Out From the Depths of the Dental School World

I’m almost there. 

   

Just one week of school left.  

 And did I mention I’m now treating REAL patients? In other words, my former patient, Manny Kin (get it? haha), has been relieved of me and will have a new student doctor come late August. Apparently, I’m moving on up in the dental world. ;)

I hope to be back soon – with an unnecessary amount of updates.   

So many events have occurred since my last post – both “good” and “could be better.” Little Toots is hanging in there. Poor girl has been through a lot.

Stay tuned … I think my journey back to blogland has commenced. It may take a week or so to get there.

Tata! :D

Why I haven't blogged since September; why I probably won't blog again 'til July

Well, hello!!!

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First order of business: Even though all our family and friends already know, I have yet to document on this blog that Derek PASSED BOTH the New York and New Jersey bar exams.  Two more reasons why this guy is a true winner in my book.  I had no doubt; he worked incredibly hard and ended up doing very well! 

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So ... 

I decided to stop by this little blog o' mine for a quick update.  Honestly, I feel guilty even doing this, since the little dental school angel is standing on my shoulder, politely reminding me I should be studying instead.  

Holy cow.  

The upperclassmen weren't kidding when they warned us of the difficulty of dental school year 2.  It is a doozie, indeed.

My last post was September 11, 2011.  The very next day I had my first exam of the Fall trimester -- and I haven't stopped since.  In fact, we didn't even get to spend Christmas with our families this year because I had to study for and take Part 1 of my National Dental Board Exam.  Swell.

My Winter trimester began this past Tuesday, so school is back in full swing.  Between now and my last final on June 15, I have nearly 45 (!) exams.

I'm sure you get my drift ... 

Now you know why it's been bye bye blog since September -- and why I likely won't return until July.  When I do have a little bit of extra time, I use it to read your blogs! :-)  I just can't muster up the creative energy to write a post {not to mention, life is pretty monotonous right now ... haha}.

But, you know what?  I'm OKAY with all of this.

Despite the crudy school stuff, I take solace in the fact that, at its core, I do LOVE dentistry.  It suits me perfectly.  And, I continue to be thankful the administrators at my dental school selected me to be one of their students.  And, I have a pretty cool hubby and a darn cute little hot dog by my side through it all. That's enough to keep me smiling on a daily basis. :-)

So, farewell for now my friends!  I'll continue to keep up with you and, who knows, I may just throw in a random post from time to time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

9.11.11

When a picture speaks a thousand words ...

 

 

*My husband, Derek, receives all credit for this beautiful photograph, taken last night from the Hudson River pier in Jersey City, New Jersey.*

We shall never forget ...

28 {Is Great}!

Today {or technically yesterday, since it's after midnight}, I celebrated my 28th birthday!  

Derek went to great lengths to assure my day {actually the whole weekend} was extra special:

First, he made me Belgian waffles for breakfast.  This was a HUGE deal.  The man is so highly intimidated by a simple measuring cup that I never thought I would see the day where he became acquainted with flour and baking powder.  He did an EXCELLENT job -- and I sure hope it boosted his confidence in the kitchen. ;-)

Next, he provided a little pampering by sending me to get a birthday manicure!  I've wanted to try navy blue polish for a while now, so I gave it a shot today.  I LOVE.

After a quick trip to the mall, he surprised me with a personalized birthday cake {my favorite dessert!} that has strawberry filling -- and tickets to go see Straight No Chaser at the Beacon Theatre in November!!!  I've mentioned this acapella group on my blog before; they are fantastic and I'm thrilled I get to see them live!

We ended the night with a lovely dinner at Bistro La Source, a French eatery.  We've had our eyes on this place for a while now, so tonight presented the perfect opportunity to finally try it.  YUM.  I ate every last bite of my rosemary-brined pork chop with spinach and summer squash.  Derek's skirt steak was equally delicious!  The atmosphere of the restaurant took me back to our Paris trip -- so quaint, so charming, so French.  I wanted all the accessories on the table!

I am so very thankful to have family and friends who made me feel so special on my special day!  My generous parents and parents-in-laws also gave me more than I could ever ask for/want/need!  How lucky am I?!  Never ever will I take this for granted!  And if I do, feel free to give me a good slap. :-)

I hope you all have had a wonderful, work-free Labor Day weekend!  I'll be back to blog, when I can.  Only two weeks in and school is consuming my life -- fortunately and unfortunately.  ;-)

I'm Not Hiding A Thing Behind Those Doors!

Happy weekend! :-)

 It's my last one before dental school starts again.  Okay ... time to change the subject.

Well, anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to organize.  When everything has its place, it calms my crazy mind.  ;-)

When we first moved last summer, my main goal was to get all our stuff out of boxes and semi-organized -- enough so that when I got around to really organizing, I was not undertaking a major project.

 

So, once I got out of school for the summer, I made it my mission to get control of a few spots around here.  Now, we do live in a rented apartment, so I can't do much to manipulate the space we have; I have to work with what we've got!  

Thankfully, we are lucky enough to have a linen closet next to the washer/dryer {which, praise the Lord, Hallelujah, we are also lucky to have}.  Anyway, for us, the linen closet also serves as a pantry and extra storage for kitchen appliances and bathroom/cleaning supplies.  I really just made some small changes to it for ease of use, since it seemed like every time we tried to reach for something, something else would fall to the floor.  It's all part of the beauty of living in a small space. ;-)

Here's the before ...

