Retail Therapy

July 11-24, 2011
Retail Therapy

I apologize to those who were expecting a post last week. I was overwhelmed with school and wasnt able to get to it. Also, I post little bits during the week when things happen, and I failed to do that, making writing/remembering a WHOLE post/week on Sunday very hard. Forgive me? K, thanks :)

R-eady to be done with anatomy attitude, i had during July 12-21. Those were my last few days of studying for anatomy tests. I know I will always encounter anatomy, but I was ready to be done with Hurricane Hermey exams.
E-xperienced my first time as a medical provider for a sports physical July 12. There were about 10 highschool football players who came to DCOM to get cheap physicals for school. They cost only $5, what a deal! :) I was partnered with an OMS-I because the exams were not in my 'scope of practice'. I observed cardiac, musculoskeletal, lung, and male exams. Let just say it was interesting, and leave it at that ;) oh- I had to sign off on the students school physical form, making it the first time I signed an official document with "Katie Cole, PA-S" :) i was screaming with excitement on the inside and wanted to take a picture of it, but I figured that wouldnt be very professional, so i didnt. :( I have a mental picture :)
T-old all the latest information of the Uganda rotation. I am so excited to announce that it is very likely that I will go on this rotation. I will be learning/working around the top 3 infectious diseases in the country: HIV, TB, and Malaria. It is about 5k to go on the trip, so I am going to have to save a little each semester to afford it. The opportunity is amazing and its through a Christian ministry. I will go sometime in June or July of 2013. :) Seems far away, but Im sure time will go by very fast.
A-ll day on Friday July 15, I had no classes. You are unaware, but our schedule is very random. It changes ALL the time and sometimes we just have days off for no reason. Its good to relax and get some studying taken care of, but we arnt given much notice. some people like to plan ahead, but in this program, you definitely cant.
I-n a year, the length of time I will see 2nd year students again: a year. The week of July 11-15 was the last week of classes/tests for the 2nd years and they start rotations tomorrow (Mon July 25). It was fun getting to know them and watching them interact with each other. I especially loved attending the Bible Study that Harry led and I am excited to see where it will go when our class takes over. One girl in the class created a PA video to the tune of Tik Tok by Kesha. You can see it below and get a feel for what its like to be in PA school at LMU-DCOM!
L-egitimately in 'charge' now. the new student society members have met and we are officially planning events for the next 3 semesters we will be in Harrogate. I am the board secretary and am excited to work with the other 10 members to serve the class/community and build our school's reputation with organizations like AAPA and TAPA. (note: the real TAPA is the Texas one ;) these TN people are just copying-lol) If you want to see some of the work I do as secretary, click here to view our social calendar.

T-icket is purchased!! i bought my plane ticket home. ETA: 10pm Aug 18. I have never been more excited to  be in Sherman, but I am so ready to eat some of my mommas cooking, enjoy a ranger game IN PERSON, and see my family and Dylan :)
H-ome AND away games. I get to see every ranger game now because my dad got me a subscription to MLBTv since NO ranger games are shown through the local cable:) i love it and go rangers!!
E-stactic to be DONE with anatomy! The last test was July 22 and was not as difficult as I expected it to be. I am still waiting for grades to be posted, but I hope I made what I needed to get an A in the class. *fingers crossed*
R-etail therapy, major retail therapy. The past couple of days have been tough on me emotionally and I am so ready to be home for a while. To help me get over some of it and also to reward myself for my hardwork the past 10 weeks in PA school, I bought some new 'school' clothes. now when i say 'school' clothes, i mean business clothes. I am slowly accepting  the fact I am growing up, cant wear jeans and t-shirts all the time, & my school requires me to wear business clothes, so I had to expand my closet 'business' stock. I didnt have much, and consequently i wear the same things every week. im excited to wear new things now :) will make me feel all official/grownup/businessy
A-partment moving. I was supposed to move into an apartment off campus Sat (7/23) because its getting close to when the undergrads are needing to move into my apartment. I went to pick up my key from the Graduate Housing Assistant, and proceeded to my room and found a MESS! nothing was cleaned and the person who had moved out left several of her things, including food in the fridge. I quickly confronted the housing lady and told her I would not move in until it was cleaned. When I finally move in, I will post pics of the new place even though it looks VERY similar to the first one.
P-hysical diagnosis is going to take up all of my study time now that anatomy is over. I enjoy that class and am looking forward relaxing and practicing the cardiac and lung exams on classmates. We are coming up on our first OSCE (Aug 1 to be exact) and I am starting to get nervous. OSCE stands for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations and is where I will perform a history and modified physical on a person from the community. They will be in the 'office' for a fake 'chief complaint' and I will be required to act like a practicing PA and be graded on my skills. I am paired with a classmate, so it takes some of the pressure off, but not all.
Y-ou want the paired shoe?" I was asked as I went to check out at JcPenny to buy a pair of shoes. They had a clearance rack with only one of each shoe so its harder to steal them, i guess. Well i approach the guy to check out and he makes that lame comment. Im thinking to myself, "No, I just want to buy this one shoe, Im just gonna wear it by itself, im on a budget and can only afford one shoe at a time" lol. 'bless his heart'

38 Days!!!!

July 4- 10, 2011
38 Days until I am in Sherman! I have never been so excited. Well, as you can probably see, no one asked a question, so I will not be answering any this week.

