Please PRAY...

I became very good friends with a spouse of student from my school while in Dominica. Ashley has become a sister in Christ who I am thankful for everyday. She has a knack for story telling, bakes a mean loaf of bread, but more importantly, has a heart that longs to know and serve the Lord.

Her baby cousin Joseph is 3 year old. There is a link to his blog on my page. If you haven't read it - please visit his site.

Joseph was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. His diagnosis came when I was in my 3rd semester in Dominica. We prayed for Joseph and his family then...and we are still praying for him.

Many of you are parents or want to be parents. And many of you know how I have nothing but babies on the brain! So, when I think about Joseph - I can't help but think of his Momma and Daddy - that want nothing but to have their little boy be healthy.

I ask today - that you take a moment - and pray for Joseph and his family. Pray for healing for his brain tumor. Pray for comfort for his family. Pray. Pray. Pray.

PRAYER WORKS!!!

If you don't believe it does - there are miracles all around you. It brought you to this site didn't it - and you are one more person who will know Joseph - know his story - and be touched by his life.

Ridic...

This is how they practice medicine in Miami...bikini's, stethoscopes, and lab coats..SERIOUSLY.

Ridiculous. Great word. It sums up the past couple of weeks. Why, you ask?

1. I am just now getting used to being in Miami. And I move back to Dallas in 19 days ( 19 days, 458 hours, 27527 minutes)...as of 10:12 PM Eastern time on July 19th...but I'm not counting.

2. I have 3 tests, a power point presentation, and a paper due...all in the next 19 days.

3. Refer to #2...as of today... still have not been given the due dates for the presentation or paper...RIDIC...

4. I spent $65 on dinner...again...Miami is EXPENSIVE! But, time with my friends is PRICELESS (awww).


Jamers and I at a $65 dinner. That drink was $15.
I am going to miss her!

I love my friends!

5. Jamie and I are LOSING IT!! We have a 45 minute physical exam test - where we have to do an entire physical on one another in 45 minutes - head to toe...and we are having WAY too much fun practicing!!!

Umm yeah...she's trying to look super serious...but she's in a bikini top..and lab coat...

6. I am more excited about surfing the 'net for cupcake recipes for a baby shower I'm hosting than I am about finishing the semester.


7. I rehearse what I'm going to say for the physical exam test while I'm working out. Imagine being next to somewhile while they're running or on the elliptical and the person saying, "Ok, now I'm going to listen to your heart. Can you please lift your breast?" That person is ME!

8. I come home in 19 days (refer back to #1) but I am going to be living in a hotel...in Dallas...8 miles from my home...to study for the USMLE.


9. HOLY CRAP! I'm studying for the USMLE (United States Medical Liscensing Exam).


10. I am blogging rather than studying!!!


Keep it FLAT (that's for you, Craig, Joe and Pete)! Love ya'll!

Wow - another post in less than 24 hours..

Hey ya'll! Can you believe it - another post.
Normally I ramble about what's going on in my life and just about random happenings in the Hounsel fam - but today I wanted to share with you something a little more personal.

If you know me - like REALLY know me - I am a worrier. It's caused me great anxiety in the past and I hate not controlling things, not knowing where I'm headed, never fully sure of God's will for me. After a lot of prayer, I realized that I've been kind of hypocritical in my life. Maybe I'm being tough on myself, but I realized that if I am going to pray to be a reflection of God's grace for others and tell others about the ultimate Trust I have in Him - I better start living and breathing those words of trust.

Trusting. Really trusting God with today, tomorrow, this second, this moment - is difficult to do. But, if you really believe that God has control of everything - and NOT just the things you pray about and choose to give to Him - tomorrow and today is already taken care of. And aren't we so blessed that we have a God that doesn't just do things half way - but He brings things to completion better than we could ever imagine.

In discovering and really praying on Trusting God, I found a sense of contenment and joy I haven't experienced in a long time. Now -I'm not saying that I have become this amazing spiritual being - but I now understand that if I really believe that God has control over ALL things in my life - tomorrow (and the many tomorrow's there after) is already taken care - and I really just need to focus on today and giving my all to the moments and breaths God blessed me with in the present. I have a lot of work to do and I know that praying for joy and contentment is going to be a daily, hourly, minute by minute prayer in my heart.

My quiet times in the morning is usually spent journaling and reading the bible but I began reading this awesome devotional book called "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. It's led me to this realization and I am thankful God placed that book in front of me when He did.
The book also talks about how we CHOOSE to perceive things. How our sense of peace and joy can be changed by a shift in attitude and not necessarily by a change in our circumstance.

There was a story about a woman who was not happy in her new marriage. She thought it would be romantic, fun and exciting - but as many of us kn0w - marriage can be all those things - but it's also a lot of work. The young woman complained to her mother about her marriage and how unhappy she was in her circumstance. Her mother said nothing to her but later sent her note that contained these two lines:

"Two women looked through prison bars
One saw mud, the other saw stars."

How do you look at your life? What do you see?

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
- Philippians 4:11-13

I lost my first patient....

*** Read below to see continuation of the title on this post***
These past couple of weeks have been busy! I am so happy I was able to go home over the 4th of July. It was filled with friends and family - the two most important things EVER!

Congrats, Mom!

My mom became a citizen on the 4th of July - how cool is that!

My niece Sofia turned 2 on the 3rd (and I missed her bday last year since I was in Dominica), my good friend Kristen got married...all this in 3 days! Although I had to cut my time short at most of the things we went to because there is just so much I can do with as little time I had - I was so thankful I was able to be invovled in these momentous events in the people's lives I love the most. What a great time!

Craig hanging with his buds - Pablo and Uniqua!

So Happy! I love you Sofia!

I don't know who was happier in wearing those birthday hats....

I love birthday parties!

Being silly with my parents! I LOVE YA'LL!!

Kristen and Kent! Kent-sten! She was a BEAUTIFUL bride!

This past week has been...interesting. I had another rotation. This time it was family medicine which is a doctor who does a hodge podge of everything - from pediatrics to older adults. Jamie and I got sent to this clinical site with very little information. Hmmm - probably because no one spoke any English. The docs and medical assistants spoke English but the patients did not. So we were warned when we came to Miami to brush up on our Spanish - so we both have our trusty Spanish-English medical dictionary handy. BUT - the patients spoke CREOLE AND FRENCH!
Now Shauna can be my witness - I learned NOTHING the 4 years in highschool French class (except that I have visions of cows and animals walking in the hallways....that's a long story for another post).

Anyhoo - the doctor had a philosophy that the best way for us to learn is for us to do things hands on. I absolutely agree - BUT - we had no way of communicating with our patients! So - the nurses or doc would stick a patient in our room and they had NO CLUE we were medical students, NO CLUE we were about to ask them to do a full physical on them while many of them were just there for follow up visits, and NONE of them were told what we'd be doing.
So - we had to communicate as best we could. Praise God the majority of patients we saw were understanding and my TERRIBLE French got me through the physicals.

Our first patient - VERY interesting - but - we lost him. Literally LOST him. It was our job to walk the patients up to the front after we saw him/her, make sure they had all their paperwork/prescriptions, schedule their next appt, etc. I walked the patient to the front counter - Jamie was behind me - the patient asked the nurse where the bathroom was - he went to the bathroom and NEVER came back. We walked around the urgent care center and couldn't find him. Oops...

My large group lecture this week was interesting as well. We had a 2.5 hour lecture by a SEXOLOGIST!! Yup - Dr. of Sex - we learned about boy and girl parts, boy and girl brains, what happens if the parts don't match the brains, talked about where we liked to be rubbed, and was handed water-based lube, female condoms, Magnums, OH YEAH! Med school is fun :-)

Learning how to put in an IV...yikes

Intubated my first "patient"...

What I've learned this semester in Miami..

this is my 5th semester in medical school and I'm on the path to start clinicals. This semester has been such an integral part of my past two years and I'd like to share with you some important things I've learned during my time in Miami.

1. You're never too old and it doesn't matter if you're single or married - The Bachelorette/Bachelor is still an awesome show! TEAM JASON!

2. House - the show on Fox - is KEY to my success in diagnosing patients.

3. Just because Express sends you coupons does NOT mean you have to use them.

4. Grocery shopping is never a quick trip - somehow - picking up a "few items" always results in a shoppping cart full of "essentials."

5. Forever 21 is NOT just for 21 year olds.

6. You don't count Chipotle or Qdoba as fast food.

7. Dwight Shrute is my real soul mate - sorry Craig ;-)

8. Waiting until the day before a test to study isn't the end of the world.

9. Sweating through your top is a law in Miami.

10. Being back in the US is a way more expensive than being in Dominica...BUT much better!!

Happy 4th of July - in two days!