Christmas festivities

Christmas Eve night I really wanted to go to midnight mass at the Catholic cathedral....this is the Basilica in Baltimore (the oldest catholic cathedral in the US). The service was beautiful and the music was amazing! Poor Zach had trouble given the late hour and that fact that he had been up for almost 24 hours! But we made it and both said that we were glad we went.

Before we even went to mass, Zach made a delicious Japanese dinner and we ate on our TV trays...awesome :) and classy!





Christmas day was spent opening presents in the morning, including Mos! We an then heading down to Zach's brothers for lunch and time with family. We spent the majority of the day putting together a puzzle at which we were unsuccessful :( We're going back down Sunday to try again!

Mos was one tired pup from all the festivities and promptly passed out on his bed when we got home with his new basketball tucked under his arm....

love it!

Ugh!

Obama and Congress are destroying my career before it even begins....awful, AWFUL time to be headed into the healthcare field!

Winter Storm

Well as many probably heard Baltimore got bombarded by snow this weekend! 22 inches fell here as recorded at the airport. I think it's the most ever, at one time, in this area. It started late Friday night and continued consistently for 24 hours. Saturday was a great day to stay inside with hot chocolate and movies...which is what Mosley did as poor Zach tried to get home from Connecticut. He finally made it on the train around midnight. Mos and I did go outside on top of our parking garage and played for about 30 minutes. Another couple brought their dog out and Mos had a great time running around in the snow! Unfortunately I am a horrible picture taker and don't have any of the snow :( A bonus of the storm was that I didn't have to go into the ER Saturday night and work that terrible shift of 5pm-3am! And now I only have 2 days left!

Zach is gone again tonight to Buffalo for an interview, so Mos and I are hanging out.

We've decided to go to midnight mass at the Basicalla in Baltimore Christmas Eve night. Growing up Catholic, it is my favorite service of the year and I'm super excited to go to the cathedral. It's supposed to be beautiful and I can't wait to hear the music! For those of you who are Catholic, we like to sit, stand AND kneel during the service. Well given that Zach is Mormon, they don't do the whole kneel thing, so when I asked him if he minded if we went to the Catholic service he said he didn't but asked if he could bring knee pads!

Separation Anxiety

Our dog has separation anxiety....we love him a ton but when we leave the house he destroys something...first it was the corner of the TV stand, then it was a hole in the carpet, then he ate the lights and ornaments off the lower quarter of our Christmas tree so he was finally put back in the cage/kennel area. It is a 5 ft area that surrounds the doggie door so he has his space indoors but he can also go outside to potty when we aren't here. Well that was going great for 3 days and then we left Wednesday night for a Christmas party and he found a way out of there, tipped over the Christmas tree and proceeded to eat the rest of the ornaments. Now our tree is the equivalent of the Charlie Brown tree....I know bulldogs are high maintanence but this is craziness! I think it's just hard for him when he doesn't know what's going on or what the schedule is. Zach and I are always coming and going at different times given our hours this month and it's been rough on Mos. Hopefully things will calm down and so will his anxiety...otherwise our house will be destroyed!!!

In other news, it is supposed to snow 12+ inches tonight and tomorrow!!! And of course I just dropped Zach off at the airport to fly to Connecticut for an interview and he is supposed to fly back tomorrow at five, right during the heart of the storm and I'm have to work 5pm to 3am Saturday night....we'll see what this weather does but it doesn't look promising.

Sad news is that we wont' be going to Iowa for Christmas this year. It breaks my heart because I really wanted to make it...we missed last year because we spent it in Utah with Zach's family. But flights are way to expensive this year and with all that we've had to pay in residency interviews, it's just not feasible. We are hoping to make it back sometime in February or March to see everyone, especially my grandma.

I'm off to work the 3-11 shift tonight in the ER...and putting Mos in his cage...hopefully I come home to an intact Christmas tree!!

Quick Update

I'm alive. It has been a busy last couple weeks. Home to South Carolina for Thanksgiving. Started an ER rotation on Monday (hate it) and then drove to West Virginia on Tuesday for 2 interviews, back here on Friday night for an interview Saturday morning and spent Saturday and Sunday night in the ER working and am headed back there today from 3-11.

Thanksgiving was really great! My grandma and stepgrandpa drove down from Iowa and I flew in Wednesday night. Danny was home from The Citadel, we were just missing Kendra :( I also finally figured out the colors and style for the bridesmaids dresses with mom on Friday...this has been a frustrating part of the wedding process. But I think I finally decided...

I'm not even going to comment on my ER elective this month because I really hate it! Lots of drunk, overdosed individuals and it's just not my thing....only 12 more days!

Interviews went well! Loved both programs in WV and also got to see my great friend Britt! We both interviewed at Marshall together and it was awesome to do it with her.

It's back to the ER tonight and then I finally have a day off tomorrow. Unfortunately for Mos, the "boys" are coming off tomorrow. But then I'm going to pick up our Christmas cards to address and we are finally, finally getting our tree tomorrow night!!!!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was really great because Zach and I both had off Saturday and Sunday. Our original plan was to see Blind Side Friday night, however the lovely world of transplant surgery decided not to release Zach from the catacombs of the hospital until close to 9. So needless to say we spent Friday night in. Saturday we woke up and went cake testing!!! After much thoughtful consideration from Zach (I told him the cake could be of his liking) we finally settled on a 3 tier round cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The bottom flavor is raspberry filling with chocolate ganache, second layer is lemon and the top is red velvet. We are also having our grooms' cake resemble Mosley as a puppy and that cake is chocolate with a coconut pastry mousse. The actual wedding cake is white and around each layer is green frosting that looks like wild grass. Amongst the green grass are yellow, purple and pink sugar flowers that resemble our flowers. Our theme for the wedding is "English garden" and this fits it perfectly! We both love it!

After that we had the fun task of registering. I had started the registery online a few days before but there were definitely things that we wanted to see in person. We decided on only doing Crate and Barrel since they have kitchen, bath, bed and all other kinds of decor. In theory we really don't need a ton of things since we have lived together for about a year and have accumulated things on our own. But we did want to upgrade some of our kitchen items, namely utensils and dishes. We opted not to do fine china and picked out everyday dishes that can be dressed up with a charger and nice linens and table scape. Our biggest decision was actually silverware. It took us about 30 minutes to decide exactly what we wanted and to make sure we agreed. Everything else was pretty quick and easy and Zach had fun 'zapping' certain items in the store. (here I would normally mention the Georgia game but given the outcome I refuse to do so....)

Sunday was a pretty lazy day, we went grocery shopping and watched the Ravens lose (again). We also had dinner down in Annapolis with his brother and sister in law.

I'm looking forward to a short week and am heading to Charlotte by myself Wednesday night. Unfortunately Zach has to work Thursday and is on 24 hour call Friday so instead of sitting here by myself I booked a flight home and will spend it with mom and Steve and Dan!

Amazing....Engagement Pictures

The past couple of days have been really great....last week Zach and I both had interviews at West Virginia University in Morgantown and they went extremely well! We both loved our respective programs and really enjoyed the small town college feel of Morgantown.

Then yesterday we found out that our engagement pictures were back!!! We went and picked the CD up last night and OH MY GOODNESS!!!! They are incredible! Here are a few of my favorites:



We are thrilled with how they turned out and feel like they truly capture us as a couple and a family (with Mosley!) We would love to hear what you think about them.....

