Saturday, February 21, 2009

When I Think About Leaving...

83 degrees and mostly sunny.
When I think about leaving...

There are 7 days, three final exams, multitudes of packing, trading currency for Pesos, and other odds and ends in between me and our trip to Mexico. I plan to give a mid-trip blog update from the coffee shop in Mexico once we are there. For now, I am trying to suppress my excitement which is not going very well. The catecholamines are running rampant... think hormones, think hormones... I may as well forget it, my mind is not with Endocrinology right now.

As for what else we've been up to, I have to think long and hard to come up with anything remotely interesting. I almost forgot it was Valentine's Day last weekend. My husband reminded me... see picture below. This week exhausted me but my insistence stays. By next week at this time, I will almost be in Mexico. Sitting on the beach with a fresh raspberry margarita, basking in the lush sun, and not having a care in the world, ineffable contentment... ah.


♥ R

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Wedding Video & Quick Update

Sorry I have not posted much recently. It has been hectic, as I am certain most of you understand. I am attempting to upload our wedding video because I have had requests to see it again (or for the 1st time if you didn't make it to the wedding). It is not great quality. If you want a good copy I will have to burn it onto a CD for you. If you want me to do that just let me know! If you start playing it and it gets "stuck", just let it load for a while until the gray bar reaches the end, then it should play the whole way through. Here is the link of it on Google video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4952957697376059310

I have been especially busy as of late because I am currently preparing for my National Board Exams in May. Every 2nd year medical student in the nation has to take and pass this exam to prove their competency and start rounds in the hospitals for 3rd year. It will definitely be one of the most important exams I will ever take, hence the heavy preparation. I am surprised how composed I am thus far with the impending work; however, I am eager & ready for the challenge.

Ryan and I have also been trying to find time to finalize the plans for our 'honeymoon' to Mexico in ... 16 days! I am very excited for this trip. The forecast is 83 and sunny everyday, I think I can handle that :) Thank you Dad and N for giving us a week of your time share!

On another note, just wanted to say congratulations to my little sister P who qualified for the state Knowledge Bowl in Anatomy. She said my tutor session was helpful but we all know who the smart one is! I am excited for her to say the least. She is a "nerd" just like her big sisters, poor girl. Love you P!

♥ R

Monday, February 2, 2009

25 Things

If you are not on Facebook, then you probably do not know what I am posting. There is a thing going around about writing 25 random things about yourself. If someone "tags" you, you are supposed to write about yourself. I was tagged and wrote it out and thought I'd share it on here for you Non-Facebookian's :) Everything else is going well, just super busy. We went to a friends house for the Superbowl last night which was fun. Other than that, not much else to report. Hope you all have a great week!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you!

1. I have a fraternal twin sister who is my best friend. I think we get closer every year. However, in total I have 8 brothers and sisters, all younger than me. It is a yours, mine, and ours kind of thing. I will confuse you if I go into more detail. But, I love all of them more than anything!

2. I study to the Delilah show most every night and read myself to sleep. What do I read? ANYTHING! Romance, Mystery, Self-Help, Adventure, Spiritual. My rule is no text books after 10! I also have a slight obsession with Harry Potter and Twilight.

3. I have kissed one man in my life, my husband.

4. I love being a medical student and learning every day. I’m not a fan of studying for exams, but it is necessary, I guess. I don’t believe in learning things to memorize (and eventually forget) them, but to understand their relevance.

5. I am so excited I am getting my MBA degree. In some respects I think it will be more useful than my medical degree. Plus, I have made some wonderful friends in that class!

6. One of the only things I regret in my life so far is pulling out my 5 iron on the 8th hole at Fergus Falls Golf Club for section finals my senior year of high school. I overshot the green by 15 yards and was behind a bunch of trees and consequently ended up triple bogeying the easy par 3. My Uncle P (and golf coach) told me the day before to use my 7 iron, and I didn’t listen. I missed qualifying for the state golf tournament by 2 strokes.

7. I’ve never been that person who has a posse of friends. When I think back, I always have that one companion I do everything with. Each was with me during a different stage in my life and most I am still very good friends with. Thank you guys!

8. I avoid drama like the plague… I would much rather have intellectual conversations.

9. I am not a phone person. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you, but it feels too impersonal to me.

10. All I want for my children someday is to be happy, appreciate the people in their lives, and know how to love unconditionally

11. I believe the benefits of small town living are underemphasized

12. I am very close to and have a deep respect for ALL my parents.

13. My favorite movie is Steel Magnolias, my Favorite song is "Please Forgive Me" by Bryan Adams, Favorite drink is Diet Pomegranate 7-UP, Favorite Color is Purple, Favorite music is probably country but the best artist of all time in my opinion is Eva Cassidy...

14. I love seeing new places and traveling. Places I want to see overseas: Ireland, Italy, and Germany. Ireland and Italy because they look beautiful and Germany because the foreign exchange student we had my sophomore year of high school lives there and I miss her dearly.

15. I struggle with religion and politics. I am a woman of great faith and belief in my Creator, but feel the confines of religion keep people from celebrating as one and create biases. I do not side with Republicans or Democrats, but with a leader who fights for humanity with true passion.

16. I have been streaking AND skinny dipping before, both in high school. Girls, if I did this with you, you know who you are! Nothing like a game of spoons and truth-or-dare to get a party going.

17. One of my most memorable moments as a kid is taking a road trip with my dad and sister. We saw Graceland and met Mickey Gilley in Branson, MO at a golf course and got to sit in the VIP section at his concert that evening.

18. There is nothing better than Kansas City BBQ

19. I do not know what kind of doctor I want to be yet. I like OB/GYN and Internal Medicine. I start my rotations in the hospitals August 1st. Hopefully by next year I will have a better idea about this so stay tuned.

20. I could not imagine loving any other man more than I love my husband. He is my everything, the reason I am.

21. Ry and I talk a lot about what kind of a house we would build someday. All we have decided is to keep it simple, open, and have a wine cellar.

22. I do not have typical in-laws. They have truly become my family.

23. High school has many bittersweet memories. I thought I knew what I wanted then but in the end “Some of Gods greatest gifts are unanswered prayers” - Garth Brooks

24. I wish I could be as witty as my sister

25. I am amazed if you’ve read all this up till now. If I tagged you on Facebook, you’re it!

♥ R

PS. If any of you feel compelled to do this as well, I'd love to read it.