lately

GUYS, I don't want to be too presumptuous here, but I kind of think we have turned the corner and are now much more firmly leaning towards the side of spring and leaving the winter behind.  !!! You would not believe what a difference it's been for the past few weeks.  I've just been wearing a sweatshirt instead of a winter coat!  The snow in Portland is completely gone at this point. The city is abuzz with everyone jogging and lounging in the sun, baseball has started, and everyone is out with their tennis rackets, the farmers market in our park opened this weekend too!  JP's friend Nick came up from Connecticut a couple weekends ago, and we picked up our favorite breakfast sandwiches and took him to the Eastern promenade to sit in the sun and eat.  While the grass is still that mottled, crunchy. yellowish hue, the water was a perfect shade of blue, with the wind rippling it, and dotted little boats scattered around.  I LOVE SUN.

In any case, here is what's been going on lately round these parts, and since it's been awhile since I checked in here, I shall organize myself in list form:

1.  O and I moved home!  I can't remember if I already told you that, but we did!  We've been back in Portland for four weeks now, and it's been great to be done with living out of a suitcase.  Also great to be back with JP and Yin, away from all the snowy weather that is still plaguing the northern parts of this state, back to two non-dead house plants (we just added a third as well, getting bold!), and back to two blocks away from Joe (although he was in England the past few weeks).  I missed Portland, especially sunny Portland!  We've been out for bikes rides, picnics, running, and JP even visited Peak's Island last weekend!  I feel like I am desperate to quickly cram in everything that I love about this place in the summer, just so I can leave the winter as far behind as possible.  This past weekend we worked on the scoots, which unfortunately is in need of more knowledgeable brains than ours to make it run again.  In real life, it's run amazingly for three years without any problems worse than a flat tire, so I suppose it's time for something to go wrong.

2.  I have discovered spray paint, and it is a glorious new partnership.  Which basically means that all I want to do is spray paint everything in my life forever.  It's so much fun!  Our home is looking very colorful and spruced up.  We even brought home one of Joe's stools last night so I can paint it this afternoon for him.  Color! How have I waited this long to do this?!

3.  I am deep in the trenches of my last rotation and it's been going great!  I have two weeks left, then a week of lectures and exams and then finish.  Everything lately has felt really sped up and frantic as we get closer and closer to the end.  I simultaneously want to see as many patients as possible every day so I am the most prepared as I can be for the future, but also I just want to crawl under my desk and take day-long naps.  It's very conflicting.  And just putting this out there, but family medicine is difficult!  There is so much you need to know, and you see so many different problems throughout any given day.  Keeps you right on your toes every minute!  Some days I feel confident, and others I wonder how in the world I will ever manage on my own.  It's a roller coaster.

4.  I have very tentatively started chipping away at running again.  I have such a love hate relationship with the sport.  My asthmatic lungs always whine the hardest with running so usually I just elliptical or bike, but I've decided that this year is my year for running.  I'm signing up with some friends for my first 5K in June, which has been motivating me to get moving again.  Obie and I have been running in the park across the street together, although I must admit that he is just as bad as me but in the opposite way.  All he wants to do is sprint full force style, so our runs together are a series of pulls and toe stepping and arm wrenching and wheezing, until he loses his initial burst and settles down to run next to me at my much slower pace.  We are a work in progress.

5.  Graduation is sneaking right up on us, which hasn't quiiite sunk in for me yet.  My whole family is coming out to spend the weekend celebrating with us.  My dad rented a house in South Portland near their favorite bakery, so we shall all descend upon it with our three dogs in tow.  I am scheming on getting Micah to do some stand up while he is out here, but the scene in Portland is pretty abysmal.  Joe does have a concert that weekend at One Longfellow though, so we will fill up the audience with family support there as well.  It will be so nice everyone for the first time since Christmas!

6.  MORE!  I've got more going on all over my life, but I think I should stop and just post what I've got for now.  It's been too long since I last checked in, but I will be back soon!