Life Slips Away...

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." - Cynthia Ozick. 

Life is just not fair sometimes. My close friend's mom passed away yesterday from cancer. She had been doing well and was in remission, but metastasis were found and she quickly passed on. It's such a shock to hear that someone so special was taken away from this earth so early. She was the mom that would help you rearrange all the furniture to set up a fort in the living room, give you a huge goodnight hug at sleepovers, and bring us homemade Popsicles on a balmy (60 degree) Alaskan summer day. She was a great mom and wife and she will be forever missed. So take a moment and call your parents, family, and friends and tell them just how much they mean to you. No excuses. And if you can, say a prayer for my friend and her dad.

On a lighter note, yesterday was my favorite girl, Ashley's birthday. It was a nice little break from the never-ending affair with my textbooks to come home and drink a glass of wine while enjoying a delicious dinner. The Griffins are the relatives of Nick and Tina, our close Alaskan friends. We met at Nick and Tina's wedding in 2010 and at the time I was applying to Stanford. We hit it off right away and they told me to call if I got in and they'd show me around! Well... I got an interview and they were generous enough to let me stay here. It's been instant love ever since. Every day coming home brings a smile to my face and I'm greeted with a hug (and 9 times out of 10, a glass of wine.)  I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am for them.

Very intense birthday conversation :)

YUM.  

I'm hanging on for dear life in our first week back at Stanford. I will NEVER EVER miss these 4-5 hour sleep nights, being in class for 8 hours just to go study for 5 more, and having finals/stress-induced palpitations all day long.  All day I feel like a sponge submerged in an overflowing tub & trying to absorb just one more drop of water. How much more info can the brain really hold? :) My favorite quote abut PA school is, "PA school is like trying to sip water from a fire hydrant." Oh well... just 13 more days until I'm free.  Lucky thirteen!

Gotta love the Stanford Campus.  Beautiful!

On Top of The World

New. Favorite. Song. Makes me want to jump and sing from the rooftops about being on top of the world (aka almost done with grad school).  Love, love, love.  I listened to every song written by the Imagine Dragons today and am officially hooked. Listen to it, you won't be disappointed!

This morning I did 17 wonderfully long miles.  It felt great until mile 14 when my silly sciatic nerve flared up again.  I finished the run, but I was definitely feeling it all day today.  Operation "rest, ice, NSAIDS, and stretch" was in full force today.  I'm feeling good now, so hopefully it was a big "nothing" and I'll be back feeling normal again in no time!  It's been a very risky task increasing my mileage so quickly in order to prepare for Boston. I've been very cautious and hypersensitive to any aches/pains.  I'm finding that the key to avoiding injury is being proactive and taking time off when something feels "different." A day or two off (or even a week) is better than 6 months off!  

I spent my entire day in my sweatpants, lying on my bed studying/writing papers.  The perfect Saturday. The night was complete when this was delivered to my room...

Room Service! And no... I didn't drink the whole bottle.
I was just taking a pic of the label so Jake and I can visit the winery after Graduation! 

Have I mentioned I love staying with the Griffins?  They're the best!  

Tomorrow is my last day of "freedom" before the 3 week-long torturous testing schedule begins. To celebrate, I plan to study from dawn until dusk! At least I can take comfort in knowing that in ONE month I will be done with PA school (and board exams!) and will never have to study like this again!! :)