It's official...

I'm a Wisconsinite. Yesterday afternoon (since I didn't go to work yesterday due to the fact that the river road I take all the way there and the sleet and wind didn't sound too great) I went to the DMV after the roads here got somewhat clear. My car now has Wisconsin license plates. My car title is now in Wisconsin. They took the Minnesota title. They also took my Minnesota drivers license. Now I have a piece of paper until I get my real Wisconsin license plate. Seriously, this is weird, living in Wisconsin and all. Now it's official, people can pick on me even more. Bring it on.

Snow Snow and More Snow

When I came home from work on Friday there patchy snow with mostly brown grass showing. All week had felt like spring with temps between 40-50 degrees. It started snowing late Friday night. It hasn't stopped. Well, it stopped briefly twice, and the started up agian. I know La Crosse hasn't won the snowfall totals, Winona has, but it's still a lot of snow. The national weather service said La Crosse got 17 inches as of 1pm this afternoon. I think it's a little more than that. When you move it, it makes for some big piles of wet snow. If I was a kid with a lot of energy - I'd be making the bomb of a snow fort with these big snow piles. This is my home. The snow is still coming down, but more lightly now.

My life the last few weeks...

It was pointed out to me that I have not written in awhile. My excuse is that life hasn't been too exciting to talk about... Here's my life thus far...

* Everyone has bronchitis. And they expect me to work a miracle. Bronchitis sucks, but I can't make it go away any faster. Sorry.
* There'a house I drive by every day that recently went up for sale. From the outside I love it. Good thing it's $289,000... way out of my price range. If it was half that, I might be looking at buying a house. Not a chance at that price.
* I saw my first patient with mono. Wasn't expecting that, but ran the test just to rule it out. Turns out it was positive.
* And I'm pretty sure there's an influenza-type something going around that isn't showing up on the rapid-flu tests.
* I think rumor is getting around there's a female provider at the clinic that nobody knows. I'm getting more STD patients than anyone else. I had to tell a 46 year old woman she has genital herpes. I had listen to a girl younger than me tell me about her abusive boyfriend she won't leave. And another my age tell me about how her cheating fiance gave her chlamydia.
* I hung out last weekend with a guy I went to high school with and his wife. Hadn't seen him in years. Then we realized we lived in the same town. That was pretty cool.
* She grew up in Lino Lakes and knows people I know... small world.
* Finally found a Bible study of young professionals to hang out with. Other people at a similar point in life as I am, wonderful!
* In a week I'll have a dog. Well, not my dog, Kurt's dog. Kurt joined the national guard and is leaving for basic training and AIT and I get to watch his dog, Daisy, until December or so. She's a great dog. And it's even better since she's very well housebroken and can be alone for at least 12 hours without peeing on anything. Perfect for my job and my long days.
* My hands are so dry from washing them all day. The soap is horrible. I can't keep up putting lotion on them, because as soon as I put lotion on them during the day, I wash it off agian. Seriously, my hands need a new alternative. Super-moisturizing soap or something.
* I love sleeping. I wish I could do it more. 5:30am comes really early some days.
* Edy's is making Girl Scout Ice Cream. I have a coupon. Super excited for Girl Scout Cooking Ice Cream.
* My baby sister is getting married... In June. well, she's not a baby, she's 21. So that's a little crazy...
* That's my life thus far... nothing extradorinarly fun. Just my life! :)

From La Crosse to Prairie du Chien and back...

I love all the little towns nestled up in the bluffs.
I see houses daily that I love.
I also see run down trailer homes.
Today, I noticed that the cows must be cold, because the snow just sits on their backs and dosen't melt.
Why are there 2 dams within 20 miles?
Ferryville = "A Sportsman's Paradise"
Do you find it a little disturbing that the funeral home is next door to the clinic and across the street from the community hospital? At least nobody has to go very far...
Can I tell you agian how beautiful it is?
And... My favorite thing I see every day on my drive is... a bait shop/hunting liscense/carpet store/bar. All in a building smaller than my apartment.

Grown-Up Job

I've been seeing my own patients starting yesterday. It's great because I get to do what I've been working so hard to get to do. But, I doubt myself too much. I see a patient with an upper respiratory infection, a simple cold, and I send them home and wonder... "Did I miss something? Are they going to come back here more sick in 2 days? What if I dosed that medication wrong (even though I calculated it twice) and the kid gets too much medication (even though the pharmacy typically catches those things)?" Sigh... I can't leave it at work. I need to read more so it dosen't take me so long to come to a conclusion. I need to fast forward 6 months to a time when I might feel more confident with my abilities.

Another thing... having a grown-up job is exhausting.

I'm driving an hour each way to work, and overall, I don't mind it. It's a BEAUTIFUL drive. The only day I minded was yesterday night when I had been at work 10.5 hours, then it snowed. The road wasn't slippery, but the visability sucked. So, it took forever to get home. That's the only time I've minded.

