Rotations

I'm almost done with my first rotation, which is really crazy to think about. I've been at the Department of Corrections Central Pharmacy. My last day is Wednesday and I think I had a pretty good first rotation. It was a nice ease into the rotation experience and the people that I have been working with are really great. The pharmacy moved while I was there so I helped move and set up a pharmacy, which was an interesting experience. Also getting to learn more about the DOC has been interesting for me to do.

My next rotation is in India and so I will try and update my blog a little more while I am there so people can follow what I'm up to. I'm not promising that I will be good at this, but I will do my best. I fly out of Des Moines in about 2 weeks on the the 29th of June. There will be 4 other Drake students will me for the full 8 weeks and 2 more students are joining us the last 4 weeks. On Wednesday Courtney and I went shopping for stuff that we would need and today I went and exchanged some money. It's crazy that we're leaving so soon and I'm still not really sure what to expect, but I am excited to learn more about India and experience their culture and learn more about how they do healthcare.

Beginning of Summer

Now that I have 4 weeks of summer to reflect on I have done quite a bit so far. I don't have quite as many pictures as the end of the school year because I have been slacking on my picture taking so I apologize for that. Here's a bulleted list with some explanations of things that I've been up to so far this summer:

• Watched my dad graduate from Hawkeye and then went out to eat at Peppers
• Went to zoo brew with Courtney
• Made dinner with Courtney, Meron, and Emily at Meron's house and watched the Bachelorette
• Had happy hour at Granite City with Courtney, Meron, and Emily and caught up on how our rotations were going
• Went camping with my family for Memorial Day at Saylorville (it rained most of the weekend which wasn't that cool)
• Started my rotation
• Went to Minnesota to visit Chris and met some of his friends and hung out with him
• Hung out with Erin, Marc, Courtney, and Chris at Jethros, Blue Moon piano bar, and the farmers market (was also my first farmers market of the year)

I've had a pretty good summer far I just wish it would be a little nicer outside and not rain quite as much. Some other highlights include watching the first season of Arrested Development on Netflix, getting to the 51st level of Candy Crush. 

End of School Year Rewind

Since Traci recently reminded me that I haven't posted in quite some time I decided that I would do a couple recap posts of what I've been up to lately. I really don't have an excuse of why I haven't blogged. I mainly just forgot about it.

The end of the school year was full of a lot of time spent with friends, which was really nice.

For relays weekend it was great to spend time with friends who came back to Drake and just seeing people that I haven't seen around Drake in awhile. Intervarsity sponsored a free taxi service and so Courtney and I helped out by passing out cards on Thursday night at one of the bars. We had some nice conversations with people and all the students were really excited and appreciative of the free taxi service and the ability to get home safely. The actual relay events were also a lot of fun and the weather was really nice so that is always a plus.  I also went along with some friends to all 4 campus bars, which was something that Courtney, Erin, and I have been talking about for the past year. We finally did it and had fun. I also ran my first (and probably only) half marathon on the Sunday of relays.

I also spent quite a bit of time with the ladies from yellow house. We did a lot of random hanging out those last few weeks of school, which was a good time. I'm really glad that these girls came into my laugh during pharmacy school because otherwise these last couple of years would have been quite a bit worse.

Some other highlights of the end of the school year included:

• VEISHEA: introduced Courtney to the celebration and also hung out with Isaac, Carina, and some of their friends
• Had my cousins bridal shower in the great town of Castana
• Courtney's parents were in town and we went to the Flying Mango (a restaurant where we have wanted to eat at since freshman year)
• Mother's Day picnic with my family and grandparents
• Pinning ceremony: all the of the pharmacy students got a pin and nametag before we went to go on rotations
• P3 party bus: after our last final most of our class went together on a party bus
• Finished my classes and took my finals now I'm done with classes forever

I think those are the only big things that happened in the last few weeks of school or at least what I can really remember. It's crazy to me that the school year ended 4 weeks ago and that I won't be in school anymore. It still hasn't fully sunk in to me yet. Here are some pictures from the end of the school year events:

