FANTASTIC NEWS!

You have no idea how long I've been waiting to get to share news like this with you all...after being laid off in the recession about 2 years ago, Ryan has finally been offered a full-time job! He is now an Assistant Golf Professional at Clear Creek Golf Club in Houston. Perfect for my little golfer, huh? I can't tell you how many hours on end he has spent doing job searches, submitting resumes, and going on interviews. God was holding out for the best job for him and for our family. We are just ecstatic! It has been a rough few years, but God has taken care of us and taught us many lessons along the way (especially in the areas of patience and trust). We have had ups and downs, but He has seen us through it all. God is so good! Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, and support. I am so happy for and proud of my sweetheart! YAY!!!

I'M CONFUSED

The good news is that I have Week 2 under my belt, yay! You just have to take it one day at a time and be grateful for the little victories. It was a pretty good week-a few writing assignments, some research stuff, a Surgical Society meeting, and I got to go to clinic again and see patients. I even got to go out on Friday night like a big kid! Ryan and I went on a dinner date, then we met up with some friends on the island for drinks. We had a really good time getting to relax! So ya, I'd say it was a pretty solid week and that I was quite productive. Despite all this wonderful-ness, I've been left a bit bewildered about something, and this may sound odd, but I'll explain...I'm not drowning yet! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm definitely busy and somewhat overwhelmed, but I'm not ridiculously, stupidly, beyond overwhelmed like I was last semester. EKG's and I are still learning how to communicate, and I'm still developing my relationship with Pharmacology, but I actually feel like I have a leg to stand on whereas last semester I was just lost, trying to stumble my way through all the darkness and chaos. So you are probably thinking, "Lauren, you are a nutcase, why is this a problem?" The answer is that I don't know what to expect, so I have absolutely no idea how to handle this. Should I just sit back and enjoy the calm? Is it the calm before some storm I'm totally unaware of? Do I use the time to start preparing for boards? Do I need to be spending 3 days every week going to see patients? Am I missing something that I need to be studying? If they're going to dump a whole ton of work on me again, can we please go ahead and do that so I can begin digging my way out!? I feel like a sitting duck!!! I can handle chaos, but I apparently I can't handle this. :/ Now, please don't misconstrue this as complaining; I would so much rather have this problem than any of the many other problems I could be facing right now. And I rather enjoy not having a laundry list of 5 billion things I HAVE to do before Monday. This "learning how to deal with not being sleep-deprived" thing is just a class I wasn't expecting this semester. I have used my new-found time to: SLEEP, get ahead on some writing assignments, exercise, see patients, and spend some quality time with the hubster (in case you don't speak "Lauren," hubster=hubby=husband). And don't tell my professors, but I've even watched that big black box in the living room...Ryan calls it a TV. Ooohhh, Aaahhh. I have to admit, I could kinda get used to this "relative normalcy" thing. And on that note, I'm going to go find something to do...it's 11 Am on a Saturday and I'm bored. Next week's assignments: check; clean apartment: check; balance finances: check; call mom: check. Maybe I'll go brush the dogs or wash my car or something. Tomorrow is dedicated to studying and going to the grocery store, so we can go ahead and check those off, too. And Monday is a holiday, so that will be some built-in extra study time. See what I mean? I have no idea how to handle this...

MORE THAN WORDS CAN EVER EXPRESS

So you may or may not know that on December 14, 2010 at about 10:30 PM, we lost my beloved Grandmother, Phyllis Hill, after 2 year battle with breast cancer. She fought a grueling battle, she led an extraordinary life, and was an amazing woman. She will be missed more than words can ever express. The things she did, the way she thought, and lessons she taught me are forever with me and will always influence my thoughts and actions. Here are a few things about my lovely Grandma:

The Obituary:

Phyllis Annette Megerle Hill, 79, of Arlington went to be with her Lord, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010, after a lengthy illness. Memorial service: pending. Phyllis was born Sept. 14, 1931, in Corpus Christi. She graduated from Incarnate Word Academy in 1949. She was a wonderful and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Janet, and one grandson, Richard. Survivors: Her devoted husband of 42 years, Billy T. Hill; twin sister, Patricia Megerle Booth; 10 loving children; 26 grandchildren; and 26 great-grandchildren.

The Eulogy, delivered by my cousin Alex:

My grandmother, Phyllis Annette Hill was born on September 14, 1931 in Corpus Christi, TX. She had one sibling, her twin sister Patricia. Grandma graduated from Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi in 1949, and she was homecoming queen her senior year in High School. Grandma was married to her loving husband Billy T. Hill for 42 years. Together, they had a wonderful family of 11 children, 26 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren.

