Michelle vs the Med Student

But WordPress hasn’t been. I’m not sure what the problem has been, but it honestly wouldn’t let me post any pictures the handful of times I tried the last 2 weeks. Makes it a little hard to do the whole round-up thing I’ve had going on.

I didn’t mean to leave anyone in suspense, so here’s the updates you were maybe waiting for…which I’m sure will be anti-climactic:

1) Not pregnant…
Not trying. Ok, moving on…

2) The fellowship has WRAPPED and we are gearing up for our Hawaiian vacation at the end of June! We leave Sunday June 21 at 6:04 in the AM! We get in at 3pm Honolulu time and will spend 7 nights at the Hilton Hawaiian village with a planned excursion to the North Shore.

3) I am not only going there bc its Hawaii and we need a vacation… I am applying for an Army scholarship! I’ll be doing a psych rotation at Tripler AMC in Honolulu (it’s pink!) for a month after and if I get the scholarship, then I’ll continue on to do family medicine rotations at Darnell AMC in Ft. Hood TX and Eisenhower AMC in Ft. Gordon GA. I should know the first week of July whether I made it. Its a bit of a gamble, starting an Army rotation before I even make the Army, but its the only time I could do it.. and you can’t win big without betting big, right?!

4) I decided to go for it because Josh is going in, so its the best way for us to stay together. He will be going in as a small arms specialist in August. We both have always wanted to join the military, and with 4th year being so flexible for me, and him having the gunsmithing experience yet not that much opportunity in Kirksville, it is the best time for both of us.

So check it yo!

You'll see some of the pics that just didn't make the cut for the monthly updates, like this one where Tess was jealous that Roxy got a new bed

You'll also see a new project where I've been going through old pics of me or that I took as a kid, and restoring them. This was after my junior prom. Damn I used to be a hottie! LOL

You'll also see pictures that are a continuation of my family photo restoration project. Here is one of me and Grampie Campbell.

Plus a bonus of upgrading to pro is that you can go all the way back in the archives to find gems like this. For Christmas 2006, Roxy was not even a year old and kept stealing Tessy's gifts. You can see the silent pathetic protest in her eyes.

The whole March -in like a lamb, out like a lion- thing is totally true. The last few days of March, it was gorgeous and in the 60's. First few days of April, we get snow! It melted as soon as it hit the ground, but still... its the principle of the thing. But Tess is clearly unphased.

We got our new puppy BB early this month(more in the post below), and here she is nesting on a blanket thet got pushed over onto an end table. She and Roxy just run & run together in the backyard, and she is always stealing Tessy's toys right out of her mouth. She also has been a little thief, finding and shredding anything resembling a sock, stuffed animal, or paper product. But she really has been the sweetest puppy ever, always so happy to see us when we come in the room and cuddle with us at night.

Dan came to visit for Eoin's 40th birthday surprise party. One of the ways they kept eoin busy was to go scouting for turkey season. I stayed at home making my red velvet cake balls & chocolate chip cheesecake, so Josh took this. Here is Dan playing on the interwebs on Josh's phone in the treestand. Eoin ultimately ruined the surprise, so we went out to Mexican and got drunk on margaritas instead.

Jeff, one of Josh's old gunsmithing school buddies flew in from Utah for a week for turkey season. They both bagged a bird! What I learned from the week= Michelle woken up at 4am x 1 week= tasty turkey dinner! Oh, and btw, can you spot the hidden shiba?

Jesse flew into STL from Phoenix for OMS3 testing, and we made a weekend of it. We got together with Katie, where after the obligatory Applebee's run, we pretty much turned into 12 year old girls, gossiping and braiding eachother's hair. No joke, I did their eye makeup for them. Isn't Katie friggin adorable?

That night we went to Charlie Gito's with my parents and they sat us at Mr. Gito's table, us being VIP's and all. We sampled the calamari, the original toasted rav, and a trio of gelatos. Then, in VIP style, us ladies headed to the Hustler Club before crashing at Katie's parent's house. I took Jesse up to Kirksville the next day.

I also wrote and edited 4 mini-episodes of the OMM Office for Skit Night… y’know, like The Office… but the office I work in. It was interesting wrangling all the docs and making them act this out, considering no one in the office has ever seen the show. Only took 3 days to film and 18 hours to edit I also dressed up and performed live at Skit Night as Susan Boyle. Wrap your mind around that. Crazy hair, eyebrows, walk and everything. I’ll post video once the DVD comes out.

So weight loss update… as you might see by the ticker on the side of the page, I am down 22 pounds.

At the beginning of the fellowship, I was sad to leave Denver and Josh behind (he couldn’t follow me back to Kirksville for 3 months) and I had to study for boards. Translate “study” as sit in one place for 6 weeks eating whatever you be delivered or heated up in under 5 minutes. So naturally I packed on the pounds

So the weight loss has been slow going, with occasional jumps. It was easy to get from 165 to 158 by just eating normally and moving around again… but it took seemingly forever to get past 153. I stepped up my game by walking everywhere and getting enough sleep for once. I jumped down to 148 about a week later. I hung around there for another month until I started doing kickboxing, then was able to drop 4 more to 144. Now I’m stuck again. But at least it’s at a good spot. I can fit in all my clothes, a lot are a little baggy actually. Others are noticing a difference. Most important, I can look in the mirror and feel comfortable with what I see.

At this point, it almost seems selfish to not just be satisfied. The enemy of good is perfect, right? After all, I totally blame the South Beach Diet for getting up to the 140’s. I was 138 and not happy (ohmigod to down to 138 again!), so I tried the diet. I got down to 131 and then ate 1 carb and blew up to 145. Since then 145 has been my plateau.

Well, the pursuit is to be healthy and happy. I am already happy, so check that off the list. And its not that I am UNhealthy, but I am not exactly in peak form either, know what I mean? My weight is still a little overweight for my height and my bodyfat is definitely too high. I work out maaaaybe twice per week and as much as I am “interested” in being more active, I haven’t pursued any of it. And I am more than a little embarrassed by my stamina. I’m at a stage in my life where I feel I should have this figured out…I’m almost a doctor for chrissake. As Oprah said about her weight, I can’t believe I am still talking about this after all these years!

So here’s the plan because I believe things happen when you let the universe know your plan, or at least the blogging community.

1) Lose 10 more pounds to get down to 135—This will bring my BMI in the middle of the normal range for my height. Any less and I start looking like a stick… I like having a little bit of a booty!
2) Lose 5% body fat—This will bring my body fat into a normal healthy range, and maybe I’ll finally be able to see those abs I know are hiding under there.
3) Workout 3 times per week—Its unrealistic for me to be a “get up at 6am to run everyday” kind of person, but working out at least 3 times a week is something I can stick with the rest of my life
4) Do something “active” for fun every week—Again, I don’t see me training for a marathon, but there’s no reason why I can’t do a 5K fun run, or take the dogs for a long hike at the park, or play a couple games of racquetball on the weekend. Every activity will be fun, make me healthier, and a little more confident at the accomplishment.

1. I dyed my hair blonde all through highschool. I stopped after being a waitress at Steak n Shake where people kept treating me like a blonde ditz. As a brunette, my tips went way down but people stopped talking slow to me.

2. I decided early on I’d either go for medicine or Broadway. I decided on medicine because I didn’t want to live in New York and I figured I could always sing and do musical theater in my spare time. Can’t really do medicine as a hobby.

3. I secretly judge people on their spelling and grammar. But I’m not a nazi about it. I only call them out if its medical. Probably a remnant from being a pharm tech for 6 years. Plus wouldn’t you want your doc to know how to spell the drugs they are prescribing?

4. I was in show choir in highschool. It was called Maroon Majic. Despite us being “maroon”, we wore bright red sequence dresses with matching red underpants. Performing with them was one of the funnest things I’ve ever done.

5. The other funnest thing was singing barbershop. My highschool boyfriend’s group almost never let me sing with them and my best friend started a group without me. I am still bitter to this day. Seriously.

6. On that note, if I go to an amateur night and don’t perform, or go to a club and don’t dance, it causes me physical pain. I love medicine, but I regret that I don’t have more opportunity to be creative.

7. I am extremely near-sighted. I can only see things clearly that are an inch or two from my face.

8. Tequila makes me happy.

9. I put either ketchup or horseradish on just about everything. Sometimes both.

10. I am not religious or black, but I love Tyler Perry plays.

11. I was naturally super skinny my whole life. I used to wish for curves. Now I have them, and I hate them. I think I just wanted the boobs.

12. I was in the best shape of my life when I was training for the Air Force but then they unceremoniously dropped me due to “my eyes” even though 3 specialists said my eyes were healthy and would not be a hindrance to serve. I have HATED working out ever since.

13. Because I hate working out, I have to bribe myself with a trashy magazine to read while doing cardio, or a banana-pecan smoothie afterwards.

14. I have 10 active nicknames. My mom’s side of the family calls me Shellbell. My highschool facebook friends call me Shellface or Muppet. My dad calls me Baboo, because I call him Dadoo (remember on Animaniacs…”can I call you Dadoooo?”). My girls call me Micahihi because that’s what popped up on Jesse’s cellphone with word assist after she typed in M-I-C. Josh’s friends call me Doc, as in “What’s up Doc?” The fellows call me Mitchell. Only my closest friends are allowed to call me Big V. And my husband calls me Honeybunny, which he got from Pulp Fiction.

15. I think OMM should be taught in highschool to everybody. Then maybe by medschool, we could get to the hardcore, “magical” stuff

16. I also think we should all learn how to handle a gun and balance a checkbook.

17. I’ve been watching a lot of Big Love, and its had me thinking that having an extra wife around could be darn convenient. Built in babysitting and I’d get the bed to myself every other night. I don’t know why any man would sign up for it though.

18. I have all my kids names picked out… just need to have them. I think pregnant women get a little kooky in naming with the hormones and all, so I wanted to be prepared.

19. I love photography, but I am not really interested in spending all the time and money in learning how to use the various lenses and filters, etc. I will continue to be queen of the point ‘n shoot

20. Josh and I fell in love with the mountains while in Denver. I understood how people could be a “ocean” person, or a “city” person, but I didn’t get how some could consider themselves “mountain” people. Now I get it. I will forever consider it one of the best years of my life. I hope we can go back West someday.

21. I’ve decided that sandy beaches are in my near future. We MUST take a vacation this year or I’m gonna go batty. I haven’t had a vacation since my honeymoon to Maine.

22. As much as I appreciate my dad and hubby spending my birthday with me, every year I wished to have friends that would throw me a party. It just seemed like every year, I had to beg people to come out with me to my birthday dinner. The best excuse for not going out with me was “I have a really nice salad waiting for me at home.” The streak was broken last year with Jesse & Katie and some homemade blueberry cheesecake icecream

23. Yes I like women. They are pretty. Though I cannot resist a man who can do pull-ups, build me a shelf, or sing Billy Joel. Or is named Johnny Depp.

24. I am pretty much a dude when it comes to movies. I’d take a movie with Bruce Willis blowing up shit or aliens fighting vampires over a romantic comedy anyday. Hell, my favorite movie is The Fifth Element, and on our first date, Josh & I saw The Fast and The Furious.

25. I didn’t post earlier bc I was in Chicago, and now I put this up to tide you over until I get back from Little Rock. Woo! Pictures in a week!

The Betty Ford Clinic and the Peds rotation in Indy have not confirmed with me, and I still need to throw in one more 2 week rotation somewhere (suggestions appreciated!)…but here is my 4th year schedule:

June 15-19
Vacation- Get Josh ready to leave

June 22-26
Vacation- Josh & I in Hawaii!!

