Kkkkrista's Korner Tagged Me

A - Attached or single: Single

B - Best Friend: Kristen

C - Cake or Pie: I love blueberry pie!

D - Day of Choice: Sunday is the least stressful

E - Essential Item: phone

F - Favorite Color: green

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: worms

H - Hometown: Delta

I - Indulgence(s): Brownies & Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, curling up in my bed & reading a good book

J - January or July: January in AZ; July in UT

K - Kids: Someday...hoping for five

L - Life is incomplete without: family

M - Marriage Date: 2008 is the year to find my mate, if that doesn't work I'll go online in 2009

N - Number of Siblings: 3 brother, 3 sisters

O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges before apples

P - Phobias or Fears: Failing school, public speaking, spiders

Q - Quote(s): "Hope is tomorrow's veneer over today's disappointment." -Evan Esar

R - Reason to Smile: It's a new day - anything could happen!

S - Season: I love spring, summer, and fall. Not a big fan of the cold winter weather.

T - Tag Eight: Amie, Rachel, Emily, Stacey, Kristen, Rustin, Phil, Marlene

U - Unknown Fact About Me: I hung out with Andrew Keegan at Sundance Film Festivals

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I love meat!

W - Worst Habit: procrastination

Y - Your Favorite Food: anything Italian

Z - Zodiac: Leo, beware of sun power!

For Josh

Sunday night my Knight in Shining Armor, Josh, came to rescue me, the Damsel in Distress. At least that's what I'm letting Josh believe. He did save the day by coming out to fix my flat tire. i gawked at him while he put my spare on. Obviously, the whole getting a flat tire thing is new to me since I didn't even know I had a jack, and it definitely hadn't been used. He informed me that I probably put the nail in my tire on purpose just to make him feel strong and manly. I agreed! I spent hours concocting my plan to have him come and rescue me from the dogs. Oh, wait, we already had an adventure planned! Silly Josh! At least he's an Eagle Scout and came "prepared" with his tire gage and helping hands. I probably would've been stuck there until the Rhey's came home.

After Josh fixed my tire and we put some air in it, we played some amazing games...like California Speed and Jenga. I'm sure most of you know the rules to Jenga. Well, it had been a while since either Josh or I had played the game. He set it all up and asked me the rules. I stated that we each took a turn pulling out a block until one of us caused the tower to fall over. Josh repeated back to me "So if the tower falls while you are taking out a piece, then you lose?" I readily agreed. He encouraged me to go first. So I went ahead and started to pull out the first block. Much to my surprise, Josh knocked the tower over and said laughing "Ah ha, I guess you lose!" I was laughing because I totally fell for that trick! I should have known better. After the giggling subsided, Josh stated "Now that is something you can blog about!" So here I am blogging about Jenga just for Josh!

Josh always has some hidden agenda up his sleeve. There were a few other things that he had lead me to believe throughout the night, that weren't true. He has that innocent believable face that throws you off guard. I told him I just wasn't going to believe anything he told me anymore. He told me that might be wise since 90% of the time he probably isn't being serious. That gives me a lot of encouragement to trust what he's telling me, eh?

It was an amazingly fun night! We laughed, we cried, we shared stories, we laughed some more...
that's what friends are for!

Adventures...

Mark, Josh, Sarah, Arm - Killer Tats!

Who doesn't love a great adventure?  I sure have had a few of them this weekend.  First off, I helped with TOPS physical's for Gilbert and surrounding areas high school students yesterday.  That was a great learning experience.  We didn't have quite as many students come through as expected, but it definitely helped me practice my physical exam skills.  And the students were so cute.  They were all nervous about getting a sports physical.  I'm sure it's daunting to have providers ask personal history questions and then get into their personal space.  I know I would be stiff as a board and unresponsive.  There is something about sharing intimate details of your health with a stranger.  There was some pathology that come through, and it was striking to see a few cases of scoliosis, murmurs, and joint injuries.  It helps put into context the things we've been learning in class. 

Rachel carrying Mark

 Second adventure, I went to the stake fiesta activity with a guy from my ward.  We spent most of our time with Rachel and Mark, and their friends.  There was dancing, pictures, and food.  Afterward, we went to Rachel's place to play games.  If any of you know me, you know how much I LOVE games!?!?!  It turned out fine, except for the fact that we played "funny bones" and that is a little awkward with someone you don't know super well.  You draw a card which states something like "funny bone connected to the knee bone" or "nose connected to the nose."  You get my gest?  It is totally a cool game and I'm sure I'd love it if I was more comfortable with the person.  Maybe not so much on a first date with me (since I have considerable space/touch issues).  I'm glad I got to spend some time with Rachel before she went to Disneyland with Phil and family.