Grandma had a lot of friends and she always enjoyed being around them, but she had a special place in her heart for her two dogs Jack and Missy. Her friends always told her that they couldn’t believe that her teeth were still real because they were so white and so straight! She loved to sit and talk with people, and she could talk for hours about anything! She always had the nicest things to say. She was very close to her twin sister, whom she spoke with twice a day. Grandma always loved family gatherings and enjoyed the preparation of having the family all come over and discuss the plans for the Thanksgiving big meal. Her family and friends always loved her cooking.

She was a loving, compassionate, and strong woman, a devoted wife and mother, and she always had her heart open to the people coming in an out of her life. She found joy in so many things. Grandma really enjoyed traveling. Any time anyone mentioned they were ready to go out of town, she was the first person to have her bags packed and be ready to go. She loved to collect salt and pepper shakers and angels, but Grandpa loved to collect clocks, and after many years of collecting, they had to stop to it when they ran out of room to put them! Grandma enjoyed reading, love stories and mysteries in particular. And in her younger days, she loved to dance. She had recently developed a taste for Simply Lemonade. It was a very specific craving, and no other brand would do. We had quite a time trying to keep it in stock for her!

Phyllis Hill was one of the best people that you could ever hope to meet, she was loving and caring and thoughtful. She was the best mother, grandmother and great grandmother that anybody could ever ask for. She will be missed by all of her family and friends and lovingly remembered with every little thing that we do. Every one loves you and misses you, Grandma!

God bless that you are in a better place now with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And a Poem for Grandma:

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be,

So He put His arms around you and whispered, "Come to me."

With tearful eyes we watched and saw you pass away,

Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts and proved to us that He only takes the best.

How About Another Poem (at her memorial service):

I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one.

I'd like to leave an after glow of smiles when life is done.

I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,

Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.

I'd like the tears of those who grieve

To dry before the sun of happy memories that I leave.

When life is done.

And a few pictures...

Love you Grandma, more than words can ever express.

A GREAT START

So Week 1=success! Got most of my books without having a heart attack at the bookstore, got my student loans situated without any hiccups and/or being 2 weeks late, and even had time to get a massage! The cherry on top...we only had 2 days of class this week. This all makes me happy. So last time, I told yall that this semester is 2 weeks shorter, which was nice. But I found another little golden nugget of happiness-last semester we had something like 24 tests...this semester we only have 15. Now, granted, a few of the tests are worth a larger part of our grades, so that doesn't leave as much wiggle room. But this semester, the program seems to have a greater focus on written work, not just tests. I enjoy writing so this is a serious benefit to me! There is also a stronger focus on actually seeing patients, which is pretty much what the whole program is geared towards...so that's bueno, too. In short, this semester (and pretty much 2011 thus far...) is off to a very nice start. Plus, I've been able to pick up running again. That kinda got dropped in the chaos that was the first semester, so it's nice to get back into it. I count my blessings every day and know that I'm so blessed to be here doing what I'm doing with all these wonderful people! While I know that stress and challenge help build character and help me learn, it's also kinda nice to just have things go smoothly every once in a while. :)

CHEERS TO 2011

Happy new year everyone! Wow, it's so hard to believe that 2010 is really over...I guess we've been pretty busy and it just flew by. 2010 definitely had its ups and downs, but I think it all evened out in the end. We had a wonderful holiday season and hope you and your family did, too. Cheers to 2011 being a great year! Ryan and I rang in the new year with Lindsay and Lonnie, some delicious Mexican food (and margaritas), and Wii bowling and golf tournaments. It was low-key and relaxing, but we still had a blast! The coming of the new year means that it's back to the grind. School starts up for me on Wednesday (which I'm actually looking forward to!) and Ryan has already headed back to work. I have my first test at school in one week! EEK! This semester will be shorter by about 2 weeks, but that doesn't mean that there will be any less material to cover, so it's only going to go that much faster! I only have 60 days of class this semester, whereas I had 71 last semester. Plus, I hear that there will be a bit more patient contact this semester, which I'm certainly looking forward to. WOO SAA...time to buckle down yet again and show this program what I'm made of. Just like last semester, I'm sure this one will fly by and be over before I know it. One day at a time, right?

TIME FLIES!

Well, I bet you were thinking that I had just about forgotten about you, huh?! I promise I haven't forgotten about this blog (like I did to the other one...oops!), but these past few weeks have been busier than I ever could have imagined. You're probably thinking, "Busy? How are you busy? Aren't you supposed to be on break?" And the answer is yes, you are correct in thinking that. But yall also know I'm not good at taking it easy. So here's what I've been up to since the White Coat ceremony...

Finals. Ugh. The good news is that they're over and I finished the semester out strong. The bad news was how ridiculous that week was. To add the cherry on top, after finals on Friday, I got my HepB titer drawn (and yall know how it usually goes with me and needles) and I got my flu shot (again, with the needles thing). Rachel and Lindsay came with me and Ryan to get it all done. I think they were hoping to see me pass out (like I usually do) and do something cool. Sorry to disappoint you, ladies. Lol. Then I headed straight from school (many thanks to my chauffeurs Melanie and Momma Brooks) up to Arlington to spend time with my mom and Grandma Hill. Poor Ry had to stick around and work a few extra days. It was great to see my family and really get to spend some time with them instead of having to worry about studying though. Grandma wasn't in good shape by the time I got there, but I'm so grateful that she was able to hang on as long as she did so I could talk to her a little. That really helped provide me some closure about the whole situation. So when I got up to Arlington, I was planning on spending about 4 days there, then heading back to Galveston until Christmas. Slight change of plans...I ended up spending 2 weeks there. I just couldn't leave my mom or my Grandma. My awesome, supportive husband came up to Arlington for a few days, then headed back to Galveston for about a week and held down the fort (with the pups and Tig), then the whole clan came back to Arlington for Christmas. I'm SO glad I stayed with my mom and Grandma...it was just us and Grandpa when Grandma passed away on Tuesday night around 10:30. The rest of the week was filled with emotions and so much to do, but we all got through it together with a lot of help from up above. My mom got a double whammy of emotions over the weekend when my sister Brittany decided to move out unexpectedly. The next week was just a whirlwind dealing with all the above plus trying to plan for all the Christmas activities. Before we knew it, Ryan was back in town and it was Christmas Eve! We had a small get-together at my mom's house, and it was really nice. We went to church, had the usual Christmas Eve activities at the Baileys house, then spent Christmas Day at the Miller house. Ryan and I packed up the fuzzy kids and headed back to Galveston that evening. So that brings us up to right about now...here are a few of the happy highlights from the trip:

1. I got to spend time with Grandma before she passed, I was with family during the time they really needed me, and I got to help write the obituary and prepare the eulogy. We all helped each other remember the happy, strong Grandma we all knew and loved. It felt good to smile and laugh a little.

2. I FINALLY (after having my old laptop almost 7 years) sucked it up and bought a new computer. I splurged on a Macbook Pro, and I LOVE it!

3. I spent 2 weeks with mom, dad, Brittany, and Aimee!

4. Aimee and I had a date night...Chick Fil A and a trip to Ulta. Does it get any sweeter?

5. Aimee's school Christmas program was adorable! I missed the Thanksgiving one, so it was really special that I got to go to this one.

6. Dinner and margaritas with Layla at Don Pablos. She knows how to help me slow down and get my mind off the "down" things in life. It was exactly what I needed. Although, I did get a phone call from Aimee at about 9 PM saying that I was out too late and needed to come home, haha!

7. Ryan and I spent Christmas with our families! There are some people who don't get to do that, ya know. It means a lot to us to get to do stuff like that every year. Christmas just wouldn't be the same otherwise.

8. Got to see Rachel perform with the Johnnie High's crew for their Christmas special! They all did so well, and it was great as usual.

9. Babe's opened in Arlington! So of course we had to go check it out!

10. We were able to go back to our church and see some of our friends there. So happy to see everyone again!

So I guess that about wraps it up! We are finally back in town, trying to catch up on rest, and attempting to put the place back together, and get everything done (move work schedules, arrange travel, etc.) in time to head back out of town for Grandma's memorial service. After that, I have to get everything in order to start school back up the first week of January. EEK, I still need to order my books! I told you, time is just flying by! Excuse me, UTMB, could we please have an extra week or 2 of break? Thanks...that would really be lovely. :) Hopefully I'll get some Christmas pics posted soon...we'll see...

WHITE COAT!

The past week or so has been absolutely crazy! We had our last Surgical Society meeting for the semester and 2 finals. One went really well, the other could have gone better. My anxiety just got the best of me and I didn't do as well as I could have, but that's ok. I still did well on the exam and still did well in the class. To add to the craziness that is finals, we also had our White Coat ceremony, which was super exciting. My parents, my sisters, and Ryan's parents all came into town to share in the fun. We had such a good time, and I'm really glad they were all able to come. On Saturday, we also went to NASA! I think Ryan and Dad would have stayed and just lived there if they had let them. It was really interesting. We got to see all sorts of crazy cool stuff and they even let us see mission control. We spent that evening in Kemah and got our picture made with Santa! It was refreshing to get to go out and just have fun for a little while with my family that I hadn't seen since August. Everyone headed out on Sunday and I hit the books again. 2 finals down, 6 to go. Should we start placing bets now on how little sleep I'll get between now and Friday? Hope everyone has a good week and the next time I post...I'll have completed my first semester at PA school! That's so crazy! But awesome :)

This is all of us before the ceremony

Me!

Mi Familia
Ryan's parents...and Aimee

He's the best husband in the world! Love you babe!

Sisters!

Coolest anatomy group in the world! Love these girls...Amber and Meagan.

Friends! Don't know what I'd do without these girls...Melanie, Bailey, Rachel, Lindsay, and Heather.

Group photo op! We're a pretty good looking bunch, huh?