"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. "

- William Shakespeare (This quote is for those of you that like Shakespeare, like Macbeth, can appreciate either, or just like Halloween)

In the picture, you can see Stella the Crustacean.... Doesn't she make a cute lobster? I wanted to put a picture for Halloween so here you go. They don't really celebrate Halloween here, which is disappointing because it is one of those American holidays that remind you of your childhood. Rather we are discussing colonoscopies in pathology class. It is a shame that we have 5 hours of class and a test in 6 days because Halloween would have been fun. Halloween is Zuby's favorite holiday so being here today makes her a bit sad. I hope everyone has a good day and enjoys today. Trick or Treat for us! Gretchen, I wonder if Dr. Oliver still gives the big candy bars to kids he likes rather than the small snack size.....what do you think?

What was your favorite costume? I remember one year being a cow with utters and the grim reeper another year. The cutest was when Gretchen and I were matching pumpkins. I am sure my mom and dad remember all of our costumes. I have an idea, why don't those of you who want to, leave a comment and tell me your favorite costume, the favorite costume you put on your kid, or what costumes your kids are wearing this year....I would really like that. Moreover, send me Halloween pictures! I hope you all have a great Holiday. Love everyone....

~nat

Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life. ~www.storypeople.com

These are some random picture. The first if of me and my friend Christy Stewart. The second picture is of Stella enjoying her first birthday cake. (A picture I got from her other Aunt Nat, not her mom). The last picture is of JT's friends, Matt and Carey Heid, and their children Emily, Ethan, and Ellie. The little one is actually in a purple glitter cast because she broke her leg.

I had community clinic today where we went into the local community and interfered patients. It was quite interesting.

I hope you all are having a good week! Let know how things are going.

~nat

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be” George Sheehan

Today is JT's six month anniversary of his surgery. I thought the pictures above were a good illustration of how far he has come....And even looks different now than he did in the pink shirt....well at least according to pictures because I do not see him regularly. I am so proud of his progess that is still going on. I am jealous of those of you who get to see him. I hope you enjoy these pictures.. There are so many more.... I am very proud of him!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, STELLA!

Today is Stella's birthday. All of the these pictures are ones I have collected over the last year. She is such a pretty little thing. It seems like yesterday I was calling to ask Emily how the labor was going, and she laughed saying she had just had a c-section and little Stella was laying next to her. It really is amazing how fast time goes. I guess it seems even faster when they are actually your kids.....

I just wanted to say hello. Things are going well. We are just studying and preparing for our next exam, which is Monday, November 6th. I am also trying to prepare my anatomy students because they have a practical one week from today. It is hard sometimes to juggle both but it is a lot of fun. I did a GastroIntestinal Tract review last night of x-rays, the posterior abdominal wall, and GI tract taken out of the body. I know that grosses most of you out..Sorry.

Have a good weekend and HAPPY BIRTHDAY STELLA!

These are pictures that my mom sent me. There are a few of the beautiful leaves in Tennessee. The other is of my stepdad Bob. This is his first appearance on my blog. Aren't the trees so nice? It is in the 80s here with sporadic rain and sunshine so I would love to be at home with the leaves....

I just wanted to say hello! I am in class right now. Infant and childhood pathology. Quite sad actually. Hope to hear from you soon!

"In the end, I think that I will like that we were sitting on the bed, talking & wondering where the time had gone." www.storypeople.com

These are more pictures from Zuby's birthday party the other night. One is of me and Lisa and

the other is of Zuby while we were singing to her. I have to give her loads of credit today. She played big sis today because I was really down on myself and life and everything and she was there to pull me up. I thought this quote was appropriate because this afternoon, we just sat on her bed and talked about random things and it was nice to forget that we are really here and this place can be so awful and lonely sometimes. I just had to give her credit.

I actually interviewed my first patient today. That was interesting. I was really nervous but my group mates said that I did okay. It was strange because it was almost like we were real doctors. But not really.....

Hope your week is going well!

"As a mirror reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs (I can't remember the specific verse number.)

Have you ever had that moment when no matter what someone said, they could not make you feel any better? I know it is stupid but I can't get out of that mood. I am having to dress up for ICM tomorrow and at one forty five in the morning, I can't decide. No matter how much reassurance my friend Zuby gives me, I can't get rid of the incessant feeling of fat and ugly. Do you know what I mean? Though other people may see one thing, you feel something the complete opposite. I know I will look around tomorrow at my dressed up peers and feel inadequate. I know that I have nice clothing, that is not it....so don't think that. I mean I feel that way with my looks right now, as well as other things. But with the emotional things, you can cover them up, but the mirror.....well we all know about mirrors.

That is enough of that. I should get to bed. I hope everyone has a great week. Send me pics and call. I am not home much. But I like emails....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Today was my girl, Zubeida's birthday. Ironically it was my Aunt Pam's birthday too. So happy birthday to both of them....I won't give ages away. You don't do that to fellow women...

