Picture catch up…

Many of you may have already viewed most of the following pictures if we are friends on “The Facebook”. But for those who are not…

The accommodations up-North are a bit Spartan but definitely functional.

The scenery is incredible.

Water pictures are from tubing. Did I mention we rented a “double wide”…it had seats for two and came with a paddle. Harder than heck to steer but there were times I pretended I was a white water river guide. (Oh how wild my imagination can be.)

I am back in the South for the weekend due to it being Ryan’s birthday and my brother is in town with his Mary for a friend’s wedding. We get to see them tomorrow, yeah!

Speaking of birthdays my mom makes my dad a special dish once a year for his birthday. It is a mushroom casserole that is amazing and what I would request for my own birthday dinner. (cough, cough, hint, hint, Ryan)…

Ryan requested spicy-black-bean-chicken-pumpkin enchiladas. (You can find them here…if I have not already directed you to their amazingness.) I wonder if this will become a birthday tradition for him…

They are so tasty.

And for a funny, Ryan has been teasing me about wanting a “Smart” car.

I know I’ve ranted about this before. If not in writing then incessantly in my head. Can you see the comparison of size? The thing is barely bigger than he is. Are we certain it is not a clown car? I think I can re-direct him with the promise of a Sprinter van.

The class that is a year ahead of me is officially done with their clinical experience. They have their official graduation next weekend. I’m very happy for them as many of them have become friends of mine. AND, it means that this time next year we’ll have a lot to celebrate on Ryan’s birthday. His birthday, graduation, my brothers upcoming wedding, moving to new places…

(Wait, wait…panic attack pause…hyperventilate into a brown paper bag….) I only have 52 more weeks to master all that I need to master…yowsers.

Southern and Nothern fun

Memorial Day weekend went by quite quickly. (Aided by spending all of Memorial Day in a car.) The weekend started with an old friend and her mother surprising us with a visit. Yasmeen, who was around when my love for rock climbing took off, and her mom came down to not just enjoy the beach and gift us with their time but on top of that (oh how my heart still leaps with joy) her mother gifted me the knowledge of how to make a dish I once ate at her house YEARS ago and have dreamed about ever since.
Yasi’s mom originally comes from Iran and there they have a dish called Tadig which literally translates to “Bottom of the Pot”. It is a rice dish that mixes crispy with fluffy and can be flavored in a variety of ways. It is amazing, tasty, and texture-fabulous.
Yes, I like the crispy parts–I like the edges of the brownie pan, the melted cheese from enchiladas that have baked against the side of the dish, etc–I am my father’s daughter after all and do come by this food preference honestly.
Tadig is an easy enough dish to make but does have a fair few steps to get it just right. One thing I will mention here is if you have ever cooked your rice over the stove and didn’t like how sticky it came out, her trick involves placing a tea towel firmly under the lid to absorb the last bits of the steaming process. This is not rice making for those who live by their rice cooker. I have a whole page of notes on how to get things just right. What amazing guests to take one evening to teach about cooking. They were on vacation for crying out loud! No one should have to cook on their own vacation!!
Coincidentally Ryan had just heard on the radio that same week a discussion about how to make the same dish, thank you NPR. But as Ryan doesn’t like crispy rice he didn’t think to mention it or re-create it. Granted, I’ve never mentioned to him about this dish and how much I loved it so how could he know. I like to think he can read my mind, because he does so so effectively on so many occasions, but I think he is just rather observant.
Skip forward one week…
I’m now in the northern part of the state enjoying my first outside rotation. This facility is a CRNA only run facility and a nicer group of people I couldn’t have asked to work with. This is definitely a town though of southern charm and hospitality. Having lived in bigger cities for the majroity of my adult life I had forgotten what small town living could be like. Not that this town is THAT small, but they have really preserved that sentiment. People wave to each other, drive nicely, say hello and good morning to complete strangers and mean it when they say, “Have a nice day.”
Going back south might be a bit of a re-culture shock where as a whole, people are nice (that is true) but seems to be so much more self involved.
I’m not trying to idealize this place, it has many of its own problems with economic depression, high unemployment rates, lots of unhealthy health habits, and what not but maybe despite my best efforts I’m a small town girl at heart.
I do too, get to hear train horns at all times of day like I used to when I lived in my parents house.
My roommate is another classmate who comes from a different clinical hub. I haven’t seen her in a while and it has been nice to get to spend some time with her. Ryan being my only real roommate for the last, erm….decade… I was a little nervous how it might work out but so far so good.
We went tubing yesterday down Spring Creek into Chipola River. It was a 3-4 hour float, beautiful scenery, lots of other people lots of the way, a water moccasin citing (which was slightly terrifiying…), turtles (Including the cutest small snapping turtle hanging on to a brach that jutted out of the water. Did you know they could climb?), fish, birds, train tracks, sun shine, and all sorts of fun.
My roommate is hoping to get a second rotation here because she is enjoying it so much. They really encourage you to work independently and think through things yourself. Perhaps because they only have two students at a time and they aren’t splitting one preceptor between two students, they have the confidence to give us a little leash to work things out.
I think it would be a great place to come back to (in my 3rd or 4th semester) but I dislike being away from Ryan for so long. Now, if I could convince him to quit his job and come with me… but I don’t think there would be a whole lot he could do while I spend 12 hours a day during the week in the hospital. And that whole mentioning of the water moccasin will have eliminated any chance of getting him into the water, I do believe.
Speaking of that handsome man, he informed me that it was rainy down south yesterday and so he spent 2.25 hours on his trainer riding in the house. That is dedication. So, I’d say that his training is progressing well.
Fair warning, I may/not have a post next weekend. I’ll be heading back to Naples for the handsome man’s birthday and to visit with my brother and my future sister-in-law. That is a lot of driving which may not leave a lot of time for communication.
Hope these words find you and yours well.