Sarah & Rachel

Third adventure, I decided to go to the Valencia ward since I was already out south dogsitting for the Rhey's.  What a great choice!  I met up with Kari and Skyler and Trisha and Danny at church. I even saw Daina last night at the Fiesta party.  I love those girls!  Going into the old church building brought back many memories!  We had some great times together.  It is interesting to see how our lives have changes over the year.  Kari & Trisha are both getting married in June, Kari & Daina are going to Thailand, Trisha & Danny bough a house.  I'm excited to get the five roommates together again before they get married.  We contemplated the future events of our lives - we're going to have our own little cul-de-sac!  It will be quite the good times.  I loved seeing old faces and my old Bishopric.  What great men!  Kari, Trisha, and I were a little giggly during RS...sometimes I just can't help it when I'm around them.  I mean, we are so funny!  I loved seeing everyone!!

Sarah & Rachel

Fourth adventure, this wasn't quite an adventure I really wanted to take.  I got home from church and played catch with the dogs for a bit.  I looked over at my car & thought "Hmm...my tire looks a little low.  I better take that in tomorrow."  I walked closer just to check it out and realized that my tire wasn't just low, it was flat.  How did that happen?  I gazed over my tire and sometime I didn't want to see.  A nail.  There is construction being done out by the Rhey's house.  I must have driven over the nail coming home from church.  Lovely.  I was going on an adventure with my friend Josh tonight, but instead we are going to be fixing my tire.  Doesn't that sound like great fun?  It's a little annoying because I don't have any of my stuff for the night here or clothes for tomorrow and I don't want to buy new tires.  I just bought some last year & in order to replace one, I get to replace them all.  All-wheel drive.  And who wants to fix a tire on a Sunday night?  That is not how I have envisioned the evening.  At least I have some help.

Friend, Mark, Josh, Sarah

Adventures!  You never know what you'll get with them.

Rachel jamming to Rockband!

Harvey

Last weekend I met my dream man.  His name is Harvey.  He sends off the most interesting heart and lung sounds and doesn't talk back.  It's hard to find a man like that these days :)  Today he came to class with me.  He was very patient with me while I learned, and he even let me practice my Cardio exam on him.  Isn't that so thoughtful?  Ok, Harvey is a simulator machine so that we can learn how to recognize different heart and lung conditions.  He lives on the third floor of our school with our other friend, Tex!  Tex is even more high-tech.  We will learn our ACLS class on Tex over the summer.  He can simulate 125 or so different medical conditions, and we have to learn how to correct the problem.  There is a person in another room monitoring what is said for our treatment plan who can changes the stats on the Tex.  He connected to an EKG screen and other medical information.  Harvey and Tex belong to the DO program so we don't have access to them very often.  But they are definitely useful in our education.  I look forward to spending even more time with both of them.

Crowns

There are all sorts of crowns...royal crowns, porcelain crowns, gold crowns, imperial crown, state crown, British crown coin, crown of the head, crown ether, crown Vetch. I could go on and on and on! Today I was privileged to start the process of getting a tooth crowned. Yes, I know you all thought I was perfect, but apparently I do have some major flaws. I love that going to school here I have access to cheaper dental care, but it has it's costs. In order to even have anything done to your teeth, you have to go through quite a process. Day one is a screening for candidacy, day two is an actually teeth screening with x-rays and plan of action, day three is a detailed cleaning, day four is prepping my teeth with a temporary crown, day five is building the mold, and day six is actually placing the crown. Mind you, through all of this there is a student doctor that is caring for me, with other doctors overseeing the care. That means that I not only go through the process once, but twice, and sometimes three time. I'm at the clinic four three to four hours each visit. At least I know that my teeth are in good hands.

I've decided that working in the mouth is not for me.  There are a lot of gross things you can see!  Plus, there are many things to consider - numerous nerves run throughout the face, everyone's bite is different, you have to be an artist to structure the right kind of teeth & finish off fillings, a variety of tools to understand, administering shots, and you are bent over using the same muscles all day long.  Wow, just talking about it is exhausting.

