Dave and Busters

Good times were had by at all at Dave and Busters. As you can see the four of us played game after game until we collected as many tickets as we could. It was fun to be a kid again.

The whole purpose of going to Dave and Busters for Staci is...this horse racing game. She has her own horse, "Jam Master Jay" that she's been training for months. She has a card that she inserts into the game and it loads up the horse into the computer. (Can you say addicted?) Anyway, she raced Jam Master Jay about 5 times and won every race. So far her and her horse have brought home over 10 million dollars. Ride 'em!

Staci is very focused and Mikey already has hundreds of tickets...wonder what kind of cheap toy he is going to trade those tickets in for???

First I kicked Mikey's ass, then Staci's. Sheesh, I just wish there was a little competition. Look at that form and follow through. My new nickname, "Baller."

Okay, towards the end of the night, Staci started playing Madden Football and Mikey was playing some kind of hunting game. He said, "c'mon Amy, play a round with me." My response, "I don't shoot animals." His retort, "its not real." Well as you can see in the picture on the right the screen says, "all animals are gone." He killed them all! It was fun to watch him shooting things while Staci was plotting her next pass down the field.

Christmas 2007

Every year, we celebrate Christmas Eve at my Uncle Joe's house and then Christmas Day at my Mom's. But first, my immediate family stops by my Aunt Linda's (Dad's sister) to say hello and to bring Grandma Rosie her Christmas gifts. Here she is with Tommy and me on the left and then my Mom, Dad, Tommy and me. The bottom picture is my cousin Carrie.Then off to my Uncle Joe's for some good 'ol fun. Uncle Joe's on Christmas Eve is a tradition. And I love traditions. So, its a good time. On the left is my Mom and on the right is Uncle Joe.

My brother decided that he wanted to wrestle my cousin, Brenden who is a wrestler at Kenston High School. He's a sophomore and kicked Tommy's butt. Here's one of the many pictures that I took of Tommy getting schooled. My poor little brother, I still love him. The bottom picture is my cousin Kaitlyn. And to the right is my cousin Sean. All of these kids are so beautiful.

Awww...Tommy and Maddie

Just look at these two...so handsome and cozy together. It's a Hallmark moment.

Noel's Birthday Party

The night started at Staci's apartment. Staci, Mike, Rachael and me were hanging out waiting to head out to dinner for Noel's birthday.

Gosh that dog is so cute. I love her.

Staci busted out her grill and Mikey slipped on his Diesel sunglasses. They're so hip and trendy.

Above is Meredith and below is Rachael.

Staci is singing into her Labatt Blue bottle some kind of bad music. Lucky for all of us, she has such an amazing voice!

Mike and Noel cut the rug with some awesome dance moves. The beer definitely helped. We all had a blast hanging out and celebrating Noel's 24th birthday.

Gosh, I'm sooooo thirsty

Good times in my life

The picture on the left looks like I am totally up to something naughty. I wonder what it was??? The top two pics were from San Francisco when I ran the marathon. The one on the right was when we were in Napa. Fun trip!

Below is my favorite place on earth...Bryce Canyon. It is so amazing there. I am totally in love with the the landscape and the way that it makes me feel to stand above the canyon.

To the right is Bryce Canyon and the Grand Staircase, Escalante in Southern Utah at sunset. We were climbing a switchback road called "Hell's Backbone." It's one of the most nailbiting roads that I've ever been on, but totally worth the ride.
To left is Mount Rainier. Gosh is it an amazing mountain. It's surreal to be standing next to something so huge and volatile and yet so calming.

To the right is my store...

To the left is the Devil's Garden just outside of Colorado Springs, CO. And below is Maddie as a puppy jumping around with Metro, her little brother.

This is my little brother, Tommy. We were at my cousin Laura's wedding in Chicago. He a handsome guy. I wish I would have gotten some of his height though (5'3" is way too short). Below is Leadville, Colorado when I was there for the "Race across the Sky" Leadville 100 Mile Mountain Bike race.

Below is my Uncle Joe at one of the functions that I hosted at my store to raise money for various charities. I believe this one was an art show for local artists.

Bedtime stories...

Just in case any of you are wondering where I am sleeping and with whom...

The Pacific Northwest

The week of Thanksgiving I jumped on a plane and headed out to Seattle. Some of my friends asked me to head out there and visit. I was in Seattle a little over three years ago and have so many memories from that trip.

I stayed with Heather, Diane, Jack, Andi and Sam. They were great hosts. Heather left me her car on the days that she had to work and I went into the city to check things out. I went up the space needle, toured around all of the museums and gawked at the mountains. I also visited my friend, Suzanne, for lunch a couple of days...which was great. I ate some really wonderful food while in Seattle and enjoyed a few microbrews.