time capsule

So, the seniors had their last test at Wolford College and their last M/M conference. As we are milling about and talking you can feel their relief and disbelief that they had over-come one more mile marker on their trek to graduation. I was impressed with them for the mere reason that they didn’t relive the “senioritis” vibe. In clinicals they are still hard working. In class they are still hard working. And most importantly they are still happy and positive about their decision to go through with this program and not begrudging the sacrifices made. Although I’m absolutely green with envy that they are graduating I’m also glad that they have left such a positive impression to counter negative Nellies met elsewhere who always find something to complain about. AND, in one year…nope, don’t want to jinx it….just let me get through the next year, please!

It is odd to think that I’ve been in clinicals for a whole semester…nearly. Where did the time go? I can see how they really say it passes in a blink of an eye and I can only hope to not miss important things when I do blink.

Speaking of time passing, I do often get scoffed at when I say that life gets better every year. I don’t know where that attitude comes from. Perhaps it is the fear of marching on towards a chapter’s conclusion. But who knows when that is really going to happen so might as well enjoy the ride while I’ve got time. Perhaps it is the fear of not being able to do everything as well as one can do it right now. Body parts wear down in often unpredictable ways. Should I live then in a glass bubble? No, of course not. It’s called calculated risks. Anyone have further thoughts for me about the scoffers?

Hope these words find you well.

A pinch of this…

Ryan was becoming a blond. Sorry for the blur but note the distinct lack of dark chocolate that used to be his hair color. I say was because he has since gotten a hair cut and trimmed away the golden locks. For a while I thought we were becoming Floridians because in conjunction with Ryan’s blondness, last Sunday when it was 89 degrees outside we had the windows open. Fortunately, it is equally hot this weekend and we have no desire to open the windows so there is hope for our mountainous return yet.

Part of the contributing factor to the bleaching of his hair had to do, obviously, with the increased amount of time spent outdoors. So the above exhibit A plus the below exhibit B show that we are not staying cooped in the a/c.

Exhibit B is a photo of his clips for his “clipless” petals. Left is the shoe (then new clip) from our WI adventure. Right are his new shoes. I suspect that in even less time than from WI to FL the right shoes will look like their predecessors.

That said, with his increased mileage he needs more nutrition options. Goos and pre-fab oat bars only go so far. Thus the cookbook, The Feed Zone, that I mentioned last week…and these bars.

And a close up of the mash.

