What a few grand can buy in this economy....

• A 5 mm hole in your flesh (put there by the next one on the list)
• An incompetent resident
• Passing out episode #1
• A tiny cup of apple juice
• One stumped resident
• A walk in appointment to the Derm Clinic a few hours before I should be on a plane
• Christian and Rob- my new friends in Derm (came in handy when I needed another urgent appointment)
• Stitches that shouldn't be there (put there by #2 on the list)
• The opportunity to take out my own stitches with tweezers and scissors
• A bottle of antibiotics
• A visit with infectious diseases
• Another walk in appt- just had to show them the leg
• Stumped doctor Numero dos
• Itchy patches all over one leg- yep just one
• A needle poke and some VERY expensive labs
• An AWESOME sparkly band aide- Thanks PCMC
• A bottle of steroids- There was no Roid rage...whew
• A 2nd trip to Clinic 28 to see my friends
• Another puzzled doctor
• The opportunity to have my skin scraped off with a knife
• A different bottle of antibiotics
• Some more pricey testing
• Another stumped doctor (total: 3)
• Daily chats with the doctors I work with (take that stumped total up to approximately 8)
• The opportunity to share my medical history with everyone that comes through my office
• Semi Worried parents
• Another round of labs
• Daily phone calls from a concerned Grandmother
• A phone call or 2 from a interested cousin- she called for other reasons, this just casually came up :)
• 1,2 or 3 texts from a loving/ intrigued brother
• Round 1: A visit to the ER and quality time with Stacie, Mark, Dr. Gilbert and the Res
• Stacie: passed out on a patient (hilarious story)
• Mark: Has ADD, is a ski patrolman, and has seen a helicopter crash
• Dr. Gilbert: he is the man
• The Res: still no idea what his name is, he went to med school in Richmond, was a neurosurgeon at the U for 3 years, and now wants to be an ER doc
• A cute boy who unexpectedly comes to visit, and kept me entertained after I had a rough day and while I was being pumped full of meds. (you can't really buy him, I just lucked out)
• Many concerned Peruvian friends
• One sexy looking leg
• The opportunity to pass out.......again. Don't worry I am good at warning them.
• A circumferential wheel of liodcaine, STINGS!!
• An open wound for 4 + days
• Packing stuffed in my leg like a thanksgiving turkey
• One cankle (google it)
• BILLS, BILLS, BILLS
• Doctors orders to be lazy and not do ANY activity.
• 20 cc of "stuff" pouring out of my leg like Niagara Falls (gross I know but it felt great)
• Some AWESOME-LY colored coban. Red, bright green and bright blue
• A rockin bandage on you leg
• The joy of bonding with your young patients (they think its cool that you got a blood draw too, just like them!)
• Round 2 at the ER with Dr. Hazelton and Sue (nice lady)
• A semi lovely nap and yet another stumped doc and nurse
• The opportunity to not shave a section of 1 of your legs- it's sexy!
• Round 3 at the ER with Gary (an excellent nurse), Dr. Boyd, Case (yep thats his real name, I asked), and Jared (a tech thats been there everyday I have)
• Another LOVELY nap- really makes infusions go faster if you sleep the whole time
• PAIN- pulling out stuffing and shoving it back in HURTS!
• The opportunity to fulfill your ridiculously high insurance deductible.....Twice.
• 4 Gorgeous bright yellow hospital bracelets
• A needle shoved in your arm for 4 days straight (not 4 days in a row, a constant 4 days straight), no use taking it out if their just going to use it again the next day, might as well make me learn how life would be with one arm.
• An excuse not to wash your hair for 4 days (don't judge me I can't get my Left arm or Right leg wet and washing/doing your hair with 1 arm is difficult) Don't worry guys I did shower.
• Some awkward stares at my brightly bandaged leg and arm (looks good when wearing a skirt, I did coordinate one day)
• Many entertaining text conversations with the previously mentioned cute boy to get me through the 3 other visits. He also motivated me with a delicious home cooked meal.
• A conversation starter on your leg and arm
• A good excuse, for pretty much anything.
• Some quality people watching time.
• Another visit to Clinic 28- they miss me and are intrigued by me and my mystery disease.
• A few friends from the ER- I'm going to miss them.
• A reason to go talk to Bridget everyday (she needed updates)
• More RIDICULOUSLY large bandages.
• A few jokes (helmet)
• An awesome addition to my medical history
• Round 4 at the ER with Dr. Boyd, Trevor/his licorice, Jose/his lip ring, and Denise
• A RN singing Cecilia to me because that was the name of his last patient. I had to teach him the real lyrics, he was impressed by my vast knowledge of Simon and Garfunkel (I taught him about the song Aubrey and told him to look it up)
• A dream that you pass out and can't breath and your mom continues talking on the phone to Brandy Burningham.
• Another semi good afternoon nap
• Room 44- Its my room in the ER!
• A sad realization: I actually don't mind going to the ER, I might have a problem. I'm currently considering seeking help for it.
• The final bottle of antibiotics (cross your fingers)
• A visit to another pharmacy
• Over a month of PURE fun.
• And eventually another visit back to my homeboys in 28!

