24 Hours of review in all things from Dental Hygiene school.  
​Chicago and DH Seminars!  Yay!

I am officially three weeks into my doctoral program.  It is going well.  Classes are back on track and today is our 14th Wedding Anniversary.  Tomorrow is Luke's first 7th grade football game and Erik is half-way through the 4th Grade Soccer Season.

Busy days. 

This morning I woke up early, took a long walk, read a bunch of emails, and played a long game of football catch with Erik.  Then I went inside to prepare lunch before the drive to Des Moines.  Tonight I am meeting with a friend in Idaho to talk about a presentation to her class Tuesday morning, tomorrow is the Governor's Conference on Aging and Disabilities.  I am participating in the Oral Health Day discussion.

The next month is planned to be a whirlwind.  New Orleans for the ADEA Director's Conference, then off to Pittsburgh for ADHA CLL/ AS where I am chairing Reference Committee C and proudly representing Iowa as a Delegate.  I am home for a bit, then am off to Switzerland for IFDH and Germany to see where my ancestors came from with a couple friends of dental hygiene.  I am so lucky that my sister Lisa is coming along to share in the adventure.  

July should be quiet in the beginning, then I am off to DC for a family vacation and RDH Under One Roof.  I am excited to blog my way through this adventure at the request of some of my dental hygiene peers.  I know I say this all of the time, but I really need to get better about blogging these adventures in Dental Hygiene.  

In March I attended my first ADEA Annual Session, and they even asked me to be a Delegate!  Holy moly did Tonya and I have a good time when we were there.  She introduced me to many new people in the world of Dental Education.  I think this organization is going to be very good for me.  I need help learning the ropes as Dental Administrative Chair.

More to come!  Time to work on my lecture.

I feel like I have not blogged in a long time!  This summer was a whirlwind of activity.  June's ADHA Annual Session and CLL was held at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, immediately followed by a trip to Missoula, MT for the American Eagle dental hygiene summit.  I also took 3 grad classes this summer to catch-up with my degree plan.  I am now back on track for a May 2015 graduation from Upper Iowa University.  I missed RDH UOR this year, since I had two large final papers due that week.  Thankfully, I can see the light at the end of my education tunnel!  I will have my Master's by age 35.  Life Goal - Mission Accomplished... well, almost :)

The boys also had a busy summer with swimming, 4-wheeling, and a few day trips to the Good Guys Car Show in Des Moines, the Madison Farmer's Market, and the Wisconsin Dells water park Noah's Arc.  They are getting so big, and started the 1st and 3rd grades last week.  I cannot believe how fast time flies.  I am looking forward to taking them to some future dental hygiene conferences to see the world. 

My goal for this blog is to post once a month until May, and then start weekly.  I feel by stating this goal online I can be held accountable (at least to the 3 or 4 of you that are reading the postings). 

Some of my blog readers have asked me to include links to some things I have written for various organizations.  I am proud to say that I am not exclusive to any company, and although I have signed contracts and non-disclosure agreements I will not sign exclusivity contracts because I would feel a conflict of interest with my patients.  I believe in staying open to good ideas, regardless of what company notifies me of the ideas.  That being said, here are some of the things I have gotten published:

Aegis
https://www.dentalaegis.com/authors/2118

Colgate
http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Search.srv?search=Emily+Boge&filters=article%2Cproduct%2Cvideo%2Cguide&x=12&y=7

RDH
http://www.rdhmag.com/_search?q=emily+boge&x=0&y=0

The older I get in life the more I catch myself thinking, "if only I knew that (insert number) years ago".  For instance, I am taking an amazing course right now in health informatics systems.  If I only would have known a lot of this information before we developed the progress notes for the office it could have been golden!  Why is it that my brain works this way? 

Tonight I was thinking... dangerous, I know... but, I was recalling all the times I read self-help or leadership books in which valuable nuggets of wisdom were ascertained.  Instead of grabbing them and running I have had a habit to dwell on what could have been had I known these nuggets earlier.   Or what about all of the times where I learned fantastic new clinical techniques, and thought about a certain patient that could have used it several appointments ago?  My point is focus on today, and maybe tomorrow, and accept that yesterday has passed.
Beginning tonight I challenge myself and my blog-tastic readership to look forward, because it does not matter how fancy or rusty your car - if you are looking in the rearview mirrors all of the time you are eventually going to end up a wreck.

Last week we took a little trip.  As much as I love seeing all my dental peeps as I travel for this business, the only goal for last week was relaxation. Maui was the perfect destination for me to stop, unplug, and breathe.  In one week I saw black, red, white, tan, and pebbled sand, sat in awe of the green of the mountains in contrast to the blue of the ocean and sky, and visited the national cemetery and monuments on Oahu at Pearl Harbor. 

I shifted gears this week, as I took one step closer to the completion of my Masters degree, beginning a course in Health Care IT.  Last Saturday Lukas turned 9, I am traveling to Des Moines for an Iowa BOT meeting this weekend, and it is good to be back in my routine at the office.  I have some product reviews next month, and there are 3 or 4 articles in my brain marinating as we speak.  The people, the weather, the food, and the peacefulness of Maui are second to none, and someday I will be returning there to recharge. Yet, now it is full speed ahead as I try to figure out what is around the next corner for Think Big Dental.