Deck the Halls and Spread the Cheer!

Ah, the holidays.  That time of year when you get in touch with family, miss the siblings you don’t see nearly enough, cuddle up and watch old movies while the snow dances in the blistering wind outside. That time of year when the weirdos across the street who turn their Christmas lights on every night of the year actually aren’t weird for it (for a few weeks). That time of year where – if you’re a student working in any type of retail or customer service position – you slop up every extra hour you can and worry about how you’re going to handle a full-time job out in that “real-world” you’ve been dreaming of for far too many years.   Ah yes, the holidays.

It is amazing how fast the month has flown by.  Scary in fact.  With so much on our personal to-do lists, it seems like we’ve had even less time to get around to making progress with them than we did during school!  Well… maybe I shouldn’t go THAT far, but it seems pretty dang close to being accurate!!

Work for both me and Chad got increasingly busy as the store-fronts became decked with elves and reindeer, and it wasn’t till Christmas was little more than a week away that we realized we were short on time for decorating our own place.  It came down to Chad stringing marrow with the trimmings, and nailing up a few lights outdoors. By the time we got that done, however, the Big Day was just around the corner.

Hundreds of cookies, fudge recipes, and sweet treats later, we found ourselves heading down to the city to spend Christmas Eve with the Olson’s.

We awoke Christmas morning, had our continental breakfast with numerous other hotel guests sitting mournfully alone, and a couple arguing and throwing a fit in front of their daughter. Quite depressing, really.

We visited the second side of the family, and raced the darkening skies home.  After a delicious Christmas dinner of just the two of us, we opened presents fireside.  A perfect ending to our little winter holiday!

We got a lot wonderful gifts, and a lot of wonderful responses to our blog.  We appreciate all of you keeping in touch and returning again and again to keep up on our adventures! A special thanks goes out to: Debbie, Derrill, Caro, and John and Amy. Thank you for your support!  We’re hoping that the blizzard we woke up to this morning is one of the last one’s we will ever have to see!! This time next year, we’re envisioning ourselves with tan cheeks, in tank tops and flip flops, and you all opening up our Christmas cards with pictures of us on the beach eating the freshest fish and chips you can find!!  At least that’s what’s been dancing in our heads instead of sugar plums lately!

With school starting up just one short week away, we should know once and for all whether or not those visions are merely that, or whether they are our dreams coming true! And, well, although I’ll be bogged down in 18 credits (6 classes) next term, Chad has what he is bragging as an “easy term”.  So, I wanted to get some insight from you guys, and see if you have any suggestions or ideas for fundraising?  What kind of things would you be willing to donate for if we were in your neighborhood?

Let’s give Chad something to do so he won’t get too bored next term (:

Thank You Everyone for the Wonderful Gifts!!  All the best for the coming year!!

Christmas Break & One Step Closer

Today marks our first week on Christmas break. I hate to say it but I am extremely happy to be done with the fall term. Even though my course load wasn’t massive, I found myself exhausted towards the end of the term. I am looking forward to a few weeks of relaxing, building a snow man with Melissa and getting back into the gym to really push myself to break some PR’s

On another bright note, OIT has decided to approve our Australia Endeavour! That’s right ladies and gentlemen; the school has finally come around and granted approval for Melissa and I to complete our final year of education Down Under. We have not gotten a signed contract from Flinders Medical center as of yet, but we are confident that the facility will not have any problems with the contract. Hopefully in a few weeks we will be able to tell you that the contract has been finalized and signed and that you can now begin donating your spare change (or spare dollars). As for now, keep the positive vibes headed our direction.

Thanks for the support, check back soon to see how things play out!

Chad

The End is Near...

Melissa's Pride and Joy 

Wow, Thanksgiving sure went by quick!  We hardly even noticed it here.  We enjoyed a yummy dinner with our Oregon family (aka Chad’s side) and I got to hear more childhood stories, and about the latest guns from all the guys. Chad managed to work up a sweat with the little ones outside in the near-freezing temperatures, and we managed to make it home without sliding off the roads through the canyon.

