Cuppa

Java. Joe. Coffee.

Something I never thought I would like.

When I was little, I clearly remember both my grandmas loved coffee. Our families would go out to eat and the server would ask if the adults would like coffee with dessert. My dad without skipping a beat would reply, “I’m not old enough to drink coffee yet.” I thought it was the funniest response. Of course, that was back before kids were coffee consumers and the joke stopped making sense.

It took about 4 years for me to develop a taste for the drink, which I credit primarily to college culture and friends. Most students would go out for coffee or study with coffee or have coffee dates. It was just the social thing to do. I remember the first time I had a cappuccino from the cafeteria machine - I was jittery, shaky, and amped for the next few hours.

The summer of 2010 my roommate made coffee frequently. She would always ask if I would like some too and eventually I started taking her up on the offer. It was downhill after then.

As I was mulling around coffee thoughts prior to writing this post, I realized so many memories include coffee, or or the flip side, coffee reminds me of so many memories.

-Not one, but two, cups of coffee during the health care trip to India while serving in the dental area and wondering how the dentist was able to keep his hands steady while pulling teeth with all the caffeine on board

-Caribou Coffee being a HUGE deal to the Minnesotans members of our concert choir when we went to the Mall of America

-When another roommate was enthused when Caribou came to the local Hy-Vee in Missouri

-Meeting to discuss so many topics with so many people over cups of Joe

-Countless hours spent studying for PA school with classmates or friends in Iowa City, Mason City, Vinton, Dubuque, and Des Moines

-Tough, tearful conversations on more than one occasion

-Touring the Starbucks roastery in Seattle with two great gals

-Standing clueless in the aisle of a Romanian grocery store trying to decide which coffee to bring back for a souvenir when I couldn’t read most of the labels

-Pumpkin spice lattes (PSL) with a friend in Wisconsin when I visited for a quick weekend trip

-Coffee with cane sugar for breakfast in Kenya with my second family during Christmas break one year

-Cold brew enthusiasts, including a friend in Iowa City and that one time I drank my bro-in-law’s cold brew without diluting it first because I thought it was my leftover drip coffee in the fridge

Fast forward to now. At times, my roommate and I laugh sadly at how many coffee-making devices we have in our small kitchen and how we truly need to downsize. My Starbucks’ gold card is still active. And coffee no longer prevents me from sleeping.

And that’s what’s been on my mind lately.

Here’s to staying caffeinated?

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

I've always wanted to have a garden. It's definitely a life goal/bucket list item.

My grandpa had a garden. He would grow all kinds of vegetables, and although he passed away when I was young, I remember my cousins and I would pile into the wagon on the back of his garden tractor and he would give us rides.

When I was 10 years old, my family took a trip to Alaska to visit my parents' friends. Mom and Dad met at church in Alaska and it was nearly 15 years later when we went back to visit and stayed with their friends who had a beautiful, huge garden. My sister and I spent hours picking raspberries, peas, and watching the cabbages and zucchini grow over those two weeks.

Every year our family would plant tomatoes, and for a few years, we attacked the clay that is Missouri soil and tried to coax a few more types of veggies, fruits, and flowers to grow. It was always a highlight to see the new types of vegetables produce - like the peas, carrots, lettuce, and radishes. For a few years, we had a strawberry patch, and one year we grew 3-feet tall marigolds.

When I originally starting thinking about this blog post, it was spring in Iowa City and gardens were popping up all around. The Farmer's Market was getting ready to be in full swing and the North Liberty Community pantry was hosting an event on container gardening. Being in such an agriculturally-minded state and a food-conscious city makes gardening a normal part of most people's lives.

Like every year, I created my reading goals for the new year in January; one of the books on my list this year was Paradise Lost. You know, the old-English epic poem by Milton about the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. My sister had recommended the book years ago as she read it for her English degree in college. Although I'm not a huge fan of poetry, neither is she and she liked it, so I thought I'd add it to my list. It has taken me months and some Cliff Notes' help, but I finally finished it this past week. It's certainly contributed to my intermittent pondering on this topic of gardens and gardening.

One of my favorite quotes from Paradise Lost. 

