Exam Week

Today was the first day of exams. Fun times! We had 2 that were supposed to be fairly straightforward, and one the was supposed to be the death of us all - a cummulative physiology exam covering every body system in depth with material compiled from the last 3 Tri's! The first one was Orthopedics and it was pretty easy. The next was Basic Technique and that guy is just bad with wording, so it was harder than it should be. The Physio wasn't cool - I should have studied more, but you get burned out after a while and it's difficult to retain that much information! I have 3 on Monday, 2 Tuesday, 1 Wednesday and then I'm done! Tri 5 here I come! This was officially the easiest Tri yet. I never really got motivated to study hard, and I might not make Dean's list, but I won't be too far off. Next Tri is hard. There are a lot of X-Ray classes, so Physics and Chemistry and Pathology are coming back to haunt me. That should be fun. I'm feeling the ambition coming back, so that is good - seeing clinic within reach is a good motivator.

I got $400 worth of Dr. tools today - an opthalmoscope (for looking in eyes, ears, and noses), BP cuffs, a stethescope and a bunch of other stuff. I almost feel like a real doctor. I made my first real diagnosis today too AND I adjusted this guy in my class and rocked it on the first try. That probably sounded scary 1) because I had to specify "on the first try" and 2) because I "rocked it", but beleive me - it's all good! I have my table now too and my speeder board for ankles, etc., so I'm all set! ...now I only need unsuspecting patients... Ha! (Don't worry - that's what brothers are for!)

I can't wait to go home! I haven't been in Ohio to see my family since August and I miss them like crazy! I even miss my cat! and Fronk (our pet blue heron)! The drive is long and boring and I'm leaving late, so I can't follow my cousin home either - boo! so if any of you miss me terribly and want to talk give me a call Sunday, Dec. 17th sometime between 8am and 2:30pm and keep me company! (I hate calling people because its rough when you hear, yup, I'm on the road for the next 4 hours - entertain me!) Anyway, I shoudl get back to productivity. Happy Immaculate Conception and I'll see you all soon!!

Date #5

So this Thanksgiving was my first ever Heppner Family Thanskgiving (technically I guess it was his Mom's side, but I can't remember how to spell that last name...Hoschstetler?). I flew to Oregon the week before Thanksgiving and Robb and I got to spend a week together (that makes 5 times of seeing him since we started this crazy long distance thing!). We took a trip to Seattle and it was wonderful. Surprisingly enough it didn't rain at all in the 2 days we were there - amazing!! We went on a double date to a really nice restarant with delicious Thai food with Susanna and Erin (who I assure you all is very nice, by the way!!) . After that we returned to Robb and Chad's apartment in Salem and spend time with family and I bummed around while Robb went to work. It was a really great trip. What can I say - I love that kid!! We went to both mass and his church on Sunday and they were both really nice. I don't think I'll mind attending 2 churches for the rest of my life. We both love Jesus and the two are not similar at all, so it's not like the same thing twice. Robb's little brother even came to mass with us on Thanksgiving and even though he was confused as to whether he should stand/sit/kneel, he said he liked it. I like the Catholic church there and I could see myself as a member there someday. I introduced Robb to the wonderful world of Bake Sales and he let me in on the best Hispanic operated BBQ restarant in Salem. The trip was really great and I can't wait to see him again (as usual!) I actually don't know when that might be, so that is weird. We usually have the next ticket paid for before I leave, but not this time. We've talked about seeing each other for New Years and we've also talked about him possibly moving here soon. Nothing has been decided yet, but I'll keep you posted. He's got to figure out his car situation first. He's selling a car for a buddy of his right now and then his own car could use some attention. Somehow the trunk has become pool and there is a waterfall conveniently located over the passenger's feet. I love the Acura, don't get me wrong, but I'm concerned that she might be dying. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!

Lots of little things...

Nothing huge has happened lately, but a lot of little things. School is going well - I have yet to REALLY motivate myself to study, but the grades are ok and this is the easiest Tri of the 10, so at least my motivation level matches the expectation.

I'm buying my first adjusting table this weekend. I'm really excited. Hopefully it will be here by Christmas and I can work on my family...or anyone else who lets me! The table just helps more than a bed or floor could. It's portable, so I can take it whereever with me - Ohio, Oregon, Guatemala, Bangledesh... the possibilities are endless!

