Weekly Update May 8 - 14

The Week in Review 

MD. None of it's real to me yet.

Have any of you had the experience of running on a treadmill very fast for a very long distance? When you step off, standing still seems strange, as though the world is still moving underneath your feet.

The last four years have been a very long treadmill run, moving my feet as fast as I can to keep from falling off. Suddenly, the constant stream of days has stopped and I'm taking a step forward on solid ground. It feels... strange.

The last four years would not have happened if not for a great many wonderful people in my life: my parents, my brother, my amazing fiance, my friends, the list goes on. Someone told me very early on in my medical career that it takes a village to make a doctor. It was certainly true for this doctor. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my village.

The next few weeks are going to move very quickly. By the time I write to you next week, I'll be about to leave the country to travel with my brother for a quick last hoorah before I actually use those two letters that are just hanging out behind my name now.

I just have one question: when does it start feeling real? Does it ever?

The Week in Photos

graduation / friend's cake / officially MD snaps / all the graduation pictures / amazing cheesecake / date night

Listening
In the process of moving you find a great many things, including the fact that I had scribbled the name of Gregory Alan Isakov on a piece of paper and shoved in into a desk drawer years ago. Rediscovering his name lead to quite the binge session over the last few days.

Reading 
Moving is an incredibly labor intensive process (can you believe you have to individually wrap all your fragile things? - aye). So I'm still reading Mount Misery. And by still reading, I think that means I've read all of 10 pages since last week.

3 Things

• Nothing will make you want to throw away everything you own and start over like trying to pack everything you own into boxes. 
• We're down to quite the skeleton crew in the kitchen, leading to a lot of simple trader joe's meals. 
• Did I mention someone made me a doctor on Friday? 

Loving from Around the Internet 

I've read this article before. It's been sent to me a dozen times by different friends or family members outside the medical profession, usually with the email subject line "is it really like this?". Well, I guess I'll be answering that question really soon. 

Weekly Update May 1 - 7

The Week in Review 

Blah, blah, blah -- packing. Blah, blah, blah -- errands. Blah, blah, blah -- never ending to do lists. I won't bore you by telling you about any of that. Instead I'll tell you about the incredible things. This is the last weekly update I will be writing as ALMOST MD. That's right, by the time I come to you next week I will be writing this as ACTUALLY MD. It's been an incredibly long four years, but it was over in the blink of an eye.

But getting to MD is only one of the most important things that happened to me in the last four years. In those four years, I also made some of the best friends a girl could ask for and found the most amazing man I ever could have dreamed of. I had some incredible proof of how amazing my girlfriends and Sweetheart are this week. After realizing that there was no way I was ever going to have a bridal shower right before our actual wedding (being a surgery intern and all), Sweetheart and my best friend planned a whole surprise, scavenger hunt bridal party for me. It involved all my favorite things from a whole tea themed brunch to a winery dinner and dozens of adventures in between. Still, a day later, I'm in shock that people would spend so much time and thought on me. I wish I could give them all a thousand hugs to repay them for such incredible generosity. It will never be enough. Love is the most powerful force in the entire world. I hope to keep spreading it around.

The Week in Photos

the galaxy in the bathtub / the edge of a perfect fried egg / wine on rustic tables / pedicure party / date night makeup / taco tuesday

Listening
All music from now until my trip to London is going to be from British bands -- thus the Vaccines

Reading 
My friend just informed me of the magic that is Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (an incredibly long HP fanfic). Then I stayed up reading it on my phone until it was much too late!

3 Things

• I'm running out of things I can pack and not have for the next two weeks. 
• I finally got my new bike to take with me to new residency city -- and riding a bike really does come back to you after a long time away from it. 
• As I write this, there are 4 days and 13 hours until I am actually a doctor. 

Loving from Around the Internet 

This amazing copper vitamix, I may or may not have put it on our wedding registry -- not that anyone will buy it for us because it is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. But I want it so bad... so pretty... so pretty....

We learned this week that no one should ever let me register for a wedding at Williams Sonoma because I want all the really expensive stuff...