Birthday Surprise!

After hours and hours of studying I decided to take a much needed break and head to DC to surprise Erica for her birthday!  Mission accomplished.  

SURVIVAL

This was one of those weeks where you put your head down, kept plotting along and made sure you had caffeine within arms reach AT ALL TIMES.  Shall we tally things up:

• 30 hrs of clinical + 5 hrs of commute time
• 9 hrs of class 
• 2 board meetings
• Quizzes, projects and evaluations galore

Off to catch up on some zzz's and to get ready for Monday's OB final.  I can't even believe I am typing the word final.   

Last 12 Hour OB Shift

We all survived our first string of 12 hour shifts (plus two hours of commute time) and while most days we were dog tired, we were moving a little better than this guy.  

Monday Gosling Meme

Saturday Shenanigans

Today was the day I was going to head a few miles down the road and tackle the DMV head on. Long story short ... after five hours, four new friends, three times getting in line, two surly DMV workers and one trip to staples I am now a MD resident.

From there I decided to take a mental 5 and head over to Pile of Craft, a craft fair put on by the Charm City Craft Mafia.  Tacos and blueberry lemonade helped to sweeten the deal as I wandered around the different venders.  I picked up a couple of pictures for my house and got some great DIY gift ideas. 

To round out the day I decided to tackle our backyard.  After weeks and weeks of weeding, I decided to get creative and put down some tarps and mulch.  All of this means 1) no weeding 2) no mosquitoes 3) I get to pull out some power tools and make some furniture. 

Happy Birthday Elise!!

Happy 23rd Birthday to the best little sister ever who once upon a time asked if people thought she had a sense of humor and wrote a short story entitled There Once Was These Witches. 

I guess we know you are not adopted (even though I tried hard to convince you you were after I found out we couldn't return you) because we make the same weird photo faces 

and give two thumbs WAY WAY UP!!

Monday Gosling Meme

A Quarter of a Century Completed

Another year has come and gone and 25 was a COMPLETE SUCCESS.  It all started with completing a 25 Things for My 25th Birthday and ended with a day on the Labor and Delivery Unit.

As I sit and ponder what I have accomplished in  25 years my first response was "well, nothing really."  I have never had a real person job, made any major discoveries or held a position of power.

As I sat and thought about it more, I realized  I was crazy and could not be farther from the truth.  While I am the longest running student among my group of friends, I have finally found my passion and am preparing for a career that will allow me to get excited about going to work each morning.  If you told me on my 18th birthday that I would have gone to undergrad and grad school, served as an AmeriCorps member, cycled across the country and be studying at Hopkins for nursing before the age of 26 I would have told you that you you were mad.  It is crazy to think of how busy and fulfilling those short eight years were.

The only reason why I was able to survive out here in the real world was because of the support network my family and friends have created.  My parents instilled in me some great morals, values and life lessons, including to whom much is given, much is expected.  These were only further solidified by my grandparents.  Everyone allowed me to make my own mistakes, to create my own (liberal) identity and to bounce around from major to major until I found what was right for me.  I will forever be grateful for my childhood and can honestly say that without their support I probably would not be where I am today.

For those of you who know me, you know that I have a very small, close group of friends.  And as someone who hates to label relationships I never can say that I have a "best friend" just a second family.  I would move mountains for them if I could and know that the feeling is mutual (at least I hope it is).  Hearing about the passions, accomplishments and adventures of friends constantly  reminds me about how much I can learn from others and inspires me to go after my dreams. 

I guess the first 25 years were what I needed to prep me for what I hope to be a long and successful life filled with adventure, love and laughter.  The first quarter was spent "building my toolbox" (I cringe at how many professors have used this imagery, but it has never been more true).  Who knows what the next 25 years will bring, but as long as I continue to have the support of family and friends, a sense of adventure and a passion for making a difference I can only imagine the possibilities.  So stick around - life updates to be posted here (though probably not as introspective).  I love seeing the number of readers for this project ebb and flow so spread the word. 

