Back to school, back to school...

I GOT IN!!!!!!!!

That does not even express the excitement I feel! I was accepted to Salus University's Physician Assistant Program starting August 2013.

Yes, I will be moving to Elkins Park, PA. Yes, Nate and I will be living apart for 10 months. Yes, it will be hard. However, we know what we signed up for the minute we said "yes" over that alter. Ok, even before then. We fully support each other in our dreams.

So here is the DL summed up. I don't know where I will be living yet...I just found I got in! I have family about 45 minutes away in DE, so I will be referring to them for all of their knowledge about the surrounding area. I will move and start in August. Nate will stay in AZ with my family and finish his schooling. He will be doing rotations by then, which are already set in stone. His first two are in AZ (close to where we're living now), and the last one will be in Rexburg, ID at Madison Memorial Hospital. Funny thing is that he might be working with some of our professors from BYU-I who are also PTs. After that, he will be done and graduate in May...I think. Then he just has to take his test to become licensed. HE'S HALFWAY DONE!! I can't believe it. While he's on rotations I will be studying my butt off! We will be reunited once again after he's done and is officially a licensed physical therapist! I'm sure there will be a lot of flights back and forth and face timing :)

I still can't believe that we are making our dreams a reality. I knew it would happen, but of course there have been very trying times along this journey. I am so thankful for Nate, and his reassurance that everything will work out. I couldn't have married a better man! I am one lucky woman, and am extremely blessed!

Here's a picture of campus.

Color Me Rad

We try to not take life too seriously! We have fun, and run with it! :)

Meet Kato

Nate and I brought in a new member to our growing family on March 7th! Well, I actually got to go pick him up in Riverside, CA and drove him home with a friend. Kato is an Alaskan Klee Kai which is a fairly new breed. Nate found the breeder through facebook and we fell in love with these dogs immediately! It doesn't take much for me to fall in love with an animal, as most of you know. I'm a sucker for animals!

Anyway, we brought Kato home at 8 weeks old. We've been having so much fun training him and just enjoying the puppy stages! He's already crate trained, and only woke up once last night to go potty! Woohoo! Poor Nate has been sacrificing his sleep to make sure Kato gets crate trained and doesn't have any accidents at night. I have a feeling I'm going to be one lucky mommy when we have kids ;) I married a great guy.

We've been teaching Kato the basics using a clicker and treats as reinforcement. He's a smart pup and catches on really quick! Enough with the typing though, I know you all want to see pictures, and pictures I will post! Lots and lots of picture :)

 

 

 

Ashley's Adventures

So this year I applied to three different Physician Assistant programs in AZ and received an invitation to interview at all three! Here's the update so far.

A.T. Still University: No
Midwestern University: On alternate list...so still a possibility
NAU: Waiting to hear back

I'm staying positive, and if I don't get in this year I'll try again next year! Nothing's stopping me from reaching my dream...eventually :) Apparently there were 1,600 applicants for MWU this year. HOLY COW! Oh, and they only take 90 applicants. Can you FEEL the competition?!?

Good thoughts and prayers are appreciated!

Family

I have the best family ever! LOVE them all! It doesn't hurt that they're all extremely good looking too :)

WILKINSONS

 

YODERS

October!

Our October was jammed pack with fun things to do! I LOVE this time of year because there are so many seasonal things to do. I've definitely been taking advantage of having so many options since we're back in a big city. At least every Saturday I try to get Nate out of his study cave to go on an outing somewhere new.

To start it all off, Nate had his white coat ceremony at the beginning of October. The white coat ceremony is a symbolic event for all the first year students. Now that they have been awarded with their white coat, the students are held to a higher standard and are expected to represent Midwestern in a professional manner. The expectation especially goes for when they are out on their clinical rotations.

 Nate's physical therapy class

Nate and his friend Dustin

We also made it out to a farm close by to pick out our pumpkins. I was really disappointed that a lot of farms don't let you pick your own pumpkins anymore. They have them picked and on display for their customers. I'm on the hunt for a good pumpkin patch where you can actually pick your own. That's just one tradition that I'm not going to lose!

Nate's pumpkin

My two pumpkins. I can never leave without getting a baby pumpkin. They're so cute!

Last weekend we finally went to the Desert Botanical Garden. In all my life of living in AZ, I've never been there. I'm so glad that we decided to go! Sure, it's not what you think of "garden", or at least what I think of when I hear the word garden. It's an Arizona garden :) Oh, and I dyed my hair!! You'll see it in the very last picture in this section.

I definitely can't leave out Halloween! Nate borrowed the best costume from my brother this year! It won him "best costume" in one of his classes.

Nate the Grouch

 If you can't tell, Halloween is a big deal on Willow Avenue

Some of the candy...We tried to keep track of the number of kids that came by and we finished at 700 kids within 90 minutes.

To finish this post up, Nate started an indoor, co-ed soccer team with some of his classmates called the Palitators. Yes, the Palitators. It was suppose to be the Palpitators...get it? A soccer team comprised of physical therapy students known as the Palpitators...Anyway, the girl that signed Nate up got it wrong and now they're stuck with the wrong team name. Next week is the championships that they get to go to! They've done really well. Here are a few pictures of them in action.

Lake Powell

Over Labor day weekend Nate and I were able to go to Lake Powell with my family and close friends. It was a blast and we look forward to going every year! Here are some pictures from the trip.

 Getting ready to swim

Little sis swimming

The group hiking

Lundeen family and Yoder family

Remi, Jen, Kelsey and Justin

 Filing out

Nate made a friend :)

Kelsey jumping off the cliff to swim back to the boat

The gorgeous swim

 The view from the beginning of the hike

 Kayaking

Nate posing in the kayak

The house boats minus one

The best part of Powell, tubing!

It gets a little intense!

Cory, Kade, Kelsey and Jacob

All of the Yoder kids

Justin, Jen, Kelsey, Nate and Ashley