A Huge Life Catch Up – April 2019

Well hello there!

It’s been a while since I’ve popped up on with a life catch up, and there is a lot to share! I haven’t been to active here because I’m actually working on entirely new site that I’m VERY excited about! But I’ll try to get a few more posts up before I transition over!

I think the last time we chatted I had just found out that I matched at Northwestern and then gotten back from the L.E.A.D Conference. That both feels like just yesterday and forever ago. And at that time, moving and graduation still felt far off. Now I’m in a panic to get everything done before I have to move out at the end of the month!

(Gorgeous sunset picture from my boyfriend’s roof in SF that I will greatly miss when he moves to Chicago with me!)

New Apartment in Chicago

My mom and I drove up in early April for a quick one day trip to scout out apartments. Scott and I had done our research (aka stalked Zillow) and set up some showings in four different areas in the northern suburbs. We managed to squeeze in six different tours that day AND made the five hour drive home that night!! I was so glad to have my mom with me to drive since I was so focused on processing all the options and sharing the info with Scott, who was skiing in Tahoe. At first I thought I was going to do it alone.  Moms are the best.

(Winnie did not make the drive with us, but managed to sneak in a quick car ride with my mom at the end of the trip!)

Scott will be working from home and without his own car for at least the beginning, so we wanted some place walkable. We also wanted to be near a Metra line to get to the city, and of course not too far of a commute for me. I’m so spoiled with my 5 minute St. Louis commute that anything is seeming terrible! I’ll get used to it, though.

We narrowed it down to two choices, then did some negotiating and wound up with a 2 bed 2 bath apartment we are thrilled about! It checks off just about all of our boxes, plus Scott feels rich coming from the ridiculous San Francisco rent! I’m so excited for our first place together and finally getting to create a home with him. The last time I bought any furniture was 9 years ago when I moved to Dallas – eek! I’m having a blast scouring the internet for good deals. Let me know fo your favorite places to get decent quality but not crazy expensive pieces!

Finishing My Last Clinical Rotation

The first two weeks of April were my last clinical rotation weeks. I worked in the newborn nursery, which I always love, as well as in a variety of different pediatric clinics. Seeing kiddos is always fun, and it was a great way to finish out medical school. I cannot believe I won’t ever wear my short white coat again!

The only thing I have left before graduate is our required capstone, which is really just some lectures on things like paying back loans, burnout, and professionalism. More than anything it’ll be a chance for our whole class to be together again before it’s all over. Graduation is three weeks from today!!

Integrative Mental Health Conference

Once I finished up my clinical rotations, I hopped on a plane to San Francisco to spend time with Scott. When I found out the Integrative Mental Health conference was being held there I knew I had to get there! I was able to get a student scholarships and spent three days soaking up all of the incredible work and research being done in this area. We learned about the gut microbiome, nutrition, supplementation, ketogenic treatments, cannabis and more. One highlight was an evening session with Michael Pollan and Andrew Weil discussing the role of psychedelics in psychiatry. Blew this sheltered girl’s mind!

I also got to catch up with a bunch of my teachers from the Integrative Medicine elective I did in Arizona last fall. I’m so grateful I get to continue learning Integrative Medicine in residency, but it’s also hard not to get ahead of myself. So much of me wants to be finished with training and working with these amazing minds now! There have been lots of self-reminders that it’s a process and everything will happen it’s right time.

Easter in Napa

The conference ended on the Wednesday before Easter, just in time for Scott’s family to arrive! They had originally planned at trip out around Thanksgiving, but the fires foiled that idea. The reschedule for Easter wasn’t a back runner up though. The weather was the best they’ve had all year – 70 and sunny every day!

We drove to Napa for the weekend and had a wonderful time tasting wine and relaxing outside. I can’t believe that 5 years ago I had never been to San Francisca or Napa, and now suddenly it feels like half of my people are there. Between aunts and uncles, cousins, my little brother and Scott, it’s become a little bit of a second home this past year. I’m so grateful to have spent so much time in such a beautiful place.

A Very Busy May

So now I’m back home in St. Louis for my last few weeks of medical school. I’ve got a bit more paperwork and medical clearance stuff to do for residency. My roommates and I are already selling most of our furniture, so the house could be empty pretty soon while will feel strange. Our capstone course starts on Monday, then a week off before graduation on the 17th. Scott’s family is coming in town and our parents are finally meeting after two years!  Memorial day weekend is my older brother’s wedding, and then Scott and I leave for Hawaii right after that! I’ve also got a class trip to the Ozarks and two bachelorette parties thrown in there. Phew!! So much fun stuff before residency comes crashing in.

I’ll check back with you all soon! Have a great weekend!!