Welcome to my new blog! I'm relatively new to the blogosphere. I started my first blog almost exactly two years ago, and decided early on to make it private and use it mostly as a journal. But I do want a space to share some parts of my life and thoughts more publicly, so here we are!
Let me introduce myself. I'm Kirsten Tenney Bush. I moved on average every 3 years growing up. No, I don't have a parent in the military, that's just how my dad's business career worked out. My whole family is from Texas, and I was born there, so part of my heart will always be Texan. We also spent a couple years in 6 other states, ending with Indianapolis, IN for my last couple years of high school. I actually loved it. Each part of the country we lived in was so unique in climate and culture. My family got really close because we were always the new kids, and we also all learned to be adaptable and friendly with all sorts of people. Here's a recent (2016) picture of all of us (plus a couple spouses).
I always wanted to go to BYU in Provo, UT. That's where both parents and one older brother had gone, and I was blessed to be able to go there too. After I took AP Psychology in high school my Junior year, I decided I'd major in Psychology and do some sort of family therapy. Well, as many young adults do, I changed my mind on that about a hundred times. And unlike many young adults, I actually never changed my major (sometimes I think I should have, but what's the use of a regret like that? None). I minored in philosophy and loved it! I loved learning about psychology, particularly social and organizational psychology, but the most valuable skill I learned was critical thinking. Critical thinking is a somewhat vague and complex concept, so here's how I understand it: Critical thinking involves research, questioning, evaluating, re-evaluating, and making evidence-based decisions. To be a critical thinker, I have to be aware of my biases and how they influence me, so I can look objectively at data and make the most effective decisions. One principle of academic psychology is "if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist." This is an exaggerated claim that of course isn't exactly true, but the principle holds a lot of value in a career. If I'm not trying to measure my results and progress, then how can I be sure I am getting those results or making progress?
Anyway, in the middle of college, I fell in love and got married. It seems a little crazy in hindsight, but it actually worked out phenomenally for me. My husband Weston is extremely supportive and life is a constant adventure with him. Weston was the kind of kid who knew what he wanted to be since he was in elementary school (a doctor), and actually never changed his mind (nor his major). So when we graduated, we moved back to Indianapolis for him to start a Master's in Public Health at IUPUI, and then at IU's Medical School on the same campus the next year.
As mentioned above, I changed my mind a lot about what I wanted to do. Part of this stems from my broad spectrum of interest and my love of learning. I loved my time at BYU and used it as an opportunity to learn about everything I possibly could. I could have graduated at least 1 semester sooner if I just stuck to required classes, but I wanted to learn about Spanish, Floral Design, Organizational Effectiveness, Interior Design, Religion, Dance, Tutoring, and Women's Studies, so I tried them all out and found I was better at some than I had expected, and worse at others than I had expected. I love to learn and try new things, and that's one part I've missed about being in school--the ease at which you can explore and learn new fields and new things. You can definitely still do that outside the university setting, but it takes significantly more initiative to do so.
(2019 Update) Most recently, Weston graduated and matched into a General Surgery Residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Moving here has been an adventure, and honestly, we've never loved a place so quickly.
Let me introduce myself. I'm Kirsten Tenney Bush. I moved on average every 3 years growing up. No, I don't have a parent in the military, that's just how my dad's business career worked out. My whole family is from Texas, and I was born there, so part of my heart will always be Texan. We also spent a couple years in 6 other states, ending with Indianapolis, IN for my last couple years of high school. I actually loved it. Each part of the country we lived in was so unique in climate and culture. My family got really close because we were always the new kids, and we also all learned to be adaptable and friendly with all sorts of people. Here's a recent (2016) picture of all of us (plus a couple spouses).
I always wanted to go to BYU in Provo, UT. That's where both parents and one older brother had gone, and I was blessed to be able to go there too. After I took AP Psychology in high school my Junior year, I decided I'd major in Psychology and do some sort of family therapy. Well, as many young adults do, I changed my mind on that about a hundred times. And unlike many young adults, I actually never changed my major (sometimes I think I should have, but what's the use of a regret like that? None). I minored in philosophy and loved it! I loved learning about psychology, particularly social and organizational psychology, but the most valuable skill I learned was critical thinking. Critical thinking is a somewhat vague and complex concept, so here's how I understand it: Critical thinking involves research, questioning, evaluating, re-evaluating, and making evidence-based decisions. To be a critical thinker, I have to be aware of my biases and how they influence me, so I can look objectively at data and make the most effective decisions. One principle of academic psychology is "if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist." This is an exaggerated claim that of course isn't exactly true, but the principle holds a lot of value in a career. If I'm not trying to measure my results and progress, then how can I be sure I am getting those results or making progress?
Anyway, in the middle of college, I fell in love and got married. It seems a little crazy in hindsight, but it actually worked out phenomenally for me. My husband Weston is extremely supportive and life is a constant adventure with him. Weston was the kind of kid who knew what he wanted to be since he was in elementary school (a doctor), and actually never changed his mind (nor his major). So when we graduated, we moved back to Indianapolis for him to start a Master's in Public Health at IUPUI, and then at IU's Medical School on the same campus the next year.
As mentioned above, I changed my mind a lot about what I wanted to do. Part of this stems from my broad spectrum of interest and my love of learning. I loved my time at BYU and used it as an opportunity to learn about everything I possibly could. I could have graduated at least 1 semester sooner if I just stuck to required classes, but I wanted to learn about Spanish, Floral Design, Organizational Effectiveness, Interior Design, Religion, Dance, Tutoring, and Women's Studies, so I tried them all out and found I was better at some than I had expected, and worse at others than I had expected. I love to learn and try new things, and that's one part I've missed about being in school--the ease at which you can explore and learn new fields and new things. You can definitely still do that outside the university setting, but it takes significantly more initiative to do so.
(2019 Update) Most recently, Weston graduated and matched into a General Surgery Residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Moving here has been an adventure, and honestly, we've never loved a place so quickly.
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