Flora

I've been trying to remember important moments that we shared while I was growing up.

I remember you leading me and Jonathan into the Cracker Barrel gift shop while we were on vacation and telling us we could pick out anything we wanted.

I remember you and Papa throwing a giant birthday party for all of the Arizona grand kids while we were in Disney World, to make up for all the parties you had missed.

I remember you asking me where I got my curly hair from and when I responded from my dad, you laughed and asked me who I thought had given him his curls.

The specific moments are blurred and slightly faded. And there aren't nearly enough of them, with us living on opposite sides of the country. But I will always remember how you made me feel - so cherished and so loved.

This past Saturday, I was reminded that I am not the only one who will remember you that way. Yours was a life spent loving and cherishing people. And, if I end up loving people even half as much as you managed to, I'll consider it a life well spent.

Livin' the Dream

I've been doing a decent job of not succumbing to the pre-board panic epidemic that is currently running through my class like wildfire. I am still showering regularly. Most of my meals don't come pre-packaged. And I am BUSTING through Parks and Rec (thanks Netflix). With all that being said, I have been having some pretty interesting dreams this semester. So I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe, my subconcious is starting to feel the pressure. Here are a few examples...

I am studying in one of the study rooms at school. All of a sudden the room turns into a dungeon that is being guarded by a giant crocodile. Apparently this ROUS (reptile of unusual size) is invisible to everyone but me. Because I watch it eat everyone that tries to come and rescue me. Even Lorelei Gilmore. Who was bringing me coffee. Gah...

I am studying at school, in the same room as the above dream, when I feel something in my mouth. I spit out said object into my hand and its a tooth. So, I just toss it in the giant pile of my teeth that is already sitting on the table next to me, and continue studying path. No biggie...

I'm driving in the middle of Nowhere, USA when my truck breaks down. Have no fear, the creepy/persistent guy that had a crush on me in high school is there in an instant. Literally, out of nowhere. Ready to jump start my Tacoma and ask for my hand in marriage. Thanks, Jared. 

And the newest addition...

I'm working in the cadaver lab when I accidentally boil a human heart and lungs in a crockpot. Oops. Then I freak out because I have to tell my PI (principle investigator - real lab lingo, I promise) what I've done. (Note: I don't freak out that I have just boiled another human's heart. No, that's absurd.) I finally get up the courage to tell my mystery PI and walk into his office. Once inside I find Brad Pitt (the PI) who is nonchalantly cleaning his shiny black motorcycle in what appears to be an auto body shop. Once I tell him the news he laughs and says that happens all the time. Oh, and not to let anyone eat the heart and lungs. 

I've got to admit, my subconscious is pretty creative. Plus I don't mind sharing my REM sleep with Brad Pitt. White coats and motorcycles? Yes, please. ;)

Thankful

Whenever I'm feeling particularly sad/stressed/homesick or just generally cranky, I try to come up with things that I'm thankful for. I think Oprah may have recommend this - but honestly what doesn't she recommend? Regardless of whose genius idea it was initially, I've found that it's a sure-fire way of pulling me out of my funk and re-focusing myself on all of the awesome things in my life. And, since today marks exactly one month of my being a real adult (I've decided that "real" adult means paying for health insurance. Thanks, Obama), here is a list of 26 things that I am thankful for.

1. Spring. ALL of the snow outside my house has officially melted, people. ALL OF IT! Birds are chirping and everything. After five months of insanely cold frozenness, right now, spring is about as magical as a Disney Pixar movie.
2. Coffee. Aka, get-up-and-go juice. (And also, stay-awake-because-you-haven't-finished-reading-that-path-chapter juice.) 
3. My crazy supportive family. I would not be where I am, or who I am, today without their constant love and encouragement. 
4. My equally crazy supportive friends. We laugh, we cry, we eat a lot of frozen yogurt and spend too much money on Sonic fountain drinks. I'm pretty sure that's what love is. 
5. Electric blankets. They're like being wrapped in the best hug ever. And you don't have to worry about BO.
6. Being in medical school. It's the source of 96.4% of my stress, and I am still thankful to be here every day. (Admittedly, some days I'm more thankful than others.)
7. My cat. I have yet to lose a "cat-off," so I say with confidence, my cat is better than yours. ;) 
8. My local Dunkin Donuts coffee girl. She knows my voice, she knows my order, and she's the smiling face I see before spending all night in the library. You. Go. Girl. 
9. All Starbucks baristas everywhere. You spread joy and happiness. And even though you sometimes spell my name wrong (Megan, Morganne, Marie) I don't care and I will always forgive you. This might also be what love is. 
10. Volunteering at my local food bank. This is one of my favorite parts of the week. The people there are amazing and kind and I'll always be thankful to have known and served with them. 
11. Picmonic. This fun study tool is pretty much like watching cartoons. (Cartoons that are linked to high yield totally testable medical school topics, but cartoons nonetheless.)
12. The Pennsylvania Game Commission. This is random, and I'll spare you the details. But earlier this week they took care of a "situation" involving a mortally wounded deer and my backyard. 
13. The SheReadsTruth online community. If you're looking for a daily devotional, these ladies write awesome, God-infused, scripture-based plans and I absolutely love, love them. Please check them out! 
14. Non-school books. I repeat, books that do not have ANYTHING to do with medical school. Sometimes, I forget these even exist. This weekend I started reading "The Book of Unknown Americans." I am half way through it and loving it so far!
15. Pathoma. I speak for myself and almost every other medical student when I say, Team Sattar for Lifeeeeeee. 
16. AppleTV. Man oh man, has this little black box of wonders revolutionized the way I procrastinate. Just. Can't. Reach. The. Remote. Before the next episode starts. Oh, well. ;) 
17. Online shopping. Also known as the "if a girl finds a perfect dress, she'll need a light spring jacket and cute summer sandals to match" phenomenon. It's like the grown up equivalent to the life lessons learned in the childhood classic, "If you give a mouse a cookie." Only more expensive. 
18. Last minute road trips. My punk kid brother is visiting me this week and I love having him around. He'll be on the opposite side of the country this time next year (his first army post is in Alaska) so I'm soaking up all the brother-sister bonding time I can. 
19. My awesome local church. Nothing makes a place feel more like home than being able to go to "my church" every Sunday. 
20. Only one more PBL exam to go! This is almost too good to be true. The exams that have dictated so much of my life for the past two years are almost done. Woo-freakin-hoo!!! 
21. That I can call my dad any time for any reason. From banking advice to what to do when a bat invades my house (true story), he has always been my own personal "Mr. Fix It." And I'm pretty sure I have the greatest dad in the world. But I might be biased. 
22. The health of my family and friends. I spend the majority of my time learning about everything that can go wrong with the human body, which makes the fact that all the people I love dearly are healthy that much sweeter. 
23. I'm thankful for the people that read this silly blog. And who are STILL reading this post. It turned into quite a doozy, huh?
24. I'm thankful for my mom. She puts her heart and soul into teaching a bunch of bratty junior high students math. But from the stories she tells me, what she is really teaching them is that that they are important. That they matter. And that they each have gifts to offer this world. 
25. I'm thankful that home is only a plane ride away. 
26. I'm thankful for the cross. I'm in the middle of the SheReadsTruth lent study right now and am in awe of God's love for a fallen world and the sacrifice Jesus made to bring us Home.