Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.
Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)


We won again! It seems so unusual to say that because last year having a winning record was such a foreign concept that being 4-1 now is quite an adjustment. However, I will say it again, though.....OUR FRESHMAN ARE GREAT! Don't get me wrong, Levi, Sundiata, Channing, and Dave are wonderful too.....but the freshman add such an element to our game. Mike can jump higher than you would believe without witnessing it. Billy can stroke it, and Rashaad will get there. Kendrick....I love watching him because he WANTS to rebound. Terrence has not played the last two games but I know I he will turn heads once he heals. Now, I feel like we can compete and the feeling is a good one.


My agenda for today and the rest of this week, at the least, is to get my house cleaned and finish packing. Because we have been gone for so many days off and on, there are clothes everywhere. I feel as if the bed in my room is a mini castle surrounded by a moat. All I need is the little draw bridge to get out. And if that is the case, I guess Asia would be the crocodile in the moat....I do intend to pack and clean tonight. Packing the apartment is a job within itself. I have to pack the contents of the apartment plus my belongings to take to Dominca. My mom would be disappointed in the state of my apartment. However, I guess Gretchen and my issues with disorder come from growing with an extremely tidy, almost OCD, clean home...Thanks Mom!


I am feeling better about leaving today. Everyday is different but today is good. I am thinking about everything that I will be taking with me....I, well JT, actually mailed my immigration packet today to Ross. That seems to finalize the acceptance process. I guess the finalality of the situation was quite palpable when I opened my tuition bill....$10,810.00 for the spring semester. A bit of a shocker and coincidingly a reality check. Nothing like realizing you could buy a nice house for what your education is going to cost. Those of you who know me, know that I love school and would be a professional student if finances and life permitted. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to being a doctor.

One has a greater sense of intellectual degradation after an interview with a doctor than from any human experience.
Alice James

"I can not say goodbye to those whom I have grown to love, for the memories we have made will last a lifetime and never know a goodbye."

I am really excited about medical school, ecstactic really. Yet, the closer I get to leaving the more introspective and, ultimately, sadder I get. Again, do not misconstrue this. Do not think I am not happy about medical school, do not want to be doctor, do not realize that short term sacrifice is worth the long term benefits. Don't think I do not know that. I am a pretty smart, I think, and because I am smart, I realize the beneficial elements of my leaving to pursue my dream. Nevertheless, this does not change the utter saddness I feel about leaving my husband, who is my best friend, my mom... who is my net... my friend, my dad....every girl's first love, my little sister....the constant source of my affection and worry, my step-dad.....the sound judgment and support, my friend Sarah....never too far away....never too good to laugh, Yvie...my new friend....the one I needed when I had no other friends...and everyone else who has ever meant something to me....I will miss a little bit of everything and everyone. After thinking about the quote above though, I do realize that I can live off of my memories for sixteen months while I make new ones.

"Think where a man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends."

This is where I will be living for the next sixteen months. As the holidays begin approaching, I feel a bit of apprehension welling up inside of me. I see the lights and think of my mom's Christmas tree and plethora of snowmen. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about Dominica and the opportunity to become a doctor. Look at the photo; how could I not be happy? The holidays, especially Christmas, make me feel nostalgic with little butterflies flittering in my stomach. I can smell my mom's dog food on Jew bread. (A holiday favorite of our family. Don't be offended, we are part Jewish.) I can see my dad as we open gifts and he cooks something tastey in his infamous pots and pans that are off limits to everyone, even his wife. Despite my pure excitement about medical school, I still have this feeling.
Negating this, I am so very happy about medical school. The unknown is scary, yet I ready to experience it. My backpack and supplies will be at home today when I get there. I know they are superficial items, but they add to building excitement. Despite my nagging feelings, I am happy. I want this to happen. That is one thing I know for sure.