I quit my job in Illinios working for the chiropractor. The driving was a lot of hours and $, but most of all I just want to allow myself the opportunity to broaden my horizons. There are a million ways to practice and as a student I don't want to lock myself into just one. I would really like to see an amazing Christian at work. Somehow I need to find a way to reach people spiritually while helping their physical bodies because I know we all have jobs to do, but seriously - these bodies/lives don't last and I'd like to store up my treasures in heaven. I just don't know what that looks like yet!

My job as a prosector is still going well. I must say - I'm good at it! Who knew God would gift people with cutting abilities, but he does! I dissected a heart the other day and it was beautiful. God made us so intricately and it is amazing to me. And, I like it when the Tri 1's stand and watch me work in awe - I feel so smart - even though I have NO IDEA what I'm looking for sometimes.

My Dad's heart is doing better. He got a stent put in (a metal springy thingy to hold open the cholesterol infested blood vessel). He's off of work for 2 weeks, but hopefully it will help.

Robb and I are good. I know it sounds weak (which is totally not my usual style), but I've been seeing a counselor and it has really been helping our relationship to grow. He says he can tell a difference - like I'm more at peace and content. I just feel like I love him more (which I didn't realize was possible, but is always a plus!!)

I'm going to Kentucky to visit Maria next weekend, so i'm excited about that!! She has class late Fri and I am singing at church at noon on Sunday, but I'm sure we can squeeze in a jolly good time in between! I can't wait!!

And last but not least... Happy Birthday to Chris!!

Tri 4

I really stink at blogging. Every other one is...Tri__. I guess I just get busy towards the end of the term. Anyway...a lot has happened since last time.

I started classes again and this time they aren't so demanding. I still am taking 30 credit hours, but they aren't as mentally draining as before. I still work too much and take on too many other responsibilities to be sane, but I'm living life to the fullest in my own unique way I guess. 2 weeks ago I drove home for my 5 year class reunion. It was really a fun time, but it was a little sad too. Almost all of my classmates attended college in Ohio and now have settled somewhere between Lima and Dayton. A lot of them are married, most are engaged and nearly all are committed to people from my home town. In high school my friend sarah and I weren't the cool kids - valedictorian/salutatorian does that to you I guess, but it was nice that even though we left the bubble they still welcomed us back in for the night. I realized though that I could never be satisfied living there and raising a family there though, which is really sad. I love my family and the area itself, but philosophy of life there isn't one I can see for myself long-term.

The following weekend I flew to Texas to represent Logan in "Chirogames". My volleyball team was REALLY good and we still placed 4th. You'd be amazed at some of these players!! I heard one college actually recruits! Rediculous! Logan College got 3rd place overall. It was a wild and crazy weekend in a lot of ways (some good, others not so good), but we met a lot of new people (mostly from our own school), so that was cool because it's nice to have friends in higher Tri's.

This week we had field day here on campus. (Yes, I realize that in the 1st 4 weeks I've yet to go to class five days in a row!!) My volleyball team won the championship against our biggest rivals - Tri 6. A good time was had by all and the weather was just perfect.

I went to a seminar last night and it was really eye opening. Mainly I realized (or re-realized) that we all have a philosophy - either we purposefully choose it or it ends up being the jumbled mess of our experiences. Without a distinct purpose we are left to function little better than animals totally focused on pain/pleasure. And contradiction within our purpose leads to destruction proportional to itself. That was a really brief summary and it does no justice to the event or the idea, but think about it. I know I have and things are going to change in my life because of it. (More on that later...)

A week with Robb

That's us! (I know - it's been forever since you've seen a real picture on my blog!!)

Robb just left this week after spending a few days in St. Louis and then coming home with me to visit with family. I've been on break for 2 1/2 weeks now and I'm going back to St. Louis on Tuesday to start all over again Wednesday. Year round school is exhausting, but I'm about ready to go back. A person can only watch HGTV and do Sudoku for so many days straight before she goes crazy.

