Day 1: The cutest little puppy ever.

I did a month of thankfulness in November of last year, so I decided to carry on the tradition and do it again this year! It is a great experience that really allows you to appreciate life during such a busy time of year!

Today, marking the first day of being grateful... I'd happy to have my sweet little Diego. 

Who, yesterday, was Diego the Shark Dog. 

Okay, so he may not have been happy about it.

I know I'm biased but he is the greatest puppy in the world.  Even when he gets mad at me for taking a gazillion pictures of him.

This is his, "seriously-another-picture-are-you-kidding-me-right-now" face. And also his "I seriously need a haircut" face.

I don't know if you are an animal lover, but either way you need to get a dog. It will make your world go round. 

(P.S. Super late pregnancy week 20 update to come soon!) 

In Case You Haven't Smiled Today...

Is it just me or do puppies make your heart melt?



My favorite part is at 0:33 when Diego face plants into the kennel.  You know he's mine because he's just as much of a klutz as his Momma.

Have I told you I love him yet?
                          ______________________________________________

Today I got to see 4 of my amazing classmates.  Lunch with these two at Sprout Cafe, the BEST restaurant in Palo Alto...

Followed by Coffee at Philz (the best & most expensive coffee shop in Palo Alto where it costs $4 for a cup of coffee...) with two of my other favorite ladies, Liza and Lisa.

It was just what I needed.  Between the great company and the 80 degree temperatures, how can you go wrong?

Let the sun shine down!

Okay, I better get packing.  T-minus 1.5 days until I'm on a plane for Boston!  Yippee!

And the name is...

I'd like to introduce you to Señor Diego.  

As you probably figured out by now, I have a special place in my heart for San Diego.  I wanted him to always remember his Californian heritage, so it was a pretty easy decision to call our little guy, Diego.  The poor thing won't know what hit him when we get back to Alaska's 30 degree colder temperatures! Luckily I'll be bringing him home in the summertime so he can adapt... :)

Since I'm finally done with PA school, and after my board exams I will have more time on my hands, I've decided it's time to update Travel.Run.Live.Love!  In the next two weeks, I will be totally revamping the blog.  It will include better graphics (finally!), search options, a menu and more!

I am very excited to see the increasing traffic on the blog, so hopefully it will help you navigate the site a little bit better.  I know that I write about ground-breaking stuff (especially when I write about studying all day... haha) but I really, truly appreciate the interest and love!  :)  I feel like we're already the best of friends.

So, as I'm making changes, if you have any requests... please let me know!  My goal with the blog in the future is to add in some free marathon/half marathon training plans, gear reviews, a little fun medical knowledge (don't worry, I won't bore you. I promise it will make you a better athlete and healthier person overall!),  tasty recipes, and of course, more of my adventures as I head back to the beautiful state of Alaska!

And don't worry, there will be unlimited pictures and videos of Diego, starting.... now!

Introducing...

I have officially fallen in love.  Again.

Meet the newest (and first!) addition to our little family:

We had originally placed a deposit on a litter that was due today, but sadly the mom that was pregnant had a rough labor and she lost most of the puppies :( Luckily the mom is okay, but it didn't look like I would be able to get a puppy from that litter.  I was referred to another awesome breeder who had 2 available Cavapoo puppies!  This little fella will soon be our new best friend. 

I don't think I can contain my excitement for snuggling with that little face.  

I'm hoping to go to the breeder's house next week to meet our little puppy.  He will be ready to go home on April 20, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to keep him where I'm staying, so we'll likely pick him up in May after I graduate!  I may have to drive the 2.5 hours every single day so I can spend time with my new little friend.  

So now just one question remains:

What should we name him?! 

I'm pretty sure if it were up to Jake, we would name him after one of his favorite things (Taco, Cerveza, etc.) :) but I wanted to see if anyone has any other really good boy puppy names! Something unique, not like Buster or Rover. Something Californian maybe? 

Since I'm in puppy-obsession mode at the moment, I had to share the BEST videos I have ever seen.  (Sorry if they don't play on your phones... you can also click on the links to youtube!)

Katherine, this one is for you:
(The owners of this cutie were getting complaints from their neighbors about loud noise coming from their apartment during the day while they were at work.  Here's what they found on hidden camera!)

This video be the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  The perfect puppy trainer!  

Speaking of puppy training, does anyone have any good puppy training advice?

Huge News!!

Huge.  Life-changing.  Are you ready?

Jake and I are having... a PUPPY!  (My mom was sorely disappointed when I didn't finish that sentence with the B-word.  I reminded her that is is generally advisable to be living with your husband for that to happen!).

Ever since my first true love, Mindy, passed away a year and a half ago, I've been missing my furry friend.

Cutest puppy in the entire world.

I miss this sweet face!

19.5 years with Mindy!

Since grad school was not exactly the best time to get a puppy, I decided that after graduation would be a perfect time to add a new pal to the mix.  Jake was, well... not so enthralled with the idea.  It took a lot of convincing, but ultimately it was a matter of fairness.  If Jake gets to have dead animals (from hunting) in the house, I get live ones.  Only fair.

I knew it would have to be a non-shedding, "hypoallergenic" dog since I'm allergic to most shedding dogs.  Ideally, it would be a running dog, and on the small side to fit in our cozy house.  Well, except for the running dog part, I found the perfect fit!

Meet the Cavapoo (Cavalier Spaniel and Poodle mix).

Why yes, they are the cutest dogs in the world.  I found a breeder in Cali that is due with puppies at the end of March, so he/she will be ready to go home in May when I'm done with school!  It should be a white/red mix, and grow to be anywhere from 10-20 pounds.  

Here is a little about the Cavapoo (from the breeder's website):

Cavapoo

The Cavapoo possess all the sweetness of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with the intelligence and hypoallergenic benefits of the poodle. They are compact, small to medium in size, and possess a round, expressive face. They are typically well-proportioned, agile, and sturdy. The Cavapoo is affectionate, loyal, and friendly. They are good-natured, playful, and social. They do well with children, dogs, and non-canine pets. Cavapoo's will bark to announce visitors and out of the ordinary sounds. They are very family oriented and do well if ignored or left alone for extended periods of time. 

I am beyond excited and can't wait to see the puppies when they're born and pick out ours! I have a feeling my blog may become the travel.run.live.love-my-puppy blog!  Since this dog probably won't be a running dog, I'll just have to get a second dog.  You may think I'm kidding, but I'm 100% serious. :) 

Feel free to leave boy or girl name suggestions... we're open to ideas!

I'm Baaaacckkkkk

I realized my life wasn't busy enough, so I thought it would be a good idea to start writing on my blog again.
(Insert Sarcasm here.)

The reality is... I really miss writing!  So if anything, this will be "I need a break from studying, working, commuting, studying, running, sleeping, eating, and more studying".... so I guess I'll write on my blog!

To sum up the last year since I've written:

1.) PA School is hard.  Just when I think it's going to get easier... it just gets harder.  Some days I want to quit.  Many days tears are shed.  Most days I go home feeling overwhelmed. But at the end of the day, I absolutely LOVE my patients and love being a PA-(S)!.

Scrub Session, Stanford!

2.) I still love to run.  Okay, okay... I love to run way more now than I did a year ago.  Got a best time at Rock n' Roll San Diego (3:16!) and qualified for the Boston Marathon!  I am currently training for St. George (10/7/12) and Nike Women's Marathons (10/15/12).  Yes, I realize they are 8 days apart.  Yes, that might put me into the category of "crazy".  

My amazing big sis cheered me on at the R'n'R marathon!

3.) I am a MARRIED woman!  On December 30, 2011 I married the love of my life and my best friend!  Some day, I hope to live with my husband.  :)  We'll be having a big wedding ceremony some time in the near future, so I hope to see all of you there!

Love.

4.) I moved to San Diego to do my clinical rotations.  It's almost like moving to heaven on earth.  Runner's paradise.  Even if you don't run, if you breathe in air and like to smile, you'd fit in just fine in San Diego.  It makes being 3,105 miles (yes, I did calculate it on google maps...) away from Jake about 0.1238% easier.

Torrey Pines, San Diego.  My fave run.

5.)  I had to say goodbye to my bestest companion and lifelong buddy, Mindy. It literally broke my heart.  But I know she is up in doggie heaven running freely without any of the limitations she had at 19.5 years old!  My dearest Mindy... not a moment passes without thinking of you. I miss you every second.

6.) I LOVE my classmates. My class at Stanford is probably one of the GREATEST groups of people I've ever met (outside of Alaska!).  They've been there through thick and thin.  Through tears and laughs.  Through sickness and health.  Through richer okay, I take that back... just poorer.  Yeah, it's like we're all married.  I don't know what I'd do without my PCAP'ers.

Toronto Conference!

Being awesome.  

Wine tasting with my running buddy!

My Challenge Bowl Team and bestest friends!

7.)  I have also made some awesome friends in San Diego! Thanks to Running Skirts and West Coast Road Runners... I have a great group of running companions and FRIENDS to help distract me from studying every once in a while.  I also do my clinical rotation at a wonderfully fun clinic that makes it a joy going to "work" every day.

Running Skirts!

My Running Girls! 

Clinic Olympic Team, 2012

Okay.  I think that's a good summary for now.
It's been busy.  It's been hard.  It's been fun.
And there's so much more to come!