Post Gross Weekend #2

2nd Gross Anatomy test is behind me!

I am halfway through my first semester of PA school and I. Have. Survived. This is doable.

. . . But all the 2nd years say that the Fall semester is when everyone wants to drop out--eek. I am clinging to the Lord and His promises. He is my joy, my strength, and my song. He has called me here for the moment and has promised to never leave me. He will give strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. My worth is in Him and in nothing else--no strength, no power, no wisdom.

I realized today that 13 months from now I will be starting my clinical year--Merciful Heavens! It's going by quickly and deep inside I want to make didactic year at least a year longer--just to make sure I'm prepared. Then I look back on ALL that I've learned so far this summer and I know I will be ready. There will be a learning curve, yes. I will never have ALL the answers like I secretly wish (even 20 years into my practice), but part of my training is to recognize and utilize the built-in 2nd opinion that I have in my supervising physician, and that will be a wonderful thing.

Coming up this week: pharmacology test on Monday, Physiology test on Thursday (yes, the day after the 4th--enjoy some boiled peanuts and fireworks for me because I'll be in the library studying), and the beginning of the BIG anatomy unit: head and neck (favorite!).

Life at O' Be Careful

My little place is now affectionately known as OBC (O' Be Careful). My grandparents home has always been called O' Be Joyful (OBJ) and when my brother and sister-in-law moved into the house in the yard it became known as O' Be Thankful (OBT--due to free living quarters in the midst of grad school debt). Now, my little place has become OBC due to the 6 foot high ceiling.
I had a sore head for a few days there but I am hitting my head less and less frequently as the days go by and all is well!!

The beautiful view.

Site of many head bonks!! (I still need to paint the bedside tables)

Little kitchen from above . . .

. . .  The site of serious cooking study breaks!

The usual night at OBC--tonight (a Friday!!) is no exception!

My grandmother's BEAUTIFUL hydrangeas!! "For the wonder of each hour, Of the day and of the night; Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon, and stars of light; Lord of all, to thee we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise!" 

Don't drop a bottle of red wine on your cement floor--this is what happens! Who knew cement was so porous and WHY didn't they tell me?!?!

And this is what your red wine stain will look like after treating it with a towel soaked in vinegar. Within a few hours it began eating away the red wine stain AND the stain on my cement floors--I now have a rectangular patch of floor that is bare cement!

Life here got a little lonely so I got a friend--MEET MIMS!! I just love her! She is 13 weeks old and originally from Hilton Head (a coastal kitten), and I think she is most certainly enjoying her new digs. She absolutely loves to sit on the stairs and look out this window. 

Her second favorite place is directly on top of my laptop! This happens to be her look when I'm annoying her with my crazy studying!! 

And this happens to be when I study too late and she conks out on me! 

The Lord is pursuing my heart in ways I never knew he would. I am seeing His love for me in the content of my daily studies, in Mims' little purr as she curls up beside me when I'm studying, and in the beauty of all the nature that surrounds me! My mother always told me when busy to seek little moments with the Lord and He will be faithful to meet me there and provide all that I need and more. I have found it to be so true--I've never been so all-consumed in anything as I am in PA school and yet the Lord is faithful--He is my strength and my song!! 

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

Anatomy Test 2 is coming up a week from today--the Lower Limb and its 56 muscles, in all its glory!

Test 1 went well and I realize that I can do this now. I don't think I will fail out of PA school--at least not this semester! ;)