D.C.

Wes and I continued what seems to be a tradition of meeting some of our closest friends in fun locations (Barbados, New York City, Key West...) at the end of July when we went to visit my best friend Ms. Holly Immler in D.C.! Holly has been working for National Geographic and she lives in walking distance, amazing, to basically everything you would want to see in D.C., so Wes and I decided it was the perfect time to go for a little visit. I had never been to D.C. before and now I want to go back more than anything. We didn't have the chance to see everything we wanted to see, but we still had a great time!

Wes and I actually met in D.C. on Friday night because I am currently on rotations (outside of Pittsburgh) and Wes is working in our lovely home of Lewisburg. I left straight from the hospital after a hysterectomy - performed, not received - and Wes and I literally drove up to Holly's house within 1 minute of each other. Is that weird or what? AND there were 2 parking spots right in front of her house. We're taking Georgetown off of M street people; this was a miracle. Jake, Holly's fiance flew in from good ol' Dallas, TX to also meet up. So fun! It was already late Friday night so the only thing we could possibly do was go out, shucks.

I love my husband to death, but he can not for the life of him keep his eyes open for pictures. Really, if there was a huge purple monster with sharp talons threatening his life unless he opened his eyes for the camera he would be a goner.

This picture probably makes no sense to anyone else, but I had to include it. This is most definitely what Holly's children will dress like. Just sayin'... distant future Golvach family.

...again with the eyes. Hehe.

The next day we went out and about to go sight seeing. We spent a lot of our time at the free Smithsonian Museums. Here we are in front of the Washington Monument! It was about a jillion degrees out.

We couldn't not see the White house so that was one of our next stops. Wes really wanted to jump the fence and run onto the lawn. I really didn't want my husband to be shot. I won.

My God, are his eyes open?!

Oh wait, that's what I thought.

Really, I don't know if it is because of the movies or what, but I thought that this guy was going to be a lot bigger than he actually was. Still impressive though.

Overall, we had a great weekend, but we will surely return to D.C. again with a camera in tow at all times. There are still so many things to do and visit.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to YOU, Brenda.

Best mother-in-love EVER!

Thinking aloud

Hello friends and family. Today I just want to take a second to think aloud (side note - anyone ever stop and think, "Now is it out loud or aloud"? Well, I just googled it so you can all know it is actually aloud. Glad you know now, am I right?) Anyway, I am nearing the end of my 5 months away from Wes and I can tell you that I have learned so much in this period.

As was expected, I have learned a ton regarding medicine itself. I feel much more confident in my medical decisions and am now growing more certain of choosing a specialty. Some days are still difficult simply because my mind won't only let me think of the field of medicine I love, but I am forced to consider family and lifestyle as well. Ultimately I always come back to the thought that as long as I go into what I love, Wes and I will make it work for our family. Here are my current thoughts... Obstetrics and gynecology, neonatology, general surgery, plastics. I know that sounds like a lot when I just stated that I actually think I am more certain of my decision, but keep in mind that OBGyn is a strong front runner. See it's hard! At this point I feel very fortunate that I have an extra year to think through this decision. I'm sure you will all be along for the ride as I think aloud (Did you know I was going to say aloud again? Bet you did. )

My love for surgery and things like this: http://www.leap-foundation.org/media/photos/before-after-gallery/ get me really thinking about plastics too.

Continuing on what I have learned in this time... I realize that I have spent much of medical school looking on toward the next step. The next board exam, the next step in the process, the next X number of years until I am a resident, until I am a doctor. It is hard not to do this simply because this is how I have been trained to think. "Think ahead", "Plan for the future". These are the things that school drills into us and medical school, more specifically forces into you. Well, let me just be honest for a second. Think aloud ;) Though I myself and many other students often seem very intelligent and put together believe me - inside I am often just thinking "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" all while smiling. I think I have finally come to grips with the fact that I am not a super brain like some people actually are in medical school. Sometimes I just can't live up to my own high standards. I work and have worked incredibly hard to get to this point and yes, I have done well, but now I also realize that I need to live this life as it is now. I am going to try my hardest to live in this life and stop thinking so much about the future. I look forward to being "home" in our barn in Lewisburg with Wes and just living. I can't lie. I will definitely still be studying just as hard, but hopefully with a new perspective.

"American Talk"

This made me laugh out loud. Just wanted to share.

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Update

Quick update:

1. I love obstetrics and gynecology.

Yes, that's right, even if some of you are thinking, "Yuck, how gross". My days consist of caring for women young and old, helping them through the most important moments of their lives, amazing surgery, bring new life into the world, consoling those when things don't go according to plan, and more. Such a privilege to be trusted by women in such an important role.

2. Being away from my husband is not fun. Oh wait...nope, still not fun.

It has now been 3 full months of seeing each other only on weekends and living apart and it's tough. I can only think of my amazing parents who had to endure this hardship for 10 years so that my brother and I could go to the colleges we wanted and so that we could chase our dreams. Wow. Thanks mom and dad! Unfortunately, this does not change the fact that this is really not fun.

3. Great friends

My best friend in the world is getting married in October and over July 4th weekend we celebrated her 25th birthday and bachelorette party in KEY WEST. So fun... too fun!

4. School and work

I am constantly going crazy with work and studying. It is scary to think about the future and where we will end up for residency. Some days are hard but others are great so I just keep going. Wes is still doing great at his job and is settling in well as the registrar. Sometimes no excitement in that area is a very good thing.

Yo Daddy!

Happy Birthday to the #1 Dad in the Universe!! FOR REAL!

Love you Daddy!!

Happy Birthday Tarah!

Happy Birthday to the amazingly talented Tarah Paige!

Stunt woman, actress, and girlfriend extraordinaire to my loving brother! We hope you have a wonderful day and do something extra special to celebrate. LOVE YOU!