Time to see how I did last year:

Get into medical school! Yes! Wahoo!

School: Get an A in physiology  Yes! Wahoo!

MCAT: 35 or higher. Spend 30 hours a week on it. More if necessary, try my hardest. Nope. At least not the 35 part

Health Related Experiences: 5-10 hours/week, shadow 2 docs Yes on shadowing, no on 5-10 per week

Doctor prep: read an article every day in the health field/scientific papers Read a LOT, but not every day

Committee letter: meet deadlines and prepare thoroughly.  Yay!

Personal Statement: Write 1^st draft by January 5^th. Read book. Edited by 10 people. I don’t remember, but it got done.

Sanity: Meet with Sarah Mostly…….

Be Healthy! Mostly!

Exercise 4 days a week Mostly…..

Drink 5 glasses H2O a day Mostly…….

Get more flexible Definitely not.

Take time to relax every day Definitely.

The trend that I noticed for 2009 was that I made very serious resolutions, mainly for the goal of getting into medical school.  With that in mind, this year’s will revolve around celebrating getting in and having fun before my free time is significantly decreased for several years.

That said, here they are!

1. Have fun!

a. Take a dance class

b. Go surfing

c. Go abroad

d. Practice French and Spanish for about 3 hours per week

e. Read one book per month (January is for Better, by Atul Gawande).  Suggestions welcome for Feb.

f. Get fit- play more squash and play in the mountains.

2. Take care of myself and others

a. Brush teeth after every meal, limit sweets (no more cavities here)

b. Drink lots of H2O and stretch

c. Find a job and a new place to volunteer

d. Prepare mentally and physically for medical school

e. Be a good family member and friend

I tried to make them reasonable this year, but I always make too many/too much.  Until next year!

2009. Almost over. Whew! In my post-holiday, over slept, over caffeinated, over cake/pie’d state, I am feeling the urge to make some New Year’s resolutions for 2010, in the most color-coded way possible. First, however, I would like to look back and remember the things I did in 2009 and what I took from them.

Winter/Springtime: I started the year with a heap of fun, the MCAT and physiology class (I did like physiology, actually). I know I must have been doing something fun at that time as well, I just can’t remember what. I learned that I need to find an outlet for my pre-standardized testing stress lest I become pre-hypertensive or worse. We celebrated Ryan’s 27th birthday as a nice break, and I think my addiction to coffee became full-fledged. I’m pretty sure I played a lot of squash and went hiking in the cold! I do remember the fun things! The MCAT was completed, and all was well again.


Summer: Let’s see here. I did a lot of walking around the flatirons in May and generally let my brain decompress. In June I volunteered for a week at Camp Wapiyapi, started volunteering at Planned Parenthood, and ventured into cancer research down at Health Sciences. Yuri and Shay moved in, I planted my garden, went running in the mountains in summer (my favorite!) and caught up with friends. Not too shabby!!




Fall: I went on a cruise with my parents to Alaska, and visited Ryan and Alex in Seattle. I really enjoyed exploring new parts of the country and trying all of the delicacies these places had to offer. I returned to Boulder for two last classes, Spanish and Social Inequalities in Health, both of which I really enjoyed and got a lot out of. I finished my medical school applications and began interviewing. I celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in Las Vegas with Julie, and took my first trip to the midwest to Saint Louis! I dabbled back into swing dancing and pottery, and picked up some tutoring students for my own. I have now celebrated the holidays to the maximum, and need to start getting back into life!

Well, it is officially winter. Scary. In celebration of this frigid season, we recently threw a small holiday get together. Fun times were had. My main goal was to make a Christmas punch, which I did. Kyle made delightful appetizers, Ryan danced in the kitchen, Randall and Brock took creepy self-photos, and Christmas cookies were consumed by one and all. See for yourself!

Other than that, life has been relaxing since the official end of my undergraduate career (198 credits!) Smores and I discovered the most excellent happy hour at the West End, and I have been attending some fiestas not at my home.  My passion for squash has been revived since I found some kind souls to play with at my gym, and I am discovering that I am not quite as limber as I used to be.  I wish my body would figure out that I am still seventeen, right?!

A couple last notes before the holidays begin-  Congratulations to Sarah who is an official graduate of CU Boulder!  And, Happy Holidays to all, look for New Year’s Resolutions in the near future!

With Thanksgiving break and a new wave of baking obsession at my home, the oven has barely had time to rest. From Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Tartelettes to chocolate christmas cookies, pumpkin bread, chocolate cake, and a myriad of cupcakes (maple with candied walnuts and agave with cinnamon icing), I sure have felt like quite the baker and the sugar-and-flour consuming roommate.

Break was a treat though. I fully rested until at least ten am each day, took naps, drank coffee, and read magazines. I visited my parents and neighbors for our customary Thanksgiving dinner, when my brother and I delivered some delicious vegetables of our own. My mom made her own new invention, Stuffing Muffins, or Stuffin’Muffins as I like to call them. This Thanksgiving I was very grateful for all of the support that I have received from my parents in the last couple of years, and my very own acceptance!

I also took a trip to the Springs for a nice hike at the Air Force Academy with the Roth family, and we saw the movie “The Blind Side” which I really enjoyed surprisingly, given my hatred of all things football (except for when it means soccer).

I made it back to Boulder in time for a girls-only hike up Mallory Cave and a delightful going-away game night in honor of Sir Alex Roth, future professional. Cranium and Canasta were played at length. To complete my break and transition into being obsessed with retirement-friendly games, Ryan, Brock and I played shuffleboard down by the creek to the general amazement and curiosity of each passing person. I regret to say that my hip and back muscles were unaccustomed to the forceful pushing motion (no wax beads on this court) and I was extremely sore. Pathetic.

Now I am back to the grind for about two more weeks, and then I will really have to find something to do with myself. I am in the Christmas spirit however, and looking forward to celebrating the holidays as often as possible over the next month.

Seriously though, we need a baking tariff and regulations at our home.