You may ask "What in the heck could be wrong with you and how did you ever get so lucky to get a deal...all of this for only a few grand?" Well some try to blame this on Peru. Peru I don't blame you, I love you and would go through it all again to have you back! Other then that theory...nobody has any idea. Don't be jealous, for a few grand you can have all this too. Well maybe not, I got lucky! __________________________________________

* PS: I found out the Residents name last night, Dr. Nathan Friedline, he saw my name on the board and came to check on me (still didn't introduce himself but I caught a peak at his badge.)

__________________________________________

* I did a little math and if my bills end up being $2000 ish dollars I only paid $25 for each of those bullet points. I'd say for most of them that's a STEAL!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY! 

Hope you enjoy celebrating my favorite holiday as much as I do!

My Saturday...

Got up and decided to take my newly purchased iHome for a test drive. I took it out back and had my own little tribute concert to MJ (Man in the Mirror and PYT are my new favorites) while floating in the pool and enjoying the nice sun we FINALLY have.

Then Emri, Katie, and Jason came over. Emri and I played in the pool for awhile and then took a pretend nap on the hot cement (she had to take a real nap but tried to convince grandma that this would do.)

DEMOLITION DERBY time! It was my first demolition derby and it won't be my last. #210 died right off the bat. Next round #176 was the winner! Steve went crazy and took out 6 cars all by himself. Rocket Ron and his station wagon went a little crazy on everyone, there was a roll over and one guy had it out for another one and wouldn't stop hitting him even after he was up on the barricade, the officials step in and the guy got out of his during the derby (not safe).

I decided I wanted to drive in one, I think it would be fun. (yep thats the car I picked,  lucky #176!)

I ended my lovely day with a trip to Village Inn for a lovely breakfast dinner with the crew. I love days like this. However next Saturday will be even better because it is the 4th of JULY, one of my FAVORITE holidays (it is tied with the 24th, thank you Pioneers!) And I get the 3rd off, what could be better?

Ragnar Relay

Run #1 (7.4 uphill, dirt, and a slight head wind) I felt great and kept a steady pace up until mile 6.3 then I had to stop and take quick walking breaks (told myself no but I was walking faster then I was running so I let it go for a few seconds) but still finished in 70.17 (not that great of a time but i'm still proud minus the walking part). Felt good, my team started to think I was on something because I had so much energy.

Run #2 (4.2 in the dark add in a little wind just for fun) besides the fact that I took a slight 60 second detour and felt like I had tunnel vision a couple of times I still made it in 33.23. Still feeling GREAT and creeping out my team slightly with the ridiculous amounts of energy.

Run #2.5- 2 miles uphill with the madre, had to get out and push her to her limits. She thanked me later when she came in a few seconds under her predicted time. All 12 members on my team asked what I was on because of the incredible amount of energy I had (I may have been jumping, dancing, singing in the car and parking lot at 2 am)

Run #2.75- Final mile with Sharlyn. She stopped and walked. I didn't think this was acceptable, so I got out and made her run.

Run #3 (2.5 miles flat with a wicked head wind) Took off like a champ and kept going. I was nervous because I HAD to come in under my predicted time (I was set at an 8:45 min/mile and came in 5 mins under on the 1st run and 5 mins on the second. Talk about pressure) I had to get a few road kills along the way and finally made it to the finish line 18:20 later.(7:28 per mile, granted it was only 2.5 miles but still, I'm not sprinter) Holy crap that seems fast. Still feeling good though.

