My Car

Ah, how life can just change in an instance.

Let's start with the story of my car.

I got my car in July of 2001. I had resolved to get a car right before school ended; I needed a car. I had been borrowing my boyfriend's (now husband) car for a full semester. It was apparent that a car was needed not only to get to church and around Boone, but since my brother was about to join the Appalachian family in the fall of that year, it would be necessary to have transportation home for the two of us since it was hard in those days to find transportation for two.

My family didn't believe I'd be able to because I had to find the means of buying a car. I believed I would and even bought an ASU sticker that would be placed on it.

Well, God provided the means through a close family who mentored me and through my father who covered the portion they didn't. It was a loan, but hey, at least there was no interest.

Lo, and behold, I got my car, a 1999 Ford Escort SE, dark sparkly blue, my favorite color. I lost my job the day after, but that is another story (it wasn't because I got the car though).

I slowly repaid my mentors and drove that baby through the snow, ice, rain, and fog of Boone. It was my baby, my own car. I personalized it with stickers and accessories. I planned on even keeping through Medical School had that been my continued dream. It only had 32,000 miles on it and I got an excellent deal.

Why am I talking about my car you ask, well I am getting there.

I had grown fairly attached to my car as it was my first ever car. I took care of it very ritually only lacking in a few issues on very rare occasions. I had a check up on my car by my very trusted mechanic at least once a year.

This year's check up was this past week. It was having issues in the start-up and I was quite pleased with the fix. It seemed to be running very well after my brother installed new spark plugs, my mechanic installed new tire rods, and my Dad and I got new tires on it. My mechanic did a good overlook and we were on our merry way again.

I got my car back on Monday and we drove it to Winston Salem. No problems. On the way home, something happened. Cruising along at 3 above the speed limit in the fast lane in Durham on the way home from Winston Salem, my engine suddenly popped and I started to loose power. I merged quickly over and exited at the Southpoint Mall exit (thankfully where I am working just for the holidays). I got upset when the car stalled out at the top of the exit ramp and prayed it would start just to get it around the corner into the parking lot. It started briefly and I cruised into the parking lot, but as I got in the parking lot my engine stalled again and my brakes locked up. I pulled the emergency brake but that was no good, but finally was able to get my car to stop in a parking spot. It wouldn't start anymore after that.

Needless to say, as I am a woman, I cried. Why was this happening to us? Rodney and BeBe were in the car with me, and while I needed to be at Southpoint in an hour and half or so, they were stranded. I called my Dad and Mom, who came to pick them up while we waited on a tow truck. My Dad decided to ride with the AAA tow truck and they towed my precious one to my mechanic in Raleigh.

The diagnosis... well, let's just say Rest in Peace my darling. I was shocked to find out that one of the spark plugs exploded in my engine and a part bounced around in there and ruined my engine. It would cost more than my car is worth to get it fixed, so now we will be in the hunt. I plan on contacting the company that manufactured the spark plug to see if I can get some sort of settlement as it was defective and shouldn't have exploded and fallen apart like that.

All in all, the last few days have been stressful. This is just something you don't expect to happen and don't want to happen during the holidays or ever. I was hoping to get another good year and a half out of this car. But now we are stuck with one car, decisions to make, and more money down the drain.

We must be headed in the right direction to hit such opposition.....

Prayers would be helpful to understand why all this has happened and where to go from here.

what kind of pie?

You Are Pumpkin Pie

You're the perfect combo of uniqueness and quality. Those who like you are looking for something (someone!) special.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Beth and Santa in Niger

Just had to post this picture!

I didn't know that Santa visits Niger!
I betcha that Santa liked having a hot chick on his lap!
(don't read into that comment too much)

More BeBe!

Just a few more shots to pass along... I finally got that roll developed!

BeBe on his playpen!

BeBe after a bath.

He actually looks more like a dinosaur or something. What do you think he looks like wet? Let me know by leaving a comment!

Beth (I mean, Lynn) in Africa

Hey ya'll! I just loved these pictures so much that I had to put them in my blog. This is one of my bestest friends who joined the peace corps. She is a wonderful gal and I miss her a ton. She was also one of the maids of honor at the wedding. I hope you enjoy these pictures!

Beth is on the right.

Beth on a camel!

That looks like fun!

That guy is touching her foot!

The woman at the well!

Isn't she gorgeous!

I think these pictures are right when she got to Africa during training and her "swear in." She also noted that these were taken before she got sick and lost a lot of weight (poor gal!). Anyways, I'll post more when she sends more!

The Beebster!

Thanks to my Dad, I now have Be Be pictures for your enjoyment. It still isn't the same until you've met the little booger!


Cutie pie!

Now, I'm just adorable! (when I'm not a poop head!)

I like to snuggle!

Be Be head on!

Look at me!

I'm full of fluff!

I want all the attention!

Bat Bird!

I hope you enjoyed them! More to come in the future! Oh, I think Sophie was a little jealous of all the attention the bird was getting:

Or she just doesn't like the camera.

LOL!

BeBe!

I am a Mommy! I was going to wait until I had the pictures of BeBe to put up here, but I'll post them when I get them.

So, Rodney and I, as a wedding present, were given a little bird. It is a love bird and it is a mutation of a peach faced love bird. He is so pretty too! For a love bird, he probably has the biggest personality you would ever see in one.

He is still a baby, just 2 months old. He totally rocks, too. He likes to snuggle with you and fly to you and has bonded to both Rodney and I. We still hand feed him a little bit, but he is turning into a big boy! He now sleeps on the big boy perch and is exploring all parts of his cage and our apartment.

We're hoping he'll be the one in a thousand who speaks. He is already a little talkative, at least in bird language and he loves to play Peek-a-boo! I'll throw a wash rag over him and say, "Where's BeBe?" He'll then poke his head out and whistle at me to tell me that he is right there! It is the most adorable thing.

If you haven't met him, you totally need to. We take him practically every where with us in his little carrier. I will post pictures on here as soon as I get them developed!

On a side note, Jen Jen got engaged!!!! Yea!!! So exciting!

Positive Thoughts, Positive Life

I'm sorry I haven't written here in awhile, but mainly it's because I let myself get busy with other things. Life over the past few months has definitely been interesting. Mostly, I have just had a change in my old mind set.

It may shock some of you, but I'm not sure if God is leading me down the Medical School road anymore. It had been my "dream" for so long that I just never really thought that there was anything else. The main reason I had wanted to go to medical school was to use that in the future as my ministry. Lately, I have had other opportunities come up that will give me more time to minister in the Missions field and even around me.

Rodney and I are new business owners. In essence, we are independent contractors. What's exciting is that our business is so hot right now that as we expand, anyone who is interested in becoming an independent contractor with us has to qualify by going through a 3-step interview. It is awesome.

The point is that our business has given us a new lot in life. I will have more time to volunteer as an EMT, to do mission work, and we can escape the corporate pyramid (in which we are at the bottom with no real hope of truly going beyond that). It's just that corporate America has deceived everyone into thinking that they are going to be okay when it is time to retire when in fact, 98% of people will not be able to survive on the government's payout (Social Insecurity which Rodney and I won't even have anyways) and will probably continue working. That just isn't right in my mind.

So, on that our business has encouraged us to change our mind set. We now spend time reading and listening to positive CDs. We hang around people with high moral values and positive outlooks in life. We have finally begun to realize that those people who are negative either have no dreams, no positive outlook on life, or are afraid of the success of other people making them look bad.

Yesterday was awesome! We did some "dream-building" and went on the Parade of Homes in the Raleigh area. It was absolutely amazing. My favorite house was a $2.5 million house that was simply gorgeous. We looked at a $4 million house, but I still loved the $2.5 million one. I could actually see myself in that house. Now, you might think that that is materialistic, but aren't we all when we go to work everyday chasing money? Besides, if I ever thought a $2.5 million house would become the center of my life, I would never have one. I just look forwards to the day when money will no longer be a worry, a stress, or a problem. I also look forwards to being able to give more that I ever would have been with this new outlook on life.

So, on to the point of this blog. Positive Thoughts = Positive Life. I just read an amazing book called Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. The main reason people are unhappy or unsuccessful in today's world is because of their thought process. They allow their poor circumstances to overcome their emotions and life and so they live unhappily. Happiness is a choice though. It is written at the top of our mirror in the bathroom: "Choose to be Happy today." The Lord wants us to live in abundance and happily. He wrote that out for us. We are also in his favor. When you choose to be happy and realize that you are in His favor, life becomes a whole lot easier to manage because you don't worry about circumstances as you choose to be happy in spite of them.

The Lord wants to bless you a 1000x over. You just need to seek those blessings! Mainly you do that by giving. Give your life, money, work, etc over to him and he will bless you with an abundant life.

I believe this with 100% of my heart. I know He will provide for us, because He already has. He will bring the right people into our lives whether they be our friends, family, or strangers. He has already brought amazing people into our lives since our wedding. It is no coincidence. We know it was God as we asked Him to bring those people.

Even doubt as small as a mustard seed will cause you not to be able to move those mountains in your life. I know, because I have been there.

I choose to be happy, to dwell on positive things. If I do that, then I know I will have a life of abundance and happiness as the Lord desires us to have.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

More Wedding Pictures

Ah, marital life is bliss. I married into "Money" but didn't marry into "money," but the Lord will provide. I'm working on scrapbooking the droves of pictures I have! Here are some more wedding pics for your digital enjoyment:

What a handsome group!

From Left to Right: Tim, Thomas, Bob, Rodney, Sam, Ryan, and Dan

Rodney and the ring bearers (Brandon and John) showing off their muscles!

Wait a second, that's my veil!

Sam smells Rod's flower!

Dan trying to smooch Rodney!

Hope you enjoyed.... More to come!

Pictures from the wedding

Just thought I'd share some beautiful shots from the wedding by Bridget:

Me and my gorgeous director, Julie Anna


My bridesmaids, flowergirl, and me... they're so beautiful!


The whole bridal party! What a lovely bunch!


Me and my bouquet...

And lastly...

My hubby and his bride...

I hope you enjoyed them. If you came, thanks so much!
If you are looking at this and wondering where your copies are, hold up, they're coming!

I'm alive and well!

Hey Everyone! I am still alive! I promise!

It's definitely been a whirlwind of a month! That's for sure!

First of all, I got married!!!!The ceremony couldn't have been better! I can't wait to see the official pictures and video! It's actually kindof funny though because I have been showing everyone pictures from the honeymoon and they are all like, "wait, we want to see pictures from the day." I'll get them soon. I have a few from my co-worker and from the one-time use cameras we had for people to use. At least I've gotten somewhat of a taste.

Rodney and I had a wonderful honeymoon in Williamston, NC. We stayed at a bed and breakfast that was so lovely. We visited many of the sights on the Outer Banks including several lighthouses and the Wright Brothers Memorial.

Unbelievably enough, we went to Honduras just four days after our honeymoon for a mission trip. This was Rodney's first adventure on a plane and out of the country (as well as my brother Thomas's). That was an incredible trip! Rodney had a toothache for the first few days, pobrecito! Many people remembered me from the previous year, so that meant a lot to me. They also couldn't believe how soon it had been since we were married!

I have taken my first few ventures into scrapbooking recently. I get erked at leaving things undone, so I have been doing scrapbooks all in one setting (one from the honeymoon and one from the Honduras trip). I think they look great and not over done. You will have to see them!

Well, Rodney and I are pretty much settled now in our new home together. I can't wait for the many new adventures that we will have in the future!

Oh, and by the way, keep in touch with us! We may be married now, but that doesn't mean we are recluses!

Wedding Week

What a week so far! It is absolutely insane trying to get everything done. Then one thing after another comes up and creates more work for me!!

Thankfully the move last week went so incredibly smoothly. I have such a wonderful group of friends here in Raleigh that helped pack away my stuff and put it in the truck. A big thankyou to Chris who packed the truck so well. Also thankyous to Laura, Bridget, Amy, Silas, Brian, Thomas, Tim, and Dad who dealt with all the dust, matched my socks, grabbed furniture, cleaned stuff, helped me unload my chest of drawers, etc etc etc. You guys and gals rock my socks off!

I also must thank the wonderful people who came and helped in Greenville. Brian and Laura even travelled down with us and helped us unload too. Then, they tackled the tough job of putting together our entertainment center. Wow, that was awesome. Thankyou especially to Jayson who gathered and called some helpers. More thankyous to Brandon, Tyler, John, Stephanie and Megan. You all rock my socks off too. We had that truck unloaded in record time after filling our bellies with the wonderful hotdogs Mom made.

Anyways, with the huge burden of moving lifted off my shoulders, all have to worry about is getting things done for the wedding. Important things too. I just got my shoes and undergarments for the dress today. Yes, today! Less than three days before the wedding and all I have been thinking about is getting everything done for everything but myself. I also scheduled a manicure, pedicure, and massage. Hey, I deserve it! I used the frassled bride to get an appointment today that normally I wouldn't be able to get without scheduling it ten days in advance.

What's really awesome is my wedding director. Not only is she my director, but she is my steamer, hair stylist, makeup artist, and suggestor/encourager. I couldn't have asked for a better friend in Julie Anna; I am truly blessed.

I feel like such a procrastinator. I have been engaged since August, yet I am still scrambling in the end to get stuff done! Well, it'll all come together. I can't expect everything to be perfect anyways!

Furniture

It is really neat being able to buy some small things for our apartment. Yes, we got an apartment!! It is a nice 2 Bedroom/1 Bathroom apartment with a large kitchen, washer dryer hookups, a dining area, and a large living room. We are definitely excited about the prospects of moving our stuff there this weekend. It goes without saying that we still need a lot of things, in which, we hope our registry will take care of.

Anyways, back to furniture. Rodney and I have just made a few purchases over the last couple of days. First of all, I went yard-saleing with my brother, Thomas, and we found a dresser. Now, I really like it, but it needs to grow on Rodney a little as he likes darker woods. It is half wardrobe and half dresser, so it'll look nice and be very functional.

Next, we decided to go ahead and purchase a headboard. My grandma was going to give us hers, but it is a water bed frame and I am worried that our mattresses may not fit. Because it is a bear to put together and take apart, I don't want my Dad and brothers putting it together and then discovering that it won't fit and them having to take it apart which almost takes just as long to put together. We fell in love with the sleigh-bed look and actually purchased a sleigh bed headboard and foot board from Big Lots. Yeah, Big Lots has some really nice stuff for a good price!

We also bought our entertainment center from Big Lots this past weekend. It is cute and will look nice in our living room.

The last big purchase we have is a set of Queen mattresses. We are actually going to go get those the day we pick up the moving truck, this Friday. We have to sign the lease on Friday and then we plan to actually move the stuff up there on Saturday with a bunch of people's help.

Anyways, it is getting more and more exciting as the wedding day approaches. I am really clean-sweeping the stuff I already have. I am trying to be unmerciful in a lot of it, and have been quite successful. We'll see how much stuff I can be completely unmerciful with!

Moving to Greenville

Rodney and I made another really important decision for our future (other than to get married). I received a letter last week from ECU offering a position for me on the alternate list. This is a good thing as it is not a rejection. They have favorly reviewed my application but need to have space to open up for a position for me possibly.

I debated it for a little bit as I was unsure if I should accept the position on the alternate list. After much discussion (and crying) we decided that I would accept the position and thus, now we will move to Greenville on a leap of faith. This leap of faith is huge as Rodney will need to apply for a job in the Greenville area, we have yet a place to live, and I do not have a secure medical school position, thus leaving me with the possibility of needing to find a job as well.

