Life Changing Birthday & Valentine's Day gifts

For Valentine's Day Ben gave me a jar full of daffodils (or buttercups as they are apparently called around here) and a note embedded in a math equation. I knew just what to do with the note; hang it up on the wall that has been bare and needing some picture love for 2.5 years now. I think it looks quite nice if I do say so myself!

I was excited about the daffodils (as I always am about receiving my favorite flower) and enjoyed them as long as they lasted, but I didn't take a photo of them. I have a confession to make though, today I was more excited about the jar they came in...

Let me explain. I have this fascination with the magazine Real Simple's 'New Uses For Old Things' articles. Ben knows this and gave me the book for my birthday:

Well one of the ingenious suggestions is using a mason jar on one's blender! I have this habit of collecting things, and my most recent collection has become glass/mason jars. Not a single one of them fits my blender; until i tried the jar the flowers were in! Happy day! Now I can make single serving raspberry smoothies without dirtying the blender and a glass! I'm more excited about this than I probably should be, but I don't care!

Put the ingredients in the jar:

Assemble the blender blade, rubber stopper and jar, then put on the blender as usual:

Single serving smoothie without all of the dishes to do!

It's Magic!

I came across a quote on Google+ today that I found interesting:

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.

-Carl Sagan

I use the internet multiple times a day everyday, yet I have no idea how it works. Ben on the other hand does and when he patiently explains how things like this work my response is "Oh so it uses magic." His response is "Yeah, exactly!" It's my easy answer to get out of thinking through all the cumbersome (in my mind) terms and science of technology. (Who are we kidding I don't even know/understand what twitter is let alone the electronics that make it possible.)

While studying I found myself thinking it's "magic" that makes oxygen get from our lungs to the rest of our body. Thinking of this quote I forced myself to get out the heavy physiology book I had brought with me to look up how it really works.

With that I thought I would share a fun fact from today's study session for y'all:

When we breath we don't use all of our lungs, the blood vessels in the top portion are closed off so the blood doesn't pick up oxygen at that location. When we exercise our heart pumps harder and forces the vessels at the top of our lungs to open.

Isn't learning fun!

P.S. I was hesitant to share this quote because it's hard to know the validity quotes online. I asked Ben about it because he is a bit of an expert on Carl Sagan and he updated it a bit. Here it is:

We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That's a clear prescription for disaster.

-Carl Sagan

Boy I'm glad I looked up how respiration works now!

Boards: Part I

On March 20th & 21st I will be taking part I of my national boards. It is a 500 question, $625 standardized test where I get to show off how much I've learned in the past 2.5 years, no big deal. In preparation for this monster of an exam I left Penny Laine back in Iowa so I could have more study time without feeling like I am neglecting her (she gets pretty grumpy if she doesn't get enough of her daily game of fetch, and countless walks). Anyways I came across some old photos and videos of her (I've done all my studying for the day already) and thought I would post some of them for your enjoyment (well I hope you enjoy them, I think that she's pretty cute, but I'm also a bit bias).

So without further ado, Penny Laine:

Floppy eared puppy:

The first video my parents sent to me:

Chasing her tail:

Just after she lost her front puppy teeth:

How she lost her front teeth:

The "I'm tired, but I don't want you to play with my new toy" look

These are her ornery ears:

Filling the role of 'bug killer" for Al and I:

Before she developed her irrational fear of car rides:

Fortunately we curbed this habit early:

When she pulled her first "cat" stunt:

Playing with her rawhide:

Enjoying a long walk along the (flooded) Mississippi:

Relaxing after a long walk:

Always wants to play fetch with her Frisbee:

Always has to be close to me when shes tired and I'm studying:

She likes to "nest" in blankets, a lot:

Again enjoying a long walk by the Mississippi:

It was a windy day for a walk:

Fall 2011 Recap

September: Iowa vs. TTU & SCO's Homecoming

Labor day weekend my alma mater (University of Iowa) played Ben's alma mater (Tennessee Technological University) at Iowa. So naturally I insisted we go to the game! I told Ben the weather would be much better than it was during his trip to Iowa last January. We went tailgating and it was overcast. Just before the game it started to pour. We left during the 3rd quarter when the game was postponed due to the inclement weather.

Jen and I tailgating (I didn't take many more pictures due to the rain)

Mid September SCO held it's annual Homecoming BBQ. My classmates and I gathered along with the alums in the back parking lot for some Memphis BBQ and beer. It's always a good time!

Jenny, Jessie, Ashley, Al and I:

Anna and I:

Ben and I:

October: TVCI, RAM & Halloween

The begining of October some classmates and I attended a conference at The Vision Care Institute (TVCI) which is a division of Johnson & Johnson. We spent 2 days in Jacksonville, Florida learning about their contact lenses, how to be better communicators with patients, how to better network, and touring the plant. TVCI covered all expenses of the trip. I'm beginning to learn that once optometry students start to see patients companies wine and dine us (can't really complain!)

Jenny, Al, Maria, Anna, Amanda, Ellen and I out to eat after just getting into Florida:

Jenny and I at TVCI:

Mid October I volunteered with some classmates on a Remote Area Medical (RAM) trip. We traveled 2 hours east to give free eye exams to those unable to receive care. People travel from all around and wait hours in line to receive free medical, dental and optometric care. We stayed at a summer camp! I enjoyed reliving my summer camp glory days but I must say Camp Wyoming had much sturdier bunk beds and nicer cabins in general!

