The end is near...

... Isn't this title cryptic? I think I dig it. The end of the year is drawing near, so let's talk.

I obviously passed my unit 3 finals. Hehehe. I made Neuro my biatch. I actually received my highest comprehensive test score on this unit, so that was really exciting. After finals we had a great night in Carbondale with dinner and then drinks and dancing. Then it was time to come home!!!

This Christmas has been really nice. I've spent a lot of time a at home since the semester ended. It's been nice just hanging out around the house with the boys. I've caught up on this season of Law and Order: SVU and I 'm reading Pride and Prejudice on my iPad. Life is good. We hosted Christmas day at our place, which was really nice. Jill made Dutch babies for lunch (very yummy baked concoction of eggs, ham, powdered sugar and I'm not sure what else) and then later I made dinner (baked chicken, spicy green beans, stuffing, and homemade mashed potatoes). Then we just lounged around and watched all of the Harry Potter films. My favorite kind of marathon! All in all, it was great. Nice and relaxing.

It's been a real blessing to just be home with Justin. I've missed him like crazy since I've been away for school, but now I really find myself taking the extra few moments to hug him or kiss him or just hold his hand whenever possible. It's bananas the things we take for granted. Now I'm really enjoying every opportunity to snuggle or be beside him.

Early on January first we'll be jumping in the car and driving down to Miami to spend some time with my family. I can't wait to see mom, dad, and Jason! And I can't wait to love on my Bella! Lucien's coming with us, so he's getting all dolled up at the groomer's tomorrow. He's gonna be so excited to see Jack and run around his old yard! I also get to meet little Kaden (I'll be his godmother as of Jan. 2)! We're gonna take a trip to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios toooooooooo! I'm pretty sure you can all gauge my excitement level on that last part. WOOOHOOOOO. Very exciting business.

On to important news. I think i just got the most exciting Christmas gift ever from my roomie : it's a 2011 day calendar.

Are you as stoked as I am?! Cause I'm pretty dang stoked! On top of this awesome gift, I got to shadow her at the ER today and I drew blood for my first time. It was very cool. :)

I'm so blessed. I also got a lovely physician bag to hold all of my medical equipment, a hand mixer, some gift cards to Panera, and a copy of Eclipse! Not to mention the iPad that I got a few weeks ago.

It's been a GREAT December. I hope all of you have also had a great December and that the new year brings all kinds of positivity and love. Be blessed!

Toys & Finals

So... it's finals time again. Geeze. I feel like it's ALWAYS finals time.

We've been studying like fiends and also trying to get into the Christmas spirit.

We're been listening to cheezy Christmas music on Pandora and I absolutely have been

loving it!!

Good news. I took a big step and ordered myself an iPad earlier this week. It was so exciting anf it actually arrived today! We're finally taking a break from studying while we eat some chili that I just made, and I'm finally gonna get to play with it for a few minutes. YAY!!!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic December and is getting ready for all of this Holiday cheer.

I'll be home with my boys in just 1 week!

I'll leave you with this awesome video...

Sounds of Relaxation

So, I've got a lot on my mind lately, and sometimes it's hard for me to fall asleep. For the past 2 months or so I've been listening to rain sounds to help me fall asleep.

I usually listen at RainyMood.com. Last night I was looking for other nature songs and found this site where you can actually make nature sounds that are perfect for you! You can use combinations of up to four sounds and create you own files/links. I'm currently in love.

I made this one:

http://naturesoundsfor.me/float-away

It makes me think of lying by the beach back home. Perfect for sleeping!

Here's another one I found that I like...

http://naturesoundsfor.me/Beautiful_Field

Can you tell??

Can you tell that I'm lying when I say things like "I love neurology"?

If you can't, then your radar needs to be calibrated. Badly.

We are officially halfway through the first year of PA school. This should be exciting, but for me its just scary. I wonder if I'll ever feel like I have enough knowledge. Its really intimidating to know that I could potentially hurt someone due to lack of knowledge. Eesh. All I can do is continue to prepare.

