Leah's shower!

Leah's bridal shower was about 2 weeks ago up in Lorain, Ohio. It was a wonderful shower! Amy and I sat with Leah's grandmother, along with some other relatives. They certainly made us feel somewhat like family ;) Everyone was really nice, just like Leah and Dave! Since they are from the same town, both the Maziarz and the Malanowski families were there. (Around 80 people were there!)

It is so wonderful to see people so excited for the wedding!! What a wonderful feeling to know two people are going to be so happy together! --Leah and Dave, you two are certainly meant to be together! I can't wait for your wedding... ONE MONTH FROM TOMORROW!!!--

Now, below is a picture from Leah's shower. I saw my nose and thought to myself-- holy crap! How is my nose THAT big?? But then I looked, and Leah's nose looks somewhat big(although still not that big) in this picture too! And I know is not actually the case when I look at her in person, so I felt better.

Also, these pictures made me decide that I definitely need a haircut! --Below is me and my bridesmaids!

Finally, the happy couple!!

Enjoying the Summer

I cannot believe it's already July 12!! Where has this summer gone? We have now completed 10/39 weeks of time in clinical rotation (well I suppose I have only spent 8 weeks in the clinic because of the shingles, but still!). WOW. I have learned so much. I love it all so much. And I am so incredibly proud of all I have accomplished so far.

Last weekend was very fun. Dave and I drove up to his parents house in Geneva, and we enjoyed the Reeder-Lenart annual 4th of July party. It was fun, and there was a TON of food. Mmmm... Then Sunday we drove to Lorain for Leah's bridal shower. That was my first time up in Lorain, and I enjoyed the shower. It was nice to get to see the girls!

Also, for Father's Day weekend, my parents made a special trip up to Geneva and we went wine tasting at a local vineyard, and then went to the vineyard accross the street from Dave's neighborhood and split a bottle of wine. My parents had a wonderful time getting to see that area, and I bet they wouldn't mind going back up there again. I was so happy to get to spend time with my parents. I had not seen my dad since New Years when I went to the bridal show with my mom, my sister Kate, Christy, and my friend Amy. We had a great time chatting, and as always playing cards! My parents also brought a new game, which I REALLY enjoyed... but can't remember the name of. I must say, I really hope there are job openings in Columbus... or somewhere near Ohio later this year. Because I just enjoy spending time with the family too much.

Last off-topic story (yes, these are all very random!): I spent a good portion of the day yesterday with the Laurens. We did some shopping (where I actually found a 'little black dress' that fit me perfectly --and note, I have never owned one). And then we noticed that most of Kate's stuff was moved out. Since it was 8:30pm and cooler outside, we decided to move most of her stuff last night. We switched our boxsprings and mattresses; moved the metal on her headboard down the bedposts so her pillows wouldn't fall off; took the piece of carpet out of her room here and then out of her room at her old place; brought her carpet here and put it in her room; moved Kate's rocking chair downstairs (Sarah helped with that one); moved all of her drawers, and some other storage containers etc. here. Then this morning we got the rest of her dresser (without the drawers which were already here), her desk, and a bunch of her other stuff to bring here. Again, just the two of us. I felt so accomplished being able to do it with her. It was a great workout, and the weather was great for it! It ended up being quite a bit of fun, and we did it all fairly quickly too! So after my workout, I am showered, getting ready to start working on things for this week, and going to throw a load into the laundry. Finally... I am feeling so much more like the me I know and love!!

Transition completed-- feeling self-sufficient, and able to tolerate change--. I know life is not easy, and this year will continue to challenge me. But I feel like I am making improvements that will help me accomplish my goal of becoming a wonderful genetic counselor. I had the basic structure before, and after some cuts and scrapes I now feel like myself again- perhaps stronger? Or maybe just more experienced.

Job Success

Recognizing success in yourself is an amazing thing. Having others reciprocate the same feeling just makes it better.