Our visit was really great - it's always great to see him!! It's funny to date long distance. We can talk for an hour or more every day, but I still get nervous when he steps off the plane and we have that first kiss all over again. You'd think after a whole year of dating him (and 2 years of kissing!) that newness would wear off, but it just doesn't. It's great!! When he came we did the usual sightseeing things - the Budweiser Brewery Tour, Grant's Farm, and we stayed a night at the Embassy Suites (I won a free night stay!) All three of those places gave us free alcohol, so that was enjoyable! He came with me to my youth house for a Bible study type thing I was leading and he got to meet all of my friends at church which was really cool too. Then we drove back to Ohio (stopping on the way to admire the biggest cross EVER). then we had a get together with my mom's side so he could meet some more relatives. Max was there and he is so big now - he can walk!!

After Robb left I haven't done to much. I went up to Put In Bay with my high school friend - Sarah. That was a lot of fun. She's studying to be a D.O., so we swaped some trade secrets. We took a boat to an island in search of food and refreshment, but ended up being dropped off a mile and a half away from our target and the golf cart place was closed, so we walked about a mile downed a beer and hauled back to catch the ferry. We almost missed the las one of the day, but a bus picked up our hitch-hiking butts and saved us. It was an excellent adventure, as always.

Exams

I have never been this relaxed about exams in my whole life! It is a really awesome experience. I am not getting the best grades this Tri, but it really takes the stress off that way. I know that if I get at least 75% I can keep my grades how they are, so there isn't too much pressure. Also, I have to whole weekend to study for the ones next week, so that will be sufficient. 4 days to go and I'll be a Tri 4! A year from now I'll be working in the clininc taking care of real patients, so that is really exciting to look forward to. Robb will be here in a week and a half, so that is REALLY exciting to look forward to as well!

On a less fun note...could you all pray for my Dad today? He's already had 2 open heart surgeries when I was in high school and he is going in for a stress test today. Last time he did one they rushed him to the hospital immediately, so we are all a little scared. It's really hard being here taking exams when I want to be there with him and I don't think he has good medical insurance either, which doesn't help, so please, just pray about it. Thanks!! I'll let you all know how the tests went as soon as I find out.

Visit from Mom

This past weekend my Mom drove out to see me and it was wonderful! It's been a while since I've had a visitor and it's always nice (hint, hint). It was really great though. She drove out on Friday after I got done with class and she came to watch my volleyball game at school. She doesn't understand how I have a long-distance boyfriend when I have 3 sexy shirtless men on my team. He's worth it - that's how!! :) Most of the things we wanted to see were closed already, so we just went to Ted Drewes for custard and came home. Saturday we went all out: The Butterfly house, Botanical Gardens with a Dale Chihuly glass exhibit, Budweiser Brewery Tour, Basillica (the church with the most mosaic tile in the world), supper at Blueberry Hill (owned by Chuck Berry), and the Muny (the largest outdoor theatre in the nation) for the show Gypsy. It was an awesome day. Oh, AND we found these two side by side stores with the most interesting junk/rumage furtiture stuff EVER - it was just like the shops you see on HGTV or TLC. We bought a fabulous wine rack. On Sunday I took her to my church and out for breakfast, so it was a perfect end to a perfect Weekend. I'm sorry I'm not in the digital age yet - pictures are a struggle for me. I should be done with my film shortly - especially when Robb comes in 3 1/2 weeks!! I can't wait!!

Dork

I apoligize that you all even know me. My Mom just read the Bluffton magazine to me and I am a loser! I don't know what drunken stupor I must have been in when I wrote that message, but apparently my boyfriend ranks higher than the name of my grad school. Fabulous!! In my defense, I really thought that was for our class only for a sort of 1 year reunion book thingy, but apparently I was wrong! Either way - I'm a dorky loser and I'm sorry you all have to claim me.

The farm.

This weekend I went with some friends from my church up to one of their parents houses in northern Missouri for a little camping trip. It was just for one night, but it was so great to be out of the city for a little while. My two friends who brought us there own about 200 arces of land there -mostly fields, but a creek and 2 ponds and some woods too. (For those of you unfamiliar with acrage ...that is a lot of land - enough so that when you stand out in the middle you can't see any other house, person, or civilization in any direction) It was so great to be out in the country again. I'd almost forgotten how awesome that feels to just be alone in nature. We went swimming in one of thier spring-fed ponds and it was beautiful! (minus some scum on the bottom) I love St. Louis, but there is just something about being surrounded by wheat fields that does it for me...I just can't explain it.

