House Hunting

Derek had Spring Break this past week and we had planned to visit Pittsburgh, PA and hunt for housing in Clarksburg. Derek studied for COMLEX on Monday and Tuesday while I recovered from my Florida trip. We then traveled toward Clarksburg on Wednesday, it was a long drive and when the rain started coming down hard we decided to rent a hotel and spend the night.
Although Clarksburg is a bigger city, they don't have many rental options for inquiring renters. We picked up the local paper and called on the listings but most apartments had a 35lb limit for pets. I felt a knot form in my stomach thinking about the lack of options due to our dog (aka our first child). As we continued down the small list several managers allowed pets but only with a $325-$700 non-refundable pet deposit. We were hopeful and checked out a few places and this is what we found...


Please excuse Derek's unsteady hand, the elements made it tougher than usual.

If you think that's bad it only got worse from there. Not only would I have to worry about Acalias, Skofeild or myself potentially getting hit by a speeding semi truck but some of the rentals should have been condemned. I rented far better when I visited Costa Rica for 5 months and Tonga for 3 weeks, countries that are considered 3rd world!

Towards the end of the night we felt hopeless. We picked up a magazine for homes for sale and thought maybe that option would be better for us. The average rentals that we looked at were $600-$800.00. I felt like the rental rate was increased for the non-locals, not only was the housing terrible but the economy isn't that great in such a rural area. We searched for homes in the $35,000-$50,000 price range, if we found a home our mortgage would have been anywhere from $211-350. We wrote a list of all the homes we'd like to visit, said our prayers and went to bed.

The following morning we called more listings in the papers and a few Realtors. We visited a few homes and they were all in bad shape but a whole lot better than the rentals we had found. The homes were 10 minutes away from the hospital but I still didn't feel right about it. I had been a housing counselor for a year and I can recall many clients who purchased houses in the price range we were looking into. Most of them returned, overwhelmed with the amount of work they had to put into their new homes on top of paying higher utilities, taxes and so forth. I didn't want to get ourselves into a similar situation. That evening we didn't feel like we had covered much so we decided to stay another night. We discussed the pros and cons of purchasing a home, said our prayers and went to bed.

Acalias thinking 'Wasn't I wearing shorts a few days ago Mom? Why is it so cold? More time in my darn car seat again mommy?'


The next morning,we called a few more listings but the people didn't want to show their apartments until Saturday. We received a phone call from Derek's friends' Aunt(a local realtor)she had contacted a manager of a four-plex and scheduled a meeting to see the house at noon. We were elated to finally have the opportunity to walk through an apartment after several days of peeping in windows. As soon as we drove up to the complex we were both happy as can be. The neighborhood was clean, the streets were paved and the lawns were maintained (very uncommon out here in WV). We were shown the home and we LOVED it! It's two levels, two spacious bedrooms, a large kitchen, washer and dryer hook ups and 1.5 bathrooms. The manager will even accept Skofeild with no deposit. We were offered the apartment, it won't be ready until mid-May which works out perfect.

This is it! I'm excited for all the natural light, we've lived in basement apartments and our current apartment doesn't have very many windows. Notice the concrete driveway!!

Feeling so happy, even Acalias can sense it!

I am relieved. I have a wide road to run on or a paved trail 4 minutes away. I have neighbors near by. I have a ton of options for socializing just a few minutes away. I didn't see any big rusty loud trucks with confederate flags hung on their back windows. I felt safe. I feel blessed. I know the Lord knows our needs and he hears our prayers and for that I am very thankful.

Labor Day Weekend

We planned a weekend get away to several sites that Derek is interested in for rotations. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Medical school curriculum, Derek will have all of his class work completed by June. The upcoming two years will be spent rotating with a doctor(observing & performing procedures). Students can fulfill their rotations anywhere with in the state of West Virginia.
We would both like to live in a bigger city so we visited Parkersburg, Wheeling & Clarksburg. Parkersburg actually had sidewalks! It still seemed a bit small to me but Derek toured both hospitals and seemed impressed. I was happy to learn that the nearest temple is in Columbus, Ohio only 2 hours away rather than 5 hours we usaully travel to the D.C temple:) Wheeling is located in between Ohio and Pensylvania. The area the hospital was located in reminded me of of my mission in Oakland, California...so I'm not too giddy about that site selection. I think I'd worry too much especially if Derek was working really late into the night in that area. We talked to several locals who advised us of areas to stay away from, great neighborhoods to live in and so forth.

Here we are at a rest stop in Ohio on our way to Wheeling.

