Dinner Dates

I am proud to say that I have some of the best "old" friends a person could ask for. There are 5 friends from high school who live here in Charlotte that have made a tradition out of meeting for dinner once a week. We all just graduated from college and are trying to find our place in the grown up world. Each one of us brings something unique to the table and even though coordinating a time to meet can be hectic after every meal I am so glad that we each made the time to meet. I have a feeling this tradition is one that will last for quite some time. Thank goodness for old friends!

I am so excited about the next couple of days in the office. Dr. B has decided to not seen patients for a couple of days so we can get caught up on paper work before the end of the year. Who doesn't want to start a new year with a clean plate? I plan on spending a large portion of my day tomorrow getting the office organized the way I see fit. I have noticed that when you take over someone else's job it is hard to find the time to put things where you would want them. So I can't wait to tear through drawers and clean every corner of my office. I can't wait to make my office space mine.

It's the holiday season

It is officially my favorite time of the year! I love everything about the holidays. For my family Christmas means completely redecorating the entire house. We spend days getting the house ready for Christmas- I love setting the table with Christmas china, putting up snow village and adding red and green accents to each room. Everything has its certain spot and with the excepting of couple new additions each year looks just like the last. I was very behind on my Christmas shopping before I made a big run today. I manage to make some major headway in my gift buying. I am by no means done but at least I have some names crossed off. I spent the afternoon wrapping gifts and tying bows to match our themed paper. Our tree is already starting to get full!

As you all know my sister is about to have her second baby girl. She is due in January and I feel like the holidays are making this pregnancy very different from her last. When Bayden was ob the way we spent weeks/ months shopping for the perfect blanket and the cutest clothes but with this baby we have been so distracted by everything going on we have hardly bought anything. I guess that is what happens with number two. Don't get me wrong we are SO excited about the baby but it just feels different this time, even Nikki seems to be more relaxed.

There is so much to be excited for right now, the only thing I am not looking forward to is Monday at the office.

Stuck in the middle

Have you ever felt like you are just stuck in the middle? Lately, that is all I have been feeling. You graduate from college, get a job, save some money-- and then what? I feel like I just don't have a strong purpose right now. For the first time in my life there is no end goal. Life is just about doing the 9-5 and enjoying the hours surrounding those. I have nothing to complain about- I love my job, I have fantastic friends, Steven makes me the happiest I've ever been but yet for some reason I feel like I am getting lost. I have no idea what to do to fix it. Can you fix something that isn't broken?? Last night Steven and I had a long talk about making a firm budget for the next couple months of my life. I kept saying to him "how do I know what to save for?" Right now I just feel as though EVERYTHING in my life requires saving and there is no way I can save a quickly as I need to. How do I know when I have enough to make it on my own? What salary is considered acceptable to move out? At what point have you saved enough? I have so many questions and everyone I turn to has a different answer. I guess for now I will just have to be stuck in the middle.

Raleigh Trip

This weekend I went to visit one of my oldest friends, Ashley. She is currently in law school at Campbell which recently relocated to downtown Raleigh. It was so wonderful to see her. I haven't seen her since she moved to Raleigh and I was in desperate need of some good old fashion girl time. I drove up after work on Friday (one of the first times I have actually managed to leave the office semi early) and got up there in time for dinner. I met her at her beautiful downtown apartment. She has done an awesome job putting that place together. It has a very young professional feel to it. I instantly feel in love with the place. Maybe she will need a permanent roommate?? We had dinner at a very authentic Mexican restaurant and then meet up with some of the "law school" kids. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I really enjoyed meeting all of them and secretly wished I was still in school. On Saturday, we went to an event the Junior League was putting on at the convention center. It was called "Shopping Spree" and they had lots of vendors set up selling all sorts of things. I did a little Christmas shopping and Ashley managed to find a couple cute things as well. We had a low key afternoon and cooked dinner in after a long day. I really enjoyed Raleigh and I know that Ashley is really enjoying this chapter of her life. Pretty soon her boyfriend will be moving back to town so I know that will make things even better! I am so excited for them.

I can't believe it is time for another full week-- back to work it is.

A Night to Remember

I have come to both love and hate Fridays. The idea of the weekend is always exciting but for some reason EVERYONE gets sick on Friday and thinks that they must come to the doctors office before the weekend gets here. So every Friday I find myself searching the schedule for openings, dealing with unhappy sick people who have been waiting and not leaving work til almost 6:30. After walking out the door of the office I am quickly reminded of why the rest of the world loves Fridays. This weekend was extra special for Steven and me. We celebrated our anniversary with a wonderful dinner at Nobles. It was absolutely fantastic! Steven definitely out did himself for this celebration. Everything was perfect- great wine, terrific food and great conversation. It seems like we have been together for so long but in reality it has only been a short time. Halfway through our meal the couple next to us stopped by our table to tell us how much they enjoyed seeing us out and how we reminded them of their children. It was so sweet. They asked if we were celebrating and went and told our waitress that we were there for and anniversary. They brought us cake with "happy anniversary" written in chocolate on the plate along with heart confetti for the table. A nice ending to our great dinner. Steven is camping for the weekend so after dinner he was quick to get home so he could get some rest before his 5 am departure this morning. I don't blame him.

I have been busy working on the slide show for Nana's 80th birthday party today. I have loved looking at all of her old pictures. She is truely one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I can only hope I age as well as she has. She will be turning 80 this December and we have been busy planning a huge event for her at my Aunt Robbie's house. Planning a party for such a popular person takes a lot of work. Here are some of my favorites:

Appalachian plays today.... GO APP!!!!

The Start

I am officially becoming a blogger. It has taken some time but I think I am ready to take the step. I have been inspired by many different bloggers and I hope to be able to use this as a way to reflect on where I am in life.
I recently graduated from Appalachian State and have started my journey into the working world. I am currently employed by a local family doctor here in Charlotte. I have come to love the ends and outs of heath care. For those of you who know me well will agree that I was never a doctor person so health care seems a little far fetched. Honestly, I feel into my job and have been trying to learn everything I can as quickly as possible. Between the medical jargon and insurance run around, I am starting to really get a grasp on things. I have the privilege (some days the curse) of being extremely hands on with our patients. In my short time at the office I have celebrate patients remission and mourned bad results. I have encountered every emotion one could think of. I guess I never realized how much happens within a doctors office. People come from so many different walks of life and for so many different reasons.
With the recent swine flu epidemic we have been seeing record numbers of sick visits everyday. I am starting to think that our patients are getting it from our office. Our CNA is currently out of work with it. I have never been so thankful for my glass wall of separation. I have become obsessive about washing my hands and not touching my face.
I will continue to share stories from the office and life as often as I can. Cheers to entering the world of blogging!!