Paintball

(not actually me, my blog is just getting boring with no pics)
So today I went paintballing with my youth ministry. I didn't want to go. For the last couple weeks I was having this huge moral dilemma about how a Christian shouldn't find joy or entertainment in faking war and inflicting pain in other people. In addition I find it hard to rationalize spending THAT much money on a few hours of "fun" when there are people who can't afford food in the world. And lastly, Robb and I have been trying REALLY hard lately to be understanding of each other's faith/church background and come to some compromises in the hope of figuring out the technicalities behind our potential "mixed marriage". I thought if I didn't go paintballing I would be making a stand for pacifism and the true spirit of Jesus, etc. and I didn't want to have any part of it.

HOWEVER...the night before our youth minister called and asked if I would drive because they didn't have enough adults going. I said I would go, but I still wasn't sure if I'd play. He insisted he was going to shoot me anyway though! I called Robb and asked him what Mennonites thought about paintballing and he thought that was the dumbest question EVER! Here I was trying to make a stand for the sake of our relationship and Jesus in general and he laughed and told me to "Go kick some ass!" (The youth Minister won't let me live down the fact that I asked permission first.)

So I went and I played and I had a great time. I'm covered with welts (11 in fact) and I can't move my pinky because it is swollen. I padded my bra for protection before I went though, so the girls are OK. (I know you were all worried) I still think I am morally opposed to the idea of paintballing, but it was fun. I don't like guns. I was pretty good though. I got shot more than the other 3 girls, so I don't know if that is good or bad, but I was on the front lines going for the glory. I guess the lesson of the day is:
Nothing says "Jesus loves you!" like a paintball from close range!

New Car?

In spite of all the memories, all the roadtrips, and all the miles I've lovingly shared with my wonderful car, I had to let her go. I brought her to Dobb's to check-up on a clunk that has been growing louder over the past year or so and found that what she really needs is new brakes AND new tires - not to mention a clamp to hold the exhaust system steady to stop the clunking. So, I decided it was time to get a new one. It worked out quite well though because I was planning on driving home for Memorial Day anyway and so I drove my car home and left it there for my mom to attempt to sell. In the meantime I bought my Grandpa's car that he isn't driving anymore. It is a red 1999 Ford Escort. I'm so pleased that I didn't have to deal with the hassle of buying a new car from people I shouldn't trust and g-ma and g-pa gave me a sweet deal, so I can't complain. It just doesn't feel like mine yet. Every time I look at it I think - yup, that's grandpa's car. I guess I need a good roadtrip or two to break it in, but that will have to wait until funding and time become more readily available. I'll try to post a picture of it soon though!

Cutting and Healing

Its week 3 here at Logan and the exams are starting already. I took a Physio one on Wednesday and next week I have Micro, Embryo, and Patho to look forward to (I like all my classes ending with O's). Work is now in full force too. I forget what I write from time to time, so forgive me if I repeat myself. I work two jobs - one is for a chiropractor in Illinois and the other is as a Prosector here in the Anatomy Lab.

For the chiropractor I do all new patient exams. He doesn't adjust on the first visit, so I do the first visit instead. I take the patient's history, do 2 computerized scans (one of muscles and one of temperature) to examine the current state of the nervous system and I also take X-rays and develop them. Last week was my first official appointments. The first was ugly, but I got through it. I was stumbling all over my words and I screwed up the x-rays pretty badly. It is really hard to talk in Layman's terms without sounding like you are talking down to them. the second appointment went 100% better. I had practiced the x-rays a bit in between, so that was good. I really like meeting new people, so this is a great profession for that!

As a prosector I do a dissection before the actual lab so people see how it should be done. It's pretty cool, except it takes a long time. When I was actually in Anatomy we just were sort of brutal and sloppy and we didn't care if we broke a few blood vessels here or cut a nerve of two there, but now since my work is on display I have to do a good job. On saturday I spent 6 hours in the lab working and yesterday I was here for 4 1/2 (until 11pm!) Cadaver labs get creepy at night when you are the one who has to shut off the light! I must say, I did excellent work though. Who knew a person could hide THAT much fat behind their eyeball??!! Amazing!!