The whole group in front of the RAM truck:

Van, Amanda and Addison after a long first day:

Sara, Emma and Adrienne in front of the girls cabin:

Where all of the glasses were made for our patients:

For Halloween Ben and I dressed up as Shaggy and Velma from Scooby Doo. I made Penny a candy corn costume, she was a bit embarrassed to be in costume! I gave Al a crash course in sewing and she made her owl costume!

November: Visionary Cruise & Thanksgiving

Wal Mart was next on the list to wine and dine the 3rd year class (only there was no wine, just dining). We went on a river boat cruise on the Mississippi and ate BBQ and learned about employment opportunities through Wal Mart and Sam's Club. Following the presentation there was a band, but my friends and I enjoyed the warm weather out on the deck and soaked in the Memphis night skyline.

Thanksgiving was spent with the Bell family. It was so good to be all together again and to finally show Ben off to my family!

"Be Good"

Al and I don't really check the mailbox too frequently. Usually it is about twice a month: when we expect the utility bill and the cable/internet bill, because besides junk mail that is the only other mail we receive. There is the monthly Real Simple magazine but that is about the most exciting mail we get. Today we got the mail and there were 3 particular pieces that didn't get tossed in my junk pile. One from church back home, one from the Lions Foundation, and a life insurance statement.

The one from church contained a letter written to me from 12 year old me. Turns out in 1997 during Vacation Bible School I wrote a letter to myself that was to be mailed to me in 2007. The letter was pushed to the back of Howard's closet and forgotten about till he found them recently. So he sent me my letter! In it I explain my favorite outfit (grey Nike t-shirt and black shorts), the most important person in my life (my mom), my greatest accomplishment (getting through K-5 and being good) and some advice to myself ("be good").

Al and I had a good laugh about my favorite outfit and my great accomplishment of completing the 5th grade and being good (I've been through 13.5 years of school since then!) But the most important person and my advice got me to do some thinking. I'm sure the "be good," advice I gave myself was strongly influenced by my mom. The thought of these two things kept running through my head as I opened the rest of the mail.

I joined the Lions Club this past fall. We have a big club at school (which makes sense based on the Lion's mission of saving sight). The letter was about raising funds to help vaccinate children.

I get a monthly statement of the life insurance policy left to me by my mother. Normally I glance at it and just leave it be. I imagine one day I'll use it as part of a down payment to buy or start my own practice.

"be good" kept running through my head and I decided I would make a donation to the Lions. Usually I brush off such monetary requests with the thought of how much debt I'm going to be in once I graduate. And it is true, I will have a good chunk of educational debt to pay off once I'm done, but I also am blessed to have a place to live, food to eat and some savings to help pay off the debt once I do graduate. So today I decided to help keep a few kids healthy and to do some good through the help of my mother.

P.S. Only 3 finals stand between me and break so y'all can expect a fall recap soon!

Herman & Kramer

This morning Al and I did not have class. We planned on getting up early and re-listening to lectures and studying. I admit I was slow to get started and when I finally sat down to listen to a posterior segment lecture from last week I heard this awful crying sound. Al and Penny heard it too and looking out my window I noticed a little beagle running along the back fence. The little guy ran off and stopped howling and I went back to my business. A little later there was more howling and Al informed me with dog treats in hand that there were two beagles and we were going to rescue them. One had crawled under the fence and they were trying to get back together on the same side.

I put on my shoes we left Penny on the patio and ran around the apartment to try to get the dogs (Al informed me they had collars on so I figured they belonged to someone). We lured the dogs to the hole with some treats, but the one on the opposite side was too scared to come under the fence. The hole is probably two feet deep and I thought I would be able to fit underneath the fence to get the little guy.

So in my pajamas I wriggled my way under the fence and coaxed the little guy to me and got a hold of his collar and read "Herman." As I passed Herman back under the fence to Al the other (more brave and skiddish) one slipped through a different hole and we were now back in the original situation! I caught him too (I read his collar as "Kramer") Eventually all four of us were on the same side and we had Herman in our hands and Kramer was running around, avoiding us and howling. I had Al read the phone number on Herman's collar while I dialed. I managed to miss-dial and called some poor man who hadn't had a dog in years. Oops, sorry. We managed to make contact with the owner who was looking for them just down the street. I told him we had his two dogs Herman and Kramer with us and he said he was down at the park and asked us to bring them there. I informed him we were having trouble catching Kramer but we would bring them as soon as we could.

Kramer was the obvious trouble maker of the two and the one we had heard howling in the first place. We finally caught the two of them and put them each on a leash (luckily Penny has two leashes) and corralled them into my car and we headed down the block. While in the car I was trying to determine which was which I thought Herman was on the floor and Al thought Herman was in my lap. I looked at each collar. Turns out they both said Herman, the owners name. I guess when I was half under the fence I misread "Kramer's" collar (maybe its best I didn't start studying this morning). I'm sure the owner was very confused when I said I had his dogs Herman and Kramer, but he didn't say anything when we reunited the three at the park. Turns out he was doing some training with them at the park when they took off after a rabbit.

Long story short we found two beagles and reuinted them with their owner. Gives me warm fuzzies :)

Al and "Herman" (I'm sure "Kramer" is howling and running around in the back)

"Herman" (left) and "Kramer" (right) leashed and on our patio

In other news Penny Laine got a new doggy hair cut. It's a legit westie cut.

Before:

After: