Married to a Medical Student

Loan Repayment During Residency

2010-07-20T20:40:00.004-05:00

A long time ago I tried to write about residency repayment. Well since then I have learned a lot.

Here are two excellent posts about repayment in residency:

Financial Aid - Part I

Financial Aid - Part II

Now that we are actually in repayment, I can also help explain or answer any questions you may have, but I figured I would just link to the post because it explains everything pretty well.

Also if you haven't made it over to my new blog, please check it out at:

champagneandbonbons.blogspot.com and you can still email me at: marriedtoamedicalstudent@gmail.com or now at champagneandbonbons@gmail.com regarding any questions on loan repayment, applying to residency or any other questions you may have!

Please Vote!

2010-07-14T15:24:00.003-05:00

A good friend of mine is in the running for a Pepsi Refresh grant of $50,000. I'd appreciate it if you would go to the following link and vote for his organization!

You have to provide an email address or you can vote through facebook. You can vote everyday. In the past few weeks they have moved from close to 200 close to 110 - but they need to continue to move up!

Thanks!

End Homelessness

Officially a "Doctor's Wife"

2010-06-06T11:59:00.009-05:00

So we made it, we survived medical school! And my darling husband is officially a doctor!

As promised I'll be starting my new blog this month (June) and you can find me at:

www.champagneandbonbons.blogspot.com

I'd appreciate it if you all follow me over there. I'll also start following blogs under that username as well (Mrs. Dawkter). We're on vacation right now, trying to spend a little quality time together before the dreaded residency begins! But when we get back I promise I'll update on graduation, finishing up work, moving and everything else we've been up to! I look forward to returning to blogging and catching up on all of your lives as well!

My Blog Featured!

2010-06-06T11:57:00.001-05:00

I was surprised to get an email that my blog was featured among other blogs written by medical students. Here is the link in case your interested in checking out the other blogs!

Time is Flying

2010-05-09T20:39:00.004-05:00

I still cannot believe it is May, and its flying by! We've been super busy, Drew's winding up school, I'm busy with work, then we try and fit some packing in at night, and we're trying to get everything ready for closing, as well as schedule some updates to be done before we move in. Oh, and I'm also trying to look for a new job. That's not going so well, and with the expenses of closing, and moving adding up, I've had a few meltdowns, freaking out about money and making everything work. Unfortunately the job hunt is very time consuming and I've only had time to apply to about a dozen jobs. Each cover letter and application takes more time than I anticipate, so I just haven't done as much applying as I'd like. And then of course I've only even gotten two acknowledgements of my applications - which is not too encouraging. For now I'll keep applying and try not too freak out too much until we're into July. I'm hoping after we move I can devote more time to the job search in June. So not too much to report here.

This weekend we'll be mortgage owners, next weekend I'll be a dawkter's wife, and the following weekend we'll be residents of a new location.

And hopefully next month - I'll debut the new blog!

The Next Chapter

2010-04-25T21:10:00.008-05:00

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice regarding my blog and what exactly to do.

I am still leaning toward starting a new blog. The reason is because when I started my blog I figured it would only be read by close friends and family and therefore it is linked up with my personal email - so right now I can't really reply to everyone's wonderful comments. For that reason I really want to start a new blog and set it up properly so that I can respond to everyone's comments. My thought is that I would post a link on this site and those who want to follow me over to my new blog could.

I also have a title of a blog that I think I could take with me throughout and changes. But I thought I would again get your thoughts.... so my thought is to call my future blog:

Champagne and Bon Bons
The ~~glamorous~~ real life of an attorney and doctor's wife.

For those of you who are attorneys or married to medical students or doctor's wives you can understand that people often make assumptions regarding you life, one being that your rich, or that your life is cushy. And from what I hear, residency is anything but champagne and bon bons.

And also to address some of your comments about why my blog is currently married to a medical student, or why I would want my future title to include something about being married to a doctor. Its not because that is all I am. I know that I am more than a wife. Being married to someone in medicine, doesn't make me who I am, but it does say a lot about me. Being married to someone in medicine means being willing to sacrifice, and to put someone else's career before yours and supporting your spouse through some highs and lows of a long educational and training process. For us, it will mean 4 years of post graduation education and at least 7 years (if not 8 or 9) years of residency or training. Furthermore, my blog has been a way to meet other medical spouses and to try and be a resource for other med student spouses, just as many doctor's wives have been to me. I also want to continue that, and to try and shed a little light on what it is like being married to a medical spouse, and perhaps dispel some of the myths associated with being a "doctor's wife."

So what do you think?

Harder than I thought

2010-04-25T16:47:00.003-05:00

I am still here, just very busy. But I figured I’d try and spend some time to post a quick update of what has occurred in the last month or so.

First, that housing I was talking about... well, we are hoping to purchase a place but I was nervous to actually say that until we got a little further along in the process. You never know what an inspection will show and we weren’t sure if we would be able to get the appropriate financing. But right now it looks like it just might happen! In about three weeks we should be mortgage holders!

So for us right now, I am job hunting (no luck yet). Drew is finishing up classes. We are looking to close in 3 weeks. We are also trying to order flooring/carpeting for our new place because the current stuff is about 25 years old and completely disgusting (I want new stuff installed before we move in). Graduation is in 4 weeks. And we plan to move in 5 weeks.

I am a little overwhelmed to say the least. And to be totally honest, this whole process is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess I figured this would be an easy transition considering we are moving somewhere I want to go. But I still find myself struggling some days to accept all the change coming our way. I think part of it is that I am overwhelmed about all that has to get done before now and moving day, and part of it is just because I don’t do well with change.

Now that I am finally comfortable with Springfield, have come to enjoy the area, and it has come to feel like home, I am being uprooted and transplanted somewhere else. It will be a new home, new neighborhood, new church, new bank, (hopefully) new job.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited about starting the next step in our journey, but I still find myself struggling with letting go with our life here. Its so odd because this is the last thing I expected considering where we are headed. I had anticipating struggling if we were moving a location I did not want to go, but we are staying in the midwest, and going to a city I am excited about. I never expected there to be such a disconnect between my head and my heart. I'm almost upset with myself for struggling with it so much. It feels silly to be so sad at times.

I guess the best way to describe it is bittersweet, and right now it seems a lot more bitter than sweet... but I know that once we get there, and I adjust, it will be very sweet.

So....

2010-04-05T20:47:00.002-05:00

in a less than two months, my husband will be graduating medical school. And I will no longer be "married to a medical student." So I was hoping to get some feedback and advice. What should I do? Should I continue blogging? Should I stay with the current title? Should I start a new blog? Any advice? Any suggestions?
Unfortunately marriedtoaresident marriedtoamedicalresident, adoctorswife, thedoctorswife are all taken with blogspot... and the sad part is most of them are blogs that haven't been written on at all or haven't been written on in months. I have also pondered titles that don't have doctor or resident in the title. I'd like to continue blogging, both as a means to document our life and also to serve as a resource to other spouses of medical students and (in the future) residents. So . . . please tell me your thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T20:45:00.012-05:00

Today we celebrated another wonderful holiday with our family. Easter Sunday is a particularly special day for me... not only because of what the holiday representes, but also because it was the day Drew proposed, four years ago. Here are a few photos from the day....

Ophie playing piano

Stella

With the family

There was a lot of delicious food, I ate entirely too much, but it was a much needed relaxing day with family (things just haven't slowed down since match day!)

Hoping all of you had fabulous weekends as well!

Traveling to our future home

2010-03-29T20:53:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we headed to our "new home." On Saturday we looked at nearly fifteen places to live with our parents. Then we drove around and explored the area and checked out the hospital where Drew will start working on July 1, 2010. Unfortunately I didn't have my memory card with me and didn't get any pictures at the hospital or of the area. I consider myself a photo-holic because I am constantly pulling out my camera and snapping photos all the time... so I am a bit ashamed that I didn't take any photos to document our first visit to our new home. After exploring all day on Saturday and seeing so many places I was absolutely exhausted and overwhelmed (and a bit overtired from a busy week). Luckily after getting a good nights sleep Drew and I had clearer heads and decided on a place to live! We are very excited and I cannot tell you how much of a relief it is to found a place! Again, no photos (hangs head in shame), but maybe we'll get some next time we visit. So that's all the news I've got, but its pretty big news to us. Hopefully if all goes well this week we'll be able to cross "housing" off the to do list!

Very Thankful Thursday

2010-03-24T20:47:00.005-05:00

This Thursday we have a lot to be thankful for! I cannot tell you how incredibly thankful we are for matching, and for matching exactly where we did. We truly feel like we beat the odds matching in neurosurgery coming from a school that didn't even have a residency program. We just feel so fortunate.

We do know some people that didn't match, and it broke our hearts, as they are great people. We can only hope that their new paths will end up better than expected, but there is no doubt that they are having a challenging time accepting the unexpected. Unfortunately with "match," crap happens. Every year there is always at least one, if not several unexpected results. (And I swear I am not trying to scare any of you), but there is always a qualified applicant who for some reason doesn't match, or there is some rock star candidate who matches at their #9 even though everyone thought she was going to her #1. It just happens. I am not trying to scare anyone, just reminding you that no matter how certain something may seem, there is no certainty, in medicine, or in the match. So if you can, let go and accept it for what it is. Out of your control.

For Drew and I it meant a lot of praying, both in deciding his specialty and in applying and ranking our programs. Most importantly though, is how we prayed. We didn't pray for program X, or to be in state K. We prayed that God's will would be done, and that we could accept whatever that would be. And therefore we truly are at peace (and excited) about where we are headed. We feel that we are going exactly where we are meant to go. (Hopefully I will still feel that way in seven years!). And my motto: expect the worst, hope for the best.

And finally, for those of you who are third years, or married to third years. The anticipation of match is much worse than the actual thing. Last year, the night before match, Drew and I couldn't sleep, we were horrified that next year it would be our year. But oddly enough we actually were able to get some sleep the night before match day this year. So as scared as you are now, really it only gets better, because with time you learn to accept the uncertainty and all the possibilities. And also, it flies by! Before you know it you will be looking back and wondering where your fourth year of medical school went!

And being thankful for matching, here are a few more photos from last week.

After we found out the news we made calls to our family and friends to share the good news.

Drew with my fabulous sister and my awesome nephews

Wearing our awesome t-shirts! Thanks again Lindsay!

The soon-to-be doctor and me

Taking shots with my girls Lindsay and Shannon

At the beginning of the bar crawl

We are so thankful, I cannot tell you how blessed we feel.

Out of sorts

2010-03-22T20:49:00.002-05:00

Ever since match day I've lost our routine and I just feel out of sorts. I've been eating junk food, not working out, and not being very productive. Don't get me wrong I had a great time with family and friends Thursday thru Saturday, but I haven't been able to get back into a routine even after our guests left.
It was nice to at least go to work today to get back to some sense of normalcy. I spent hours in front of the computer this weekend researching our future home and all the various neighborhoods. I've been house/condo/apartment hunting and I just haven't been able to stop. It's horrible. Although we finally know where we are going, I still feel like I have absolutely no control over my life. I think that is why I am trying to get something figured out or settled. We are going this weekend to explore and checkout our new location, so I am definitely looking forward to that. But I do need to figure out how to get back into a routine again, otherwise I am going to be 300 pounds, out of shape, and have a messy messy apartment and no clean clothes! But seriously, I still feel very disoriented and can't totally wrap my head around all the changes that are ahead of us.
Thank you all for the congratulations, and I am sorry I kept you in suspense for so long!

Match Day!

2010-03-20T16:01:00.004-05:00

The past two/three days have been a very busy blur! Our families came in town Wednesday night and we the festivities began with dinner at a local pizzeria.
I was able to get a little bit of sleep Wednesday night because I was too busy worrying about where I had misplaced an SD card to think about the next day (I still haven't found that SD card). Thursday morning began with morning mass with all our guests, followed by breakfast and mimosas at our apartment. At around 10:35 Drew, his dad, my dad and his cousin all headed over to pick up the "match day envelope." The rest of us headed over to a local restaurant. We didn't participate in the school's match day event because it only allowed each student to bring two guests (which wouldn't have allowed Drew to bring both me and his parents).

When we got to the restaurant we made sure we had a few people on speaker phone and then we opened the envelope!

As you can see we were surprised! Drew was hoping for anything his top 12, I was hoping for anything in our top six. I really thought we'd match either with our 1 or with our 5, so I was stunned when we matched with our #4. For some reason no one in either of our families thought that was where we were headed, but being that it was in our top six I was ecstatic!

Once it all set in I did a lot of crying; tears of joy, of course! I know a lot of you would like to know where we are going but because medicine is such a small world I'd rather not post to the Internet and the entire world where we will be going. But I will say that we are staying within the Midwest. For those of you who comment often and may be in the area you can email me your guesses and I may just tell you if we are in the same vicinity.

The rest of the day was spent celebrating and after going out to dinner we took part in the medical school bar crawl. Lindsay (Drew's cousin's wife) made these awesome shirts for all of us to wear! They were quite a hit. (And on the back she wrote where Drew matched).

The last of our family left this morning. I still am in shock and am excited, but not quite sure where to begin with all the changes that will be coming!

2010-03-15T13:37:00.002-05:00

Cost of 2 new suits = $600.00

Cost to interview at 16 programs = $5,012.98

Getting the email that says "Congratulations you matched!" = PRICELESS!

Praise God for the good news! We went out to lunch to celebrate! My stomach is in knots and I'm not sure if its from the greasy lunch or from worrying all morning! Thank you all for the encouraging comments this morning! Now we just have to wait until Thursday to find out where! I'm still in a little bit of shock!

It's Black Monday

2010-03-15T08:34:00.001-05:00

Today we find out IF Drew matched.....

I won!

2010-03-10T22:02:00.001-06:00

Not a contest, and not the lottery, but the case I argued in front of the appellate court back in July! I represented the appellants meaning we were trying to get the case overturned, and the Appellate Court finally came back with a ruling.... in my client's favor! I am still in a bit of shock as it was an administrative case, which rarely gets overturned on any level of appeal, and also because I had figured we had lost since the Court was taking so long to write their decision!
I'm so excited, it is such a great feeling. Just another reason I love litigation, although it takes a lot of patience and time, there is nothing like winning a motion or a case!

And the Countdown Continues

2010-03-08T20:39:00.003-06:00

... the Countdown to match day that is! Its 7 days until we find out if he matched and (then if he matched) 10 days until we find out where (hopefully)!

And fortunately things have really picked up around here. Work has been very busy, and there is a lot to get done. Especially considering I am hoping to take next Thursday and Friday off because our families will be in town for match day.

This past weekend we were out of town to see Drew's college friends and also celebrate his Dad's Birthday so nothing got done around here. So I am looking at a little over a week to get my match day goals done... and get ready for company!

But I have gotten the first two things done of my list. The pantry was cleaned out and organized! Although I cannot take credit for that - Drew did it. But I did go through my entire closet and clean it out.

Here it is before:

And after:

And here are some of the clothes and shoes that I will be donating (plus 2 suits and 2 dresses)

So I've definitely been staying busy, and the time is actually going by quite quickly. I am shocked at the fact that I don't seem to be too nervous or antsy yet. This is very unlike me considering I am the biggest worrywart ever! But I'm not complaining, in fact I am so grateful that I am doing so well with this waiting game!

But, because I am so busy, and because I still have so much to do and work is so busy, I might not be blogging as much. So I apologize in advance for my lack of presence on the blogosphere. So you know, it's nothing personal if I'm not reading/commenting on your blogs right now, its just that I have a lot on my plate! I hope you understand, its just that blogging is a hobby, and I cannot let it get in the way of my responsibilities and priorities right now.

2010-03-02T22:12:00.002-06:00

Dear Blogger,

You suck.

(I spent about 2 hours writing more answers to your questions and the sneaky thing told me it was saving... and it wasn't. Although I wasn't logged into the right gmail address... but still... grrr!)

Bloggy Love

2010-03-01T18:18:00.016-06:00

Okay so I am a little slow on responding, but better late than never.

Fantastic Stephanie also known as Army Wife on a Mission was so kind as to give an award!

Just Because award. No Strings Attached...

All you do:

* accept award.

*post it on your blog

*Link it back to the person

*pass it on if you'd like...

It's Just Because...

And I'll pass this one along to:

AMS of Surviving Long Distance Love

Katherine Anne of Medical School Mrs

Elle at Completely Preppy

Ms. Pretty at Pretty Woman and Classy too

Gucci Mama at Mama still wears Gucci

Courtney at Starting Out

Dede at Weathering the Storms

***************************************

Then awesome Elle, from Completely Preppy gave me this Happy 101 award!

You're supposed to list 10 things that make you happy and try to do at least one of them today. My ten things:

Spending time with my husband
Spending time with my family
Spendng time with my friends
Sunshine
Running/walking/biking outside
Sunbathing/relaxing in the sun
Babies/kids (spending time with them)
Eating icecream
Baking/cooking
Crafting

I'll pass this one on to:

Happy Dash of Happy Day World

Mrs. D at Life of a Doctor's Wife

Little Miss Dreamer at the Soon to be Mrs. C

Mrs. Stoneking at Meet the Stonekings

Jenny at Life of a Med Student

*************************************************

Then the very funny Mrs. D of Life of a Doctor's wife and me the Beautiful Blogger Award!

And I'd like to pass this one on to:

Stephanie at Army Wife on a Mission

Jennifer at Pour l'Amour de

Kelly at the Startup Wife

Jessica at Acting Adult

Kristin at the Waiting Game

**********************************************

And from the sweet Happy Dash of Happy Day World I got this one:

"This award means you're really going places, Baby. You'll still be blogging about your great adventures 10 years from now, and I'll still be reading them."
The Rules:
* Link back to the blogger who sent you this award
* Post where you would like to be in 10 years
* Pass it on to 10 other special bloggers!

In ten years, I hope that Drew is finished with his residency and fellowship training (probably only by a year or two), and that he will finally be an attending. I hope that are both in good healthy and that we have at least two beautiful healthy children. I hope we own a home and our on our way to paying of his medical school loans. Hopefully that's where we'll be in 10 years, I don't think that's too much to hope for?

I'd like to pass this award on to:

Alyssa at Bloggin2Noggin

Kelsey Claire at Lavendar, Leopard and Lace

Ashley at As a Matter of Opinion

Law School Wife at Life of a Law School Wife

Kelly Marie of Confessions of a Law School Dropout

Katie at Loyal, Loving and Learning

SHP at Our 3 Ring Circus

Julie at Brown Eyed Belle

Stacie at the Famous Stacie

B Sparkly

Sorry this wasn't a very exciting post, but its something I'd been putting off for a while, so it was about time I got to it! I hope you get a chance to check out these great blogs!

Waiting

2010-02-26T10:29:00.001-06:00

is not my strong suit. I'm actually incredibly impatient. So here we are three weeks, or 20 days out from match day. And there isn't much to do but wait.

Speaking of waiting, I've also been waiting on the court to rule on a Summary Decision that was filed this past summer, as well as the appellate court to make a decision on a case that I appealed last July. The legal system moves quite slowly. The wait time on the summary decision isn't too much of a surprise because it is an administrative case (meaning its before an administrative law judge rather than in a regular court of law), and we were told that they wouldn't get to the decision before January. But as far as the appeal, it is somewhat frustrating because the average decision time in the appellate court is 6 weeks. Unfortunately its been seven months and still no decision. Which probably isn't a good sign, but there isn't much I can do but wait.

Which brings me back to my original topic, waiting for match day. Its a somewhat awkward period because interviews are over, but you cannot start planning for your future because you don't know what or where you are planning for. Rather than drive myself crazy I've decided to set a few goals for myself to keep myself distracted. Not like I am bored, but my life could use a bit more productiveness. And since I'm not always good at follow through I figured I'd blog about a few of my goals to keep myself somewhat accountable. And I must confess, some of these things have been on my "to-do list" for a long time. So in the three weeks, or 20 days, however you want to count it, I'd like accomplish the following:

Clean out/organize the pantry (it is totally disorganized right now)
Clean out my closet and donate items to Good Will (I have too many clothes that I never wear).
Clean off my desk and "desk area." I'm embarrassed to say that I have a several stacks about a foot high of mail, paperwork, bills and filing that need to be organized, filed or shredded. And even more embarrassing is that there are piles around and underneath my desk as well. Photo courtesy of: http://www.greenberg-art.com/.Illustrations/.Humorous/MessyDesk.html
Organize pictures and put them in frames. (This is somewhat related to my desk issue as I have a huge basket of pictures and frames that need to be updated and organized)
Scrapbook Drew's whole match experience (I made him take pictures at each location).
Lose those 5 or so Thanksgiving-Christmas-Vacation Pounds

I'm hoping that by blogging about these goals, I might actually follow-through with (at least some of) them? Well here is to hoping I have a very productive 3 weeks/20 days and that they pass by quickly!

Thankful Thursday - February 24

2010-02-24T20:16:00.006-06:00

This Thursday I am thankful for the days getting longer! I am not particularly a fan of winter, and I am ready for spring to be here already!

Photo courtesy of Kitchtography at photobucket,

Sunshine on a winter day makes the cold a little more bearable. I appreciate the extra bit of sunlight we get as the days are gradually getting longer. Leaving work when there is still a sliver of sunshine is like a reminder and promise that spring will come.

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

Make sure to link to your actual POST and not just your blog! Thank you in advance for sharing your stories! Thanks in advance for playing along!

Answers - Part One

2010-02-23T20:17:00.005-06:00

Okay so as promised here are a few of the questions that were asked:

Q: My question to you, without getting too specific, is are you guys likely going to have to relocate very far for residency? I'm curious because we lucked out in the sense that there are more residencies in the NYC metro area than in some entire states, so our move will only be a matter of a few miles, and I know that is not the case for many residents and their families across the country. How will this affect your career?
A: One thing I had no clue going into this process was just how little control I would have over my future. I am a total control freak that absolutely hates change! I seriously went off to college because I knew all of my friends were leaving and I didn't want to be left behind, but I was scared to death to go. And then when college was over I think what made my decision to go to law school so easy was that I was scared to enter the real world - I figured law school would be an extension of college (boy was I wrong!).
Anyways, when I married Drew I knew I would have to follow him to medical school but I figured that once he was done we would get to "pick" where we wanted to live. Unfortunately with applying to residency, certain specialties aren't located everywhere, and then there is the whole matching process that really takes things out of your control. Although I was weary (probably an understatement) to move to Springfield, Illinois, I have really grown to love it here. Unfortunately due to Drew's chosen specialty, the only way we will stay here is if he doesn't match in neurosurgery. There is no neurosurgery residency program here, and in fact there are only about 100 programs in the entire country. Then when you factor in the fact that it is a highly competitive specialty, you really have to prepare to go anywhere you can match. I try not to think to much about leaving my job because I absolutely love it and the people in my office. I also am still worried about matching, so until we get word on March 15th saying that Drew matched in neurosurgery, I won't make any career plans. If, heaven forbid, he doesn't match, we would stay here and figure things out for a year. If there was a neurosurgery program here, we would absolutely considering staying.
Also as an attorney I am only licensed in the state of Illinois, which means if we match anywhere outside of Illinois, I will have to take another bar exam. Another thing I am choosing not to think or stress about, I will deal with that after March 15th.
No I do not want to leave my current job, and I do not want to take another bar exam, but ultimately we put a lot of thought and prayer into Drew's decision to pursue neurosurgery and I feel like it is his calling. Therefore I feel like God already has the next steps in our journey planned for us, I can only hope that that plan includes a new job for me that I enjoy half as much as my current one.

Q: I was wondering if you knew of any great blogs or resources for med students husbands? I can't imagine the preppy boyfriend dropping by one of ya'lls blogs, but I do think that it would do him good to hear some of what other people go through... like for instance, he doesn't believe me when I say that during the clinical and residency years, it is entirely possible that I will spend 24-36 hours continuous at the hospital.
A: I did spend some time searching last night and unfortunately I couldn't find the blog of a male medical spouse. I do think you will spend 24-36 consecutive hours at the hospital, but most of the time that will be because you are on-call for the night and therefore you will have some advance notice of when it is going to happen. The good news is that a lot of programs have what is called "post call" so that when you worked all day, and were on call all that night, you get to leave the hospital by a certain time the next morning (usually by noon). Your hours will greatly vary by your specialty and by your med school and residency program. A good resource to check out is FREIDA program search. Programs fill out surveys yearly and one of the questions pertains to the maximum amount of consecutive hours on duty. Another resource for him to check out is the International Spouse Network, although most of the members are female, there are some male spouses as well. It is a good resource to ask questions, and also a place where medical spouses can chat with other spouses who actually understand the stress and time constraints a medical career can have on a family. (I say that because the average person thinks a doctor's life is cushy because they are "rich," they don't always realize the time commitment involved).

Q: My question is if your costs counter for applying for residency are accurate? Currently it is at $900 and I have been told by some fourth years at our school to save up $10,000 to be on the safe side. I am sure that it may be more expensive for us since there are no programs my husband (or most students) are even interested in in our state but I was just curious since there is such a discrepancy and I have seen you mention how expensive it has been.
A: No that amount was not correct. We got so busy with interviews that I didn't keep up with my tally of expenses, but now my costs should be up to date. Applying to residency can be between $1,000 and $15,0000 depending on how many programs you apply to, how many you interview with and where the interviews are at. We were lucky in that although he took 16 interviews (he applied to 42 programs and was offered 23 interviews) he was able to drive to 10 of the interviews (he probably should have flown to one of those though). We also saved a lot of money with having him stay with friends and family whenever possible. Some locations (such as Dallas) were also a lot more affordable to fly in and out of. My expenses do not include the cost of any meals or snacks and I may have missed a few baggage fees in my calculation.
Here is a brief breakdown of our costs:

ERAS Fees: $655.00 (to apply to 42 programs).
Interviews: $4,307.98 (Hotels, plane, car rental, gas, airport parking for 16 interviews)
NRMP Fee: $50
Total = $5,012.98

Although that is a lot of money I still think it is on the low end. The two most expensive interviews were $811.62 and $717.16. One of our interviews was "free" in the sense that Drew didn't have to spend any gas money because he was already in town from an interview in the same city the day before, and he stayed with family so there was no hotel bill. Two programs also covered the hotel cost and he stayed with family/friends for five of the interviews. I have spoken with two other wives who applied in ortho (another competitive surgery) and their spouses did 18-22 interviews and their costs were closer to $10,000 and $15,000 (I know one of them said the cost to change two flights was very expensive!).

I apologize as my answers were longer than expected but hopefully they were helpful to someone! I still have more to answer but I figure that was more than enough for one blog post!

2010-02-22T21:26:00.003-06:00

So to update on last week's "laundry incident" . . . I was able to quickly throw my shirt in the washer again and it appears that most of the pink is gone. So the shirt was saved, and I can now laugh at the humor in the situation. I guess what really irked me is that I know my husband knows how to do the laundry, and normally he is a very detail oriented person, who would freak out if I wasn't careful with his clothes. But it was a mistake, and I'm over it, and my husband has forgiven me for my mean outburst as well.

And to follow-up on that expensive shower cleaner my husband purchased . . . well that "power sprayer" that provides a continuous stream of cleaner so that you don't have to exhaust your finger pushing the trigger . . . well go figure, it makes you go through the cleaner a lot faster! The bottle is already empty. It was a genius marketing plan, not only is it more expensive, it also makes you consume more product!

And if you have a moment, make sure you go checkout Mrs. Stoneking's blog for a super nice giveaway!

Rank Order List

2010-02-21T20:40:00.004-06:00

Well, Drew and I have made several lists for the past several months. And I think we finally have our final, rank order list! We sat down today with my parents and Drew's Mom over lunch to discuss our final list. (Drew's Dad was supposed to join us but it a busy season at work so even though he had someone to cover his shift he was still called in to work all day.) Below is a photo of all of us after lunch.

We basically went through the list and discussed the pros and cons of each program and went over why we ranked each program in each spot. It turns out we were actually much more confident in our list than we thought. We didn't end up changing anything, after discussing it with them and it just confirmed that we had done as much researching, thinking, praying and discussing as possible. I don't think we could be any more prepared. So I think our list is final!
Drew certified it tonight and we plan to forget about it (or at least try to). Technically you can certify your rank list as many times as you wish, and the NMRP just uses the last list you certifiy. That way people can certify it and still change their mind and recertify it. But we plan to just leave our list as is and not touch it (even though the deadline is not until Wednesday night). Our fear is that if we do any changing of the order at this point it will be a rash decision which we will later regret.

It feels good to have our list finalized. I feel like I can exhale a bit!

I intend to get to some of your questions this week! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Confession

2010-02-18T21:19:00.003-06:00

So I have a little confession. I had a small meltdown/spaz/freak-out on my husband tonight. And in my defense I am very tired, and I had an odd day at work.

Many of you may sympathize with the fact that when you ask (some) men to help out around the house, sometimes you just have to bite your tongue. Like when I sent Drew shopping a few weeks ago. Sometimes they just don’t do it exactly how you would, but like I said, you have to bite your tongue, because they are helping out. And if you complain when they are trying to help, they aren’t going offer to help anymore!

Drew was just about to leave for what his school calls senior night, but its not what you think, because every Thursday is "senior night." It's basically just going to a different bar every Thursday. And like I said, I am tired, so I had already decided I wasn’t going to go along.

As he was walking out the door I noticed that the last two loads of laundry were no longer on the floor in the living room. I realized Drew must have been so sweet to do them. And my first thought was, I hope he separated my cream shirt from the darks. I run the washer and open it to find my BRAND NEW beautiful cream Anne Tayor loft shirt in with my red, purple and blue tops.

The beautiful cream top was PINK! I was fuming! I immediately start screaming.

"Get out! Get out of here right now!" I tell him. I knew I was about to blow.
Instead of taking my cue to leave Drew comes up and starts to apologize and tries to hug me.
I was so angry, I continue to scream, "You want to be a brain surgeon and you cannot even figure out how to separate the whites from the darks?!"

Needless to say, it was not one of my finest moments. He eventually did leave and gave me a few minutes to calm down. He called to apologize again, and don’t worry I apologized for my horrible behavior!

I think it might be a good idea for me to get to bed early tonight!

Thankful Thursday - Feb 18, 2010

2010-02-17T20:11:00.004-06:00

Is it really Thursday already? This Thursday I am thankful for our parents. Drew and I are so incredibly lucky to have the most loving, supportive and wonderful parents.
I feel so fortunate to be blessed with such great in-laws. They have always treated my like I was their own daughter, and they make me feel like I have always been a part of their family. They are there for us for whatever we may need, whether it be that Drew is stranded with a flat tire and he needs them to come bring him a tire iron, or if we need to be moved on the hottest day of the year (it just so happens they moved us on both the hottest day of the summer and the coldest day of the winter). I love them not only for all that they are, but also for what they aren't. They are never overbearing, bossy, intrusive, judgmental or negative. They are only supportive and loving in everything they do.

I am also thankful for my parents. They too are incredibly supportive and loving to both Drew and I. They too are always willing to help us out or come to our rescue. They encourage us in our endeavors and support our dreams. They always lend a listening ear, and give us an honest an opinion when we seek advice. There isn't anything they wouldn't do for us.

Drew and I are so fortunate to both have parents who have set amazing examples for us in our marriage. Through their marriages they have shown us selflessness, sacrifice and unconditional love.

Even though we are grown adults, and have been long out of the house they still take pity on us and let us tag along on their vacations. They make sure we are well fed any time we go home to visit, and always offer any help we may need.

Our parents are a big reason I feel comfortable with all the potential upcoming change. I know both our mothers will seriously, drop everything to help us in anything we may need, whether it be with finding housing, cleaning, shopping or packing/unpacking. I know our parents will make any potential changes as smooth as all possible.

Although our parents would never tell us how to live our lives, we do value their opinions and their life experience. Which is why we will be sitting down with them again this weekend, one last time, to review our rank list before our final submission. I know most couples would never dream of asking their parents for help, in fear of getting just too much advice, but in our case, our parents input will help us feel as comfortable as possible in making our final decisions. I just don't know what we would do without are amazing parents.

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

Make sure to link to your actual POST and not just your blog! Thank you in advance for sharing your stories! Thanks in advance for playing along!

I won!

