Lorax Mural : Day One

May 5

141

Mother's Day

Yesterday I celebrated Mother's Day with Drew's mom and nana. Drew, Nana, Mom, Samantha, Abbie, Greyson, and Brad met up with me at the soccer pitch by Lake Catherine Footwear out Malvern Avenue. Samantha's team was playing against the Hot Springs team. We ended up cheering her on to victory, 1-0. Go red! I looked like an awesome soccer mom out there, with my big sunglasses, denim capri pants, Sperry's, and white top. Only Drew's mom cheered louder than I did. I was SO proud. Sam is an awesome soccer player. She can really kick the fire out of the ball, and knows what she's doing. I wasn't proud without a reason! But I thought for a little while there Drew and I were going to absolutely die from allergies. We did the smart thing and sat RIGHT NEXT TO the honeysuckle. Luckily Tracie and I usually carry a small pharmacy's worth of allergy meds in our purses.

After soccer I got the joy of taking the fam to one of my favorite spots in Hot Springs-- Rod's Pizza Cellar! They were running the buffet, so I got to eat all the godfather pizza I wanted while everyone else sampled such tasty things as the chocolate chip dessert pizza and pepperoni and jalapeno (that was Brad's choice).

Garvan Woodland Gardens was our last stop for the Mother's Day activities. It was really beautiful. Drew's mom ended up taking some really cute pictures of Drew and me (all of which I also put on my facebook).

Drew and I next to some running water at Garvan Gardens.

After saying goodbye to my (hopefully) future in-laws in the parking lot, I went back to my dad's house and took a cat nap before my Mimi and Papa Miller arrived for a steak Mother's Day dinner. I was in a terrible mood... it probably had something to do with my allergies, overexposure to my family, and being in the sun all day. Regardless, the food was delightful and my awesome gift to Caroline made her *almost* cry. It was a super sweet metal sculpture of a rooster. And my mimi almost did too. She's not taking compliments too well these days, so our sweet scribbles on her card were too much for her to handle.

I ended up going to bed fairly early, since Drew sent me a txt that night saying that he was driving down from Little Rock to go to church with me and my mommy on Mother's Day (today!). I woke up, had Missy trim my hair, got dressed, and hopped in my car to drive Drew and myself downtown to First Presbyterian in downtown Hot Springs. The service was really great. The pastor talked about seeing things through a mom's eyes and the wisdom and virtue that mothers have to bestow upon their children. The best part was right before the children's sermon when they ask all the children to come to the front of the sanctuary. For whatever reason, the lady chose the phrase, "release the children!" So, naturally, in unison Drew, Mom, and I all say, "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!" I'm super happy we're all the same kind of inappropriate.

After church we went to Don Juan's... which wasn't super great because Drew and I had JUST been there on Cinco de Mayo just days earlier. Mom and I split some fajitas and I seriously had a blast. When I'm around my family I always have the best time cracking jokes and being ridiculous. With Drew there with me, it was even better. At one point Missy looked at Drew and said, "What's wrong with you?!" to which he replied, without missing a beat, "which thing?" Love him.

After lunch, Drew and I raced to my dad's house to look up showtimes for Thor at the local theater. Apparently neither of us is very good at looking that type of thing up on our respective smartphones. We were already 15 minutes late for the showing when we left the house... but when we got there we had conveniently JUST MISSED all the previews... which was super great because we sat down and got right to the feature. What wasn't super great was the fact that we were on the second row. Gross. But, on the bright side, it made it that much more epical! I'd give a full-on movie review here, but I'm just going to say it was awesome, exceeded my expectations, and revives my desire to get an Yggdrasil tattoo... someday.

Yggdrasil. Mine would, of course, be my own version!

After the movie, we were super stoked and called my mom. She met us at a gas station and got her Mother's Day gift of a terracotta turtle with a slate grey finish. It's a planter. I hope she plants ivy in it.

We came back to my dad's house and watched Despicable Me. Love that movie. Ended up crying... again. It's just so touching. When the movie was over, we helped my dad out in the yard a little with tiki torches. Then Drew left.

After Drew left I didn't do much, really. Hung out with Missy a little, ate a PBJ, that sort of thing. Dad and I talked a little about me moving to Little Rock ASAP versus later in the summer... which I love. He said to me, "I mean, you're going to be driving back and forth anyway..." Oh yeah, also, he told Missy he likes Drew. THAT was the part that made my day. A Dad-approved boyfriend I'm head-over-heels in love with and can joke around with my family. Winning!

Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1"-chunks
1/2 diced white onion
1 package sliced white mushrooms
1 package frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
2 diced roma tomatoes
2 Tbsp butter
2 jars alfredo sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 package fettucine noodles

Directions:
Boil pasta as directed, rinse and set aside. Over medium heat in a large pot, cook mushrooms, onions, and chicken in butter, garlic salt, and black pepper. Once chicken is nearly cooked through, add tomatoes and broccoli on top. Let simmer for 5 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be done and the broccoli and tomatoes should be warm. Add both jars of alfredo sauce and cooked pasta to pot. Serve hot!

Serves, like, 8 hungry people...

Friday Recap!

Slept in (aaah!), but alas nightmares (booo!)

Mimi's Cafe in west Little Rock with Drew for lunch. Amazing turkey sandwich and french onion soup. Drew had some sort of medium rare burger with french fries. And much to his (pleasant) surprise, they served him actual half and half with his coffee. Benjamin was our server and he was super duper.

After lunch we headed to his mom's house. I took a nap while Drew helped finish up the lawn furniture assembly. My sinus infection has really been doing a number on me. Luckily while at Tracie's house I managed to take Excedrin, several cough drops, a shot of Chartreuse, and some cough medicine whose bottle was written in scribbly Asian letters, so who knows about what was in that (it did, however, taste like pancake syrup and felt like lidocaine on my lips... amazing). Got to hang out with Drew's mom and nana before finally leaving Little Rock. They made me feel so special, telling me how pretty I am and how well I take care of their Drew. I think they probably understand how much we really do love each other, and it truly brings me joy that they can see it.

Went back over to Drew's and I loaded up Sassy and braved rush hour traffic in Little Rock back to Hot Springs. Lucky for me, my "Judas" Pandora radio station was being super fabulous with its picks for me. Jammed the whole way home, while popping more cough drops and feeling the effects of the questionable Asian remedy I downed earlier.

Stopped by the grocery store and picked up ingredients for alfredo pasta. Got home and gave my dad a big ole hug. He had been in California most of the week. I started dinner while he and Caroline worked on the yard, mowing and whatnot.

Now it's after dinner and Dad and Caroline are tag-teaming the yard, racing to finish mowing before the sun completely sets. Drew is out with the guys in Conway tonight, seeing Thor and probably drinking a bit. I'm sitting on the front porch enjoying the sunset, reflecting on how good I really have it. I have a wonderful boyfriend who treats me right, loves me, and respects me. I have a family generous enough to let me live my last free summer before medical school with them. I have fuel on my car's tank. I have delicious food in my stomach. I have a future so bright I need to wear shades. What more could I ask for?

Sassy's Spot

Drew jokes that Sassy has an innate ability to find the best blanket in the house. Looks like she did it again!

Punki pink

More like rave child dayglo orange.

Hot Springs is an Oasis... my dad's yard at least

I spent 1.5 hours in my dad's backyard soaking up rays early this afternoon. I can ready see a difference in my skin. I haven't been tan in years, so this is pretty exciting for me.

Also, I have managed to lose ten pounds already living in Hot Springs. My goal is to lose a total of twenty and keep it off. It is only early May, so I think I am making great progress. The real trick is going to be toning up my body by swimming my body fat off once the pool is warm enough to tolerate. I made goals this summer!

I really don't think looking healthy and feeling great is out of reach or inappropriate to strive for before I start medical school. I have always come up with excuses not to get back in shape-- being too busy with school, being too tired, not having motivation. Excuses are over. I'm ready to look (and feel) soooo good.

