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!

Sleepless in...

Source: art.com 

Did you know Seattle's nickname is the Emerald city? I always thought it was the rainy city, kinda like Chicago is the windy city. Anyway, Andy and I are back from our trip! We had a great time in Seattle, but came back more tired than when we left - our vacations are hardly ever relaxing. We packed our days with sightseeing, shopping, hiking, and hunting... apartment hunting that is!

Andy flew out about a month ago for a job interview and received an offer so it was time for me to go and give my stamp of approval. With the offer signed I can now officially say we're moving to Seattle!

Jamaica, Jamaica, ya mon!

So I've been back from Jamaica for about two weeks and am just now starting to feel caught up on everything. I had a good time in Jamaica, though I was really only there for two and a half days. Four students, including myself, and one doctor saw around 170 patients in Kingston. I got the chance to see a couple diseases I haven't seen back home which was pretty cool for me (less so for the patient, no doubt).

I wish I had lots of photos to share, but I didn't want to bring my camera since I knew I'd be busy and wouldn't be able to keep an eye on it while I was working. Hopefully I can get copies of the photos my friends took and share those later. Here's a photo I took with my phone from the plane right before my battery died - we took off over the water and had a great view of the mountains.

One of the reasons it's been a bit crazy since I got back is because Andy and I are planning a trip on short notice. I can't divulge when or where we'll be going just yet, but I will say it's the opposite extreme from Jamaica, in more ways than one.

Odds & Ends

I know I'm way behind in my posting, so here's a quick rundown of things I've been up to.

• I passed part 1 of the national board exam! They made some major changes to the exam content and format in response to a huge cheating scandal at one of the other schools last year. As a result, scores dropped 13% nationally, bringing the pass rate down to 72%. To say that I was relieved to find out I passed would be a huge understatement. Most grueling and stressful 2 days of my life! I'll be taking part 3 in October and part 2 in November of this year.

• Finals are over and I'm now officially in my fourth (and final!) year. I'm in clinic 5 days a week doing exams and vision therapy as part of my pediatrics rotation. 

• Made two trips to Orlando. Once for visiting family combined with a trip to Universal with friends and the second time to participate in Special Olympics doing eye exams.

• Andy and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary a few weeks ago. Woohoo! We did a photoshoot with our wedding photographers right before and got some nice up to date photos of us. 

• Just celebrated my 25th birthday this week. As I opened the door Andy blew a noisemaker in my face and Porter rushed up to greet me wearing a lei and a Happy Birthday hat! Andy had flowers waiting for me on my desk, along with some of my favorite treats. It was a very sweet surprise!

    

• Enjoyed brunch this morning with a few friends. We've been together everyday for the last 3 years of school and now we're all doing our own thing with externships so it's nice to get together and catch up from time to time.

• In less than two weeks I'm heading out to Jamaica, provided nothing comes up this time. *fingers crossed*

• I'm considering going on a graduation trip and am trying to think of places we could go. I'm kinda liking the idea of renting out a luxury villa in Thailand, but we'll see. 

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.

It's Crunch Time

and no, I'm not referring to my abs. I've been in hiding for the past couple months because I've been studying like crazy for part 1 of the national board exam. Part 1 is the hardest according to most (all?) people you talk to. It's a grueling 2 day exam that covers everything we've ever learned. It's less than a month away now, which means I'm really starting to feel the heat. It also means that in less than a month I'll get my life back and be able to return to blogging!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas was very merry indeed! Andy and I had a wonderful time back home with our families. Of course, my best gift this year was getting Andy back safely from his trip to Taiwan. He was gone 17 days which felt like forever and worst of all we didn't get to talk much given the 13 hour time difference. Work kept him very busy, but he did get two weekends to have fun and explore the city with his very own tour guide (a friend who happens to live in Taipei).

While we were home for the holidays we had a chance to visit my grandma who celebrated her 91st birthday on Tuesday. I don't have a photo from her party as we had to leave the day before, but here are a few photos of her. The first is her ringing in the big 9-0 and the second is her dressed up as a witch on Halloween, complete with skeleton earrings. I know you can't get a true feel for her personality from a couple of photos, but I'm sure you can tell she doesn't look or act anything like you'd expect someone her age would. Happy birthday grandma!

As for tonight, Andy and I will be ringing in the new year with a quiet night in. I've come down with some sort of illness - it seems like a bit of a hybrid between a cold and strep throat. After waking up last night in total agony, Andy finally convinced me to go see a doctor and I've started on some antibiotics while we wait for the test results to get back in case it is strep. What a way to spend my last remaining days of vacation!

Here's to a happy and healthy new year!

Happy (Very Belated) Thanksgiving!

Sorry this post is a bit late. Between final exams, helping Andy prepare for his trip to Taiwan, and editing photos I got a little behind.

Andy and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families back home. We spent Thanksgiving day with my mom's side of the family. The last time I saw my cousin Emily was at Thanksgiving 3 years ago when she was pregnant with her son Luke. Since then she also had a baby girl named Lydia and I finally got to meet them both!