June 29- July 24
Inpatient Psychiatry- Tripler AMC, Honolulu, HI

July 27-31
Addiction (shadowing)- Betty Ford Clinic (!!), Hollywood, CA

Aug 3-28
Family Medicine- Darnall AMC, Ft. Hood, TX

Aug 31-Sept 11
Vacation- possible Josh basic graduation OR insert 2 week rotation

Sept 14-Oct 9
Family Medicine- Eisenhower AMC, Ft. Gordon, GA

Oct 12-23
OMM elective- Karen Steele (!!), WV

Oct 26-Nov 20
ER-NERMC, Kirksville, MO

Nov 23- Dec 4
Vacation- Thanksgiving & possible Josh AIT graduation

Dec 7-18
Dermatology- NERMC, Kirksville, MO

Dec 21- Jan1
Vacation- Christmas & possibly insert easy STL 2 week rotation

Jan 4-29
ICU-NERMC, Kirksville, MO

Feb 1-12
Pulmonology-NERMC, Kirksville, MO

Feb 15-Mar 12
Tentative: Pediatrics or Peds Psych- Indianapolis, IN

Mar 15-19
CONVO- Colorado Springs, CO

Mar 15-26
Pharm elective- ONLINE

Mar 29-Apr 23
Neurology- Kirksville, MO

DONE WITH ROTATIONS!!
Apr 26-May 14 Pack up
May 14= 26th birthday
May 15= GRADUATION!
May 17-28 Trip to Bangor, ME—hopefully…ladies?

JUNE MOVE
JULY START INTERNSHIP

I’ll keep you updated on any changes, but this is the confirmed final schedule. Excited!

OK, I’ve kept you in suspense long enough.

Josh is joining the military.

Normally gunsmiths can expect to make at least $40,000 in their first year. However, when Josh got back from school, the job he had been promised for the last 2 years evaporated. Said they couldn’t take one more on the payroll. The local gunshop gives him some extra stock work, and he has a small local following of docs who he does a lot of gunwork for, but not enough to make a living. He had hoped to open a gunshop, but banks in the area aren’t exactly taking risks on new business owners, especially since we might have to pack up shop and leave in a year for my internship.

So after weighing our options, Josh has decided to go military. Probably the Army. The Navy is wooing him so hard though that he feels its worth it to at least entertain the idea. But he is planning on doing MEPS this month for the Army and honestly, the Army seems like a better fit. On one hand, he would get the exact job he wants as a small arms specialist, while the Navy would probably have him be a general machinist. On the other hand, he is pretty much required to spend a year in Korea at some point or could be deployed to Iraq immediately, while with the Navy, he would have to spend a max of 6 months on a boat every 18 months…and that’s the max. Apparently you only need one machinist per boat so…pretty good odds of not being gone a lot.

Wow, looking at that, you’d think… holy shit, why not the Navy? Well, he went to school to be a gunsmith, so working with boat equipment instead is a pretty big difference. The Navy could also make him do an extra 8 months of training for nuclear reactors since everything they do is nuclear now. FUN. The Army works out better with my career too. There are more Army residencies that would meet my needs, and if I didn’t do an Army residency, there are plenty of DO residencies near the bases.

And career satisfaction is really what this is all about. Sure, if the economy was great and people had tons of money to spend on getting their guns refinished or professionally repaired, he probably wouldn’t do it. But, it is by no means not the only reason. He tried to join the Marines out of highschool, but realized the day before basic he really wasn’t mature enough at the time to take orders and stop partying. We then both considered joining the Army before medical school, but we were newlyweds and didn’t want to be apart for the 6+ months of basic and AIT. Now with a little education under his belt, experience with being away from home, and my flexibility in my 4th year…now just feels like the right time.

But the BIG question… am I joining too? At this point, my answer would be “only if I must.” I had at one point seriously attempted at joining the Air Force, but they turned me down due to poor vision (which is so stupid, my glasses are thick but my vision is easily correctable…its not like I’m gonna be a fighter pilot for chrissake). So obviously I am not averse to the idea, but I am not going to try to join right now with him. For one thing, sure, I’d have to join to do the residency, but civilians are allowed to rotate at Army hospitals and participate in the military match, so I don’t have to join just to be considered. If I don’t match or don’t like where I match, I can say nevermind and then do the DO match. If I already was military, I would be stuck wherever I matched. For another thing, there is one program in Georgia that would actually contract me as a civilian. I’d get the perks of military like good pay, no malpractice, benefits) without the downsides like basic, deployment, or wearing the lovely uniform.

