Thanksgiving

I posted this Operation Beautiful note on Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I'm so thankful that my body was able to heal itself after I treated it so badly.  I am thankful that I am able to run the races that I so enjoy.  I am thankful that I can lift up my son.  My body is amazing....and for that I am thankful.

I want that!

Apparently, blatant consumerism shows up right around age four.  My wonderful child is usually not one to covet what others have.  He is, by no means, perfect; and he will throw the occasional fit in the store if he doesn't get what he wants.  But recently, he has been wanting everything.  Every commercial that he sees on TV leads to a chorus of "I want that!"  I guess it is a logical step in child development, but it is really grating on a person's nerves.  Just hearing him say over and over and over....I want that, I want that, I want that....it makes me want to show him all those in this world who really don't have anything.  But, I'm afraid the trip to see starving, homeless, or orphaned children wouldn't have the desired effect on an almost-four-year old.

I don't know how to counteract the consumerism, especially during the Christmas season, when he is going to be getting a lot of what he wants from his grandparents, aunt, and the rest of the family.  How can I teach him that his worth isn't wrapped up in the 'things' he gets?  How can I teach him that it really is better to give than to receive?  How can I teach him to be thankful for all that he has?  And if all that fails, how can I teach him to stop saying "I want that!" at the top of his lungs?

Family Practice

I think I managed to tell everyone I knew how much I loved being in OB/GYN for my externship.  It was fantastic and wonderful and interesting and all the other great things I can think of.  This week, I've been in Family Practice.  And....I'm bored.  They see about 16-20 patients a day and there is a lot of down time.  Maybe I'm just not cut out for Family Practice.  There is nothing wrong with that; everyone is different and has different strengths and weaknesses.  I just miss the energy level in OB.  There were more patients and you were pretty much running all day.  I miss that.

Next week, I will split my time between Family Practice and Physical Therapy.  I'm looking forward to the PT stuff.  I hope that I enjoy it.

In the meantime, I am going to try to enjoy my Thanksgiving weekend.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I have a wonderful husband and son.  I have a warm home to go to at the end of the day.  I have a relatively healthy body that is going to carry me 3.1 miles during Sunday's race.  I have family and friends who I care about dearly.  It has been a good year.

Christmas Child boxes

This is not a very clear picture, because my phone doesn't do very well in poor lighting.  But I love how Northridge Church stepped up for Operation Christmas Child.  This is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse that makes up Christmas presents for underprivileged kids around the world.  The Husband and I have done boxes for the last few years and it is a great feeling to know that these kids are able to celebrate Christmas and learn about the love of Jesus. 

Things that make me happy #3

I love watching my boys be boys. And there is nothing that says 'boy' like dinosaurs. Even better.....model dinosaurs. They boys had a great time putting these together and I think my darling Son will be getting more models in the future....especially if the Husband has anything to say about it.

Another Race!

Yesterday was the Hewitt Fire Department's 10th Annual Pumpkin Run 5K race. For being the beginning of November, the weather couldn't have been better. It was actually warmer than the Cheese Days race I ran in July.

I ran with my cousin Jason, who had a great time, even though he had been a little under the weather. And, my friend Krissy, from high school ran as well. I had high hopes of keeping up with her, but realized about a half mile in, that I was really not in top form. I think I'm okay with that. I knew that I wasn't going to be setting any PRs in that race. I haven't been training as much as I should. I'm not logging the miles that I used to. Part of it is that it is cold outside and it gets dark really early. Part of it is that I am busy with my internship and I am not getting home until later in the evening; by then I am exhausted.

But, overall, I think it was a decent race. My favorite part, by far, was approaching the finish line and seeing the Son cheering me on. He decided to run the last 200 or so meters with me. It really got me going and I was able to push through to the end. Even though my dear boy couldn't keep up. He is better than any PR!

Internship, day 1-2

So, the first day of my internship was at the Wausau campus of the Marshfield Clinic. I am glad that I got the Marshfield Clinic system, because those are the closest clinics to home, and I want to get my foot in the door. Yesterday was pretty typical orientation type stuff. I am surprised that they didn't go ahead and train us on the computers the first day. That would have been much more logical and would have really been helpful when I was starting to work with patients today.

I had my fist day of OB/GYN in Weston today. That clinic is gorgeous! But I'm not sure that my mentor is the best person for me to be working with. She works with the NPs in the clinic and they mostly do their own procedures. I was extremely jealous of Kristina who got to observe two colposcopies this morning. I don't think I even got to say hello to one of the physicians. Lisa, the NP who was there today doesn't seem all that thrilled about having a student around. Whereas the doctors both took the time to talk to Kristina about what they were doing.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

On another note, I love posting Operation Beautiful notes.