First grown-up paycheck comes tomorrow. It's only a partial paycheck becuase I haven't worked a full half month yet... but it's a real paycheck. Yay! :)

New PA

So... 2 days of sitting in a conference room learning about history of the facility, policies, and the like... very long, very boring, and sometimes overwhelming. Done. Turns out that they need me in Prairie du Chein longer than origionally thought. Apparently they're short 3 physicians... and have some issues getting doctors to want to work in middle of nowhere Wisconsin. So, I'm going to be orienting there the rest of this week and then starting to see patients down there on Monday. I get an office that's mostly just mine, occasionally have to share it with a medical student, so that should be pretty good. I hope it has a window. So, I could easily be there for at least 6 months depending on how long it takes them to fill those positions. At least I usually like driving and I'll be getting paid mileage. So... that's my life so far. I'll keep you posted!

What I've done with my week so far...

*Finished unpacking all my crap
*Made cookies
*Finished making a knitted teady bear
*Found at store #4... drawer handles with 2 1/2 inch centers (didn't think it'd be that hard, but apparently it's not a standard size) Menards is awesome.
*Went to dinner with Teri, Kevin, & Tabitha
*Checked out a few different gyms
*Found out I have a MN liscense... and a DEA number
*Watched the first two nights of American Idol Season 6... Yay! (Minneapolis kinda sucked up auditions though, sad...)
*Almost finished the book I've been working on "Shadow of the Almighty"
*Started my One-year Bible read-through
*Got a new cell phone: 608-397-2880
*Finally got cable set up
*Found out I get to start work on Monday for sure! Yay! Orientation all week... fun fun! But I'm getting paid, that's a plus. :)

GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK...
*Get a new social security card (mine is definately MIA)
*Pre-employment stuff (badge, getting pay and benefits set up...)
*Sending out "I moved" cards
*Join the YMCA and start working out
*Get some CME hours done from reading journals
*Work on knitting a scarf
*Check out Bethany Free Church (I hear it's a good church)
*Try not to get bored between now and Monday morning

Whoops!

So, I've been anxiously awaiting the Season Premire of American Idol for months... ANd I was just laying here on the couch of my new place watching the movie Sahara... and all of a sudden I got this horrible thought that today was the season premire. I thought for a few moments that it was Tuesday. And I got really upset. Beacuase if it was the season premire, even if I turend off the DVD right now... I'd only get the last 5 minutes. And the even suckier thing was that the first show is the Minneapolis auditions. And I really want to see the Minneapolis auditions becuase I want to see if I know any of the people at the auditions. There's a chance. I know some people crazy enough to give it a shot. I know one for sure that went to auditions but didn't get a "gold ticket" to Hollywood... so we'll see who else. But the lucky thing is... I didn't miss it, it's tomorrow. Yay! I really need to start work so I quit loosing track of days.

On a more grown-up note... Added to my liscense to practice medicine in Wisconsin... I also now have a liscense to practice in Minnesota. Yay!

Today

Today, January 11, 2007 is a good day...

1. They finally granted my liscense to practice medicine in the state of Wisconsin. (MN to come Saturday hopefully)

2. The movers are currently bringing all my things into my wonderful apartment.

The only downfall of today... I officially live in Wisconsin... dang.

Welcome to the world baby girl!

My cousin had a new baby girl today. I'm excited it's a girl. They have two boys, who I love, but I wanted a little girl to play with. She was born just before 1pm today. She dosen't have a name yet.
6 pounds 8 ounces
20 1/2 inches



Also... pictures from New Years are up... link on the right...

Goals for 2007...

I refuse to call them resolutions... resolutions just get broken.

Well... here's 10.

1. Get a dog
2. Get back to the weight I was in high school (I know, that's on everyone's list)
3. Travel to England
4. See Jessica in Louisianna
5. Read at least 20 new books... For fun
6. Go on at least one date (it's been awhile...)
7. Start working my way out of student loan debt
8. Quit drinking caffine every day
9. Start enjoying exercise agian
10. Read the whole Bible

My first scarf...

So, after wanting to learn how to knit for over a year... and being very unsucessful at trying to teach myself. Then I kind of learned from a fellow volunteer in Bolivia... only to have Bolivian airport security yank the knitting needles from my yarn on my way home. I hadn't had enough time to practice and I couldn't figure out how to begin agian. So... finally. My mom's friend Caramel, as a Christmas present, paid for me to take a knitting class with her one night a week for 3 weeks. We've had two classes. I made a scarf. And a half a scarf, but I need more yarn to finish it... But anywho... this is my first scarf. It has errors, but it's a scarf.

Crazy animals...

These are the crazy pets I'm house/pet-sitting for this week. They're kinda cute.


That's Max.


This is Moses... he looks a little snotty in this picture, but he is, so it's ok. :)

FINALLY!

Look what I finally got in the mail today. Two months after I finished my requirements it was finally granted, hence the date on the diploma... and now, a month later, I finally have it. I FINALLY can finish my liscensing process to start my job!

