Summer!

The Sunday before our mini-term finals was Allison's birthday. We decided this would be the perfect time to have that tea party we had been wanting to have since last fall. (I just knew we would get along when I mentioned that I wanted to host a tea party and my new roomie was just as excited as me!) We had an assortment of cookies, little sandwiches (Aunt Kate's cheese spread, I was thrilled it actually turned out), and three types of iced tea. About a week before the party we started scoping out the flower selection around our apartment complex and plotting the best time to do a little "pruning." The night before the party we executed our plan. The result: 4 vases of beautiful flowers...

The party was a huge success. We had about 25 classmates join us in celebrating Allison's birthday. Here are a few of us:

Finals were over at 10 o'clock on Wednesday, and my adventure to Orlando occurred shortly after. Brace yourselves for this adventure...

About 3 months ago I was having a bad day. I overslept, my hair-dryer stopped working (actually both of them), and my car would not start. I had been thinking of going to Optometry's Meeting in Orlando, but once all of this occurred I had made my decision: I wasn't going to go, I couldn't afford it.

Optometry's Meeting is hosted by the American Optometric Association (AOA) and is a giant convention for optometrists to go to for continuing education courses and socializing and the like. There is also a student component to the convention put on by the AOSA (American Optometric Student Association). One of the events for students is the Student Bowl. This is a Jeopardy type game with one representative from each school.

It just so happened that the evening of this awful day three months ago was when we were having a mini student bowl at school to determine who would represent SCO at the meeting. I went to the mini student bowl to support two of my classmates and good friends who were competing, and for the pizza (free food = a little better day). At this event there was also a raffle for travel grants to attend Optometry's Meeting. I ended up winning a $300 travel grant to attend the meeting!

Fast forward to the last day of finals...

-6:30 AM Rise and shine

-8:00 Final

-9:30 Al and I treat ourselves to McD's iced coffee as a treat for being done

-10:30 Nap (this is important)

-11 Start packing/cleaning apt

-5:10 PM Load car for airport (starting to sprinkle)

-5:15 Pick up Janelle (starting to rain)

-5:20 Pick up Megan and Maria (pouring)

-5:30 Pull over on way to airport (raining so hard, we can't see the road)

-6:00 Get to airport (I receive lecture on how my plastic baggy of toiletries is too big)

-6:30 Flight is delayed (we are assured it won't affect our connection)

-6:40 Flight delayed more (looks like we'll be spending the night in Atlanta)

-9:30 Finally board the plane

-10:00 Take off

-12:30 AM Get to Atlanta and wait in line for hotel voucher, and flight to be re-booked

-1:00 Man waiting on me jokes I "must have pissed someone off in Memphis" since instead of booking me on 7 AM flight with the rest of my friends the system was putting me on the 10 PM flight (I think "Oh God, I am now on the terrorist list, because of earlier toiletries fiasco"). After three tries to get me on the proper flight, it worked.

-2:00 Get to hotel, and vouchers are not for a free night as we were led to believe, but a discount (we decide that $50 is not worth a hotel room for 3 hours)

-2:30 Go back to airport, complain to airtran, get food and wait around for the security gate to open

-4:00 Get through security, go to gate to wait for the flight

-6:15 Board plane

-8:50 Finally arrive in Orlando

-10:30 Get to our condo and take a half hour nap before getting ready to go to opening session of the meeting!

At the end of the first day of the meeting I had been up for about 28 hours with about an hour and a half of naps sprinkled in. Overall a good time was had, and I picked up a lot of free contact solution, eye drops, and other goodies.

Here is a picture of my travel companions as we were leaving the airport to go to the hotel. (We look happy because we think we are headed to a free hotel room with a bed)

A few friends and I at the student bowl on the first night:

Enjoying the free food after the student bowl:

The hotel where the meeting was held was HUGE! There were even alligators in the atrium:

After a pleasant and uneventful trip back home, I learned that the apartment was going to be power washed. So I went to bring in my plants. Now I knew they would look a little rough since they hadn't been watered in nearly a week, but one looked really rough. It had a lot of leaves and branch like pieces in it:

Then I realized that it had a bird's nest in it, WITH 4 EGGS!

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to lose my plant, but I couldn't kill the little birds. I couldn't leave it out to get power washed, and I couldn't bring it into my apartment. I wasn't sure if birds were like other animals that abandon young when the catch the scent of human. I ended up bringing it in for about a half hour while the building was sprayed down. I figured this was the best chance of survival. The next day I went out to water the plants and there were 5 eggs in the nest, and the following day there were 6.

