I mentioned that I would be moving? I’d like to introduce you all to my new home!

Sarah … and The Third Degree have joined the blogosphere. This is the last move until (at least) I graduate with my MPH. Join me in my journey from PDX to MPH, and I hope that you update your bookmarks!

This post will remain up for two weeks, and after that, the journal will be set to private!

… as soon as my toenails are dry (I gave myself a mini-pedicure) I am going to bed. 9 hours of work, 10 hours AT work, traffic and then three hours with Gwen & Russ over dinner. I am EXHAUSTED!

Tomorrow is graduation … there will be pictures, eventually … until then I need some sleep … badly!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

… and not just in the head.

Well, strike that, it is mostly in my head, but lives in my sinuses and my throat and might possibly be moving to my lungs. Tomorrow I take my last final of my second undergraduate degree … and I am so ready to be done, and my body is telling me so. Last night I didn’t fall asleep until almost 2am. I was awake at 6am. This is for the fourth night in a row. It’s no wonder I’m getting sick.

There is a girl on So You Think You Can Dance who has my maiden name. Not the one I was married with and not the one I have now … and not the one I was born with … my dad’s last name. LOL I think that’s pretty cool since it’s a rather rare last name. Neato-pateato.

I need to try to get in bed now. Maybe then I can sleep before 2am. If not, I’ll get up and finally watch the season finale of LOST. I still haven’t seen it … I’ve been a tad busy lately.

Tomorrow, 10:15am Pacific time, be praying for my brain to work right with regards to epidemiology. I need it. Seriously. Please. PUH-leeze!

First and foremost:

I am moving my blog.

As soon as I have a snazzy new name, I will be moving my blog. I am moving to South Carolina and want to track it all and provide information for my family and friends who need to know. If you suggest a name, I’ll give you a shout out … no matter how ridiculous the name suggestion is. If I chose your new blog name, I’ll send you a book from my collection AND give you a fantastic shout out! A great name will be easy for my mom (not a tech-gal) to remember. The best blog name will be easy for Mom to remember AND be witty (a play on words, something about me moving, just plain fantastic.) Please help a gal out!

So let’s continue with that entry where I just kinda quit … because I got lazy. On Saturday after working at my local Farmer’s Market (I handed out samples of cinnamon almonds for six hours), I saw Sex in the City with my friend Shannon. We had a great lunch at a new (to me) bistro and I tried new food. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was decent so I ate it all! Sex in the City made me cry not once, not twice, but three times! I won’t spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, but I totally cried. Yeah. I also want to be Charlotte so much more now … except the Poughkeepsie scene. I’ll pass on that one. LOL After the movie I came home and ended up going to bed early. It was a good day.

Sunday I spent most of the day at the library studying for HPPP and writing a paper for Global Health. It was busy, stressful and frustrating to me because I ended up hating the class with a passion. Seriously, by the end of the term we had started calling the Professor Dick Fuckwater*. He expected SO much from his students but gave us no concrete expectations … so we didn’t know what he wanted, but he wanted fabulousness from us in everything we did. He, on the other hand, did not put out fabulousness, and so it was a one-sided requirement. Not cool with me.

I took the final on Monday and got at least a B on it. That means I got an A in the class. Done. Over with. Finally. I also worked on Monday and that was a rough day … I had to leave out of balance and I hate hate hate hate HATE doing that, so I was anxious. I shut it out while studying for the HPPP final and then did fine on it. I then spent the next FIVE hours on campus preparing for Tuesday.

I got up today at 5am. I got to campus today at 7am. I was the second person inside the library this morning and reserved the presentation room for our group. We practiced there until 9:30am and then headed to class. We presented second out of five groups and we were clearly the most prepared. A on that. The 11 page paper? Well, I only edited two questions (about 3 pages) and then gave up. I turned in the paper and am DONE with Global Health. No more of that garbage either. Afterwards I spent five hours in the library typing up 15 pages of epidemiology notes/review for the final on Thursday.

Tomorrow I work and then will spend another five hours or so somewhere (not home) studying for the 10:15am exam on Thursday. (I am a bit concerned about the exam, but am working hard to come to terms with not getting an A in the class.) I work all day Friday, have The Way (church) on Friday night, and then GRADUATE on Saturday. I have eight guests coming to watch me walk, and I am SO excited to have them. Mom, Dad, Melissa (who I’ve known since I was 12), her life-partner Roxanne, Gwen**, Russ**, Sara and her husband Brian are all coming. I’m hoping to get a group picture (if possible) or at least a picture of me with each of them. These are eight of the ten or twelve most important people in my life and they’re all coming for me! I’m so happy. Today I had to spend $28 on a gown, cap and peacock blue tassel to wear along with one of my pretty dresses. I’m gradumacating peeps!

This entry turned out about 500 words longer than I thought it would. Sorry about that.

*kinda close to his real name, but I changed the last element.
** the ex-husband’s mom and step-dad.

I spent five hours in the library today. I studied for one class, wrote a paper for another class, and ate some carrots and grapes and tomatoes. Yesterday I worked at the Farmer’s Market selling nuts and had a good ‘ol time. Then I saw SATC with Shannon and had another good ‘ol time.