Courtney and I at the parade

Siblings at the parade

Erin, Laura, and Nikki downtown

Some of the members of the old FYS reunited downtown

Chris and I at the relays

Pharmacy girls during relays

Erin, Courtney, Nikki and I at the library

Friends after the half

Family after the half

Grandma and me

Chris and me

At Flying Mango

With the mothers

With the grandparents

Family

Party bus

Pinning Ceremony

15 Things to Give Up to Be Happy

Someone posted this article on facebook today and I read it and really liked it. It was a great reminder of things that I can work on since I pretty much do all 15 things to try to be a little happier and not worry so much about things I can't control. I would encourage you to read it.

The start of many lasts...

I've been doing quite a bit of reflecting lately with friends as it begins to hit us that this really is the end of our college career in the classroom. As pharmacy students we've had a rather long period of saying goodbye to Drake and our friends.

I feel like I had a lot of "lasts" last year with the end of being a DG collegian such as: last formal, last night living in DG, last time being a student with many of my friends, last chapter, etc. As I said goodbye to a lot of my friends when they graduated it seemed like I would be at Drake forever. I mean I still don't graduate until May 2014 (which still seems like a long time from now), but now I'm realizing the year went rather quickly. It's still very strange to walk on campus and see people wearing letters that I don't know, or to walk across campus and feel really old since I don't recognize the majority of the student body anymore.

Now it's just starting to sink in that this really is my last week of classes. I will never again be a student going to class everyday, sitting in lectures, or going to labs (unless I decide to go back to school which is very unlikely). I won't be seeing the same group of students that I've been in class with pretty much everyday for the past 5 years.

Courtney and I were talking about all of this tonight at her house and just reflecting on our friendship and also just our Drake experience. I told her that I really don't think it'll feel real that I'm not a student until everyone is on rotations doing their thing and we don't see each other in class everyday. I was also joking/serious that it won't feel like it is really different until October when she's not in Des Moines with me anymore and we can't just call each other to hang out on the spot anymore.

It's also just strange to reflect back on these past 5 years at Drake. When people tell you it goes by fast so enjoy every minute you really don't believe them. Especially when you're having a bad week or are super busy with tests/projects/papers/etc it seems like this college experience will never end. But now I see how fast it really goes by. It seems like just yesterday sometimes when I was moving in freshman year and didn't know anyone. Now I really feel like Drake is my home and I can usually walk anywhere and see at least 1 person that I know (or at least recognize).

I also don't really think that I've changed that much since I was a freshman at Drake. I feel like the same person, but then when I reflect back on the past 5 years I see how much I've changed and grown. This has been a time for me to really figure out who I am and what I believe in. It really has been a time of me just being able to live life with people who have different beliefs, backgrounds, etc. and really learn from them and try and understand them better. College has really taught me so much about who I am and I think I'll be leaving Drake a much more confident person and someone who is much more sure of themselves. Not that I have things figured out by any means, but I at least am on my way and am much more comfortable with who I am.

So here's the a week of many more lasts: the last day of Monday classes, Tuesday classes, etc., the last time having a test in college, the last time sitting next to the people who have been there for me these past 5 years, the last....

I'm so thankful for my "Drake Experience" and all of the people who have been a part of it. For all of the times I hated pharmacy school (and I'm sure they'll be many more in these next couple weeks) I'm very thankful for the chance to be a pharmacy student at Drake. I'm also very excited/nervous to start my first rotation in a couple weeks and to learn so much more about what being a pharmacist really is about.

Thanks for reading through my mess of reflections and hopefully some of it made sense. Right now I feel like my brain is just a jumble of emotions/thoughts/etc. with studying and preparing for rotations that I'm not sure if it really makes any sense.

