cast a negative shadow over the afternoon!!

The Simple Joys

I bought a new lap top this week. I've been considering it for a while and seeking out my options, but I decided that I definitely don't want to wait until my computer completely dies because that will inevitably happen at the worst time possible- like finals. I don't think I could even make it through a few days of grad school without a computer at home because I am expected to communicate through email so frequently. As such, I got a great deal on a computer and I have been trying to play with it ever since- trying because I have had to study for and take two midterms and say goodbye to a friend who is deploying to Iraq in the last 24 hours while I have had the computer. That said, I am loving not getting in a fight with my computer every time that I get on and I did get to put my pictures on my computer. Here are a few of my favorites, more to come...



Me at Niagra Falls (in August)


Hyrum giving his Aunt Nicki some lovin'


Iwo Jima- I live 10 minutes from here. Pretty much AMAZING!

p.s. Happy Mole Day!

Take Two...

I spent a lot of good quality time today trying to get my computer to be friends with my camera so I could post all my awesome pictures, but alas. They still won't get along. Makes me sad. So only some quick verbage tonight. Nothing too new and exciting going on. October is the month of midterms this semester. A couple of big ones every week is keeping me on my toes. I must admit, I have been less dedicated to school this semester than those in the past (as evidenced by my grades), but I have been a lot more involved in church activities, missionary discussions, etc, etc, and I must admit I rather like it. Only one more year and I will be in clinicals full time so I won't have to study for exams everyday and I won't even feel bad about it!!


http://www.gwumc.edu/medctr/news.cfm?view=news&d=9123

Exciting? I think not.

Since it's been two months since I blogged, you would think I have an amazing post to post- right? Wrong-o. I actually was going to make an amazing post complete with pictures this weekend, but it turns out that I couldn't load my pictures on to my computer. Troubling though this is...there is something more troubling. My computer also won't read my ipod (and it used to) and doesn't always recognize my printer. It runs as slow as a tortoise with a full stomach and the battery (which is only about 3 month old may I add) dies after about 15 minutes. Hmm....problem. So I set out to blog a fabulous post and began to wonder if I actually might be getting a new computer in the near future. Hmm... I know so many people who can do so many amazing things with computers, but alas, I moved to the east coast- blast and blast again! So, no new cool pictures for my blog.

I have done some awesome things in the last two months though like- visiting Kirtland, OH, Palmyra, NY, New Haven, CT, Gettysburg, PN, and Richmond(ish) VA. I finally got accepted as a volunteer at a local hospital and jumped through all their hoops (including a very long 3 hour training where I learned how to wash my hands, why I should wash my hands, etc. etc. Very useful information, but as we had an entire unit on such things my first semester of school I thought the training might never end), started regularly going to institute class (because they started a class near my house!) and oh yeah, started a new semester of school. I am finally learning what I am going to be doing with real people, real patients. This semester I get to learn how to figure out what people's problems are and how to fix them. Wow! Life is busy.

So, there you go- the exceedingly brief update on my life. Hopefully more to come and sooner rather than later. I hope this lovely blog finds all of you well! :)

Favorite moments in the last little bit of life:

"I don't treat my TBI (traumatic brain injury) patients like three year olds, I think I treat my three yeaer old like he has a brain injury." As said today in my neuro class

"fast like a cheetah"- this is one of my clinical instructors favorite phrases, she says things like "Wow you did that fast like a cheetah" all the time and it makes me laugh!

So there is this super cute family who lives in the area that I have gotten to be friends with. I had the four girls over for a slumber party so we could play and mom and dad could have a break. In the morning my computer was on and the three year old girl looked at the picture on my background which is of Stephanie kissing a sting ray in the ocean (she was on a cruise). All the sudden I hear her pipe up and say "Why is your friend holding a sting ray?" In the most exacerbated voice that a three year old can make. It made me laugh so much- she thought that was just the craziest thing a person could do.