random

taking a page out of Bridget's book

this was me. yesterday.
(couldn't pull it together well enough to post yesterday. because i was cooking.)

heirloom tomato salad with burrata, balsamic, and basil

money shot of the burrata

i only cook things that have names with nice alliteration
(not true.)
you may recognize this salad from this post.
because i definitely swiped the recipe/idea from Kate.
it's okay though. she likes it.
be prepared. i feel the Pavlova may be making an appearance on the blog in the near future.

monogram everything.

 we also had goat cheese and crackers.
because enjoying a pint in the late afternoon makes you very hungry.
so hungry that you need to eat something IMMEDIATELY
and can't even wait 10 minutes for the pizza to cook.

homemade pizza. store-bought crust.

this pizza was divine: pep's, onions, mushrooms, and fresh basil.

all topped with mozzarella, provolone, romano, and parmesan cheeses.

clearly i am not vegan by any stretch of the imagination.

other randoms:

-finally sent off the ol' marriage certificate to get translated from Italian-->English today. i know a guy. he's probably in the mob or something, but he can translate the hell out of a document.

-i can't decide what to wear to my graduation. any ideas?

-my current rotation has a highly grueling schedule. i work from 9-11am daily.

-i probably won't see/touch another patient until August. and i'm okay with this.

-i have decided that "Cajun Shrimp" by OPI is my favorite, go-to nail color. blam.

-today is Opening Day of baseball season. i could not be more indifferent.

-i learned today, that the way to combat a toxic alcohol poisoning (like, if someone you know chugs antifreeze or windshield wiper fluid or something equally toxic....not like, if you went on a tequila bender) is to give the person shots of alcohol...the higher proof the better. eg, you would need one shot of Bacardi 151, but five shots of vodka to combat the toxic effects. 

(there's a lot of science behind why this works, but trust me...it works.)

-i need recipes using fresh dill. since i have a ton of it leftover and want to USE it before it wilts away. reader participation is a must...any suggestions?

that's all for today. i promise i'll try to do something more interesting with all my free time. 

so far, the couch has been looking pretttty inviting...

p.s. i bolded the parts where i wanted your participation. so you can't miss it. i wasn't kidding.

looking forward

i just finished eating a delicious dinner
that i cooked
(turns out, not cooking for a month makes me REALLY excited to do it)

recipe courtesy of Cooking Light. CL subscription courtesy of mom. (thanks, mom!)

then i ate some ben and jerry's.
and i tweeted about it.
(you can probably see it over there -->)
(:

now that i'm back in Chicago, i have become painfully/thrillingly aware of just how
LITTLE time we have left here!
4 weeks. to be precise.
(actually it's probably not precise. moving details are still getting ironed out.)
speaking of moving details, Air Force perk: they move you.
(more details later when they all get ironed out. like i said...it's a work in progress.)

even though there's a lot i'm going to miss about Chicago,
here's a few thing I'm looking forward to in San Antonio...

-having a dishwasher...garbage disposal...washer/dryer...central air...
(the shoebox--for all its charm--has none of these delightful amenities. can.not.wait.)
-this floorplan (hehee...i get GIDDY for floorplans. inside every almost-doctor, there lies a nerd.)

our new apartment!

-all the mexican food i can eat
-being a doctor. like, for real.
(just a lil' 11 year dream finally coming true. a fairy tale, if you will.)
-having a job: here.
-gorgeous, warm weather
-moving into me and the hubs' FIRST together-home.
(after we got married, he moved in with ME.)


i'm sure i'll think of more soon.
these are the ones topping the list at the moment.

and finally, top moment of the day:
sending a package to my brother in Afghanistan...
addressing it to: 1LT Joe Kreidel
from: Capt. Emily Fleming.

my baby bro. (this is the only pic i have of him as of late)

proof of my promotion.

blam.
big sister regains her rightful place as boss.
like, he literally has to salute me.
i am LOVING this.

yes, i am aware that i am 5 years old.

occupational hazard

as i'm sure you've all figured out, the sporadic-ness of my blogging is, indeed,
an occupational hazard.

i just can't muster the chops to blog on a daily basis sometimes.
this was one of those months.
and now it's over.
but i have to drive from Florida back to Chicago.
in a weekend.

i was on call last night at the hospital
we got 5 traumas during my shift
(which=minimal sleep)
i put in another chest tube and did some other procedures
(which thrilled me, but might put all of you to sleep...so i'll stop there)...

and then i had to start driving

i made it to Jacksonville, where my 'rents reside
and thank God too.
because i am exhausted...