3- rd anatomy test DONE!!! 1 more to go-over the head and neck! bring it on!! I know what I have to make on the test to get an A in the class, and Im gonna bust my butt to get it!
8-pm EST on Mondays is when the bachelorette normally comes on, but since it was July 4th, it was a rerun. It bummed me out because my 4th was so boring, I was hoping to atleast watch my show! :(

D-idnt do much this past week. most of it was spent studying for my massive anatomy test on thursday, therefore there is not juicy adventures this week!
A-ll alone. I spent 4th of July all alone. It was a first for me and honestly the day didnt feel different than any other day. Actually, it doesnt even feel like summer or July for that matter. The only thing keeping me in check is my family back home enjoying all the summer funness :(
"Y-earn for you, I wanna burn with passion".  I have been listening to Shane and Shane recently to get me through studying and keeping my eyes on God. I love the energy worship music gives me. Listening to S&S especially though makes me miss Dylan, who sings just like them ;)
S-ang a Phil Whickam song, the worship leader at Pump Springs did. It made me really miss home/dallas/dbu even more than I already do. Never thought I would say I miss DBU, but I do.

HealthCare USA

July 27-July 3, 2011
HealthCare USA

In an effort to get more involved with my readers, I have decided to start answering questions from readers each time I post. Therefore, if you have any questions you would like me to answer regarding any aspect of the PA life (application, schooling, profession) or simply life in general, PLEASE comment under the post. Im excited to see things my readers want to know :)

H-ow are we supposed to have classes when the power to the entire building is out??? monday ended up being a free day since there was no power to dcom. as soon as an email was sent saying classes were cancelled, the electricity came on. fancy that ;) however, for once in my life, i wished we would have had class so we didnt get behind.
E-xciting topic in anatomy and physical diagnosis: the HEART!!! i love studying the heart and i think it's such a reflection of God's perfect design.
A-ctual clincal experience--our public health professor is trying to arrange the opportunities for us to get more real world experience in ob, emergency department, etc
L-atest way to procrastinate: pinterest. if you want to know what it is, click here. if you like it, join and follow my boards :)
T-errific video i found on Cindy Evans facebook! it is from the SkitGuys and called Gods Chisel. Please take the time to watch this 9 minute video below! its an eyeopener!
H-ad first casserole/crockpot luncheon with the class above us! there was so much food and it was all so delicious! I didnt bake anything, but Alisha let me "share-bring" her dish: mexican chicken casserole.
C-oming to the end of the bible study led by the 2nd year PA students. it has been such an encouraging fellowship of believers, but it is sad to see them realize that they will be leaving each other in a matter of days.
A-nyone in the healthcare field and eligible for loan repayment through the National Health Service Corps needs to check it out! I totally plan on doing this and this past week i got really excited about it!
R-eally not into studying for my medical law test this past week, so I started a new show: Combat Hospital. Its a medical show on a military base, so its abunch of trauma action! I have really grown to like love it even though there has only been 2 episodes!
E-xpected my medical law exam to be tough since the content of the test was somewhat vague! it wasnt as bad as it could have been, but there were only 25 questions, so the pressure was on! you miss 3, and you get a B... no pressure to get an A! HealthCare USA, the title of this blog, is our text for this class. it is a very interesting book, but can also serve as a sleep remedy!


U-nknown info about health care in the US! here are some things i learned from my med law class: The US spends almost 20% of its GDP on healthcare. Only 8% of that is spent on pharmaceuticals. The ratio of generalists to specialists is 35:65. The hospitalist speciality is growing rapidly! Most of long term care happens in Home Care. There is such a thing as "Adult Day Care." Health Care employs 10% of the US Workforce.
S-pent friday and saturday studying with paige. on friday night, we treated ourselves to some blizzards from Dairy Queen, yummy!!
A-rugments, closing arguments. my roommate Alisha has gotten me addicted to the Casey Anthony. and sunday, both sides of the case gave their final words to the jury! I was glued to the TV! I did however, go to Pump Springs again--it was a very patriotic service--Happy Bday America.

Rest and Relaxation

June 20-26, 2011
Rest and Relaxation.

Another week, another blogpost. I'm sure all of you want to know who was the lucky 1000th viewer of my blog?? I was so suprised that within minutes of me posting the semi-contest, I had an email in my inbox! I was so shocked there had been so many views. I even wondered if there had been some 'refreshing of the browser' action going on since one of my friends told me he had done that about 5 times in class :) haha! anyways this winner was....*drumrollllll* Daisy Rogers from Sherman, TX! She is a family friend from back home with 4 very cute boys! Daisy, if you are reading, you will recieve your gift in about 53 days when i come back home for my break! sound ok?