The bars are sticky and hold together okay. The flavor is pretty good (I used a spicy chorizo chicken sausage). I say pretty good because I didn’t add any of the soy sauce or brown sugar they recommended and maybe that would have dazzled the taste buds a little more. However, the intent of these bars are to be nutrition on a long endurance ride and often blander will go down better than pep-ier. It’ll be interesting to see if I continue to experiment with different combinations. I see quinoa as a good addition… Doing something with coconut milk and sweetness…As well as alternate savory combinations. The book has a lot of recipes with bacon in them so those are out of the questions but a lot of good ideas none-the-less.

And finally, do you ever have fun with shadows? Or are surprised by what you see when you least expect it? Well, I found the next alien invasion. Or WallE, if you prefer a Disney reference.

Actually, the final finally is that I can announce the good news from last week. My brother Corey announced that he and his Mary are getting married! I couldn’t ask for a nicer soon to be sister-in-law but more importantly, I couldn’t think of a better partner for my brother. They compliment each other so well. Many many happy year are ahead for them.

Screams were afoot

There is very exciting news to share that is not mine to share. So before too many people get excited about what the exciting news could be I will point out that I’m still drinking beer and in grad school. So it is not “that” exciting new and once I can share I will.

Nor is it news that we are getting a dog. My dream of getting an Irish Wolfhound added to the family also has to wait until I graduate and we have a yard.

I’m apparently doing well (or “just fine,” as I like to say) clinically but I still feel moronic most days. There is a lot to learn and I need to remember to chip away at it, one concept at at time.

Ryan is over his crud and back in full training mode. He even bought a cookbook called, “The Feed Zone,” that discusses nutrition for endurance bicycling as well as provides quite a few recipes. My morning task is to make a savory-rice-energy-bar of sorts. If they turn out any good I’ll share the process.

Not much else to report. Hope all is well in your respective corners of the globe.

A mighty fine weekend.

Smiles all around in the household this weekend. We had friends from up north come visit, Paul and Kate.

The Royal Scoop, where every scoop gets and animal cracker!!

We saw avian and mammalian watery creatures in water that has been the clearest I’ve seen it down here…practically the Emerald City.

And we all shared in the happiness of Ryan getting his new bike.

Which he took out for a little spin around our parking lot after getting the peddles put on.

He is pretty darn happy with the new purchase and I’m happy that a year of research has been fruitful.

In other news, I have been officially assigned to my first outside rotation that will run from the end of May to the first week in July. It will last for about 6 weeks. It is the furthest rotation site away that I have put in a request for running about an 8 hour drive away. There are hills in that part of the state. I’m debating taking my own bike up there but don’t know how I feel about riding alone. I think a little research into any possible group rides would be a good idea. So far other than the long drive, etc, the only downer is that I won’t be able to participate in this year’s reverse triathlon. I was looking forward to finishing with a swim and getting to pass some people. Oh well.

Va goes to VA

As part of our school activities we are strongly encouraged to attend conferences and assemblies. Last year I went to the national assembly in San Fransisco and this year I went to the mid-year assembly in Washington DC. The MYA has a component of lobbying included and we spent 2 days talking with a couple of representatives and other classmates spoke with our senator. This trip also included some site seeing!

Angie and I stayed with Tiff who chauffered us to Mt Vernon (G.Washington’s home…). My impression, that man knew how to garden.

Check out the date on that tree…1785!

Our one other day of site seeing ended up being pretty overcast but a nice walk nonetheless. Because of the late and long cold spring the cherry blossoms bloomed late and we caught the tail end.

And we saw monuments galore.

I include the picture of me and the Washington Monuement (under rehab) simply to point out that I really do have weird ankles. Are they supposed to bend that drastically? A little creepy, dontchathink?

And yes, I’m site seeing in flip-flops. FL may have acclimated me more than I’m willing to fully admit.

Also in bloom everywhere were beautiful tulips.

On the home front we have *mostly* healed from the seasonal crud. Ryan was originally supposed to participate in a 1/2 Ironman Distance tri this weekend but he is just now getting back to his training distances and so he passed. On the fun front he finally got his new road bike. (Ordered, at least.) The man has been living frugally on his budget all year to save for this sucker. Talk about a man on a mission. It’s a Specialized Venge, red and black coloring because red is fast. (Direct quote.)

