Learning about myself in the new semester

I'm not going to say that undergrad was easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was certainly different than grad school.  I was able to make time for all-girl cheerleading, a sorority, being an RA, staying involved in the pre-health/pre-optometry club, and attending football and basketball games.  I have no idea how I managed to do all of this around school... oh yeah - tests were never cumulative and I only took 18 hours at the most!

Optometry school has included 23 hour semesters and studying, not to pass a test, but to understand how to care for patients.  This semester we have 8 classes totaling 23.5 hours!  With what I learned from last semester, I've been able to improve my grades significantly!

These past few months have been a whirlwind of coping with stress, balancing studies, and handling the roller coaster of emotions.  I was nominated based on last semester's GPA and recommendations from faculty, staff, and current student ambassadors to be a part of Southern College of Optometry's Student Ambassador program.  It was something I really wanted to do, and didn't get super involved at SCO to make sure I would have time for it if I got selected.  See, that was my problem at NC State.  If something sounded interesting, I just did it without taking my personal time (and life) into consideration.  I was bound and determined to not do that in grad school, especially since I'm married and live about 30 minutes away from school.  I prayed for two weeks after turning in my application for God's will to be done in my life.  Well, after interviewing and competing for one of 10 slots (against 33 very qualified students), I was not selected.  I was really bummed considering I had gotten my hopes up very high and asked a TON of friends and family to pray for me.  But what I've learned is that God is calling me to relax for the first time in my life.

I've always been an over-achiever, which was pretty easy to do in undergrad when the majority of students do the minimum to get the degree and know that a job is waiting for them at the end.  However, the student body at SCO consists of 120 first-year students just like me!  All of us are still perfectionists, leaders, and over-achievers!  So, I take a look around and realize what I looked like to everyone else.  I can see the stress and wonder why they put themselves through it.  I'm learning that God wants me to be a good wife, to gain close relationships with good friends, and worry about my success as a future doctor, not my success as an involved student.  As the eye changes focus from looking at something close-up to looking at something far-away, I have had to do the same in my life.  I have had to change my focus on the future and not just how involved I am at SCO.  I study with the needs of future patients in my mind.  I am constantly thinking about my career and what type of work environment I want to be a part of in a few years.  The future is my focus and with that I have some great updates to share!

The past two weeks included 7 tests and my interview.  I made an 89 on my opthalmic optics practical, a 90 on my opthalmic optics test, an 85 on anatomy, a 100 on theory and methods (100's get stickers in his class by the way), an 81.8 in optics (by the way, my first test of the semester in that class was a 100, so I tried to shift my focus to other classes), and a 100 in ocular physiology!  I got a tutor for physiology this semester because I didn't do well in that teacher's class last semester, and it really paid off!  The one test that I haven't gotten back from the past two week's test marathon is intro to optometry.  I'm certain I did quite well on it, but he had to leave town last week on a family emergency.  Apparently, his father is in the hospital, so I'm patiently waiting for that grade.

All in all, the semester has started out wonderful!  I couldn't ask for anything better.  At this very moment, I am relaxing in the mountains of North Carolina with my wonderful husband!  Yesterday, we ate dinner at Hardee's, and today we got brunch at Bojangle's.  Neither one of these places exist in Memphis, so they were a must while back home :).  We will have to find some time to go to Cookout later for a spectacular milk shake.  Don't tell Tony Horton... yes I started p90x with a fellow classmate this semester - we're insane!

Until next time!  I'm relaxing, not studying! :)

The Eye Ball... because we're that nerdy

Carolina Girls - Best in the World!  3 UNC girls and 3 NC State girls

Yes!  SCO has an Eye Ball, and by that I mean a dance.  We got to dance the night away at a convention center at the  Zoo.  Before the dance, Tyler and I went over to Erinn and Joey's house.  We got a small group of close friends to order some pizza and just chill out together before the dance.  Here are some pictures:

free beer and wine for everyone!

Tyler's been friends with Rebecca for a while, and now she and I are classmates!

First we interviewed together and now we're classmates

Tyler and I also took an earlier day that weekend to look at some apartments closer to school.  We're going to have to take a ton of other details into account and see what we decide because moving is a pain... but it's also a huge pain to drive 35 minutes in unbearable traffic everyday to school and again coming home from school.

Tyler also got us a fish tank yesterday with some extra money that we had.  I cannot wait to get it set up together and have some pretty fish swimming around inside! :)  Everyone in school seems to have a pet, so this is our way since Tyler is allergic to dogs and cats.

Until next time! <3

Starting the end on a good note

Well hey!  I finally have a second to breathe and update this blog after one hectic week.  I had two final lab practicals and test and a quiz all this week... right after the Thanksgiving break!  Everything went well!  My final lab grade for anatomy was a 96, I got a 95 on my optics test, and I did really well on my final lab practical for Theory and Methods.

