Phoenix, Forest, and Fun!

This week is only half over, and Katie & I have already had so much fun!

We began the week with a day of work, followed by some time at the beach at the Atlantic coast. After a quick stop at Ben & Jerry's for a highly nutritious snack, we slipped off our sandals and let our feet have some fun in the sand. This was our first visit to the sandy beach of the Atlantic shore - and it was incredible. The air was chilly and a storm was rapidly approaching, so we didn't have our bathing suits on and weren't planning on going into the water. We took some photos of the beach and the surf. Since we didn't want to hold on to our shoes while taking pictures, we set them down on the sand for just a bit. That ended up being a bad idea, because a large wave came up and I had to chase my sandals to catch them before they drifted out to sea. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson and not set my shoes down so that they could drift away again, but no, I apparently did not. I set them down again a few minutes later, along with my sunglasses, and had to chase my belongs after they threatened to be taken to sea by another large wave. In the end, the waves ended up being too big and tempting, and we had too much fun wading out into the water a little ways, and then running away when the big waves came after us. We ended up getting fairly wet (my skirt and Katie's shorts were definitely not dry). We had a great time though :) We plan on going back at the end of the week with our swim suits so that we can really get soaked by the waves!

Tuesday was our last day at the hospital with our ICU clinical pharmacist preceptor. We gave our final presentation in the afternoon, and by golly, it felt great to get that over with! The lessen I learned from that patient case was that whenever I am faced with something I don't want to do or something that seems unpleasant, at least I don't have neurocysticercosis.

Tuesday night, Katie, Juan, Roberto, and I went to a concert at the Norva for a band named Phoenix. I'd never really listened to them before, but I recognized their music from a car commercial. Turns out, they are super great! After a brief discussion after the concert, we decided their genre of music is indie dance. Check them out; they're a lot of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4MXFOMpVIw&feature=related

On Wednesday, Katie and I spent the morning at the nephrology office visiting with home dialysis patients. It was neat to get to talk with them about their dialysis...makes me feel very fortunate to have healthy, functioning kidneys. After work, Juan, Katie, and I went to a state park located just a few miles from the house...it was a perfect day for a hike. The three of us did a trail that meandered around swampland with beautiful Spanish moss hanging from the trees - it was so cool looking! Juan ended up having to leave to pick Amalia up from school, but Katie and I were really enjoying ourselves and decided to stay and continue hiking. Neither one of us had a map, or a cell phone, but we figured we could navigate and eventually make it back to the car (and we did succeed in that, obviously). The land in the park was very diverse - swampy areas, a deep blue river, sandy river beaches, forest, hills, flat land. We had fun exploring some off-the-beaten-path paths. We saw a decent amount of wildlife - a couple sweet looking birds, salamanders, a snake's skin (which obviously isn't alive, but is proof of the snakes), turtles, snails, dogs, and humans. At the end of our hiking adventure, we had walked 6-7 miles worth of trails...it was great!

Note the Spanish moss hanging from the trees!

Wig made out of Spanish moss? I think YES!

Escargot anyone?

Once we arrived home, we made friendship bracelets with Amalia (I don't think I've made bracelets like that since 7th grade!) That was quite fun :)

Right now it's laundry time for Katie and I...and not time to do homework. It feels so great to be done with homework and portfolios, and to only have two more days left of rotations!

Almost done!

Friday was a very busy day for Katie and I - we spent our morning in the ICU, went out for lunch at an amazing Mediterranean cafe that Amalia introduced us to, spent some time doing medication reviews with patients at the nephrology office, did a lot of work on our presentations and portfolios at home once we finished with work, and then headed out for a busy night! Amalia was in a production of Aladdin at her school, so of course we decided to go to the show and watch her perform in her role as Jafar (she was great!).
After the show, Katie and I drove to Norfolk to grab dinner at California Pizza Kitchen in the mall. As we were hurredly walking to the restaurant (we had a show to get to in just an hour!), we got distracted by cute dresses in the front of one of the stores, and had to take a quick break so that we could each try on a dress...we ended up both buying the same dress (haha!), and they were only $10, so we thought we got a pretty good deal. We then proceeded to rush out of store to eat dinner. Good news - we made it to the show on time!

Edwin McCain was playing at the Norva, and Katie's aunt and uncle had given us their tickets for the evening again. We both appreciate their generousity so much - the Gelpi family is so great :) Katie and I got seats in the balcony VIP section almost directly above the stage...I might call them the best seats in the house. The music was fantastic, and the concert was a lot of fun. We were both pretty exhausted when we got home at 12:30am though. - apparently we aren't used to such late hours anymore.

Saturday was a day of homework: patient cases and portfolio updating. It was pretty lame. Except for the fact that we spent the day at Borders, where we could drink some fine quality Seattle's Best coffee :) I loved the fact that there was a huge photo of Seattle's Pike Place Market overlooking Puget Sound just behind the barista's counter. So excited to get out there and experience the city firsthand every single day!!!

