breathe. and wash your hands.

I have this huge exam in 2 1/2 hours.  It's an OSCE (which stands for objective simulated clinical examination), and it is terrifying.  I have been practicing, I feel prepared and I know I will survive it, but I'M STILL TERRIFIED.  I've spent the morning studying renal pharmacology, or more accurately I have spent the morning trying to study renal pharmacology, but then I get all butterfly-y and anxious and have to calm myself back down and try to re-focus my brain to things like which drug I would use to reduce intracranial pressure and away from things like crying in front of my patient (and professors who are behind a two way mirror).  So, I am just going to quit hemming and hawing and go sit down and pet Oliver.  It's an automatic failure if you don't (breathe) wash your hands and introduce yourself, so if I remember who I am then I am already halfway there, right?!

happy birthday! you have giardia..

The Oboe is officially 2!  And officially has giardia. Wah wahhh.  Birthday presents include blood draws, probiotics, antibiotics and dewormer!  What a guy, what a guy.  But in all seriousness he is my favorite pup in the world.  He loves to love and even though he is mostly a scaredy cat, he is full of bravado in the face of danger (or squirrels).  He is a fierce cuddler, an avid licker and a complete ham.  We are basically ridiculous together, and I hope that never changes.  Happy Birthday sweet Oliver!

a belated thank you

Lately I have been trying really hard to squeeze everything in.  I get to school early every morning so I can study for a few hours before class to decrease the amount of time I have to spend studying in the evenings when JP is around, I've been trying to sneak in christmas shopping online during breaks, and late on sunday nights I've been making pumpkin muffins to scarf during the week.  Today is no exception, I had a presentation this morning on my patient and I finagled going first so I could leave early to take O to the vet.  It went faster than I expected and so I got to pop home and give JP a ride to work with a pit stop at our favorite breakfast sandwich place Ono's.  Mmmm.  Now I have a short amount of time until I have to walk up the hill to the vet and so I shall squeeze in some pictures from thanksgiving break!!

And you know what?  I am bummed that I was too busy to write a post of giving thanks, so I think I will shove it in here and hope that you aren't tired of hearing what people are thankful for!  First off, JP and I decided to head off to Montreal for thanksgiving.  Neither of us are huge into the holiday itself, and we really needed some time away from Portland and all that surrounds the day to day of work and school.  We went Wednesday to Saturday so that we could get back in time for my brother's concert.  It was such a great get away.  We mostly just filled our time with wandering around, drinking coffee, looking at architecture and exploring the neighborhoods.  

On thanksgiving day we ate arepas from a place I found while researching.  Mmmm not necessarily traditional turkey day grub, but one of my favorite meals for sure.  The best part is that it is all gluten free so I didn't have to dig around in the rattling-ly empty part of my brain that used to hold all the french I painstakingly learned during high school and college.  Haha, not that I ever knew the french word for gluten, but still, ordering straight off the menu is a rarity for me!  We played pool that night at a weird little second floor bar overlooking a main street, and had a great time.

JP was psyched to go to his first Chinatown, which was two blocks from our hotel, and then was subsequently disappointed when it was so small. 

We went to the Cathedral de Notre Dame, and were so awed by the intricate and ornate architecture.  We just sat in the pew for a while and took it all in.  A beautiful place to reflect on how thankful we are for the people in our lives and the ability to take time away from our real lives and just explore a city.

We went to the science museum, which was unfortunately also being visited by what seemed like every school aged child in the vicinity.  It was a little chaotic at times, but still great fun! I learned how to tie a mean knot!

The drive home was beautiful, with occasional sightings of snowflakes. 

And what better way to toast the weekend than attending a concert hosted by my brother Joe.  It was called Joe Walsh and Friends, and it was unbelievable.  There was so much talent on stage, and such laughter and friendship between the musicians.  It was just a treat to see, my parents got to watch it in Minnesota on the internet with a live stream!  Joe often comments that he has never studied as hard as I do now, but watching him play it just made me think how we all dedicate ourselves to something wholeheartedly in different ways.   He may not "study" per se, but he works tirelessly to perfect his craft, he practices every day and really strives to be better and better, and it comes through in his beautiful music.  Such a gift to be able to support him and live just two blocks away!

