Internship news

So the last week has been an emotional, physical, and academic rollercoaster. On Monday I started my independent study in pediatrics. It made sense for me to study pediatrics since half of my internship would be with kids and I've only had a few courses on working with them. It was a glorious 2 days of sleeping in until 10 every morning and studying at my leisure. Well yesterday the director of clinical education calls me into her office so we could "discuss how to proceed with DPT805" (which is my internship). When I get to her office, she informs me that I will be unable to complete my internship in the origninal location, as I will not be physically able to do the required amount of lifting for the second half and that they had no other place to put me for those months. So she and I conclude that we need to find an internship site where I would be seeing exclusively outpatient musculoskeletal patients. With that in mind, I decide that it no longer makes sense for me to study pediatrics if I won't be seeing them anymore, so we get approval and switch me into the orthopaedics selective. Well, after tears, class manuevering, and reality hitting me that if she can't find me a spot I may not graduate, I leave only to find an email in my inbox from my original site saying that they have found me a slot in an outpatient, musculoskeletal setting for the second half! Praise God! Only now I'm not studying pediatrics and I will actually be seeing pediatric patients for the first half. Oh well. So there is school drama for you.

On the pregnancy scene, I will be 11 weeks tomorrow and I feel great! I am starting to tell that I have more energy and require slightly less sleep! I've been fortunate to not really have any nausea or vomiting, only indigestion and burping. And a bizarre ongoing craving for BBQ potato chips. :) Well, that's all I've got for now!

Exciting News

Well now that we've told our close friends and family, it's time to let everyone else know that.... I'm pregnant!!!! Today I am 9 weeks and 3 days. I have been very fortunate to have no morning sickness and minimal nausea. Mostly, I am just exhausted all the time. My due date is November 11th which should hopefully work out just in time for me to finish my internship, take 2-3 weeks off, go back to class for 1 week, and then graduate in December! Can you tell this was a planned pregnancy? ;)

On April 2nd I turned 27 and had a wonderful birthday dinner with several of our close friends. We announced that I was pregnant and everyone was super excited for us (or pretended to be!) Then on Saturday Lucas "kidnapped" me for a fun-filled day of "funtivities". We headed down to Charlotte to go shopping at Ikea and then Lucas got us a hotel room at the Grandover hotel in Greensboro. He also surprised me with a massage, but unfortunately b/c I am still in my first trimester they wouldn't do it. But he gets points for trying! I basically couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

In other news, we finally got the kitchen almost entirely put back together. We finally got our appliances in and installed, painted the cabinets black, and got the granite installed. So far we are very pleased with the results! We still plan on applying a tile backsplash, painting, and putting the hardware on the cabinets, but one thing at a time!

Today we had our yearly Roberts birthday gathering and this year we hosted it at our new house so everyone could come see. Dad & Joyce, Shannon, Michelle, & Lane, Heath, Melynn, Katie, & Abby, Aunt Pat & Uncle Howard, Aunt Teresa, Grand-daddy & Nancy, Ann, Sandy, and Harry all came... We had a house full! There was lots of good food and great company! We were also blessed with some very generous house-warming gifts!

All in all, life is going really well for the NC Dargis branch! We are happy, healthy, and extremely blessed... and excited!

Fell off the map...

