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!

I Don't Want to Check My Bags

Hope you had a great weekend! I took one of my last few, precious vacation days on Friday to go home for a long weekend. Nick leaves for China on April 1st, and if I hadn't gone to see him this weekend, it would have been a total of 3 months between visits! I had such a wonderful time with my family and friends- I'm sorry if I didn't catch you! But, I have good news! I will be in Indianapolis for work for an entire week in April! Nick will be in China (boo) but that means you won't have to share me.

Over the weekend I learned how to post on my blog with my phone, so I should be able to write quick updates much more frequently. I'd better get to bed soon- I tried to sleep on the plane, but no matter what, I can never quite get comfortable. I kept bobbing my head and waking myself up (does anyone else remember watching people in class do this?! It is hilarious! Not that I ever did that...).

I bought Marsh brand sugar cookies at the grocery store this morning to share with co-workers tomorrow at a meeting. When other people go on vacation, they always bring back something fun to eat (i.e. Debbie brings bagels from NY). It's hard to do much of anything via plane, so I decided that my sugar cookies would do. However, they are now more like sugar crumbs. Some jerk moved my back after I sat down to try to make his fit. This would have been fine, except for the fact that he kept ramming it in the overhead compartment to make his ridiculously large "carry-on" bag fit (I only put this in quotes because he must have been slipping $20 bills to the attendants to let him keep his bag- no way they would have normally let this thing on board. The whole time I was thinking of Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents on his trip home, refusing to check his bag.) Oh well, I'll have to keep the cookies in my purse next time and have the strength not to eat any of them! Does anyone have any other suggestions for Indiana-only foods?

If you're not familiar with the movie Meet the Parents, here's the dialogue between Ben Stiller and the flight attendant when he is trying to shove his bag into the overhead compartment.

[Greg is trying to fit his large bag into the overhead bin]
Flight Attendant: I'm sorry, sir, you're gonna have to check that.
Greg Focker: I got it.
Flight Attendant: No, I'm sorry, that bag won't fit.
Greg Focker: No, no, I'm not - hey, I'm not checking my bag, okay?
Flight Attendant: There's no need to raise your voice, sir.
Greg Focker: I'm not raising my voice. THIS WOULD BE RAISING MY VOICE TO YOU, okay? I don't want to check my bag, okay? And, by the way, your airline? You SUCK at checking bags, okay, because I already did that once and you lost it, and then I had everything screwed up very badly for me, okay?
Flight Attendant: Well, I can assure you that your bag will be placed safely below deck with the other luggage...
Greg Focker: Oh, yeah? How do you know my bag will be safe below with the other luggage? Huh? Are you physically going to take my bag and put it beneath the plane? Are you going to go right now outside, with the guys with the earmuffs, and go put it in there?
Flight Attendant: No...
Greg Focker: No? Okay, then shut your piehole and listen to me when I say that I am FINISHED with the checking-of-the-bags CONVERSATION.

I wasn't able to find this clip from the movie 0nline quickly, but I'll add it later if I come up with it.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Did you remember to wear green today? I can't believe I subconsiously wore a green sweater (I'm usually still half asleep when I'm getting ready for work!)- why can't I train my internal alarm clock the same way I remember holidays?

When I called Nick today, he gave me a pop quiz on the history of St. Patrick. Don't worry, I failed miserably, too. Here is the "This Day In History" for March 17, 2010 from the History Channel:

"On this day in 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.

Much of what is known about Patrick's legendary life comes from the Confessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.
According to the Confessio, in Britain Patrick had another dream, in which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled "The Voice of the Irish." As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among them once more. After studying for the priesthood, Patrick was ordained a bishop. He arrived in Ireland in 433 and began preaching the Gospel, converting many thousands of Irish and building churches around the country. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461 in Saul, where he had built his first church.

Since that time, countless legends have grown up around Patrick. Made the patron saint of Ireland, he is said to have baptized hundreds of people on a single day, and to have used a three-leaf clover--the famous shamrock--to describe the Holy Trinity. In art, he is often portrayed trampling on snakes, in accordance with the belief that he drove those reptiles out of Ireland. For thousands of years, the Irish have observed the day of Saint Patrick's death as a religious holiday, attending church in the morning and celebrating with food and drink in the afternoon. The first St. Patrick's Day parade, though, took place not in Ireland, but the United States, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City in 1762. As the years went on, the parades became a show of unity and strength for persecuted Irish-American immigrants, and then a popular celebration of Irish-American heritage. The party went global in 1995, when the Irish government began a large-scale campaign to market St. Patrick's Day as a way of driving tourism and showcasing Ireland's many charms to the rest of the world. Today, March 17 is a day of international celebration, as millions of people around the globe put on their best green clothing to drink beer, watch parades and toast the luck of the Irish. "

Here are a few of my favorite Irish things...

