stars are out tonight... let's take some pictures

Well, I'm back in Albany and my 4th and final year of medical school is in full swing! I'm doing a rotation in the NICU, and I'm absolutely loving it. I worked in a NICU as a nursing assistant before medical school, so it holds a special place in my heart. Some of the best people I have ever worked with are NICU nurses. They are incredible people with the biggest of hearts.

Anyway, more about the NICU and medical school later... for now, here are a few star pictures from our trip to Idaho. I love it there, and looking at these star photos almost makes me feel like I was laying on the dock again. I can't help but take a deep breath - expecting to feel the same fresh air fill my lungs. But alas, we're back in Albany with the humidity (though it's not as bad as last year).

I used a shutter speed of 30 seconds, which accounts for the blurry stars. Even when using a tripod, the Earth moves just enough... maybe next year we'll try to get star tracks! (I took these pics with my little sister Lisa... http://itooksomepictures.blogspot.com/)

The Big Dipper... Can you see it?

(You can see it now...)

Tips on taking photos of stars 

(from my own, nonexpert, experience):

1. Use a tripod (this is absolutely a must)
2. Shoot in manual mode (or shutter priority)
3. Keep your ISO as low as possible to avoid too much noise. (I used 200-300, but some people go up to 1200)
4. Use a shutter speed of around 30 seconds
5. Adjust your aperture accordingly (you really need an aperture of f/2.8 or so) 
6. Use manual focus (unless you can get your camera to focus on a light on the horizon)
7. If available, use a remote to avoid extra camera shake
8. Be prepared to get frustrated... and take a ton of photos for maybe a couple of decent shots
9. Be happy you're outside, enjoying nature! 

Priest Lake is my happy place. So many lovely memories. Where is your happy place? I'd love to hear about it!

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Instagram Recap - Cabin Vacation

Hello!

We just returned to Seattle from a wonderful week-long vacation at Priest Lake, Idaho. I made a little polaroid template in Photoshop to display my Instagram pics from the trip. As you can see below, the weather was perfect and we had a great time! I'll post some other photos of our adventures soon. Enjoy!

     

     

     

     

     

And a little video.

Hope you all are having a great summer!

Perfect Study Break Salad

Hello Friends!

Time for an update! Since my last post, I finished my surgery rotation, studied and took 2 more national board exams, and started packing for a 3 week trip to the west coast! It has definitely been a busy month... This post was actually supposed to be published a few weeks back, but I never actually go around to finishing it (something about studying for 12 hours a day...) Anyway, hope you enjoy it! I should have some more time for crafting and blogging over the next couple of weeks.

Okay. It's noon, I've been studying since 6am, and I'm hungry. Sure, I had a piece of toast with peanut butter on it around 7am, but my brain needs extra fuel these days. The problem is, I've only got a couple of minutes for a lunch break, and I don't have time to make something fancy. So, I open the fridge and let what's left of my creative brain juices go to work...

That's what happened, and it was amazingly delicious. I'm calling it "Spicy shrimp and black bean salad with avocado and sesame oil dressing"

Here's the recipe so you can enjoy this little bit of heaven, too! (Makes one serving).

Ingredients:

6 large shrimp, cooked, and cut in half
Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli Slaw (or lettuce of your choice)
A couple large spoon fulls of black beans (I used Fresh Market's sodium free black beans)
1/2 avocado
3 large basil leaves, chopped (or torn, in my case)
2 teaspoons of sesame oil (more if you desire)
Sriracha to taste
Dash of garlic salt
Dash of onion powder

Steps:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mash/mix until you are satisfied with the texture and you feel like the slaw is appropriately coated in avocado-sesame oil goodness. That's it!



Obviously you could do any number of things to improve upon this recipe based on what you've got in your refrigerator, but this is a good and easy start!

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Medical School Life: Surgery Rotation

Somehow, it has been over 2 months since my last post! I promise, I haven't forgotten about crafting or blogging, I've just been crazy busy with school. I started my surgery rotation in April (last rotation of 3rd year!) To be perfectly honest, I thought I would be miserable for two months. We all hear horror stories of med students getting yelled at by OR nurses, docs, and scrub techs, and "pimped" by attending physicians and residents. (In the operating room, one of our "responsibilities" is to cut the sutures for the doc who is sewing up a wound. There is a joke that when medical students ask how long to cut the suture material, the doc responds with, "there are only two lengths medical students cut sutures: too long or too short. It's never right...") We're also told that we can pretty much forget about sleeping and eating because there simply isn't time for those things. Personally, I was dreading all the blood, bodily fluids, smells, etc.

Needless to say, I was planning on these two months being the worst two months of my life. It turns out, as is often the case, that I was dead wrong. This surgery rotation has been one of the best experiences I've ever had! Sure, the physicians expect you to know your stuff, come prepared, and be eager to learn, but that's not an unreasonable expectation. Yes, I've been asked hundreds of questions about anatomy, disease processes, surgical management, and even the names of artists and bands on the OR radio, but I wouldn't describe it as "pimping." It is clear that the doctors actually care about my learning, and I appreciate the challenge. Plus, when I get their questions wrong and am corrected, I am much more likely to remember it in the future, when I'm actually in charge of making decisions that impact patients' lives.

The OR environment is intimidating, but I've found that if I am polite, explain that I am a medical student who is still learning how the whole OR system works, the scrub techs and nurses are amazingly pleasant. They give advice, encouragement, and correction when needed. Again, all in the spirit of helping me become the best physician possible.

There is some truth to the lack of sleep and normal eating schedule, but my senior resident told me on day one of the rotation that the number one rule of surgery is "sleep when you can." Number two is "eat when you can." This has proved to be great advice!

