Homesick for Fall

hi! It has been awhile I know. I have been super bogged down with test. I still have three more to go but I can't just keep studying. I have to have a break.

I hear all your stories of how "Fall is in the Air" and the crisp cool smell, and the pumpkins and the leaves, and all the excitement. Let me just say that Mississippi doesn't even know what fall is!! I wake up in the morning, go outside to let the dogs out and take a deep breath.............its chilly but it doesn't smell like Fall. :( It doesn't feel like fall.

Dr. Baily, my anatomy professor, ate lunch with me and the girls the other day and he says that somehow Mississippi skips fall altogether. The leaves don't change color they just turn brown and fall off. I told him that was the saddest thing I had ever heard, of course he just laughed at me and immediately knew I was one of the South Carolina Girls.

He expressed to me that while he loves a SC, GA, and NC fall; we will not be getting one of those here in MS. I mopped around all day after that because Fall is my favorite time of the year....here are the reasons why I love it so.
1. Smell (as I have already expressed)
2. Orange (its everywhere!!)
3. Scarecrows, pumpkins, and decorations (mom and grandma Jute always make it look awesome)
4. Pumpkin Ice Cream at Callaham's Peach Orchard (ohhhh how I will miss this!!)
5. The little cousins getting together and painting baby pumpkins (it's a tradition)
6. Tyler and I carving a pumpkin together
7. The famous BON FIRE that my Papa's brother Jone's has every year, people from our family get together and build a HUGE bon fire right in the middle of the neighborhood, he always has a GREAT bluegrass band there, hot dogs for everyone, the most CANDY you have ever seen in your life and of course ROASTED MARSHMALLOWS!!!
8. which is definitely worth being its own number so......Roasted Marshmallows
9. after the Bon Fire, my grandmother Judy has a family get together at her house, the only one of the year at her house, and we have Salmon Stew and Oyster Stew. YUUUUMMY!! The little kiddies from Pelzer come a knocking on her door and they are always so precious!
10. The church also always has a Fall Festival that is filled with fun and games and food
11. Halloween is my BEST FRIENDS birthday and I will be missing it this year :(
12. helping my grandmother Jute decorate her house with pumpkins, scarecrows, window stickers, candles, spider webs (made of cotton on the front porch, and whatever else fun Halloweeny thing we can think of.

................oh the list could go on and on but I am getting more and more depressed just thinking about it. I went to Wal Mart today mainly to get dog food because my free bag hasn't come in yet, and my eyes were assaulted with Fall, Pumpkin, Orange, candy, Halloweenish things. I went through Wal Mart looking like a fool cause my eyes were teary the whole time. Then as I checked out my bags and got in my car I realized that I had forgotten dog food!! I went back in through the back door where they keep the flowers and of course the back is where they keep all the hardcore decor for every season and if the few things here and there in the big part weren't enough to make me sad this sight was EVEN WORSE!!!! Even the mums (yellow and orange) were scoffing at me.

I know I know the only post in a while and it is a sad one. I assure you my spirits are still high. Tyler is coming to visit the week of Oct. 6th so expect pictures soon and Kim has promised that we will attend every Fall Festival from Mathiston to Starkville (as long as we don't have a test the next day) :) Our Vet School is having a Halloween Party where everyone will dress up, and the new church I am attending is also having a fun filled day in celebration of Fall. Things are good here and I can't help but be thankful and KNOW that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I just don't understand why Fall couldn't follow me here!

The Dawn of Tests

Sooo, I haven't written in a while. That is because the time has come, the eye of the storm, the eve of a new dawning, the rise of the aliens, the demise or rise of me.....TESTS!! Here is my schedule for the next 19 days and here is why you will not hear from me until the 3rd of Oct.

Sept. 18th: Infectious Agents Exam 2 (maternal, fetal, and neonate immunity, passive and acquired immunity in neonate, immunological memory, role of vaccines, kinetics of primary and secondary antibody responses, immunity to bacteria, viruses, and parasites, hypersensitivities, cancer immunity, immunodeficiency)

Three Days of Furious Studying

Sept. 22nd: Anatomy Exam 1 (Hind limb of a Dog, Cow, Horse: muscles, nerves, bones, veins, arteries, origins, insertions, innervation's, reading of many chapters)

One Day of Furious Studying

Sept. 24th: Parasitology Exam 2 (Dictyocaulus viviparus, D. filaria, Muellerius capillaris, Filaroides osleri, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Oxyuris equi, Physaloptera spp., Dracunculus insignis, D. megastoma, Habronema spp., Spirocerca lupi, Strongyloides ransomi, S. westeri, S. papillosus, S. stercoralis, S. tumefaciens, Trichuris suis, T. vulpis, and more added tomorrow)

Two Days of Furious Studying

FALL FORMAL

One Day of Furious Studying

Sept. 29th: Histology Written Exam (many many chapters)

Sept. 30th: Histology Lab Practical ( all tissues of the body on a microscope)

Two Days of Furious Studying

Sept. 3rd: Physiology Exam 1 (many many chapters)

Oct. 4th: FALL BREAK STARTS AND TYLER WILL BE HERE FOR A WHOLE WEEK!!! :) :) :)

"We're Gonna Rise"