My surname is Irish. Click here to read the history behind it.

Who doesn't love Lucky Charms? I was only allowed to eat cereal like this on special occassions, and when I did, I would save all of the marshmallows for last.

My high school's mascot was a shamrock (I know, really tough, huh?).

Dublin was the last stop on Nick's and my trip to Europe- Here is a picture of the Temple Bar Area in Dublin at sunset.


If you can get past all of the swearing, it's a great movie. *Love* that it takes place in Boston!

And last but not least, one of my favorite quotes...

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Happy Birthday, Izzie!

"I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am."

-unknown

For those of you that know Izzie, you'll be surprised to know that she is turning nine years old today! (Unless you really paid close attention to the lighter spots around her eyes, you'd have no idea... she still acts like a toddler!) I still remember going to the breeder's house when we first picked her out... she was such a cute little puppy and a character from the very beginning. She had a propensity for licking, sitting on your lap, and sucking on her blanket. Nine years later, nothing has changed! I have lots of great memories from our adventures together, but I'll just share a couple.

As I was leaving the house early one morning, I realized that I had forgotten something for my rotation in my bedroom upstairs. I pulled back into the driveway, opened the garage door, and ran inside. Izzie has a few favorite spots in the house- one of which is in the corner of the kitchen by the table. When I got into the kitchen, I was surprised that I didn't see her. As I rounded the corner from the dining room into the living room, I saw Izzie with her front paws on our blue sofa (one of the few places she is *not* supposed to sit). She turned her head towards me and looked like she had been caught red-handed! She slowly took her paws off of the couch and ran over to me, wagging her tail, as if to beg for forgiveness.

Some of my other favorite memories are from waking up in the morning to a giant golden retriever sitting on top of me! Izzie loves to jump up on the bed (she has no sense of personal space- she always has to be touching you if she is near you) and wake anyone up with a big kiss on the cheek. (I've even taught her what "give them kisses!" means!) She would sometimes wait outside my door until my mom would let her in to visit me.

Other favorite memories (in no particular order)

• Playing hide-and-go seek in the park with Izzie and my Dad
• Izzie jumping through the stream of water from the hose as I tried to water the plants in the backyard
• Her pet rock- this is the only thing Izzie will bark at! She'll pick it up, drop it on the ground, and start to attack it!
• Running errands (especially going to get take-out) with Izzie in the car
• Izzie's blankets... she sucks on the blanket like a toddler sucks on their thumb
• Catching Izzie after she dug up a small bush from the backyard
• Raking leaves into a pile for her to play in- she loves the fall
• Having someone to snuggle with when I was sad, cold, or sleepy

I wish I had more pictures from when she was a puppy, but I have yet to take them from home and scan them onto my (relatively) new computer. Here are some of my favorites I had on file...

Isn't this a sweet picture of her as a puppy?

I got a Mr. Mucus stuffed doll from a drug rep for Izzie to play with (she loves stuffed toys, especially ones with squeakers that sound like real animals)- I don't think it lasted more than 3 minutes

Ryan and I with Izzie in front of the Christmas tree

Izzie and I outside in our backyard

Izzie is one of two family members that has a designated spot in the family room. My Dad has a brown leather chair, and Izzie always sits in the corner of the green leather couch. If you are in her seat, you'll know it- she will sit right on top of you.

She looks so sad!

Izzie had a special visitor a couple of years ago for New Year's Eve. Kyle and Chelsea brought their dog Jackson (on the left with me) to visit Izzie (on the right with Chelsea) for the night! They had so much fun playing together!

Seems like Izzie has a lot of photo ops in front of the Christmas trees...

Some things never change...

Hope you have a golden birthday! Love you, Izzle!

50 Natural Highs

This is something I've had for almost ten years. Some of the things are not as relevant as others (do long distance phone calls actually exist these days?), but others still ring true. I hope you enjoy this list as much as I do.

50 Natural Highs

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price.
12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!)
13. A long distance phone call.
14. A bubble bath.
15. Giggling.
16. A good conversation.
17 The beach.
18. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
19. Laughing at yourself.
20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
21. Running through sprinklers.
22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
24. Laughing at an inside joke.
25. Friends.
26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
30. Playing with a new puppy.
31. Having someone play with your hair.
32. Sweet dreams.
33. Hot chocolate.
34. Road trips with friends.
35. Swinging on swings.
36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies.
37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid.
38. Going to a really good concert.
39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
40. Winning a really competitive game.
41. Making chocolate chip cookies.
42. Having your friends send you homemade cookies
43. Spending time with close friends.
44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends.
45. Holding hands with someone you care about.
46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over.
48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a present from you.
49. Watching the sunrise.
50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.

