W-O-N-G

My friend Stephanie had her wedding shower this weekend and it was so great to see her. It's hard to believe I'll be in her wedding in less than 3 weeks! She is getting married in the Dominican Republic to this man:




This is David. He is great. I couldn't be more excited for these two awesome people.

I have known Stephanie Wong for about 5 and a half years. We met at UGA when I happened to be randomly paired with one of her close friends, Diana Lee, in the dorm rooms. The first year I roomed with only Diana, the second with Stephanie (while Diana was in Taiwan) and the last year we all lived together at East Campus Village.



Stephanie is one of the those amazing people where I think God was feeling extra generous the day she became a part of my life. She's probably the most kind-hearted, thoughtful, generous person I know... and she's also uber-talented. Not only does she share my love for all things dance, but she was practically an olympic gymnast, UGA cheerleading firecracker/tumble queen, coach, AND is probably the best physical therapist that ever existed.... well, at least for being only in her first year out of school! She'll likely accomplish more in 5 years than I will in a lifetime, because she's always starting some amazing new endeavor or mastering her next skill.
I'm convinced she can do more with her right foot than I can with all 4 extremities.

Did I mention she's the most down-to-earth, sensible person? You didn't expect that from all the above activities, did you? Despite her amazing-ness, she will usually just blend into the crowd. Unless she has friends who brag about her the way I do. We usually try to get her to perform some tricks or diagnose our illnesses to show off her skills. She's a good sport about it.

In all seriousness, she's not just smart and talented, she has the most incredible attitude, I've literally never seen her lose her temper EVER, and she's always giving herself out to others, expecting nothing in return. She is quality in every way.

Here is Stephanie giving her maid-of-honor speech at my wedding. Those are her parents in the background. They are equally as awesome. sometimes I secretly wish I were a Wong. The family humors me and lets me hang around when I'm in town.

In conclusion, Stephanie Wong is the friend of all friends. If you haven't met her, you're missing out.

One of those days

It's been one of those days. You know, the kind where you can't wait for it to be over....

First, I watched the hard-saved money for our future hospital bills go down the drain when our cheap little car required more work done on it than it was worth, then I waited in the rain for a bus so I could still get to work, then someone at work kept correcting my interaction choices with staff and patients (and not in a friendly, helpful kind of way but in a "I'm superior and must instruct the ignorant masses" kind of way, which normally I can brush off but was particularly grating today), and finally I came home remembering that I was supposed to pick up the main ingredient for dinner, which of course I couldn't pick up without a car.

Yep, it's been one of those days. Thank you for allowing me to complain.

Tomorrow is another day,

and I hope it gets here soon.

I'm going to go think about cute baby giggles, ice cream, and hugs now.

Naming 101

Next week we find out whether we're having a boy or girl. I feel like the days are going by extra slow as the day approaches. In the spirit of this event, I remembered a super cute blog my friend Kristina did a while ago about their naming philosophy. I can't remember her 'rules', but I'm sure some of the feelings are mutual!

Disclaimer: the following are personal preferences of Ben and Lisa. If you or your child's name happens to fall in one of these categories, don't be offended! This is meant to be tongue-and-cheek, I promise!

Our Naming Rules

1. No gender neutral names. We tend to like names that are either more masculine or more feminine. Also, we want to avoid anything that could generate confusion.
2. No intentionally calling our child by their middle name instead of their first name. Again, generates confusion.

3. No last names used as first names, or as my friend coined them, 'country club' names. This is a newer trend. I honestly like some of these names, but because it seems to be a trend I try to stay away from it.

4. Must have a strong meaning in either the first or middle name (preferably both, but at least one)

5. No double first names like Mary Katherine or John David.

6. No alternate spellings i.e. replacing C's with K's, I's with Y's, or A's with ae's. This is a slight pet peeve of mine. I can't see using baby's name as a way to express one's ability to be a creative speller. Exceptions might be made if it's easier to correctly pronounce the name using an alternate spelling.
7. No top 10 names,

8. And the other side, nothing too weird or unusual. My objective measure of this is when you tell someone your baby's name, they don't look confused.

9. Only names that mature well with the child. Some names sound super cute for kids, but not-so-classy for adults.

10. Personal prefs: love girl names that end in -a or -elle. We also like boy names that can't be shortened to one-syllable nicknames, though they're hard to come by.

Granted, these are just current tastes of ours. Maybe they will change!

What is your naming style? Pet peeves? Loves?

At the End of My Rope

It's been awhile since I've written; Lisa could probably tell you how many months and how many days. She likes to count down (baby) and up (marriage).

For those who don't know, I'm 5 months into a 27-month Physician Assistant program. My life and therefore, often Lisa's, is centered around my studies, because the program is so intense. For example, "Oh, you want to hang out on Saturday? I’m sorry babe but it'll have to be next weekend, because I have a huge Pharmacology test on Monday"...."Hey, want to watch a movie? I can take an hour and a half break." You get the idea.

The upside of studying non-stop and rarely getting a breather is that it drives me straight to the real center of my life. He never fails to love, encourage, supply what I'm lacking, etc. I’m always so blown away that he cares about a measly test of mine. Here’s the latest example:

Last week was brutal. I had 4 tests Tuesday through Friday, a project due on Saturday, and then the mother of them two days later (this past Monday): Pharmacology. Whenever anyone in my class mentions the words “Pharm” and “test” together in the same sentence, half the class impulsively shivers. So Sunday evening, I’m spent. None of the material has really sunk in, and I know I’m in trouble. I remember thinking, “Wow, I really am at the end of the proverbial rope!” So I cry out to God and remarkably he never gets tired of bleating lambs crying out in fear. For a split-second, I have this image in my mind of a rope dangling above me. I felt God was saying, “Oh, you’re at the end of your rope? Grab mine.” Then of course instead of saying “OK,” my mind rushes to the “how.” How is he going to do it? Will the test be postponed, will he magically give me the answers I so desperately need during the test, or will I fail a test for the first time since my very first undergraduate test many years ago (an 8/100 in biology)? What drives me crazy even though it’s great for faith-building, is that he never tells me how beforehand. He just says he will do something and implicitly or explicitly asks me to simply trust him.

The next day I take the test, turn in the Scantron, and self-grade using the key provided. I score a 72.5. Only 2.5 points from passing. I am told several answers are miskeyed, but with my lack of knowledge going into the test, that could easily hurt me more than help. And then there’s the possibility of the curve, but who knows what that will be. I’m pretty upset for a few hours. Over the course of the week, I go through the 5 stages of grief, all the while waiting like the rest of the class with anticipation for our grades to be posted. At first I think, “What about that rope, God?” Then, I think, well, I shouldn’t have passed, so if I did, then there’s the rope I guess. Then I remembered the morning of the test, I did happen to find out that a certain review sheet was the skeleton to the test and was invited to study last-minute with a couple of classmates who were able to explain to me 90% of the questions on the review. I guess that was a miracle of sorts.

Yesterday, Friday, at the end of the day, I receive an email that we will be re-taking the Pharm test on Monday, as only 25% of the class passed the test. We will have the opportunity to review the old test together and then re-take the SAME test an hour later. What??!! I have never heard of that happening in our program, not in this class nor any other. This probably is an unprecedented act of mercy by a professor who previously refused to push back this test two days, considering the preceding string of tests and project. No, there’s the rope. As if a Pharmacology test was too big for him! And as I write this, I am reminded of another thought I had on Sunday, “God, if you can move this mountain, I’ll believe you for anything.” Gulp.

“Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?” Isaiah 50: 2b

18 weeks