I'm home this weekend for a quick visit. Its always nice to cuddle with my boys. The three of us napped for a bit before Justin went to work tonight, so now I'm up working on school stuff. Lots to do, as usual. This Thursday night at midnight I'll be watching the newest Harry Potter film with a bunch of my friends from school - we're very excited about this. And soon after that, I'll be home for Thanksgiving. I'm happy that we have a few days off to spend with our families.

Oh - just remembered that I haven't told you the good news. I'll be home in Mattoon for clinical rotations in May!!! I'll be home with my boys again and life will be FANTASTIC!

For your viewing pleasure...

I hope everyone is having a fantastic fall season and getting ready for all of the holidays. Be good!

Movie Date

Know what I did today? I took myself on a date to see a movie.

Some people are completely weirded out by the thought of going to a movie by themselves. I don't really understand this. My hubby is not a huge fan of girly movies. I'm aware of this, so whenever I get a craving for a girly flick and my mommy-in-law is indisposed (she was at work), I treat myself to a solo date. This is not a problem for me. As a matter of fact, I did this a few times in my college undergrad years too. I even took myself to a sit-down dinner once. :)

I wonder if this is a function of how comfortable a person is with themself. Or maybe some people are just not comfortable with silence, so they feel the need to constantly surround themselves with others. Today I spent the entire day by myself. I read and painted my finger nails. It was just Lucien and I while Justin slept and then went to work. It was kinda glorious.

Anyway, I saw Easy A. It was cute. I like Emma Stone - she's sassy and cutting, and I dig it.

I also saw The Social Network a few nights ago. That one was really good. Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield play the leads as cofounders of Facebook. Some of it moves quickly, so be prepared to keep up with the conversation. I thought it was really well done.

Unit 2 Completed!!

Hello friends!!

It's been a while, but I've got good news. I've successfully completed Unit 2 of phase I of PA school! What a relief. Only 3 more units in phase I. It feels like forever, but it's really just 8 more months on campus in Carbondale. Thank the good lord!

Testing ended on Wednesday afternoon (3 long days of testing). We celebrated a birthday and the end of finals that night, and then partook of some retail therapy all day Thursday, before heading home for a week off. I am currently reading a book that has NOTHING to do with school and also watching all kinds of movies. Life is wonderful again. :) Here are some pics of Wednesday night's fun.

Fujiyama Japanese Steak House in Carbondale. Our grill guy rocked. He threw chicken at me and I caught it in my mouth (on the second try!)

Can you see the Mickey in my rice? I'm corny. I know. It must be really obvious, cause the cook definitely noticed!

Pretty PA ladies :)

Drunken roomies. This was at the Blue Martin - a really cute martini bar in Carbondale. Loved this place. Really tasty drinks.

After this we went next door to the gay bar named Traz (I think this is the name) and danced like crazy people until after 1am. It was pretty fantastic. There was even karaoke!

relaxing & studying

Long weekends are always so nice. My only issue is that I have so much to work on for school, that I feel bad relaxing. Then I feel bad for not taking advantage of my time with the boys. Then I spend less time on school stuff, which then makes me feel bad all over again. Anyway, this time I decided to relax & be productive simultaneously. :)

On Saturday, Lucien joined me outside and we enjoyed the sunshine while listening to Pandora and working on some assignments for school. It was a lovely day and being in the sunshine made me resent my school work a little less. Here's a pic of Lucien helping me with some studying.

The rest of the day was mostly spent relaxing.

On Sunday I slept in and then ran 8.56 miles. There's only 6 weeks left until the Indianapolis Health Network half marathon on Oct. 16. My training has been sporadic to say the least, but there's only so much I can do with such a crazy schedule for school. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it. Arielle tells me that this race will be my "first race of PA school" and that it's important too, even though it won't be as fast. I won't be expecting a PR, this race will just ensure that I'm not becoming sedentary.