We also found out yesterday that we each got an interview where the other one either has an interview or interviewed at already. Zach got an interview invitation at West Virginia-Charleston division and I was able to get one at East Carolina!! This news probably thrilled us more than the pictures. To have 3 programs where we have interviews at together definitely makes the March match slightly less daunting....it's still anxiety ridden and stressful but we feel 100 times better after yesterday. We are going to celebrate this weekend with lots of quality time together. Zach actually has the whole weekend off and we are going to hang out with Mos and do some fun stuff. Tomorrow we are going for a cake tasting!! And we want to see the new movie The Blind Side....I swear to goodness that the lady in that movie could be my mom. If you know my mom you know that she would be the type of person to take in a highschooler with a tedious future and open up her heart and home for him and allow him to pursue his football dream, all the while being his biggest supporter and fan! I'm actually surprised my mom hasn't done this yet! Unfortunately in the south there are plenty of kids in the same situation as Michael Ore (the person the movie is based on). No family structure, no support system, no place to call home....I'm not into the Twilight thing so it's football for us!

Chest Pain and EKGs

This is what I have been dealing with the last 2 weeks. I started my Cardiology rotation last week and so far, so good....now don't go thinking I've changed careers paths but I don't despise the rotation as much as I thought I would. My attending is great and it's a pretty laid back rotation which is nice.

Zach is still working nights so he and I are still only seeing each other as we pass each other on his way out the door while I'm coming home. He only has 2 more nights left and then he goes back to days! This weekend we are going away together as we have an interview in the same location!!! I am super excited!

We are also anxiously awaiting our engagment pics to come in! I hoping it's by the end of this week or early next week. I can't believe it is only 6 months until we get married! We get to start really thinking about the honeymoon soon and I know that Zach is really excited about that process. We are 99% sure we want to head to Europe and as of now we're thinking northern Italy?

Also Happy Veteran's Day...whether you agree or disagree with the fight that they are fighting, they protect this country and put their lives on the line everyday for each and everyone of us!

Tough...

Well...we knew it would be but this waiting game for residency interviews and the uncertainity our future is really difficult. I was supposed to go on my first interview tomorrow, however Zach got an email earlier this week saying he was not going to be invited for an interview so...since there is no point in me interviewing at a place that Zach got rejected at, I'm not going. We do have an interview together next weekend which is great news, but the stress is hard right now....

So instead I'll show some fun pics of Mosley!
We love him and he is our sugar bear!

Busy Weeks

It's been a busy last couple of weeks....I finished Dermatology on Friday and actually learned a ton! Everyone should get mole checks once a year! Amazingly important as well as at least 30 SPF sunscreen. The amount of sun damage we saw was outstanding! I start Cardiology tomorrow for 4 weeks. Not really looking forward to this one...
Last weekend I flew down to Charleston for Danny's parents weekend. The weekend went by quickly but I had a great time talking to Dan and hanging out with mom and Steve and seeing some old friends. Here are Steve and I with Dan in his uniform.

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And here is one of Danny's good friends before the game on Saturday.




Walking around the campus was great and hearing Danny's stories was hysterical. We spent over an hour at Zaxby's Saturday night while Dan told us stories of Hell Week and what his days are like everyday. There is no way I could go through what he has gone through but he is a different person because of it! He has grown up so much over the last 4 months and I am incredibly proud of him!!

This past week Zach had an interview at East Carolina that went very well. We would both love to be down south for residency, we'll just have to see what works out. I have my first interview this week in Albany, NY. Not quite the south but I'm excited for the experience.

We also got our engagement pictures done yesterday!! I am so excited about them and can't wait to see the proofs!! Our photographer is amazing and we had a great day.

Unfortunately Zach is on call today, since it is the first of the month he started a new rotation...Transplant surgery. Long dreaded by every resident at the University because of it's long hours, very sick patients and stressful workload. However, talking to him today he seems to be in his element. He loves working with really sick patients and transplant surgery has a huge element of adrenaline attached to it. For example, they have a 25 year old patient whose liver is failing for unknown reasons. Last night they listed this patient as Stage 1 on the transplant list meaning they would receive the first compatible liver that came up in this region (mainly the east coast) and sure enough Zach sent me a message that a liver came through and the plane was leaving at 6:30 to go pick it up in PA. Unfortunately Zach doesn't get to go on the pick ups but he does play a part in prepping the patient for surgery and being a part of the remarkable process. Needless to say he is loving the adrenaline! He says its definitely an option for him as a fellowship if Neurosurgery doesn't work out.

Just want to take a minute to say Happy Birthday to my dad!!! Thanks for all your love and support over the years!! It means so much to me!! I love you!!!

Mosley's Bad Day

Poor Mos did not have a great day :( First he had to get up early and go get his fingernails trimmed and a bath at PetsMart. Little did he know that they were going to slap a big Halloween bow on his collar! Then when he and Zach were coming to pick me up from the hospital after work, he decided it would be a good idea to jump out the window as Zach was slowing down and pulling into the area where I was standing. He loves, like most dogs, to stick his head out the window and bite at the air and feel the breeze on his face! However, after tonight's escapade I don't think he will be allowed in the backseat with the window down by himself anymore! All I saw was him tumble and roll....scary moment! He got right up though and all he had to show for it was a small scrap on his chin...poor pup though!

He seems fine now though as he runs around with an empty plastic water bottle...his favorite toy!

I'm here!

Sorry it's been a couple weeks. There isn't a whole lot to report from Baltimore. I had to drive to NYC last weekend for one final exam. It was the shelf exam for Ob/Gyn. I drove up Friday and spent the night with Britt and Ry again only this time Allison, a great friend from med school who currently lives in Chicago flew in for the test and we all got to spend the weekend together. It was really great to see her and everyone else! After the test Saturday a bunch of close friends met for dinner that night and then hit some of the bars. Great times! I miss those girls and wish we could see each other more often!

I'm currently not talking about the Georgia Bulldogs. I am not giving up on them and would never be the sort of fan who talks poorly about them or is ashamed but they are NOT playing well and I think the most disappointing thing is that I don't feel like they are playing with any heart :( But I will be watching them today as they take on Vanderbilt.

Wednesday was a great day!! I got my scores back for the second part of my board examination and I was thrilled!!! My score was about 10 points above what I was hoping for and I was shocked. Then I got a couple of interview invitations which is always a good feeling and then that night Zach and I went down to Mount Airy (wedding venue) for our caterer's menu tasting. We loved everything that was put in front of us and can't wait to share our day with everyone!!!

Save the dates went out this week as well so be on the lookout for them. All hotel information is listed on our wedding website.

Zach is on call today and it has been 40 degrees, cold and rainy in Baltimore the past 3 days so it's a great day for Mos and I to curl up on the couch and watch football!

Weekend in Review

Despite it being a horrible football weekend for the Georgia Bulldogs, the Citadel Bulldogs and the Ravens....Zach, Mosley and I had a pretty nice weekend hanging around Baltimore. Friday Zach was post call so he went back to sleep when he got home at 8am and I went to lunch with a friend at noon. After lunch I came back to the apartment and we hung out around here all afternoon and that night. We contemplated going to see a movie but couldn't decide on anything that looked interesting.
Saturday was gameday so Mosley put on his Bulldawg jersey and we headed to the park since it was a beautiful fall day. It was there that we ran into an older couple with an 11 wk old bulldog and he and Mosley had a blast playing together! Zach even asked me if I wanted to get another puppy!!! I think eventually we will have 2 bulldogs but definitely not until we moved into a house.
We made sure we were back by 3:30 to watch the Georgia game, and as good a game as it was unfortunately the outcome was not in our favor. Our defense looked better but quarterback play is inconsistent and the kicking game and penalties killed us! After that disappointing game Zach and I made hamburgers and settled in to watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith since neither one of us felt like more football games.
Today we headed out to brunch at a place called Mrs. Shirley's in downtown Baltimore. It was a long wait but a delicious breakfast. Zach got a HUGE portion of stuffed coconut cream french toast that would have fed 4 people! This afternoon we watched the Ravens lose to the Patriots and it was another disappointing football day :( Zach did make a pork roast that was to die for and tomorrow I'm actually headed back to the hospital to start my next elective....Dermatology.

