The Sweet Life

Life got a little sweeter now that this goof ball is back in Knoxville :) Especially since it's for almost a whole month. The next time he comes back will be FOR GOOD. He'll be trapped in America.... mwuahahaha.

Chelsey and I also found out we were accepted to present a research poster at ASHP Midyear in Orlando in December. Excellent news but now lots of work to do.

Definitely thankful to have these two in my life :)

Fall Weekend in Michigan

Note: I started writing this 2 weekends ago when I got home but have just now had time to finish it. I blame pharmacy school and my incessant allergies. 

Last weekend was a whirlwind... lots of traveling, spending time with friends and family, laughing, drinking, not sleeping, and having a great time.  Here's how it went:

I went to class Friday morning in Knoxville until noon and then drove to Nashville. I flew to Detroit with my friend Jake. My parents let me use some of their southwest points for a free flight so it made sense to just fly southwest out of Nashville with Jake. We had a mild panic attack on the flight because we were sure we would miss our connection in St. Louis... luckily our other flight was delayed a few minutes too so we made it! We were not happy about the idea of being stuck in St. Louis and not seeing our friends. When we got to Detroit our friends Andy and Danyelle were there waiting for us! I have known Andy since elementary school and he just got an awesome job as an engineer for GM (yeah, he's kind of a genius). Danyelle is Andy's girlfriend that also happens to have an internship in Michigan this semester. Andy gets to borrow a new car from work every once and awhile and this week he had a beeee-u-tiful Cadillac CTS (i think?) coupe. While it wasn't fun for the 4 of us to take turns getting in and out of the back all weekend it was such a fun car to have. We took a little tour around downtown on the way home which was pretty cool. Then we stopped and went to a bar in Royal Oaks. I'm still not really sure what kind of area that is but it was super fun and the bar was really cool. After awhile we made our way back to their apartment where we continued our antics and I "taught" everyone a card game. It was a little rough explaining the rules but we all had fun and ended up staying up waaayyy too late for our 6:20am wake up call.

THE jake face makes an apperance

Andy showing us around his city

reunited!

Royal Oaks

 After about 2 hours of sleep, we woke up and got ready to head to East Lansing for the Michigan State football game! Andy let me drive the car that morning which I was really excited about at the time but in hindsight I think I got tricked because it would've been nice to sleep. Funny story, when we got there I accidentally got out of the car, walked away, and left it turned on! That darn thing doesn't have a key and it's soo quiet that I just got confused. We tailgated with my parents, my Uncle from Idaho, and my Aunt and Uncle that live there (and all of their usual tailgating friends). The tailgate theme was Oktoberfest- which meant lots of bratwurst and some reuben dip I could've eaten with a spoon. It was fun having my family and their Michigan friends be entertained by my southern friends' accents. My favorite tradition of the tailgate is when everyone takes a shot of Crown before leaving for the game... I wish we did that at every tailgate I went to! The game was alright but it's really the tailgate that was the best. It was the perfect day to walk around Michigan State's campus so that's what we did for a little bit after the game. I got to hear "this is where we did this, this is where we did that" from my parents. It was sweet! I can only imagine how I'll be going back to UT's campus- but I don't have to worry about that now because apparently I'm on track to stay foreverrrr.

My riiiide

MSU is beautiful!

best tradition ever

Noon games won't stop the four of us!

You can take the UT alumi out of TN but you can't take the TN out of us!

mi familia

After the game a nap was more than necessary. We were in rough shape from our lack of sleep and activities. After narrowly dodging a flying bicycle on the interstate on the way home we basically collapsed. I'm still shocked that we somehow managed to make it out to dinner. We went to a super cute Mexican restaurant but were still feeling a little pathetic. Somehow we made the biggest recovery known to man and decided to go out in downtown Detroit. We went to a bar called the Detroiter and watched a little Tigers baseball. We were the only people in the bar not wearing tigers or redwings outfits. I think we had signs over our head saying "We're from Tennessee y'all". But we still had fun there. It was a good sports atmosphere, clearly. Then we went to a bar/club that was nothing like I've ever seen before (and I lived in Memphis, people). Most of the time there is a parking lot next to a little bar. Well on Saturday nights in Detroit this parking lot turns into a full out dance club/rave with a DJ and all the necessities. Just in the middle of a parking lot. It was weird... and soo crazy. We went up to the third floor of the bar and pretty much just watched people doing crazy stuff in the parking lot  dance club all night. People watching is the BEST. We weren't quite crazy enough to join in on that scene.

a mere "super burrito"

this really doesn't come close to doing it justice

aww... best friends!

