OSCE's, FINALS, and then a break. God is good.

It's that time again. Time for me to crawl into my office cave and only come out for food, a little cuddle time with the wife, and to go take a final. Tomorrow is my last final. WHEW!

This week of finals started with a BANG. Monday afternoon I had to take a set of exams called OSCE's. I have no idea what OSCE stands for, but I know what it means to us students. It means long hours of studying everything we have learned up until this point. Anything was free game on this test. There were 20 stations, I had 5 minutes to complete each station. This year the test ranged from performing exam procedures on real people while a clinician watched and graded (beleive me, lot's of writing was a bad thing), to multiple choice questions, to interpreting X-rays. Chalk another one up to God coming through for me. He is so faithful.

Before the exam we were sequestered for one hour. We had that hour to sit and wait while the group before us took the exam. There we were, 20 or so students in our white coats cramming more information into any available space in our brains. Some crammed, some sat around and joked, but everyone was really really nervous. That was the longest most nerve racking hour of my life. I did A LOT of praying, not that I would pass, but that I would simply remember what I knew and that He would quiet my nerves.

He did, and I did. I passed, thank GOD! I was talking with one of the graders today, she said at my 2nd station I gave 4 answers to one question, all of them were wrong! Naturally I have no idea what I said or what question was asked, I was in a nervous haze at that point. But after the 3rd station, God took control and calmed me. We now joke about how much of a nut I was at first.

OSCE's ended at 3:15. I had to take another written final at 4:00. Whoever planned that at my school is just plain mean. I did well on that one too. See, God is faithful regardless of how I act or how little faith (in Him or in me) I show.

So after a few more finals, I sit here writing this instead of studying for my last final tomorrow. God is good, true. But I know I gotta do some work too. Time to hit the books, one last time this quarter.

Josh

A (tree) Hunting we will go.. A (tree) Hunting we will go...

So it's my turn to post. I guess I have been slacking a bit on the posting, Elisabeth has asked me to do it several times, yet it hasn't been done. She is so patient.

As is tradition, we went hunting for a christmas tree again this year. This time, we had another vehicle to follow us on our trek through beautiful Mount Hood. We headed up to Estacada with friends Cory and Becca in our car, and our other friends Jason with his wife Jennifer, and John and his wife Brandi in Jason's old rusty monster of a blazer. I realize those names might not mean a lot to many of you, but it proves that we have friends (yay).

(Cory and Jason behind him in a BIG mud puddle.. oh yeah)

The conditions were less than perfect, but that didn't stop us. It was cold and rainy (imagine that in Oregon), and that meant a little bit of snow and A LOT of mud. Naturally we just had to play a bit on the way up.

We trudged up the mountain in search for the perfect tree. After a few miles and a lot of mud we pulled off and went trapsing around the hillside. Lo' and behold we found it.

We brought the tree home and after a bit of trimming, we had ourselves a wierd looking tree, but a tree none-the-less.

As you can see, we have had some problems with our garland. Apparently dog tails and garland do not mix.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Josh

Thanksgiving

This is the longest post we've ever written and has 5 videos. Maybe a little excessive, but we thought all of them were worth including and they're funnier with the volume up. So enjoy! We've been having a really fun Thanksgiving again this year! Elisabeth's brother, Will, came down from Missoula. We put him right to work. Josh and Will added stairs on to the back deck. So it's no longer a long, scary step down into the mud!! They worked on the stairs while Elisabeth cooked Thanksgiving dinner and we all finished about the same time. We've been feasting on yummy leftovers for a couple of days now and they're still good! Friday, we shopped, rested and played games. And today we headed up to Mt. Hood to play in the snow. This time we had both dogs and we rented snow shoes. We had a blast! First, Will decided to test out the new circular sled that he and Josh bought the day before. However, Zena thought it was an oversized frisbee and barked until he threw it.

The funniest was when she tried to bring the sled up the hill and it would slide back down along with her. She also tried to fetch the snow balls that we threw for her.

We walked down to the lake and discovered that it was mostly frozen.

This is the same lake that Josh and I camped and fished at this summer. It was amazing to see how different it looked. We stuck to the really thick parts and ran and slid around with the dogs.

Josh and Will had to take sliding to a new level of course!





We were looking for a place to try out the snow shoes, but it was harder than we thought because the snow was a lot lower than it was last year. We found a spot that the guys decided might be good for sledding, but there was too many rocks and not enough snow.



It gets dark now at 4:30, so we had to head back down the mountain. Now we're all worn out and vegging around the house. When we got home, Zena exhibited some strange behavior. She started nipping at Will's legs. We thought this was pretty funny and were a little worried that she didn't like him. But it turns out she just doesn't like his snow pants! The noise they make when he walks made her growl and then nip at them. If you listen close, you can hear her jaw close as she nips at him. Naughty girl!


We let her do it long enough to get it on camera and then let her know nipping is not ok!! But it was really funny! This was a longest post ever! Thanks for reading!

Sleepy Babies!

Josh sent me a sweet picture of the sleeping kiddos. They're keeping him company while he's home sick today. :(

Back from our Sabbatical

Well, we haven't posted for a really long time and there is way too much to catch up on completely. I'll hit the highlights of the last week or so. Josh went to a chiropractic seminar last weekend in Seattle and I got to go as the tag-a-long who just hangs out. Saturday, I went to Pike Place Market with a friend, Nicole, whose husband was also up for the seminar. We shopped all day! Below is a picture of the first Starbucks.

The famous fish market where they throw the fish.

