Save the Date

How long can someone put off getting a real job? 

Some start right after high school graduation.

Others start their job search after college.

Some after a graduate degree or doctorate.

Some after a graduating a residency program (ie. Internal Medicine)

If you're really into post-graduate training, you might specialize in a fellowship like Gastroenterology.

If you're somewhat crazy, you might continue on with a second fellowship, such as Transplant Hepatology.

As it turns out, training became a "real job".  Caring for patients, doing research, teaching students and dealing with the business aspect of medicine are not strangers to me anymore.  

I think the reality is that I just like to celebrate graduations. 

So come celebrate my very last graduation on Friday June 29th at Schubas at 9pm.

Caps and gowns are long gone; just stop by have a beer and give me a high five.

My friend Seth (also graduating his second fellowship) and I will be there waiting.

Memorial Weekend

It's rare that we have a weekend where we don't have things planned out weeks in advance.  This weekend was a wonderful exception.  

I kicked off Saturday with a 20 mile bike ride along Lake Michigan before heading in to Northshore for my overnight shift.  After sleeping a few hours, Jay and I went to our favorite summer brunch place, Cafe con Leche, for some massive breakfast burritos.  If you haven't been yet, you need to go!

We (I) did a little shopping in Bucktown before we headed to Pilsen for the Mole de Mayo festival.  This festival had all the components needed for the best street festival ever.  Mole contest with many local Mexican resturants, a mechanical bull, live music, Michelatas, and even Mexican wrestling and fire twirlers!  The intense heat kept us from staying long, but I'm glad we went.

Still sleep deprived, I somehow rallied to have sushi at Coast with our good friends Goob and Melinda.  We have a tendency of having sushi with them on patriotic holidays.  Strange, but fun.

After struggling through a HOT 11 mile run/walk with Annie in the morning,  I had a picnic at The North Branch Trail park with Jason, Jamie, Filip and Ypsi the dog.  Jamie made caprese chicken sandwiches, cucumber salad, sangria and beet/pinapple juice.  I made rasberry-chile chilled soup and Jay made rice crispies.  We had a great time in the shade.  Ypsi (short for Ypsilanti) was a hit with all the children nearby.

All-around pretty great weekend.

Bridesmaid Dress Contest

I've asked each of my bridesmaids to pick a dress from the four above in the next few weeks.  I tried to find a variety of styles so that everyone would have one that suits them.  I  picked a different beautiful dress option for my sister:the maid of honor.

Just for the hell of it I wrote a list of which dress I think each of the ladies will choose. I sent it to my sister to keep track of the results.  Narrowing down to two dresses was easy for everyone, but picking just one was tough.  I wonder how I'll do.  Statistically I have a 1 in 4,096 chance for being right if I exclude the maid of honor dress option.   1 in 20,480 if I include my sister's 5th option. 

 I definitely have a favorite one.  Which one is your favorite?!

Yellow- So Hot Right Now.

San Diego- DDW 2012

I'm in San Diego for the annual Digestive Disease Week meeting of Gastroenterologists from all over the world. While the majority of time has been spent in conference rooms, I have made time for some fun! 

 I came in a day early and Andrea took the train down from L.A. to hang out. We had so much fun. We walked to entire city from Gaslamp to Seaside Village, to Embarcadero, to Little Italy. Stopping along the way for manicures, game of checkers, shopping, and cocktails.  We even fit in a seaside jog!

The conference itself was much less painful when I could sit next to my old friend from undergrad dorms who is also a GI doc, Marcy.  We caught up and I had a chance to get to know her husband much better which was an added bonus.

After the meeting we hit the Hard Rock Pool for happy hour and carried the evening on from there. Great times!

Last evening Marcy, Osman and I took a taxi up to La Jolla to meet up with a residency friend Jane who is doing her interventional cardiology fellowship at Scripps Clinic.  We ate at Georges on the Cove which was amazing and a perfect end to a wonderful trip.

See you soon Chicago.

Riverbank Run Race Report

Yesterday I ran the Fifth-Third Riverbank 25K run for the first time since 2009.  Last year I was registered but downgraded to the 10K because I knew I wasn't in any shape to run a 25K.  I started running again about a month ago.  Until yesterday my longest run was 10 miles and I've still only been running once a week, but I decided I would give the 15.5 mile 25K a try. 

