YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As our pastor Craig reminds me from time to time, God has a sense of humor. I've seemingly waited my whole life for two things to happen-1. to get engaged to a wonderful man and 2. to get into medical school. Coincidentally, these two things happened smack on top of each other. ha! kind of humorous (if you ignore all the anguish it took to get me into medical school) On April 13, P and I got engaged. On May 14, I got the call from UT that I've waited for, thought about, and even dreamed of. Countless times, I wondered what I would feel, who I would call first to tell, etc. See, if you know me at all, you know that I've wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. My Mama found me once, at age 4, forcing my neighbor to watch videos of surgery that my Dad had around the house. My friend, Jenny, was disgusted and screaming. I was, quite simply, entranced. As a child, I asked for model skeletons and chemistry sets for Christmas. Medicine is in my genes. There was never a plan B for me, never an alternative to being a doctor. So, although the last 3 years have been at times excruciatingly hard and most definitely humbling, I never doubted that eventually my time would come. In fact, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I've prayed countless times as I agonized over what step to take next (take the MCAT again, get a new job, volunteer somewhere else, whatever) that if I was heading down the wrong path, would God please let me know. Each time, the answer was no. I felt I had His blessing and that I just had to persevere. The whole experience was very affirming and strengthened my faith immensely.


Well, here's how the awaited experience actually unraveled. At 4 o'clock, I checked my messages as I walked out of work to find a chipper "call us back" message on my voicemail from UT. Hands shaking, I immediately hit redial and spoke with the dean's secretary, who offered me a spot in the class of 2012. I'm a little embarrassed to admit the truth---I cried and screamed, "this is a dream come true". The secretary gave me time to collect myself and then said, "well, I suppose this means you accept". The first person I called, through tears, was my Dad, who's been my biggest supporter and cheerleader along the way. Of everyone, I feel that he never once doubted my abilities and always had the perfect thing to say when I was discouraged or confused. He comforted me through 2 horrible MCAT scores, countless rejection letters, and many unkind words. I then called my Mama and my brother Ryan on the way to tell P in person. P was stunned, a kind of deer in headlights look. Neither of us was expecting me to hear so soon. He was, of course, very excited, but reminded me that he knew that I'd get in. When people tell me that, I never believe them, but for some reason, I believe it when he says it. He has that kind of unwavering faith in me....and faith that other people will see in me exactly what he does. What a jewel of a fiance.

Overall, the experience was amazing. I feel incredibly blessed to have so many wonderful things going on in my life and I CAN'T WAIT to start school. I mean, does life get any better than this?? Thank you to everyone for your congratulations and kind words. I have such sweet friends and family. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Side note: this picture is old (don't worry...I won't cut the hair short again) but I thought it was appropriate since we're sporting our UT orange!!!