Just keep swimming...

SO CLOSE!

In 48 hours I will be completely done with my first semester of vet school.  Friday afternoon can not get here soon enough :)

So far I'm very, VERY happy with all of my grades...  A's in the electives and B's in the core classes (Physio and Micro) - Friday's final is in Gross Anatomy and could potentially be my only core class A, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

Little Bear has been a very supportive study buddy with me at my parents house, although he'd be even better if he could bring me some Starbucks.  Cole has been so supportive as well, but he'd be better if he brought me Starbucks too (hint hint!)

This past weekend my family and Cole's family got together to celebrate Cole graduating from KSU.  As of 4:00 today he was all done with finals and officially a college graduate! I couldn't be more proud :)  - aaaaactually... I could be more proud if I had some Starbucks :)

Bear helping write some notes...

Bear helping pack my bookbag...

Bear learning how to use a stethoscope...

College of Business Graduation :)

That's all for now - more updates to come after this ridiculous week is finally over!

Home Stretch

Good Morning, Mom!

Holy Cow - I just finished my 15th week of vet school.  Is this real life?  Only one more week of classes left, a week of finals, and I am 1/8th of the way toward being a doctor!

Here are the updates...

Physio -- Successfully got a B on the ridiculously long, 12-page, short-answer test right before Thanksgiving (despite my fever).  I was so proud of my grade - considering I felt like death the day before - but I kind of get the feeling I wouldn't have done any better even if I was as healthy as ever.  We also had another physio test this morning and I got an A.  This test was only 35 multiple choice questions - much more my style :)  After calculating my grade, I have to get a 100% on the final to get an 89.5% in the class - enough to hopefully round to an A.  Maybe I'm crazy - but I'm going for it :)

Microanatomy -- Meh.  Definitely ready to be done with this class.  We're currently learning about blood cells and hemopoeisis, which is essentially the formation of blood cells.  We are done with regular tests in here and just have the final left.  I'm at the point, where even if I get a 100% on the final I can't get an A, but I would pretty much have to bomb it to lose my B.  I guess that means I should be happy and not stress about the final? - yeah right.

Our perfect patient, Lark!

Gross Anatomy -- Still by far my absolute favorite class, and my highest grade.  Dissections of the head were kind of a disaster before Thanksgiving, and everyone is so behind in lab, but at least we're all at the same level right?  This week, we've done my favorite thing so far - Live Dog Labs.  Essentially its a room full of dogs, that the vet students can bring, and we work on palpating and identifying all of the structures we've dissected this semester on real dogs.  At the end of both lab periods we've had 50 point quizzes over what we've found.  And now I am going to brag about how I got 100% on BOTH.  Naturally I think I'm a genius now, because isn't working on live dogs what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life?  I probably don't even need to study for the final, I could be a vet right now-- kidding Mom, I'll study lots :)  Also - I had to look up how to spell genius, so maybe a few more years of school wouldn't hurt.

Is the flash too bright?... Sorry Cole, I had to :)

Life outside of vet school -- Spent Thanksgiving relaxing with the family.  I had high hopes of everything I was going to accomplish over break, and successfully accomplished absolutely nothing.  But it was an absolutely phenomenal break.  I spent some time with my sister and her husband, my dad's side of the family in Plainville, and Cole and his family.  I also spent all week snuggling with Little Bear and started season 3 of Big Bang Theory - does it get any better than that?  I think not.

So that is my life in a nutshell.  Next week is considered "dead" week, but let me tell you - it is alive and kicking.  I have 3 tests and a paper and presentation due, BUT all of my classes are wrapping up - some of them I don't even have next week.  A 5-week Christmas Break is the light at the end of the tunnel, so let's just pray I make it through these next two weeks :)

Thanksgiving is Here!

Welcome to Thanksgiving Break! What am I doing right now?  Relaxing on the couch and watching TV for the first time in a long time.  And it is absolutely magical :)

Dr. Bear

It's been a pretty interesting couple of days.  I woke up in the middle of the night Wednesday with a fever and all of the fun cough/congestion that goes along with that.  So, in the interest of my well-being (and to save everyone else from getting sick before the holidays) I stayed home all day Thursday.  It finally broke my perfect attendance record, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.  After a day of recuperating (and attempted studying) I had to get up this morning and go take my 130 point Physiology test.  Let's just say, it could've gone worse (it also could've gone better).  Luckily though, I have a stable grade in that class that hopefully won't be too affected by one test.

Best Lab Group Ever :)

Other than that school is pretty boring.  We have been dissecting brains in Gross Anatomy lab and looking at the kidney in Microanatomy.  Now for the next few days, my goal is to not think a single thought involving school -- and then maybe start cramming for finals :)

Lucky Week 13

Today marks week 13 of vet school.  I can't believe this is our last week before Thanksgiving Break (I'm not complaining).  Here's a summary of last week/this week:

I'm excited to say I got an A on both Gross Anatomy lab and lecture test!  It quite possibly could be my greatest accomplishment of the semester, and finally brought my grade up to an A in the class overall.  It's a nice feeling - especially knowing our next test in the class is the final :)  Now that we're done with a majority of structures and systems in lab, we've moved on to just the head and the spinal column.  While the head is a small part of the body, it's one of the most complicated parts.  We've been working on muscles and nerves of the face and the eye this past week.  The week after Thanksgiving we have two "Live Dog" quizzes.  Students get to bring in their dogs, and we will practice palpating the dogs to identify organs and structures we've dissected in lab.

Neurons in Nervous Tissue

Microanatomy is the class we had our test in this past Friday.  This test was over Female Reproduction, Nervous System, Integument (Skin), and Arteries, Veins, and Lymphatic Vessels.  I'm still waiting on lab test results, but got an A on the lecture part!

