DESIGN/ Lizzie's Dreamy Apartment

I heart design blogs.  Like a lot.  I may have been more excited about decorating my apartment moving to Burlington a couple of years ago than I was about starting medical school (probably not a good sign, champ!).  You know, I don't work in design for living though and neither do you probably...we are not freelance graphic designers and we don't work for magazines.  We're just trying to wrangle first graders in a classroom or being "pimped" by surgeons all day or sitting in a cubicle and then coming home and trying to muster enough energy to not just heat up a frozen pizza but create a beautiful life with fresh baked apples pies and a mason jar filled with hydrangeas.
So, to that effect...I'm trying to chronicle the real life design I've found inspiring in people I know.

First up, my friend Lizzie's apartment.  Lizzie is a medical student, living on loans, working and studying long hours and still somehow living a beautiful life.  She loves Maine, crafts, sisters, popovers, happiness, and painting nails.

 Red serving plate- Crate & Barrel

Towel- Anthropologie

Pitcher- Macy's Fiesta Ware!

Tea Cup- Thrift store

 

 Popovers

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).  Spray a popover pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place pan on center rack of oven and preheat for 2 minutes.                             Blend flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until it looks like heavy cream, about 1 to 2 minutes.                                                 Cut chilled butter into 6 even pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in each cup and place pan back in oven until butter is bubbly (about 1 minute).  Fill each cup half full with batter and bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Rooster cup-LeRoux Kitchen                                                                                       Plates- Christmas Tree Shop

 Mug-Handcrafted in Maine, near their family lake house at Gardner Lake

 Napkins- Anthropologie

 

Timer- Gift from her sister; Blue bowls-LeRoux Kitchen, Pink-Anthropologie

 Fun whisk and tongs- LeRoux Kitchen; Lamp-Christmas Tree Shop

 Kettle- Macy's; Red Pot-Martha Stewart Collection

Chopping board- Free from Hannaford's grocery store

Spoon holder- Pier One Imports

Candle- Stonewall Kitchens                                                                  Pot holders- Made by her Grammy

 Life reminder- brought to you by Real Simple magazine

 Patchwork pillow- Anthropologie

Cat pillow- Bennington Potters, VT

 Smiling Hill Farms- in Scarborough, ME where Lizzie is from.
Alarm clock- vintage store

 Record- Thrift store in St. Johnsbury, VT

 Clock- L.L. Bean

Desk- Mom's old sewing table

Notepad- Anthropologie

Mason Jar- from a friend's wedding

 Crate- from her Grandmother's attic

 Curtains- Christmas Tree shop, Chair-Thrift store, Lamp- Thrift store, Art- photo of Lizzie's summer camp

O is for Olive card- from sister

Laundry Tub- Ace Hardware

 Boots- L.L. Bean and Tretorn Boots

3 Wise Women

Hi!  So, turns out my brilliant plan to update my blog and start blogging regularly while doing my much less busy Family Medicine rotation while holed up in a big old white farm house in rural Maine, got a wrench thrown in it.  And that wrench is that the farm house is SO rural that internet has in fact, not reached it yet.  What?! you say...somewhere in America does not yet have internet?  Apparently, my friend, it's true, and that place is Gouldsboro, Maine.

No internets here.  Only lobsters. 

So, I managed a few updates to the blog snatching internet from a coffee shop 30 minutes away (it's the closest one. For realz.) and my trips into 'The City' (aka Bangor, ME) to visit the International Man of Mystery.  There will be more to come though!  November's looking more internet accessible, so stay tuned!

In the mean time, and more importantly, 3 wonderful ladies have had birthdays in this month!  And as different as they are, I feel okay honoring them all in the same post, because despite their differences they are all going to make huge impacts in this world in their chosen paths.  These are some fierce, caring, intelligent women that I am oh so very proud to know.

#1 My little sister, Jenna, turned 22!
She's this sister.  The University of Georgia made a video about how awesome she is.  Seriously.  Check it out here if you want to see her face (very close up mind you!).  She's graduating this year and is going to take the world by storm, because she is a force, a really, really beautiful one.  And she has always let me take ridiculous pictures of her, like the one I just found below.  Love you so much banana!

#2 My high school friend, Susannah, turned 29!
I have never met someone who has worked so hard solely to be of service to others.  She actually worked really hard as an intern at a non-profit the summer we lived in NYC during college...she does an amazing job of visiting all her friends no matter how far flung we are (below when she visited me in VT last year!)...she went to business school and subjected herself to learning accounting (ew!) so that she can make the world a better place...and she spent last summer in South Africa helping a rural community start their own business which you can read about here, on her very thoughtful blog...so many people's lives are better for knowing her and that number is only going to grow.

#3 My medical school friend, Erica, turned 26!
I told Erica the other day that if she ever ran for president, I would totally campaign for her.  I think that's the best way to describe her.  I've never met anyone so utterly capable, passionate about the world, and full of bundles of energy and joy for life.  Her energy makes you want to sign up to run marathons, learn about the immune system, and go on sunrise hikes at 4am.  This photo is from an epic roadtrip we took across the US.  Look out for her impact on the world of Women's Health as she becomes an OB/Gyn, which you can read about on her blog: here.   

Happy, happy birthday lovelies! 

