Something Old, Something New

For my first full weekend in southern California, I was lucky to get to spend lots of time with Adam. We had some tasty beef noodle soup at Liang's Kitchen for lunch. With food for our bellies and fuel for the road, we made the drive south to San Diego.On our way to Shelter Island, we met up with my good friend from high school and former debate partner Stefan Zao. We caught up over coffee at Con Pane, a cute cafe/bakery. Stefan is thriving in his sunny location- from sky diving to scuba diving.Adam and I pulled a quick costume change and arrived at the location of his grad school friends' wedding. Beth and Josh had a fun, quirky outdoor wedding complete with quotes from Dr. Seuss and A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The weather was perfection, and the flowers were bright and colorful. The cupcake tower topper featured a pair of Jedi knights, and the DJ rocked and rolled all night.It was great to meet many of Adam's UC-Irvine friends. Even though Adam and I have been in phase 2 of our relationship for nearly a year, it was nice to get to be his date to an official function for the first time in a long time. The last time we went to a wedding together was in May 2007 when he was MY plus one for Chelsey's wedding. Good memories!

Change of Scenery

During the month of August I did an away rotation in Emergency Medicine at LA County Hospital. Working with the residents and faculty at USC was a fantastic experience. The residency program is well established with some of the big names in EM calling USC their home. The four-year program is comprised of close-knit residents, entertaining educators, nice facilities, and interesting patients. One of the largest EM programs in the country, USC serves a diverse population in east LA- from serious trauma cases to unusual medical pathologies. In comparison to working at Houston's county hospital, LA County has a fairly similar mix of cultural diversity and critical patients. I picked up some new skills that I will take back to Baylor with me: starting a central line, ultrasound-guided IV access, removing a toenail, suturing a heavily bleeding finger, and more!

Manifest Destiny

Day #2 of our epic westward journey involved cruising through New Mexico and Arizona. We briefly stopped at the fenced off ghost town of Stein (above) and snapped a quick pic before heading on down I-10.Thanks to our AAA TripTik and travel books, we were able to read about all the towns that dotted the drive to California. The blurb for Willcox, Arizona, piqued our interest, so we took the exit and made a beeline to the Rex Allen statue. Inside the bronze statue is a molded heart symbolizing that Rex's heart will always be in Willcox.Adam insisted that we visit the Rex Allen Museum & Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame. After seeing Adam drool over the glitzy wardrobe on display, I made a mental note for his upcoming birthday. Our eyes widened as we saw one of Rex Allen's records on display: Don't Go Near the Indians. What a trip!While in Willcox we stood on the very spot where W. Earp died... Warren Earp, that is- brother of Wyatt. Warren was gunned down in the Headquarter Saloon, which today is a quaint little corner gift shop. Unfortunately, Tombstone was a bit too far off the interstate for a visit to the OK Corral. Next time, perhaps.The blog wouldn't be complete without mentioning some of the food we ate along the way. Adam was very excited about his New Mexican food in Tuscon. We let the waitress "take care of us" and she served us up a mighty fine and mighty filling meal. We ate dinner in Palm Springs at a new burger joint called Woody's. While eating my Hawaiian burger, I enjoyed a surprise jazz concert with Adam. Before long we finally made it to Irvine and the West was won!

Go West, Young Man

After bidding Wentworth a fond farewell, Adam and I hit the road. We set our internal compasses heading due west and hopped onto I-10 toward the Pacific Ocean. With a goal of making it to California in time for the start of my emergency medicine rotation at USC/LA County Hospital, we put the pedal to the floor. In just a few hours, we were ready for lunch in San Antonio. The strategic stop also allowed us to Remember the Alamo.While humming the tune to "Davy Crockett," we toured the grounds and snapped a couple pics for the memory books. We even stepped across the line Lt. Col. William Barret Travis drew in the sand to see who was "prepared to give their lives in freedom's cause." Then we continued on our way, attempting to make a larger dent in the 1,547-mile journey.We soon discovered that gas stations in central and west Texas were few and far between. After a slight miscommunication between driver and co-pilot, we found ourselves literally sweating our way to the next gas station in Bakersfield, TX (where the entire town consisted of an exit ramp and two fuel pumps). Just after dark, we settled into our hotel in Las Cruces, NM. We stretched our legs and even took a relaxing soak in the hot tub. Who knew sitting still for so long would be so exhausting?!

Blissfully

On Saturday, July 23rd, I watched my childhood friend Kristin Longwell walk down the aisle and marry Darin Christensen. It was a gorgeous day on Hayden Lake. The two looked like a perfect pair as they read personalized vows to each other. It was such a treat to see the entire Longwell family, to catch up with high school acquaintances, and to meet Kristin's fun friends from college & physical therapy school. After a few drinks, a delicious dinner, and several spins on the dance floor, I made a triumphant bouquet catch.One of the most clever bouquet tosses would have to go to my dear friend Jenn, whose bouquet purposefully split mid-air into several catch-able clusters. I got to see Jenn briefly for dinner the following Wednesday night when I was back in Houston. She and Robert have continued to make the TX-NC long distance work, but they are looking forward to matching together in psychiatry and emergency medicine, respectively. After falling easily into conversation with Jenn, I was reminded how special her friendship is to me.