Physiology is the test this Friday :(  We've been learning about different types of channels involved in action potentials of the nervous system.  It's about as exciting as it sounds.  I tend to go back and forth between Physiology and Microanatomy over which is my least favorite class - this week, it's Physiology.  Luckily, studying hasn't been so bad (yet).

Outside of school, it's been a busy few weeks/weekends.  Cole and I went to Kappa's "America" themed date party.  Naturally we went as "spirited Republicans."  This involved me wearing a red tutu - because honestly, when else do you get the chance to do this.

Don't worry, Mom - I couldn't see the TV

After voting last week, I also got to spend election night babysitting my favorite little boy.  We read stories and played with our feet.  He even wore his "I love my auntie" onesie just for me :)

This weekend Cole and I went with my parents to see K-State's production of The Music Man - I love musicals.  We also went to a wedding with his parents. The time off was much needed after a crazy two weeks, and I even got in quite a bit of studying on Sunday.  It was quite possibly a perfect weekend :)

I'm baaaaack :)

After a 4 week hiatus - I have returned.  School has been a little crazy and the blog had to be put on the back burner for a while.  Here are a few updates on what has been going on in the past month...

Let's start at the beginning.  I first had a week off from having a test and it was the most magical and chaotic week ever.  It was so nice getting to sleep in Friday morning and not be working my butt off all week for a test; however, I am becoming very used to my routine and anything that deviates from my weekly schedule throws me completely out of whack -- it was a pretty unproductive week.

The week after that I had a Microanatomy Lab and Lecture test.  I have definitely improved in that class since the first test.  This test was over bone, cartilage, respiratory system, liver, pancreas, and male reproduction.  I was so so so close to an A on the lab test (89%) which is almost 20% better than I did on the first one - so I'm definitely headed in the right direction :)

Following that came Physiology.  I've decided physiology isn't so bad because our final in that class is not comprehensive.  Basically, even if I am not 100% confident on a topic, I really just need to know it well enough to make it through that test (is this a bad philosophy to have?)  The test that we most recently had in that class was over cell receptors, radioactive oxygen species and free radicals, oncogens (what causes cancer) and eicosanoids (I still can't explain to you what this is).  That test went phenomenal - I couldn't have been happier!

That brings us to this week.  This quite possibly has been the busiest week I'll have this semester (except for maybe finals week).  We had a gross anatomy lab and lecture test.  Where do I begin?  Lecture was over the thorax, abdomen, arteries, nerves, and veins, as well as the entire nervous system and it's function.  That doesn't seem soooo bad; however that brings me to lab.  Every structure that was not a muscle, bone, or part of the head was on this lab test.  Let me just explain to you what that means.  I had to know every nerve, artery, vein, lymph node... AND all parts of the heart, lung, thymus, diaphragm, liver, stomach, pancreas, spleen, large and small intestine and their subdivisions, kidneys, both male and female reproduction, and all parts of the rectum and anal canal.

Did I even list them all?  I can't remember.  This week has been an absolute blur.  The lab test also included questions from the radiology lectures that we've had.  The newest trick I've mastered is to look at a radiograph of the chest or abdomen and determine whether the x-ray was taken on the left or right side of the dog or from the back or stomach - it's not as easy as you'd think!  Give it a try?  -- Answers will be at the bottom :)

A.

B.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That brings me to right now - this very second.  I'm sitting in my newest elective "3-D Imaging of the Dog."  In this elective we look at radiographs, CT scans, and ultrasounds.  It took the place of my medical vocabulary elective, which ended a few weeks ago - giving me my first A in a class in vet school.  Not as impressive as it sounds, considering it was a piece of cake class and only worth 1 hour of credit, but I'll take it :)

That's all for now - sorry for the overload of information.  I promise to make a better attempt at keeping up with this weekly again, now that my life has settled down a little.  Tonight, Cole and I are going to a Kappa date party - my one and only of the semester..  The theme is America, so we really couldn't skip it.. and naturally we're going as Republicans :)

Have a happy weekend :)

Answers to the quiz?
A) Left
B) Right

Sleep, Study, School, Study, Study, Study, Repeat...

I've just finished my 7th week of vet school and am over half way to Thanksgiving break (6 more weeks)  I cannot even begin to express how excited I am for an entire week of sleeping past 6 AM.  However, until that glorious lights at the end of the tunnel (more like middle of the tunnel), I get my first "break" in school next week.  Next week is the only week we do not have a test on Friday and I feel as though it's nearly as wonderful as Christmas morning.  This next week will be spent going to bed by 11, catching up in all of my classes, and attempting to salvage any social life I ever had to begin with.  Here are some updates of my life (aka - vet school).

Gross Anatomy:  Still hanging out with "Bud" (my cadaver) almost every day.  This week we learned about the structures of the internal thorax (heart and lungs) and we also have begun dissecting the nerves of the brachial plexus (armpit).  We are also doing veins and arteries right now, which I find much more difficult to locate than the nerves.  Again, this is still my favorite part of school!

Microanatomy:  This was the test I had LAST Friday, and well - I'm very glad it's over.  I've been told that everyone in vet school will flunk a test at some point in their 4 years.  I chose to get mine "F" out of the way early :)  Kidding - I passed.. barely.  Anything less than a 70% in vet school is considered "failing," so after the professor entered in the extra credit points I squeaked by with a 70%.  I'd like to think of this as my "failed" test and therefore, never ever repeat this experience again.  We have moved on from glands, lymphatic system, and digestive system to respiratory system and bones this week.  Both I find much more interesting than glands - so let's keep our fingers crossed for the next test.

Beta-oxidation: How did you think your fat got broken down?

