My brother home at last!

June 26th was a most happy day for our family. A dear brother, son, cousin, and friend came home from his 2-year mission for the church. James served in the Uruguay Montevideo mission and had a most wonderful time serving the Lord and his children there.

We had a fun time meeting him at the airport. Jimmy and I actually surprised him by showing up at all. He had been told we wouldn't be able to make it because I didn't get work off in time. (It was a small miracle, a tender mercy, that I was able to find someone to work for me last minute.) We even made him a candy bar poster to have the Bejaranos give him in our stead. As he was reading the poster, we snuck up behind him--it was a great moment and I smothered him with a big hug.

Here is just part of the group that was there to meet him at the airport. Afterwards the whole group of us (probably around 25-30 people) went to Golden Corral to celebrate. James, who was still an Elder at this point, found the sites and sounds of the city a bit different than his beloved Uruguay, but was totally stoked to be with his family, as were we to be with him. It was great to be able to just talk with him, ask him questions, and hear his accent. (He wasn't used to speaking in English yet, and maybe still isn't even a few weeks later.)


Next we went to our home in Heber were a 'home makeover' had been taking place over the last few weeks. Mom, Carlos and the girls had been working on various projects throughout the house (like remodeling the kitchen and basement) for the last couple of months in the hope of having things nice for James when he got home. An angel in their ward (Amber Sission--the same who put together our wedding shower and luncheon) got a group of other ward members to help out. The week before James came home they were painting, cleaning, weeding, planting flowers, laying tiles, etc. It was such a blessing, especially for my sweet mom who always seems to have a little too much on her plate (only because she is constantly in the service of other people.)

We had a great time looking at pictures and souveneirs he had brought from Uruguay. Here is a very interesting cup used for a traditional South American herbal tea. The outside is made of a cow hoof.

Since James has been home we've had fun spending time together. I went down to Heber to see him most of the weekend he was home, we saw him over the 4th of July, and got to go see the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house with him last week.

These Free Spirits Don't Know How to Slow Dance

I think I've come to realize that we simply need to stop planning camping trips, every time we do the weather turns against us. Mind you, we are not worried about being out in the woods with a little bit of rain, rather we don't have a good place to lay out our tent for a drying off period. (Nobody enjoys camping in a moldy tent.)

So, with the fates working against us we decided to enjoy some benefits of Logan that don't include going to the nearby moistened canyons.

Every now and then the local artists get together with some of the businesses and holds a fun little activity known as "The Gallery Walk". It's rather enjoyable, you simply go around Main Street and see what businesses have their doors open. Inside of participating locations they will be featuring paintings, sculptures, and other things throughout their shopping area (some of the better ones include snacks).

The evening turned out to be a very pleasant temperature and no clouds were in sight (the next morning was a different story). We visited a few different locals, talked to some of the artists, and even saw the new UPR broadcasting center.

However, one of the highlights wasn't even in the confines of buildings, it was right in the middle of the street. A small section of road had been blocked of back in the "Granola District" and a band was playing away. When we first arrived on the scene there was only one younger girl out on the road dancing away in front of the band. Everyone else was simply enjoying the music, maybe a little swaying or maybe a little tapping of the feet. As the band played on though more and more people began to join her.

Michelle and I went into one of the buildings right nearby to look at their displays and by the time we came out the whole street was filled with people; young, old, and everything in between. Most were swinging rather normally to the music, but there were a few that forced me to ask if they could hear the music at all. (They looked to be about high school age, so that might have explained their confusion.)

As we were observing this party of freedom in the middle of the street the band started a new song that was a bit slower beat than what they had been playing just a short time ago. As the music want on it seemed to sedate the crowd into standing mode once again. It was at this point that Michelle made the observation of how apparently difficult it was for free spirits to slow dance. (I'll admit that we weren't the greatest at dancing, but at least we tried.)

We ended the night with a walk around the Logan Tabernacle and decided that we could go camping some other time, in some other place if that's how it ends up, but we're going to miss these activities in Logan.