In life right now I am so very thankful to be here in Maine studying medicine and really learning so many incredible things about the human body.  The more I learn, the more I appreciate the health of my loved ones.  There are so many things that can go wrong in a body, and I am grateful right now that there is so much health and vitality in many of the people I love.  I am especially thankful this year to have two ridiculously strong, loving, amazing parents who have both come out of their struggles with cancer as changed people, with so much wisdom, faith, and if you can believe it, even more love to share with the world.  I am thankful for the opportunity to live near two of my siblings, to be able to share these two years with them is such an unexpected opportunity for me, and I am so blessed by how welcome they have made me feel, and how continually supportive they have been, even when I miss phone calls and cancel dinner dates!  I am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family, who surprise me everyday with their talents and love.  And of course I would be remiss if I didn't give whole hearted thanks for my amazing partner JP who has really shone during this difficult year in his dedication, love, laughter and unending support.  I would be such a different person if not for those that surround me with their love.  So thank you for being in my life, I am truly grateful. 

cheating

oh my.  I wrote the previous post over a week ago and it sat open in my browser the entire time, just waiting for me to upload the photos...but I still thought I should get credit for attempting to blog, and so I back published the date.  Haha, something only I would think to notice.  That should give you an indication of just how swamped life has been over here.  I am so fried that I don't even think I have uttered a coherent sentence all day.  I have been burning at both ends studying cardiology, and it is finally time for a break.  Woot!  I am so excited!  We had three exams yesterday and our final class of today was a timed/graded SOAP note for a patient with a complicated history and multiple co morbidities including two different types of cancer.  It was a rough one but I finished with one minute to spare...and then I realized I had forgotten to sign it as soon as I pressed send... ugh.  Oh well, you can't win them all! JP and I are headed out of town tomorrow for an international adventure to our neighboring country of Canada.  We are spending three nights in Montreal, hoping to wander around, eat tasty food and decompress.  Ahh it's going to be great! 

girl's weekend!

I can't even remember how long ago our girl's weekend was!  It feels like a million years ago, but I think it was probably about three weeks?  In any case, it was such a nice time.  We stayed in a gorgeous house on a lake with lots of space to spread out.  We made an exception to the girl's only rule and Oliver tagged along, he kept us safe from any potential intruders or squirrels.  Earning his keep! We didn't have much time, but we tried to squeeze a lot in.  We got out for a beautiful hike, donning some bright orange for the first day of hunting season.  Oliver looks like a fox when he is just sitting on the sidewalk in the middle of a city, so dashing stealthily through the woods with no bandana seemed like a bad idea...

What a long tongue you have! The better to lick you with my dear...

 Mom and Em on the AT!

It was way more impressive in real life than in this photo, but that rock with the ladder was basically vertical and while we were contemplating how to get O up it he took a giant leap and mountain-goated it right on up.  HA it was hilarious!  Em had to catch his collar so he wouldn't keep leaping down and up!

All in all it was a glorious trip.  Such a great blessing to be able to spend time with these lovely ladies when we are all so busy these days. I know Emily is already plotting our next ladies trip and I am sure it will be just as much fun as this one was!

ohhh sandy

Basically nothing happened where we live except for some vicious winds and rain.  My school got a little jumpy and cancelled classes Monday afternoon and all of Tuesday.  Some one must have felt a little sheepish when the sun came out early Tuesday morning and there wasn't much in the way of hurricane-type destruction, but THIS someone gloriously didn't have to go to school (and instead spent from 9 to 5 studying dermatology...but that's beside the point, at least I could wear my PJ's!). 

We had a hurricane (cyclone) party last night amidst the roaring winds.  Pretty much the only place we would have ventured out to would have had to have been within a four black radius, and as luck would have it Joe was fixing up some oyster mushroom risotto!  We tromped up the hill with hot toddy makings and purple carrots for roasting.  It was a nice little shin dig, topped off with a gluten free sour cream apple pie my brother made from my grandmother's recipe...divine!  I should have snapped a picture but I was in too much of a food coma. 

I've got some pictures to share from our girl's weekend, but I've got to run right now so here is a teaser from our hike on the first day of hunting season:

And a bonus one of Oboe cause he's a cutie and I take way too many pictures of him...

leaf peeping

 

I almost forgot to appreciate that I am back in a state that has full popping fall colors all over the place!! Both years I was in Colorado I somehow got it in my head that going up to the mountains would reveal glorious fall foliage, and both times I was rewarded with only evergreen and aspen yellow.  Beautiful in their own right, but not enough to make me feel like in the midst of my favorite season.  I feel like i just lifted my head up from my desk yesterday and all of a sudden everything was red and orange and yellow.  That could have something to do with how gloomy the weather has been lately, but I have finally noticed my fall surroundings, and they are beautiful!  I've got three pulmonary exams tomorrow, supposedly one of the hardest modules this semester.  I have been studying for them for three weeks and I think I am ready.  I KNOW I am ready for a little break of sorts.  Our next module is derm, which is much shorter and much less complex, and during which I am promising myself that I won't overstudy like I always do, and I will make a conscious effort to take time off.  To ensure that I follow through with that, my mom and sister are coming out next weekend for a girl's get away! Ohh I am more than ready for cabin-on-a-lake time and curl-up-with-trashy-no-knowledge-containing-books time and a fireplace to sit cozily by.  AH I am so excited, it's going to be great!  But for now, it is finally sunny outside for the first time in weeks and JP and I are headed to the beach (in sweatshirts and scarves) to get some much needed vitamin D!  Now, I will leaf you with some pictures...haha see what I did there?