02.28.11

So, this iPod is from 2004 -- and still rocking. There are many, many days when my sanity would be pushed even further than it already is if it were not for this little device!

02.27.11

Flowers! Kev and I have been dating for a little over 6 months now, so he surprised me with these. :) We went out to dinner at "The Grille at Peerce's" in Phoenix, MD (coincidentally where Kevin's Mom had her prom), and it was great.

02.26.11

Well hello, is your name Marty? Haha -- from my PEO meeting this morning I was able to observe a man sawing limbs off this tree. Moments before this photo he was literally sawing right next to his leg while hugging the tree with his other arm. Clearly this is a man who values safety, as you can see by his monkey-like technique to get himself back on the ladder. Yikes!

02.25.11

A Tibetan singing bowl -- it was used to get us into a meditative state for our Oncology class today. We were learning about CAM (Complementary Alternative Medicine) as a tool to help people through some of the side effects associated with cancer. We also got auricular (ear) acupuncture. I am not going to become an immediate convert to that...but perhaps if I had chronic pain it would be something I would consider.

02.24.11

And this is how I cram. :) Haha. I'm hypothesizing that the walk to school increases the blood flow to my brain and helps me to retain the information...right?

02.23.11

It's diversity week at the School of Nursing! I was hoping that these were nursing uniforms...but unfortunately not. Still pretty to look at though.

02.22.11

Do you see what I see? SIGNS OF SPRING! :)

02.21.11

So, I leave for a week and when I get back there are all of these new signs around town! Helpful for exercising I guess...but I'm not really sure of their purpose entirely, because all of the arrows above face the left and the one on the bottom is pointing right...hmm...

02.20.11

I realize that this may not look like much, but this little Toyota Matrix was responsible for getting us around St. Croix, and let's just say that it got a workout! We are at the bottom of the two big hills up to our home stay in the Rainforest...but in order to get there we had to cross no fewer than 300 potholes and several precarious bridges. We were quite happy to be able to turn in the car at the airport!

02.19.11

Our public health nursing intervention in St. Croix was the "Hands Project" that was done at the Ag Fair. :) It was a big success and several different people took a pledge for nonviolence.

02.18.11

Public Health Nursing Students at their finest. :) Walking through the rainforest on the way to get a smoothie - ha!

02.17.11

Our home stay group! Jenn, myself, Margaret (whose home we stayed in), and Katie. It was a wonderful week in the rainforest, and we learned a lot from Margaret (who is a nursing student at UVI).

02.16.11

The clouds in St. Croix were my favorite. They were very dynamic and changed from one end of the island to the other. I kind of like that this picture is a little haunting.

02.15.11

Hippies. Simply put, lots of hippies. It is friendly however! :)

02.14.11

Sea glass finds on the beach. :)

02.13.11

Mr. Ras Lumumba, our tour guide for our ecohike in St. Croix. He was a big proponent of herbal remedies, and feels that pharmaceuticals will not be used in as little as 20 years from now. Needless to say, he and I may have disagreed on a few things, but he was interesting and entertaining at least!

02.12.11

My first dinner in St. Croix -- a combo platter including a salmon ball and stewed goat. (FYI, unlike all "other" meats that tend to taste like chicken, I thought that goat tasted more like beef).

02.11.11

Happy early Valentine's Day everyone! I will be in St. Croix for the next 8 days (not that I'm ever super timely with this blog anyway), but I hope that all of you enjoy the next week -- it looks like a little heat wave will be coming all across the U.S.

02.10.11

After she whispered to me that she was turning 94 soon and that I'd better be at her birthday party -- she handed Kevin her grocery list. Gotta love Kevin's grams -- she really is adorable.

02.09.11

Am I the only one that feels like baseball season never ends? Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy attending a game or two...but Feb. 9th seems a little soon to start cheering on the O's.

02.08.11

You may be confused as to why I would post a picture of prescriptions -- but these aren't just any scripts -- they are HIV prophylaxis. Yowza -- that kind of made this trip a little more real...let's all pray that none of us get stuck while on island.

02.07.11

Happy early Valentine's Day to me! Kev knew that I was already starting to pack for my trip, and so he suggested that I open my gift early. All of my favorite things! The only hard part is that he said I have to wait until I leave to eat any of it...we'll see about that. :)

02.06.11

I never really thought that I would say this, but "Go Pack Go!" It was nice to see the Packers win, especially because if the Steelers had won I don't think that Kevin would have been very much fun to be around! This year I am going to choose the Darth Vader commercial as my favorite. :)

02.05.11

Want some?

02.04.11

Dixie sitting in her favorite spot -- right in front of the TV. Just moments before this pic was taken she had her paws crossed, and it was cute...but she didn't want to cooperate with me for the rest of the pic...Go figure!

02.03.11

Our St. Croix group preparing for our wonderful week abroad from the confines of this little, windowless room. It can be a painful 6-8 hours depending on the topic of the day, but rest assured that we have now reviewed every stat that there is regarding the island of St. Croix and the US Virgin Islands as a whole -- just ask us! From L-R it is Jen, Marcella, Amanda, Alicia, Nicole, Jessica, and Katie.

02.02.11

I am sensing that my love of all things like this comes from my mother. :) (Take a look around our lake cabin and you'll see that I'm correct). Regardless -- I thought that this was a cool wall within the Hudson Street Stackhouse.

02.01.11

Legislative Day in DC for our Public Health Nursing course. We got to meet with the Health Advisor for the U.S. Virgin Islands, a member of APHA (American Public Health Association), and observe the senate (which Al Franken from MN was sitting in as President of) from the gallery. It was a good day, and we learned a lot more about the role of Health Policy in our careers.