I also got to see my cousin Samantha's baby Wyatt again. I guess I really can't call him a baby anymore though since he's walking! I can't believe how much he's grown since I last saw him.

Friday afternoon we spent a little more time with Sam, Travis, and Wyatt out by the beach.

Friday evening we had dinner with my dad, stepmom, and sister, who is about to surpass me in terms of height and she's only 10 years old! This might not seem too surprising if I were short, but I'm 5'4"! I would have liked to have seen my grandma who usually joins us for dinner, but she's vacationing in North Carolina with my aunt.

On Saturday we did Thanksgiving with Andy's side of the family out in the country. As you can probably tell, it was a lot of running around for us! Thankfully we didn't have to split Thanksgiving day between two families, but it still felt rushed. We had to leave Saturday evening since I had 3 finals that week and needed to get home and study. Hopefully Christmas is a bit more relaxed since I have about a week off!

I'm baaaack!

As I was typing the title to this post Steve Urkel pop into my head with his signature catchphrase, "I'm baaaack!" (Hey! Don't those look like the same glasses I made and put on our pumpkin?!)

Last Sunday I flew to Jacksonville for a two day contact lens seminar put on by one of the major contact lens manufacturers, all expenses paid. Due to scheduling conflicts none of my friends were able to go and I ended up being the only student from my school there. It was a bit nerve wracking for an introvert like myself, but I ended up having a great time and am really glad I went. Not knowing anyone there took away my crutch and forced me to meet a number of really nice students from other schools that I may not have talked to otherwise. 

Wednesday, the day after my return, was my last day in clinic for the semester. In a couple weeks we will start our winter semester and I'll be back in clinic, but thankfully I'll be working a different day. That means no more 12+ hour days! Woohoo! 

Happy Halloween!

Check out our nerdy mini pumpkin Stuart. I made his glasses a while back.

Getting Shot... Again

The last time I wrote about getting shot I was referring to an upcoming photo shoot, but this time I'm talking about needles!

Yesterday I got some blood work done as part of my yearly physical exam and I blacked out. And tomorrow we are getting our injections certification which requires us to give (and receive) three different types of shots! Yikes! I'm pretty confident the blacking out was just my usual response to having so much blood taken since I don't really fear needles, but I'm still a bit nervous for tomorrow. My only solace is that it's just the arm and not the eye...at least not yet.

Wish me (and my partner) luck!

Four Eyes

I'm wearing my new pair of glasses as I sit here typing this. One of the things I learned in optometry school is that it's not a good idea to wear contact lenses for 18 hours a day, which I've been doing for, oh I dunno, 10 years now! I've always felt like I look horrible in glasses and I hate how wearing them doesn't feel nearly as natural as contact lenses, but I found a pair I'm pretty happy with. Now it's just a matter of switching into them when I get home to give my eyes a break.

Speaking of giving my eyes a break...

source

The other night Andy and I were browsing through recipes on foodgawker.com and I came across these beauties! They're called "Sin"amon Morning Muffins. I haven't gotten a chance to try making them yet, but they look absolutely delicious. Mmmm!

If you can't take the heat...

Ok, I've been meaning to finish writing this post for over a week now, but I keep getting side tracked. However, I've got 2 weeks of 10 exams coming up so I know if I don't do this tonight I'll never get to it! Besides all of the tests I've had recently and all the new ones of the horizon (I know, what's new?) life has been pretty great!

The weekend before last Andy and I got to visit with my dad when he came to town for a sailing regatta. It was wonderful to see him and I can't wait to go home and see the rest of my family. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

And the weather - wow! The past few weeks have been absolutely perfect! I would love, love, love if it was like this year round. Sadly, we've still got another year and a half before we can consider moving somewhere with real seasons. Until then I guess we'll just have to stand with the freezer door open and use our imaginations!

We're Gonna Get Shot!

Woohoo! Andy and I won a free photo session with our wedding photographers, Mandy & Me Studios. Amanda and Anas did an amazing job with our engagement photos (as you can see by the photos in the blog header) as well as our wedding photos. We're tentatively planning our photo session for this coming May, around the time of our 2 year anniversary. Can't wait!

The Week Ahead

I'm not looking forward to this week very much. Although I've already had my first exam of the semester, this is when things really starts to pick up. I've got two exams this week, two next week, one exam per week for a few weeks, and then midterms. Around midterm time is when we get our certificate for injections - yes, injections. We have to practice intradermal, intramuscular, and subcutaneous injections on each other and then demonstrate proficiency to get our certification. Really though, I'm just glad we're not performing any of the ocular injections on each other. Oh, and to kick this week off I have to get four cavities filled after my exam tomorrow!

The Verdict Is In...

The verdict is in - the Brazilian keratin treatment (BKT) was a big fat fail! After four looong days of greasy hair I was so excited to hop into the shower, special sulfate-free shampoo in hand, and see just how well the treatment worked. As soon as I started to lather up I could feel the curls returning. I was pretty upset with that I saw when I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror.  My hair appeared to be less curly than before, but only by a small amount. Certainly not worth the time and money I had put in.

One the left is my hair right after getting the BKT done. The photo on the right shows how curly my hair was after washing it for the first time. The second time I washed my hair (not pictured) it seemed to have completely returned to its naturally curly state.

I got out the blow dryer and flat iron and went to town. The straightening process didn't seem to go any quicker than before. The only positive that I could see what that my hair didn't frizz up when I went outside and it felt very smooth and silky.

Despite the fact that I had very limited success with the treatment I'm still glad I did it. I had been wanting to try it for a long time and now I finally know what it's like. I heard some positive reviews of the Japanese hair straightening from some of my classmates so I may consider trying that in the future. In the meantime I'll continue to use my blowdryer and iron to straighten my hair into submission or, more likely, just let my curls do what they do best and try to accept it.

Oh, and on another note my in-laws will be visiting for the weekend. They are nice enough to drive my new car down and will be staying for two days to visit. I'm not sure what our plans are, but I'm sure we'll find something fun to do.

Set Me Straight

Last night I got the Brazilian keratin treatment done. It was quite an experience! As soon as I opened the door to the salon I was hit by a cloud of smoke. The hair stylist said he was running behind so I took a seat and started flipping through magazines. A few minutes in and my nose and eyes were burning. I looked up at one of the girls who was in the process of getting the treatment done and she was holding a napkin over her face. I started to panic about what was in the air and knowing that this would take a few hours I questioned if I would be able to handle it.

I tried to push those thoughts into the back of my mind as I anxiously flipped through more magazines. Finally, over an hour later, the stylist was ready for me. I came in with my hair shampooed twice with no conditioner or other products in it like he asked so he jumped right in by brushing my hair and applying the product. After my hair was coated I sat under the dryer for 20-30 minutes. My thick mane had barely dried so his assistant came over with a blow dryer to speed things up. 

Once my hair was dry it was back to the stylist who worked his magic with the straightening iron. He used a comb as he went along to protect his hands from the scorching 450 degree heat. It was a bit disconcerting to hear my hair sizzle as the stylist worked near my ears. After he was finished straightening he did a quick trim and freshened up my layers. 

    

The end result was stick straight hair. I actually prefer my hair with more volume and life to it so I'm hoping that it will come back after I am able to wash it. Which brings me to the fact that I am not allowed to wash my hair for four whole days! I also can't tie my hair back, wear a headband, or anything else which might mess my hair up. I'm still very curious to see how it holds up over time. I have to say that the time, expense, and pain of it all is probably enough to keep me from doing it again unless it lasts for several months.

The Grass is Always Greener

The struggle with my hair began at a young age. It's curly or wavy (depending on its mood), super thick, and frizzy. Despite my best efforts I feel like I can never get it to behave.

I entered the world with a full head of nearly black hair.

As a toddler my curls turned blonde.

Slowly my hair darkened and up until high school it refused to grow past my shoulders. Instead of growing down it grew out, into a big frizzy mess that I like to refer to as the mushroom or the Princess Leia look. It was bad - really, really bad. As horrible as the photo above is, much worse photos exist, I'm just not willing to share them! (Note: No kittens were harmed in the taking of this photo.)

Finally, in high school my hair started to grow, but I still wasn't happy with it. I bought my first hair straightener, but rarely used it. It took about an hour to use and within 30 minutes of stepping outside the humidity would cause it to turn into a complete mess, even worse than before!

During my freshman year of college Andy convinced me to try something new with my hair so I went to the salon and got over 10 inches cut off. I had a better straightener which I used more frequently, but my hair still had a hard time standing up to the high humidity.

I feel like I need to look a bit more polished and professional, but I just don't have the time or patience to spend an hour straighten my hair every morning. I finally decided to make an appointment to get the Brazilian keratin treatment done. I'm curious to see how straight it gets my hair, how long it lasts, and if it's worth the money. I'll be sure to post the verdict after I get it done!

Goodbye Zoom Zoom!

Over the weekend I sold my car. It was a bit hard saying goodbye to my first car, but Andy and I got a good offer on another car with really low mileage so we figured it was time to make the change. 


When we took my car to Carmax they gave us a reasonable offer and everything seemed to be going smoothly. We decided to sell with them, but when we took the car in there was a bit of a snag with the title. I'll cut out all the boring details and just say that when you go to get a title for your car, NEVER estimate your odometer reading, even if the people at the office act like it's no big deal. They can wait for you to go out and check. 

In the end it was going to take weeks and some additional money to fix the title so we sold the car as is, with full disclosure regarding the title mixup, by listing the car on Craigslist. Within 3 hours of posting the listing the car was sold and to top it off we got more that we were going to get with Carmax. 

In memory of my car...

5 years ago, right after I bought my car

and Saturday, the day we parted ways