Haha!! I am so happy this morning!! This is going to sound really weird because if ANYTHING I should not be excited because I have a HUGE parasitology test tomorrow and today we are wasting time on a 2 hour lecture of evidence based medicine using computer programs and currently we are getting a lecture on how to use the library (ha, as if professional students don't know that by now)....annnnyhoo. The reason I am so excited is because I rode alone this morning to school because my roommate had early morning stuff to take care of and you all know how I don't do early morning stuff. (I am not happy that we rode separate, I love her but here why it was good THIS particular morning). I didn't know what to do for my 30 min drive to school so I put in the "Ruppes" which now I think are called "The Sisters" maybe? Those of you who don't know the Ruppes should immediately go out and discover them for yourself for I cannot do them justice in this blog.
There is this song I love called "Under His Wings" and of course I listened to that one and sang to the top of my lungs but there was another one that caught my undivided attention this morning. Its called "We're Gonna Rise" OH MY GOODNESS!! Words cannot express the sheer joy and crazy unexplainable excitedness that went on in my car this morning! I sang, and danced, and practically jumped up and down (even though I was buckled in) It was crazy! I have GOT to find a church here in Mississippi with music like that. Here are some of the words so you can get a taste of what I felt. Once again, there is no justice for it because you got to think of the harmony, and the build up and the climax and the loudness and what not.

Don't worry this is just the piece that got me going this morning, not the whole song!

"Weeee're gonna riiiise, weee're gonna riiiise, we're gonna RISE to be with Jesus, on a cloud he's gonna greet us, saying welcome home my children, your mansions are prepared. You've won the victory over the enemy, now you stand as royalty, purchased by the blood of the Lamb. Weee're gonna riiiiise, weee're gonna riiiise (repeat the whole thing building up pretty intensely) "and pretty soon you'll see ol' Gabriel, and we'll all be CARRIED HOME!!"

I know that is scattered but go listen to the whole thing! It's great!! I know I'll be dancing all day!! :)

My New Family :)

Here is my family "officially" starting June 26th 2009. The only one's that are missing are Chance, Daisie, and Miss Kitty. From left to right it is Xena, Mowgli, and Xander. Of course in the blue is my future hubby! :) Aren't we lovely?

First Test of CVM=Success!

Hey Everyone!
I just wanted to let you all know that I have just taken my first test of Veterinary school. It was on "Infectious Agents." This class is team taught by SEVERAL different professors and this first test was about the Immune System and the Immune Response to different bacteria that invades one's body. I absolutely ENJOYED the first two professors (one male and one female). They both were so down to earth and laid back that I hardly felt like I was in a difficult class. I did really well on the test and breezed through the first half like no body's business. HOWEVER, as females are, the second half of the test, created by Mrs. Pinchuk (who by the way has to coolest accent on the planet, Russian) was tricky tricky, sneaky sneaky!! If I missed questions on her test it was because I psyched myself out over the question. Y'all know the type....."is it A, B, A and B, all of the above, or none of the above?" I mean, come on...how are you supposed to narrow those down?? Anyway, I would much rather have had a discussion formatted test because at least you can get half credit by shootin some bull, anyway I still think I did fine on her part but if I have a mediocre grade it is cause of her tricksy ways. :) But she is a doll and the cutest lil woman in the world so you can't be upset. It's Vet school, what did you expect?

The next professor for Infectious Agents is Dr. Burgess, but do not be fooled by his American name...he is from somewhere else ( I don't remember where) but he has a cool accent too. Sometimes he goes so fast that my southern brain can't understand a word he is saying, but its okay cause I just look at my friend's notes cause somehow she is good at hearing these funny sounding everyday words. :) He is the first actual DVM we have had teach us, as opposed to the numerous PhD holders who are so detailed because of research that the info. is over our little heads. I thought I loved the first two professors, but I REALLY love this guy. They just keep getting better. He has a practical application for everything he goes over in class and lets us know EXACTLY what we will need in the real world (which in turn is exactly what will be on his test). Currently we are learning about "Fetal and Neonatal Immunity" he is our last Immunology professor of this class which is sad cause for the rest of the semester we are studying LOTS of bacteria and their mechanisms and what not. My next test for this class is Sept. 18th (yea that soon, this guy will FLY though his material). Keep me in your prayers this day.

Before that test I have a PARASITE test on Sept. 10th. For those of you who don't know this is FREAKIN HARD (sorry to use that word but its the only one that fits). I have 38 parasites to learn all with different life cycles, pre-patent periods, definitive host, intermediate host, effects, and treatments. BLAH. :( Then after our two hour lecture exam we have to go straight to the lab for a "practical exam", where there will be 38 microscopes and 38 tissue samples (all crawling in parasites) to label and tell distinguishing characteristics. Needless to say you guys won't be hearing from me for the next week or so. Yes, a four hour exam is enough to make a girl go crazy, especially with my "ping pong" mind that can't stay focused on one thing. I will make it though and I do like the class, its interesting and creepy all at the same time.

Well, that is all I have for now. I hope all y'all are doing well and I miss you LOTS and LOTS!!!!

Father of the Groom

Hi Everyone! Don, Tyler's dad, has loaded his version of our story on the website! It is soooo sweet you have to go see it. Sign the guest book if you have not already. :) Loves!!

http://www.momentville.com/rebekahandtyler/welcome