Shades or Cherry St?

It’s been awhile, but for good reason. A lot has happened since the last post. We moved everything out to Tulsa, flew back to Maine for graduation, I had a week of orientation in June and then started working July 1st. Things are fabulous! We were so excited to see our unseen rental in Tulsa… the house is located in Brookside… which I have been told is the “hippie” part of town… that’s fine with us! There is a Whole Food 10 blocks away, a coffee shop (Shades of Brown) 2 blocks away, the Arkansas River (with river path and parks) 2 blocks away and a multitude of little shops and restaurants. I have also discovered a new coffee shop a little farther away that serves great food too… The Coffee House on Cherry St…. yummers. Dennis has also learned to roll a kayak in the nearby Keystone Lake and on the Arkansas…. it is awesome! We basically hit the jackpot with our location. Our house is GREAT! It is older, but 2000 sq ft, and a huge backyard. We have already had a few visitors… Joe and Alyssa (passing through) and my dad who came the day after they left. We have an extra bedroom and bathroom in their own section of the house, so it is perfect for guests (hint hint!).

Graduation was amazing.. it was great to see familiar faces.. and hard to say goodbye to them. My sister made the trip from Africa and my bro from Tucson as well as the folks from FLG. I couldn’t ask for a better support system. It felt great to finally get that diploma… and to be awarded the Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award! There are pictures below with Abby and Ethan at camp, my Great-Aunt Louise in Scarborough, the Lobster Shack with the fam, Shann and Pat, Dr. Towle and Linda and the AWESOME Leary family! So much fun!

Work has been awesome so far… I was voted Co-Chief of my PGY-1 class and I am on Emergency for my first rotation. It was strange going into the room as doctor, but after a couple shifts, it really feels natural. I have so much respect for the nurses and techs, because that was a job that I was doing not so long ago. When I see patients, it really reminds me how much I have learned in the last several years and how comfortable I finally am in my profession. I have been trained well and feel ahead of my game… it’s all about how much you put into it. I have to work 19- twelve hour shifts this month plus didactics every Monday and Wednesday 0700-0900. I have already given one presentation on Endotracheal Intubation and Mechanical Ventilation which I received many complements on… I just feel so good about my education and am so thankful for the excellent training I have received! I am on House Officer next month which is going to be CRAZY! I work 21 shifts in August and they are all at night (7p-7a) and I am responsible for all admissions, questions, orders, and codes that happen in the middle of the night for all of those shifts… YIKES! I am excited just to get it over with.. we all have to do it for a month and it is tough..

Here are some photos from the last couple months… I hope to get some of the house to post, but for now, graduation!

MUCH LOVE! See you when you come to Tulsa to visit!

Rocky Mountain High

Well, our time is closing in on the big move. I am going to miss Colorado more than I can even think about right now… but Dennis and I are so excited about living in our own place. It is just nice to have a place to put your own dishes, decorate your walls and put up bookshelves.

It has been THE MOST GENEROUS thing for Shay and Jim to let us live with them for the last several months. I know that having guests (even tho we are family) can put a strain on your routine, etc. So I thank them from the bottom of my heart for all they have done for us… as well as all of you (you know who are!!). So many people have made it possible for us to get to this point and for me to finally graduate medical school in exactly 2 weeks!! So much sacrifice, money, time and energy. THANK YOU SO MUCH. You all have made my dream come true, and I only hope that I can serve you well by taking care of all of those who need my hands, mind, compassion and love to get them healthy once again. You have all aided in the healthcare of others and I promise you to give them my all… just as you have done for me.

Dennis and I are doing absolutely fabulously. We love spending our time together, are open and honest.. I am the luckiest person.. I have the love of my life by my side, the most amazing daughter, a fabulous family whom I love so much, my health, and soon, my dream career. I could not be more thankful. I think that an openness and a honest attempt at love in situations has really been my support. It is lacking in so many places.. and once it is found the face lifts and the light brightens. When you lose an honest attempt at love, the walls close in, and you begin to become secluded and isolated. I believe you can see it in people’s eyes. Yes, some days are harder than others.. and it is not possible to be loving ALL the time.. this is why I put in the word “attempt”. Even when a bad day has you in it’s clutches, you can tell who takes it out on you, and who tries to separate their own problems and not put them on those around them. It is a balance.