So OK, with the reality of Josh leaving for 6 months for basic and AIT setting in, I’ve had to plan accordingly. Which was part of the reason I didn’t want to mention it before… a) Josh still hasn’t signed on the dotted line for the military so it felt weird (and still does, like a jinx or something) to talk about it like it is 100% settled… and b) the question that comes up after you announce something like this is how are you going to deal? Well, I’ll be fine, but it will take some finagling.

And let me break right here to say that this is totally OUR decision. He did not make the decision one-sidedly and then leave me to figure out how to deal. We have spent hours upon hours discussing our options and what would be best for BOTH of us. For example, he was originally going to leave early April. We quickly realized that that is not enough time to get ready to leave me alone for 6 months (and certainly not for 18 months, after all, there is always the chance of Iraq deployment). Plus right now I have my evenings free, so I would be really lonely with him gone. So we decided he would wait until July to leave, after my fellowship is over and have 4th year rotations to keep me busy.

OK so back to what I was saying … before all this went down, I was hoping to do some out rotations at possible residency programs, but I was going to do the absolute minimum because it would be expensive and it would be a lot of time away from home. But since he’ll be gone anyway, and he’ll have a good paycheck, I can afford to spend most of the 6 months doing some exciting out rotations! I didn’t want to talk about it until it was done, but today I submitted my schedule to the dean, its been approved and I will post the schedule… tomorrow! Bwahaha! Mine is an evil laugh!

Then, what to do with the pups in the months we are both gone? This has been a BIG hindrance on me announcing anything because it is not at all resolved. (Its not that no one can help, its just none of this military stuff or my 4th year schedule have been definite until today, and I didn’t want to ask anyone until I knew for sure. So…surprise!) I have a few options though that I am working on. One is getting a roommate, maybe a 2nd year med student, who could watch them in exchange for reduced rent. Another is having a group of med student doggy sitters to take a break from student housing for awhile to come hang at my house, sleep in a comfy bed, take baths in a real bath tub, and play with cute pups. (Sounds weird but I did that exact thing my 2nd year for a 4th year couple gone on out rotations together.) Or I could see if my dad & stepmom or other relatives could take them. I will hopefully be seeing them this weekend, and if not, then certainly the next, so I can discuss it with them then.They love having them visit for a week or so, but it would be committing to take them for months. Roxy can be a handful, so that’s a bit of a tall order.

And about him getting stationed where I’m matched? Well, I should know where I’ll be matched before he has to submit his list of stations, and with an excuse like his wife is doing a residency there, he would probably get it. Though we are VERY seriously discussing him doing a voluntary deployment to Korea. Wait, hear me out… it sounds scary, and if nothing else, like a VERY long time to be gone, which it is, but it has a lot of benefits. For one, he’d get his first choice of where to be stationed when he got back, so I could match wherever I wanted and he would be able to go there. For another, if deployment is inevitable, why not do it now while he doesn’t have kids to leave behind or while I will be super busy doing 4th year and internship? Lets be honest… I’d barely see him anyway. Helloooo… I’ll be an intern, by definition the hospital owns my soul. I could do my thing, he could do his, and when he got back, we wouldn’t have to worry about a random deployment. And speaking of which, if he did get deployed to Iraq, it is at least winding down and the job he would do would not have him on the front lines. We haven’t committed to doing this, but when you see it all laid out, it makes sense, doesn’t it?

Alright, I think that’s enough for now. I could go on and on about this but its already a lot to digest. Its going to be hard, and sorry it couldn’t be something more fun like me being pregnant or winning the lottery, but I ultimately think this is really good and exciting news.

And good God, yes, I will post my schedule tomorrow. Get off my back woman!