Run #3.5- Mama Lang needed to step up her game so I got out and ran the last 1.5 miles with her and felt like a champ. Pushed her again and she was glad I did. Still felt like I could run a few more miles but opted for breakfast instead.

This year it was an amazing race, I wish I could run it again. Oh well time to focus on something else.  Thanks to all of my team members for making it so fun! Looking forward to next year!

GO LOTOPA!

8

Since I am hanging out in this MASSIVE hotel suite all alone with stitches in my leg (no swimming) I decided I would entertain the rest of you.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1. getting into and completing PA school (hopefully the first part happen this year)
2. boating
3. the future
4. more adventures
5. traveling the world
6. the weekend
7. learning spanish
8. life (i like it and can't wait to see what the rest of it brings!)

8 things I did yesterday:

1. woke up
2. went to work
3. made cookies
4. played pool
5. watched sportscenter
6. decided i needed to go to the doctor to get a random red bump on my leg checked out (spider bit gone wrong? I don't know i had a skin biopsy and am waiting to hear...)
7. cuddled
8. went to bed (technically that was this morning)

8 things I wish I could do:

1. be done with PA school
2. travel the world doing humanitarian work (and have my VIDA and CCS buds there with me)
3. sleep
4. not go to work
5. be a kid whenever i want
6. dance in the peruvian rain
7. sing
8. rock it at rockband

8 shows I watch:

1. Greys Anatomy
2. HOUSE!!
3. Sports Center (thanks to Jon)
4. Gossip Girl
5. Jon and Kate plus 8
6. whatever is on CNN
7. the news
8. random shows, right now not much of anything because I am spending my time doing other things.

8 people to tag:

the eight or so people who read this blog who have some time on their hands and want to do a little soul searching.

Not very entertaining but hey I'm crippled right now, and on a business trip... lay off.

Is it worth taking a risk?

"Remember that great LOVE and great ACHIEVEMENTS involve great RISK"

If this is the case then YES it is! Risk taking here I come!

How did I ever get SO incredibly lucky? 

still a lack of pictures. I really didn't take that many because at the beginning of the trip we decided to share and we had a few paparazzi on the trip so I didn't have to worry.

I was sitting with some of the people I went to Peru with (so glad I got to hang out with them again) and started wondering how I got so lucky. The people I went with were so much fun and we all bonded so well. I can't believe I had such a wonderful opportunity to help out others. I would give anything to re-live those 10 days, they were indescribable.

 

There are many things that would make me happy right now:

• Hanging out with the Peru VIDA crew
• Showering with a bucket and dirty well water in the dark with Rylee and Sadie
• not getting much sleep
• the Lima airport (where we spent a considerable amount of time there...over 20 hours of pure fun and enjoyment with a little craziness in there)
• wearing the same dirty outfit everyday
• walking in the pouring rain and mud with Rylee
• the food
• hammocks
• hauling around bricks, cement, sand, wood, shovels, and any other thing involving honest labor
• building  huge fire to burn trash in the middle of the day and sweating to death
• late night story time with the crew
• waking up to a pre-pubescent cow or barking dogs
• the people in the village
• randomness (we had a lot of that on his trip)
• card games
• sleeping in the airport
• bug bites
• mosquito nets
• smelling like deet and sunscreen
• walking along the dirt road while Matt and Juan come zippin by on the moto. "nothing ever changes"
• random outbursts of song in the airport or airplane
• the list goes on and on and on.....pretty much anything dealing with this trip makes me happy. even the delays, lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of practically everything. I loved not being in contact or dealing with technology for 10 whole days! Oh how I love simplicity!

Let me introduce you to the wonderful people who took care of me:   I love them!

Matt: 

He was an awesome leader, so much fun to be around. he was always making us laugh, making sure we were working, and making sure we were happy and enjoying ourselves. I love this kid, he makes me laugh all the time.

Tosh:

HILARIOUS! Had some great quotes and entertained us all the time. I taught him how to spoon in the Lima airport on the cold tile floor (as well as a few other dating tips)... totally worth it! This kid is so much fun to be around.

