Princess for a Day...or Two

My rotation preceptor (doctor) this month attended a board review course in Chicago for his upcoming board re-certification process, which meant I had several days off. Unfortunately, I had some nasty chest congestion preventing me from taking full advantage of the break.
The hubs called me on his lunch break and ordered me to go shopping. I've been drooling over a pair of flats and a necklace that I had placed on my Christmas wish list, but Aaron insisted I not wait and told me not to come home without them. Yes, this was a real life occurrence.

My gorgeous statement necklace from Ann Taylor. LOOOOVE!

I hardly ever purchase anything for myself - I have a bit of a problem justifying most of the products I want as practical. It was lovely to be able to run to the mall and walk out with not just one, but two non-essential accessories rather than just browsing as I usually do. Is that what life after medical school will be like - seeing something I want and buying it right then and there?

A princess needs some sparkle in her life, and these flats are just the ticket :)

Even more lovely was my husband's heart and desire to spoil me. He went a step further the next day when I arrived home from work to a Fall-scented candle and adorable pumpkin candle holder. His reason for the little surprise? "Because I love you, and it's Fall."

My house smells like the season now!

Just-because presents are the best! 

I officially felt like a princess (and texted him the sentiment multiple times) deeply loved by her prince. :)
It's the expression of love in the ways each of us recognize them that helps keep our marriage strong. I always want to feel as if we're still dating. A lofty ideal? Maybe, but I'm willing to put in the work to make it a reality. And apparently, so is my husband.

Festival Frenzy

One of our favorite things about living in Tulsa is the variety of festivals the city hosts. We haven't been able to attend many the past two years due to our school load, but our rotation schedule lately has afforded us the luxury of actual weekends - glorious!

Aaron and I took advantage of some cooler weather several Sundays ago and headed to Scotfest across the river. We browsed the tents of goods, including kilts and crests specific to each clan. I know I have a bit of Scottish heritage; it inspired me to investigate from which clan I originate!
The best part by far was watching the Highland Games. We caught the Caber Toss (tossing a large wooden pole) and Sheaf Toss (hurling a straw bag over a horizontal bar with a pitchfork).

Sheaf Toss: This was the winner - he successfully heaved the bag over a 29 foot bar!

Aaron, of course, had to sample the local fare in between games. He ordered some haggis (blech!), of which he wasn't a big fan, and a steak and mushroom pie, pictured below. The pie got his smile of approval.

The Caber Toss: we witnessed some immense strength and balance!

 We also listened to a great Celtic band for a bit. All in all, we enjoyed experiencing Scotfest. However, we decided we'd probably go on a Saturday next year instead of Sunday when the festival is dying down.

My sister came down to stay with us this weekend; we decided to explore the Greek Festival for the first time as a family. The festival is held at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church right up the road from where we live, so we enjoyed a nice evening walk to and from in some amazing Fall weather!

The line for food curved around the tent. In order to avoid braving it twice, we ordered somewhat of a Greek sampler feast. Souvlaki, Gyro, Lamb, Spanakopita, Tiropita, Dolmathes, Feta, and Calamari - whew!

The food was absolutely divine. We're now investigating authentic Greek restaurants in town to relive the meal.
Traditional dancing took place throughout the evening and provided entertainment while we ate. Dinner and a show? Yes, please!

We ordered a sample of ouzo to share in order to be truly authentic. It tasted of black licorice and just dipping my tongue in the clear fluid was more than enough to make me want to chase it down with my soft drink. As you can see, Aaron held a similar opinion.

With Scotfest and the Greek Festival down, we're now looking forward to our annual favorite - Oktoberfest!

Fall Wish List

Tomorrow officially marks the beginning of my favorite season: Fall! I'm looking forward to sharing all of the above experiences with friends and family. Thankfully, our rotation schedule should accommodate my "wish list" and more. 

The year has flown by; it's at this point that I wish it would slow down so that I can savor every passing moment. 

Cheers to Fall - hopefully the weather forecast will reflect the season change soon!

Everyone Poops

I've found a common denominator among patients: no one wants to talk about poop. Unfortunately, we as (future) physicians need to know about that particular bodily function in order to take a full history and make the correct diagnosis in many cases.
Men and teenagers have a particularly difficult time answering our questions about the subject. I'm sure the reason behind male reluctance is that I am the opposite gender. A sweet old man last week muttered, "I didn't want to say anything, seeing as how there's a lady present..." before describing his symptoms. I couldn't help but smile when he looked away. I love being regarded as a lady; however, this lady is not disgusted by talk of your bowels; she, in fact, needs to hear about them.

