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