the end

I've decided to "kill the blog" as Wes says. Clearly I'm not using it as much (or at all) as I used to. I loved my blog as a single college student, but I guess my interests and time allowances have changed. I'm sort of going through a "get back to a natural way of life" kick, and with that I'm trying to use less and less technology. This is extremely difficult when your husband is Wes. Love you Wes!

Anyway, with all this being said, I'm going to try and maintain relationships with human interaction. I haven't been doing very well at building friendships or even maintaining them. So my apologies. I'm turning a new leaf.

Keep it real people! So long LOVESTRONG.

a guilty blogger

Lately I have noticed several bloggers close up shop and exit the blogging world. I'll admit, I've been tempted to do the same. It seems like there are too few minutes in the day, and I don't like doing half-hearted posts when I know I should be working on other things. I feel guilty for blogging and guilty for not blogging.

But tonight I'll be a dedicated blogger so let me fill you in.

Work has been getting progressively better and better. I am doing more and more with the patients, assisting on procedures, injections, etc. I'm training for the new doctor coming in the fall. As far as I can tell, I'll be her full time MA which will be fantastic. I find women's health fascinating and from the beginning would never have imagined ending up at a clinic like this. I have dabbled with the idea of paramedic school a couple of times, however the timing just doesn't seem practical. I'll be taking the written cert exam for my EMT-IA during the summer. That will be a huge thing to check off my mental list.

Wes and I woke up for the 6:00am 4th of July hot air balloon launch. It was amazing! Why are hot air balloons so cool?! Maybe I should bag the paramedic thing and go for a hot air balloon pilot's license. Temptations, temptations.

Well, until the next major holiday!

a random post, but a post nonetheless

Exhibit A: My arm. My classmate missed the vein. Just a little. In fact, the catheter was sticking straight out of my arm. I took this picture almost two weeks after he tried the stick. I'm proud to say I haven't missed a stick yet, but I only go for the really big AC veins.

Exhibit B: Rachel on top of Half Dome. Just found this little treasure on my camera and had to share.

Exhibit C: Wes sleeping. He likes to wrap himself up like a bean burrito.

growing green & giving shots

A few months ago Wes read an Ensign article talking about growing your own food/being self-reliant/blessings of hard work etc. He took it to heart. Last time I checked gardening wasn't a commandment, but still we decided to give it a go.

We spent an FHE filling and placing seeds in these planter boxes. We started with bush peas and were so upset when we hadn't see any of them sprout after about 2 weeks. We were sure we had killed them, as I usually do with my plants. But now look at them!



We've also added a green pepper, basil, carrots, squash and tomatoes. Talk about efficiently using space eh?

With this rain, the planter boxes have been just soaked all the time. We have to haul them up the stairs for protection from the rain and then back down to get some sunlight. Its annoying especially when they are so heavy and sopping wet. That last sentence made me think this garden is parenting practice.

My EMT IA (Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate Advanced) class is going great. I don't like giving up my entire Tuesday & Thursday night but the class is moving quickly. I've been bleeding a lot. After mastering shots and blood draws, we moving on to IVs. I've got swiss cheese arms. I think I have small veins or something, because people miss all the time and I'm bruised! Wes has these gorgeous garden hose veins and he won't let me anywhere near them. Not even one little poke Wes?

i'm all graduated

Boy does it feel good to be done. For those of you out there who think the madness is forever, I say to you I feel your pain, but the end does come.

Did I love my major? Heck yes.
Am I so glad my diploma has BYU stamped on it? You know it.
Would I encourage Caroline to come to BYU? YES.
Is Samuelson my home boy? Not quite.
Is that another Cougar First Down? You betcha.

TAP

Last week Wes was inducted into BYU's chapter of Tau Alpha Phi. It was a big, fancy deal. He's totally a frat brother now.

Not only was he inducted, he was nominated President of TAP. Wes declined so he could take the Web Master position. I can't wait for the first frat partay! Apparently it is a tour of the underground Physics lab. Particle accelerator here we come. Woot!

My March Madness

Hey all.

This month has been in a word, a whirlwind. As the whirlwind settles down, the documenting process of our lives picks up.

Student teaching ends on Monday. What an experience! The daily drive to and from Spanish Fork has been the worst part. I'm sick of filling the car up every week! But there sure have been some good times in Mr. Stahle's and Mrs. Troyer's classroom. And there are some names I can never name my child now.

My TA job also ends this week. I really enjoy helping out with the EMT certification. It is so nice to teach BYU college students after coming from a class of 40 sophomores. I look forward to helping with it next year.

The MA job is.... coming. I'd be lying if I said it was butterflies and roses all day. It's not. Being the new girl is the worst thing ever. This position makes me feel bad for ever being mean or expecting too much from the new people I trained. Sorry to any of my past co-workers who are reading this (Rachel). At the clinic, right now I'm pretty much stuck in Medical Records. The clinic is going EMR (electronic medical record) so I've been scanning charts and I will continue to do that for the next month most likely. Need to pay my dues. Bottom of the totem pole thing.

I'm actually looking forward to just having work. It will be nice to make some money and not have to count the seconds until I have to be at the next checkpoint. I like being able to focus on one thing, and not feel like I'm spreading myself thin.

Wes has been stellar throughout this past semester. He has his own load of school and work to carry, but he also has been making dinners and doing dishes for the past few months. He also helps with the RS Activities and drives me all over Provo. I'm looking forward to taking care of him for a change.

So it seems like I've triumphed over my own March Madness. I graduate in April. I have a full-time job lined up. In addition, my bracket is winning in the family pool! Bragging rights!

spoiled spoiled spoiled

February is a good month for me. My birthday falls just 4 days after Valentines Day, which means that I pretty much get uber attention for the entire week. February 14-21 is all about ME. But Wes went above and beyond this year.

For Valentines Day Wes bought me a white rose that marked the beginning of a fun (and difficult) scavenger hunt around our apartment. I loved it. He also gave me these TOMS, two Down East tees, two cookbooks (gluten free) and the orange jacket. Like I said. Spoiled.

On my birthday Wes sent me flowers to my classroom at Spanish Fork High. They were such a surprise! My students sang to me (with a little assistance from Mrs. Scott, ah hem, thanks) and gave me a hard time about my "boyfriend." We left that evening for a little get-a-way to St. George where there were no lesson plans or coding homework. Wes and I were lazy, lazy, lazy. Let's just say we barely made it to 1:00pm church.

Wes also gave me this heavenly shampoo. Like I said. Spoiled.

I am spoiled, but lately there have been several things to celebrate. I passed the dreaded Praxis exam and got a real, full time job. Monday I start as a Medical Assistant at Utah Valley's OB/GYN clinic. I'm excited and this is such a giant step in the right direction for us.