We are both pretty scared and would appreciate any and all prayers for us to find a job, for me to get into medical school, and for us to find reasonably priced housing. We are actually considering consulting with a financial advisor in these important decisions, especially our future finances.

I am sad to be moving away from the Raleigh area. I have grown up here all my life. I have a stable and wonderful church families. My friends are here. My family is here. I have a potential full time job (or at least part-time job security). I have an EMS system that I love working with. We're just leaving so much behind.

It has crossed my mind recently that perhaps God wants us to take this leap of faith. I wonder why I just couldn't have been plain rejected from med school again. We see the opportunities in Greenville despite the insecurity, but I just wish I could see the security in moving there. I wish I could understand what God's will for us is there.

In the upcoming weeks before the wedding, we have a lot more that has been added to our plate. We have to house hunt and job hunt. I am going to submit an early decision application to ECU for next year's entering class in case it doesn't work out for me this year. I'm hoping that them see us having moved to Greenville and my alternate status this year may give me a leg up. We'll see about that. Rodney is going to contact some publishing companies and apply for a couple band positions in the Greenville area.

For now, it is just the leap of faith. Thanks to everyone who has supported me through prayers, encouragement, cards, etc. I appreciate it dearly.

Wedding Shower

I have never had that much attention given to me before. But, it was fun. Thanks to everyone who gave presents to us to help us start out a new life!!!

Code 3

I always thought it would be a thrill to be one of those people who drove some sort of vehicle with its lights and sirens. Actually, it is quite nerve racking. My adrenaline rose out of pure nervousness rather than thrill. You just don't know what erratic moves people are going to make to seemingly get out of your way. Plus, my personal insurance can go up if I wreck the ambulance.

Well, the other day, just as we left Rex Hospital (which is out of our district anyways), a call came in for a house fire. Mind you, I am driving the ambulance and I have never driven Code 3 before (with lights and sirens). My partner Chasidy looks at me and says that we can take this call. She calls central and tells them it's ours and then looks at me and says, " We're going hot." Never once did I question my ability to drive this ambulance before, but I was like, "Me?? Are you asking me to drive hot? Surely you want me to pull over and let you drive." Of course this whole conversation is going on in my head as I reach over and turn on the lights and Chasidy turns on the sirens.

Now, most people on their first "hot" run go too slow. I actually made really good time. I think I made ten miles through highway and neighborhoods in 7 minutes. That's actually awesome for a first timer. I only freaked Chasidy out once, but that was because she couldn't read my mind and anticipate that I wasn't going to pull out in front of some moving cars and I, of course, wasn't. It's actually pretty scary riding in the passenger seat of a Code 3 run.

Well, after all that hussle and bussle, we get to the call hot and the house fire isn't all that hot. It was adrenaline rushing, and I am proud of myself for the way I handled the ambulance going Code 3.

We did chase the police and fire trucks to another house fire call right after that one and it was more unimpressive than the first. I didn't drive that time, but it was fun having a police and fire escort.

It's a girl! Wait...

He's a girl.... I mean I think they are all girls. This is a good thing. This means no aggressive future breeding issues.

After some research by Rodney and some follow-up research by me, we've determined that Riley and Rivers are girls, not boys. We confirmed that Tammy was indeed a girl as well. This leaves us at a quandary. Rivers is ok for a girl's name, so we left the little red-eared slider her name. However, Riley is not a girl name (though I know someone who knows a girl named Riley), at least I don't like it as a girl's name. So, we've renamed Riley, Bree. Rodney and I like it, so that's the way it is going to stay. I actually decided on Bree because it sounds pretty and I was reading about Bree, the desperate housewife on that show, and I thought it sounded good for a turtle.

It's actually good that it's Bree and not another R name. I kept mixing up the R names even though I knew which was which. Bre is a type of cheese and since cheese is usually yellow (stereotypically), Bree can be a play on Bre, too.

Anyways, it is now the future family of Tamara, Rodney, Tammy, Bree, and Rivers. Hopefully, we can add Maxwell (a dog) to that list soon.

Turtles

The Adoption is complete. Rodney and I now have two more "children." We already had one by the name of Tammy. She is an Eastern Painted Turtle. Now we have two more turtles.

We adopted them from a friend of a friend (thanks, Frank!). I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew I was going to go look at 2 turtles. When I got there, it was instant love.

You see, turtles are my favorite animal. Let me tell you the story of Tammy:

One day, in third grade, I came to the bus stop and there was a neighborhood kid, Keylan, holding a cup. The curiosity got the best of me, as it does every third grader, and I asked what was in the cup. He showed it to me and there was a tiny little turtle in the bottom. I told him that it was so cute and that I wanted to take care of it. Little did I know that the $0.50 I was about to spend would be an investment for at least the next 14 years!

I carried the turtle to school with me and my teacher, Mrs. Jarman, thought it was the cutest thing that I had brought a pet to school. Of course, I couldn't keep her at my desk while class was going on, so she put the cup on the window sill.

I brought the turtle home and showed it to Mom, and she about had an internal cow. She got worried because she thought that if it died (because it was so little), I would be heart broken and scarred for life. Thankfully that didn't happen. We put the little turtle in a pie dish for the time being. Thomas and I, the next day, tried to make a habitat for her in a jar he had, but ended up breaking the jar. Thus, Mom finally went out and bought her a real bowl. We probably didn't get her a ten gallon tank until about 6 years ago and that is what she has been in until yesterday.

You're probably thinking I named my turtle after myself. That is actually not the case. There is a book, of which I still have a copy, named "Tammy the Sea Turtle Saves Lives." This was who I ended up naming my turtle after.

Now, back to the new "children" that we have attained. One of the turtles is a yellow-bellied slider named "Riley." He is actually almost the same size as Tammy (she's still a little bit bigger) but he is almost 12 years younger than her. The other one is a red-eared slider named "Rivers." He is sooo cute! He is about the size of a half-dollar coin (maybe a teensy bit bigger) and about a year old.

We decided to keep the names that they came with. They also came with a 20-gallon tank and lots of accessories. We slowly integrated Tammy in with the other two, seeing how she would respond to them being that she has been alone for the past 14 years. Everything seems to be good between all of them, so she has now joined Riley and Rivers in the big tank. We even upgraded some accessories in the tank to include an aquarium heater and another floating platform as well as another filter (the tank came with two more).

Hopefully, soon, I'll post some real pictures of them here so that you can check them out. Or, you can just come by my house and visit!

This is what Riley looks like.

This is what Rivers looks like.

This is what Tammy looks like.

Driving the Ambulance

(Look for me driving one of these-- ahh, scary!)

Yes, it is so. I am driving the ambulance. I am not driving the ambulance with lights and sirens yet, but it is fun to be able to speed all around town without a fear of getting pulled over. In fact, I was going 55mph in a 35mph zone in the ambulance the other day and as a cop passed by I just waved, and he waved back. Aww, how sweet.

Anyways, it is kindof nerve racking driving that gigantic thing around town. I am just thankful that I don't have to drive this monster on Six Forks Rd. Those lanes are extremely narrow.

Driving an ambulance is like driving a Ford F-350 with a box on the back instead of a bed that extends 1 foot more out on each side. I end up driving the thing really close to the line dividing the lanes so that I don't take out telephone poles alongside the road.

I thought I would be more nervous driving that thing around too, but once you get in there, you really enjoy it. Not to say that I'm not precautious, but it is fun.

There is one fear that I have. I fear wrecking the ambulance. My personal insurance could go up. I can only hope that if I ever get into an accident in an ambulance that it won't be my fault.

The hardest part about driving the ambulance is backing into the bays. It is stinkin' hard. Plus, they have put up these new concrete poles on each side of each bay so that people won't hit the building. It is hard fitting between those thingys. I am glad we have lines that run down the driveway so that I can sortof see my target. They just need to paint them better or lay down some reflectors.