I can see why people don't like going to the dentist or the doctor.  Sitting there for hours with lights shining in my eyes, getting sprayed with the dentist's water hose (or instrument), nerve block being metabolized & pain initiated, the smell of things burning, the taste of things used, and occasionally, choking on my saliva or having the gag sensation stimulated, or even a the tooth fragment falling to the back of the throat.

As I was laying there my thoughts were focused on many things.  As of late, I've been daydreaming.  It must be from a lack of sleep that my mind can't stay focused on one topic for too long.

Wiki defines daydreaming as:

"A daydream is a visionary fantasy experienced while awake, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes, or ambitions.^[1] There are so many different types of daydreaming that there is still no consensus definition amongst psychologists.^[1] While daydreams may include fantasies about future scenarios or plans, reminiscences about past experiences, or vivid dream-like images, they are often connected with some type of emotion.

Daydreaming may take the form of a train of thought, leading the daydreamer away from being aware of his immediate surroundings, and concentrating more and more on these new directions of thought. To an observer, they may appear to be affecting a blank stare into the distance, and only a sudden stimulus will startle the daydreamer out of their reverie.

While daydreaming has long been derided as a lazy, non-productive pastime, daydreaming can be constructive in some contexts. There are numerous examples of people in creative or artistic careers, such as composers, novelists, and filmmakers, developing new ideas through daydreaming. Similarly, research scientists, mathematicians, and physicists have developed new ideas by daydreaming about their subject areas."

I guess there must be something going on in my brain to cause all of the recent daydreaming.  A few things that I've been thinking about are: the jungle or the zoo, autopsies, wake-boarding, drugs, Memorial weekend, riding motorcycles, and other various things.

Daydreaming about crowns!

Reflections of Christ

Tonight I was privileged to attend a fireside at the Bishop's home. Mark Mabry, a local photographer, came to speak about his recent project "Reflections of Christ" to our ward. It is currently being featured at the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center. What an inspiration his artwork is for me, and I'm sure for many others. My favorite picture was of Christ's Resurrection. My heart was touched as I learned more about the exhibit and experiences of those who participated in this project. Each was influenced differently but all had the same result of getting to know their Savior more personally. Photography has also been powerful to me. Add profound music and lyrics to the setting and my soul soars on high. It was a great to strengthen my testimony of Christ, His Earthly ministry, the power of the Atonement, and confirming fact of eternal life.

This has been a good week for me.  There has been much contemplation about life, school, and dreams.  I've tried to break away from my normal midterm stress, and had some help with Rachel.  Wednesday she invited me out boating with her and some of her friends.  Of course, I did have school and there was a split second dilemma of what I should do.  "Go to class, go wakeboarding, class, wakeboarding?"  That was quickly determined. I packed up my laptop and books and headed out the door.  It was a bit windy of a day, but still a delight to be up at Saguaro Lake with some new great friends.  I, of course, enjoyed watching them do some cool tricks.  I did get out in the freezing water for a brief time.  Josh and Jake were great at teaching me how to stay up...that's about all I did.  I learned that I have muscles that I never use.  Surprisingly, I wasn't too stressed while being away from my books.  I was feeling guilty for skipping out on class a small moment.  And of all classes, Law & Ethics, but Josh informed me that it could be looked over this once, since he is going to be graduating from Law School in about two weeks.  So he covered my need to know basics of Ethics that day.  Luckily, I didn't fail any of my exams this week.

Thursday night I went to Institute and my teacher gave a great lesson on fasting: how to fast, the purpose of our fast, and the blessings obtained from fasting.  Friday afternoon I went and laid by the pool with Rachel and Becca.  I went for a walk with Wendy later.  Then that night I hung out with my friend Josh.  I love making new friends.  I wish I had a little more time to spend with them all.  Saturday I mostly studied.  My favorite past time.  That evening I was invited to meet the first ATSU PA class alumni with two other classmates.  It was so fun to watch the twelve of them get together after ten years and reminisce about their school days.  Much has changed with the school since they completed their degrees.  They had classes up at Grand Canyon University and now ATSU has a whole campus of their own.  Listening, watching, and interacting with these PAs gave me a glimpse of what my ten year reunion will be like.  I look forward to the day where I'm confident in my profession, understand my purpose in caring for people, and fully grasp the medical knowledge I need to practice.  There is still so much to learn, but hope is brighter that I will make it there. Enjoy one day at a time!

