Graduation!

There is nothing as gratifying as walking across the stage to get your diploma. One piece of paper that signifies not all of the sweat, tears, lost sleep, time away from loved ones, and money spent.... But a new chapter in my life. I am no longer a student, but instead a PA-C!

Saturday was a perfect day for graduation, although it was a little too hot for this Alaskan girl! Blue skies, hot sun, and 80 degree weather!

The ceremony went very well. I savored every moment.  We had an a capella group entertain us at the beginning...

A wonderful key note speaker, and a slide show,

A guest singer who truly touched the entire audience,

And a speech by yours truly...

I was also honored to receive an award from my class.

Then was the most important part... receiving my Master's degree and my Stanford diploma!

And the best part of the entire ceremony was at the end when we were announced the Stanford PCAP graduates of 2013.  Actually, I take that back.  The best part was immediately after that, when this happened:



A surprise dance! (Yes, that's me in the front row in the second group... I do a pretty awesome Chicken dance, don't I?)

I am so grateful all of my family, Jake's family, and the Griffins were able to be there to celebrate my special day.

I will forever miss my classmates, but I will never forget the wonderful memories.  Good times and not so good times... I feel so blessed to have had the past 2 years as a Stanford student.  I can't wait to start the next chapter in my life! 

Stanford PCAP Class of 2013!

I'm a Stanford Graduate!

More to come later... but I'm officially a graduate!  Wahoo!

I am a PA-C!

I have a confession.  I may have lied to you.  I told you all I went to San Francisco for a break from studying last week, but I actually went to the city to take my board exam, the PANCE.  I didn't want to tell anyone until I knew the results.  I'm sorry I didn't tell you, forgive me? :)

And guess what?  I PASSED!  After 10 days of torture and painful waiting; I got my results this morning!

Talk about relieved.  I am officially a PA-C (certified)!

Now comes the fun.  As Jake said this morning... "Get a job!"

PA school, check!

I am happy to say that I am officially done with Physician Assistant school at Stanford.   The weight has been lifted, the clouds are parting and the skies have never looked so blue! :)  I never have to be a PA student again!  

Thursday was a great last day.  Our class provided lunch for the staff as a "thank you" for all they did for us throughout our 21 months of torture ;)  

Mmmm  

It's true, we like to eat. 

My favorite professor!!

It is a Stanford PCAP tradition to surprise the staff and underclassman with a funny skit that gently "pokes fun" of the program and our professors.  I almost died laughing. 

It was probably the funniest 20 minutes in Stanford History.

 Best part?  When "Dr. Berry" entered to give the first lecture...

Introducing "Dr. Berry" 

It was a great way to finish our career at Stanford.  

Love these people!  I'll miss their faces every day!

It was surprisingly easy to leave on my last day! haha  Don't get me wrong, I will miss my classmates more than anything in the world, but I won't miss the stress, anxiety, or sleep deprivation for one second.  The good news is that I get to see all of my friends in just one month at graduation!  

I can't believe I survived the last 21 months.  It may sound like a great exaggeration, but it truly was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.  Ask me to run marathons any day... but PA school?  No joke.  Every moment of stress and frustration brought me to this day, so I guess I can say that I am grateful for the challenges. 

There are lots of big events happening in the next month:

Board Exams, Boston (mid-April) where I may or may not run the marathon (long story, will explain later), San Diego for Becca's wedding, back to San Fran, GRADUATION (May 4th!), and 10 days of travel through Sonoma and Northern Cali with that Alaskan guy I married and haven't seen in 4 months :).  The best is yet to come!

Can't wait to see what the future holds!

And that's a wrap!

Never again will I have to do a Stanford final.  Ever. EVER!  It hasn't quite hit me that I am completely done with Stanford testing, but maybe after tomorrow (our last day) I'll feel more excited!  I wish I could say that the last 2 years flew by and that PA school wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.... but I really can't haha!  It was a long and bumpy road, but I am so grateful to have done it and to have learned so much along the way.  The best part was all the amazing friends I made.  You can't trade that for anything!

 CHEERS! I don't I've ever done a shot in my life!
Luckily there was Bailey's involved so it was pretty tasty.

Yesterday after my practicum (80 minute proctored exam with a live patient who had every sickness under the sun), I decided the perfect celebration would be a run on campus.  Stanford is the most amazing campus I've ever seen and there are unlimited bike/running paths at my disposal.  My favorite run goes from the Stanford Medical Center to The Dish, a gated Habitat Conservation that overlooks Stanford and the San Francisco Peninsula.

The Dish!

It is literally all hills.

 Just when you think you've reached the top, you have another hill to climb.

But when you're done, you feel on top of the world.  And you have an amazing view of campus.

It's pretty much a symbol of my life at Stanford.  Just when you think you're done... you have another rotation, exam, or paper to write! I am so relieved to be at this moment!

Last night we did what any AWESOME class would do and hit up the streets of Palo Alto.  Almost the entire class showed up so we had a great time celebrating!

The entire gang!  PCAP Class of 2013!!

Love this girl.

The boys! (Minus Eric)

The class "Diva" :)

Such great friends!

Our main professor even joined us in the festivities!

Dr. Berry and I!

The night ended with Kareoke and dancing.  And lots of "I love you guys."  (as clearly documented from our group huddle and singing in the picture below, haha!)

We are the champions.

So what's on the agenda now?  Well... it's time to hit the books again.  Until I get my certification, I can't practice as a PA, so I have to keep up my discipline for just a while longer!  When I take it and pass, then I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief!

Let's hope my board exams are like this.

Here are the first 5 things I want to do for fun when I am done:
1.) Build a huge bonfire with all my PA school notes and tests. Okay, maybe not... I want to see Jake.   Spend time laughing at his silly jokes and sweet dance moves.  Talk face-to-face instead of over the phone.  Roam the aisles of Costco together and get free samples (hey, it's the small things!).  Just be married.  :)

2.) Go to a coffee shop with a friend to TALK. There will be no school books, laptops, papers to write, or board review allowed.

3.) Stay in my pajamas all day.  Sleep past 7am, lay in bed for an hour reading for PLEASURE, get up, drink a leisurely cup of coffee, and lay on the couch watching all the shows I've missed out on.   According to Ashley who I currently live with, that includes Bad Girls Club, Downton Abbey and some Vampire/Zombie shows that I can't remember the names of. (Okay, let's be serious, this will never happen.  I'm too ADD to sit on the couch all day, but it's a nice thought).

4.) Cook an elaborate dinner and enjoy every bite of it. (And by elaborate, I mean something more than my usual trader joe's salad or bowl of cereal.  Like THIS Runner's World Recipe )

5.) Four words:
Play
With
My
Puppy.
(Who is due this week, FYI!)

Final FINALS!

I'd tell you the last weeks have been busy, but I think you can probably gather that since I haven't written since the 14th.  Being back with my classmates for the final time has been amazing.  Despite the stressful testing around us, there has been lots of laughs, a few tears, and fun times all around.  Of course, like any awesome class would do, we had a potluck brunch which revealed how perfect of role models we are as PA's to our future patients.

20 different boxes of donuts... what did you say? Diabetes? Hm....

Love this girl!

Mimosas anyone?

Last Tuesday we began our last finals of PA school.  I survived Tuesday's tests and actually did better than I anticipated.  Wednesday... was rough.  We had a five-hour cumulative final that covered everything since day ONE on June 19, 2011.  I left feeling defeated, exhausted and overwhelmed that I still have so much to learn before board exams.  I found out later that night that I passed (wahoo!) so the only thing standing between me and graduation is a practicum on Tuesday (live patient with proctor watching my every move and analyzing how I interact with the patient).  Almost. There.

I wish I could say that after Tuesday I will be done, but the reality is that I still have a lot of studying to do for my national board exam.  That doesn't mean that we won't be celebrating on Tuesday though!  Our entire class will be hitting up the streets of Downtown Palo Alto.  Look out, it could get crazy!  :)

My last long run was the 17 miler... I've been fighting low-back and hamstring issues since being back in class (sitting for 10 hours per day wasn't helping!).  But I'm back on track and just going to take it relatively easy until Boston.  Who knows how the race will go, but I'm going to give it a shot!  

That's all for now, folks.  Can't wait to share all of my random stories and updates when I've recovered from the longest 22 month-long journey in history.  

Here are some pictures of the gorgeous Stanford campus!

Life Slips Away...

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." - Cynthia Ozick. 

Life is just not fair sometimes. My close friend's mom passed away yesterday from cancer. She had been doing well and was in remission, but metastasis were found and she quickly passed on. It's such a shock to hear that someone so special was taken away from this earth so early. She was the mom that would help you rearrange all the furniture to set up a fort in the living room, give you a huge goodnight hug at sleepovers, and bring us homemade Popsicles on a balmy (60 degree) Alaskan summer day. She was a great mom and wife and she will be forever missed. So take a moment and call your parents, family, and friends and tell them just how much they mean to you. No excuses. And if you can, say a prayer for my friend and her dad.

On a lighter note, yesterday was my favorite girl, Ashley's birthday. It was a nice little break from the never-ending affair with my textbooks to come home and drink a glass of wine while enjoying a delicious dinner. The Griffins are the relatives of Nick and Tina, our close Alaskan friends. We met at Nick and Tina's wedding in 2010 and at the time I was applying to Stanford. We hit it off right away and they told me to call if I got in and they'd show me around! Well... I got an interview and they were generous enough to let me stay here. It's been instant love ever since. Every day coming home brings a smile to my face and I'm greeted with a hug (and 9 times out of 10, a glass of wine.)  I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am for them.

Very intense birthday conversation :)

YUM.  

I'm hanging on for dear life in our first week back at Stanford. I will NEVER EVER miss these 4-5 hour sleep nights, being in class for 8 hours just to go study for 5 more, and having finals/stress-induced palpitations all day long.  All day I feel like a sponge submerged in an overflowing tub & trying to absorb just one more drop of water. How much more info can the brain really hold? :) My favorite quote abut PA school is, "PA school is like trying to sip water from a fire hydrant." Oh well... just 13 more days until I'm free.  Lucky thirteen!

Gotta love the Stanford Campus.  Beautiful!

I Can See Clearly Now...

My last day of clinical rotations as a PA student was incredibly bittersweet.  I got to see a few of my favorite patients that I've been following for the past 13 months, suture a nasty cut closed, see a patient with a rare disease, and learn all about the wonderful world of removing toenails.  Couldn't have asked for a better last day.

Last time walking through these colorful halls...

Love this place!

Dr. Watson and his amazing wife threw me a going away BBQ after work.  If there is one thing you must know about Mrs. Watson... she is an AMAZING cook.

YUM.

Many laughs, delicious food, and good wine = fun night and many good memories.

Wine, Fireplace, Friends... Best combo.

I held it together and didn't shed any tears when I said goodbye, but I may have shed a few tears on the drive home.  It is hard to say goodbye to such an awesome group of friends, but I am ready to take the next step in this journey.

I'll miss these faces!

Gracias por todo!

As I was contemplating life and my future, the perfect song came on the radio:

"I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me down
It's gonna be a bright bright bright bright sun shiny day."

You'd better believe it.  Sun shine up ahead.  Ready or not, here I come...