Wow.

I did it!  I made it!  I survived my first year of PA school.  I honestly never thought I'd be able to say that.  I didn't think I'd be able to stick it out.  Today I found out I passed my exams, and other than a few random classes next week, I'm done with Phase I (we're broken down into 3 phases total in 27 months).  I already feel so much lighter.  Like I can take a deep breath.  It feels like I blacked out for a year and just woke up.  This whole year I've doubted my ability to do this, to learn the material, to have the emotional wherewithal to finish.  And now it's done.  I'm so proud of myself and I can see God's hand in it all.  He's been showing me more and more that He never asked me to trust in my own abilities, but in His, and I think that's kind of the whole point.  So, this year there have been many, many tears, and I know there are still more to come - next year is no piece of cake - but, I've made it through the worst part and the end will be here before I know it.  Come early June, I will start my first rotation, in ER, no less. Holy cow.  Throwing me right in.  For an elective I chose Endocrinology, which I've really enjoyed this year.  And as for what I want to do in the future, I'd still love to work in a free clinic and for us to serve on missions trips along the way.  My thoughts on specialty so far would be family practice, I think, but I'm open.  So there you go.  

p.s.  In case you didn't guess, that cast was just for practice.