Week/Weekend Fun

Where did the weekend go? Oh- and where did June go?

Happy July 1st.

Please don't get sick because new interns start today.  New residents start today (they were interns yesterday).  And new fellows start today.  Eeeeek!

Avoid ALL HOSPITALS FOR THE NEXT MONTH.

1. I see London, i see France...

So here are the pics i promised....or maybe just two.

Ahhh- so taylor does smile.
:)

And oh yeah- i played putput.  And won....i think......
:)

And look who came over to Auntie's house for a swim?!?!

Tuesday things

So, Taylor got back, safe and sound.  Minus a pair of jeans- which she threw up on and didn't get a chance to wash them.  So she didn't want to bring them back to the states in her luggage, so she threw them away.
Awesome.....although i can't say i don't blame her.
She has all of her pics on her own computer- so hopefully i can get my hands on some so y'all can see them.
And look what she got me!  A Joey Hat!!

For those of you who don't know, I love Friends.  I think it is one of the best shows EVER and any chance i have to watch it, i will.  Taylor likewise loves the show and in the afternoon when we get home from work and school and are fixing dinner, Friends is on in the background. TBS is amazing because they play Friends from 4-6 pm!  When it first aired in 1994, i didn't watch it.....and Taylor wasn't even born (!)  but when i went off to college, it was part of my Thursday night lineup. I even remember bringing Taylor over the my BFF Kaitlin's apartment to watch the show. I was devastated when the series ended in 2004, but did you know that the series finale (the 236th episode), airing on May 6, 2004, was watched by 51.1 million American viewers, making it the fourth most watched series finale in television history.  Pretty cool!
The best thing is that I can pretty much reference a friend episode every day when someone strange, funny, or quirky happens to me.  And now a days, one of my friends, Jane, and I will send each other text messages quoting hysterical lines from episodes that are playing on TBS.  Hehe.


And since it is the end of June, you guys in the medical profession know what that means.....July 1st is right around the corner and new INTERNS start!  EEEeeeekkkkk!  :)
I'm just kidding of course (kinda).  So back to July 1st and what it means to me.  It means that i am about to start my third, and final year in Pulmonary/Critical Care fellowship!  So after 4 years of medical school, 3 years of Internal Medicine Residency, and 2 (of 3) years of fellowship, i am almost done!
Here are my co-workers.....whom i love and would not have been able to survive without.

And saving the best for last......look who got her "restricted" license yesterday! 

So yes, this means that Taylor passed the road test (!!!) and can now drive without an adult.  For the next year, she can drive from 6am to 10pm without an adult......and do you know what this means for me?  No more being a chauffeur!  She can now drive to babysitting jobs, tutoring, sleepovers, the mall, and pretty much anywhere else!  WHOOO HOOOO!
Only downside- i think this means we need a 2nd car.  I am NOT going to buy her a new car, so don't worry.....but i just don't see how my crazy work schedule and her crazy school and social schedule can revolve around one car.  ugggghhhh.
Anyone have a car they want to sell me on the cheap?!?!?!?!?
:)


Happy Tuesday everyone.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Taylor is back tomorrow!!

So my 9 days without Taylor have been interestingly quiet.........and i am looking forward to having my kid home safe and sound, without food poisoning  (don't ask).

So this is how i spent my last few days:

Spent the better part of last week studying.....and doing more studying.
Then the weekend came and i had a co-fellow's birthday party to attend (which was so fun!).
Then i was on call Sunday, which was also Father's Day, and after call, I was able to visit my parents.
This is the view from their 2nd floor......ahhhhh.....

And this is my brother, Paul, and Ava- their 2nd Father's Day together.  :)
And OMG- doesn't she look exactly like him?!?!?

 And then the weekend was gone....and the first 3 days of the week have flown by.  I have been studying and doing more studying.......and getting distracted by beautiful clothes.

Like this one......

 And this one......