When I was initially mulling around these thoughts, Kari Jobe also came out with her new album: The Garden. I listened to the title song on repeat for a few weeks. The "coincidence" of garden-themed things in my life continued: there was either a sermon or an article I encountered contrasting the Garden of Eden with another significant garden in scripture - the garden of Gethsemane. One, where paradise was lost; the other, the precursor to paradise regained through the reconciliation Jesus provided us on the cross.

I think one reason I (and others) are fascinated with the concept of gardening, growing, creating, and cultivating is because we are made in the image of a creator who asked us to cultivate our environment. Not just the ground, although that's part of it, but also our emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and relational environments. It's part of the nature of God that humankind shares.

Fast forward to the current season. It's now fall, dabbling on the edge of winter. The leaves have changed and most have fallen to the ground, leaving the trees bare. The air is colder and there is frost covering the ground in the mornings. Death is part of the consequence of Adam's fall. I dislike this time of the year more than any other: when life turns to death. But without this season, there would be less anticipation for the season of new life. 

One day I will have my own garden. A day when I no longer live in a second-floor apartment with only space for a window box or a deck with some pots here and there. Until then, I will keep challenging my comfort zone and cultivate the areas in my life that I can. 

Have you ever thought about these things? If not, how about now? In closing, I'll leave you with this video (Kari Jobe, The Garden):

  

What I've been doing:

Work, work, work. Fortunately, we have several new providers starting soon, but until that happens, I have been picking up extra shifts with the goal of funding part of my Haiti trip. Last week I worked 60 hours. And you know what that means, right? Weird medical dreams where I'm diagnosing in my sleep, trying to calculate medication doses, and going to special events while running a fever. None of which are in my conscious life. Here's to normal work hours this week and less weird dreams.

Hoover Days. West Branch, Iowa is the birthplace of Herbert Hoover and they have an annual celebration called Hoover Days, which includes activities such as a Hoover ball competition, parade, pedal tractor pulls, bags tournament, live music, and food grilled by the fire department. A friend and I went for one of the evenings and enjoyed watching the tiny kiddos pedal tractor pull, listening to the Dandelion Stompers (big band/jazz music artists) perform live while consuming a brat grilled by the firemen, and ending with a sweet treat of incredibly delicious and cheap ice cream! Was a fun, classic rural Iowa celebration!

Iowa State Fair. It's been 8 years since I attended the fair the first time to listen to one of my college friends sing there. One of my "Iowa Goals" was to attend the state fair again while living here. It's taken me 4 years, but I finally made it there this past weekend. One of my college friends from Michigan, who is in Iowa for traveling physical therapy, came with me and we had a fantastic time watching the sheep shearing contest, listening to the military band, eating over-priced delicious fair food, seeing the butter cow, eating eggs on a stick, and wandering the animal barns.

Butter Cow. Tradition at the Iowa State Fair.

Enjoying an egg on a stick, because why not put an egg on a stick and then eat it?

Kayaking. Went for a quick trip to Lake McBride this weekend with a friend.  Although the forecast only called for a 15% chance of rain, it started sprinkling on us while out on the lake. However, as I frequently tell others, rain makes everything more memorable. We didn't melt (Wizard of Oz reference, anyone?) and were able to be out on the lake for about 2 hours.

What I've been reading: 

Finished It Happened in Iowa. Such an interesting (short) read about historical events throughout Iowa and fun cultural aspects of certain cities. For example, did you know the only place in the United States with a working windmill from Denmark is located in Elk Horn, Iowa? Yeah, well now you do. Check out this short youtube video if you'd like to know more.

Started When Helping Hurts. I've heard great reviews on this book and thought it would be appropriate to read prior to my Haiti trip. It's not one to breeze through as there are pre-chapter and post-chapter questions one must consider in context of the information. I think it will end up being a helpful, challenging read.

Bible study: Finished our study of the book of Acts, which we started at the beginning of the year. It's rewarding to study something for such a huge chunk of the year.

What I've been listening to:

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery. Heard a new (to me) song at church last week that made a huge impression. Check out this link if you'd like to hear it too!

My "classic" artist of the week is Buddy Holly. Didn't know any of his songs, but he apparently died in a plane crash after performing a concert at Clear Lake, Iowa. Since I didn't know his music, I thought I'd listen to some of his better known songs to catch up my culture knowledge.

