Traveling During COVID

The husband and I had time off at the beginning of last month (October) and while it is still COVID times, we needed to get away. To get out of state. While I wish we didn’t have to deal with COVID, it was exactly what we needed. It’s cold, wet, and gross here right now in Seattle, so we chose to go somewhere sunny. We went to Las Vegas and Southern Utah!

If you’re new here, we lived in the Vegas area for 4 years while Geoff went to medical school. We had not yet been back since our return to Washington. When we got off the plane, we were hit with the familiar heat, smells, and sights of the Vegas valley. Needless to say, we were very happy to be in a warmer climate. It only confirmed that long term, we probably want to be somewhere warmer. Sorry mom.

We bracketed our trip with time in Las Vegas. Flew in on Sunday, ran around town. Got my favorite poke (Poke Poku) for lunch, visited the outlet malls, and even got deep dish pizza (Giordanos) for dinner! That same night we drove to Southern Utah where we were meeting up with my in-laws who just also happened to be down there at the same time! Driving with the deep dish pizza in the back was torture because it smelled SO GOOD. But we waited till we could share it with my in-laws. And it was well worth the wait.

Since a majority of our trip was spent in Southern Utah, we had my in-laws show us around their future city of retirement. Went to some amazing food places, which I have listed down below. We are very excited for them and cannot wait for their home to be complete. They’ve worked so incredibly hard for this and the fact they’re getting everything they want, makes my heart full.

Lamy’s – very good Mexican food.
Iceberg – heads up, the mini milkshake? Is not mini.
Icebox – try the pastrami burger.
Nielsen’s Frozen Custard – similar to Iceberg, share.

This was the mini. My in-laws were laughing because both my husband and I got our own. We will be sharing next time.

While also in Southern Utah, we went backpacking. How could we not somehow spend some time outside in Zion National Park?! If you’re curious, we ended up doing the Hop Valley to Lee’s Canyon trail. It wasn’t bad at all. Geoff wanted to possibly do two nights instead of one…but thankfully I was able to convince him that one night was enough. Hahaha I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love being outdoors and backpacking. But hiking in the PNW is very different than hiking in the high desert. Thank goodness we chose to play it safe. The hike from our campsite, to our ending point (Lee’s Canyon) was mostly in the sun…and it was uphill. Which. Sucked. With little to no water sources (the Virgin River where one would normally get water had a bacteria in it that was not safe for consuming), it meant we carried ALL OF OUR WATER for the two days we were out in the backcountry. For the two of us, we took 10L and it was just enough to get us through.

Geoff looking at the beauty of Zion. Right at the end/beginning of the trail to the Kolab Arch.

We cannot wait to go back again and explore another part of the park. Hopefully this time there won’t be any bad bacteria infecting the water sources. Carrying all your water is pretty cumbersome. Have you been to Zion? Did you do any backpacking? If so, what did you do and did you enjoy it?? Tell me more!

While it is now cold and gross here in the PNW I am going to dream of warmer weather and planning for our next trip down. Hopefully very soon! 🤞🏼❤️

Climate Change

Seattle visibility and air quality over the course of one week due to fires.

It’s real. It’s here. And it should scare you. If you’re living under a rock, then it might be news to you that the West Coast has some of THE WORST AIR QUALITY IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. If you don’t have to go outside – don’t. If you must venture outside….wear an N95 mask or any mask for that matter. Something is better than nothing.

It has been incredibly difficult to stay inside all day for the most part. I can’t go on a walk during lunch and get a change of scenery. I can’t pull weeds or mow my lawn (which I desperately need to do). I can’t open the window in my bathroom to allow for air circulation when I shower or go #2 💩 (sorry, TMI). I don’t think I will ever take a big gulp of fresh air for granted ever again.

My husband and I are getting out of town in a few weeks and I cannot freaking wait. I’m looking forward to being in a different state and truly feeling like I am getting away. Staycations are nice, but they’re not entirely relaxing. What is even better about where we are going is they have cleaner air. Much cleaner than Seattle at this point.

And that’s going to be the best feeling ever.

Call Me, Beep Me, If You Wanna Reach Me

Call. More specifically in house call. He’s been home for less than 45 minutes and he’s been paged. Likely this means he will need to go in. But this has not yet been determined. He left at 5:45a-6:00a this morning.

Life of a doctor. I can tell I’m going to quickly loathe the sound of the pager. But I’d rather it go off now than when I’m deep in sleep. I can remember growing up and hearing my dads pager go off in the middle of the night. It always woke me up as my bedroom wall shared a wall with my parents bedroom.

But we’re going to try and go to sleep….wish us luck.

28 Hours

That’s how long Geoff is on call. I won’t see him till about 9am tomorrow (Sunday) morning. It’s bittersweet being alone. On one hand I get to starfish in the bed and have a night/day of have a night of self-care. On the other, I miss hanging out and his presence.

It’s a schedule that I will eventually get used too. But this is the territory that comes with residency. It’s going to be like this for the next few years and that’s okay. We will find a balance.

This will all be worth it. ❤️

4th of July

This year it feels different. That’s because it IS different. Not only are we still in the midst of a pandemic…but we’re also still dealing still with Black Lives Matter. Black people are still fighting for equality. They’re still being killed in disproportionately high rates compared to white people and to other minorities. It feels wrong to celebrate the 4th of July.