I also drove around the county yesterday and delivered cookies to my teens. They are in finals week and since our retreat last month there are a few that have stopped coming so I wanted to check on them. I know this sounds dumb, but I really felt as though God was calling me to do this. And actually I think I enjoyed it more than they did! I also got to see where they live and meet a few family members, so it was really great. We are shooting for a 100+ turnout for Tuesday's PB&J (Praise, Bible and Jam). Last tuesday we had 75 and that was mostly just 8th graders because all the high schoolers were studying for finals!

Tri 3 - Week 1

Here I am, back at school starting all over again. We are technically starting our 2nd academic year (of 5). Year round school is going to take a bit of getting used to. We have so much going on outside of class that I don't think I'll ever really be in the mood to study. We just did and arthritis walk yesterday with Logan. We accounted for about 1/2 of the 500 participants. And our students were working there as well - doing postural analysis and soft tissue work to help spread the message about what chiropractic really is. Someday that will be me... Actually next week that WILL be me! I get to start officially in my job as an intern for "Wellness One". Last week I got to learn how to take X-Rays and to develop them. I'm so psyched. My classmate and I were allowed to stay to work and lock up when we were finished, and we got so excited that we ended up running around the office looking at our beautiful X-Rays in the view box and attempting to diagnose them. It was great!

This Tri should be quite a bit different than last. We are almost done with our basic sciences and are now moving on to diagnosis type coursework. Also, we are getting more into the actual adjusting classes, so that is really exciting. I got to adjust a bunch over break and I can't wait to get my hands on all of you!! Just kidding - I promise it's 100% optional.

Speaking of "hands on experience"...I helped out with the Comp. boards yesterday. This is a comprehensive test for our tri 7 students that they need to pass before they can work in the clinic. I got the priveledge of being the "Logan Basic butt" for the day. I don't remember if I told you this before, but Logan basic is an adjusting technique that involves your sacrotuberous ligament - in layman's terms - the Dr. puts his/her thumb right next to your butt-hole. So...1/2 of the tri 7 class has been all up in my business. I did learn a lot about Basic that day. I got a 1 on 1 study session with the best practitioner in the field, so that was sweet, but let's just say we have a small portion of very lost tri 7's who REALLY shouldn't be heading to clinic just yet. Yikes! Now THAT is putting your ass on the line for your work!!

Oregon - Week 1

I'm finally here!! After finishing finals on Tuesday, I flew out that evening, and to my surprise there were 3 other classmates of mine on my same flight (to Denver). The flight went really well and after a slight delay due to a closed interstate Robb and I had our glorious reunion. It's so weird actually being with him. I got all nervous all over again for our first kiss. lol! We headed back to his (and chad's) apartment. It's really nice actually. They don't have much furniture or food, but the place is nice and they cleaned just for me!!

Robb usually works unpredictable hours, but he actually got 2 days off in a row, so we took advantage and went camping in the Mountains at Detroit Lake. We borrowed his parents supplies and set up our tent right on the lakeshore. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. It got REALLY cold that night, so we eventually gave up and slept in the car, but it really was great overall.

Last night I cooked for the guys and they loved it so much that they took me grocery shopping and told me to buy anything I wanted/needed to cook for them. They are really lacking in skills and supplies for the kitchen, so at least now they have the supplies covered. It was expensive, but I reminded them that they will save so much money in fast food! (Apparently they didn't get it though because I noticed neither of them packed their lunch for today). Oh well!

I'm just here chilling in the apartment today. I don't have a car, but I'm within walking distance of the library, a Catholic church, the grocery store, a park, and most importantly - his parents house. They are so sweet and they work from home, so they said I could call or come over anytime I need something. It has been a great trip so far and it is a really great opportunity to see what living with Robb will actually be like! (I'm not scared... yet!)

The end of Tri 2: Finals, Traffic, and Trevor!