I've actually loved surgery so much that I've had to question my decision to go into pediatrics several times. More than in any other rotation, multiple attending physicians have encouraged me to do surgery. Apparently I have pretty good dexterity. (Let's just say being a piano player, sewer, crafter, etc-er has definitely been paying off!) As strange as it sounds, I've found surgery to be kind of like an intricate craft. It involves an understanding of the tools and materials, making a plan, being creative, developing a sophisticated technique, and having patience, etc. Obviously people's lives are at stake and I'm not trying to make light of that, just to be clear, but I think I have enjoyed it partially because of the crafter in me. Even with this new found love for surgery, I am still going to pursue pediatrics, but I think I am more likely to consider NICU, PICU, peds cardiology, or peds gastroenterology because of the procedural aspects of those sub-specialties. We'll see what happens!

So, before I get back to studying for the three exams I have next week, I just wanted to let you all know why I've been MIA here in blog land. From what I have learned in these two months, my encouragement to all of you is this:

• Keep your mind open and pay attention
• Always be willing to learn and try new things
• Don't take the opinions and experiences of others as fact
• Be polite 
• Consider the intentions of the people giving you advice or constructive criticism, and receive it with gratitude! 

I'll be back to the crafting soon!

Spring Fever!

Hello!

I don't know about where you live, but here in Albany, we still have snow on the ground and I'm absolutely ready for some sunshine and SPRING to kick in!

Despite the weather outside, I figured I could do my part to get our apartment somewhat more springy inside. I have a few projects in the works, but I thought I'd share this little printable I made. It's a quote from Huckleberry Finn in Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, Detective, and it absolutely captures how I feel about spring!

Feel free to use it for your own purposes... hope it helps get spring going for you, too!

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A Marriage Legacy

Hello!

Today, my grandparents celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary! I don't know about you, but I think it's incredible to have couples in my life who have shared over 60 years of memories together. 

My parents will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year and the hubby and I will celebrate our 5th.

My husband's grandparents celebrated their 60th last year, and his parents celebrated their 30th. 

I'm grateful for so many inspiring relationships and I am so excited for another 55+ years of doing life together with my hubby! Sometimes, I feel like I'm getting so old, but today is a great reminder that there is so much more living to do!

I have a feeling it's going to be a good day :)

Fresh Apple Cake

Hello!

I am officially on "spring break" for 2 weeks! I just finished my pediatric rotation and will start my family medicine rotation next. I wish this meant two whole weeks of crafting and relaxing, but I do have quite a few other responsibilities to take care of. Even so, I'm looking forward to spending a good deal of time baking, crafting, photographing, and of course relaxing. The hubby and I will be heading to Florida again next weekend. Yay for sun and warm weather!!

To get this break started right, I made my grandmother's Fresh Apple Cake. This was the first time I have ever made it... despite enjoying it a TON growing up. My mom has seriously perfected her mother-in-law's tasty recipe. I'm happy to say mine turned out great! Aside from peeling the apples, the cake is quite easy to put together. The full recipe for print is below. Hope you enjoy!

Cake:

• 1c oil
• 3 eggs
• 1t vanilla
• 2c sugar
• 2c flour
• 4c thinly sliced apples, peeled
• 2t cinnamon
• 1t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1t nutmeg
• 1t cloves
• (1c chopped pecans or walnuts - optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, oil, and sugar. Add vanilla and mix well until fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients (flour and spices). Add to other mixture and beat well. Add apples and nuts. Blend well. Batter will be thick. Bake in greased 9 x 13 glass dish at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Let cool.

Icing:

• 12 oz softened cream cheese
• 1.5t vanilla
• 4.5t melted butter
• 1.5c powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients well, spread on cooled apple cake.

 

So fresh and delicious! Also, this is my absolute favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. It's the perfect balance of sweet + cream cheese flavor. Yum!

Here's the recipe as a JPEG to print:

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Med School Formal (aka med school prom)

Hello! I apologize for the long absence. I've had a great month on my pediatrics rotation... so many incredible kids! Unfortunately, I also got a couple of nasty colds. No matter how hygienic I am with hand washing, you really can't predict when a kid will cough or sneeze in your face during your physical exam. Anyway, over the weekend, we had our annual medical school formal. Here are some pictures from the event!

 A few ladies from the Keytones - our a cappella group!

We had a great time and are looking forward to next year - our last one!

Digital Chalkboard Art

While browsing Pinterest, I found some great chalkboard backgrounds and tutorials for making your own digital chalkboard art in Photoshop.

It was a quiet Saturday evening in our apartment as we watched the playoff games and enjoyed pizza + wings, so I opened up Photoshop and played around with the chalkboard background from here and the tutorial from here. These are great free resources, so check them out!

Using one of my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh quotes, I made this simple little sign. There are three different versions - feel free to save them for your own use. Here's a brief summary of what I did:

1.     I opened the chalkboard background in Photoshop, selected the Type tool, chose a fun font (or a few), and typed out my quote. Then I selected "crumpled paper" as a pattern overlay in blending mode under layer style.

2.     Then I rasterized the text layer and added some noise at less than 30% to make the "chalk" not so smooth. 

3.     Next, I used an eraser on 20% opacity to make some parts of the letters lighter than others. Finally, I made a new blank layer on top and used a white round brush set to 20% opacity to make some smudges on a few of the letters. All these steps are explained really well in Courtney's tutorial :)

This last version incorporates a bird graphic from The Graphics Fairy :)

I'm looking forward to creating more Photoshop chalkboard art soon!

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