My camera has taken a turn for the worse and has reached the end of it's life, hence the terrible blogging schedule. I have been trying to collect photos from those around me so hopefully I can get this blog up to par.


In the mean time, I have just returned to Knoxville (when I left 2 weeks ago it was summer and it is now most definitely fall) for my very last didactic quarter of my PA program. Hip hip hooray! The countdown is on, of course, and we are down to 1o weeks of classes left! We (and by we I am referring to my pseudo-family AKA classmates) do have another year learning in the hospital, but this will be a completely different experience than the program has been so far and I am extremely excited to get there!

I had a fabulous 2 week break, which I spent the first part tailgating, window shopping, visiting, and beaching (the verb form meaning to go to the beach) with my classmate, Erinn. She is from Michigan so I think she was quite excited to head south as opposed to north at the end of September for a few days of hot sunshine. After day 1 at the beach, it was quite evident we had both been deprived of sunlight in our busy PA school schedules as we both left wishing we had left a little sooner. We stopped in Gainesville on our way down to South FL for the UF/UT football game. Things didn't quite go as planned, but we had a great weekend regardless and several reunions with great friends! Then, she headed back to the freezing cold and I headed west to the next slice of paradise, California. I joined cousin Jenn, Auntie Linda, and Grandma for a fabulous vaca touring LA and the beaches and cities surrounding the area. I experienced several new things this time around, including a tasty winery in Los Olivos, an unforgettable disco extravaganza in the Hollywood Bowl complete with the Village People (yes, the real ones), Kool and the Gang, and a few other disco divas, Michael Jackson's "holding" site and Hollywood Walk of Fame star, the Santa Monica Pier, and Jocelyn's 23rd birthday dinner at The Ivy. Hopefully I will find some photos to borrow soon!

So here I am back in Knoxville for round/quarter 5! I am going to almost promise to update my blog weekly as there will be lots happening again this quarter and I need to better document my life. Please be sure to send me updates through email of your lives too!

(an oldie from Fall 2008)