Spring in Indy Part II

On April 9, I drove from Novi, MI to my parents' house to stay while I was in town for work. (It feels weird to say that it's my parents' house, not my house, but I guess it's kind of true.) It was so nice to be at home- it's not every day that you have someone else offer to make you dinner or do your laundry when you're an adult. [Note: We have this joke in my family that comes from a line in the movie Ghostbusters. When they are on the top of the building with Gozer, she asks Ray if he is a god, and he says no, to which she replies, "Then you must die!" He and the rest of his crew and almost flung off the building by lightening out of her fingers. Winston then tells him, "Ray, the next time someone asks you if you are a god, say yes!" So, long short somewhat shortened, if someone asks you something e.g. do you need money?, say yes!]

Click here to see the clip from the movie (it's towards the end)

Other great quotes from this movie that are often referenced by my family include:

-Where do these stairs go? They go up!

-Does this pole still work?

-We can stay there tonight! You know, try it out!

-I collect spores, molds, and fungus.

-Ray has gone bye-bye, Egon... what've you got left?

-Whoa! Nice shootin', Tex!

We had gorgeous weather, which allowed for my Mom and I to take Izzie on lots of walks. It was the perfect time of year for spotting wildflowers- we saw purple, white, and yellow violets! I can't remember the last time I saw white violets, and I don't ever recall having seen yellow violets, except in pictures. Izzie is so funny- whenever I'm home and I put on my tennis shoes, she thinks I am going to take her for a walk! My Dad takes her for a walk every Saturday and Sunday morning in Cool Creek Park, a small park near our house that has trails through a wooded area. I love that spoiled dog.

I taught four classes the following week with Susan, a pharmacist from Ohio. She has been giving immunizations for 5 years now, so her field experience was very valuable and added a great deal to our presentation. Since she had more practical knowledge, we split up the day, and I took the clinical section, which is basically the first few hours or so. I talk about all of the infectious, vaccine-preventable diseases that the pharmacists already reviewed in their self-study prior to coming to class. It's a miracle I haven't had anyone fall asleep on me. I try to keep things interactive, and by that, I mean I pass around a sign-up sheet (pretending like I need it) that I then use to call on the pharmacists to read questions (I'm so sneaky!).

Monday's class was in Bloomington, home of Indiana University. I haven't really spent any time in Bloomington, except for the grad orientation meeting several years ago at Lake Monroe. Nick went to school at IU (absolutely loved it) and often raves about how wonderful Bloomington is. I'm looking forward to getting a personal tour someday. We had class on Tuesday and Wednesday at a company office in Indianapolis, which is where I saw many people that I previously worked with while I was in Indy.

Wednesday night I ate dinner with my pharmacy supervisor, Amy, at P.F. Chang's. I worked for her as an intern for five years before graduating from pharmacy school and will be working in her district when I move back to Indy this July. We spent a lot of time catching up, then talking details about my transition from RI to IN. I found out that I am going to be a pharmacy manager when I move back! I couldn't be more excited about having a home pharmacy, developing a team, and getting to know my patients, one thing I've definitely missed this year. (I only work in the pharmacy one day per week, so it's hard to become really close to any of the customers unless they come in every Thursday or Friday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.) Amy is a wonderful mentor, and I feel so lucky to be able to move back to her district. Indy is full of what I call "my people"--after working in the same area for a while, I've been able to get to know other professionals and develop a support network. (I also have also developed a support network in RI, all of whom I will miss dearly.)

On Wednesday night, I drove to South Bend in preparation for a class early Thursday morning. I'm glad that I chose to drive up the night before. If I didn't, I would have had to get up before 5 a.m.! Let's face it, I'm much more of a night owl than an early bird (although that is slowly changing- I've gone down from 4 alarms to only 3! I'm sure my neighbors hate me, but let them. If I told you what it was like living next to my new neighbors, let's just say that you wouldn't feel so sorry for them.).

I had a blast working with Susie- I was sad to see her go back to Ohio! Susie is high-energy, flexible, and always up for an adventure, all the things you want in a traveling work partner. Even though we were busy, we did have time to talk a lot about work, family, pharmacy, etc. She has a condo on Sanibel Island and if I ever have the chance, I'm going down there to visit. (Nick's parents and grandparents also have condos on Sanibel- sounds like the place to be!)