Physiology:  This used to be my least favorite class until I did poorly on the test in Micro.  This is the class I had a test in this morning and I'm so so SO excited to say I got an A on the test!  Friday's are much more enjoyable when you don't feel miserable about your test scores :)  The test was over:  vitamins, minerals, what happens to your body when you exercise, what happens to your body when you reach starvation, how your body breaks down fats, and how your body defends itself against bacteria and viruses and the urea cycle.  Pretty much every random topic you can think of.  I was a big fan of the urea cycle, and for some reason it just "clicked" for me.  If you're ever interested in how your body forms urine, I'd be happy to explain it to you in a very detailed way with many many diagrams :)

"Oh, hey Mom! Were you studying?"

That's all for school right now - except for my electives (but really who cares about that anyway).  In my life outside of vet school (which is pretty nonexistent) I have started taking a water aerobics class through K-State at the natatorium twice a week.  I went with a group of girls from my lab group and it's been such a great stress reliever.  It's hard not to laugh at yourself when you're doing flutter kicks in the deep end of the pool :)  I also went with Cole to see Seth Meyer's from SNL who came to speak at K-State last weekend.  Really, anything that makes me laugh now-a-days is high on my list of things I want to do :)

The picture to the left is me attempting to study with Little Bear.  Please note the location of the cat vs. the location of my study materials.  He is not a very good study buddy :)

Happy Friday!

6 weeks in...

I'm in my 6th week of school and here are the recent updates:

1. Last week was rough - hence no blog post during class on Friday. I had three tests on Friday: Gross Anatomy lecture, Gross Anatomy lab, and Etymology and Cognates (Veterinary Medicine Vocabulary).  Overall the scores didn't turn out awful -- let's just say all three averaged out to a B -- but definitely learned some about time management and balancing my studying when I have so much in one week.

2.  Our lab test last week was over all of the muscles in the dog - this week we have moved on to dissecting more internal structures.  Coming into school, I thought that dissections and the more "hands-on" things were going to be the hardest part of school for me - I'm learning that this (weirdly) is my favorite part of the day.  I find gross anatomy lab the most interesting and most applicable class I'm taking.  The smell of formaldehyde no longer makes me nauseous and I have now used bolt cutters to cut things other than bolts (use your imaginations).  This week we are learning about the thorax - the heart, lungs, and veins and arteries that lead to and from them.

3. Physiology is the worst class ever.  For some reason glycolysis and lipid synthesis and all the microscopic things I can see just don't really interest me whatsoever :)

4. The test coming up tomorrow is Microanatomy lab and lecture test (200 points total).  It's a little overwhelming, with 6 weeks of material in one test.  The organs/tissues we're supposed to be capable of identifying in the microscope are endocrine glands (adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, etc.), muscle types (skeletal, cardiac, smooth),  lymphatic tissues (lymph nodes, spleen, thymus), and digestive tract (salivary glands, teeth, stomach, large and small intestines, rectum, etc).  We are to know all of the types of cells in these organs, what their functions are, what hormones they secrete, etc.  Basically, it's not fun stuff. 

5. I mentioned in my last post, I joined Food For Thought.  Check out their blog -- bloggingfoodforthought.blogspot.com

That's my life for now - say your prayers for the Micro test tomorrow :)

Week 3: Done.

I'm sitting in my last class of Week 3 of vet school (I'm obviously paying attention).  This is one of my electives, Etymology and Cognates, so basically we go through the origin of words and their definitions.  Every couple of slides there is a question that we answer in class - these questions will be our test.  These questions will be the ONLY questions on the test - hence my lack of concern for 100% focus in this class.

The past two weeks have seemed like the fastest and slowest two weeks of my life.  I turned 22 last week (which is much less exciting than turning 21).  I also found out I got an A on my first Gross Anatomy test over the bones, a B on my first Physiology test (I'm still not sure what that was over), and took my second Physiology test and am anxiously awaiting my grade. 

Milestones of the past two weeks:

1. I'm learning how to dissect! As an undergrad, I didn't get a ton of dissection experience, and am now learning a ton in my Gross Anatomy class.  We got our cadavers the Wednesday after Labor Day and work with them 9 hours a week (during class).  I'll spare you graphic details (not because I want to, but to comply with University policy), but we are currently learning the muscles of the thoracic limb and pelvic limb.  We will finish learning the muscles (locations of origin and insertion) this next week and have our test over all of the muscles next Friday.

Typical Thursday Night.

2.  I've made so many great friends!  It's amazing how studying at the library every night for 4 hours can help you get to know people :) There are typically 3 of us that get together almost every night to study, although on Thursdays (the night before tests) our group suddenly seems to triple :)

3. I love Hills Science Diet, Purina, and Bayer Animal Health.  I now have a new backpack, a new lunchbox, a new cup, chip clip, and free Little Bear food.  Seriously though, it's so great to get free things when I'm spending my entire life's savings (or about 6 times that) on school right now.  I know they are just trying to get us to eventually sell and promote their products... but it's working.  I support them :)

4. Twice a week I have Microanatomy lab.  Some days I can tell exactly what I'm looking at.  Others? Everything just looks like a bunch of pink and purple blobs.  Unfortunately our first test in Micro isn't until the end of September and therefore will have 2 months worth of material.  To the right is a picture I took on my cell phone through my microscope and surprisingly it turned out pretty good!  It's slide of a salivary gland and the big white/pink looking blobs are striated ducts, compared to the little darker purple outlined blobs to left, which are intercalated ducts.

5. I have joined two clubs in the vet school.  The first is the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA) and the second is Food For Thought (FFT).  I haven't done anything yet for either club, but have my first meeting for FFT is Monday, so we'll see how it goes!  FFT is an agriculture group that basically promotes agriculture and discusses current issues in ag.  My brother-in-law, Brandon, was one of the first members in FFT - so hopefully I'll make him proud!

That's all that's been going on with school.  Tomorrow I'm going with Cole and his friend Devin to the Kansas State Fair.  They've never been before (pathetic, I know) and so I'm taking them to spend the day away from vet school, studying, cadavers, books, and anything that makes me think too hard.  We're ending the day by going to the Jake Owen and Billy Currington concert :)

Test Score!