Our short-lived “break” (which is really a misnomer, because during college terms, there is no such thing as a day without so-much as stressing out about homework and exams) was exactly that – short lived – and bright and early the next morning we found ourselves dragging each other the radiology lab to practice our positioning; our practical was that Monday.  Followed by our Surgery and trauma exam.  Followed by our Pathology exam.  Followed by our Positioning exam.  The only thing “break”ing about our Thanksgiving Holiday was our pretty little images of that light at the end of the tunnel.

That's right - CUPCAKES!

By the end of the week, I think our exam scores definitely reflected the fact that we had passed the “burnt out” stage before even our first bite of turkey, but we made it through… and can’t be happier that the only thing between us and a study-free few weeks is, you guessed it, 3 more FINAL exams.

Between the increasingly heavier work-schedules (compliments of the holiday season) Chad and I have been holed up in the testing center at the school library studying away, occasionally eeking our way out to get some sleep, some food, or make a pitiful attempt at relaxing before the next morning comes and it starts all over again. Poor Chad, all he can think about is these dang finals charging towards us, and all I can think about is the crap I have to accomplish as soon as those dang finals are done – Christmas gifts, Christmas cards, Christmas plans…

Such hard work baking so many!

Just two more days, I whisper to myself, Just two more days.  Three exams. Two days. And then we are officially 1/3 closer to the Great Klamath Falls Escape!

So, I apologize for the severe lack of updates and current news lately (which we DO have news to update you on!) but I promise that just as soon as we reach that climactic end-of-term point, we will be back!  Hopefully you will be too, because we will be asking for your thoughts!

The Dark Abyss

If you have seemed to feel like Chad and I have fallen off the face of the earth these last few weeks, you are not alone; Chad and I have felt like that ourselves!!  As our Fall term passed its “mid-term”, the speed picked up, and we have felt something like the fiery flames of hell nipping at our heels.

            Our motivation has seemed to dwindle, and I will speculate – at least for myself – that it has something to do with our Australia dream.  Things have come to a stand-still in that department, with our fate lying in the hands of the legal department, which apparently is in no hurry to ease our worried little minds.  Despite how much we would like to kid ourselves, we cannot deny how often our thoughts wander to this topic, and at the most inconvenient times, too!  Like these past few weeks, when we’ve had multiple exams, quizzes, and practicals to tackle!!

            Aside from a quick little get-a-way to Bend this past weekend, and the occasional catch-up episodes of our favorite shows over take-out, we’ve had our nosed plastered to the insides of our textbooks, and stacks of notes.  We’ll keep on trucking, though-At least for the next 3 weeks!

            We can’t escape the winter temperatures that have already set in, but maybe if the time goes by fast enough, we’ll be able to enjoy a snow-less week or two before the holidays arrive!!

What Halloween?

I have a split second to catch my breath in between our exams, practicles and extern headaches to write something. I can't believe that Halloween has come and gone already. The end of the term is zipping towards us and I still feel like I have just started. Its easy for me to get swamped down with the due dates, exams and everything in between; I promised myself last year that I would stay on track better so that I could afford to take a break every now and again. But, once again, the term has taken my stress to the next level and I can no longer see the forest for the tress. One of my closest friends in the world was in Ashland this past weekend and I coundn't even find the time to shoot down to catch up. The work load, and my own desire to be one of the best at what I do, have over run my life. I long for the days when I can hit the gym on a regular bases and actually enjoy some time off.
As for the mess at school, I am trying to be as positive as Melissa and focus on puting the best spin on it as I can.
Hope everyone is doing really well and enjoying the warm snap we are having. Keep sending us your good vibes.
Thanks- C

Melissa as Medusa for Halloween

A Turn for the Better, A Turn for the Worst

And so the story of Australia has taken a familiar turn.  A turn that Chad and I know all too well.

