July + August

So I've gone two months without blogging- failing at my once-a-month goal. It gets to the point where I have stuff to say and the longer I wait to share it, the more stuff there is, and then I become overwhelmed by the idea of updating the blog. So forget that- I am just going to make a little list of everything going on.

-I got a job! I am working part time at a rural hospital, about 25 minutes away. I am doing group therapy with the severely and chronically mentally ill. This is definitely not the job I had in mind when I graduated, but I am seriously so grateful for it. I am learning a ton, the clients are so nice, and the experience is invaluable. And I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

-Jon did a killer job on the MCAT, I am so proud of him! All of his hard work and dedication really paid off.  He is continuing with all of his applications and had chosen 29 schools to apply to. Here we go for round 2!

-Our friends are really wonderful. Recently we have enjoyed a fun trip home over Labor Day weekend, we went apple picking up in Oak Glenn yesterday, and tonight we are making apple crisp and playing games.

-Larue, our puppy, provides us with a lot of entertainment. She has mastered the doggy door and potty training which makes going to work easier. She is weighing in at nearly 9 pounds, three times her weight when we got her! She is missing all of the love and attention she got at home with our families.

-Jon got a new calling at church, he is a ward missionary. This seems like it will be a good fit for him and we are excited to see how he gets to be involved!

That is all I can remember for the time being. I am sure there are more things to update, but that is all the "big stuff" for now. We are looking forward to this heat to go away and into the cooler weather of the fall.

June

I graduated.

That is really all I can think about when going through this month. It has been such a huge transition in my life and I have had a wide range of emotions, all of which have been worn on my sleeve.

First, can I just say, getting my masters degree was and is such a surreal and intentional experience in my life. It is like a small miracle to me. As someone who likes learning but wasn't particularly "academic," this has changed my life because it has changed my perspective and expectations of myself. It has also taught me so much more about myself. It is like I can't turn off my own "therapy self," and I am always therapiz-ing (yup, don't know how to spell that fake word) myself. This basically means that I am constantly investigating, pushing, and challenging myself. Sometimes it is tiring but then I go right into reflecting on that idea and what it means. I guess what I am trying to say is that I somehow gained this inner voice in the last 2 years. This voice that is more me, it is braver, stronger, less judgmental, and more curious. This voice is a friend, not an enemy, and it has been guiding me in my life. It really is a gift.

So with that, I am so sad and so happy to be done. Saying goodbye to some of the wonderful friends that I made was heart breaking- some of these people know some of the most intimate details of my life. Others have changed me by sharing their stories. Saying goodbye to my professors, supervisors and teachers was equally difficult. Being done and achieving my goal, being released of all homework and stress- that felt amazing. Not carrying around the stresses of my clients, I find myself worrying less and just being more. I am using this time between graduating and getting a job to just remember me and remember the things I enjoy, and do for fun. It is nice to be in my own head again. To read, cook, and be a present wife for my husband.

Here are some pictures from the big weekend:

Me, Michelle and Linds. Best gal pals. These girls are some of the most God-fearing, loving people I have ever met.

Sassy. I just had to include it.

Me, Jami and Kari. I love these girls, we had a groups class together that was life-changing. They are my emotional pals- we have each cried together on more occasions than I would like to admit.

There are so many other friends I wish I could include pictures of, and talk about each one. They are all special to me.

Can I just give a shout out to my amazing family?

First, Jon seriously deserves a diploma of his own. For husband of the year (two years in a row!). He has been my cheerleader, my reality-check, my personal therapist, my example, and my person through all of this. He has dealt with the ups and downs of my emotional state and my confidence. He has listened to play-by-plays of sessions gone well and sessions gone poorly. He has let me discover my dream, make it a reality, and has quietly cheered me on the entire way. Could you ask any more of a person? I don't think so. I love him so.

