6 Tips for Your Next Doctor's Office Visit.

Do you hate waiting at the doctor's office? 
Do you think you're being ignored and that the doctor is in the back playing on his iPad and eating brownies?
Do you think the nurses/techs/front desk personnel are laughing it up and gossiping while you're patiently waiting for your few minutes in the exam room?
You're not alone. Since I've started working at a doctor's office, I've had multiple people ask me questions about what really happens behind the scenes and why they have to wait so long. This is something people despise and I totally understand. (I've been going to the eye doctor since I was four!)

No, I don't know how it works in ALL doctors' offices, and I'm not speaking for EVERY practice, and maybe the nurses ARE gossiping while you're waiting, but as checking people in is my #1 responsibility at work, I can offer you a few tips to make your doctor's visit go more smoothly.

Tips For Your Next Doctor's Office Visit

1. Arrive early.
A lot of people think, why get there early? I'm going to have to wait anyway, it's not going to help anything. IT DOES.
When people come in early for their appointments I want to high five them. If the front desk can get a head start on checking you in, it makes everything easier for your whole visit. And helps the person who's appointment is after you. And sometimes...just sometimes...you can see the doctor early!
2. Be ready to wait at least a little bit.
I used to think that in our technologically advanced world that all you have to do is walk in, give them your info, and with one click of the mouse you are good to go for doctor time. Not the case.
Even if they already have ALL of your information, they're going to have to make sure everything is set with your insurance. You can't just send someone back to the doctor and hope their insurance will cover it, you have to know EXACTLY what their coverage is so there will be no surprises. You have to authorize it and get them the best deal possible. This is for the patient's benefit! Be glad! 
Which brings me to the next point...
3. Know about your insurance and have your cards with you.
It baffles me when people come to the doctor and don't bring their insurance cards. But don't just bring them - KNOW about them. Know which one you're going to need to show them. Have a good idea about what your coverage will be. 
When someone comes in and I ask them about their vision coverage and they say "I have no idea if I have vision coverage" I then have to check about seven different ways to see if they do. Through websites, through phone calls, through asking my supervisor questions. As you can imagine, this takes a while.
Sometimes people come in for their routine eye exam and all they give me is their dental card. Like that's going to magically transform into vision coverage. Yeah.
Also know what name the insurance is under and that person's information - their full name, date of birth, social security number. Oh yeah, and know your own SS# too. 
4. Don't freak out if they ask you some questions.
We have security questions we have to ask that other people besides you wouldn't know how to answer. Sometimes people get seriously peeved by this, but it's for their own benefit. If you haven't noticed these days, people STEAL IDENTITIES. They COMMIT FRAUD. This is to protect against this.
Oh, and if they ask to take your picture, just do it. Just look into the little camera. That way no one can walk in and pretend to be you. It's simple and it won't hurt. They're not going to post it to Facebook, they're not going to be able to tell if you have makeup on, they don't care about your picture.
5. If you've been waiting for a long time, politely tell them.
Although this is probably quite rare, there could be a chance that you haven't been checked in yet and you're just sitting there. Or that your insurance is not able to be authorized and it's taking forever. 
If this happens, calmly ask the front desk about the status of your visit. If you get mad, I promise it will not help a thing. It will just be a story the front desk worker discouragingly tells her husband about over dinner.
(Oh and by the way, 18 minutes is not a long time. 48 minutes is a long time.)
If they've made a mistake and you're nice about it, they're going to try to fix it as FAST as possible and you will have made a positive impact on their day. For real. It matters. And people do make mistakes! Which reminds me...
6. Review your charges and your account after it's been billed to the insurance.
We're all human, and mistakes do happen. Not too frequently if it's a good team of people who really know what they're doing, but it can happen. Sometimes through something as small as one number off in the system. Make sure your charges are correct and that your coverage was what it was supposed to be! 

Do you have any other questions about visiting the doctor?Ask!
Do you work in a medical office and have some more tips?Share!

Where have I been??

I think I missed March. It started, and now all of the sudden it's almost gone. 
I've been kinda absent from the blog world during this month, but I think I'm about to jump back in full force.
So what in the world have I been doing? I'll give y'all an update.

1. Spending lots of time with family.
We were able to go to Greensboro (Jordan's hometown) two weekends in a row which was awesome! 
I love hanging out with my sis-in-law Anna. :)

We went to the NC zoo and it was a blast. 

No, this is not a painting, it's a picture taken from my phone! Yeah - GORGEOUS. God's creation is amazing.

We've gotten to hang out with Jordan's lifetime buddies. And yes, Jordan let me shoot his gun. What a pal.

