Sunday, January 31, 2010

Photo of the Day



Picture of Lillie - this will make your day, Emily

Photos

New photos will display to the Left of this text box. You can watch the slideshow, or click on the photo to see more. You can also click on the link below to go to my Flickr site to see photos. Hopefully this will all work out well.....

Saturday, January 30, 2010

T-36 Hours

It's getting here......
We just had dinner with some awesome friends and now we're starting our last 36 hours together. I'm actually kind of sad and think I'm going to miss Bry a lot. I've packed and re-packed the suitcase and even added some items. There's still a lot of extra room, I have a feeling that won't be the case on the way home and Bry may have to bring along an extra bag.
Talked to some other girls who I'm going to be staying with and they're all pretty excited. Can't believe it's here already!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Holy Cow

So I just worked out for the first time since Friday. No excuses, I know. Bry and I haven't been very good at working out. I used to think "I'm always on the go, I'm probably burning tons of calories during all my running around." Guess what: I WAS RIGHT. This vacation is killing me! I'm watching what I eat and following Weight Watchers - but I keep GAINING. And I think it's because after my workout, my daily activities have been reading, scrapbooking, watching movies and Law and Order Marathons. It just goes to show me that I'm used to being more active.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Getting Ready To Go!!

Well, my (new and shiny, thanks, mom) suitcase is packed. I've got a lot of extra room. The girls I'm going to be rooming with are trying to figure out what all we can share so we don't have 6 shampoos/conditioners/contact solutions/etc on the counters at one time. I've got at least 5 new books plus my Philippines book (thanks again, Lindsey) in my carry on pack and a new camera accessory is coming in the mail on Wednesday. I've got my electrical converters along too, and a flash light. Just in case.
I have my white coat, stethoscope and gloves packed for the actual hospital stuff.

So far the itinerary is as follows:
Depart Milwaukee 7:20 am on Monday, Feb 1. Arrive 9:30am O'Hare. Depart O'Hare 11:30am.
14 HOUR FLIGHT TO SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
2-3 hour layover
4 HOUR FLIGHT TO MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Arrive Manila 11:30PM on TUESDAY, FEB 2 (Manila time, which is 14 hours ahead of CST)

Wednesday we're having a group breakfast and then touring the American Embassy.

Thursday we're going to Corrigedor Island - the site of most WWII events and a former naval base.

Friday we leave for the Bataan Peninsula. We'll be on a bus on dirt roads which doesn't sound like fun, but hiking to a remote village of the Ayta people should make it worth the ride. We'll be spending the night on the beach (with Karaoke??!!) and sleeping in tents and mosquito netting.

Saturday we head back to Manila. We'll have Saturday and Sunday to explore some before we all start work on Monday at Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
I will be working in the Emergency Department. Evidently the guy in charge of it is one of the leaders in handling massive natural disasters in Southeast Asia - there should be some good stories there! Plus, in a city with minimal traffic laws and vehicles left over from WWII and 15 million people, I'm not planning on being bored!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Turning 26

Today is my 26th birthday. Not sure why, but this one is bugging me a whole lot more than 25 did. I just feel..... OLD. Now that I've been on vacation for 3 weeks I am feeling useless, flabby and like I've "wasted a quarter of my life", as Callen would tell me. Ah, the wisdom of nine year-olds!

We've been watching "Hoarders" on TLC which has made me go on a cleaning mission. This morning I cleaned my living room, did the dishes, vacuumed and cleaned out our "catch-all" closet. I threw away boxes I'd been "saving' for when we move - I think our cell phones will be able to make it just fine without the original plastic cases. Next up, Jesse and I are using Amy's minivan to pick up my newest present - a piece of furniture to give us some more storage in the living room. I've been HATING the way our desk area looks - so cluttered and no place to hide anything. We found a terrific deal at JC Penney Furniture outlet and got a $1000 TV stand with side cabinets for just $200 thanks to some bargaining. Plus, built in workout getting it into my apartment!

Now I've got to get back to cleaning - not sure that I can "baby proof" my house in 2 hours, but at least I can move the electrical cords that we keep out willy-nilly!