We are also getting into a better routine with clinicals and whatnot such that we were able to enjoy a beach Friday not too long ago.

This may become more of an occurrence. When in Rome, right? (Ryan is standing slightly off to the side because he was still not tip-top when this photo was taken and had no desire to share the crud.)

(FYI I had a post written for last Sunday but somehow the translation from delay publishing on the iPad ended up with the post just being deleted. There may or may not have been a gasp of outrage at that moment.)

(FYI – II. I did pass my exam and apparently with a good score. Yea! However, rather than leaving the test thinking I’m a rock star I just felt like Dori– “Just keep studying.” My eyes are no longer in danger of being gouged out and Ryan seems to think that I need to learn to better celebrate milestones because after my test I just went right back to the books since I had the day off from clinicals. Eh.)

Oh my eyes!!!!

So I have a fairly HUGE comprehensive exam on Tuesday that I have been diligently studying for the past few weeks. My life feels like a big pause button has been activated and I am looking forward to Tuesday afternoon when I can start working on other things. Also, I’m hoping my eyes will uncross by then. Positive side, I found a new coffee shop that I love. It is a small place with odd hours but it has that perfect blend of busy and quiet that is most conducive to studying. Their coffee is amazingly tasty as well.

On a humerus note I have gone to 2 yoga practices in the last 3 weeks. The first one resoundly kicked my tush and the second one served up more. It is interesting to me to find the imbalances between my left and my right. Some expected, like my right ankle is STILL, quite a bit weaker than my left (thank you climbing accident in college) but some are unexpected like my left hip joint being weaker than my right. Go figure. Still, it is nice to have something to work on. I’m not quite the noodle I used to be…definitely more al dente…

Ryan caught my crud. (Aren’t I just the best and most generous?) I think if this hits again this time next year I’ll just camp out on the futon for a week and spare him regardless of his protests otherwise.

Hoping you are crud free, cheery eyed and caffeinated.

crud…

Well, I managed to survive all winter without getting germed….until now. I’ve contracted a slight dose of the seasonal crud. Ryan, that fountain of health, has continued to avoid the crud. Maybe there is something to be said for all that extra excersie or maybe it is all the time he is spending in the pool. My own pool time has been drastically cut…and I was never ill when I was swimming…looks like pool time is a double dose of goodness…now just to reincorporate it.

On a fun note, he has caved and signed up for a half-Ironman distance race in April. Has he caught the triathlon bug? Is this the new norm? Stay tuned here for future race photos.

On an even more fun note, our next set of visitors are planning a trip here the weekend after Ryan’s race. We can barely contain our excitement!! I don’t think plane tickets have been officially bought but we are counting it as all points go. One day, say in 439 or so, we’ll be freer to travel again.

The weather is still great down here. House is always open! (Hint, hint.)

…our own giving tree…

Anyone else love the book by Shel Silverstein, “The Giving Tree”?

For my whole life my parents have lived in the same house. They bought the plot and built the house before I was born. As the story goes, when they built they had to make a decision between two big and old trees on the lot. There was no way to build the house without one of the trees being cut down. The one that remained was a big ash tree and it sat in the middle of our back yard. The tree was huge, provided a lot of shade and if memory serves me correctly there were some lessons about knot tying and pulley systems with the Boy Scouts over its large limbs and kids being hoisted into the air.

Sadly the emerald ash borer beetle finally killed off the tree and my parents had to cut it down. I borrowed these images from my brother and have no before shots.

 

Maybe this means Mom will be able to put a garden in the back yard. She says that all the birds who come to the feeder now have a new flight pattern. No longer hopping from the ash to the feeder and back again. Maybe the stump can be a garden bench.

Ryan is “this close” to getting a new road bike. He has been saving from his allowance all year and with a little help from our tax refund he can get a nice new one. His original bike is an entry level Fuji bought when he was in grad school in Wisconsin. Given the amount of time he spends on his bike, and how much he enjoys it, I’d say this is a purchase that will not go to waste. AND, he’ll no longer have the extra set of brake handles on the bars that apparently scream “new biker”.

He has also found a “hill” to train on locally for his next triathlon. It is a bridge and he’ll have to ride up/over/turn around/repeat. What he is going to do for the hill running training I don’t know.