Alive...barely

It's been almost a month since my last post. I apologize, but the truth of the matter is that CPE is kicking my butt. I'm being shuffled between two hospitals, which gives me both a unique perspective and a terrible schedule that leaves me without a good sense of routine. I've experienced some intense anxiety, a consistent amount of normal stress, and definitely moments of joy and fulfillment. The range of emotion is itself exhausting, as is the normal strain of an 8.5 hour workday plus on-call hours. I think that I'm finally adjusting, but it's taken me until now, week four, to finally feel like I can actually do this. There have definitely been some giving-up sorts of feelings, but I have committed to pushing through, even though it's hard.

I did get a weekend away this past weekend, though. Matt and I drove to Des Moines to visit Steph and Beth for a couple days. We did some shopping, eating, went to an Iowa Cubs game (and saw Derrek Lee in a rehab start), and browsed Des Moines' big summer art show. It felt so good to get away - literally. And my sisters rock. Pictures: