1310!!

I finished the GRE--finally! No more studying for another year! A WHOLE YEAR! WHOOO!!!

I paced myself WAY poorly on the math--10 questions with only 4 minutes left. On the last 3 I literally just guessed and randomly picked answers, finishing with 2 seconds on the clock. So for the rest of the test I felt dejected and worthless, feeling like I wasted $160 and had to retake it. So boy was I more than pleasantly surprised to see that 1310 total on my screen. So for those of you who think oh, that's not really that good of a score, it's good for completely guessing on one of the sections!!

Now it's time to work hardcore on my PA apps. Unfortunately I discovered that I may have to cross Northeastern (Boston) off my list--they require 1000 hours of direct patient care experience by the time you APPLY, not START school. Sucky!! I'll have almost 2000 by the time I actually start school, why can't they just count that?! I emailed them to make sure but it looks like bye bye Boston to me. :(

I guess that's ok, I still have 8 other schools to apply to. Hoping to get into at least one of them! Ha. We'll see how things go... the process just plain freaks me out though. The acceptance rate is usually 5% or less. Out of 900 applications, how the H am I supposed to stand out?! Won't my application just look like everyone else's?? Especially since I won't be able to clock in my projected patient hours?? Gah... from one stress to another. Haha.

In other news, I hate the Lakers. And you should too.

Love,
Jean

kickin' off summer right

What a week! Rather, what a past two weeks!

Work has been pretty intense. I drove up to SLC every day last week for training. IHC is way different from BYU, I'll tell ya that. The ordering is way more complicated--we have to do way more. Like order the tests ourselves, put in the diagnoses, decide which tests go in which tubes, decant them (pour off serum for tests like insulin), batch them, send them out... it's crazy!! I don't know how BYU does it so much easier but I much prefer it over there. Anyway, I'm hoping that it's just the new job feel and how it'll just suck for a couple of months. Hoping hoping. Oh and it's all old people pretty much who have generally harder veins so that doesn't make it any easier. Oh well, a job is a job and I should be pretty darn grateful to have one!!

Other than that, I've been studying for the GRE like mad... cramming is not the way to go, people. At least not for the verbal portion. I'm doing some last minute studying tonight and tomorrow morning then it shall come. 12:30pm tomorrow. Wish me luck!

I've been so busy running errands, getting settled into the apartment slowly, running, hanging out with the boy, enjoying myself. I didn't know it could be so crazy busy though. I expect once I get my errands done and job becomes more normal I'll have more free time. Until then though, it feels like I'm rushing around from thing to thing. But that's ok, I like being busy. :)

Wow, what a week for climbing too!! Austin and I went earlier this week and I did my first lead climb, which is clipping in as you go, so it's still pretty safe, but if you fall and you haven't clipped into the next one yet, then you fall a lot farther than if you were top roping. So it's definitely scarier and more of a rush. But it felt great! I got some climbing shoes that actually fit me so I climb a lot better now, I think. My feet just feel safer. Then today I did my first multi-pitch climb! It was only two pitches but it was scary as heck. We were so high up in the air!!!!!!!! Man... I didn't do either of them clean but I still did them! I'm scraped up pretty bad, most I've ever been, but it was so worth it. View was beautiful, the climb was exactly hard and challenging enough... and the hike up to it was good too; usually I hate hiking. :) So all in all, a good day for climbing. :) Only my 4th time outside! Loved it.

Also today was my first Friday off and it was glorious. Slept in till 9:30, got my oil changed, dropped off stuff at D.I., cooked a tasty tasty white chili meal, dropped some off at Austin's work, got a tour of the sweat shop, visited my old coworkers at the BYU clinic, cleaned and got even more settled into the apt, then climbing. Such a full and productive day! I'm going to love having Fridays off. :)

Jason calls on Sunday! Hooray! It's been 6 months already!! The poor kid is struggling but I'm hoping things have gotten or will still get better for him. It'll be good to talk to him for a bit and hear his Korean. :)

I really never know how to end these blog posts. I love you all. Thanks for reading.

Provo City Half-Marathon

I ran my first half-marathon yesterday!!!!!! Total time of about 2 hours and 15 minutes which is about 10:20 splits. Didn't quite reach my goal of 10 minute splits but that's alright, I finished! If those of you in Provo remember, the weather was horrendous... it literally rained, winded, hailed, or snowed the entire time except maybe a stretch of 2 miles. By the end I was entirely soaked and couldn't feel my hands. What a beast of a race!

At the end there was a couple that was irritating the crap outta me--they'd walk until I caught up to them then take off running. Did it like three times!!! I was so bugged, at the end I kicked it hard and passed them right at the end. Felt great!!! That's what they get for using me as their pacing gauge! Ha!! And when I finished I wasn't even breathing hard a minute later. I totally could've gone faster. But whenever I race I get scared of pooping out early so I always end with excess energy. Maybe I'll be braver next time and just go hard regardless.

Many thanks to Austin, Girl Jamie, Caroline, and Boy Jamie for cheering me on!! They were so great, cheered, took pictures, rapped (Girl Jamie did haha) and it was so motivating, I loved it! Austin caught me with 3-ish miles left to fuel me with a power bar--I was so hungry! Tip for next time: wake up earlier and eat a bigger breakfast. And use a power gel halfway through. And carbo-load a few days before. Haha. But it was great, I am super sore today but I feel so accomplished! I never ever in my life imagined I could ever run this much and I'm so happy I was able to! :)