We had a wonderful weekend. It was exactly what I needed. I feel refreshed, like maybe I can actually finish the next two months without becoming a raving lunatic. We saw a LOT of pirates roaming around the resort town and spent some time with them and a lot of time with just the two of us. We had 3 hour dinners and long walks on the water and even took an afternoon to see a movie together in the theatre, something we hadn't done in ages (we saw At Worlds End, of course).

Now I have to come back to reality and study a bit for the midterm I have tomorrow.

I'm now in my maternal newborn rotation. It's much more difficult than any of my others have been. It feels like I've been spending a lot of my time studying. Posting will probably continue to be infrequent at least until Memorial Day, when I promise I will post pictures of our anniversary weekend complete with pirate fest!

The weather here is gorgeous. We went on a lovely hike yesterday up to two different viewpoints in East Rock Park. Afterward, I made dinner and the people we hiked with came over for Pac-Man and board games. It was a pretty awesome day, a much needed break from the depressing monotony of school.

Everyone is starting to leave New Haven. All of the undergraduates are moving out for the summer and the grad students are finishing up and either graduating or going on summer trips. It's nice because there's finally parking downtown, but it's also a wicked reminder that I have almost three months of school left. At least during the summer there will be nicer ways of spending my time off. Summer in New Haven is actually pretty fantastic. There's tons of farmer's markets, free movies in the park, excellent plays, and the hiking is so much better with the sun out. There's also the opportunity for weekend trips to the beach - something I hope to really take advantage of this summer.

It's been a busy week. I finished up my pediatric clinical - it went by much faster than I anticipated. I ended up having a pretty awesome experience there. The hospital was wonderful and the nurses were great - if only it wasn't so far away! I will not miss getting up at 5am.

I had two finals this week, marking the end of two classes and the beginning of two more. It's hard to get used to the schedule here, where classes start and stop without a real pattern. We have semesters, but they have nothing to do with when classes begin and end.

I still have a paper to write and an online midterm to take before Monday hits, but I'm taking the afternoon off to go to the graduate "Chill-Out" where I've heard there will be free facials and massages. I'll write better once I'm relaxed, or so I tell myself. Meanwhile, if anyone thinks of a topic that will fill out 5-7 pages on an enduring issue in nursing, pretty please send it my way!

Good news! I got the job! It starts up next week. I think it'll be good for Kevin and me - a little extra money certainly won't hurt.

The weather was really nice for a few days - upper 70's, sunshine. It was beautiful and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible. I went hiking with some girls over the weekend and yesterday took a walk for some ice cream after class with the same people. It was so nice. It'll have to last me for a while, because it's already turned rainy and chilly again. It may be for the best, though, seeing as how I have two finals on Tuesday and really should use the weekend to study rather than hanging out in the sun.

Spring is finally here! It's supposed to be 77 and sunshine all day. Perfect for hiking and sushi. It should be a wonderful afternoon...

I know that there's a huge chance that you have no idea who Ellen Muth is. That's okay. I have a feeling that most people don't know who she is. No problem, I will fill you in - she's the lead in a show Kevin and I like called Dead Like Me. She looks like this (she's the tall one):

I sat at the table next to her today and ate some ice cream. Isn't that thrilling?!

I wanted to grab her shoulders and shout "I've seen you on TV!!!" Luckily I was able to control myself. Wise, mature, wordly Kevin was not excited at all - he saw Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman together and didn't get excited, so you can imagine Ellen Muth was pretty dull for him. It was the highlight of my week.

I probably ought to get out more.

The storm started last night and it continued all morning. Kevin and I had planned a brunch date at this little Italian restaurant that has live Jazz. We decided to brave the downpour and go since we'd both been looking forward to it. What a good decision that turned out to be! The food was amazing, the Jazz was perfect, and the tiramisu was just like Italy! It didn't hurt that it was one of the least expensive places we've been to since we got to New Haven. Kevin's put it at the top of his list of favorite restaurants - we will definitely be going there again!

I'm almost completely recovered from my sinus thing, but I still get tired so easily. It's very frustrating when there's so much I want to do! I talked to Kevin about the Pirate Festival (on May 26) and he has agreed! We booked a beautiful bed and breakfast and plan to spend our long weekend taking walks along the beach, exploring shops and restaurants, and maybe seeing a pirate show or two. Isn't that a perfect way to spend our first anniversary?

A couple of exciting bits of news:

1. I have a job interview next Wednesday to be an RA of the apartment complex.
2. There is a Pirate Fest in Newport next month. I haven't told Kevin yet, but I'm pretty sure not going would be fatal to my scurvy pirate heart.

I stayed home sick from clinical today. I feel kind of guilty about it, like everyone is going to think I'm faking. But I woke up at 4:30 with an awful sinus headache and chest pains and I was so tired after making myself lunch that I couldn't even eat it, so maybe it's a good thing that I took the day off. I've spent the day so far drinking water, reading, and throwing dirty tissues all over the living room because I just don't feel like moving a trash can closer to the couch. I picked a good day to be sick - it's been nothing but cold and rainy outside. It's the kind of day that was made for curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. Now if I can just gather enough energy to boil some water for that cup of tea, I'll be all set.

I haven't been very good about posting lately, mainly because there hasn't been very much to post about. School is occupying most of my time these days, and with clinicals so early in the morning, I'm usually ready to pass out by the time I get home. Pediatrics is the most academically challenging unit I've had yet. I think part of it is because I'm just not as interested in peds as I am in other areas of nursing. Our midterm is on Tuesday, so here's hoping I get a lot more studying done in the next two days! Tonight I'm taking a break for movie night. Apparently, there were some pretty awesome movies I missed out on in the 80's that I'm being introduced to later on today.

