Med School Journey: The Catts

Our med school journey has already been an interesting one. 

Danny took the MCAT in May of 2011 and applied in late July of 2011*. He was going into his senior year at BYU that fall, so we were on track to graduate from undergrad and go straight into med school. We applied to about 20 M.D. and D.O. schools. 

In August Danny decided he was interested in doing med school through the Air Force. I have always been afraid of being involved in the military and my first reaction was "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!". But we looked in to it so we would know all of our options. In early October we both felt confident that we should apply for an Air Force scholarship. It was a quick transition for me to make, since I am usually very cautious but I felt really peaceful about our decision so we decided to move forward. 

Well just a few weeks later Danny was playing in an intramural football game and he got blindsided while making a catch and his leg snapped. I was on the sidelines chatting with some of my girlfriends when  one of them pointed out D had been injured. Like a good wife I continued telling them my story and figured he would walk it off, only to have one of my friends say, "Michelle, I think he is really hurt". I turned around and saw D's face and my stomach dropped. I knew he was seriously injured.  

The broken leg landed us in surgery a few days later, a cast for about five months, a couple of months of physical therapy and a solid year of no running. In January our suspicions were confirmed and we were officially disqualified from the Air Force. 

During this time Danny was invited to a handful of interviews but no schools we were really excited about. So when decision time came we rejected our offers and decided to wait the year to try to get a school we loved and do our entire med school journey with the Air Force**. 

We made a lot of mistakes our first go around and fate seemed to intervene but we learned so much. We just applied for our second time on June 5th (opening day) and we are excited to see what happens!

        

                                                             

*We will do an in depth post on this later but long story short, Danny's pre-med adviser encouraged us hold off on applying to bulk his service/shadowing hours. Don't listen to anyone who tells you to wait.

**Again, I will talk about this more in depth later. But there is a big difference between starting out with the AF and just doing a partial scholarship. 

Meet the Barfuss Family

Well Hello There!
We are the Barfuss family (yes Barfuss...feel free to laugh...I did when I first heard it!)

And here is our love story (simplified of course)

Spencer and I met in August of 2009. I had just returned from a study abroad in Jerusalem and had decided to take a break from boys. Little did I know Spencer would change my mind...pretty quickly. From the moment we met I knew there was something special about Spencer.

I remember the first real night we talked. We were neighbors and there was an outdoor movie just outside our apartment complex. I had a date that night but decided to stop by for just a bit. Spencer came up and sat next to my roommates and I. When Spence told me he was an economics major I knew something was different about him. I felt like all I dated in college were Exercise Science (Pre-dental or Pre-med). It was so refreshing meeting someone who didn't want to be a dentist or a doctor (or so I thought).

I was sold after that first night. Though I wouldn't have admitted it then. A few small breakups, declining dates, and "hang-outs", Spencer finally asked me out. Our first date was the most perfect date I had ever been on (and I had been on a lot of dates). I remember thinking to myself "wow...I didn't have to fake laugh once". So sad but so true. It started out perfect!!!

About two weeks later my roommates and I were chatting about Spencer. My roommate turned to me and asked "What do you think of his last name?". It hit me that I didn't remember his last name (or really knew if I had ever known it). She started laughing and could barely get out his last name "BARFUSS.....AHH!!!" At this point I had no choice...I was hooked. Looks like Mr. Barfuss was for me!

Fast forward a few months....Spence and I were "talking" about our future. At this point I was well aware Spencer wanted to be a doctor. Though at first I was hesitant about this I was excited for Spencer. He loved economics, politics, and current events. But science pushed Spencer and excited him. He wanted to help and heal and I was all on aboard with that.

In January 2010 I knew Spencer was there to stay. One long sad weekend my Grandpa passed away. A few hours before he died I had a few minutes with him alone. I remember laying in bed next to my Grandpa. Holding his hand and whispering in his ear that I had got what he always said I should get...a man who would love me, respect me, protect me, and make me happy for the rest of forever. I told my Grandpa that night that I would marry Mr. Barfuss.

Of course I didn't tell Spencer that himself...at least for a couple of months.

We got engaged April 2nd 2010. It was the most perfect proposal. Of course I said yes.

Though I wanted a fall wedding....Spencer convinced me into getting married that summer! Rainy July 29th 2010 we got married in the Salt Lake City Temple. It was the most perfect day. How happy I was to marry the man of my dreams.

We have now been married almost two years. We both graduated from Brigham Young University....him in Economics, her in Political Science. We moved up to the "big city" for our jobs. Spencer working for a small operations company. Me, working my dream job for a consulting company.

We're stocked to start our Medical School journey this August. We're getting ready to pack up and make the big move to Chicago so Spence can start at Northwestern Medical School. I couldn't be more excited to start this adventure with Spence. He is my teammate and I his. Here's to the next steps in our lives!!!