February 22-28

This week was the beginning of my marathon study sessions for the upcoming National Board Exams Part 1 for optometry school. The exam is March 16-17th, and this week I started the goal of studying every day until the exams. Monday afternoon I had to go grocery shopping at Kroger to stock up on basics. We try to eat relatively healthy, but we also don’t have a lot of time, so we do a lot of one-pan dinners and microwave meals for lunches. So my shopping list frequently includes fruits, veggies, snacks, and lots of things from the freezer section. Tuesday was my usual clinic day, but since the schedule was really light, I spent a lot of time studying for the Low Vision exam I had on Wednesday. The studying continued Tuesday night, and the exam went well on Wednesday. Wednesday night I went to a guest speaker for the Private Practice Club, where they served Fazoli’s lasagna for dinner. After studying boards on Thursday and Friday afternoons, I decided to take a break from studying with Nick to go out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse with Candice Olund, Thai Yue, Josh and Lezlie Jones. I was excited to order one of their famous Bloomin’ Onions for an appetizer. After dinner we went to the movie “Cop Out” with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. It was funny, but not one of my favorites. Saturday and Sunday Lezlie and I decided to leave our apartments and go to the main Herman B. Wells Library to study. Armed with gummi bears and diet Pepsi, we managed to make quite a bit of progress studying. Nick spent the weekend relaxing and playing video games with Josh. On Sunday, they went to the movie “The Crazies,” which was set in Iowa. Another exciting happening of the week was hearing about the renovations my parents are doing at their house. They have knocked down a wall to expand the living room, ripped out the carpet and ordered new, and repainted all the walls. Mom’s been sending me pictures to keep me updated on the progress, and I can’t wait to see it in person when we visit this summer.

February 15-21

Monday morning we woke up to a bunch of snow and it continued throughout the day and by Tuesday morning we had 10 inches of snow! What a contrast to the mild 60 degree afternoons in Mexico last week! As a kind of a “welcome back” to Bloomington, I also had two tests this week. The first was Monday night, so after class on Monday morning I crammed for the exam. It went okay, but not as well as I would have liked. Tuesday someone worked my morning clinic shift, so I hung out with Nick at home because Monday and Tuesday were his days off. After clinic Tuesday night we ordered Domino’s pizza with Lezlie in celebration of Fat Tuesday. Because of my two tests, I spent a lot of time studying, and Herky decided to keep me company under the desk by my feet. Thursday night was the second test of the week, and I celebrated by catching up on American Idol on DVR. Friday after class I met Nick, Josh & Lezlie for lunch at Arby’s, and then I had a hair appointment to dye my hair dark. It is a big change, but I love the color! Saturday was the annual optometry school dinner and dance, the EyeBall! It was a lot of fun to get dressed up and spend the night with my optometry friends. Sunday was kind of a lazy day as usual, but Nick decided to get a start on priming the walls in our apartment. We have to have them all primed back to a white color before we move out in April.

February 8-14

I was in Guanajuato, Mexico for the majority of this week with VOSH offering free eye exams and glasses to those in need. Even though this was my third time helping on the mission, I am always amazed at how little healthcare these people have access to, and how grateful they are for what we can provide. The days are long, the work is hard, but it is so worth it when the people give a heartfelt “Gracias.” In the evenings we had a few hours to go into town for dinner before waking up and starting again. Thursday night was the usual banquet thrown by the government and it was a fun time again this year. Friday I spent the day wandering the city and shopping a bit. And before I knew it, it was Saturday and time to head home! Nick said he kept pretty busy with work while I was gone. He also hung out with his friend Jordan Peura (who’s girlfriend Amanda LaPlante was also on the trip) and new friend Anthony Martin (boyfriend of Sunni Stewart who was in Mexico). Unfortunately he developed a painful blister on his foot that wouldn’t allow him to wear his leg, so he had to take a few sick days from work on Thursday and Friday. He did manage to make it to Indianapolis on crutches to go to a car show with Josh on Friday. Saturday and Sunday Nick returned to work and got along pretty well. Saturday night he met me at the airport with a bouquet of white tulips for Valentine’s Day. Sunday I spent the day recovering, unpacking and studying a bit while Nick worked, and then we decided to make dinner for Valentine’s Day. We made proscuitto and monterrey jack stuffed chicken breasts with three cheese tortellini with cream sauce. It turned out really yummy! Nick also gave me a gift certificate for a massage, and I slacked a little on my gift, but I did get him some Mexican chocolates.

February 1-7

This week was the full of last minute preparations for the VOSH trip to Mexico. In addition to packing for myself, I had many things to do for the group. As President, I worked with the other council members to plan and lead an informational meeting Tuesday night. We also sorted and divided supplies that we would need for the mission. There were almost 3,000 pairs of glasses, and 60 gallon ziploc bags full of drops and medications that we would need to pack in our luggage to take to the clinic in Mexico. I also found a chiropractor in Bloomington that I liked to help me out with some neck stiffness I had been having trouble with. Meanwhile, Nick made plans with friends to host a Superbowl party at our house while I was gone. Mid-week Nick and I took a break to cuddle with our pups on the couch and watch a movie. As the trip drew closer, we realized that the weather would be less than ideal on Saturday when I was scheduled to fly out of Indianapolis. I made the decision to get a hotel room Friday night along with fellow VOSH members Candice Olund and Kathryn Mar Jip. Nick and Candice’s boyfriend Thai drove us to the hotel Friday night, and the roads were already starting to become snow-covered and slick. Saturday morning my flight left at 6:20 am and I was glad we hadn’t drove to the airport that morning because windy conditions and 4-6 inches of snow made for poor road conditions. I managed to make it to all of my flight connections, despite having a schedule through Chicago and Dallas before landing in Leon, Mexico. Saturday afternoon we set up the clinic in Silao and then checked into our hotel in Guanajuato and went out for dinner. Sunday morning was the start of our five day campaign that would have us seeing 2,800 patients and providing glasses to nearly all of them. We did manage to see Sunday’s patients quickly enough to head to downtown Guanajuato and watch the Superbowl at a bar in Spanish. Unfortunately the Colts lost to the Saints, but I had a good time in Mexico, and Nick’s Superbowl party at our house in Bloomington was a big success with a good group of friends and lots of food.