What I've been watching:

Finished the last season on Netflix of The Great British Baking Show. I didn't ever think I would love this show when I saw a partial episode at a friend's house, but I have grown to appreciate the British wit, learned much about the art and science of baking, and even shed a few tears during the season 3 finale due to the emotions of the contestants. If you're on the fence about whether to watch this series or not, I highly recommend it!

Season 3 Finale. All the feels.

And that's the update for now. 

Work-iversary!

Guess what?!? Today is my QuickCare 2 year work-iversary. I've officially been working as a PA 2 full years.

 

 

There's no way I could have anticipated some of the experiences I would have at QuickCare when I signed on that first summer.

People always interest me. For someone who is drawn to thinking about individual and social behavior (psychology and sociology), it fascinates me daily when I am able to interact with people from all walks of life. That is one of the beauties of health care - it's an equalizer of people. It doesn't matter to me if you are homeless or a CEO or a stay-at-home-mom or the university president, you will get sick or hurt at some point in life and I may see you in my clinic exam room. I may not know any of those things about you, but I will be able to help and educate you about yourself and your body.

Throughout these two years, I've seen hundreds of cases: from things as mundane as sunburns, poison ivy, and upper respiratory infections (aka colds) to the urgent conditions of surgical abdominal complaints (gallbladder, ovarian tumor, appendicitis), brain bleeds, anaphylaxis, asthma attacks, and a heart attack. My favorite complaints continue to be cuts that need sewn in clinic and potential bone breaks.

I, myself, have had my fair share of illnesses. My roommate and I joke that between the two of us, we either have the best immune systems in the world or the worst ones. She's a teacher. I've had bronchitis at least 3 times, a few colds, a contagious intestinal infection, strep throat, and pneumonia. I've accidentally stuck myself with epinephrine as well as two needles in 2 years.

With my medical education, I've been able to serve in Romania for a short-term mission trip as a PA this past May. I am scheduled to go to Haiti in October with a medical team. In the fall last year, I attended the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY. With education funds from work, I've also been able to attend conferences on preparing for infectious disease outbreaks (sponsored by the Ebola task force), youth sports injuries, and human trafficking in Iowa.

My co-workers and bosses have been super supportive in helping me navigate practicing medicine as a new provider. They have been my mentors, my friends, and the ones with whom I spend long hours of my work days. They make my job easier, tolerable, and enjoyable depending on the day.

Not once have I regretted my decision to pursue the physician assistant career. I have been satisfied with my autonomy in my role. I do not desire to ever be a physician; my patients ask me routinely if I'm going to go on to become a physician. (P.S. That's not how it works.) It's rewarding to be able to spend time with patients and educate them about their health or illness instead of just throwing around medical jargon and having them leave confused.

It's hard to imagine what I'll encounter in my career during the next 2 years or where I will be, but I'm excited to find out.

Life Update

What’s new in life?

Well, if you missed the most recent travel blog, head on over here to read the latest.

July 10 I celebrated by quarter birthday. Who does that? Yeah, me neither. However, I was thinking it’s only been 3 months since my birthday and so many things have happened in life. Usually I think about goals in light of anniversaries (like work hire date) or calendar year, but this 3-month period seems to have encompassed several particularly big events.

For instance, in May I traveled to Romania for over a week and became an aunt for the first time. In June, I visited my sister and bro-in-law to meet said niece. Returned home and was diagnosed with pneumonia after several weeks of feeling ill. And then in July my friends and I went on a nearly 2-week road trip as mentioned above.

Now as July comes to a close and the city gears up for the influx of college students and the new school year, I feel we have come to a natural time again to reflect and plan.

What I’m watching:

• NCIS. My parents were fans long before I was. During a trip home at the beginning of the year, they had decided to re-watch the series from the beginning. I was hooked. Since January, I have been slowly chipping away at the episodes and have made it nearly through season 10. Netflix covers through 14 currently, so I only have 4 more to go.
• Great British Baking Show. While I had pneumonia, I barely felt like getting up to use the bathroom let alone do anything productive with life. So, my roomie and I watched the first season of the GBBS. Baking truly is both art and science. As someone who likes patterns, structure, and “rules,” baking is right up my alley. The show has been entertaining, and it makes it more fun to watch having friends around who are also fans.