I have decided to weigh myself at the same time everyday and post it to keep myself on track. Nothing to be ashamed of if I plan on losing it!

May 4th: 143 lbs.

Easter 2011

Here's a picture of Drew and me on Easter at Nana's house.

I adore this man.

Lady Gaga - Judas

Judas by Lady Gaga... Seriously stuck in my head since I heard it the first time this past Thursday.

Meatloaf Recipe

Ingredients:
2 lb ground beef
1 diced white onion
2 eggs
1/2-1 c breadcrumbs
2-3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients well and put in meatloaf pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Today in Pictures

Very Happy :)

NPMC Visiting Papa

He fell and fractured his hip and femur the day before Easter. He is in rehab now. Doing great and talking up a storm!

Cathartic Dream

I was in an aquarium with Drew and someone I know came up to me smiling and gave me a hug. She started conversation and it quickly went to gossip about mutual friends. I didn't take part and made a comment about how it isn't very friendly to speak negatively about friends, especially if they aren't around.

She sort of rolled her eyes at me. Then we had some argument about the contents of the fish tank.

I had a pitcher of KoolAid in my hands. I was exiting the aquarium with Drew because I was exasperated with the encounter. I turn to her and tell her I never liked her and that she is false and self-centered. I pour the KoolAid over her head, smile at her, call her the c word, hand her the pitcher, and walk hand-in-hand with Drew out of the building.

/dream

Drew says it sounds like I have some aggression there. Personally, I found the dream cathartic and refreshing.

Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients:
Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 can chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 cups broken, uncooked spaghetti
4 oz jar pimentos
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced medium white onion
1 diced medium tomato
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 cups shredded medium cheddar
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Boil pasta in water with bouillon cubes. Do not cook all the way; leave very al dente (this dish has a lot of cooking left). Drain and rinse pasta in cold water. Combine cooked pasta, chicken, chicken broth, pimentos, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, seasoned salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and 2 cups of shredded cheese in casserole dish. Be sure to mix very well. Sprinkle remaining cup of shredded cheese over top. Bake 35-45 minutes until hot and bubbly.

UAMS Student Housing & Financial Services

New and improved student housing

I still don't know what I'm going to do about a living situation this fall at UAMS. I don't know anyone with whom I could be roommates and am sorta terrified to live with someone I don't know at all. I have talked to Housing about maybe living in student housing, but they don't sound optimistic that I will have a spot. It's a pretty sweet deal though. The new residence hall is pretty sweet with three different floor plans. They are all furnished, so that would keep me from having to move all my furniture back into an apartment. Plus, I wouldn't have to worry about utilities and whatnot, since it's all included. Here are the three floorplans:

Studio (two units shown)

Duplex Dorm (Rooms with Adjoining Bath)

Apartments

These are my options, but by the looks of things I won't get much of a choice if I get in at all. Of course the apartments would be my first choice, then the studio, then the duplex dorm. Honestly, it's a really good deal. Living on campus makes it super easy to get to class without worrying about parking. Apparently the atmosphere isn't really like that of a dorm, but more of an apartment situation... which is great. I'm really hoping to hear good news about that.

I tried calling Housing earlier, but the dogs jumped up on my bed, hit me in the face, and disconnected my call. I called them right back and they didn't take my call. I guess they like being hung up on about as much as I do.

I also talked to Student Financial Services earlier this morning. I was just curious what I needed to do next about financial aid and knowing how much money I will be getting and when I will be getting it. Apparently I have taken all the steps I need to at this point by filling out my FAFSA and returning my Student Data Sheet to them. At the present they are awarding students who take summer classes (like nursing students and the like). Here in a couple weeks I should be receiving a packet with all my options for taking out loans.

Honestly, I've been waiting for the part of taking out loans for a long time. I'm really excited about it. I know going into ridiculous amounts of debt shouldn't sound exciting, but they are MY loans. After I lost my full scholarship for my undergraduate studies, my dad ended up paying my way to finish my BA... and I am eternally grateful for him doing that. However, I am very excited for this debt to be my debt. I'll be taking my first steps as an independent adult, making choices about my own money. And I will be able to pay them back after I'm a doctor anyway. It's just an exciting time, really. I feel like a grown up... or at least I will when I'm out of my parents' house at the end of the summer and using my loan money to pay for my own place to live. /facepalm.

The only things I really have left to worry about this summer for medical school are my CPR class (which is TBA for some time this summer) and purchasing a super cute outfit for my white coat ceremony held at the end of orientation week the first week of August. Honestly, I just need to relax and enjoy my summer. I have to get a job after my little sister Missy's high school graduation party at the end of this month, but that's not even on my mind really right now. After waiting tables for almost three years at Pizza Hut, finding a job right away isn't ultra pressing. After I get Housing's opinion on my living situation (given that they will call me back) and after the rain stops coming down like crazy, I'm going to work on my tan.

Medical School Admissions Essay

Against the better wishes of my advisor, I chose to take the risky path of laying everything on the line and making my admissions essay extremely personal and revealing. I am ashamed of nothing that has made me who I am, because it has all made me this person I am proud to be today. This wasn't the final version, but this is the one I chose to publish. The final version was edited for length.

I have watched films of Shakespeare plays with my mother since I was four. The words of Polonius to his son Laertes in Act I of Hamlet have been echoed by my mother, “Suzanna, be strong, 'to thine own self be true.'” Four might seem young, but these words launched my personal odyssey. Looking for inspiration at the age of four (and having an art teacher for a grandmother), I found Leonardo da Vinci and admired his efforts to unify everything as a science. Art, anatomy, engineering-- they all blend into a single, concentrated endeavor. From this I learned greatness exists in balance, experience, and fulfilling one's potential. This would be my journey.

In the spring of 2008 I began studying art and mathematics at the University of Central Arkansas. Interested in contrasting disciplines, it was imperative to focus my studies toward a single career goal. My family doctor, Dr. English, has encouraged me since the age of twelve to pursue medicine. Hippocrates said, “wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.” For me, I feel this statement worked in reverse-- my love for humanity generated an unprecedented enthusiasm for healing. I fully committed myself to finding balance in a life devoted to my fellow man through improving and preserving life.

My academic and work histories uniquely qualify me to take part in medical training. Math classes have sharpened my problem-solving skills, helping me see that oftentimes there is more than one way to correctly solve a puzzle. My professors encourage me to visualize problems in new ways that my art training has provided me. Art courses have sharpened my hand-eye coordination, made my fingers more dexterous, and given me an intense attention to detail. Being skilled with my hands will make me a good physician, but being a doctor requires more than the head and the hands; it requires the heart. My work for a year and a half in a pharmacy exposed me to patient care. I am confident in my abilities of interpersonal communication. Working as a server in a restaurant has also helped with my communication skills. Interacting with so many different people has given me a fierce love for humanity. This love drives me to heal. My heart, my hands, and my mind have been prepared through my education and work experience to make me a great candidate for medical school.

My own humanity has also been motivational. I have experienced many of the obstacles life creates-- death, divorce, moving, breakups, and graduating. For me, all these happened in rapid succession just before I graduated high school in May of 2004. Before I accepted my full scholarship to Hendrix College that August, I visited Dr. English for depression. During that visit, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As it turns out, I am probably not bipolar, but various cocktails of drugs are enough to alter the body and mind. Dr. English and I worked diligently on my medication levels over the course of three years with little success. Either from the depression or drug side effects, in those three years I ended up losing my scholarship, transferring schools, failing classes, and taking a year off to work in a pharmacy-- a far cry from the straight-A honor graduate bent on being the world's next Leonardo da Vinci. After performing poorly my first semester at UCA, as a last-ditch effort I asked my doctor if we could try taking me off my medication over winter break. On Christmas of 2007, I got my life back. I felt happy, literally, for the first time in years.

Since I was twelve, Dr. English has been an encouraging force in my life, always telling me what a great doctor I would make. Even during the struggles he saw me through over those three miserable years of my life, he never ceased to encourage me, and my trust in him never failed. He has been constant in my constantly changing life. Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do with my life, I only recognized my skill set. At this time I began to see not only the great impact of doctors, but also the great importance of patient interaction. This experience helped me to see that Dr. English had been right all along-- medicine is my calling. Medicine is my clear path to be a whole person. I acknowledged my own strength and the power of my perseverance and decided to answer the call.

Becoming a doctor is the pinnacle of humanitarianism, unifying both sides of the brain, the hands with the heart. To feel I have become the person I have relentlessly encouraged to be, the person I have wanted to be since the age of four, I must be a physician. I am a scientist, a dreamer, a planner, and a creative mind, true to those undertakings of da Vinci. I am all these things in balance, the person I knew I would be all along. To be a doctor would be an answer to my calling, and going to medical school is the first step in this journey. Healing is not something I simply want to do, it is who I want to be. This is my journey, and I was born to be this person. I was born to be a doctor.

 The risk I took worked out, so I can't say much other than I'm relieved.

Turtles

Some turtles I digitally created for my mom's work with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. I'm proud of her for making her informative booklet. She's super stellar. Here's what I contributed:

Alligator Snapping Turtle. Everyone likes him because his little tongue is adorable next to his menacing snapping mouth. Also, doesn't he look like a crazy tank?

Softshell. He's spotted and precious.

Red-eared Slider. I love these turtles. Drawing him was an absolute pleasure.

Box Turtle. I have seen countless little guys like this trying to cross the roads in Arkansas... and have saved quite a few of them from a terrible fate. I remember when I was little, Mom brought them home and we would mark their shells with fingernail polish and release them... hoping to see them again one day.

Thank you for taking time for turtles.

Destiny: Terror-fying

It seems a little weird to me that I would start my blog on such a momentous day. My small life in a small town in Arkansas seems a little trivial compared to the impact of the events that transpired today.

Yes, Osama bin Laden is dead.

Read the story at CNN.com:
Osama bin Laden, the face of terror, killed in Pakistan

I remember where I was on September 11, 2001, when the televisions were frantically turned on in my art classroom first period. School had just started. We had just finished with announcements and pledging allegiance to our flag. CNN was chaotic. I didn't understand what was going on. I had turned fifteen less than a week ago. I honestly had no idea the impact of that day's events, what terror was, or what it meant to be attacked because of our way of life.

My classmates and I really started to understand what was going on a little better before the end of the day, but there would be no end in sight of the fear that we would experience as Americans. When school let out, there were lines outside the gas stations that blocked the roads, the broadcasts on the radio and television were dominated by news of the apparent terrorist attacks. As the days and weeks and months went by, more and more was revealed about the occurrences of that day. And eventually we would see a War on Terror waged by George W. Bush.

Over the years with movies like Crash and experiencing life outside high school, I began to realize that living in a post-9/11 America was a life of fear... fear that wasn't around before the World Trade Center was destroyed. I can't stress enough how little I understood what it meant. Being fifteen isn't like being twenty-two. It took about seven years for me to understand how I was supposed to feel... or to feel anything at all.

I talk to my boyfriend Drew a lot about the odd things that happen in my life, freaky things some people would call coincidence. They are things I no longer feel are coincidence but, rather, providence. Drew tells me that when we experience deja vu it just means we are on the right path. Maybe he's right. I just have a hard time knowing what any of it means. The reason I bring this up: Drew and I were talking about 9/11 and how it impacted him living in Thailand during the attacks. This was only days ago. And I told him about the fear I experienced much later in a way I didn't understand immediately (much as I described earlier).

Another hypothesis he and I have involves what we say being the causality of things that happen. In his words, "I almost feel that we should watch what we say, or we may force reality to bend to our will." I couldn't help but agree. Overly cautious? Perhaps. Self-centered? Totally.