FYI

 My sister (in the white UGA uniform) is a bada&$.   

I got to go to one of her soccer games on my way back from 

Florida to Vermont.

You see, right after this picture was taken,

the girl in the blue was on the ground and 

Jenna was on her feet like no big deal.

Bada#%.

Then,

I got to spend 2 blissful weeks in Vermont.

I felt better the minute I walked off that plane and smelled the pastures.

It's amazing how you don't realize you're just surviving,

until you get to a place where you thrive.

                                            Photo

Now, I'm in Maine starting my Family Medicine rotation tomorrow.

This is not a picture of Maine.

But I wanted to leave you with a beautiful picture

while I update/redesign the blog.

Or at least try to.

The plan is to come back bigger and better!

But I'm not even sure how to get the header to be centered anymore (anyone??),

so this make take a while.

Hopefully sparkly gowns last you as long as they last me.

Flow Riders

Third year of a medical school is a weird thing.

We bounce from place to place, speciality to speciality.

It's like having to move, learning to work at a new full time job every 6 weeks, new responsibilities, new people, new policies,

and go to school at the same time.

So we definitely have to go with the flow.

The flow has taken me to South Florida this time,

a GLORIOUS step up from Connecticut.

But still not somewhere that necessarily jives with my lifestyle.

So,

we're just going with it and soaking up the good stuff.

 The good stuff includes beautiful, beautiful beaches.

Hello sunshine!  Where have you been all my life?

 

Long lunch break walk on the beach?  Don't mind if I do!

 

I felt like such a rebel back at the office with sand still in my shoes.

 South Florida is a weird mix extreme luxury, emphasis on appearances, and lots of people struggling with addiction.

We checked out the extreme luxury at the Breakers hotel.

 And courtesy of my dad, pretended we weren't struggling medical students for a night.

 It was decadently wonderful.

 We even made up new identities of being an artist, owning a dance studio, and being a recent divorcee from a professional cyclist.

 Unfortunately nobody asked.

 But it was fun to pretend for a night.

 Pretty gorgeous no?

 This past weekend my roommate Mayo and I decided to explore some of the less manicured parts of Florida:

The Everglades

&

Key West

 I had a liter of blood sucked out of me by mosquitoes while jumping out of the car for 5 seconds to take this picture.  

I have never seen such swarms, (swarms I tell you!), of mosquitoes.

Made it feel like much more of an adventure though, 

especially since we were sleeping here:

More proof:  Mayo RUNNING on one of the paths to the mosquitoes at bay.

Vicious.

We made it to the bay at the end of the park and jumped on a boat ride.

We saw manatees (or at least their tails) before we even left the marina!

AND we were surrounded by a bunch of dolphins!

Magical.

The captain turned off the engine and we just floated out in the bay with the dolphin fins cutting through the water and the only sound coming from the dolphin blowholes.

Absolutely magical.

Cielo, our potbellied naturalist guide, also pointed out all kinds of birds.

Rainstorms come every afternoon in Florida in August.

And you can usually see them a coming.

We took advantage of some real Mexican food just outside of the Everglades park,

before we return to the Mexican-food-less North!

The next morning we went to walk the Anahinga path which we were told would be the best place to see alligators.

(Mayo's biggest Florida wish.)

I was pretty sure we'd already cashed in all our wildlife-spotting luck the previous day.

But about 50 yards from the trailhead, I heard Mayo gasp "Oh god!"

"What?" I asked whipping my head around to see that I'd just walked past a 11 foot alligator on the side of the path.

Dear god!
I was convinced there was no way it could be real.

Must be planted there to please the tourists, right??

So we squatted down to get a better look (and you know, get closer to the 11 foot alligator) and sure enough, 

it was breathing.

Oh hey, Mr. Alligator.

  We saw so many alligators on that walk.
Like 9 of them!
Can you spot the alligator in this picture?

 We also saw this adorably ugly turtle. Ackkk! Cuteness.

 More blog photo hunt:

Can you spot where the alligator is in this one??

 Photo shoots aren't harassment right??

 The mangroves were pretty spectacular too.

 But I know you really want to see that 11 foot alligator again don't you?

It was still there on the way out.

And this time started opening its mouth.

We took that as our sign to leave.

 

Then, we stopped by a local joint and ATE some alligator.

It was delicious, and I imagine you can get a lot of meat from one alligator (see above photo).

 We also stopped at this fruit stand.

I got an amazing mango smoothie and Mayo got a dragon fruit.

Have you ever tried a dragon fruit?

You should because they're delicious and hot pink!

Oh, and in case you were wondering...

Robert was there.

Next stop:  Key West

Where we immediately discovered what we want our mailboxes to look like when we're grown ups.

We made it to the Southern most point in the United States.

 Cooled off with some pineapple shaved ice.

 Marveled at the beautiful houses.

 And rampant flowers (compared to the square hedges of Palm Beach).

We ate delicious seafood while contemplating living on boat.

 Then we drank like pirates with bikers and tourists and rugby players.

 It's been a good ride, Florida.

You're a funny place, but it's been real.

Sunday, I'm moving to Florida's polar opposite:  Maine,

to start my new job as a Family Medicine medical student.

--------------------------------

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. 

Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
-Zhuangzi