I'll be able to judge if my parents actually read this, by how long it takes my mom to acknowledge my test score :)

Our grades for our first Gross Anatomy test have been posted as of this afternoon - I got a 98% :) We should get back the hard copies of our tests tomorrow before class.  Hopefully this is the start of an amazing semester (keep your fingers crossed).

Happy Labor Day!

Week 2

I've made it through the second week and my first test and I'm still alive!

Yesterday we had our "bones" test and while my grade hasn't been posted yet, the answer key to the test has.  I'm hoping for an A, knowing I missed a couple, but did get the extra credit question right :)

After our test the second year vet students throw us a party to celebrate us making it through our first test.  It is called "Shaft" and is a dinner and party for all vet students and faculty, but the best part is that it's free for the first years.  Our gross anatomy professor even sang us a few songs, changing the words so they would be about bones!

This next week will entail a few exciting things.  First off my birthday is on Thursday - the big 22!  Second, I actually have to acknowledge the fact that I have classes besides anatomy.  I have my first Physiology test on Friday.  I haven't been a huge fan of our professor for that class, so luckily the professors have rotated and we have a new one for the next few weeks.  The unfortunate part is that the test is only over the previous professors materials :(

On a deeper topic, yesterday marked an important day in my life.  Five years ago, during my junior year of high school, one of my good friends passed away.  While it was a horrible event that has forever changed my life, I've learned so much because of it.  First, it's a constant reminder to value your family and the friendships you have because you never know how much time you have to spend with someone.  Second, even though someone may seem to be happy or have it all, you never know what they may be struggling with.  When I get frustrated or critical of others, its a good reminder that there is so much more to them than what's on the surface. Lastly, it is something that has bound my high school friends together.  While we all have gone our own separate ways in college, it's an experience we all share and something that brings us together, even if only for once a year.


And on that note, everyone have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing Labor Day weekend!

Week 1

First Day of School

I've officially made it through the first week and am barely into the second, even though I feel as if I've been in vet school for years.

Where do I begin? Let's start with the less than positive stuff and then I'll tell you how great it all is :)

1.  I have all of my classes in the same building.  In fact, all of my classes are on the same floor.  All of my lecture classes are in the same room and for lab I walk right across the hall to the only other room on the floor.  Not only are we confined to these two rooms - there are no windows in either of these rooms.  Not much for scenery :)

2.  We are supposed to dress "business casual" for classes, and dress up for "Professional Monday's."  This has required me (really, my mom) to invest in almost a completely new wardrobe.  The Nike shorts and Kappa tanks I used to wear to class won't really cut it here.  However, I'm finding that they really are pretty lax about the dress code.  Nice jeans or khaki's and a dress shirt are my typical apparel.  I'm starting to get used to wearing makeup everyday (but not quite).

Lab: Night 3.

3.  When they say most first years study 4 hours a night - they aren't exaggerating.  I've never felt so busy or so overwhelmed.  We have tests every Friday (starting this week) for the rest of the semester.  Our first test is over the entire skeletal system.  It didn't sound bad to me at first... scapula, femur, radius, etc.  Little did I know all of these bones have at least 20 different nooks and crannies that all have their own specific names.  Last week we spent all of our Gross Anatomy labs looking at the bones of the thoracic limb, pelvic limb, and vertebral column, and identifying on our own all of the parts.  This week we are solely studying the skull.  I can honestly say that by the test on Friday, I will have learned at least 500 new vocabulary words.  I've spent a good couple of hours each night in the lab working on memorizing all of these parts (and keeping them straight... tuber? tubercle? tuberosity?)

Before...

...After!

4.  Each freshman is assigned a "second year buddy."  After being in a sorority, I naturally think of pledge mom and daughters... This? Not so much.  My second year is a boy.  He was nice enough to give me copies of all of his old tests to study, however, he had about 10 years worth of tests in no order what-so-ever, shoved into 2 three-ring binders - not in the rings.  I've managed to at least sort them into what classes they are from (most of them) :)

Now that I'm done complaining (that wasn't complaining, was it?).  Here's all of the great stuff :)

1. I'M IN VET SCHOOL!  Sometimes when I'm sitting in class, I wonder if this is really my life.  I definitely don't feel old enough or smart enough to be in these classes.  Less than a year ago I was still working on my application.  I'm so blessed to be able to be learning about what I love and to have a career doing what I've always wanted.  (I try to remind myself Cole reminds me that when I get cranky).

2. I've met some really wonderful people.  This group of 112 students is honestly the most diverse group I've been in.  Someone in my class was a stay at home mom for 9 years and taught day care before coming back, there are people from New York City, people who've never seen a cow in real life.  As many "interesting" people as there are, there are so many amazing people I'm really looking forward to getting to know better.

My study buddy - so distracting.

3. When we study in lab at night people are allowed to bring their dogs!  Correction: they're not actually allowed, but they do because no one is going to stop them.  I mean, if you're in vet school, chances are you like dogs.  It's kind of nice to see real live dogs - considering the only dogs we'll be working on for the next two years won't exactly be fidgeting patients :)

I know there were fewer great things than not-fun things - but the greater things are SO great they make up for it... AND I only have so many hours to "relax" in a day.. (like 1).

Happy Monday :)

Information OVERLOAD

I've successfully made it halfway through week one.  Let's just say you probably won't hear from me again until Christmas Break (just kidding.. but maybe).  I've spent almost every day in class 8-5 and then give myself an hour of relaxing/dinner before I start studying again.  So far - I haven't been getting nearly enough studying, and maybe too much sleep (even though it never feels like enough).  So tonight my plan is to be studying a good 4 hours in lab.  I'll try to update more on everything this weekend.

Sneak preview: I will have every nook and cranny of the skeleton memorized for next Friday. 

Happy Wednesday :)

Orientation Day One

Happy Wednesday!