Also my sweet immediate family. They have supported me, encouraged me, and let me pull apart and over-analyze every aspect of our family. I can't imagine what it is like to have your child choose to be a family therapist... but my parents and siblings have handled it with grace and a sense of humor. I've heard that there is nothing more dangerous than a half-educated psychologist and I am sure that I risked stepping on toes if not sounding outright self-righteous at times. But they have never dissuaded me or made me feel like our family wasn't safe enough to take a close look at. I started out in this field because I thought my family was perfect. I might not hold that opinion any more, but I do know that they have been perfect for me. Even when they were imperfect. I love them.

 Oh and the Van Wickle's, my other family. They also let me explore the inner corners of their family, which is probably even worse from an in-law, but never did I receive resentment or sarcasm. They came to graduation and cheered me on, which meant so much to me. And they gave me the greatest gift in the world, their son, who has been my everything. So basically they can do no wrong in my book. I love them.

Basically I am overwhelmed with emotions. Even three weeks later. 

I'm not sure when it will go away, or at least dissipate, but I do know that I never want to forget the things I've felt. The things I have felt, learned, experienced, discovered, and loved in the last two years. These things have been new and they have defined me.

So on with my life with my wonderful husband and family. On to work toward the dreams of Jon and our family. Hopefully a job for me will be in the picture soon. But for now I love watching Jon work toward his goals, and I love being his constant cheerleader as he prepares to take the MCAT again next month.

Thank you for the support and love of each and every one of you. I love you all.

May Blessings

In my last post I mentioned that we had been through a few trials. Well, this month has brought some blessings.

First, we celebrated our four year anniversary. Hard to believe, right? We had a pretty low key evening but it was so nice to take the time to remember each other and why we have chosen this life together. Living with and loving Jon is easy.

 We even got some updated pictures, which was a lot of fun.

Second, we got a replacement car. I don't have a picture on here- but it is a nice four door, 1997 Honda. I cannot even tell you what a blessing this has been for us. With our car getting stolen last month we were in a state of limbo. We looked at every possible option; our families were helping consult with us but nothing was feeling right. The car we got is Jon's dad's old car and it is perfect for us. We can now go back to appreciating the daily routines of our life.

Our third blessing is getting this little love bug:

She is as cute as she looks. Larue (Dr. Larue, as named after the character in Horton Hears a Who) is my graduation present from Jon. We picked her out together, but it was primarily my project since I have wanted a dog for a long time now. Since school and work at the clinic is wrapping up this is the perfect time for me to put in the energy to train her.

She is currently 3.5 lbs and wont get bigger than 8-9lbs. She is very sweet, energetic, and teething! But she is definitely trainable and while she has kept my hands full, she has been a joy to have in our little home.

It is refreshing to consider all of the blessings in our life right now. And as far as we see it, there are only more blessings to come. I graduate next weekend (June 10th) and family is coming, we are very excited. This summer has some exciting things planned- family reunions, weddings and mini-vacations. We welcome June with open arms.

March & April

Hi Blogging Friends.

I realize that I haven't written in the past two months. I know no one was in tears over this, but if I go long enough without writing I know my dedicated readership of Grandma Joan and my mother would be sorely disappointed. So this post is for you, ladies.

I've decided that since my friends are so incredibly wonderful, and are regular bloggers.. I would rely on them to tell you some of the things we've been up to in the last couple of months.

Natalie would like to tell you all about their trip to California to visit with us here.

Brenda would really like to show you some wonderful pictures of us making Easter cookies right here.

And both Erika and Brenda would like to tell you about our March madness winners dinner and epic game night here and here.

Thanks to my seriously amazing friends- they really do account for all of the fun and interesting things we do. We are thankful for each of you. And we also had fun doing each thing they wrote about!

A lot has been happening these past couple of months. I wasn't feeling very motivated to blog and I realized its because we have had some disappointments and stressors recently. So I've decided the only way to really break it down is by the good, the bad, and the ugly.

1. The Good

-I have passed my final oral presentation for graduate school. I had been nervous about it for weeks, months even! It included what turned out to be an 85 page paper (well two papers, combined into one), as well as an hour and a half long presentation where I discussed theory, my experience as a therapist and showed video of me doing therapy to try to prove that I've learned something. And then it ended with reading a vignette and having 7 minutes to create a treatment plan, diagnose, come up with referrals and some other things. I am seriously so relieved that it is over. It is like I am living on a different planet where you get to read books for pleasure and you don't think about the papers you should be working on over the weekend.