My next goal will be getting good at driving the ambulance with a patient in the back and one of my partners working back there. I did drive some Explorers (a H.S. group that "explores" EMS life) back to the station last Sunday and didn't sling them around to bad, so I think I'm off to a good start.

On a side note, I came to a scene the other day where the police had tasered the guy (man, I so want to see someone get tasered) and he was a big guy. I was the only woman amongst 5 cops and 2 paramedics and I felt pretty nervous about getting anywhere near the guy. LOL. It was stinkin' awesome, though, to see the damage they inflicted on the door when they kicked it open!

Taxes

So, being in the "real world" has its perks and follies. One folly is that you end up paying more taxes. Probably because you made more money. Oh, so more money = more taxes = no more refund. No more refunds. Hmmm.... Probably because I haven't been paying taxes for the last year!

How did this happen you might say? I am not actually sure. But sure enough, as I looked at my W-2s and my most recent pay stub, they aren't taking anything out for the feds or the state. Yea horay... welcome the big tax bill. And guess what, yeah, I'm broke. I was saving for a house or furniture for when I got married, but now it all goes to the government. I say down with The Man!

Turbotax delivered the disheartening news a couple nights ago. I am dreading writing the $1176 check to the feds and the $548 to the state. Plus, now they want to avoid this problem in the future and want me to send an additional $294 quaterly until the next tax period. Grrrr.... Where is all this money going to come from?

I suppose it could be worse. I could owe a lot more. In fact, with being claimed as a dependant and without donations to church or charity, the bill would probably total $3000. But, i have convinced my Dad to not claim me and added in a lot of charitable monies, volunteer related expenses, and educational expenses and now I only owe the aforementioned dollar amount.

It still stinks.

I did, however, refile my W-4s so that they can start taking money out (since they haven't for the past 3 paychecks this year) so that I can avoid this problem next year.

It still stinks though.

The Stop Sign

Wouldn't you know it, the one time I would miss a stop sign, there would be a cop sitting right there to catch me.

I was on my way to tutor someone and as I cut my way through the back roads to get to the other side of Cary, there is this random, obscure stop sign. You wouldn't expect one there especially in my direction. As soon as I ran through it, I knew I had. I saw it as I drove through and thought to myself, "Ack! I missed the stop sign."

I looked back to make sure I hadn't cut someone off who was travelling in the other direction or caused an accident and as I came to the road I was going to turn on, I saw lights. At first I thought it was an emergency vehicle so I pulled to the right. However, it was a Cary cop, and yes, he was pulling me over.

He exited his car as I pulled out my license and rolled my window down. I said, "Good evening officer." Then he asked me if I had realized I just ran through a stop sign. I couldn't lie. I knew I had, so I told him that yeah, I had missed it.

He introduced himself and that was the turning point in this pull-over. I had run a call with him with the Cary Area EMS! I told him that as I handed over my registration. He asked me if I was about to get on duty. I told him no, and that the I was on again on Friday night. He then walked back to his car.

I panicked a little. I didn't want a ticket! Who does? I didn't mean to, I promise. He spent a few minutes in his car, I guess looking me up. I wondered if I wouldn't be allowed to drive the ambulance because of this mistake (I would have to tell my chief that I had a violation).

Then, the cop exited his vehicle, carrying only my license and registration. Whew! He then gives me a verbal warning, asks me to be careful next time, and ends it with, "I may need you someday."

Praise Jesus! I avoided a ticket because I am a volunteer EMT. That totally rocks.

I can guarantee you, though, that I will never run that stop sign again!

The ones I miss....

I was talking with Rodney yesterday on the way home from Winston Salem about how I miss a lot of my bestest friends (and family). Almost all of them live out of town and I miss them terribly. I have some in Boone, Asheville, Boston, and the Winston Salem area. These are for sure going to be my friends for life as well as some others.

Whenever I get to spend time with them, it always reminds me how much I care about them. From meeting in Greensboro to try on Bridesmaid Dresses to watching Wrestlemania on a big screen TV, the fun times make me happy to see them again. I just wish I had more time to visit everyone.

If I had it my way, we would all live in the same vicinity. I know it especially brings joy to Rodney and I when we see everyone again.

To all of you, and you know who you are: I love you dearly and miss you. Thanks for the calls, emails, and cards. You will always have a special place in my heart. To me, you are more than friends, you are family. I look forwards to being family to the end and beyond.

On my mind...

A topic that has been on my mind a lot since last year is being supportive and loyal to your friends. I try my hardest on most occasions. There are very few people whom I thought were friends, but for some reason or another tend to anger me to the point that I don't even want to hang out with them. I avoid being around them.

It gets hard when they are always pointing the finger at you and never at themselves. They don't approach you privately before embarrassing you in front of people whom you actually care about. Then, they make themselves unapproachable because for some reason or another they have this diluting power to control everyone else around them. They will stab your back the instance you piss them off and those people they have control over will for some reason believe them!

It's hard for me to even call them friends. I end up just dealing with it as best I can and treating them as Christianly as possible. I have to put up with them because they are fellow Christians. That really stinks sometimes.

To me, this sort of relationship is something I would end up getting out of. As soon as I can distance myself from a person like that the better.

It hurts a lot when someone you thought was your friend would all of a sudden not support you, point fingers, and go along with the opinions of the people they tend to control (who might have some power of control over them) just because they don't want to lose control. What kind of person is that anyways? To me, they are someone with their own agenda in everything. This worries me about future endeavors or relationships that they might be involved in.

The way I avoid getting my back stabbed is by not confiding in people that will take what you confide in them and gossip about it as soon as you do something to anger them. It could be as simple as disagreeing with them that could set them off.

It also hurts to see some of my real friends hurt by these "so called friends" through scheming and conniving plans to, for instance, break up certain or potential wonderful relationships and friendships.

I am not normally a confrontational person, especially when it is so hard to approach someone with the above, defined characteristics. My Dad always tells me that I just need to do it, and I really want to. I just feel it is futile and that someone who really means something in those people's lives will have to do it anyways for them to finally get the message.

Don't worry too much. If I have confided in you, you are probably not the people I am talking about. In fact, all of my close friends to this point (and you know who you are) have never made me feel like this. I know I have lasting relationships with many people and I love that we will grow old and still talk about gummy bears, canoe adventures, and "brown recluse" incidents. We will recall the time we had a email fight over a misunderstanding and then an email apology. We will remember ordering pizza at 1am and having it delivered to the zoology lab. We will remember the times we spent crying together over boys, our self-image, and death. We will remember sharing our crushes, getting our hearts broken, and learning to be better people because of it. We will remember hiking to Pilot Mountain, "smelling the flower," and weaning puppies. We will remember the countless times we went to concerts, recitals, youth rallies, sneaking into condemned, haunted houses, and going to camp or camping together. We will remember spending hours planning my wedding, sharing our thoughts, and just chilling out after a stressful time. We will be friends to the end.

It's just the other people, who call me their "friend" but aren't really behind my back, that I will avoid to make my emotional and spiritual life stronger.... without them making it harder for me.

Another day....

So, I now have the nickname "Grace" at the EMS station. Let me explain. You see, one of my partners needed to run an errand between calls at one of the local hotels to check on reservations for his parents. Well, they have speed humps under the overhangs at the front entrance at this hotel and he decided to park halfway on and off it. Unbeknownst to me, the door I come out of on the side of the ambulance had a longer drop than I expected. Thus, I fell on my ankle and ended up sitting on the curve writhing in pain. Yes, it still hurts today and I can walk on it. But, man this stinks. Hence the name, "Grace" as though I am so "graceful." LOL.

Yesterday I was thrown full swing into what it's like being a second person. I was given a call and I had to handle it on my own (with supervision of course). This was a big step for me. I did everything I needed to do and even called it on the radio into the hospital all by myself. I was proud of myself. My partner was very impressed and said I did an "excellent job." I wrote up the whole ticket as well. I had practiced on a "no-patient" ticket, but this time I really had to write a large ticket. I finally felt like I was a real independent EMT.