Today was my first day of orientation for vet school!  I am already beginning to wonder if I'll have time to keep up my blog (let alone sleep, eat, and exist outside of Trotter Hall), but I promise to do my best!

Here's a quick update of the day:

We began with an introductory session where we each had to introduce ourselves and give a unique fact about ourselves.  In the past my fun fact has always been that I want to be a vet - that didn't seem to be a very unique fact today.  I stuck with the fact that I was once in show choir :)

We also learned some statistics of our class:

My "study carrel" - aka my personal desk in the building

-112 students in my class out of over 1300 applicants
-24 men and 88 women
-the youngest person is 20 and the oldest is 38
-47 students from Kansas

To end the introductory session we all took the Veterinarian's Oath, which we are to memorize for graduation. 

We then split from our parents (who they referred to all day as our "support team") and got our class schedules, which I had already seen online.  We also got a run down of all of the procedures for missing class, how to find our mailboxes, where to park, etc.  Basically all of the basics.

After a quick break for lunch we came back and got our new tablet laptops.  It's an adjustment from my Mac, but am loving getting to use the stylus to write on the screen.  All of our notes are preloaded onto the computer, using a program called OneNote.  It's a little confusing, but I assume with all of the notes I'll be taking, I'll catch on pretty quickly.  We then finished the afternoon having computer orientation and library orientation.  During the library orientation we took our pictures and got our ID cards.  We will have 24/7 electronic access to the building using our ID cards to let us in the buildings.  I am proud to say that I actually took a decent picture :)

Day 1 ended with a BBQ for students and their families.  That's all for today!  Tons and TONS of information - completely exhausting and overwhelming me, but also making me really excited for school to start.  The next two days are also full of orientation activities, including getting my first rabies vaccination.  I'll try to update again soon :)

July

Aaaaand almost a month later, I'm posting again :)

Here is a brief update on everything that's happened during July:

1. I went to DC to visit one of my best friend's who's interning for my dad!  It was a quick trip, ridiculously hot and humid, but so so much fun!
2. Cole came to visit me (and his family) in Manhattan for a weekend.  The highlight of the weekend, was him getting to meet his nephew, Eli.  He also had the experience of changing his first poopy diaper.  It was an absolutely wonderful weekend.

3. This past weekend I got to go experience life in Dallas with Cole.  We stayed with his cousins, where he's been all summer, and got up and road the train downtown to his office building.  I got to hang out in the lobby all day reading while he worked, but it was so fun to see what he's been doing.  We also watched the first two Batman movies on DVD and then went to an eat in theatre to see The Dark Night Returns.  It is a must see - such a good movie.  Cole is still working on making me become a baseball fan.  We watched numerous games on TV and went to a Rangers game while I was down there.  Overall, it was a successful weekend and only 12 days until Cole is home for good (but who's counting, right?).

That's all for now! And, as always, I will try to be better at updating :)

Books, books, books (and a baby)

Exciting news! Cole's brother and sister-in-law had a beautiful baby boy on July 3rd - Eli Alexander might be the most precious thing in the entire world and I'm already in love with him!  I can't wait for Uncle Go (aka - Cole) to get home in 2 weeks and hold his first baby! :)

Less exciting this week, I got my book/supply list for school!  The list includes: Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, Guide to the Dissection of the Dog, Miller's Anatomy of the Dog, Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy, Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Diction, Dog Anatomy: A Coloring Atlas, diFiore's Atlas of Histology, a dissection kit, a lab coat, exam gloves, and a stethoscope.  Ordering it through the school and it's almost $800 - therefore, Amazon will be my best friend and save me almost $300 on the books.

The list is very non-descriptive and gives the information "Lab Coat - Please indicate Size: 32-52 (size increase by increments of 2)."  If anyone knows anything about lab coat sizes, I'm open for suggestions :)

That's the excitement for now! I'm back at work for K-State New Student Services and was lucky enough to give my first campus tour in 2 years - in 100 degree weather! (Note the sarcasm - I despise giving campus tours.)  Needless to say I'm ready for the summer to be over and school to be starting.  I'm a big fan of air conditioning right now :)

Well we're moving on up

View from back porch

Well - we're officially moved in!  And literally - we've moved up.  Our house sits high on a hill with a gorgeous view of a conservation easement (aka - no one can build behind us).  It's going to be beautiful this fall when all the leaves change colors.

Professionally made cat fort.

Last week I spent a majority of time staying at my rental house with Little Bear - to keep him out of the way of the movers in Hays and Manhattan and to keep him from going crazy with the stress.  I did learn very quickly that he's a very brave and adaptable cat, but does have a fear of ceiling fans.  Luckily, the ones at the new house don't bother him as much as the one's at my rental.  Of course I did what every good cat-mom would do, and built him a fort to block him from having to look at the mean, scary ceiling fan.

Piano re-assembly

As of Thursday, we now have everything moved in to the new house.  All of my mom's stress about getting her piano to fit is now gone.  It took 6 guys to get it in her music room, but it was the first thing off the truck and fit right through the doorway :)

Moving Day

After 11 hours of moving furniture and boxes, the movers finally left and the unpacking began. Successes of the past couple days?  The kitchen, master bedroom, my bedroom, and my bathroom are all officially unpacked and organized.  My mom's best friend came up for the week and helped her get everything done, which was amazing.  What I consider another success?  Little Bear went upstairs for the first time on his own last night.  His favorite spot at the new house is hiding under my bed - unless it's 4:00 in the morning and then he seems to be very curious and desperately wants out of my bedroom :)

Now because this blog is supposed to be about vet school I'll briefly update you on things in the animal world (besides Little Bear).  I met with financial aid today and learned all about student loans.  I also am meeting with K-State's financial planner tomorrow, which makes me feel very grown up.  Scariest part of starting vet school?  Everything.  Even more scary than that?  Being in debt up to my ears when I graduate.  Each credit hour is approximately $500.  First semester I am enrolled in 19 credit hours.  You do the math :)  Then add on $800 in books, $500 in campus fees, and $500 in computer and technology fees (all of these I pay EACH semester) and you can see it adds up very quickly.  Despite all of that, I'm still so so excited for classes to start and to get in the school routine again.