For the past four days there has been 6 eggs. I have sort of turned this into my own kiddish ecology project. I have been trying to take pictures each day, but Mamma Bird has been in the nest almost all the time, and frankly I'm afraid to go out there when she is around. She has a long and sharp looking beak. More to come on this project later...

Better than Avatar

This semester, as with the previous two, I have Theory and Methods lab. This is where we learn the procedures that we will be doing everyday once we get out into the real world. This semester we are learning how to use the slit lamp aka the biomicroscope. Basically this is a microscope that is used to look at the outer part of the eye, and the inner eye with the help of some very high powered lenses.

Previously we had looked at pictures in class. Pictures are only 2D, but when looking at the back of the eye with the slit lamp you can see depth. Now this doesn't sound like a big deal, but you really don't know what you're missing out on till you actually see it in 3D. Here is what the back of the eye looks like in a healthy individual in 2D:


Normally one person can use the slit lamp and see the image, but slit lamps at schools have an extra part called a teaching tube that allows a second person to also view the image (but in 2D). This is how our professors help teach us and grade us. It also comes in handy when we are practicing on our own.

As I was getting my extra lens lined up and focused on the back of my partner's eye for the first time a professor had wandered up and was watching through the teaching tube. At my initial awe of the sight he said to me "Better than Avatar in'nit?" (in'nit= isn't it, with a southern drawl). It really was a sight. In the picture above, where all the red lines are coming out of the yellow circle you actually see them coming out at you when using the slit lamp. Granted it is subtle, but comparing it to 2D vs 3D movies is really the best comparison that I can offer.

Below are the lenses used for the slit lamp, well I only know how to use the two little ones. I'll learn how to use the big one later. At the start of each semester we pick up the equipment that was ordered for us and learn how to use it during the semester. In the past we've gotten some pretty fancy kits. I think we all felt a little gypped when we were charged $700 for 3 lenses.

Ooh la-la de Paris

A while back we received an email asking for people to volunteer as models for a show school was hosting to advertise a new line called "ooh la-la de Paris" that The Eye Center (the clinic at school) was picking up. Allison and I thought that this sounded fun and decided to sign up. We convinced our friend Janelle to join us.

We didn't really know what we had gotten ourselves into, but as we walked in we saw the transformation that was taking place in The Eye Center. The check in area had lots of little goody-bags, the check out area had a fabulous spread of food, and the waiting area had a small runway!

We went to get fitted with the frames we would wear in the two fashion shows of the evening while the jazz band set up and the finishing touches were being made around the clinic. Over time we learned more about the event. It was a fundraiser for our "needy children’s fund" which covers costs of exam and glasses for children without insurance or other means to pay.

Later I learned that the two men fitting us in the fabulous frames were the owners and designers of the frames we were modeling, and alumni of SCO! After the first show we were having such a ball taking pictures and enjoying ourselves that they offered each of us any pair we wanted as a thank-you. We were thrilled! Here are some pictures of us enjoying the fabulous eyewear, food (I tried caviar!), wine and company of fellow students and staff:

Allison and I

The second year models

Trying caviar!

Enjoying ourselves and having a little wine

Second years with the owners and designers of Ooh la-la de Paris

Most of the models with the owners and designers again

Check out the Ooh la-la de Paris website: http://www.oohlaladeparis.com/

Iowa, you make me smile

For my week and a half break before my "mini summer term" I returned to Iowa for a week. It's so good to go home and just relax and catch up with people. I intended to chronicle my travels across the state to visit everyone, but looking through my pictures I realize I did a poor job (I have an excessive amount of Kate and our neighbors cat). So bear with me as I fill you in with text.

I started home on Monday and made it in record time (9 hours with only 1 stop!) On Wednesday it was a trip to the other side of the state to catch up with all of the grandparents. Lunch and afternoon with M&M. Grandma's lilacs were in full bloom and she and Grandpa were gracious enough to share with us. Here they are cutting down half the tree for us, I swear!

Late afternoon and evening was spent with my Grandma Mary. We were with her when she recieved the good news that she would be able to go home after spending a month recovering from hip replacement surgery. Next on the whirlwind stop was my cousin Tom's. We were too late to see the little ones since we got there after bed-time, but we did get to catch up with Tom and Meghan.

Thursday was the Iowa City trip to see my good friends Jen and Kristin at Hu Hot (my favorite!), and Friday was lunch with Jodee. Even though I see these girls so much less than I used to it seems like we pick up conversation and stories like we were just together yesterday. I guess that is what true friendship is like.

Saturday was spent in my pajamas reading a book in my favorite chair. Also a very good day!

Sunday was Mother's Day and after church we had Fred & Judy over and Ev, Josh and Kate over for a little cook out. Here is Mom and I with the cake I made her (all of the pictures turned out a little "Allison in Wonderland-ish" of us. I swear I am not that much bigger than my Mom!)

The neighbors cat also crashed the party. Kate enjoyed petting "Kitty," while Paul chased her out of the yard when he wasn't tending the grill :)

(As a side note: This was my first time meeting "Kitty" as Mom calls it since we don't actually know the cat's name. Mom is growing fonder of the cat, I think that means they need to get a dog, don't you?)

While in Iowa I kept re-assuring people "No it's not flooding where I live, only in Nashville." Then when I headed back on Monday I realized I had no idea what I was talking about...the park along the Mississippi had indeed taken on some extra water:

The trees are normally at the edge of the bank...

Allison and I took the opportunity to photograph our favorite houses on the island as well. Here is Allison's:

My favorite is 2 doors down:

Have you seen March?

...Because I don't know where it went, or the first part of April for that matter. Let me catch y'all up on the going-ons around here...

I helped Anna and Amanda celebrate their birthdays...

We had a lab practical where we had to take a patients blood pressure. Al and I practiced on ourselves...

More study groups...

My apartment complex has a little pick-nick area complete with a grill for the tenants to use. We arranged for a little cook-out. The weather was beautiful all day, then just in time for the cook-out it became cloudy and windy. We had a good time anyways...

Then it was time to celebrate Janelle's birthday in Tunica at Paula Deen's Buffet...

Al bought a little coffee pot for us. Now we have caffeinated motivation at home! (isn't it the cutest thing?)...

My parents came for Easter, and spoiled me rotten. Now I have patio furnature and party lights! My new favorite place to study...

Only 2 weeks left and then I will be a second year!

Study Groups, Study Breaks and Spring Break

The week before spring break we had a couple of tests; one which was in Theory. Theory is the most "optometristy" class we have. We are currently learning how to talk to patients, take a proper case history, how to make insurance companies happy, come up with a diagnosis based on test results and things like that. A few of my classmates and I got together for a little study group to go over charts and help each other start thinking like doctors instead of students. I managed to get a candid shot of these two:

A candid shot is difficult with Erin around, she is always posing! Our last test of the week was on Thursday, so that night the little study group got together for a little study break fun. We all made goodies and went a little overboard. There was soo much left-over! Below Erin counsels Anna in the art of posing for pictures

The last Friday of every month is the "trolley hop." All of the art galleries on main street stay open late and have free wine/beer and hors d'oeurves and it is free to ride the trolley along the way. We ended up seeing quite a few classmates also enjoying the trolley hop. This is my roommate and her boyfriend (Sorry Al this is the only pic I have of you two in a gallery!)

Walking from one gallery to the next (I just love this picture!)

After the trolley hope we stopped to get some food on Beale with some of our classmates. A great start to spring break!

"Real Snow" Snow Days

A few weeks ago when the entire nation was being pummeled by snow there was no exception here in the Mid-South. Monday I woke up at my usual time and got ready to go work out at the little rec center that my apartment complex has. Just as I was getting ready to leave I recieved a text message. This was a little unusual since most normal people are not texting at 5:45 AM. Turns out it was an alert from school and classes had been cancelled and the clinic was closed due to inclement weather. YAY! I had spent the entire weekend studying for the two tests that I was supposed to have that day. I stood there for a while debating what to do. Go work out, or go back to bed? I was already up and dressed to go work out and the excitement of another snow day (and not having to take two tests) made me feel much less sleepy. So I decided I would go work out and be super productive on my day off since I had neglected studying for some classes over the weekend.
Inclement weather resulting in snow days so far has meant little to no snow or a sheet of ice. As I was walking out I thought maybe I should put on a real coat along with the fleece I usually wear, you know because of the "inclement weather." Good thing I did because to my surprise upon walking out of my apartment there was real legitimate snow about 3 inches or so! It was the heavy, wet kind that is good for making snowballs and snowmen! After working out I came back and took a few pictures while it was still dark and snowing:

I then went back to bed...(so much for "super productive," I decided just "productive" was okay). After my early morning nap I took another picture: