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

Hello Blogging World

Sorry it has been so long. So many things have been happening, and now that spring break is in session, I have some time to write about it!

First and foremost, happy birthday to Mr. Jon! He turned the big 2-3 on the 15th. We celebrated with Cafe Rio, an ice cream cake to die for and some of his favorite shows. We are heading north to Goleta this weekend to celebrate his big day (as well as his brother's) with the family.

Since my last post I am happy to say that I have now seen four clients. I have been scheduled five. So things are definitely moving along at the clinic- hopefully all the clients will come back (haha).
I also have been facilitating parenting groups at the YWCA and loving it. Unfortunately I can't do it next quarter because of our new schedule but I hope to pick it up again soon after.

Speaking of which... after this week we officially start spring quarter. I have quite a few classes and am working regularly at the clinic. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with my schedule. Sometimes it feels like this program is flying by- other times it feels like I can't believe I have a whole year left. Either way I am learning tons and loving it.

Jon has his one-week internship for phlebotomy this week. His internship is in Victorville, despite the commute it seems to be going very well. He has already had more than 25 successful "sticks" and is really getting the hang of things.

After Jon's internship is over he has only TWO WEEKS until he takes the MCAT. We are hoping all of his hard work will pay off. We know he has studied to the best of his ability, now we are just praying that God make up the rest.

The weather in California has been moody, it can't make up its mind if it is sunny, rainy or cloudy. But I like it just the same. We are happy to be where we are. Sometimes I can't believe I am in graduate school (it even feels weird to type that out) and I can't believe Jon is progressing so much in his plans for med school. It feels a little unreal. But I am thankful for the things that keep my grounded: my family, my friends and my faith. God bless.

Shout-Out!

It is my brother, James, birthday today. Happy birthday James!



As a present, I know he would love it if you checked out his new website:
thesportsbench.com
It is a place where fans come together to talk sports- chat live, read articles, etc.