Finally, finally...

We found our photographer!!! We met with him last night and made the decision on the spot! This has been a huge struggle for Zach and I because they are so expensive! And Zach was definitely struggling with spending that sort of money on people that he wasn't over the moon about. Well let me tell you, we are OVER the MOON about this guy!! We saw his work last night and he is exactly what we were looking for! He captures emotion using natural light like no other photographer we have seen. I knew from the second picture that he showed us that Zach was in love! And to see Zach so excited about something that he was so grouchy about for so long sold me. We signed the contract before we left his house! He is quirky and weird and humble and just loves to shoot photographs. He is a former sports photographer (which is right up my alley) so he is so great at capturing that split second moment! And this fact explains the picture above...this famous picture from the Atlanta Olympics is HIS!! When he showed us that I couldn't believe it!

And for a bonus, we showed him some pictures of Mosley and he LOVED him and told us if we let him photograph him that he'll do our engagement session for FREE!!!!!

We also met with a florist yesterday and that was a ton of fun! I think we've finally decided on colors and the "theme" that we want to go with....I can't wait for May 14th!!!

Done, Done and Done!

Finished my board exam today! 3 down total and 1 more to go before I am board certified! Of course I also have to graduate medical school as well....:)

I also got my first interview request today!!! Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY. I was super excited and so glad to have that first one in my pocket! Zach also got an interview this week at the University of South Alabama in Mobile....now Albany and Mobile are not exactly close on the map but it's still really early and we are hopeful that we will have many interviews in the same geographic location.

All in all a great day...now if only Zach wasn't on call tonight and we could go celebrate :( I guess it will consist of my bringing him Subway or McDonalds to his call room and enjoying dinner together there!

This weekend we get to meet with 2 more photographers and hopefully after that we will have a decision about who gets to capture the moments from our magical day!

Pre-Halloween

Are we the worst parents ever?! Judging by Mosley's reaction we most definitely are! We bought this pirate hat at Petsmart yesterday....I couldn't pass it up! Now I'm not one for dressing up my pet in outfits but he does have a Georgia jersey and now he has a pirate hat. Zach made me promise that this was it! No more outfits for our bulldog!

Zach and I ran a few errands yesterday since he was post-call. We are finalizing our Save the Dates and hopefully will have them sent out in the next couple weeks. We also ran by the jeweler where Zach bought the engagement ring and tried on wedding bands to go with it....Given what my ring looks like I think I'm going to have to have something made by the designer...nothing I saw yesterday looked right? Of course Zach is thrilled by this extra expense!

We also ran through Crate and Barrel to see if we wanted to register there! I really love that store and I can't wait to start registering! I'm just not sure when to do it?? If we do it now won't there be a turn over of merchandise by the time May rolls around? Yet all the magazines and websites say you're supposed to register by month 6-8 and we are creeping up on 7 months left....not really sure what to do with this? Any ideas?

Go Dawgs!

What a great game last night! I stayed up late watching the Bulldawgs pull off the victory over Arkansas and it was a shoot out! 52-41....the game didn't get over until midnight and unfortunately Zach had to be at work at 6am this morning so I was watching it by myself. I tried to wake him up during the exciting plays but he wasn't having it :( He is becoming a better dawg fan though and I think eventually he'll love them as much as I do. Mosley wore his jersey all day yesterday which I think was good luck!

Zach's dad flew into town Friday night and we were supposed to meet him and Zach's brother and sister for dinner in Annapolis that night but Zach got stuck at work until 8 so we missed that. We decided to head down to Annapolis yesterday instead and spent the whole day outside playing with Zach's nieces and nephews and went to lunch with his dad and sister. His sister is a manager at White House/Black Market and I LOVE that store!! She was on break at the mall so we grabbed a quick bite at California Pizza Kitchen....another one of my favorites! Mosley spent all day running around outside playing with the kids and chasing balls so needless to say as soon as we got in the car last night to return to Baltimore he PASSED out! And he is currently still sleeping! Bulldogs aren't known for their exercise capabilities so he might be asleep for a couple days!

Today is going to be spent trying to study but most likely watching NFL football while Zach is at work....I do love weekends in the fall!!!!

Waiting...

Sitting at home everyday and waiting for emails about interview requests in pure torture! I would much rather be in a rotation right now so I was busy during the day and not trying to concentrate on studying meanwhile checking my email every 47 seconds. Literally...I have checked my email more this week than this whole year combined!

It is great to be back in Baltimore with Zach and Mosley though and I love being able to run errands with Zach, make dinner every night with him and watch our TV shows or play Wii tennis!

But waiting sucks...

Wedding Dress!!

I found the dress of my dreams in NYC this weekend and now I can't wait until it comes in and I can wear it again! It was the most incredible feeling to try it on and know that it was "the one." The day of shopping at Kleinfelds was pretty much incredible and overwhelming but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I can't post pictures or describe the dress here because Zach reads this but after the wedding you can be sure there will be TONS of pics!! It was a really great weekend with mom in NYC and what made it even better is that yesterday I drove down to Baltimore for the last time! I finally get to be back here with Zach and it's great. I have 3 weeks off before I start a Dermatology elective in October. I'm taking the 2nd part of my board exams on September 24th so I spend all day studying for that.

Wedding Website

Here is the promised website....it is a work in progress but will be updated as we get more info....

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/KrystalTill&ZacharyBaker

College Football

I've been waiting 9 months for this day............GO DAWGS!!!!!!!

In Baltimore this weekend and loving life! Submitting my residency applications tonight....prayers needed for interview requests! It's gonna be another long 6 months...but very exciting!

Also working on the wedding website...be on the lookout for that!

It's almost time...

Spent the weekend with Zach, Mosley and friends in NYC. Also spent the weekend getting residency applications together for submission this week. So far I am applying to 55 programs across the country and most states are included. I am scared, excited and nervous about this process but ready to move forward with the next phase of my career!!

Also worked on a wedding website so be on the lookout for that!

I start my final 2 weeks of OB/Gyn this week. I have 2 weeks of Gyn surgery including mostly hysterectomies and oophorectomies....taking out the uterus and ovaries. I'm very excited to be heading back to Baltimore for good in 2 weeks!

For now I leave you with the picture of our cute pup...he is almost 5 months old and we love him so much!

Terrible Day

My days are quite long in OB right now. I have to wake up at 4:30am to be at work by 6:00am and usually don't get back home until 7ish....and then I have to try and concentrate on studying for 2-3 hours. Anyway...this morning I wake up and head out to my car (which is parked 200ft from the apartment building) and my drivers side window is smashed in and the contents from my glove compartment and center consol are thrown about my car. Someone had decided to break into my car between 6:30 last night and 5:00 this morning. Not a great way to start the morning! Luckily I don't keep anything of value in my car so they didn't steal anything. Maybe a couple quarters from my ash tray?

So I spent the morning filing a police report (because I am sure it will do so much good) and calling places to get my car fixed. Thank goodness I found a place that could do it right away and have it done in an hour. I had tried the Lexus dealership and they had said it would take 2 days just to order it! I don't have two days to sit around with no drivers side window!!!

So $300 later my window is fixed and I head off to the hospital. I'm hoping that once I submit the reciept that insurance will reimburse it.

The day did get slightly better when I found out that I passed the second part of my board examination and I got to be on the labor and delivery floor all day! I love labor and delivery where there are always patients coming in and you never know exactly when they are going to deliver. Like yesterday I went to check on a patient who is a multip (she has had more than one baby) and her cervix was 5cm when she came in. 10 minutes later when I checked on her she said she had to pee and when I took the sheet from her legs she had broke her water and I could see the baby's head! Baby arrived 20 seconds later after she pushed one time!! We didn't even have time to put on sterile gowns or masks! Exciting and adrenaline pumping for sure!

