Enjoying the summer

This rotation has been so nice and relaxing. I work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 to 5. That means I have 3 days off a week. I love it. And because rheumatology is something that is not really taught in medical school, it is quite a steep learning curve in order to be able to do this specialty. Hence, it has ended up being more of a shadowing experience, with me getting the history on new patients and then learning from watching. In this specialty they deal with diseases where a person’s immune system attacks different parts of their body – for example, when joints are attacked you get rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis; if it is more connective tissues, then you can have lupus or scleroderma; or if it is blood vessels you can have giant cell arteritis or Wegener’s granulomatosis. And they deal with other bone and soft tissue problems, like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

I come home every day realizing that the problems I face in my life are nothing compared to the disabilities that some of these people have to deal with every day. These diseases can be very debilitating and cause of lot of trouble with accomplishing daily function. But at the same time, there are several medications that have been developed just in the past few years that have made it possible to control these chronic diseases, so it is neat to see where technology has come to help these people.

For our family home evening activity this week we went to the library. The boys were able to turn in their papers that they had filled out for reading over the summer and get prizes, and then we had fun finding books to bring home and others to read there.

Kolby and Eli continue with their twice-weekly swim lessons. The lessons here only go for 3 weeks at a time – we are just realizing now how nice the YMCA was in Milwaukee, where it was only once a week for several weeks before the next session. Steph has looked around but hasn’t been able to find a place here in Salt Lake that does it like that.

Wednesday we got my car into the shop for an oil change and to have the rear struts replaced. We’ll have to get the other car in maybe next week. That day was also a day spent catching up on all the phone calls, bills, and other things that have crept up on us over the past month and that needed doing. That night Grandma Faun watched the boys for us so we could go to the Bountiful temple for an endowment session. It was our first time doing that in the Bountiful temple, and it is a beautiful and peaceful place with a nice view out over the city from up on the hillside. It made me think of the scripture in Isaiah 2:2-3, where it talks about people going up to the mountain of the Lord’s house in the top of the mountains.

Thursday night was Kolby’s night and I got to go with him. These nights are so much fun because the boys look forward to them with so much excitement. Kolby wanted to go to Toys R Us and play with the toys, so that’s what we did. We found some plastic dinosaurs and other animals and played with them; then Kolby wanted to ride the bikes; and then we played some video games. We ended the night at Baskin Robbins. It was just fun to spend that hour or so with Kolby and let him know that he was special and appreciated.

This weekend was our ward’s summer campout in Wallsburg, UT, a little to the south and east of Heber. Our stake has some property out there for these types of events, so we packed up the tent and other things for the night. Grandma Faun decided to stay home and offered to keep Isaac with her, so we took her up the offer so we could enjoy the time with the other boys. The ward provided dinner and breakfast and then some games of bingo Friday night and a piñata Saturday morning. There was also a little river there that we took off shoes and walked along in; some trails that we hiked on; and sand that the boys enjoyed digging in. They all slept well Friday night, though Steph and I woke up pretty stiff the next morning and said that we probably need to invest in some pads for the two of us. There were a lot of kids there for the boys to play with and we just got to relax and get to know some of the other member of our church a little better, which was really nice.

Today in our priesthood class at church we talked about how life gives us trials no matter if we are good or bad, and that the best way to overcome them is to turn to our Savior and take His yoke upon us. I really liked the thoughts that were shared about how the world turns to so many other things that they think will bring happiness or an easy life, but really the only way to find true happiness and joy is by turning to Jesus and following the path He has set for us to follow. It is through His atonement that we are not only cleansed from our sins, but it is how we can be helped and comforted to deal with all situations that we find ourselves in during this life. We just need to ask for His help, humble ourselves enough to listen for His answer, and then be willing to act on those impressions. I’m so grateful to have a Savior who cares for me and watches out for my family. Life may not always be easy, but with His help, things always seem to work out the best for us.

I’m excited for tonight. We get to have dinner with my sister Mel and her husband Christian and their two boys Jaden & Kyler and my other sister Annette. It will be so fun to see them again. We are sad that Al & Jenn can’t make it this time, but hopefully we can get together again soon. It is so nice to be back here close to family in Utah for this year. We have enjoyed the times that have been spent with family and look forward to more that will come.