And it's been so much fun spending time with our family who recently came back from living in China. But more on that later - you're going to get a full post of my nephew's cuteness. :)

2. Work, work, work.

Working full time takes up a lot of time. That seems like the most sensible statement ever, but I guess I didn't understand the extent of it until I started working full time. Which I'm VERY thankful for...but onto more fun things...haha.

3. House hunting. 

We are taking it slow, that's for sure. We are seriously all over the place when it comes to this, but like I said before, we're in no rush! And also, did you know how many websites there are for house hunting??? And how many of those have really nifty apps???? Yeah, well, let's just say I spend a little time on those. Okay a lot.

4. Church and Bible study.

This is how our week goes: 

Sunday - Church in the morning. Quiz bowl practice/youth group in the afternoon or at night. (We have the awesome privilege of leading it with another couple! SO COOL!)

Monday - Ladies' Bible study on The Excellent Wife.

Tuesday - We usually reserve this night for hanging out with friends or my side of the family.

Wednesday - Church prayer meeting.

Thursday - Jordan leads a Bible study at our place.

And then the weekend is packed.

5. Celebrating our anniversary. :)

Here's me on our trip in front of the Bodie Island Lighthouse! 

The Outer Banks was SO much fun and I can't wait to share more about it. NC is just the best in my opinion. :)

And we're still not done celebrating...we're having an anniversary photo session on Sunday! YESSSS! So pumped. 

So as you can see just from those few things my plate has been quite full lately. (Thank goodness for my Erin Condren planner!)

But I hope to be here a LOT more regularly now. And the Bloglovin' app helps me keep up with blogs so much better these days! I just need to get better at commenting because now it's so easy to read and just move to the next one without leaving some love. Sorry y'all. I will share my comment love much more freely. :)

7 Thoughts From Jordan About Me and Marriage.

We had an awesome one year anniversary on Monday!

Thank you for all of your sweet comments. :) 

We went to Tasu Asian Bistro and it was DELICIOUS. 

I got sushi of course and my man got teriyaki chicken. So so good.

And he tried some of my sushi and didn't not like it. Haha. And he eats it the proper way...unlike me. If you're an intense sushi eater you could NOT eat it with me. I cut it in half and destroy it before I eat it. With a fork.

Then we got frozen yogurt. Sweet Frog is so yummy!

Okay so in honor of our anniversary Jordan did a tiny little interview for me. :) Enjoy. His words will be in blue. 

1. Name some memorable times from this first year.

Hawaii, beach trips, Christmas, your hair color changing.

2. What has been the most surprising thing about marriage this first year?

How unselfish you have to learn how to be. And even though I’m right all of the time, I can’t always say it.

3. What have you learned about me that you didn’t know before we got married?

You’re grumpy in the mornings.

4. How much do you think my cooking skills have improved in this year?

It went from a 3 out of 10 to 6 out of 10. Actually 6 ½. And that ½ is based on that spaghetti dish you made.

(He's talking about this baked spaghetti dish from Ruthie Hart! Thanks, Ruthie! Go check it out and make your cooking rating go up. Haha.)

5. Okay, here’s the big question: blonde or brunette?

I honestly like them both. I like whatever it is. I dated and married a blonde but now I’ve been married to a brunette for longer.

(This tells me nothing. Haha. But I'm glad he likes both!)

6. What has been the best thing about marriage so far?

Having that companionship and friendship that’s always there and sharing experiences with my best friend, whether they’re good or bad. And having a godly foundation together that not only brings us closer to God but closer to each other.

7. What are you most looking forward to in the next year of marriage?

Going to the Outer Banks this weekend. Haha. Seeing what adventures we’ll get to partake in, the memories we’ll make, and finding out how God wants to use us this year.

I sure do love being married to that man. 

And I'm still loving this anniversary week! The celebration continues. :)

 

best year of my life.

One year ago I married my hero.

One year ago I vowed to be his helpmate for the rest of my life.

One year ago we became one in Christ.

One year ago I started life as Mrs. Jordan Shelley.

I could not be more blessed to be married to this amazing man of God.

He is my spiritual leader, supporter, provider.

My very best friend.

I never knew I could be so close to someone,

or admire someone so much.

I thank the Lord every day for this awesome gift of marriage. And for creating my handsome man.

This week I'll talk about some things I've learned in this first year, and also some things Jordan has learned. :) Tonight I'll be enjoying a night out with my man, and then this weekend we're taking a trip to the Outer Banks! So excited!

Thank you, readers, for following me through this journey and encouraging me along the way. I am truly thankful for you and your support. I hope I can share with you many more years of marriage to come!

It's InstaFriday.

It's picture time, y'all.

But firstly, let me just THANK YOU for all of your wonderful home shopping and buying advice! I'm still in the process of reading all of the emails and such and responding because they're all so thorough and helpful! I REALLY appreciate it. I knew y'all would be a great help. :)

So here are my March Photo a Day Challenge pictures that you need to be caught up on. Unless you follow me on Instagram or Twitter - @ashleyshellz!