Things have been looking up in this department lately – We collected all of our materials for the Visa, and contacted the hospital to verify their status on things.  The news back was that they are “still very keen” on the idea, and were getting things wrapped up on their end. They were ready to sign the contract.  Our coordinator here had everything arranged, and we were sending the contract over.  Chad and I were starting to feel good about things; it finally seemed like things were starting to fall into place and we could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
With our coordinator being back on campus this week, we eagerly searched her out, and to our incredible dissapointment, received some devastating news.

Things seem to have gone awry with the hierarchy on OUR end of things. Someone, it seems, has a bone to pick with so-and-so, and is fluffing their feathers.  An issue that has come up before, and was “cleared” as far as we knew,  has renewed it’s little head. 

Over the course of the last two and a half years, Chad and I have put in the effort to research hundreds of Australian hospitals, to compose and send out hundreds (OK, 27) letters to the best of those hospitals asking for their “sponsorship” to accept us as externs. We contacted the ARRT to verify that our training overseas would be acceptable to sit for the Board exams and allow us to graduate. We checked and re-checked and then checked again that our insurance would still be valid. We met with our Financial Aid advisors to go over our funding for our final year, not to mention our countless meetings with our coordinator.  We dug through boxes to gather every document that they want for Visa’s, contacting the AU Embassy so many times that they will probably recognize our names on the applications! Everyone was on board – both here, and at our site in Australia.  Even the Dean had given the go-ahead.  But it seems somewhere along the line, someone in the “chain of command” has felt left out, and has decided to fight against us.

I know that my rant here can do nothing to soothe the frustration that I, Chad, and our coordinator are now experiencing.  I must remind myself that that “good-feeling” I have had about this thing from the get-go cannot be shaken by hiccups just because deadlines are hanging by the wire.  For, not too long ago, a guy and a gal had these same little hiccups when they were trying to make their way to Australia the first time. 

When Chad and I first signed up for our study abroad program, the roller coaster ride of “It’s a go!” “Oh no, it’s been cancelled” was nauseating and nail-biting.  We even received the dreaded e-mail that said we were being sent a refund-check for the money we had put down – and this was a month before we left.  It came down to the wire at that time too, yet 3 weeks or so before the date on our plane tickets, things fell into place, and we were celebrating Christmas by packing our bags for a 3 month trip.  A fairy-tale, I know, but it happened.  Who’s to say that it cannot happen again?  No one said that it would be easy, No one promised low levels of cortisol, and No one said it would be a quick process.  But then again, no one has called it ‘off’ yet, either.

Keep your positive thoughts flowing for us, everyone.

Almost half-way there

And so we made it to the weekend - and what an emotional week it has been!!  Coincidentally, our two beloved, crazy, and sometimes annoying cats, were swept away to new homes on the same day last weekend.  It was heartbreaking, and we are just hoping that the two couples who adopted them will offer them more attention and give them a more indefinite home than we could. Our neighbor's cat, however, is not handling it quite so well. He has been circling our house, and peeking in the curtains all week looking for his partner in crime.  I swear that they were related - both fluffy as heck, and the same big green eyes.  I miss  my little Henle ):
We made it through our Week of Exam Hell, too.  We came out alive.   Let's just say there is always room for improvement with scores, but I - at least - can't complain (and Chad really shouldn't either!)
The official marking of "midterm" for us is our first Practical Exam.  This is the exam where we perform a [fake] x-ray exam on a [fake] patient.  We get graded on how well we position the patient for the exposure, the exposure techniques we use, cassette factors, etc. Throughout the program, this is always the more dreaded and anticipated part of the term - essentially what we spend all of our time practicing for.  This happens on Monday, for us.  The term has seemed to fly by so quickly, it feels as though we have had hardly any time to practice!!  That should give you some idea of where our weekend will be spent as soon as we get out of work!!