2010-02-15T19:43:00.009-06:00

So being the overly involved wife that I am, I periodically check up on the website and chatboards for neurosurgery. The doctor that has created the Handbook for Neurosurgery, also known as the "Neurosurgeon's bible" is coming out with a new edition. To further explain this book, it is something that every neurosurgery resident owns! It was the book that Drew read every night (for as long as he could keep his eyes open) when he was on his away rotations. And now Drew is trying to read it cover to cover in preparation for residency.
So today I was checking out the neurosurgery website and saw that the author, Dr. Greenberg is having a contest to promote the newest edition. I decided to sign up to follow his blog so that I could follow the giveaway. This afternoon I got an email asking if my husband was hoping to go into neurosurgery. I quickly replied explaining that he is hoping to match in neurosurgery next month. Then when I got home from work tonight I got an email from him offering me a copy of the latest edition! Needless to say, I am so excited! The book is still in print, but I will get a copy as soon as it comes out! Being that we just spent all our money on interviews, we didn't think we would be able to afford the book right away, but now we don't have to worry about it - he will have the latest edition just in time to start residency! I know I am a dork, but I was just so excited I had to share!

Q&A Session

2010-02-14T21:54:00.003-06:00

There are several reasons I started this blog, and one of them was because I really felt like as a medical student spouse I was somewhat in the dark as to what medical school and medical training would involve. And I cannot even blame this on my husband, because honestly he didn't know what we were really in for either. I feel like most premed students don't even understand what the process involves, all they know is that they want to be a doctor. So one of the many reasons I started this blog was to give some insight into our lives as a medical school couple, and to shed some light on the whole process. As many people have generously offered their advice to Drew and I, I would like to do the same for others.

Although I am always open to questions, I wanted to take an opportunity to specifically invite you to ask me any questions you may have. Either leave them in the comments, or email me at marriedtoamedicalstudent (at) gmail (dot) com. I'll try and address the questions next week (if anyone has any). I'd also like to encourage you to say hello, if you are a lurker. One of my favorite things about blogging is meeting new people and reading new blogs!

I hope you all had a fabulous Valentines Day!

Counting down, Anxiety update, and a giveaway to check out!

2010-02-11T21:24:00.005-06:00

Today, Drew had his FINAL interview! Wooooo hooo! Thank goodness they are over because we seriously cannot afford one more! It also means that we can start to seriously put together our rank list! Rank lists must be submitted by midnight on February 24th!
Today is also five weeks, or 35 days (or however you look at it) from Match Day!

And I wanted to write that in the last two weeks I really have felt a great amount of peace. The anxiety has almost magically subsided and my stomach issues have calmed as well! I'm also starting to get excited about Match day instead of terrified and anxious. I can't exactly point to what has caused this change but I think I can contribute some of it to writing down all my fears, and perhaps some of it to yoga, and of course the power of prayer. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me a sense of peace and serenity knowing that He has a plan, and He will take care of us! Now I am just hoping this calmness remains for the next 5 weeks!

And last, but not least, Bloggy Blog Designz is doing it all over again! They are giving away blog designs and all kinds of goodies. Plus ALL entrants will receive 15% off their purchase! Be sure to check out their website (www.BloggyBlogDesignz.com) for more information, or to enter yourself. The giveaway will close on Feb 14 at midnight.

Thankful Thursday - February 11, 2010

2010-02-10T20:16:00.005-06:00

In honor of the upcoming Hallmark Holiday, this Thursday I am thankful for my sweet, sweet Valentine!

Of course, I'm always thankful for my sweetie, but this week, I'll explain a few reasons why. Hopefully I won't bore you or cause you to be nauseated.
Drew is always calm, cool and collected. He is laid back and almost never worries. When I am a complete nervous wreck, somehow just his presence will ease my nerves. He manages to balance out my natural tendency to be a high strung, worrying, control-freak. Somehow with him by my side the largest challenges, or biggest unknowns, seem manageable. Drew is also extremely motivated. Sometimes he's stubborn, but for the most part it is a good thing. He loves a challenge, and is constantly pushing himself to conquer something new, accomplish more, or improve something. Being married to him inspires me to try and do the same. I've been willing to try new things and expand outside my comfort zone since he has been in my life.
Another one of my favorite things about Drew is how selfless he is. When friends or family need help and its something I cannot do, he never minds when I volunteer his help. Even when he doesn't have the time, he manages to lend a helping hand. Never once has he ever gotten upset for all the times I commit him to help without asking him first. And he is also a good sport - like when I dressed him up as the cookie monster for Halloween this year....
Drew is also absolutely wonderful with children. I think it's his fun-loving, silly nature and the fact that he will always be a kid at heart (much like his Father). It just warms my heart when I watch him throw the football, play video games or roughhouse with my nephews. I have no doubt he will be a wonderful father some day!

And I could go on and on about all the reasons why I am thankful for my husband, the love of my life, but I think that is more than enough for one post!

What are you Thankful for this Thursday?

Make sure to link to your actual POST and not just your blog! Thank you in advance for sharing your stories!

Travel Troubles Part III

2010-02-09T21:40:00.000-06:00

Okay so I am little slow with getting to hopefully, my third and final travel troubles post. If you missed the first two parts, click here for Part I, and click here for Part II. They are somewhat necessary to understand our frustrations... because I don't think individually they would be that horrible, but considering that they happened three straight weekends in a row was just too much. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

And also not that I am superstitious, but I also feel the need to post this so that the travel troubles chapter can be complete and closed, knock on wood we've had good luck for almost two weeks now!

So two weeks after our little ice incident (run in with the big bad barricade), Drew and I were heading to church. It was a particularly cold morning. We were about a half of a mile from our house when we began to hear some pounding or thudding. Drew pulled over, knowing exactly what he thought the sound was. Thinking it was coming from the passenger side of the car I jump out and see nothing - so I tell Drew it's not a flat tire. He quickly gets out to check the other side. Sure enough, a flat tire.

After a few expletive's, Drew pulls over into the nearest parking lot to change the tire. It was a frigid six degrees out! So my poor husband spent a half hour trying to change the tire in his nice church clothes.

The poor guy only had his dressy leather gloves so he had to try and use mine (which were of course destroyed). The first few bolts came off easily, but Drew struggled with the last one. Meanwhile I was either sitting in the warm car, or running around outside taking pictures on his Iphone (hence the pictures) and trying to laugh at the situation. It was so cold he even had to get back in the car a few times to try and warm up. He was also working so hard to get the last bolt off that he broke out in a sweat! (The bolts were particularly tight because they were put on with an air wrench by the tire shop).
(Note the dangling mirror in the picture below)
We eventually did arrive at church about 35 minutes late. So next time you see someone walk in extremely late to church, don't judge. Maybe they had to change an extremely stubborn tire in the six degree cold!

So after church Drew and I decided to head to Target to run a few errands. During the car ride we called our parents to tell them about the whole flat tire (and complain about our terrible luck), and in my head I was thinking: Good things and bad things happen in threes. First we slid on the ice in my car and crashed into a barricade (#1); then we got the flat tire (#2); I wonder what number three will be....

And I kid you not, suddenly there was a LOUD BOOM. We were rear ended. I could hardly believe it. The funny thing was the guy gets out of his car and after he asks if we are okay the next thing he says is "Ya, know you have a low tire." (Because we were driving on a donut). Luckily no one was hurt, and there was nothing more than a scratch on our car. The sound of the impact was much louder and larger than the actual impact. But the noise itself simply startled and stunned us all.

And so I think that was our third and hopefully final bad incident involving my car. And hopefully that forever wraps up my travel trouble series.

Thank you to those of you who played along with Thankful Thursday last week - I'm going to continue it hoping we can get more an more people to participate.

Winter Ball 2010

2010-02-08T21:16:00.004-06:00

Saturday night was the Medical School Winter Ball, also known more fondly as "Med School Prom" by the medical students. I spent the afternoon trying to figure out what to wear. Money is tight and I didn't want to have to buy anything. I tried on all my dresses and couldn't decide what to wear. When Drew came home from the hospital and told me he wanted to wear his khaki suit, it helped me decide on this dress:

I have to apologize for the picture quality as I brought my old camera. Considering there was going to be drinking and dancing, I didn't think bringing my Nikon was a good idea! And although there was some great music played, Drew and I didn't dance to one single song. Although I normally love to dance, we were so busy talking and catching up with everyone we never even made it to the dance floor. It was sooo nice to catch up with all of Drew's med school friends. Here are some more photos from the night.
Below are some gorgeous soon to be doctors with Dr. Constance, the Dean of Student Affairs
Some of Drew's closest friends
The fabulous favors!
The Class of 2010. I can hardly believe these crazy kids are going to be caring for patients as doctors in six months!
A ladies picture

And an action series (the beginning of the somersault......)
And the successful landing

And last but not least, one more picture of my medical student and me.

The night was wonderful, but I must say it was hard not to get too sentimental as I realized it was our last med school prom. I can hardly believe we are starting to begin the "end" of this portion of our journey. This is the first of many "lasts" in the upcoming months.

Fabulous and Exhausting weekend

2010-02-07T21:27:00.003-06:00

We had a wooonderful weekend! Friday night I spent laying around trying to rest up and fight off my lingering cold. Saturday I went in to work in the morning and then tried on just about every dress in my closet trying to get ready for the Winter Ball. We had a blast and I hope to post pictures tomorrow. And then today we went to church, ran some errands, tried to tidy up around the house and then headed to a super bowl party. It was a great weekend of catching up with Drew's medical school friends - we've been really out of the loop with our busy schedules. I'm exhausted and need to get some rest to be ready for another busy Monday at work, but hopefully I have pictures and details about winter ball posted tomorrow night. Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Thankful Thursday February 4, 2010

2010-02-03T22:20:00.000-06:00

This Thursday, I am Thankful for our upcoming, weekend at HOME! Although Drew will likely have to go in (to the Hospital) on Saturday and Sunday (for cardiology) he should still be home each evening! We have an exciting weekend planned. Saturday night is Winter Ball (a.k.a. Med School Prom) and then Sunday we are heading over to a friends house for a big Superbowl party! I better start thinking about what I am going to wear for Winter Ball and what I am going to bring to the party!

What are you Thankful for this Thursday?

Make sure to link to your actual POST and not just your blog! Thank you in advance for sharing your stories!

The sound of joy

2010-02-02T21:08:00.009-06:00

. . . . is a child's laughter.

Here is a video from playing with my nephew Gaston this past weekend. I absolutely love his laugh. I wish I could bottle it. It is just so precious!

And one more (its only a few seconds) but it is funny because I usually have to hide the camera when I am filming because if he sees it he stops playing and asks to see the "bebe" (he's French) on the camera - he likes to see himself!

I absolutely adore this little guy!

P.S. I hope some of you will play along with my Thankful Thursday this week!

Three Great Giveaways!

2010-02-01T22:13:00.004-06:00

I just thought I'd share two great giveaways going on THIS week!

First, Julie at Color with Stiches is having a Meimei's little Designs giveaway! You can find entry details here!

And Secondly Mrs. MRS is having a giveaway on her blog. Check it out!

And last but not least, Jenny Mac's Giveaway

Check 'em out! And good luck!

My darling husband

2010-02-01T21:13:00.003-06:00

(God Bless him) is a sucker.

Now to give you a little background, I am a cheap-o. Big time. My Mother raised me to be a thrifty penny pincher. I go to the local beauty school to get my hair done, I buy things used if at all possible, I clip coupons, shop sales, and buy almost everything in generic.

Now my darling Drew, on the other hand, he is a name-brand-whore. He loves Perry Ellis dress clothes;image from: http://reviews.perryellis.com/product-reviews/Fragrances-Gifts/Women/Perfume/PED/p/40200176-NEW-Perry-Ellis-for-Women-EDP-3-4-oz.html

He loves his Cole Haan shoes with Nike Air;

image from: http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/catalog/product.jsp?catId=100&productId=314862&productGroup=314863

His Mom used to buy him Nexxus shampoo (I now buy him the generic);

image from: http://www.epinions.com/content_442853396100

and he loves his Starbucks;

image from: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/tag/cleveland-park/

Just to name a few of his name brand loyalties.

So it has taken me many, many, months since we have been married to get the man to bring home generic items when I send him shopping. And for the most part he has gotten better and no longer buys the most expensive brand of whatever we need. . . Most of the time.

So today I send my darling husband out to grocery shop. And one of the items on the list was "shower cleaner." Ya know the stuff you use everyday after you shower so that you don't have to scrub down your shower so much? So, usually we buy the refill because 1) its cheaper and 2) it minimizes garbage/waste.

Today Drew comes home with this:

image from: http://www.scrubbingbubbles.com/products.aspx?product=shower-cleaner-power-sprayer

This is scrubbing bubbles newest shower cleaning product. Apparently our previous shower cleaner was inadequate, so we needed to upgrade. This little product was $9. Yes, nine American dollars! And why you ask is this shower cleaner so expensive? Because it has a "power sprayer" that provides a continuous stream of cleaner. (So that you just hold down the trigger/sprayer once and it continues to spray, kind of like aerosol spray).

Seriously? What is wrong with a regular spray bottle? Why did we need a different spray bottle? Does this mean that we are too lazy to push the sprayer or trigger more than once? Come on, how difficult is it to lift your finger and press the spray bottle trigger?

I think my husband was the victim of product branding and new product production. I think we just paid for a fancy spray bottle. Why he didn't just buy the scrubbing bubbles refill (since he determined our previous shower cleaner was inadequate) is unknown to me.

Although I tease, I am very grateful that my husband is willing to go grocery shopping when he can.

Drew, you know I love you honey!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-01-27T21:21:00.006-06:00

2010 has seem to gotten off to a negative start for me. It somewhat feels like there is a dark cloud looming over my head. In the past three weeks I feel like I've been repeatedly hit with family and friends receiving bad news or undergoing hard times.
When I find myself in being negative, jealous or simply in self pity, I find that the best cure is counting my blessings. So I thought I would revive Thankful Thursdays.

This Thursday, I am thankful for unexpected blessings. Today when I went to get my new side view mirror put on my car (see this post for an explanation) I was pleasantly surprised when the total cost came out to be $90.00 cheaper than we expected! So instead of paying $341, we only had to pay $251.00 for a brand new side view mirror! And secondly, when I looked at one of our accounts, (my Dad invested the wedding money we got in the stock market), I found out that in the last couple of months, it has gone UP! The amount that it has gone up should allow us to help pay moving expenses (truck rental, gas etc.) for if and when we move! Money has been so tight lately with financing Drew's interviews. They say God always provides, and he truly does. I am so thankful for both of these unexpected blessings that will allow me to worry a little bit less about finances (at least for a little while!)

I'm so over it!

2010-01-26T20:59:00.005-06:00

This applying to residency and match process. Yep, I am over it! It has been exhausting and seriously has been non-stop since July. And I am not even the med student! July was studying for the boards. August/September/October - we were apart for away rotations. September he officially applied to residency programs. September/October/November - were filled with scheduling and organizing interviews. And as soon as Drew got home from his away rotations at the end of October, he started interviews right away. And the interviews have pretty much been every week since (with the exception of a two week break for Christmas).
Tonight I am waiting for Drew to get home from another interview. Thank goodness it is his second to last!

:Sigh of Relief:

This process. Has been. Exhausting.

The funny thing is that is that fourth year is supposed to be the easiest! And I guess academically (with the exception of his Away rotations) it has been the easiest year for Drew. But this whole match process has been much more time consuming than the actual academic portion of medical school. I've been so incredibly jealous of Drew friends that are applying to different specialties in which they didn't have to do away rotations; didn't have to take as many interviews; and are virtually positive where they are going to Match.

I am ready to be done organizing travel itineraries, and picking out suits and ties, and paying astronomical credit card bills for travel expenses. I am ready to have a routine, and have my husband in the same state with me for seven consecutive days. I am ready to stop wondering what our future will hold. I am ready for March 18th. Well maybe not... but as for this whole process, I'm over it! And you're probably over me talking about it! Thank God we only have one more left!

Travel Troubles Part II

2010-01-24T21:22:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I mentioned in my last post that we were driving home to Springfield so we could pack for our vacation. The next day we headed to warm Florida for a wonderful vacation with our families.