Ahhh.....i just might have had a clothes-gasm.
:)


Ok- and while I randomly happened upon this picture on People.com, i think it is one of the most beautiful pictures I HAVE EVER SEEN.
(This is Vanessa Lachey btw)

Obviously not a very exciting blog....kinda random and all over the place....but that is my mood today.  Hopefully when Taylor gets back it can be a bit more lively and succinct!
:)

Tuesday travels

Well, i am writing this and am all alone....my daughter (the world traveler) has left for a 10 day trip to London, Paris, and Madrid with her school.  The lucky girl has been looking forward to this trip since we started paying for it.......it was such a good deal because it was a great price, i obviously cant travel because of work and well.....who can say no to her?

So about 25 9th-12th graders met at Charleston Airport this morning- ready for their adventure!  Parents were tearful (not me) and the kids excited- and i think i saw some fear in the chaperones.  They all checked in together and got their boarding passes.  And really, i couldn't believe Taylor's suitcase weighed less than 50 lbs!  I obviously didn't teach her how to pack light.

:)

Here is Taylor and Cali getting ready to head to the gate. 

 

 And here is the "french" half of the group.  The "spanish" class had already headed to the gate.

 Taylor did text me to tell me that they arrived in Newark and then again (about 30 min ago) that they were boarding the plane for London.  They will get in at midnight (but 6 am London time...i did give her some benadryl for her to take on the plane so she can sleep) and after that, it is a full day- a walking tour of London seeing The Strand, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and Covent Garden.

Oh- and here is what i asked taylor to get me in London (no, not Matt LeBlanc)- but his HAT!!!!
I am so excited!!
:)

Ok- well, i gotta find something to do tonight.....hope y'all have a good night!

A quickie

Ok- get your mind out of the gutter (i will admit, i have to as well)......this blog is going to be a quick one.  I am NOT going to talk about a quickie, however you define it.

Two things:

1st-
 Go watch this video.  It is a marriage proposal filmed by a guy in Oregon.  And it will make even the biggest cynic and "murderer of love" (to quote the movie Dan In Real Life) laugh, cry, and feel amazing inside.
Watch this video  NOW!!

2nd-  I miss my girls.  I miss you, i miss you, i miss you.
There- i said it.

Ok- quickie is done.  Took only 7 minutes to type.  Back to reality!
:)
Happy Wednesday!

I promise i am studying

I promise i am studying....kinda....sorta.
I mean, there is something not so fun about sitting in the library (or at home like i am doing today), doing questions and reading for 4-6 hours a day.  There has GOT to be some relief every once in a while.

So i am trying to refrain from surfing the internet too much while studying......I am trying to be focused when studying and enjoying my time off when i have it.  But things like facebook, gmail, pinterest, and general celeb gossip are constantly whispering in my ear for me to play with them instead of my questions.  And for the guys who read my blog, my obsessions can be likened to football, beer, playboy, and ESPN.  ha.

Ok- i am currently obsessing over a few things.

1st off- these cute floral jeans by 7 For All Mankind
Super cute, amazing and i would wear them every day- even under my scrubs.
But $200....i gotta pass.  I owe too much money to too many people!
And ps- how unhappy does this model look in the pic?  Smile for goodness sakes!  You have on fabulous jeans!

And i know i posted about this necklace before but i STILL want it.  For a mere $300 dollars you can have this necklace, just like Lauren Conrad.
Again- expensive taste and can't buy it.
My mom says i have champagne taste on a beer budget.  BUT I DON"T LIKE BEER!  :(

And ahhh....Annie Griffin clothes.
My favorite store in Manning Jessica's Boutique turned me on to this fabulous designer.
By the way, if you are ever driving down 95 and stop in Manning (for what, i don't know but whatever)- go to Jessica's.  Totally worth it!  OR you could hop on the internet and check out her facebook page and shop that way too (which is what i do).  Ahhh...what would i ever do without facebook shopping.

 

I can only afford them when they are on sale- but check out the stripped dress (2nd from the R)....it is to die for!  And i already have a hat like that and shoes like that, so the dress would just complete the outfit.
Lol.



And last but not least, this is what i dreamed about last night.
Yes, i dreamed about a banana pudding cupcake.   Yumm-o
Here is the recipe.