Question--i have had several people tell me they try to comment on my blog, but have troubles! if you try to comment but have trouble as well, will you click the box at the end of this blog that says "not working" next to the "this blog is..." thankya :)

R-idiculous amount of stress when i took physical diagnosis test on wednesday- written part was super hard (alot of diagnosis) practical part was ok. I had my classmate Carrie as a patient. I WAY overcalculated her pulse and then couldnt figure out how to lay the table down, and then forgot to palpate her sinus'. oops- wont ever forget them again
E-wwww, said my bff, Hayleah. I grossed her out when talking about cadaver meat ;)
S-tudytunes now consist of christmas music. i start early, dont laugh :)
T-unnel/Middlesboro flooded from all the rain-- if you wanna see video footage from the flooding, that was posted in Facebook click here

A-TV awareness is my group's topic for our community service project. This past week we solidifed where we would present our information: Tommy's Motorsports in Middlesboro, KY
N-ational and state organizations that support PA's... another one of my group's paper topic! turned in my first group paper this past week. it was semi-difficult to write a 2 page, single-spaced, paper with 5 people who all have different writing styles.
D-idnt realize how much the state of Texas makes an impact on the PA profession and the nation in general until I moved here. it makes me miss just the state in general. i miss being familiar with roads and knowing i can find my way around.

R-ejected contestant for the free trip to Paris from Oh Happy Day. thats ok because I'm not sure when I would have been able to make the trip. Click on the blog link above to read who won! Congrats Beth!
E-arthquake of catagory 7, Hurricane Hermey warned us of the upcoming anatomy lectures. This next block of material contains the thorax, abdomen, and peritoneum. this means the test over this info will cover 3 CHAPTERS in GRAYS!! unthinkable! each previous test had been over 1 chapter and had felt like studying for finals. im not sure how I will be able to conquer test 3 alone. I see extra Jesus time in my future :)
L-azy for a WHOLE hour. on thursday I was on a roll studying, then i started texting like 4 different people and realized i had wasted a whole hour. felt defeated by my evil phone, but realized it was some good chat time with my friends :) it was a re-energizer!
A-lisha invited me to her condo for the weekend in Gatlinburg, TN see pics below of the town
X-cited to get away for the weekend for some R&R. we had both studied very hard and been successful on our tests, so we deserved some time off :)
A-lternate routes to gburg.. 3 to be exact. it was dark and the signs were either misleading or completely invisible! we finally made it to her cute place there after about 2.5 hours
T-ried several different restaurants while in gburg: Crawdaddy's (had a yummy shrimp po'boy), Fannie's Corner Kitchen (got a delish sausage/hotdog thing filled with onions and peppers--see pic below), and Flapjacks (got traditional breakfast foods). There are a TON of pancake places there. I counted, literally, 10 on a strip of road as we went to WalMart.
I-nteresting to see Taffy being made as we walked up and down the strip on Saturday afternoon. It was fun to see how it goes from being pulled apart on the machine to packed little pieces. I bought some of my favorite kind: banana and peppermint! Also while walking on the strip, Alisha and I went through a Ripley's mirror maze. It was a dark maze filled with nothing of mirrors and the goal was to make it through without touching a single mirror! im proud to say, we did it!! we kinda cheated by looking at the smudges on the mirrors, but for the most part, we used our smart PA judgement :)
O-n a t-shirt, Alisha got a airbrushed t-shirt for her boyfriend as a joke! It turned out great and I cant wait to hear about his reaction to!
N-ever thought I would miss my family as bad as I did on Sunday night. Being in gburg really made me miss summer vacations, just spending time at the pool with them, and being in their company. speaking of missing people, i really miss my boy :) i think he's kinda cute/funny/everything, so follow his blog too... Dylan's Blog

***DISCLAIMER: these pictures were jacked from gatlinburg searches on google.com. I didnt take any of these.***

Missing In Action

June 6-19, 2011.
Missing in Action. 4th and 5th Week in PA school.

If you haven't noticed, posts have been MIA! This is because I have been so busy and honestly do not have time to sit and write up a blog if I havent written it in little bits throughout the week!
Heres to catching up, while I should be paying attention to the histology of cardiac muscle..

****NOTE: READ THIS!!! I have decided to give a gift to the 1000th viewer of my blog, in appreciation of taking the time to read about my PA life! Im not sure what the prize will be, but I have narrowed it down to some type of gift having to do with the Cumberland Gap Historic Area. On the bottom left side column of my blog, there is a counter, showing how many views have been made on the blog! If you notice you are the 1000th viewer, take a screen shot with the '1000' view in plain site, and email the picture to me at katiecole3@gmail.com **** I will announce who the winner is on my next post!