(Hopefully I can post pictures later this week)

It was our last day of vacation and exactly 7 days after our little ice accident that we got an email from Orbitz telling us that our flight to Charlotte, NC was cancelled. It was less than 24 hours prior to our departure and we suddenly had no idea how we were going to get home. We contacted Orbitz and they were able to connect us to US Airways. After giving them a little pressure, they were able to get us on another flight home, this time going through Philly.

So we got to the airport about 10:30 for our 12:30 flight on that Sunday morning (exactly 3 Sundays ago). We are walking down the terminal looking for our gate when I hear "your flight is going to be delayed until at least 5:00." I thought to myself, "man that sucks them." And then I looked to my right to see that the announcement was coming from our gate. We went and spoke to an agent and they said that they still expected us to make our connecting flight but that they would set us up a hotel in Philly and a flight out the next morning if for some reason were delayed longer than expected.

Surprise, the plane we were waiting on didn't even arrive until 5:20 and we didn't board the plane until 6:00 p.m. We arrived in Philly at 9:00 p.m. forty minutes after our flight home had taken off. When we asked about our luggage the airline agent told us that we could wait for our luggage but that it would be a while so we probably just wanted to head to the hotel. The hotel they were putting us up in was the Quality Inn. And they might be nice hotels (we've never stayed in one), but as Drew says "when the name Quality is in the name, it just raises red flags, kind of like when a place advertises clean beds."

So after exiting the plane we head to get our luggage. We had been in the airport all day and I just felt gross and I wanted to get some fresh clothes and all my stuff. We waited, and waited until all the luggage was on the conveyor belt, and our stuff was no wear to be seen. We decided to go talk to the airline agents in baggage. Turns out that their policy is to forward luggage on, so that it doesn't have to be checked again the next day. So instead of giving us our luggage, we were given toiletry bags. Awesome.

Next we headed in line to catch the shuttle to the Quality Inn. There were about 20 or so of us waiting for the van. At this point it was around 9:30 p.m., we were tired, and hungry. After waiting in the cold for about 10 minutes the van pulled up. The driver rolled down the passenger window to tell us he was already full, and that he would be back for a few more trips. Realizing that the hotel was 15 minutes away, and it would be 30 minutes before he came back, we started to consider other options. We were not looking forward to waiting 30 more minutes in the cold, only to fight other people for seats in the van. And we figured it would take additional time to check in, and it would probably be too late to find food.

While waiting in the cold we met a Canadian couple who were both medical residents. They called the Marriott that was attached to the airport via skywalk and found out that their AAA rate was only $90. The decision was easy. We were checked in and in our warm clean hotel ordering room service within 15 minutes. Who knows what time we would have gotten to bed if we waited for the shuttle.

The room was nice, but not much a view.

And trying to lighten the mood and laugh about the whole situation, I used my timer to get the picture below. If you cannot tell my husband did not find it entirely entertaining as he was incredibly exhausted.
Oh and although the toiletry bags the airlines gave us looked nice, they were pretty crappy. The toothpaste tasted like pure baking soda!

Being that the hotel was attached to the airport we figured that arriving at 6:00 would give us plenty of time for us to go through security for our 7:40 flight. We were very wrong. When we exited the hotel and entered the skywalk there was a line more than half way across the skywalk. That line was to get through security. And this was at 6:10 a.m. By the time we got through security it was about 7:20 a.m. and we weren't at the right terminal. We sprinted through the terminal to catch the shuttle. The shuttle driver called our gate but the agent didn't answer (he said that was a good sign because that meant they were still busy boarding). When he dropped us off we quickly started sprinting again, and of course our gate was at the end of the terminal. When we got there completely winded, huffing and puffing, we saw that it was not the correct gate. Sometime when we were going through security, they switched the gate. We had to run to another agent who told us the correct gate. We went running in the other direction toward the correct gate. When we got there the door was closed and we could see the airline agent walking away. We must have just missed her. According to Drew's watch it was exactly 8:30. And the worst part was that if we would have had the right gate we would have probably made it on time because we spent a whole 2-3 minutes running down the terminal to what we thought was our gate and then running back. Needless to say Drew and I were incredibly frustrated. Although we were extremely annoyed, we tried not to be too incredibly rude to the agent as we knew we needed her to get us on another flight. She claims she waited until 8:32 to close the door, but as Drew said "I guess we need to adjust our clocks."

Finally around 11:30 on Monday we did get on a Flight home. And we eventually made it home to sweet home Springfield late Monday afternoon..... about 30 hours later than we were originally scheduled to get home!

And the really ironic part is that last night (as I started writing this post) my husband had complete deja vous. He was traveling out of St. Louis for an interview and his first flight out was delayed over six hours! And then his connecting flight was cancelled. He was stranded in Atlanta and waiting in line until midnight to try and get a second connecting flight. He had to stay in a raunchy hotel and then woke up early this morning to try and get out on the first flight out, but it was full! He finally did get out on the second flight today, but again he arrived at his destination about 20 hours later than originally scheduled. Thank goodness this is a two day interview because he missed part of the first day today, but made it to dinner and will be there for tomorrows interview.

Travel Troubles Part I

2010-01-21T20:06:00.009-06:00

So I mentioned yesterday that we are taking a break from traveling. Or at least trying to. Well to be honest, part of that is because we have had quite the travel trouble in the past few weeks. And that may even be an understatement.

It all began on the day after Christmas. I wasn't feeling my best - as we had gone to the E.R. on Christmas day so that I could could get some antibiotics for my strep throat. We were heading from Drew's parents house back to Springfield, so that we could pack up and head out on vacation the next day. A few minutes into our drive we hit a patch of ice. Drew used his best driving skills to try an regain control of the car but we began to slide all over the place. Part of the problem was that we were on a road under construction. The left side of the road was barricaded off because of construction (the road dropped off drastically as they were preparing to put down new asphalt). And the right side of the road was a ditch.

I cannot recall the first part where we initially lost control, but I remember the back end of the car spinning forward as we nailed a construction barricade. And I am not talking the little barricades with the flashing lights, I am talking those large barricades. Like this:

Yeah. Next we bounced off the barricade and it spun us hood first into the ditch on the right side of the road. We weren't fully in the ditch as our back tires and trunk were still on the shoulder of the road. Fortunately, we were only about two miles from Drew's parent's house so he called his Dad to help push us out.

I was the lucky one who got to drive while they pushed. It was a bit frightening as I didn't have much room behind us (just the two lanes and then the construction), and the road was slick. I didn't want to accelerate (in reverse) too quickly (as I was afraid of spinning out of control, or running into the barricade again) but every time I took my foot off the accelerator the car fell forward toward my dear husband and father-in-law. Luckily after a few seconds, they had us pushed out of the ditch.

It could have been a lot worse. At least it was just a one car accident and we weren't harmed, just a little shaken up. Although I had planned to rest up during the ride home, I was took shaken up (and nervous) to sleep. We I counted a total of 10 cars in ditches on the ride home. After a long slow car ride, we eventually did make it home, safe and sound.

So I bet your wondering what the car looks like. I would have to say the barricade won.
It left some paint all along the side of the car;

It did a number on the passenger side of the car;

And it is incredibly embarrassing to drive it around.

Oh...and then the side view mirror.... Completely gone.

Classy. I know.

Yes, that is right, I am officially one of those people. One of those people you laugh at, and wonder what the brilliant person did to take off the mirror.
We had an estimate of the repair done. The good news is that the cost to replace the mirror is only $340; the bad news is that the cost to repair the mirror and the driver's side is $3,100. And the car has 142,000 miles on it, so we think the car insurance company will total the car if we make a claim. And the amount of money we would get wouldn't be enough to buy another car. So for now we are just going to have the mirror fixed, and possibly paint the car to prevent/minimize rust. And I will just continue to drive around like a hillbilly.

Stay tuned for Travel Troubles, Part II and III . . .

2010-01-20T20:46:00.006-06:00

First of all, I just wanted to say thank you for all the encouraging comments! Sometimes I need to hear those things from other people to help me believe that they are true. Like I said, it is truly a battle because I do know that everything will be just fine, I just struggle with the lack of control and all the unknown. Posting my feelings was theraputic and Tuesday and Wednesday were much better days. I also think that tums may be my new best friend.

I noticed this week that our apartment has been particularly organized and the running of our household has been so much smoother. It wasn't until I noticed this that I realized that it might have something to do with the fact that I've actually be home, the past two weekends. I had been on the road every weekend since October, and Drew hasn't been home a full weekend since July! It's amazing how much smoother the week can go when you have the weekend to do laundry, dishes, tidy up and organize. We've been used to getting home around 7:00 p.m. most nights and then having dinner and then trying to pack/unpack, do laundry, dishes and the household chores at night. And most of the time we are behind on these chores so we just can't manage to catch up! So it has been unusually nice to just be able to get ready for work or make a meal without having to do a load of laundry or clean the sink full of dishes first. I am already looking forward to another weekend home, and having Drew home for at least part of it.

Speaking of staying home on weekends we are somewhat on a travel boycott. Well at least I am. Drew has still had interviews so he hasn't been able to stay home. The poor guy is so used to staying on aerobeds, guest beds or hotel beds! Needless to say we are trying to cut down on travel and visiting friends and family for the next few months, just so that we relax at bit. To give you an idea we put 24,000 miles on my car last year. And I only live six miles from work and its less than 3 miles to Walmart! We travelled a lot in 2009 both for interviews and also to see family and friends. Its hard because my family in particular isn't the best with coming to visit. Which means that if I want to see them, we have to drive up north. It also doesn't help that almost all of our family and friends are located in the same area. Which means that we usually try to pack in visits to several different people in one weekend. And while it is so much fun to see everyone, it gets exhausting. And the sad part is I still don't see everyone I'd like to nearly as much as I'd like too! But ultimately, I realize that we are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives that we wish we could see more.

I don't know how long I'll be able to avoid traveling, just because its hard to pass up opportunities to see the people I love, but for now, I am enjoying the time at home!

This is me, like it or not

2010-01-18T13:56:00.003-06:00

I may have mentioned last month that I have started to notice the anxiety creep into my life. Shortly before Christmas I found myself struggling to stay asleep. I was so exhausted I could fall asleep but I would find myself waking up in the middle of the night unable to resume my slumber. My mind would race, my thoughts were uncontrollable and I found myself thinking about all I had to do. At the time I thought it was the stress of the holidays and making sure everything got done in time. Unfortunately I found that even after I had gotten everything taken care of, the problem didn't subside.

Fortunately, however, a few days after Christmas, Drew and I headed to Florida with our families for a relaxing vacation. While I was there my sleep issues disappeared (for the most part.) We did sit down with our parents one night to discuss the "rank order list." That night we put together a tentative list (except for the programs Drew has yet to visit). Our parents mostly listened to what we had to say and chimed in occasionally to point out things that we didn't realize or make comments based on their life experience. They wouldn't tell us where to rank any of the programs but they did give us some greater insight and made us feel more confident in our draft list (which will change because we still want to give the remaining programs full consideration).

Immediately following our discussion, I felt great; like a weight had been lifted. But then again, later that night, in the early morning hours I found myself wide awake, mind racing. I was wondering if I had made a mistake expressing my thoughts and feelings causing Drew to change or flip flop the order of certain programs. I began to think, what if my feelings cause us to match at the "wrong" program. Or what if we end up at a place and are miserable, all because I was advocating that program over another? I know I do want to be a part of the decision, as this is our life. But I am also horrified of Drew being unhappy in residency, and feeling like my opinions and contributions to the rank list are the reason for his misery. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure associated with helping in his decisions.

When I shared my sleep difficulties with others, someone suggested that I write down all my fears. They said something about writing or communicating your concerns can help both sides process the feelings and possibly help with the sleep problems. I put it off for a while because I guess didn't even know what I was scared of. All I knew was that I was terrified of this whole match thing. Eventually I did sit down and write out all my fears and worries. It made me realize that not only do I have a lot of worries, but also that I have worries about residency in general, and not just about specific programs. It also made me realize that while I have a worry about every program, I also have something I like about every program.

While writing things down has helped the sleep issues there is still an ongoing conflicting battle between by brain and my body. My brain and my heart, know and believe that everything will be just fine, but my body insists on manifesting signs of anxiety. And I hate it. I feel like a crazy woman. I do. It is horribly frustrating for me and those around me. My poor husband doesn't understand it, and feels helpless. I don’t understand either. I’m upset with myself for not being able to better handle these things. In quiet times, when I should be relaxing I find my heart begin to race, and my stomach will be in knots. I am doing all that I can by exercising, praying, and taking deep breaths, but it is still a struggle.

I am hoping by sharing my madness it will either help me accept my fears and worries (and somehow be therapeutic), or it will at least make someone else out there feel a little less crazy because they aren't the only one going through it.

2 months. And now, I am ready for it. I cannot handle the unknown much longer, it is literally wreaking havoc on my body. I realize I may not like what that envelope holds, but at least there will be something to face

2010-01-13T21:12:00.005-06:00

I can hardly believe we are almost half way through January! I feel like I am constantly saying, "I can't believe it's ______ already." I suppose I probably am. I figured it is about time I give a brief update on things going on in our life. And unfortunately I am too lazy to try and somehow incorporate these random facts into a cohesive post, so you are stuck with a bullet-point list for things I want to talk about.

Friday January 15th, Rank order lists open up, which means we can start to put together our official rank order list with the NRMP website. Another reminder that that match day is approaching.
Here is a good explanation on how the matching process works. (And how a candidate should rank programs).
Drew has completed 13 interviews.
Due to complications with school schedules we have had to cancel one interview this month and may have to cancel a second. He is currently in the process of totally rearranging his schedule so that he can keep a particular interview. His curriculum director is not very happy with him. But, unfortunately Drew didn't get to pick his interview dates and this whole interview process kind of effects the rest of his life. Kind of.
Drew has three more interviews scheduled, but he probably won't be able to take one of them because the curriculum director may just kill him if he does.
As a result of the above two mentioned bullet points, it looks like our rank order list will have 15 programs on it. Which is 3 shorter than we'd hoped for, but he has to graduate, so we'll just pray 15 is enough.
TODAY our last semester of student loans were distributed. This means that we are DONE acquiring student loans (just interest). Wooo hooo! Shh, I don't want to talk about paying them off, I just want to celebrate the fact that we won't be increasing the principal amount any more.)
We have recently had some terribly bad luck with travel (which I will elaborate on in the future).
And last but not least, 64 more days until Match Day!

Today

2010-01-11T20:13:00.010-06:00

we said "see you later" to a beautiful and sparkling woman who brought joy to those around her. As I sat through the beautiful funeral service, I cried like a baby as I heard her children speak of her unconditional support, encouragement, and love. Deanna was a woman who brought the best out of those around her, and everyone knew it. She was the silent strength behind her children's success, and the graceful woman who made her soul mate (who she met late in life) come to life. Although she is physically gone, the joy that she brought will always be remembered.

And so today, I encourage you to call your Mother, or your Father, or the love of your life (or all of them) and tell them you love them.

For I am so grateful that like Deanna's children, I have a best friend in my Mother, who will would do absolutely anything for me and my sisters. When she isn't coming to my rescue she is on the sidelines as my biggest fan. I don't know what I would ever do without her.

And like Deanna's husband I too have found a love that brings out the very best in me, makes me a better woman, and can bring me joy on my worst days.

Please pray for Deanna's family as they can no longer receive her loving hugs, look into her sparkling eyes, or find comfort in her glowing smile. May they find peace knowing that she is experiencing a whole new joy with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.

Christmas Vacation Part II

2010-01-10T21:07:00.005-06:00

Christmas Eve for my Mom's side of the family was held at my uncle's house. As many of the cousins live all over the country, I had a fun time seeing their little ones. Below is little Sophia.And Connor and although you cannot see it, his shirt said, "Is it too late to be good?" And here is precious Maddy
Maddy and Sophie loved the tree and all its sparkly ornaments.

And Connor liked eating tissue paper.

We had a good time catching up, watching the kids open their presents, and filling up on all the delicious food.
It was a very relaxing Christmas Eve!

Another first

2010-01-08T07:12:00.004-06:00

It's my 27th Birthday today! And my sweet darling husband is gone on an interview. But thank goodness he will be home late tonight, so at least I won't have to sleep alone! It made me realize that this is the first Birthday he is unavailable to celebrate with me, and it will probably be the first of many as he will often be working late nights or on call during residency. Surprisingly I'm okay with it because I'm accepting that holidays and birthdays will just have to be celebrated on alternative days. It doesn't make them any less special, we will just have to adapt to the demands of medicine. Tonight I'll be hanging out with my close friend Shannon, and then hopefully, the med student and I will be able to do something special tomorrow!