All about me....

I'm not sure who reads my blog (and my dad might be the only one? and of course my grandma when my dad prints it off for her) but if there is anyone else out there who reads it I thought I would give a little background of my life....

I was born in raised in small town, I mean REALLY small town Iowa. There were 300 people in the town and I went to school in a town about 20 minutes away that was right on the Mississippi River. I had a great childhood and spent everyday at my Grandma and Grandpa Till's house. I never went to daycare or preschool and everything I learned before kindergarten was purely from Sesame Street and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego at my grandparents house. My cousin and I were very imaginative and had numerous games/activities that kept us occupied for HOURS!!! I have many, many fond memories of that time.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it...my parents divorced when I was 13. I love them both dearly but if you've ever meant them you would understand that they are clearly not meant for each other! My mom got remarried to Steve and we set out to Georgia. This is one of the hardest things I have ever done...yet one of the most rewarding. I was moving away from the only home I'd ever known at 15 years old, about to start my sophomore year of high school at an unknown place with 1500 students. Keep in mind my graduating class in Iowa would have been a mere 26!! Moving was a huge culture shock not to mention the sadness associated with leaving my dad and all of my family. My dad's side of the family is super close and I had grown up within 20 minutes of everyone!

However, moving opened so many doors for me and I can definitely say that I would not be where I am today, nor the person I am today if it weren't for my Iowa upbringing and the subsequent move to Georgia. I am incredibly blessed to have the most amazing parents and the bonus now of having a really spectacular stepdad and stepmom!

I'm gonna leave it here for now because I need to get back to studying for the second part of my board examinations and I'm on 24 hour call at the hospital tomorrow....I hope there are many babies to be delivered!!!

Until next time....

Sad....

I miss my fiance and my puppy....and I won't see them for another 2 weeks :(

First Call

Started OB/Gyn rotation last Monday. It is split into 3, 2 week rotations. We do 2 weeks of clinic, 2 weeks of Labor and Delivery and 2 weeks of Gynecology surgery. I started off in clinic which is not too bad. The problem with the hospital that I am at, is it is in the middle of Queens, NY. I bet 9/10 of our patients do not speak ANY English. This was a problem in Peds clinic as well and the frustration has continued. When your job is to help and educate these patients, it is extremely unsatisfying to do it through an interpreter on the phone! It is very unrewarding and I feel sad everyday that I leave. Most of these patients are poor, uneducated, illegal immigrants which makes them what we call "high risk." Meaning there labor course and delivery has a higher risk of complication and the baby has a higher risk of being compromised. So not being able to communicate with them is crucial!!!

Other that that one small (major) glitch I really do love OB. I have my first 24 hour call tomorrow and we take call on the labor and delivery floor so I'm hoping to deliver many babies and even see some C-sections!

On a really fun note, tried on wedding dresses Friday and it was great! Now I really can't wait for our appointment at Kleinfelds on September 12th!!! Mom and her best friend are flying up and my good friend Britt is coming along as well....it makes me so excited for May 14th!!!!

Military...

This is a pic of my brother Dan, he started school last week at The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, SC. He is playing football there and running track and every incoming cadet has to go through hell week. This is his "matriculation" picture...he survived!!!!! I am so damn proud of him!!!
http://www.citadelphoto.com/proofing/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=6903

The Not so Great Weekend

I decided to head down to Baltimore this weekend despite the fact that Zach was on 24 call Saturday and would be gone from 6am Saturday til 9am Sunday. I booked an early flight out of LaGuardia thinking I could get down there by 6 and we could spend Friday night hanging out. Unfortunately weather got in the way and a 6 hour delay later I finally landed in Bmore around 10:30...ugh just in time for Zach to go to bed. Saturday I spent all day studying and took Zach dinner at the hospital...which is HUGE by the way!!! I'll do a seperate post on the Univeristy of Maryland.
He got home Sunday morning and slept most of the morning/early afternoon. Well I was supposed to leave at 5:15 on the bus, yes that's right, the bus. Unfortunately I couldn't fly back to LGA because I waited to long to book the return flight and it went from $51 to $145 in 1 hour...double ugh! So I decided to forgo the expensive, albeit much more comfortable train ride, for the weirdo infested bus ride. Well due to traffic, accidents and an assortment of other issues I finally arrived back at the apartment in Brooklyn at 10:30....not my idea of a great travel weekend! It was worth it to see Zach even if it was for less than 12 hours the whole weekend.
We were looking forward to him coming up here this weekend, however his call schedule changed and now he has to work Sunday :(
I also started OB/Gyn today....these next 6 weeks will decide if this is for sure what I am going to spend the rest of my life doing....after Day 1...so far so good!

hard, really hard

picking a wedding photographer is the hardest part of planning the wedding...just my humble opinion...

Harry Potter

I spent the weekend in NYC because I was on call Saturday and so was Zach. Friday night I got to go out for a friends birthday and meet up with some friends that I hadn't seen in awhile. We had a great time and it was wonderful to catch up!

Call Saturday wasn't bad. The Peds ER was slow so I left by 2 and came home to study. And then this morning I woke up and decided to go see Harry Potter...by myself. I live 2 blocks from a movie theater in Brooklyn so I made it for the 11:30am showing. I bought myself a small popcorn and a Coke and sat down to enjoy the show. It was AWESOME!!! And going by myself was actually pretty great as well...no one else that I know, besides my mom, would ever want to go with me so instead of dragging someone (Zach) I went by myself it wasn't so bad! The movie is fantastic and although slightly different than the books I still thought it captured the story very well.

It's one more week of Peds for me and I'm heading back down to Baltimore this weekend. I miss Zach and Mosley! I also scheduled my dress shopping for September 12th in NYC!! I'm very excited!!! Mom is flying up to go with me and I can't wait!

Big Day

So we finally, finally, finally got the wedding date confirmed with Zach's boss and can officially announce it...

MAY 14th 2010!!!!! And yes for those of you that have looked, it is a Friday night. We are so excited and everything feels a lot more "real" since it's been confirmed. For those of you that are interested it is going to be at an old plantation house just outside of DC. It is called Mount Airy mansion and the website is www.mountairy.org. Now we can really start planning....we are already working on the menu and met with a couple photographers this weekend.

I got to spend a few days back in Baltimore and it was wonderful despite spending my whole day Friday moving. We are fairly settled in the new apartment and are loving the new space! It has so much more room and even an outdoor balcony for Mosley. Saturday night we got to visit with Trent and Janae at the Cubs/Nationals game and it was so great to catch up!! I love being able to visit with family randomly throughout the year!

Sunday my mom was sweet enough to fly up from SC to help us get settled in the new place. She also got to see the wedding venue and meet her "granddog" I was extremely grateful to have her come up and help us! Thanks mom, We love you!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Birthday weekend

I had a fantastic birthday weekend! Zach and Mosley were able to come up and that alone made it a great weekend. I had an exam Saturday morning and after that came back to Britt and Ryan's to hang out. We went to dinner that night at a Korean bbq restaurant with some great friends and afterwards went to a place in the Village in NYC for chocolate desserts and it was to die for!! Simply amazing!

Sunday was hugely relaxing with Britt and Ryan and Zach. We ate a great brunch in Brooklyn and then came back and played Wii mariokart and tennis! My arms are still sore from tennis. We played 2 on 2 and had a blast....Zach wanted to leave by 4 to drive back to Baltimore but we were having so much fun he didn't leave until 6! Which was fine by me!

This weekend I am headed to Baltimore to move us out of our old apartment and into our new one. Zach has a class on Cardiac Life support Saturday and Sunday so I'll be moving us alone. We did hire movers for the furniture but the boxes are up to yours truly...not exactly how I want to spend the weekend but it has to be done.