Tyler:

 Great at taking pictures and playing with the kids. he made sure our trip was well documented. He also provided Rylee and i with some great late night conversations. On the train when it was quiet he yelled... I don't tell many people this but I love country music! (he had headphones in)

Nate: 

he is going to be a great dad, the kids loved him. he is sweet, funny and just fantastic. I loved talking to him and hanging out with him. Nate is the type of person you could talk to about anything, and sometimes I did. I love this kid to, I even put pizza in my purse for him when we went to the movie last night. I need to make sure my little Nate is taken care of.

Jon:

oh what to say about Jon... he is also going to be a great dad, the kids would just gravitate to him and he always had a huge smile on his face while he was hanging out with them. he is also a very hard worker, funny, and happy no matter the situation.

James:

The all time GREATEST storyteller. I love this kid. He is so sweet and sensitive, he is good at listening and giving advice (we would have girl talk with him) He is also great with kids and just hilarious.

Pretty much all of the guys in our group were amazing, great with kids, hard workers, and incredible. We were so lucky to have them around.

Teryn:

So sweet, she always looked cute, she's a tons of fun. she was always willing to share, which helped out in many situations! she was always happy and ready to work.

Lori:

A mother figure to us. Lori was so much fun and acted like a kid most of the time. I'm glad we had Lori there.

Meghan:

Another one who provided us with many laughs. She was great at making sure we all stayed in line and did what we had to do, she also had some comments she will never live down.

Angela:

Amazing. Angela was a lot of fun to have around. She was another one who you could talk to about anything and would just listen and give well needed advice. She is funny in a quiet sort of way. She added a quiet spice to our trip.

Sadie:

All time BEST laugh ever. Sadie is hilarious and every time she would laugh the whole group would end up bursting out in laughter as well. She was even funnier when she was "drunk tired" I love this girl!

Ken and Gaye:

 Our parental units on the trip. They were troopers, nothing stopped them. most of the time they kept up with us and shared LOTS of advice along the way. They were always sneaking around trying to figure out how the young single adult mind worked. I think we gave them a little insight into our world.

Rylee:

Last but definitely not least my roomie and mini-me (she's 3 years younger). We found out early in the trip we were very similar and would talk late at tonight, early in the morning, practically all day every day. She was my roomie. We shared a lot and I feel really close to her. She is so cute and I am so glad we became so close. The best moment was when we walked in the mud and POURING rain all through town and just talked about life and how great it is. That moment will remain one of my all time favorites of the whole trip!

As you can see we had a stellar group. I couldn't ask for anybody better. We all got along and had time to get to know each other. We would always sit by somebody new on the bus, train, plane or when walking. I am SO fortunate to have met these people and can say that Peru was another life changing experience thanks to each and every one of them. They became my family for 10 days. I didn't contact my family the whole time I was gone but I felt safe and well taken care of. I really love each and every one and can't believe how lucky I am to have met them. They all have qualities I wish I could have, they all make me want to be a better person and strive to be at their level. 

I feel so lucky right now! 

The only thing that could make this any better is if I were back in Peru with them. I guess for now I settle with hanging out with them. (which is awesome!)

THANKS VIDA CREW FOR ALL THE MEMORIES! 

And just incase I haven't said it enough... THANK YOU to those who made this trip possible! I truly appreciate your generosity and willingness to help me out and give me the opportunity to have this AMAZING experience.

I'm back...and not happy about it.

I had another life changing experience and was not ready to come home. Everybody I went with was AMAZING, everybody in the village was INCREDIBLE and I was sad to leave all of them. No words can describe my trip.  All I can say is that I loved it!

My thoughts for the day...

Holy CRAP  I'm going to Peru TOMORROW, how did this happen?

The End.

The Many Adventures of Emri and Aubrey

Today Emri and I took a little trip to Wal-Mart to pick up flowers and seeds for the garden she is planting with grandma. Here are the events that followed:

1. Walking in she told me we didn't need a cart because I was going to hold her the whole time, after getting a cart...she decided she wanted to sit in it (thank goodness)

2. We walked down the toothpaste/band-aide isle (so I could pick up a toothbrush for my trip) she saw the Tinkerbell toothpaste and princess toothbrush and HAD to have them. 