Mount Rainier holds a special place in my heart, so I am including a pic of that great big volcano. I didn't have enough time to go there, but a few of the days that I was in the city I could see the mountain in the distance..."the mountain is out." You can barely see it in the distance, over the water, but its definitely there.

Heather and I visited a place called Snoqualamie Falls. It was pretty cool. This water fall was nestled into the mountain range. Apparently its a pretty awesome place to go skiing. We hiked from the top of the falls down to the bottom where the water was rushing by us. It was quite a climb back up to the top...somewhat reminiscent of Heather running the second half of the San Francisco marathon with me. HA!

Thanks for your hospitality Heather and Diane! I am still kicking around the idea of coming out there to live. Seattle is an awesome city and the mountains are phenomenal...but damn it's cold up there!

Medical School

I have decided to reapply to a variety of US medical schools. Wish me luck. I submitted my first round of applications yesterday. So we all should know something within the next 3-4 months.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to remind me of who I am, what I want from my life and to tell me why medicine is such a good fit for me. Your patience, guidence and willingness to break things down for me has really been tremendously helpful. I know that my clarity and judgement has been way out whack lately, so having all of you around to remind me what life is all about has really been inspiring.

If I get accepted somewhere...its off to school for round two. If not, its time for plan "B." I will keep you all posted.

My Gram

Two years ago today, my Gram passed away. I miss her so much. She was a wonderful woman filled with spunk. She was the epitomy of being stubborn. She was filled with love and offered it to everyone around her. She snorted when she laughed and cried when reading sappy cards. What can I say, I miss her. She once said to me, "Amy, when you look up and see the moon, think of me." I think of you, Gram, every time I look up.

Life

Life is full of surprises and changes. I've experienced a tremendous amount of change over the past month. Today marks one month since I've been home from Dominica. I must admit, it has been the most challenging month of my entire life. The tough news...I've pretty much lost close to everything that was/is important to me. The good news...I get to start over with my life and recreate who I am and what I want to become.

One lesson that I've resisted over the years to learn but have been forced to embrace...submitting to things that I can't control (aka: acceptance).

I've been faced with the tough lesson of learning who my true friends are. Some people only want to be around me when I am funny or up-beat while others accept and love me regardless of where I am at. Thank you to both sets of people, I've gained clarity from each and every one of you. The hardest part of all of these changes is being abandoned or judged by some of the people that I thought were my closest friends. Sometimes people have double standards. One way or another, everyone's true colors always shine through, especially in times of crisis. The bottom line is that we all have to face ourselves every day.

The most important lesson that I've learned is that I can't change people. We all are who we are. And the fact that I've contorted and changed who I am to accommodate other people is something that I am not proud of and will never let happen again. It was naive and egotistical for me to think that by loving someone, friend or lover, they might love me back or want me...the truth is, we have no control over how other people feel about us or treat us. We can't assume that other people will react or behave the way that we would...we're all different and unique.

Sometimes, my friends, there just aren't answers to some of life's difficult questions. And sometimes the people who hold the answers to some of our quandaries won't share them with us. Ultimately, having the answers doesn't change the situation or the circumstances...it might bring some clarity and closure, but it doesn't change the outcome. Therefore, we must stay open to outcome and true to ourselves.

Settling back into things

Well, I am fully back to being an American. I am driving my car, using my credit card and eating normal food. I have to admit, I don't regret coming back home...not even for one second. I don't have a place to live just yet and seem to be doing my laundry at various places (mainly my Mom's house and Maggie's), but heck, I still have a lot to figure out and its going to take some time.

All of my friends have been incredibly supportive. I've stayed with Staci a ton, Cathy and Maggie for a week, my Mom and Dad's one night, Susan's for a night, with Sue and Dean in Washington D.C. for a weekend and am off to Vermont to stay with Laryn and then to Seattle to hang with Heather. Everyone's support, love and empathy has been so uplifting during this difficult time. Every single one of my friends have come together, in their various ways, to wrap their arms around me...you all are helping me mend my broken heart and broken spirit. You all have been so willing to listen, digest and process with me. You've all sacrificed hours on the phone, countless cups of coffee, afternoon's and evenings face to face listening to me talk and cry...and yet you all believe in me now more than ever. All I can say is thank you! I can only hope to one day return the favor and offer you all the love, support and empathy that you've so easily and graciously given to me. Thank you.

I have a new telephone number, but am keeping the same email address (email me for the new phone number). Please contact me at your earliest convenience (that means you too Mike, I would love to talk about our struggles in school and life)! Thanks again for all of your posts, calls, emails, cards and letters. It all means so very much to me. I have a new perspective on life and friendship after all of this and value each and every one of you. Thank you.