One of my favorite candies ever. Does this count as a serving of fruit?

Our apartment complex.

Read much?

Oh heeyyyy.

Where I'm leaving at 5pm these days.

My favorite Bath & Body Works scent.

Love staying in my in-laws' guest room!

I won Loaded Questions last weekend. :) SUCH a fun game. Hilarious.

Our intense family members watching their Tarheels ball it up. Too bad they lost.

You're gonna see more of this little guy. Much more.

Noodles and Company, I love you.

It's our one year anniversary on Monday! Cannot believe it!

We've had beautiful weather. I love high 70s/low 80s!

My dear Lexi. My parents got her when I was eight, she was mine when I started driving, and 230,000 miles later she's still going strong. What a car. (Yes, my license plate says BoSoxGrl.)

Are you participating in the March Photo a Day Challenge on Instagram or Twitter? Please let me know so I can follow you! :)

My dad making his speech and giving out awards to the basketball team. He's retiring after 20 years of coaching at Wake Christian. More to come on that later.

My team was so good to me! Noodles and Company, Starbucks, and Target - yessssss!

I tried a Diet Dr.Pepper with vanilla for the first time. I'll definitely be getting it again. 

A lonely morning when my man was in Louisiana. He always makes getting up so much easier! (Especially since I'm not a morning person.)

One of our little church buddies Anjali. Isn't she precious??

Jordan and I are always very sad when we have to leave each other in the mornings. Sometimes we send our emotions to each other on our drives to work.

It's March Madness, baby. Let's go NC State! 

I loved the Wolfpack my whole life and now I'm an alumnus. You could say I'm kinda dedicated.

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

I'm linking up with Life Rearranged as usual!

Home Shopping/Buying Advice, Please!

Okay, people. I need some advice. 
There are a lot of smart, helpful people in the blogosphere and in my life so I knew I could ask y'all.
We're starting to look for houses! :)
We're not in any hurry, we're praying about it, we're not trying to get our own place ASAP. But we know it can be a long process, so we're starting to search and shop around and such.
We've looked at some really nice townhouses that are currently being built, but we're also open to regular houses as well. We're not looking for the house we're going to be in when we're 70 or anything, more of a starter home that could be sold later in life.

source

So here are my questions for you:
1. Do you have a "I'm SO glad we did this" story about buying your first home? It could be about the home itself, the process, financing, etc.
2. Do you have a "This was awful" story about buying your first home?
3. Anything you wish you would have known beforehand? Or done differently?
4. Any random pieces of advice for me?

I appreciate it SO much. And I'll be updating y'all on how it's going! 
Jordan is a wonderful leader and planner for us and I fully trust him in this process. (And we are trusting our Lord because He knows where we need to be!) I just know it helps to hear other people's stories and advice when they've been there and done that! 
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'M SO EXCITED for this weekend!!!!

This is the weekend that we finally get to reunite with my brother-in-law Josh, sister-in-law Danielle, and my ADORABLE nephew Harvey! 

I met these amazing people for the first time in person the week of my wedding. I loved them instantly, but really got to know them more last summer when they came for a little over a month with their new son. 
They have been living in China for the past six years, so moving back to the US will be a huge transition for them. Not to mention the complete opposite time difference with a 10 month old baby!
You can read more about them and their inspirational life on their blog. :)
Harvey was born last year on May 20th. You can read a letter I wrote to him before he was born and my first post as an aunt if you would like!
So when we were around Harvey last year he was cute, of course, but he was still in that baby stage when 98% of his time consisted of eating/crying/sleeping. So now it's going to be a LOT different - he's changed so much! And only gotten cuter!
Now he's crawling around everywhere and laughing all the time and is going to be constant entertainment for us. It's been nice to be able to see him on Skype but we have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time. Can't wait to show y'all pictures.
By the way - I was tagged again, by the lovely Kristen of Joy in the Journey. So I'm gonna answer her questions. Thank you so much for tagging me, Kristen!
1.  You've been forced to give up all but one item of makeup.  What is the ONE thing you have to keep?

Mascara. I don't have many eyelashes, they're short, and they're light colored. Also I have very light colored eyes. I NEED mascara for you to see my eyes haha.

2.  What is your favorite online store to shop?The Kindle store....my wish list is huge but I can't go crazy. Gotta read the books I already have before I get new ones! (You'll see in the next question...)
3.  What book are you currently reading?I'm still reading The Resolution for Women. Also Kisses from Katie, The Excellent Wife, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a Bible study on Esther and Ruth, Bringing the Gospel Home, Pride and Prejudice, and a couple of devotionals. Yeahhh I need to slow my roll, I know, haha. I'm going to be doing more book reviews soon!
4.  What is your favorite vacation spot?I've already answered this question before with North Myrtle Beach, but I'm gonna have to add the NC mountains this time. My grandparents have an amazing house in Laurel Springs and I LOVE going there.