Christmas Vacation: Part I

2010-01-06T20:29:00.005-06:00

The week of Christmas we got news that my family needed to find a new caretaker for my Grandpa. He is a little forgetful, so the family prefers that he have someone stay with him to make sure he keeps his med straight as well as help around the house and with any errands. My dear Grandpa, that I dearly love, can at times, be a little ornery. He is stubborn German man, so in the past he has known to be a little difficult. My first thought was what did he do to offend his care taker? Well turns out my poor grandfather did nothing wrong, instead it was his caretaker. She was taking his money and making large purchases on his credit cards. While she was authorized to buy him groceries and gas, she wasn't authorized to buy herself airline tickets, electronics, jewelry or expensive purses! Needless to say she needed to go. It was like something you see on TV. Our family could hardly believe what happened. With the holidays it being the holidays, Drew and I offered to travel up and spend the night with my Grandpa on the 23rd (so he wouldn't be alone). So Wednesday evening we headed up there and stayed the night. We had a lovely breakfast of Dunkin Donuts with him before we hit the road to travel to Drew's Grandma's house to celebrate with his extended family.
We had a wonderful lunch with Drew's family and opened presents. Drew's cousin has two darling little girls and we enjoyed watching them open all their presents.
Although I think Stella like eating her presents more than anything else! Isn't she adorable!

Mmm! Feels good on those teething gums!
And big sister Ophelia got a lot of great presents too....

And Drew even helped her put her barbie together (If you ask me, I think he just wanted an excuse to play barbies!)

And then shortly thereafter we headed to my Uncle's house to celebrate Christmas Eve with my Mom's side of the family.... stay tuned for Part II....

We're back

2010-01-04T18:54:00.003-06:00

from our Christmas vacation, that is! It was one of the best and worst breaks/vacations all rolled into one. We spent the 23rd-26th with family and then came back to Springfield and left for Florida on the 27th. We were supposed to be back yesterday around noon (with plenty of time to get ready for the work/school week... but we just got back early this evening. Our travel journey is a tale in itself. We did have a wonderful time with our families but there were definitely a few hiccups and stresses along the way. And then of course there is the upcoming "match day" lingering over our heads, which seems to be giving me quite a bit of anxiety. Drew and I are hoping to get back into a routine, and I am hoping to find some coping mechanisms, so that I can handle the anxiety, because there is still a lot of time before match, and it is much too early to be so worried! Here's to hoping that the week will be better off than it started (with all our travel chaos)!

Done with Interviews until the New Year!

2009-12-16T21:18:00.003-06:00

Drew officially has 12 interviews down (and 5 more scheduled for after the new year!). I am relieved that he has a break, but it is also somewhat shocking to realize that Christmas is NEXT week! We are soooo not ready for it! Every time I think things are going to settle or slow down, I am mistaken.
We have been on the road every weekend (mostly for interviews, but have been able to fit a few visits with friends and family in there too). And during the week we are trying to catch up. There is always something. When we are home it feels like all we are doing is getting ready for the next interview. Just unpacking, doing laundry, taking clothes to the dry cleaner (for interviews), picking out conservative clothes for interviews, writing Thank yous for the interviews, and baking homemade goods for the family and friends that are allowing Drew to stay with them... and then packing up again!
Our apartment is a mess, we hardly have any food in the house, the milk in our fridge is five days old, we aren't ready for Christmas, and there is absolutely no sign of the holidays in our train-wreck-of-an-apartment!
Drew and I went out to dinner tonight, because we didn't get home until 7:00 and we had a gift certificate that was going to expire this month. We literally sat at dinner and made a list of the things we need to do before next week. What a pathetic dinner out! But I must say I do feel a little better now.
Oh, and I did manage to get the Christmas cards out this week, finally! I always under estimate how long it will take to get them done!
There is so much I'd like to update about interviews, but there simply enough time! Hopefully one of these days I will get around to it!

Interview #5

2009-12-02T20:32:00.008-06:00

I got to go along on interview #5. Although it fell on a Monday I went with so that I could help with the driving (it was during the week Drew had four interviews). We arrived on Sunday evening and checked into our beautiful hotel. This was the second (of only two) programs that paid for the hotel. And just like the other program that paid for the hotel - they also provided a beautiful gift basket. It was filled with different popcorns and a nut mix.

The welcome note on the gift basket
After we checked in Sunday night we relaxed and went to bed. Monday morning Drew headed to the interview.
I spent the day working, relaxing and I even fit in a workout. Unfortunately it was a windy and rainy day so I didn't get time to explore the city.

The interviews ran a little late that day so they took the applicants directly to dinner. Which meant that I had to meet them there - so I wasn't able to get a picture of Drew and I together.

Dinner was at a crunchy tapas restaurant, (I was a little over dressed). When I got there I ordered a "diet" and was informed that they do not carry corporate products. I was a little embarrassed, but got an iced tea instead. I was a little relieved when on of the residents leaned over and asked "what kind of place doesn't have pepsi or coke?" The rest of the dinner went really well and was very relaxed.
The program would have paid for a second hotel night but unfortunately we had to hit the road after dinner so that we could make it back to Springfield for Drew's early morning train and my trial.

Costs:
Hotel: $0
Transportation (gas): $70.00
Total: $70.00

Christmas Cards

2009-12-01T21:50:00.008-06:00

I just got around to ordering our's tonight. Last year I had them by this time already.

Drew had wanted to get a picture with Abe Lincoln (there are a few statutes around town), but because I am worried about time, it is not going to happen. I am thankful that Drew is being so understanding because when I wouldn't allow it last year, I promised him it would be our Christmas card this year. But unfortunately, we are going to be out of town the next several weekends and won't be able to get the picture taken. Technically, we could go during my lunch break, but the statutes are around the capitol and I am a little worried about running into other lawyers, and I would be a bit embarrassed for them to see us taking a picture with Abe - it just seems like a touristy thing to do!

Anyways here are a few photos that we chose not to use....

I look like I am flinching and it looks a little too similar to our engagement photos (shown on the top left side of the blog)

Please pretend you don't see my grey hair!

This one came in a close second; actually I am now second guessing my decision. . . .

I must note - photography by Lindsay Vickers (she gave me a hard time when I didn't give her credit when I posted one of the pics on facebook).
And one more just for laughs:

I finally realized that Drew had been sporting his "blue steel" pose for the past several photos.

Baby Fever

2009-11-29T21:14:00.002-06:00

Nope, not me. My husband, is the one who has baby fever. With quite a few of our closest friends and family having babies, Drew and I figured we would be able to get our baby fix to hold us off for several years . . . turns out all the cuties are giving Drew baby fever.

Spending the past few weekends with our nephew Gaston have not helped much.

Below are a few videos and photos of the little chicken (his nickname is poulet, which is french for chicken - his Daddy is French so the little guy is speaking both French and English)

Wearing the hat he made with his Papa (Daddy) at playgroup.

Playing and talking in the tub

Outside on a beautiful fall/winter day

Playing "drums" on the stairs with Uncle Drew

Eating pancakes with Ta-ta (Auntie) Marissa and Ta-ta Pancakes (AuntieTiffany).

Oh, we miss the little stinker already!

Last week

2009-11-24T06:57:00.002-06:00

So here is a glimpse of how the last week and a half went (and you will understand why I was so overwhelmed).
Two Thursdays ago Drew flew out of state for an interview, on Friday he interviewed, that night while I tried to clean our apartment he flew back home and we had wonderful company arrive that night. The Vickers stayed Friday through Sunday. Fifteen minutes after they left we hit the road for another state, on the way we stopped for dinner at the Keibler's house and then got back on the road to continue the rest of the drive. We arrived Sunday night, checked into our hotel and Drew had his interview Monday. (I relaxed, worked out and worked from the hotel during the day - lucky me!) Then we had a late dinner with the residents Monday night and hit the road around 11:00 p.m. to head back to Springfield. We got back home early Monday morning, slept a few hours, woke up, I dropped Drew off at the train station and headed to court for trial. While I was busy at work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Drew was going to dinners/receptions and two interviews. Thursday night I packed up. Drew had Friday off (thank goodness). Friday morning I had to drive 3 hours for a court appearance (an hour and a half each way), then I stopped at home, loaded up the car and hit the road to pick up Drew (and have dinner with friends) and head on to another state for a weekend interview. Luckily we were able to relax Saturday with family. On Saturday night Drew and I attended dinner withe the residents and on Sunday he interviewed. After having dinner with family on Sunday night we hit the road and made it home.
And to clarify, I'm not complaining because we are blessed to have these interviews, and I am thankful that I can be so active in the process. But I did want to explain why I have been somewhat missing-in-action. (Hopefully I'll have time to update about the actual interviews over Thanksgiving weekend?)

Un-rejected?

2009-11-19T19:18:00.002-06:00

So we got an email today, notifying us that a program had added an additional interview date and that they were pleased to offer Drew an invitation to interview. I then went to look at our list of rejections and realized that we had already received a rejection email from this program. I suppose they didn't have a wait list (because otherwise I imagine Drew would have been on it). Anyways, I thought it was totally odd. But whatever - regardless of how we get an interview, we'll take it!

Full

2009-11-17T19:14:00.007-06:00

The first thing that is full - my schedule. I seriously am having trouble keeping up with everything. I feel like many of my cases/clients are undergoing small emergencies that need immediate attention. Thank goodness I do love my job, because I have been at the office late most nights the last several weeks. And it isn't helping that I am trying to go with on a lot of Drew's weekend interviews, and help him stay on top of things. Although I am particularly blessed that my bosses are so understanding and allow me to have such a flexible schedule so that I can have a more active part in Drew's interview process.

The second thing that is full - my heart. My heart is complete and content now that Drew is home. Even though he is in and out during the week (for interviews) it is so nice to have him home.

And finally, something to keep your stomach full:
Super easy pumpkin spice cupcakes/cake

1 Box of cake mix (I recommend spice cake)
3 eggs
1 can of pumpkin
1 can of cream cheese frosting

Mix the first three ingredients with a few (2-3) tablespoons of water. The batter below is a little light in color because I used white cake mix because the store was out of spice cake mix. If you use white cake mix I would add some cinnamon to the recipe as well. The mixture will be a little thick (partially because no oil is used). But the pumpkin is a healthy (and tasty) alternative.
Bake for the time recommended on the box of cake mix (it will depend on whether you are making cake or cupcakes). After cooking let cupcakes/cake cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

These cupcakes require so few ingredients and are a super easy fall treat! Hope you enjoy!

Interview #3

2009-11-16T15:55:00.003-06:00

(I don't have pictures for #2 - they are on Drew's Camera)
We stayed at a nice hotel. It wasn't it the most scenic area but it was one of the better priced hotels. Other hotels in the city were closer to $130+!

And not to forget the retro chair....

Below is a picture of Drew dressed for dinner with the residents.

I didn't attend the dinner, but instead met up with the a wife of a local resident that I have been in contact with.

Below is an early morning picture of Drew before the interview... I need to learn to put more lights on, because otherwise I end up with these pictures with his eyes half open!

Costs:
Hotel: $110.17
Transportation (gas): $35.00
Total: 145.17

Just trying to stay above water

2009-11-09T21:42:00.003-06:00

Work for some reason has been crazy busy the last three weeks and doesn't seem to be slowing down. I worked through my lunch today and still didn't get things wrapped up until 7:30! Thank goodness Drew was home to cook dinner.
Things are going well here, just busy! Drew had two more interviews last week and hopefully I'll get time this week to post about them.
We are also trying to gear up as he has one more this week, plus we have visitors coming for the weekend and then beginning Sunday he will have four interviews in seven days!
Well I'd love to update more but there is still some laundry to do and tidying to do before I head off to bed!

Better late than never

2009-11-02T19:57:00.007-06:00

Okay so I am a little tardy on this - so please forgive me... but a while ago, AMS of Surviving Long Distance Love. Gave me the Kreative Blogger Award. This is my very first blog award - so thank you AMS!

Here are the rules :
1-Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2-Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3-Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4-Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.

5-Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6-Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7-Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated.

So here goes:
1. Part (big emphasis on part) of the reason I went to law school was because I think I was afraid to go into the real world - and I thought law school would be an extension of college - boy was I wrong!
2. Although I love practicing law, I hated law school.
3. I played college tennis.
4. Someday I would like to have four children.
5. I have a terrible fashion sense.
6. I am a complete Mama's girl and my mother is one of my best friends.
7. My three favorite male celebrities (musician/athlete/actor) are: Tim McGraw, Brett Favre, and Matt Damon.

Okay and my nominations are:
1. Adriana of From Kansas to Pennsylvania
2. Jessica of Acting Adult
3. Abbie of With a Soft Tummy
4. Whitney of the Glamourous Life of a Housewife
5. Bea of Finding Equanimity
6. Cindi of Mommy Life and Me
7. Little Miss Dreamer of the Soon to be Mrs. C

C is for Cookie......

2009-11-01T14:35:00.005-06:00

Drew came back (for good) late Friday morning. And as of Saturday we didn't have any Halloween costumes (for a med school party) and Drew didn't have any ideas. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on costumes that we would only wear for one night - it simply isn't worth it when you are on a budget. So on Sunday afternoon we ran to Walmart and picked up a few things and made these costumes (along with things we already had around the apartment). I think we probably made both of them for under $15! (Please forgive the poor picture quality).Cookie monster and his cookie!
Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

2009-10-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

I have really been enjoying playing with my new camera. With Drew being gone I have found that photography can be a fun hobby. I've taken my camera with me on a few walks and have had a fun time.
Here are a few photos from Lake Springfield....

(Beach House)

I have learned that taking pictures of people (kids in particular) is much more difficult.

Here are a few photos from my "photo shoot" with Kaiden...

Gotta love those blue eyes!

And here are some photos of my handsome nephews .....

And last but not least, my beautiful Goddaughter, Olivia...

Chew toy?

That leaf was not as tasty as it appeared!

Anyways, I am really loving my new toy but I have a lot to learn as far as photographing people/kids. But thank goodness I have lots of beautiful kiddos in my life to capture (and hopefully help me become a better photographer)!

Awesome

2009-10-28T20:36:00.004-05:00

Often times our lives our filled with stress and blow after blow of bad news. I don't even want to reflect on it - other than to say that you can never get enough good news. And I love hearing other people's good news. Whether it be every day victories or lifetime changes like an engagement, marriage or new baby, I just can never get too much good news. Even if it is news about a complete stranger, it still brings joy to know that there are everyday miracles in life. So I just wanted to share a piece of someone else's good news, because I know it made my day. A high school friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor (and has already endured treatment)went in for a follow-up MRI today and the doctor found no new growth! I just figure it doesn't get much better than that. So praise God!
I know there are many who keep us in their prayers (and they've been pretty powerful thus far) so please let me know if you (or anyone in your life) needs any prayers. God Bless and Goodnight!

Another reason to avoid Worldwide Knives or worldwideknives.net

2009-10-27T21:24:00.005-05:00

As if the last email didn't give you an idea of Chris Glickman's (of worldwideknives.net)charming personality and customer service skills, this one should help. This is the email my sister got today...

"can you not read I said i'm giving our check one more week, after that I will send out A check Priority Mail hope your home to sign for it. or it's your loss. I know your husband is not from this country, learn how we do things here."

Oh, you mean you really are going to send the refund this time, why it was silly of us to doubt you when you have taken his money, told him the product (and then the refund) was coming for a total of 7 weeks.

Apparently "here" in America you should believe someone the 13th time they tell you something, even though they have made false promises the first 12 times?
So just in case you were wondering whether he was rude, I think this second email makes it clear.

I know my brother-in-law is a really demanding customer - I mean who really expects to GET their product when they PAID for it?!

Interview #1

2009-10-25T17:00:00.002-05:00

Went really well. Between the two off us we only made three mistakes. Two of which were mine.