For lunch we ate outside at Buffalo Wild Wings. We sat in the sunlight and chatted while eating. It was glorious - we stayed for almost an hour and a half (long after we finished our food!) just enjoying each other's company and the beautiful weather. Last night before falling asleep I finished some reading for school, so at least I got a little bit done.

This morning I'm currently lying in bed with my boys while they sleep. I've been up for about 2 hours and have been working on school assignments & listening to Pandora. It really makes me happy that I can work from bed - it means that I can still enjoy knowing that Justin & Lu are beside me. :) Yay for laptops!

I'm not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day, but I don't even care. I'm a happy woman. Blessed, blessed, blessed!

Everyone have a wonderful Labor Day. I'll be heading back south on the train tomorrow morning, so I'm going to enjoy every moment of today.

Shenanigans

Last weekend was my friend Amanda's 27th bday and we finally had an opportunity to take a break from studying and CELEBRATE. And boy, did we! Justin came down to visit so that made the weekend even more spectacular. Enjoy some pics. :)

Amanda (the birthday girl!!) and I. Hope you had a great birthday, lady!!

Kari, Emily, Natalie

Brie, Kassie, Amanda, and I

The old married couples :) Us with Homer & Kassie

So happy to see my love.

I LOVE this face. Best roomie ever. seriously.

Can you tell we're a little intoxicated?!?!

Not sure what we were singing, but I'm sure it was glorious. It always is.

This just makes me laugh... :)

Seriously though. Not sure if I've mentioned how lucky I am to have such a fantastic roommate, so I'll do it now. Arielle keeps me sane. I cry (out of frustration with school) about once a week, but she makes me laugh it off. She always knows when I need a kick in the ass, and I really appreciate it. We've already become great friends, and I'm just really thankful. Arielle, you ROCK! Love you!

p.s. Am I the only person who knows what a mongoose is?!?! (this one's for you, Arielle!)

Mongooses live in southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, as well as some Caribbean and Hawaiian islands, where they are an introduced species. There are more than thirty species, ranging from 1–4 feet in length.The mongoose has a similar appearance to the weasel, despite not being closely related. Their long sleek bodies and short fur fit them for similar ecological niches. They live in similar climates and both burrow underground. Like weasels, mongooses have short legs and tails.

Catching up

Hello friends. It's been a while. I've been busy with school, of course. After I passed the exams in my last post, I had a wonderful 10 days off to let my brain rest. It was amazing, and TOTALLY needed.

My break consisted mostly of hanging out at my friend's pool, relaxing with my boys, getting sun, reading for FUN!, and catching up on some tv. It was glorious. Amid all of that I was able to sprinkle in some BBQs with friends, a trip to Six Flags in STL with the hubby and awesome roomie, and a quick visit with Joanna for dinner, dessert, and great conversation. All in all, it was really great.

Justin & I after a day full off rollercoaster FUN!

We were soaked after riding the 'tidal wave' ride! I swear - we did NOT pee our pants!!

Okay, so I mentioned meeting up with Joanna while we were in STL and I wanted to share some pics of the delicious dessert we had. She and her hubby suggested that we hit a local spot called The Fountain on Locust. First of all, the place was really cute - apparently they've been voted into the 'Top 10 Restrooms in America'. Unfortunately I did not actually visit their restroom. I may have really missed out. My dinner was very yummy. Then I saw the dessert menu. I was very excited.

Coconut Almond Joy

Coconut Almond Joy ice cream drizzled with

our signature housemade hot fudge, whipped

cream and a chocolate coin.

Three Coins in the Fountain

Zanzibar chocolate, Vanilla Deluxe and After

Dinner Mint ice cream, hot fudge, real whipped

cream and three chocolate coins.

Dark and Sinister

Tall glass coated with hot fudge, filled with Zan-

zibar chocolate ice cream, topped with marsh-

mallow sauce and a chocolate coin.