Other exciting news- I finally signed the lease for my new apartment! It is the first apartment I posted pictures of on my blog- click here to see them (it's the first apartment). My Mom and I went downtown on Friday afternoon so that I could sign the lease and show her the apartment. (She took a few hours of vacation to spend some time with me, isn't that nice?) She really liked the apartment- although not necessary, it's never a bad thing to have a Mom's seal of approval. After the apartment, we did a bit of shopping at Circle Center before driving back to Carmel.

Friday night, our family friends, Jim and Linda, were in town, and the entire family went out to dinner with them at Barcelona Tapas. I first discovered this restaurant through my brother, and I haven't been able to get enough of it since! I recommended it to Susie while she was in town, and she raved about it the whole next day. My favorite is their baked goat cheese with marinara sauce and warm garlic bread.

On Saturday, I met Nick's family for lunch at Clay Terrace. Andrew, his nephew, was given the release to be in public (he was born prematurely and had precautions about being in public due to the potential for catching RSV, which can be very serious for babies with underdeveloped lungs), so it was nice to see him out and about. After lunch, I headed down to Lisa's house in Speedway. There are very few places where I feel just as "at home" as I do at my own home, and Lisa's house and her parents' house (two different places) are definitely on the list. It's hard to believe I've been going there since the fall of 2003! (We met our freshman year in college at Purdue.)

Saturday afternoon Lisa took me to the Twist 'n Pup, a new local (you guessed it) hot dog and ice cream place. They have lots more than just those two items, but since those are their namesake, Lisa and I both tried hot dogs and butterscotch-dipped vanilla cones (amazing!!). Later that day, Junie came over, and we traded stories. Since I had been raving about Barcelona Tapas and neither of them had been there, the three of us went there for dinner with Lisa's brother, Sam. (Just as good the second night! My new favorite: the caramel and supposedly strawberry churros!).

Sunday morning was spent going to church with Lisa, followed by quick visits with her dad and mom. I had an early afternoon flight, so I went back to the airport after lunch. It was definitely a busy trip, but I was energized by the idea of moving back home in less than 3 months.

I didn't do a very good job taking pictures (Sorry Julie, Lisa, and June!), but here are a few I took around by parents' house.

These daffodils are lilacs are from my parents' backyard. I wish I could arrange flowers half as well as my Mom can.

I loved the crab apple blossoms in the spring. It looks like snow when the petals are blown down by the wind.

I was trying to take pictures of Izzie- I think she must have heard something when I was taking this picture. After this she got distracted and decided that she'd rather lick my camera than have her picture taken.

Izzie sleeping on her designated part of the couch.

Mr. Rocky! I can hardly believe he will be 19 years old this October. I've got lots to say about him, but I'll save that for another blog post.

It was great to be at home for a week! A little pampering, plus time with family and friends goes a long way. If I didn't get to see you when I was home, I'm sorry! Not much longer, and you won't be able to get rid of me!

Welcome to Hockeytown!

FLASHBACK: After my mom came to visit, I began a two-week tour to train other pharmacists to become immunizers. Tuesday , April 6 I flew to Detroit and met Corrinne at the airport. Corrinne was the previous resident and now works in Massachusetts as a staff pharmacist, but she flew out to help me (paid, of course) to teach several classes. I love teaching these classes, but the full eight-hour day can get tiring and make you go hoarse if you aren't careful.

I was a little nervous about our travel luck when we (I should say "I"- maybe I'm the one with bad travel luck) had some difficulties after renting the car. I got a black Pontiac Vibe, which was a nice drive. I also rented a GPS to help me get around (If you know me, you know that I am almost always 1. late, which I am working hard to correct and 2. lost). When I went to turn on the GPS, it gave me an error message. I flagged someone down to help me, and I felt a little better when even he couldn't fix it. Our second GPS was in German, so we couldn't figure out how to change the language settings. Finally, our third GPS worked, and we were on our way.

We taught our classes in Novi, Michigan at a regional company office. Our first class started on Wednesday, and we had a wonderful group. The pharmacists were engaged, asked thoughtful questions, and seemed excited about the program overall. Corrinne and I tag-teamed throughout the day on Wednesday and again on Thursday morning. Corrine left at lunchtime on Thursday, so I had Thursday afternoon and all of Friday to teach by myself. The classes were very cooperative and patient, especially during the skill assessment.

Several weeks before my trip I looked into activities in the Detroit area. I didn't know who was going with me (if anyone), but I knew that I wanted to explore at least one night. The timing worked out perfectly- there was a home Red Wings game on Wednesday night! I grew up watching Red Wings hockey with my dad (he's a *huge* fan), and I've always wanted to go to a game. (I think I went to one when I was very young, but I don't remember it well enough to count it.) There was a great deal online- 2 tickets, 2 hot dogs, and 2 drinks for $48 dollars! Our seats weren't bad, either, especially for less than $20 each. We were in the 10th or so row on the second tier on the aisle.

It turned out that Corrinne had never been to a professional hockey game- what a way to start! The Red Wings team has a lot of history- they don't call it "Hockeytown" for nothing, and the fans are wonderful. They remind me of the Red Sox fans in Boston- they are there because they *love* the team and the sport. All of the Wings fans were into the game, high-fiving each other (and me!) when they scored. Another bonus- you don't see very many people talking on their cell phones (I love towns that teach their fans etiquette!).

Below are some pictures and a video from the game...

I love old signs like this- isn't it nostalgic?

A shot of the retired jerseys hanging from the ceiling. I remember when Steve Yzerman retired (it wasn't that long ago)- I think I cried when I watched the ceremony.

Corrinne and I at the game. I borrowed a jersey from my Dad. I almost didn't wear it to the game because it was so big (and I felt a little silly), but I am so glad that I did. I looked like a true fan (everyone else was wearing the same thing).

All of the fans went crazy during this fight in the first period. This is one of the reasons why hockey players generally don't have the best orthodontia.

Speaking of fans, the place was packed! Even all of the nosebleed seats were taken. (Keep in mind that this is a Wednesday night!)

Even though I played indoor soccer, I am always amazed by the line changes that occur during the game. (For those that aren't familiar, you basically do the same thing in indoor soccer.) It is so seamless- you don't even notice the changes most of the time if you're watching the puck.

I managed to capture the crowd's reaction after one of the Red Wings' goals.... click on the box below to experience part of Joe Louis Arena.

The Red Wings were down for part of the game but managed to score several quick goals in the last period to win! Even though there was a mass of people after the game (I felt like a sheep) that we had to climb through, it was definitely worth staying for the whole game.

The final score- Red Wings 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 3.

On Thursday night I was able to have dinner with Flora, who will be next year's resident. She is from a suburb of Detroit and came for the immunization training (one step ahead of me already!). Not only is Flora a hard worker, she is a joy to be around- I wish I was able to work with her longer that just a week. (Her first week is my last week at work. My goal is to show her the ropes and help familiarize her with the area. And, as you might have already guessed, I'm working on a welcome basket.) I was so bummed that I didn't take a picture of the two of us, but you'll hear more about her in June blog posts.

After the session on Friday, I drove back to Indy for another week of training. See my next post for info on my second week of travel.

The Valley of the Sun

Last Monday I flew out of Boston with Mike for immunization training in Arizona. It had been several years since I'd been to Arizona, and when we stepped out of the airport, it was even hotter than I remember (Part of that was due to the fact that the space was enclosed). Our training was taking place at the hotel where we were staying, so we took a taxi instead of renting a car. Our taxi driver took up a winding road into what looked like the side of a mountain (turns out it is called a butte), and we finally arrived to our hotel when we reached the top.

We stayed at The Buttes, A Marriott Resort, in Tempe, Arizona, and I was blown away. Not only were the surroundings beautiful, the staff was exceptional friendly and went out of their way to welcome and assist me. When we were checking in, the staff member at the desk gave me a map to help me find my way around the resort. Because the hotel is built on the side of a butte, it is very spread out. They weren't kidding around when they gave me a map during check-in; I managed to only get slightly lost a couple of times. Here are a few pictures of the resort.