To Dream . . .

Sometimes you work so hard towards a single goal that when the opportunity finally arrives it becomes the most difficult thing you can do.

I've been in contact with the education curator at Hogle Zoo talking to her about this that and the other. On Wednesday afternoon I emailed her inquiring a little more about the possibility of a second internship starting in mid July.

Later that evening Michelle and I went to a work party for one of her co-workers. (The co-worker had been there for five years of so and had just moved to a different job so that she could spend more time with her children.) At the party a lot of the people were asking me about my job prospects (because if I do ever get a job it probably won't be in Logan, which means they will also lose Michelle). Of course we told them about how much we hope we can stay in Utah, but right now that didn't seem very likely since the Hogle Zoo is on a hiring freeze.

Well, we returned home full n' happy (you can never have too many creamies,) and I decided to quickly check the internet to see if there was anything interesting job/internship wise. Low and behold, there it was, an "Immediate opening" at Utah's Hogle Zoo.

Now I feel it is important to note here that before this came about I had turned in ten or so resumes to various organizations across the nation, so I've become pretty proficient at producing a cover letter and resume that covers what they seem to be looking for. (At least this is according to my simple understanding, I have yet to be called back for an interview from any of them, but I just think that is because they are amazed by my potential and consider me to be over qualified . . . )

With all my preparation it has always been in the back of our minds that the ideal situation would be for me to get a job at Hogle, Michelle to be accepted into the PA school at U of U so then we'd still be able to be close to our family. I don't see any reason why Michelle wouldn't be accepted into the PA program (high GPA, minority, easy to work with, everybody loves her, etc. etc. etc.) so really the biggest hurdle to our dream was the hiring freeze at the zoo.

This job posting was on Wednesday and it is now Saturday evening. I think I've finally finished my resume and cover letter for the position, but I'm just not quite sure. Constantly in my mind is that little gnawing feeling that it needs something more (I know, experience, but besides that). It feels like there is so much riding on this application that I'm probably going to miss something simple. Oh well, Michelle will read over it later and I will work it over a little more and the plan is that I'll get it in the mail on Monday. Wish me luck.

P.S. According to my sources on the inside, this position is actually for a primary keeper position, which I would probably never even bother applying for at another zoo so nobody get too excited, but "you never know".

WE SURVIVED A BEAR ATTACK!!!

OK, not really, but it's still a good picture ;)

Michelle and I took an extra day for our Memorial Day weekend to go to the zoo. It's exciting to realize that after over two decades of visiting the same zoo I still enjoy it. There was a cool breeze and not too many people. (Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much.)

Right off the bat we went down to their newest exhibit, Madagascar! (Really, the "!" is part of the name. Probably if I really wanted to be correct I should put a "." after the "!" but that would've just looked weird.) I actually worked with a few of the animals that they have in the new place, but the main attraction is the fossa (apparently it's pronounced foo'sah, but I always thought it was more like . . . um . . . fossa . . . whatever). Nobody can really give a clear description of what a fossa looks like, so I'm not going to try, just know that it seems to sleep as much as the cats do.We also went to the bird show, saw the cheetah up and running (which is something I'd never actually seen before,) and played with Acara, the 4-year-old orangutan. Over all it was a great visit.

Since graduating earlier this month I've been working hard to try and find my own position at a zoo. While that hasn't materialized much of anything to-date, my visit to the zoo certainly helped me get the excitement back. (Who knows, maybe I'll get on at Hogle Zoo pretty soon.)

Bah Ram Ewe

Who knew that I'd ever go to sheep ranches in Montana & Idaho as part of a USU field trip? This past April I had a ewe-nique opportunity (I know, terrible pun) to go on a field trip with Jimmy for his Sheep Management class. The trip included visiting a sheep experiment station in Du Bois, Idaho, a sheep ranch in Dillon, Montana, and a wool mill in ____, Montana. Over this weekend I learned more than I thought I'd ever know about sheep nutrition, wool quality, breeding genetics, lambing season, and the many husbandry aspects of caring for any number of domestic sheep. (And I know I only saw the tip-top of the iceberg.)