M-ack truck.. the upper limb information hit me like a mack truck! there was so much information; it was taught so quickly, it was rough! We learned the information in a matter of 4 days..
I-ntense physiology exam was kicked in the butt by kcole! i was so nervous of what was going to be on it, that I studied my butt off and it was worth it!
S-kills are being learned in physical diagnosis that i will use my entire lifetime! it is so fun to learn all the different eye, ears, nose, head, neck, and mouth exams!
S-cared about the 2nd anatomy exam because there was so little time to learn the info, but I showed it who was boss!!
I-ncandescently excited to be 1/2 way done with anatomy!! July 22 can not come fast enough!!! (not sure if incandescently was used correctly here, I just like it cause Mr. Darcy uses it ;)
N-ew ways to understand stress and burnout--we are required by law to take an "intro to the PA profession" class, and we have recently talked about ways to manage stress and burnout.. I will definitely be referring to this lecture in the future.. possible NOW!!!
G-roup projects... we have so many with so many different people!! they are overwhelming me, trying to keep up with what group for what class with what people... its so confusing, its making me write confusing sentences :)

I-n anticipation.. waiting in anticipation. with my family coming here, all I could do the week before was think about them! I had to focus on anatomy but after 2:15 pm on Thurs (6/17), I sat by the window waiting on their car to drive up! ok, not really, but i was so excited to just be able to relax and wait on them!!
N-ever been more excited to see my family! I miss them so much, but I hadnt really been able to think about it from being so busy.

A-te at every place possibly good in Harrogate and Middlesboro. Pelanchos, Haymaker, Oasis, Gondolier
C-umberland Gap National Historical Park--The family and I hiked on Sunday up to the Pinnacle and also to the TriState Spot (where TN, KY, and VA state lines meet)
T-ried out Pump Springs Baptist Church on Sunday with my family! it was good and I liked the worship!
I-I would say you guys get a party tray.. said from the mouth of the Oasis waitress. Mind you, we have 3 adults (who were planning on eating 2 pieces of pizza each and 2 boys who planned on eating 3 pieces between the both of them!) When the party tray arrived, it was GINORMOUS. There was like 25 pieces and now i have leftovers for the rest of the week--for breakfast AND dinner!
O-ne big sleepover party! the last few nights on my family's visit, they all slept in my room! we had 2 queen (or full, im not sure) air matresses on my floor! There was no walking floor room.. it was like one big bouncy floor!
N-oooo, dont go! I didnt want my family to leave because I love their company! There was a crazy thunderstorm the night before they left. Even that morning as their were loading up, it was a torentual downpour!! my dad was suited up in trashbags to avoid being wet the whole ride home!

It was a pleasure to have my family visit and now Im counting down the next 58 days when Ill be in SHERMAN!! WOO HOO!!! ready to be out of Harrogate!

Sartorious = Liberty!

May 30-June 5, 2011
my third week of PA school is over. it was an eventful week, see below :)

one of my new favorite blog sites is Oh Happy Day! The writer, Jordan, is giving away a 7 day trip to Paris, and I have registered in all 4 ways!! Im sure most of you know, but i have an unhealthy obsession with that romantic city and I was able to take it all in for my 22nd birthday but without my sister! I would love it so much to win the trip and be able to explore the magnificent city with Claire! The winner is announced 6/20/11, so I will keep you updated :) If you would like to lessen my chances of winning, enter to win yourself, or take me along if you win, click here to register!!


S-leepin in, I did on monday-yay-we were off for memorial day but i spent it studying from 3-11pm at the DCOM with alisha. we spread out in the classroom. see pic
A-rrival of package for me!! i got an email from the lady in charge of my housing that I had mail.. I LOVE MAIL... hint hint ;)
R-eady to get this anatomy test over with! Thursday at 2pm I will take a LONG nap :)
T-rial run.. with my first anatomy test on Thursday, we had a practice exam on Tuesday. It was my first practice test as a PA-S and alot easier than I expected, which was a super confidence booster.
O-our apt seemed so far away. One night after late night studying at Paige's house, Alisha and I got lost getting back to campus. Not only did our cell phones have no service, I had been on E for a while. I almost had a mini breakdown because I was scared we would get abducted or run out of gas in the completely UNLIT back country roads of TN. Finally we got service in our phones long enough to call for help from Paige and find our way back to civilization. Note to self: dont ever go into the country on an empty tank.
R-egistered my exam software-sounds lame but it was fun finally being able to click on an application on my desktop that I had been wondering about for so long. All our exams are through this program which allows for quick and easy grading :)
I-nventing a new dance, some PA friends and I are. Our first test was over the back and lower limb. In this section we learned about Trendelenburg gait and shoulder drop. It reminded us of a swag walk or dance so we joke about it now :) want to learn more about T.gait? click here
O-hhhhiiiiiooooo, Oklahoma, Oregan, Pennsylvania.. Anyone recognize this song? Its the fifty nifty united states song. after one delirious night, I was in Alyson's apartment and the song got brought up. I was wondering if people from different states say their own state in the "Texas is the best of the.." part.. When she mentioned she did, I said that was dumb-remember, I was tired! She followed that statement with literary genius.. "dont hate the state, hate the fifty nifty song" HILARIOUS!! want to learn the states in alpha order?? here you go
U-nloaded the pocketbook to buy my first PANCE review book.. big deal people!
S-uper pumped about the Western Conference Champs mavs shirt my mom is mailing me :) even though they are down 2-1 to Miami, Im still proud and think they can pull it off..