Clarksburg has a brand new hospital that hasn't opened yet. The area seems comfortable and diverse. We stopped by their Italian festival while we were there, I hadn't see so many people in one location since I attended the state fair last year.

Acalias did really well for his first trip. He cried only when he was hungry or needed to be changed, otherwise he was sleeping or grinning at me. I'm hoping that our trip to Utah will be just as smooth.

Pocahantas County Treasures...

We actually did more than attend the White Coat Ceremony when my father-in-law was here. Thanks to our adventurous friends (the Norths), they suggested we visit a few parks that they had enjoyed. I of course had my camera and I wanted to test out different settings on my camera, I love taking great shots. I would have taken a lot more if I didn't feel like I was slowing others down. Here are few pictures from our trip to Bear Town and the Falls of Hills Creek.



Bear Town, it was neat to see all the rock formations. I don't have many pics of Skofeild because he was driving us nuts!...me particularly because he whines during the whole car trip, it was like driving to West Virginia from Utah all over again.





My handsome honey:)



Can you tell these two were DONE with me acting like the paparazzi?



Derek is on his last stretch to completing Anatomy. His last test, the Head and Neck is scheduled on October 5Th 2009 (we plan a big celebration that day!). We keep thinking that after Anatomy, things will get easier because Derek constantly talks about his brain being filled to its maximum capacity. Realistically, we know school will get a lot harder. Derek has learned SO much in just the first two months of school, I'm excited for him to learn about nutrition and embryology, I love to learn from what he is learning.

I continue to be amazed at how keeping up the household responsibilities takes up the majority of my time. I started volunteering for the Gateway three times a week. I tutor a young gal with her drivers ed material. Thankfully, I don't have to assist her in the actually driving because we all know how startled I get in a car when I'm not the one behind the wheel! I was also nominated as the Historian for the SAA Student Advocate Association group. I have a conference scheduled in New Orleans in November so I have a fun girls trip to look forward to.

White Coat Ceremony

I do hereby affirm my loyalty to the profession I am about to enter. I will be mindful always of my great responsibility to preserve the health and life of my patients, to retain their confidence and respect both as a physician and a friend who will guard their secrets with scrupulous honor and fidelity, to perform faithfully my professional duties, to employ only those recognized methods of treatment consistent with good judgment and with my skill and ability, keeping in mind always nature's laws and the body's inherent capacity for recovery.

I will be ever vigilant in aiding in the general welfare of the community, sustaining its laws and institutions, not engaging in those practices which will in any way bring shame or discredit upon myself or my profession. I will give no drugs for deadly purposes to any person, though it be asked of me.

I will endeavor to work in accord with my colleagues in a spirit of progressive cooperation and never by word or by act cast imputations upon them or their rightful practices.

I will look with respect and esteem upon all those who have taught me my art. To my college I will be loyal and strive always for its best interests and for the interests of the students who will come after me. I will be ever alert to further the application of basic biologic truths to the healing arts and to develop the principles of osteopathy which were first enunciated by Andrew Taylor Still.


On Saturday West Virginia's College of Osteopathic Medicine held their White Coat Ceremony for the class of 2013.Derek and his classmates recited the Osteopathic Oath together as part of the ceremony. My father-in-law David flew out from Utah for the occasion and stayed for a few days to visit.



Mom sent us these beautiful leis from Hawaii,she was so worried that we wouldn't get them on time. Thanks mom we loved them!




Derek and his father, they are so much a like it's fun to watch them. We'll miss him, this weekend has gone by way too fast.



Mormon Mafia crew, we couldn't find Jonathan Lewis and his family anywhere.


I'm so proud of my husband, he is doing well and he is enjoying himself while learning so much material.



Touring the school with David, this is the Osteopathic Manipulation Clinical room (Derek has since become great at giving his wife massages!) He also got a chance to tour the Anatomy lab,it's a high quality lab so we like to show it off.



...More about our tour of West Virginia, To Be Continued...

Road Trip to Washington D.C

Last week, we (the Relief Society sisters in my ward and I) took a road trip to the temple in Washington D.C.. The drive to our destination and back is about 9 hours. It took me a while to recover from it, I guess every since we moved here to West Virginia road trips just haven't been the same for me. I've lived in many places, but never has a temple been so far away. Even when I lived in Costa Rica the temple was only 30 minutes away. I was grateful for the opportunity to get to know the sisters in my ward better and thankful for the time I was able to spend in the temple.








