I got in!

Wow, I have left you guys hanging for a long time--sorry! I have great news though. I have been accepted to Midwestern Univeristy's PA program. I was really impressed with the school when I interviewed there and they have a really great pass rate for the certification exam so I am very happy to be accepted to such a great school. Depending on how things shake out with my other applications we may very well be headed to Glendale, AZ in May. So I am really going to be a PA after all--does that scare you? :)

Taking Food Photos

I am no expert in the food photography department but I did work doing advertising for the food industry long enough to know that good food photography is essential. My personal philosophy with any kind of design project is to imitate the best until you get good enough to create on your own. I have found that that strategy has produced the best results for me and I am okay with not coming up with something that is 100% original all of the time. So, my personal food photography tip is to look at the best and imitate the angles and plating that they use. Now, if you want some tips from some people who really know about food photograph click here. It's a great article with some easy-to-implement tips.

Garden City Community Clinic

Every Thursday afternoon I head over to Garden City, nestled in the middle of Boise, and spend an hour or two volunteering at the Garden City Community Clinic. This clinic is run by Genesis World Mission which provides charity health care services domestically and abroad. It is a great non-profit organization which has a non-denominational Christian background and it's one of my favorite places to volunteer because the staff and volunteers really seem to have the spirit of what we are doing so everyone is happy.

My job is to meet with the new patients and go over their financial documents to ensure that they are eligible for our free services. It's a pretty simple process and when I have determined that they are eligible, I make a new patient file to keep their medical records in. It's an easy job but I love going and being a part of this great organization. When I am a P.A. I am planning to stick with this organization and continue to volunteer. They also have opportunities to go abroad and serve. Within the last few years they have opened clinics in Kenya and India, which I think is pretty neat! Just thought I would share something I do each week.

Reflection

With the crisp feeling in the air and the leaves crunching beneath our feet, Matthew and I have been thinking a lot about where we were last fall. The Northeast is such a beautiful place--especially in the fall. Here are a few photos to get you in the mood.

Faith

I like to listen to the A Prairie Home Companion podcasts when I am riding the bus to campus. On the way home the other day I listened to one and got this little tidbit of philosophy that I think is somewhat profound:

"I used to think that faith was sort of like a building block and you'd put all these blocks together and you'd build a house, sort of like the little pig built that the wolf could not blow down. And now I get older and I feel that faith is a matter of surrender. It's a matter of just giving up and leaving that house, just walking out and experiencing the cold and the rain and doubt and confusion, and trying to keep up your hope and some sense of gratitude. If you just keep up hope and gratitude then maybe that's all you need."

Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion

Great News!!!

Just this week I received my first invitation to interview for PA school!!! I am interviewing at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ on November 13th. I am so relieved to get one interview and it is pretty early to be interviewing so I am thinking it's a good sign.

For those who are unfamiliar with the application process I will explain what this means. When applying to PA school you first complete the central application service's application which you designate to be sent to those schools to which you want to apply. Once that's done then you send in applications for the schools, individually and this may include GRE scores, transcripts and another essay. Once that's received they decide if they want to meet you. If so, they call you for an interview. You go to the campus and meet with them in person for a day during which they decide if they like you even more. Then they let you know (weeks or maybe months down the road) if they will admit you.

I am really stoked about this because two schools have already notified me that they won't be considering me until they receive my fall grades. I figured that the schools would all take this position, but apparently not. I feel very blessed and this is a much needed confidence booster during a long and challenging semester.

School is going fine. I am doing well in my classes and Matthew is too. We just work our cans off almost everyday so we find we are tired and moody from time to time :).

New Recipe File Site

I have been neglecting this blog because I have been working on a new blog that will host all of my recipes. It includes both recipes that I have tried and liked and those that I think sound good and want to try so if you try one that I haven't tried yet, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. I have designed it selfishly to accommodate my use but I have tried to include suggestions or extra info about the recipes that might be helpful. So, check it out!

http://tastylikeitshouldbe.blogspot.com

Enjoy!