I knew we were too busy to make good bloggers! Life has been crazy hectic busy for both Jim and I (nothing new.) Jim is wrapping up the spring semester of his second year teaching - lots going on in the classroom, at the building trades house (where Jim's students are landscaping) and with the FFA (banquet, getting ready for State Convention, Fair, etc.) I finished up my first 3 years of vet school this spring and am now in the clinics in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the vet school. We spend 4th year doing 12 months of clinical rotations (in 2 week blocks at a time with a maximum of 4 weeks vacation.) Clinics are 100 times better than sitting on your butt falling alseep in class, even though I've had plenty of exhausting, emotional, and embarassing moments in just 3 weeks. My very first rotation was Small Animal Surgery, which is one of the more intense rotations (when it comes to hours put in) they require us to do. Intense it was - my days were never less than 12 hours (more like 15-16) not counting the commute to & from school, and because I had patients in the hospital's Critical Care Unit, I was there most of the weekends, too! This block, I'm on Primary Care (which is for the routine stuff - annual exams, vaccinations, and the usual problems you'd see in a regular vet clinic.) The hours are WAY better and I actually get to eat meals...but I have to admit I may have enjoyed surgery more - never a dull moment!
No more summer vacations for me, but Jim will start his after next week. His summer contract will keep him plenty busy though. I am taking 2 weeks of vacation (the second half of June) and we're going to take a road trip to Las Vegas to visit Jim's brother Mike and his wife Jenna. We plan to make a big trip out of it and see all of the sights I've always wanted to see (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and anything else we feel like!) Still tons to do before then, including finish those wedding thank you notes (yikes, we know how bad that is - but we promise, we WILL finish!)
Here are some photos of what we've been up to when we AREN'T working (which seems like never!)
Dad, Mom, Jim, Tyler, and I at my Blue Coat Ceremony in April. (It's a ceremony to celebrate our transition into the clinics, and it's when we get our "blue coats," the outfit that identifies us as Senior students in the Teaching Hospital..)
Jim posing with the bones of a cow's lower leg. He's helping me put together a collection of teaching materials that will go out to high school teachers (a project for a club I am involved in through the vet school.)
The cats doing their usual. (Cleo left, Alibi right.)
Marney doing HER usual - shredding up her toys or blankets...
We are almost finished with the bathroom remodel! Here's before photo. It's hard to photograph because it's so tiny, but you can see how plain it was...
The nasty, nasty mold we discovered after ripping out the old tub & shower.
Me assuming one of the contorted positions required to paint the odd corners in the bathroom.
End result! New tub, shower, toilet, vanity, cupboard, towel rack, floor tiles, paint, and wainscoting!
My first patient! I'm probably not supposed to share too much about client animals, but this sweet kitty donated one of his kidneys to another cat in chronic renal failure (yes, they do transplants in cats!) I am really attached to this guy!
And from today, some of the band members entertaining on the Capitol square at the farmer's market. The Soggy Prairie Boys are still playing a few gigs now and then, along with some help from new friends to fill in. Ben (on fiddle) has done a few gigs so far. Jim and Kodey are to his right.
That's all for now! Look for another update this summer - hopefully soon we'll have time to post photos from our road trip!
Love,
Steph and Jim
