Hi blog, I'm back.

It's been awhile. But I've been thinking about journaling/blogging more often and figured, why not now?

This was a big weekend for Sterling and I and I want to share the first steps of our new journey. But before that I can bring you up to speed.

When Sterling and I started dating I was at CMU and he was at MSU. We always used to say that our "long distance" relationship (an hour apart... what I would do to live an HOUR away from him now...) was preparing us for our future. We didn't know what his future held in store for him as far as the army went and I wasn't sure what I was doing with my future... but we were pretty sure that we weren't going to live together for some time.

Then we got married in July of 2010 and got to hang out for a hot minute. We didn't live together before we got married (I was finishing up my masters and he was doing some training) and we only got to live together until May in 2011. We haven't lived together since then. I've been in Lansing the whole time, he's been in Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee and Afghanistan. Probably other places too... I just forget. It's been over 4 years since I've lived with that guy and man do I miss him.

So you must imagine how excited we are that his last day in the army is in March. Like... a month away. It's so close it almost doesn't seem real. And so to prepare for his transition out of the army, Sterling has been working with a company called Cameron Brooks (hope I spelled that right). This company is awesome. They work with Sterling to figure out what kind of career (NOT JOB) would be best for him once he is out and then they go and recruit several businesses for him to interview for. We actually just got back from his interviewing conference.

This was an experience that we are both so excited and grateful for. Not many people get to go on 15 interviews in one weekend. Also, didn't mention that these companies are good. Like... Fortune 500 good. These are businesses that he can stay and make a career out of. His interviews ranged from medical device sales to management, to selling jet planes. It was awesome. Here's the thing though, we got the list of companies and found that 1 out of 15 of the jobs were located in Michigan. Serious bummer. I am almost done with school... I have one semester left of my PhD then I have 2 years of medical school left that has to be finished in Lansing. *Sigh* the separation thing again.

We decided to not look at location or salary and just have him do the best he can do at the interviews and then we will go from there. Of course he killed it. He always does amazing at things like this. He had several companies ask for follow-up interviews and we chose the top 4. Not based on location or salary but based on what he would do best at and what he would get the most fulfillment from. As hard as it is to not live together, how awful would it be to live a life of regret from not taking this opportunity? There are moments when I want to be selfish and say "no, you have to live in Michigan and just find a job where I am." But if he said that to me... Oh man would I shake my head and z-snap my fingers and say "oh no you did not just say that." We have both worked so hard to be where we are at right now. Would it have been nice to have where we are at right now be in the same geographic location? Sure. We don't want to live apart. He is my best friend. I would love to come home and tell him about my day and make him laugh with all my stupid jokes (he wouldn't laugh because my jokes are funny, but because of how funny I think my own jokes are... I'm hilarious). Neither of us would be satisfied with that though. We are both incredibly supportive to each other but both incredibly ambitious as well. It may not work for you, but this works for us. It's hard, but it's worth it.

I guess I wrote this post not to explain to everyone the transition we are going through right now, but rather to work through this in my own way. It's hard to explain to people why we live the way we do, but maybe this helps. Know that we are both happy, that we love each other a ridiculous amount and that we fully support each other in finding a career that is fulfilling and endures.

Please keep Sterling in your thoughts and prayers as he goes up for his follow-up interviews. This is such an exciting time for us and we are excited to share what happens to him in the very near future!

Late night thoughts on love.

Okay, so I know it's not that late, but it's late for me... So that should count.

Since church yesterday I've been thinking a lot about love. We learned about how Jesus told us to deal with our enemies. With love. Other places in the bible tell us to love our neighbor. I have a tattoo of scripture on my back with Jesus commanding us to love one another as He loved us.

What does this love look like?

Well He tells us that too. Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not envious, boastful, proud, dishonorable, self seeking, easily angered and it does not keep records of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

So if we are to be loving and this is how we are to love... Shouldn't it go like this:

I am patient. I am kind. I am not envious, boastful, proud, dishonorable, self seeking, easily angered and I do not keep records of wrong. I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. I always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. I never fail. 

Well that couldn't be further from the truth. I fall short of all of these things. I'd like to believe that I am loving, but is know my love doesn't look like this. I can aim for this, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I can start changing the way I live and love to be more like this, but I will always fall short. Thankfully God loves me despite this. 

God is patient. God is kind. God is not envious, boastful, proud, dishonorable, self seeking, easily angered and it does not keep records of wrong. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails. 

My fitness journey

This is a subject that's been on my mind a lot lately and this is my space to release my thoughts. So here goes...

My whole life I've struggled with my physical appearance. There have been times that this has consumed my life and there have been moments where I've accepted my body. I can't say that this is something I've overcome because there are definitely times when I just hate on myself. But really, who doesn't? We live in such a toxic social world that defines beauty in such an unrealistic way. I believe that there are people out there trying to send out more positive messages about loving yourself the way you are, but we have a long way to go. On the other hand, I don't think we should be complacent either. We can always better ourselves (in a healthy way) so why not strive to be the best version of you that you can be?

I titled this post "my fitness journey" because I want to lead into where I'm currently at... we'll get there.

I've never been super athletic. I was a cheerleader in high school (probably not helping the self esteem issues) and I was in colorguard in both high school and college. While these kept me somewhat in shape, I still could barely run a mile or have any real endurance strength. Throughout college I dabbled in lots of different workout routines. I used the elliptical, run or go to workout classes like yoga or kickboxing.  I would always get bored though and I always dreaded working out. It wasn't something I enjoyed and it wasn't something that I did consistently in my life. I would go on crash diets and there were times that I would just not eat at all in an attempt to lose weight and feel better about myself. It's been a struggle. I also dated people who didn't make me feel better about myself and really that probably took the biggest toll on my self esteem.

Then I started dating a man who made me love myself again. I wound up marrying this guy and I'm always so grateful for the loving and supportive relationship we have. He's never made me feel less about myself and at the same time he motivated me to be better and to take action about my physical appearance since it was obviously something I was unhappy about. At first I took up running. I actually enjoy running... but I'm a fair weather runner and as we know in Michigan, fair weather can be hard to come by. After running a half marathon, I wanted to take a break from running, but I didn't know what to do exercise-wise. As I said earlier, I just got bored with the typical gym stuff and I was very unmotivated. About this time, Sterling was becoming more and more involved with crossfit workouts and he encouraged me to join a local box (that's what us cool kids call a crossfit gym...). At first I was hesitant. I didn't know how to do most of the stuff that I saw them doing online when I looked it up and I didn't want to look like a weak, chubby idiot. I finally got the courage to just go and try it out. I can't say I was hooked after the first WOD (workout of the day)... mainly because I couldn't walk for a week afterwards... but I was excited about doing something different and learning some new stuff.

This is the point in the blog where I'm going to talk about my love for crossfit. There is a lot of negative hype out there about crossfit and one of the things I see complained about the most is how much crossfit athletes talk about crossfit. I don't get that. You love your job, you talk about it. You love a sports team, you talk about it. You love a pet, you talk about it. I could go on, but I think you get my point. When you love something you share that with others. And crossfit people really love what they are doing. So I'm going to talk about it, and you can roll your eyes and stop reading... or you can read on and find out why I love it.

So starting off at the box, I knew nothing. I was learning how to do deadlifts and push presses with PVC pipe and the idea of doing burpees was the worst thing in the world for me. But I kept at it. I kept at it because of the people that I work out with. That's what I love about crossfit and that's what I love about my box... the people. Not once have I ever felt bad about not knowing how to do something or being corrected when I do something wrong. I've never felt bad about myself because that guy over there is doing 10 times the amount I can. I've always felt supported and encouraged to do my own personal best. Rarely do I do the workout with the weight that is perscribed, but that doesn't matter... I still get my high-fives at the end of the workout. I get cheered and I get pushed to do my very best... and my very best just keeps getting better. The people and the community are what keep me from giving up and what keeps me motivated and excited about new challenges. I'm lucky enough to have an awesome group of people I work out with at 6am and my day starts awesomely because of them.

I didn't mean to turn this into a crossfit blog, but really this community of people have changed me. Although I have my moments where I still feel bad about myself, crossfit has given me a confidence that is welcome and needed in such a negative world. Working out is no longer a dreaded chore, but rather an fun/challenging lifestyle. And that's what it should be.

So, it's been a minute...

I feel like I always start this blog back up when I need to vent or when I need some kind of release. It's been almost a year since I've blogged and really, not too much has changed, but here are some updates:

School: Well, I finished the first 2 years of medical school. That was a relief. Medical school kind of sucks the life out of you. While not being in classes anymore has been amazing, not being in classes has also been pretty rough. I think I've said before that med school is like high school. You're with the same people, struggling through the same classes, on breaks at the same time, and these are the people that really understand you and get what you're going through. All of these people have moved away. That has been really hard for me this year. I miss my friends and the relationships I had with them.

I'm currently back in the lab and while it's been a good change of pace, it's also slightly overwhelming. Doing research is 100% different than studying for tests in med school. I have to think broader, I have to think critically, I have to problem solve and think outside of the box. I have a lot more responsibility and a lot of work to do that relies solely on me and my mind. It's hard work. The worst part is when I have no motivation to get work done, it really puts me back.

All in all with school, I'm exhausted. I'm ready to be done and I'm in desperate need of a second wind to push through the next few years. Phew... school is blah.

Husband: Sterling got back from Afghanistan at the end of July. It was amazing to have him home again. I didn't really realize what a toll his deployment had taken on me until I felt the relief of him being back. He is currently living in Tennessee and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard. I miss my husband all the time. It sounds cliche but he really is my best friend. It can be hard visiting each other for too long because one of us is always busy and the other is on "vacation." I'd like to be able to say that we will be able to live together soon, but really we are looking at AT LEAST 2 more years of living apart. I'm just ready to have a home with my husband and not be in school. I will never take that for granted.

I've been pretty whiny up until now. So here is some good news...

I'm now living with my brother, my cousin and her boyfriend and it's such a welcome change from feeling alone all the time like in my old house. They are fun and although they can be somewhat annoying (;)) at times, I love them and I am so glad that we will all be living here again next year.

I've started working out more consistently and I belong to a crossfit box which has been a different kind of family/support. I love the people that I work out with and they are constantly trying to push me to be better. I'm just now getting back into the workout groove after being completely gross over the holidays and so I'm not ripped yet... but just wait, I will be! This last weekend I also tried out hot yoga for the first time... um AMAZING. I made a boo-boo and went to an hour and a half long class for my first time which may have been a bit much, but I've felt great since and I'm excited to do it again. I feel like it's really going to help out with my mobility and my core strength which will only help with crossfit.

I'm still a leader in our middle school ministry, Chaos and I love every minute of it. Those girls (and boys) are awesome and I always am learning from them. Being a leader has also really pushed me to become a "better Christian" and really just be more accountable for my knowledge of the bible since I am teaching it to them. It's been something that has really been helping me stay sane through these tough winter months. Winter is always hard for me and this one seems to be harder than normal so I'm thankful for the motivation and companionship that I get from this group.

I think that is all the typing I've got in me right now, plus I need to get some data analyzed before my early bed time...

It feels good to be back to venting on here though.

Community

Lately I've been feeling slightly defeated. I also think the weather has had some influence on my mood (let's be real, how can anyone be awesomely happy when it's super dreary and awful out?). I'll spare you the details, but basically I just feel worn down and... really defeated is the only word I can think of.

Then I got to spend the past weekend with a group of amazing girls. Myself, eleven 12 and 13 year olds, and a high school leader spent the weekend at Timberwolf Lake for a church retreat. At first it was a burden for me to go. I had tickets to go to the annual MOCF ball that was the same weekend and there was an exam the Monday following the retreat. However, I am currently the only female leader in Chaos right now (other than our awesome high school leader, Macy) and so I really needed to make this my priority. Friday evening it was hard to get pumped up because of how darn cold it was, but as a leader it's your job to get the kids excited and to get them hyped for the awesome messages they get to hear. By Friday night, I was already exhausted. We stayed up late giggling about boys, complaining about teachers and parents, and just being goofy. At about 2am when the giggling finally settled and we all were starting to fall asleep, I realized I was right where I needed to be.

Although I have lots of friends at MSUCOM, sometimes I still feel very lonely. Most of my friends there have only met Sterling in passing and very few know much about him, or our relationship. A lot of times I don't want to talk about it because I miss him so much and it's difficult for me to think of how awesome we are together. Spending the weekend with these girls just made me feel so loved. They fought over who was going to stand next to me, they all wanted to be on my bed as we laughed and played "truth or dare." It was just uplifting to see how loved I am by these girls. It was something that I needed at a time when I was feeling defeated and worn down.

Sunday night when we got home, I got that lonely feeling back again. My brother wasn't back from his weekend at home and I had the house to myself. I'm not very good at being alone. Especially since I hadn't talked to Sterling the whole weekend. It was basically just me having a pity party. Thankfully on Monday evening, I got to spend some time with my lifegroup of encouraging ladies who didn't mind when I broke down a bit about the defeatedness I have been feeling. They encouraged me and let me know, once again, that I am loved and supported. It's an awesome feeling to know that.

Community is an awesome thing. We are not islands and we can't always do it alone. Sometimes the community that helps you the most is surprising (...middle school girls?). I am so grateful that in this time of need I have wonderful people surrounding me who can make me feel loved and appreciated for who I am.

This is a rant.

I'm warning you for the second time... this is a rant

This rant is about people believing they deserve the world and then some. This is what our society tells us. I can't count the number of tv commercials that advertise along the lines of "you derserve _____" or "treat yourself to _______ because you earned it."

Am I saying that we shouldn't be rewarded for hard work? No.
Am I saying that people walk around thinking that the world owes them? Yes.

Most recently I am reminded of this behavior at medical school. I apologize if you're one of my classmates and I am describing you, but now you know how I feel about this situation...

MSUCOM does not "owe" us anything but the education that it promised. Yes, we are paying (ahem... you are paying) lot's of money for this education. Does this mean that the professors need to spoon feed us? Does this mean that we shouldn't have two exams on one day? Does this mean that we shouldn't have MANDATORY classes? Especially during the summer!

STOP COMPLAINING. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Med school is hard. Duh.
Yeah, medical school is hard. What were you expecting? It's hard so that it weeds out those people who are not fit to be doctors. I'm sorry if you think that MSUCOM should make things easier on us, but I don't think that. You are not owed this. You earn this.

I truly feel like medical school is a blessing. I'm not going to lie and say I never complain about it... but most of my complaints have to do with not wanting to study, not that I feel like my school is taking advantage of me in anyway. We get the chance to learn and do things that most people don't get to do. We get the chance to have an awesome career that is probably always going to be in demand. You have to work for this. You don't deserve it.

This is my rant. And now I'm done.

Eternal Perspective

I've mentioned before how even though I don't have time to spare, in my spare time I volunteer with a group from my church called Chaos. Chaos is aptly named because it is a group of middle school, or more specifically 7th and 8th grade boys and girls. I am the lifegroup leader of the 8th grade girls and I am continuously learning from them.

I don't know about you, but remembering my middle school years makes me want to cringe. How awkward was that time of life? I remember one time I wore overalls (they were cool... especially with one strap not buckled) and some person came up behind me and gave me this super wedgie. I mean, it's super funny now to think about, but at the time I was so embarrassed! But I feel like that was middle school. Embarrassing.

Now-a-days though, my girls have it rough. I feel like they talk about big life issues that I never would have faced when I was their age. Technology has definitely had a hand in it. It's sometimes hard for me to relate to them, but I just love on them as much as I can because some of them don't see that at school or home as much as they should.

I thought about stepping down this semester since I have so much school to worry about. 23+ credits, electives, board exams coming up, seminars, etc... But I am so glad that I didn't. As I said, I learn so much from these girls and this ministry that to give it up would cause me more stress right now I think. Even though it's chaotic, it's calming.

Lately I haven't been sleeping. I have been tired all day and lacking motivation. Yesterday was one of those days. I had barely studied all day and I just felt no motivation to get anything done. Days like this are detrimental during school because you get so behind. Currently I have about 8 lectures to catch up on and a lot of studying to do. I also have been lacking motivation to work out and all that extra eating I did during the holidays really caught up. So I put on my "fat jeans" (girls, you know what I'm talking about) which now fit just fine, and headed to Chaos last night feeling very defeated. I hadn't studied and I gained weight. Woe is me, let's have a pity party.

In Chaos, we're teaching the kids about the book of Phillipians which is quickly becoming one of my favorite books. In our lifegroups, we were discussing the eternal perspective that Paul has while he's writing this letter... I mean, the guy is in jail and is still super encouraging, loving, and motivated to share his love with his friends in Phillipi. I asked the girls what they thought eternal perspective means, or what it meant to them. They said it beautifully (paraphrasing): Don't worry about this world, it's not where we belong.

Gosh I love those girls for how smart they are.

Don't worry about this world. It is NOT where you belong. What does that even mean (I asked them)? And they replied with typical middle school things "When your parents tick you off...", "When you don't get to do what you want...", "When school is hard..." "...DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!"

I know I totally did the punctuation wrong up there... not worried about it.

Anyway, I've been so stressed lately. About school, time, sleeping (especially sleeping), and most of the time I worry about my husband as well. I'm pretty good at keeping that worry under control, but when it all adds up, especially with a lack of sleep, I kind of lose it. I feel like being reminded to not worry about this world because this is not where I belong, is a message I needed to hear. I'm not of this world because I am with Christ. I am destined for Heaven and nothing I do here on earth will change that. That's a pretty awesome truth that I often forget, but is so relieving when I remember it.

This isn't to say that I'm going to stop worrying about all the things I've listed above. But hopefully when I do start to worry, I can find peace in knowing I'm not of this world and instead of getting discouraged, be encouraged to move on and deal with whatever is in front of me.

Currents...

You can tell I'm on break and I'm bored because I am posting two days in a row.

Thoughts: I wish I had time to re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. I went and saw The Hobbit over break and I'm currently watching The Lord of the Rings and I just want to nerd out and read the books.
Also, I'm super psyched for the last Wheel of Time book to come out. Am I a nerd? Yes.

Blessings: Although I complain about my house, it's really quite homey and I am glad that I have that. It would stink to really hate where you live. I'm also so thankful for my Aunt Ruth, Uncle Greg and cousin Megahn who opened their home up to me for the past couple weeks. There have been a lot of changes at home lately which kept me from bringing Hank to either my parents or Sterling's parents houses and I really didn't have anywhere to stay back at home. They were so good to me and I am so thankful to have family reach out and help me when I needed it.

Struggles: Well. I haven't been great about exercising lately. I think I just kept telling myself that after the holidays I will get back on track (I feel like this happens every year) and now that the holidays are over, I really have no motivation. Except that I promised my husband I'd be in awesome shape when he gets home. And that makes me a little motivated. I just super hate running in the winter. Especially in Lansing where the sidewalks are awful (mine included)

Projects: I really don't have too many going on right now. I'm finishing up THE CUTEST little "monsters" for my niece and I think I am going to make one for my nephew as well.

