So it Beings.... Pre-med wife

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Results and possible future changes?

It's been a while as usual. To sum up the following months of waiting for interview notices for MD schools, we are now getting rejection letters... It's be a painful process and now it's at the end point. The notice deadline is April 30th. It's March 28th and we've heard back from 4 of the 9 schools we applied to the second 'go round'. I think it's safe to say we aren't getting in this year.

Am I upset? Yes/No. Is my H? Yes....

This was a dreadful process for H to go through. I feel awful that he didn't get in but I am relieved. I say this because after a baby and this crazy adventure, I needed a rest before moving. I was feeling a little selfish but relieved. He has been nonstop with school and testing and for him to get rejections is pretty crappy. I think we assumed we didn't get an interview when the first of the year hit. That was interview time. But we heard from people that sometimes notices can happen in early spring. So we were crossing our fingers. I was hoping for the best for it to happen since we worked so hard these past years and for him not to get in was rough.

It seems like it's a scam. You pay $35 for the initial application. Then they want a second application which costs between $60 - 180. Times that by 12!!!! Ya.... It's ridiculous. Luckily we had put savings aside for those application costs.

So after the first rejection I was praying hard and getting inspiration. What if this wasn't what our path was? What if this happen for a reason? H would say I was giving up easily and he was wanting to reapply next year. I argued that I wasn't giving up but thinking about new possibilities. Events happen for a reason. And God will either help you along the way if it is meant to be or he won't.
So after praying for a few weeks about our new path, I had this experience. I knew there was something out there that was different that could be better for our family but wasn't sure what it was.

The 'aw' moment happen at a playgroup. I was swinging baby #2 at the park and I was swinging next to a fellow church goer in our community. He is a MD resident and has a family of 5. I know his wife too. In the past, we've talked about her experiences being with kids and him in MD school. Lets' just say I wasn't to thrilled to hear what her life was like. She had 3 kids and was going through the motion.

The resident knew H and was asking about his application status. I broke the news not knowing if he knew. He then proceeded to ask if H has considered the 'P.A.' route......
I knew as soon as he said 'PA' that was it! I don't know why this didn't sink in before! I asked a ton a questions and had this inspiration come over me to really do the research to approach H about it.

H could be a Physicians Assistant!! I researched when I got home from the playgroup. I was able to concentrate despite the 2 kids all over me. I called H's mom and asked her opinion. She agreed and reminded me that H's father was PA first before a MD and absolutely loved it. It was better for their family and the amount of school was far less demanding. She actually preferred the PA schedule more too with the kids growing up. He was home more and they had a life.

PA school is ONLY 2 years.....ONLY 2 FREAKING YEARS!!!! I about gasped when I heard that. My first thought was H could spend time with the kids and be around!!!! I was so excited!!
Here I was thinking, how old were the kids going to be when H was in school for 10 + years.... H would be missing out on so much of their lives! Dance classes, soccer games, school programs, you name it! I grew up with a single mom and not really in my dads life and felt like I would be doing that again.

Yes, H will have to take 2 semesters worth of community courses and the GRE (which is an easier and cheaper test then the MCAT). BUT he would be done being a PA doing that and the 2 year program and making an income in less then 4 years!!!!! I mean, seriously?! I would rather give up 2 years to testing/book study then 4 years of school, testing, study groups, 2+ years of residency's, on call hours, and 3+ years of a fellow program any day!

On top of that, there is a PA school down the street!! I'm not saying we have to go to that one but wow! it would be less of a stress then having to move! There are still a ton of PA schools in our state so we can still move if needed, even to another state. I wouldn't mind! Especially knowing there's only 2 years needed!

The best part about that career is a PA can specialize in anything and anytime!!! They can jump around! If H wants to do PEDS one and then move to a radiology, he can!!! He's not glued to ONE specialty for the rest of his life! He'll never be bored and will learn!

So how to approach H about this was the next step. I had to get my ducks in a row and be smart about it. Boy did I mess it up... I mean it was fine but I freaking gchated him at work!! worst. idea...
He was open to it but I wish I would have waiting until he got home. Would have been a good discussion. In the end though, gchat is a good ice breaker lol.

