Hard Work Pays Off!

This week Derek was accepted into the Sigma Sigma Phi National Honorary Osteopathic Fraternity. I'm especially proud because there were times when we were applying for Medical School that we felt discouraged. Several people suggested he try looking into other career options and some flat out told him that many don't make it. I can recall our frustrations when he wasn't accepted into medical school after applying the first year. The following year, we were so thankful to get into West Virgina's Osteopathic School. Now that we are here, we realize the Lords hand in our lives in specifically directing us here. Everything fell into place as far as finding a place to live, having sufficient savings to move and meeting great people once we arrived here. The school couldn't be any better, it continually ranks top 10 in the Nation. The little town isn't so bad (although I still have my occasional complaints). Overall, we are happy. I think about the other schools that we wanted to get into so bad and I really don't think we would have been as happy(as far as school curriculum & overall learning experience).

The following pictures were taken before the Sigma Sigma Phi inauguration dinner:


Can you tell my husband loves getting his picture taken? Here is saying "OK...I'll take a picture...but I don't want to!


This is the letter he received that notified him that he was accepted...just one day before the inauguration dinner. We almost thought that he didn't get accepted.

Derek attended the inauguration dinner last Wednesday. He was feeling bombarded with all the studying he still needed to complete and he's been under the weather for some time now. He wasn't as excited to attend as I thought he would be. Once he attended the dinner and returned he was content.

He learned more about Sigma Sigma Phi's objectives and purposes, which are: To further the Science of Osteopathic Medicine and its standards of practice, to improve the scholastic standing and promote a higher degree of fellowship among its students, to bring about a closer relationship and understanding between the student bodies and the officials and members of the faculties of our colleges, and to foster allegiance to the American Osteopathic Association and to perpetuate these principles and the teachings through the maintenance and development of this organization.

Derek was surprised that not all the students that he had interviewed with were accepted. He said that the organization is truly seeking out those who will make a difference in the world. He said that he felt special at the dinner, it was nice to mingle with the professors that are a part of the organization. They have a lot of service activities that they are excited to about this next year.


The pin he received


His certificate, that we have proudly hung in our office.



I'm so proud of him. I'm glad we didn't let other peoples discouragement and pessimism hinder his ability to get accepted and to excel in medical school. I will never try to hinder someone else's dreams by being the one to discourage!

In Full Bloom, 30 Week Update

It's official, I can not see my toes! Time to treat myself to a pedicure!!!!



According to my book What to expect when you're expecting I should be experiencing the following:

Stronger, more frequent fetal activity-
Definitely, he's most active early in the morning and when I'm laying down. He hates when I fold my arms across my chest or place anything on my belly. He can also recognize his daddy's voice, at the sound of it he tends to squirm around.

Heartburn, indigestion-
Tumbs goes everywhere with me. My stomach always feels like it's in my throat especially when I eat dairy products.

Leg cramps-
This week I haven't taken Skofeild out for a walk at all and I have no desire to do my pregnancy yoga video

Backache-
Nothing new to me but at times it seems more extreme

Stretch marks-
Not yet...and I hope not ever! My belly gets a lathering of Coco Butter twice a day. Hopefully the humidity here will help too.

Difficulty sleeping-
I can't ever find a comfortable position and when I do, I either need to get up to use the potty or the baby starts kicking

Pelvic pressure & Achiness-
I try not to wobble but I do...I know I look funny but I guess that's part of pregnancy

On a positive note, the great thing about being pregnant is people seem to be more polite. People open doors for me, I get food served to me first. I love being treated special. I also really enjoy feeling our son move, sometimes it wakes me up but it is truly a miracle to have a baby growing inside of me.

I have an ultra sound scheduled for Monday, now that I'm in my 3rd trimester appointments are scheduled every other week. Last week I was told he was still measuring big. I'll keep you updated.

Spring Cleaning

Once upon a time when I was single, I was in total control of my own space. My clothes were organized by color, my seasonal clothes were packed away based on what season it was and my shoes placed in a nice row. Now that I'm married at times it's hard to keep things organized. I'm in no way saying my husband and I are sloppy, it was due to a lack of time. The first two years of marriage I worked two jobs and when I wasn't working, I was training for an upcoming race. Derek was taking a few classes and working full-time, when he wasn't working he was working on his Medical school applications. When I was home the last thing I wanted to do was organize and we don't live like slobs either. If you can imagine nearly three years of paper work jammed into our desk drawers, tons of clothes stored in our closet (some I hadn't worn since my skinner days)and old unecessary stuff. I finally decided it was time to organize EVERYTHING. I guess some call it "Nesting" because my motivation is our son, who will be here in just two months!!

I'm so excited for my mother and grandmother to come out and help. We bought a guest bed to make sure they will be comfortable (thanks to our nice tax return, our hard work paid off last year). After sleeping on an air matress, I don't wish to do that to my guests. We just need a few more items to finish the nursery, other than that our files are in order (we no longer will have to spend hours looking for specific documents), closets are organized and our guest room is ready!

Derek has been slammed with tests nearly every week. He's also been sick, we thought it was allergies at first but he's been consistantly coughing for almost two weeks. It's been tough because he hasn't had much time to rest due to all the studying, but his hard work has been rewarded. He was invited to apply and interview for the Honor Society. I'm so proud of him, he works so hard to do well.

Stay tuned for a pregnancy update next week. I'll be 30 weeks this week!

Spring Break 2010

Spring Break finally came around and left just as quick as it came. Derek and I planned a two day trip to Richmond, Virginia and a day trip to Kensington, Maryland to attend the D.C Temple. On Wednesday we dropped off Skofield to boarding for the first time ever. It was quiet sad and to make matters worse we had just watched the movie Hatchi (a movie about a dog’s devotion to his owner) the night before. Skofeild looked so sad; we think he thought we were abandoning him. I know this sounds pathetic but we were nearly in tears leaving him at boarding, it was a chain link fence that separated him from the other dogs and a bare concrete floor. He is so used to the comforts of our home. If we were that sad leaving our dog, I wonder if we’ll ever leave our son with anyone. When we arrived to Richmond, VA we rested a bit, and then headed to the Maymont Park, a historical FREE park. It was amazing, there were themed gardens, animals, aquariums and a historic mansion. We spent over three hours in the park and we took tons of pictures. When we returned to Rochelle’s house (my BYU-I college roommate) she and her husband made a delicious steak dinner. Rochelle and her husband are always so hospitable when we visit.
Here are a few snapshots at the Maymont Park Me and Rochelle, she's 18 weeks pregnant and I'm 26 weeks pregnant. It's so fun to reminisce about our college days! I'll have to post some pictures of my crazy college days one day. On Thursday we drove 1.5 hours to Virginia Beach. I was thrilled to find a Greek restaurant because I’ve been craving random unobtainable ethnic foods throughout most my pregnancy. It was a bit overcast so we didn’t get into the ocean but it was still very nice out and we enjoyed walking up and down the boardwalk. We attempted to go to Williamsburg but between the bright orange detour signs and our GPS taking us to random places other than Williamsburg I lost all desire to visit the site. We returned to Richmond and swung by a craiglist seller’s house to pick up a slightly used jogger. I’m quite pleased with it, it only cost $35. We’ve been searching for one online but the good ones cost over $200.00. Here in Lewisburg, Craigslist is nearly nonexistent so whenever we travel to big cities we try to see what we can find. We left early Friday morning to pick up Skofeild by 9am. He was so very excited to see us. We missed him so much. On Saturday morning we traveled to Kensington, Maryland with the Bishop family. Thank goodness they offered to drive because we were so exhausted. A convert from our ward was receiving his endowment and was sealed to his wife in the D.C Temple. It was so nice to be in the temple with my husband, it’s a rare occasion now that we live so far away from the nearest temple. We’re excited to return home in December to be able to attend once again. Maryland is by far the most diverse place I’ve ever been (I consider myself well traveled too). We saw restaurants for nearly every South American, Asian, African and Middle Eastern Country. We had Caribbean food for lunch (nothing like my grandma’s cooking but we were still pleased). I really wanted El Salvadorian Papusas for dinner (another non obtainable food in WV) but I thought we should go somewhere we would all enjoy. We settled on the Olive Garden. We didn’t get home until 3am and upon arrival I vomited all over the Bishops driveway…gross I know but I couldn't’t help it. Good thing it rained the next day so I didn’t have to clean it up. Our Spring break was great but I’m DONE with traveling until our son is born. I am beyond exhausted.

