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! :)

GrAdUaTiON~~~

I officially have a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Education from Brigham Young University!!!

Thoughts: The past five years (yes, I was on the five-year plan) have gone by so fast. Although at the same time, freshman year seems so far away. I look back on it and realize how much I've changed and hopefully grown and learned. I think about how I used to view the world and how different it looks now. I've had so many unique experiences that have truly shaped who I am right now. And I'm going to have even more in the future--it's mind-boggling!!

Highlights:
---Freshman Year: Hated BYU at first. Did not transition very well from 30% Asian to all white kids. Tried to rebel and be a punk. Didn't work out. :) Last two months: made friends with Bart and Kam and somehow it made all the distance. I still remember tearing up on the flight home. Became best friends with Nicki, Becky, Lauren. Talk about life-changing-forever-long-friends. That summer Lauren came to visit and we did Washington right with Bart. Worked at Coldstone. Ha. Good times.
---Sophomore Year: The Villa. Year One. Took a guitar class. Roomed with my best friends. Acquired a Southern accent thanks to Mari and Bridget. Petey and Anna. Matt and Kimi. Danny and Cali. Long distance, Cali trip, crazy romance. Anatomy class. Decided to be a PA. Switched my major for good. Visited Korea for the first time ever, that summer. Goodbye to Caroline, mission. Another epic year.
---Junior Year: The Villa. Year Two. Moved so I could be in Ted's ward. Then he got engaged and ruined that fun. :) Team 32. (Now Nick has a baby... whaa) Team 32. Team 32. That seriously consumed my social life but I loved it. Shelly Marchant. (who also has a baby now, ha!) Phlebotomy course. This was my most favorite year--absolutely loved everything about it. Summer: Ted and Dantzel. Bolivia. Absolutely nuts, hardest thing in the world, but so rewarding and so life-changing. Spanish Spanish. Hard to come home.
---Senior Year: Devere Court. Jessica and Jill. Goodbye Lauren to mission, Becky to SLC. Learned a lot about love. The hard way. Had a hard time adjusting to regular life again. Started volunteering at the VCC, drawing blood. ISP job. Fall semester sucked. Winter break was rejuvenation and meditation time. Winter semester came with renewed motivation and life. And with Caroline's return. :) Made more friends, had fun, met a few boys, only one is important now. Summer: first one in Provo. Cali trip, summer term classes, sort of worked, played a lot. Summer fling. Jamie--dream team. Cervical Cancer Awareness.
---Super Senior Year: Heather Cove. Grade-wise, worst year ever. Awesome job at BYU health center. Awesome job number two at ISP. Library till midnight almost every single night. ABG. Jason left for his mission. Jason transformation. Climbing. Running. Studying. Working. Chemistry. Tissue Biology. Finally picking schools. GRADUATING.

What awaits me this summer? My first half-marathon is this Saturday. I did my last long training run today: 11 miles. The GRE is the Saturday after that. I want to finish my PA school apps by July. Today was my first day of work--just orientation though. But I get absolutely amazing benefits and am so excited to start. It feels pretty epic already. :)

does this ever happen to you? where the first movie you ever saw for a certain company is what their logo reminds you of?

every time i watch a touchstone picture, i think of the 3 ninjas.
every time i see 20th century fox, i think of star wars.

does anyone else know what i'm talking about? or am i crazy?

Today I felt like a competent phlebotomist. I didn't miss at all at work or at the VCC. I am trying to prep myself for being the only vampira at my new job. Nobody to turn to when I miss. Scary business. But I gotta do it!

Got an offer from the Red Cross but it doesn't sound as good. Higher pay but first 3 months training in SLC (gas guzzler) and craaaazy work schedule. Some overnight trips even, to like St. George and stuff (which honestly sounds super fun... they pay for meals and hotels and stuff! but what if my coworkers sucked? it's risky), and you have to be available 5am to 11pm M-F and some Saturdays. She just said straight up it's a pretty tough schedule. And no benefits. So I declined. I'll take the comfort of IHC :)

I'm studying on the first floor, the only place we can find any sort of room these days. Which makes me laugh--I'm pretty sure it's because down here you get no service on your cell and I bet that's why people don't like studying here. Haha we are all so silly, so desperate to be connected to everyone all the time. Me, nobody ever texts or calls so I have no problem being in the abyss. :)

I have no more thoughts.

this is what i do when i don't want to estudiar

yesterday was my last day of classes of my undergraduate career.

dun dun DUN!

can you believe it?! it really has flown. time to move on. but it won't feel like moving on until fall rolls around and i realize for once i'm not in school on my birthday. haha. i could even go home for my birthday if i wanted! first time in 5 years! whew.

yesterday/today was super fun! last night austin and i went up to his parents' in bountiful b/c we both had some business to take care of in slc. so we got some delicious albeit expensive custard on the way up, watched the rest of the jazz game (they better win tonight!!!!!!! boo suns!!!!!), an episode of seinfeld (i don't know how you guys walk around with those things), and went to bed. this morning we woke up and after 2 bowls of sugary cereal, headed for a tandem bike ride (the bikes with two seats) to the silo, where austin's family set up a climbing gym type thing. it was way fun! i love the tandem, even though all i can really see is austin's backside in front of me, it's still fun. haha. so i did my first climbing in a month (it was scary... and i have some scrapes and bruises. i bruise like a peach!) and tried to make friends with the horses next door. then we tandem-ed to farmington to pick up austin's vehicle which thankfully passed emission inspection! then we got his car registered then headed to murray for my business. i had to do stuff for my new job, one thing being getting a chest x-ray to prove i don't have active TB. which i don't!!! anyhow, we got there at 12:40pm, they saw me around 1:10, i was out at 1:30, and we hit the weirdest traffic ever, so i was half an hour late to work. sorry mike! and now i'm here trying to get myself to study but feeling oh so unmotivated and craving fruit. yup.

but it was so nice to be outside in the (finally) spring weather and get some exercise in to start the day! loved it!

and now time to buckle down and study nonstop until this time next week.