I informed him about the addition courses, GRE and shadowing experience he needed when he got home. and then after the girls went down for the night I brought it up again and I think it clicked for him. He seemed to get a little more into it. Wasn't fully committed but it was in his head!

from that discussion, it lead to a few nights of bringing it up again. I'd ask and he was still on board but wanted to still apply to DO schools (easier to get into then MD schools and same about of time). I was a little shocked at first and probably came across not on board to him. We had a little argument but later discussed the real reason I was wanting him to pursue PA.

You would be in your kids life! I shared my thoughts and feelings and we really got into it. I told him about my inspiration and praying. He felt like he was giving up too easily if he didn't apply again. He likes to complete things and this goal of his was uncompleted if he didn't try it again. I understood and we discussed our life we would have with the kids if it was only 2 years. His income would be starting at $95K a year... crazy? He wouldn't have to wait 10+ years to make that!! We would have a steady income in less then 4 years if he started this year on those courses!!

To sum up, he seems to be on board and is considering it. I would have supported him either way. Honestly. If we didn't have kids and started earlier, it would have been possible. Kids and being a little older added that stress. His end goal was to always end up in 'medicine'. So this route he can do all areas of medicine and still learn and grow!

Love him dearly and hope to follow up with some good news this year on his additional courses. Until next entry!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Waiting for the big news!

We'll folks, it's been a few months. So much has happened since the last post on H's classes being done. We had our 2nd baby girl on 9/3/16 (which i'll do another posting on later about) and H applied to a good number of schools in state and a few out of state. We are waiting to hear back on some interviews. We got rejection a few weeks ago that really put my Husband in a rut. I think the fact that we haven't heard back from anyone is really getting to him. It's been 2 months since he's applied and he's getting nervous. We both are.

I hear more then likely won't hear back until after the holidays and it's already Thanksgiving tomorrow. My guess is that we won't hear back until sometime in January but who knows! I do my best and try to remind him about that but really, schools sometimes don't get back to you until April. I did some research and some articles say that you can actually call the schools admin office to check the status of your application. So hopefully H checks in January if we haven't heard anything.

It's been really stressful. I try to be upbeat about the whole thing and reassuring to H but it's hard to be when you are just as stressed too. The unknown of next year if we get in or not is really annoying. Since I've been home with the kids from leave I feel like that's all I think about. I know H does too. Especially when his job is stressful and at a standstill.

Whatever happens, happens I say. If we are here another year, it won't be the end of our lives. If anything, it'll be another year with our family and friends! It's hard to since H has been working none stop over the last 2 years on getting his school done to apply. He hasn't taken a break at all and he was worn out by the time he had to start actually completing the applications. Those applications are insane! Multiple papers you have to right for just one school.. And he applied to like 14 or so!! I don't know what's worse, working on the applications or waiting for a notice of an interview!!

The best I can do as a wife is support him in his decision. I can't be easy for him to follow his dreams after 2 kids, turning 30 this year and walking away from a job (which was temporary to being with)... From what I have witness during this whole trial is that God is watching out for us. He has lined up everything perfectly to get us where we are today. If we don't get it, the timing isn't right. He has bigger plans for us if that's the case. 'It's in God's hands'. BUT we need to do our part in this too. Spiritually, mentally and emotionally. We have been slacking on our religious responsibilities as parents and we need to make sure our girls know what's right from wrong and the blessings we get from when we follow our Savior's way. Sorry for the tangent, I've needed to say it :)

In the meantime, I can do my best to prepare our kids for what comes in the future. So much evil is out there and everyone needs to be prepared to face it in life.

Since I'm terrible at updating this private, personal 'blog' of mine, I feel it necessary to make it a goal to do it weekly like a journal entry. If I don't do it on here I will do it in a written journal. Life is too short and I've noticed I don't record everything that our family has gone through. Especially when it comes to the cute little milestones of my girls. I want to record all of those memories!!

for the next posting, I'll do the birth story of our new addition baby girl 2! Until next time :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Monday, June 6, 2016

Living within our means

I was merely going to just vent my frustration about paying bills. I guess this isn't related to med school but it does pertain to our lives so why not :)

**Update 2016 - I never officially posted this when I wrote it in 2014. I am posting this but will do another post soon related to finances.****

I wanted to take on the role of the official 'pay bill person, accountant, or whatever' title when I first decided I was going to stay home with BG. (BG - baby girl). One thing I have noticed, is that I am very punctual when it comes to paying our bills! I figured I can at least do that much since H (husband) is at work all day. Plus taking care of BG, cleaning, my FT job and sometimes cooking! I was ok adding it to the list since I try to stay in the loop when it comes to our finances.

After we went through the home buying process last year, I realized I didn't know a thing about how a mortgage works or home owners insurance! The process is really complicated unless you do your research. I felt like I was a deer in headlights when our realtor tried explaining things. I ended up asking H tons of questions after our encounters. As a first time home buyer, I advice all to do your research. I was constantly researching the market and how it worked.

Once we closed on our house I decided it'll help me to be more involved in our finances. So after each pay period I get my little calendar out and figure out what's due. I budget for the 2 week period before H's paycheck hits us again. Granted I am making a little money on the side but that goes straight to his tuition. The 2 week budget system consists of me figuring out if we need gas, food, etc. Usually during that time frame I strain our account until there's like $100 in our account. Yes, $100. H's paychecks are good but as a doctors secretary, they pay him waaaay less then what he deserves. This man works his butt off at work and rarely gets the recognition for it. I'm not saying they treat him poorly, I just mean he should at least get noticed for doing what he does and compensated for it! His degree wasn't even necessary for his position he is in now. Which I don't even understand. With people with no degree asking for the minimum wage to be raised is ridiculous. Sorry to go off on a tangent but my husband is a hard worker. I just hate seeing his talents go to waste, especially sitting behind a desk dealing with ridiculous patiences/doctors.

Back to my point, (if there really is one here) is that I try to stick to our budget and live within our means with his paycheck. BG and I try to stay home as much as we can to save on gas. We do need to get out at least once a day for our sanity. Even if it's just for a little walk down the block. We do play dates here and there for us to get some kind of social life. I try to save on diapers as well. I ended up doing cloth diapers and wipes. So far, we have saved at least $600 in the last 7 or so months. Not bad :) I can get into details of my cloth diapering experience if anyone is curious. (that's if anyone is reading this haha)

We do have a Costco membership that I think saves us as well. We probably can't afford it all the time but it's nice to know that I can get formula super cheap from there. I do breastfeed too but BG is so demanding with food that I need a break once in a while. We get bulk items of the basics. Cheese, bread, chicken, meat, TP, etc. I try not to go over $50 every visits, which is every 3 or so weeks. This week we went and I had a budget of $60 because I needed chicken, formula, the basics again. Those basics though cost a lot. A bag of the frozen chicken I get is $23 add the formula, $17. Gets pricey!! H and I decided to go together. I hate to admit it but when Im with H, my budget doesn't exist. I tell him that we only have $60. We ended up spending $170!!! Not what I had in mind!! Granted, the stuff we bought was part of the basics but I didn't factor in baby tylenol, ibuprofen, advil, fish oil and 2 things of formula!! The necessary items are expensive. I rather have them in bulk then buy little bottles 3 or 4 times.

That's where I get annoyed. Even though we do need those items, I can never budget for it. Like I said, we probably can't afford Costco but I rather spend a little more to get more in quantity. Is that terrible? We ended up putting it on a credit card. We hate using credit cards. We are trying to get to using 'cash only' after paying our credit cards off but sometimes it's just easier to swipe that card. We have 4 credit cards total. 2 of them are our actual accounts that we try not to use unless it's an emergency. 1 is my account that is mostly for our 'spending money' (really needs to go to savings for tuition). The last card is our Costco American Express. The membership is pricey but we try do only Costco purchases and gas on it. You get cash back for using it though. We ended up getting $180 back from the AE card alone this last year. You also get cash back from the Costco membership as well. So it's an investment I guess. I haven't really calculated if it's even worth it.

Getting closer!

