Graduation Weekend

This past week has been pretty busy to say the least. At the end of last week I decided to take one more shot at finding a pediatric job in the area and when I went to the Primary Children's Medical Center's (PCMC) website I was surprised to find that they had recently posted a new job for a full time PT on their Neuro Rehab floor, so I applied. I was a little nervous about applying after I had already been offered a couple jobs and those jobs were still waiting for a reply, but I had bought myself some time because I told both of the SNFs that I couldn't make my decision until after Matthew and I visited Seattle, which we will be doing later this week. Well, Wednesday afternoon I got a call from PCMC wanting to set up an interview and because of the time crunch I set it up the next morning before my graduation ceremony. I knew my family was coming into town and I had a lot going on, but I figured because they were getting in so late and graduation wasn't until the evening that it would be okay.

I left the interview Thursday feeling really good. I felt that I connected well with the woman who interviewed me and I felt confident in the majority of my answers. Unfortunately, this morning I received a call informing me that I did not get hired for the position. It is pretty disappointing, I really would love to work with children, but it doesn't seem that that is what I am supposed to do right now. I am a

little frustrated because all of my classmates who wanted jobs in the Peds setting got one and I feel just as capable and qualified as they are, but I am left wanting. I have replayed my interview over and over in my mind and the one thing I found lacking was my answer to the "where do you want to be in 5 years" question. I answered truthfully and said that I wanted to be working in this setting as a PT, doing what I love. I am sure they wanted a more specific plan, like "I want to be in management" or

something to do with specializing, but that's just not me. I want to work with people, doing what I love, is that so bad? I am thinking about emailing my interviewer and asking her for some pointers on what I could do to improve my interview/resume, but we will see.

As for the rest of the graduation celebration, when I came home from my interview the mail had arrived and what pray tell was in it? My boards results...my heart started to race as I ran up the stairs to tell my family. I was so nervous, but I knew I couldn't stand to wait another minute to open it. I only hoped I wouldn't be embarrassed in front of my

family. They all stood in anticipation as a torn the paper from its envelope...I PASSED!!!!! My family cheered and Elisa asked if she could be the first to sit next to the "doctor." Wahoo, I'm a doctor!

Later that evening my family and I headed to the Huntsman Center for the College of Health Graduation Ceremony. I met up with many of my classmates as I entered the tunnel where the graduates would enter the

stadium. I hadn't seen most of them for at least 4 months because of internships. It was a fun reunion; we talked about internships, job opportunities and the boards. My best friend Danny Johnson told me about an upcoming interview and then told me he hadn't heard whether he passed the boards yet. My other classmate Mike Mathews overheard and said, "Do you want to know? I have the phone number?" Danny was a little bit hesitant, he, like all of us, felt unsure if he had passed and he didn't want to ruin his day. After some pushing and reassurance that he did great and it could only make his day better he made the call and found out he passed! It was pretty cool.

The graduation ceremony was alright. None of us knew the speakers so we weren't too invested. I found my family in the crowd. It was actually kind of funny because Kat, my classmate sitting right next to me, said that only her mom could come and she doubted we would find her in the crowd, but we found her almost immediately, whereas I had a

whole herd of people and it took me several minutes to see them when they were right in front of me!

When I finally found them my parents, siblings and Matthew all gave me the I love you "L" point. It's the one where we make an L on our foreheads and while mouthing the words "I Love You" we point

the top of the L towards the person to whom we are speaking. Matthew's parents, the Taylors and our friends Tiffany and Jason Passey were also there and they gave me big smiles.

After the ceremony I went out to the front lawn to meet my family for pictures and while looking I ran into Syd Christensen, formally Stringham, one of the sister missionaries that Matthew served with. She was there for her sisters graduation. I then ran into Marilyn Sams and Nancy Lee Thompson, two of the sisters I have served in the Friendship Manor Relief Society Presidency with. I was so grateful that they took the time to come, I was only sad that they slipped away before we could get a picture together.

When I finally reached my family, my Mom gave me flowers and a lei and then we took a bunch of pictures.

Above left: Matt Conn and Kat Parkinson Above right: Crystal Chrastil, Katy Scott Garvin and Danny Johnson

Above: Crystal Chrastil and me

Above left: The Family- Lorenzo, Kaleb, Elisa, Liz, Zac, Maddy, Jonathan, Matthew, me, Mom, Dad, Gary, Isabella, Haley, Cynda, James, Spencer and Cole

Above right: Cole, Spencer and James came up with the idea of me posing as the Statue of Liberty with my diploma cover and flowers

After the picture taking was over my side of the family met back up at our place and we enjoyed homemade burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner and enjoyed the rest of our evening with one another.

Upper left: Bella playing "How big is Bella?" Upper right: Bella laughing Center: Bella playing with Uncle Kaleb

Friday morning we woke up and headed to Temple Square to take a tour of the Conference Center. It was a really cool tour that none of us had ever taken before. The Sister Missionary giving us the tour taught us many interesting things and we all really enjoyed the garden on the roof of the conference center. After our tour we went to lunch at the old ZCMI building area. To be honest I don't really know what to call it because of all the construction, but there was a food court in one of the buildings just south of Temple Square and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. During lunch Jonathan and Kaleb did some GQ covers with the latest "accessory" Isabella and after lunch we took pictures of some pretty awesome street stunts by the "K Crew" aka Jonathan, Kaleb, Elisa and me. Jonathan and Kaleb may think their stunts look cool, but you have to admit, Elisa doing the things she did while pregnant really blew the minds of all those watching!

Above: Three different perspectives of the same area in the Conference Center. The picture on the left was taken from below and looks like any other beautiful skylight. The picture in the middle in from the top floor looking back down at the fountain where I stood to take the first picture and the picture on the right is a close up of the skylight, where the viewer learns that it is made to look bigger by mirrors...pretty cool.

Upper left: Our Sister Missionary tour guide. She really was wonderful. Here she is showing us a stone depiction of the First Vision. The stand rotated and what was cool about the backside of the statue was that the artist showed Heavenly Father's arm around Christ. To me it fit perfectly, Heavenly Father loves Christ and each of us, it only seems natural that He would show affection like that.

Upper right: View of the Salt Lake Temple from the Conference Center.

Center: my family and I on top of the Conference Center.

Upper left: Jonathan on top of the Conference Center

Upper right: Kaleb and Elisa trying to see into the Conference Center. We all thought it was funny to see Elisa try even with her baby belly

Center: Gary, Haley and Bella on top of the Conference Center

Upper left: Kaleb and his "Bella accessory Guitar"

Upper right: Elisa on top of the Conference Center showing of her cute bump

Center: Jonathan and his "Bella Accessory Bag"

All six of the above photos are examples of our awesome street stunts and lunchtime shenanigans

After lunch, the stunts and a little Mother's Day shopping at Desert Book we headed home to take a nap and change before my Hooding Ceremony. this ceremony is where my classmates and I were recognized for our Doctoral Projects and then hooded as Doctors of Physical Therapy. I am very grateful to my friend and classmate Cyndi Wisted who gave me her extra tickets so that my whole family could come. At the ceremony we also took the Physical Therapy Pledge and watched a slide show of the pictures that were taken throughout our three years together. The speakers for our class were much more entertaining to us than those who spoke the previous night; Will even broke out his British accent one last time.

Upper left: My professors Scott Ward and Ed Gappmaier placing my Doctoral Hood on me Upper right: me and my classmates reciting the Physical Therapy pledge Center: Me and Ryan (cousin)

Above left: Matthew and me Above right: Mom, me and Dad

Upper left: Matthew, me, Mama Bowen and Papa Bowen Upper right: Me and Bean Center: Bella and me

Upper left: My professor and APTA President Scott Ward and me Upper right: Me and my professor Heidi Lane Center: Me and my siblings

Upper left: Kyle Mead, me and Megan Moss Upper Right: Sondi Facer and Me Center: Trevor Corbett, Jeremy Osmond, Danny Johnson and me

Above left: Me and Caitlin Miller Above right: Tiffany Quilter and me

Upper left: Me and Emily Stephens Upper right: Me and Mark Stephens Center: Me and Kelly Mortensen

Above left: Me and my professor Reva Rauk Above Left: Me and my professor Jim Ballard

Upper left: Me and Jillian Gillian Upper Right: Me and Crystal Chrastil Center: Me and Jen

Upper left: Me and Kat Parkinson Upper right: Matt Barney, me and Mike Mathews Center: Me and Cindy Wisted

After the ceremony Danny Johnson, his family, my family and I went to Buca di Beppo for dinner to celebrate. Each family order a couple things to share. My parents were kind enough to let me order the calamari, which I love. The food and company was great and I was very grateful for all my friends and family who came to celebrate this occasion with me. I honestly couldn't have done it without their encouragement and support.

Saturday morning before everyone headed back home my family and I did an endowment session in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a wonderful experience. When I am in the temple with my family I feel as I am taking a glimpse into what Heaven is like. It was the best way we could have ended our celebration together!

I have been so blessed to have so many supportive friends over the past few years. Many of them have lent me their ears and support as I have gone through the rigors of school. They have always had faith that I would make it through and have given me the confidence I needed when I couldn't find it in myself. Because of all of these things I wanted to have a little party for my friends to show them of my appreciation and gratitude for them and I thought there would be no better way to celebrate than to get together and have a little pizza from the Pie. And of course the food and company were fantastic. I truly belief I have the best friends and family in the world!