Being Known

This week at Greek IV we talked about the woman at the well and one of the things we discussed was how everyone has a longing to be known and accepted. And to the Samaritan woman at the well that is exactly what Jesus did he knew all of her crap and told her about it, but still accepted who she was and loved her. We discussed how that essential is what everyone wants. We're all really good at putting on a face and acting like we have it all together to the majority of the world, but what we really want is someone to actually get to know us and see all our crap and be ok with it and love us. If you're lucky you get that in your close friends. They are the people you can take out your frustrations, hurts, etc. but they will still always be by your side loving you no matter what. Even if you don't have that with friends it's so awesome to know that Jesus is there and no matter what you do or don't do he already knows and he is always there waiting to love you. I just love that and I love looking at Bible stories with new groups of people so that you get to see it through different eyes and pick up on different things.

We also watched this modern day interpretation of the woman at the well which was really awesome.

Through this discussion someone shared a poem that someone else had given her that was really good so I thought I'd share it on here (to the 3 people that read this blog). The author is unknown as far as we know, but it's still a really good and an awesome reminder of all of the amazing plans God has for you and how much he longs for you to be satisfied in him before you look other places.

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.

But to a Christian, God says, "No, not until you are satisfied,
Fulfilled and content with being loved by me alone,
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to me.
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship with me alone.

Discovering that only in me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship,
That I have planned for you.

You will never be united to another
Until you are united with me.
Exclusive of anyone or anything else. Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning, to stop wishing, and allow me to give you
The most thrilling plan existing . . . one you cannot imagine.
I want you to have the best.

Please allow me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.
Just wait, that’s all.

Don’t be anxious, don’t worry
Don’t look around at things others have gotten
Or that I have given them
Don’t look around at the things you think you want,
Just keep looking off and away up to me,
Or you’ll miss what I want to show you.
And then, when you’re ready, I’ll surprise you with a love
Far more wonderful than you could dream of.
You see, until you are ready, and until the one I have for you is ready,
I am working even at this moment
To have both of you ready at the same time.
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with me
And the life I’ve prepared for you,
You won’t be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me.
And this is perfect love.

And, dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love.
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with me.
And to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union
Of beauty, perfection and love that I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love you utterly.
For I am God. Believe it and be satisfied.

God is full of jokes

I thought that was an appropriate title as today is April 1. Also bare with this post as it could be a lot of rambling, but I wanted to get my thoughts down and I sort of planned the post during my drive home so it may make some sense.

 Today was the first official meeting of Drake Greek Intervarsity. I've blogged quite a bit about it over the past year, but today the small planning group of us actually expanded and we had a real meeting. We were expecting 1 or 2 additional people to our small group of about 6-7 and there was actually about 20 people that came. We were all pleasantly surprised. It just goes to show that God takes your dreams and desires and does things with them that are so much better than you could have imagined.

It's so crazy to think how all of this started and so awesome to be reminded that you never really know what small seed you are planting that God can use to grow into something really amazing. I never would have thought that my sophomore year at Urbana when Beth Ann talked about starting a Bible Study in DG that 3 years later we would be having a greek intervarsity meeting with representatives from 4 different chapters. If you would have told me that even last year when we got the idea to actually start something this would be the result I wouldn't have believed you.

It really shows me how much God is needed and wanted in the greek system. People are obviously looking for something and it's great that they're reaching out to a Christian organization to find that something. It also shows how much God can use people to really do his work. Today I was also reminded just how much God uses people where they are at and pieces us all together to make something awesome. Thinking about the DGs before me that were involved in Intervarsity, the people who went to DG Bible study with me, the people who met last year at Drake Diner to talk with Beau, went to Greek conference, and have been planning Greek IV this past year all came together and God used us to bring others that we know together for a common purpose and that is just so awesome. It's also crazy because it really was just people inviting their friends because we haven't gone to each of the chapters yet to tell them about it.

I'm glad that I've been able to be a part of this growth and see the group change even though it can be strange at times since I'm not really a part of the greek system anymore. I love that they still welcome me and don't find it to awkward that I'm still hanging around.

I'm still just in awe of how much God still surprises me and how awesome he really is. I also can't wait to see how much more he uses this group to change the Greek system at Drake and make it a place that really shows God's love to each other and is a community that really blesses those around them.