Lastly, quick shout out to my sister and her husband - today is their first wedding anniversary!  Lucky for them, Brandon has to work today in Manhattan and so they get to spend it with ME :)

moving time

Just a preview

Two posts in one week? Who am I?

Tomorrow will be my last "real" day in Hays -- leaving bright and early with Little Bear before the movers come on Monday morning.  After two full days of having movers here to pack everything our house is like a maze of boxes.  It's nice to have them gone for a day to just enjoy being home!

Today marked my last day of work at Hays Vet.  I started working there in April of my freshman year of high school and can't believe it's been over 6 years.  At the end of the day, Dr. Mosier gave me a book called Small Animal Dermatology (full of colored pictures of disgusting skin problems).  Just what everyone wants to look through right before lunch :)


The past two days, I've been helping my grandpa set up his new computer.  Once again, to prove I have the best grandpa ever, he knows how to Skype... and he's almost 97.  Pretty impressive, I know.

I'll be sure to post more pictures after the move - so keep an eye out!  Say your prayers for a safe move AND a calm cat on moving day :)

...ease on down the road

Best. Cat. Ever

Today marks the 1 week mark until we move -- I can't believe the time has come so quickly.  The packers come at the end of the week and the moving truck next Monday.  CRAZY!  I've never moved, except every semester in the dorms and in Kappa, which basically means I'm a pro at loading a two-door sports car to it's max capacity.  Luckily, I now have Martin (my SUV) for this move because this time I am moving the rest of my own belongings, along with Little Bear, into my rental house.  Bear hates me for a few days after the 10 minute drive to the vet.  Needless to say, after a 2-hour drive, I cant imagine he's going to feel like snuggling that night.  Say your prayers that he adjusts to the move quickly! 

Jerry's BBQ sauce

One of the highlights of the past week was seeing my grandpa almost 3 times in one week!  For those of you that don't know, my grandpa is going on 97 years old, lives alone in the house my father grew up in, and is still in ridiculously good shape.  Every weekend my dad goes up and has lunch with him at the Rooks County Medical Center.  Two summers ago when my grandma was sick the hospital took incredible care of her (and my grandpa).  Even though my grandpa doesn't have a reason to go there anymore, he still enjoys going up every couple of days for lunch.  To show how amazing this place is (and how much BBQ sauce my dad uses.. on EVERYTHING) take a look at this picture.  Obviously, we go there a lot.

Another highlight of this past week was getting to intravenously inject a dog to knock him out for surgery.  After my boss told me what to do, I went for it and hit the vein on my first try.  The dog was out in 2 seconds, but I still told him what a good patient he was :)

This will be my last week of work at Hays Vet and I'm definitely not ready to leave.  Even though I no longer live here, I know if I ever come back I will always have a job.  Stay tuned for updates on the big move!  As sad as I am to leave the home and town I grew up in, a house doesn't make a home, a family does :)

Work work work!

I'm attempting to update my blog more. So here are my thoughts for today:

I read the first book of the Hunger Games series yesterday and it was absolutely wonderful.  I was pretty hesitant to start the series because the whole plotline of the first book is pretty barbaric, but was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read.  I'm excited to buy the next two books and complete my set!

And now are the three most notable moments during my day of work:

Poppy, the one-eyed Frenchie, and her friend Rigby :)

1.  A small pug ate a large amount of pocket change.  He vomited a couple dimes and nickels, but on his x-rays he still had a fist size of change glowing.  He will be having surgery to remove the money from his stomach so it doesn't cause any obstructions.
2.  Animal Control brought in a 5 week old kitten someone found under their porch.  The left side of her face was a matted mess.  In the process of wiping up her face, she lost her eye (as in it literally just came off of her face).  The kitten didn't even acknowledge that it happened - she had such a good attitude and just wanted to be pet through the whole ordeal. (I was more traumatized than she was).  My boss has a one-eyed French bulldog, who is only more adorable because of her one eye.  Hopefully we'll be able to clean up her eye and find her a good home -- Any takers? :) 
3.  Lastly, I got to watch Dr. Holliman repair a dogs broken femur by putting in pins.  It was really neat to watch her align the bones and it was a much more intrusive surgery than I thought.

That's all for now!

Love,
A

Summertime!

Well, considering it's been a month since I last posted, so much has happened!  Here are a few highlights:

**School ended (yay!) and I was lucky enough to get a 4.0 for the semester!  Maybe my luck will carry on into next year :)

**Cole and I spent couple days in Hays followed by a week in Topeka with his family including a trip to Union Station in KC and some shopping.  We also got to see Cole's dad's hobby - a miniature railroad near Topeka where Kevin volunteers.  Cole and I also had time to go to a Royal's Game - I am officially a baseball fan!

Playing with the toys at C&H Railways

Pre-Sunburn at Royal's Game

**I started working again at Hays Vet and have loved every minute of being back - except for having to wake up early again.  I feel like I have already learned so much in just these two short weeks.

**My parents sold our home in Hays and were insanely busy getting packed to move to Manhattan.  After talking about moving closer to an airport for so long, it's crazy to think it's actually happening.  In a few short weeks I'll be moving out of the home I grew up in!  The plus side to this move is getting to spend much more time with my parents (and Little Bear).

**Another adventure in the past month was a trip I  to Atwood, KS with Cole and his parents to meet most of his mom's side of the family.  The highlight of the trip was visiting the Rawlin's County shooting range.  I think I may take up a new hobby :)

...And since this blog is supposed to be about vet school, one of the most exciting things in the last month is getting two packets full of information about next year!  I am taking 19 hours in the fall: 16 which are chosen for me (Microanatomy, Gross Anatomy, Physiology, Career Development, and Integration + Gross Anatomy Lab and Microanatomy Lab) and 3 electives that I get to choose.

