Creep, Creep, Creep...

There is something that has been creeping up on me like a sneaky little insect. Something I have been thinking about a lot lately but trying not to. Something that is much more difficult to be rid of than brushing a bug off your leg on the Fourth of July. And that thing is... graduation.

Supposedly, we are to start looking for jobs this summer. Supposedly, I am to fill out applications and ponder salaries and paid vacation. Now I grow up and start deciding what I actually want to do. In someone's mind, I am an adult, and have even the remotest idea where I want to live and settle down. (And in some far away fairy tale land, I am also studying for our board exams.)

Reality: I am laying on the couch eating an ice cream sandwich and watching Sahar take a little spit bath.

Its kind of like having two lives. One in which I go to the hospital every day, do histories and physicals and patient care plans with some traumas thrown in; the same one in which I graduate in 8 months, settle down with a great job and have a very good life surrounding by loving family and wonderful friends.

Then there's the other life, in which I continually think of being back in dusty Kandahar, riding camels in the desert and laughing with nomads under tar-colored tents. Or Ecuador, treating brown-faced little children in a medical clinic by day and riding rusty old bikes on the beach by night. Or Haiti, sleeping on roofs, delivering babies on the clinic's dirt floor and hiking to waterfalls; petting purple sea urchins then riding to islands on ancient, patchy-sailed boats.

Ahhh... I still have no idea what to do.

Happiness. Flowers. Mountains. Lederhosen.

This is Mr. Lucas. He was pumping water while calling himself Lars in a German accent and talking about lederhosen. And so you can see why Mr. Lucas brings my heart pure joy. :) When I'm with him, I'm just about as happy as I can ever remember being. He is a genuinely thoughtful man with a cheerfully contagious disposition. You would really enjoy meeting him.

We went to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge last weekend. We did a little trail run out to a tall thin rock with two large boulders balanced on top- aptly named Crab Eyes- and climbed up on top. Its one of the most beautiful views in the whole park, or so says Mr. Lucas. Then we grilled out shishkabobs and later hiked to a waterfall with a couple of his climbing buddies. Then watched the sunset on Mount Scott- which I have concluded is THE prettiest view in the whole park. If you live in Oklahoma, and you haven't been, you have no excuse- the mountains are only an hour and a half away from the city. It is worth it.


Our delicious lunch. Yummy sweet potatoes not pictured.




He even brings me flowers.

A Lot Going On

Seems like there has been a lot going on recently. My brother had appendicitis again and a second surgery to take out his appendix again (strange, right). I went up there this past weekend to spend some time with them. Now he's still having some problems and laid up at the hospital in Des Moines so be praying for him.

The ER is still going great! I love it there so much. Its really a joy to get to go every week. This week I traded one day of ER for a clinic day Friday, so no four day weekend. That has been one of the huge blessings of this rotation- lots of free time! Which, I am finding, is very fun to spend with my architect friend. More on that later.

So, the schedule is going to be a little odd until August, so here it is one more time:

March- Oklahoma City
April- Edmond
May- Marlow, OK
June- Marlow, OK
July- Shawnee, OK

Marlow is in the middle of nowhere. About an hour and 45 minutes from the city. So, I will be a little nomad for the next four or so months. Ahh... its been nice to be settled for so long. Now its time to uproot and migrate again.