I am sitting at home in Ohio currently and it is such a wonderful feeling to be useless. This year my stress level and general healthiness is on a whole different scale from last year. I don't understand how my body survived the beating I gave it last year between the all-nighters in Shocker, evenings at the pub, and the emotional trauma I tend to bring upon myself when dealing with the male species. Thankfully God created each of our bodies with an innate ability to regenerate from the inside out so that we can cope with a good deal of stress. He really thinks of everything! So now I'm here in Ohio enjoying my long weekend, but allow me to reverse a few days to catch you up...

I finished up 5 finals on Wednesday and Thursday. I didn't do as well as I would have liked this Tri, but B's are cool too I guess. I did have a perfect score on my Philosophy final which made my day. Hopefully that confidence (and severe LUCK) will carry me through Physiology and Neuroanatomy on Tuesday!! I drove home Thursday afternoon with my cousin Tony. The drive lasted 8 1/2 hours instead of 6 1/2 because of a cardinals game and an accident in Indiana. I'm glad I had company. When we entered good old Shelby county Tony pointed out a funny barn that says "Meramec Caverns - Stanton, MO" on it. Stanton is very near St. Louis. Why someone in my own county felt the need to advertise a cave 3 states away is beyond me, but it made me chuckle.

Today I got to see baby Trevor for the first time. Ha! First to hold him!! He is so precious and wonderful. God really does give the best gifts!! And Laura would never tell you this, but she looks absolutly fabulous! She has a flatted stomach than I do and she had a baby in there two weeks ago! Incredible - she's my hero.

Other than that, since I've been home, I've really done nothing. I hung out with my mom mostly, visited g-ma and g-pa a bit, tagged along with G-ma to her chiropractic appointment (I'm an official recruiter now), laid on the couch, did Sudoku, and watched What Not to Wear - oh, the good old days! Such memories!

Tomorrow I get to visit my dad and then Sunday I will be celebrating Easter with the whole Ahrns side (my mom's family). My Max is coming, so that makes me extra excited - he is getting so big and I barely know the kid! I also haven't seen my brother since Christmas and I really miss him. Aahhh! Moving to Oregon permanently would be really hard for me - I love my family!!!! I'm sure Robb does too though. Blah! ...but I digress...I hope you all have a joyous Easter whereever and with whomever you find yourself this year. Hallelujah! He is RISEN!

Sprint to the Finish!

I'm getting really bad about this updating thing. Anyway, not a whole lot has changed since my last post. Things are church are going along steadily. I've continued to grow closer with the teens. I know a lot more of them now and the relationships are building slowly but surely. My birthday was great. You all are fabulous with your cards. It meant so much to me. (My roommates both got jealous! HAHA!!) No really, it was fun - we went downtown to a classmate's house and watched the parade from there. He rented bleachers and everything!

As for school...we have 2 1/2 weeks left of actual class - full of fun written and lab exams. Then we have 2 days of real finals. Then we get Easter Friday and Monday off, so I'm going home to see the family. Then back for 1 more exciting day of finals (I'm taking 7 classes and 4 labs currently, so that is a lot of exams in 3 days!!) And THEN I'm flying out IMMEDIATELY to beautiful (but rainy) Oregon where I will be enjoying three whole weeks of Lovin' with Robb!! (That's Lovin' with a capital "L" for the LORD Jesus because we are going for chastity this time around! WooHoo!!) I promised to cook for him while I'm there, which he and Chad are both really excited about. Did I mention they got an apartment together? They did at the begining of this month and they are really good with spagettio's and soup, but they could use a little help beyond that. And for those of you who are thinking "Since when can YOU cook more than Spagettio's???!!" You will be happy to know that I've become quite a good cook since I've had to try. I'm not Julia Child or Martha Stewart, but I can hold my own - even though in the past instant pudding was a struggle for me. I've learned a lot this year...cooking, proper human cutting skills, and I can drop on your T-spine like none other!!!

I once was lost...