The moral of the story is... visit The Fountain on Locust the next time you're in St. Louis. You won't regret it - believe me! Can't you see the excitement on our faces!?!?! :)

I did it!

Hello friends!

I'm writing this post from my home - which means that I passed all of my exams and earned a 10-day break from classes!!! WooHoo! I've never felt this good about a scholastic achievement. :) Thanks to everyone who prayed and crossed their finger (and toes) for my success - I think it may have helped. :)

I got home on Friday afternoon and immediately went on a date with hubby. We had Red Lobster for dinner, watched "The Other Guys", and then had Baskin Robbins (two scoops - don't judge me!) before coming home. Do yourself a favor and go watch "The Other Guys". Mark Whalberg kills me.

Yesterday I slept in and then got lost on Facebook. I forgot how you can literally lose HOURS on there. Jeeze. I caught up on reading some blogs and relaxed. Then I spent the evening at the Effingham County Fair with my roomie, Arielle, and her family. Have I told you how funny she and her family are?! HILARIOUS. We ate yummy fair food and watched the demo derby. I didn't realize how exciting it would be to watch cars smash each other to bits. Totally gratifying to hear the crunching sounds. And one truck had his tires full of water instead of air. We figured it was to give the vehicle some weight - it scared the crap out of me when his first tire popped and crap was spraying everywhere. Oh, and I also got to see some fuel burned off of the track. All-in-all a very good night.

It's so good to be home. I can't even explain it. I plan to read and relax all week - and then sprinkle in some fun time at Six Flags with some friends from school. It'll be a good time, I'm sure.

On another note: I'm seriously considering signing up for the Indianapolis Health Network Half Marathon on October 16th. I need some motivation to get my ass moving and it'll actually be during our post Unit 2 break. I know I didn't have much time to run during this first unit, but now that I have a better grasp on how things work, I should be able to squeeze some running time in - plus I need the stress relief. Really need it. I'm gonna have to MAKE it happen, plain and simple. I know that signing up for an event will push me to get started and be consistent. Plus, I ran this even last year and loved it. It goes through Ft. Harrison State Park in Lawrenceville, IN and it's absolutely gorgeous with all of the colors of fall. Another perk- I can also squeeze in a visit with Jonathan & Chris while I'm in Indy! :)

Anywho... I hope everyone is well. Have a wonderful week!!!

You might be a PA student IF...

You might be a PA student IF...

1. When drinking, you and your friends think that the increase in your AST/ALT tomorrow is going to be hilarious!
2. You still attempt to explain to your family what's going on in PA school.
3. When you go out with non-medical students, you're abnormally quiet, because you don't know what to talk about besides PA school.
4. You refer to the semesters you took organic chemistry as "The Good Old Days."
5. You've ever heard the phrase "You must be smart, you're in med school!" and wanted to vehemently disagree.
6. You consistently tell people that they just don't understand how bad it really is. (Yes, yes, and yes.)
7. You know that, in theory, you have a family and friends, but you can't place the last time you saw them.
8. You constantly find yourself saying things like "I just have to get to spring break" or "I just have to get through Unit 1."
9. You know countless dirty mnemonics for parts of the body, but couldn't tell anyone what the front-page headline today is.
10. You notice your friends ask you how schools going, then realize they immediately regret it when you actually answer.
11. People assume you know something when you tell them you're in PA school, but you know that you haven't learned anything.
12. You can name 3 specialties you're interested in, then immediately rule two of them out because they don't pay well enough to pay off your debt.
13. You assess beverages for amount of caffeine before buying only those with more caffeine than coffee.
14. You've done physical exams on your roommate, boyfriend, girlfriend, and any close friends.
15. You think "AWESOME!" if someone keels over in front of you.
16. You've thought something like "what's another $10,000 in loans?"