I also realized how much work really goes into an agricultural field and how dependent I am and this country is on these people who work the land. It was really neat to see the way ranchers think and how they take pride in the work they do. I'm grateful for the work they do in working the land in order to sustain us.


I had a great time learning more about sheep and also met some very fun people. I know Jimmy also felt like it was a great review of a year of study. Jimmy also got some great exposure to country music on the long drives. Plus, now we can say we've been to "Big Sky Country".



To complete my "sheep experience" that month, the next week we went to the Sheep closing social that Doc McNeal puts on every year down at the American West Heritage Center. There we had some real lamb steaks and mingled with the cream of the crop in sheep production and management at USU.

Lifesavers Then, Caregivers Now

Physician Assistants unofficially had their start caring for soldiers as combat medics and corpsmen in the military. This statue is a tribute to those men and women who dedicated their lives to save lives and who paved the way for caregivers today who provide care for the "medically under served."

I took this photo last July at the University of Utah just

outside the PA administration building. I was waiting

for the prospective student Q & A session to begin.

My ambition for my academic and professional life is to be a practicing Physician Assistant. Ever since I was in eleventh grade anatomy and physiology I knew I wanted a career in medicine. I loved learning how the human body worked and was amazed by the capabilities our bodies had to heal, build, and use energy. Since that time I've been even more astounded by the complexities of life. My bachelor's degree in Biology at USU has afforded me the chance to learn about biochemistry, medical physiology, molecular genetics, and anatomy (as well as many other subjects.)

As I worked on my Master's Degree studying calcium ion channel physiology, I realized that learning how calmodulin actually influenced excitation contraction coupling in skeletal muscle didn't really matter to me very much. I realized that learning about how things actually worked in the human body only really mattered in the direct and practical application of that knowledge to help people.

I had been playing with the idea of PA school the summer before starting my master's degree due to the inspiration of one of my study buddies. The only problem was I had no direct patient contact experience. So I enrolled in a medical assisting program, finished it in 6 months and have been working at Budge Clinic Pediatrics since August of '08. This job has been very rewarding, I've learned a lot from the doctors, and have enjoyed working with patients. The patients I have enjoyed helping the most are those who wouldn't be able to accomplish their goals without my assistance like the Spanish-speaking patients and families who I interpret for, and the hospice patient whose life history I'm transcribing.

Besides learning the intricacies biology, chemistry and medicine, my life after high school and college has afforded me opportunities to meet people. People from all walks of life with a myriad of life experiences have crossed my path and have influenced the person I've become and the person I wish to become. Some of these people include fellow students, professors, family, ward members, friends, practicing PAs, and patients. I love serving people and am excited for what the future will bring. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been given and can't wait for the opportunities that will be coming my way.

Mother's Day Manicures

Instead of getting something traditional for mom for Mother's Day like flowers or chocolates (or whatever else is traditional), we decided to have a mother daughter manicure session. We met up at a beauty college in Provo. I thought it'd be good to meet at a central location between Logan and Heber/Springville. It was great getting our manicures done there because it's cheaper at a beauty college and easier to get in on short notice. The best part was that mom was completely unawares until she pulled up with Natalie and Emily. (I had given them directions). It was fun planning it as a surprise for mom. We were able to sit close to each other and talk as our hands and digits were moisturized, pampered, and polished.

After getting our nails done, we ate at Olive Garden, which is always so good. We enjoyed sampling each other's dishes of braised beef and torteloni, five cheese manicotti, garlic chicken fettucine, and venetian apricot chicken. Mmm, mmm good.

Next we did a little discount shopping and found some paint for the kitchen and steps at the Heber house as well as various items of clothing at the local DI.

Our next stop was to the wonderful house in Springville. Our time there included having maté with mom, getting our cars washed by Carlos (and Abraham), playing kickball, eating a yummy crockpot dinner, and enjoying beautiful mountain vistas from the porch.