We ran an accident where an 80-yr-old lady caused a 3 car pileup. She tried to run the yellow light and merge into the right lane in the intersection where another car was running the yellow light (at a red-light camera intersection too!) crashed into them and then a lady in a van who had yielded at the solid green left turn light hit them as she tried to turn before the red not anticipating they would still be in her way. The older lady was a trauma alert. I checked out one of the other drivers, cleared them and then we boarded the older lady and headed off. This accident was blocking a major intersection in Cary, so it was really holding up traffic. I felt a little sympathy for the older lady as she was not only hurt pretty bad, but that a Cary cop followed us all the way across town to the hospital to write her a traffic ticket with multiple violations.

As I was leaving the station yesterday, I pondered the thought of having to wear my uniform for a few errands before heading home. What would people think of me? I stopped at a Blockbuster first and it was pretty neat having the employees ask me if I had run the accident right up the road earlier (as I had). I got gas and then headed home. I had talked earlier to one of the other EMTs and he told me a cop might pull me over in my personal vehicle for speeding, but being in uniform, he wouldn't ticket me. Man, that is too tempting to speed!

All in all, everything went well yesterday except the whole ankle thingy. I did end up getting off late due to the trauma alert lady, but I still had a productive day.

Hopefully, the next time I go on duty, I'll be actually driving the ambulance. I won't get to drive with the lights and sirens yet (after 100 miles or so I can), but it ought to be an adventure. And scary, too.

Alcoholism & Death

Saturday was a fairly routine day except that I saw a few new things.

First, there was a lady who was an alcoholic. She made it sound like she was in withdrawl, but then we found out she had just quit drinking the night before. She had been a drinker for 10 years. She needed a new liver. The fact that she had been continuously drinking for 4 days and hates food, thus hadn't eaten any for the past 4 days, made all of it a bad combination. She was weak and could hardly walk. She had just been to the hospital not 3 days before.

The last call of the day was my first code. The call comes out as an unconsious 46-yr-old. We jump in and drive to the health care facility that she is in, and on the way it is announced that she may have a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate order) and that she is not breathing. CPR is started but discontinued before we get there when the order is brought forth.

The patient was a lady who I had picked up not a month ago for breathing difficulties. She was mentally handicapped and gone from the world. I didn't know how to feel when I walked into the room and found her dead on the floor with the firefighters standing over her. Everyone in the room had come to her aid at some point during their career. Now she was gone.

I have seen a dead person before in funerals and wakes, but never one who has just died. I didn't touch her, but the fire fighters and my partners lifted her up and put her in the bed after we hooked her up to a monitor and confirmed the flat line. The funeral home would pick her up after the family made it over.

What I saw when I looked at her was someone who had been sick for quite sometime. She was already turning blue/purple around the mouth and hands when we got there. I was sad and intrigued at the same time. Her eyes were peeking open and I wanted to close them, but I couldn't/didn't want to touch her. I wasn't ready for that yet.

The last time I touched something that had just died was when my Animal Physiology teacher euphemized some lab mice. They were still warm and that kindof freaked me out. I got over it though, and went on to dissect it. I just didn't want to touch my first code, feel any warmth, and be freaked out.

The thing that has been on my mind the last 2 days is why someone would choose to sign a DNR or a family would choose to have a DNR for a member, even when they are young. I knew this woman was sick, but I didn't think she was bad off enough to have a DNR. All of us in that room that night agreed upon this fact. Could it be because she was mentally handicapped? Who knows? But even still it was odd to think that we legally couldn't work to restore life in this woman's body. She didn't even look 46. To me, she looked 30.

All in all, it was an experience that I knew was going to occur. It was inevitable. I still don't know how to feel. We didn't even do anything but put her on the monitor, so I still have to experience a code where we have to work at bringing them back even if it seems hopeless.

All that's left is to pray for the family. Pray for comfort in this time of loss.

Med School Interview

Today, I went to ECU for a medical school interview. I thought it went quite well. Better than last time. There were a few differences this time though.

First of all, I was prepared and knew what was coming. I still felt nervous, but I understood the process.

Next, I enjoyed interviewing with both of the people this time. The first lady was really nice. She was enjoyable to talk to and I felt really comfortable with her. It was the second person that I interviewed that was the best part.

Before I get into that, I noticed a few different things about my experience in other aspects. They moved the admissions office for one, into a better area: on the same floor as the medical school classes. Dr. Peden also had his lower leg amputated due to cancer. He didn't want to endure the very hard chemo again (this was a second occurence). Lastly, the tour was longer and more in depth than last time.

I found out some really important things about the fact that I would be married when I started if I get in. It's actually a really good thing. Especially since everyone who is already married think its a great thing to have someone to come home to. They also have a spousal support group for spouses of BSOM (ECU Brody School of Medicine) students. They really try hard to make everyone whether married or single feel important and welcome. They know that married students still want friends and study partners and try hard not to let them being married make them become loners. This really excites me!

Now back to the 2nd interviewer. Everything was going great. Then Dr. Patton threw me a couple of curve balls with a couple of scenario questions. He asked me if I couldn't be a doctor, what would I do. I had rehearsed myself for answers like that. I told him I still wanted to do something in the health professions field. Then he came up with a scenario that if all the med schools I had applied for accepted me and they all had the same financial draws, why would I choose BSOM. Well, I knew that BSOM was a best fit for me and really meets my needs for my future goals. Then came the question I hadn't prepared for. Why wouldn't I choose BSOM over the others. That was a toughy. I told him that maybe because someone might not recognize the prestige of ECU (not that ECU wasn't prestigious) like they might of UNC or Duke. I also said because they might accept me easier because of a greater class size. Either way, I was nervous. He told me that I didn't need to rationalize my answers because he had opened up that barrel of monkeys. I felt fine about my answers.

The whole kicker came when he asked me what drives me. I thought for a second. I knew in my heart what drove me. It was God. Should I say that though? What if he wasn't religious? He was going to represent me to the committee. What if I offended him?

I decided that I shouldn't be scared of my convictions. I started on the conservative side and said that I was a religious person. He asked me to clarify. So I said that I was a Christian and told him that God's will and purpose for me is what drives me. I continued to tell him that the only reason I feel I have a purpose in life was because God gives me one. At this point, the interviewer started to fumble around like he was looking for something. He finally pulled out one of his business cards and wrote a URL on it. He explained to me that the URL was one of the Christian Medical Dental Association and that he too was a Christian (much to my relief!). I then told him that I was also looking forwards to going to ECU because of the Greenville Church of Christ. I had told him early that I was actively involved in lots of things in my home church. He said he had a good friend whom he had the best religious discussions with who went to that church. I was absolutely amazed.

At the end of the interview, he made it a point to ask if he could say the interview was officially over. I said yes. Then came the best part of the whole day. He asked me, "Would you like to pray?" I almost went into shock. Of course I wanted to pray with him! He said he loved meeting other brothers and sisters in Christ. We held hands across his desk and I listened as he prayed for me. He prayed for my effort to get in, for it to be successful should it be God's will, he prayed for Rodney and I. I wanted to cry. But, I kept my emotions inside. I was just so happy for this wonderful experience. We hugged on the way out and I told him that I definitely show my face should I get in. Overall, it was just so wonderful that I had met another Christian doctor.

All in all, today was the most positive experience I've had in all my medical school pursuits. I am glad God put me there. Thankyou Jesus and Amen!

Grandma & A Murderer on the Loose

My family and I went to Atlanta last Thursday because my grandma was scheduled to have hip replacement there. It was a scary thought, thinking that my 77 yr old grandma was going under the knife for such a large operation, but I knew everything would be fine.