A tribute to our fluffy friends: Hen-Lizard, Ledlers, and Terrence, who has seemed to of dissapeared with the cat food, too ):

Ledley

Henle

Terrence

The Balancing Act

And so it has begun, our balancing act of school - work and play- relaxation and determination- that little number always at the back of our minds: 9. 9 more months, and then the school year is over.
Maybe not the best way to approach it, but hey- whatever keeps us going, right? I am amazed that time has flown by. We have just finished our third week of school…I think and we are already looking into the face of our first Practical. Melissa has a much better track record with these things than me. I tend to stress myself out to the point that I make stupid mistakes, costing me precious points. Next week is a big week for us; exams in Pathophysiology, Positioning and Surgery Trauma! At this point I don’t really feel prepared for any of them but I think that’s about normal.
We are a step or two closer to getting our ducks in a row with our Australian Visa, a snafu with Melissa’s student aid has pushed our time frame back a bit but I am confident that we will have things sorted by the end of the month.  
The weather has begun to change and it’s starting to get really cold here at night. I am dreading the snow but I keep telling myself this is the last year I will ever have to live in the stuff.
That’s about all the news I have right now. Melissa and I appreciate those of you keeping up with us. Be sure and check back this next week to see how Melissa and I did on our exams.
Thanks-
Chad

Our Summer comes to an end

This year summer went by way too fast.  After a grueling year of classes, this summer couldn't have been more welcome.  Alot of changes happened at Borders, so I was able to work a lot more than I was expecting (which was DElightful!) and Chad was able to continue his supplement education at GNC.  We managed to escape town here and there, making a few excursions to Bend and Medford.  To say good-bye to summer in an appropriate fashion, however, we finally made the trip to CA (TOGETHER) so that after 3 years and 9 months, my birthmother and sisters could finally meet Chad!  The weather was beautiful, the food was delectable, the company was delightful, and I had a gorgeous man to enjoy all of it with!!  But, the trip was all - too- short for my tastes, and now we are back in Klamath Falls, and trying to keep the back-to-school panic at bay.  Bright and early Monday morning we will awake and join the masses flooding campus with backpacks already heavy with $500 books.
Among our studies of trauma, surgery, pathology, and positioning of the skull, our frantic rush to lodge our Visa application officially kicks in to overdrive.  Our externship is riding on getting in in before the end of the month, in order to ensure our contract is signed while still leaving enough time for the program director to plan the site visit out there. We are staring at our checklist, and picking and choosing our next little box to tackle.  Photographs, passports, military discharge documents, diplomas, evidence of health insurance, and proof of $5,000 AUS in funds.  This last one is the only one that has us worried. We are not sure how to make this happen in some 33 days.
These next couple of weeks will obviously be full of adventure, trying to navigate our way through funding options, lots of paperwork, meetings, and emails... oh yea, and lots of homework to study!!
M

Getting Current

Hi. My name is Chad and this is the official first post of the MandC blog.  Melissa and I have created this page as a way for us to keep our family, friends, supports and everyone in between up to date with our progress towards reaching our 2011 goal. Along with our progress, we also plan on keeping you up to date with our day to day shenanigans and whatever else we feel like telling the world.
Before I get too carried away, let me explain our 2011 goal. Melissa and I are students here at the Oregon Institute of Technology and we are both working towards completing a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Radiologic Technologies. The culmination of our curriculum is a 12 month long externship at a functioning hospital. Although the school has gone to great lengths to secure student positions at various locations across the western United States, there is currently no overseas locations. Melissa and I are passionate about travel and quickly decided (before even being accepted into the Radiology program) that we would explore an overseas option for ourselves. After a few years, and countless e-mails and letters to various facilities around the world, we found a trauma-1 hospital that is willing to accept us for the 12 months. We are beginning our Junior year at OIT and the clock is ticking; we have only nine months to get everything ironed out. The excitement is palpable! So here we are, our new year begins on Monday the 27th and we couldn't be more excited. Keep coming back to see how things unfold from here.
Thanks
c
If you have any ideas regarding ways we can raise the funding necessary to complete our 2011 goal, feel free to drop us a line. If you are feeling generous and would like to see two energized and driven people experience a once in a life time opportunity, please click the "donate" button on this page.

The First of Many

Greatings, this is Chad and I am tossing up our first post of many. Stay up with all the happenings going on with Melissa and myself. Thanks for stopping by.