As you can tell, we like birthdays around here. We don't have much else to look forward to. Zuby's friend Julie made an adorable and delicious cake. We ordered food from Tomato's and watched Grey's Anatomy. It was a really good time. I hope that she enjoyed....I mean there is only such we have here....so we have to do the little things for each other. I love that girl so I would not do anything else....

Well, have a good weekend. love you guys. Happy birthday Pam!

“The world's a rollercoaster and I am not strapped in.Maybe I should hold with care, but my hands are busy in the air." ~ Brandon Boyd (I found this quote fitting seeing the picture above.)

I added a bunch of pics from this past weekend. I hope that you enjoy them. I won't sit and try to tell you each one. If you have questions, post a comment and I will tell you what is going in the pictures. We had such a good time. Hopefully that is evident....

So, how is fall at home? Are the leaves changing and falling? I miss that....raking the leaves into large piles and jumping into them.

Well, I hope to hear from you soon! Have a good week!

"What happens in Antigua, STAYS in Antigua"~

Well, we are back from Antigua. I posted some pictures, but there are many many more. I am not sure of the order but one is of our hotel, one is of lisa and me kayaking, one is of all four of us girls (lindsey, puja, lisa and me), one of me and puja, one of me and linds and one of me, lisa, and zubeida at the airport. I will post many more for you guys. We had a really great time. And most importantly, I got to eat sushi and steak with last night with Zubeida and some other friends in Antigua. It was insanely fabulous. We had drinks and sushi and steak. I was so thankful Zuby's friend took us for sushi. You all know how much I love it since I talk about it so much. Plus, it was good company and good fun.

Now for the rest of vacation besides sushi. I, of course, got a bit red. Thankfully it is fading to tan now. The resort was very nice. They had banana and strawberry daiquiris (spell?) on tap along with pina coladas on tap at the bar. They had a beachside grill and very nice Italian restaurant. The pool was great. There will be more pictures to come...I promise. And for Em and Mom, these are good, clean pics :-) Just kidding....

I love you guys!

Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgment. Go some distance away, because work will be in perspective and a lack of harmony is more readily seen.
-Leonardo DaVinci

Hey everyone! Well, I only did okay on my exams....I passed everything but wanted to do better. Anyways, I am leaving for Antigua tomorrow. We are leaving here at 11 to catch out 1:45 flight. I am very excited and hope the weather is good. I hope things are well at home. Talk to you when I get back!

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. Eddie Cantor

This is a picture of my step-mom, Terri's father, Ralph. He passed away because of brain cancer last week. I hated that I could not be there. However, I took my first exam yesterday and it is quite expensive to fly home. I just love Terri and hate it for her.

I want everyone to know how much I thank them for the pictures....(Bob, if you send me a pic, I will post it....PROMISE!) Seriously, I am loving having something to look at when I am feeling so down.

I took my exam yesterday. I don't know my grades but I had a mixed feeling like I did not know whether to be sick or sleep. I am going to be okay, pass or fail, but still. Oh and I wanted to let you know that my internet is still out. Therefore, no phone.....I apologize. However, I won't go there because I will get upset.

I leave for Antigua on Thursday so if I don't post or you don't hear from me, that is where I will be from Thursday until Sunday afternoon. I love you guys and love the pics emails and calls. Thank you.

Some of the stuff I learned early on was useful, she told me, but most of it was obviously meant for someone who was not me. from storypeople.com

These are pictures of my friend Yvette's children. I have not seen them since April. It is amazing how fast they are growing.. I miss them SOOOOOO much. They are the coolest kids. I was very surprised to get the pictures. I am hoping to get Georgia over the Christmas break to see all my Georgia people but we will see...... I have only so many days at home. 21....I think.

Well I have to go. I have an exam Monday that I have to study for.....Have a good weekend. Oh, and the phone is out again.

“When we truly realize that we are all alone is when we need others the most”
Ronald Anthony

These are pictures of me and Lindsey and me, Linds, and Zubeida from Monday. Lindsey had community clinic and I had ICM (clinical medicine) so we had to dress up. I just wanted to share some pictures. I have been homesick lately but we have an exam on Monday so I have to focus my energy there. Also, I hate to break the news, but my step-mom and dad's wife, Terri, well her father died at 1:48 am today. He had a metastic brain tumor. Even though it was inevitable, it was still hard because regardless, he was always her Daddy. I can not imagine losing one my parents or Bob or Marilyn or Terri. I try to remember that when I feel like it is rough here. I am, in reality, quite lucky. I hope you will pray for Terri's family and remember them. They are the Whitis family, just in case you were wondering. Praying for my exam pales in comparison to what her family needs at this time.

Thank you to those of you who have sent me pictures. I greatly appreciate it. They adorn my screen saver....I love you guys. Hopefully the vonage will be fixed tonight. The internet is back but I have to tweek the phone when I get home. Talk to you later.