We'll take a break Saturday night as my cousin and her husband are coming to DC to visit friends and we'll head down to visit with them and check out the Nationals/Cubs game. I'm excited about seeing them and getting a chance to visit!

In between all that I'll try to go see our wedding venue and meet with photographers. Which is a whole nother story....I had no idea photographers are so expensive!!! I've really got to do my research on them and figure out what's best for Zach and I!

Stress

Reasons why I am stressed:
1. residency applications
2. scheduling a subinternship
3. pediatric shelf exam
4. step 2
5. pediatric write up
6. moving out of apartment
7. finishing personal statement
8. obtaining letters of recommendations
9. having a long distance relationship again
10. trying to plan a wedding amongst all this craziness

I'm just patiently trying to wait for the end of September to get here because by that time all of these will be crossed off the list except wedding planning!

But speaking of the wedding we are thisclose to a date. We just have to get confirmation from Zach's chief resident about the date to make sure he will have it off. I'm going to keep it and the venue a secret until we know for sure and then I will post it! I'm more excited than ever before about all of this!!! Despite the stress of life right now I have so many things to be thankful for...and marrying my best friend and supporter is at the top of the list! Along with a tremendous family!!!

Day off from work!

Today was a "holiday" at the office so the medical students didn't have to go in! I loved being able to sleep in but I didn't love spending my whole day writing my personal statement for residency applications or studying :( I'm on call Sunday as well so no going back to Baltimore this weekend :(

Zach officially started his residency Wednesday and he loves it! He has waited for a long time to have an "MD" behind his name. I am so proud of him! He did his first complete procedure Thursday in the OR...a laprascopic cholecystectomy....which is removal of the gall bladder. The attending was in the room but Zach got to do the whole thing by himself! Excited does not even being to describe his reaction! I can't believe that less than 1 year from now I will be in the same position that he is...starting my residency and actually getting a paycheck!!! However small it may be, it will certainly be better than what I'm getting now....NOTHING!!

I'm really enjoying peds...the kids are great but it is sad to see them sick and unhealthy. And the parents can be a pain in the a-- sometimes! I've only got 4 weeks left and then it's on to OB and I can't wait!!!

My birthday is next Saturday and unfortunately I have an exam but Zach has the weekend off and he is bringing Mosley up to NYC to see me! It's amazing how much I miss that puppy. Most of the conversations between Zach and I consist of talking about Mos....is he happy, did he poop, is he going potty outside? I can't imagine what it'll be like when we have children!

2 weeks of the distance down and 10 more to go!! I miss my boys....

Life in Peds

Started Peds on Monday....don't think it's for me. I love kids but pinning them down to stick their arm for an IV or trying to examine a screaming 8 month old is not fun! Kids are great when they are healthy but not so great when they are sick and in the hospital. Britt and I both feel the same way about it...get this 6 wks over with quickly and on to OB!

I went back to Baltimore last weekend to be with Zach and Mosley...doing the distance thing again is hard. But we had a great weekend and I'm headed back again this weekend. I took the Amtrak train and I'm convinced now that it is the only way to travel!! So convenient and nice! A little expensive, but in my opinion worth every penny! We met with a wedding planner down there and it was wonderful. I strongly believe they will be my sanity in this process with everything I've got going on in medical school. We're still working on venues and dates but things are coming together.

Living in NYC is interesting....people are definitely ruder and traffic sucks! And the weather has been crappy which doesn't help. I'm living in Brooklyn with my really good friends, Britt and Ryan and their baby Harper. Britt and I are doing peds together so that is really nice. We ride together through the horrendous traffic and we can study together. And speaking of studying....that's where I'm headed!

New York, New York

Well I'm driving to NYC tomorrow morning to get started on my new life for the next 3 months. I'll be doing my Pediatric and Ob/Gyn rotations up there until the middle of September. Some of my great friends are kind enough to let me live in their 2nd bedroom for those months and I'm really excited about spending time with them! But I'm sad about leaving Zach and Mosley :( Zach starts tomorrow as well with his Advance Trauma Life Support course for 8 hrs. He has been pretty quiet today and I think he is a combination of nervous, anxious, excited and slightly overwhelmed. I would definitely be ranking high in the nervous department if I were him (and I will be next year at this time...yikes!) but he is going to be fantastic and I'm super proud of him!!!

We looked at a couple of wedding venues this week...both of which we liked but are slightly expensive. I would really like to get the venue picked out so that we have a date!!

Back from Alaska!

Well the cruise was amazing and we made many, many memories as a family. The views were spectacular, the ship relaxing and the time with family was priceless. It was so great to hang out with Kendra and Danny. We haven't all been together in over a year and we've all got huge years coming up. Danny starts at The Citadel in Charleston on a track scholarship. He is also going to play football down there this fall. I am so incredibly proud of him. Kendra gets going full swing with her job as marketing and public relations director of the Gold Coast soccer team...again incredibly proud!! And of course there is all the fun wedding planning and the not so fun residency application process and the 2nd round of board examinations!

Speaking of wedding plans....I think Zach and I have decided to have the wedding here in Baltimore. We threw out ideas of Charleston, SC and Park City, UT...however neither one of those places are "ours" together and Baltimore is....and it will be MUCH easier for me to plan a wedding close to me rather than a plane ride away. While Charleston and Park City would have been amazing, he and I are both extremely excited to share the beauty of Baltimore with everyone we love!! We are going to look at some venues tomorrow so hopefully we'll know a little bit more after that!! I am so excited and still can't believe I am actually getting to plan my wedding!!!!!

And then there is our pupster....Mosley. He is awesome and grew so much in 2 weeks!! He is so laid back and fun to be with. Zach loves him and I love watching the 2 of them together....he is gonna be a great dad one day!! It's so weird that one little puppy could bring Zach and I so much closer. It's like we truly started our family the day he proposed...magical :)

And instead of posting pictures of the puppy and the ring, I'm posting the link on here for my facebook page. You can just go to the link without having to have facebook....I wasn't going to include ring pictures but I've had many requests to see it so....

And one last congrats should go out to my beautiful cousin Janae and her husband Trent and their daughter, Ambria....they welcomed a precious addition to their family, Camden Micheal....congrats ya'll!!!! I'm so happy for you!!!!

Alright here is the link.....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2548582&id=4910546&l=a2904a403f

ENGAGED!!!

Zach popped the question!!  It happened Monday night after I got home from my 8 hour test in Philly.  He met me downstairs in a suit with flowers and I knew something was up....we went up to our apartment and into our bedroom where, wrapped in a Georgia Bulldawg blanket, was an 8 wk old English Bulldog puppy!!!!  I immediately started crying because I have been wanting one for a long time!!!  Wrapped around this precious puppy's neck was a pink ribbon with the most beautiful engagement ring I have ever seen....I may be biased but it is truly gorgeous!!  He was down on one knee and after much crying from both of us...he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him....

Most amazing night of my life!   We have no date or location yet but we are working on it and will hopefully know in the next couple weeks....I am so excited about planning!!!!

I promise, promise, promise to post pics when we get home from our Alaskan cruise.  We are down in South Carolina for my brother's high school graduation on Friday and then fly to Seattle so we won't be back in Baltimore until the 14th and I don't have my computer with me so no pics :(  But I will put some up....especially of our adorable new "baby," Mosley!

Wii

Zach opened the Wii I got him for his birthday....he is now boxing the TV.... hysterical! I think I peed my pants!!!!!!!!

I'm back!!