 What I’m listening to:

• Ella Fitzgerald. I’m not one who knows the classics. I didn’t grow up with them. However, recently, I decided to catch up on some of the different genres I’ve heard mentioned, but do not personally know well. I’m starting with jazz, but am planning on exploring some reggae next.

 What I’m reading:

• Hearts of Fire: Eight Women in the Underground Church and Their Stories of Costly Faith. A book by Voice of the Martyrs. Truly inspiring.
• Fifty Foods and How They Changed the Course of History. Saw this title at the Starbucks Roastery library in Seattle. Decided to see if the public library had it, and they did! So far, it’s not quite as interesting as I thought it would be and is evolutionary heavy at the beginning, but I hope for it to improve.
• Paradise Lost. I haven’t read this one yet and I’ve heard others talk about how it is worth reading, so it’s my newest start. Although, I must confess I checked out the Cliff Notes guide to go along with the read.
• Mountains Beyond Mountains. The story of Dr. Paul Farmer, who worked in Haiti and was influential in developing the TB management plan for the World Health Organization (WHO).

 What I’m doing:

• In the past two weeks, I’ve played trivia twice, gone to Wildwood, heard Keith Urban sing at the Jones’ County Fair, met a friend for lunch, worked 54 hours, attended the guys’ final softball game, played bingo, kayaked at Lake MacBride, helped a friend move, and played board games with friends.

 So, that’s the update.

There’s also something big coming up in October, with which I am involved. Stay tuned to the travel blog for more news this week!

"Life Is The Sum Of All Your Choices." --Albert Camus

Occasionally, my mind gets stuck thinking about something particular in life. Sometimes it seems everything in life I encounter points to the same topic. Recently, it’s been the concept of choice.

I’m pretty sure the trigger for all this pondering was listening to our Romanian host discuss what life was like growing up under communism. She studied to be a nurse and then “was placed in Constanta” because that is where the state needed her to go. Such a foreign thought to me – going where your country tells you to go. Of course, that is, unless you are in the military – then it makes sense. Without a mandatory draft in decades, though, even being in the military doesn’t seem so bad because at least it is voluntary.

Another encounter with this thought came when my mom was relating my sister’s experience in the hospital during delivery of my niece. She mentioned my sister was in horrendous pain, but still made it a priority to be kind to those who were helping her. She knew she had a choice in how she treated others and responded to her environment. After 18 hours in the hospital (and longer in labor), my niece was delivered by an emergency C-section. The following days were not what they had planned; they weren’t discharged until 5 days after delivery. Through it all though, my sister held onto her resolve to be kind.

Within the past week, I finished listening to an audio book called, “The Witness Wore Red: The 19^th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice.” Why did I read this book? I think it’s because I was traveling home (9-hour roundtrip) one weekend and needed an audiobook – it was advertised on the first page of the library site I use for audiobooks and it looked intriguing. Through the story of Rebecca Musser, the concept of choice (or lack of choice) was vividly highlighted. Once she left the fundamentalist LDS church, she was faced with the overwhelming option of choice. Within her cult, she had little to no say in her life as a woman, especially in the big decisions. The stark contrast between her life before and after she left the cult allowed me to see just how much choice I have in my life.

As I’ve been reading through Genesis again lately, I've noticed how the choice Adam and Eve made reflected their distrust in God – that he was holding back good things in their lives by restricting them from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. They made the wrong choice. But then we see in the gospels that Jesus also had a choice. He had a choice to live a sinless life and voluntarily give his life for us. And he made the right choice.

This past weekend, I went with a few friends to watch the new Wonder Woman movie. Ever since I dressed up as Wonder Woman at Halloween a few years ago, I feel like I identify with her, despite having never read the comics or followed the older shows.  If one tries, it is not hard to draw “redemptive stories” or Christian analogies from the storyline. For example, Diana (Wonder Woman) leaves her realm to war against Aries (the god of war) who has corrupted mankind and brought about evil in the world. In the end, Aries attempts to persuade her to join him in destroying mankind as they do not deserve the help of the gods. She is presented with the choice to abandon mankind and participate in destroying them with Aries or to destroy Aries and save mankind.

Some areas in which I’ve had to make choices over the past few days: what time to get up, what to eat, where to go, what to listen to, what information to repeat, who to invest in, what to wear, when to engage and when to avoid, how to spend my time, which product to buy, when to go and when to leave, how to be better, what goals are worth the investment, how to spend money, when and what to share, and what to sacrifice and why.

I don’t think I’ve completely reached an end to my musings on choice. But these are my thoughts so far. Have you ever thought about choice?

What’s been part of my life this week?

• Returned from an international trip, which stretched me professionally, emotionally, and spiritually. It was helpful to step away from my small town and be reminded that people around the world are concerned with the same things – friendship, acceptance, health, caring for family, loving children and grandchildren, celebrating the good, mourning the sad, and searching for ultimate fulfillment.

• Had my hair cut. 

• Spent time investing in friends, both in groups and one-on-one. Met with a few girls for our weekly Bible study. It’s rewarding to be encouraged and challenged by women who are seeking Jesus too.

• Had a pedicure. 

• Played trivia with friends on Wednesday per usual and was able to chat with them between questions. Being away allowed me to make relationships quickly with my teammates due to time constraints; it’s helped me realize how my interactions with friends are often shallow and encouraged me to ask the hard questions to truly invest in others.  

• Cleaned the apartment. 

• Met with a friend at a coffee shop to share life and provide support and encouragement for difficult “growing pain” times in life.

• Went to an orthodontic appointment. 

• Heard a new song on the radio, which is my new favorite. Here’s the link if you wanna take a listen.

• Enjoyed a massage at Spa Bianca. 

• Listened to this podcast by Sadie Robertson, which was worth the time.

• Shopped for groceries and prepped meals for the week. 

• Mulled around in my head what I want my role as an aunt to look like. Now that my first niece has arrived and I am receiving pictures and reports from my family, it’s caused me to consider more carefully what I desire for our aunt-niece relationship to be both now and in the future.

• Did laundry. 

• Conversed with others about what doing singleness well looks like, how to fight for a healthy attitude regarding an ex’s wedding, and the challenges and joys of a friend’s current dating relationship.

• Worked 22 hours in 2 days. 

• Attended a friend’s graduation party.

So that’s my last 5 days in a nut shell. Here’s to continued growth on this journey called life. 

Books Read in 2016

Book List 2016

Complete reads:
red = book club read

1. 7 Women - Eric Metaxas
2. Gilead - Marilynn Robinson
3. Hockey
4. How We Got the Bible - Timothy Jones
5. The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
6. Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Piccoult
7. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonassen
8. Ilusion - Frank Peretti
9. The Martian - Andy Weir
10. Okay for Now (audio) - Gary Schmidt
11. Working Stiff - Judy Melinek, M.D.
12. Prayer - Tim Keller
13. The National Parks: An Illustrated History  - Kim Heacox
14. 7 Men - Eric Metaxas
15. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
16. 7 Brief Lessons on Physics - Carlo Rovelli
17. HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
18. The BFG - Ronald Dahl
19. Hondo - Lois L’amour
20. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
21. Quiet:The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking - Susan Cain
22. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
23. His Needs, Her Needs - Willard F Harley, Jr.
24. The Optimist’s Daughter - Eudora Welty
25. Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help you Save Yourself - Julie Klam 
26. The Jungle (audio) - Upton Sinclair
27. Death of a Salesman (play) - Arthur Miller
28. The Mingling of Souls (audio) - Matt Chandler
29. The Sacred Search - Gary Thomas
30. Smarter Better Faster - Charles Duhigg
31. I Dared to Call Him Father (audio) - Bilquis Sheikh
32. The Boy in the Suitcase - Agnete Friis & Lene Kaaberbol
33. Same Kind of Different as Me - Ron Hall and Denver Moore
34. Until Tuesday (audio) - Bret Witter & Luis Carlos
35. When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi & Abraham Verghese
36. The Magnolia Story - Chip and Joanna Gaines
37. Fever - Megan Abbott
38. Life of Pi (audio) - Yann Martel
39. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and High Heat - Lee Child
40. The Dressmaker - Rosalie Ham
41. Hidden Christmas - Tim Keller
42. Open - Craig Gross
43. Wonder - Emma Donoghue

Partial reads:

1. Me Before You - JoJo Moyes
2. For Whom the Bells Toll - Ernest Hemingway
3. Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America - Erik Larson
4. Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
5. Love Does - Bob Goff
6. Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton
7. The Count of Monte Cristo (audio) - Alexandre Dumas