Got Some Lovin' in the Garden

Monday Gosling Meme

Tour dem Parks Hon

Over the last few weeks professors have been telling us to work in some "ME" time amongst all the crazyness, so today Alex and I decided to tackle the metric century Tour dem Parks Hon ride. The 65 mile ride would take us all around Baltimore to some of the major parks.  Fun fact we got from the ride was that many of the parks were originally encampments for soldiers during the Civil War. 

This year had some BOMB t-shirts (a few years ago they were orange).

Around mile 20 we stopped at one of the rest stops and found out that we were only the 7th and 8th riders to come through.  Even though we were not moving at great speeds, we had somehow beat most of the riders. 

From there, the ride took us through Carrol Park and out to the American Brewery.  

 

Then eventually we made our way to Patterson Park, one of the oldest parks in Baltimore.  It was great that Friends of Patterson Park opened up the pagoda.  It was a super clear day out which meant we could see all the way to Fort McHenry. 

View from Federal Hill

As we headed into the final five minutes, we came across these awesome windowsill boxes - the cats put it over the top.

As soon as I got home I was ready for a shower, a nap and some blue.  Thankfully Arden had sent all the SUS'ians some blue powder and we got some SNAZZY free water bottles from REI so I was able to whip some up!  Another thing crossed off the Baltimore Bucket List. 

Boas and Flamingos and Hons, OH MY!!

Every year hundreds of Baltimore residents come out for the HonFest.  This local tradition started in the late 1990s and has grown to a nationally recognized festival.  A Bawlmer Hon, short for Honey, "embodies the warmth and affection bestowed upon our neighbors and visitors alike by historic working-women of Baltimore."

If you did not come in costume you could head on over to the Glamour Lounge and get into costume!

Today and tomorrow will be filled with everything Hon and Bawlmer, 

including the Little Miss Hon contest.  These ladies were dressed to the nines and adorable!

Unfortunately it started to rain, Mother Nature's way of saying "GO HOME AND STUDY", 

so I grabbed an old fashioned soda at Wild Will's and headed home. 

OB Update

For the past two Thursdays and Fridays, 14 students have been waking up at the crack of dawn  before the crack of dawn to make it to our clinical placement in Annapolis on time; our car leaves Baltimore at 0530!  Thanks to the rain and a long week (keep in mind it is only week two of ten) the back row passed out.  

Each week we flip between labor/delivery and postpartum; today we spent the day on the L&D floor and I got to see my first birth.  I will save you all the nitty gritty, but share three quick things:

1. The family was super excited to hear that this was my first birth too
2. Half way through the birth, the Midwife turned to me and asked if I was interested in going to OB.  While I normally would tell someone no, I obviously could not say that in front of the Midwife and the family, so I stuck with the "I am still exploring the field and trying to figure out what I want to do."
3. The first words out of my mouth to my instructor when she asked me how it went was "Well it was interesting, but definitely not my thing."

While I don't think I will end up on a L&D floor, I could work for a little while on a postpartum floor.  It is crazy to think that we only have six more OB days until we switch to Peds (which I am super excited about)!

To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo

Ever since I worked as a swim instructor at the NYC Chinatown YMCA (yeah long story) I have always wanted to get a tattoo.  The only problem is choosing the right design and the whole permanent thing.  The other day I came across a post of 50 tattoos inspired by books.  My personal favorite is The Giving Tree. 

Not to worry Mom, no tattoo yet, just some pictures and ideas floating around.

Monday Gosling Meme

Urban Garden Update

So after about two weeks away from the garden (no joke it has been that long) I decided to head over to the garden to see how everything was shaping growing up.  Now you may be asking, "Emily how is everything still alive after being away for so long?"  We have had a lot of rain so I have not had to go over to water.  Thankfully everything was alive and well when I showed up.  Today's task was to put up some a couple trellises and do some MAJOR weeding.

One of the good things about going later in the day is that a lot of people are off from work and I got to meet a bunch of my neighbors.  Another benefit to meeting some of the veteran gardeners is I got to go home with extra vegetables.  Today I took home a bunch of lettuce.

I was also able to put in some squash and pumpkins to gear up for fall!!