Let Your Heart Be Your Guide

I got back late Wednesday night from my trip to Las Vegas for the ASHP Midyear Conference- what a whirlwind! I want to do my trip to Las Vegas justice, so I'm choosing to write a detailed post about it tomorrow rather than throw something together tonight. However, I wanted to share a short story with you that I ran across in one of my older journals.

----

Beautiful Day, Isn't It?
Barbara Johnson

The day started out rotten. She overslept and was late for work. Everything that happened at the office contributed to her nervous frenzy. By the time she reached the bus stop for her trip home, her stomach was one big knot.

As usual, the bus was late--and jammed. She had to stand in the aisle, and the lurching vehicle pulled her in all directions.

Then she heard a voice form up front boom, "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Because of the crowd, she could not see the man, but she heard him as he continued to comment on the spring scenery, calling attention to each approaching landmark. This church, that park. This cemetery, that firehouse. Soon all the passengers were gazing out the windows.d The man's enthusiasms was so contagious that she found herself smiling for the first time that day.

They reached her stop. Maneuvering toward the door, she got a look at their "guide:" an older gentleman with a beard, wearing dark glasses and carrying a thin, white cane.

-----

This story always makes me tear up (shocking, I know)... I have such a clear picture of their "guide." It reminds me of the people I've met who have may have fewer possessions but have so much more in spirit than I ever will know. The first person that comes to mind is Regina, an elderly women in Montgomery, Alabama whose house I worked on during a summer mission trip. Even though her surroundings were falling apart (literally), she was full of gratitude, kindness, and love. I don't remember giving her my address, but the following September, she sent me a birthday card filled with her blessings and prayers. I haven't received anything from Regina since then (it was 1999), but the letter she sent me remains a very treasured keepsake and reminder of the "guides" in my own life.

What Do You Love?

One of my favorite parts of working out is perusing through the random magazines I get in the mail. I don't have time to read most of the articles on my own, so I squeeze them in while I'm in the gym or on a plane. As I look through them, I mark any pages that I like. It might be an idea, a quote, a picture, etc, and every once in a while, I'll save an ad that I love. So, when reading Glamour (this was a free trade after Domino stopped being produced (a very, very sad day), I found an ad that I think suits me quite well. You might think it is a little over-the-top (but seriously, who are we talking about here?!), but I happen to love it. (I also have subscriptions to House Beautiful, the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, and Travel and Leisure- I *love* T+L- the December issue talked about spending Christmas in other parts of the world, and it made me desperately want to visit Munich!).

Set-up: This is part of a two page ad for Blackberry. There was a picture on the left-hand page (not sure of what though... by the time I got back to my apartment I had forgotten, and I had already left the magazine in the gym for someone else to read). On the right-hand page is the following text:

LIKE is watered-down love.
Like is mediocre.
Like is the wishy-washy emotion of the content.
Athletes don't do it for the like of a sport.
Artists don't suffer for the like of art.
There is no I like NY T-shirt.
And Romeo didn't just like Juliet.

LOVE. Now that's powerful stuff.
Love changes things.
Upsets things.
Conquers things.
Love is at the root of everything good that
has ever happened and will ever happen.

LOVE what you do.


FYI- Apparently there is also a t.v. commercial (I don't have very much extra time, and I guess t.v. just doesn't do it for me). Click here to see the main advertisement, but this date night version my favorite.

Don't Quote Me on This

I'm not sure when it started, but a long time ago, I started collecting quotes, short stories, and poems. The first memory I have from writing in one is from my junior year in high school. I was sitting by Shannon in our chemistry class, and, being the busy-body that I am, was copying quotes into my journal during some down time. I told her that I liked all of these quotes from Anon, but I had never heard of the author before and asked if she knew who it was. She just looked at me in disbelief when she told me that Anon meant "anonymous"... We were laughing so hard we were crying! When I look back at my first journal, I still laugh when I see where I wrote "Anon" like it was a proper name. Take a look at this.......

Above: A page from one of my earlier journals- a notebook my dad's parents got me for my birthday one year.

It is such a joy to look through my journals (seven of them now!) and be reminded of all of the amazing things I've participated in, people I've met, stories I've been told. I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. If I get a source wrong, please feel free to correct me! Hope you like these half as much as I do...

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" -unknown

"Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatest which does not bow before children." -Khalil Gibran

"If the wind will not serve, take the oars." -Latin Proverb

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter do not mind, and those that matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

"When your heart speaks, take good notes." -unknown

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." -John Ruskin

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." -Emerson

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

"Go over, go under go around, or go through. But never give up." -unknown

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I have learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment, and making the most of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." -Gilda Ratner

So, I realized that there are a lot more that I want to share with you, but I would be up all night! (I am learning how to give immunizations tomorrow--probably something I should be alert and awake during.) I'll try to include a few every once in a while. If you every need a quote for a specific situation, let me know, and I just might be able to help you out. Cheers!