17. You buy shower crayons to draw flow charts and countless medical terminology and lab values in the shower because you feel guilty for taking a 15 minute shower break.
18. You have a new hatred for people who actually go on vacations, or just have a life in general.
19. Going to Wal-Mart is your only social contact of the week (besides others who are in PA school).
20. You are sitting on the toilet calculating your glomerular filtration rate.
21. Staring aimlessly at walls is your idea of an exciting study break.
22. Your tear ducts have become attached to every emotion (laughing, anger, sadness, happiness, etc).
23. You bring up annual rectal exams to all of your family over the age of 50 during family dinners.

One of my classmates posted this on facebook tonight - it's soooooooo true!

Futility

This is what school is making me feel like. Finals start Monday. UGH!

This is what PA school feels like: a long and futile attempt...

PA School funnies

Most of you will probably not find this as funny as I did. We've recently learned about heart rhythms and one of my classmates posted this on facebook. HILARIOUS!

I'm not quite sure how these Med students have time to make all of these videos, but they sure are funny :)

I got to see my boys this weekend and it was glorious. They really are the best! I also tried my camera when I got home (the one I dropped in the lake the last time I was home) and it WORKS!!! I was super happy about that. SO, it's Sunday night and tomorrow is the beginning of another long week full of learning. I can't believe that unit One finals are in 2 weeks - SCARY! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well.

Till next time, be good!

p.s. Just want to throw a shout-out to Randy for finishing his third sprint triathlon this weekend. And Happy Birthday, too!!! :)

Fourth of July Weekend

I had a FANTASTIC Fourth of July weekend! It was great to be home with my boys and even better to have a nice, loooong weekend. I was able to get some school work done and had some fun too.

On Friday night we met up for dinner with some of Justin's work buddies. Got to hear lots of funny stories. On Saturday I slept in, which was glorious in and of itself! Then we went for a walk with Lucien, saw ECLIPSE, I did some school work, then we BBQ-ed with friends, chatted with my neighbor, made some delicious brownies, and did more school work till late. On Sunday I slept in again (happy sigh), did school work, rescued my friend's little boy from a pair of handcuffs and got to chit-chat and catch up. :) Then we BBQ-ed with Amie Jo and her awesome family! I love hanging with them - it's like being surrounded by my own crazy family :) Then more hanging out with friends! On Monday morning I actually RAN! It was my first run in a little more than 2 weeks and boy, am I sore! I took Lucien with me and he was dying after half a mile. We went 2.2 miles.

After that we loaded Lucien in the car and went out to Lake Mattoon to hang out with some running buddies - Jaymie and Randy!!! It was soooo great to see them. There was another black lab running around and fetching sticks out of the water. Lucien is really afraid of water - has NEVER liked it at all. After about an hour of coaxing, we finally got him to walk into the lake with us. It was little by little, but after a while he was actually in chest-deep! I was so proud of him. He would have never even wanted to get in if it wasn't for the other lab (Charlie) making it look like so much fun. I had my camera and was taking pictures. Sure enough, as I was trying to hand it off to Justin (to avoid dropping it), I dropped it right into the lake. BOO. So, Jill took these pics with her camera phone. They'll have to do for now. Hopefully my camera will work once it dries out. :)

me, Randy, Justin, and Lucien

After this, Jaymie and Randy took us on a tour of lake in their boat. It was a gorgeous day and I could not think of a better way to spend it than with friends on the lake. Thanks to everyone who made this weekend so much fun!!

A huge hug and kiss to my incredible Justin. Thank you so much for getting the house ready for me and for being so incredibly supportive and encouraging while I'm on this crazy journey. I love you more than you know.

Home, sweet home!!

Yay! for loooooong weekends. Arielle and I rode the train home last night and it was pretty interesting. Lots of crazies on a completely packed ride. We used the time to work on school stuff... are you at all surprised by this?!?! :)

Arielle and I on the Hogwarts Express to Effingham - home of the...?!?!?!