EMRI: I NEED a new toothbrush and that Tinkerbell toothpaste, it looks different and I need it.

(Since I am big on having nice clean teeth I thought this one was a good purchase)

3. After the toothbrush went in the cart she saw the princess band-aides... we had to get those too. 

ME: Emri you're not hurt, why do you need a band- aide? 

EMRI: I don't but when I get hurt I will need a princess band-aide.

ME: Well I guess you have a point there, put them in the cart.

4. (In the garden section) We picked the pink flowers, the dragon flowers, and the butterfly flowers. Then she pointed me in the right direction to find the seeds (she knew right where they were) While we were at the seeds we HAD to get the jack-o-lantern. I was pretty sure the garden didn't have room for pumpkins but since Halloween is soon (as Emri told me) we had to get them.

5. After thinking we had bought enough toys for the day we went to the self check out line. I had put a game in the cart and told her we would think about buying it after we were done in the garden section. When we got to the check out line she shyly asked "Can I put this on there too?" I think by now you can guess what the sucker inside of me said...

6. We were putting the stuff in the trunk and she saw the pink umbrella I had back there. It was cloudy so we had to use it while walking the cart back....what if it started raining? She wanted to keep it open in the car, but since I don't drive a 16 passenger van I had to put that idea down. 

7. I asked her if I could go to one more store or if I need to take her home first. She got a huge smile on her face and told me we could go to another store (not a fun one or one with any toys so it wasn't as great as she thought)

8. EMRI: I want to touch my sky (I rolled down the window)

ME: Well where is my sky?

EMRI: It is in Arizona. This is my sky, my clouds, and my wind.

ME: Wait thats not fair I live here, can I have the sky out my window?

EMRI: Yeah I guess. Can you make the wind stop?

ME: I can if I roll up the window.

EMRI: No I want to touch my sky.

EMRI: Ahhh, it is such a beautiful day.

9. Still driving to the other store she told me how tired she was because her mom woke her up SO early and she was just really tired. I told her as soon as we got home we could take a nap (she didn't agree to that idea because she wanted to play with all of her new toys and read her new princess books)

10. Still driving...

EMRI: When I'm four I will know how to do everything.

ME: Really? Everything? What about driving a car? I think you have to be 16 to do that.

EMRI: Yeah and when I am 16 I will drive everybody to the ice cream truck and we can all have ice cream.

(sounds like a good idea to me)

11. Walking out of the other store Emri decided we should of gotten something for Katie. What a thoughtful sister... perfect timing too.

12: Pulling in the driveway..

EMRI: Oh we need to show grandma the flowers we got.

ME: Which ones do you think she'll like?

EMRI: She will LOVE the butterfly ones, and I need my brella.

We got home and played and she took a nap. There are so many funny things she said, I just can't remember them all. The point of the story is.... If you send Aubrey and Emri out to get something they will come back with WAY too many toys. I know, I'm a sucker. My thought is...she only has one aunt...it's part of the job.

Just wondering if life gets any better... Life is GREAT! I really can't complain these days (minus the fact I HAVE to work but it's good most of the days and I actually like it 90% of the time). In 7 days I'm going to Peru with some AMAZING people to help save the world and enjoy a little Machu Pichu while there. I seriously am SO excited to go. I already wish we were staying longer but hopefully I will stay friends with most of them after we are done. How could you not want to be friends with these faces? (yes I realize that man has no pants...I'm not sure why. I stole this pic off Matt's facebook, 3 people in this pic are going with us.....much to my dismay the man with no pants is not one of them) The other love of my life at the current moment (sorry its not a boy...not one I'm admitting to yet) is Kellie Pickler. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her new songs. (Especially The Best Days, Rocks Instead of Rice, and Lucky Girl...Really they are all good but I rock out to these ones the most) Kellie and Taylor (another one of my favorites) are coming to UTAH! Does anybody want to go with me? Tickets are pretty cheap ($50 for pretty good seats) Let me know because I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to go, but not all by my lonesome. It's on May 26th (Tuesday) So the question of the day is.... Does life get any better? I don't think so but...I'm pretty sure in 7 days it will! I guess if I won a few million and could do humanitarian trips ALL day/year/life long that would be better, not realistic but better. For those of you who donated (THANK YOU AGAIN!) you can look forward to some GREAT pictures around the 22nd or so. For those stingy people who didn't...sorry I'm sticking to my word, your loss. You're missing out on beauties like the 2 pics above...classic.

