Philly

I had an interview at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia last week and being so close I decided to go drive up and do an in-person interview instead of over the phone. My brother's fiance' is doing an internship in Virginia as well so we went up for the day. We stopped for a Philly steak while we had some time in the morning at Pat's.

 Apparently it is the ORIGINAL Philly steak but the one across the street also claims to be the first.

 Don't worry, I changed for my interview.

None the less we experienced getting Philly steaks in Philly. It was fun. There is a special way to order and you know it's a legitimate place when they only accept cash! Then I went for my interview. The interview went well and it was a great (one of the best in the country) hospital but Philadelphia is a FILTHY city! There was trash everywhere and it smelled bad. There was no parking anywhere so people would park on the median in the middle of the road. Quite the adventure!
After the interview we went to see some historic sights. After finally finding parking we got there right after it closed..5:05pm. Since when do historic sights close at 5PM in the summer? They obviously are not as great as DC. So we got a few shots through the window.

It was nice to visit Philadelphia but I had my fill of the city after one day. I am glad there were other internship opportunities for me elsewhere.

The Verdict is in...

After weeks of interviews and a LOT of faith I have a plan and an internship! I will be completing a Therapeutic Recreation internship this fall at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. It is still in the D.C. metro area so I will still be in D.C. and I could not be happier! NIH has an incredible recreational therapy program and they have created an internship specifically for me so I can work with kids. I am thrilled to be in a well established recreational therapy program where I can do what I am really passionate about and work with the population I want. About have of my patients will be oncology patients and the other half is a mix of unknown or rare diseases and disorders. I am thankful for really trusting in the Lord and allowing Him to guide my life and having the faith to let Him lead me. I could not be happier!

The Intern

Living in Washington D.C. you hear this phrase all the time. Almost everyone here has been the intern at some point. I am looking forward to the last time. Being the planner I am, I started working on internship applications last August. I have spend hours researching, willing out applications, doing pre-interviews, editing and revising countless times, and finally submitting my applications for the May 5 deadline. I think the hardest part through it all was putting all of my work of the past 10 months on these things in the hands of the postal service. I applied to four internships and within the first week I heard from three of them informing me that they were no longer doing a dual internship. This was probably the most nerve racking thing! But I know the Lord has a plan for me and is teaching me to trust in Him. I called my professor to update him on the situation and see what counsel he had for me. He said he had talked to a Recreational Therapist from the National Institute of Health and they really wanted a BYU intern and since I was out there it might be an option. If I were to take a child life internship I technically wouldn't graduate from college until I completed a TR internship so I decided I really wanted to get this college degree thing out of the way and went full steam ahead to working on this NIH internship. They have the best recreational therapy program in the country and would be an incredible thing to have on my resume. The whole application process to apply for them too the lesser part of an afternoon and everything was submitted. (Much easier than the other internships I was applying for!) I have an interview next week with them and hope things go well! (It's four hours!) If all goes well Washington D.C. will be my home for even longer! :)

Happy Graduation!

What a great and beautiful spring day! I have mixed feelings about today. I have loved my BYU experience and I more than excited to be graduating but very sad to leaving BYU. Coming to BYU has been one of the best choices I have ever made. I learned more about myself and become a better person and a servant of the Lord than I feel like I could have anywhere else. I have loved being taught in the context of the gospel. It is nice to be able to discuss the things we learn in the context of the gospel. Whether it be human biology, geology, or strengthening marriage and family the gospel is always the common string between all of us. But as I love and will always hold dear all of the great opportunities BYU has provided me, it is now time for me to "Go forth to serve". As for today, we will celebrate!

I was able to walk with these great girls! Natalie Lloyd, me, Lyndsy Christensen Smith.

 

Grandma and Grandpa weren't able to come down to Provo but I was happy to dress up again and celebrate with them in Brigham City.

I Dedicate This Day to LOVE

I love Valentine's Day! Regardless if I have a special Valentine or not. I always have such high expectations for this day and it never fails me. Yes we should show the people we love that we love them more than just one day a year but some people may be shy and a dedicated day gives them the courage to step outside their comfort zone. Some kind soul delivered Valentines to our door step which were lovely and such a small act of kindness can really change someone's day. Valentine's day is a day to serve those we care about. It is always fun to see people dressed up in the library on campus giving Valentine's and flowers to strangers. Last year when I was in the library, (this may or may not have been the second year in a row that I was present in the library at some point during the evening of this lovely day but it definitely wasn't bad) and a boy had made this little roses out of chocolate kisses and was handing them out to all the girls there. This may be a little creepy to some but he really put time and effort into it a wanted to make sure girls feel special. A little strange or not I appreciate his effort. So I dedicate this day to all those who take this day as an opportunity to serve and show their love through service and all the other lovely treats that come with this day!

Letter to Heaven

Dear Beautiful girl,
You passed away today and I know it was time for you to go. Sometimes dying is not the worst option. You taught me so many things in the little time that I was blessed to know you.
The first day I met you we spent the afternoon you kicking my trash in video games. You were happy despite your circumstances and that was the first thing I learned from you. The more I learned about your life the more I was impressed by you. I enjoyed the time we spent together the days and few weeks after that. Then there was a close call with death but knowing you, you like to keep things exciting. You were scared, and honestly so was I, I had never been in this situation before and I wasn't sure how to handle it myself but I knew you couldn't always be strong. Those three hours I spent that afternoon holding you as you cried wouldn't change for the world. From that day I loved going with you to your doctor appointments, playing uno with you for hours. I will never forget the day when I told you it was our last game of uno and you cheated for an hour and a half with over half the deck in your hand. When I finally caught on you said you were only doing it so I wouldn't leave. There are so many memories I have with you.
No matter how hard your days were you always we walking around encouraging others. Your circumstance was worse than some others but you never let that bother you. This was just something that you had to deal with and you chose to not let it define you. Even in your last moments I believe you were thinking of others and gave us the time we needed with you to day good-bye. Of course, you did it with your own spunk!
Cancer is a hard fight, and you made a valiant effort. You inspired me every day. I still think of you often and think of the heart you have.
You have a beautiful soul. I know you have a great to work to do. I am thankful for the time I was blessed to know you. I love you and I know you are still doing a great work. I can't wait to see you again some day!
With love from all of us still here,
Kendra

National Frozen Yogurt Day

Today is National Frozen Yogurt Day! Which at Yogurtland that means FREE frozen yogurt! I'll stand in line for that! We were there right when it began so the line wasn't too long.
It was so packed inside Yogurtland we decided to eat dinner next door at Smash Burger and make dinner out of it. I love frozen yogurt enough to stand in line on every February 6.