Go together well

{views of Vermont} We've been living in Vermont for about 10 months now, and we've found that there's a lot to love about this state and all its quirky crunchiness. I'm a big fan of making top ten lists as a way to embrace the good things in life (especially when I get stuck in a worrying rut , as I occasionally do)...so here is my Vermont top ten list! 10. Recycling: everyone's doing it.  { Universal Recycling Law  & Green OR's } 9. The beer.  We've been to 9 breweries so far...just 20 to go!  { Fiddlehead  & Hill Farmstead are my favorites.}  8. Farmers' Markets galore  { There's even one in the hospital! } 7. People are generally laid-back and low-key.  {Lots of jeans, fleece vests, and duck boots} 6. So. Many. Baguettes.  { August First , Red Hen , Klinger's , O Bread , Gerard's ...} 5. The food--which deserves a separate bullet point from the baguettes!  Everything on the...

I started on my labor and delivery (L&D) rotation last Thursday--and it has been challenging, to say the least. The most difficult part of L&D also happens to be the part on which everything else hinges: the cervical check. Deciding whether to admit a patient? Do a cervical check! Wondering if it's time to call the anesthesiologist for an epidural? Check the cervix! Questioning the progress of labor? Cervix! Why is this such a problem? Imagine introducing yourself for the first time to a woman who (at worst) is screaming and writhing in pain and (at best) is extremely uncomfortable, then saying, "I'll need to check your cervix." Translation: We just met, and you have a human being trying to escape from your body...but can you please get in a frog-leg position so that I can stick my hand in your vagina?  Not only is it painful for the soon-to-be mom, but given my lack of experience with palpating squishy objects that are hidden from my vision in narrow spaces...

I started packing up our apartment today. The year has gone by so quickly! While I can't say that I'll miss the mice (hopefully we won't have any "pets" aside from Tessie living in our next place), we have made some great memories here.   {Top, L-R: the unpacking process, our "Christmas lamp," a just-settled-in picture Bottom, L-R: looking down the row from our front porch, Chris made his first beer here!, Chris eating crabs with our friend Brian} Hopefully our move will go a little more smoothly this year than it did last year. We were not organized or prepared at all  last year...when moving day came, we had a full apartment and a Subaru Forester   (the link is a Subaru commercial I love) that was not about to fit everything that we thought it would fit.  Our awesome friend Marie picked us up for a frantic trip to the U-haul place, and we loaded our huge truck in a frenzy (I had tears streaming down my face and "everything's gonna ...