...but now I'm found!! You may have been wondering if I disappeared from the planet lately - but I really didn't. I'll skip the excuses and start the update:

Since you last read about me I've still been busy with school. Classes in Tri 2 are going along quite well and we are already in week 9 of 15. Next week is another round of testing and then it's just a sprint to the finish. I've been learning a lot of cool (but simple) adjustments and a lot of random science trivia. It's fun to sound smart, but no one really enjoys hearing about it outside the bubble. I've done a couple new dissections lately - one involving a cow eyeball and one involving a 14 lbs. liver (an average liver weighs 3 lbs.). I'll spare you the details. I did help with a chiropractic screening last weekend and it was really great. I worked with a D.C. and she and I did a muscle/stress test demonstration and just basically educated people about what chiropractors do and how we may be able to help their particular problems. We signed up a lot of new patients too, so that is always exciting. I really beleive that 99% of people can benefit from chiropractic care and it is just so unfortunate that so many people don't go when they KNOW how important the nervous system is to their body's health. OK, I'll get off my soapbox for now, but there will be more to come - I promise! (Forgive me - chiropractic is one of my passions in life now and I'll probably be excited about this one just slightly short of the amount of time I'll be excited about Jesus and Robb (my other passions).)

Other than school, youth ministry has been going really well. I'm still getting a feel for how I can best be of use there, but I've started to make friends with some of the teens and all of the adults and I get to help lead the singing on tuesdays. We have a big retreat coming up in April for the 8th graders to get them interested in the high school youth ministry and the meetings for that are keeping us all really busy. Lent is going well too. I gave up alcohol and pop and my snooze button. Robb gave up alcohol and pop too and he's been eating really healthy and exercising - I can't wait to see him in April - he's going to be EXTRA HOT!!! (We also gave some stuff up collectively, but that is not appropriate for blog discussion.) Oh - I bought a plane ticket and I'm going to see him between Tri 2 and 3 for 3 WEEKS!!! I'm so excited!!! People have been making fun of us lately saying that we can't actually know or love each other based solely on long distance, but they don't know us and I refuse to listen to them. They have no idea what last year was like or about our history AND they have NO IDEA how wonderful he is to me now. It does get tough sometimes with our different time zones and my school and his work - usually second shift - but we make the effort and even when we fight (last night for example) he says the most wonderful things - exactly the things I need to hear to feel loved and cherished and blessed. The whole fight cleared itself up after about a half hour because even though we were both really upset we just are good at making up. I love him - I can't help it!!
OK, my roommate is forcing me to go study now. I get to see Abby and Shining Through tomorrow - I'm psyched!!!!

Dork-Ball and Decapitation

Recently I've become addicted to a new sport...Dork-ball. It was invented by people at my youth group. Basically it involves a pool table with no pool sticks, lots of running and the occational clobbering. So goal is to be the first to knock in the cue ball with your own colored ball. There are a ton of other rules I won't bore you with, but the main one is that you have to throw from the opposite end of the table, so you have to run back and forth accordingly. I have so far sustained 2 injuries in my short-lived career. Once I clipped my knee on the ball return ledge and the other time I clipped my other knee on the coin-insert thingy. Now I have two huge bruises, but I am getting a lot better. I almost won the other day. It was down to me and one other guy (you get letters for doing things wrong or when someone else does something good and you lose when you have 4 letters and spell D-O-R-K) So anyway, I had no letters and the other kid had DOR. One good thing and I would have won for the first time EVER, but I was having technical difficulties because I was wearing a thong and didn't want anyone to know. My sweater was plenty long when i was standing, but apparently running and bending over was too much, so I lost 4 letters in a row! Luckily though I think I kept my secret!
Oh yeah - and I decapitated my cadaver yesterday. Again - AWESOME!! the spinal cord is such a beautiful thing!! (Did you know it is only about as big around as the size of your pinky? All that info in the space of a cable cord!!)

Gifted in different ways...

