6.04.09- Day 18

Can you see the exhaustion, stress, and relief in my face? I have spent the past week in constant conflict with myself going back and forth on which job I should take next year and ...

Dum, dum, dum... The decision has been made- I will be a Physical Therapist with Aurora Public Schools next year. (i'm waiting for them to confirm that everything is still okay). It was honestly the hardest decision that I've made so far. I toiled and toiled. I think that either would have been good opportunities, but it came down to the focus of the fellowship being on birth-3 years and autism. Neither made me feel super excited. I know that I like school age children and that's exactly what I will get to work with at APS- preschool through middle school. I definitely want to find other ways to get professional development and mentoring outside of the fellowship because that is what was so appealing about it. I will continue to be a member of the CO Chapter Pediatric Special Interest Group. I hope to have some extra time to devote to research and care for underserved populations in Denver. Maybe even devoting parts of my summers to volunteer work here or overseas. I'm happy (although I will be happier once I get the final say from APS.)

I'm not sure what the posting regularity will be over the next few days. I'm going to Florida with the family! Al and I are really looking forward to it. It's a huge blessing to go to the beach and to see family at the same time! Better go as it's 11 already and I still need to pack and we're leaving at 5 tomorrow morning for the airport!

6.03.09- Day 17

Before (same pic from a few days ago)


After


We shaved Nigel! Can you tell?

Going to Florida in a few days.

Had a lovely coffee date this morning with Carissa.

Still haven't decided which job, but I will decide by tomorrow.

Hanging out with the hubby and studying later while he is at youth group.

Currently laundering all of the clothing our entire house (okay maybe that's a slight exaggeration, maybe not)

6.02.09- Day 16

So... This is how I feel after being offered the APS job this morning and feeling like the fellowship would be a really good opportunity too and declining the 27 J (Brighton) job. I have really been blessed with some great opportunities... so I don't mean to complain, I'm just a HORRIBLE decision maker. I like to keep all of my options open for as long as possible. The fact is... I can only do one job next year. I cannot physically (or practically) work for APS and do the fellowship. SO- I have to decide. I feel like I should do the fellowship, but that it would be easier to do APS. More prayer and thought will go into this matter until I have made a decision tomorrow or the next day. Why do I make these things such a big deal?

6.01.09- Day 15

Job Interview #2 and Job offer #2 occurred today. Let's just say that I'm slightly bewildered and confused at this point. At the moment I'm leaning more toward the Pediatric Fellowship and less towards Brighton Public Schools. I keep going back and forth between the fellowship and Aurora Public Schools (if they offer me the job tomorrow.) Basically, pray for me that APS won't offer me the job, then it will be really easy for me to decide what to do. No, seriously just pray that God would lead me in the path where I can serve Him best and use my giftings for Him.

I also got to go on a fun icecream date with Sarah this evening. It started storming in the distance, so we pulled off the road and watched the sky for a while. It was beautiful. Then, we decided to go home because we thought the storm passed us and there was so much rain and hail we could hardly see the road! I haven't seen that much rain in a long time. Luckily, like most Colorado storms, it only lasted for about 30 minutes.

Update on Alan: Since this is the blog of Alan and Susan, I thought I would update everyone on how Alan is doing. He is still working nights in the ICU as a nurse. He has been getting progressively sicker patients to take care of as he gets more experience. He's doing a great job though (as much as I know- granted I am slightly biased- haha). He is also working with the high school youth at our church and co-leading our small group. I think he is doing well overall, although working nights is a bit of a drain. He is seriously considering going to CRNA school in the next couple of years and seeking out ways to further his education/experiences to make himself more qualified to be accepted. And... he is loved by a girl named Susan.

5.31.09- Day 14

I call this picture "The Joys of Being a Recently Graduated DPT." I looked at this screen for 2 hours tonight, only to miss passing another practice test by about 4 questions. Oh well- serves me right for slacking on studying the past week and a half. I really need to hit the books.

Today I taught Sunday School, hung out with Al, looked up CRNA schools, made a budget, ate a yummy steak salad (thanks to Al's grilling skills), took Nigel for a walk, took a practice licensure exam, and got to hear about a friend's date. Fun day.