Last Adjustment

Today, I delivered my last adjustment on my last patient for the last time at Palmer FL. I'm sad to say goodbye to the many amazing people who helped me grow as an intern and as a doctor. However, I'm super thrilled to soon leave this place chock-full of red tape mazes and subsequent headaches of frustration.

I leave on Sunday for Dallas for a week of Part IV board review and exams. At least there will be some relaxation time when Steve flies out to join me at my father and step-mom's house. It'll be good to spend the week in a familiar place and to be among family during a stressful exam, so I can more easily de-stress and not over-study (my tendency).

I've been posting lately about lasts, which also reminds me about a lot of chiropractic school firsts. I had a first chiropractic adjustment (probably low back, maybe thoracics). I remember when I accomplished my first Gonstead atlas adjustment on cervical chair. For none of these firsts do I remember whom I adjusted, I just know it happened, and it was awesome. I also remember when my philosophical paradigm of chiropractic, wellness care, and health completely shifted. It started the day I went to hear a guest speaker on Pettibon Technique . . . and I haven't looked back since.

The first time I heard Dr. Woggon speak about scoliosis correction--it completely stirred me to make a change, if ever so small, on my campus. It's cool how something so powerful and impacting can affect so many people in such a short amount of time, and it's been incredible to be a part of a new change in the chiropractic profession that benefits the patients immensely.

My first chiropractic college club was the Upper Cervical Club. Hey, it sounded cool. They were concerned with correcting the entire spine and that it all rested with the atlas, occiput, and axis. I still believe that, and I take from my experiences in upper cervical and apply them to what I now know about scoliosis, and it's awesome.

My first job in chiropractic school was working as an assistant in the Palmer FL library. OK, that wasn't altogether a milestone or anything, but it did help pay the bills, and I met some fantastic people.

While in chiropractic college, I also competed in my first swim meet for Chiro Games 2005 (more info here, here, here, and here). Thanks to my friend & classmate Andrew, I was able to surf for the first and possibly the LAST time (too many sharks in Ponce Inlet for my comfort level!).

I also had a first pregnancy, and this time, I hope I have our first baby in October. But, you can read more about that on our Baby Blog.

Throughout life, we hit these major milestones, high school graduation, college graduation, marriage, first baby, first house, etc. They're supposed to be these etched-forever-in-your-memory events or life-changing events. I think it's all part of the life journey. I'm not the same person I was in high school, definitely not the same person I was in undergrad. I become a completely different person in the military (more to survive the harsh structure and expectation). And now, I'm not the same chiropractor that I thought I would be when I first started chiropractic college. Based on this track record, I suspect, and hope, I'm not the same person 5, 10, 50 years from now. I want to continue to learn, grow, and develop into the woman God has designed for me to be: follower of Christ, wife, mom, friend, daughter, sister, neighbor, doctor . . . I want to look back and say that I'm not the same person I was when I graduated from Chiropractic college, but that my experiences and the grace of God has changed me and shaped me more into who I am meant to become.