It's been awhile...

So, back when I was a very little girl... my Aunt Lue used to rent attic space to live in from this family. This family, called the Jones' family, had children my age. We used to play with them. It's probably been 20 years since I've seen them. In college I realized that Alli, the girl from the Jones family, was friends with one of my high school friends, Kate... and eventually became her roomate. Still didn't ever see her. Just heard her name here and there. Heard she wasn't their roomate anymore because she did something silly like, go and get married, last year.

So, high school friend Kate had a Christmas party last night. I went to said Christmas party and so did Alli, the girl I haven't seen in 20 years. We talked for awhile. We took a picture together so my Aunt Lue could see it. This is for you Aunt Lue. :)

It's the season...

It's the Christmas season of course... but it appears to me that it's also the season for Aleathea's friends with the first name of Jen to get engaged.

The first one was last weekend. Jen Tripp that I went to Jamaica with in the summer of 2003. She's engaged to a guy named Todd. Now, being I haven't seen Jen in person since we returned from Jamaica and have only talked to her via the computer... I have never met Todd. But, I assume, from the way she talks, that he is a wonderful man. They're getting married this June. Here are Jen & Todd.


Then you have of course, Jen Falck. I met her in college and she's an awesome friend that I don't get to see nearly enough even though we're living only about an hour apart agian. She's really busy. I haven't found out the story yet... but she and her boyfriend, now fiance, got engaged just today I'm thinking. I knew it was coming though. 'Cuz she told me... not because I'm psychic or anything. They're getting married next year (2008) in May or June. So... here's Jen & Mark.

(sorry, that's a 2 year old picture, but it's the only one I have without stealing one from facebook)

Congrats to the newly engaged Jen's of the world! :)

World AIDS Day...

Today is World AIDS Day. Every day 5,000 to 8,000 people die from AIDS. Every day. Below are websites that you can check out for more information or ways you can help to find a cure.

Wickipedia Information
World Vision - Sponser a child orphaned by AIDS
Red Ribbon Ride
(RED)
AVERT
World AIDS Campaign

It's the weirdest thing...

Tonight I got into my car and I was going to swing by the 35 cent pop machine by the police station and use a quarter and a dime from the coin thing in my car. I reached down for the quarter and... no quarters. I could have sworn I had 5 quarters in there last time I checked. Dimes and nickles, still there. Successful in still getting a pop. Then I realized, not only were 5 quarters missing, but I had thrown a folded up $1 bill down by the coins too... My sister and my dad both drove my car on Tuesday, so I figured one of them used it. No prob, just wanted to know where it went. So, I called my dad and he said not only did he not touch it, but he left a quarter in the cup holder. No quarter in the cup holder. Called my sister. She didn't take it either. I'm living in Mora... I'm starting to not lock my doors all the time. Someone could have easily come in my car and taken the $2.25 I think I'm missing... but if they did... why did they leave the nickles and dimes... much less the various car chargers and the GPS thing that plugs into my computer and is worth at least $50. Odd. Just plain odd. I hope that of all the things that could have happened to it, I hope it fed someone who was hungry.

On another weird point... I got my UPS pants, and when I tried them on, they still had the tag on them, so I assumed they were new and not left over from someone that used them last year as a seasonal helper... but I reached in the pocket and there's a $5 and 2 $1's in the right front pocket, all crumpled up like they had been washed in there and left. But the attached tag did not look washed. Weird combination. Maybe they re-tag their pants for organization sake? Either way, it was just odd. But, I got $7 since there's no way to figure out who it belonged to...

So, lost $2.25... gained $7... I guess either way I'm up $4.25. Who knows.

Oh and just to get this off my chest... my mom made Christmas cookies, and I believe in 2 days I have eaten enough Christmas cookies to feed an orphanage of starving children. Ooops.

So...

So, I'm still in Mora. I'm so tired of being stuck in limbo here. I have nothing to do. I am waiting for my life to start agian and for the meantime... I just get to hear about how everyone else has stuff going on. I mean, techinically I'm working for UPS for a month duirng their peak time... but I've only actualy worked one day. They haven't needed me more than that yet. I wait for my phone to ring in the morning, if it does, I go meet a driver somewhere. If it dosen't, I keep sleeping. Tonight I'm babysitting for I think, 7 kids? Otherwise, I fight to keep myself entertained all day. I'm so ready to move. If I could afford December rent, I'd just move down there now and be bored in La Crosse and learn about my new town there. Ok, enough venting. I'm done.

I joined the bandwagon...

I finally joined facebook.com. I couldn't before because 1) I can't get into my St. Scholastica e-mail and therefore can't verify I went there... and 2) PCOM (my grad school) isn't registered with them. But now, you can join without a college so all is well. Yay. I've only been on there for 3 hours, and I already have 26 friends. We're all loosers that are online way too much. Especially those of you who added me at like, 11:30pm. Get some sleep people. Oh wait, that means I'm up too... hmmm... Maybe I'll go to bed now...