On Sunday Derek was called to serve in the Bishopric. He accepted the call to serve as the Executive Secretary. We no longer get to be complacent and just attend church. Alot is expected of us and we are happy to serve. I've had so much fun teaching the children, they always surprise me with how much they know. Derek is trying to plan his time more effieciently now that he has meetings on Wednsdays and early Sunday mornings. Overall, we feel blessed and we are thankful for the opportunity we have both been given to serve the Lord.

As for secular matters, Derek has just completed and tested on the Somatic Body...which encompasses a whole lot of information. Whenever he studies at home he paces around the house stopping occasionally to explain how various body parts functions, what their connections on and so forth. It really is like another language, so Derek is not surprised when I have a glazed over look on my face because my mind is obviously off somewhere else. He has done very well so far on his written tests. The practical exams are a bit more difficult but I know with time he will get used to identifying parts on the cadavers. We celebrate after each test, thanks again to the Sorber family for letting us grill at their home once again.


I love this man!
Last week I met up with Derek for lunch just shortly after he had completed his lab. I try to provide a variety of foods for lunch and on this particular day I packed coconut cream pudding with banana slices and coconut flakes in it. The conversation went like this, at the time I was a bit offended but it's humorous now that I look back on it.

Derek: He proceeds to open the Tupperware container and spoons out some pudding. He takes one look, seals it back up and says, "I can't eat that!"

Me: I respond, "why?" (keep in mind, cooking and cleaning is my only job and has been since we arrived here. I get a little sensitive when my husband doesn't like the food I prepare for him)

Derek: "It looks like Coagulated Blood!"

Nativa: "What's Coagulated Blood?...and do I want to know what it is?"

Derek goes on to explain that in lab, he had been extracting the Heart out of the Chest cavity. It's been over a month since school has started and he hasn't had any problems with cadavers but now that they're digging into the cavities the smell has worsened. Coagulated blood is when the blood has transformed from liquid to a soft semi solid mass that looks very similar to curdled milk and pudding . There are four students to every cadaver and typically the stronger students are doing the extracting. Derek never imagined how difficult it would be to peel back skin and remove body organs.It's a good thing he explained why he didn't want to eat the pudding, I simply responded, "no more pudding for the remainder of Anatomy?" In relief Derek sighs, "Yes, please!"

This week we look forward to Derek's White Coat Ceremony on Saturday. My father-in-law (Derek's Dad) will be visiting for the occasion. We're really excited to introduce him to our friends, take him on a tour of the school (Derek really wants to show him the body he has been working on eh!) and go on a few hikes to see the water falls out here. We're so excited to see family, we miss them so much!

Greenbrier River Trail

This week I finally went out to discover the Greenbrier River Trail with my friends. Several weeks ago while running outside on the narrow roads, my dog Skofeild got a little anxious and ran after a truck. I ended up tripping over him and I skid on my whole left leg. The fall was so hard that I scraped my leg and both legs were very bruised.


I took this picture after I healed a bit, it doesn't look so bad anymore, but I was sore for days
I haven't ran outside since then, I've opted to cross train on the elliptical for now. The Greenbrier trail is 77 miles, no moter vehicles are allowed and it will be great to run on. I was put in charge of the running group so I think I've found the best place to run now!

There are lots of bugs out there so this netting came in handy, this is Arianna Lewis, Racheal's daughter


Racheal and Becki


The river, at first I thought it was muddy and gross but it's actually the rock formations. It's a very pristine river.



Derek had his first real test on Friday. His schedule has been so crazy this week. Every morning we get up together, have breakfast and we leave together so that he can grant me access to the school gym. I'm supposedly going to get my own pass but until then I'll just have to use Derek's.Derek typically has lecture from 8:00am-5:00pm(with one hour of lunch), he'll study until 6:00pm and then come home for dinner. Once he's eaten dinner, I usually pack him a second dinner or snack and he returns to school to study (he can't concentrate at home with me and Skoey around and I don't blame him). He typically returns home at 12am but this week he has been coming home at 2:00am. I try to wait up for him but I conk out at 12am. We don't find out what his grade is until later on this week so we're anxious to find out how he did on his very first test.

Meanwhile, I've been keeping busy with the girls from my ward and the Spouse groups on campus. I'm in charge of the running group and I joined the sewing, exercise and outdoor discovery of WV group. My calendar is packed with lots of fun stuff now. I've also been baking a lot more than usual. We can no longer afford to splurge on the processed foods like Oreos, candy bars, Costco muffins that Derek seems to enjoy so much. It's been great though because I really do enjoy baking.
On Friday we met up with the other students of our ward to celebrate their first medical school test. We had lots of yummy food and lots of good conversation. Here are a few snapshots of our fun times:)


We're pretty excited that at least one of our buddies has a grill!