This year I’m going to take some time reflect and learn something new. It’s also time to make a change.

❤️🤍💙

Let’s Talk

Let’s talk about mental health and how there needs to be a more open conversation about it. Let’s talk about our struggles and how we’re feeling. Lets make it normal and not awkward/weird. Let’s talk about burnout and how it is hurting our medical professionals. Let’s talk.

Physician suicide is real. The ACGME posted this PDF about 10 facts regarding physician suicide and mental health. The statistics are alarming. NPR wrote this article last year about a physician who committed suicide and how easy it is to not realize one is even struggling.

I don’t want any one of the physicians I know (including my own husband) to commit suicide. I don’t want to read their name in the paper or hear about it from someone near and dear to me. But it’s something that I have to be aware of. Alert for. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I’d rather be paranoid and catch the signs early rather than say “I wish I had paid more attention. I wish I had done x, y, z.”

Today is World Mental Health Day. Let’s talk. ❤️

It’s Been Awhile

Five days to be exact. Five days since I’ve seen my husband. It doesn’t sound like a long time when I think about those who don’t get to see their significant other for months at a time. Geoff and I did long distance in college. But we never went months at a time…maybe weeks at a time. Probably only once did we ever go months without seeing each other.

Oh good it feels to see him. To hold him. To kiss him. To talk face to face with him. It’s wonderful. Times like these become so much more precious and special to me as this journey called residency goes on. We’re up for a schedule change tomorrow too. He’s done with night medicine and starts pulmonology for two weeks. Then cardiology for two weeks. I’ve learned you just have to roll with the punches, because there isn’t too much benefit in trying to plan life.

So I’m going to enjoy tonight with my husband. ❤️

Peace Amongst the Storm

How can one be at peace or be peaceful amongst the storm? Amongst all the chaos that is life?

I’ve always admired those who were able to be positive and optimistic when life seemed to make a 180 degree turn. They seem to see the silver lining and keep moving ahead when they have every right to throw a tantrum. Sure, you can say that ‘this too shall pass’, but right now it certainly doesn’t feel like it. Kinda feels like it’s spiraling more and more out of control as time goes on. But it feels selfish to be feeling the way I do, when I know that it’s hard for everyone else too. I’m not the only one having a hard time dealing with this….my whole family is having a hard time dealing with this, but all in our own ways.

Snow Storm 2019 at my parents house

I’m sitting at the kitchen table in my parents house and it’s quiet. Peacefully quiet, but at the same time it’s far from quiet. There is so much noise and so much going on, I just want to hide away. No, I’m not trying to get sympathy comments or hugs or words from people, I’m also trying not to come off as some motivational speaker/person. Unfortunately, this is how I feel at this given moment in time. Sorry for how sporadic this post is….I’m just writing down what I am feeling and what I am thinking about. If you know me in real life or have spoken to me recently, then you know what I’m going through. For personal and private reasons, I won’t divulge it on the blog yet. Maybe one day I will, but that day is not today.

Xoxo

Preparing for Medical School – Housing & Moving

So your S.O. got into medical school. Congratulations! The journey is only just beginning. Now the first thing that you’re going to want to do is research and get your life somewhat ready. Chances are is that you and your S.O. are going to have to move for them to attend school. We knew back in March/April of 2015 where we were headed for the next four years. That gave us plenty of time try and come up with a game plan. Thankfully the school helped us with some of the research as they provided living accommodations near the school. We started with those, but then branched out and looked at surrounding areas as well. It was important for us to find something close to the school so that Geoff could bike if he wanted too.

Important Things to Consider (When Choosing a Place To Live)
1. Cost per month (rent and all – utilities, internet/cable, garbage, etc.)
2. Distance from the school
3. Distance from your place of work (if you’re choosing to work)
4. Distance from amenities
5. Neighborhood (safe, good school district if you have kids)

Not everyone’s top 5 things to consider will be the same, yours might be totally different. We ended up finding an apartment that was just about a miles or so away from the school Geoff would be attending. Thankfully the front office staff was able to help us secure a two bedroom, one bath unit on the first floor until we were able come down. We weren’t officially moving in till July, but thankfully we chose to make a weekend trip in June to Las Vegas so we could scope out the area. The apartment was the perfect first place to live. Close to the school, tucked away from busy streets, close to the freeways, close to amenities (some within walking distance)…nice grounds, etc.

The most bittersweet thing was packing up our childhood homes and officially moving out. I mean, we ‘moved out’ for college, but you always came back for breaks and such. We were moving moving out. Like, our bedrooms turned into guest rooms moving out. Anyways, strategically we have to figure out what was coming from each respective home and how we were going to load the U-Haul/Penske truck. Thankfully everything fit. Not to mention we were bringing both our cars down….so one of us had to drive a car and the other drove the Penske with trailer in tow. Guess who had to drive the Penske? Geoff. I followed behind in my car.

Driving away from our parents house’s was emotional. Everyone was crying or trying not to cry. No one wanted to say ‘goodbye’. I remember crying for the first few minutes driving away. I was leaving my entire life (up until that point) behind. I was leaving the comfort & familiarity of my hometown, my family, my friends….who wouldn’t be scared about what was ahead? The only thing that made moving better and that kept the fear of the unknown at bay was Geoff. I wasn’t going on this adventure alone, he was going to be there too and we were going to do this together. ❤

xoxo