Back in the USA

Well friends, being on the island proved to be too much for me. I just couldn't stand it and frankly it was affecting my health. After weeks of homesickness and isolation, I decided that the Island of Dominica was not for me. It was a difficult decision to make given that going to medical school has been my goal for the past 10 years. But, in all seriousness, I have learned that being as unhappy as I was on Dominica was not worth it. The cost of being there, mentally and emotionally outweighed the end result. So I packed up and came home. The Dean of Students will let me defer until Janaury if I want to go back. I am going to give it some serious thought. Honestly, I don't think Ross University is for me, but I will still give it some thought.

So for now, you can reach me via email. I am in Cleveland and will be staying here until I figure out what my next move is. I could use as much support as any of you are willing to give right now. Thanks for everything!

Amy

Dayton List

Okay, as mentioned in another post, I am currently compiling a list of places that I would like to go and hang with my peeps. Check it out and let me know what all of you want to do and where you want to go. T-minus 2 months (not that I am counting or anything)

• El Mesan
• Bar Louie (beer, of course and those pretzels, oh and a vegi burger)
• Red drinks at Casa de Stein
• Blueberry Cafe (Granola Pancakes)
• Central Perk (high tea, scones and finger sandwiches)
• Meadowlark (ricotta tacos)
• Sunshine Cafe (vegi burger one night and omlettes another time)

Okay, let's face it, there's not much to choose from in Dayton. Still, it will be good to be home and eat real food and be with the ones I love...that's all that matters.

Cleveland List

Okay, I am really missing home, as all of you already know. So I am compiling a list of things that I want to do (okay, most of it has to do with eating). Here's the deal, look at the list and if you see something that intrigues you, let me know and we will schedule it while I am home for Christmas break.

• Johnny Mangos (black bean quesadilla)
• The Inn on Coventry (spinach and feta omlette, lemon ricotta pancake)
• Tommy's in Coventry (EZ with no green peppers)
• Great Lakes Brewing Company (Christmas Ale and Stilton Cheese Soup)
• Aladdin's (hummus, lentils and falafel)
• Mitchell's Ice Cream (chocolate peanut butter)
• Sushi Rock (vegi roll)
• Zoup (mom)
• Red Robin (vegi burger)
• Cheesecake Factory (Adam's Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple)
• Stir Crazy (vegi stir fry)

That's all I can think of right now, but will give it some more thought over the next two months. Let me know if any of you have some ideas. Can't wait to hang out with all of you.

Exam

Okay, I've never, in my whole life, taken an exam like the one I took this past Monday. Grades get posted tomorrow. I really want to become a physician, but am not sure that I am going to make it through this. So it might be time to start considering plan B...I don't have a plan B just yet, but if any of you have suggestions on occupations that could potentially suit me, let me know. Let's just say, OUCH!

On a better note...GO TRIBE! Beat those Red Sox!

First Exam...exhaustion

Well friends, this past Friday was my first exam. We had a gross anatomy practical exam over the back, spinal cord, suboccipital triangle, axillary (arm pit), upper extremity (arm) and brachial plexus. It covered X-rays, MRI, muscles, bones, nerves, arteries and veins. The exam was tough but I think I did alright.

Tomorrow is our first MAJOR exam...biochemistry, histology, genetics, cell biology and anatomy. I have been studying a lot for this exam. I have to admit that I am pretty nervous, but hopefully I've put in the time and effort to do good. The tough thing is that I have no idea what to expect. I will try my hardest and will let you all know how it goes.

That's why I haven't written at all this week...studying too much! Wish me luck!

Go Bucks!

Tonight I hosted an Ohio State football party. I invited my group of friends over to watch the game. Here's a pick of the gang. From left to right, Meaghan (my study buddy and friend from Toronto), Kola (Minnesota and Nigeria), Torey (Wisconsin), Ankur (Cinci and University of Dayton) and Mohita (Texas...yeah, I know Texas, but don't worry I tease her about being from Dubya's state on a daily basis).

Everyone brought a snack (I had Sun Chips), Meaghan brought coffee cake and chocolate cake that she bought at the shacks earlier that day and Torey brought pudding.

We watched the game, played scattergories and laughed a ton. It was good break from all of the studying that we've been doing. It was also good to kick back for a bit since we have two HUGE exams coming up very soon.

Tomorrow...back to the grindstone. I meet Meaghan in the gross anatomy lab at 8:30 AM. After a couple of hours of brachioplexus and pectoral/breast region we will probably head to the library to study on our own and then over to peer tutoring from 1-3 PM. Once that's over, back to the library to a room that has a dry erase board so that the two of us can go over biochemistry and histology. Once we finish that, we will probably head back to the gross anatomy lab for a bit and then home for some shut eye. Now that's what I call a productive Sunday.