I am basically still 2 weeks behind after my time off for Shingles. But that time allowed me a much needed vacation that I haven't truly had since this past December. I came back to jump head first into a new rotation-- Children's hospital. I had never seen a pediatrics case 2 weeks ago. This week I have found my inner counselor... she had been hiding from me, and I am so VERY happy that she has decided to emerge.

Pediatric cases are very interesting because you never really know what to expect until you are in the middle of a session. So I prepare by trying to think of possible questions/ answers that could be related to the question... and I try to learn as much as possible as the doctors spit off possible tests we should be running next. But the true counseling comes in when I have to open my mouth. And I am no longer focusing on planning out everything I need to cover. I know that the certified counselor in the room will help me fill in the blanks that I am not as aware of yet (so that I will be better prepared to think of them next time), and I know that they trust me enough to let me go on my own. In return, I find myself explaining complex conditions or taking complex histories and in the middle realizing I am not going through a checklist, but truly taking the direction of the patient. Even better- when I finish and look back to see if I am forgetting to ask something... I am realizing that for the most part I did not forget anything! Wonderful.

Now, I am not anywhere near perfect. There is still much I am trying to learn and become more comfortable with. But this is such a big step for me. It makes each case so rewarding. When the counselor asks if I want to take on a new role in the session, I am finding myself say 'yes' without thinking about it. 'Why not?'

I know that I will get harsher criticism as time goes on. That there will be cases/ issues that I will struggle with as I continue in the months to come. But knowing I have done a good job, and that I am on the road to becoming the person I desire to be makes me think that harsh criticism is just another way to learn. Face value- advice is there to help me, no matter how it comes out.

If only I knew where I would be able to find a job next year, everything would be exactly on track for where I want to be!

And now I want to leave you with a quote I read yesterday that I really enjoyed:

"Home is not where you live but where they understand you" Christian Morganstein.

Shingles

No, my house is not getting a new roof... I found out Friday that I have Shingles.

Wednesday I had my first symptoms... I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something, perhaps a bug bite. Then I started getting headaches. Then my headaches turned into sharp pains that were completely foreign to me... I could not even blow-dry my hair without it hurting! Let alone brush the area on the top of my head. So I went to work, but the pain was distracting (even with Advil). So I called the doctors office and went in during the afternoon. When she said it was Shingles I almost didn't believe her.

"Don't you have to be like 70 to get Shingles?" That was my first thought. Apparently not only a lowered immune system, but also stress can cause Shingles to flare up at any age after one has had the chickenpox. She asked me "Have you been under any stress lately?" HAHAHA... just a little...

What this means- no clinical rotations until the virus has worked its way through my system and I am no longer contagious. This typically takes 2-4 weeks, but no guarantees. Translation: I am banned from clinical rotations and going to my GSR until the doctor confirms that the blisters are scabbed over, and I am no longer contagious to those who have not had chickenpox/ who are immuno-compromised. Oh and-- no more stressing, just relaxing.

Day 1 of finding this out- I had to determine how to not stress out about missing time. I called a bunch of people. I have been reassured that everything will work out fine, and just to relax and not stress. Do some work, but make sure to focus on getting better quickly.

Soooo.... I started doing more wedding planning. Knowing that I may have to make up rotation time during my breaks, I thought this would be a good time to finish those steps. A florist had recently e-mailed me back about using her services, so I contacted her. She thought I could use some extra help, so she recommended a wedding planner.

Prior to this I had been hestitant towards using a wedding planner. Mostly because my family has been so nice to offer to help with what I may need. And also because I enjoy planning fun events. I am so laid-back that I already don't think much can truly go wrong with the wedding... if Dave is there, and our families can come together to celebrate in our love-- then it will be a success in my mind. BUT, that being said... I graduate 2 weeks before the wedding, and those that actually live in the city we will get married are working more than a full-time amount at their jobs. So this will allow me to get help with the details I haven't taken care of, and take away stress from family members so that they may enjoy the day too! Therefore-- I think it's a go!

