Christmas Dinner

And so it began...
Prime rib = so delicious, but SO filling
Remains of the day:
Poor Sam (under the dining room table)

'Twas the Night before Christmas

Christmas Eve with the Robnetts! In keeping up with an honored Thilo-Robnett tradition, the two families convened for Christmas Eve. We had scintillating conversation over a delicious, colorful dinner. Then we braved the snowy blizzard outside (13" that day alone, bringing the total to over 4') and headed to Trinity Lutheran Church.After a music-infused service, we (Mom, Dad, Sam, Grandma Thilo, Janet, Rusty, Jess, Ausey, and I) headed back to Buckskin Road for drinks and dessert. Janet made a scrumptious chocolate cake, which went nicely with peppermint ice cream and Bailey's+Kahlua. Finally, we exchanged gifts, and I received a fashion-forward pair of arm warmers. They will definitely come in handy on my bike rides to school on chilly mornings and during class in excessively air-conditioned lecture halls.

Ice and Icing

What do you get when you cross Mom's garden with an icy Idaho winter?Frozen Potatoes!In the morning, Dad and I braved the icy roads and picked up my bag from the Spokane Airport (yay clean underwear!). Then we went to REI and Cabelas for some Christmas shopping. We had lots of shopping success at Cabelas where Dad saved lots on a case of shotgun shells while I frolicked among the stuffed animals on display. Next stop: Starbucks for some goal setting with Chelsey. Delicious dinner was followed by extreme cookie decorating in which I surely took home the top icing prize with my Barack Snobama and angel (complete with eyelashes!).

Dress and Dazzle

On Thursday night I went to a KFC Christmas party at my friend Javier's place. Sarah, Amy, Aaron, Javier, and I had a little gift exchange in which 3/5 of us went home with the gifts we brought. Friday morning marked my last medical school exam of 2008. The Foundations cumulative exam included eight essay questions over material since the first day of medical school. I think this was the first and only time I will feel confident going into and coming out of a Baylor test! On Friday night I helped out with the second years' End of Basic Sciences Ball. I'm pictured above with Brandi and Joanne as we celebrate their completion of Basic Sciences and move into the clinical phase in January.I spent all day Saturday at Ben Taub with high hopes of delivering a baby. I scrubbed in on a tubal ligation and even got to hold the clamps. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out to enable my baby-catching skills to spring into action in the 10+ hours I was there. With shoulders hung in disappointment, I went home around 6pm to get ready for the ballet. With just enough time to slip into a dress and curl my hair, I went to the Nutcracker with Ian, Isabella, and Isabella's good friend Ismael. Afterward, we grabbed tapas at Mi Luna.After sleeping in on Sunday morning, I went out to lunch with my friend Aaron and his younger brother (a med school hopeful). At 3pm, I headed back to my alma mater to see Annalise marry her long-time love Phillip in the Rice Chapel. The two have gone through a lot, surviving years of long distance through most of their relationship. After the ceremony, they followed German tradition by sawing a log in half. We danced up a storm at Sugar Land's Country Club. Good times! Speaking of good times, I made it back to Coeur d'Alene safely but without my checked bag. Grandma Thilo comes in at 11pm, so there's a chance we can retrieve my bag in the same trip. Regardless of travel trauma, I'm so happy to be home; I'm already over-fed and relaxed. :)

Stuck! (but not out of luck)

Closed airports in Seattle, Portland, and Spokane (temporarily) have left me racing between gates in Las Vegas hoping to hop on a flight that will get me to Spokane. My original flight through Portland was canceled, but (thankfully) I switched over to a different, direct flight that is a few hours delayed. I think this flight just might leave in the next few minutes, but who knows if my bag will make it! I guess this just means I might be showing up empty-handed without any clean clothes or presents to put beneath the Christmas tree Sam and Dad chopped down yesterday. I have lots of fun pictures to post from the last couple days, but they'll have to wait another few hours. Stay tuned for the conclusion to this holiday travel saga. To be continued...

Home, Sweet (Snowy) Home

I'M SO EXCITED!!Photo Credits: Sue "Moshpit" Thilo :)

Snow Flurries and Test Worries

I've made it to Tuesday! I never thought this day would come... three of four tests down and one to go! I will spend the next few days detoxing from my caffeine overdose and studying for the Foundations cumulative test (essays about all the material we've learned since day one of med school). Yesterday was rough with the mega multiple choice test over GI/Metabolism/Nutrition/Endocrinology/Reproduction (I certainly wish I was operating on more sleep). This morning began with an absolutely brutal anatomy practical, which everyone agreed was a bit of a butt-kicker (and I usually love anatomy!). Finally the histology practical was challenging but mercifully free of surprises.So, what did you miss since my last post? SNOW IN HOUSTON! I kid you not. A light dusting of white coated the ground, and I even attempted to make a snowball for the photographic proof this blog necessitates. So, today's three pictures include: the view from my study room at Baylor (Texas Medical Center at night dressed in holiday cheer), snow on the car, and my snowball!

Building Anticipation

After returning from Florida, I settled into studying mode. During the week classes introduced many of the intricacies of nutrition and reproduction. We continued with a deeper dissection of the male and female urogenital triangle in anatomy lab, which was accompanied by an explicit (and entertaining) explanation of sex organs in histology. Next week is the last week of classes before block exams (multiple choice, anatomy & histology practicals) and the cumulative written exam (blocks 1-3). So, the anticipation is building... anticipation for the test to come and anticipation for the test to be over. I'm really anticipating my upcoming, post-test holiday plans, beginning with my baby-delivering opportunity on December 20. I have a friend's wedding on December 21 and will be on my way to IDAHO on December 22. There are other exciting plans on the agenda, too, but I need to save some excitement for future blog posts. :) For now, back to the books...A festive change of scenery for study group