I'm taking my Medical Terminology class for the next six weeks. The class is really fun and clicking for me; I love words and language. My instructor is funny and colorful. Every class he tells us stories from his years in the emergency room that make me cringe and shiver, but they are FUNNY! and disturbing. We took our first test last night and I think I did well. Studying for the test was challenging, but I'll be able to study smarter for the next one, now that I know what they're like.
My friends Alison and Diana took the IBCLC exam yesterday morning. I'm so proud of and excited for them!! Alison felt like she was amply prepared for the test, which makes me feel good for my future exam. If all goes as planned, I'll be sitting for the boards in July 2013. I've been daydreaming about what I want my practice to be like. I don't know all the protocol for how to make it happen, but I am excited about the future.
Papi accidentally bought a Polar heart rate monitor for women, and he decided to buy the men's version and give the other one to me!! I am SO stoked. I can't wait to use it at the Y tonight. I'm very curious to see how many calories I burn during Zumba and weight-lifting. I'm going to practice using it at home first, which will be good because I haven't exercised since last Thursday.
On July 20th my great-aunt Dorris died. She was 89. She went to the hospital because she didn't feel right, and they admitted her into the ICU, and she died in her sleep. I only saw her once a year at the Wallis Christmas get-together; she was my paternal grandmother's oldest sister. I really loved her and she had a strong sense of family pride, loyalty, and hilarious sense of humor. The sadness I feel about her passing is mostly for my grandmother and my dad. My dad was close to her growing up; she always told funny stories about hosting ladies lunches and Bible studies at her house, and in the middle of them my dad would come bursting in the back door, grab something to eat out of the fridge, wave hi to Dorris, and walk right back out the door. He grew up playing and swimming at her house with his cousins. And my grandmother is very emotional and loves her family more than anything. The morning my dad let me know Dorris had died, I went over to Jo Ann and Sheridan's house and just hung out for a couple of hours, drank some coffee, and chatted about random things. Caleb was there too, working on the yard. Jo Ann was very weepy, but seemed to cheer up while we were there. Sheridan told me later that spending time with Caleb and me had lifted her spirits. The funeral was very nice; it was the first one I'd ever been to. Dan Stevens, my youth minister, led us in the same three songs that were sung at Daddy Clint, my great-grandfather's funeral in 1988. I thought that was a very special touch. Edd Eason also spoke at the funeral, and he's known my family since the late 70's; he said that Granny and Daddy Clint were the members of the congregation who first welcomed he and his wife, Tresia when they moved here. I loved hearing all those old stories.
At the funeral and gravesite, my grandmother was way less emotional than I thought she'd be. I was really nervous arriving at the funeral home because I hate seeing my grandmother cry; she seems very fragile and weak. My grandparents are so strong and larger than life to me, and I feel all shaken up when I see them in emotional states. I know I'm almost 30 and it's time to get realistic about their roles in my life, but I can't help it. :-)