Josh and I at the Rainforest cafe. It felt like being back at Disneyland!And now for the big news... Magnum just got a little sister tonight. Her name is Zena and she is such a sweetie. Right now there is a lot of nervous energy, some growling and we've just had the first potty accident. Zena is 3 years old and looks like a 40 pound version of Magnum. Magnum definitely likes her, but she is a little nervous at her new home. However, she doesn't put up with any crap from Magnum. They had a great romp in the backyard and we all got a little muddy. It was lots of fun!! Here is a picture of both of them together and then one of Zena by herself. We'll keep you posted!

The Most Spoiled Dog in the World!!!

If only we had the audio, so you could hear him snoring . . .

Winter Treat!

Wow, we have been busy! But all with good fun things. Elisabeth's parents came for a visit President's Day weekend. We had such a blast seeing them. It was a go, go, go weekend! On Friday we went to McMenamins pub, a Portland favorite. They also have a movie theater, so we saw The Departed. I have to say the movie could have been so good, but I now regret my decision to stay awake and watch the rest of it. Sleep would have definitely been better! Saturday, we shopped and browsed and shopped some more. Josh took an opportunity to study in the car for part of the day rather than look at antiques. I think Tom would have liked to join him at times. Sunday, we went to church and then headed up to Timberline Lodge for the night. It was so much fun!! The weather cooperated (depending on what you wanted) and we enjoyed 14 inches of snow during the night. Josh had to dig the Durango out the next day for us to go home.

Tom and Ann temporarily lost their minds and slept with the window open, so they enjoyed snow INSIDE their room. I guess people from the South don't get as much winter as they'd like at home, so they get as much as they can elsewhere. The lodge was so much fun to stay in. We played games by the fire at night and had yummy yummy food. For those of you who don't know about the lodge; the exterior was used for The Shining and it was built in the 1930's during the depression by workers in the WPA. Below is what it looks like looking straight up from the second floor window at the Lodge. Notice that the snow is much higher than the window. They have an average annual snow depth of 21 feet and receive about 45 feet of snow a year.

The lodge is about an hour from Portland. The picture below was taken out the window in our room. The corrugated metal thing is what keeps the entrance open in the winter due to the high snow depths.

It is a very cool place to visit year round. Sadly, Tom and Ann left on Tuesday and Elisabeth had to go back to work. We had so much fun during their visit!!! And hope they come back soon.

Last weekend Josh played volleyball 1/2 the day on Saturday and Sunday we had a marathon set of potlucks. We were gone from 9:45 AM to 7:30 PM! Busy times, but we're having a lot of fun. Tonight there is a snow advisory in effect for the Valley (Willamette, not LA), so maybe we'll wake up to snow.

Is there a doctor in the house??

Josh started a soft tissue internship in the student clinic this quarter in addition to all of his other classes and the first set of boards he has to take. It's a load and a half. When he works on one of his patients, Josh has to dress like a doctor. I love it. Today, I saw him in his gear, complete with lab coat and official id tag and I had to share.

I think he's the handsomest chiropractor in the joint. Of course, I may be slightly biased. Magnum was also very impressed by his daddy's paraphenalia.

Anyway, Dr. Josh is now a reality. And I'm so excited he's getting to the fun parts of all this schoolwork - the part where he gets to help people.

January Happenings

Well it's still winter in Portland. It's warmed up to a nice 48 degrees (feels like 30 with the wind chill). In the past few days, we've had some strong winds, which means the low clouds that hide the beautiful mountains have been temporarily blown aside. This is the view at the park across the street from us when I got home tonight. You can see Mt. Hood in the background.

It's now getting dark around 5:20 PM, so I actually get to drive home in the daylight! Magnum has been having lots of fun with a new friend named Blake. He's a 7 week old puppy that our friends Trent and Tiffani just got. He's hilarious and to watch Magnum and this wee pup interact is even funnier. Tiffani and I were in stitchs watching Blake try to jump up on our "back porch" (more like oversized step). Blake would run and jump up, unfortunately clotheslining himself in the process. We sadly did not get that on video, but I did record Magnum and Blake's first meeting. They're a little wary of each other in the video, however, after several meetings they now get along even better. Magnum is tolerant when Blake bites his tail and Blake understands that to touch Magnum's bone is a declaration of war.

Have a great Groundhog's day tomorrow!!

Snow!!!

We've been getting false promises of snow from the weatherman for a couple of months now, but until yesterday we had no snow. When we woke up yesterday, I asked Josh if it had snowed and he confirmed that my hopes for a snow day home from work were just wishful thinking. He went to school around 7:00 and there was still nothing going on in the snow department. Then when I reluctantly opened the garage door to head to work at 7:30, I saw this thick shower of snow coming down outside. I was so excited, that I went back inside and grabbed my camera and took some pictures.

Magnum came out with me. He was so frisky from the snow. He kept tearing around the yard in circles just getting out his energy.

And if you know Magnum, you will realize how odd this behavior is because when it is time for me to go to work, Magnum usually has already got his napping spot comfortable on the couch. After taking the pictures and consulting with an office mate about whether Concordia would be open, I decided to turn on the 4 wheel drive and head to work. In retrospect, I should have stayed at home and waited for the sun to come out and thaw some this first. Despite the fact that I have a big SUV, 4 wheel drive and was driving slow (25 mph or less) and pumping the brakes when stopping; I still spun around some. Another friend of ours was less lucky, she hit a fire hydrant and a wall. Under the fast falling snow, was a thick layer of ice and it was very difficult to drive on. I got to work just fine, but I stressed about going home for most of the morning. So around noon, I went home to work for the rest of the day. Sure enough, it was thawing, but was still really icy in our neighborhood. I took more pictures.

This is the most snow we've had since we've moved here and we loved it!