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!

Going to the Out House

Backtracking a few weeks... The day before Thanksgiving I got to choose the two externship sites I will be working at during my fourth year. I'll spend the first 6 months doing internships "in house" at the 3 local clinics associated with the school.

The last 6 months will be divided up into two - three month rotations away from school. I decided to do the first "out house" rotation at a private practice in Miami that has an emphasis on specialty contact lens fittings and sports vision therapy. My second "out house" rotation will be at a very large, multi-location practice in my hometown that deals with a lot of ocular disease and surgery. The practice has 8 different locations and a broad range of doctors and specialties, including optometrists, ophthalmologists, cosmetic surgeons, hearing specialists, and skin care professionals. I'll get a chance to visit as many of the practices as I'd like and even go into the OR to observe any of the surgeries being performed. All in all, I'm very excited to get more experience and to work in all the different practice settings. However, it also makes me a bit nervous to realize how close I am to graduating. It's felt so far off for so long, but it's starting to hit me now that it's only a year and a half away!

And just for fun I threw in a photo of me with some friends. This photo was taken after we gave a presentation to two high school classes about the profession. We all tried to maintain our composure when one girl, the first person to raise a hand, asked Johnny (far right) if he was nervous because he was talking so fast! We got bombarded with tons of other questions, some pretty off the wall. 

Mini Cinni-mon Muffins

Remember a while back when I wrote about wanting to make those Sin-amon morning muffins? Well, in an attempt to avoid studying for final last week I finally made them! I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception that I didn't have a muffin pan so I made them using my mini cupcake pan.

Andy loves them and has been popping them in all their one bite glory left and right. I think they're alright, but I am the pickiest eater you've ever met. (Seriously, I dare you to find someone pickier than me!) I think it's the nutmeg that I don't care for - too strong of a taste for me. And while I didn't take any photos, I assure you that they turned out just as cute as in the photo I saw online so if you're looking for an easy to make sweet I'd encourage you to give these a try.

Sometimes I like to browse house listings (usually realtor.com or sotheby's if I'm feelin fancy) in areas where Andy and I are considering moving to, just to get a feel for the area as well as home prices and what you get for your money. The other day I spotted this gem in northern California. Check out the awesome bathroom:

Yes, I do believe that's a door, specifically what looks like a front door, on the other side of the shower. Quite a way to greet your guests I must say! Also, I don't believe I've ever seen a ceiling fan inside the bathroom. And what's up with the light fixture between the mirror and the window? It's just kinda hanging out over counter that shouldn't even be there.

And all this can be yours for the low, low price of $649,000! Granted, the rest of the house isn't so bad, but it could still use some work. If we do decide to move to Cali I have a feeling we'll be living in a cardboard box.