=words dont start with '=' signs.. katie=tired of studying the back/lower limb though

L-ibrary orientation.. so much information given.. i will never forget the funny videos I was shown nor the awesome "instabow" i got from the 'freebee' bag
I-ntense studying.. so far as to assigning cheerleading stunts to remember what muscles do what movements! in the test it was very helpful because I had an association to something more familiar. Examples: scorpian, liberty, heel stretch, spread eagle, correct toetouch. see pic below
B-AMM!!! first 2 anatomy tests are conquered and over with! I exceeded my expectations with an A :) Everyone in class was so exhausted after the test we all felt like it was the weekend. Alisha made a rule for our apt for thursday night "No Higher Level Thinking Tonight" haha
E-xpelling gas, something alyson hoped the skunk digging in the trash outside her door WOULDN'T do. she was freaking out of the little thing, then after it ran away decided to run after it! crazy girl!
R-iiinnngggg, rrrriiiinnngggg. one day in the elevator i heard a loud ringing noise. I soon found out I had accidently hit the 'HELP' button. 911 answered and I had to tell them I had hit the button on accident. OOPS?!
T-rip to Knoxville on Saturday with Kelcye for some shopping therapy and REAL food! ate at The ChopHouse for the first time and it was delicious! The mall in Knoxville was very nice, had every store you could imagine. Even a Francescas! The people in the mall were dressed in the crazies things.
Y-es Mam, gas is cheaper on the other side. As Kelcye and I stop for gas on the way to Knoxville, we stop for gas and accidently pull into a fullservice lane. We didnt even realize those still existed. He wouldnt move away from the door and let Kelcye out, so we had to move to a self service one..
!-excited because I attended a bible study held by one of our TA's who is also a DO student! it was fun to fellowship with Amanda, Brooke, Kelly, Alyson, Christina, and the others who were there! im looking forward to next sunday night.

information overload...

2nd Week of PA School. May 23-29, 2011. This week has been crazyness!! 


I-nteresting lecture in "Intro to the PA Professions" by Professor Metcalf; it was all about his experiences as a PA and physician/PA team!
N-ot enough brain space.. i dont think i have enough
F-inally when I have gotten the muscles of the back down, we get the muscles of the lower limb.. fail
O-vertime in the Mavs game caused be to REAL tired tuesday morning.. if they would have lost I would have been mad.. mad and tired are not a good combination. Im so excited they beat OKC and are moving onto the NBA Finals!! I love the mavs :) 
R-ecieved White Coat-- embroidered with "Katie Cole, PA-S' and "LMU-DCOM" :) :) see pic below :)
M-astering the feet muscles is something I do not have at the moment-- there are SO MANY MUSCLES in the feet!
A-bsolutly nothing.. there was so much fog wednesday morning, you could literally see nothing past the hill... see pic below :)
T-riangle..Femoral Triangle! growing to love this thing--hahahaha!
I-nfarction.. i would have had a myocardial infarction if my professor had called me out today. there were 8 students he randomly called out to interview/give a report of a 'fake patient' aka, himself in front of the WHOLE class! the students who were called on did great and after seeing them 'perform', i will be confident next time.
O-ne last anatomy lecture on thursday to finish all the material for our test next thursday!!
N-erves, nerves, nerves.. WHY ARE THEY SO HARD TO LEARN??? 


O-opportunity to finally practice clinical skills on our classmates! Professor Hobbs taught us how to do a head, neck, ears, mouth, and nose exam! 
V-aluable experience.. getting to practice these exams on each other is not only fun but valuable to learn professionalism and how to not look clueless with out instruments. 
E-ars.. watchout for wax in ears.. its gross and will cover up the tympanic membrane so you cant see it! 
R-idiculous amount of cops/sheriffs on either side of the tunnel on friday night!! LITERALLY there were probably 30-40 of them.
L-iscense, registration, drunk driving.. apparently all the cops were conducting a road block! picture below was not taken by myself. it was adopted from my classmate, Jenna Dixon. Thanks Jenna!!
O-nly resident in my apartment this weekend. my roomies left me :( they each went to visit their family! wish I could visit mine. 
A-bsolutely nothing fun happened on Saturday.. slept in late, did laundry, went grocery shopping and watched alot of TV while having a long date with Dr. Gray. Kelcye and I planned on going to Knoxville, but I was too tired. 
D-oors were locked-- on sunday after a nice morning at church with Paige Goforth and a study session at school, Kelly, Alex, Ryan, and I tried to go eat at some local BBQ place but it was closed. Next we tried Webbs country kitchen but it was closed too! We finally landed at J. Miltons.. like a Golden Corral but worse, if thats even possible- wait, yes it is-- its called J. Miltons. 


With his sarcastic interest in my blog, Alexander E. Jones, one of my classmates/friends, will be a guest blogger soon! Not sure what the content will be, but it's probably gonna be legit/awesome. 

first week is over

May 17-20, 2011
the first week of PA school is over! It was an exciting and busy one. I am definitely going to have to get used to the lack of sleep and go into hyperstudy mode!


F-inally got on a normal sleep schedule. This whole 8-5 stuff makes me tired and feel like a 'real' adult. 
I-ntense amount of material being taught!! I have to study several hours every night to make sure i dont get behind
R-eceived my equipment on Wednesday: stethoscope, otoscope, opthalmoscope, and sphygmomanometer!! see pics below!! 
S-econd year students threw a picnic for us 1st years at the Inn pool. It was nice to get some advice from those who have experienced what we are going through
T-ons of new friends were made in the first week!!! 