My race expectations were very different from 2009, where I finished a half hour faster on a more challenging course.  This year my goal was to run the first 10 miles without walking and run/walk the rest of the race.  I had no time goal in mind.  Since last weekend I had trouble holding a 10 min/mile for 5 miles, I knew speed wasn't going to happen.

I surprised myself.  The race weather was perfect- 60s and cloud cover.  The 25,000+ runners and well supported race in a tree-canopy along the river made the atmosphere perfect.  Mom and Dad came to cheer me along at mile 7 and 12.  I ran the first 5 miles at 10 min/pace.  Texted while running for the first time (not advised).  I slowed down a bit and held around 10:30-11 pace until mile 11 when the hills became unbearable.

I ran walked from mile 12 to the end: 30 minutes slower than last time.  Although my finishing time is not on the website (which is a total buzz kill) my watch time said 3:05 which would put me about 42% of finishers.  Sometimes you feel like end of the pack when you are run/walking- but in reality I was almost in the middle.

I was all smiles.  So impressed I was able to complete the run at this stage of fitness.  Looking forward to getting in better shape and seeing what my next race will be like.

Ode to My Condo

Two weeks after I put my condo on the market, I had an offer.  45 days agonizing days later my condo finally closed on Tuesday.  While the last few days leading up to the close were nostalgic and somewhat stressful, the actual moment the sale was final I jumped up and down.  Literally. 

Selling this condo had more meaning to me than I will probably be able to explain, but I will give it a try.

In March of 2008 I purchased this modern 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom in Wicker Park.  It was the first (and only) major purchase I've made in my life.  Until that point in my life, I'd always had a roommate and almost always had a boyfriend.  Life had been somewhat of a party.  But somehow I found myself 29 and newly single.  My roommate of 7 years was engaged to be married and would be moving in with her fiance in the summer. 

Searching for this condo gave me something to be excited about.  Something to look forward to.

I loved this condo.  I bought in a neighborhood away from most of my friends.  I expressed myself by painting, decorating and filled it with my personality.  I rediscovered my inner strength (which had been buried for just a little while).   I graduated residency and fellowship.  I put down the remote/wine bottle and trained for an Ironman.

Selling this condo was monumental.  It feels like it marked the end of a chapter and the beginning of the next.  I will be forever grateful I had an opportunity to be a home owner all on my own.  For my single years in my late twenties and early thirties.  It's funny how life works out just the way it's suppose to.  

 

 

Cinco De Miler

 Sunday Annie and I ran in the Running Away Multisport- Cinco de Miler.  It's the first race we've ran together and we had so much fun.  We joined 3000+ Chicago runners for a 5 (get it Cinco) mie run around Montrose Harbor and along Lake Michigan.  We had our weekly gab-session while running and were greeted by Mariachi bands along the way.

 Perhaps the best post-race party I've seen with churros, chips and salsa and breakfast burritos for everyone!  There were pinatas, a live band and Modelos for those who wanted a beer at 9am (not us).  If one picture posing with food wasn't enough, here's another...

Needless to say I was very excited about the snacks.  Neither of us wore watches or paid much attention to our pace.  Later in the day I checked our time and was surprised to see our pace was much slower than it felt.  I'm not sure I've ever talked to someone an entire race and maybe that was why I felt so winded.  Perhaps it's that I'm only running one day a week right now.  Either way, I wouldn't change one thing about this race.  I'm so happy Annie and I have started running together and hope we continue to do so for many weeks to come. 

We've registered for The Northshore Half Marathon on June 3rd!

Derby Day Attire

We've been saving this fashion-forward sweater since we grabbed it during The TenCate Family White Elephant Christmas exchange.  The party we were planning on wearing it to didn't happen this year, so we had a photo shoot before heading our separate ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Cousin Jean and Jimmy sent along a matching mug as an engagement gift, perfect for margaritas or mint julips!

Jason lent me his great uncles ring for the night, my tribute to Derby Day into the Cinco de Mayo night.

This outfit is too fantastic to put away for good, so we'll save it for another occasion soon!