I am still seeking suggestions for a blog name for my USC blog. I had one, then chose to delete it. I need something simple for my mama to remember and still kinda witty and funny. Got a suggestion? I’ll give you a shout out if you even suggest something. Seriously. I have no mojo to write so maybe this will give me some writing urges as well.

I still also haven’t written about Wild Horse Canyon. Sorry. It was good … I am in a bit of a different place because of it.

I have three finals this week. Monday and Tuesday and Thursday. I work Monday and Wednesday and Friday and so I’m a bit stressed about getting everything taken care of. That’s why I wrote an entire 11 page paper today in two sittings. At least it’s done.

Jamie and I figured out that I need to get a 53% on my HPPP final tomorrow to get an A in the class. How lame is that? I can’t skip it, because I actually need those 3% points, but totally silly. I’ll end up essentially acing the class.

On Tuesday morning I have a global health presentation on Central America. We have 20 minutes, five people (four of us talking) and have somehow ended up with 36 slides. We also cut 16 of them on Thursday. I don’t know how we’re going to get this fixed. That’s what tomorrow’s meeting is for. The 11-page paper I wrote today is due on Tuesday for this class. This was probably the worst class I’ve ever taken at PSU. There is an entire entry in my head dedicated to this class.

On Thursday I have my epi final. I work until 3pm on Wednesday but then will spend the next 12 hours cramming my brain full of study design information. I can do this. I really really really want to get an A in this class, and I might have to “settle” for a B. I’m already in graduate school though so I shouldn’t complain.

Keith and the Girl is still really entertaining. I haven’t talked much about them lately, but if you’ve never heard of them, check ‘em out. Their podcast is freakin’ hilarious and even after days like today, it manages to make me laugh.

I think that’s it.

This pointless entry was brought to you by friend* brain (can be purchased through Global Health, PHE 444).

*this was actually what I typed and then posted. Mommy Is Moody pointed it out to me. Talk about fried brain!

Image via Wikipedia

1. Have you voted for Zoeyjane’s boobs yet? You should. Go vote for #17. Please. She deserves to win. She has nice bewbs.

2. Thursday: lots of school, homework, writing, WEGOHealth.com work and then group work. After that there was much work drinking 2 beers and eating tater tots. It was a fabulous evening. I also let a close friend tell the only guy in our group that I thought he was cute. There were digits exchanged.

3. Friday: awful, awful, awful day. Ended up taking myself to Urgent Care for such severe migraine pain my vision was being affected. Dr. Shin* prescribed Midrin, Phenergen, and then let me know that I most likely have a bit of whiplash from Saturday’s Screamer/Swing in Wild Horse Canyon. Great. He sent me out with Percoset, too. Before yesterday at 4pm, I had never felt the insanity of Percoset. My reaction? “I feel fuzzy and floaty!” Migraines suck. Good thing I get better insurance 7/1, so I’ll be able to get back into a neurologist and get this shit taken care of. I hurt and I hate it.

4. Saturday: more to come. Go vote for ZoeyJane’s rack now, please and thank you.
*like your leg. Hah.

Image via Wikipedia

God is good. Wanna know how good He is? He is gave me a chance to become a University of South Carolina Gamecock, and made it so painfully and obviously clear that I am to go when USC offered me a full academic year deferment today. God is so good. So so very good.

In August of 2009, this blogger will be joining a few hundred other MPH students at one of the highest ranked Master in Public Health programs in the United States. I am still in utter disbelief, and don’t think that it’s really set in yet, but in less 15 months, I will drag my lived-in-the-Pacific-Northwest-all-my-life booty from Portland, Oregon to Columbia, South Carolina. What a life change that will be for me. Seriously. SERIOUSLY.

I truly appreciate each and every comment that you fine ladies left me on my last post. The wisdom and support you shared with me did not go unnoticed, and I even managed to reply to a couple of you. I will be sharing some love really soon for those who have previously shown me some love. I’ll be shouting your name from the blog tops (since I don’t really have a roof to scream my love from).

Day before yesterday I texted my friend Shannon saying “I feel a big change coming for my life,” not quite knowing what I meant or what I was really feeling. I now believe that God was preparing my heart for one of the biggest changes of my entire life. Once I figure things out, I will be moving my blog (I know, again … but hear me out) to document this change. I am working through blog titles and would love suggestions. Here are some bits & pieces ZoeyJane and I have been discussing this evening:
- it is 2,800 miles from Portland to Columbia
- my program is the MPH - Master of Public Health
- MPH also stands for miles per hour
- I will be studying health education, promotion & behavior with a concentration on women’s health and global/international health
- my ultimate goal is to save Africa from HIV/AIDS
- I’m moving from the Pacific Northwest to the South (culture shock, anyone?)
- I am going to have to get used to a Southern drawl, which I am totally stoked about
- if it weren’t so dirty, I’d use “From A Beaver to a Cock” or a play on those words

*One suggestion that is in the air is for the link to be “from-PDX-to-CAE” (airport codes) and the title to be “From a Beaver to a Gamecock”

What suggestions do ya’ll** have?