The outdoor pool area- 2 pools, a water slide, several hot tubs, a bar.. (Marriott picture)

My attempt at an artistic shot- it turned out much better than I thought it would

My closet in the hotel room was bigger than all of the storage space I have in my apartment right now

You can't see it, but I also had a patio right outside my door

The view of the resort's pool area at night- I definitely need to work on shooting nightime pictures

A view of the hotel's restaurant, Top of the Rock, at night (Marriott pic)

It was just as beautiful in real life as it looks in this picture (Marriott pic)

Over 2 days, we trained more than 120 pharmacists. It was *wonderful* to have the training at the hotel where we were staying- it just simplified the morning routine (and most of you know how much of a morning person I am!). The ampiphtheater style worked out very well. We used the back row for training at the end, and I stood in the row beneath it, which gave me great visibility to the pharmacists' practice shots. During the training, I ran into two classmates from Purdue that moved to Phoenix after graduation. I also saw John, a preceptor I had when I was an intern in Tempe during the summer of 2006. It took us a minute to figure out how we knew each other, but we finally put our finger on it. John led group meetings that I attended (along with other interns) every Friday, and I felt badly for not remembering sooner. I loved the summer of 2006. The company put me up in long-term housing with other interns in the program, some of whom I got to know very well. Alan and Megan were two other interns from Purdue that were in Arizona with me that summer, and we had such great adventures.

A picture of the amphitheater where we taught

The summer of 2006 (from left to right): Alan, Me, Megan, and Sarah

Having fun in Tempe in 2006 (Note: without the Indiana humidity, I can actually leave my hair curly and leave it down)

Even though we worked most of the day, we had some time at night to enjoy a few nice meals. Shane, a pharmacy supervisor in the area, took us out to dinner two nights, which was especially nice since we didn't have a car. We ate at a tex-mex restaurant (I can't remember the name of it, but I had a great margarita with Chambord there) and The Clam Jumper, both local restaurants. FYI- margaritas and chips with salsa are definitely much better down in the South- I highly recommend you have both if you visit the Phoenix-Scottsdale area.


On Wednesday night, Mike and I had dinner with Lisa, another resident with the company who lives and works in Phoenix, and her director, Elizabeth, at Mucho Gusto, which is one of Elizabeth's favorite restaurants in the area. Lisa also brought her daughter, Sasha, who was a delight. I had just met Elizabeth and Lisa the week before at a conference of sorts (more to come on that later), and I was thrilled to be able to see them again.

From left to right: Lisa, Elizabeth, Sasha, and I at Mucho Gusto

I had a wonderful time on my trip out West, and I can't wait to visit Las Vegas in December!

California Dreamin'

Hello, friends! I apologize for yet another absence... I've been in the sunny state of California since Monday. I went with Mike to help teach 2 classes of pharmacists to give immunizations. We arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and went to a nice restaurant that night. Mike uses Open Table to find good spots to eat ahead of time. If you make reservations through them, you can earn points that can be redeemed for gift certificates.

The apple pie I had for dessert- yum!

There were lots of beautiful pagodas (?) along the streets

On Tuesday, we caught in Dublin, CA, and I had the most wonderful surprise! When I was helping set up the projector and laptop for the presentation, I looked up to see my friend Hellen walking in the room!!! Needless to say, I was just over the moon. Hellen is a friend I know from pharmacy school at Purdue. It never even crossed my mind that she might be at the training. We had a chance to catch up and swap pharmacy stories, which is always fun.

Yay for Hellen!

Serious focusing going on here

Mike sharing his immunization wisdom

After class we drove to Roseville, CA, which is somewhat near Sacramento and woke up the next morning to do a second day of presenting. The extra practice is great- it is helping me to depend less and less on my notes while presenting. Wednesday night we drove back to San Francisco, and--another first-- flew home on my first red eye flight. We flew both ways on Virgin America. I highly recommend them if you have a chance to fly with them-- plenty of leg room (even in the regular seats!), free wifi (as I call it, weeee feeee), and screens for every seat that let you play tv shows, movies, games, or listen to music. I tried to sleep as much as I could on the plane, but it's always hard to find just the right spot to be comfortable. I am highly considering the following...

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce SkyRest. It's an inflatable pillow that you can actually customize to whatever size you need. While their main product is the SkyRest, they also have pillow for putting your legs up (an ottoman, anyone?) and reclining while in bed. I may get some initial laughs from my neighboring travelers, but I'm sure they'll secretly be jealous. And if you're wondering, no, I do not know the man in the picture.