-Jon is working super hard in the lab and is enjoying it. He is working toward some publications (hopefully). While he is sad that his co-workers are all leaving it likely means that he will be the #1 guy in the lab. And his supervisor seriously likes him.

2. The Bad

-Jon did not get into Loma Linda medical school. This was majorly disappointing and not expected. Based on a lot of various circumstances we were both feeling really confident that he would get in. Unfortunately this was not the case. We have mourned over it the last couple of weeks but we are feeling now like it was meant to be. Which turns back into the good...

[sub heading: the good]

-Jon has signed up for an MCAT class! He is going to retake the MCAT sometime in July. He is a studying fiend. He comes home from work and gets settled by about 6 and then studies until 10 or 11 at night. I wish I could say I was kidding, because I really miss hanging out with him. But I am also incredibly proud- he is doing amazing.

3. The Ugly

-Our car, Willy, has been stolen. Yup. Stolen. Right out of our parking spot in the middle of the night. We live in a pretty safe area of Redlands, in a gated community. No, our insurance does not cover it, we do not have comprehensive insurance. Yes, we are totally bummed.

It was stolen on the morning of my big graduation presentation no less.

Right now we have the Tate's sweet van. I was embarrassed by it in high school and now, six years later, I am showing it off to my friends. It is seriously a wonder that it is still alive.

Good bye Willy... here is the only picture I could find of him (with us getting into our car on our wedding day):

Well that sums it up for now. Even though we have suffered some losses in the last couple of months it feels like we are becoming especially resilient. There is a lot to look forward to so we are still hopeful and optimistic. God is good and has blessed and comforted us through these trials. I also feel like I have experienced an outpouring of blessings recently, which helps even the score... and there is something about going through trials that makes you grateful for the things that are going right in your life. Our trials have been so small compared to what is out there. We have our families, our friends and each other. All is well.

February

Well February managed to sneak by... I blame the fact that it is only 29 days. Even with the extra day this year, it seemed to go by too fast.

Here is what we have been up to this month:

Jon reports that he was "up to no good" this month. But I'm not sure what hes talking about. He goes to work everyday, works out and is getting super buff, and he even cooked dinner tonight. In my book he's been nothing but a dreamy husband. He also has an interview tomorrow at Loma Linda for medical school. We're crossing our fingers and our toes; we're really hoping for this one. But really, we are just praying God will send him to the right place at the right time.

I have been keeping plenty busy with school. I seriously am counting down the days until this quarter is over (12 to be exact). I cannot believe I will be registering for the LAST time this week, and that I will only have two classes next quarter. I was afraid I would feel run down and out of steam by the end of this quarter- but I think I've got a few more months of hard work left in me.

We did take a little weekend trip with some friends up to Lake Arrowhead one weekend... and I even managed to take pictures (a miracle, I haven't used my camera in so long).

The whole crew..


Game night! The cabin was available to us thanks to Jeff's dental professor who rents it out to students.


Miss Brenda and I. Love that lake view.


We even managed to find Grandma and Grandpa Tate's old house! It was very nostalgic being up there, I loved it.


Well those have been our latest adventures. Now we are just looking forward to spring break! Visits from some of our favorite people, a week off of school for me, and a wedding and family time in Santa Barbara! And someones birthday is coming up this month... things are looking good for us. Hope it is the same for you.

January 2012

Hi blogging friends.

This month has definitely thrown us into 2012, sometimes it seems like all we know around here is "busy!"

First of all, Mr. Jon and I have received new callings at church. We are no longer teaching our beloved 6-7 year-olds. Jon is now helping with the 14 and 15 year old boys in the ward, including spending his Wednesday evenings doing scouting activities. So far Jon is liking it, there are some other cool guys in there with him. I was surprised to find out that I am not leaving primary at all, but instead I am the second counselor in the primary presidency. I get to teach all the little kiddos about Noah's Ark next week, wish me luck! I am also involved in helping out with the scouting program, but I am with the cub scouts.