Sorry it's been so long since my last official blogging. I've been pretty busy first with Christmas traveling and then with school starting up again. I'm now in my 2nd trimester (one behind Laura - lol). This term is our hardest of all 10. I'm taking 28 credit hours, and not just that, but there are no blow off credits like undergrad. I'm taking Biochemistry II, Microbiology, Gross Anatomy II, Professional Development, Neuroanatomy, Physiology, and Diversified (an adjusting technique class). I've been studying my butt off recently and I'm still sure I'm getting behind. (And not just the 12-4am studying like before - the real 7:20am-9:00pm, all at school, don't see daylight kind of studying!!) I made Dean's list last Tri though, so that's the goal again. I know it's not just about getting good grades, but I really need to know this stuff if I'm going to be a good Dr.
Aside from that I've been having a great time getting more involved with the youth group at my new church. I'm an official CORE team member at Holy Infant Catholic Church now and I love it. The youth are great (all high school), and the other members of the CORE team are so great too! They have really been an encouragement to my faith and they are just plain fun too. (Ex. We have a habit of going to BW3's for beer and wings every Tuesday after youth group). the youth group has 3 regularly scheduled activities each week and they like to throw other events in as well like retreats and meetings and social and service events. I'm glad I'm not used to having free time or going on real dates.
That reminds me...Robb is wonderful! (No new reason really - just wanted to remind you all) We've decided that we will both be staying where we are for the next three years and then I'll move out there afterwards. (For a while we were talking about either him moving or me tranferring so that we could be together). Even though it is difficult we really think it will be good for us. It gives us time to grow as individuals and as a couple without the physical temptation issues. Also, it would be nice if he saved that couple thousand it would take to move and then we could both pay off those student loans faster (our combined total is enough to make you want to cry...or sell your kidneys on the black market).
But I digress... so as the title of my blog states, we are all given different gifts from God. I learned this in a new way this week. I found that I am REALLY GOOD at operating a bone saw, a chisel and a hammer. I discovered this last week in lab during our "brain-ectomy". Also, it helps that I actually enjoy these activities and I thought it was FREAKIN' AWESOME to hold a brain in my hands!!!! (Some of you may have different opinions about this and that is fine too). However, when it came to last night and I was attempting to peel carrots with my new handy-dandy peeler I became seriously retarded. It seemed like it should be an easy task, but after 20 minutes (20 WHOLE MINUTES!!) of trying all I had was a chewed up scratched carrot and a load of frustration. (Apparently the key is in how you angle the peeler. Angle AWAY folks - not towards you - angle AWAY!) See - we can't all be gifted in everything. God knows I suck at peeling carrots and He also knows you may have no interest in operating chisels on skulls. We are all special in our own ways!! Amen! (Sorry so long)

New Years Picture!!

Home from Oregon

I just got home today from my wonderful visit to the great Beaver State and I miss Robb already! I know it's a bit pathetic, but I love the kid and I can't help it!!

I flew into Portland on Dec. 30th and Robb met me at the gate. Due to my unexpected layover in Minneapolis where they insisted on melting the ice off the wings before we left, I was an hour late in arriving. Robb was a little glazed over by the time I finally came through the gate, but who can blame him after standing there for 45 minutes and seeing hundreds and hundreds of people walk past.
...I'll spare you all the details of the week, but we did get to go to a lot of fun places and I met a ton more of his family. Overall the week was WONDERFUL!! (even though he had to work a lot). Besides the obvious highlight of the trip (getting to actually date my boyfriend!), I hung out with his family (as far as I can tell everyone I've met likes me - which is a huge bonus), drove a tractor, saw Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens (which are both SO awesome), went to a dinner/movie theater, and my favorite = Silver Falls! It's this State Park with like 8 waterfalls. We only went to see one, but it was so cool! It was this huge (about 200ft) waterfall, and the best part was that you could follow the trail that went down and around the back of the falls up against the cliff. We ran around like crazy people in the mist and it was AMAZING!

We got to go to church together again, which is always enjoyable. His church is great. It's this HUGE Alliance church - really welcoming and mission focused. Then he got another enjoyable look at Catholic life. lol. I don't think I could make these experiences go more badly if i tried! It's like divine intervention in reverse! Mass isn't supposed to be scary or long, so why do I always pick the best ones?! Let's just sum up the whole experience with this general rule "Protestants and the rosary don't mix." We should keep it as our little secret and make it a members only club. I don't know what else to say. And the Chaplet of Divine Mercy...don't get me started...!!!! Don't get me wrong - I love the Catholic Church and I love its mystery and tradition. I get so much out of it and I know that if people just understood why we do what we do they would all think it is cool too. But until then, I don't know what to do. I guess we just need to move one baby step at a time. Catholic 101 ...apparently we'll save the rosary for the master's program.

Even though we don't know when we'll see eachother again, we already have a to do list. I can't wait!