Ok I'm really sorry it has been so long....2 months is pretty unacceptable! The whole month of April was somewhat of a blur. I finished my Infectious Disease elective and then Zach and I flew out to Vegas for my cousin's wedding. It was really great out there to meet up with my dad and step-mom and a ton of my Till family. We explored Vegas, went out to Red Rock Canyon and Hoover dam and saw Zumanity, a sexually provacative cirque de soiel show that one should probably not go to with their dad and uncle!

After Vegas Zach and I went over to St. George, Utah where his parents have a second home. We hiked Zion's National Park which was about 20 minutes from their home. All I can say is that if you haven't visited this national park it is a must!!! Absolutely beautiful! The landscape in southern Utah is like no where else in the world. Red rocks and deep sand salt creations sprinkled with green pine trees. We did a hike called Angel's Landing. It was about 1500ft upwards and took us close to 5 hours. Once we got to the top there was a about 1/2 mile stretch where you were walking along the rocks along a path that was 3 feet wide and there was a 900ft drop to the left of you and 1500ft drop to the right. Scary and stunning all at the same time. I have tons of pictures but unfortunately they aren't downloaded to my computer yet. I'll actually probably post a link to snapfish on here since there are so many over the last 5 weeks.

After Zion we started back up to Salt Lake City so I could start Family Practice and Zach could begin working on his brother's house. It was a wonderful month with camping and traveling to California to see Zach's 100 year old grandma and I have some stories to tell but they'll have to wait for another day...I have Zach's birthday presents to go considering his 30th was yesterday and all he got were spongebob sleepy pants and candy. ugh....it was hard to plan a fun 30th birthday for him when I knew we were flying back to Baltimore on his actual birthday. But we plan on celebrating tonight at his favorite steak house and also in Charlotte on Tuesday with my family.

I'm off now to buy him a Wii and get some tickets to the Tool concert but I promise I'll be back on a regular schedule with the blog....at least until next week when we go on our Alaskan cruise :)

Welcome to the World

Harper Grayson Stam! Britt and Ryan had their little boy on Sunday morning! I haven't been able to talk to Britt yet except through text messages but I've heard she was a champion through labor and I am so incredibly happy for her and Ryan. I can't wait to meet the little on Saturday! Congratulations again you guys!!!

I started Infectious Disease today.....lots of antibiotics!! Overall I'm going to learn a ton and am happy I picked this elective but the hours are going to be long. I got out of there at 8 tonight and that's only because the parking garage where I left my car closes at that time! Otherwise I would probably still be there! For you non medical students out there reading, ususally when you do an elective rotation in medical school it is an easier schedule and one is done around 4 or 5 everyday. Not this time apparently....

I must admit that being back on a "medicine" service, it makes me miss Surgery. I had to go down to the Surgery recovery room today to see a patient that had a fungal ball removed from her eye (pretty cool!) well not for her...but you know what I mean...anyway I found myself missing the scrubs and masks and boufont hats that is correlated with the OR and recovery room. Instead of seeing the patient and deciding what anti-fungal medication she should be on, I wanted to be in the OR removing the thing! Maybe being a part of the "pajama posse" is for me??!!

Back from Vacation!

We made it back to dry land yesterday morning and after a long day of airports and flying got back to Baltimore around 9pm last night. We had a WONDERFUL time and I'll post pics as soon as I upload them onto my computer. The weather was perfect and we got to relax and enjoy each other's company. The alcohol was expensive and the casino did take our money but all in all a really great vacation with my favorite person! We made a lot of memories and will always look back on this cruise fondly. Now we're even more excited for the Alaskan cruise in June with mom, Steve, Kendra and Dan! Hopefully the craps tables are better for us there!

We are also in the process of house hunting. We decided that since we are going to be in Baltimore for at least another year that we would explore our options and see what is out there. It is a great time to buy a house with all the incentives and we get sick of paying out rent every month with nothing to show for it. We know it won't be the house of our dreams right now but Zach is so handy that we're looking for something that needs a little bit of renovation that we can fix up and sell next year at a profit if the market has gone back up. We're mostly looking at rowhouses in the downtown area hopefully near the University hospital. There's a ton out there right now, its' just a matter of finding something that works for us.

I start Infectious Disease Monday and then we're headed to NYC this weekend for a test and possibly to meet Britt and Ryan's new baby! She's 2cm dilated today and I think that little one will make an appearance this weekend...if all else fails we'll have a baby shower next weekend and get to hang out with great friends!

Oh yeah and Zach has officially signed his contract with the University of Maryland so he is employed and and MD!! I'm so proud of him and can't wait to be doing the same thing next year! Love you so much Baker!

Cruisin'

Zach and I just booked a last minute 5 day cruise leaving next Saturday. We are using it to celebrate my finishing of surgery and Zach's successful match! We got REALLY great deals and also had US Air flight vouchers so our flights were free. We leave out of Tampa and head to Grand Cayman and Cozumel with 2 days at sea. We are so excited and can't wait to relax in some warm weather and be lazy for 5 days.

When we get back I'll start my Infectious Disease elective and Zach will be hanging around the apartment with not much to do. We did some apartment searching this weekend and are considering going up in square footage since we know we will for sure be here for the next year. We've looked at some really great places including one that had spectacular views on Camden Yards. It was on the 18th floor and you looked out the floor to ceiling windows and it literally felt like you were in the upper decks of the stadium. You could see the whole field and home plate. Beautiful. And an added bonus is that it was one block from University hospital where Zach will be spending the majority of his life for the next year. During this adventure in apartment searching, we've found out that Zach's status as a University of Maryland employee had some big benefits. At one place we would get $50 off rent each month and the second place offered free parking for a year.

One more week of surgery for me and I am really ready to be done with this rotation!

And the results are in...

Unfortunately no Neurosurgery this year. But he did match at a Preliminary General Surgery position at the University of Maryland. This means that he will have a one year fixed position at Maryland (getting paid!) and next year he'll have to go through the match process again and decide if he wants to reapply for Neurosurgery or something else. U of Maryland is a FANTASTIC program and is truly the best scenario for us if Neurosurg wasn't going to work out. So we'll be in Baltimore for another year and I'll finish my electives here and then next March we'll be going through this again :( But at least we'll know where we'll be for the next year and we don't have to worry about moving.

Zach is somewhat disappointed that Neurosurg didn't work out this year but we are both strong believers that everything happens for a reason and all of this was meant to be....we're happy and really positive about this next chapter of our lives!

Oh goodness!

We find out tomorrow whether or not Zach matches!! Nervous doesn't even begin to describe the feelings....

But...

on a happier note, the good friend that I wrote about earlier this week is at home on bed rest and a terbutaline drip (medicine that will stop the contractions) for the next 4 1/2 weeks. She's doing well....just bored already of sitting around all day!

Bad day

Why are there residents out there who seem to forget what it was like to be a student??!!! I'm get tired of being treated like I am inconsequential and ignored on a team yet, always yelled at for not doing something I didn't know I was supposed to do or getting yelled at for doing something that I apparently wasn't supposed to be doing. Surgery is notorious for being rough on students but this month has been particularly rough. There is a resident on my surgery team this month that is irritating as hell. Arrogant, rude, condescending...just about every stereotypical personality trait of a surgeon that one could think of. And he decided today was a good day to be rude to me. I don't feel like going into details because I just vented to Zach for the last 20 minutes about him because he had him as a resident when he did his surgery rotation. All I know is that I worked my ass off today for nothing and he is the most unappreciative, arrogant person I've ever met.

Sometimes as a student you get really sick of the residents talking about the patients and a plan for the patients but not including you in the discussion or explaining why they are doing what they are doing. This happens frequently and then the students never have any idea what is going on with the patient, yet get yelled at for "not knowing about this patient!"

On top of all that, I am on call tomorrow and have to work with this particular resident again :(

I don't try to complain much on this blog but today was a pretty crappy day and that fact that I have to go back tomorrow is painful to think about right now....

Prayer Request

Just wanted to ask for prayers for a couple of my really great friends. She went into pre-term labor today at 32 weeks and is currently in the hospital on steroid to build up the baby's lungs and also medication to stop the contractions. Last update from here is that they are doing well, just anxious and scared....

I'm post call today and spent all last night in the OR doing cases. I was exhausted this morning when I got off at 8 and slept until about 3 but still feel groggy and sleepy. I've enjoyed surgery a ton but am ready for it to be over and to move on to something different.

Insert Jeopardy theme song here...

1 week until Match day! Ugh!

So instead of thinking about it today we had a nice relaxing day at the spa using the package that Zach got me for Vday. We got a couples massage for 45 minutes and both the ladies who did our massages told us that we had the tightest shoulders and would both benefit from a 75 minute session in 2 weeks, so....sign me up! We scheduled another session in 2 weeks and I can't wait. I knew that I held most of my tension and stress in my neck and shoulders, so it wasn't a surprise when she told me that my shoulders had knots the size of golfballs in there. Apparently Zach has the same trouble and since he is going to spend the rest of his life bent over an operating table, it's probably best that he keep up with his tension now. I'm pretty excited though because I love a good deep tissue massage and this girl that did mine today was amazing!

For now though I'm headed to bed because I'm long call tomorrow... :( Only 3 more weeks left of surgery!!

Vegas baby!

We booked our tickets to Vegas this morning! Yay! I can't wait to spend a few days out there and then head to Utah for the month of May!

We went down to DC yesterday and saw the National Museum of Air and Space. It was pretty cool. I liked the "air" side better than the "space" side. I have a slight obsession with airplanes and the logistics of air travel. They had this cool exhibit where you could watch a monitor and see all the planes that were flying across the US every second. It was amazing to see how many planes are in the air at one time! We also watched an IMAX film of the international space station...Zach said it was pretty cool...I fell asleep...oops! I was tired from the night before. I was at the hospital until 11 in the OR helping put an arterio-venous graft in a lady's arm so she can have access for dialysis. The dark room at the movie in the middle of the afternoon was prime nap time!

Today is probably going to be pretty lazy which is ok by me! I do have to go buy my brother a birthday card...he turns 18 today!! Happy Birthday Dano!!! Love you brudder!

Stress...

Sorry again for the delay....life has been busy and somewhat stressful as match day approaches in less than 3 weeks. Yikes! I'm so ready for it to be over! For reasons I don't want to get into now...Zach's number one choice, University of Louisville, had to pull out of the match and won't be taking residents this year. Needless to say this was very disappointing and Zach has had to restructure his rank list accordingly. As of now this is where his list stands:

1. University of Louisana-Shreveport
2. University of Mississippi
3. Case Western University (Cleveland)
4. University of Rochester (NY)
5. George Washington (DC)
6. University of Missouri
7. University of Maryland (General Surgery position, not Neurosurgery)

However, we did have a wonderful Valentine's Day in Charlotte!!! Driving those cars was amazing and Zach had a really great time.


This is the Lamboghini that we got to drive and it was really fast and scary and a pretty tough car to drive Zach said. The whole tour was awesome and I would highly recommend it!! The guy who runs the program is an anesthesiologist from Charlotte who bought these cars and started this company in November. Everyone who works for him is really cool and they let you have fun driving the cars on the open road without any rules and regulations. You follow a lead car but they drive just as crazy and fast and fun! We were going 110 in a 45mph zone at one point and really got to see what the cars do.

Slight change of plans for Zach and I the next 3 months. I finish Surgery in less than 5 weeks and then have a week off. We are hoping to head to where Zach's matches and house hunt that week...yay!! Then I start an elective for 3 weeks and on April 24th we are going to Vegas for 3-4 days to hang out with the Till side of my family because my cousin is getting married out there. Since the OB disaster happened and I have to wait to do it until August, I needed a rotation in May so I'm actually going to do Family Practice in Utah at the clinic where Zach's dad is a Physician Assistant. So after Vegas, we'll drive up to Salt Lake and spend the month with his parents. Zach is going to help his brother renovate his home and it'll be nice to spend a month with everyone out there because when he starts his residency who knows when we'll ever get out there??

Shocking that Obama is speaking again tonight...I'm sick of all the doom and gloom and his solution being to spend money and bail out companies that were irresponsible to begin with...AND it's cutting into The Biggest Loser...sheesh!!

Exciting Weekend!

We are off to drive those fun cars this weekend! I'm looking forward to heading south for some nice weather and seeing mom and Steve!

Halfway done with surgery and match day is 5 weeks away!!! YIKES!! It can't come soon enough yet the anxiety builds everyday!

revival

American Idol is back again this year and I'll admit I had my doubts. I was a religious watcher when it started 8 seasons ago and then I got bored somewhere in the middle...but I decided to try again this year....and...IT'S GREAT!!! I really love it! So that's what I'm doing tonight....while Zach catches up on Hannity on FoxNews but it depresses me so I can't watch it anymore. I think this stimulus bill is bull---t and the liberal loonies are only trying to push their agenda...

That's all for tonight before I go off into an unnecessary and sleep deprived tangent...

Thursday Thoughts

1. Surgery is still going well...can't believe I am almost done with it!

2. I got Zach's Valentine present the other night. I booked him a tour of Charlotte driving a Ferrari, Aston Martin and a Lamborghuni. It is through a company in Charlotte that does these tours with all these expensive cars and they are running a special for Valentine's weekend that includes a one night stay at a really nice hotel in Charlotte. It is a two hour drive and he gets to pick three cars that he wants to drive so these were his choices. So he and I are off to Charlotte next weekend and I'm pretty excited!! I hope the tour goes well and I'm sure we'll have a great time!

3. I'm long call Saturday mean my weekend is shot and I'll spend all day Sunday sleeping :(

4. Zach is at the University of Louisville this weekend taking a second look at the program. As of now this is his first choice of residency spots and he wanted to go see the program again. He met with the chief resident today who alluded to him that he was ranked "favorable" Yay!! Hopefully that means if he ranks them high as well the match will do it's job and we'll be in Louisville come June...keep your fingers crossed until March 16...

5. We might be going to Las Vegas in April for my cousins wedding and I'm excited about that idea.

6. I miss my sister a ton and wish I could talk to her more.

7. I'm really hungry right now and we need groceries so I'm going to have to improvise for dinner :(

8. I think Obama needs to spend more time leading than doing interviews and hosting lunches...the "stimulus" package is a joke.

9. HGTV is my favorite TV channel!

10. Everyday I think more and more about going into OB/Gyn....it makes me excited to think that I might know what I want to specialize in and I can't wait to do that rotation!!

Saturday laziness

I love Saturday's when I have absolutely nothing to do! And today happens to be one of those days. I got to sleep in past 5am and it was heavenly! Zach decided he wanted a home design computer program like architects use so we headed down Best Buy and bought some highly sophisticated program that lets him design houses from the ground up....literally. As I sit here typing this he is designing the land and hills and dimensions of the land. He has a slight obsession with houses and architecture but I love it because it means he'll sit here and watch HGTV with me. We plan on building our dream house one day after residency, so I guess this is a good start. He is extremely handy and able to do numerous home improvement and building projects. This program will probably occupy most of his weekend.....

I just finished my 4th week of surgery and am switching teams come Monday. I'll be doing more "general surgery" surgeries meaning hernia repairs, gallbladder removals, thyroid surgeries and lots of breast surgeries. I'm excited about seeing some different surgeries and spending more time in the OR. It is still going pretty well although I feel tired more than ever with the hours. I just don't think I can get used to waking up so early....I guess I'll have to get over that quickly though since I chose a career that starts bright and early in the morning.