I also have a few hats and things that I need to finish for family members. I kind of want to make myself some leg warmers as well :)

OH and I got a beautiful new sewing machine for Christmas:

So I am going to play around with that today and see what kind of damage I can do :)

Favorites: My darling puppy of course. And chamomile vanilla tea. And messages from my hubby :)

Desires: For my skin to not be so dry (damn eczema). To get this semester over with and to see my husband sooner!

Hello 2013!

Once again, I find myself starting the blog back up after a long hiatus. Sometimes I think I am too lazy to keep this thing up, but then I always enjoy reading up on my other friends' blogs in order to feel somewhat up to date on their lives. So I'll make it a "resolution" to try harder this time.

Let's recap 2012.
Right after Christmas, my stud husband left for Ft. Benning, GA to start up Ranger School. I stayed in Lansing and worked on school. He graduated from Ranger School in March and up until that point, I mainly just worked on school (I lead a very interesting life). I went down and visited him in March and then we went our separate ways again until the end of the semester in May when he moved from Ft. Benning, GA to Ft. Campbell, KY. I finished my spring semester and was able to stay with him for about a week as he settled in. Oh, and Hank got to see his dad too :).
Moving to TN (right on the border near KY) was the most fabulous part of 2012 for me. Since it was only about a 9 hour drive, I spent a lot of the time in the summer semester driving down to visit my husband. I spent almost an entire month with him in August (though he spent most of that month traveling back and forth to Louisiana for training).
At the end of August, I started back up with school. Turns out that the second year of medical school is MUCH harder than the first year. I also took on a lot more responsibilities this past fall semester.

The classes = Neuromuscular System (5 credits), Gastrointestinal System (5 credits), Reproductive System (4 credits), Growth and Development (3 credits), Endocrine System (2 credits), Behavioral System (3 credits), and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (1 credit)

That's a total of 23 credits. Oh, and we also had to take a class where we basically shadowed/helped out in doctors offices for another credit. SO 24 credits last semester.

The electives = Student OMM Clinic (1 credit), SAAO elective (1 credit), TA for first year OMM lab (1 credit)

This year I've really discovered what I have an interest in as a future physician, and as you can see with my elective courses, it's centered around OMM.
For those of you who don't know what OMM is it stands for "Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine" it is also often called OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment). The simplest way to explain it is to compare it to what chiropractors do. But I think it also has a touch of physical therapy and maybe a slight dab of massage therapy. Basically manipulating your body to fix any dysfunctions whether they be skeletal, muscular, lymphatic, etc...
Along with learning new techniques, I've also been TAing for the first years and while it is quite the time commitment (4 hours every Tuesday afternoon) I really enjoy doing it, and I learn a lot.

Along with classes and electives, I have also started some extracurricular activities. First I do scribes... which is kind of a job (because I get paid for it). Basically just type out what is said in the lecture. It sounds simple but it takes forever. Also, in addition to just working in the student OMM clinic, I am also one of the coordinators... so I work more frequently.

My newest extracurricular though, that I really enjoy AND is the most time consuming is volunteering with a group called Chaos through my church. It's kind of like a bible study/hangout for 7th and 8th graders. It takes up a lot of my time (and energy some days) but I love doing something that ISN'T all about school. I love my 8th grade girls and its fun to hang out with them and teach/learn from them.

Okay, enough about school...

Sterling got to come and visit us here in Michigan for about 2 weeks in October which was awesome. Also hard... This past year has been hard for me to juggle a long distance relationship and school, but I've passed all my classes thus far and really, that's good enough for me!
I went and visited Sterling for almost 2 weeks at the beginning of November (again... school was put on the back burner) and saw him off for his first deployment mid-November. It was a sad day, but I feel like we were both prepared for it and I didn't cry as bad as I thought I would.

Since Sterling has been gone, we have gotten to talk a lot. Almost everyday. He can't really tell me what he's up to over there, but I understand. We have pretty dull conversations as I was either studying, or on break being an absolute bum. A month has already gone by and although I'm going to regret saying this later... deployment isn't as awful as I once thought it would be. It is hard, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sad and crying or depressed or anything like that. In fact I'm pretty normal. I think I'm a lot hardier than I thought I would be. I've barely cried and I've barely gotten upset about it. I am very thankful for being in school to help keep me busy and I am even more thankful for my amazing husband who takes care of me even though he is living in a different country.

In fact, I am pretty positive that I can say Sterling and I have gotten closer since he's joined the army and since he has deployed. I will be so happy the day he comes home to me, but I am also thankful for the trials our marriage has already gone through because I know that we can get through anything. He is awesome, we are awesome.

So how about the future?

This year is my last real year of "book work" type schooling. I finish classes sometime in May and then I am scheduled to take my first step of the board exams on July 1st. This exams covers the first 2 years of medical school so I'll have my hands full studying for that. After I PASS my boards, I will go back into the lab and finish my PhD. I am so excited to go back to that way of thinking and working. I'm so over medical schools "memorize and regurgitate" attitude and I'm ready to problem solve and DO things. While I am working on my PhD research, I'll also be working a day or two in the hospital to slowly chug away at my clerkship rotations (which are what typical med students do their last two years of school) so that when I finish my PhD, I'll just have to finish whatever is left over.

Right now I am on track to graduate in May of 2017... I think. But it may take longer than that. Boo.

Sterling should get back from his little vacay in August. He mentioned something about getting home earlier, but I'm not holding my breath. After he gets back he'll be around Ft. Campbell for a while longer (which is awesome!). We will be taking a nice vacation when he gets back, and it will be awesome. After that, I'm not entirely sure where he is ending up. I am pretty sure he has to go out to Arizona to do some training eventually, but I like to focus on the now and try not to dwell about where my husband may be someday. Eventually (around 2016) he will get to come hang out with me again until I finish school. Then I have to do a residency (but at least I start getting paid!) and we will find a place to live and be a real married couple again.

Other than all that, not much has been going on except crafting, visiting family and friends, and being a bum...

Oh hey long lost blog!

My goodness has it been awhile!

I have the month of August (well most of it anyway...) off of school. What better time to update on my crazy life?

Obviously Sterling is done with Ranger School. I did get to go visit him and I passed all my classes in the spring, despite missing a week of class. We got a week off in May before the summer classes started and I got to spend that whole time with him :). Sterling now lives in Clarksville, TN which is right outside of Ft. Campbell. I like TN. I could see us living here someday. This summer (or rather, May, June and July) I took about 14 credits, plus a writing course for my PhD program. It was pretty ridiculous... BUT I got to spend SO much time with Sterling. I've learned that driving 9 hours is totally worth an awesome weekend with your husband. Hank has even joined me on a few occasions.

