It's amazing the places I've been and the things I've seen since I last wrote a blog. In just one month's time I have traveled to many places and seen many things, but I'm always grateful to make it home to see these two. My favorite people:
I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport for the second time in 48 hours (and I'll be back here again in another 48 hours) and I'm approaching the end of my interview trail. It's definitely been a wild ride. I will admit though, while my time at home is limited in between, I have been able to sneak in some of the classic summer experiences. Like wandering the beach:
And eating delicious Three Sister's Ice cream (and teaching Adler about our favorite flavor called "purple cow."
I even got time to sneak in a 6:30 AM yoga in the park session on my "vacation week." I had three days off to just
be and then I went off to the Mayo Clinic and UCLA.
I was once again spoiled with my accommodations--but this time it wasn't on Tom's hotel points! It was one of the few programs where I got put up in a hotel by the program!
I arrived in time to check out the farmer's market and all the live music
But let me tell you, even the nicest hotel room, good weather, or free food...I CANNOT WAIT to ditch my interview attire and suitcase/purse combo. I feel like i have an appendage sown to my hand with that suitcase. I am very sick of packing up each morning, bringing all my belongings with me and heading straight to another airport!
While at Mayo we had our interviews and a luncheon at the Mayo brother's home from years ago...complete with a cobalt blue tub! And not only that, it was a square tub. I literally snapped this photo on a bathroom break on interview day because I found it so remarkable.
The whole mayo clinic is covered in artwork because their philosophy is that you will be better or get better when surrounded by an environment that makes you feel well.
Including the gym space
But, when you talk about feeling well-- it helped to stay in this gorgeous suite in UCLA that Tom's hotel points awarded me. It was freaking GORGEOUS!
I got to sneak in some pool time
And checked out the most disappointing botanic gardens I've seen in my travels (a big surprise because I expected more out of LA!)
But, the fish tacos I had in Santa Monica before heading to the airport were amazing
As was my experience of flying out of Long beach airport.
But each trip I go on, the more i miss this little one!
Who, not only is learning how to make fishy faces....she's learning to love sunflowers.
In my absence she and daddy frequent the yard to look at all the blooms outside.
I snuck in some time in Madison, Wisconsin to take advantage of the sunshine. Some might look at a 2 hour interval before needing to head to the airport as a 2 hour time suck, but I saw it as a chance to ditch my appendage (that suitcase/purse combo) with the nice staff at the kayak rental place and to get out on to the lake for some sun!
Meanwhile, Daddy and Addie were getting in the water themselves as she is learning how to swim in swim class!
And play in the water at the museum :)
We, as an interview crew, try to make it out after interview dinners to just relax, so here we are sharing a pitcher of sangria in New Haven, CT.
Between trips we got to share dinner with Diana and Jake while Andrey was on his interview trip.
But inevitably I had to squeeze in a 24 hour call shift. Thanks to these to for making a trip to the hospital to say hello and share an ice cream snack though!
I even got a chance to meet up with my former associate program director on the trail who is 38 weeks pregnant in this photo and now has her baby in arms!
In Oklahoma City all the traveling finally caught up to me. I diagnosed myself (with the help of my colleagues who were on the night shift) with strep once I landed at 1:30 AM in Oklahoma and felt like my throat was on fire...or swallowing knives...pick your own analogy.
So thanks to a little chai tea, and some penicillin, I was able to take the day in OKC to just lay in bed.
I had the whole day to explore, and instead of doing that, I explored this bed in the only other hotel provided to me on the trail. And it just so happened to be a VERY swanky hotel that was actually in a refurbished mill that also doubled as an art museum.
The bathrobe and lying in bed never felt so good.
And it was so great that I had that day in between interviews to sleep all day because it meant that when I returned from Oklahoma I was well enough to go see a show with Chi-Fong (who is close to 30 weeks pregnant!), Karen, and her sister! We went to see Hamilton in Providence and it was incredible! Thanks again to Julia for babysitting Adler for the evening!
And Monday we had a day off in Providence, for "victory day". A holiday I don't like to celebrate but it allowed me and Chi Fong and the girls to go and hang out together. We went to Savers to buy some thrifty finds and found ourselves playing in the toy section. Adler's selection: a vacuum. Go figure.
Of course, she liked the car too
And, she's learned how to put her sunglasses on her head for storage! She never takes sunglasses off of her face so it was nice to see that she has ifgured out a place to put them when it's too dark indoors to wear them :)
And, we even got to go play in the water together.
She LOVES to throw rocks and hear the "sploosh" sounds they make
This moment right here, sums up how wonderful it all felt to not be on the road.
I get to skype into dinner time to see faces like this
Or like this as she plays on the swing set at "school" before she will agree to leave to go get into the car
And last week we had one 24 hour stretch where daddy was on the road instead of me. And, as luck would have it, my work had be busy until after 6 pm when daycare closes, so Adler got to be in the hospital with me, and with my residency colleagues to watch her for a few minutes while I dealt with a patient issue. Whew...being a single parent is not easy, and doing it for just 24 hours while juggling work and such made me realize even more how grateful I am for Tom for holding down the fort while I"m away!
Just one more interview--a big one. At MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. It's interview #14 of 14 and I am ready to burn my interview suit, lock away my suitcase, and not take another flight for awhile (no more delta cheezits or biscoff cookies please!).
It's been bumpy. It's worn me down. It has made me exhausted like I hadn't known before in residency or motherhood. But, I know it's the price to pay to find my next stop in training--
our next stop as a family. I don't know where it will be yet *cough cough, so don't ask* but I know that of the 14 places there are many that will train me well.
It's settled, I am going to be a surgeon. An oncologist. A gynecologic oncologist. And that, my friends and family, is crazy to realize and appreciate.
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