Busy as a Bee

Sometimes life can seem kind of monotonous. But then sometimes life is so crazy that it feels like you're standing at the bottom of the mountain with an avalanche hurling your way. I'm currently in the avalanche season of life. This next year will be full of so many exciting things for me that I felt like I needed to share them.

First things first, I'm ENGAGED! My boyfriend of four whole years popped the question on top of a mountain on a gorgeous boardwalk during finals week at the end of our junior year of college. Once I realized what was going on, I quickly said YES! Next thing I knew, we were driving up to a surprise party with all of our friends and family.

 It was a great night of surprises that I will never forget (although I may have forgotten all the answers to my finals the upcoming days- wedding planning is so much more fun than studying!) Cody Gross,  I am so excited to be marrying you, my best friend, on June 4, 2016!

 Wedding planning is fun, but it can be a little overwhelming at times. Everyone is looking to you to make all the decisions- and there are about a million to be made. Not counting the appointments you have to book to go make those decisions. Working on a guest list, writing down the names of songs you hear on the radio on a napkin in case it's one you want to use, picking colors, picking dresses, the list goes on and on. But in the end, while I'm trying to choose between flowers or candles, long or short dresses, that that's not what any of this is about. June 4, 2016 is about marrying the love of my life and my best friend. It's about starting a new family and making a covenant before God to use our relationship and everything that comes of it for His glory. So if you find yourself with an invite, I hope you are prepared for some worship, some fun, and busting some moves on the dance floor.

#grosslyinlove

Another big event going on in my life is the beginning of my SENIOR year of college. My oh my, where has the time gone?! I can't believe this is my last year as an undergrad on Rocky Top. As sad as I will be to leave, I will be taking with me memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

This year I will be finishing up my last few hours to graduate in May with a major in Microbiology and a minor in Hispanic Studies/ Spanish language.

I will be continuing my job at a nearby doctor's office as well as staying involved at Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church (my second family). With senior year also comes the worries about what to do next. Graduation means growing up and jumping into the adult world, which brings me to the next big part of my life: medical school.

After graduation, I have decided to apply to the 2016 entering class of several medical schools across the country. For those of you who don't know how that works, the process actually started this summer. To apply for an allopathic medical school (receive a MD upon graduation), you must submit a primary application. Much like applying for college, this application is run by a central app such as the "common app" called AMCAS. This application consists of transcripts, MCAT test scores (a ridiculously long and hard medical school admissions test), GPA, extracurriculars, awards, leadership roles, etc, a personal statement about yourself, and a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation from professors (2 science, 1 non- science). Once you submit this application (with a fee for each school you choose to send it to), each school you have chosen will contact you with an immediate decline or a secondary application. This secondary application is specific to each school and mostly consists of essay questions and ANOTHER application fee. After secondaries, some students will move on to the interview round. After you have interviewed, you can either be rejected, accepted, or wait listed. As I said, this process has already started for the 2016 entering class. The primary application opened the first of June and for some students, acceptance may not come until the NEXT May. That leaves A TON of uncertainty. Will you get in? Will you remain on a wait list? If you get in, where will it be? Where will you be living and how many loans will you have to take out? Thankfully Cody is pretty okay with this whole process. He has been supportive and understands we may not know where we will be moving until the very last minute! With senior year AND a wedding to plan, why not throw in some essay writing and traveling who knows where for interviews throughout the fall semester, right?

This summer has also included a little medical work, of course. I have been volunteering through the Experience Critical program in the Baptist ER. If any high school or college student in the Memphis area is looking for awesome experience, I would HIGHLY recommend this program.

I have also been helping out with the Neighborhood Compassion clinic in Binghampton. The people there have really shown me what it looks like to love what you do and to do something just because you love it. I am so thankful for the experiences I have gotten this summer and the invaluable lessons those around me have taken the time to show me.

I will be moving back to Knoxville on August 14th, but before that I have some adventuring to do. Cody and I are leaving for a mission trip to Nicaragua in just a few days! We will be gone for a week to love on some amazing people. This will be Cody's first experience with international missions and I am so excited to be able to share this experience with him. Three days after we return, we will be taking a family vaycay to explore the wonderful state of Washington. It's going to be amazing, however we could come back with some fun stories of flying across the country with a hyperactive two year old. I'll report back with the latest travel updates! For now, here are a few more pictures from this summer!

Happy Summer!