BUT i am so thrilled to have some new readers!
your comments make me smile
and feel like i'm not just here taking out my emotions on this poor helpless MacBook keyboard.
so welcome!
and keep them coming.
i promise to have a veg-out session when i return to Chicago
to sit down and catch-up-on/visit ALL of your blogs.
i'm dying to
(and let's be honest...it's 30 degrees in Chicago. there's nothing better to do than hole up in a coffee shop with all you fine people to keep me company. except maybe see my husband. FINALLY. after 4 weeks. but he'll be around for ages. (: )

there has been a playlist brewing in my mind for quite sometime...
entitled the "Occupational Hazard" mix.
i'll be honest...i think it's hilarious.
(this isn't going to be one of those times when i pretend to be surprised that you think i'm funny. i'm just laying it right out there. i'm trying to be funny.)
these are just some songs that always make me think of work...


1. I Need a Doctor- i think it's pretty obvious why i picked this one. we actually played it in the trauma room the other day. during a trauma. not sure the patient was amused. but we were.

2. On Call- welcome to my life. on call. to be there.

3. Hospital Beds- good ol' Cold War Kids. just telling it like it is. (side note: hosp. beds are super uncomfortable. i'm sorry if any of you have experienced this. i'm sorry in advance if you haven't.)

4. Bleeding Love- "you cut me open and i keep bleeding, i keep keep bleeding"...okay, Leona says "love" here, but for most trauma patients, it's just blood. lots of it. sometimes on my shoes. this song just cracks me up now.

5. You Can't Always Get What You Want- what you want, Mr. Drug Addict, is more oxycontin. but you can't have it. even if you tell me you're allergic to every pain medicine BUT oxycontin. you and i both know that's bullshit. but sometimes, you get what you need. which is a shot of Toradol (a non-narcotic pain medication. works really well without the high). in the bum.

6. What Sarah Said- fairly accurate layman's description of an ICU. and though it's a pretty heavy lyric, i believe it: "love is watching someone die". and letting them go peacefully when it's their time...without unnecessary measures to prolong their suffering. end of soapbox. just enjoy the song.

7. Fix You- not only is this one of my all-time favorite songs, it basically sums up my job description: "i will try...to fix you"

8. The Funeral-...and if I can't... (fix you, that is)

enjoy my slightly twisted sense of humor. again. occupational hazard.

A dinner party, a brunch, and a blate

this weekend is one that i've been looking forward to for a loooong time.
almost as much as i'm looking forward to NEXT weekend
(which, if you've been paying attention, is when me and my hubs are FINALLY reunited)

but i digress...

for those of you who are unfamiliar, a blate is a blog-date.
a date between fellow bloggers.
and this weekend, i had one.
with this lovely lady...

ladies and gentlemen, the lovely Sarah Tucker.

just in case you've been living under a rock
(or maybe you're new to the blogosphere?)
here's her blog.

Sarah and I, however, aren't quite complete strangers who just met on the internet.
she had been "referred" to me, by our mutual wedding photographer (and friend. let's be honest.)
who looks like this

like, literally. looks like this. behind a camera. (:

the lovely and talented Jessica Lorren

she shot both of our weddings and basically said to me
"you two have GOT to meet"

so i obviously stalked sarah's blog
for like, a year.
and drooled over her style, her travels, and her southern charm.
and finally, this weekend, we met.

and honestly it was kinda anti-climactic.

TOTALLY KIDDING.

it was all i had hoped it could be, and more.
i felt like i was in a dream.

first, we had a dinner party.

design sponge, eat your heart out.

mildly out of focus, but we all look happy.

pretty pretty centerpiece

another of Jess's brides, the beautiful and bubbly Kate, was kind enough to be our hostess.
and did she ever have the mostest.

i snuck a few stalker shots of her gorgeous house.

these pillows make me happy.

just perfection. that's all.

we had a four-course meal, with beverage pairings for each course.
color me a happy happy girl.

champagne. and lipstick marks. classy.

the cheese platter. before...

