I enjoyed writing a blog about my time in India so much that I wanted to continue blogging. I realized how much I love to write, and how much I have missed it these past four very "scientific" years in medical school. Landon and I are making some big changes this year in terms of locations, me starting residency, and Landon finishing up his PhD, so I wanted to document it as best I can so we can look back on this fun and crazy time and have some reminders of what it was like.
Hard to believe I graduated from medical school three weeks ago. It was an incredibly fun and challenging journey, made truly spectacular by the people I met along the way. It was so hard to see all of our friends going to all corners of the country...seriously. North Carolina, Washington, Alabama, Massachusetts, Texas, Connecticut, Virginia. Each goodbye was so difficult, feeling like the end of this wonderful era. While I am absolutely assured that we will stay friends forever, it's just hard to know that our time of being just a few miles away when we need a late night of long talks and beers on the back porch is gone for now. I never expected to make and have such truly amazing new friends in medical school, friends that transcend a label or title. They are so much more than "my med school friends", they are people that have become some of the most important in my life and we have shared some hard times, but mostly really, really great times. Landon and I have shared many looks this week in which we are thinking the same thing...we are lonesome for them. I can't wait to go visit them and for them to visit us.
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Here are a few of them...I love you guys and MISS YOU! |
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On another note, Landon and I are in DENVER!!! I matched here for my transitional year after falling in love with the program at Presbyterian St. Luke's, and of course Denver's other main attractions..namely one Hannah Fransen (sister) and the great outdoors. Landon and I have always wanted to live in Colorado, and though we knew it would be a little stressful to move from Oklahoma (prairie) to Colorado (mountain) then to Miami (playa, which means "beach" in Spanish) in one year, we knew it was an opportunity for fun and adventure that we didn't want to miss out on. So...here we are in the 303. My wonderful mom and brother helped us move up here and my mom stayed the whole week to help me get settled, such a blessing. We absolutely love our house!!!
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Our darling home in Park Hill, one block from City Park! |
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It has been a really great first week in Colorado. I only had one day of orientation, so I had plenty of time to work on the house with my mom and enjoy Denver. The dogs and I had lots of walks at City Park just a few steps away, and I met up with my transitional year intern class for dinner and happy hour on Wednesday night. I really like them all and we had tons of fun. They come from everywhere from Kentucky to California, with a few of them from Denver. There future careers are: 3 ophthalmology, 8 dermatology and 1 radiation oncology. One of them is my great friend Jessica that I met during our away rotation at Bascom Palmer. She is absolutely wonderful and it is great to have an "old friend" in Denver already. I love my program directors here, and I can tell that it's going to be a really special year. My first rotation in Salud Clinic, a primarily Hispanic free clinic just outside of Denver. It will be lots of fun to work with my favorite type of patients and practice Spanish because I know I'll need it when I start ophthalmology in Miami!
Yesterday Mom, Landon, the dogs and I drove about fifty miles west outside of Denver to Georgetown, a historic mining town in the mountains. We hiked up the gorgeous Silver Creek Trail for several miles that had striking views of the deep green of the Arapaho Forest with glimpses of snow-capped peaks in the background. The weather was in high-sixties and absolutely perfect. Combined with the fresh, crisp scent of the trees, it was positively blissful. The dogs enjoyed it immensely and would run ahead of us the whole time but checking back with us every few minutes. Max found a stream and immersed his whole body in it, and Lucy kept scampering up and down the steep sides. We ended our time in Georgetown with lunch at the Euro Cafe along the Fall River, accompanied by the dogs who were allowed on the restaurant patio. I love how dog-friendly everything is in Colorado!
It's Sunday morning and another gorgeous day. I think Landon and I are going to hit up a farmer's market, take the dogs to City Park and work on a few things around the house. This evening, my intern class (the "Tranny's" as we are called in reference to our Transitional Year Intern status :), is coming over to meet up and get food and drinks together before we head to Jazz in the Park at City Park (free jazz concerts all of June and July). I just dropped Mom off at the airport and was so sad to see her go. Can't wait for her to come back and visit soon!
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Thanks for all your help Mama! |
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First family photo in Colorado |