Andy in front of his world HQs 

Sunday we were LAZY. Once we all finally woke up Danyelle, aka my hero, went out and got us bagels for breakfast. Jake and I then sadly packed up our things and we all headed to the airport. On the way we stopped at a BBQ place that had the best ribs I have ever eaten in my life. Slow's BBQ my friends. If you're anywhere near Detroit (no jokes about running away) then do yourself a favor and go. I can't even put into words how perfect they were. It's also just a really cool restaurant in general. It had 50-some beers on tap and the design of the place was awesome. I made everyone go to the bathroom after I went just to see how cool they were. We also couldn't even figure out how to get into the place because it has this cool wooden door with kind of a hidden handle. A homeless lady walking by had to tell us how to get in (true story).

Slow's!

there are no words...

We were soooo sad to leave Michigan. I really had one of the most fun and crazy weekends I have had in a long time. Thanks Andy and Danyelle for having us!!! I had to arrive in Nashville and drive straight back to Knoxville and start studying for an exam I had in a few days. That was a fun welcome back. But at least the next weekend I was headed to the smoky mountains with my pharmacy fraternity and that ended up being pretty darn fun. But more on that another time....

Not much time to blog lately as life has been carazay! Sometimes I wonder if it will ever slow down... I'm thinking not any time soon but that's OK. If I'm not doing four things at once I feel like I'm being lazy. Here's a little bit of whats been going on in my world.

Two weekends ago I went to Nashville for my friend Jordan's bridal shower and bachelorette party. It was an awesome weekend! It was so much fun to catch up with all my high school friends again. I wish I took more pictures but the shower was soooo cute. It was Breakfast at Tiffany's themed and everything was adorable! It was the perfect day to spend all afternoon outside. Saturday night we stayed at a hotel and went out downtown. I also got to fulfill my high school fantasy of riding in a hummer limo. We had so much fun! I can't go to Jordan's wedding because of my Michigan weekend but I know she's going to be sooo gorgeous!

I packed up my bags Sunday and headed back to Knoxville. This week flew by with studying for an exam on Thursday. We picked out our final rotations and found out our entire schedule Friday (more on that later). Before I knew it was the weekend again! Thank goodness!  Both of my brothers and a bunch of pharmacy friends came into town for the weekend and we had a blast. Saturday we had a day full of tailgating before the Tennessee/Georgia game.

I still can hardly think about that game. Absolutely heartbroken.  However, it was one of the most fun games I've had in Neyland Stadium so I can't hate on it too much. We were just soo close! I hate that Darren had to miss out on that game too. He would have embarrassed me by how excited he got but we would've had a great time.  And win or lose... we looked good in those uniforms! I'm definitely a huge fan of the smokey gray and hope we see it again soon. Head to toe it was awesome!

I am now procrastinating starting to study and doing laundry. My parents are going out of town this week and Peter couldn't take Bawse so I am now a puppy sitter this week! I'm so excited to have the little guy with me. Gracie on the other hand is not so excited. I did not know cats could have facial expressions but Gracie does... and she is pissed. They get along pretty well though, all things considered.  Time to force myself to watch Clin Lit lectures.... :(

Make this right now!

I promise you this will be the easiest, most delicious football food you have ever made. I'm talking about buffalo chicken dip, people!  I have never met anyone who has tried this and not become instantly obsessed. It's the perfect mix of creamy and spicy and not to mention incredibly easy to make. Without a doubt, this will be present at any tailgate or football watching party with my friends. It's become synonymous with football and we all take turns making it.There are a lot of variations of this recipe but my favorite is a recipe from my friend Tommie Jo (shoutout!) 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 large can chicken

1 cup ranch dressing

1 cup Frank's Buffalo Hot Wing Sauce

1 pkg cream cheese

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix everything but shredded cheese together then slowly fold in shredded cheese. Put in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. Best served with Fritos!