To all my avid readers out there... sorry I fell off the grid for awhile, I kind of forgot I had a blog! Not really, but it's been long enough since I wrote. In the last month we have been busy tearing down wallpaper, painting, replacing light fixtures, cleaning up the yard, organizing, and getting the kitchen ready for it's overhaul. We've decided to replace the appliances and get new countertops which will change the location of the stove. Where the stove is currently really breaks up my functional counter space, so by moving it to a different location, we are hoping to reclaim some of the counter space. Unfortunately (like almost all remodels) it is turning out to be a minor nightmare. So about 4 weeks ago I went to Lowes, talked to an "appliance specialist" and ordered a slide in gas stove and a downdraft to go behind it. (we are moving the stove into our bar so can't have a traditional vent over top) Well.... 7-10 days later my appliances arrive... yay! Well, the guy who is doing our construction starts to go to work and then realizes that these 2 appliances won't work together... the slide-in stove was the exact depth of the counter, leaving no room for the downdraft behind it. SO after a lot of debate and trying to zig when we thought we were going to zag, I return to Lowes, order a cooktop and a wall oven, and ask them to pick up the slide-in stove on Monday.... Problem solved right?
On Sunday, when our construction guy is trying to measure things out, he takes the downdraft out of the box only to discover (drum roll please) that it doesn't have a blower! In other words, nothing to suck the air down!!! Are you kidding me?!?! So not only did the guy at Lowes sell me 2 appliances that can't work together, he sold me a downdraft with no blower... SIGH. So I return to Lowes, tell them to order me one WITH a blower and to pick up the other one when they come get the stove. Well.... that was over 2 weeks ago and my new appliances are still not here and not expected to be here until Thursday or Friday (so they say). In the mean time we have our construction guy on hold and our new granite on hold... all ready to go, but nothing can be finished until my stupid appliances show up! UGH!!! I know that in the end it will look really good but in the mean time I'm so frustrated!
In other news.... hmmmm.... I'm still in school :0) Only 4 more weeks of these classes, then I get to do an independent study in pediatrics and then my 6 month internship! Can you believe I'm so close? I can't! Here are some pictures of the kitchen in progress, and the finished living room and dining room. Enjoy!

Finals, finals, and, you guessed it, more finals!

This week has been so annoying. 3 finals and 1 practical. Thank goodness I only have one more to go! Fortunately thus far my grades have turned out better than I anticipated... all A's so far! Other than finals not much has been happening in the world of Rachel & Lucas. We are trying to figure out how to best spend our tax refund to remodel the kitchen. Obviously it won't be a complete overhaul but it definitely needs a face lift. This weekend my dad and step mom are coming to see the house and to help us repair the sheet rock that came off whilst I was tearing down the wall paper (SUCH a pain and yet somehow gratifying at the same time). My dad is a carpenter so that comes in handy in times such as these... now if only Lucas' dad (who does heating and cooling) could come help us hook up our future gas stove! :) Maybe next week I'll get to paint! Wouldn't that be fun?!

January Happenings

What an insane month! After a great trip to AK for the holidays we returned home to a crazy month. We packed up the house we were renting, closed on our new house, and moved in! Then last weekend we returned to AK to see Rachel (Lucas' sister) married off! That was an insanely quick trip of only 4 days and approximately 40 hours in transit! Ugh. But it was a beautiful wedding and so great to see everyone. We also got to meet both of our new nieces this week, little Lane and Gabby.... so adorable! This week it is back to reality with one final this week and 3 next week... then module 9 comes to an end! I can't believe how quickly December 2010 is approaching! Here are some pictures!

North to Alaska

Home for the Holidays!
We flew up on Saturday, amazingly smooth... no missed or delayed flights! And got in late Saturday night. Then we spent Sunday and Monday with Lucas' family relaxing, eating, playing pool, and planning Rachel's wedding. LOTS of fun! Then on Tuesday we headed down to Kenai to spend the next couple of days with my family. Before we left Anchorage we stopped by the Alaska Wild berry Company to pick up a few belated Christmas gifts and had a little fun with the bears.... (see pictures below) So far in here Kenai there has been lots of good food, Catan, and good company. There is something so comforting about being in the house I grew up in with all of my immediate family close. Here are a couple of pictures....

Christmas Festivities

This last weekend we went to our friends, the Morgans', Christmas party. There was lots of good food, wine, and company! There was a white elephant gift exchange... guess what I got? A SNUGGIE!!! Oh my gosh I just about died laughing!

Then on Saturday night I went out with the hockey ladies! We had Italian... yum! This week I have 2 quizzes, an extra credit assignment, a test, and two article reviews to do. Ugh. 3 more days and then I get a 2 week break! And on Saturday we head home for the holidays!

In other exciting news, as of last Sunday I am officially a 3rd year, and I graduate in 363 days!!! Woo-hoo!