snow day

We've got quite the storm coming.  Actually, it's already started and we've got maybe three inches of snow piling up, expecting to get three feet in the next day or so.  Even though it sometimes sucks, like when you have to find a place off the roads to park your car during the parking ban, or having the student leadership summit cancelled, or dealing with other drivers tearing all around like maniacs, it is still SO beautiful and peaceful when it snows!

I took Oboe to the park across the street and scanned around for other signs of life.  I didn't see anyone else, not even any recent foot prints so I let him off the leash and he tore all around like the happiest little kid you've ever seen.  He was in absolute heaven. If there is one thing that boy loves more than the ocean it is snow for sure. For the rest of this unexpected day off I plan to read and learn more about endocrinology, sip on coffee and watch the snow from the window.  Glorious.

weekend in Vermont

For the first two weeks back I was kind of pretending that I was still on vacation... which is okay because one of my new year's resolutions was to not be such a giantanxietyball this semester!  So far I have been doing well, but with my first exams coming up on Tuesday I guess we shall see if that approach is actually working.  Here's hoping I have learned how to be productive in new ways!  In any case, during my pseudo vacation time I spent a weekend in Vermont visiting Emily.  I think it is particularly telling that I didn't even bring one single textbook with me!!  If you are not impressed by that statement that perhaps I should tell you that I have brought one with me on every single trip I have taken with Em, INCLUDING our trip to Japan, so it was kind of a landmark for me!

Obie and I loaded up into the car friday afternoon after class and headed to Brattleboro with wine and chocolate and cheese in the backseat.  What's a vacation without those three ingredients really?

On Saturday we went out for a nearby hike and found a place to go ice skating.  It was a little bit cold, but sunny for the most part and we kept ourselves warm by moving fast, Oliver especially.  It was his first time on ice, and he kept exuberantly running after us and then sliding to grasp the ice and turn when we turned quickly.  It was hilarious, Emily even made him dance with her..

On Sunday before I left we made Joe's dream breakfast come to life:  breakfast nachos?!  Ohh my word they were so tasty.  Probably just another not so sneaky excuse to eat chips smothered with everything that I love, but with the addition of eggs to make it seem more morning-ly.  I highly suggest giving them a try, you won't regret it! I mean, how could you?

It was such a lovely weekend.  I feel like I haven't had much sister time lately, certainly not enough with just the two of us for any measurable amount of time, AND IT WAS GREAT.  Much needed, and much appreciated.  We just got to talk and laugh, cook and listen to music, watch movies, be outside, giggle about ridiculous things and reminisce.   As it should be! 

christmas come and gone

I can hardly believe my break is coming to an end.  Not in a bad way, it both feels as though I have been on vacation for months and just a few seconds, it's just crazy how time moves differently during different events.  First off my (28th!) birthday was such a great celebration with family.  I always feel so surrounded with love on my birthday, which I attribute to the day falling so close to Christmas...I get the joy of seeing my entire family all together almost every year, and everyone goes an extra mile to make me feel special during such a hectic time so I don't feel overshadowed.  It was just a nice day, we ate at Pei Men Miyake (one of our favorite places in Portland) for lunch with Joe and Emily, and made it out to the cabin for a homemade dinner of seafood piaya and presents with the whole family.  JP surprised me with a giant birthday cake from the gluten free bakery in town which was delicious!

Our humble home for the holidays

 We spent our time at the cabin tromping around in the outdoors, making food and playing games.  We got out for a few hikes before the dump of snow obscured the trails.  In fact the snow even extended Micah's stay unexpectedly! We went to the beach and to a lighthouse, found lots of ice to stomp/crush/throw rocks at/bowl on, rediscovered cat tails and the joys of destroying them, and just generally enjoyed the beauty of being outdoors during such a cozy season.

 And of course the beauty of being indoors during such a cozy season wasn't lost on us either

 

 

Sometimes gathering seven people in one house, six of whom are related, can be a bit stressful, but it didn't seem to be!  There was enough space to spread out, and I think having everyone on neutral ground gave the whole gathering a different sort of tone.  I had such a great hang!  It was also quite nice to have the pups with us for the holidays, something that isn't always feasible.  Overall I had a really, really great vacation.  I feel renewed, exercised and well slept for the first time in a long time!  My school went easy on us for this first week back, so we've got a pretty light schedule for the next couple of days.  I am planning on a little trip with Obie to Vermont to see Em next weekend, so I am going to just pretend I've got a little vacation extension of my own.  Happy New Year! 

ahhhh vacation

Oh my, can I tell you how decadent my life has been since 10:30 yesterday morning when my Infectious Disease exams left my hand?  I haven't studied a single stitch of medicine.  Not one stitch.  I had two glasses of wine in the middle of the day, I went on a leisurely non-guilty walk with Oliver, I played video games with my boyfriend and I slept in until 9! (well really only 8, but I stayed in bed with my eyes closed until 9 just because I could!) That's the latest I have slept in in as long as I can remember.  I am going to a massage at 12:30, lunch date with the sister afterwards and a dinner date with the boy, the brother AND the sister.  After that my parents fly in, followed the next day by my little brother and we shall celebrate the holidays at a cabin on a lake.  VACATION is glorious, just glorious. 

Here is our little Christmas tree that I made while trying not to over study for my renal exams. If you look closely you can see a totoro ornament JP made!

I passed all my classes with flying colors, even my terrible, scary, heart-palpitation-inducing OSCE!  I feel lighter than I have in a long, long while.  SO glad/proud/relieved to have another semester behind me, and I really feel like I have learned a lot.  Now the impossible thing to believe is that I start my clinicals in just five months.  Yikes, it's so exciting! But right now it's time to celebrate the vacation on hand!

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.