On Sunday, Katie and I got up for the early service at church...or more accurately, Katie got up and ready to go, and then she had to wake me up because I'm not much of a morning person and I didn't set an alarm. Kind of reminds me of my 4th year of college, when I lived with Maggie - she'd have to come into my room every single morning to wake me up, just like a mom and little kid who doesn't want to go to school. Apparently I wasn't always very nice to her...I'm glad she forgave me for my awful groggy-morning-behavior. I really wish I was a morning person.

After church, we spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon on homework. Again, lame. But good news - all of my patient care plans are complete, my summaries are finished, and my presentation is ready to go! Which means that all I have left to do are 1. give a presentation tomorrow, 2. get a signature from a preceptor saying I completed the rotation, 3. get evaluated, 4. evaluate my preceptor, and 5. show up for work for five more days! Meaning, I'm basically done. It's a great feeling :) Now if only Boards were over...

Around 4:30, we headed over the the grandparents' home for a beach party in honor of the kiddos in Amalia's play. There were an awful lot of little kids running around and playing in the sand/water as parents looked on from the deck. Dinner consisted of hot dogs, burgers, amazingly yummy fruit, typical pot-luck type salads, and super awesome cookies that Amalia made. Rather than stay and be social with the kiddos, Katie and I decided to take a nice walk on the beach. Today wasn't exactly a day of beach-weather, so hardly anyone else was on the beach even though it was decently nice outside. We ended up walking all the way down to the end of the public beach, to the rocky area and fence that marks the boundry of the military base. There were a couple of guys surfing nearby, and we stopped to watch them for a bit. I thought it'd be a good decision to have a seat on one of the rocks at the boundry mark. That was a bad decision - a huge wave came up (the water was pretty wicked today) and splashed me. It did a pretty good job of soaking me in a way that looked like I had just peed my pants; it was bad. Katie missed out on the huge splash - lucky girl. So anyways, we decided it would be a good idea if Katie spashed the front of my pants so that it looked a little more even. That didn't really work, and I ended up getting a wet shirt too. Oh well - at least they were fast drying khaki's that were dry by the time we made it back to the party.

And that was our weekend! We're hoping to be able to really enjoy this last week of rotations, because all of the "big stuff" is taken care of. Thirtynine weeks of rotations complete, one to go!

Practical Joke

Stalker-Cat has this habit of laying on our cell phones when we leave them on our beds. Typically, our phones are set on vibrate mode. This is what happened one night when he decided to lay down on Katie's phone, and I dialed her number...

Fourth week in VA already?! No way!

Time flies when you're having fun and working hard! It's been another busy week in Virginia Beach, and I really can't believe that our time here is over halfway complete!

Last weekend was nice and relaxing - Friday afternoon we were let off of work early so that we could work on our tans. Funny story from the beach - Katie and I were laying on our towels, watching Amalia skimboard as the waves came in, when Jose (Amalia's grandfather) came down to the beach to deliver glasses of wine and fried plantains to Katie and I. Jose is a very charming gentleman, so of course he had something very beautiful sounding to say to us in Spanish (he's also somewhat of a poet, and even though I have no idea what he's saying, it sounds very nice). He didn't stay to visit with us, and thus retreated back into the house. A few minutes after Jose went inside, a guy about the same age as Katie and I, who had watched this whole exchange, came up to us and asked, "Did that old guy just bring you girls a glass of wine?" We answered yes. He then asked, "Do you know him?!" We explained that yes, we knew him. He then said, "Well, I guess that makes it not creepy then." Apparently he was concerned that we were being served alcoholic beverages by an older gentleman that we didn't know. Katie and I got a good laugh out of the young man's concern. Amalia had Cotillion Friday night, so it was fun seeing her dressed up to head off to the dance. She is such a pretty girl :) Our evening was spent chilling at home eating delivered pizza and watching a movie, and not working on homework.

On Saturday, Katie and I went to watch Amalia, Roberto, and Juan as they practiced Kendo (an interesting Japanese sport that involves swords (both bamboo and real) and specially trained movements)...Google it for me info - it's neat. It was very fun to watch them do something that they all love so much. Saturday evening was prom for Roberto (he's a high school junior), and rather than going out to dinner with his date and a group of friends, a bunch of kids were invited over to our house for heavy appetizers and mingling. So, after having the house cleaned and the gardens weeded/spruced up, a house-full of guests arrived. I think there were a total of eight couples (so 16 kids), plus parents to most of the kids that came. It was a very full house. The food was catered - and was very good. Pictures were taken. The kids all looked so nice dressed up.