See, I wasn't kidding-- it's that easy! And I didn't say it was healthy :)  And definitely don't use any sauce other than Frank's. It's a DAW1 for all my pharmacy peeps. It just has the perfect flavor for this and I promise it really isn't very spicy at all. Here's a few pictures of the process. It doesn't photograph very well but that's not high on my priorities for tailgate food.

In other news this baby had her yearly vet visit to get her shots and we found out she needs to go on a little diet! So that's going to be fun... She's really not that huge (about 10 lbs) but since she's only two we don't want it to get any worse. They told me how much food exactly to give her and it's really not much different than what I have been giving her but hopefully the small change will make a difference. We're headed to Nashville this weekend for one of my friend's bridal shower and  bachelorette party! 

Rotation Talk

Just in case anyone hasn't already heard.... We're going to Thailand!!!

And by we I mean myself and my friends Chelsey and Elly.  In January 2015 we will be doing a rotation for school in Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen!  The selection process for who gets to do an international rotation and where is a little complicated but there are a lot of factors that go into determing everything. I was sooo relieved and excited to find out I would be going to my #1 choice with two of my favorite people. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly!  

At this point in P3 year rotations are about the only thing everyone is thinking about. We're constantly finding out what we're doing different months as well as continuing to pick our remaining rotations. Everyone gets December 2014 off from rotations and I will also be taking February 2015 off to coincide with going to Thailand and residency interviews. I'm pumped that it will give us plenty of time to travel around the country before and after the actual rotation part. I'm picturing Christmas 2014 on a beach in Thailand :) Chelsey and I are really hoping it works out to have Darren and Josh come travel with us beforehand. We realized yesterday they will both be our husbands by then which is so strange! 

In addition to those months I also found out I will be off from rotations in April 2014 and July 2014. I told Darren this and he said so are you just going to hang out in April (and he was being totally serious) --- no we're getting married in April, silly! My family is also planning a Euro trip in July 2014 to have a wedding picnic (inside joke) and celebration in England to meet some of Darren's family that can't come to the wedding. We'll also be going to France and Spain to see the sights!  March 2014 will be a month of elective classes for me which is good because it should hopefully be a little easier than a rotation and leave me some time to work on last minute wedding details. Yesterday I found out I got my first choice of "real" rotations for an Ambulatory Care rotation at the VA in Murfreesboro, TN. I am very interested in am.care and have heard the VA is a great place to experience it. The VA in Knoxville isn't very large and I haven't heard great things about its rotation so it was really important to me to priority pick this one. Hopefully my parents don't mind having me (and maybe Darren) move back in for a month! 

Now all that's left to pick are 2 required rotations and remaining electives. I can't wait to have everything figured out! I'm quickly realizing the next year and a half is going to be one of the busiest times in my life but it all sounds so exciting!

I wouldn't be a VFL today if I didn't say.... GO VOLS!! BEAT THE GATORS!! I'm really hoping we can get a W in the swamp this afternoon and break the streak!

A Small Dose of Darren

When Rachel asked me to make a guest appearance on her blog, I was very excited.  All kinds of potential posts flashed through my mind, instead I have come to the end of my current visit to Knoxville, and I am going to write about some of what has happened in our lives over the last few weeks.

As you all know Rachel moved into a new apartment, and she has done a great job making the place feel very 'homey'.  But it was time for me to do my part since I wasn't here for the move. I had barely been here two minutes when I found myself with a paint brush in hand decorating the bedroom wall.  My next task was to paint the wall in the living room, we decided to do horizontal stripes, a decision I instantly regretted the moment I started.  Anyone who knows Rachel would know that the stripes would have to perfect, anything less would not be acceptable.  I was under pressure.      

After a few days of precision measuring it was complete and I was happy with the result.

Rachel and I are both in a fantasy football league, and by chance we had to play each other on Week 1.  The stage was set for a tense match-up in what was the first game of my rookie season.   

