Then and Now

What do I want in life? What are my dreams and desires? They seem to change over time. Looking back on landmarks of my life, I can see the changes. You know those questionnaires you fill out about what you like and where you hope to be in 5 or 10 years? Yeah, well those are fun to review occasionally. It’s also enlightening to take a trip down memory lane.

Ten years ago, I was getting ready to graduate from high school. It was the week before my 18^th birthday – which my sister celebrated by throwing a surprise party. We played laser tag. I was Flo in the homeschool dinner theater and rocked out oldies on the keyboard in our “band.” I played at my last Fine Arts Festival. I staffed TeenPact and worked at Spanish camp and was in the Stained Glass Theater’s sequel – Return to Belle Plains. I was having senior pictures taken and pondering if I really actually wanted to leave home and go to college in the fall.

My 18th birthday.

My first cell phone! I thought this was the coolest thing.

And then looking back five years ago, I was finished with college. I had taken a trip to Kenya for three weeks to celebrate being done and then started my job as a technician in the ER in January. I was living with three other lovely ladies from Evangel who were also done with or finishing their college careers. I was stressing out over whether to apply to PA school or med school. I was about to turn 23 years old.

My 23rd birthday.

My 23rd birthday.

Graduation from Evangel with my bachelor's degree.

In some ways, things are still the same. I’m still trying to “figure out life.” I’m still striving to become a better person. I’m still experiencing huge changes. This time around, I’m looking at my 28^th birthday around the corner. One more week to make the most of my 27^th year of life. I’ve finished graduate school and have a “big girl job” as a physician assistant. I’m still in the infancy of my career.

Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016.

The past two sets of 5 years have held new phases of life academically. Along with those phases have been other life changes, growth, locations. Although I don’t anticipate a new formal academic phase these new 5 years, I do know I won’t ever stop learning in the career I have chosen. Location-wise, it’s hard to know where I’ll be.

Other goals for the next five years include: Paying off my car. Paying off my student loans. Making a dent toward saving for a house. Having a garden. Visiting at least one more state on my to-visit list. Going on at least one medical mission trip. Becoming more like Jesus. Spending time in reading His word and praying. Sponsoring a child internationally. Investing in the community – of my city and my church. Buying a keyboard. Having braces to correct my teeth. Growing in relationships, hopefully including marriage and kids.

Goals change with each stage. Priorities shift. People come in and out of one’s life. Life offers new opportunities and introduces you to things which you didn’t even know existed. Here’s to the next 5 years of learning, changing, and living.

You Know You're in Healthcare When...

You know you’re in healthcare when…

·         There is a cup of tongue depressors next to the coffee pot to use instead of coffee stirrers.

·         You wash your hands before AND after you use the restroom.

·         The letters PCI on construction equipment you view while driving down the interstate are immediately interpreted in your mind as percutaneous coronary intervention.

·         Your friends rank the “medicine” or “anatomy” question at trivia night as the highest-scoring question of the round because you and several other medical buddies are on the team.

·         You get excited explaining the Eustachian tube to patients several times a day.

·         You’d like to take vacation but you have to know 3-4 months in advance to get a day off of work.

·         You know certain other people’s date of birth (DOB) better than you do your own family members’ DOBs.

·         You have to leave a patient’s room because you “forgot your ears” and need to grab your stethoscope.

·         You can eat and talk “gross things” at the same time. Or you can eat and WATCH “gross things” at the same time. Or both.

·         You can outlast most of your friends when it comes to games that involve supplying multiple-syllable words.

 

 

Happiest of New Years.

Happy 2016. As facebook keeps reminding me with daily time hops, it's hard to believe it's been a year since 2015 began...

New Year's Eve 2015, I was leaving the old year by exploring The Louvre in Paris and ringing in the new with an extravagant French dinner at midnight. New Year's Eve 2016, I was leaving the old year at work with an accidental finger stick of epinephrine and ringing in the new by playing Yahtzee, cozy on the living room couch.

Reflecting on this past year, it's truly amazing to see what God has done and is doing in my life and in those of the people around me.

This past year held many ups and downs, just like any other year. Some of the highlights:

-Rotation in international medicine in Tanzania in January.
-Starting dating my sweet boyfriend in May.
-Trained for and ran a half marathon in June.
-Finished rotations for PA school (ob/gyn, family medicine, ortho, emergency medicine, & cardiology) and graduated in June.
-Weekend trip to St. Louis to explore the sights.
-Trip to Springfield to celebrate my friends' wedding; was one of the bridesmaids.
-Took my boards and became certified as a physician assistant in July.
-Trip to Colorado (Denver and Colorado Springs) for a week with friends.
-Started working as a PA at Quickcare in August.
-Sister came to visit me in Iowa in November!
-Trip to Minnesota to visit Ethan's family and do Christmas with them.
-Christmas with my family in Missouri.

And as usual, here's my book list for the year.

As 2016 starts, I'm excited to continue learning, growing, and loving. May you have a wonderful New Year as well :)

Books of 2015

2015

1.       Heads in Beds: a reckless memoir of hotels, hustles, and so-called hospitality – Jacob Tomsky

2.       Being Mortal: medicine and what matters in the end – Atul Gawande

3.       Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn

4.       The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot

5.       Bridge to Haven – Francine Rivers

6.       Out of the Silent Planet – C. S. Lewis

7.       My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Piccoult

8.       To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

9.       Go Set a Watchman – Harper Lee

10.   Room – Emma Donahue

11.   Counter Culture – David Platt

12.   The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime – Mark Haddon

13.   State of Wonder – Ann Patchett

14.   Financial Peace Revisited – Dave Ramsey

15.   The Dating Manifesto: a drama-free plan for pursuing marriage with purpose – Lisa Anderson

16.   The Invisible Girls: a memoir – Sarah Thebarge

17.   The Astronauts’ Wives Club: a true story – Lily Koppel

18.   How We Got to Now: six innovations that made the modern world – Steven Johnson

19.   Every Good Endeavor: connecting your work to God’s work– Timothy Keller

20.   My Name is Asher Lev – Chaim Potok

21.   Dracula – Bram Stoker

22.   One Thousand Gifts: a dare to life fully right where you are – Ann Voskamp

23.   The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins

24.   Mindwise: how we understand what others think, believe, feel, and want – Nicholas Epley

25.   Joy to the World: an advent journey through the songs of Christmas – Ray Pritchard

26.   The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson

Red = B Clubbin reads

Blue = Book Club Part Deux reads

Partial reads:

•  IQ: a smart history of a failed idea – Stephen Murdoch
•  Smokejumper: a memoir by one of America’s most select airborne firefighters – Jason A. Ramos and Julian Smith
• 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged – H. Norman Wright
•  Plunder and Deceit: big government’s exploitation of young people and the future – Mark R. Levin
•  Gilead – Marilynne Robinson

[wisdom]

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about wisdom lately. Maybe it’s because we are going through the “wisdom literature” in Grad Group – namely the Psalms and Proverbs. Or maybe it’s because we are studying James on Sunday mornings at church and in my women’s Bible study. Regardless, wisdom is a pretty important quality to consider. Throughout life, we all have decisions to make. And we can choose to make those decisions relying on our own wisdom or that of others’ or on God’s. Not that I’m saying these three options are mutually exclusive. In fact, I believe quite the opposite – God can speak directly to our circumstances through others’ life experiences and lessons “learned the hard way.”  In medicine, we have an axiom that “common things are common,” which when translated to the non-medical world essentially means we can learn from each other – if we act the same way as others have, we can expect similar consequences. We can and should learn from each other.

I was reading in Proverbs 3 and James 3 last night with my personal devotions and came across passages about wisdom which have never really caught my attention until now. In Proverbs, it speaks of Wisdom personified and the benefits of wisdom. I mean, after listing those benefits, who wouldn’t want to have wisdom? James speaks of types and attributes of wisdom, which help guide us with making decisions. Check out the following passages.

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being, Proverbs 3:7-8, 13-24 (NIV)

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
 This will bring health to your body.

Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
  for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
  She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
  Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
  Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
  She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.

 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
  by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
  for the Lord will be at your side
and will keep your foot from being snared.

The wise inherit honor,
but fools get only shame.

PROVERBS: Note the blessings of wisdom. HEALTH. BLESSING. PROFIT, YIELDS RETURN. LONG LIFE. RICHES AND HONOR. PLEASANT WAYS. PEACE. LIFE. BLESSING. SAFETY. SECURITY. LACK OF FEAR. SLEEP. COMPANIONSHIP. HONOR.

Two Kinds of Wisdom, James 3:13-17 (NIV)

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

JAMES: Note the definition of heavenly wisdom. PURE. PEACE-LOVING. CONSIDERATE. SUBMISSIVE. MERCIFUL. FRUITFUL. IMPARTIAL. SINCERE.

Now, let me ask you a question. You know that big (or small) decision you’re trying to make? Yeah, that one – the one that gets pushed to the back of your mind because you would rather ignore it than make the wrong choice? The one for which you are “seeking God’s wisdom.” Well, try applying these criteria to your decision-making process. Can you answer “yes” to the following:

• Are you maintaining wholeness of mind and character with your choice? 
• Does it promote peace? 
• Is it considerate of others involved? 
• Are you being submissive to God’s principles and following his overt commands in Scripture with the choice you’re making?
• Does the choice convey mercy? 
• Will it produce fruit? Are you consciously ignoring bias influencing your choice? 
• And are you sincere in your decision and words?

Obviously, wisdom is a pretty big deal to God. In Proverbs 1, He practically tells us that some of us ignore Wisdom when she’s screaming in our face for attention.

Wisdom’s Rebuke, Proverbs 1:20-33

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:

“How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

“Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to ignore wisdom in my life. Just some thoughts to ponder…

October Happenings

The week in review:

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed this week, I noticed a video someone posted of Brigham Young University Noteworthy (female acapella) of Amazing Grace. Must say it’s been my jam this week. Check it out HERE. (I hardly ever buy music on iTunes, but I did with this one, which just goes to show it’s I think it’s worth a listen.)