For the Theory and Methods practical we had to take visual acuities and perform retinoscopy, manifest refraction, and binocular balance within 15minutes.  If we had extra time, we got to do one extra task chosen at random for extra credit.  I did everything within my time limit and had just a little extra time after completing my extra credit - I got lateral and vertical phorias.  I really needed that wonderful grade because my last practical didn't go so well.  I got cover testing which I hate - so obviously, it wasn't a pretty picture...

I have 6 finals standing between me and my Christmas break!  I am so ready to knock 'em out and drive home to see some wonderful faces that I haven't seen in a while!

Anyway, I'm going to take the night off, so off to some much needed relaxation!!

The beginnings of a newly decorated apartment

We still have a little ways to go, but here are some pictures to show you the start of our newly decorated apartment!  I painted the furniture that Tyler's mom gave to us with a dark brown paint and found some sleeker style handles to put on the drawers.  Tyler put two coats of polyurethane on there, and now the bedroom is starting to come together with some style!

The living room looks fantastic with red slip covers.  We decided to extend the red black and white theme in the kitchen out to the dining room and living room since it's really like one big open space!  I will show the pictures we have so far! :)

Before: Bland and white...

After: Red black and white!  Tyler hung the "curtains" (they're actually flat sheets from Wal-Mart), and the picture above the sofa that Tyler's mom got for us from Kirklands :)

We love the red slip covers from Target!!!

The gorgeous mantle that matches the style!

Before: white like the walls

After: Brown and sleek

The end table and repainted lamps

After: The furniture is a sleek brown with new handles!!!

A long-awaited update

Well, obviously a lot has gone on since the last time I made a post, especially since the reason I haven't been posting is that I'm super busy!

Well, I had a chair skills practical for my Theory and Methods lab.  It didn't go so hot because I crashed under pressure.  It's tough having someone watch your every move, but I need to get used to it.  I will hopefully continue doing well on tests and learn from my mistakes to do well in the class :)

Tyler and I went to Asheville, NC over Halloween weekend to see his cousin get married with the Biltmore house as the back drop!  It was such a beautiful outdoor wedding followed by a nice dinner and open bar reception.  I finally got the opportunity to meet Tyler's dad's side of the family!  They are certainly an interesting group, but I love them all!  It's definitely different going from a very small family to tons of family!

This was also the same weekend as our cadaver lab, so I was certainly exhausted Monday after class.  I had to be at school at 7:45am on Saturday to see this cadaver, go straight to the airport, and fly to Asheville for the ceremony at 4:30.  Then some of Tyler's family members had planned a brunch and lunch at his grandparents' house on Sunday.  Finally, we had to fly home.  We didn't get in Sunday night until about 10:45pm.  It was also surprising that we made it to the ceremony on time because we landed at 3:45pm and the Biltmore is at least 30 minutes away from the airport!  We walked right up with all of stuff, dropped it off at a picnic table in the back and found the seats his dad saved for us!

Unfortunately, I didn't find the cadaver lab too exciting.  I was hoping we could see more with the eye, but (not to gross anyone out), this cadaver was frozen, so not preserved the regular way.  This made it very difficult to cut into anything related to the eye because all the pressure was gone.

It's going to be a rough few final weeks... I have 3 tests this coming up week, 2 tests and a quiz the week after that, Thanksgiving break then more tests, final lab practicals and final exams!  Even though the work load is intense, I have certainly been enjoying learning about the eye ball!  :)

In Theory and Methods lab, we are finally learning manifest refraction!  I can find someone's prescription using the phoropter, which has been really fun- especially since it's the bread and butter of optometry!  This skill (as opposed to chair skills) is something I am more familiar with from being a patient for so many years, and I find myself much more comfortable playing with the phoropter... and asking, "Which is better, one or two?"

This weekend was also pretty packed!  This morning I helped with Stop Hunger Now, an organization that packages fortified rice and soy meals to be shipped to areas where hunger is a huge problem.  In just under 3 hours, we packaged just over 40,000 meals!  I was a boxer, which required a lot of running around picking up packaged meals that were ready to be packed into boxes for shipping.