...and after. (note: radishes plus sea salt. try it. i never had. and now i did. and life is better.)

the Cucumber Fool. and you're a fool if you don't like it.

heirloom tomato salad with burrata

Chocolate and Raspberry Pavlova. also known as heaven on a plate.

me. happy. and blurry. because your eyes are watering from happiness. for me.

annnnd the SuperMoon. we watched it rise. with champagne. best.idea.ever.

then we went to our respective homes and slept for a few hours.
and met back up for this...

a brunch. for brides.

you probably can't tell, but some of these sandwiches are whale-shaped.

self portraits with a 50mm lens are not very forgiving. but i'm still okay with it.

photog and subject. in the photobooth.

snappy sarah.

kate, jess, sarah. the dinner party reunited.

what a cute lil' nerd

wish that van wasn't in the background.

it was a reeeeally good story. they were enraptured.

my favorite. like, of all time. isn't she gorgeous?

Jess, the enigmatic photographer, threw us brides a brunch.
a party. for us. from her.
it was so sweet.

we got favors too, but i forgot until just this minute to take pictures of them.
so they will have to wait for another post.


but anyway.
my personal position on blates, henceforth, will always be...

yes please.

yayyyy!

day 30: your highs and lows of this month.

well. today is definitely climbing the charts.

HUSBAND MATCHED IN SAN ANTONIO!!!!!

this means we actually get to be roomies for the next four years
just as marriage was meant to be.
(:

[via]

i cannot TELL you what a relief this is.
it was such a huge gamble for me matching in San Antonio in December
without knowing if Nick could come with me.
we talked and prayed a lot about it before we took that leap,
confident that it was what we were supposed to do.
but still. waiting for the payoff for the past three months has been killer.

so now get ready for many many more posts to come on...
-our new apartment
-moving plans
-San Antonio
-my obsessive love for Mexican food
-graduating from medical school
-and anything else i damn well please

other highs:

running that trauma last night.
placing a chest tube in the trauma resuscitation room.
seeing friends from college and other walks of life.
being in FLORIDA
sunshine on my tummy
a great shopping bargain
the deal i got on those jimmy choos


some lows:

missing my hubs
being exhausted
driving to Florida from Chicago by myself
(i feel sorry for the drivers passing me by. i was definitely having solo crazy dance parties in the driver's seat to keep myself alert.)
rainy days in Florida when i have a day off
missing my hubs
fighting with my hubs over the phone, then not getting to make up in person
missing my hubs

there haven't been too many lows this month.
and they do seem to have one, unifying theme.
(:

yay for countdowns being over and ending with such a fantabulous conclusion!

the day before the last day

even though i'm technically including 3 "countdown items" in this post
and even though it's after midnight here in EST
today is still the day before the last day
the day we've been waiting for
(we, as in me and Nick. and a whole host of Irish people.)

TOMORROW we find out where Nick does his residency.
hopefully, it will be in the same STATE as me.
you can imagine my excitement.

YESTERDAY was lovely as well.
i placed two thoracostomy tubes in the O.R.
and an IVC filter.
all by my lonesome.
then i got off work early and got to tag along on this engagement shoot
(not only am i a fledgling physician, i am also a photography assistant)
where i also got to play with my camera a little too

TODAY--though wrought with anticipation--was still pretty awesome.
i ran a trauma by my lonesome
(this is the second time in my life--and in the past 2 days--that i have done this.)
AND i placed a thoracostomy tube in the trauma room
(look it up. i'll spare you the youtube videos. you all and your weak stomachs.)
AND my patient got the final skin graft to her wound. the last of, oh...30 surgeries?

to top it all off, i'm about to be done with this doggone countdown.
truth be told, i'm a little over it.
i'm ready to know if i get to live with my hubs for the next four years
and i'm ready to get back to blogging random shit again.
(:

day 27: a problem you have had.

this is where you get the benefit (curse?) of reading a med student's blog.
i'm going to tell you about chest tubes (thoracostomy tubes).
and why someone would need them.