Last Monday, grandma had driven up to Raleigh from Fayetteville to catch her flight. She had just found out that we were going down to Atlanta to be there behind her during her surgery. Her comment was, "The only thing you're going to be behind is my hearse..." in a joking matter of course. What a way to think! Of course I told her that wouldn't be the case! She was limping really bad and her pain on a scale from 1 to 10 was a 10, the worst.

The trip down wasn't too bad except that I lost one of my good earrings. I loved those things. I have never had anything fall out of my ear before so I got upset. We looked for it on the way home, but haven't found it (it might still be in the car, who knows?).

Anyways, we got to the hotel and found out that someone had stayed over in our room. Thus, we had no room. On the weekend. The same weekend as the SEC tournament (NCAAB). Luckily, they had a few rooms left, but the guy messed up and gave us a room for 2 instead of 4. We went up to the room to discover that fact and then went right back down to fix the problem. Finally, they just upgraded us. Yea for mistakes!

We ate with grandma and my aunt at my aunts house. It was some good eatin'. I love being from the South. The next morning we got up to a hot Continental Breakfast and found out that a major shooting had occurred in Atlanta. Yes, Mr. Nichols was on the loose after killing 3 people. Of course this kindof of thing would happen just when we happen to come to town. Nerves rose, but we decided not to live in fear. What kindof life would that be?

We met grandma at the hospital at about 12:30pm and sat with her until they took her back to pre-op preparation. Dad went back there and annointed her with oil and prayed with her. A little while later, we were all called back to give her kisses and pray as a family right before they rolled her in.

Piedmont Hospital was a pretty awesome hospital. They gave us updates every so often during her surgery. It was a relief to know everything was going well. We all hung out in waiting area playing cards all afternoon. Rummy was the game of choice, and we were pretty much rummied-out by the end of the 4 hours.

We got word that she was out of surgery, everything was successful, and that all we had to do to see her was to wait for her to get out of recovery. When we first saw her in her room, it was amazing. I have never seen someone look so good right out of surgery. It was a wonderful answer to so many people's prayers!

We left the hospital at about 9pm, caught a late dinner, and then headed back to our hotel for a Nichol's update. That, however, took longer than expected as we got lost, drove south instead of north and drove right through downtown, where the shootings had taken place and where they found the Honda a few hours later that he had highjacked by pistol-whipping the driver. Scary? Yes. Cool? No. We did make it back to the hotel ok.

The next morning, we found out that Mr. Nichols had taken a train to a mall not but 10 minutes away from our area, killed someone at a home they were building, and then kidnapped and held a woman hostage. All of this was within the Buckhead area, the very area we were staying in. Thank goodness they had caught him. It did unnerve me though.

Grandma looked great Saturday! She even got up and walked a few times. We spent some time with her and then took a break in the afternoon. We ate lunch at a bison place, where I, yes I, ate real buffalo meat. It was in a chile, but I also tried some of Dad's buffalo meatloaf. Interesting. Slightly drier than beef, but not bad.

We came back around dinner and spent a few more hours and then left her to sleep. We came back for the last time early Sunday where we watched grandma walk 120ft! Granted she only has to walk 90ft by the time she leaves the hospital, it was amazing! Hopefully, she'll be released in the next couple of days. We also watched the occupational therapist show her how to dress, etc. Some genious came up with these awesome tools for people who can't bend their hip past 90 degrees until healed.

We visited a Church of Christ that was bigger than ours in North Atlanta and then headed home. All in all, it was a good trip. We fulfilled our purpose for being there for grandma. I did learn that I couldn't do much longer than 7 and a half hours in a family car ride. Especially in a small Ford Focus Wagon. Amen.

Did I mention the staggering number of Kentucky fans at the hotel? Old people decked out college crazies paraphernalia such as blue wigs and lays are scary. Yes, it's true.

Overall, I am looking forwards to grandma being able to walk without pain! Continued prayers for my grandma's recovery would be greatly appreciated.

Quiz

I don't usually post the results of quizzes that I take online, but I liked this one:

What Polyhedral Are You?

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Just thought that the description was pretty close:

You are the large, round, friendly d20! (You probably didn't know this, but the shape of the twenty-sided die is called an Icosahedron.) You are the friendly, outgoing, outspoken, leader of friends. You are often looked up to, even though you don't normally deserve it. Most other types secretly wish they were you, and you'd give them tips on how, if only you had a clue yourself. Your charisma is often all you need, but you have your occasional moments of brilliance as well--just never when it's actually needed. You are the all-around good guy, a dependable chum, a respectable foe, and an inspiration to those who need one. Who says you can't get by on a smile and good looks alone?

Quiz disclaimer:
This survey is completely scientific. Despite the mind-boggling complexity of mankind, the billions of distinctly different personalities found on Earth can easily be divided into seven simple categories that correspond to the five Platonic solids, a pseudo polyhedron, and whatever the hell a d100 is. The results of this quiz should be considered not only meaningful but also infallible, and pertinent to your success as a fully realized individual. If you feel the results of this examination do not match your perceived personality, you should take whatever drastic measures are needed to cram your superego back into proper alignment, as described by the quiz results.
And if you believe that, we have some really great critical-hit insurance to sell you.

Hmm.... Interesting. True. LOL.

update on the wedding

So, I am much relieved that I can put quite a number of huge check marks on my list for stuff to do for the wedding. I have an awesome director who just keeps me in line and makes me get stuff done. Boy, am I glad I have her doing that. Otherwise, I would be sooo slack.

The weekend before this past weekend, I met up with the majority of my bridesmaids. I was so glad when everyone showed up because I wasn't sure if everyone would find it, etc. We had a blast over lunch (on me, of course) just talking and catching up. Then we headed over to David's Bridal in Greensboro and they tried on tops for their "dresses." I had so much fun watching them try on stuff. It was cool because they had a choice and I got a preview and the chance to express my opinion (which is a good thing for a bride.... as long as they aren't becoming bridezilla). I took pictures, we hung out, and overall just had fun. Everyone ended up picking a different top which really excites me. They are all going to be so beautiful! On top of all that I got to ride there and back with Andrea which was a lot of fun. It was nice to catch up and hang out with everyone. I miss you all soooo much!

Well, last Monday, after getting all the bridesmaid dresses, I dragged Rodney over to After Hours formal wear and we picked the tuxes. Big Check Mark Number 2. The groomsmen, with the exception of Bob, will all be wearing the matching apple red vests (the bridesmaids are wearing that red) as well as my brother Tim, an usher. The Dads will be wearing a dark blue vest, and Rodney will be wearing platinum. It was fun watching Rodney get measured!

Then, this past weekend, we got registered!!! Finally! Our first stop was Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The majority of our stuff is from there. We even got our flatware from there. It was a blast picking out stuff. I think we spent like 2 and a half hours there.

Then we went to Kohl's. They used to be an awesome place to register, but the amount of good stuff there has seemingly decreased. We still did register for some stuff there, but not as much as I had anticipated. It was trying to get our stuff downloaded from the scanner that became the hassle. It took them 30 minutes to close out our scanning. Apparently, there was no one there who really knew how to mess with the scanner. We ended up being late for our 2 o'clock appointment at Belk. Which was our third stop.

I didn't really think I would register for a lot of stuff at Belk, but we found our dishes! That was the biggest thing. It is the Linea Pfaltzgraff pattern. I checked out our pattern on Pfaltzgraff.com and the price is actually better there, so we registered at that website too. It had a couple pieces that weren't at Belk, but Belk had a couple of pieces not on the website. You can probably find our pattern at the outlet in Burlington and/or Smithfield. Here is a picture of our pattern: http://www.pfaltzgraff.com/profiles/catalog/search.asp?UID=2005030714125911&Query=Linea. I personally think it looks elegant, but not too much so that it couldn't be used on an everyday basis.

