Hockey

Wednesday we went to a Blackhawks hockey game with 5 of Travis's classmates. I didn't realize the game would be in the United Center, the same place where the Bulls play. And apparently it can be switched very quickly--the Bulls had a game the night before the hockey game. I really enjoy watching hockey, probably because of the great possiblity of fights. This particually game had a fight within the first 5 minutes. The Blackhawks played against the Colorado Avalanche. They won after going into overtime and a shoot out. On the night we went Bobby Hull was there, a hall of fame Blackhawks player from the 50's or 60's. Personally, I had no idea who he was--I'm just quoting what I learned from the big screens. Also, Vince Vaughn was in the audience.

Here are a few pictures from the event:







And here is a short video of the action!

Week Off

This past weekend Travis, along with all the students at Rosalind Franklin, began a week fall break. Travis has been counting down the days until this glorious time. Of course the staff and faculty do not get the week off. So I begrudgingly arise from bed each morning as Travis remains snuggled under the covers.

So far on his week off we have enjoyed some delicious Mexican food with his friend's parents. We also had a less than enjoyable lunch on Sunday after church. It started out endearing; Travis wanted to spend time with me by eating at a restaurant. We decided to try an Italian restaurant we had seen in the town of Libertyville. Now the drive from church to the restaurant took 15-20 minutes. Once we get to the restaurant we see the sign: Open at 4:00. Who opens at 4:00 on a Sunday? Sheesh. We then drive past another Italian restaurant with cars in the parking lot--a good sign. By this time we are pretty hungry and sick of driving around. We reach the front entrance and are greeted by a waiter who informs us they are only open to host a baby shower. Really? After trying our best to go to a local restaurant we opt out for Olive Garden. We will not be craving Italian food any time soon.

We also spent an enjoyable evening taking apart an Xbox. Travis's friend Chris brought his Xbox over last night to play video games. Because the game kept freezing the guys decided to use canned air to clean the Xbox out. Travis forgot to mention to Chris that the straw part of the can can easily come off if blown too hard. An important warning too late in discussion. Conversation which occurred:
Travis: Did you blow the straw into the xbox?
Chris: No. (sarcastically, as he shakes the xbox and we can hear the straw rattling around)
Thus began the "surgery" on the Xbox. I say surgery because podiatry scissors were used in the effort of extracting the straw from the gaming system.

Tomorrow night we are venturing out with some other podiatry students to see a Black Hawks hockey game. I'm pretty excited about this.

And even though he has been excited about this week off, Travis has already admitted that he is bored :)

House O' Sickness

Apparently something other than cake was passed around at that wedding we went to weekend before last. One of the classmates in attendance, along with her husband, came down with the flu. Then the groom was down and out with an illness. Come Tuesday, Travis started to feel bad. We think it was just a virus of some form and not the flu. He was out of commission from Tuesday through Thursday. You have to love married life where you share EVERYTHING. On Saturday I started to get some congestion and a bit of a fever which lasted through Monday. Travis and I are both still battling congestion and a cough, but we are doing much better than we were.

(Happy 20th Birthday to my sisters, Jennifer and Traci!)

We're Still Here

Once again I have fallen off the blog wagon. It's time to do some major catching up.

* Heather's wedding was wonderful and it was great to be back in Texas with good friends. I was able to meet Kristi's precious little boy and see Trish pregnant. It was a little hard not having Travis there with me. Because the wedding was in College Station I was able to surprise many people at A&M C of C with a Sunday morning visit. I also was able to make a trip down to the museum and visit with everyone which made my heart happy. I haven't seen my co-workers since we left for Chicago.



* I realized how accustomed I have become to the Illinois weather. It was in the 90's on Saturday in Texas, and I thought I was going to melt. When I left Chicago to go to Texas it was a balmy 70. I get back 2 days later and it's 40 something. Not a good prelude to the winter.

* Travis has been doing well in his classes, as always. He picked up a Radiology class a few weeks ago, and he will start a Surgery class next year. Of course these are tacked on without any of his other classes ending. He is very ready for the classwork to be over and the clinical work to start.