Dennis and I will be packing up the Budget truck on Tues the 26 and heading out for Tulsa on Wed morning. We fly out to Boston (and subsequently Maine) on Sun the 31st for my senior week at school and graduation (!!!!!!). We will be staying with my GREAT friend Abby who is a classmate, and a friend soulmate. We have been through so much over the last 4 years and it will be wonderful to see her and hang out on Lake Sebago. I am going to miss so many of my classmates. We fly back June 8th and I have orientation for residency bright and early at 7am on Mon June 22nd. My job officially starts July 1st. (double gulp)

What have we been doing since our last post? Well.. D is at work tonight for his last shift, I have been rotating for my AHEC rotation here in CO at Salud Clinic… brushing up on my Spanish big time. We got attachments for Pedie so we can take her biking, running, etc. We rode our bikes to Sean’s graduation party… he is officially an Environmental Engineer, but will be taking some time to ride his bike around the southwest before finding a job. So proud of him! We had a great mother’s day.. breakfast and gifts here… then I sent Dennis off on a surprise camping trip with Sean. He got to use his new tent hammock! (he has pics to post). We saw Flight of the Conchords (you have got to rent it!!! ) at Red Rocks.. it was FAB! I am planning on running the Bolder to Boulder 10k on Monday (a huge event!!! over 50,000 participants! and 28 live bands!). I have been swimming, biking and running to train for a triathlon in September. We went to the (fancy) Flagstaff House in Boulder for an excellent dinner (courtesy of Dennis’ dad) for graduation. We surprised Dennis with a visit from Kim and Mollie and we all went out to lunch in Boulder!!!

SOOOOO busy busy. We will post pics from Maine and graduation after it happens.. but for now here you go!!

MUCH MUCH LOVE to you all.
G, D and P

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Paris on the Platte

Had an emotionally draining day today… a mix of past, present and future. Why is it that when it rains, it pours? I heard from an old close friend… bad news about his family. Still think of my grandmother, taking care of the baby… trying to recover still from an intense autumn of traveling while prego… we have been living out of boxes for a couple years now… just getting through… plus many other events/emotions. Anxious about a crazy schedule starting in just a couple of months.. a big move to Tulsa. But also excitement.. I can’t wait to unpack boxes and bins that have been in storage for years. It will be like Christmas. Some days I feel as though my life has been in a box. In medical school, it is always… ‘PLEASE God, just get me through this exam… these boards, this interview’…. argh. And here we are… through. Time to unpack. Time to live life as a brand new doctor… but without the full responsibility yet. With emotions gone crazy for multiple reasons… I always find the need to retreat to the one place I feel comfortable, a coffee shop. My one vice. I love being “alone”. “Alone” with my mind, but still surrounded by people… an oxy-moran? Maybe. Therapeutic? Definitely. Being surrounded by other people in a small space… looking at what they are wearing, what they are studying… letting someone else choose the music for me (which is awesome at certain shops.. dreadful at others). Taking your time. No rush. No responsibility. Usually old worn tables with many folks who have sat here before me. Personality. Uniqueness… creativity swirls around my head. Art. Sugar. Tatoos. Through the many years of studying, stressing, friends, emotions.. my coffee shops have always been there. So much so that I think we are going to rent a house in Tulsa near one of my favs… Shades of Brown.

I will miss the one I am at in downtown Denver this evening… Paris on the Platte.

It’s very clear….

I have found myself at the Boulder Bookstore Cafe on this relaxed Saturday afternoon. Relaxation starts at a whole new level these days. The baseline has shifted. Dennis is working today, and that means it is me and Pedie out on the town. It can be tough. But as long as it is taken in stride… it is no problemo. While Pedie was sleeping I got all of our bags together… my Harrison’s, computer, purse and phone. Then comes Pedie’s treasures… her bottle, wipes, diapers, blanket, fav toy, formula… I looked in the can and there wasn’t enough for her next bottle. Boo. This meant an extra stop at the store on the way. No sweat. Then the drive to Boulder. Found a spot! Mixed the bottle in the car, then grabbed our obscene amount of bags and the Pedie Pot Pie and headed down the street. Got a great table and a soy chai.. and fed the Pedster. She usually just hangs out and stares at people… kinda like her mama. She finished her bottle and then came the need for a change of diapers.. somewhat of a disaster… I forgot a change of clothes for her today. So my calm afternoon ended up with poo all over it.. so I improvised. Used a wipe to clean the spots on her clothes and stayed at the coffee shop. After a bit of people watching and fussing for a bit (her tired fuss) I didn’t freak, but put her in her car seat and rocked her to sleep. Now she is sleeping soundly next to me and I am able to write this blog. Oh Pedie Pie. I say these things because I know of some folks who at many times during these couple hours would have freaked out, picked up their stuff and just gone home. I think… just chill.

Sometimes I don’t even realize all the work that goes into simple activities… because I don’t focus on it… I don’t dwell on it, never really have. I just get them done. That might be the only reason that I made it through med school…. and there were times when I didn’t do it very well. I could see the times that invite stress and anxiety, and being a parent just reminds me to smile and make it into a positive situation…. that has made ALL of the difference. Pedie is a happy baby… we don’t overreact (like I think so many parents do) and I feel as though babies are reactionary entities… I’m not saying we are perfect, just observations from this humble position. What a HUMBLE position it is… you at the mercy of so much… so many emotions, so much responsibility. I am not trying to be critical… I am just hoping that future parents can find a source of good energy in their love… as well as all parents. I actually SEE the love we give Pedie reflect in her eyes, her smile, her progress.

