Summer....

Well, first year is finished.
I am pretty much done with my first year of medical school which blows my mind. I can't believe that one year ago, I was getting ready to move out of Colorado and to this crazy place called Iowa to go learn how to take care of feet.
So much has changed and yet stayed the same.
I made some amazing friends this year- it seems strange to think that one year ago I didn't know any of the people who I now am in constant contact. I feel as though I have known them for years, though I suppose if you break down the credits this year it was more like 2 years of school crammed into one. From randomly sitting down at a picnic table because they looked friendly, to early morning coffee, to study sessions, to ski trips, to tests, to Florida, and all the dinners, I would have been a basket case without them. (Not that I am not already a basket case- I would just be a BIGGER basket case)
My handsome husband came home in February. It has been so wonderful to have him home. As I am writing this, he is sleeping in the other room and it seems as though he never left- that last year was just this odd dream and I woke up and found him right where he is supposed to be. I hated having him so far away, but in hindsight, it was the perfect timing as school kept me busy enough that I didn't have time to do anything else.
I started running this year. Me, who was the slowest person on the track team (I only really joined because of a crush and a friend convinced me to try it) actually enjoys running now. I am still ridiculously slow, but I am working on distance now instead of speed. I will never win any races or win any competitions, but I can now earn the $50 race t-shirt and get in shape. I am currently working on a half marathon with the goal to do a full. Where I used to hate running I am finding myself- it is time that I don't have to think, be or do- time where nothing but moving matters. Stress powers my legs in ways unrequited crushes never could. I am currently up to 8 miles- it takes almost 2 hours (yes I realize people walk faster than that) but I enjoy it. I have lost 10 lbs doing it, so I am back to my sophomore year of college weight, but in way better shape than I have been for a long time. (I can run a mile in 9 minutes easily now- my fastest time in high school was 9:30)
School is school. You learn, cram, recite, cram, and then try desperately to remember again. It sticks better if you have heard it once (a big thank you to my AP bio teacher- that stuff STILL comes in handy). I am really enjoying learning all this stuff, though I am ready to get out of the books and actually learn stuff that is useful. They say that it gets better after first year- and to be honest, it wasn't as awful as I imagined it could be. (Don't get me wrong- there were days where I banged my head against the table, drank WAY too much caffeine, and gave serious thought to joining the circus) A big part of why I didn't go batty (er) was that I was with people who took it seriously, but also enjoyed life. The best advice I got was a lecturer who said he was on the bottom of the class "because someone has to hold up the top half" and yet he still got a great residency, had a family, and is successful. The difference between the A and the B isn't worth my sanity or missing out on my friends and family.

A random enough entry- a nice collection of my thoughts this evening. Perhaps I may keep this up this summer, or try to. I feel a need to describe Iowa- but that is best left for another day.