Life Is Good

So it's been awhile, huh? My last post was about 2 months ago, and I guess you could say a ton has happened since then. Let's recap:

1) I went to Minneapolis for 5 weeks and completed my hospital pharmacy rotation at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia. Living with Erin was nice, especially since it will probably never happen again. It was good to spend some time getting to know Mike better, as well (her husband). What was best, however, was being just a 15 minute drive away from Amy. We were able to spend a lot of time together - we'd meet at Kona for happy hour dinner on a weekly basis, and every weekend we spent with each other.

2) I learned that Dubuque, IA was where'd I'd be for the next year of my life. I got a residency with Mercy Medical Center and the University of Iowa's community pharmacy residency program! I'm stoked to start July 1st.

3) Amy and I went apartment hunting in Dubuque a few weeks ago, and after looking at 5 different digs, we settled on a brand-new loft-style apartment right by the river and downtown. It's absolutely incredible, and we can even have a small dog! Looking forward to the rooftop deck with views of the river, the 42" flatscreen TV that comes with it, the coffee shop and gym on the first floor, and the location right on Main St.

4) I've been playing a ton of tennis the past few weeks, and Amy and I played both days this weekend. We are really excited to be able to play a lot this summer, and we're both improving pretty steadily. We're both pumped to play in the annual Washburn tennis tournament in August, which will probably be the next time I'm back home.

5) Speaking of home, I visited both my parents last weekend. On Friday, I spent time with my mom, and we had a great dinner at the Deepwater Grille and then I was able to use the hot tub for the first time in awhile! In the morning we played indoors tennis since the weather was "meh". Later on, I went to my dad's and got to play with their new puppy, Puff, for the first time. He is no Jinx, but he's going to be an awesome member of the fam. Then, we went to dinner at the Good Thyme, an incredible restaurant outside Washburn, and finished the night listening to some music at StageNorth. Great night! Sunday was spent lounging around the house and just enjoying being on the big lake.

6) I've started preparing for graduation and taking care of things that need to be done. May 15 the is the graduation, but the following weekend in Minneapolis is when my whole family will actually be together to celebrate and party :)  Have to say I"m really looking forward to that! We'll also be celebrating Dane and Erin's graduations at that time. I've also started to get a handle on my loan repayments, and am in the process of applying for income-based repayment, so that with my residency salary I'll be able to handle payments. I registered to take the pharmacy boards and am applying for licensure in Iowa, and the total cost of all that is $1,000 !! Not very cool, and very daunting, too. I also made the decision that, assuming my car holds up, I'm going to hold off on getting a new one until next year, when I have a full pharmacist's salary. Sad, but true. It's ok, it's not exactly a pressing need at the moment...

So, that's what's news! Lots of good stuff, including my fantasy baseball team's recent surge in the standings. Looking forward to the next few months, outside of actually taking the NAPLEX and actually moving my stuff to Dubuque, but other than that I'm really excited about everything. Life is good...