* Work is going well. So far we have had 5 successful interview days. On a couple of days it has been a little stressful trying to find faculty to come interview, but other than that we have been fully prepared. I am thoroughly enjoying my new position and the people I work with. For know I am still walking to work. We shall see what the next months are like.

* Besides work and school, Travis and I have been having our share of fun. A couple weeks ago we celebrated the birthday of one of Travis's classmates at a place called Gameworks. It was a two-story arcade. The best part about this arcade was at 9:00 they kicked anyone who was under 21 out--teenie bopper free zone. I can't tell you the last time I was at an arcade and we both had a blast. Travis stuck mainly to the shooting games, although he was quite the champ at ski ball. I decided to waste some points on one of those crane games. I actually won, not one prize but two in one pull! The prizes were these weird guys with four arms, but I still won. Last weekend we went to a classmates wedding in a small town near Springfield. We had a great time, but that is one boring drive--cornfield after cornfield.

I apologize for the lack of blogging. Well, I am on my 4th week of the new job and enjoying it so much more! My first day was rather boring because I went through orientation. The second day was my actual first in my office area. I found out that day that I was going to be sole person for the Chicago Medical Admissions. The girl I had met on my interview was switching to another department. (I am so thankful she is still in the building because I call her daily with questions). So the past few weeks have been all about digesting large amounts of information as well as keeping everything moving. As of right now we have a temp receptionist who helps me with the phones, filing, and mail. However, there is the possibility of her leaving at anytime which will not be good. Our department has gone through major changes and is looking to hire a couple more admissions people to help out.

The Chicago Medical School receives 8,000-10,000 applications a year. That is way too much for one person to handle! Right now I am learning how to manage what needs to get done each day and pass on jobs to others to help get it done. So far I have helped run an interviewer training session, a tour guide training session, a Q and A session with a prematriculation group at the school, and sat in on my first committee meeting. Next Tuesday is our first interview day which I am busy getting ready for. My Mondays and Tuesdays from next week until early May will, for the most part, be overrun by interviews. One of the good things about this job is there is always something that needs to be done...and the days just fly by!

This Friday I am headed to Texas for Heather's wedding. I am truly looking forward to coming home and spending time with some very dear friends.

Last Day

The last day has come and gone, and I can feel that the stress and anxiety has completely drained from my body. The ending of the day was bittersweet. As much as I disliked the work, I really enjoyed my coworkers, the doctors, and clinical assistants. The other podiatry schedulers signed a card for me and got me a gift card to Bath and Body Works. One of the clinical assistants, who I talked to everyday, gave me her email address and asked me to keep in touch. My manager asked that I keep in touch with everyone to let them know how I am doing. Bittersweet, but glad to be out. I have new employee orientation on Monday at Rosalind Franklin...and will be walking over to my new job at 8:00!

Counting Down

For the past two weeks we have been counting down the days. Each day I come home and Travis asks how the day was,then reminds me how many days I have left. The two weeks has gone very quickly which I am thankful for. I'm getting to that point where I know I'm almost out and really don't care anymore. But I'm forcing myself to continue to do my best work, especially if it means it will be less my coworkers will have to do once I'm gone. The other day, after continuous nagging to a facility to finalize a list (one of the many things I hate about this job), my boss said to me, "won't you miss this feeling of accomplishment?" I just laughed it off. No, I will not miss meeting deadlines at the expense of courtesy, professionalism and respect to others.

Travis's first week went well, although he was incredibly tired. He was in classes almost everyday from 8:00-4:00. He also is in charge of a couple organizations which equates to after class and sometimes evening meeting. This year is going to be different from his previous year, especially with his clinic time, which I believe he enjoys much more than sitting in class.

This Saturday Travis and I begin a new endeavor. Somehow or another one of Travis's classmates talked us into playing intramural flag football. I think the last time I played flag football was in 6th grade p.e. The teams have to be co-ed, and I know pretty much everyone on the team. Thankfully our group is not that big on winning but just having fun. My plan is to run around and make it look like I know what I'm doing. We'll see how it goes.