Finally, we had the chili cook-off from noon-3.  Teams competed and students/family members got to vote on the winning chili in 3 different categories: 1. best tasting 2. most unique 3. best spirit.  There was a team named "Chili Carnival" who had deep fried chili ball, a balloon animal maker, and lots of spunk!  I voted for them for most unique.  Another team, "Team Chilizion" was my favorite in the category of taste.  They had a white chicken chili that was amazing.. not to mention a very creative name for optometry students.  A chilazion is a swelling caused by a clogging of an eyelid gland (Meibomian gland).  It will get very large, but not cause the patient any pain.  Anyway, they used the term to come up with a funny chili cook-off team name :)

Tyler is doing well!  He has picked up some more hours at the gym and is working with the guys team a lot more.  I know he's really enjoying it, and the employees and parents appreciate him there and like him a lot as a coach.  The only thing that's hard for me/us, is that our schedules don't match at all!  He works from like 4:30-8:30, and I usually don't get home from school until 5:30.  He also helps on Saturdays with birthdays or team practices.  Today was even harder because he was there for over 9 hours helping with a meet, but it was volunteer.  He didn't know how long they would need him, or what they would want him to do, so he just said he could be there for whatever they needed.  Well they used him for the whole day... 11-8.  I didn't get home from stop hunger now and the chili cook-off until 1:45pm.  Yet another day where we didn't get to see each other much at all!

However, we did have a nice date night last night.  We went out to Applebee's for their 2 for $20 meals and got one drink each.  It was nice to not have to cook and go out in public together.  What was even better was that our waiter didn't charge us for the drinks!  I think we'll have to come back when he's waiting tables again- he was a really fun server!

Well here I will share some pictures from the chili cook-off.  Until next time.... Anatomy, optics and neuroanatomy are all calling my name!!

Wish you could actually see the little chilazion that they put on the eyeball, but it doesn't show up too well in this picture.

Gotta love the balloon man at the Chili Carnival

Hawaiian Munch- very unique chili- a sweet and spicy taste with a hint of pineapple.... a little too much spice for me though.  

Pyros!  Very tasty :)  Thank goodness they had a mild version and a hot version, because my mouth was burning by the time I got to try theirs 

Nothing goes better with chili than beer, especially when the keg is pumped by a security guard and the beer is poured by the SGA president!  :)

 

Special Occasions!

I'm going to start with some old updates, but during my White Coat weekend (about a month ago, oops), my parents came up and we took some time to go to the zoo!!  The Memphis Zoo is amazing!  Here are a few snapshots, just to give you an idea of what we saw:

WOLF!

They have pandas!  Oh so cute :)

The entire weekend was great!!  We had a big BBQ dinner Friday night, the zoo on Saturday, and then we came home to watch the wolfpack play.  It was great to see my parents, but it was sad to see them leave.

I also wanted to share this picture....

... To prove that we've been keeping up with wolfpack football!

Finally, it's Halloween in one week, so Tyler and decided to carve a pumpkin together.  We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend to pick out a fun pumpkin!  I had a lot of tests this past week to study for, so we decided to carve it over my birthday weekend!  Here is our final product... GO PACK!!

We are sooooooo proud of our awesome pumpkin!

Finally, some pictures from my birthday celebration!  We went to Silky O' Sullivan's on Beale Street.  It's a really fun dueling piano bar/ Irish pub!  My friend Joey was celebrating his 26th and I was celebrating my 23rd!

Dueling pianos!!!  These guys were hilarious!  

They called me and Joey to the stage to sing Happy Birthday to us!

Those are all the updates I have for now!  If you're reading this, keep in touch!  I miss everyone so much!

Birthday in another City

So tomorrow is my birthday, and it's really not feeling like it.  With another wave of tests finally completed, I feel so drained.  A part of me is thinking that sleep would be a wonderful present.  However, tomorrow morning is the Vision Walk.  I am really excited about it, and a ton of SCO students go to raise awareness and walk to join the fight against blindness.  It just always seems that there's something to do on your special day.  Last year at this time I was interviewing to be accepted to Southern and now I'm here.  I cannot believe it's been a whole year! 

Tests have been going rather well.  Not the same great grades from undergrad, but the material is way harder and there's no give from professors (aka a curve).  I'm definitely enjoying what I'm learning, but there is a lot of material to keep with.  I'm starting to forget what a "break" really is!

A lot of classmates are going home this weekend, whether it's for their undergrad's homecoming or just to visit friends and family.  It was a great weekend for it since our next test isn't until Thursday.  I kind of wish I had made the effort to go home now, but I still don't think we would be able to afford it or really have as much time as I would like to visit everyone. 

Tomorrow night I'm going with some friends to a dueling piano bar downtown.  It should be fun. :)  One of my friend's fiance, who is here with her, has his birthday on Sunday the 24th.  His dad is coming in to celebrate with him, so we will all be downtown!  

I'm so ready to go back home sometime though.  Although that's practically months away, I cannot wait for it!!  I miss North Carolina so much- especially people's ability to drive better.  Every now and again I will get really home sick.  I like being in TN because this is where SCO is, but I hate the fact that it's 12 hours away from home...

I will let you know how my birthday celebrations go :)  I MISS EVERYONE SO MUCH!