One day earlier this week, I saw 33 patients by myself. Manageable is about 20 or so. It was a 12-hour turned 16-hour shift. Needless to say, it was a long day. Welcome to being in the medical field, right?

Kind of how I felt when I had to give an epi-pen this week.

 On a more positive note, I kinda love making new foods, which I got to do this week. And it’s about 10 times more fun when I have someone to eat with me. It’s starting to get chillier here in Iowa, so I pulled up my handy Pinterest board labeled “fall yum” and picked a recipe I had never made – slow cooker creamy tortellini, spinach, and chicken soup. So yum! Panera tomato basil bread and some homemade pumpkin pie ice cream rounded out the meal.

A year ago, my mom mentioned that I would love a new show on CBS. Now, at the time I was in school and had about zero extra time to spend watching TV. However, I checked it out one evening and then had to catch up over the next few days on the next 5 episodes that were already released online. The show? Scorpion – a team of geniuses who pair up with Homeland Security to solve end-of-the-nation problems in 40-some minutes with a happily-ever-after-ending each episode. I also kinda love that show. So, yeah, that also happened this week. Since I don’t have TV, I always have to wait at least one day until it’s posted online. It’s so hard waiting when I’ve already been primed by my family that it’s “so good and suspenseful this week.” Every. Single. Week. Haha :)

Another cool thing that happened this week was participating in V.I.S.T. (violent incident survival training) for work. When I worked in the ER, we had a similar class which incorporated self-defense for health care professionals - but that's been several years back now and it's always good to have a refresher course. As we watched and listened to the presentation, the question came up of whether you would be prepared to kill someone if you had no other option to survive? Now, that’s a sobering thought. Picture this, you wrestle the gun from the shooter and he pulls another one on you. What do you do? Could you live with yourself if you shot someone? Hard questions. But ones worth thinking through. Also, just wanna mention that my aversion to sitting with my back to the room has a warranted basis – cops hate it too. They are always noting exits, obstacles, human behavior. Maybe I went into the wrong career? ;)

And to round out the week, I’m wrapping up my next two evenings with book club discussions. Tonight includes "peace, ping-pong and pizza" and tomorrow includes a classic vampire movie for our discussion on Dracula. Which brings me to the topic of Halloween – I’m going with some friends and we’re all dressing according to a theme. Working on my costume today. If you’re curious, I’ll just leave this pic here for your viewing pleasure…

Until next time. Consider yourself updated.

Livin' Life

It’s that time of year again, when the leaves start changing color and the breeze signals that fall is here. Iowa City has turned into a vast display of flaming oranges, reds, and yellows. Every year I think of the poem, “Come, Little Leaves” and this year is no different. In the spirit of all things fall, I’ve been consuming entirely too many pumpkin-flavored foods, sleeping with the windows open, enjoying bonfires, s'mores, wagon rides, and cornmazes, and generally reveling in sweater and boot weather.

Double-date to the Cornmaze

Not only am I enjoying these fall activities, but we decided in our book club to read Dracula and meet to discuss before Halloween. It’s been on my to-read list for quite some time, and my English-trained roomie loves it, so I figured it would be worth actually reading this year. So far, it’s been quite interesting. Much better than the Twilight series ;) 

After several weeks on my own at work, I’m finally feeling somewhat adequate. It’s been a good challenge taking on the role of provider, and I’m enjoying what I’m doing. And on an entirely selfish note, it’s wonderful to finally have a paycheck again. One of the more interesting things that I have experienced is diagnosing several cases of mumps*. Apparently it’s going around…

 

 A little over a week ago, I was able to go cheer on some friends at the Rescue Run 5K in Iowa City. The race benefited Rapha House – which helps girls rescued out of human trafficking – and I had promoted it with our graduate group at church. Several friends came out for the event, which made me quite happy to see others joining in the cause for something so dear to my heart. Unfortunately, the week before the big day I came down with a nasty virus. With my career and work environment, it was only a matter of when, not if. I couldn’t talking without coughing, let alone run. So, I decided to cheer for the runners at the start and finish line, calling it a good morning.

 And that’s a short update on life.

*If you’re a nerd like I am or possibly just insanely curious and want to know a tad bit more about mumps, check out the following info:

The mumps virus is spread from person-to-person by respiratory droplets (for example, when you sneeze) or by direct contact with items that have been contaminated with infected saliva. The risk for spreading the virus increases the longer a person remains in close contact with someone who has the mumps. When a person is ill with mumps, he or she should avoid contact with others from the time of diagnosis until at least five days after the onset of parotitis (swollen glands) by staying home from work or school and staying in a separate room, if possible. Mumps most commonly occur in children between the ages of 2 and 12 who have not been vaccinated against the disease. However, the infection can occur at any age. The incubation period is on average 16 to 18 days, but can range from 12 to 25 days.

The best way to protect yourself and others is to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine. Practicing good hand hygiene, not sharing drinking or eating utensils, and limiting contact with infected people also helps reduce the spread of the disease.