I did have some bad news this week though...the hospital that I was scheduled to do my OB rotation at in April is closing so now I'm stuck scrambling trying to find another rotation that fits my schedule. So far no luck but I'm still working on it and hope to have it resolved by early next week.

I'm off to clean this apartment...

for the love!

Vaccinate your children people!!!! This is one issue that makes me dread my Peds rotation....I'm not sure I'll be able to handle parents who bring up the the "autism link" (NOT even a proven link anyway....and this fact is agreed upon by MANY doctors). By not vaccinating children, parents are reintroducing horrible diseases that people have not seen in years. Society has no idea how devastating these illnesses can be. While autism is a sad and difficult diagnosis, death from measles, in my opinion is far worse and much more devastating. Not to mention these parents are putting other children at risk because private schools are regulated and unvaccinated children are allowed to attend.

I don't have children yet, and probably won't for a few years. But this idea of unvaccinating my child is foreign to me and I don't understand it. Diseases like measles, tetanus and diptheria coming back is scary and very real if this idea of relationship between vaccines and autism continues.

Just some Saturday thoughts....

Tails of a Medical Student....

are slim to none during a surgery rotation!

My hours are long and my thoughts are almost nil. But I still really enjoy the rotation and absolutely love being in the OR. The whole process that takes place from pre-op to post-op really intrigues me and I love being a part of it. I'm ready to switch surgery teams in a week so I'll get to see more plastic surgery cases. I also want to go in on a couple Neurosurgery cases (so I'll know what the hell Zach is talking about one day) and also a couple of Orthopaedic cases because it reminds me of Sports Medicine which is also on the list of possibilites for specialities.

I am on long call tomorrow night and will probably sleep all day Saturday. I love having Zach here everynight although I think I'm going to gain 20lbs because I'm not used to eating dinners everynight! My Lean Cuisines and bowl of cereal don't cut it anymore...I've got to find some kind of balance! I guess that means working out more :(

I'm off to shower and watch The Office and ER!

Some thoughts

1. Week 2 of Surgery is finished and I'm still liking it. I get to see a lot of gastric, colorectal and thoracic surgery meaning stomach bypasses, bowel resections and lung cancer resections. Some of the surgerons are super nice and others live up to their reputation. I just don't understand their attitude sometimes. It is one thing to be confidant but it's another to be arrogant and self-righteous and to abuse the "power" that they have in the OR. I'm slowly getting used to the personalities although I don't think I'll ever like it. I just don't understand it and I vow to always remember what it was like to be a student because there are DEFINITELY some of these doctors that must think they went to straight to knowing everything as an attending.

Overall though I really like being in the OR and I like Surgery better than both Psych and Medicine....and it is making me think more and more about OB/Gyn because you are still in the OR and you get to deliver babies....hmmm :)

2. Getting up at 5:ooam is NOT for me....never has been, never will be! I can thank my mom for non early bird genes.

3. Obama is coming to Baltimore tomorrow. He is literally going to be speaking 2 blocks from the apartment. So Zach and I will be stuck inside tomorrow because all the roads will be closed. We thought about going out to see how crazy it is going to be but 1- it's going to be freezing! and 2- I don't like Obama....but I guess it's not often that you get to see the President....so we'll see?

4. Match Day for Zach is about 2 months away and coming closer faster and faster....the rest of our lives will continue upon learning of where he matches!

5. I'm going to go eat my mac and cheese that my wonderful boyfriend made!

Good night!

Christmas pictures

I just wanted to post a few pictures from our holiday break. The top one is Zach by the huge snow fort that he and I built for his nieces and nephews. It was a ton of work and we even busted out the John Deere bulldozer! We spent about 8 hours out there Christmas Day and Zach was so proud of it. I'm just proud of his Georgia Bulldawg jacket that he's wearing! I hope one day he loves them as much as I do!

It really was a great time and probably the last "true" break we will have for a long time! Zach was in Louisiana today interviewing and will get back late tonight. He said he liked the program a lot and that it ranks up there with Mississippi and Louisville, which are his top choices right now. Louisiana was his last interview and now comes the daunting task of assembling the rank list and figuring out where to rank the programs. The list is due February 25th and the results come out the 3rd Monday in March. Yikes! I'm starting to get nervous again but I still know that it is out of our control and that we have to leave it up to God. It's still scary though and I just wish we knew something!

Anyway enjoy the pictures!



Here I am skiing the first day we went to Snowbird. It was a LONG day and snowed the whole day. I think by the end of the day there was 10 inches on the ground. I wasn't a very happy camper by the end of this day because while the new snow is great for experienced skiiers, it is NOT great for us amateurs! I spent most of the day on my rear end and my legs were absolutely screaming at me because I fought so much going down the mountain that they just wanted to collapse. Later that week we skiied at Solitude and that was much better!


Here we are at the Mormon Tabernacle choir at the Conference center in downtown Salt Lake. It was beautiful and the singing was amazing. It is a 30 minute performance called "Music and the Spoken Word" and it was broadcast around the world every Sunday. They sang Christmas music and I loved it so much that we went again the next Sunday.


This was the New Year's Eve before we all went out to dinner! We are missing Kendra and of course my mom has on crazy shoes! She wore them out of spite because I had seen them in her never ending supply of shoes and totally laughed at them. She swore that they looked good with the right outfit. I think the jury's still out!


I love this picture of Zach and I even though it is a little fuzzy. He wore the Burberry tie I got him for Christmas!

We went on a horse drawn sleigh ride in Park City and it was great. Freezing, but great! It had snowed 30 inches the night before and it was in the single digits on the mountain. We survived and then had a wonderful dinner at a lodge back down in the valley.

I'm off to watch the Ravens/Titans game. I've become a slight Ravens fan since living in Baltimore!

Happy New Year....kinda late!

Hi Hi!

Well I took a two week break for the holidays and then I started Surgery on Monday and so far the hours are pretty crazy. So I apologize now if the posts are either 1) short 2) absent or 3) completely missing!

Break was GREAT. Zach and I flew to Utah on the 20th of Dec and spent the next 9 days with his family. We skiied twice...once was great, the other time...not so great! We had Christmas Eve at his brother and sister in law's and Christmas at his parents. He has 3 brothers that live in Salt Lake and all three are married with kids so it was a ton of fun to see all of them and hang out together. We also went on a horse drawn sleigh ride in Park City which was fun but FREEZING!! They had just gotten 30 inches of snow the day before and it was in the low single digits up on the mountain. It actually snowed a ton while we were out there, much more than last year. The constant snowing actually made for one of the bad ski adventures. It snowed the whole day we were there and visibility was very poor. Zach loved it because it was fresh powder snow constantly on every run but the inexperienced skiier that I am hated it! It just led to more falls!!

After Utah we headed to Charlotte to be with mom and Steve and Danny. We had a great time there as well being lazy and shopping! We all went out for a nice New Year's Eve dinner and had a wonderful meal! I also got to see my best friend, Jennifere and her husband and her baby Hampton. I was super excited to see them because it has been over 2 years since I had seen Jennifer and Hampton was born in May and I hadn't met him yet. Mom and Steve drove down to Augusta with Zach and I and so they got to catch up as well with Jennifer's parents. It was a great evening and I wish I could see her more! It's great to know that we can pick up where we left off despite the distance and time between us.

I also started Surgery on Monday....so far so good! Much better than Psych but the hours are tough. 5:30am til at least 5:00 pm every day with our call schedule being every 5 day. I'm on long call tomorrow meaning I'll get there at 5:30am and leave around 9:00am Friday morning.....long nights! I've been in the OR twice already and really enjoy it there. So much of surgery nowadays is done laparscopically. I've seen a gastric bypass and gastric band and tomorrow I head into a bowel resection. I hope it stays enjoyable because it's another 12 week rotation.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!!!