I am pretty sure my dream had something to do with the fact that tay made some of these last night (although they don't look as pretty- sorry tay).  But it also might have been due to the fact that i went to bed without dinner.......thank you very much for feeding me wine and no food (ok, i really can't blame anyone but myself but i am going to try!!).
Back to my dream.....in it i kept on trying to make these cupcakes but every time i would go to open a box of vanilla wafers, a big hole had been ripped into the box and they were all gone.  Come to find out my brother had been eating them in his sleep (random) and eating the box as well (which is why there was a big hole in the side).  Yeah, random dream.

Ok- well, i my break is over.  Back to studying.  Thank goodness it is cloudy outside or i wouldn't get anything done bc i would be tanning by my beautiful pool!
:)

Happy tuesday!

Thursday things (published on friday after i woke up)

1. So my mom's birthday was on May 28th and it was the big 6-0!
And the family decided to throw her a little surprise party for the big day.

Here is the beautiful cake table that my SIL set up!  :)

Here is my mom getting surprised!

Taylor, Ava, and Neannie

Marie, Taylor, Ava, and Papaul

Erika and Ava

Ava and my mom (the birthday girl!)

And of course i had to take pics of the food- because it looked amazing!
Laura Alberts did the catering for the party (yea that i didn't have to cook) and the food and service and price was fantastic!
This is a sashimi tuna salad

Caprese salad

Here is the delish Strawberry and Cream cake from Sugar bakeshop.
A-mazing!

Oh- and we also had pork tenderloin with raspberry chipotlet sauce and a mango chutney.
And we also had beef tenderloin with a horseradish sauce and spicy mustard.

Another video (have i told you lately that i love my iphone??)

2. So i am still baking.
These are the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes that i made for my last night of nightfloat in the MICU.
Here is the recipe.
Another fantastic recipe....from Pinterest.  Thank you pinterest for adding inches to my waist line.  :)

3. Which brings me to #3.  I am done with MICU.  Which is sad and fantastic at the same time.  But i still have another year of fellowship left so don't get all excited for me.
What happened was that with increasing the # of fellows from 4 to 5 a year, we now have 15 fellows!  It is great because more fellows means more people to help out.  It also means that one of the upcoming 3rd year fellows would not get the chance to do MICU because there are too many of us and not enough months.  All 5 of us upcoming 3rd year fellows love the MICU (who doesn't love critical care) but considering that MICU month means 2 weeks of 12-14 hour days and 2 weeks of night float, i opted out of the month.  I love it, i really do love the ICU, but it is hard to leave Taylor by herself at night while i am at work.  And while she is practically an adult (more adult than me), i always worry that something will happen when i am gone. So with me not doing the MICU, i am now worry free.
BUT- oh my goodness i am going to miss it.  I love the MICU.  I love the procedures.  I love intensity.  I love the patient population.  I love the nurses/techs/pharmDs/RTs- everyone that makes the MICU run smoothly- I love you all.  And i am going to miss you so much.  Since my 4th year of med school, and residency, and fellowship, i have spent 8 months working in the MICU and i have loved every minute of it.  Even the difficult patients.  Even the sad cases.  Even the patients we couldn't save.  I learned so much and hate that i won't be there next year.
Ok....i am getting sad.  Moving on to #4

4. How cute/sweet/adorable is my niece.  I stole this pic from my sister so i have to say that i wasn't there and didn't witness the cuteness, but i wanted to share with everyone because seriously- super cute!
:)

5. Today (Friday, June 1st) Taylor finished 9th grade.  OMG.
There are no words to express how astonished i am that the little baby i had almost 16 years ago has only 3 more years of high school.  Time flies!
In honor of her finishing (but we don't have grades yet), we went out to eat at a restaurant of her choice.
And where did she pick?

Yes, Basil.  An amazing Thai restaurant downtown.

We both got dressed up, which you know i love to do.  Taylor, not so much.  She complained the whole night because she was wearing a dress.  Hehe.

Basil is famous for two things- Pad Thai and the Crispy Duck.  And what did we both get?  The Pad Thai (because she didn't want to share!!!)

Dinner was delish.
Taylor leaves for Europe in 11 days (going there with school for 10 days to London, Paris, and Madrid- lucky girl).  Then she visits her dad for a month.  I'm gonna miss the girl.
:)