After much debate, my electives will be:
1. Veterinary Medical Language Cognates and Etymology, which his a basic introduction to veterinary medical vocabulary.  As boring as that class sounds, I assume in the long run it will be very beneficial.
2. Three Dimensional Imaging Anatomy of the Dog, which teaches you interpret x-rays, MRIs, and ultrasounds.
3. History of Veterinary Medicine (self explanatory).  This isn't exactly anything I'm interested in, but definitely was more appealing than a cattle reproduction class or learning to practice vet med in a multicultural society.

I have orientation the Wednesday-Friday before classes start in August and I'm ready to get there!  During those three days we get our computers, desks, mail boxes, lockers, microscopes, ID badges, a million pieces of information AND rabies vaccinations :) 

Now it's just time to relax and wait 'til August.  This weekend consisted of moving into my college house I'm living in with 4 friends next year and most importantly seeing Cole before he left for his internship.  As of today Cole is headed to Texas for the rest of the summer - lets hope these next 10 weeks fly by!

That's all for now :)

Anatomy & Physiology

As always, I'm blogging because I'm procrastinating studying for a test - Microbiology this time!

This should be a quick post, but I am excited to say I have officially finished Anatomy & Physiology and was so excited and blessed to get an A in the class.  Going into the final I had a 90% and the grade I received on the final could either be factored in to my grade from all year or taken for my overall grade.  I scored a 95% on the final. 

This was not any old final.  It was a three-hour oral final in a group of 5 of my peers, my professor, and one of his teaching assistants.  Somehow it turned into a four-hour final, where I got to explain muscle contraction, how Gatorade affects your muscles, problems with the heart contraction and arrythmias, amyotrophic lateral sklerosis, and more.  Not only did this give me an A in the class I received a wonderful email from my professor that told me how impressed he was with my final performance.  He also told me I was going to make a great vet - and there is no greater compliment than that :)

Now that I'm done bragging, I'm back to studying!  I doubt my microbiology teacher cares what kind of vet I'll be :)

Life

I realize it's been awhile since I've posted, but school has been pretty busy lately.  Here's an update on all that has been going on :)

First off, I am excited to say that Cole got a summer internship with Fleishman-Hillard in Dallas starting June 4th.  I am so proud of him and excited for the adventures he's going have in Texas.  That being said, we have basically the month of May to cram in all of our summer plans.  The list includes, but is not limited to:

-Time with the Grieves Fam in Topeka
-Time with the Moran Fam in Hays
-A trip to Atwood to visit the Braxmeyer side of Cole's family
-Trip to Haven to see the Harder family
-A Royal's game in KC
-Steak Dinner at the Bunker Hill Cafe
-Taking back roads from Topeka to Hays
-Visiting the Topeka Zoo, Sunset Zoo, or Rolling Hills Refuge in Salina
-Big Bang Theory Marathon
-Trip to Lake Wilson
-Ride on the Smokey Valley Railroad
-Moving a few things into my house for next year :)

Cole and I also celebrated our two year anniversary on April 11th.  We began dating my freshman year at his Delta Sigma Phi Formal.  We celebrated the big TWO that weekend with  a big steak dinner and a Big Bang Theory marathon (our favorite show).  It was a wonderful weekend :)

Our anniversary actually fell on a Wednesday this year, which meant we both had sorority/fraternity chapter.  That night was exciting for me because I found out one of my best friends and roommate, Paige, got engaged!  A ritual many sororities have to celebrate the engagement of a member is called a "candle-lighting."  For Kappa, ideally the girl keeps her engagement a secret from everyone.  During chapter dinner, the President turns off the lights and the girls hum a special Kappa song.  The president walks throughout the room passing a candle around the tables which has the engagement ring tied to it.  The engaged girl chooses a few friends to each read a special quote or Bible verse while everyone tries to guess who's engaged.  The last reader opens her card with a quote and has the pleasure of announcing the engagement to the chapter, and I was so blessed to have that job!  I do have to say Paige is exceptionally sneaky, as I had NO idea she'd been engaged almost a week and had kept it a secret from me, only wearing her engagement ring when I wasn't in our room.  Congrats to Paige and Jacob - I'm so happy for them!

Other than that I've just been busy with school.  I have a little over a week left until I am completely done with my undergraduate career: 3 tests and a paper next week, and only one final exam and a paper the following Monday and it's summertime.  Keep checking in -- I promise I'll be better at posting :)

Happy Sunday,
A

Spring Break 2012

Spring Break is here and gone!

The trip to DC was an absolute success and fun was had by all!  We actually ended up being there right at the peak of Cherry Blossom season - they bloomed early this year!  After the many times I have been in DC, this was my first time to experience them.  I was surprised by the fact that so many trees were white and not pink.

Overall, the DC trip started out pretty relaxed - just exploring the city and visiting some of the museums like the American History Museum and the Holocaust Museum.  As the week went on things picked up and much more walking occurred.  We finally got to see Kelsey and Brandon's apartment and she took us to see the Georgetown Law campus.  It was cool to see where she'll be going to school next year.  We also walked to Georgetown to visit all the shops - my favorite being Georgetown Cupcake, from the show on TLC, where I had an amazing Vanilla Birthday cupcake.

While were in DC we got to meet up for dinner with Cole's dad's fraternity brother and his wife.  If you ever visit DC I highly recommend eating at Pizza Paradiso off the Dupont Circle metro stop.  It was suggested to us by Cole's brother and sister-in-law and earned an A+ in all of our books.  The restaurant had great pizza (and fancy beer).

We visited Arlington Cemetery to see the grave sites of the Kennedy's and President Taft.  We also watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It was pretty impressive.  Later that same day we went to the National Zoo, where I was slightly disappointed that most of it was under construction and the lions had already been put in their inside cages for the night.  However, we did get some up close and personal time with the Panda bears :)

To finish off the week we had a White House tour and a Capital Dome tour.  With the Dome tour you climb stairs all the way to the top of the Capital and come out at the very top of the dome over-looking DC.  I'm pretty scared of heights, but being the 4th time I've done it it was a little easier.  Sadly, it was overcast that day and hard to get some good pictures, although I didn't mind the cool weather. 

Overall, it was a fantastic week.  It was nice getting to stay with my dad and spend some time with him over break.  It was the first time I've seen his new Senate office and I was very impressed - I especially loved the picture shrine on the corner table, filled with pictures of me from my childhood :)  My mother keeps calling Cole's parents "troopers" for putting up with Cole and I for the whole week.  (I personally think we're a joy to be around).  Jane and Kevin were wonderful "chaperones" and, as always, great travel buddies.

After we came back to Kansas, Cole and I headed back to my house to spend a little time with my mom and of course, the best cat in the entire world, Little Bear.  It was nice to relax and unwind after a busy vacation.

Now I'm back to K-State and school is in full swing, picking up with a Microbiology test and an Anatomy and Physiology test next week.  I have been added to the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2016 Facebook page.  It's kind of cool to see who all will be in my class next year - a group of students from all across the United States. 

That's all for now :)

Spring Break

Spring Break has finally arrived - and is much needed.  Cole and I head for KC tonight with his parents to stay and fly out to DC in the morning.  Our agenda for the week?  Capitol Tour, White House Tour, Museums, Monuments, Shopping, and my favorite part... THE ZOO!  Pictures and stories to come :)

The Results Are In...

AND WE WON!!!!

Might I add, with an amazing 71% of the vote!  I'm so proud of everyone who helped make our campaign successful.  It was a lot of work, but it's great working towards something you care about, and getting to know all of the people involved with it.

Now time to relax at home and get caught up on all of my homework - and bond with Little Bear (my cat). 

Love,
A

Brains and Campaigns!

And here we go with Post Numero Dos - Just a brief update on what has been happening in the world of Alex lately :)

We dissected brains in my Anatomy and Physiology class yesterday.  Each lab group got 1/2 of a cow's head to examine the brain and the skull, the connections between the two, and the different sections of the brain.  After getting over the initial grossness (I'll spare you all the pictures), I found it really interesting.  Anatomy and Physiology has by far been the most challenging class I'm in this semester, but definitely the class I'm most excited to go to.  All of the dissections are preparing me for vet school - and the part I'm the most nervous for.  I'm much better at memorizing facts and processes than the hands on stuff.

On another note... Today's the day!  The general election polls for K-State's Student Body President and Vice President close at 6 PM today and I cannot wait to hear the results.  I am currently the Volunteer Coordinator for two of my close friends' campaign.  After over 8 weeks of hard core campaigning, the results should be announced a little after 6 tonight.  They won the primary last week with over 60% of the vote, however everyone has taken this victory as an excuse to let off the campaigning - not the best way to finish strong!  Win or lose (hopefully win), I'll finally have a life again after the campaign is over.  I think I get asked to do these things because people keep assuming I'm an expert campaigner.  I would have to disagree, although I would say I know how to participate in a clean and classy campaign :) I'll keep everyone updated on the results tonight!

While the campaign is almost over, I still have two more tests standing between me and Spring Break.  I feel like all I do is take tests.  Anatomy and Physiology last week, Microbiology this week, and now both of those lab tests next week!  The light at the end of the tunnel is my Spring Break trip to Washington, D.C. with Cole and his parents.  Cole is definitely much more interested in politics and history than I am and loves D.C.  I mostly just love traveling.  His mom has never been to D.C. before so it should be really fun to get to show her around and let her experience it all.

That's all for now! I'll keep you posted on the election results :)

Love,
A

Post #1.

Hello all and welcome to my blog!  This blog came about for two reasons:

1. One of my favorite people just began blogging about the next step in her family's life - a baby on the way!  I've decided I don't necessarily need something as important as a baby - I have a huge change of my own happening in my life.  I am finishing up my "college" experience at K-State and getting ready to start K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine this coming fall.
2.  I have an Anatomy and Physiology test Thursday and I'd really love postponing the studying :)

So here it goes...

I have loved animals my entire life and can't imagine anything more rewarding than spending my life working with them.  This past June, I began the application process for vet school, completing it in late September.  To my excitement I was granted an interview for K-State (the only school I applied to) the Saturday after Final's week in December.  I felt fairly confident after my interview, but considering I only had completed the prerequisites and as a junior wasn't ready to graduate I didn't know what to expect.  The waiting game had begun.

For Christmas my parents gave me and my boyfriend, Cole,  tickets to go with them to Dallas to watch K-State in the Cotton Bowl.  Conveniently (or inconveniently), this meant I would be in Texas when the letter containing my fate would arrive at my house.

And here's where it gets great...

My family arrives at the K-State pep-rally, and after dragging Cole to the bathrooms we headed back to our seats.  As we walked down the steps in the Ranger's Ballpark I could see an older man talking to my father in our seats.  That's when it hit me - that was Dr. Richardson, the Dean of the vet school.  When we got down to our seats he shook my hand and told me he would like to personally congratulate me on being accepted into K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine and that I had a letter with the exciting news waiting for me when I got home.  I don't know if I have ever been so excited - my heart could have exploded :)

Flash forward 2 months and here I am... Finishing up my last few months as an undergrad: taking only 12 hours at K-State, enjoying my time as a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, working on a Student Body President campaign, and coordinating K-State's Presidential Lecture Series (aka: kind of still having a life).  I've also just signed the lease for a house with four other Kappa's for next school year!  That's all for now, but stay tuned... there are exciting things to come :)

Love,
A