You can teach a Melanie new tricks!

I figured out how to do something on my blog-and it made me feel pretty computer savvy. It had been bothering me for the last few weeks that my OLD BLOG wasn't ever being read, even by me. It had alot of good stuff and memories in there. So, I wanted to blend it with my new blog. I know what your thinking. Your thinking "but Melanie this is your married blog!" Well, I usually am the only one to put stuff on here (sorry Trav does have cool stuff going on, but I talk alot more and this is my way of sparing him) so its basically still my blog. HA. Anyways...without his help (cuz usually I just have him do anything that seems complicated in regards to technology) I figured out how to blend my old blog onto this one! YAY! It was really easy to! Can I get a gold star please?

In it to win it!

Dancing with the Fairbanks Stars

Vote for Melanie and Kevin

Even if you can't be there!

We need your help to WIN and raise money for the LHS Ballroom Dance Team

Kevin set up an account.

See his profile here

Help us win!

At the fair, it will only cost a dollar a vote, so we are raising money $1 at a time. If you can only do one dollar, that helps! But you are also allowed to vote AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WOULD LIKE (for equivalent dollar value)!

Last time I danced with Kevin, we came in 4th place. We're shooting for the top 3 this time!

He's an excellent dancer (with a confidence issue)

And I'm very proud of myself for choreographing this routine myself.

Its to the song,

"I WON"T DANCE" by Jane monheit and Michael Buble.

We're first on the program, so if you can make it, be on time!

Afternoon show starts at 3, evening show at 8.

Video to be uploaded of routine after all is said and done.

SO EXCITED!

Happiness in Trials

"I'm not happy and I havn't been for a long time"

"I know how to repent, but this time, I didn't do anything wrong."

My friend said this to me the other day-she has got an unimaginably painful trial going on right now.

I've been in that dark place before.

And then I found my way out.

A priesthood blessing started the change for me. In it, Heavenly Father told me that "these trials come for one of two reasons. Either by transgression, or as an oppourtunity for growth."

With that insight, and knowing that I had not transgressed, a bit of the burden lifted. And I looked heavenward. What was I to learn from this? I looked in the scriptures. I searched the words of the prophets (we had a topical quote book-full of remarks from the prophets and apostles). I started filling my world with their comforting words. The burdens and sorrow I felt were not gone, but they were bearable. My own cross to bear.

Eventually, I had the epiphany that turned it all around.

Marla Lowder was speaking in church-and she read Alma 5: 26-27. After which, she asked a question. This question perplexed me more than the scripture so much, but what she asked was;

"Are we Humble enough to forgive our tresspassers?"

I thought about it alot in the following days and week. I prayed about it. And finally, after considering it for some time, I realized this:

Not forgiving the injustices which faced me would be like telling my savior that his atonement wasn't good enough.

Consider this, Christ paid the price already.

In the garden, he suffered the hurt I was feeling.

He knew what it was to be blameless and yet he took the blame.

He knew what it was like to suffer even though he didn't do anything wrong.

For me to continue in my grief and feelings of sorrow was too say to the Savior,

"You don't know what I'm going through.

Your sacrifice doesn't make up for what I've been through."

How prideful was I?

Though it took some time to completely let go of the hurt and anger and greif I was feeling,

My life was instantly lighter.

My trials were still there, but I knew I was not alone.

I could let go of the lonliness I felt.

I didn't have to be the martyr.

I have very poignant feelings and understanding now of the scripture found in Matthew 11: 28-30: where the savior says:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yolk upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my Yolk is easy, and my burden is light."

His yolk really is easy. His burden really is light. All it took was for me to understand my place and the role of the savior in my life. Even though I had done nothing wrong, I had a change of heart. A new resolve and understanding of life. Trials come and trials go. As Sue Hull always says,

"Life is hard and then you die."

What will I do with my time here on earth becomes the daily battle. If "Men are that they might have joy" don't you think God would want me to make the most of the trials that come my way? How do I do that? "Come what may and Love it" is a start.

I also try to follow the counsel of Gordon B Hinckley when he said,

"Cultivate an attitude of Happiness.

Cultivate a spirit of optimism.

Walk with faith,

rejoicing in the beauty of nature,

in the goodness of those you love,

in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine."

Sure does help.

You gotta start somewhere....

I am just some paperwork and an exam away from becoming a Certified Medical Assistant. I'm two classes away from an associates DEGREE. Love that word. I guess, now that I have completed my time as the extern, I'm now a Medical Assistant. I've got a job interview on Tuesday.