A day in the life of a medical examiner.

The door closes pushing the early morning warm air up behind and around me. My classmates and I briskly walk up to the front desk and inquire about meeting with Dr. Fischeone. The receptionist asks the reason for the visit. She hands each of us a waiver form to read over and we sign in while she looks over our driver's license and school badges. We anxiously wait in the lobby for a few minutes viewing the old city photographs hanging on the back wall. I venture over to the glass case standing next to the far wall and look over the numerous bullets laying still. I think to myself: "I wonder who shot these bullets and why they are just laying out, as if at an exhibit?" I notice the wooden doors in the far back open, and a blonde lady gestures for us to gather around. We file through the door and into the elevator. The lady pushes the button for the lower floor, and down we go. We come out and on the left of us is a glass window. Looking through the window we see people moving around and getting things ready to start their day. Three doctors are on duty this morning. Each having two or three helping hands to start and finish their days work. Within seconds, the stories were unfolded and the autopsies began. It is a very detailed, graphic job that needs to be accomplished in the short morning hours. Searching for answers to determine the cause of death is an aspect of medicine needed in some cases. I went in with the perspective to learn more about medicine. This is a different approach to medicine. I understand the importance of it, but realized it is not for me. We spent most of the morning watching about ten autopsies. It is an experience I will never forget.

Here are a couple other pictures from the weekend!

I think I like the black and white one better.

But now you can see how pink my house is!

FuN tIMeS!

I can't help it, but I just love my family! Don't you just want to give Henry kisses?

Kids just know how make the most of the life! Not sure what Lily is thinking, but I believe she is watching conference. I love how it shows her personality....she is quite a character.

And look at Ian's cute smile! Don't you want to just pinch his chubby cheeks?

SARAH STARLEY

I had to put a few pictures up of adorable Sarah. Stacey and I were best friends for, like, a long time. Most of the WSU days. We had lots of sleepovers, parties, and dating drama to keep us occupied during undergrad (not much studying back then). I loved going to visit them after Katelyn was born. Nate and Stacey are out in Baltimore for a few more months while Nate finished Dental School. They are going to Cali for a year internship. I feel pretty lucky to have Stacey and Nate as friends and I'm pretty dang proud that they named her after me!

This is a cute picture of her on her Blessing Day.

HaPPy BiRThdaY weekend!

It was Amanda's Birthday last Friday and Troy's on Monday. I went out to Amanda's house party on Friday and ate some delicious appetizers! It was so fun to spend time with her and friends. Of course, we talked about school classes and rotations. It is fun to listen to them talk about their rotation experiences and how job connections are falling into place. That will be me in a year - crazy???!! It was fun seeing Amanda, too. I can't believe she leaves in a month. I better get some good quality time with her before she leaves. It's not like I will never see her again, just not as frequently since she'll be in cold windy WY. Typical me, I went to go buy a gift for Amanda and I couldn't find my wallet. I searched all over my car and in my bags, trying to remember the last time I used my wallet. Well, I recalled it was grocery shopping. I distinctly remember putting in with my soda in a grocery bag and carrying it into my house. What did I do with it after that, though? All I could think of was that I threw it in the garbage. And of course the garbage was picked up that morning. So I was in a little tizzy with myself wondering what all was in my wallet? Last week I had gone into get some government health insurance paper work completed and had my birth certificate and social security card. Was that still in there? Or was it just money, license, and debit card? There was nothing I could do about it until I got home. So I went empty handed to Amanda's birthday (well I had a card...but?) and worried about my wallet. The next day I did a mass search in my bedroom. It was in my laptop bag. Phew!

Kristen and I at Salerno's Pizza - we were first timers to the "most delicious pizza ever!"

Casey and Troy took a weekend gateway to Mesa just for the pepperoni pizza. They we coming in Friday and wanted me to order pizza for them that night (but unfortunately for them, there was a flight mix-up). They went almost as soon as they got into town Sat for lunch, then a few of us met up there for dinner, and we had plenty of left overs for them to eat for breakfast! Your mouth would start to water as they described the minute details of how delicious the pizza tasted. The cheese is this and that...."and don't even get me (Troy) started on the sauce!" Casey and Troy would go there like once a week when they lived in Mesa. They were so popular at the place that the owner came out at talked to them. He gave them a hard time for not coming for so long. Casey even has his picture with some friends up on the wall. The owner loves them and we enjoyed some crushed nuts wrapped in a tasty crust dessert (I don't know the technical name) on the house! What a way to spend a birthday weekend...eating their favorite pizza.

