Note from Telfer: My schooling this year has taken me from grade 19 to grade 20 with not much to show for it save the eager anticipation of May 2005 (Med School graduation). The early months of 2004 were occupied primarily with Surgery rotations – a busy time when I frequently felt out of sync. Rotations in Pediatrics and Family Medicine finished out my third year and earned me a vacation (and the privilege of yet another full-day standardized exam – USMLE Step II).
I developed a leaning towards specializing in Anesthesiology sometime during my second year and through various ill-defined processes settled on it as a career choice during this past year. Two of the initial months of my fourth year were therefore spent learning more about this field of medicine and practicing some of the skills involved (intubation, starting IVs, monitoring patients, etc…). I spent one month at Virginia Mason in Seattle after which my first professional conference (ASA annual meeting) took Andrea and I to Las Vegas in late October. Now I am occupied with interviewing for residency positions and ruminating on where to train and spend the next four years with Andrea.
Note from Andrea: At least one of our household joined the ranks of the gainfully employed when I completed my Masters in Library and Information Science and joined the faculty at the Loma Linda University Libraries last January. I love being a librarian! And no, I do not get to read all day, BUT I do get to spend lots of time helping students find resources and teach them how to research.
I have also been able to attend the Medical Library Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in May (my first time in D.C. – I lost 5 pounds from walking and pure excitement) and the Internet Librarian conference in Monterey in November. I enjoy the learning environment of my profession and love being in a techie sort of place (really, libraries are cool these days)!
After being married for 3.5 years, we are most happy to report we still like each other. We can see God’s hand in our lives here in California – who knew when we moved here in July 2001 in the 115 degree heat that we might even consider living here for an additional four years? In 2004, we have enjoyed visits from Rose & Robert, Alyssa & Eden, Andrea’s best friend RaChelle, and every member of the Griffith family! In spite of the activities mentioned above, we have still managed to boogie-board, enjoy concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (with Mom & Dad!), stay involved with a Koinonia group at Trinity Church, drive to Pacific City for a vacation with the Young family, hang out with Nana & Papa in Long Beach, celebrate Rose’s 50th birthday in style, and cruise on up to Nampa, Idaho for Thanksgiving and NNU’s alumni weekend.
God is ever faithful to our little family and we are thankful for your friendship and interest in our lives. Merry Christmas!
Feel free to browse through our blog archives from September-November and check out the photo albums as well!
Andrea Y. Griffith 