#1 because they have a problem: blood, or fluid, or air that is stuck in the space between the lining of their lung and the lining of their chest wall. this makes it hard--even impossible in some cases--for their lung to inflate. so they can't breathe. this is bad.

#2 so to solve the problem, you cut a hole in their skin right above their 5th rib, then you use surgical instruments to basically poke a hole in their chest wall. then you stick a tube in their chest. and attach that tube to suction.

#3 the suction and the tube then solve your problem by sucking out whatever was preventing the lung from inflating. then the patient can breath again. and their oxygen saturation goes from 80% (bad) to 100% (good). and you have one happy and relieved med student. high-fiving all the surgeons and anesthesiologists and radiology techs and nurses in the room. with bloody gloves.

(okay. that last part may or may not be true. the part about the bloody gloves. not the high-fiving. that most definitely actually happened.)

day 28: something that you miss.

oh this one is EASY.

jessica lorren photography

jessica lorren photography

jessica lorren photography

emily fleming photography (that's just me. duh. i have no photog bizznass.)

so i'm not sure if you have ANY idea how much missing is going on here.
i occasionally have panic attacks these days thinking about the possibility that we could have to do this for FOUR YEARS.
God better hear my prayers tomorrow. that's all i'm saying.
who could NOT miss that face?
exactly.
no one.
especially not me.

day 29: goals for the next 30 days

a. finish med school (except for graduation)
b. pack up the shoebox
c. move (!) (maybe.)
d. practice with the camera. so i can take bomb-ass picturas of Turkey. and Greece.
e. snuggle. and do er...other fun things with the hubs. as much as possible.
f. sit in the warm sun
g. write some handwritten notes
h. cook something delicious
i. love my husband. in all senses of the verb. in the way HE needs to be loved.
j. keep the tan i've managed to develop
k. get exercise. most days of the week.
l. eat more things that look like this...

goat cheese, roasted peppers, pesto, and pumpernickel.

and that, my friends, brings us to the end of the day before the last day.
see you tomorrow!
fingers crossed!
i'll keep you posted!
with plenty of exclamation points!

(:

getting warmer...

both literally and figuratively.
i'm doing better on this countdown thingamajigger.
annnd it's actually warmer.
both because i am in Florida (and have been for 2 weeks)
and because the temp has actually been higher the past few days.

duh.

here's a mix of counting down
(can't remember what the countdown is for? me neither. refresher.)
and what i've been up to down here...

day 24. your favorite movie and what it's about.

this is tough. because i LOVE movies. but the one movie that keeps coming to mind is...

[via]

i think you all know what it's about. and if you don't, then i must IMPLORE you to netflix it.
(p.s. don't you just love our verbs these days? "netflix it" "google it" "facebook me"...i love us.)

i love this movie for so many reasons. but i think the thing i get out of it the most, is thinking about how...though people may never actually change, Love really can soften them. i know it's true for me.

and i love the message that you shouldn't feel obligated to do something, just because you're good at it. sometimes, you just gotta go see about a girl.

day 25. someone who fascinates you and why.

this is a hard one.
just because i feel like a ton of people fascinate me.
it's hard to narrow it down.

plus i'm kind of bored with this question.
so i'm using my executive powers and gonna go ahead and pull a...
SKIP.

day 26. what kind of person attracts you.

you can see yesterday's post for what kind of MAN i find attractive.
i mean, celebrity-wise.
and obviously, look at pictures of my hubs.

but as for attract-ability,
i'd have to say the list goes something like this...

someone with an air of mystery about them
smiley eyes
great skill...at something
humility
confidence
intelligence
humor
charisma (duh. people with charisma attract EVERYONE. isn't that the definition of charisma?)
people that are very different from me...but still appreciate me for me. because i appreciate them for them.
beauty: inner and outer
especially inner.


and now...i will demonstrate that i have, indeed, put my camera to use while here in Florida:

l.o.v.e.

the lovely Marsa'.

oh susanna.

heyyy close-up.

emily. the quintessential.

baby feets.