I am currently in his apartment in TN. Since I have until the 27th of August off, I decided to pack up my car (literally my entire car... I couldn't leave behind my crafting tools!) and be a housewife for a month. Sterling got back from a training in Louisiana the night I got down here, just to get sent back a week later. So now, I am currently in TN, in my husbands apartment, with no husband. But he gets back on Friday, so no worries, I'll be getting some more hubby time in soon.

Originally, and I think I have said this before, Sterling was going to be deployed sometime in September. Well that's not the case anymore and let me tell you what a crazy ride this deployment issue has been.

First off, Sterling WANTS to be deployed. No, he doesn't want to leave me and Hank, but this is what he has spent the past year training for. The past couple of months he has been unsure of whether or not he'll even get to go (since they are pulling out and downsizing). He's been super stressed out about it and it has been a challenge to be supportive. I love Sterling, and I want him to get everything he wants out of life. Do I want him to be deployed? Absolutely not. Yet I still prayed for him to get a position that will allow him to go with his unit in November. So now, Sterling is back in Louisiana (for a week) to learn a whole new job so that he can get his deployment in.

That was confusing, I'm sure... Basically it boils down to this: Being a supportive army wife is hard.

I'm so jealous of everyone who has a normal life. Who isn't in school (at 25) and who isn't separated from their loved one (because of the stupid army). I can't wait to get to that point in life where we have NORMAL jobs and we have a house and we aren't living like college students (I'm currently on Sterling's air mattress... yeah, he doesn't have a bed).

If you're with the one you love, you give them a hug right now because you are so dang lucky.

I'll update more later. For now, this is what you get :)

Long overdue update

I guess I am a once a month blogger. 

Whenever I think about posting something, I feel like I have way too much and I don't know where to start so I put it off until later. Sounds like how my school work goes...

So here is a long overdue update on my life. I'm sorry if it sounds repetitive, but my life is pretty stagnant right now. Also... this is really long. Feel free to skim.

First topic: Sterling/Ranger School

Well, I just finished reading my last post which stated how Sterling was rocking Ranger School and he was almost done. Oh, how I should have knocked on wood. No fault of his own, Sterling did not pass the last phase of Ranger School. He had told me before that he would be able to call the Sunday before his graduation date (the 2nd of March) to let me know for sure, and that no news, was good news. Well that Sunday I didn't receive a call from him. You can only imagine my excitement. I had my flight booked, I had hotel/rental car plans with his family. I got it cleared by the dean to miss an exam that week. It was all planned out. It was going to be PERFECT timing too... His graduation date fell on the Friday before my Spring Break. So although I'd miss the exam that was on that Friday, I wouldn't be missing any classes or labs or any other exams. 

Then I got the call on Monday morning. I had just gotten done taking a ridiculously hard physiology exam which I worked my butt of studying for, but didn't do too hot on. I was not in a good place. At this point I was so worn down on school that my mini vacation with Sterling was absolutely NEEDED. When he called and told me he didn't pass, I thought he was joking. I even said "You're joking, right?" I can only imagine now, how much more worse that made him feel. After he confirmed it, I instantly started to bawl. I couldn't stop and I was an awful wife for being so unsupportive. I mean, yeah, it sucks for me, but I'm not the one who is going through all this crazy training... not sleeping, barely eating, a ton of physical/mental work... I've felt so awful about my reaction since it happened. Thankfully I have an amazingly strong husband. 

The week that followed, I got to talk to Sterling almost every night. Only for about ten minutes each time... but considering that I had only had 2 conversations with him so far this year, ten minutes every day for a week is pretty outstanding. I can't tell you what that alone did for my well being. I had a lazy spring break, but I still felt re-motivated and ready to get through this next month until I get to see him. 

With that said, Sterling said he'd either call today or tomorrow to let me know if he has graduated. I haven't bought flight tickets, I haven't worked out with the dean when I'll make up my two exams and lab. I haven't prepared at all... I don't know if I can take another blow like last time. I'm so ready to see Sterling. It's been 3 months. But if he has to go through this phase again, I will support him through it.

My husband is such an amazing man. Not only is he going through this incredibly hard situation, but he has turned it into something great. The first day after he called me he wound up sharing the gospel with one of his friends who also didn't pass the last phase. Mid-way through his week off, he organized and led a mini bible study. He wrote to me in a letter that although it's terrible not getting to see me for another month, if he can save just one person's life by getting this chance to share God's word with him, it's worth it. It makes me love and appreciate him even more than I already did. This may sound hard to believe, but although I have yet to be with my husband in 2012, and I've probably only talked to him for a total of an hour, our relationship has gotten about ten times stronger. I've also learned things about myself that were surprising. This whole experience has made me more positive then ever that I am with the person I am supposed to be with and that we will have a long and wonderful marriage. And that, is very comforting. 

Second topic: Medical School

Oh medical school. How I love/hate you.

So in the last few weeks I gave male and female exams. Stuck my fingers in a few interesting places...

I finished one of my classes (physiology) and did pretty well. Started a new class (pathology) and have no idea what's going on in it as I haven't watched barely any of the lectures. I'm in neuroscience right now which I've been rocking (test wise) and I have a lab practical tomorrow which is what I am procrastinating studying... And then there is microbiology.

Freaking microbiology. Let me just say, that I actually really used to like micro. I found it interesting, I was good at it, etc. However, this class has been one of the biggest challenges. The one thing I hate about some of my courses is how they write their freaking exams. Now, I can appreciate that we need to know the different bacteria that cause different infections. I do not, however, need to know every minute detail about said bacteria, nor do I think that we should be examined over that. Oh, but we were and I have been on the struggle bus with that. Major time. 

I could go on... but I'll spare you.

Right now, I feel like I am about 2 weeks behind where I should be. Thankfully, everyone feels that way though. The thing that is going to be hard is if I do get to go and visit Sterling this week. I would be leaving on Thursday, missing 3 hours of lecture that day, missing an exam on Friday, missing another 3 hours of lecture on Monday, 4 hours on Tuesday (plus a 2 hour lab), and an exam and 2 hours of lecture on Wednesday. I'll probably come home on Thursday. Then we have a wonderful micro exam that next Monday...

That is going to be hard to work through. But hopefully once I know if I am going or not, I can study like crazy before I leave and not be behind before I leave. We'll see how it goes.