Father God, you know my heart, and how much I truly wanted this. When you told me “no,” at first, I remained faithful, as I know you have a bigger plan for me. I trust that you will take care of me no matter the situation, and I believed that you knew I wasn’t quite ready for graduate school yet. You tested my faithfulness, Lord, and I praised you for teaching me lessons in patience and humility. Then God, you turned around to bless me with an acceptance to my dream school. I don’t deserve what you have given me, and I am incredibly grateful that you know exactly what I need and when I need it. I continue to seek your face and to ask you what you want me to do with my life. You are making it clearer and clearer, and I am more and more excited to find out what tomorrow will hold. In your precious name, Amen.

*Ben Hecht
**look, I can already use “ya’ll” in a sentence

Image via Wikipedia

My life changed tonight. Well, in theory, my life changed tonight. I took the garbage to the dumpster, I then checked the mail and had four pieces. Two were junk, so they were trashed immediately. One was my paycheck from WEGO Health and one was an envelope from South Carolina University. Since I knew what the paycheck was, I figured I’d open the USC letter to see that they had officially sent me (on paper, not just in email-form) my rejection letter for graduate school.

I opened the envelope to read the following:

“Dear Giraffe Parade*, On the recommendation of the graduate faculty on behalf of the Dean of the Graduate School, I am pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to The Graduate School of the University of South Carolina. Your admission to the MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH Program in HEALTH PROMOTION, EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR is effective for the Fall 2008 term.” and then there were three more paragraphs of blah blah blah must get your shots and you can’t get in until then but you also have to abide by our Graduate Studies Rules and blah blah blah.

Uhm, hi. I was rejected by you guys about three months ago. At least I thought I had been. I guess I couldn’t read it right … so maybe you don’t really want me to go to school there. Or maybe you do.

So, now I have to make a plan, and figure something out. This is what I have planned right now:

1. Call USC tomorrow morning. Ask if the sentence “Admission is generally valid for one academic year (unless your department specifically indicates a shorter period).” really means “you can defer your acceptance for one academic year” like most other graduate schools allow. If USC allows deferment, DEFER for a year.

2. If USC doesn’t allow a deferment, solicit prayer and guidance from those I trust and respect. I know what my academia mentors are going to tell me (”GO! This is the number one MPH program in the nation! You’ll never have this chance again! GO!!!”) and so I will probably talk with them, but understand where they’re coming from. It’s the other mentors I’m curious about. My mom, Sara, Terra and Shannon have already told me that I need to go, but I’m curious as to what some of my other friends have to say.

Christa gave me a really clear idea of what the situation may entail. Her words were; “Sarah, the Lord was testing you when He told you “no” about all of you graduate school applications. When He saw that you were faithful to Him and not angry with Him about His decision, He blessed you instead.” This could very well explain things, but I am still struggling with the fact that maybe He is testing me again. I was SO at peace with His decision of NOT going to grad school.

Portland State told me no … but the number one school in the nation told yes. I’m so confused. If you are the praying type, please pray that God makes it VERY clear in my life what He wants me to do. He has been blessing me with so many things lately, I’m wondering if this isn’t just His icing on the cake of my life. So pray that His Word is clear to me, and that if USC is what He really wants me to try out, that I accept the HUGE change this could bring and just go.

So yeah, if I can defer, I will. If I can’t, I’ll be depending on the Lord to make decisions clear for me.

What do you all think? If USC doesn’t defer, would it be the biggest mistake of my life to decline their acceptance?

*So nice that they know not to use my real name online!

PS - If I go, classes start August 21st. That’s 3 months and 3 weeks away. *cries a little bit*

“HI Sarah,

I just ran one for you and it says you are done.

BZ”

That is the most recent email from my advisor letting me know that I am DONE with classes this week. I have two internship credits to earn over the summer (until the end of July) but that’s it. I’m technically done August 1st but I walk next weekend.

Any Portlanders want to come to my graduation? My parents aren’t coming (the only reason I was walking … which could lead to another post) and so I have some extra tickets. Let me know!

… but eventually I’ll find it.

For now, since I still have too much homework to recap my weekend away, I’ll share two pictures with you.

The first picture is of Katie, me & Christa. We rode the 50ft swing. Yeah, fifty feet. They drag you up that high and then you have to release YOURSELF. Halfway up the three of us started screaming and wanted them to let us go from there. It was SO worth it - some amazing views over a ginormous cliff. Totally cool! I’ll probably never have the chance to do something like that again, and I am totally stoked that I was able to do it.

The second picture is of Jamie, drinking Multnomah Falls. One of the girls in Team Mom Van (we took a mini van and seven girls to the camp) had never seen the falls, so we stopped. Jamie jumped out and faked this, so I reset it all up and made sure to get a good shot. I love the colors of the sky and the trees and the water, and then Jamie just being a total goof ball. She is a really cool cat and I’m blessed to have gotten to know her.

Hopefully there will be some more time to get more pictures and more stories up soon!