Moving.... Again

I can't believe that boards are over, I'm happy about it, but is seems a little unreal. Studying sometimes for 16 hours a day is an experience I hope I never have to repeat. I just hope all that work pays off in about 5 weeks when I find out my scores.

Today, I move to Tucson for 4 weeks. My first rotation of third year in a ward based internal medicine rotation and I am pretty nervous about it. It's very exciting to be doing something new, something I've been working towards pretty much my entire life, but it doesn't keep me from getting a bit terrified. I get to do what I've always dreamed of, but I only know books at this point. People and practical application of my knowledge under pressure are completely new.

On a much more exciting note after I took my board exams I got to go home for 5 days. My mom and I did a TON of wedding planning and settled on a florist as well as mapped out the invitations (can't order them yet). We also looked at every ballroom big enough for the wedding in Portland. I think we've finally got it down to the places we'd like to have it at, but so far, nothing about planning the wedding has been easy... The dates for the wedding are pretty narrow simply because I can only be home for the month of May in 2011 (I'll also be rotating in Oregon in Feb, but it's not a good month for us to have the wedding), so the dates are restricted to either May 14th or the 21st. We would rather do it on the 21st so that I have another week to be in town to do fittings and last min things, but we can do the 14th if needed. Our biggest problem is this, the church has a hold on the 14th for someone else and the place for the reception has a hold on the 21st for another couple. We have to wait until Monday to find out if these couples are going to use those venues for their weddings, if so we'll either have to find another church or another place to hold the reception. :-/ I sincerely hope that one of the other couples has found another venue they like better. It would stink to have to start again for one venue or the other.

This is the reception venue. I think we're pretty sure about this part of it and will take whatever day they have and then try to find another church if The Grotto doesn't work out. http://vibranttable.zenfolio.com/p650412192/e1d74aca0

Now I just have to work on finding bridesmaid dresses for my million bridesmaids. :) So exciting!

How many hours in a day?

This will be a short blog.... I wish I could make a few more hours appear every day. I miss hanging out with Tyler, talking to my mom, working out, laughing with friends.... I miss feeling human... I haven't put on makeup for weeks, worn jeans in months, or felt like going out to eat in well, lets see....... about 2 years now.... I guess I'm not being fair, it hasn't been all bad... There have been great moments, especially this year.

The first year of medical school was like, terror. Every Sunday and Wed night (exams are on Monday and most Thursdays of first year) I would get myself all worked up about some exam. We didn't take breaks to eat or chat (mostly). Second year, a lot of that changed. I don't think my study group has once decided it was a good idea to work through dinner. We watch a short 30 min show, or what ever is on... I think even just doing this was good for us. There were still many weeks where we thought we weren't going to make it (finals weeks are always a challenge... 5 to 6 exams in 5 days is never fun), but for the most part I'd have to say that second year has vastly outweighed first year in the way of sanity..... Until now....

We are preparing for boards. For those of you not part of the INSANE medical community, boards are impossible. At least right now they feel that way. I am aware that in just over a month they will be over and my life will regain the small piece of normalcy I was so proud of regaining in my second year.... But right now..... I feel like I will never leave this office... and that when I finally do escape to eat dinner, or go to bed, I feel guilty that I'm not studying. Saturday I sat here for 11 hours and 45 min before escaping. That is almost 12 full hours of sitting in one spot.... My body hurts..... From doing NOTHING!

Ok, enough complaining... I have it pretty good. I don't have to stop to cook, clean, do dishes, grocery shop, or take the dog out to pee... I have a wonderful Tyler, who is patient, understanding, selfless and just about all around amazing. I know I can't complain too much... At least part of the reason I'm complaining though, is that I never get to see him.. I see the Doctors in Training guy more than I see him.... It's awful... So while I sit in here, he makes sure I don't go without anything I might need. I am SO thankful.

We are planning the wedding again (well, we've set a date, no planning is actually happening until we get these pesky boards out of the way)!!!! The day is........ May 21, 2011. I have to say it's about time. We got engaged in August of 2007 and were supposed to tie the knot July 19th of 2008... School got in the way, and school almost got in the way this time too... Fortunately I was able to move a few things around and get what I want... A husband! :)

Well, I guess thats all.... This kind of turned into a little venting spree... I didn't mean for that to happen, but it is what it is.... I'll be happy June 15th when I am done with this stuff, can (hopefully if I pass the exam) put it all behind me, and enjoy some much needed time with my family and friends. Bella is in here because she makes me happy.... She's so darn cute

What an amazing past few days I've had! Vivian, Travis, and Amanda have come to Arizona for spring break. It just so happens that Vivian's family owns this amazing home in Scottsdale and we have spent the last few days back and forth spending tons of time with them. They arrived on Friday while I was in class last week. I was a little nervous about how it was all going to work out, because while it may be their spring break, I had one a few weeks ago and I'm in school now. I tried to warn them that I wouldn't be able to hang out all the time, but it looks like I lied. :)

Friday night Tyler and I packed up the car and headed out there. Bella was really excited when we got there and Louie (a dog belonging to one of Vivian's brothers Dental graduate friends) was there. They played for HOURS. It was wonderful to let her run off some of her energy (she has a ton) and we all had a great time watching them swim! We had awesome steak and shrimp serf and terf for dinner and cheesecake for dessert! We spent some time playing beer pong as well. It was a great evening.

Saturday I had to head back in to our place to get a few things done. I was pretty productive and we were headed back out to Scottsdale at around 5:00. Amanda arrived at about that time and by the time we got out to the house we only had to wait a little while to see her! We made some awesome burgers with guacamole, and baked beans. More beer pong was played as well as a little bit of Battle of the Sexes Cranium! The boys won, but only because we allowed the spelling of "Fonz". ;-P it was a close game, and a really great time! Tyler and I stayed up way too late and then Bella got sick in the middle of the night. I think she ended up drinking a little too much pool water, but by the middle of the day Sunday I think she was back to herself. :)

Sunday was another wonderful day. We bought tickets earlier in the week for everyone to go see the M's vs. the Cubbies in a spring training game. I was really excited because it was supposed to be a really nice day and it was almost like my two worlds (the one with the fab four, and the one with my medical school friends) could become one. It meant a lot to me that everyone came out and spent some time in the sun! During the game I started to panic a little (we had an exam on Monday morning, and as you can tell there wasn't a ton of studying happening) so afterwards Scotty, Aspen and I just went back to my house and got started (the exam went well I think)!

Yesterday (Monday) we took Scotty and Aspen to see the Scottsdale house. We had more burgers (best burger I've ever had), and had a great time in the pool playing pool beer pong (pretty difficult if you ask me!). I think they had a great time, I know I did. Tyler was so wonderful, he had to work this morning (at 4:00 am!), but still stayed up to drive me home and make sure I had a great time. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him, he's a life saver. :)

Today and tonight I have to spend some time in front of my computer. Back to the batcave for me! I just can't believe what a perfect time it was for them to come and visit! I'm so glad I got to have a mini vaca with 2 of my favorite ladies (we've missed you TONS AND TONS Abby!) and Scotty & Aspen got to bond a bit with my girls. I'm glad everyone got along and I can't wait to go to Vegas (my bachelorette party will be in Vegas, these girls are pretty much my wedding party!).

Boards are fast approaching, so I better get to work! Here are some pictures of our adventures! :)

WEDDING!!!

So this has to be quick because I have to go back to school, but I just found out that Tyler and I might be able to start planning our wedding! Its possible that I might be back in Oregon for 2 months early in 2011 and if all goes as planned that means that we would be setting a wedding date for late April 2011! I am so excited I couldn't help but share the news. Nothing is 100% yet (we have another lottery to decide what "tracks" we end up in. This decides what order we do our rotations next year... You know, month 1 Internal medicine, month 2 cardiology and so on), but if I get the track I've listed as my number one choice everything will be set. :) If not, there is still a chance that I can move some things around and still make it work, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I just wanted to share the good news!

Just a few thoughts

Well, it's January. January is a love/hate kind of month for me. I love it because my birthday is January 23rd, but I hate it for the same reason. :) I've found that as I get older birthdays become less and less important. This one seems to be exceptionally less important because of the birthday "gifts" I've requested. Don't get me wrong, my family (especially my mom) went WAY overboard with Christmas (as she usually does), and Tyler also got me more than I asked for, but I can't help but feel a little sad that my birthday has been robbed this year. From my parents I'm getting a USMLE test question bank. That will also be my gift from my grandparents. While it is extremely useful, it's not fun. Its interesting how little fun seems to matter when you grow up. I'll also be taking a Pharmacology exam 2 days afterwards, so I'm sure I'll spend a huge chunk of the day studying away! ;-/

I was also thinking earlier today about how I used to think of medicine. The human body was such a wonder to me, something totally beautiful. Now, I don't even have time to think of it that way. There are some days I wonder how a baby can be born without some sort of birth defect and yet it happens everyday... I have memorized more about the body than I would have thought possible and I'm not even done yet. I've been tested sometimes 5 days a week on things that I've memorized. Frankly is absolutely exhausting! It makes me wonder how much of this knowledge it's possible to retain. I wouldn't go so far as to say I've fallen out of love with medicine, I still can't picture myself doing anything else, but I do find myself wondering if people knew what it was like, I mean REALLY knew, would they do it? No wonder there is a shortage of doctors out there.

I guess I'm just sort of venting a little, isn't that what blogs are for? lol. I'm feeling a lot of pressure right now. Board exams are in 6 short months and I'm having some trouble with my stomach again. I wish someone could tell me whats wrong and how to fix it. The dichotomy is interesting, studying to be a doctor and frustrated with future colleagues because they can't seem to fix me. I don't even want a quick fix, I just want an answer. If someone could just tell me what to stop eating, I would do it. I'm feeling pretty well tonight, great by yesterdays standards, but I hardly ate anything all day. I just don't know how long the good feeling will last or how long I can survive on white rice and plain pasta with roasted veggies.

Well Ty is in watching Golden Girls with our little pooch. I guess I should get in there and get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel even better than I did today!

Finding Inspiration

I never thought I'd be a blogger. #1 I don't have time and #2 I don't begin to think that people are really interested in what horrible disease I'm studying today, however I do live in Arizona and recently realized that friends and family at home might actually be interested in what I'm doing, saying, or thinking.

I was also inspired to begin a blog by my good friend Mellie. She inspires me frequently, but she recently began a blog and I thought, why not? She has two beautiful kids, a job, and recently started sewing. If she can find the time, so can I. I also think it might be good for me to get my head out of school books and board prep.

A few things you might already know:

I'm engaged to a wonderful man named Tyler. A beautiful person with a huge heart. We met our first year of college in the dorms and became really good friends. We even lived together our second year! 5 years later we were still close friends and decided we'd give a relationship a try. In August of that year he proposed. We've postponed our wedding due to our relocation for my medical education, but are hoping for a date sometime in 2011. In the summer of 2008 we moved to Glendale Arizona (yes, we know, it's hot :) ). We have a pretty apartment that we used to love, but seems to have gone downhill quickly in the last few months. We have been discussing moving to a rental home closer to Ty's work, but I'm not sure I want to move AGAIN! In May of last year Tyler and I decided we were ready to take the next step and start a family. Isabella (a bouncy Boston Terrier puppy) joined us in our home and she was one of the best decision we've made. She brings us a ton of happiness and whenever I need a smile her sweet little face is sure to do the trick.

As you can guess, my life is a tad stressful. I spend most of my free time (which isn't much) hanging out with Ty and Bella. Occasionally we get to go out and spend time with some of our favorite people in Arizona. Other then that you can find me in "the batcave" (my office) and Ty in the kitchen cooking something delicious. We both love Oregon (born and raised), but wont be able to come back for a visit for a while. We're both looking forward to June 2011 when we can return (mostly) for good.

I'm not a great speller (this would be messy if it weren't for spell check!) and I'm not sure I'll be able to blog often, but here it goes I guess!