Jon is doing swimmingly at his job; it was fun to get his W2 and look at what a difference it makes to have a full-paying job that he LOVES. It really makes you appreciate having a good job (no matter what you get paid). Things are moving forward with medical school, and as we like to tell people now, "we will let you know when we have good news." I am sure I won't be able to contain myself once we have good news ;)

I am having a tough quarter with very different and demanding classes. As well as a big final project that is weighing on my mind. I am lucky to have my friends in my program, they make me feel sane. It feels like with the new year and the new quarter there is just a lot of new things- new clients, new mentoring experience, new final project to finish up, new classes and information. Not to mention new callings at church, etc. But I know I can survive for another month and a half.

Even when life is crazy and busy, and I feel like I am wasting any time where I'm not working, I still like my life. I love my husband. I have a lot to be thankful for.

I am looking forward to a month spent with friends, midterms, my favorite holiday, some family birthdays, and making new memories. Let's do this February...

Happy New Year

Happy new year blogging friends.

December was a whirlwind of a month for Mr. Jon and I.

I finished out the quarter strong, spent a week realizing how bored I get without school or Jon around... and then we packed up our bags and went home for a well-deserved vacation.

We had a fantastic dinner with Grandma Joan and the rest of the Van Wickle crew- it is always a delight to see them each year.

Christmas eve was lovely, with church, palazzios, and games.

Christmas day was spent at the Van Wickle's, who have the best stocking stuffers in town. Despite a major power outage in the neighborhood, we had power throughout the day. Jon and the boys tried out his new slack-line at the beach and we all gawked at how incredibly beautiful it is in Goleta.

The rest of the week included surfing for Jon and his dad, spending time with the brothers and the J's, watching a lot of movies, and eating way too much good food.

The Tate's got together Friday night, we finally felt complete when Joe arrived. We had Christmas on new year's eve- we started with a yummy brunch and then moved quickly to opening presents. The rest of the day consisted of eating at the favorite local hot spots (hamburger habit and rusty's pizza- despite the parent's offer to go to a "nice" dinner), playing games and ringing in the new year together. The day was practically perfect.

It was hard to beat the vacation we had, so Jon and I figured we better pack up and get out of town while everything still felt so sweet. Happy memories were made, relationships were strengthened, our car was packed with far more loot than we came with, and our hearts were full.

Though there may have been about 5% sadness when we left, we figured that was the correct amount to feel; after all, you should miss a vacation as good as this one.

November

My goal these days, because school is so crazy, is to just post once a month. So of course, here I am on November 30th at 11:37 at night. Procrastination = motivation.

Here is the latest update on Mr. Jon and I.


Jon interviewed at Temple University at the start of the month. He really liked the school and had a great experience there. He says he feels his interview went well... but you can never know for sure with these things. He should hear back from them soon, but no matter what happens, he is keeping up a positive attitude.

He really liked getting the experience of interviewing at a school. Temple in particular had some really cool state-of-the-art features and technology, and the campus seemed really nice. Philly would be a huge change for us, but we are open to wherever the Lord wants us to go.


My schooling is plugging along, I wish I could fit how much information I am learning into my head. Sometimes it feels like I just can't connect all the dots- I have so much information around me all the time! I wish I could just be a super-therapist and know it all. But I am growing, and that is a good feeling.

I have two more weeks of class until Christmas break. This is the normal stress-time for me. About 3 weeks before the end it all seems to be crashing down. But now I can normalize that feeling. I don't know what it is, but making lists seems to de-stress me quite a bit (and from what I hear this works for a lot of other people as well) I have now deemed my ritual end-of-the-quarter-to-do-list just "THE LIST". It is that epic. I got to cross off a couple of things today and that felt good.


Jon and I had a wonderful thanksgiving with Jon's cousins in Orange County. We ran a 5k in the morning and enjoyed a day without any worries.

It wouldn't feel right to post in November without listing what we are thankful for...

Here is what we say thank you for in our prayers each night:

1. our apartment (seriously, so close to school and the clinic, Jon takes the shuttle, stuff doesn't break and we actually like to hang out in it.)
2. Our working car (can I hear an amen?)
3. Jon's job (remember this time last year? And that sales job that Jon didn't exactly love? Now he has a job he likes, hes good at, and gets paid for!)
4. My education (while I might be a stress bucket- that's just because I'm so busy soaking in the awesomeness of what I am learning. I know I will miss it when its over.)
5. Our families (they just can't be beat. Period.)
6. Our friends (our connection to the outside world- they keep us laughing through it all.)
7. The gospel (so much happiness in our lives, purpose, meaning. Our family theme for the last two year: FAITH not fear!)

I am sure that there is a lot more things to be thankful for. But I am going to save up my word count and start putting those words into those 5 papers I need to get done in the next two weeks (I wish that was an exaggeration).

We are thankful, we are happy, we are hopeful. So onto the end of the year and into the merriest month of them all.

October

I've changed my past goal of writing weekly, to now just trying to write monthly. I wish I had lots of fun stuff to share, but things have been pretty steady over here.

1. Jon ended up re-scheduling his interview at Temple so that he could get a better deal on flights (so expensive!). So now he will be going near the beginning of November, wish him luck! It is fun to learn about Philadelphia a little bit and consider living somewhere completely different. While this is only an interview, I really like looking at various apartments and land marks for wherever Jon applies and/or interviews.

2. I am keepin' on with school. Classes aren't too bad this quarter, but the clinical work is getting heavier. I am having more clients and more clients that keep coming (which means harder working stages of therapy and bigger problems). I also am on the hunt for my "final case" which is an incredibly important aspect of graduating from our program. But I love saying that I only have about 8 months left of school, that feels pretty amazing.

3. We are looking forward to Halloween. The trunk or treat is this weekend, I think it will be fun to see the little kids we teach at church one year later! I can't believe we have been their teachers for a year, they are so funny. They are also doing the children's program in church this Sunday so I am really looking forward to them performing for the whole church.

4. Jon and I are training for a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. It is only a 5K, which is about 3 miles, but Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif and I are not big fans of running. It has been two years since my half marathon, so I think I have "recovered" from my total hate of running. Plus, training with Jon makes it way more fun. We have been pretty happy with our training so far.

5. I forgot to mention that Jon and I went to a Death Cab for Cutie concert in Santa Barbara for my birthday. It was am-aaaa-zing. I am so glad that Jon thought of such a sweet gift idea. I truly felt like they played all of my favorite songs. I was really touched when they played this one because everyone in the venue was singing along very softly...

http://youtu.be/NDHY1D0tKRA

Jon and I are going great and are glad that life is moving forward. We are excited to see where we end up in the next couple of years and we are doing our best to enjoy the journey.

Things of Note

The end of September has come so quickly. It has been a really excellent month, lots of fun things have been happening in the Van Wickle clan.

First off- I passed my comp exam! The ugly, long, awful one about everything learned in my first year? Yeah, happy to have that over with. Thank heavens!

Second- Jon has been offered an interview at Temple University for med school! This is his first interview and we are really excited. The school is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he interviews in about two weeks and a half weeks.

I took a week off from clients, before school started, last week. It was really wonderful to get some time to myself. I got to see my Aunt, Uncle and cousins, a dear friend from when I went to school in Idaho, and read a good book. At the end of the week Jon and I headed home to visit the fam. We got to go to an Alpaca farm for the afternoon, it was so great.

Jon was a little weary of the alpacas at first, especially since they're the cousins of llamas... who can be kind of mean. But he warmed up to them enough to take this great "family picture." (I don't know why it looks like I don't have any eye brows in this picture....)


The view from the farm was amazing. You could see the ocean, even on this overcast day. The people who own it have about 120 alpacas. Each one can cost into the thousands of dollars- their super soft fur is a money maker! When you pet them it feels like you're touching the softest carpet on earth, and it doesn't smell at all. It was pretty cool to learn about the animals.


I love this picture with all the boys and mom. The alpaca being held is only one month old!


I got to celebrate an early birthday with my family on Sunday while were up there, it was great to see everyone and take some time off.

The new fall quarter has started this week. I have a case class, couples therapy, qualitative research, and religion in the family. I think it will be a busy but productive quarter.

Jon is working and doing an excellent job- he loves what he does and the people he works with. It makes all the difference for him! He is happy and looking forward to what comes next with school. We will keep everyone updated with any more good news (or at least, we hope there is more good news to share!).

I am already looking forward to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the upcoming holiday season. And for temperatures below the 90s! This year has been packed full of new experiences, I can't wait to see what the new few months bring us.

September

Isn't fall the best season? It has the best fashion, delicious apples, great weather, and prep for Christmas (not to mention, my birthday).

Jon and I have been staying busy since my last blog post (sorry.. they have been so sporadic). Today I took a big, ugly, long exam of everything I learned my first year here at Loma Linda. That test has been weighing on my mind all summer long and I am soo glad it is over (or hopefully over, assuming I've passed).

The most exciting thing Jon and I have done in the last few weeks is going to Seattle with the Van Wickle's for his cousin's, Kaitlin, wedding. It was such a great trip and a beautiful wedding.

The three boys with their cousin- they have such a sweet relationship:


This wedding venue was perfect! Right on the lake, intimate, and of course perfect weather that day.


How cute is this chalkboard itinerary? All of the details were so well thought out.


Jon and I were so happy to be there- and Jon looks really good in Jake's sunglasses (pretty sure he wore them for half of the trip)


Ok, everywhere we went had these beautiful lakes, right on the property of whoever's home we were at. It was picture perfect.


Jon and I are so glad we got to go with the Van Wickle's, we had such a good time being on vacation with them. Including celebrating Jake's birthday, touring around Seattle, and going to a baseball game (I learned a lot from my father-in-law!).

As of right now, Jon is still hoping for some interviews for medical school. We haven't heard from very many schools so we are still hopeful. And I am seeing clients regularly, co-leading an anger management group, and as of today having NO school working looming over me! Tonight we are going to celebrate (date night of course), and tomorrow we are going to go to Universal Studios. Woot!

I hope fall proves once again to be a fun and fabulous season!

Hello Summer

Ahh, summer. No class, working on papers, seeing clients, going out in the sun, swimming, studying occasionally, soo nice. Here is what we have been up to lately.

1. I finished The Help and loooved it. I have not seen the movie yet, but I intend to. I highly recommend the book.

2. Jon and I went camping at Point Mugu with some friends. We had so much fun making foil dinners, playing games and sleeping right by the beach. The next morning we had french toast and checked out some rock climbing areas.

Morning after sleeping on the beach:




Me with Claire, my friends adorable baby:


Rock climbing:


Jon and I then decided to surprise our parents and drive home for the weekend. It was so great to see them and just hang out at home.

3. The following weekend we went home again so that I could get together with my good friends from elementary school. Jon also planned a fun surfing day with his dad.

It was SO amazing to see these girls, I seriously have the smartest and most accomplished friends.



Rachel R: going to Boston to teach students at a charter school who are very behind their grade level.
Christina: working at a huge non-profit based in LA that helps a variety of populations, does event planning and grant writing.
Madi: going to law school at the University of Virginia, starting this fall.

4. Jon and I have been keeping ourselves busy. We are trying to take up tennis, but currently we are really bad! It is still fun to learn something new together.

Jon has been staying very busy at work and is liking his job so much.
I am trying my best to stay productive with the school work I should be getting done this summer.

We are looking forward to enjoying the rest of the summer and all that comes with it.

I am the proud new owner of this book:



However, Jon has hidden it from me. Hidden MY book somewhere in MY apartment (ok, our apartment). I have been dying to read this, it has been recommended to me repeatedly. But I have one last project to do for this quarter- 10 pages of my modality paper are due this Thursday. Then it is freedom. Well, freedom from classes at least. So I am going to be working extra hard to earn some escapism with this little gem.

In other news...
Jon got his first pay check!
And I made the deans list at school (Crazy, right?).

One more week until some serious book reading takes place, camping with friends, going to the pool in between seeing clients, cooking healthy dinners and taking care of me. And Jon. He deserves a couple months of good dinners and a clean apartment after a year of "can you help me out please?!" What a guy... (even if he does hide books from me.)

Dear Blog,

I have not forgotten about you. Sorry that I haven't written on you for a while now. I miss reading what all my blog-friends have to say.

I really wish I could write you about all the things going on recently...
like how my one-week groups class was really intense
and how Jon is so happy to have his job but it is taking the school forever to get him on payroll.
I also wish I could write all about our fabulous trip to SB, and the three lovely couples we brought along with us.

Its too bad that my 3 classes (being done in 5 weeks) and my two 30 page papers are consuming my life. Not to mention my little fever I'm sitting with right now.

Nevertheless, we are keeping on. And of course, I haven't forgotten about you blog. Someday, I will get back to you.

Love,
Rachel

Good News

Everyone could use a little good news in their life right?

Here is what has been going on for us lately:

1. Remember how Jon was volunteering 30+ hours a week as a research assistant at Loma Linda? Well- they offered him a full time job! Hooray! Jon and I are ecstatic. This is what we hoped for all along- a full time job that is related to medicine.
To be more specific, he works in a perinatal biology lab. He works on an experiment that pretty much takes all day (8 hours)that is really meticulous. He measures protein levels in different cells that come from cerebral arteries (obviously Jon told me that because I have no idea what I'm talking about). He is really enjoying the position because it keeps his interest and he is learning so much.
Now he just has to go through the LLU hiring system, which is notoriously long, to get hired. We are hoping he can be hired on by July.

2. I am finished with this quarter! This horrible, long, demanding quarter. I don't know what it was but this quarter seemed like the most difficult to me. This also means that I am half way done with my masters! This time next year and I will be graduating (oh that sounds soo nice...).
While I am happy this quarter is over, it certainly doesn't start getting easy. Next week I will be involved in a one-week intensive class, the week after that is a break but I have tons of work to do at the clinic. Then- one month intensive summer classes begin! I guess I'll get a break when I graduate. But I am happy to work hard and enjoy my classes and work. It will still be a lot but it will be a new start.

That sums up our good news. Thanks for sharing it with us!

MCAT, San Diego, Research & the End of the Quarter

Well, Jon finally got his MCAT scores, yay! He did well, within the top 15% of everyone who takes the exam. He was testing at a slightly higher score but has come to terms with what he got and is excited to apply and get things moving. He is turning his first set of applications (before secondaries.. its a little confusing) on June 1st. Go Jon!

Our anniversary trip to San Diego was divine. It was a well needed vacation. Whenever school gets grueling I think back to the ocean, farmers market, Coronado island and wandering around the boardwalk. Heavenly. I am so glad we took a break.

Yay, love.



I dream of going to the farmers market on Saturday morning and getting flowers for floral arrangements... particularly with sunflowers. One of my favorites.


Ocean... I miss you.


Jon is volunteering 30+ hours a week in a research lab in the hospital. I got to see his lab the other day and it is so fun- all complicated and messy. And Jon gets to wear a lab coat which I think is adorable (he doesn't seem to think its that cool though). He is really enjoying the research and hoping it will turn into a job (cross your fingers!!)

I only have two more weeks left in the quarter. As much as I am enjoying all the learning and the experience of grad school- I am not going to miss this quarter. I've been working hard to get all my papers and projects done. Tomorrow will be nice because I have the day off to really work on some papers.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Memorial Day!

Anniversary, Mum's Day & New Things

So many wonderful things to write about today...

First of all, Happy 3 year Anniversary to Mr. Jon and I! It was so nice to have my parents visit us the weekend before and take us out to a nice anniversary dinner. These three years have been amazing. I think this year has given us the most outward stress in our marriage but I find it so reassuring that through it all we love each other even more.

Jon is the best decision I've ever made...




We went out to breakfast on May 2nd to celebrate, but I was gone for the rest of the day. So to really celebrate our special day we have booked a weekend trip to San Diego! I am so excited (and thankful to my parents for this gift), I am ready to have a weekend of nothing but Jon + Me + Sun.