Life is woven in such a way to let in so much beauty if you can only see it and hold on to it… remember to look at it in hard times. It is fleeting and can be taken anytime. I remembered this as I gazed upon my grandmother at her funeral service a couple weeks ago. The service happened to be on my birthday… a connection that will now be with me forever. It is something no one else shares with her. Her hair was done just as I remember, her beautiful suit dress. Her nails were painted a bright red… which brought back so many memories of being a little girl myself, playing in her bedroom and wanting to be so grown up. I sat in her chair in front of her mirror… her white laced table cloth perfectly centered on the vanity. Her fingernail polishes lined up so neatly… including the bright red. So elegant, simple and inspiring to me. I now see my daughter and wonder what memories she will have of her grandparents… of me.

Her death wasn’t easy… I wasn’t there, but I listened to the stories, speechless. Usually it is easy to say, “I’m sure she found peace” but I am afraid that, from what I heard, she didn’t. She fought for every breath up until the end. From the symptoms, it sounds as though it was a small cell lung cancer which is VERY aggressive. Most of the time patients do not even know they have it until they begin to have mental changes from metastases to the brain. Once it is found (with mets) they usually are only given 6-14 weeks. It spreads very fast and is hard to control. Her daughter, my aunt, did an AMAZING job with her… and even though she may have been fighting for each breath… I am sure there is NO other place in the world she would have wanted to take her last ones. On many occasions, I have seen the way my grandmother would gaze at my aunt, with so much love and pride…. as she did to all of her children. Everyone will pass of something… we can’t escape it. What memories will we leave those who love us?? Will they remember us for our smiles? Or our angry words? It is our choice right now. Take it. Mold it. Make it your own. Breathe in the stress, hold it… hold it… another second… you can do it… and now… blow it out. Blow it out of your memory, out of your consciousness. Don’t infect those around you with it, don’t let that be the memory.

“It’s very clear… our love is here to stay.”

The last time I was with my grandmother… at my baby shower Aug 08

New Pedie Post

Check the baby blog for a new post!!

Chautauqua (sha-tock-wa) Park

D and I have been trying to get outside, but it can be hard with an ortho surgery rotation for me and 24 hour shifts for him.

About a week ago D decided to take Pedie Pie on a hike in Chautauqua Park here in CO and she LOVED it! He took some great pics and she laughed and laughed after the hike when he was putting her in her car seat.

So cute!!! Viva Colorado!

Longs Peak… my fav.

Whenever we drive in the mountains, it usually involves our typical loop up to Boulder, over to Nederland and up to Estes Park. On the way to Estes, you get a BEAUTIFUL view of Longs Peak…. my favorite mountain. Everytime I see it, I say “I Love Longs Peak”. Here is a photo from the other day-

I look up at it on windy days when I’m driving to work and wonder what it is like up there at 14,225 ft, who has been up there and seen it first hand… the storms that have battered each rock and plant that reside, it sends my imagination spinning… I will someday hike that fourteener… yes sirrrrrieee!!!

We continued to Estes and found this little coffee shop hidden in the many shops and ice creams shops.. and what is it called?? Longs Peak We sat upstairs on the couch next to the beautiful photo that the owner’s grandfather took from the summit at Chasm Lake, which we bought a print of.

We also went on a nice walk the other weekend at Eldorado Springs, considering it has been in the 60s!! We have all been somewhat under the weather (well Pedie and I… and if mama and baby aren’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!:) ) so we wanted to get some fresh air… it was a great idea…

Completely unrelated…. funny pic of D Thanks for THE OFFICE mugs Manda!!! Haha!!!

Yes, it snows in Arizona

Ever since I have been moving all over the God fershnicken country and I tell folks I’m from AZ they say ohhhh… must be such a HUGE change from Maine, or upstate NY and I say no, there is a huge pine forest, we get tons of snow and we are at 7,000ft. in the mountains.

When I was just home we got a few feet of snow… it was INTENSE! Then we got an ice storm on top of it… and this caused the Hastings roof to cave in, as well as the Quiznos roof to collapse. The fire dept had to make folks around town shovel their roofs before they could open their businesses.

I also posted some photos of the Flatirons here in Colorado.. beautiful mountains in the snow

For more Pedie Christmas photos check out the baby blog. I want to keep this blog going so if we ever have stories to post that aren’t tooo Pedie-ish we can post them here.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!!!

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Baby Jones Blog

Just to remind you that new baby photos are on our baby blog:

www.babyjones.wordpress.com

Much Love!