We won last night!!!!!!!!!!!! We beat Fordham, which is a team from the Bronx. The game was a bit sloppy from our stand point because we had trouble attacking both the press and the zone. However, we looked much better than last year. Mike Mercer's presence alone takes us to a different level. He scored twenty last night and another freshman, Billy Humphrey, scored twelve. Such a performance was a breath of fresh air from last season and all the ill-fated games we played. I also believe the players are much happier with themselves. Winning, in anything, can do that to you. In this instance, a win, one win, was what we needed. (Pictured is Kevin Brophy, a sophomore from Australia)

We return home around mid day tomorrow. It is a shame to leave such a beautiful place but it is always welcoming to enter your own home. I can not wait to get back and use my new "rip-off" Prada backpack purse. It is tan leather that I got in town at their little market. The actual stores, such as COACH, TIFFANY & Co, and the millions of other jewelry stores were not in my budget. Now, going to medical school will hopefully afford me the financial ability to buy fifty dollar earrings and pearls, which I find so very elegant. That is in the future. For now, I am happy with my fake Prada and cheap painting of the island. It does not take much to make me happy. That is why I think Dominica will treat me fine and I will assimilate well there.

Can I just let everyone know how excited I am about going to school? Granted, I am going to miss a lot luxuries and more than that, people. However, I am so excited about school. My computer, backpack, and med school supplies have been delivered since I have been in St. Thomas causing my excitment to increase expontentially. Anyways, I just wanted to share my happiness.

What a room, aye? I thought using this hue would compliment the picture. This is an example of the rooms at the hotel. Ours is a bit different in that the head board is a six to seven foot tall dark mahogany one with a desk and bureau to compliment it. There is also a brown wicker chaise lounge. JT hates wicker so that is out of the question, but the two desk chairs are quite comfy. Nothing beats the bed with the down comforter and down pillows. It is fabulous because the room does not have that played luau look of pinks and oranges and teals. There are not sea shells every. It is quite trendy with the sage, red and yellow. The balcony overlooks one of the five restaurants and one of the pools.
Currently, JT and I are visiting with our friend Dave Boyden who used to coach at UGA but is now at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. I really miss him and it is great to see him. Oh well...Have to go visit.

Ican not help using this color font today because it is a shade of blue green that ocean here in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands assumes around dusk as the lights from the setting sun are bouncing off of it. The picture to the right is our hotel. It is a Marriot Resort, of course, because it is all Coach Felton uses when we travel. The picture to the left is the view from the hotel patio and bar into town at night time. Quite stunning if you ask me. I am here with JT's job because they have a tournament. Not a shabby place to have a basketball tournament if you aske me. I am just happy for some down time before I head to medical school. Everyone on the trip continues to tell me that I will be living in a place like this for school, but I have to reassure them that Dominica, though it shares in the beauty, that is about where it stops.
Since being here I have come to interesting crossroads in thinking in several ways. In wanting to become a doctor, I must deem myself a scientist and delve into the miraculous world of science. However, after seeing the bluest of the ocean's colors and intricate peaking of the hills and how the small white house hover and almost float on the hillsides, I can not, even as a scientist, ever deny God and his omnipotence. I had a similar and more powerful sense of this watching my doctor deliver a baby. I am, however, sure of this. I, like many scientists do, will struggle with the battle between science and religion, but I know that my God will always win out. The smallest fetus in an ultrasound at 8 weeks proves that. When the smallest heart beat pounds loudly through the speakers coming from a peanut-sized person on the screen, I will know that science and God coexist.
The second crossroads I have come to has been thinking about my travels to Dominca and how it will affect my relationships. Since moving to Georgia, I have been forced to live without close family. I have finally made the adjustment in that I have friends and a job that I love. I am finding family in the Herrmanns and Feltons and Jones. Now I am leaving. My high school basketball coach, John Kolasa, told my team during the last game of my senior before the state tournament game,"Look around this room and deep into the eyes of the people around you. Take in this moment because I guarantee, for whatever reason, you will never again be with these people at the same time ever again. Life happens and people change. So take it in. And Don't forget." I have never forgotten that feeling of trying to take someone in. I feel this way now. Like a sponge, I am trying to soak up every moment with my new friends, my old friends, my family, and my husband. And, at the same time, I feel that I can not get enough. Because I have learned in my short life that we can not predict what will happen next and when we will see one another again, if ever. I guess this is a shout out to those people I have ever loved. Everyone of you is a piece of who I am. If I never see you ever again, know that you are special to me. I know that sounds hokey but that is the point to where thinking has drifted today.

