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.