25 random things about me

1. I love the Lord and am so blessed to have the most amazing family and friends.
2. Running is the best stress reliever. I have run one full marathon and seven half marathons. I’d rather run slow, but can run a mile in 6:40.
3. I love to travel and have been to France, Germany, England, Sweden, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Tortola, Jos Van Dyke, the Yucatan, Cozumel, Quebec, Montreal, and 21 states in the U.S.
4. For some reason, I have a weird phobia of people touching my collarbones.
5. I love to go out dancing with my girlfriends.
6. One of my favorite things to do is have wine and cheese on the beach at sunset.
7. I used to have the future all planned out, but God had different plans. Now I just live in the moment and am excited to not know what’s ahead.
8. Lose my trust, lose me.
9. I love to make lists. There’s just something rewarding about checking off those little boxes!
10. If I wasn’t in medicine, I’d love to be an editor of a magazine.
11. I love to make stationary and love to send good old fashioned snail mail.
12. In high school I was the captain of the field hockey team and was awarded most valuable player at a city wide tournament.
13. I love Africa.
14. Yoga is my passion. If I could afford it, I would practice hot yoga three days a week. My favorite pose is standing bow, because it challenges me and I’ve made so much progress with it in the last year.
15. Every morning I listen to worship and praise music while I get ready. It’s the perfect way to start each day.
16. One of my proudest accomplishments is being the founder and race director for the Kick Crohns 5K run/walk. I established this philanthropy to raise money and awareness from Crohns disease research.
17. I’m shy around people I don’t know.
18. When I’m on a road trip during the winter I love roll down the windows, blast the heat, and turn up the radio.
19. I love going out on boats. Sailing is my favorite, but I love water skiing as well!
20. I love to be around kids. I have a niece and a nephew that I could not imagine loving any more. When I have babies of my own, I don’t want to know the gender ahead of time.
21. I love to ski, mountain bike, hike, kayak, sail, and play outdoors.
22. I could spend hours in a coffee shop or bookstore. I love to browse through magazines and catch up with friends over a cup of tea (I don’t like coffee!).
23. I love to learn. Science is my favorite subject, but I’m starting to be more interested in politics and religion. I love having deep conversations that challenge me to think and consider different points of view.
24. I love Manhattan- Broadway shows, New York pizza, Time Square, central park, the upper east side, SOHO, FAO Schwartz… I love it all!
25. I am convinced that everyone in my life is there for a reason. I have learned something valuable from each individual I’ve met.
    
    

Goodbye Birmingham, I love you!

I can't believe I'm not in Birmingham anymore! I got back to Winston this evening after a seven hour drive. I truly had the most amazing month.

Academically, I was challenged and learned so much more than I could have ever imagined. I honestly would love to go into the infectious disease field. My preceptor was so supportive and truly dedicated to my education. If you look carefully, you can see Magic Johnson in this picture!!

Socially, I made some amazing memories with Ann Wade (who is perhaps the coolest person ever). I also met some wonderful people. A couple of years ago, I became facebook friends with a girl named Miriam Patterson. Funny, huh? We have stayed in touch and it turns out that she's in nursing school at UAB! We finally got to meet each other. The waiter even thought we were sisters!

Spiritually, I really bonded with the Lord and have felt such an amazing connection to Him. Every morning I listen to worship and praise music as I get ready. It is truly an uplifting way to kick off each day. I've also been doing great reading my Bible in a year! My quiet time is definitely something I look forward to each day. I miss Birmingham already and will always remember January of 2009!

Weekend Fun!

Last weekend I had the lucky opportunity to go down to Destin!! It was so relaxing to have a little getaway from work and school. Our days were spent lounging around the house, reading, taking naps (even after sleeping in!), going shopping, and heading out for long walks on the beach. Our nights were filled with great seafood, dancing, playing the Office game, and hanging out on the beach! I never knew how much fun the beach could be in January!!

This weekend has also been great! Last night we went to an art studio where we drank wine and painted a canvas. This morning my grandmommy came to visit us. We went to a Samford basketball game, shopped, and had dinner at P.F. Changs! It was great to spend time with her! It's hard to believe that my Birmingham trip is almost over! I will definitely live up this last week and am already planning my next visit!

Cardboard Testimony

Please take 8 minutes to enjoy this powerful video. It is so amazing to see how God works in others. What is your cardboard testimony?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

Blue Like Jazz

I just finished the most amazing book called Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It was one of those books that makes you cling on to each word, and leaves you feeling uplifted, inspired, and just excited about life. My friend Michael and I were sitting in a coffee shop one evening talking about how sometimes life just doesn't make sense. We have so many questions that may go unanswered. Michael shared this book with me, and it has truly provided perspective on love, redemption, and living for God.

In this book, Donald Miller shares his testimony through fun stories, in cleverly title chapters like "Redemption: The Sexy Carrots" and "Community: Living with Freaks." I've included the preface below, which sheds some light on the book's title without giving too much away!

Author's note:

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.
After that I liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was way before any of this happened."

An interesting morning in Birmingham

I spent my morning with Charlie, a disease intervention specialist at the health department. When Charlie does his field work, he dresses like a pimp and goes out into the community to track down people who have been exposed to syphilis or HIV. There is a major syphilis epidemic in Birmingham (ranked 5th in the country), so needless to say, Charlie's job is anything but dull.

Our work this morning started with a 13 year old girl who had been referred to us with a positive RPR (a test for syphilis). As a side note, she had originally presented to the ED with vaginal bleeding, that ultimately led to a spontaneous miscarriage.  We questioned her about who she had been intimate with, and although hesitant at first (perhaps since the first man was her cousin), she gave us all of the names and contact information.  Our job was to track down those men and notify them that they had been exposed and that they needed to go get treated at the health department immediately.

Being out in the field (which was literally the ghetto) was quite eye opening.  Our first stop was a prostitute pick-up, which essentially was a truck stop off the interstate.  Inside the gas station was a sign that read "No Lot Lizzards," which Charlie explained was the street name for this activity.  We also made our way to a couple crack houses, which I thought was pretty scary.  Luckily, Alabama had record low temperatures today, so there weren't too many people getting high this morning.  Charlie shared his street smarts with me, like how the gang system operated, how much crack goes for ($5 for half a rock, $10 for a rock), and how you can tell who's dealing.  It was all very eye opening.

Taking the morning off from clinic to work with Charlie was such a wonderful opportunity.  I think this experience will make me a better clinician in many ways.  I feel a strong desire to really spend the time counseling my patients.  There's definitely something rewarding that comes from working with people and seeing what a difference you can make.  I am blessed to be a part of the health care community!!

From Here to There

I went to an amazing church service on Sunday. The theme was getting from here to there. In other words, we all sort of envision the end result, where we'd ultimately like to be in our relationship with the Lord. But it's focusing on the process, or the journey itself, that will help us get to where we want to be.

Revelation 3:15-16 says "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth." In this verse, we see three different ways of describing our relationship with God- cold, hot, and lukewarm. In my spiritual journey, I have certainly been in all three categories, which can be described with the use of scripture.

• Cold- You do not know God yet. (2 Corinthians 4:4) "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Although I was raised in a Christian household and have known about God since a young age, there's a big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. My relationship with the Lord has been growing over the last several years and I come to know him and his word more and more each day.
• Hot- You are growing. (2 Thessalonians 1:3) "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing." This is where I am right now, I am at a point in my spiritual journey where I am filled with a burning desire to know and love him more. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I am making strides each day.
• Lukewarm- You are drifting. (Hebrews 2:1) "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." This is the most dangerous place to be, but yet sort of a spiritual plateau many of us get into as a result of our complacency. I think this is where God presents us with challenges, which often lead us to draw closer to him.

So how do we get where we want to be with the Lord? The pastor shared these 5 important steps we can take in our spiritual journey.

1. Know God intimately. (Jeremiah 29:13-14) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD." (1 Corinthians 15:34) "Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning..."
2. Share Christ effectively. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
3. Connect with others regularly. (Ephesians 2:19) "...You are a member of God's very own family... and you belong in God's household with every other Christian." (James 5:16) "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."
4. Grow yourself daily. (Hebrews 6:1) "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..." (Proverbs 23:12) "Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge."
5. Serve people passionately. (1 Peter 4:10) "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

This message really challenged me to make God a priority, not just to fit him into my life. It made me think about the barriers that keep me from getting close to God, and to focus on some spiritual goals I have for 2009. I hope that by sharing what I learned from this sermon, you too will glean some inspiration to reflect on your own personal journey with the Lord. I love you all!

First week

My first week in Birmingham has been amazing! I feel like I've seen and done far more already than I ever expected. The teaching is wonderful, and I'm learning from some of the top names in the infectious disease field. I feel really lucky to be here.

Monday and Tuesdays I work with HIV patients in the VA hospital and at an outpatient clinic. It's pretty amazing to see the many faces of HIV patients. There are a fair share of indigent and homosexual patients, but also business men, health professionals, and just your typical average Joe. The patients seem to be very used to their disease and are pretty compliant with their medications. It's pretty amazing to work with them, and to see the power of medicine. I've only seen a couple of unfortunate people so far with AIDS.

Wednesdays and Thursdays I work at the health department in an STD clinic. There is a major syphilis epidemic in Birmingham, so every patient that walks in the door is automatically tested. I have free range to do everything in this clinic. I call the patient back, obtain a detailed history (a little bit too detailed!), do a complete exam (I won't provide details online!), and take the specimen back to the lab where I do all the staining, wet mounts (even the whiff test!), and pregnancy tests. I report to my preceptor, then go back in to treat and counsel the patient. It's neat to see so many patients, and I'm starting to feel comfortable talking casually about embarrassing health problems.

Finally, Fridays I'm on the ID service at the UAB hospital. The attention and teaching is stellar. Even the attending will pause to make sure I'm understanding (to the extent that I can) the complexities of each patient. The realm and extent of infectious disease amazes me, and the service gets consults from all over the hospital. So that's pretty much my week, with some free lunches, lectures, and Grand Rounds thrown in as well.

On my down time, I must say that I've been having a big time with Ann Wade. My Uncle Jimmy took us to a 5 star restaurant which was the best food I have ever eaten in my entire life! I ordered lamb with pearl onion gratin, sweet potato puree, and Swiss chard. Yesterday we ran a ten mile race and had a blast. We ended up chatting the whole time, which made the race go by so fast! Last night we went ice skating and went out to a Mexican restaurant. Tonight I'm hosting a dinner party for Ann Wade and some friends I've met here. It's been a perfect weekend and a perfect week down in the deep South :)

Sweet Home Alabama

I love Alabama!! I got here yesterday evening after a seven hour car ride filled with fun music, great conversations, and even a glimpse of the Atlanta skyline. It was so great to see Ann Wade and meet her adorable little Boxer, Sadie. She gave me a tour of her beautiful home, which is the perfect blend of cozy, sophisticated, artsy, and just plain awesome. Despite my protesting, she is even letting me stay in her bedroom this month, with all the frills of a bathroom with a jacuzzi! We spent the evening going out to eat and hanging out with some of Ann Wade's friends, who were all so fun!!

This morning we went to an amazing church service, before I headed to UAB to meet my clinical coordinator. All I can say is- Oh my goodness, this is going to be hard! I had to take a pre-test (70 not so easy questions...), and got alot of handouts and stuff I'm encouraged to be familiar with before tomorrow (yikes!). Not to mention a list of how to access online lectures, two of which I have to listen to tonight. Ahhh!! I'm excited about how much I'll learn, but can't believe that Christmas break is over.

Tonight I get to have dinner with my Aunt Mary Jane to celebrate her birthday! I haven't seen her since April, and can't wait!! I'm so thrilled to be here. The weather's great, the people are friendly, and there's nothing better than family!!!

Birmingham

Tomorrow's the big day that I'm driving to Birmingham!! I'm so excited to spend a whole month with my cousin, Ann Wade. She is such an amazing girl, and I have admired and looked up to her my whole life. I'm sure that the month will be filled with alot of laughs, stories, trips to Target, running, and sharing quality, much needed cousin time!

I will be working in an infectious disease clinic in Birmingham and am very excited. I applied for this rotation nearly a year ago, and have been anticipating its arrival since. The clinical coordinator at UAB seems totally great, and even offered to fly me out there and provide an apartment for the month. The schedule is very packed, and every hour between 8 and 5 is accounted for. I am thrilled that I don't have to work weekends or take call :) ! Along with expanding my knowledge base on HIV and other infectious disease processes, I hope to learn alot about the patients. I hope to gain a fresh perspective on the population of patients we see, and can't wait to interact and learn from them! I am so happy to be in the medical field, and as nice as this three week Christmas break has been, it's going to feel great to put on my white coat and get my first HPI Monday morning. Maybe I'm just a big dork... :)