CHECK OUT OUR HOME VIDEO: THE RODEBACK RENDITION OF 'GOOD EATS'

Burned OUT

This week Derek had a test in Behavioral Medicine, Pharmacology and Physiology. He had several tests a couple weeks ago and he just felt overwhelmed with having to learn so much information in a short period of time. Every night he'd study until 12am but even then he still felt like he needed to study more in prepartion for his exams. This is the look I get when I try to document everyday life. This is the night before Derek's exam. He wouldn't approve of this picture but I thought it was perfect because it shows just how exhausted he was. He never crashes on the couch unless he is super tired. He of corse did well on his exam and is excited to get a week off for Spring Break. On Saturday we decided to go to Sherwood Lake with several of our friends who are in medical school as well (and their families). James Bishop (Left) and Stewart North (Right) Skofeild needed a break from our little apartment as well so we took him along too. Derek and I (25 1/2 weeks pregnant) We also plan to venture into civilization sometimes this week. I'm planning a cheap getaway to Virginia and we also plan to go to the D.C temple with other ward members. We can't wait to find a decent place to eat out, we really miss good food.

I'm Pregnant, This Is As Perky As I Get

It's back. The bucket that went everywhere with me during the first trimester of my pregnancy. The past several weeks have been tough,hence the lack of blog posts. I thought I was over the vomiting stage and well on my way to the other discomforts of pregnancy. I'm on two medications that should provide some relief but that hasn't been the case lately.



I'm really trying hard to be positive because I know that no one wants to be around a miserable person. Skofeild can even sense something is up, the poor dog is walking on egg shells in this house. Lately, I've been writing in my journal to vent my stress since running is no longer an option. I've been trying to get my mind off of how I'm feeling by reading, taking photographs and planning out our Spring Break trip in a couple weeks:)

We've also been thinking a lot about names. My mom continues to offer suggestions of "nice Tongan names", but I finally told her that we're most likely not going to choose one of her suggestions. There are too many family names floating around and I figure I don't want to contribute to the confusion that may take place when it comes to our family genealogy. So sorry Simi, I don't think a 6th Simi in the family will be happening (don't worry your still my favorite brother).

I thought about posting our top 3 names on our blog to have our friends and family vote. I'm not sure our son would a appreciate a name chosen based on the amount of votes casted so we decided against that.


For all those curious minds, we've decided against major cities such as Denver, Dallas or Orlando. We're not in favor of anything that screams that a percentage of his racial makeup is black such as DeAngelo, Orangelo, Jamal or Kendrick. Traditional American names such as Christian, Micheal or Joseph are a bit too bland for our taste. Harsh Tongan names with the letter "F" or "K" which means that Funaki,'Alifeleti, Timote are not an option! My husband couldn't begin to pronounce those names so that won't be happening. We're not into trendy names or popular celebrity names neither, the list can go on and on about what we don't like. Now we just need to find names that we do like;)

To answer all of you who have been asking, when we finally do have a name, we won't be sharing it until after his birth. There are too many opinions that may sway our decision and much worse I wouldn't want it to be snatched away from us. We are still accepting suggestions if any of you have one that is not like the previously mentioned suggestions.

P.S More updates on my husband and medical school to come. As for now, he is preparing for another test tommorow (his first test in Pharm Rx) and counting down the days until Spring Break.

Are You Doing Somersaults In There?

Sometimes I'm surprised to see my reflection in the mirror; my belly is popping out more and more these days. I'm 23 weeks and so excited my pregnancy seems to be moving along much faster than I had expected.
I've been feeling our little baby move around inside of me a lot more often. At times it's a neat feeling, Derek can even feel him from the outside of my belly. A few nights ago I placed a book on my belly as I was reading. He didn't like that too much and started kicking the crap out of me. I know I shouldn't even be complaining because I hear that it only gets worse as the baby grows bigger.
Now that I'm larger, my back gets sore all the time me standing for more than an hour is all it takes for it to begin to hurt. Thankfully, Derek is so into OMT (Osteopathic Manipulation Techniques) and I get to benefit from his practice. Today we visited with one of his Professors Dr. Karen Steele; she showed him some techniques that helped relieve the pain immediately. She also informed us that studies have shown that women who receive OMT regularly during pregnancy tend to have an easier labor. Hurray for me!


We've also been more proactive in preparing for babys arrival. I've been shopping at the local thrift stores and I'm surprised to have found so many cute little outfits. I've always shopped second hand and plan to forever because i'm cheap...but i'm cheap by choice. The fact that we're living off of loans helps motivate my frugality as well.

One of Derek's professors told him that when she had her baby while in school she didn't buy much of anything accept for a car seat. She used a dresser drawer for her baby's crib. I recounted the story to my Mom and she bought us this crib...I guess she didn't want us using our dresser drawer Lol. Thanks again Mom!