The last place we registered was at Dillard's yesterday. We actually got a good amount of stuff there too. We found some decorative towels and a good number of serving dishes we want/need.
Anyways, if you are wondering what we have registered for, you can go to any of those stores and search for my name, my fiance's name, or even our wedding date in their gift registries. You can also visit the stores online and search for us in the gift registries; they even offer free shipping! Otherwise, you can just come to the shower on May 21st!

Other than all of that, we are just hounding away at some of the details, hashing out ideas, and just slowly checking them all off. Our latest idea... perhaps a cake shaped like Minas Tirith with little LOTR figures and of course Aragorn and Arwen at the top. LOL.

car crashes

So the past 3 calls I have run have been car crashes. I really like being able to go to a car crash and really check it out. It's like having permission to rubber neck, except that I am not in a car and I get to actually look at all the fun details outside.

The first accident call of the three was pretty interesting. An 18-yr-old female tried to do a U-turn on a busy road causing a "broadsiding" accident. The 18-yr-old guy in the other car got out all pissed off and started yelling, cussing, and threatening the poor little girl who was half his size. That was not cool, and it could've gotten him into a lot of trouble with the police. They actually talked to him in front of us in the ambulance. He might have been riding with them, instead of us. He wasn't hurt too bad, but his lip had been busted because the rear-view mirror fell off and hit him. His car was totalled. Hers was nearly totalled.

The second call was scary and neat to check out when we went to the scene. Some 40s-yr-old lady had just nailed a telephone pole and chopped that sucker in half. Here's the kicker: the top half of the pole was stuck in the front of her truck and the power lines were just hanging precariously out over the road. Needless to say, we approached the scene very carefully. She walked away from the accident and would not allow us to even touch her, but that was okay because the officer on the scene was ready to haul her off to the big house where the sun shines through bars. She had been obviously drinking and the police officer was about to get off work.

We might have had a real problem had the pole fallen out while we were on scene. First of all, we were a little too close to the fall path of the power lines. Secondly, there were some onlookers in the next yard leaning on their metal chain-link fence clearly in the path of those falling lines. One of my partners yelled over for them to get away from the fence, and the man looked at him like he was a retard. "No, you are the retard... he's trying to save your life" is what he and I wanted to say. This crash became a huge neighborhood reunion as everyone couldn't help but come out of their houses at 9:30pm to check it out.

The last accident had the "worst" injury. It happened at about 1am at an intersection where a solid green light is in a left-turn lane (yield people!). My suspicion is that the daughter in the car turned and didn't see the oncoming car, and that other car t-boned the side that the mom was on. She seemed to have some sortof back injury, so we had to back-board and neck-brace her.

I have been kindof hoping for some cool calls, but checking out the damage has been very interesting. I am also still waiting for my first code (dead person) so that I can learn a lot and experience being around someone who has just died. No, I'm not morbid, I just need the experience. It is bound to happen sooner or later.

6 times in one night??!!

Ok, so, when I got to the EMS station last night, I somehow knew that it was going to be a rough night. However, I didn't think it would be that rough.

I know you're probably saying, "Whoa, really? You must have seen some interesting stuff." Man, I wish!

I got to the station I'd say around 6:50pm and immediately put my stuff down and ate some dinner. I ran into Bradley and he told me that both teams were out and that we couldn't run any calls since there was no 2nd person. They were out running a code (dead person)-- why can't I ever seem to get those kindof calls... grrr!

I did however check off the entire inside shelves and drawers without a checkoff sheet in the unchecked ambulance (which is a hard thing to do) and only referred to a check off sheet in checking off of a couple of the bags. So, in this, I felt like I had accomplished something.

Well, we were definitely slow, especially as we waited for the next call. We had an observer (you're allowed to observe if you want for up to two times a month) and he got to see the code. Of course he would, when I haven't ever seen any! LOL.

I watched some TV, we all had coke floats, and then I pretty much went to bed. This was the start of chaos. In short, someone was probably in training at the dispatch station last night. Why did they do that? Probably to torture us.

First call, we were first up. The light pops on and the tones go off. The confusion sets in. They had called both us and Morrisville. We wasted 5 precious minutes with central while they tried to figure out who's call it was. Finally, they made up their mind! It was ours. We got up for a nosebleed, though. An 11-yr-old boy had woken up with a nosebleed at 12:30am and then passed out after seeing his blood. The mom freaked out, called us, but everything was fine by the time we got there. No blood, no unconscious patient, nothing. We checked him out and headed on back to the station. That is what we call an unbillable call.

Then came 1:30amish. Call for us. We weren't up, the other team took it. Again, bright lights and loud noises waking me up.

Next interruption of my precious sleep.. about 2:30am. Call for Morrisville. The tones rang over our intercom for them and us (thus, the bright flourescent lights came on). Why? I'm not sure. But it woke us all up and it wasn't even our call.

3:15am- call for us. We had three trucks running, so we weren't up again. However, this call put us up next as the other other team took it. Again, woken up, this time during the middle of a dream. Why was I dreaming about tsunamis? I don't know, but it was kindof scary and weird. Glad for the interruption of the dream but not the sleep.

4:00am- call for us, but it wasn't in our district. Our tones rang and the lights popped on. We heard the address and then called up central and said, "Hey, that's not our call. It's Morrisville." Thanks for the wake up call (sarcastic!). They had to do the tones for Morrisville, so more loud noises.

Thus, after all is said and done, I'm not running on a lot of sleep today. Plus, when I sleep in the "guys dorm" there is always snoring. Boo. It also takes some time for us to get back to sleep after the very abrupt and unsubtle wake up calls we get. Christian had written earlier in the call log that it had been a slow day. That is always a jinx. Thanks!! I'm guilty of saying it though.

The moral of the story is: Do not train new dispatchers at night. They will mess up and make everyone miserable through their mistakes. I do appreciate them, but would prefer that they train people during the day. This way, we wouldn't have gotten woken up so many times by mistake. If that person wasn't in training, they need to be trained again.

Stabbing, seizure, and fever

Sorry Bridget, there aren't any extemely interesting things to report from EMTing last Thursday, but I thought I'd tell everyone what experiences I picked up.

So, I have kindof coined these terms: EMTing, EMTed, will EMT, etc. You all know that EMT stands for Emergency Medical Technician, yet I have made it into a verb on many occasions. Being an EMT is not about the title; it's about action. So, I feel that using the abbreviation to tell people what I am doing, going to do, or did and saying that is most appropriate.

Now to move on to the calls of last Thursday (I would have written sooner, but I went to the beach Friday-Sunday).

Our first call wasn't interesting at all. We went on standby, and as we drove to our standby location, we went off standby. It was pretty much a waste of ten minutes and 4 miles.

Then, we got a call about a 27-yr-old female who apparently went into a seizure. So we drive over to her place and find that she has recently had surgery for an extremely badly broken arm just under the shoulder (3 pins). She was on some medication that required monitoring and minor shocks to work. This is what, most likely, caused her to roll off the couch into a seizure and roll around on the floor on her broken arm. Ouch. She was dazed, confused, and mostly scared about the whole incident.

The third call of the night was the most interesting. It comes over the radio just after I went to bed as a stabbing. I got really excited thinking I was about to see some cool stuff. They described the incident as domestic violence, so when we got there we had to wait for the police to secure the area... in the cold. That wasn't fun. It was cold, and the wind was blowing and cutting through you like a cold, windy day in Boone as you walk up a hill that channels the coldest wind you will ever know.

On a side note, I need to invent insulated latex gloves. I could make a lot of money off the EMS and Fire Departments.

Finally the scene is secure. I lug the Trauma bag down a small hill to discover a 33-yr-old man with blood all over his hands. Upon further inspection, his stab wounds appeared to only be minor lacerations. This is when I got a bit disappointed. I had gotten excited for a few tiny slash marks.

Apparently, his wife is psychotic. She has been addicted to heroine. He finally got fed up, mentioned the big D word and she got pissed. She pulled out a pocket knife and started slashing at him. Then she grabbed his keys, motorcycle helmet, and their 4-yr-old daughter and sped off in her car leaving him stranded with bloody hands (as he tried to protect himself). He was mostly concerned with his daughter and not himself or his "wife."