I'll Give It a Shot

I have been a busy bee lately! I can't believe that tomorrow is already Thursday... I haven't gotten enough done, yet! Today I went with Deb to teach an immunization class- a little scary, isn't it?! I do like to teach, but I definitely need some practice with the material and just to become more comfortable speaking in front of groups. If all works out, I'll be able to give a couple of lectures at the University of Rhode Island's Pharmacy School this upcoming school year.

I actually *LOVE* that pharmacists now have the opportunity in all fifty states to immunize patients. Just like anything else, certain restrictions do vary based on the state in which you practice. For example, pharmacists in Rhode Island can administer any type of vaccine but only to patients at least 19 years of age. I'll be helping at flu clinics in our stores in the fall, along with a few other opportunities around vaccines. I'm going to participate in a few activities with our company's wellness department to educate employees on site, one of which will be education around the importance of vaccines. In a couple of weeks, I'll actually be traveling to California to help Mike (who runs the company's immunization program) train more pharmacists- the more experience, the better!

Tomorrow I'm taking the NAPLEX exam, which is the national licensing exam for pharmacists, followed by the Rhode Island law exam (MPJE) next Tuesday. I will be so relieved when they are done! I did go through the APhA review book (almost 900 pages!) over the past 4 weeks, but what I didn't realize is that the cd they provided had questions on it. If only I had realized it before tonight! I took a few quizzes on chapters where I'm a little less comfortable, but I decided that it would be a bad idea for me to try to finish all of the questions on the cd (900 questions!). The last thing I need to do is be more nervous, even though it's probably the most important test I'll ever take (no pressure). As Deb says, it is a minimum competency exam... how well you do doesn't determine how good of a pharmacist you are, you just need to pass!

No one actually gets the same test, so it will be interesting to see what I get! I'm taking it at 2 PM tomorrow in Warwick. Deb was nice enough to let me have the morning off (you're the best, Deb!), so I won't be rushed (you all know I'm always late, but I am working on this) or stressed out about things going on at work before I leave (not that work stresses me out that much, but there is always lots to do!). Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow....

You May Be Right... I May Be Crazy

I have got to quit waiting too long between posts- so much to catch up on! During the middle of last week, I was starting to come down with a bug, so I decided to go to bed early on Wednesday and Thursday nights. I ended up sleeping almost 24 hours between the two days! I must have needed the rest!

On Wednesday, I went to the live portion of a program to train pharmacists to give immunizations- how exciting! APhA is the creator and sponsor of the program, but my company also uses the same program to train pharmacists and interns. I am lucky enough to work in the same department as the pharmacist who is in charge of the immunization program for the entire company- wow! (He's busy!) At the end of the day, you practice giving shots to one another. I figured no one else would offer, so I volunteered to go first (sorry, Dan!). I forgot to have someone take a picture of me giving a shot, but here's a picture of me getting one.

Yesterday was a great day! I was given a free ticket to the Elton John and Billy Joel Face 2 Face concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. The tickets were a gifts from a company that works for us... along with a parking pass, which was clutch. I could have thrown a stone and hit the stadium, which, if you knew how far I could throw, you know that must have been close! They also have a box suite on the 50 yard line- what a gorgeous view! (Year of Firsts- first time in a suite at a concert)

I went with a group of people from work, which, for many employees, probably isn't that fun, but I LOVE the people that work around me. They have all been very supportive in helping me transition from the field to the office.


From left to right: Lynn, Billy, Alyson, Troy, Dave, and JoAnne

Another highlight of the evening- I got to meet our company's CEO and president! He was very down-to-earth, personable, and engaging... he even came over later to learn more about what I do and my background. I was over the moon! (No, I didn't tell him that I wanted his job! Maybe next time!) I kept looking over at Alyson and Troy for some assurance that I wasn't making myself look crazy! Troy and Alyson met me halfway between Conneticut (where they live) and the stadium so that I wouldn't have to drive all the way there by myself. Here's a picture of Alyson and I at the concert. One of her little boys just got a cell phone, so he had been calling all day- how cute. (He's only nine!)

Here are some more pictures from the concert...

Elton on the left, Billy on the right... Click here to hear my favorite song

JoAnne and Sue

Another action shot...

Troy and I before dinner

It was such a wonderful day! And who said that I wouldn't have fun this year?! (Okay, no one has said that to me, but I thought it when I first moved out here!) Who knows what this week will bring- I'll keep you posted!