I slept in with my boys this morning and it was GLORIOUS! I've got some work to do this weekend, but I'm definitely looking forward to doing some normal people stuff like watching Eclipse (I can't wait to see it!), hitting the pool, and enjoying some BBQs. Very excited.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you all the GREAT news: I had midterms this Monday. I found out Thursday that I passed all of my exams!!! :) WOOOHOOOO. It was totally intense and I'm so glad they went well. Unit one finals are in just 4 weeks. Crazy.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy all of this sunshine. Have a GREAT day and a FANTASTIC July 4th!!!

Midterms!

So... today was the first day of our 4th week of PA school. We spent ALLLLL day taking unit one midterms. It was a chance for us to see what the test format is like, and to also see whether our study technique is adequate or lacking.

I have a study group with some AWESOME ladies and let me tell you... we put in close to 30 hours of study time between Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. It was intense. I am soooo glad that I'm part of this little group, because together we were able to cover an incredible amount of material. After just 3 weeks of classes, this is what my LI (learning issue) binder looks like.

I've mentioned before that my program is based on a self-directed learning module. This means that whenever a topic comes up in out tutor group sessions that we're not sure of, it becomes a "learning issue". These learning issues get divvied up between group members. For each topic you write a mini research paper containing all pertinent information regarding diagnosis, lab tests, pathophysiology of the condition, differential diagnoses, treatment, patient education, etc. The blue binder contains the LIs from out first 3 cases. We have 5 units with 7 cases each!!

I'm gonna be filling up binders like CRAZY!

Anyway, midterms were really intense. My brain feels filled to capacity and completely fried. I feel like I did alright on my exams, but who knows. We'll find out our grades on Thursday morning. We're already working on a new case, so I'm ready for more.

Oh, to unwind after exams we spent a few hours just chatting and laughing at a local winery. It was incredible hot, but totally awesome to have a few free hours. I'm realllllly looking forward to heading back home this weekend. YAY for long weekends!!!

Everyone have a GREAT week. :)

I finally have a minute to update!

Hello everyone! It's been forever. Sorry about that. I moved down to Carbondale for PA school on June 1st and life has been BANANAS since then. Barely any time to eat or sleep, much less run or write blog posts. Oh, and I'm hardly ever on facebook anymore, so I feel a little out of touch. I do want to say CONGRATS to my friend Tanya and Rey on their newest addition - little Jasper. And also, CONGRATS to Zuri and Bobby on their very recent engagement! I can't wait to see you all dressed up and married. I love you guys!

I just finished my 2nd week of classes and I'm already learning soooo much. It's completely overwhelming. Every time I think of all the information being covered I spaz a bit. Anyway, that's how most of us in the program feel. My roommate is a rockstar, so that makes things a lot better. We're both overachievers, so it works out nicely. We've got a group that stay on campus late (till like midnight and sometimes later) on most night working on our research and stuff. Our program is based on a self-directed learning module, so there's lots of research to be done. Lectures are going pretty well too. We've got our first simulated patient this Monday and I'm pretty freaking nervous about it. It'll be done as a group, so that's nice. I can't believe we already have midterms in 9 days. Aaaahhhhhhh!

Anyways, things are good. So glad I'm part of this program, cause I'm pretty sure I would just be miserable in a didactic program. Sitting through lecture for 8 hours a day would be HORRIBLE! Anyway, this is my first weekend home and it's been awesome seeing my boys. I was pretty wound up on Friday and I just feel much better after getting home to Mattoon last night. I'll be heading back south on the train tomorrow, but that's okay. I can do this. I'll be back home for July 4th weekend. That's only 2 weeks away.

Here are some pics that I've taken since I got to Carbondale. Enjoy and I hope everyone is loving life!! :)

Me getting coated by Dr. Smith

SIUC PA class of 2012!

Me & my awesome roomie, Arielle!

Me & my Mr. :)

Blue Sky winery in Carbondale. This was the weekend before classes started.

Walker's Bluff winery just north of Carbondale. Those are fake sheep... I totally felt cheated when I realized they weren't moving at all.

