ONE MORE WEEK!

Only one more week without my hubby!!! Yay! I was beginning to despair last weekend, but being busy with work has made this week fly by and I get to go fetch my man THIS coming friday. :)

He has enjoyed his rotation in Denver for the most part. (Right, Matt? maybe you should blog about it, *hint, hint*) He has enjoyed seeing a different program and interacting with the residents and faculty. And he still likes ENT! He even got to see a cleft palate repair yesterday! This week he also gave a great presentation on "Congenital Foregut Duplication Cysts" ... ask him about it if your interested. :) AND he got the weekend off and went to see his parents in Vail!

My sister is back in the Dallas area now, and came to stay with me for a couple weeks! Yay! I love having her around. She makes me laugh a lot. I kind-of have this tradition of going for Saturday & Sunday morning walks in Highland Park, which is accross the street from where we live. This morning Sarah joined me on my adventure. We stopped at Whole Foods to get coffee and a little breakfast-ish snack before our walk. I grabbed a nutritious energy bar called "dark chocolate mocha" and Sarah picked up this wierd dried fruit thing called "Organic Smooshed Fruit" - yes, that was really the name of it. She proceeded to ask the cashier-man: "Are these good?" And his reply was: "I dunno, they always get stuck in my teeth." Sarah responded with, "Oh ... well, I like fruit-roll-ups". Then the man said, "Yeah, it's probably pretty similar to that.... the kids like 'em." hmmm....Maybe it doesn't sound funny now, but I thought it was hilarious. The highlight of my day so far. :) And kind-of ironic that we go to "Whole Foods" and get chocolate-disguised-as-health-food and fruit, which is legitimately healthy... but "smooshed".

"stuff white people like"

This is a blog that Matt and I find absolutely hilarious... It's just a list of "Stuff White People Like" and it is pretty on-target. :) Click on the individual entries for some laughs.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

some of our favorites:

#87 Outdoor Performance Clothes

When white people aren’t working, they generally like to wear Outdoor Performance Clothes. The top suppliers of these garments and accessories include North Face, REI, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Columbia Sportswear, and Patagonia. When you see white people wearing these, it is important that you do not discuss business matters. Instead you should say things like “where did you get that fleece?” and “what’s that thing holding your keys to your shorts?” White people will be more than happy to talk to you about their sustainably produced possessions.

The main reason why white people like these clothes is that it allows them to believe that at any moment they could find themselves with a Thule rack on top of their car headed to a national park. It could be 4:00 p.m. on a Saturday when they might get a call “hey man, you know what we need to do? Kayak then camping, right now. I’m on my way to get you, there is no time to change clothes.”

Though it is unlikely that they will receive this call, White people hate the idea of missing an opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities because they weren’t wearing the right clothes.
If you plan on spending part of your weekend with a white person, it is strongly recommended that you purchase a jacket or some sort of “high performance” t-shirt, which is like a regular shirt but just a lot more expensive.

#40 Apple Products

It is surprising that it took all the way to #40 to call out Apple products. Initially, we were planning for an entire week on Apple products, but that would just be over kill.
Plain and simple, white people don’t just like Apple, they love and need Apple to operate.
On the surface, you would ask yourself, how is that white people love a multi-billion dollar company with manufacturing plants in China, mass production, and that contributes to global pollution through the manufacture of consumer electronic devices?
Simple answer: Apple products tell the world you are creative and unique. They are an exclusive product line only used by every white college student, designer, writer, English teacher, and hipster on the planet.
You see, a long time ago Apple’s were super popular among layout artists and graphic designers. Then Apple released Final Cut Pro and became the standard for film editors. As a result, lots of creative industries used Apple computers instead of PCs. Eventually, people started making the connection, and all of a sudden all white people need to have a Mac.
When you ask white people about Mac’s they will say “oh, it’s so much better than Windows,” “it’s just easier to use,” “they are so cutting edge,” and so forth. What’s amazing is that white people NEED to meet people who use Windows to justify themselves spending an extra $500 for a pretty looking machine.
It is also important that white people are reminded of their creativity, and remember you need a Mac to creatively check email, creatively check websites, and creatively watch DVDs on planes.
White people also need iPods, iPhones, Apple TV, AirPort Express stations, and anything else that Apple will produce. Because you need to express your uniqueness by purchasing everything that a publicly traded company produces.

Apple products also come with stickers. Some people put them on their computer, some people put them on windows, but to take it to the pinnacle of whiteness, you need to put the Apple sticker in the rear window of your Prius, Jetta, BMW, Subaru 4WD Station Wagon or Audi. You then need to drive to a local coffee shop (Starbucks will do in a pinch) and set up your apple for the world to see. Thankfully, the Apple logo on the back will light up! So even in a dark place, people can see how unique and creative you (and the five other people doing the exact same thing) truly are!
Knowledge of Apple products can be useful in a number of social situations. If you see a white person with a Mac, an easy way to approach them is to say “Is that a Powerbook? What OS do you have?” They will happily start talking to you, after the requisite five minutes, you can invite them to an 80s night.

the job...

So, Sarah informed me today that it's time for a new post. I responded by reminding her that my life is boring right now because someone is up in Denver instead of down here with me... But she said that that's what blogs are for - writing about the mundane stuff...

Things are going okay, even though Matt is out of town this month... I definitely would prefer for him to be here, but I think I'll make it. :)

Today all of the mid-levels at work (the nurse practitioners and physician assistants) had a welcome lunch for the newest nurse practitioner who just joined our group this week. It was fun to get to know her, she's really sweet and just finished school - like me! She was feeling quite overwhelmed by everything, and we spent a lot of time answering her questions and trying to put her at ease. Our conversation made me think back to my first few weeks at my job, and the feelings I had... I was reminded that I am SOOO blessed to have my job. My first few weeks actually weren't that stressful - mostly because of the incredible boss I have. She is always willing to answer my questions, and she teaches me so much everyday! She's always been very approachable, which is awesome for a PA just out of school.

I've learned so much since I started my job, and I actually feel like there are days when I don't have to ask a ton of questions, just because I know what I'm doing now! I still make the occassional mistake, but I have to remember that's to be expected during my first couple of years.... that's why I have a supervising physician who looks at everything I do within 24 hours of me doing it! (that's my security blanket) :)

Looking back over 6 months at my job, there are a lot of things that have given me great satisfaction. I love being able to teach newly diagnosed Diabetics about their disease and how to manage it. I love getting to see them frequently for follow-up and watching them make good progress.... some more than others, of course. I have one lady who has lost 16 lbs in 2 months which is HUGE for a diabetic!! Another part of my job that has been surprisingly rewarding, is teaching young/adolescent girls about the importance of practicing good judgement regarding sexual activity. I've been surprised and saddened when I realize how little they know about the consequences of their decisions. (How blessed I am to have parents who helped protect me from so much!) I love getting to be the one to give them their "talk", and when we find something unexpected, to be able to take good care of them and motivate them to change their behavior. I really thought I would hate this part of my job, but I seriously LOVE IT!! Surprising brand new moms with a positive pregnancy test is always a fun one, too.

My job also involves some necessary evils... like charting. aaaahhhh! I hate it. But I try to do a really really good job, and that's probably part of the reason it takes me so long. :( ...speaking of which ... I have some waiting for me right now...

anyways... I guess that's my mundane post for now. I hope everyone is doing well!
love you guys :)

Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?

When I got back to my apartment in Dallas, there was a beautiful bouquet of gerber daisies waiting for me!

There was also a special note from Matt, written by the flower delivery company. They also delivered me one of my favorite meals! homemade baked ziti!

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband.... and our awesome neighbors. :)

Trip to Colorado

Last weekend we made our journey from Dallas to Denver... sadly, Matt had to stay in Denver and I flew right back to Dallas. But the trip was lots of fun - we got to see everyone in our immediate family, except for Sarah, who we missed by a couple hours. :(

We drove to Amarillo first and had a fun dinner with the Whinery's, including Andy and his girlfriend Liz. It was fun to spend some time with them, since we rarely get to see them.

Next, we drove up to Colorado Springs to see my family! We got to see the newlyweds, Kevin and Kelly, and their super-nice apartment south of Denver. As always, it was fun to see my parents puppy Bailey, who was purchased (for free) while I was on a rotation in the wonderful town of Victoria, Texas. She's soooo fun :)

(she didn't want to pose with me like she did with my parents....)

the family (minus Sarah)!