Though this is a bad picture of me, the precious baby is my friend Emily Fox's new daughter Stella Claire. Stella was born on October 26, 2005 and weighed seven pounds and four ounces. Her mother, Emily, and I have been friends since I was a freshman in college. She was the matron of honor in my wedding and her husband, Jason, married my husband and I. They are really great people.
I have not felt well this morning because my belly was feeling nauseous. So...Yvetter went next door to get me a Phennegran to settle my stomach....the side effect.....EXTREME SLEEPINESS. I am not real sure that I can drive but I must because I have to do my exit interview today....I can not believe how utterly exhausted I feel. Maybe I just feel high...I wouldn't know. On a positive note, my stomach does feel much better. I gues I will just have to sleep it off. What a shame really? I needed to do a lot today but am not sure I will be able to stay awake long enough. Guess there are always side effects. Such is life.

Today is a gorgeous day. It is in the mid 60s and feels wonderful. My friend Kati took the picture to the right of a tree, obviously, on her campus at Tennesse Tech. I love the fall, especially the changing of the leaves. That is the reason I wanted to post this picture to share my love of this with anyone who stops by my blog. However, it is quite ironic to find such love in something that is dying. The changing of color signifies the dying of the leaves for the winter. I guess I am in love with dying....Probably good I want to be a doctor seeing as how many people are dying in that profession....
On to something less morbid....I got a lot of packing done last night. All of my china, glasses, and most of my kitchen items are now in boxes. Not without help, I might add, because Yvette and her daughter, Kerilynn, were kind enough to help me. And for those of you that know me, know that I am not patient or neat. Therefore, I had to have help wrapping everything with careful instruction as not to interfere with the packing "system." Kerilynn found it in herself to decorate each box with the words FRAGILE and HANDLE WITH CARE. However, one box has HANDILE on it because she couldn't remember how to spell it.
I hope to have it all packed by early December....Let's at least hope so, right?

This is my husband, JT, and I. I wanted to load this picture because it is one of my favorites. JT and I were going to Kyle May's, a guy from Stanford, KY, wedding. My husband is such a fun, great guy. Leaving him will be really difficult but long term benefits outweigh short term hardships.
Anyway, I am still preparing all the items for my voyage to Dominica and RUSM. On Friday I have to get a $40.00 international money order and passport photos so that my immigration packet will be complete. That packet is a lot of work in and of itself. Plus, I have to get all of my school supplies. You really do not realize the cost and weight of things like binders, pencils, and staplers until you have to watch every pound of what you take. Yes, that is right. There is a weight limit. Seventy pounds total...checked baggage and forty pounds for carry on. That is crazy. I could pack that much in clothes. Now I have to deal with supplies and a computer and other necessities....
I guess in the end it will all be worth it. I know that it will be but it will be a long road.
I am at work which is Medlink Winder Pediatrics, for those of you who do not know. We have not been that busy today. Plenty of flu shots and sick kids but that is it. We, Yvette and I, are trying to catch up after being off for a few days each. She is not happy that I will be gone for five days to St. Thomas on the Virgin Islands...which brings up another interesting point. On my desk calender, the days I will be in St. Thomas are on two separate lines. The top line says Natalie= Virgin while the second line only says Islands. After I left the office yesterday, Dr. Hilton, the young, white, conservative pediatrician, says to Yvette," Natalie equals virgin?" Yvette, laughing, said,"Hell no, she is not a virgin..." Quite funny if you ask me but it does show important context can be....
Well, I am going to go.. Later...

This is a picture of my wonderful dog, Asia, wearing her Halloween costume. She is a 2 1/2 year old mixed breed. JT and I rescued her from the Hendersonville, TN Humane Society. She thinks she is human and even tries to sleep between us at night! I am going to really miss her while I am in Dominica.

My name is Natalie. I will update later.