Summer Things / 2

BIKINIS & CUT OFFS

I would wear them everywhere if it were socially acceptable.

And I do sometimes even when it's not.

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Bikini bottoms underneath
But the boys' hearts still skip a beat
When them girls shimmy off

Them old cutoffs

-Summertime, Kenny Chesney

Happy 3rd of July!

Apparently Burlington celebrates on the 3rd.

With an epic firework show over Lake Champlain.

I went to my friend Mayo's house, that overlooks the lake.

Back yard.

Tiki torches.

Big band music.

Hundreds of boats bobbing in the lake like a sea of fireflies.

And fireworks bursting over our heads.

It was a dreamy, perfect scene.

Then a fife & drum band dressing in colonial attire appeared on the street,

which apparently happens every year,

and piped American anthems up and down the street with all of us marching after.

Then neighbors stood on the street and talked,

kids ran around waving sparklers and flags,

and the humid summer night air wrapped us all in the scent of honeysuckle.

I love this land.

Half Year Recap

Oh hey July!
Where did you sneak up from?
Well, since we are somehow now halfway through 2012,

I thought I'd do a quick photo recap/gratitude moment

to make sure 

I realize and appreciate all that has happened so far!

January

*Rang in the New Year in Charleston with an Oyster Roast and my best friend.

*Finally got to do my first clinical rotation in Vermont and learned how to deliver babies with a pretty good view of sunrise on the overnight shifts.

February

* Got to go back to sunny St. Andrews Scotland to celebrate the wedding of 2 of my good friends

and to catch up with other good friends!

*Finished my 3rd year of medical school clinical clerkships. Wept with joy that that was over.

March

 *Went to freakin' Costa Rica for some hilarious times with a great crew.

*Had the most amazing rejuvenation at Pacha Mama.

 *Did a reading month learning all about psychiatry.

*Celebrated my amazing friend's 30th birthday with a reunion of our high school friends in North Georgia.

April

 

*Had a unicorn birthday party with my family.  As you do.

*Moved out of my car.  And into a lovely house in Burlington!

*Did my Medicine Acting Internship.

*Went camping with some very flexible people 

(Charlie. Second from the left. Check it.)

May

*Drove home to Georgia, getting to see friends in NYC and DC along the way!
Hello home!

*Got to see my baby sister Jenna graduate from UGA! Go Banana!

*Went to my cousin's beautiful wedding Florida.

*Studied for an took Step 2 of the Medical Boards Exams.

June

*Inadvertently took some post-boards vacation,

which involved...

*Wake-boarding

*Music Festivaling at Bonnaroo

and

*Roadtripping back up to glorious Vermont.

*And today I started my Psychiatry Acting Intern rotation.

Wow.
I seriously did not realize that much had happened this year.
Apparently,

it's been a good year so far,

and it's only getting better.

So, what are you grateful for this year so far?

Facebook Inspiration

I spend too much time on facebook, but then sometimes when I'm feeling a little lost, I find some amazing inspiration that my friends have posted...which keeps me coming back.

#1 This quote stolen from my friend, sent to him by his friend: 

"My advice is to be careful, and by that I mean you should recklessly pursue the limitations of life without hesitation or restraint. If you are not careful, it will all pass you by, and time wins... We mustn't give time even the slightest victory over eternal moments." 

 #2 This video about education: 

#3 This amazing speech about medicine and what it should be:

To Isaiah

Click on them, you'll be glad you did.

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"You are not confused; the world is. You need not forget your purpose, even if the world does. Leaders are not leaders who permit pragmatics to quench purpose. Your purpose is to heal, and what needs to be healed is more than Isaiah's bone marrow; it is our moral marrow—that of a nation founded on our common humanity. My brother, a retired schoolteacher, tells me that he always gets goose bumps when he reads this phrase: “We, the people . . . ” We—you, and me, and Isaiah—inclusive." 

-To Isaiah, Dr. Donald Berwick

 

Perfect Vermont Weekend

People always ask me why I love Vermont,

and there are so many reasons.

Its beauty, its people, its progressiveness.

But mostly it's just so easy to live beautifully and how I want to live here.

Exhibit A: The Weekend I Got Back from Georgia

Saturday

I walked down the street to the convenience store and bought root beer.

My neighbor left a stack of free magazines in her yard, so I snagged a few.

I rode my bike on the bike path to the beach on Lake Champlain to meet my friends.

We lounged on the beach, swam, played with their puppy.

Then we rode our bikes to get maple flavored soft-serve ice cream (called Cremees!) by the waterfront.

Went and got a locally brewed beer at a restaurant out on the pier where my friend knew the bartender.

Got picked up in a truck and whisked off to the drive-in movie theater.

Sunday

Drove out to Plainfield to my friend Annie's 

where they had grilled local pork chops and corn from the farmer down the road.

We drank beers

and played wiffle ball 

and inspected their garden and maple sugaring shack and old barn filled with treasures

and walked around the neighboring fields.

Heavenly living.

This is why I love Vermont.

Up this weekend?
Street wide Yard Sale
More Beach Time

Summer Things

LEMONADE

Photo: Pinterest

I think summer kind of passed me by last year,

so I'm kind of obsessed 

with doing as many summer things as possible

this year.

First off, drinking lots of lemonade.

Especially on 95 degree days...

with no air-conditioning.

Travel Tuesday

Why do I love traveling so much?

Because you can fit so many lives into so little time.

The other week...

Sunday: Bonnaroo in the middle of a field in Tennessee, listening to Kenny Rogers, Bon Iver, The Beach Boys, Phish, and Fun.

Monday: Blue plate lunch special with Mom at a cafe in Cumming, GA.

Tuesday:  Cocktails in Atlanta with these lovely high school friends.

Wednesday:  Bible Study at my friend's house with sweet Southern couples and their adorable babies in Knoxville, as I crashed with them on my trek up to Vermont.  

Thursday:  Minor league baseball game in New Jersey.

Friday:  Lunch in Bryant Park with my sister and her best friend followed by lounging around NYC.

Saturday:  Swimming in Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont.

Sunday:  Countryside BBQ and wiffle ball game at Annie's in Plainfield, Vermont. 

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” 

-Mae West