How did that happen?!

Well, I got a B! in Biochemistry!  How in the world did I pull that off?  I wasn't doing too hot in this class - passing of course, but not getting the exam grades I was hoping to get.  When I checked my grade before the final I was on the B/C edge and when I checked my grade after the final... B!  I either did really really really good on the final, or I did so poorly he laughed so hard that he felt he had to give me a B.  :o)  I'm kinda dumbfounded in a way, but I'm am so relieved. 

Ever since classes have ended I have been studying for the MCAT.  This has not been fun, but I am really hoping I can pull off a 28.  This is the magic number I need to apply early decision to med school, which means I will go through the process of interviewing and getting a decision back faster.  If I get below a 28 I will have to apply regular decision, - which is still ok, but will take longer to get an interview.  I am confident I will get in, it's just a matter of when. 

I have been in the process of filling out the application over the past couple of week (yes it is a very loooong and tedious application), which asks me to list every. single. class. I've ever taken at every university I've ever attended.  This took a little bit of time for me considering I've attended one community college and two universities.  Then on top of it all, I have to have my transcripts sent in to the application service anyway.... Is it me or is this a little redundant? 

I am also tweaking my personal statement and getting it ready to attach to the application.  This is one of the big pieces that will get me in the door.  The trick is to make it sound like I am an interesting person who knows why they want to be a doctor and can demonstrate the skills I have that will make me a good doctor - in only 5300 characters.  Yes, that includes spaces, commas and periods. Not as easy as it sounds considering this will be a huge factor in them wanting interview me and questions they will ask me during the interview.  No pressure.

Really, this process isn't as bad as it sounds.  It's time consuming but really not bad.  I think the hardest part is trying to study for the MCAT while working and taking classes.  I didn't do as much as I needed to over the semester so now I'm down to studying three months worth of material in one.  It's hard to find enough time to study everything and take the practice tests in a timed setting like I would on test day, but I am hoping that I will know enough and have enough practice questions under my belt to do well.  And to have the will power to not change my answers!  I took a practice test about a month or so ago and I didn't do very well (it was over the span of a day and at work on breaks), but a big percentage of the questions I missed were because I changed my answers.  Grrrrr!

Ok, ok, I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about the MCAT, but that is what is on my mind and will be until June 17th.  Then you will be tired of me obsessing about what score I got until July 17th*.   It'll be a long summer.  :o)

*and people wonder why premeds are so stressed out.  he he he  I know, I know, just wait till I'm actually in medical school.  I'm sure I'll drive Brad nuts! 

One down, one more to go

Well, another semester is over with and only one more to go.  It's so weird to think that I will be graduating in December, but I like the thought.

Now that finals are over, not sure how I did though, I will be cramming for the MCAT.  This will be interesting as it is a huge test that is not meant for cramming.  Studying over the semester didn't work out very well so I am hoping I can get in enough to do well.  I'm pretty nervous about it. 

We rearranged our living room a few weeks ago, and I love the new space!  It's funny how moving some furniture around can change the way a room feels.  I love it. 

I think I'm going to try an plant some flowers this weekend.  I  won some wild flower seeds as a door prize the other day and I have some tulips they dug up from the university I need to replant.  I'm kind of excited to start my little flower garden around the house. 

Pretty/Random Thoughts

Brad has been begging me to post so he can look at the pretty flowers he got me last weekend.  I know, I've had these pictures for a whole week and haven't posted them yet!  Well, it's been pretty busy the past week, and I am trying to finish up this semester.  Only two more weeks from tomorrow and its over with!  Yikes!  That means that I will be only one semester away from graduating.  Woo hoo!!

On a side note, I have decided to take the June 17th, MCAT.  This will allow me to study for another month and only study the MCAT.  The down side is that it is only two days away from our vow renewels.  At least it is a simple ceremony, so I won't have anything to really stress over. 

They were digging up tulips out front at work today so I got to pick a bunch up to plant in our yard.  They are all yellow, but still really pretty.  I'm excited to start planting some pretty things around the yard and give it some more character.

This weekend we had a guy come over to shampoo and convince us to buy a vacuum/shampooer.  No, we didn't buy the $2,800 vacuum/shampooer, but our carpet sure looks a lot better.  Since we had the living room cleared out we decided to rearrange.  It looks so much better!  I really like it and it feels homier and more comfortable.  I can't wait to go home so I can relax in the new "feel"

Now... the pictures.  ;o)

Last Friday

I came home from work to a freshly cleaned house (Bo helped), my honey preparing food for a little bbq and these!

It was a really nice evening!  We sat outside, started up the little firepit and ate some bbq burgers and sausage, beans and potatoes.  It was super yummy! I keep telling Brad that is an awesome husband, but he doesn't believe me.  :o)

We did something similar for Easter too.  We even dyed eggs and hid them for Bo.  It's been a looooong time since I've done that!  It was pretty fun. 

The downside was I had to spend most of the weekend preparing for my biochem exam Tues.  I'm not sure how I did, but I feel like I did better than last exam.  It's a little frustrating to study four chapters at a time and not know what to focus on, only to find that half the stuff you studied isn't on the exam, and the stuff that is on the exam is so detailed that you can't remember it all.  It's not a very good book, and the professor skims through everything - it's only an introduction course so there's not a lot of time to go in-depth with stuff.  We do have extra credit opportunities, which are very rare so I can't complain too much! 

On a different note, I have been trying to find fabric for the bridesmaid/maid of honor dresses, and boy is it hard to find the right kind!  If it's not the right color, then it's not the right texture/wrinkles too much.  grrrr.... I'll get it figured out soon, well, I better or they won't get made!  ha ha

Spring Break

Spring break was officially two weeks ago, but I have been so busy at work I haven't had much time to post! 

This year the office closed down for spring break - the first and hopefully only time.  (This was mandatory to help cut costs due to the economic times.)  It was really nice to have a week off of work, but really sucked to have to use up all my vacation time.  I wanted to take some time off to go to my, not so little, little sister's graduation in May, and also take some days off for the vow renewal when the family is here, but now that I don't have any I may not be able to do either.  I was also planning on taking a day off work to take my MCAT exam, but now I have to take it on a Saturday, so that definitely means I can't make my sisters graduation - they are on the same day!  Boo!  And did I mention that she won't be able to make the wedding because she is going to Washington D.C - super cool!  and I haven't seen her in years? Talk about suck!

Well, onto the week of my spring break.  I went out in the truck with Brad and studied my MCAT materials all week.  Well, most of the week until I caught a cold on Wednesday and pooped out by Thurs night.  I didn't think about it when I was out there, but I should have taken pictures for everyone.  Oh well.  I would get out to help strap the loads down and roll up the straps while Brad unloaded and then go back in the truck to study.  The weather wasn't too bad, a little windy, but not too cold.  It decided to rain then snow on Friday, so we decided to come home.  It was really nice to spend some time with Brad, even if he was working.  :o)

Renewal

Ok, well you may know from reading my blog that I am married to an amazingly wonderful (and if I do say so, sexy!) man. *pause for eye rolls and gagging sounds*

Our “ceremony” consisted of going down to the local courthouse and having a judge marry us. The passage the judge used was really neat and I wish that I could remember it, but you know how the mind works sometimes - you can remember all sorts of details but the ones you really want to remember. We were planning on having a ceremony with our friends and family, but decided to go the cheaper, faster route. A year or so later we got to talking and decided that we would like some memories of our plunge and wanted our family and friends to be a part of it and Brad really wanted me to have my dad walk me down the aisle. He feels that this is something every girl wants and dreams of and he wanted to give that to me. (I told you he was pretty amazing. He he ) So, after talking about it some more we are going to renew our vows this summer. It’s going to be a small ceremony with his parents, my parents, our siblings and a few close friends. We are going with a more informal wedding, comfortable but nice and the colors are black and a berry color – almost a purplish maroon. Brad will be in a black tux jacket and white shirt, with black wranglers and I will be wearing this gown.

The girls will be in a dress handmade by my mother in law, and the guys will be in wrangler shirts and black wranglers. (The dresses and the shirts will match).

Afterwards we are going Hillbillie and havin’ ourselves a good ol fashion bbq! :o) We will have the bbq at the park so the kids can run around and play on the equipment and we can all play some baseball. It should be a good time if the weather holds out – this is Kansas after all. I plan on getting a bunch of the little disposable cameras and letting everyone take pictures throughout the day (Brad’s dad will take the nicer photos).

I think it will be fun and we will definitely get our memories!

Schedule

Yeah I know, it's been too long since I've posted.  Life seems to be a little boring lately, or maybe it's because it seems to be going by too fast to make any interesting observations.  It's March people!  Spring break is next week - this means that we are half way done with this semester and oddly enough, I feel like I haven't done a thing.  Let me explain by telling you my schedule:

I still work full time Mon - Fri 7:45 - 5:00p and I volunteer on Mon and Thurs nights until 6 at a Hospice. 
I have biochemistry on Tues and Thurs from 11:00 - 12:15 which counts as my lunch at work.
I have a meditation class on Wed from 4:00 - 5:00p.  so I leave work at 3:45 to go to class. 
I have an online Theater class that I am also taking that has 1 or 2 quizzes a week. 
I am studying for the MCAT and fit that in whenever I possibly can, usually a couple hours each night and on the weekends when I am not studying biochem.  

Compared to last semester this is so relaxed!  The exams in biochem are so spaced out that I feel like I have plenty of time to study for them, but they are over 4-6 chapters at a time and the questions can get pretty detailed. I wasn't expecting so much detail on the first exam and didn't do as well as I thought I would  - but it's only the first exam and there are plenty of things to do to earn a couple extra points.  We have weekly quizzes that are taken out of the homework problems at the end of each chapter so they aren't too bad. 

At night I go home, workout, shower and then study for the rest of the night, usually two hours or so, but I am still behind on my MCAT studying.  I am hoping to catch up during spring break, but I guess as long as I do what I can and take as many practice passages as possible that will have to do.  I am hoping for a 32 but really need a 28 to apply for early decision.  If I am under a 28 I will have to apply regular decision, which will be ok, but I will have to wait till later to interview. 

I have a good feeling about KU and think that I will get in.  I don't know if it will be this year or not, but I know that I will get in, even if it takes me a few tries. 

Well, I have rambled on enough I guess.  The comments on the bottom of my posts should be working - if you have anything you want me to talk about or any questions for me, put em there!