I sure enjoyed having two amazingly good looking guys as my weekend roommates! We had a fun time, even though I was studying most of the weekend (I feel like I'm always in mid-terms or finals), watching conference, eating pizza, catching up, and game night! Ah, lots of reminiscing about Ogden days and mutual friends! It was kind of fun hanging out because I know a few of the same people they knew while they lived in Mesa. So we have like double connections, or something like that.

The weekend flew by and mid-terms are in full swing this week. Surprisingly, I studied pretty well last night, especially since I felt burnt out after our two exams. Good thing because it's going to be a hellish couple of weeks. I guess I should start listening to class...

For my blogging fans...

Wow! I didn't realize how many of my friends checked my blog out. I've gotten quite a few emails over the past couple weeks wondering if they had the wrong web address or what was going on with my blog. And since it's been back up, wondering why I haven't been writing any entries! Sorry, but my life has been busy busy busy.

While the blog was down, I had lots of funny or memorable things happen. I would think: "Yeah, that stories good. I will totally remember to put that on my blog so everyone can get a good laugh." Well, who would of thought that I would have needed to write them down. Apparently they weren't that funny, because I sure don't remember them.

Easter was great! I spent it at JP and Mary Ann's with Rachel and Mark and Kristen. The food was delicious, company delightful, and I for sure over ate. I've gained a few pounds these past couple months. As my past dean would say: " That's the pig you bought." He told us at the beginning of the year that we'd gain 20 pounds while in grad school. I thought he was crazy, I'd make time for exercise and I've almost always been a healthy eater. Well, he's being proven right... Exercise is a last minute, painful experience once a week, unless I get out for a walk with the dog, and my diet consists of anything I can prepare quickly or just snack on. And if I'm studying at home, there's no stopping on the snacking. It's what "helps me stay awake" during hours of reading. Dating is non-existent! This quarter is so dang busy... Mid-terms started today, so the excitement of my life is at a climax. I live vicariously through Rachel's lovelife!

My parents had all of my dad's siblings in town for Easter week and it sounded like quite a party. The played lots of games, ate lots of food, and had quite a fun time. I sure wish I could've gone home to spend time with all of the family there. I'm looking forward to a fun family reunion at Spencer and Jonene's for Memorial Weekend, though!!! You better have some superb adventures, games gallor, and plenty of treats (because that's what my diet consists of now...). j/k! I really am just excited to be with the whole family again.

My cute friend Stacey sent me this getting to know survey and thought it was fun.  Feel free to do it yourself.

1. What is your occupation? Graduate Student

2.  What color are the socks you are wearing? Only sandals

3. What are you listening to right now? My teacher (background noise...hehe!)

4. What was the last thing that you ate?  Allbran

5. Can you drive a stick shift?  Definitely

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? GREEN

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Kristen Cheney - about writing prescriptions

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes

9. How old are you today?   26

10. Favorite drink? Lime Ricky

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Tennis

12. Have you ever dyed your hair?  Yes

13. Pets?   Gidget, poodle-maltese mix, is my roommates dog

14. Favorite food?  Anything Italian

15. Last movie you watched?  Spy Game

16. Favorite Day of the year?   Day after finals

17. What do you do to vent anger? Running, tennis, playing the piano

18. What was your favorite toy as a child?  My computer - it has some fun learning games

19. What is your favorite, fall or spring?  Spring

20. Hugs or kisses?   Hugs

21. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry

22. Do you want your friends to email you back? (since this isn't an email...Sure)

23. Who is most likely to respond? ??

24. Who is least likely to respond? ???

26 When was the last time you cried?   Easter Sunday

27. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes, shoes, shoes

28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?

29. Who is the friend you have had the shortest that you are sending this to?

30. Favorite smell?  Anything baking in the oven, spicy cinnamon, cut grass

31. What inspires you?  lots of things: ambitious people, humanitarian work, medicine

32. What are you afraid of? spiders

33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?  spicy

34. Favorite car ?  My subaru, of course!

35. Favorite cat breed?  Himalayan

36. Number of keys on your key ring? 5

37. How many years at your current job?  I've been in school for about 10 months

38. Favorite day of the week?  Saturday