Weekending!

This weekend was low-key and pretty uneventful. I didn't get done with surgery until 6:30 Friday night and went straight to my mom's for dinner. Then it was home to study, snuggle with my furry girl, and wait up attempt to wait up for my husband who has been out of town all week for work. His flight got delayed and he didn't end up getting home until super later. Being that I fell asleep at 9:30 [grandma status], I was not waiting for him at the door when he got home… bad wife!

Proof that our 75lb dog literally thinks she is human. She lays ON TOP of me like a big baby… and I would be lying if I said I didn't love it ;)

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to study for my surgery end of rotation exam that's on Thursday. I am super nervous and have no idea what to expect, being that they could possibly ask me about any surgery on any part of the body… yikes! I took a quick study break for a gym date with hubs.
My in-laws and SIL came to town for dinner because we haven't really seen them since Christmas. It was fun to have drinks and a yummy dinner and catch up with our family! I chose shrimp & grits for my meal and a pineapple smash cocktail which were both super delicious!

Sunday morning I was up bright and early once again to squeeze in a few hours of studying before church. After church it was a quick lunch, gym date with hubs, then this was my view for the remainder of the day:

I can't believe I only have 3 days left of my surgery rotation!! It has FLOWN by and I have enjoyed it much more than I thought I would! However, I am super excited about starting my OB/GYN rotation next week and I hope lots of women are getting ready to pop babies out just in time for me :) Happy Monday!

Perspective

[please excuse me while I spill my heart out for a second…]

As I said in my last post, I am currently on my surgery rotation. It has been a huge learning experience, and for that I am grateful! One thing that has been exceptionally hard is dealing with the big, ugly C word: cancer. In just one clinic day my overseeing physician and I had to tell FOUR people they had colon cancer. And one man was only 37. That is unheard of! Then a few days later we did 5 mastectomies on women fighting breast cancer.

I had never been part of a team to deliver this kind of news until recently. How can you walk into a room and tell someone their life will never be the same, read them statistics about survival rates, give them treatment options based on their cancer stage, then go about your day as if nothing has happened? I am too emotional for this! My doctor explained to me that this part of medicine is an art, and it takes time and experience before you can separate yourself from the emotional aspect of it.

As I watched a 43 year old woman enter our operating room, knowing that she would soon be undergoing a double mastectomy, I couldn't help but get a little choked up. Breast cancer hits close to home. I wanted to sit down with this lady and tell her I was praying for her and that she wouldn't be alone during surgery, but knowing that I was now part of the "surgery team" I just laid my hand on her shoulder and told her that we would take very good care of her. To surgeons she was just another slot in a packed schedule that day. To me, she was a person full of fear, questions, and anxiety.

I hope that with experience I can learn to deliver bad news with grace and compassion but I also hope that I never get so caught up in medicine that I forget that patients are people with the same feelings that I experience. I pray that I never lose my emotion when treating patients, because emotion means that I am relating to my patients.

Moral of the story: I am going to be an emotional wreck when I start my pediatrics rotation!

My poor blog!

Happy Monday, friends!

My poor blog has been totally ignored for the past month-ish. At the beginning of December I was slammed with studying for finals, decorating for Christmas, etc. I decided that I wanted to try to cut back on social media and truly soak up my first married Christmas, and that is exactly what I did! Then New Years came, our first anniversary, I started rotations for PA school, and life happened. And before I knew it, it has been embarrassingly too long without giving this blog some attention. So I apologize, but it was a much needed break for me to re-charge!

You see, I never intended for this blog to be an added stressor to my life, and that's what it had started to become. I don't want anything to take away time from my husband and my family. I decided I needed to step back and focus on what really matters. Spending 15 hours in the operating room and trying to be somewhat sane when I get home to my husband does not allow time for thoughtful blog posts. However, I have decided to just do my best with this little space of mine. I will write when I have time, and I will not get disappointed when I don't have time.

This is what I have been up to in pictures:

We had our PA school pinning ceremony which marked our transition out of the didactic phase and into clinicals!

We spent much needed time as a little family over my Christmas break sans studying. I spent far too many hours on the couch watching HGTV with a glass of wine in hand.

We spent our first married Christmas with both of our families. It was SO much fun to start our own traditions! We both looove Christmas. We spent Christmas eve and Christmas morning with my family. We got to watch our niece open all her Santa presents. She was so excited, it was adorable! Then we drove the 45 minutes to my in-laws and spent Christmas night with them and G's huge family. It worked out perfectly!

 On December 28, we celebrated our 1 year anniversary. I cannot believe it has already been a year! We took a short getaway to the beach where we enjoyed lazy time together and reflected on the past year. I truly hit jackpot with my hubs. He only gets better every day. People say the first year is the hardest and if that is true, we will be just fine! I love that man more than words.

 We found out that we are going to be having a NEPHEW in June!!!! Excited is a understatement!

I started my first rotation: surgery! It has been such a great experience with some loooong days. I have truly enjoyed it but I don't think this is the field I want to work in.

Thanks for being patient with me while I took my blog-cation. Hope you have a great week!!

Five on Friday: stocking stuffers for men!

This Christmas, hubs and I have decided to just do stockings for each other. We both have Fall/Winter birthdays and our anniversary is December 28th so we don't need to spend a lot of money on Christmas presents. I have been thinking for the past few months about things that my husband would really love in his stocking. Since we aren't doing presents, I wanted to fill his stocking with thoughtful gifts, not just candy. Here is what I have come up with so far:

1. Tovolo ice mold. A few months ago when hubs and I were in Charleston we went to an amazing restaurant and his whiskey drink had a huge ice cube in it. He LOVED it. The next day we were in J. Crew and they were selling the exact ice cube molds!! When hubs was in the dressing room I bought it and slipped that bad boy in my pocket book and have been hiding it ever since. It melts super slow so it doesn't water down the whiskey... and it makes you feel extra fancy ;) If your man is a whiskey drinker, I guarantee he will LOVE this in his stocking!

2. Ted Baker socks. My hubs looooves these socks! He loves to add a funky touch when dressing up in a suit. He already has a handful of patterns but I got him some new fun patterns that I know he will love. They are $15 or 3 pairs for $40 at Nordstrom with FREE shipping! Get them!

3. Meat thermometer. My man loves to cook, grill, etc. but he doesn't have a meat thermometer. I think he would love this in order to get meat to the perfect temperature without over-cooking it. My in-laws have one and he always uses it when we go home!

4. Beats earbuds. They are expensive for earbuds, I know, I knowwww. But your man will love you if he finds these in his stocking. I got these for G for our 3 year anni and he uses the heck out of them... at the gym, at work, at home, etc. They play music SO clear, stay in your ears when exercising, and are so much better than any earbud I have ever tried.

5. Monogrammed flask. Just the other day he was saying he needs a flask for football games, wedding, etc. [do not judge us]. Then I found this gem on Pottery Barn, on sale for $20 which INCLUDES a monogram!

Guys are HARD to shop for! I hope these things give you ideas for the man in your life! What are you filling you man's stocking with??

Stitch Fix

I have known about Stitch Fix for a while but had never really looked into it until today. About a year ago my SIL told me she signed up for it and had received her first shipment and LOVED everything she had received. I pushed it to the back of my mind until recently. You see, I start clinicals in a month and I have to dress "business casual" every day. Yet I only have 2 pairs of dress pants and a few skirts [insert panic]. Problem #1: Greenville doesn't have J. Crew, Banana Republic, etc. Problem #2: I have NO TIME to shop. It is super rare that I have a free afternoon to go from store to store looking/trying on clothes. Especially now that all my free time between now and clinicals is going to be spent Christmas shopping for my family.

So, today I went to the Stitch Fix website and bit the bullet. You fill out a detailed survey about your style, preferences, sizes, etc. Then you tell them what you want to receive each month and what you don't want them to include. Personally, I don't really need any more accessories so I chose to receive mostly clothing with a few accessories every now and then. You can choose how often you want shipments and you can even choose to only receive them when you request it. You pay $20, they ship you 5 items, you can keep them all or send them all back or anything in between! If you send them all back, you lose your $20. But if you keep anything, the $20 goes toward your purchase. Also, you can cancel at any point! Sounds like a great deal to me!!

I think it's super cool that for each shipment you can write your "stylist" a note and let them know if you have a wedding that month and want to be shipped only cocktail dresses, if you want to receive only tops, only jewelry, etc. I am already super impressed with the website!

I have heard nothing but GOOD things about Stitch Fix. I can't give my personal opinion [yet] but wait a month and I will fill you in! I can't wait!

My favorite things link-up!

Let's get this straight, I would NEVER ask for all of these gifts! To be honest, I don't really need anything for Christmas. I would be perfectly content opening one present and giving presents to all my family. There is nothing better than giving someone the perfect gift and watching their reaction and happiness. However, these are a few things I would be super happy with if Santa placed them under our tree ;)

1. Tory Burch clutch. I have this beauty in black and I use it all.the.time. Totally worth the money. It has a long strap so you can wear it as a cross-body bag or you can take the strap off and use it as a clutch. I would LOVE a brown/tan one!

2. Nespresso coffee & expresso maker. Hubs and I are coffee lovers snobs and we have been talking about getting one of these for a while. The second my alarm goes off in the morning I head straight for the coffee maker. I feel like this expresso maker might make me a more happy person in the morning ;) Has anyone tried one?! Is it worth the money??

3. Kendra Scott earrings. As I mentioned in a previous post, I got a pair of these in hot pink a few months back and got SO many compliments on them. I am dying for another pair!

4. Kate Spade watch. I really need a neutral, everyday watch to wear during clinicals next year. I'm thinking this one would be perfect!

5. Moscow Mule Copper Mugs. I had my first Moscow Mule in Charleston a few months ago and fell in love. These mugs are so fun and can be used for so many different, fun cocktails.

6. Kendra Scott Rayne necklace. May or may not be obsessed with this jewelry [obviously]. I want a necklace too!! It would go with EVERYTHING!

7. Clarisonic skin cleanser. I have heard amazing things and to be honest, I need to take better care of my skin. All I do is wash my face 2x a day and apply Oil of Olay lotion. I feel like I need to clean it better. Any advice about this product?!

8. Gold Aviator Tory Burch sunglasses. I only buy one nice pair of sunglasses every 2 or 3 years and it's about time for a new pair! I have never had aviators but always love them when I see them on other people.

What are you hoping Santa brings you this year?!

Weekending...

SO SAD to see this weekend come to an end! It was definitely a good one. Friday night we all arrived at my friend's lake house just before dinner. She cooked us a delicious meal complete with a cookie cake for me and my friend that had a birthday a few days before mine! Then it was time for drinks and catch phrase. Y'all, things got preeeetty intense. We may or may not have been yelling at the top of our lungs during that game. What can we say, we are competitive.

Saturday morning I was the first one up [as always] and I prepared breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and coffee for the girls. We headed down to the dock to relax and enjoy the view. It was so chilly but sunny... perfect if you ask me!

We spent the day on the dock, in the hot tub, and just enjoying hanging out. Then we got ready and headed to Rosemont Winery in Virginia. It was the cutest little winery that looked like an old plantation home. We got to taste so many delicious wines, both red and white. After enjoying a few glasses we headed back to the house for dinner, relaxation, and more games.

 Sunday it was back to reality bright and early to study for a week full of exams :( My heart is so happy that I got to spend an entire weekend with my best friends of 20+ years! Love these girls so much!