Everything was on its correct shelf {all kitchen appliances on first shelf, food on second shelf, bathroom/extra cleaning supplies on third shelf, etc.} just difficult to get to!  The solution??  Why fabric bins, of course!

The after ...

And, side-by-side ...

 

It's truly nothing fancy at all, but it sure does make me smile when I slide open the closet door!

After the linen closet, I conquered the chaos under the kitchen sink.  There really wasn't too much chaos going on; it just needed a little TLC.

The before ...

  I removed some items and added a couple shower caddies, plus a bin for the towels and ... voila!  Simple, simple.  Bathroom cleaning supplies are on the right; all-purpose cleaning supplies are on the left ...

 

And, for consistency's sake, side-by-side ...

 

Finally, {actually, I did this first}, I tamed the beast that was the medicine shelf!  Unfortunately, I do not have a before picture of this one.  When I labeled the plastic drawers, I made sure to include the expiration dates and dosage information!

See Tootsie's shelf right above it? :-)

Also, if you're so inclined to see how I organized our "bedroom office" last Fall, you can go here.

I don't know about you, but it's quite amazing what a little organization can do for me!  Perhaps I get a little too excited about this stuff?!  Hubby might think I'm slightly insane. And his feelings are probably legit. ;-)

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Tootsie also wanted to say "Hiya and happy weekend!"  And let you know how proud she is of her Potty Patch.  She is so cute!  We just love her to pieces!

 Bye now! :-)

Destination: D.C.

I've been avoiding my computer like the plague since I know that in less than a week, I'll be glued to it.  School starts back Monday. I have mixed feelings about this.

Anyway ...

As you probably know, everything is so compact here on the East Coast.  Lots and lots of stuff in very little space.  It's both a perk and an annoyance. This past weekend, we made it a perk.

We're three to four hours or less from a number of urban areas, including Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.  For this particular day trip, we chose D.C.

We left Saturday morning, but because of all the fist-pumping Jersey Shore, "I gots to get to the beach NOW" travelers, combined with buckets of rain, it took us 5 hours to get there {It should've only taken about 3.5 hours}.  {Side note: In that short amount of time, we drove through New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland ... see what I mean when I say COMPACT!} Anywho, we didn't arrive 'til 2 p.m.  

Oh, and despite the fact that The Weather Channel predicted sun, the weather was nasty.  We're talking hot, sticky and rainy.  But, we trotted along and made the best of it!

After taking in some of the outdoor sights of The National Mall ...

 We made our first stops at a couple of the Smithsonian Museums: The Museum of American History, followed by the Air and Space Museum.  The exhibits at the American History Museum were chalk full of interesting facts and artifacts, but perhaps my favorite was the fantastic new First Ladies exhibit that showcased all the inaugural gowns and accessories.  

I couldn't get over the amount of actual pieces {not replicas} at the Air and Space Museum.  We're talking the actual Spirit of St. Louis, the actual command modules from several of the Apollo flights, and one the neatest ...

the actual, original Wright Flyer.  It's difficult to believe the sophisticated airplanes we use now all started from this.

Walking outside around The National Mall and visiting the two museums took up a pretty big chunk of our time, so we only had time for one more stop.

Of course, we didn't want to leave without seeing The White House!

 Thankfully, our trip home was pretty traffic-free.  I mean, I guess "traffic-free" in terms of normal traffic in this area. ;-)

I'm kind of regretting the fact we didn't get a single picture together, but I know we'll be back.  We left plenty there to do!  I think next time, though, we'll try our best to avoid the fist-pumpers who love to put the "T" in GTL!  Haha!

Tootsie Roll Tuesday: Hangin' In Albany, NY

Yes, that's right: Little Tootsie has made her way to upstate New York.

But today it's not all about her {for once ... hehe!} 

We are here for Derek.

While he spends 16 hours in bar exam misery {two eight-hour exams in two days}, Tootsie and I are hangin' in our hotel, watching the rain and barking (well, her, not me ;) ... oh holy barking.  Tootsie is a little girl with a BIG bark -- and every time she hears a little peep outside the door, bark mode ensues. :-/ It's made for an interesting day.  Despite that, I do love having my sidekick to keep me company.  {Update: I think she finally barked herself to sleep!}

Anywho, we've been thinking about Derek all day ... hoping and praying that he is killing his exam!  We have no doubt he is, but, shoo ... the stress. {Perhaps I can chalk up Tootsie's barking to anxiety for her pops, added to the fact that she's in unfamiliar surroundings.}

Wherever Tootsie goes, the Potty Patch must follow. ;)

Exploring her new surroundings!  Terrible quality photo because she was too busy sniffing and WOULD NOT sit still!

We'll be headed out in just a bit to pick up Derek from Exam Day 1 {of 3}.  My husband is one hard-working guy, and I sure am lucky to call him mine! 

Here's to one bar exam down -- and a less bar-ky day tomorrow.  ;-)

 

{P.S. Blogger is being ultra weird with my formatting today.  Sorry 'bout that.}