If for some reason Sterling does not graduate however, I'll have to miss my final exams and I'm not so sure I will be able to swing that... So we're really hoping that he graduates!

Other than that... all I do is study. I'm so cool.

Third topic: Running

I have FINALLY gotten back into the running grind. I've figured out that I'm a morning runner. As crazy as it sounds, that's about the only time I can really motivate myself to run. Last week I started just about everyday off with a 3 or 4 mile run and from that alone I could see a difference in my productivity for the day. I ruined it all by going home and drinking/eating a ton this weekend... but that's okay, I'll just run more this week :)

I signed up for a 3 race series that I am pretty excited about. I am doing a 5 miler in April, a 10K in June and then my half marathon in August. It's been my goal for a while to do a half, so I am excited that I am on track to run one.

Fourth topic: Random?

I think I have hit just about everything important. I'll be sure to update on whether or not I DO get to go and see Sterling this week. Even though it will be a lot of work, it will be SO worth it. I cannot wait to love on that man and to just be with him for a few days. 

And now... it's time to stop procrastinating!

Updates and Lent

First of all... I apologize for not posting anything for a month. I know I don't have too many followers, but for those few of you out there, I'm sorry.

I've been pretty busy though. This semester of medical school has been very trying. I'm not sure if it is because I haven't been working hard enough or because I'm dealing with the added stress of not being able to communicate with my best friend/husband. Whatever the case is, it's been a crazy month of studying. However, I am starting to learn things that are making me more "doctorish" which is pretty wonderful feeling. It's nice to know that all this work is paying off.

I'd like to start with an update on Sterling (for those of you who are curious as to how he is doing in Ranger School). So first of all, Ranger School is HARD. And my boy is kicking it's ass :) There are basically three "phases:" Benning Phase (in GA), Mountain Phase (in GA) and then the Florida Phase (in FL duh...). Between the Benning and Mountain Phase, he had an 8 hour break where he got to go home, do laundry, eat some food, etc. He called me and we skyped :) It was WONDERFUL. Except I nearly lost it when I saw him, because during the Benning Phase he lost 10 pounds. For those of you who know Sterling, he isn't that big, so that is a lot of weight for him.

When he finished the Mountain Phase, I expected the same thing. However, they did not get to go home and I got a 5 minute call from a pay phone, during which I bawled the entire time. During the Mountain Phase he lost another 12 pounds. He must be a skeleton. He informed me though, that he was on track to graduate with honors and he may be one of the top guys in his class. This is amazing... 50% of people who enter Ranger School don't even pass it, so for him to not only pass, but to pass with honors is a pretty big deal.

He is now in the Florida phase and has a little less than 2 weeks left. I've gotten letters from him which are mainly about food and sleep. He told me in his last letter how when they all received their care packages they gorged themselves on candy and it was like a scene straight out of "Heavyweights" when they find all the confiscated candy. That made me chuckle :) He thinks they are going to try to fatten them up a bit before the families come for graduation, which makes me glad. I'm pretty sure I'd loose it if I saw Skeletor Sterling.

All in all, my husband is awesome and he is kicking ass. Like he always does :)

As for me... I've done better. This semester is just kicking my ass. Don't get me wrong, I'm passing everything, but I really thought I'd be doing better than what I am. I am distracted and it sucks. A lot of my distraction comes from the internet.

Oh internet... why must you be so damn distracting?

So for lent, I'm going to do my best to prioritize my time better. I'd love to say that I'm giving up facebook for lent, but I communicate so much through fb that I don't think that would be the best idea. However, I am going to limit myself on how much I am online. It's sad that I have to do this, but it's really a good thing. Not only will I give myself more time to study, but I will also have more time to do my daily bible readings, which is something I need to put more time into. That is what lent is all about right? Not just giving something up to give it up, but to stop doing something so that you have more time to focus on what's important... God.

It's going to be hard, but I know I can do it.

And with that... I'm going to get off this blog and get some studying done for neuroscience.

Hard times

I just skimmed through my last post, and although my life is still good... it's been a hard week or so. When I hit week two of no communication with Sterling, I kind of lost it a bit. It was hard for me to even talk about him without tearing up a bit.

And then I made a HUGE mistake. I drank a (few) glass(es) of wine on Friday night and basically lost it. I can honestly say that is the first time I have cried myself to sleep since he has been gone. I feel like that was my low, and I'm better for hitting it. I mean, everyone needs a good cry here and there, right? I'm still missing Sterling like crazy, but I'm making myself be busy with everything else so that I don't think about it. And boy am I busy!!!

Med school is hard. Med school + Lab work for my PhD program = super hard.

I'm am more and more convinced (with every day of med school) that God didn't put me here just because he wants me to be an awesome doctor someday, but rather, I am where I am so that I can get through this separation.

Sorry if I'm bumming you out... I feel like I talk about the same thing every time I post. Sterling. Ohhhh but I love him :)

You should send some good thoughts my way, I'm starting my "Get up at 5am and Workout" routine tomorrow. We will see how this goes.

Life is good

Although I haven't talked to Sterling in 5 days (and I won't get to talk to him for another 15 or so...) life has been so good to me the past few days, and let me tell you why: amazing people


Last week after Sterling left, I was having a very hard time motivating myself to do anything but sit around, eat Christmas candy, and knit. I started feeling sorry for myself. Did I mention I've been alone in my house since he left? Yeah, not a good combination. However, after the AMAZING MSU bowl game, I called my dearest friend, Carolyn Soule (because I still can't call her Carolyn Bellingar). We talked for an hour and probably could have kept going. Man I miss that girl like crazy. Then, I got to skype with another great friend Liz Mussell. I haven't seen either of these girls in such a long time, but I absolutely love how we can pick up the phone (or the computer) and just catch up like there isn't a gajillion miles between us (Carolyn lives in Escanaba and Liz lives in Wyoming) and like we've been talking to each other every day rather than every month or so. I cherish these girls and the impact they still have on my life.

After a wonderful night catching up with those two, I spent an evening with the wonderful Britton Smith, one of the people in my lifegroup at church here in Lansing. I haven't used her (or the other in my group) enough for company while Sterling has been away, but they are always so supportive. It's so good to know I have such a great support system here in Lansing.