When Drew arrived at the hotel there was a welcome note and a basket of treats. He had two interviews at the hotel, before dinner. In total I think there were seven candidates. A hotel shuttle took us to dinner at a local country club. We had dinner with program coordinator and the program director (and a resident joined us for dessert). They told us that normally more attendings are at the dinner but a few of them had conflicts and I believe some of them were out of town at a conference. Dinner was good but, my favorite part was a delicious chocolate cake for dessert.
After dinner the program coordinator put on a presentation about the program that was quite informative. He spoke about their staff, facilities and specialties. The most impressive part of the presentation was a list of the number of surguries and procedures that they do in a year. They divided them up by type of procedure and compared them to other residency programs in the midwest. It essentially showed how many procedures/surgeries their residents do during the duration of their residency at the program. It is clear that their residents get a lot of operating experience over the training simply due to the volume of cases they receive.
Although I only got to meet two of the attendings, I can see why Drew feels so comfortable at the program. Both the program director and coordinator were extremely friendly and approachable. I was very surprised not to find them intimidating. After the dinner and the presentation the attendings left and a resident joined us. He spoke to us about his experiences with the program and answered any questions.

The hotel shuttle brought everyone back to the hotel. (Below is a less than flattering picture of Drew and I at the end of the night)

Then on Friday morning they had interviews with more of the staff, as well as grand rounds, a tour and lunch. Unfortunately I had to head back home to work, early Friday morning, but Drew said the day went pretty well. He even stayed after his interview to help with a surgery/procedure. Below is a picture of Drew Friday morning before his interview (apparently I was too tired to notice that his eyes were barely open in the picture!)

And for those of you wondering about our mistakes....

The first was that I failed to rise and stand when shaking other people's hands. But in my defense, I was sitting close to the door so right as people came in they would stick out their hands and I couldn't stand up fast enough to shake their hands. So for the most part I was in between standing and sitting when I shook their hand. Clearly awkward.
And I realized my second blunder as the program director ripped his roll. Suddenly Kathi's post about manners and etiquette flashed through my head and I remembered "don't cut your bread.... tear it." But at that point it was far too late as I had already cut my roll in half and buttered it. I honestly don't think these errors were deal breakers but they were definitely blunders.

Now Drew's mistake I think came from being too relaxed. The first interview was at the location he is doing his third and final away rotation at. Which if I haven't said already I think is nice because he had been working with the program for several weeks now and already feels comfortable with the staff. And this is true. He definitely felt comfortable. So comfortable that when we were talking with just one of the residents (the attendings had already left), Drew was picking his fingers. I'm not sure anyone else noticed, but as his wife, it was driving me nuts! I was so embarrassed. But I do think it was because he was so relaxed. And because it was only the other candidates and one resident I don't think it is going to effect his chances with this program. And although I really, really wanted to elbow him, I refrained from doing so because I figured the only thing that would worse than him picking his fingers would be having his wife elbow him!
I did tell Drew after dinner and the poor guy was really embarrassed, but I figure I'm glad I was there to see it to make sure he doesn't do it again in any other interviews. Especially interviews in which he is meeting people for the first time!
So like I said I don't think our mistakes will be deal breakers, but they are worth noting so that we don't make them again, and to share with others so that you can avoid making them as well!

Finally, a piece of advice for those of you who are spouses: do not assume you cannot attend part of the interview process just because spouses/significant others aren't invited. At this first interview spouses were not explicitly invited. But since Drew felt comfortable with the staff he asked if I could come because I was in town. They welcomed the idea and were happy to meet me. We also have another interview next month that I am able to join him on and Drew emailed the program coordinator to let them know that I would be in town with him and that I would like to meet the staff and asked if I could attend the dinner. Again they said that would be fine. Personally I think it shows interest if you ask if a spouse can attend, and I figure the worst that can happen is that they say "no." And if a program is going to hold it against us that I am active in the interview process then that is not a program I want to be at. A lot of it will depend on your comfort level, but I would definitely encourage you to at least inquire about attending the dinner or reception.

Cost of Interview #1
Transportation = 1 tank of gas for me (approx $35.00)
Hotel = free
Other expenses = none
TOTAL = $35.00*
*This will probably be our (by far) cheapest interview!

Stay away from Worldwide Knives (worldwideknives.net)

2009-10-25T13:20:00.007-05:00

My brother-in-law purchased a knife through this company on September 2, 2009. After giving them the run around for nearly two months my sister and her husband asked for my help. We tried to file a complaint with paypal but because the transaction was over 45 days old paypal cannot help (which I believe they intentionally kept telling my brother-in -law that 1) the knife was out of stock 2) it was in the mail 3) a refund was in the mail, to delay, delay, delay).
This was the EXACT response my brother-in-law got in his email today:

"You can see that Pay Pal has no time for your whiney little problems like I said I will give it one more week and then I will send you Priority Mail hope your home to sign for it or your loss. You may read the attached letter from Pay Pal this is between us. " (- Chris Glickman of worldwideknives@hotmail.com)

WHINEY - Yes he really just called my brother-in-law whiney for not receiving his product (or a refund) in which he ordered on September 2, 2009. Note that it is October 25, 2009. Do you think that is whiney?
I think it is POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE OR A SCAM! Stay away from this company and its RUDE RUDE employee or owner Chris Glickman.

EDITED TO ADD September 2010 - please do not mistake worldwideknives.net with worldwideknives.com. I have no reason to believe worldwideknives.com is anything but reputable. So just stay away from .NET!

Costs of Applying to Residency/Interviews

2009-10-25T00:40:00.004-05:00

I plan on keeping track of the costs associated with applying to residency. I will keep an accumulating total of costs over in the right hand column of my blog.

The first cost associated with applying is the cost of submitting applications through ERAS.
We submitted applications to 42 programs at a total cost of $655.00.

Wish Us Luck!

2009-10-22T07:40:00.004-05:00

Tonight/tomorrow is Drew's FIRST residency interview! I'm heading there this afternoon so that I can join for this evenings dinner. I'm hoping I don't say anything silly/stupid!
If your wondering how Drew is doing an interview while he is still on his Third Away Rotation it is because it is at that program. It makes it particularly convenient because 1) it saves him an extra trip there and 2) I think it will be "easier"/less nerve wracking for Drew to have his first interview at a program with which he rotated (since he is already comfortable with the staff).
I'm both nervous and excited! Say or prayer or send us good luck!

Prayer Requests update

2009-10-18T22:02:00.003-05:00

If you have a moment please check out my prayer requests in the right hand column. A few of the new requests are for my best friend's mother Linda who recently suffered a stroke last night. A family friend, Lana is undergoing treatment for cancer. And Joe is young man who was recently diagnosed with leukemia and will be undergoing some very serious treatment. Thank you and God Bless.

We are going to be fine.

2009-10-18T21:40:00.004-05:00

Just fine. I realized this today as I was driving home from my weekend visit to see Drew. As we are currently five months out from Match day - the day that we will find out what and where we will be going/staying for the next 6-9 years. And six to nine years is a serious amount of time. This whole process is a big one, because I will have to live with whatever it brings. But after spending this weekend with Drew at Away Rotation #3, it made me realize that home, will be home because I am with Drew. And although I may have a hard time with the future, and I may have adjustment issues and I may have meltdowns in the process; I will adjust. And we will be okay. Spending this weekend in the new town with Drew, there were moments when I could see myself living in that town, and being happy. And I know that it is not the only place I will be able to be happy. Each town and city will have things that make it feel like home. And most importantly, wherever I go, will be with Drew, and that alone will make everything okay. It made me realize that I just have to continue to have faith in God. And he will take care of us. And we will be just fine.

Crazy busy

2009-10-14T21:06:00.004-05:00

Work is keeping me quite busy this week. I have two new clients who have rather pressing matters as well as a number of other deadlines. So unfortunately I don't have time to update on my amazing weekend and show you some of the great pictures I took of my wonderful nephews. But I suppose it is good to be busy.
Right now we have 9 and a half weeks down and 2 and a half weeks left to go (as far as Drew being gone on away rotations.) I am also looking forward to visiting Drew this weekend. He went in on both Saturday and Sunday last weekend and is planning on at least one day off this weekend off. Believe it or not, last week they told Drew "You know you don't have to come in on the weekends." I almost fell over at this comment. But then again it isn't that surprising considering how laid back this program seems to be.
And that's all I've got time for right now. I'm trying to get to bed early because almost everyone at my office has been sick this week and the last so I am trying to remain one of the few healthy ones!

Odds and Ends

2009-10-08T22:19:00.003-05:00

This week has gone pretty well, we've had a few more interview invitations come in, putting us in the double digits. So far it looks like 40 of the 99 Neurosurgery programs are offering interviews. Based on looking at the list of programs that have offered interviews so far (not the most reliable source - a chat board) more than half the programs we applied to still haven't extended invitations. Although we think that this week is the start of things picking up. Most programs have interviews in November (if not earlier) so they need to start extending invitations so that people can plan to attend. As for right now we aren't getting our hopes up but we aren't worried either. The one thing we are realizing is that this is going to be a very expensive process. We knew it before but I guess it is finally becoming a realization. I'm thinking we may have to borrow some additionally money because the scheduling is not going as well as planned. For example Drew may have to take more than one trip to some states like Texas that have several programs. But at least that means we are getting interviews, I suppose we'll keep accepting them and figure out how we are going to pay for them later.

So far Drew seems to be enjoying his second away rotation, although I really haven't spoken with him much since he got off early on Tuesday. He worked yesterday until a little after eight, and by the time he got home he ate and went to bed. At this rotation Drew is staying with one of his friends from college. His friends house is about 20 minutes from the hospital so he does have a short commute. Although it is no longer than his commute at his first two away rotations, he does not have public transportation here. This worries me a bit because I know how sleep deprived he was the past two months. But Drew has assured me he will just stay at the hospital or take a cab if he every feels too tired to drive.

This weekend I am heading home to my parents house. I will have a weekend packed: of seeing an old friend I haven't seen in a while and meeting her new baby, seeing my Goddaughter (and her parents), possibly seeing a law school friend, and going apple picking with my sisters and nephews. My Martha-Stewart-sister has plans to make all kinds of candied applies and apple desserts! And I am also looking forward to taking lots of pictures with my new camera, so you'll get to see those next week. Wishing you all a wonderful fall weekend!

Dr. McDreamy

2009-10-06T22:00:00.004-05:00

So I did finally hear from Drew a little after ten last night. Turns out he was taking call. He seemed okay with it even though he wasn't exactly prepared for it. And although he didn't have his toothbrush he did have some of those new Colgate wisps on him. He said that he did get some time in the O.R. both yesterday and today.
Drew said everyone seems friendly and he feels comfortable there already. So far from just from my perceptions of yesterday and today this program is a little different from his last two away rotations. It seems a little more laid back and less intense. For example he usually stayed until at least 6 or 7 p.m. when he was post call at the first two programs. Today when he was post call people kept asking him "What are you still doing here?" Since they were encouraging him to leave Drew decided to leave at little before 2 p.m! He figured he would take advantage of the free time to work out and get some rest since there wasn't anything exciting going on in the O.R.
Another thing is that he actually got four and a half hours of sleep last night which is more than he is used to from the other two rotations.
Oh and get this... they gave him food vouchers for the cafeteria! How awesome is that! I'm very excited about this since a large chunk of our most recent credit card statement can be attributed to chicken caesar wraps from away rotation #2. I've already told Drew that I expect him to at least try and not spend much more than the food vouchers he was given. After all he still has quite a bit of food, snacks and granola bars that I bought for him.
And in case you are wondering about the title of this post... I have a little story. Early this morning while Drew was going to get some coffee he passed a few young women standing in the hall (what they were doing there at such early hours he doesn't know) but after he passed them he overheard them say "ooooh, Dr. McDreamy....." Drew told me this story to remind me how lucky I am. So just so you all know, apparently I am married to (sigh/swoon) "Dr. McDreamy" Oh man as if I don't have a hard enough time humbling him already!

Away Rotation #3

2009-10-05T22:04:00.002-05:00

It's 10:00 p.m. and I still haven't heard from Drew (other than 1 text message) today. At his last two away rotations he may have had long nights, but his first day was usually a short one. So I am a bit surprised that he is still working!
I'm sure he doesn't mind though - he is actually probably happy about it. Drew doesn't have much tolerance for administrative tasks and usually that is what the majority of the first day involves. So being that he isn't off yet I imagine he is in the O.R. and glad to already be getting his hands dirty.
I'm not going to stay up because who knows how late he'll be, so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about his first day!

I'm back!

2009-10-04T20:55:00.004-05:00

(to blogging that is).... but my husband is gone.

We had a wonderful week at home together. Drew hadn't been back to Springfield in two months, so he was happy to be at home (and I was happy to have him home!) He said that although he felt comfortable at his sister's place it wasn't "home." So this week he finally got to relax and feel at home. He got plenty of rest and also was a great help around the apartment. In the last few weeks I had allowed our apartment to become a complete mess, so it was in need of a thorough cleaning. And even though he didn't help create the mess he was a doll and helped me clean it up.
While he was home for the week I wanted more than anything to stay home and relax with him all day, but unfortunately I had to be a grown-up and do that "working" thing. In order to spend as much time together as possible Drew came to work everyday and picked me up and took me out to lunch. Although it wasn't in the budget, we were able to use gift certificates most of the days, and we considered it a worth while splurge.
It was simply wonderful to come home to my sweetheart everyday, and to roll over and see his precious face every morning when my alarm went off.
But this afternoon he left again for Away Rotation #3. Although I am going to miss him over the next four weeks, I will be able to visit him and this time there is a light at the end of the tunnel. When he left for his first away rotation, the thought of him being gone for three months seemed so long, and so daunting. Right now with eight weeks apart under our belt, four weeks seems like nothing. I'm hoping it will fly by.
As far as the residency application process, things are moving along. We have heard from 9 programs so far and have 8 interview offers and 1 rejection. Although eight seems like a large number, for neurosurgery it isn't. With a 60% match rate we are hoping for at least 18 interviews in order to better increase Drew's chances of matching.

Two. More. Days.

2009-09-23T22:09:00.005-05:00

Until I get seven, yes seven, consecutive days under the same roof as my husband! I can't wait!

Thursday morning I have my ultrasound. No. I'm not pregnant. But with all my stomach troubles lately my doctor just wants to make sure its not my gall bladder. I just have to remember not to eat in the morning. I have been so flightly lately that I have been forgetting everything. For example I actually had the ultra sound scheduled for Tuesday and I completely forgot. Ooops! So hopefully tomorrow morning I won't eat without thinking... that could be problematic. I am hoping by writing about it now it will help me remember.
Then Thursday night I am picking up Kaiden from his Grandparent's (out of town) and watching him for the night so that his Mommy and Daddy can see him as soon as they get home from their vacation Friday (rather than driving to pick him up.) His mommy doesn't know it but Kaiden will be subject to my very first photo shoot. That is if he cooperates! He is usually such a happy baby, so as long as he doesn't mind I hope to play around with my new camera and take some pictures of the cutie!
Nothing planned for Friday (other than working out and packing). And Saturday. Saturday, I am heading up to see my love! I am meeting him, his sister, and my parents at his parents house and we are all going out to dinner. And then Sunday I am bringing my darling back home to Springfield. He hasn't been back here in 8 weeks. So I may be MIA next week so that I can spend every free moment with my sweet heart. I. Can't. Wait!

My weekend

2009-09-22T20:24:00.011-05:00

Friday night I drove up to my parents house and got to spend some time with my parents, my sister and sweet little Gaston.

He kept sneaking into "Papa Lou's office" to try and play with the computer and Papa Lou!

Saturday afternoon I headed to my (college) friend Jessie's house. I got to spend the afternoon and evening with Abbie, Jessie, their husbands and little Campbell Grace. Isn't she beautiful?

Abbie and Jessie are two of my best college friends and we only get to see each other a few times a year so it was great to catch up.

Saturday afternoon Drew was post call and he decided to take Sunday off since he has not taken a single day off at this second away rotation. Drew took the train out to my parents so we were able to spend Sunday with my parents, sisters and my neighbors.

I have been researching SLRs (digital cameras) for about six months now and while I was hanging out with Abbie she informed me that Nikon D40s were on clearance at Target. I had been originally looking at Canons but they are significantly more expensive and after talking to Conrad (Abbie's husband) I realized that as an amateur photographer I wouldn't be able to notice/appreciate the additional features (of the Canon I was looking at).

Sunday morning I started calling around to all the local Targets. They had one Nikon D40 several towns over. So Drew and I hopped in the car to go buy it. When I got there I saw that they also had a package deal in which an extra (55-200mm) lens was only $80 more - this lens is $200 when sold separately. Unfortunately the Target we were at did not have the package deal in stock. The Target we were at told us that another store 15 miles away had it in stock. We drove there only to find out they didn't. Luckily they called a third store and had them confirm that they did in fact have the package deal in stock. Finally after driving around 30 miles we found the package deal and purchased it. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me! Although the camera wasn't exactly in the budget it was such a good deal we couldn't pass it up. The package deal was $499 (for the Nikon D40; 5-55mm lens; 55-200mm lens; camera case and 2GB memory card). It would have cost me nearly a thousand dollars to get the canon camera and two lenses.

(Below is a picture with the new camera - compare the lighting and clarity to the photos above).

After playing with it, I must say I am very happy with my big purchase. Below are some of the photos I took on my walk tonight.

2009-09-21T21:33:00.007-05:00

My precious nephew Gaston is now 18 months old and isn't walking. He was a little slow with the whole crawling thing but is otherwise developmentally normal (actually advanced for his speech) so we weren't worried. Although my sister has been wondering when he was going to start walking. For the past month or two the little cutie has been pulling himself up and moving from one piece of furniture to another and would walk with the help of holding someone's hand. He hasn't been able to walk on his own though... or so we thought.
On Friday we let him play with my mom's little vacuum (it was a shark or dust buster) and he seemed to be able to walk while pushing it. We also noticed that he could stand still and lift it up (without holding on to anything).
So Saturday morning my Dad tried a little experiment with Gaston. Here it is documented on tape.....

Turns out the little stinker can walk (he just has been too stubborn to try/learn). Also notice how he realizes that we are tricking him into walking!

I hope to post more about my wonderful weekend tomorrow!

2009-09-17T21:35:00.004-05:00

So these last few days/weeks have been rough. So tonight I thought I would bring back Thankful Thursday... because I do have a lot to be thankful for:

My family and friends are in good health
Tomorrow night I get to see my precious frenchy nephew who I haven't seen in several months, and he is now talking up a storm (both french and english) and I cannot wait to hear him babble!
This weekend I get to see two of my best friends from college and their hubbies (and one very precious little baby girl!)
So far Drew has gotten 5 interviews and only 1 rejection
Only 8 more days then I will get A FULL WEEK with Drew (before he heads to his third and final away rotation)
My wonderful Mom - she took a list of all 42 programs and the potential interview dates and is trying to make a calendar so that we can maximize the number of interviews we are offered (if we are given a choice of dates).
My great job
8 more days.... that seriously needs to be mentioned twice

Thank you all for all your support, encouragement and prayers, it means so much!

My shelf

2009-09-16T19:04:00.004-05:00

Do you have a shelf, box, case, or bookshelf where you put things that are important to you? I do. I have a shelf that I put my most precious items on. In fact they go in a box, and I tie that box with a bow, and then I put them on the shelf. This shelf is very important in my life and it is necessary for my sanity. I know that my most precious items are safe when they are on that shelf. But I have some what of a problem. I take my stuff off the shelf and take them out of the box and I lose them (and my head).
This has been a big issue lately. Our future is one of those precious things that belongs in the box. With all of this applying to residency programs my mind has been consumed with the match process. Its something that I have no control over. But I cannot control myself, my mind is constantly drifting to the what-ifs of our future. And all this worrying has led to no good. I have had stomach problems in the past but they seem to have resurfaced. But part of me believes they are somewhat self-inflicted (or worsened) by the fact that I have become consumed by this whole process. But as I've already said, it is all out of my control. And it is no use worrying over things that may never happen. So tonight I am again putting all my worries, and thoughts about our future back in that precious box. I am tying it with a bow. And then I am placing it up on that high shelf. On that shelf it is in God's hands. I will let go, and trust in Him. All things are safe in His hands.
It is only a matter of time before I take it off the shelf again, but I suppose that is only part of being human. Thank goodness I have family and friends to constantly remind me to refocus, reevaluate, re-anchor and put the box where it belongs. On my shelf. Because I don't have control. And worrying won't help me gain any control.

Two more!

2009-09-14T18:24:00.005-05:00

Drew was offered another interview invitation today. For family and friends who would like to know where, please email me and I will send you an invitation to view our Private Match Blog.

So far we have three interviews scheduled, but I've heard that there are a total of 7 programs offering interviews right now (6 of which we applied to) ... hopefully this is only the beginning of the interview offers because based on statistics we need to interview at at least 15 programs to have a change at matching!

Days 8 and 9

2009-09-09T21:10:00.002-05:00

As Monday was Labor Day, the hospital did rounds later at 7 a.m. like they do on Saturdays (and possibly Sundays?) - this meant Drew got to "sleep in." He got there a little after six, and being that there were no surgeries there wasn't much to do. Much to my surprise he was done by 1:30 p.m. allowing for an afternoon off for Drew. He took some time to go running - something he hasn't had much time to do - and get to bed early.
Day 8 = 7 hours

On Tuesday the hospital resumed their 6 a.m. rounds. As far as I know Drew got to see a few surgeries and was off by 6:30 p.m.
Day 9 = 13 hours

Unfortunately I haven't had much time to ask Drew what he is doing or what types of surgeries he has seen. Most of the time we talk our conversations are brief and have been limited to "how is your day going" and talking about bills and or his ERAS application. Hopefully I can find out more about this program and give you slightly more interesting posts next week. For an update on yesterday's vent see below.

My "S" List

2009-09-08T20:54:00.007-05:00

Is short. And right now, Drew's school is on it.

Last week Drew submitted his portion of his residency application through ERAS. There are various parts of this application. These parts include:

Photo of applicant
Profile
CAF (which I think stands for "Candidate Application Form")
Personal statement
Four letters of recommendation
USMLE transcript (test scores)
MSPE ("Medical Student's Performance Evaluation" aka Dean's letter)
School transcript

As the student Drew is responsible for the profile, the CAF, and personal statement. The USMLE transcript is uploaded by the USMLE and the remaining parts of the application must be uploaded by the applicant's school. So far Drew's school has only uploaded one of his four letters of recommendation... nothing else. Granted they cannot upload the letters they don't have (and they may not have all four yet) and none of the schools can upload the MSPE until October, but they still should be able to upload his transcript, his photo and his school transcript! Neurosurgery used to be part of early match (meaning match occurred in January rather March and therefore everything happened much earlier), and many of the schools are still on an early schedule. Four programs have already started offering interviews (we applied to three of those, but have only heard from one). And, I know I am being a little neurotic, considering it is only September 8th, but I know part of me is a little justified considering that I have spoken to people at other programs where their schools have submitted all the the parts to their application. Drew emailed the school last week to see if there is anything we could do to get them to upload the necessary parts and we still haven't heard back.

Okay, and that is only the half of it.

Today, I got home from work and went to check the mail. What do I find? A letter from a collection agency. Saying that we owe over $300 dollars for Drew's medical bills. I find this pretty interesting considering that we haven't even gotten a single bill, prior to this collection agency notice. Back in June when Drew was on his away rotation we did get a notice saying that he needed to fill out a claim form for insurance coverage and while he did not do it on time initially (because he was gone) he did call the school, filled out the form and got it cleared up. Or so we thought. When he had spoken to the person from student insurance they said that we would receive a bill for whatever wasn't covered by insurance. But, no bill ever came. Just a notice from collections today. And from what I understand, I don't think medical companies are allowed to even submit a bill to collections if insurance is still pending. So needless to say the collection agency is going to get a nice response "disputing the debt in writing" as the letter requests. And Drew's school and/or the hospital where the medical bill came from may also be getting an earful tomorrow!

Update as of September 9, 2009 - a friend of Drew's told us that student transcripts are not scheduled to be uploaded until mid-October so that the school can add elective grades but that if he wanted we could request to have it uploaded sooner. Drew emailed the appropriate person and his school transcript was uploaded by this afternoon!

In reference to the medical bill I drafted a letter to the collection agency (and cc'd the medical center and student insurance) letting them know that we never received a bill or a notice of coverage or denial of coverage.

Sub-Internship II - Week 1

2009-09-07T21:00:00.004-05:00

So last Monday Drew started his second sub-Internship. He has a much longer commute for this one, and has already expressed the importance of living close to the hospital once we are in residency. His current commute is about 45 minutes (even at 4:30 a.m.) which means he wakes up at 3:30 every morning!
On his first day he didn't start until 8:00 a.m. and was done by 5:00 p.m.
Day 1 = 9 hours
A big difference between this sub-Internship and his sub-Internship last month is that he does not see patients prior to rounds in the morning. As I explained in a post last month, at the last program he was assigned to several patients and went to see them each morning (by himself) and then went with the residents and chiefs to see the patients and he would explain the status of the patients he saw. Well at this program he doesn't see any of his patients on his own. He simply does rounds with the residents. Since he doesn't have to see patients prior to rounds his day technically starts a little later with rounds at 6:00 a.m. (At the last program he tried to arrive by at least 5:00 a.m. so that he was done seeing his patients prior to rounds at 5:45 a.m.). Although Drew doesn't have to be there prior to rounds, he said that he has still been arriving closer to 5:00 or 5:15 a.m. so that he can see if the residents need any help with anything. On Tuesday Drew was done by 8:30 p.m.
Day 2 = 15.5 hours
On Wednesday, Drew took call so he was at the hospital until 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
Days 3 and 4 = 39.5 hours
On Friday Drew was done by 7:30 p.m.
Day 5 = 14.5 hours
On Saturday, rounds are later (7:00 a.m.) and that night Drew took call. Fortunately, it was a very quiet night and Drew had time to work on a case report that he is putting together for a doctor from his last sub-Intership and he even had time to get plenty of sleep. He was done by 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Days 6 and 7 = 28.5
The pace is a little different at this second program, and it is a little more laid back. Drew seems to really like the residents at this second program as well. He is also working with two other medical students on this rotation. Both of them are women - which are fairly rare among neurosurgery (I want to say that more than 90% of neurosurgeons are male). One of the women was on her fourth week last week, but the other woman started at the same time as Drew and will be there for the same four weeks. He seems to get along with both of them pretty well. Thank goodness these women (like the student he worked with at the last program) seem to be serious, but not so competitive that they would throw Drew under the bus. Some medical students (and even residents) are trying to make such a good impression that they are willing (or even hoping) to burn the competition in the process.
This first week Drew didn't get to do too much (mostly observed) but we'll see if that changes at all being that he didn't do much his first week last month either.

First Interview Invitation!

2009-09-03T20:30:00.006-05:00

I could hardly believe it when my phone started buzzing and ringing today. I looked to Drew's email and it said that he had an email from ERAS. My hands were shaking as I went to check the email and try to reply and accept the invitation!
Although we were hoping for an interview from this program (because Drew is doing a sub-I there next month) we were not expecting an invitation already. I replied to the program coordinator and asked if it would be possible to interview during his sub-Internship - and if not his first choice would be to interview in November. I got a prompt response letting me know that he could interview in October while he was there. Although Drew has housing while he is there they still offered to book him a hotel - this program is one of the few that actually arranges and pays for your hotel accommodations!
I should also explain that I have Drew's school email forwarded to my phone so that I can respond to any interview invitations. This is because with his sub-Is this month and next month he will most likely be in surgery when the invitations come in via email. Some programs send out (for example) 15 invites when they really only have 10 time slots. This means that only the first ten to respond will actually get the interview.
Luckily neurosurgery is one of the more organized programs and 95% of the programs have actually posted their interview dates (this is not the case with all specialties). With this information I used Google Calendar to enter all of the potential interview dates... then we will use the calendar to try and schedule the interviews as they come in. Right now many of the interviews conflict with each other but I imagine things will manage to work out as we would be lucky to be invited to half the programs we applied to; therefore I imagine by process of elimination it will be pretty easy to schedule interviews.
I hope this is just the first of many more interview invitations... but we'll just have to wait and see!

Brief Update

2009-09-02T21:21:00.007-05:00

Okay this will have to be brief because I am tired and would like to get some rest but its been a while so I thought I would try and update.

Last week Drew finished up the last week of his first sub-Inter ship. It was pretty similar to his third week other than the fact that he was done on Friday at 4:00p.m.

Since he was in between sub-Is, I went to visit him this weekend and we finalized his personal statement and worked on the application. (I will update about the weekend later). Overall I feel really good about his personal statement. I owe that mostly to the help of another surgeon's wife who has been an absolute angel - she has given us so much advice! I cannot even imagine how much more difficult this process would have been without her words of experience and help.

The way residency applications work is that you submit all your information (personal info, experience, letters of recommendation, transcripts, test scores, personal statement etc.) through ERAS and they submit your application to the programs you wish to apply to. Yesterday was September 1st; the first day to submit your application (you have ERAS send it to the programs). Although most program applications are not due until October 1 or November 1, but with more competitive programs (ENT, radiology, derm, plastics, neurosurgery) it is very important to submit your application as soon as possible. So yesterday we did It. We submitted over 40 applications to programs in the following states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Florida, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, California, District of Columbia, and Kentucky. The number of programs is so high because 1) most programs only accept 1-2 residents a year and 2) neurosurgery has a 60% match rate. For now I am just going to sit back and wait to see if interview invitations start rolling in, in the next few weeks/months.

I'll try to update on Drew's second sub-Internship later this week!

Crazy Mess

2009-08-31T22:08:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day you can submit residency applications... and for competitive purposes it is kind of important that we get our application in. Unfortunately it is 10:00 p.m. and now I am beginning to question every word and phrase on his application. Gosh this is nervewracking! I am a giant ball of nerves... lets hope I can get some sleep tonight!

What I've Been Up To

2009-08-25T21:20:00.005-05:00

It is hard to believe that we are already in the fourth (and final week) of sub-internship #1. Although it has been difficult it has already gone by pretty quickly. I think that part of that can be attributed to the fact that I have been keeping myself quite busy. I've been taking more time for work, and working out and have also been baking and doing a bit of organizing. These things seem to keep me busy every week night and surprisingly, I have been so busy that I've even been up past my usual bedtime most nights! Two weeks ago I made this delicious and healthy Zucchini Spice Cake but I must admit mine didn't look as pretty as Gina's!

And I think maybe I added too much vanilla because my frosting was a little runny.

Although it didn't look picture perfect I still think it was a DELICIOUS spice cake! Last week I made a nectarine and blueberry crisp. I will try and post the recipe in the future.

Some less fun things I've done are: killed a few bugs (gross I know!); taken out the trash; and I tried my hand at ironing (all ordinarily "husband jobs."). Although I am managing while Drew is gone he will definitely resume these duties upon his return. I am absolutely horrible at ironing. I often make more wrinkles than I iron out! Unfortunately, pant suits look funny without that pleat in the front, but for now I am just trying my best until my master iron-er returns! (Seriously, he unusually, fabulous at ironing!)

I still haven't mastered the whole sleeping alone thing though. I am still falling asleep on the couch and then moving to the bed when I wake up in the middle of the night. This is something I really need to get past. But it won't be tonight. Maybe next week?

Week 3, Days 18-21

2009-08-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

Thursday night Drew was on call, and I am not sure how much sleep he got, but he did get off by 5:00 p.m on Friday.
Days 18-19 = 36 hours
With getting out early Friday and having Saturday off, Drew was able to go out with his sister and some friends Friday night. I think this was a well deserved break for him. Saturday he went running, and did some research for his presentation.
Day 20 = Off
Then today (Sunday) Drew returned to the hospital for a relatively light day. He started at 5:00 a.m. and was done by 3:30 p.m. This allowed him plenty of time to finish up the finishing touches on his presentation tomorrow.
Day 21 = 10.5 hours
Overall - a pretty light week!
Unfortunately I don't have much to report - other than that Drew said there was someone famous at the hospital this week. Drew didn't see the person but he saw the patient's name some where.
This upcoming week is Drew's final week at this hospital. Then it is on to rotation #2!
It is also hard to believe that August is coming to a close! September 1, marks the first day of submitting residency application!