This classic toddler tale should be (re)read by every individual entering a physician's office. I might just keep a copy in mine one day.
So go ahead and tell us all about it without shame. It's okay; you're not alone. Everyone poops!

Lessons Learned: Rotation 2

My Rural Clinic in Ardmore was fantastic. While I grew very homesick as the days passed, the experience I gained was well worth being so far away from my own bed. I delivered 8 babies vaginally, assisted on a C-section, performed 3 circumscisions (with lots of help!), and was able to see patients on my own in my physician's clinic. The latter forced me to fill in the gaps in the education I've received so far and led to a greater sense of confidence in my history-taking, physical exam, and decision-making abilities. Here's some of the tips I picked up this August:

Lesson #1: Smartphones are an invaluable resource for medical students and doctors alike. I can't begin to describe the amount of information we're expected to retain; access to online resources is vital to sparking our memory on pathology and continuing our education as we discover medications and other topics we didn't become familiar with the first two years. The apps I used most often this past month? Medscape, Epocrates, and Visual Dx (lots of rashes in family clinics). Thank you, technology!

Lesson #2: Enter into each rotation with an open mind. I made the (big) mistake of answering my doc's query on which field I'd like to pursue a little too honestly on the first day - the answer did not include family practice. I knew I shouldn't have, but I felt too uncomfortable lying. I spent a lot of effort making up for that first impression and overcame it fairly quickly, but it's not something I'd like to repeat in the future. Luckily, I realized my mind is not set on a particular specialty, so I don't have to lie! 

Lesson #3: A display of confidence is a necessity. The doc has been practicing for over 30 years, and as such, has patients with which he's built a relationship that are wary of being seen by a student. I found that if I exuded confidence as I introduced myself and automatically began my routine, patients did not request to wait to be seen by the physician. A warm smile played a big part in that, as well. :)

Week in Review

This past week marked our first for Community Clinic. It's much different from last month in Ardmore in many ways, but we're expecting it to be just as valuable an experience.
Aaron's work week ended Wednesday, as his doc takes Thursdays off and we have didactics here in Tulsa on Fridays. I was so impressed with what he did with his time off - picking up the house, working on the Tahoe, getting new windshield wipers for my Jeep, grocery shopping, and making sure I came home to a delicious dinner. A family friend always jokes that Aaron sets the bar high; I have to concur. :)

We made a trip to Hobby Lobby this week for some Fall decor. While I was successful in that mission, I also made my first holiday purchase of the year. I slightly annoyed my husband by singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" as we made our way to the checkout line. In my defense, isn't football season the most wonderful time of the year to a man?

The candy sleigh has me counting down the days until I can begin decorating! For me, that's the day after Thanksgiving. Aaron refuses to let Christmas take over the Thanksgiving holiday, which is his favorite. Again, I think it has to do with the fact that it involves football...

We were able to catch up with friends we haven't seen since school ended at Mister Jai's birthday party last night at Bouncy Barn. Aaron picked out his present, a wooden truck that's supposed to be simple enough for a toddler to assemble. We had a blast looking at the toys in Target and Barnes and Noble before he made his final decision - kids are so much fun!
Speaking of kiddos, these little ladies know which part of the cupcake is best!

Today was spent rearranging the furniture in our living room and forming a game plan for wall decor. I love profitable weekends - now on to a profitable work week!

Ready For Some Football

Labor Day weekend was fabulous for three reasons: we spent some amazing time with my parents, we (finally) returned home after two months of "away" rotations, and college football season officially began!
The evening before we traveled to Tahlequah from Ardmore, my mom sent me a text informing me that my dad got a new smoker. His old one broke several years ago and he's been wishing for a new one ever since. He works so very hard to provide for his family, so I was excited that he splurged on something for himself!

Something we can all enjoy, by the way. And we did, in the form of ribs and hot links. We devoured them in front of the television in order to avoid missing a single second of the games this weekend. Aaron and dad intensely discussed what wood chips to use next time and what about the smoking process they should change in order to achieve the perfect smoke ring, tenderness, and flavor. This is serious stuff, people. Serious, and delicious.

Mom baked a blueberry pie for dessert. Yum in our tums!
One of my favorite moments of the weekend was sitting at the kitchen counter while she made the crust. Mine have yet to turn out perfectly, so I watched her technique and listened to her tips. These are the moments memories are made of :)

Saturday evening we supported our Razorbacks (via Oklahoma) in their first game of the season against Jacksonville State. Our defense left a lot to be desired, but our offense seemed impressive and we stood victorious.

Woo Pig Sooie! 

Great food, family, and football. The perfect weekend, in my opinion.
Back in Tulsa, we basked in the awesomeness of sleeping in our own bed. We're so happy to be home...and I'm happy to have my own bathroom once again!