Tomorrow- more work for clinical rotations, more time relaxing, and hoping that I heal soon! I miss my family a lot, and know they are enjoying their time together at the beach (even if it isn't as relaxing of a trip as they remember!).

Memorable Weekend

Memorial weekend 2009 will certainly be a memorable weekend in my book. Dave came to visit and we had a wonderful time just relaxing. I came home from a great day at my rotation Friday to find Dave sitting on my couch. There is NOTHING like coming home to him waiting for me. What a way to complete an already great day!

We also managed to go to the disc golf course twice! The weather was wonderful. A little hot, but we were lucky to spend time in the shade. We truly took advantage this weekend of just relaxing. Man I can't wait for us to not have to drive 3 hours for this to happen!

Then today (Monday) we met up with a bunch of our friends from Columbus at a park that was central from all of us. Only 1.5 hours away from Pittsburgh, 1.75 hours from everyone else. BEAUTIFUL! The weather was gorgeous. The 9 of us spent the entire day at the park. Cherise came too, and it was great to have company in the car. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post soon from Cecilia's camera. Today the group was: Myself, Dave, Leah, (Leah's) Dave, Fred, Amy, Pat, Cecilia, and Cherise. We had a delicious cookout, played lots of bocci ball, and a little bit of Euchre. Of course, much time was spent just sitting around chatting. We certainly love spending time together. All I can hope is that we keep creating these ways of getting together over the years to come. The love and laughter I feel around this group of people amazes me. Of course it's not the same as romantic love... but those who have truly close friends understand this type of a love. Simply great people that touch your heart by making you feel like you impact their life in a positive way by being part of it!

So now that this weekend has come to an end I will have a record of it. It is weekends like this that you must remind yourself of during the hard weeks. Because it is weekends like this that make you feel most alive.

I don't think it will ever end...

This will be short...

So today I found out my study will get an extra month to contact potential participants and collect samples. All-in-all good news for our sample having the potential to reach 70% of what is needed... by next week I hope we will be at 40%, but with the Holiday it will be rough!

This news is bittersweet. By gaining an extension until July, this means I will not have A SINGLE WEEK of relaxation in my 39 weeks of rotations. Talk about disappointment. I was happy thinking about my 2 weeks... and in 1 day it is gone. I WILL take a long weekend though. Because I freaking deserve AT LEAST that much. Throw me a bone... will ya?

Anyhow, some worries are now creeping up because data collection was supposed to be done before this rotation is finished. But now it will extend into the 3rd week of my NEXT rotation. And that rotation isn't exactly as flexible. That is the part that the people I work with are not going to be happy about. I can't promise them I will be there every Monday morning. I can promise them I will work-- but it may be at nights or on weekends. The lovely life of a graduate student-- man I can't wait to have a job.

I must leave with happy thoughts.... CLINICAL ROTATIONS!! Yay for getting to see patients!



Also- a picture of me and some of the girls at a Pirates game after our last day of classes!!

The wonderful world of clinical rotations

Thank goodness for clinical rotations!! They bring sunshine to my day. I work a 9 hour day, and it feels like 5. It has to be the most wonderful thing!! I am also really glad that I am starting where I am. I think it will help me boost the self-confidence before going to other rotations. Both of my site supervisors are amazing, and I have really enjoyed getting to know them. The 2 days a week I get to spend at the hospital doing my rotation make me want to be there 5 days a week. The 3 days I am working my butt off at my GSR I wish that I was on rotations... go home exhausted, go to be early so that I can wake up early to go to the rotation. What a life.

The downside to this rotation is how far away it is. For a 7:45 appointment I have to get there by 7:15, which means I have to leave a little before 6am to catch the bus I need. Then I usually wait 20 minutes to catch a bus ride home that takes over another hour. But Friday I drove to the hospital, and it only took 20minutes! And I got lost! BEAUTIFUL! It costs $6/day, but it is totally worth it. $12 a week, and it will save me at least 2 hours. I could really use those 2 hours! So I think it will be the new pattern for me.

:) Yay!