Andy's visit

Wow, I can't believe it's been two and a half months since my last update! Things have been busy as usual around here - actually busier than usual. I finished up my contact lens rotation and am currently working 5-6 days a week in the primary care clinic where I see a wide variety of patients. It's not uncommon to see patients with HIV, drug addictions, or personality disorders such as schizophrenia. One of my patients went off and was yelling at me because she thought I was killing her family and was afraid I would eat her eyes. Another patient had a seizure and had to be admitted to the hospital. There's never a dull moment!

In case you had be planning on bringing a grenade into the exam room...

Andy's been working at his new job in Washington for 2 months now and really enjoys it. He flew in this weekend to visit and while we had a wonderful time together, it wasn't long enough! While he was here we saw a movie, went out to dinner, made a trip to Miami, did some shopping, took Porter to the dog park, and relaxed at home. I had to drop him off at the airport this afternoon and I thought it'd be a little easier to say goodbye this time, knowing that we're nearly a quarter of the way through our time apart, but it was just as difficult as the first goodbye! Between now and his next visit I will be taking parts II and III of my national boards examinations so I have plenty of studying to keep me busy.

Family portrait: a day at the dog park! 

236 days until graduation!

Back from Books and Boards

Now that I've had a couple weeks to recover I guess it's time for me to pop in to let everyone know that I survived my exam! I won't know how I scored for quite a while, but I'm trying to enjoy having a bit of a life again while also getting caught up on everything that I've pushed aside for the past few months.

The weekend after my board exam Andy's parents came and stayed with us. On Saturday we got up close and personal with lions, and tigers, and bears and rhinos, and zebras when we went on a drive-thru "safari".

While they were here they got to meet Porter, the newest member of our family. We adopted him less than one week before the biggest exam of my life, which I'll admit wasn't the best timing, but it felt like it was meant to be. Check out our adorable little boy!

Porter is a year and a half year old salt and pepper miniature schnauzer. He's fully grown and weighs 16 pounds, which makes him a great size for our small space. I snapped the above photos shortly after we got him - and before we had a chance to take him to the groomers. He had to get a much shorter haircut due to all the mats in his fur from his days on the streets.

The main reasons we were looking for a mini schnauzer were because they are a good size for apartments and they are better for people with allergies. (And who can resist such a cute little bearded face?!) Thankfully he was already potty trained and is quick to pick up new commands. The only problem we have had with him is that he has separation anxiety, which we have been working on and he is already showing great improvement.

I also wanted to mention fat orange cat studio, a photographer's blog I recently came across which is full of beautiful pet portraits. I'm totally inspired by Li's work and will try to keep her tips in mind when I take Porter out for his next photo shoot.