Kevin did make it home safe from Arizona. He had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back permanently. He's working four days in a row, which has been a little rough on him. It may not sound like much, but when the days are 12-14 hours of being on his feet all day and sometimes not even getting to stop for lunch - they can be pretty exhausting. I don't think he's taking as good care of his back as he could be, either. One more reason for him to cut back on work once we have kids.

I'm off to make cookies for Kevin to take to work tomorrow. He has to work Easter, so they're all going to bring in food.

I had a wonderful time last night. The play was... weird. There was a lot more nudity than any of us anticipated (especially those of us who anticipated none - chiefly myself). Afterwards, we ended up at a birthday party for some girls at the nursing school. There were a few drinks and lots of dancing. It's been a while since I've had that much fun. It made me resolve to go out with the girls more often. Still, I'm ready for Kevin to come home now.

The apartment is a different place without a boy living in it. Things stay where I put them, no messes are made while I'm away, I don't have to worry about what we'll eat for supper - cereal works for me. Yesterday I came home from clinical and slept for close to 13 hours. No one stealing the covers or snoring or waking me up to see if I want to be awake yet. Note: if my eyes are closed I do not want to be awake.

I've done a lot of reading and cleaning and catching up with friends. I'm going out with some girls tomorrow - it's grad night at the repertory theatre and we're seeing a production together. It'll be a nice weekend here by myself - a chance to catch up on all the things I put aside to spend time with Kevin. But I have a feeling I'll be ready for him to come home on Tuesday. He is awful sweet - he bought me those lilies as a goodbye present, and though I'm enjoying my solitude, I do miss him.

Spring is finally starting to come to New Haven. On my walk today I saw several flowers starting to bloom, and I even got warm in my jacket. I can't believe March is almost over. This year is flying by, just like everyone said it would.

Getting up at 5 for clinical has not been easy for me. My breakfast consists of a Sprite and a dramamine - as one of the girls in my group said, it's the breakfast of champions.

I do really enjoy my new rotation, despite the early hour. It's a hospital devoted entirely to children, so the atmosphere and the attitudes of employees is much nicer than other hospitals I've been to. We're on the infant and toddler floor - they're all so tiny!

Kevin left at 2:45 this morning for Arizona. He'll be back Tuesday. Until then, I'm stuck without a car, which is probably a good thing because it means I'll actually get some exercise. The weather has been warming up a little lately, so I should be able to walk most places. The real downside is that I'd have to walk through a pretty rough neighborhood to get to my yoga studio, so I'll probably have to go without this week.

This weekend will be a great opportunity for me to play catch-up. The school year is back in full swing and I have no idea how it happened so quickly. There's so much to learn! I haven't settled into a new academic routine, since my schedule changed so much over break. I'm a little behind on reading and studying, so I plan to do plenty of both in the next few days.

I was getting caught up on pictures and found this one. Thought it was pretty cute - a few of us gathered at our favorite sushi place before school started up again. Hurray for half price sushi!

Over the weekend we got about six inches of snow and ice. Kevin and I ventured out only once during that time, to mail back movies and have a snowball fight (which got a little extreme when he decided to hide out in the apartment and I brought a snowball in after him).

Now I'm back at school. It was a very restful break, but it was getting boring around the house, so it feels kind of nice to be back. The only thing I'm really sorry about is having to get up early again. My next clinical rotation is 45 min away and starts at 7am, so I will be getting up very early starting next week.

Mission Accomplished

I found my pretty dress at Ann Tayor. I'm a little in love with it, though before I can wear it properly I have to buy some shoes to go with it. What else it birthday money for, right?

My goal for the day was to buy a pretty dress. Instead, I split a bottle of wine and a pizza with my husband and played cards until dark. It was the most fun we've had together since Italy. There's always tomorrow to buy a dress...

It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks. I survived finals just fine, though I did get pretty stressed out. I haven't studied that hard since my freshman year in college.

The day after finals ended, my parents and Grandma Mary flew out. It was a really nice visit. I showed them around campus, we ate at some good restaurants, and got to play cards. The last day they were here, we all drove up to Newport, saw the Breakers, and drove Ocean Drive. It was a very cold, but good day.

I have one more week of Spring Break left to do whatever I want. So far I've done a whole lot of nothing, which has been kind of nice. I'm really looking forward to a few more days of the same.

Kevin woke me up to tell me it had snowed several inches overnight. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and the city had a calm blanket of white over it. I called the campus service for a private escort to school and spent the whole ride looking out the window, wondering at how lovely the city could look covered in snow.

The two finals I had today went okay. The one that I needed to do really well on went better than expected and the one I expected to do well on wasn't as easy as I had hoped. Overall, though, they went fine.

I'm back at home now, trying to study for my pharmocology final tomorrow, but my eyes keep drifting to the window, where it's started to snow again.

Dinner Party

Having the girls over last night turned out to be an ideal break from studying. Everyone brought their notes just in case we wanted to quiz each other, but that just didn't happen. There was a lot of eating, wine, and laughing.

I went to power vinyasa this morning, the most intense yoga class at the studio, and worked out a lot of stress about all the exams I have tomorrow. I'm still slightly terrified, but I feel better prepared to take on the studying. My friend Erin said it best, when I was worried about my last test grade in pathophys. She said to me, "Stephanie, even if you just scrape by, you will still graduate with a degree from Yale. That happens with a 98 or 75. No one's going to be requesting your transcipt when you're applying for jobs." It's still hard for me to remember that I don't have to be at the top of the class, I don't have to get a 94 or better on all my tests. I am trying to remind myself that it's okay to do my best and leave it at that. Although I am struggling, it's in a class full of fellow perfectionists who know exactly how I feel, and that is a blessing.