I should have written on this amazing accomplishment from H but I failed... Too much going on that week and there was never time!! I'll do another post on the details :)

Not to keep you guessing but H completed the MCAT on 4/23/16 and received his grade on 5/24/16. Through that whole waiting period, he was freaking out. Assuming the worst. Low and behold, he scored at a 31-32 nation wide!! Not only that, he scored highest in the 'C.A.R"s section (critical analysis... something something) with a %99 which is basically a %100!!! Apparently out of all the sections on the test, that one will get well noticed when we send in the applications soon! Which should be this week, finally!

Poor H has been working so hard with his last semester, work and completing the necessary steps to achieving his goal for applying to med school. he's waiting on his last letter of recommendations from one of his doctors he works for and then he needs to write his personal statement. Applications technically open tomorrow but he's trying to aim for this weekend to get everything submitted. With his crazy scheduling during the week, he can't find the time to write his statement.

His last semester started a few weeks ago. He's down to his 2 last classes. Physics II and Bio Chem II. Basically, he sees these classes as a waste of time because he won't use them in med school and the MCAT is over with that he already knows the subjects. It definitely doesn't help his momentum when his teachers are strict. He's gone 3 days out of the week to those classes right after work. It stinks but at the same time we are looking forward to the end, which is in 11 weeks!!! That count down is also the count down to when our #2 baby girl is due!! So double duo

We have quite the adventure ahead of us. After this weekend, when the applications to our top schools have been submitted, we will be in a 'waiting period' until we hear back on a first interview. We are trying to keep our submissions in state to keep the tuition costs down. We should be fine but just in case, we are also applying out of state to some cheaper schools to keep our options open in case 'instate' doesn't work out.

I've learned that I really need to back off when trying to help motivate him. Basically, during the MCAT studying months, I tried to do a schedule for him to help and also pushed him but I think I learned he needs to be on his own with stuff related to this. Such as his application process. I tried to set goals again to help but I've noticed I need to back off and let him do his thing. That's part of my 'controlling' side coming out. If I don't see a result instantaneously, I get annoying lol. So for both our sakes, I just ask a basic question of 'How's it going hun?", I try to anyway :)

As for me, since I'm crabby from being pregnant, work FT and basically run the house and our 2 year old BG, I'm down to my last wire. I say this because my energy level is dropping! Could be because I'm pregnant but I have never been so tired in my life. I wonder what it's like when we are actually in school with H gone all the time. I should be use to it but idk know if it's going to be the same like we have experienced before with H working FT and night classes. But then again, it could be that i'm just 7 months pregnant! I swear, this baby is going to kill me! I can't sleep with this thing in me anymore lol. Endless kicking at night and my back fading quick. Not sure how. much. longer... I can take lol!! still 3 months really!?

Sorry for the rant, I'll probably do another post of me just complaining to vent my issues haha.

Anyway, once this weekend is over, we will be waiting to hear back form schools. After the first notice and a good interview under our belt, H will be awaiting his secondary application sometime in October 16 of this year. That's when we find out for sure where we are going. Boy time is going to go by slow.....
Until next post (hopefully after this weekend when the applications are officially out)I will update!

Thanks!

Saturday, April 16, 2016

MCAT prep thoughts

It's coming up in exactly one week. H's MCAT test. H has been prepping nonstop for the past 4-5 months. I'm so stressed and worried for him but I can't show it. I'm trying to be the strong one between both of us. Trying to make him ignore everything else going on so he can focus. I think he's getting sick due to the stress too which doesn't help. Poor guy. We celebrated his big 30th birthday this week. I wanted to do a big surprise 'get-a-way' but I with the test next week, it wasn't going to happen. I'm looking forward to it being over with but at the same time I wish he had a couple more weeks to prep.

Luckily, he was able to take the whole week prior off from work to study. We agreed he would be absent from BG and myself for that week to get ready. He's even going to his work's library to study instead of staying at the house because he knows he'll get distracted with my 'to-do' list. I do fill bad that I have to through a couple little bill calls his way before he starts... I've done all I can do on my end but need his help to figure out some med bills...

I wish I could find a way to calm his nerves a little. I think I try to do better at prepping lunches and dinners for him too so he feels the love. I tried to take him out last night for a little post bday date night with just him and me since we mostly had family around on his actually bday. I hope that helped but my goal is to make next week stress-free at home so I've accepted being a 'single mom' for a week for him to focus better. With BG almost at 2 1/5, she's a handful and it doesn't help when I'm 20 weeks pregnant and have no energy to keep up with her!

For his actual bday we found out were having another baby girl!! So that was a fun bday surprise. I thought we were having a boy from 'gut' feelings but that wasn't real... lol. I'm really excited though. I was saying it might be a blessing in disguise since I only wanted 2 kids and mentioned if it's a boy I'm done!! But now... oh my, the pressure is on!! H is really excited though about another girl. He loves the idea of spoiling and being all smothering with them as appose to being 'stern' with a boy. If that makes sense? So it'll be fun.

With H prepping for the MCAT, a night class, working FT and our crazy home life, I don't know how he keeps sane!! He's not one to show emotion on his stresses usually but with this test coming up next week, I'm seeing signs of anxiety. I know no one reads this but I'm asking for prayers towards my husband during this time. I mentioned that to him the other night that I'll be asking for prayers from family members for him but he responded with, isn't it interesting we only ask for help from God when we need it and ignore 99% of everything else religious in our lives?'

It was hard to hear but he was right. Lately, actually, since we've been married, we haven't been fully invested in our religious duties. Church, tithing, scripture reading, FHE, etc... That made me sad to think and realized we need to do better and this opportunity might be a good chance for us to start back up again to be FT members in our church. I think I'll write a separate post on that topic later on.

As for family and friends support, we have a good support system. We are definitely blessed to have them around for good vibes and prayers. I think everyone takes advantage of that, having a support system. Makes you think, if people didn't have that, how they go through stresses and life in general.

I want to say after this test is over with we'll take a break but the reality is, the path to Med school has only just begun. May 1st is the open date for filling out the application for 2017. We then have to decide on where to apply, letters a recommendation, essays and figuring out the costs of applications!! Don't even get me started on 'moving' plans... We still need to sell our house next year and have a baby in August... H has 2 classes left for the summer semester and will be done with his prerequisites finally!!

After his last semester this summer we'll have no classes to worry about until he starts med school the following summer/fall semester. I say summer because I hear depending on where you get accepted, you'll have a bunch of orientation classes and possibly your semester starts in summer. So it'll be interesting on what we figure out once we get to that point.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Is it over yet?

Worst Blogger ever - did I lie?

Last entry (which I never finished) was back in May 2015. Pathetic, right?

I warned you!!

But I'll give this another attempt.

It's already March of 2016 and this year has been crazy. H is taking Physics 1 and studying for the MCAT in April. On top of that his job and life is demanding. Poor guy never catches a break!!! If I were him, I would have a melt down everyday. He holds it all together really well. Can't imagine the stress he is going through. I also went back to work FT, got pregnant and changed BG daycare situations...Yep.. That's life right now!

He's got a couple more MCAT books to go through before he starts doing the practice tests. He's wanting a '30' score which is the acceptable score for his schools right now. Im sure he'll get it if not above that.

I'm trying to cut him some slack though. With being 16 weeks pregnant, my emotions are crazy. Plus we have a 2 year old that is none stop. I've gone back to work to help with the finances of this school journey and to keep sane. He puts up with a lot!!!
I started out when he started MCAT studying, with a hard schedule to follow by. Gave him goals to get each book done with a few weeks to spare for practice test.

Let's just say, I've backed off because I can tell it was overwhelming him when I would bug him about it. He's got a lot on his plate and the poor guy needs a breather once in a while, not me saying, "shouldn't you be studying?" every freaking day....

I just want this to be over for him though. As each week approaches, he gets more and more overwhelmed. He was convinced in the beginning he would spend weekends with us but now, he's realized he needs to study those days because those are the best full days to get a good amount of hours in.

I convinced him to only do one class this semester because the MCAT would be a pain. I'm really glad he listened to me. He was wanting to take 2 classes like always on top of studying... Insane!!!

I think now he's seeing the light with his classes though. He's only got one more semester (summer) left!! 2 classes total!! He's so close. After April 23rd, he'll be able to breath from testing and focus on school applications and killing those 2 last classes!

It'll be a tough few months with waiting for the test results, applying, essays, and his full schedule again BUT it'll be the last bit of it before the year long wait for Med school!!

Everyone says it's worth it in the end. That's really hard to understand now BUT im sure in the next few months it'll finally be over!!

I'm looking forward to the year break for him to relax and just work. Luckily, he'll be done with night classes and can help me with the new baby when it comes in August.
Once summer 2017 hits, we will be having to make A LOT of changes.. Selling, finding a new place, accepting (fall 2016), etc.

That'll be stressful but we are looking forward to the change and that H will be able to finally quit his job and do school full time with only that and family as stress.... (we say that now but im sure more stress will follow)

Until next entry... (October maybe? lol)

Sunday, May 17, 2015

2 down 3 to go!!

This is a really late post. This gives you an idea of my actual journal writing habits. Last entry was about 6 or so months ago? Typical me....

We'll 2 semesters down 3 more to go!! H's has just started his Summer semester. Biology 1 (online) and Organic Chem II (campus). After this semester he'll just have 2 left. Hopefully.... The last 2 semesters went by surprisingly quick! For BG and I anyway, H probably feel's differently. Those semesters were tough on us. He was gone 3-4 nights out of the week with rare times to see BG. We only had weekends to really do anything. Which I guess isn't too bad now since we have no idea what we are in for when he does get into medical school.

Glad this semester he's only gone 2 nights out of the week. Although, he probably wouldn't admit it to me but I think he would rather take Bio 1 in class. From what he's told me, this class seems
like it will stress him out more since it's online then Organic Chem II. Actually, that's not necessarily true. He recently expressed that his teacher might be a little too relaxed and might have to basically teach himself. So hopefully this semester isn't too straining on him. H isn't one to show anxieties easily but just before our Wasington DC trip (I'll get into that later) he was really feeling the pressures from work and school. I had to be the 'rock' that night and calm him down. We try to trade off when we are stressed and it was my turn to be the 'rock' this time.

Overall, he's really done an amazing job of balancing everything from working FT, Family, church callings, & night school. That night he freaked out was seriously the only time I really saw him feel pressured since he's started last year. He manages stress pretty well. I try not to expect him to be home but I have noticed that even with his crazy schedule, H really finds time to be with us. Always puts us first!

I'll get into our Washington DC trip now! As of right now, I am writing from our hotel in DC! It is literally located right behind the U.S. Capital Building. So awesome! I'll post pics at the bottom of this entry but we are here for a couple of days because of H's research conference. H is actually on his way back from a lecture and BG is napping in the bathroom in the hotel's pack n' play. Hey, don't judge! We are in the handicap room which has a huge bathroom. It's dark, roomy and a perfect setting for her to sleep. We just have to hold it at night until she wakes up!

To revert back to H's research, he was approached a couple of months ago from one of his doctor's he works for, to help him with his research as an assistant. So now he is doing 80% secretarial work and 20% research. What an amazing opportunity! Not only is it great on H's med school application but he get's the chance to get published! Oh, and the added bonus of trips once in a while for all of us haha. Can't complain one bit :)

H has worked so hard to get recognized at work that It seemed to finally paid off. His doctors love him and his work ethic. I'm sure his interest in med school has also helped him get noticed too. I have to say though, about a month or so ago, he was approached by HR about a job position that would have been a little more on his paycheck. He declined it because of this recently research position. I was a little reluctant about that decision but I understood his research was a better opportunity for him to further his med school process.

I'm so excited for the opportunities he has in front of him. We still have quiet the journey ahead but I know we are following the right path because God has laid everything out perfectly for us. Seems to always work out when you are doing the right things in life when you put God in the picture.

(Pictures Below are out of order. BG's first plane ride start towards the bottom and our first day of touring the Jefferson Memorial are at the bottom too. There are also images on H's phone that I will add later.)

The view from our hotel room. Might not see this as a view but if we had a bigger window, you would be able to see the Capitol Building to the right!