And then, HIGHLIGHT of my week, Ms. Alicia Trudeau otherwise known as Mrs. Alicia Lewan calls me up! Alicia got married last December (the last time I saw her in person) and then spent a year in Africa. Though we did get to chat here and there it had been way too long since I had seen or talked to her. We had a very brief phone call and set up a dinner date. Also invited to the dinner date was the fabulous Andrea Miller, whom I also haven't seen since she got married this past May. I lived with both of these girls my last year at Central and we were all engaged at the same time. They both helped me raise Hank and are officially his Aunts... We closed down the restaurant we were at because we had so much to catch up on.

All of this in one week. AMAZING. Just when I was starting to get really down, God reminded me of the amazing support I have here. Not only did he do this, but he also gave me the opportunity to be more "pre-occupied" while Sterling is away, once again, let me explain...

At MSUCOM (my medical school) we have a student run OMM (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine... kind of like what chiropractors do) Clinic. We got an email asking who was interested and because there were so many people, it went to lottery. I was one of the lucky (ten) people who got chosen. This will look SO good on my CV. I will get patient contact and learn more OMM, that I can practice on all of you :) Not only am I doing the Student OMM Clinic this semester, I also joined our Scribes group which pays people to take (really awesomely good) notes so that people don't need to go to lecture. So both of these extracurriculars, plus the 20 credits I'm taking, plus lab work, plus my dog, plus training for a half marathon will keep me super busy and hopefully make time fly.

I just feel so hopeful right now.

And on that super positive note, I am going to go and finish knitting this little number :)

Currents...

Thoughts: 

I don't want to clean my house... but it really needs it and I should get it done before my roommate comes home and before the semester starts. It felt like I'd have a ton of time to wrap up all the little things I need to do before school starts, but now I've only got a couple days!!!

Blessings: 

Caffeine in the form of coffee and tea. This break has given me the chance to sleep like no other, but now I can't wake up! I'm definitely thinking about one of those tumbling alarm clocks to get my butt out of bed.

My FREE gym membership. I haven't put it to use as much as I should, but I plan on getting back on the gym bandwagon. 

My friends and family. Right now life is hard. Sterling is gone and I haven't talked to him for the past 4 days and it's already wearing on me. However, I have an amazing support system and I couldn't be more grateful!

My dog. I love Hank. As annoying and rambunctious as he can be, he is the best gift Sterling ever gave me. He keeps me company and keeps me going which is always a good thing. And he is the perfect snuggle buddy!

Struggles: 

Getting to the gym. Already said it!

Being ORGANIZED (however this is one of my resolutions so I plan on getting better about it!). I feel like I have gotten nothing done over break because I'm just sitting around knitting... but really that's not TOO bad.

Projects: 

Right now, I really don't have anything going on that I HAVE to get done. It's nice to just knit things that I want to knit. I've been on a hat kick for a while and in case you didn't see them on my facebook, you should probably go and check em out... I've made some pretty nifty hats lately!

I've also gotten my sewing machine out to try a few things here and there. I still need to make my thermal curtains for my room, and someday I'll get to it...

Favorites: 

Tea. Right now I'm loving tea. Especially after my friend showed me how to make looseleaf tea with my french press. Excited? Oh yeah.

I'm also loving that I've been talking to all of my good friends from CMU lately that I haven't seen in forever. 

My other favorite things are the sweaters that Sterling left behind. They don't smell like him anymore though so part of me is tempted to go out and buy a small thing of the cologne he wears so I can spray them with it. Desperate much??

Desires: 

For it to REALLY snow! This winter has been so lame! I don't really enjoy being cold, but I miss the snow. Plus the muddy-ness is getting really annoying. I feel like I am constantly cleaning up after my dog after he comes in from outside. 

A fireplace. I miss our fireplace so much... someday I can't wait to have a house that has one so that I can always be warm!

This will probably sound pretty corny, but I really want something of Sterling's (now that his sweaters don't smell like him they have lost their value!). Everything in this house is mine. I don't see Sterling in it anywhere, except the pictures and I can't bring them around with me wherever I go. Lame, but true.

In other news... go MSU! Freaking yeah amazing team!

Also, I've started back working in the lab. I've only been going in here and there because of the other things I need to get done, but it has been so good. I miss working in the lab. I always say it... but I really want to try to be more organized with my time so I can actually get in there during the week and do work. It is relaxing and quite therapeutic. When I am there I know I am where I am supposed to be. Corny? Yes! Awesome? Also yes!

And with that I am going to go and clean my house so that when ALICIA comes, she won't be disappointed in me :) and when Emaly gets home she won't feel like she needs to clean anything and she can relax. I may even get some lab time in!

Resolutions

Now that I don't have a husband to talk to, I'll probably blog more. As I'm sitting here I keep thinking of all the things I want to do for "resolutions" this year, so I thought it would be a good idea to write it down to come back to.

1. Run a half marathon. I know I can do this... physically. It's just the motivation part that I seem to lack. However, I made a promise to my husband that I will run one this year and I plan on doing just that.

2. Be more organized. I think I have said this before, but in medical school, your time is really your own. I want to start this semester more organized and use my time wisely rather than the way I have been.

3. Cook more. I got lazy and stopped cooking for myself. I am normally a pretty healthy eater when I plan out and cook my meals, but I haven't been doing that. Also, I have a huge freezer that I can freeze meals in... so let's get to it.

4. Walk my dog more. Ever since we started taking Hank to daycare, I've let that become his main source of exercise. One of my goals this year is to take him for more walks and discover more of downtown Lansing.

5. Be more social. I kind of gave up on hanging out with people this last year. I used school as an excuse a lot, but if I am more organized I can definitely squeeze in more people time which is something I definitely need to do.

Those are the top 5 I can think of. Of course I have a couple smaller ones here and there, but I can't really remember them off the top of my head. And now I am going to go and knit this hat (in a heathered pink color) and make this soup (butternut squash):

End of the year post!

Wow, it has been quite some time since I've updated. But really, the end of November and most of December are a blur. Mostly because all I was doing was studying and knitting and anxiously awaiting the arrival of my husband for his Christmas visit. The studying and knitting stuff was quite boring, other than the fact that I've actually been making money knitting/crocheting (awesome). 

The visit from the husband? Awesome, of course. I've gotten so used to him being gone that it's almost weird when he visits now. How sad is that? We had our own little family Christmas this year. We came up with some new traditions, such as: Making a gingerbread house (out of real gingerbread of course) with a barrel full of monkeys (inside joke...), going to look at Christmas lights after the Christmas Eve service at church, opening pajamas on Christmas Eve and watching Christmas Vacation :) 

Because we were on budget Christmas, our presents were kind of lame. Especially Sterlings... I feel bad, but since he starts Ranger School on the 1st, he'd be unable to take anything he got with him and how much of a bummer would that be? So he mainly got money and stuff he needed for Ranger School (such as warm socks!)