The last call of the night was another elderly person (as we get a TON of those) with a fever, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. His fever had been too persistent for comfort so the wife called us.

Thankfully, since I had to work at 8am the next morning, we didn't get any calls after I went to bed at 1am. But I had gotten up twice, and that made me especially tired (man I am getting old, wanting to go to bed at 1015pm). Either way, I still enjoy volunteering.

Superbowl Commercials

I am a huge fan of the commercials during the Superbowl. This is the only time I like commercials. I am really only an intense fan of the game itself when the Carolina Panthers are playing, but I tend to try to choose the underdogs and watch the game for fun.

I was pretty disappointed last night with the Superbowl commercials. Only 4 of the many commercials were really good. Then, for some reason, there were several commercials that were just repeated over and over. Take for instance, the new Ford Mustang convertible coming out. I would've ranked that one as cool, except that they repeated it ten billion times.

Next, are the recurring themed commercials. The monkeys they used to advertise the online job source just got annoying. The first time, I was like, "oh, I get it. Are you working with a bunch of monkeys?" Then there were just several of the same. It was tiring.

The 4 unique commercials that I enjoyed are as followed (ranked highest (1) and on down) with descriptions after:
1. Ameriquest's Cat commercial- this was the funniest one for me. I continued to laugh after the commercial was over! Here is this guy, with all intentions of cooking his honey a lovely dinner. The cat likes to get on the counter. He shooes the cat off the counter and proceeds to cook italian food, red sauce being the kicker. As he is chopping something up, the cat jumps on the counter and knocks the pan of red sauce all over itself and the floor. Guy freaks out, picks up cat covered in sauce, lifting it above the red sploch on the floor, knife in the other hand, just as gal walks in. It flips over to "Don't judge to quickly." hehehe.
2. Diet Pepsi, P-Diddy commercial- Here is P-Diddy, on the way to the Academy Awards. His car breaks down in the desert. Diet Pepsi truck comes by and picks him up giving him a ride to the awards. Everybody is shocked at what P-Diddy appears to be driving. This starts a new trend where everyone is getting a Diet Pepsi truck, most pimping their ride up! At the end, Carson Daily drives by P-Diddy and hollas at him to check out his ride as P-Diddy gives him a confused/"what tha" look.
3. Cell Phone Ad- Guy claims his service has worked pretty well for him all the time, except a few unimportant times. Then you see a pet store trying to call the guy and explain that instead of taking home a Boa, he has taken home a very poisonous snake. This information breaks up over the phone as the guy is playing with his "pet" snake. He says, "Come on, gimme a kiss" as the poisonous snake bites him!
4. BudLight- Scenario: Parachuters on an airplane, hesitant guy. Leader tries to lull him to jump by tossing out a six-pack of BudLight. He hesitates, and then you see a man run by him and jump out without a parachute after the beer. The two realize that that man was the pilot and the leader jumps. "Just too good to pass up."

So, these are my top picks for the Superbowl commercials 2005. Now to reminisce a little.

Some of my more favorite past commercials have included products such as a few dot.coms, 7up, Pepsi, and Budweiser. My favorite one is a hard pick.

There was a dot.com that tried to shoot hamsters through the "O" on a wall that had a hole through the center with a small, high-powered cannon. They repeatedly missed and the host would say stuff like "oh, so close!" It was absolutely hilarious. They finally did aim right and get one to pass through. I know it enraged some animal right activists, but they did show the hamsters walking away ok. I was shocked, but laughed the whole time!

I loved the frog commercials. "Bud" "Weis" "Er."

Then there were the 7up commercials. There are so many hilarious ones. I loved the original 7up guy with the dreads. Now, he was funny. One of my favorites was when he asked everyone to send pictures of their "cans." Instead of getting a bunch of pictures of cans of 7up, he got a bunch of pictures of people's butts! My favorite line was "looked like two big Christmas hams." Then he ends it with, "Mom?!!" The 7up people always came up with something creative, whether it be random machines in random places, or a guy that chased a cheetah that drank/ate his 7up can.

The herding of the cats instead of cows.

The cute Pepsi little girl!

Sometimes, I can't always remember what exact product they were advertising, but I can remember the jists of my favorites. I also can't stand ones that use people who I don't really like, such as Britney Spears. Ugh, who wants to see her in another skimpy outfit? Not me.

Well, if you have any favorites that you can think of, write a comment and remind me. I probably will remember it, and if I don't, it would be great to see your thoughts and opinions! These are all that I can think of off the top of my head, and I know I have had more that I have liked!

Dreams

So I have had several pretty intense dreams in the past few days. I can't always remember the details of my dreams, but I do wake up in an emotional state because of them.

I have always had intense dreams every so often. To some extent, my dreams in the past were so intense that I physically carried out actions in my sleep.

A more common instance when I was younger was that I would actually sleep walk. I slept walked into my brothers room during a storm and you may not believe it, took a shower in my dreams. How did I do that, you might say? Well, I was dreaming that it was 6am and that it was time for me to get up and get ready for school. So I got up, took a shower, even shaved my legs in a half-awake, half-asleep phase. When I walked out of the bathroom in my towel, I noticed that my parents were sitting in the family room watching TV. This was unusual as they are never up at that hour and that's when I realized I had been dreaming. I played it off of course. When I woke up in the morning, I didn't really believe I had done it until I touched my legs. Clean and smooth!

Most commonly, I would wake up not knowing I had gotten out of bed and done something weird unless my toe hurt (I stubbed my toe one night) or one of my roommates told me that I did something weird.

My first roomie in college told me one of the weirdest things I ever did was get out of bed, kneel on the floor and move my hands like I was checking plants in a garden. While I did that I said, "the flowers, the flowers!" My roommie then proceeded to tell me that the flowers were fine and that I needed to go back to bed. Very odd! I do not remember doing that at all.

I have a fear of dangerous spiders and I hate roaches. Occasionally, with my travels outside the US, I have come in contact with them. Often, when I was little I would wake up screaming that there was a bug, wake up the whole house, and have my dad and/or brother come in to see what was wrong. There was nothing wrong and no bug--> I was dreaming. I still have those occasionally, but I don't scream. I more like wake up turn on the light and search for where the bug has run off to before realizing that I am dreaming.

Any of you who have shared a room with me know that I sometimes talk in my sleep. I definitely don't remember what I said, and sometimes what I say is incomprehensible. Occasionally, I say the funniest things. We could carry on a whole conversation and I would have no idea that we did. The moral is: do not say anything important to me unless I am fully awake! =p =)

Lately, my dreams have been distressing and odd. I had a dream one night that those kidnapper terrorists in Iraq had kidnapped and killed everyone that I loved. Another night I had a dream that my fiance and I broke up because I was busy. I have dreamt about snow shutting down the Triangle, and even about random fairy-tale like stories. I hope that none of the bad ones are omens for the future in any case. Which leads me to my next point....

A couple of the dreams I have had have come true. One night I dreamed that the Panthers would lose in the playoffs. That was the year that they did lose a week later after my dream. I also dreamt that the traffic lights would all be green on the way to church one morning. They were! (Don't ask me why I dreamt about traffic lights back then; I have no idea). There have been others, and I just think that, over all, they are coincidents and just plain weird.

I attribute the latest dreams to the stress that I have been under. From worrying about responses from medical school, to planning a wedding, being busy all the time, and being over-committed, it's no wonder I don't even have time to let my emotions out. I guess the way my brain deals with it is through dreams.

Well, whatever the reason for my dreams (don't analyze them too much), at least I know I dream in color. That in itself is unusual as most people dream in black in white or can't remember. And, I can practice speaking Spanish in my dreams (which I have had several dreams all in Spanish--- I did understand them!). I think I sleep better without dreaming anyways.