The Countdown is on...

2 weeks from today I will be on a plane to Lima, Peru! I am SO excited. We had a fundraiser last night and it pumped me up more! The people I am going with are AWESOME and we are going to have a great time. All we did last night was laugh and make jokes. I am trying to have patience but it is really had...it's like waiting for Christmas (or the 4th of July in my mind). I can't wait! Hopefully I will meet a few cuties like this...

Thank you SO SO SO SO much to those of you who have donated. I truly appreciate your generosity and can't thank you enough (you can look forward to seeing those pictures though so hopefully that will help)

Easter 2009

I got to teach a "special" Relief Society Lesson, I decided to test out my iMovie program and this is the result. (FYI: the video is 20 mins long, but in my opinion it is excellent!) Oh and by special I mean not out of the manual, which is what I like...a little freedom!

Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Dancin' in the Moonlight

BROWN, RED, SPARKLES, oh wait and don't forget BROWN again

So Emri and Katie stopped by this evening and after playing with Mr. Potato Head (and Katie hanging out in the front seat of my car with my keys) we decided it was time for a little pedicure.

I painted her toes PINK with "Magic TinkerBell Dust" on top. We decided on this color combination after painting each of her toes a different color, waiting for her to examine them, and then finally making a decision. Then it was BROWN on the fingers. She decided this one during the toe painting process.

She told me she wanted to paint my toes and fingers next. She started with BROWN....then added RED on top of that....then added SPARKLES on top of that...then said it was time for BROWN again (however it was also time to go back to her other grandparents home so the 2nd coat of BROWN never happened, whew!) She made sure she never forgot my pinkie toe and would go back and make sure she painted every bit of the rest of my toenails. She also took the pads (that I use to remove nail polish) and would wipe off my toes. Here is the finished product.... I think it might take a whole bottle of nail polish remover to get this off but what can you do? As you can see not too shabby on the left foot.. the right foot is a different story. (and who knows why she has an "R" sticker on her foot, she came that way...)

To: anybody and everybody

In May, I will be part of a volunteer group serving in Moralillos, Peru. I couldn't be more excited to go and help out! As many of you know the 3 weeks I spent in Ghana in 2007 were life changing and I am so grateful I have a chance to go on another trip!

The organization I will be serving with, VIDA will be teaming up with the local government of Moralillos to improve the water conditions in this town. Our efforts will include building basic latrines, teaching community members how to construct family latrines, building an adequate well system, and teaching hygiene and health classes. (right up my alley!) The focus of our project is to provide an economical and affordable way to improve the living conditions of people who have so little.

VIDA has completed over 25 service projects similar to our upcoming project in Peru; we have seen how the efforts of a few willing people can change the lives of many. VIDA was founded and continues to exist because of the support, time, and money of volunteers and contributors like you; it is an organization that gives 100% of its resources and efforts to help those in need.

WHY SHOULD YOU HELP? VIDA volunteers donate time and money to make these missions a reality; however, because VIDA is a non-profit organization, we rely on contributions from friends, family and business owners. Without the support of people like you, VIDA projects would fail to exist. When you donate, you become a part of the project.

All contributions are greatly appreciated and used only for supplies and project expenses. 100% of all donations are tax deductible. Should you choose to donate, I will provide you with an official receipt including a tax ID number. Please make your check payable to VIDA and send it to me: Aubrey Lang: 816 Lucky Clover Lane: Murray, UT 84123..... Thank you for your support!

**If your company wants to be a part of this project, let me know. If they donate a certain amount of money they will become a sponsor of our trip (which means they get a rockin t-shirt, their logo on the back of our shirts, and a copy of our trip DVD)

*** One More Reason to Donate....

The small village we will be going to has ONE latrine (pictured above). Yep just one. (there are 500 residents of this town) Oh and they just got electricity a few weeks ago.... So I'm sure there will be some VERY classic pictures of me and I will only show them to those who decide to donate. NEED ONE MORE REASON? Read this article.