Skype-tastic!

So for Mothers Day/Dad's Birthday this year I sent my parents a web cam. I've been living in IL for four years now, so I thought it would be really nice to see their faces while talking to them (Now that I have a Mac with a built-in camera, I can actually do this!). They've had the camera for about three weeks now, but were having sound card issues with their Dell. They finally got it all set up this evening.

Can I tell you that Skype in FANTASTIC!!!! This was my first time using it and I LOVED it. My mom and I just giggled for the first five minutes of our chat. It was great to see her laughing face. It totally made my day. They had some family over for a BBQ, so I got to see my dad, their dog Jack (my little spotted cow), three of my aunts, some cousins... I even got to give my dad a tour of our townhouse! (He hasn't been up to visit since we moved into this place). My parents got to say hello to hubby & the pup too! I had no idea how fun video chatting would be - I can't wait to chat with my brother & his wife so I can see my Bella. :)

Anyway, tomorrow is Memorial Day. Everyone enjoy the day off and say a prayer for the men & women who fight for our freedom.

See you soon...

Currently listening to: Deep Inside of You - Third Eye Blind

always makes me think of summers passed...

Silent All These Years - Tori Amos

I can see everything she sings...

Yesterday was my last long run up at LOW. I had some muscle twinges going on so Coach & I just walked for 6.6. We chatted the entire way and it was wonderful. The day was perfect, and the park looked awesome, and I was in great company. Couldn't ask for anything else (except a few more Saturdays to enjoy with my runners). Afterwards we sat outside at Panera while we ate breakfast and chatted some more. I will really miss these people. It's funny - you never imagine when you first meet a group of people, how dependent you'll become on their presence and their friendship. I'm sure I'll meet other people to run with, but I must say that these friendships are some of the deepest I've made in years and new people won't come close.

No tears. This is not "good bye". It's "see you soon". The reunion will be at the Lewis & CLark Marathon in St, Charles, Missouri on October 3rd. A little more then 4 months. See you all there!!!

Magic train ride

Yesterday was a loooong day. After an early morning 5.2 mile run, we got all of my big stuff moved onto a U-haul, down to Carbondale, and into my new apartment. Then we had a late lunch with some of my lovely Carbondale ladies. I was excited for Justin to meet the girls, so it was a good day. After all this we hopped on the Amtrak and rode back to Mattoon.

This was my first time riding a train, so I was very excited. <--- That might even be an understatement. Once we got going Justin kept looking over at me to see the look on my face. I'm like a small child when it comes to new experiences. I think Justin finds it amusing - hopefully he finds it endearing. :) I had a cheesy grin on my face for the majority of the train ride (which lasted 2 hours). I totally felt like I was on the Hogwarts Express.

There was even a Cafe' Cart. I asked Justin if he would go with me. He declined but told me to go ahead. I tried to abstain, but I was just sooo curious that I had to go see it. I got a Sierra Mist and some cookies (it would have been AMAZING if I had found some chocolate frogs or Bertie's Every Flavored Beans!!). I returned to my seat with a HUGE smile on my face! Justin laughed. We shared our snacks and continued our ride while reading - I was totally re-reading Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. It was perfect.

When we got back to Mattoon we had to go to Charleston to pick up a mattress. It felt awesome when I finally crawled into (our new queen size) bed.

The count is down to 9 days till my White Coat Ceremony. Aaaaaaaaaah! Crazy. I'm so excited and very nervous. I've been up & down all day today getting things ready. I picked up some cool stuff at Big Lots & Walmart today. Lovely candles, towels, home decor items & such. I can't wait to set everything up. We were really limited on time while we were in Carbondale yesterday, so my stuff is in the apartment, but it's not set up the way I want it. Some of the girls are having a BBQ at their place this Saturday and I'm tempted to head down for the day. We'll see. :)

I hope everyone is having a FABULOUS week!