Shelf Reliance and Work

This past weekend Matthew's high school friend Hilary came over and had a "Shelf Reliance" party at our home. Shelf Reliance is a food storage/emergency preparedness company. Matthew and I had never heard of them before, but after learning a little more about the program and having some samples of the food, we are sold on it! That and being able to reconnect with Hilary made our weekend.

I also wanted to take a minute to update everyone on my job search. In early April I applied to several companies including DDI Vantage and a couple others associated with Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), including one in Seattle. Unfortunately, DDI Vantage did not offer me a position. I was more than heartbroken because I would love to work with children and so far there don't seem to be many other opportunities to find full time employment in the pediatric setting here in the Salt Lake area.

But, after a couple of interviews, including one over Skype, I have been offered two jobs. One here in West Valley and one in Seattle, WA. I have no idea which one to take, but Matthew and I are making a pros and cons list.

Boards

I have to say that this last week was a hard one. All I did was study and when I wasn't studying I was worrying about failing this exam. How can I possibly remember everything I have learned AND know things that I haven't learned. Luckily, it's over! This morning at 7:30 am I went to the Prometric Testing Center on the U of U campus and after a short technical glitch and in just under 5 hours I finished the test of all tests in my career. My brain is fried and I have no clue if I passed, but at this moment I don't care; I did it; I took the test and came out without feeling, "Oh my goodness I failed that, there is no way I passed."

To celebrate I went to Crown Burger, got a gyro and sweet potato fries and brought it to Matthew's work where I had a late lunch with him. Even though I left the testing center with a headache from thinking so hard, I am so grateful it is done. I know the Lord helped me through it and I am even more grateful for that.

For dinner Matthew and I went out with the Branch Presidency to Coachman's Dinner and Pancake House on State Street. It was fun. I would say it was good food, but I didn't eat much because I had such a late, filling lunch. I felt bad because I didn't feel like I contributed much to any of the conversations, but it was fun to talk about different things and laugh at the memories we have shared at Friendship Manor thus far.

I graduate next week!!!

Last Day Ever

So, today was the last day of my last internship in PT school! I can't believe I am already done. It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it. Now all I have to do is pass my boards exam next week, graduate and get a job!

Internship 4: DDI Vantage

My experience at DDI Vantage has been great. I have loved the newness of the setting and it has helped me to realize how much more there is to learn about physical therapy and what I can do to truly help my patients regain function. I think that this experience has taught me that no matter the setting I work in, if I am looking for it, I can always learn more. I really enjoyed doing my in-service on a topic that isn’t directly related to PT, but at least in the early intervention setting, is important to the overall treatment of our patients with Autism. If we aren’t willing to look for and treat or refer as appropriate, then our patients won’t receive the best possible treatment and may not be able to progress in ways they would if they did.

Another amazing experience that stands out to me was with a child that was born without feet. It was amazing to me to see all the things this child could do. Going into the experience I had some expectations and what I did not expect to see was a child pop up onto his “nubbins” and walk around like it was no big deal. Now I realize that this didn’t just happen easily, it took a great deal of work and trial and error on the child’s part, but it does not make it any less amazing to me. What we as humans can endure and live around/with astounds me. A boy, born without feet can walk! It helps me to remember not to set limits on my patients. Yes, I must be realistic, but in some ways I have to believe that anything is possible. I shouldn’t set limitations on individuals, but encourage them to focus on what they are doing and to try and help them to get the most out of it. Instead of focusing on what they can’t do, I should help them focus on what they can do and help them to enjoy it.

60

Mama Bowen's birthday is this week and we got together today to celebrate. We all wanted to make this day special for her, so we were all trying to think of something we could do or get for her. Liz came up with the wonderful idea of giving her 60 happy thoughts for her 60th birthday. There are 6 kids in the Bowen clan so it meant that each family needed to come up with 10 happy thoughts. They could be pictures or quotes, anything you could think of that would bring happiness to Cynda. It was fun to do. What was even better was gathering around and watching Cynda as she opened up her happy thoughts. We have had many a gathering at the Bowen home and I always enjoy them, but this gathering for me has so far been the best of them all. We normally break off into small groups having conversations about this and that and so we don't always get a chance to talk to everyone. This time, every 5 to 10 minutes or so, we would gather around to watch Cynda open up another thought and inevitably it would turn into everyone talking about it and then someone sharing an experience or memory or funny thing that that particular happy thought reminded them of. This wasn't the intention of the happy thoughts, but it was a great bonus. It was very natural and I felt closer to this family. They really have become an extension of my family. I don't know what I would do without them.

We played a game that asked random questions about the Church.

It was surprisingly hard, but fun and educational.

Cynda with Maddy. Maddy just got this swim outfit and

although it is not yet swimming season she insists on wearing it.

She definitely has a mind of her own!

The awesome cake Liz made

The birthday girl and her awesome cake

Cole and his "fork" lift

The following pictures are a montage of photos by James:

The video below is an example of the Bowen spirit and talent when it comes to singing!