If you know anything about Orthopedics, got some stories or experiences, I would love to hear them. All I know about Ortho is that it deals with the musculoskeletal and nervous system, and that supposedly there's alot of wound care, dressing changes and the like. A Patient today talked about his time as an EMT and apparently, Bone chiseling is part of the Orthopedics department? Really? I'm hearing lots of stuff, is that because Ortho deals with lots of stuff? Or is everyone confused? I'm definitely confused. Ortho is what my job application is for. Please, any stories or experiences which would help me to get a better idea of what the department is all about, why patients would be seen there or you or a friend have been seen there would be much appreciated!

Disclaimer, I'm applied to ortho because it was that or urology. And, pretty much any department, I'd be just as unfamiliar with. I think though, that I will learn lots and have a grand time in ortho. Its not peds, but hey, maybe its better?

Follow up on the bird chatter I mentioned before, Peds can't open a position for an MA because they have to have the RN's for Triage. That is all.

Oh boy

Manda brought me my niece this week! Clara is stinking adorable! Still looks like a cabbage patch doll. I wish I had some pics from the lake last night, but I was too busy playing!

In other news, I finished the Family Practice and OBGYN portions of my externship. And, I bought myself a stethoscope! Its "Caribbean blue" and I love it. I feel more official. I also got my resume into TVC for the orthopedics position. I don't know much about orthopedics, but from the TVC website, the Orthopedic team of providers seems like a pretty cool group to work with.

As far as fun stories go, I got a great one out of Family Practice.

It was my last day in the department, and the girl I had followed all week had a family emergency and was out of the office. The girl who was filling in for her, was really hard to keep up with. She would just zip and zoom all over the place and I was left several times in the dust with nothing to do (cuz she did it all herself). So, at one of these points, I overheard Dr Day walking down the hall explaining to his MA "...Now this is a sterile procedure so you have to..." something something-idk, I didn't hear much after, "This is a sterile procedure." and having been left in Stephanie's dust with nothing to do, I quickly asked Dr Day if I could observe. After all, I'm going to be assisting and setting up sterile procedures for people in the future. So he brought me in and told the patient "This is another student, is that alright with you?" The patient consented, and then I quickly realized what procedure it was. I was about to witness a vasectomy. Oh boy.

I was doing fine till about 1/2 the way through, there was alot of pulling and tugging and my head started feeling really warm, and my ears really full, and I realized I needed to take a seat. The Dr, assured the patient that there was very little blood, and knowing me from outside of the office (as I'm good friends with his Daughter) also added a side note. He told the patient "She only been married, what, 6 months?"

I replied, "Less than that, we got married in March"

"Oh ok," Dr Day remarked, then stated, "Anyway, she hasn't been married long enough, she's not mad yet, she's still sympathetic."

hahahaha.

So funny.

What wasn't so funny,

In OB, there was so many hormones, my personal cycle reset. Not cool.

I realized after two days there, that its not my favorite department. Probably one of my least favorites. I mean, I thought I would really enjoy it, but-no offense intended to anyone, there's alot of really tired, uncomfortable, pregnant ladies about to deliver. Its perfectly understandable, I mean, they have these demanding little humans growing inside them, which I think is the neatest thing ever, but to work with the expecting mothers and hear every single one of them offer this complaint or that complaint all day long, it was too much for my well of sympathy. I think maybe someday after I have kids, it wouldn't be so bad, but if I were to stay there now at this time in my life, I don't think I would want kids. Don't get me wrong, babies are exciting, children make me SO happy, Travis and look forward to parenthood, and individually I have nothing against pregnant ladies or their vocalization of pregnancy woes. It was just seeing so many of them, one right after another, is too much for me to handle. And, I don't like how many pee cups I had to smell. Ick! I've never washed my hands so much as I did there. I mean, I know urine isn't a bio-hazardous material, but it smells, and its still gross.

Anyways, that's that. This coming week I finish my externship up at First care. So if any of you get sick, and can't get into your regular Doc, maybe I'll see you there! (Really, I would love to see you, but you don't have to get sick, lets go out for lunch or something!)

I've been poisoned!

I got my allergy shot today. It HURT. And the pain seems to be pulled by gravity into my elbow, then my wrist, and now my hand. My whole arm aches. And, I'm not handling it well.

I wanna be in Pediatrics for forever!

Alrighty, here's the low down.

I started doing those allergy shots a year ago. Allergy shots are taken care of by Dr. Foote at the Tanana Valley Clinic. He's a pediatric Dr but for allergy patients he doesn't have an age limit (YES! I wish I could still get stickers sometimes.) So, a year ago, I was going to the Dr every week to get my personal poison (Dogs cats trees and grass) in the hope of building a resistance and immunity. When Fall hit, and I started showing up for appointments in my scrubs, the nurses were excited (we're all friends on a first name basis when your that regular of a patient). I told them about school, and the medical assisting program, they were excited with me in December when Travis and I got engaged, they got invites to my reception up here. And, now that I'm done with my classes, and I'm into my externship-I got to work with them all for 3 days (with an externship at TVC I hit every department for a few days at a time). It was my first department for the clinical side of things, and I was nervous that maybe they had higher expectations for me than I was capable-but it was awesome. They were all very patient, very helpful. Working with the kids too was so much fun. I gave several immunizations, and after each one I would ask the kiddo for a hug, as I was just as traumatized as they were. The hugs really did make it better. In the allergy clinic I really felt like I could relate to patients as I am also an allergy asthma patient. As far as the nurses in peds, and Dr's go, I just loved everybody. Its a fun group of people, a patient and helpful group of people, and I feel like if I worked there I would have my dream job. It wasn't all a cake walk that's for sure, though we did eat cake and had a potluck at lunch one day for a baby shower for one of the receptionists. I came home exhausted after each day but I really felt there like I did my best, and that I made a difference.

I felt pretty good after I told Jean, the department head, that "Pediatrics is my dream department" and she replied with "it takes a special person to say that." Made me feel warm and fuzzy like something is meant to be. I'm watching their job postings like a hawk, because there are 2 new providers coming this fall, and that means positions for *cross your fingers* me!

All in all my externship is coming right along. I've finished my 80 hrs of back office, and I'm 24 hrs into my 100 back office hours. Tomorrow I'll be with PA Connover with Gina (CMA grad) as my preceptor. I'll work with them through Wednesday in Family Practice, then I head up to Obstetrics. After two days there, I'll finish at first care. Its all very exciting. Once these hrs are done, I'm eligible for work, and my certification exam is in Anchorage in October. By Christmas, I'll be ready to certify as a Phlebotomist, and graduate with my associates. Its an exciting time!

Family Reunion

Travis' sisters and their families came up for an Alaska Payton reunion. We had a total group size of 16! Traci and Keith got here first with their gang of 6, then Teri and Asia rolled into Town, followed shortly by Trinity and Sebastion, minus Kyle who had to stay in Utah and work unfortunately, but otherwise we had everyone there! On July First everyone but Travis' parents rode the train down. Grandma and Grandpa drove the truck, loaded with camping gear, and a rented 15 passenger Van so we could all get back from denali. In the park, we camped, and rode the bus shuttle to the Eielson lookout. On the way we saw quite a few Bears, Doll Sheep, a Lynx, some Cairbou, and crazy heads from New York. The closest animal (most photo worthy therefore) was the foxes, there were two. They ran around marking everybush, digging for ground squirrels (which we also saw a good amount of) and crossed the rd right in front of us a few times. It was pretty cloudy so we never got a good veiw of the Mountain, but the rain made all the green beautiful and lucious, and the flowers were out blooming. Loved every minute of it.

To top the weekend off we celebrated Independance day with a beautiful canoe ride. 16 of us fit into 7 boats. A few were canoes, and a few were some kayaks. It was beautiful weather, and we saw a moose skeleton on the banks, then 3 other live moose during the rest of the float, plus some baby duckies following their momma who didn't like us that much. Fish were jumping through out the day and the mosquitoes left us pretty much alone. Trinity and I also spotted a big brown bird, we are guessing it was an owl because its face looked pretty flat, and it had a HUGE wingspan, maybe 4 ft at least. After the canoe ride, we had a well earned barbeque with hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, and brownies. After that we set of fireworks and headed to bed.

The next day involved Gold Panning at Eldorado Gold Mine. I panned $20 worth, Travis $10. His Sister Traci hit the jackpot with $40 in flakes. Between all 16 of us, we probably had at least $200. I don't think that pays for our tickets though. Genious buisness plan.

On the way back from that we stopped at the Pipeline, and Pioneer Park. Later that day we took some family photos. I'll share those when I have some access to them. I can't wait to watch mine and Travis' family photos grow. Its exciting to see the variety in the Payton group, and know that from 2 people came this group of 16. It was Skip and Cindy's 40th Wedding anniversary this month, and I'm so very happy to be part of their family. Travis and I hope to beat their number when we reach 40 yrs! haha. Part of the excitement in being so close to finishing school is preparing for welcoming children into the world, into our family and into our home. They are already in our hearts and on our minds, we're just waiting a little bit longer.

Anyways, now that I've shared too much, enjoy the photos!

Paige in her inflatable Kayak

Lauren with a lady bug

Paige, Asia, and Teri panning for gold

Keith, Payton, and Traci enjoying the Canoe (and water)

Payton smiling through the bus window, just cleaned for our veiwing pleasures in Denali

Travis and Kayla

Beautiful flowers in the Park

Payton looking kinda like Cindy Lou who with the antlers of a caribou

Our Fox friend

Trav and I in Denali