Sketchy Thursday 5.20 Challenge

Hey everyone!

Today's been one of those days. Hubby & I were stressing out about getting my stuff moved down to Carbondale. We were not on the same page about dates, but we got it all worked out and we'll be heading down tomorrow! :) Anyway, after that headache I decided to relax and work on the Sketchy Thursdays challenge. It's a great double page layout and I was looking forward to finally using some pictures from my parents' 30 year anniversary. I hope you like it!

Please excuse the poor picture quality. I didn't have very good lighting when taking these.

When my parents got married in 1977, they had a city hall wedding and then celebrated at my aunt's apartment. Mom always looked forward to having a big wedding celebration for her 25th anniversary. They made it happen after 30 years. It was a BEAUTIFUL night. :)

These pictures are from a local park as summer was changing to fall.

One last time...

This summer a fair few of those in my running group will be moving. Some of us will be moving for school, others for work. This means that our group runs are numbered.

Yesterday a few of us ran in the Buffalo Trace 5 mile trail race through Lake of the Woods (LOW) in Mahomet. It was 5 mile of wet, hilly trails... and it was GREAT! The day started off cool and foggy, but by the time we started running at 8am, it had turned into a beautiful day (although a bit humid). Our Saturday morning runs are usually at LOW but we mostly stick to the bike path, so the trails were a nice break from routine. I must admit, though, that as I finished my final mile I was cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to end the race on an uphill. I crossed the finish line to cheers from my awesome, runner friends - always a great feeling! My time was 54:34.50.

Afterwards we stood around eating delicious orange slices, watermelon slices, bananas, & tootsie rolls! <--- the tootsie rolls were a nice surprise, but nothing compares to a yummy orange post-run. Awards were then dispersed and surprise, surprise - Allison won 3rd in her age group!!! Rock Star. :) We then headed over to Panera for a yummy breakfast & smoothies.

All in all, it was a fantastic day!

Mike, me, and Joanna pre race :)

The gang: Joanna, Randy, Allison, me, Jaymie, and Mike post race. Randy & Jaymie were awesome! They ran from spot to spot on the trails cheering us on. :)

Allison with her awesome Buffalo trophy :)

Looks like next Saturday will be my last run with the group for a while. We plan to run the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri together this October. Some of us will be doing the full marathon, and some will be doing the half. I can't wait!

All out mile

I like to consider myself pretty gangster... the truth is that I'm not. But frankly, I'm okay with that. Today I was scheduled to run my first ever all out mile with some friends. These friends are much faster than I am - one of them is working towards qualifying for the Boston Marathon! (THAT'S pretty gangster!) This said, I was pretty nervous about this all out mile.

Since state track championships are being held at EIU this week, we headed over to the Charleston High School track. We putzed around (and stretched) for a while before getting started with our warm up. We were clearly trying to put the whole thing off. I wasn't the only one who was nervous - that made me feel a little better. :) We jogged 2 laps to warm up and then toed the line.

I took off too quickly and was gassed at the end of lap 1. As I started lap 2 I seriously considered running straight to the bleachers instead of finishing! How pathetic. Anyway, I toughed it out and completed my mile in 8:34.59. I wish it had been better, but I can't really complain. Prior to today, my fastest mile had been 9:51 (mile 1 of the IL half marathon just 18 days ago).

Now I know where I'm at and where I'd like to get to. I'd like to continue working on this and come in at a sub 8:00 mile. I can do this. It just means incorporating speed work into my schedule. I'll keep you posted on my progress with this goal.

Happy running!!!

Sketchy Thursday 5.13 Challenge

Here's my take on this week's Sketchy Thursday's sketch. I'm rushing to get it in before the deadline for tonight!! :)

These pics are from our trip to Disney in September 2009. We went to Mickey's Not-So-Scray Halloween Party. It's the coolest time to be in the Magic Kingdom because you get to see all of the really cool villians!

P.S. Sorry about the grainy pics - not sure why they came out this way.