Unforeseen Wedding Crazies and Match Day Results

So,  I see myself as a pretty low key non-stressy bride.   I intend not to be a Bridezilla and have made it so those participating in my wedding have max flexibility.  For example,  I'm not choosing dresses for my party but allowing them to chose their own within a certain color spectrum.  So far my fiance has been way more of a Groomzilla with demands that no sneakers be worn and that certain members of the party should wear hats, and freaking out when little things don't come together.

However, there is something about weddings that make people lose their sense of agency and need to ask the bride about every little thing.  I've been asked everything from what shoes (which I think is reasonable) to how to wrap our wedding present (which is not).   It's like we are Ta'veren and everyone is just waiting for our approval.  More frustrating is the lack (possibly American lack as I've talked to others before) of ability to look things up.  Though the website is chock full of info and we've sent out numerous emails & google docs with information people still ask me.  Even though I've clearly said in other emails that I don't have this information, people still ask me.

 Apparently I was looking so defeated today that everyone seemed to feel the need to console me and tell me not to worry.  All of our service people have been super excited and we're crossing fingers for no rain next Saturday.

Of Match Day I will be heading down to wonderful Asheville, NC to join the Mountain Area Health Education Center MAHEC.  That's right I get to be warm have a beautiful view, southern hospitality, in a hippie liberal refuge. That's right it's NC version of Austin or Yellow Springs on steroids.  :-)  Here's a shot before we found out where were going.

Now we're heading to Shadowbox for a combined Bachelor Bachelorette-esque party.  Can't wait to chill out and have some fun. On other news I gave a successful talk on White Privilege to FreeThought thanks to TWIB NET. Shout out to the chatroom and all my wonderful friends who are helping me remain sane by tying ribbons and gluing corks.  ONE WEEK LEFT.

3, 2, 1 AHHHHHhhhhhhh

So I'm at O'Hare airport on my way to Kansas City for AAFP's cluster, and I stil can't get myself to focus enough to completely read through last year's report.  So apparently I'm blogging

For the last couple weeks I've been having fun saying , "In 4 months I'm graduating, 3 months getting married, 2 months Matching, and going to  Swaziland in 1 month.  Then it all crashed down.  Wait no, not 4 months, 3.  I'm going to Swaziland next month (which is a whole other discussion) . . Ahhh wait no I did again.  I'm going to Swaziland next week.  Actually this time next week I'll be landing in Johannesburg.  So with the realization I'll be basically out of touch with everyone for a month I've been trying to get things squared away.  Like emailing the entire family to RSVP for the wedding since for some reason most of my family didn't.  This is especially important since we have an A, B and C list and people keep wanting to bring guests.  120 people can come to the wedding.  That is it we are against fire codes here people. 

To add to the craziness I have to make sure my schedule is finalized. Work on my talent show entry (since I am the reining champion for the last 3 years).  Make sure my research FINALLY gets through IRB so I can graduate. And oh yeah at some point I should pack for leaving the country.  But wait there are some wedding things that I need to tend to before I go.  And I have to turn in my badge for my Women's Health elective and, and and . . . . 

At least my Rank list is done.

I'm pretty sure I don't look as crazed as I feel since Airport Security haven't dragged me away yet.  Okay.  I'm going to get back to actually preparing for the thing happening later today.  Fingers crossed there are no more delays. 

Why I'm Pro Choice

I was raised to be pro choice, literally.  My father is a medical doctor who was trained during the pre- roe v. wade era.  He saw first hand the effect that lack of legal and safe abortion had.  I remember him coming home from work one day and stating how important it is that it is legal and safe because otherwise women die.   Remember the scene from Dirty Dancing when Penny is crying on the bed and Baby runs to get the doctor?  My Dad was that doctor in a rural part of Kentucky for many years.  I heard stories about the bleeding, the hangers, and the self sterilization that occurs when abortion is not safe and legal or even when women are just too afraid to seek it due to the stigma. My family is Christian and I was raised that sex before marriage was a bad choice.  In my family you lived with your poor choices, because choices had consequences.  Because of this much of my youth I was personally pro-life.  But because of the teachings of my father I was always politically pro-choice.  Who was I to tell someone else what to do.

As I grew older I learned how many children were stuck in the foster system, how many American children go unadopted every year.  I started to understand that there are good and bad times in life to have children, and talked to friends who had abortions.  Through my young adulthood I became personally and politically pro-choice.  These convictions were solidified as I worked in Reproductive Health throughout my time in Peace Corps Namibia, America Service Corps in India, and my Masters in Public Health in the US.  All over the world and here girls and boys, women and men are given incorrect and half information about their sexual health.  Reproductive health in all it's aspects became one of my passions.

Now as a future (in 4 months) physician being trained in Family Medicine I am seeking training to become an abortion/termination provider.   I love to have prenatal visits and deliver babies.  I also love to educate about contraception.  As a family physician I look forward to being able to take care of women and families throughout the different stages.  To me providing comprehensive care means being able to provide most all of the clinic services my patients need.  As a family practice doctor providing safe legal abortions I know I will be living up to the lessons my father taught me as a child and saving women's lives and futures.