My New Mottos:

Things are really getting crazy here in Omaha.  Tests, quizzes, tests, patient interviews, and more tests.  Fun though that may sound, I just keep telling myself I only have 3 more weeks.  I'll be out of here by May 11th and back to Idaho.  Now that finals are upon me, I have little time to do anything but study.

And while I study, I remember that I just need to be as gung ho as can be, otherwise I will end up like this meme:

So I've made a few flashcards.  My arm is shown only for scale.  Jealous yet?  It's a good thing the material is interesting, otherwise I'd quit altogether.

Happy April!  See you in May!

People who are highly attractive:

Aren't family pictures a joy?  Actually, this time around, it was fairly uneventful.  The tears only came AFTER the pictures had been taken, which might just be a first for the Avondets.

My Giant Soap Box

I have a soap box. It’s big. And I like to get up on it and announce to the world what I think and that I’m right. I have never been afraid to express my opinions openly, as I’m sure most people know. In fact, I’m kind of crazy in how set in my ways I am. And I’m not afraid to admit it. I have been trying to be more open as I’ve gone through college and medical school. I always try to be respectful of people’s opinions, no matter how ridiculous or strange I think they are. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Who am I to say what someone else should think?

As a liberal in a family of conservatives, I have had to learn to defend my political leanings. As a Mormon, I’ve had to defend my faith countless times. I don’t care if someone ridicules me for my faith or my liberal ways because it’s not something I can change in someone else. If someone wants to have a civil conversation with me about my political or religious beliefs, I’m happy to do so. Even if, at the end, we have to agree to disagree. However, there is one place I draw the line. (It’s soap box time!)

As a woman entering the medical field to become a doctor, I shouldn’t have to defend anything I do. My life choices are just that: MINE. My passion for medicine and helping people -- a.k.a. my career choice -- should not be subject to derision by those who think they know better than I do.

So, pardon me for choosing something that will make me happy. Pardon me for attending a university that I like and that I respect for their dedication to students and patients. And heaven forbid that one day I marry, have children, AND plan to work too! I won’t apologize for being who I am. The last thing I want to be is untrue to 1.) myself & 2.) to what I want to become. There are days when I wish I could be content to do something else. Maybe I could be happy somewhere else. Maybe I’d be able to go to my friends’ weddings instead of having to study all weekend. Maybe I’d be able to see my family and friends regularly. And you know what, I would probably be just fine.

Here’s the catch. If I were anywhere but where I am right now, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t feel as fulfilled as I do right now. I’m living my DREAM! You know, the one I’ve had for years. I want to yell at certain people and say, “How dare you try to take this away from me?” And when my friends and family support me so much, I can’t stand it when people try to convince me that what I'm doing is "so wrong for me."

I truly admire people who can do the things I can’t, both in their career choices and their family lives. But right now, I’ve chosen to advance my career because I’m not going to sit around and wait for something or someone to happen to me. I’m going to move forward and become someone worth loving or worth even being with. And if that liberal hipster Mormon boy ever comes along to sweep me off my feet, then maybe I’ll be ready and I’ll be the person I should be. But, again, I’m not going to just sit around and wait for him to get here before I become who I want to be. He can join me for the ride if he really wants me.

So that’s my soap box. I’m off now. And I’m going to go study and pass my classes. So I can be this jerk’s doctor one day. And save his life. Perhaps then he’ll realize what he said was foolish and conceited. And that I meant it when I said, “I’m going to be a doctor. And I’ll be a good one.”

Apologize? For being me? Clearly, you don’t know who I am. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Sanity is Needed Every Now and Then

Yes. I am in medical school. It's crazy, busy, hard, rewarding, fun, exciting, and all of those other adjectives. So rather than bore you with medical school stuff, I will post about the stuff I LURVE that keeps me sane. When you're testing every week, practically living on campus, and studying all the time, you need a bit of an outlet.

Because I am ME and I like to have a lot of alone time (I'm kind of a hermit and love my room more than any other place on earth), I discovered some things that allow me to de-stress. And without further ado (and there was a lot of ado-ing), here are my happy things.

1. Looking at puppies I want to adopt from the Nebraska Humane Society. I am currently obsessed a black lab named Emma. She's perfect. And there are some puppies I just need to go snuggle all day too

http://www.nehumanesociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=PH_Dogs

2. Tumblr. Oh man. People on Tumblr are cool. It is full of nerdy happiness which makes me chuckle and even pulls at my little heartstrings sometimes. In fact, I'm going to recommend my favorite Tumble-blog right now. Try it. You won't regret it:

http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com/

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST (prepare for my fan-girling. You know what that means: lots of squealing and swooning)

3. Downton Abbey. BE. STILL. MY. BEATING. HEART. I love this show. British television is PERFECTION. If you haven't heard of it, I encourage you to watch it right this one one. If you are skeptical, I'll give you a rundown. Downton Abbey is about a titled family in England. Lord Grantham and his wife have three daughters and have no direct heir to the title. It starts on the day the Titanic sinks (spanning several years, the second season takes place during WWI) and the current heir, a distant cousin, is on board. He dies and the house is thrown into an uproar (AN UPROAR, I say!) because some new guy is going to come in and take the title. His name is Matthew Crawley. And I love him.

Matthew will inherit everything leaving the family with nothing when the Earl of Grantham dies. Thus, the Lady Grantham and Dowager (played my Maggie Smith, aka McGonagall the Bad-A) try to set up a marriage between Matthew and the oldest daughter, Mary. Drama ensues.

And that's the basic rundown. It's about politics, intrigue, scandal, the life of servants in the household of an Earl, propriety, and all of those good things. But, because I'm ME, my favorite part of the show is the LOVE. Seriously, the tension between Mary and Matthew makes my heart go a-pitter-patter.

I JUST NEED THEM TO LOVE EACH OTHER. I have never wanted to smash two people's faces together so badly in my life. JUST GET IT TOGETHER, KIDS. And if they don't, I will cry into my white lace gloves just like Mary does in every other episode.

And that, my friends is my life outside of medical school. Exciting, isn't it!?

Woof. I need a boyfriend.

Tune-age

I have some music for the blog. The only problem is that Playlist is failing me. So I'm turning to Youtube for my playlist. It takes more effort on your part if you choose to listen. Sorry...

 Bon Iver- Beth/Rest: 80's power ballad. Two versions.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlO1DgvLSqA (piano version that doesn't sound like an 80's power ballad. But it does make me love Justin Vernon more than ever before)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UtQe0JOCnM (album version)

 Bon Iver- Perth: YES. Just do it. This was the best concert ever. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo6lKQYVUBU 

Coldplay- Paradise

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6ZWlDks0nQ 

Jonsi- Grow Til Tall

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQuz8jmUYDU 

Fleet Foxes- Bedouin Dress

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87TB7GlJ3ZA 

The Fray- Be The One

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJOHNS6ftG4 

Chief- In the Valley

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2T1ozSC8-8 

Ra Ra Riot- The Orchard

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qvk2QabUL0 

Fanfarlo- I'm a Pilot

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt4tj8TtXTc 

Aushua- Hiding Place

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg8bt1o5FZo ENJOY!