That's their house with the red roof. Gorgeous, right??

5.  If you could go back and choose a different career path what would it be?I would have pursued Spanish in college and been an ESL teacher. I have such a heart for kids who end up dropping out of school because they struggle so much due to the language difference. Maybe someday I can start studying Spanish again and make that a new ministry goal!
6.  Do you have any hidden talent or something you are good at?I took "social dance" in college (ballroom dancing, shagging, and such) and was actually pretty good at it! Jordan is an amazing dancer so I'd love to take a class with him someday. We dance together pretty frequently and he's not shy about dancing so it wouldn't be hard to convince him, haha.
7.  What is playing on your iPod right now?I usually listen to Pandora on my iPhone and my favorite playlist is honestly my Disney one. I listen to it almost every day. :)
8.  List the places that you have visited from around the world.Haven't been too many places around the world...the only other country I've visited is Mexico and that was very brief! I'd love to travel more and experience other countries. (France is #1 on our list to visit our friend Hubert!)
9.  What is your favorite clothing store?Ann Taylor Loft!
10.  What goals do you have for the next 5 years?This thought kinda freaks me out because so many different things could happen in that amount of time. The first thing that comes to mind is to buy house, but we won't know if that's what God wants for us until He shows us. So I'm just going to go with what I know I want and God wants - for me to become a better helpmate for my husband, to figure out more about God's specific missions for me, and to proclaim the gospel with boldness.
Thanks so much for tagging me, Kristen! :)

Midweek Confessions.

It's time for some confessions, y'all.

• This week I went four days without washing my hair. Yeah. Not attractive. But remember my life changing discovery of dry shampoo? Man I can't imagine my life without that stuff now. I guess my dependence on it has gotten a little out of control, haha. I've tried so many different brands of dry shampoo and currently I'm loving this one: Pssssst Dry Shampoo.

• Jordan was gone on a little work trip to Louisiana last night. I couldn't get to sleep so I got two of his shirts from the dirty laundry and wrapped them around me. It helped. :) He doesn't have to travel much for work so I'm thankful for that. (For those of you wondering what he does, he's a structural engineer and does analysis on cell phone towers - and climbs them!)

• Working at an eye doctors' office has made me regret every time I've ever complained or gotten impatient or annoyed at a doctor's office. I guess before I worked here I thought that checking someone in involved one click of the mouse and it was done. But um no. That's not the case. It's a complicated process! 

• I'm kind of addicted to Slim Fast shakes. If I have one for breakfast or lunch it really holds me over until my next meal. The creamy milk chocolate kind is my fave. I had chocolate milk the other day and I thought it tasted weird and then I realized I was comparing it to Slim Fast. Is Slim Fast my new chocolate milk???? (I love chocolate milk.)

I'm linking up with E, Myself, and I for Midweek Confessions!

Hope everyone had an amazing Wednesday!

I DON'T want to do this - but it's worth it.

The other day I started writing a post asking advice for how to adjust to working full-time and not taking away from my time with God.
Not that my whole day isn't God's - it is. I just know that to be able to truly focus on Him throughout my day, I have to surrender it to Him in the morning. For me it HAS to be in the morning. If I spend time in the Word and in prayer in the morning it changes my whole day for the better because it affects my mindset.
So then after thinking about this, and starting to write about it, I realized exactly what I needed to do.
And I didn't want to do it.
But I have to do it.
Or else my relationship with God and the daily surrendering to Him will suffer. And that can't happen.
I have to wake up super early.

from designzzz.com

Ugh. Ask my husband and he will tell you in 2 seconds that I am NOT a morning person. In the least. I've been known to say all kinds of crazy things when his alarm has gone off only to fall right back asleep and never remember it. I've had full phone conversations with my mother and gone back to sleep and never knew they happened.
One time Jordan's alarm was going off and apparently I sat up in bed and yelled, "Seriously?!" and slammed my fists down on the bed and flopped over and went back to sleep. Or so he tells me.
So this is no easy feat for me. But it is worth it. I mean my relationship with God is the MOST important thing in my life. So having a specific, set-apart time in His Word and in prayer is imperative.
Yes, I can be in prayer throughout the day. And yes, I have a devotion time with Jordan at night. But I can't cut this precious time out. No way.
So I will rise early and I will praise the Lord for making a new day and that His mercies are new every morning! Because I am so BLESSED and most of all I am thankful for how he has REDEEMED me! 
(And Jordan will hold me accountable. Haha.)
So how do you make sure you have enough set-apart time for the Lord in your busy day? I'd love to hear about it!