The Bachelorette

Rich has been gone on a hiking trip to Utah this last week and I have been living the bachelor life. I went to both of the drug rep dinners that were offered, didn't go grocery shopping, didn't cook and didn't get the house unpacked. Now he's coming home and I feel like I should have the house presentable when he gets here, but I find that blogging is a much more enjoyable use of my time. The past couple weeks have been busy. We had a great trip to DC on the fourth of July. We got to watch the fireworks from the roof of our friends parent's condo that is one block from the National Mall. Here was our view(except when it was our view we weren't in it):

The fireworks were great and when it started raining we didn't have to get soaked. We just went back down to the condo until the show started. It was such a fun weekend, we got to see old friends and tour museums. After going to the Photo museum I really want to learn more about FDR.

Anyway that was our trip. Then I started work. Then Rich took the boards. Then we moved into our new apartment (which is only 2 blocks from our old apartment). Then I worked on cleaning our old apartment. And now you are up to speed on our comings and goings for the last month.

Decisions

I don't know if any of you ever feel like this, but sometimes I just want to go back to kindergarten. Sometimes I think it would be nice not to have to make anymore decisions. Back in kindergarten someone was always there to tell you what to do: eat this, take a nap at this time, play at that time, wear this, be friends with that person and take a bath on this day. The most difficult thing you had to decide was which color crayon you should use to color skin (orange, pink, white?) and the only consequence to your decision is that your mom might think your self-portrait was a pumpkin. I started my new job last week and I am supposed to make all these decisions: what do I diagnose the patient with, how should I treat them, when should they follow up, does this guy really have back pain or does he just want percocet, should I give an excuse note for work, do I tell the 17 year-old's mom that her daughter has an STD, and should I charge this person for not showing up for their appointment. So much of it isn't taught in school. The truth is, I am glad I am not told when to eat, sleep and what to wear, but the most exhausting thing about my job is that there are so many things that don't have a "right" answer.

Happy Birfday Ricardo!!

Richard's birthday was July 1st. I just wanted everyone to know that Rich rules! He is my best friend and is always there for me whether I need somebody to crack me up, hold me when I am sad or clean the kitchen after I make a huge mess making dinner. Rich, as I said to you the first time you brought me flowers..."YOU'RE THE BEST!!"

Idaho/Wyoming

When I was visiting Utah my mom and I drove up to Idaho to see my sister, Jennie. We had a great time seeing the beautiful green rolling hills of Victor, the majestic heights of the Tetons, the mighty snake river, the wildlife and of course, the shops of Jackson Hole. The highlights of the picture collage below is the picture of the elk, the eagles nest and the candid shot of me walking out of the outhouse.

RIP Stick

Mary Delmage says its time for me to put a new post on the blog. To that I say, "Fair enough!" Our computer is back so now I can update on my trips. First, I have to tell my RIP stick story.

When I got to Utah my brothers introduced me to the RIP stick. It is a skateboard with only two wheels and a bar connecting the center. You have to swivel your hips to move it and balance while you go.

My brothers are so good at it. They can ride the rip stick and dribble or shoot a basketball at the same time. They said all the neighborhood boys get together and have battles, where they try to push each other off.

I can't even explain how difficult it was to stay balanced. In order for me to do it, I had to have my dad hold my hands the whole time. I felt like a kid learning to ride a bike with my dad running around the street helping me to stay upright. My dad actually got pretty good at it.

Here is a video of a somebody riding a rip stick.

Ohh my aching joints

I have an answer to my joint problems. For the last couple years they have hurt without a cause. I knew that my feet hurt because of plantar fasciitis and I usually blamed my limping on that. However, I knew that the involvement of my hands and other joints couldn't easily be attributed to the feet. My bloodwork always came back clean and according to that I was healthy. But I don't walk like or have the grip of a healthy 23 year old. At the urging of Rich and my parents I went to yet another doctor. She looked at my hands and said I needed to see a rheumatologist. I went to the rheumatologist that day and he said that even though my blood doesn't say I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, I clinically have it and need to be treated for it. So that explains it. I don't know why it helps to have a reason, but somehow a name makes it less frustrating.

Broken Computer

A couple of months ago I dropped the computer. It started making a weird revving sound that should come from a car, not a computer. I quickly put my jump drive in and downloaded the paper Rich was working on for school and my senior project. In medicine they talk about a "look of impending doom" and the sound it was make was "impending doom." Then the revving stopped and the computer was working fine, talk about a miracle. We hadn't had any problems until after graduation. Jordan (our brother in law) noticed that he couldn't access our cd-rom drive. So we took it to the doctor (circuit city) and I am going through withdrawals without it. I never really mind Rich's total domination of the remote control, because if I don't like what he's watching on tv I surf the web. Now I am a sad girl forced to watch golf, soccer, basketball, american gladiators, monk and whatever else he happens to channel surf to (In his defense he has offered me the remote, but it has been so long I think I forgot how to use it). Anyway, we have had two great vacations that we want to blog about, but that is just going to have to wait until we get our computer back. Until then we are still here, just less accessible.

Also, I have a job offer with a family practice office that I am really excited about. I don't know when I start, but I think it will be a great place.