3rd Year

I finished the last final of my 2nd year on Thursday. It is amazing how fast time has gone by and how much I have learned since starting medical school. This morning I got to start my 3rd year at San Francisco General Hospital. I was so nervous this morning getting ready and driving to the hospital. The first day at any clinic because you don't know what you're expected to know, what type of patients you will be dealing with, or even where you are going. I felt a little overwhelmed walking towards the hospital this morning, unsure of where I was supposed to be.

San Francisco General Hospital is a very large teaching hospital and a large portion of the personnel there are still students in medical school or residency. It was very cool to walk into the hospital this morning and step into the elevator filled with residents and attending physicians. It felt almost like being in Grey's Anatomy or Scrubs. Anywho...back to my day.

Everything turned out fine and we were able to see three patients in just under 4 hours. (Would you be patient enough to spend over an hour with your doctor? I don't know if I would have exhibited the same patience our patients had.) However, it was a great experience for us as students because we were able to ask questions and discuss the pathology with the doctor while the patient was still in the exam chair. I'm current completing a biomechanics rotation so we talked alot about how an individual's foot architecture can make them more prone to experience problems(i.e. pain) in their feet. We'll be learning alot about orthotics and how to properly utilize orthotics to help stabilize these feet.

So it was a fantastic start to my 3rd year and 2nd half of medical school. I am so glad to be able to have these experiences and learn from so many people.

Getting My Craft On

Okay, tonight I took a break from studying to package a gift for some friends that are expecting a baby. I made a baby bracelet earlier this week and needed to package it before the baby girl makes her entrance into this world. With my infrequency of crafting, my projects don't always turn out cute. Perhaps I will finish some more crafty projects this summer.
David and I also celebrated Cinco de Mayo by making some fajitas for dinner. For some extra oomph & kick I added a jalapeno to the onions & bell peppers. I found out that that was going a bit too far. The fajitas weren't so spicy while eating them but I started to feel some strong heat after I finished my first fajita. My lips were tingling for an hour after dinner. Note to self: no more jalapenos with fajitas.

Washington

Things have gotten really busy around here as I prepare for Finals and we have started a few projects to do around the house. Before all this, I got to have an awesome spring break where I traveled home to Washington & spend over 5 days with the wonderful people I call my family. Here are just a few of the things I got to do while home.

I hung out with Keldon & Carter and show them some of my tools and dye Easter Eggs.

Collin & I went with Grandma & Grandpa Gibbons' to his PT appointment and then got to have lunch at Zip's. Grandpa told me they had the best fish & chips he has ever had...and he was right! If it had not been for Granpa's suggestion, I don't think I would have ever tried their fish & chips. It was also nice to spend some time with Grandpa without alot of people around. During our day together, I did find out that my great grandpa was a Utah State Senator. (How did I not know this before!)

I had lunch with Carmen & Kendall and they accompanied me on my business dealings during the trip. These two girls are goofy and can not make their mind up on anything! It took over 15 minutes for them to decide where to eat. I only bring this up because we were in Pasco, had we been in a big city like Seattle or SF maybe I could understand. But perhaps this is why they're so easy to get along with. The picture below not only demonstrates how gorgeous my sisters are but also the not-so-fantastic photo skills of my little brother.

Some other quick highlights: Going to lunch with Dad. Play basketball with the family. Jumping on the trampoline. Getting invited to a party ;). Riding Collin's motorcycle. Watching Collin's Soccer Game(where, I might add he had 4 assists). Attend Kendall's track meet(who won her 4x1 relay). Helped Carmen with her resume (to finish her senior project). Eating really good food made by Mom. Feeding my aunt's longhorn steers. Dying peewee eggs. Eating Easter Eggs. Getting a Easter Basket. Going to church on Easter Sunday with my family. We did so much more than that, but that's all I can remember for now.

I had such a great time while in Washington. It was so sad to have to leave to return to school, but I am so excited when I will be back home for an entire month in August for school!

I also found out that United Airlines will now have a direct flight from San Francisco straight to Pasco, Washington. You have no idea how excited I am to be able to get home in as little as two hours. All I can say is Hallelujah!

While home I did receive some very helpful tips & advice on texting from two very knowledgable professionals. (Although the advice came after they made fun of me & my (ancient) phone.) But I thought I would be generous enought share some photos of the two professionals honing their craft.

Lucky Me!

I am the new owner of a Pharmacopoeia!
It will come in very handy during clinic!

I was pretty happy to start my weekend with this grand purchase.

At the Shark Tank

David and I attended a San Jose Sharks game a few weeks ago with Rob & Candi. The Sharks have had been playing an awesome season going 22-1 at home thus far into the season. Many of our other professional teams have not done so well(aka SF 49ers, Oakland Raiders, GS Warriors), so I was stoked to see a game that I was sure we were going to win.

Once the game started there was not an empty seat in the entire "Tank" and we scored the first goal within minutes. By the end of the 2nd period the score was 3-1 and I was excited to win. In addition, if the Sharks scored 4 goals everyone gets free Round Table Pizza and this family loves Round Table! So with only one goal left to get in the last period I was sure we were going home with a late night snack. Unfortunately, the opposing team did not give up and they ended up tying the game at the end of regulation. The game ended up going into overtime and we still did not score. Our hopes for free pizza were dashed, but hopefully we hoped the sharks would prevail in the shoot out. In the end, the sharks let us down and the Carolina Hurricanes went away with the only 2nd visiting team win at the Shark Tank this season. I was blamed for the loss after excessively talking about going to a game where the home team wins.

Oh well, we had a blast with Rob & Candi who drove over an hour just to come to the game! The Sharks had an awesome home crowd and it was so much fun watching & cheering. One of my favorite parts was the crazy loud foghorn that goes off after a Sharks goal is made and that crowd goes crazy making large Jaws motions with their arms! It was definitely one of the best sports events I have been to!

I'm hoping my siblings can appreciate the name of this country radio station. ;)

San Francisco

A few weeks ago David and I went for a walk in the Presidio in San Francisco. It was a really nice sunny day and we walked along the Promenade near Chrissy Field. We have not done much exploring around the Presidio before. We found out there's alot more to discover just in that one park in San Francisco.Enjoying the January California weather.

Nerd Alert! David and I have been trying to remember to

bring our binoculars with us to various places and events.

Surprisingly they are VERY nice to have!

A nice looking palm tree.

Our favorite encounter: The life size Yoda fountain in front of the LucasArts complex.

It was a very fun walk and gave an awesome view of the Golden Gate Bridge. When we have visitors we typically take them to the actual Golden Gate Bridge to walk on the span....but I think we may take them here instead. You get a beautiful view and it's not quite as scary since you're not 100' in the air. I can't wait to return on another sunny day.

Were you aware that...

Appparently flip phones are totally out of style and make you look like you have a really old phone. One of my classmates told me that. Wah!