W-oohoo!! got to sleep in on Friday until 8:15!! That was a whole extra hour and I was loving it
E-veryday, i have seen city/school people mowing everyday since I have been here. we have decided there is so much to mow, by the time they are done with the whole thing, its time to start at the beginning again. esp with all the rain that we have been having!
E-njoyed a nice run/walk at the local park on wednesday afternoon. the men who were mowing the park, were so nice- each one of them waved at me as I ran or walked by! haha :)
K-atie--i figured I would be the only one, but I have met 1 or 2 others in my class. 


I-nfused with formaldehyde are my scrubs!! I have to take them off as soon as I get home or else I will smell like it for the rest of the day. 
S-pent doubledigit hours in the cadaver lab ALREADY and its just the first week.. 


O-KC aint got nothing the MAVS!!! GO MAVERICKS!! the games come on so late here, which means I go to bed late, cause a true fan wont fall asleep until its over :) 
V-isited Crosspointe Christian Church on Sunday with my roommate Alisha!! 
E-zperanza-- Mexican restaurant we went today for lunch with the pastor and others from the Crosspointe- it was fun to chat with some people from the middlesboro/harrogate area
R-ain rain go away, come again some other day.. just as I was walking out my apartment door to go get some groceries, it started raining. Half of the time I have been living here it has rained... 

orientation is over!

Real Classes finally start. May 16-17, 2011

O-ver, orientation that is. i had my first real class today (5/17)

R-ex Hobbs is the Director of the program and he moved to TN from McKinney! small world

I-m not used to waking up early--had to be at class on monday morning at 7:15!!!

E-ventually hope to have lots of PA tshirts like the one below!

N-ot moving at all-- the line to get our IDs made took forever!! we sat in line for about 30 minutes

T-alktalkandmoretalk.. there was so much talking going on monday

A-LOT of new friends :)

T-ime for lunch yet?? there was so much sitting, I was so ready to just go eat something- plus my stomach was growling

I-nformation OVERLOAD!!!! so much to get aquainted with the first day of orientation

O-minous clouds covered the mountains/hills on tuesday afternoon

N-ew COMPUTER!!!! included in program costs is a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet! its amazing

I-nstant food: will/has been my favorite way to 'cook' while i have been in TN
S-avvy is something im not when using Windows 7. I gotta break my mac habits!

O-ne note-- my new favorite way to take notes!

V-ery quick pace, anatomy went on tuesday.. it was my first class in PA school :)

E-xcited to get my equipment: stethoscope, otoscope, othalmoscope, ect...

R-eady to embark on this first semester in PA school!

From now on, I will post weekly with updates of things I am learning and doing in school :) I hope yall enjoy sharing in my exciting journey of becoming a PA! Now for some orientation pics...

it all starts tomorrow...

The final days leading up to the 1st day of PA school. May 13-15, 2011


I-m gonna miss my sisters presence.. she left may 13
T-oured Kelcye's apartment- it was cute and her bed is amazing: king sized tempurpedic :) 


A-ttended a 'nonmandatory' informal picnic to meet some other PA students! it was super fun!
L-oved chatting with my new friends Courtney and Erika with Kelcye till the wee hours in the morning :)
L-aaaateeee.. is when the time i woke up on Sunday because of our girls chat the night before


S-eriously?!?!?!? Kelcye and I got lost trying to find a target from the airport! 
T-icket--i almost got one at the airport for parking in a no parking zone!! yikes!
A-ssignment.. already have my first reading assignment as a PA student. good thing its only 3 relatively small chapters
R-etreat retreat!! kelcye and i were going out an entrance at target.. oops!! 
T-each me how to dougie- the girls and i are determined to make a PA parody video, possible to teach me how to dougie- lol
S-moking?? are you smoking?? There was a group of high school students smoking outside the prom that was happening on campus on saturday. see the picture below of the pic i got from the 'driveby' we did


T-alked with some new PA neighbor friends today -- 2 who actually played basketball for Alabama!
O-ne more night of freedom--orientation starts tomorrow
M-et one of my roommate Alisha from Alabama- she is super sweet and gorgeous!
O-hmygoshmetoo!! Alisha and I have found a silly connection: we love the show 'sister wives'
R-idiculous, kinda- we had a mandatory picnic today in the cafeteria to meet others and have a talk from the PA program staff. we had a dress code to start out habits of professionalism! 
R- eally-who is that? saw lots of new faces I didnt recognize at the 'picnic'
O-ff a bridge--thats where I want to throw my phone right about now. no service, EVER, and its not picking up my finger tapping.. UGH!!
W-ow!! we have a new favorite show: mob wives.. its scares me sometimes. haha 

finally able to relax, ahh!