With that said, he left a couple days ago and I've been absolutely pathetic. I didn't get out of bed until 2pm today. So lame... but without school as a distraction, it's hard to make myself go and do anything productive. I was seriously contemplating boycotting New Years this year as I am really not looking forward to 2012. We start it off with Ranger School on the 1st. It will be AT LEAST 60 days long and I'll only get to talk to Sterling once every 3 weeks. I will most likely be heading down to Georgia for my spring break and Sterling's Ranger school graduation in March, then he will be off to Airborne school (jumping out of planes? Crazy). After Airborne he will head to Ft. Campbell where he will finally meet up with his unit. He has informed me that his unit will most likely be deploying this summer/fall. Deployments are typically 9 months and with him being in the infantry, contact will be pretty slim as he'll be out in the field a lot. So in a nutshell, 2012 will suck. I will be away from/not in contact with my husband more than I will be with him/able to talk to him.

Sorry about the pity party. And don't worry, although I was all for boycotting New Years, I'll be spending it with my brother and sister in law, probably drinking massive amounts of wine. I'm okay with it. It is what it is.

I'll be honest, what prompted me to blog was the survey that Alex did... so without further adieu, the end of the year questionnaire!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Knit! I've always wanted to learn, but I was never able to make myself sit down and do it... and now it is my favorite thing! 

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't even remember if I made resolutions... so therefore I probably won't be keeping them. I will be making some for this next year, the biggest is to run a marathon this year. Seems impossible now, but I know I can do it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
The post-doc in my lab just recently had a baby boy. Also, some good friends in my lifegroup had a beautiful baby girl in the spring. There have been a lot of pregnancies that will result in 2012 babies that I am oh-so-excited about!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year, thank goodness

5. Where did you travel to?
In the spring and summer I traveled all over Michigan for some weddings that I was in. Other than that, I traveled to Georgia to visit Sterling this past November.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A schedule. Medical school is weird in that you can do basically everything from home if you want... but I am so terrible at managing my own time that I NEED a schedule. 

I also need to have a steady workout schedule. I was so horrible about this in 2011, especially after Sterling left. In addition to working out more, I need to be in contact with friends more. I spent too much of 2011 sad and lonely because I refused to reach out. No more of this!

7. What events from 2011 stand out the most to you?
Carolyn and Andrea's wedding, Sterling graduating and leaving in May, all the visits, my white coat ceremony

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting through it! This has been the biggest year of change... and hard change. Adjusting to being a military wife and starting medical school is a huge achievement if I do say so myself.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting awesome grades... I passed my classes, but I could have done better. Also eating healthy and exercising (at least as much as I used to)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was so fortunate in that I did NOT have any illnesses or injuries... with the exception of the cold that I got last week. Suckfest.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My newest tattoo. I love it so much :)

12. What person helped you most in 2011?
Probably my sister in law, Abbi. When I had my mental breakdowns, she was the one I always called. Also my lifegroup has been an amazing source of comfort for me the past year.

13. What discoveries did you make in 2011?
That not having a roommate that works out/eats healthy makes me not do either of those things. Medical school is hard (and very similar to being in high school again). That being an Army wife kind of sucks. That I can sell my knitted items for cash money (made almost $200 this year :).

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loans. We are working like crazy to get them paid off before I graduate from MSU so we have no debt when I am finished with school.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Any time I got to see my husband.

16. What were some of the hardships in 2011?
Having my best friend/husband live in Kentucky and Georgia for over half the year. Sorry... this is a common theme in 2011.

17. How have you grown since this time last year?
I've learned that although I hate it, I can be okay without seeing and talking to Sterling for long periods of time. So I guess I would call that independence?

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I would have spent more time with friends/people. I spent way too much time by myself this past year!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Being distracted by the computer... needlessly

20. How did you spend the holidays?
I honestly can't remember most of them... This is why I should blog more, for my own sake. I already talked about Christmas. Thanksgiving was with both families and really weird because it was the first real holiday without Sterling. The fourth of July was at my parents as usual for their huge hick bonfire/illegal fireworks show. Easter we had dinner at both families then shot guns out at my parents farm (another hick tradition). Halloween I stayed home and passed out halloween candy. We didn't really do anything for Valentines day... and I can't remember what we did for New Years.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Not really... 

22. What was your favorite TV show?
Dexter, Mad Men, How I met your mother

23. Other favorites from 2011?
My new house, my new computer, knitting, oreo balls, and a lot of other food that is NOT good for me...

24. What was the best book you read?
 My brother in law got me hooked on the Game of Thrones series. I also will always love the Wheel of Time series.

25. The hobby you spent the most time on?
Definitely knitting.

26. What did you want and get?
Haha the only thing I can think of is the new winter coat I got for Christmas. It's freaking amazing and the warmest coat in the history of coats. 

27. What did you want and not get?
I really wanted Sterling to bring up some Army swag so I could put it all over my car and stuff and brag about him... he said not yet, not until he is a Ranger. Weirdo.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I really, really enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my real birthday I studied, because I had an exam the next day. Boo. On the weekend of my birthday I went to the Whiskey Barrel and drank entirely too much and rode a mechanical bull. I turned 25... so old.  

30. What is your favorite quote from 2011?
Have love, give love

If it was easy, everyone would do it

31. How would you describe your personal fashion in 2011?
So lazy. Medical school makes you a lazy slob when it comes to fashion. Let's just say that lots of scrubs, yoga pants, and sweats were worn in 2011.

32. What kept you sane?
My husband, Hank, caffeine, candy, knitting

33. What was your occupation in 2011?
Student

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Healthcare. Also, they almost passed a bill that would cut funding to residency programs which would make it harder for this girl to someday get a job... thank goodness it didn't go through

35. Who did you miss?
So many people. All of my friends from CMU, old roomies, guard girls, dance girls, etc

36. Who was the best new person you met?
My class in med school is awesome. There are so many cool people that I am excited to get to know better :)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?
If you want to see change in yourself, you have to change

38. Who lives in your home with you this year?
My roommate Emaly, my dog Hank, her dog Abby and her cat Sid

39. What are your plans for this New Year’s Eve?
Hanging out with Adam and Leah and their dog Maddie (and Hank of course)

 

40. What are your plans for 2012?
Run more, study more, use my time wisely, love on my husband as much as I can, make money knitting, spend less time sitting and more time doing.