New Year, New Blog

Wow!!! Did you think I had fallen off the face of the earth? Lost internet connection? Nope, just been too busy to add to my blog!

Well, as planned, my mom and I headed to LA for Thanksgiving weekend and had a great time visiting with Gabe and Mia (and Mia’s family). Sadly, we had to watch our Ducks get crushed in the Rose Bowl… but we stayed strong and continued to support them for the rest of the season.

In early December Ryan and I revisited the location of our first date for a dinner in celebration of our 2 year anniversary. We ate Spanish food and drank sangria (just like when we went to Spain). We exchanged gifts, which included him making me mini pumpkin cupcakes… they were delicious (Colbie thought so too)!

My Metabolism course ended with our second test right before winter break. I got a 97% which meant that I got Honors in the class… continuing down the path of straight A’s for this year!

For Christmas I opted out of going to Hawaii (and REALLY missed the sun, lounge chairs, Walmart stockings, and my mommy) and I stayed in Oregon. On Christmas morning I traveled to Milton-Freewater with my dad, Christie, Michael, Gabe, Mia, and Ryan (all in one car!). We had a great time, but it was the first time that I left Colbie alone over night… I missed her sooooo much!

Two days later, Ryan and I headed off to Loreto, Mexico with his family. It wasn’t as warm as we hoped (I didn’t wear a swimsuit the whole time), but I got some rest, relaxation, and tequila. We flew home on New Year’s Day and started back to school on the 2^nd.

The following weekend we went east again for our 2^nd annual All-Hill Sunriver Trip. The students from all OHSU schools go, but Ryan and I hung out with the group in our house (dental students, spouses, and me) the whole time. We played games, went cross-country skiing, and cuddled by the fire.

On the weekend of January 19^th, Kara and Jeff became Mr. and Mrs. Beeler. We spent the weekend up at Timberline Lodge and I got to be part of one of the most beautiful weddings ever! Everyone had a wonderful time and I was truly honored to be Kara’s Maid of Honor.

As for the usual updates in my life… I previously signed up for the LA Marathon (on March 2^nd), but due to a nagging knee pain I have decided to opt out. Instead, I signed up for a sprint triathlon that I’m going to do in April. I guess I need to learn how to swim!!!

I am now done with 2 tests out of 4 in my Neuroscience and Behavior course. My scores on the first two exams were: 97% and 99%. For one of them, I even won a round of golf from one of my instructors for having such a high score! We have two more tests in this class, two more classes to finish this year, and then I become a third year medical student! When school gets out in mid-May, I get five weeks off. I will use the first three weeks to study (all day, every day) for the first step of the USMLE board exam. I have scheduled the test for June 10^th,, which gives me one day off before heading to LA for Gabe and Mia’s wedding! I will then have another week of vacation before starting back to school. We recently turned in our rankings for our 3^rd year schedules; I’m hoping to have surgery first. I’m getting pretty anxious about the board exam and how demanding 3^rd year is going to be… but I know many have done it before me and survived so I’m sure I’ll be okay. Hopefully I’ll find the time to keep you posted!

I’ll close this entry with a tid bit about my beautiful daughter! Colbie and I have so much fun playing and cuddling. She loves to play fetch (even bringing a ball to bed sometimes), steal my food, follow me around my apartment. I love her so much and can’t imagine not having her!