Goodmorning Harrogate. May 12, 2011


F-irst time to wake up in the apartment.. it was different
I-nside the Middlesboro Mall, we found a belk, sears, jcpenny, claires, movie theatre, hibbets, and a cookie shop- i think i will be able to survive now :) 
N-uhhh uhhh!!! only cost Claire and I $5 totaly to see the new Madea movie.. I will be seeing alot of movies there in the future
N-ever going to take for granted curtains- the sun works better than any alarm, ive determined
A-nnoying to get used to new channel numbers.. i cant find anything
L-ist of channels should help- I typed out a nice sheet with them all on there so I can watch something other than the crazy tvguide channel
L-ate lunch at Hardee's- which I thought was kinda like a Carls Jr, but it isnt
Y-ou have to turn the straightener ON before it works. I tried 4 different plugs, thinking the straightener didnt work until I realized I didnt have it turned on :)


A-m I really living in TN now, still kinda blows my mind
B-unches of rain today- claire and i had sit extra long in Hardees until it lightened up so we were drenched while going to the car
L-oud voices woke me up this morning-- people were IN my apartment...
E-xcuse me, but why am i watching my door be unlocked and someone about to see me sleeping??


T-aking out the 'trash' was the excuse the janitors told me as they opened my door to find me sleeping
O-n the tips of fingers is not where superglue is meant to be.. its super hard to get off (pun INTENDED)


R-emedy for super glue on tips of fingers- soak fingers in fingernail polish remover, then use sharp end of scissors as a scraper :) LOL
E-njoyed a quiet night in the apartment watching Julie and Julia for her last night in TN
L-ocated a new coffee house with a really cute outside sitting area: Shades of Brown 
A-te dinner at a REALLY nice Dairy Queen that had its sanitation score posted for all the see
X-erox... its the only word i can think of that starts with an 'x'.. dont judge ;)

driving is boring!!

Arrival/First day in Harrogate. May 11, 2011


D-o not pull out of a parking lot and try to cross to the other side of traffic if it's dark and you dont know the area- you might drive across abunch of grass, which is not a middle turn lane at all :) I almost did this said tip
R-am the key into the lock, and THEN it will work- I had lots of trouble getting the door unlocked
I-nfinity... is the amount of time it take to drive the last 60 miles of this trip!! driving through small towns and on the sides of mountains was torturous
V-acant... claire and i are the ONLY people in this ENTIRE apartment building until Friday... kinda creepy
I-ce machine.. the apartment doesnt have one- HELLO ice traysss
N-othing missing so far.. i have unpacked everything and i seem to have forgotten anything. WINNING
G-ondlier will be my favorite Italian restaurant in Harrogate


I-75... road we were supposed to be on, but we missed the exit.. oopps!
S-pent too much money at walmart buying things to fix my room up. 


B-utterfinger cheesecake :) claire and I shared some at dinner with Kelcye, her mom, and stepdad
O-ooouuuccchhhhhh!! I walked into Subway and it WREAKED of onions- my eyes immediately starting watering and itching like crazzzzyyy- we left before I was even finished eating because it was TERRIBLE!
R-uuuudddeee!!! claire and I felt like EVERYONE was being rude and staring at us! its like we had signs on our backs that said "we are not from here, please stare, no really, please!"
I-nsane amount of trees in this town-- pretty sure we will NEVER run out of oxygen here
N-o problems unloading the car even though there were only 2 people! 
G-oooo ahead and sign here, even though all these blanks are filled out, just sign saying you agree... the check in papers were already filled out.. hmmm... i hope this doesnt backfire on me

will we EVER get there...

Goodbye Sherman, Hello Endless Driving! May 10, 2011


W-estbound traffic is invisible as you drive through parts of TN- a forest separates the two sides of the highway
I-nsane amount of unmarked cop cars in TN- i think we saw maybe 1 or 2 marked cars the whole time we were driving
L-ittlerock, AR is the only interesting thing in AR.. seriously, it is all soooooo boring!!
L-ETS GO BILLY PAUL, shouted a woman in Texarkana at a Chikfila playground at her child- you know you are near arkansas when a childs name is "Billy Paul"


W-ater was so high EVEN on our side of the highway- it was all the way up to the road- like if you went off the edge of the road you would have been swimming! 
E-njoyed riding with Claire the whole way- we jammed out!


E-ager to get to my new home :) 
V-ery crazy road names/towns in TN: christmasville, providence Rd (like road island), spain, england, mila, paris, arlington, mousetail, pillow creek
E-ating TOOO much fast food on this trip- im just ready for a simple sandwich
R-an into a cone in a construction area outside of paris! 


G-oodgrief- I saw 3 canadian liscense plates- and I thought I had a bad drive... dang!
E-xcited to get my equipment on monday :) 
T-N bridge was awesome!! see pic below :)


T-raffic issues caused me to hit a cone- dont worry, parentals (if you are reading this), it didnt leave any marks/damage on the car
H-ideout spots for cops in AR and TN are crazyness- they have like these cut out areas in the trees that separate the sides of traffic and they sit in them and hide, waiting to catch you speeding and ruin your day
E-cstatic to get out of the car after driving from 10am-9pm
R-are was it to see any Texas plates one we were out of the state: I have only seen 3 car plates and 2 diesel plates
E-xtreme mpg at some points of the trip- at certain times, i was getting almost 100mpg.. thats what im talking about honda hybrids!!!
?-*insert scooby question noise* are we EVER gonna get to nashville???? i didnt think we would

texas au revoir

Tomorrow I leave my great state. Away from family, friends, and familiar places, but I move to what God has planned out for me, going ahead to prepare a place for me. 