The points happened to go my way and I was the victor, suddenly Rachel declared, "Darren, I don't care about Fantasy".  Poor Rachel, I think the defeat took the wind out of her sails ;)

We spent last weekend in Nashville.  I love going to Paul and Laurie's house because we get spoiled and I get to request all my favourite foods.  Normally we play tennis and watch football, not this time though - we had wedding business to take care of!  I have a great deal. I get to come to town to do cake tasting (which was awesome), go to the store to register for gifts, and visit the wedding / reception venues.  My beautiful fiancee takes care of everything else! 

Those of you that have met Gracie, or even just know about her reputation of not taking kindly to anyone other than Rachel might have been concerned for my safety over the last few weeks.  I can gladly report that after a few initial tantrums, she has taken to me relatively well.  I think it would be a bit crazy to say she likes me. Rachel is definitely still her favourite, I've never seen a cat give cuddles the way she cuddles Rach, but it seems like she now tolerates me as I don't get hissed at or pounced on.

I found out yesterday where and when I have to go for the next stage of qualifying for the Web.com professional golf tour. I cannot wait to play.

I'll be back in town after the event at the end of October.  Keep your eyes open at this time for a second guest appearance.  If I am allowed....   

Update

Here are some pictures of recent happenings around here.  Life has been super busy but I can't complain about a thing.

Tennessee won another football game this weekend and we had a great time tailgating and going to the game. My BFF Chelsea and her boyfriend made a last minute decision to come visit for the weekend and go to the game with us and we had so much fun! It's kind of sad when your friends all grow up and don't live in the same city anymore so I love when people come to visit. We also went to a new church this weekend with them and really liked it. I'm not sure if it will be "our church" or not but Darren and I both really enjoyed it and it's right by our apartment so that gets a few bonus points. 

Last week while I was studying Darren painted the bedroom! I love how it turned out! I definitely could have agreed to painting all the walls but then again I wasn't the one painting and just the accent wall does look very nice. My other BFF Chelsey showed me this color and it's called "frosted sage" from Home Depot. It's a little annoying painting knowing that we will have to paint over it in a few years when we move out since we're renting but who wants all white walls for two years?! Also note I finally have curtains! Yay!

This is a preview of another project Darren is working on but it's not quite finished yet. I'm crossing my fingers it turns out awesome. While Darren was working on this he asked me for help and I showed him a trick of how to do something and he said "you're so smart! ....did your dad teach you that?" I'm not sure if I should be offended or happy that he thinks my dad knows how to do everything (because he really does). 

I planted some mums in my old flower pots today and I can't wait for them to bloom! In hind sight I wish I bought 2 different colors but oh well. They are really making me look forward to fall. It has been so much hotter the past few weeks than it was for most of the summer. I'll take the 70s any day now. 

Time to get back to studying. It's technically an "off week" for me because we don't have an exam this week but there's really no such thing as an off week with cumulative exams every 2 weeks. We will find out what rotations we will have for the last year and a half of pharmacy school soon so I can't wait for that! We already picked which months we want off from rotations and the thought of having 3 months of absolutely nothing school related to do is sounding really nice right now.....

I'm just living the life y'all....

Darren took this picture of me studying in the wee hours of the morning. I had my test this afternoon and had been studying for about 4 days straight. At least I had my little side kick to keep me company. While none of the subjects we study are particularly uplifting (clearly we talk about sick people), therapeutics this semester focuses on chemotherapy. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little depressing to study cancer constantly. Did you know women have a 1 in 3 lifetime risk of developing cancer? And men have a 1 in 2 lifetime risk. That's just crazy to wrap my head around! But that's why we all study in the wee hours of the morning... hopefully to make a difference in someone's treatment (oh, and to pass our test). 

While I'd like to say I studied the entire weekend... Saturday was devoted to one thing only: the VOLS!

And now that my exam is over it's time to catch up on some U.S. Open Tennis.  It killed me to not be able to watch it non stop last week. Oh and in case you felt too sorry for me after seeing what I looked like studying this morning.. don't worry, this is what Darren and I did tonight to post exam de-stress: