Oh, Yeah

We are moving to Arizona! I'm preparing myself for a hot summer.

Bittersweet ?

I can't decide if I'm happy or sad about leaving Pennsylvania. Some days, hours, minutes I am liking it here. And others, I just don't. I absolutely love our ward and friends out here. The weather???....well, at least it's green out here right? The staff at my school???...well, some are bipolar or something and are your best friend one day, and then are mad at the world the next. Let's just say it's been a rough time trying to drop patients and get cleared for graduation. And all of the construction workers are parking in my dirt lot across from the dental school, making me have to park several blocks away...I guess I need the exercise though. We just saw some of our friends for the last time while we are here and I'm a little sad to leave the awesome people we've met out here. So I decided to make a facebook account today so I can keep up with everyone. I tried to hold out for a long time, but gave in. I just know I am going to be super addicted though.


So I took the big clinical boards a week ago!
I wish I could describe the experiences my patients had the day of clinical boards with this picture, but It was just a tiny bit more stressful.



Patient #1 (cleaning): promised me the night before he'd be there, but slept in. Luckily his mother-in-law (who works at my school) called him in the morning and reminded him to come in. He was just a little late. No problems, except he kept falling asleep and closing his mouth while I was working.

Patient #2 (root canals): Mr. Mannequin head was the most cooperative of my patients. I think I was hovering over his head the whole time! No talking, falling asleep...he was perfect. I was even able to sit in my pre-clinic operatory with the Mannequin head I started with as a freshman in dental school. I think my root canals went well. I barely finished on time though.

I would have not passed my boards without Greg Carr (my assistant). He was so helpful and even spotted something I missed!
He was Dave Arthur's patient the day before so he had some tips he learned from the grading examiners that he shared with me and others.

Patient #3 (composite (white) filling): We started a little late, but everything went pretty well. It was a little large so it took a while. One grader said I missed a little white area (decalcification) on the tooth, but luckily it was one person, so no points were docked.

Patient #4 (Amalgam (silver) filling): This patient told me she wasn't going to come because her husband had to work and she had no one to watch her kids, but she gave me her word so she found someone to watch her kids for $100! I felt so bad so I payed her $200 for coming! There were missing instruments in the packets I borrowed from friends so i freaked out asking around for extra instruments. Luckily, Lee Chaffee came to the rescue and I borrowed some of his stuff.
Greg and I could not get a rubber dam over a tooth in the back because it was so broken down. We ended up putting all four hands in this pour patient's mouth and putting floss on each side of the tooth to get it to stay down. After that, it was smooth sailing. I had 30 minutes to put the filling in or else I would have to come back on Sunday. This was the case for many other people. They all were going to wait until the morning, but I told them we could do it! So we all tried. Greg had left to pick up his wife from the airport, so I was by myself, but everything went well. Other people came in when there was one minute left to help me get my stuff together to turn in. My patient and I ran to the graders. We were about 30 seconds late, but they said we were clear and let my patient go back to get graded. My patient said she told jokes while back there, and had the graders rolling with laughter. She told me that she was sure I passed because she helped me.

So after my most stressful day I've ever had (Sat.) I finished my boards! I know I was blessed to have things work out the way they did. We don't find out our results for 4 weeks! I think everything went pretty well though...hopefully. I am finished with patients at school and cleaned out my locker yesterday. So just a few more things to do... I'm packing every day now which is really...really....really...fun.

Oh yeah, one more thing...

Ashley passed her boards! We got back yesterday to the letter in the mail. This was the big National written test to be a dentist. Now she just needs to pass her Western Boards. She already took the written part and the Clinical parts are next week. We know a lot of people are praying for her to do well and we really want to thank you all so much. One more round of prayers should do it!

The Great Northwest

Ashley and I just got back yesterday from a week-long trip to Portland, Oregon. It was so much fun and we are bummed to be back home. Thanks to Trevor and Summer for being great hosts and letting us come visit. We saw and did a lot, but I thought the most fun was being able to see our family. Baby Chase was only a month old and so tiny! It was fun to see him but it stinks that we will miss his blessing in a couple weeks. I thought the pictures below told the story, but missing from the pictures are Grandma Bonnie, Aunt Grace and Michelle, who we were able to see on our visit to Seattle. Grandma Bonnie even let us stay the night with her and made us a great dinner. Enjoy the pics.



All of us- Me, Ashley, Madi, Trevor, Baby Chase, Summer. Just hanging out and relaxing.

Multnomah Falls



At Multnomah Falls with Madi. Maybe someday we will have our own and won't have to steal our nieces and nephews to put in pictures. Still, if we could steal one, it might be Madi (actually, Casey and Sophie and Chase are all worthy of being stolen). She had us cracking up the entire vacation. She is so smart! I will never forget the drive thru experience at Wendy's when she told us all (in her cartoon voice) that the lady taking our order "Wasn't listening." Hilarious.


One more at the falls. After this, Trevor and I went to a nearby pond (lake?) and made an attempt to catch a few trout. We had fun and talked a lot, but then the rains and the winds came and we were outta there. Ashley and Madi spent the time singing songs in the car while they waited for us.


In front of a little cart outside Portland's famous Voodoo doughnuts. We stopped here in the morning on the way to Seaside, Oregon.


Our favorite doughnut at Voodoo Doughnuts- A Maple Bar with Bacon on it! We had to give it a try so all of us shared this bad boy. It was surprisingly good. Ash and I were just excited to have a regular Maple Bar, something the East Coast is missing out on.


Ash flying a kite at Seaside. We all flew our little kites that we got 2 for $1 at the dollar store the day before. Funny thing was that I had never flown a kite in my entire life (that I can remember). Madi even had her little Dora kite going.


Trev and Madi on the "Horsey-go-round" in Seaside.


I'm standing in front of the Softball fields at Marymoor Park, which are now completely astroturfed and look very nice. This brought back a lot of memories for me because I feel like I spent most nights of my childhood watching my dad play softball on these fields. I loved watching he and Troy Crowshaw launch balls into the long grass!


Ashley and I in Redmond (where I grew up) with my best friend from growing up Lee and his wife Hadley, who were nice enough to let us make a quick visit on our trip to Seattle.


Ashley and I fighting off the sun when we snapped a timed photo of ourselves from a dock on Lake Washington


Another timed photo of Ash and I underneath the Space Needle


Ashley and I at the top of the Space Needle. It was about the nicest weather I think Seattle has ever had.


In front of the famous Pike's Place Market. We walked around for a while and even ate lunch at a little seafood place at the market. I had the Alaskan Salmon and Ashley had their famous Cod Sandwich. We shared-obviously, it was amazing.


Me in front of the famous fish market where they throw the fish to each other. It was a slow day, so there was not much action.

George Washington's Crossing

A few years ago, Ashley and I made a list of all the places that we wanted to visit before we left the East Coast. Since time is running short, we decided a couple of Saturdays ago (when Ashley took her last written board exam) to go visit one of these places. The place where George Washington's Crossing, the spot that he and his troops famously crossed the Delaware River after being defeated in New York. Also, this was the place where he crossed with some of his troops back to New Jersey and surprise attacked the Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey. Very fun, Historical trip with perhaps the most interesting tour guide ever (and by interesting, I mean boring).

Valentine's Visit to New York

It has been a long time since we blogged and we've had a few things happen so I will post a few of them tonight since I am on my spring break.

The first thing I wanted to make a post about was our awesome trip we took to New York on Valentine's weekend. Ashley's cousin Jon and his wife Leah were nice enough to let us stay at their sweet little place in Hoboken, New Jersey (right across the river from Manhatten). We actually spent 2 nights there and had the greatest time. We stayed up late both nights talking about Conspiracy stuff. Jon and Leah took us to the New York Temple on Saturday morning (that temple is awesome). Then, they showed some of the sights on Manhatten that we had not seen before. The pictures are below. After, Ashley and I went to a really good Thai Restaurant for Valentines Day. It was a great weekend.


Ash and I at the Manhatten Temple


Ash and I in front of the United Nations Building (I know, very bad place-might be worst place in the world)


The CFR Building (At least this is where Jon thought it was because it certainly wasn't marked)- Another really bad place


Us eating some good Thai Food for V-Day


Ash in front of the Thai Restaurant