M-om is sick :( not a fun note for me to leave on

O-h, i cant believe im gonna be in PA schoool

V-icks puffs have helped calm me down tonight before the big moving day

I-need less stuff because i have a small car, and im not sure it will all fit.

N-ew surroundings begin TOMORROW!

G-oing to be a long 14+ hours in the car the next 2 days

I-ngrid will be blaring through the speakers my countless hours on I-40

S-o so so many shoes and nothing to pack them in

B-logger hopes to see more action from Katie in the next few months.

I-in the morning, moms making waffles as my send off breakfast

T-erry is the bomb.com... GO MAVS!!!

T-ime is ticking away tonight, which means i need to hurry up and post so i can atleast get SOME sleep

E-nding on my name.. i will have a new one in a week: PA-S :) :) 

R-eading, reading reading... there's alot of that in my future

S-omething i take for granted- dishwasher. my apartment WONT have one. :'(

W-here in the world am I going to school?? www.lmunet.edu and see below

E-verything is going to be OK, God's got it in control!

E-ven though Im away from everyone, I will blog so you all can keep up!

T-exas ranger baseball games will be miss greatly

2 des plus grandes étapes importantes dans ma vie jusqu'ici

again: this post, written on 2/3, actually occurred 12/17-18
title translation: 2 of the greatest steps in my life up to now!


Since my interview on Dec 3, I have been in agony waiting for a phone call from LMU. On some occasions, I am excited for a call because I am confident in their decision. Ironically, its the arrogant confident thoughts that always bring me to the reality they might decline me a position. I try to mask the agonizing thoughts with the excitement of GRADUATION!! I cant believe its finally here! I have finished my bachelor's degree a semester early and ready/prepared scared to move on, in all honesty! On the senior-itis days, I am so glad to have a break and then go onto PA school. The other days I am scared to become a REAL adult: pay for things, actually be responsible. and face the workworld. The only thing keeping me unruffled, besides knowing I am part of God's plan, is that I only have a few months until I resume student status. After graduation of PA school, I will REALLY have to deal with those emotions. 


Dec 18
I decided to wear my suit from my interview to graduation. Noone will see it because of my gown, and I kinda like how it looks me (very professional!) Graduation morning, I had to report at like 8am sharp for a practice or else I would not be able to walk! I made it in time and we went over the order of service while I 'illegally' texted and talked on the phone to help family and friends find the Burg (location of graduation). Before graduation was scheduled to begin, we were led to another building because we were to walk at the beginning of the graduation. Let me mention- it was oh so cold, but I'm not complaining- would have preferred it cold than hot! So we get to the holding building, all lined up, and start walking back towards the Burg when my phone drops out of my gown and the screen CRACKS!! I have gone a year and a half without a phone cover and it has never cracked! never! That definitely made graduation not-so enjoyable because I was worried what my dad would say and if would operate with the crack. Graduation began and went as smooth. I managed not to trip/fall while walking across the stage and they even gave me the right diploma! After graduation, I met with some friends to take pictures and then I headed over the 'Sweet Tomato' to eat lunch! My family and some close friends joined me. I had such a great time getting to talk with all them and eat. Note: I left my phone in the car this whole time because ANYONE who need to contact me was with me (that I knew of)! So I get back in the car, check my phone (bc im OCD -haha) and I have like 2 missed calls from a number from TN!!!!! I am riding with Claire and Alyssa, and I begin to freak out because I know its from LMU and they are calling to let me know if I was accepted or not! I see they leave a message and I confidently anxiously check it! They tell me to call them back, and after much coaching by Claire, who assured me it would be fine. Michele (the dean) was actually on the phone with another student when I called, so she had to call me back. We were playing phone tag! She calls back and I ...answer. Shes does this whole small talk thing, congratulating me on graduation, and OFFERS ME A SPOT IN THEIR PROGRAM!! I excitedly accept. She asks if I have any questions and I am so stunned at what I just heard that I say no and get off the phone quickly! Claire and Alyssa can tell I got in and when I hang up the phone, I literally start BAWLING!!! No joke, the waterworks/flood gates were OPENED!!! I am like huffing and puffing because I am so overwhelmed with what just happened! Claire almost starts crying from seeing me cry- one big crying party! After I gained a little composure- some not much- I call my dad and try to tell him I got accepted. He cant understand me through my sobbing and he thinks something happened to us. He starts looking out the mirrors (bc he was a car ahead of us) and he cant see anything. I am so loud on the phone my mom can hear me and she starts wondering whats going on too! I mean, the last they saw me, I was happy to graduate and be with family and friends! When  I finally speak clear enough for him to hear, he screams and tells everyone else in the car. I proceed to call all my family and friends and tell them the good news! They are all so excited for me! I get back to DBU and get the last few things from my apartment and make the ride to my new home for the next 6 months! Needless to say, I will never forgot December 18! It was a monumental day in my life!


Here are some pictures of the day :)