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 :)