Sunday was a homework day. Katie and I spent a good portion of the afternoon camped out at a coffee shop reading journal articles and taking notes - it was great fun. The coffee was really great...I had a coconut mocha that was fantastic. And the coffeeshop itself was decorated with a tropical, Hawaiian decor. Very fun place to be productive :)

This week on rotation, we spent time doing the normal things (ICU rounds in the morning, reviewing patient cases, medication reviews with nephrology patients), as well as a few new things. Tuesday, Katie and I spent time with the ER pharmacist. It was a very slow day in the emergency department, though, so we didn't really get to see anything "cool" (aka horribly traumatic). Wednesday, we watched a coronary artery bypass graft surgery - which was AWESOME. We were in scrubs, standing about 2.5 feet from an exposed beating heart as the surgeon operated. The patient was a smoker, and it was very dramatic to see his blackened lungs - so gross. Message to all: DO NOT SMOKE, BECAUSE IT'LL MAKE YOUR LUNGS LOOK GROSS (not to mention numerous other horrible things). Monday and Thursday, we meet with several patients throughout the hospital to teach them about their medication Coumadin. It was a busy week that went by very fast!


On Thursday night, Katie and I drove into Norfolk to attend concert of the Goo Goo Dolls at the Norva. I love the venue - we've been there two other times now for concerts (Fanfarlo and Needtobreathe). The place was packed for the Goo Goo Dolls, and we were very thankful that we had VIP tickets so that we could stand in the balcony and not fight the crowds on the floor. The music was great, and just when I thought I'd heard all of their big hits from throughout the years, they'd play another great song. It was a ton of fun, and with my super fantastic camera, I got some great shots :)

That's about all for now. Katie and I have a lot to get completed this weekend in regards to patient cases and stuff for our pharmacy portfolio - but the end is in sight! Only one more week of rotations EVER! (Well, for me anyways...Katie is doing a residency next year, which is kind of like a rotation except she has more authority and gets paid.) Graduation is so close!!!

Stalker-Cat

This blog post is meant as an introduction between you readers and one of the lovely friends we have made since arriving in VB. His name is Eggi (or Eggie or Eggy...however you want to spell it). We know him more affectionately as Stalker-Cat. (No one else calls him Stalker-Cat, by the way - only Katie and I.)

The Gelpi family has two cats - both of which have longer names (which we don't remember) that are shortened to two-syllable nicknames. Lulu doesn't really like us, so we haven't been able to bond with her very well.


However, Stalker-Cat loves us. He follows us everywhere - around the house, to our beds, outside, and even down to the dock! One of his favorite hangout spots with us is on top of our suitcases - we never leave them open, because then there would be Stalker-Cat hair all over our clothes! We've even had a few nights that he has shared the bed with me.

Stalker-Cat is such a sweet, fat, happy cat. He's definitely got some quirks (example: he only likes to eat his food when someone stands in the kitchen with him to watch him eat), but we love him.

And now you've met Stalker-Cat :)

Annapolis, Maryland

Friday and Saturday, Katie and I took a trip to Annapolis, MD (located about four and a half hours from Virginia Beach). The trip was full of history and giggles - we know how to have some good clean fun :)

The first bit of giggles began shortly into our trip...in order to drive up the Eastern Shore, we had to drive across a 20-mile bridge that spans the Chesapeake Bay. There is a toll to this bridge. We paid the toll, and continued on our way. When we were just over halfway across the bridge, a police car pulled behind us and put his lights on. Shoot! Katie was driving, and this was the first time she had ever been pulled over. I began to search for the vehicle registration as the police walked to the window. The only possible reason Katie could think of for getting pulled over was for going too slow! But we were both freaking out just a little bit. Anyways, when the policeman got to the car, he said not to worry - we weren't in trouble. He then asked why we didn't get any change at the tollbooth. We said that we had thought we gave exact change. Apparently we were wrong. So the policeman takes out his wallet, and gives us two bucks (we had overpaid by $3). We were given the option of turning around to get the other dollar, but we cut our losses and just kept going. What a relief! First time getting pulled over, and rather than having to pay a fine, Katie gets paid by the cop!

The huge homes that can be found along the Eastern Shore in Virginia are incredible. Katie and I really enjoyed the drive through rural Virginia into Maryland. We arrived in Annapolis, and were so excited to begin exploring the city! Our hotel was one of the three Historic Inns of Annapolis - located smack dab in the middle of downtown historic Annapolis. After our car was parked, we got to check out our wicked awesome hotel - full of history, very quaint, perfect choice :) We were within walking distance of everything that we wanted to see! AND there was a Starbucks located in the basement of our hotel. Way cool.