One of my new favorite friends, I finally got this little girl to like me enough to let me hold her:)

Life thus far in Ronceverte, WV

For the past couple of weeks Derek and I have been discovering our new surroundings. We've hiked several trails, biked through narrow pathways near the Greenbriar river and I've found several running routes that will work for me. Our puppy Skofeild is getting a lot of exercise. I eventually want to train him to run/bike with us with out a leash. He just turned 1 on July 21 (Actually June 21st but we didn't bring him home until July 21st), we didn't do much to celebrate good thing he is a dog and dogs don't care whether we celebrate their birthdays or not.




Each week we've looked forward to attending church, we've met several other 1st year medical students. This year there are 5 LDS first year medical students, 2-2ND year and 2-3rd year. It's been great because the 2ND year students have been so willing to answer questions regarding what to expect our first year. I'm really excited that all the students have wives that I get to hang out with, it has made our transition a lot easier.



Future Doctors! Pictured Left to Right: Jonathan Lewis (TN), my good looking hubby, Stuart North (ID), James Bishop(UT), Joey Sorber (UT)



My new friends! Left to Right: Racheal and their eight month old Arianna, Me-childless...but maybe soon!, Becci-childless too-, Jame's has a wife but she is due to deliver in Utah, Kathryn and their two week old Ozzy-such a cute little boy.

I'm still looking for employment. A lot of people are out of work here in West Virginia. I'm actually o.k with a break after having worked a full time job and a part time job the majority of this year. I still have a lot to do to get settled, I enjoy living in a clutter free, organized house. I have a whole lists of tasks to complete so it's not like I'm at home twiddling my thumbs waiting for my husband to get home.

Today was Derek's first day of school, he is pretty excited. He already has a group a friends from our ward to support him and his own office space at the school reserved for studying (a recommendation that most students don't know about, thanks to the 2ND year med students). Tommorow we have an orientation scheduled for the wives/partners, I look forward to it so that I can have a better idea of what to expect. It still is crazy to think that we are finally here accomplishing a goal that seemed so far away. We're thankful that everything has fallen in to place for us, we know that this is where we need to be.

Ronceverte, West Virginia Our New Home

We made it to our final destination after driving for over 50 hours. Special thanks to my dad, he's a professional truck driver so he offered to drive us to West Virginia. Many people told him he was crazy for offering but I'm thankful for a father who is so ready and willing to help us out when we need him. My little brother Stevey also came along to supposedly keep me awake but he slept with his mouth wide open the majority of the time. I kept threatening to throw something in his mouth but I'm too much of a cautious driver so I didn't risk the potential distractions that would lead to an accident.

We drove through Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. Derek and I rotated driving our Mini SUV. By the end of each day we were so tired, we had planned to sleep at the rest stops but we later decided to sleep in motels/inns so that we could get a good night rest.



...somewhere along the way



This is us very exhausted...



Ronceverte is a smaller town about 5 miles away from Lewisburg (the town where the medical school is located). The population is 1,500 and we have been told that everyone knows every one's business. Derek and I are private, I figure that most people won't know more than what they see in our actions.

We attend church about 30 minutes away in another small town called White Sulphur Springs. There are so many churches surrounding us, just from our house I can see five most of them are Baptist but there are a few Evangelical and Pentecostal. Our neighbor, the Pentecostal Preacher has already invited us to dinner (I look forward to that:). I'm thankful that the church is everywhere, it makes me feel secure no matter where I am.

Personally I still feel very uncomfortable. It's different here, comparable to a 3rd world country in some areas. Prices for everything are so inflated even though most companies pay minimum wage $6.55/hr. We asked the locals for an explanation for the inflation and they claimed it was because a lot of wealthy people retire here. Other locals said that they are used to 'penny pinchin'. The pace of life is extreamly slow, we set up a bank account at the local bank and it took 2 hours. The banker was a native of Ronceverte and she had stories about everything. The accent alone takes some getting used to. Derek is starting to talk with a twang and it is driving me nuts.

Overall this town is beautiful and people are extreamly friendly. Several of the girls I met at our new ward mentioned that it will take several months to get used to life here. I need to stay busy and I know I'll be o.k.



I took this picture around 4am, on Friday morning. The airport is 2 hours away so we had to get up extra early. It's raw, no edits at all. I really enjoy photography so I'm thinking that I might do it on the side for a little extra money. I've learned everything I know via internet so I've still got a lot to learn. I plan to eventually set up a photo blog to show off my work, I just have too many other things to do for now.