This Sunday is such a special day, I am so thankful for my mom! And I know how thankful Jon is for his mom! We are so lucky to have such powerful, kind, nurturing and spiritual women in our lives. They are such an example to me, I hope to be like both of them some day. Love you guys... happy mother's day!





Life is moving forward at rapid speed...

-Jon should get his MCAT scores sometime this week. The anticipation is occupying our thoughts and conversations. How exciting; I am finding it fun to focus so much on what is to come for Jon.

-I am busy at school (what's new?), this week will be pretty killer. I think I have almost every hour scheduled, yikes! I am learning a lot and doing my best to appreciate this rigorous education.

-Jon got a cool new research volunteer position at Loma Linda. He is helping a charming old doctor (who resembles Einstein) in studying molecular biology in pre-natal and new infant development.

We have so many things to look forward to, I can't wait for this crazy week to get moving so Jon and I can start our anniversary trip this weekend! Woohoo.

Happy Mother's Day everyone, have a beautiful day!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, family and friends!
Easter is such a beautiful holiday, for me it represents all things new. I love that it is in spring time, when new flowers are popping up everywhere. Jon and I even saw some baby geese the other day, it was perfect.

Things have been busy the past couple of weeks, this quarter is proving itself to be my most difficult yet. Academically its not off-the-charts, but 15 credits alongside 15-20 hours a week of work is taking its toll (I am finding therapeutic work to be much more tiring than anything I've done before). I am thankful I have Jon to keep things in perspective. The other day I was lying in bed thinking about the priorities in my life when I realized work came no closer than fifth on my list. Its all about balance.

Jon and I enjoyed our weekend and tried our best to give ourselves a break. After working on school work on Saturday, Jon took me to the local Smiley Library. It was possibly the cutest library I've ever seen- the building is old and charming. We got library cards and checked out some fun books (even one for me to read on the weekends).

We also made Easter Baskets for each other. This was fun because Easter definitely has the best candy of any holiday. It was fun to pick things out for each other and to share.

Have you guys had these mini-eggs? Because seriously, they are a-ma-zing. If you didn't get any for Easter I recommend them. Jon and I are big fans of cadburry, but this has to be one of our favorite things. They are simple but delish.


I love to make Jon take awkward photos...


I am a dork...


We taught our little primary kids today and they were all way too excited about candy and eggs to pay us too much attention, but I think we might have gotten just a little bit of the true meaning of Easter into their heads.

He is risen.

We have been relaxing today, reading our books and making our calendars for the upcoming week.

I hope this week will be productive and positive for ourselves and for you.

MCAT

Jon took the MCAT yesterday! Finally, it is over! (So long as there is a score over 30, haha)

Jon said he felt like he focused well. He also said it was really difficult. He really appreciated the prayers and support of family and friends- he really felt like that gave him confidence and calm. Now he can confidently say he thinks he will get a score somewhere between a 25-40. We laugh because that is a HUGE range. You never really know. We will find out in about 30 days.

That was our big news of the week.

To celebrate we went and saw The King's Speech (re-opened in theaters as a pg-13 movie, yay!). It was fun to have a night out and we looooved the movie.

Thanks everyone for your love and support as Jon prepared for this exam. It really meant the world to both of us.

General Conference

This weekend is one of spiritual growth and enlightenment. General conference is one of my very favorite occasions. I love hearing the words of our church leaders- they are always so inspired. You can watch it live or browse past messages here:

lds.org

Jon requested that I make a quiche, I think it is his new favorite food. He is calling it "conference quiche" and is wanting to make it a tradition. I like that.

This week has flown by- classes have started up and this quarter is going to be busy busy busy. But it has motivated me to get organized so I am hoping it will be a productive kind of busy.
Jon is trying not to burn out on MCAT study. Only one more week... he is so ready. He has faith, not fear.

In the midst of this crazy time of life, I am going to focus on the words and thoughts shared in conference. The main quotes that are on my mind right now are:
"Be kind to the poor"
and
"Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words" -St Francis