After getting settled, we walked around town, did some window shopping, and meandered our way down to the waterfront. As the sun was just about finished setting, we headed into an Irish pub for dinner. I had classic Sheppard's Pie, and Katie had a chicken pot pie. Soooo yummy. And then we ordered a slice of apple pie to share for dessert (we explained to our waiter that we reached the decision to have this dessert because it was the healthiest option, due to the fact that it contains fruit). We hung out at the pub for most of the night, each of us having a couple of cocktails while listening to live music. Fun night. We were both tired when we arrived back at our room, and decided to catch some zzzzz's.

We decided to wake up early to begin our day of sightseeing. However, apparently we got up too early...nothing else was open yet! We got our coffee, and then wandered around town for about an hour until things started opening up. It was a beautiful crisp morning, so the walk was wonderful.

The main attractions that we toured included:

The State House (Maryland's Capitol building, and former United States Captiol). The Senate and House were both meeting today, and we were able to sit in on part of the Senate meeting. Neat stuff. This is also the building where the Treaty of Paris was signed, and where George Washington resigned from being a general.

William Paca House. Mr. Paca was one of the four delegates from Maryland to sign the Declaration of Independence. We toured his house and surrounding gardens.


United States Naval Academy. We toured the visitor's center, where we learned about the requirements of admission and what the typical day of a midshipman is like. We also toured the Chapel (which was more like a cathedral), and saw the Crypt of John Paul Jones. Right before we left the Academy, we saw some drills being completed - instense stuff. The men in charge were really yelling at some of those soldiers - I would have cried.


Other things that we saw in Annapolis included the Govenor's House, Navy men, and St. Anne's Church (with Tiffany windows). Lunch was had at a local crepe shop...perfect for taking to the waterfront to eat and watch the boats and water.

The drive home was even more beautiful than the drive up (the weather was nicer on Saturday than it had been Friday). We had some giggles during that car ride as well - we passed a run-down trailer park labeled as "Dreamland - A Touch of Class." We also passed a chicken factory who boasted having "Fresh Young Chickens"...it smelled so bad.

Katie and I had a great couple of days in Annapolis!

Home Sweet Home

Good news!

I have a place to call home in Seattle, WA! It is currently inhabited by my friend, Justin, who lives in Seattle...but will become empty at the end of the month when Justin moves into his newly purchased condo (congrats to him for being a first-time property owner!). The owner of the building has agreed to hold the place for me for half-rent in May...and I get to move-in at the beginning of June!

It's a lovely one bedroom, one bathroom apartment (approx. 800 sq ft) located along Queen Anne Ave at the top of Queen Anne hill, just outside of downtown Seattle. The apartment features two walk-in closets, plus a couple of smaller closets...lots of storage space! I'll have garage parking for my car, and an additional larger storage unit in the building. My unit will have both a private entrance and an entrance into the apartment building. I'm more than just a little bit ecstatic! Trader Joe's is located just three blocks away! Coffee shops, restaurants/cafes, and local businesses are just a couple of minutes up the road. There's a Safeway not too far away (one of the stores that I will float at!). The apartment is also located right along the bus line, so taking public transportation when I desire (and getting back and forth to/from the airport) will be a breeze.

Here's a photo that I took of the outside of the apartment unit when I visited Justin in Seattle last summer:

The apartment is located at the top of this monstrous hill...great work-out climbing to the top :) And the view from the top of Queen Anne is incredible.

Today, I tried sushi.

That's right - today I did something I never thought I'd ever try. A Cowboy Roll. Sushi with cooked beef, not fish. And it was great.

Katie and I spent a good four and a half hours working this morning, and then were given time off to go "study for boards," aka "go to the beach." It was a fabulous 88 degrees this afternoon, and it was too gorgeous to stay inside. So we spent a few hours hanging out in the water and laying out in the sun. Our tans are starting to develop quite nicely, with no severe sunburns as of yet.

After the beach, our VB (VB = Virginia Beach) family went out to dinner at a sushi place here in town. Juan and Barbara ordered a smorgasbord of sushi to try - Katie was brave and tasted everything; I, on the other hand, was content with trying one cowboy roll and then eating a plate of teriyaki chicken :) For dessert, we shared an order of creme brulee and an plate of mochi. So yummy!

Katie touched a snake today...

Today Katie and I decided to spend the day at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It was 61 degrees outside by 9:30am, so we knew it was going to be a beautiful day! The gardens were full of gorgeous, fragrant flowers...brilliant colors were everywhere we looked!

We also saw a bit of wildlife at the gardens - a frog, small fish, huge fish, bald eagles, turtles, a duck, geese, and a snake.

Katie noticed the snake along a wall as we walked down a set of steps. At first we weren't sure whether or not it was real...so Katie touched it, and it moved...and we then knew that it was, in fact, very much alive.

By early afternoon, the temperature had surpassed 80 degrees, and we were dripping with sweat. Apparently we aren't used to the high temps and humid air quite yet :) So we headed home, stopping to pick up lunch at a local restaurant called 'Taste' on the way.

I still can't believe Katie touched that snake. She's so brave!