Week 3, Days 15-17

2009-08-19T20:42:00.005-05:00

Drew is officially half way through his third week. On Monday he got to go to clinic with the head of the neurosurgery department. This was the first time he got to spend an extensive period of time with the chair. Drew really likes him. He described him as hard on his residents but also their biggest advocate. There tends to be somewhat of a stereotype with neurosurgeons that they are odd, antisocial, arrogant and difficult to talk to, but the chair at this program is none of these things. He is both brilliant but down to earth and easy to talk to. Drew got along with him really well and learned a lot while working with him.
Drew was on call Monday night and got about an hour of sleep. On Tuesday he got to scrub in with the chair on a surgery with a patient that he had seen in clinic on Monday. Again I don't know what the surgery was, but it was supposedly a "really cool case" and Drew really enjoyed it. Drew was done on Tuesday by 7:00 p.m.. We tried to talk when he was done for the day but as soon as he got home he wanted to eat, and as soon as he ate, he wanted to head to bed.
Days 15-16 = 38 hours
Today (Wednesday) Drew was in clinic again. He was done by 7:00 p.m. again tonight but because he wasn't on call last night he had quite a bit more energy. We were actually able to talk for a little while and he seems to finally be really enjoying himself. He enjoyed it before, but was a little too disoriented to be excited about the surgeries he was seeing. We both think that his next two away rotations are going to be much easier because he won't have an adjustment period and will be able to jump right in tot he crazy hours! Its hard to believe he only has a week and a half left at this program!
Day 17 = 14 hours

My weekend in Pictures

2009-08-18T21:35:00.011-05:00

Saturday morning my Mom and I headed over to my Aunts house where I got to see my cousins and their two little cuties. (Here is Sophie).

And I got to meet baby Connor for the first time!
Then we picked Drew up from the train. And headed to my hometown favorite, "The Freeze" so that Drew could get a well deserved cotton candy blizzard
Drew and I then took a nap (he was on call the night before). And we headed out to a late dinner with my wonderful parents. I also figured out how to use the timer on my camera, which allowed for this picture to be taken....

On Sunday our friends (Elizabeth and the Craigens) came over. Here is a picture of my beautiful Goddaughter (just after she had fallen asleep in my arms!)

It was a wonderful weekend filled with just a few of my favorite people!

Life is good!

Week 2, Days 9-13

2009-08-15T11:00:00.005-05:00

The rest of week two is all lumped together because I really didn't hear much about Drew's week until Saturday.
Tuesday began at the usual time (a little before 5:00 a.m.) but after rounds, rather than watching surgery all day, he decided to go to clinic. In clinic he saw patients who were either scheduled for upcoming surgery or were recovery from a recent surgery. Then Tuesday night Drew was on call. Wednesday when he was post call, they decided to start a surgery late in the day and it didn't go as smoothly and quickly as planned so he was there until 9:30 p.m. By the time Drew got home he was ravaging and got off the phone with me so he could eat. After he finished eating he called me to tell me he was exhausted and asked if I would mind if he went to sleep. This explains why we haven't had much time to talk.
Days 9 -10 = 40.5 hours

Thursday was a refreshingly short day. He started at the usual time, just before 5:00 a.m. and was done by 6:30 p.m. Drew was quite excited to be done early but spent most of the evening studying and researching a presentation topic before heading to bed. Before the end of this rotation he will have to make a presentation to the residents and attendings, and I believe it will factor into his overall evaluation.
Day 11 = 13.5 hours

Friday Drew started at the usual time and was on call that night. There was a fourth year medical student who goes to the school there and was volunteering for the night (often times if you want to match at your home program you will volunteer on nights and weekends to help make sure you match there). The residents said that Drew could go home if he wanted to because they had the other student's help, but he opted not to, and stayed. I guess they had a really interesting case that night. A patient came in that had fallen down the stairs. He had some sub-cranial bleeding (don't quote me on this I am repeating it from memory). He was responsive/alert when he arrived at the hospital but the scan showed bleeding in his brain. While he was there he became non-responsive and they had to rush him to the operating room. Saturday Drew was post call and done by 11:30 a.m.
Days 12-13 = 30.5

So while Drew and I did not have plans to see each other until the end of this first away rotation (I wanted him to sleep and study during his time off) we did see each other this weekend. I have missed him like crazy and really have not had much time to talk with him. The majority of our communication is via text message and includes encouraging words alongs with "miss you's" and "love you's". So when the opportunity arose we decided to meet up for the weekend. As soon as we picked him up from the train I started asking him tons of questions. Here are a few things that I learned . . .
Things are not the most organized (but not necessarily disorganized) in the sense that there isn't anywhere that Drew is really supposed to be. His first two weeks were cranial focused and his last two weeks will be spine focused. But this focus more pertains to what patients he will see on rounds in the morning, it doesn't really have anything to do with what surgeries he sees everyday. Also he has the option of watching surgeries or going to clinic. They don't assign him to one or the other, he can just pick. I think this is somewhat of an adjustment for Drew because he doesn't really know where he should be and is just trying his best to help out as much as possible without getting in the way. Unlike in medical school where they told him what he could do, here he is trying to anticipate what he should do, and is constantly asking what he can do to help.
He has seen quite a lot of surgeries as the hospital he is at has an extremely high volume of patients. A few of the surgeries he has seen are: tumors (both benign and malignant), aneurysms, cranial bleeding, spinal fusions and scoliosis. (I'm sure he has seen others as well, but that is all I can remember. )
The first week was quite an adjustment for Drew in that he experienced extreme exhaustion and hunger, but he seems to have turned the corner this week. He says that he is still extremely tired when his alarm goes off every morning at a little after three (and at times has wanted to throw/destroy his alarm) but by the time he is on his way to the hospital he is already thinking about what he will get to do/see that day, and how he can improve. He is kept so busy during the day he doesn't seem to have time to feel or think about being tired. To me, the thought of functioning on this schedule seems insane, but he seems to think that all of the residents are extremely well adjusted to the schedule and says that they rarely appear tired. I imagine that must be the case, as many residents in all specialties manage to function in high pressure situations on little sleep for several years during residency - I suppose your body has no choice but to adjust.
As for me I feel much better after having seen Drew, and now knowing that he is doing well, I'm hoping that being apart will only get easier from here on out. I'll post more about this weekend later this week!

Funny Stuff

2009-08-13T07:08:00.003-05:00

I wish I would have found this website earlier, there is some pretty funny medical school merchandise. My favorite is the: pitty me, my husband is in medical school - if we were a little earlier on in the journey I think I would buy the coffee mug. It put a smile on my face this morning!

Week 2 - Day 8

2009-08-10T22:21:00.006-05:00

Not too much to report for this Monday. Drew started before 5:00 a.m. and was done early and out of the hospital by 6:30... most surgeries were cancelled for internal reasons so it was mostly a quiet day.
Day 8 = 13.5 hours

As for me I am trying to keep busy and stay distracted. So far, so good. I am going to make a list of "goals" or things I want to accomplish before he comes home. Nothing major just odds and ends that I should be able to do with a little more time on my hands. For example I am trying to work out at least 3-4 times a week (instead of 2-3), and I want to clean out the pantry and so on.
Tonight I tried ironing. Its something that Drew normally does, but now that he is gone I suppose I need to learn. After all, my pleated dress pants just don't look right without the pleat down the front of the legs. My clothes do not look as good as when Drew irons them, but lets hope they look better than if I had not ironed them at all.
This weekend was a little lonely but I did have a few visitors to distract me. My friends (the Keiblers) were on their way down to St. Louis (I noticed Abbie's facebook status) and turns out that I texted them just in time for them to stop for a little potty break, and feeding break Campbell. (Who I haven't since for five months when she was just a month old!). Then on Saturday night I babysat Kaiden so his Mommy and Daddy could celebrate their anniversary (if you recall his Daddy has been serving in Afghanistan, and just got home). Then tomorrow Celia (dear friend from law school) and Joe are stopping by tomorrow night on their way down to Lake of the Ozarks. Thank goodness for good friends and family - I'll be counting on them to keep me busy for the next three months! Week 1 down, less than 11 weeks to go!

Days 4-6

2009-08-10T19:03:00.012-05:00

Days four through six (Thursday-Saturday) are lumped together because they pretty much were one long endless day for Drew. He went in a little before 5 a.m. and although he was not on call Thursday night there was a really neat surgery, so he decided to stay. By the time he got out of surgery it was nearly 11:00 p.m. At that point he left the hospital briefly to run out and purchase some deodorant and a toothbrush. He decided it was easier just to spend the night rather than travel back home since he had to be back in a few hours anyways. Then Friday was another busy call night in which he only got about 2 hours of sleep. Saturday he was post call, and finally left around 12:30 p.m. when he told the Resident he was pretty much at the end of his rope. Hopefully they won't look down on him for that but he had been there since Thursday morning, and was exhausted and hungry. He hadn't eaten in nearly 24 hours and had only gotten about 7 hours of sleep the past two nights combined (neither of which I imagine are out of the ordinary for a surgical resident - they just learn to adjust and handle it after a while).
For those of you who don't know my husband he is kind of a neat/clean freak. And I'm not complaining because I would rather him be obsessively clean than, dirty! Anyways in the three days that he was in the hospital (and we couldn't really communicate), all I could think about was how he was probably going crazy wearing the same clothes for three days straight. Drew is the kinda guy who would shower several times a day if he could, and will never wear a shirt more than once even if he only had it on for 5 minutes. Although it means a lot of laundry for me, I guess its good for patients... I mean who wants a dirty doctor? Anyways, somehow he managed to survive but once he got off on Saturday he made sure to let me know that he needed to get off the phone so that he could promptly shower and eat! I finally heard from him around 7:30 p.m. when he woke up from his "nap."
He was fortunate to have all of Sunday off so that he could rest, study and refresh for week number two. He is planning on bringing more snacks and powerbars this week so that he can eat whenever he has a free minute. I'm hoping he is feeling a little bit more comfortable and adjusted to the hours and schedule, now that he has survived his first week.
Days 4, 5, and 6 = 55.5 hours*
*There is no limit of maximum hours per week for students because they are learning, not working, and they are there of their own free will.

Day 2 and 3

2009-08-06T20:58:00.004-05:00

Morning rounds (where they see all the patients with the chief resident) begin at 5:45 a.m. Prior to rounds all of the other residents and medical students have to do their own "rounding" to see the patients so that when they go on rounds they can give the chief resident a quick update on the patient's status. At this first program Drew has about 9 patients. This is significantly more than he is used to having with his medical school (3 or 4). More patients also means that he has to start earlier in order to see all of his patients before rounds at 5:45. I'm not sure what time this means he has to get up, but he tried to get to the hospital by 4:30 a.m. so that he'd have at least an hour to go see all nine of his patients. (I think) during rounds each resident/student presents his patients (their updates, status, etc.) to the chief resident. Drew said that the hospital's format for presenting their cases is different than he is used to and therefore he needs to work on it.
After morning rounds on Tuesday, Drew got to watch (but didn't get to scrub in on because there wasn't enough room) a "very cool surgery." I didn't get any more information than that because our phone calls are extremely brief and I am lucky I even got that much detail out of him. All I know is that the surgery lasted - eight hours. Yes, eight hours. It must have been a very complex surgery, but I seriously cannot imagine standing still, not eating, not drinking, and not going to the bathroom for eight hours!
Surprisingly enough Drew said that the residents and attendings don't ask him very many questions. We were both expecting that he would get quizzed a lot, but so far, not so much. I don't know much more about Tuesday and Wednesday (day 2 and 3) other than the fact that he was on call for Tuesday night. He said he got about 2 and a half hours of sleep. He was done on Wednesday at about 7:00 p.m. and was home and in bed by a little after 8 p.m.
When I asked him about the food, he said that he hadn't even eaten food from the cafeteria yet. The only thing he bought was a water. He has been too busy to eat much. I guess it is good I sent him with all those snacks, because he should be able to fit them in his pockets and eat them when he has a free minute. I'm glad to hear that he is keeping busy, because a very important part of sub-Internships is making sure that he can keep up with the pace. If he is lazy, sits or simply doesn't keep up with the residents it isn't looked upon very well.
So far, so good. It's only a few days in, but he seems to be enjoying himself.
Day 2 and 3 = 38.5 hours

Away rotation #1, Day 1

2009-08-05T21:05:00.004-05:00

Drew's first day of his first away rotation started off well. He got to the hospital at 7:00 for his 7:30 a.m. orientation. He got his ID badge and met with the chief resident and did some other orientation-like things.* There is one other student doing the away rotation with him and so far they seem to get along - Drew said he was a pretty quiet guy.
Sometime in the afternoon he got to go into the O.R. to watch a surgery. He left his white coat outside the operating room in the surgical area. When he got out of surgery he looked in his wallet (which he had left in his white coat) to find that all his cash and his subway/el card were gone! When he got done for the day (around 7:00 p.m.) he called to tell me about the "theft." He was upset and kept apologizing - although I was really ticked off, it wasn't at him.
My first thought was that a patient stole from him but he explained that where he left his white coat was supposed to be a "safe" area because it was a surgical hallway - the only patients in that area are unconscious or strapped to a gurney. Which means that (I can only assume) another student/resident/nurse stole from him! How awful is that?! At least they left his credit cards (although I keep checking online to make sure there are no charges). I guess the theif needed the money more than we did, and I do believe that what goes around, comes around. And I keep reminding myself - its only money.
With Drew's el card gone he then had to decide between taking a cab back to his sister apartment or buying a new el card. (So much for all that money I tried to save by sending him with snacks... I guess it went toward buying a second montly el pass). After purchasing his new pass Drew got home only to find that his key didn't work! He waited outside for an hour until his sister got home. Although he didn't really complain (other than to say he was ticked off about the theft) I know he had a rough first day... the good news is that he did seem to enjoy the hospital and the program.
Day 1 = 11.5 hour day
*Please note that I only get a few minutes to talk to if and when he calls so my summaries will tend to have some gaps.

Away Rotation #1

2009-08-04T22:16:00.002-05:00

Drew left on Sunday for his first away rotation (which started Monday).
(Drew boarding the train)
With the expectation of having high expenses for residency applications (fees, plane tickets, gas, hotel rooms, etc.) we are trying to save money wherever we can. For Drew's first two away rotations he is able to stay with his sister - this is obviously saving us quite a bit of money. I spoke with another MS4 wife whose husband just finished up an away rotation at this program to try and get an idea about this first rotation. She said that her hubby pretty much was at the hospital all the time and therefore ate three meals there most days. Being the penny pincher that I am I thought it would be a good idea to send Drew with a whole bunch of easy meals and pre-packaged snacks. We purchased canned ravioli, mac n cheese, and individually wrapped snacks like power bars, cracker, chips, pop tarts and breakfast bars. Although I am sure he will still eat at the hospital a lot I hope he won't have to use the vending machines and can minimize his meals at the hospital - but who knows I might be being totally unrealistic.
Tomorrow I'll update on how on how Day 1 went...

Last Hoo-rah!

2009-08-04T22:01:00.006-05:00

Last Wednesday Drew and I went to the Cardinals game with two of our good medical school friends Andrea and Ryan.

It was our last end of summer "event" due to the fact that Drew will be gone the months of August, September and October for away-rotations. It was a great night and a great last summer outing together!

I'm not looking forward to fall or winter weather, but the summer just won't be the same without Drew!

Step II - Clinical Knowledge

2009-08-03T21:49:00.002-05:00

done! Drew took it last Wednesday (so as long as God-willing, he passed) he is officially done with all big medical school exams. (He might have a few for his clerkships this year but nothing major). We went out that night to celebrate the big milestone. Overall Drew said he felt like he did the best he could have. He felt more confident in his answers than he did on Step I, but based on the reasoning the questions still could have gone another way. So we'll just have to wait and see - it should be about four weeks before we get the results.

Tomorrow is the big day...

2009-07-28T21:26:00.004-05:00

Drew takes Step II (Clinical Knowledge) tomorrow, Wednesday July 29th - wish him luck, or better yet please say a prayer if you think of it! He has been studying hard so I'm just hoping and praying that he does his best. I'm sure he'll do fine but it is still a little nerve wracking (who am I to talk though - I am not taking the test) because he needs to do reasonably well... it would look bad if his score (as compared to Step I) dropped significantly. So here is to trusting God and hoping that Drew performs as well as he needs to in order to match wherever we are meant to be (and to asking God for enough peace and understanding and peace to accept wherever that may be). May His will be done.