why i love dc

. . . freedom from automotives!!

i love the fact that i can go weeks, even months, without being in a car. even more, i like the fact that i never have to drive one. as you may know, i'm not a great driver. in fact, being behind the wheel produces considerable anxiety for me. so when i moved here and realized that a car was a non-necessity, it was pretty much my lucky day. i'm really not sure how i'll re-adjust when i need one for my 3rd and 4th year rotations. however, i do know what car i'll be driving:

 

you got it, a 2011 ford fiesta! maybe not green. but maybe so. it gets 40 mpg highway, 29 mpg city. pretty good. if i could have it my way, i'd be driving an electric car. in my mind, the age of oil dependence is long overdue for a hasty demise.

so, mostly i just walk around places. and by places i mean to school and back and to take e on walks. sometimes i metro it up if i'm going to see my friends abby and michelle. one of these days i'll actually do some good exploring . . .

speaking of exploring, i should tell you about when my good friend erin and i went to georgetown cupcake when she was in town last weekend: we ran into the duggars from 19 kids and counting!! omgoodness!! i love that show. i basically made a fool of myself by staring at them and poking erin and saying loudly "look it's the duggers, ohmigosh it's the duggars" and i am still upset that i didn't ask to get a picture with them. however, they did give me this nice family photo after i awkwardly gawked for awhile:

duggars on my fridge

so that was pretty exciting. it was also really nice to have erin in town. my friend emily came into town too, but i didn't get to see her because she was here when i was on a fast 24 hour trip to kc to see my amazing friend christina get married with my friends jessica and carina. i also got to visit with my granddad, and then meet a whole group of my favorite friends for dinner at los compas. it was a good, quick visit (except that i was still sick throughout this whole ordeal, and stressing about an exam).

christina, jessica, and carina

me and my roommate :)

yes, i was sick for quite some time. it was miserable, i will not sugar coat it. i was sick from my last blog post until yesterday, when i did something very embarrassing. ok, ok i'll tell you. i almost passed out after a patient interview at school. no, it wasn't a gross, bloody procedure or anything. we just all stood around in a patients room while one of my classmates interviewed a very nice lady for 45 minutes. i guess the heat got to me {today's high: 96 degrees F}, or my lack of food consumption that day, or my sickness {probably a combination} but as soon as we stepped out of the patient's room, i had to grab a nurses chair, sit down, and stick my head between my legs. i'm sure my classmates, professor, and everyone in the hallway were judging me hardcore {she thinks she can be a doctor? ha}. i had to stop and sit a couple more times before making it out of the hospital, and a really nice doctor stopped and gave me orange juice. moral of the story? always eat food before venturing into the world, and don't get sick. seriously. being sick stinks.

wow i think this about brings us up to date to today. i know you all missed me.

xoxo,

k & e

ps this is how stinking cute my dog is when i'm studying and she is pouting:

my first medical school sickness

sore throat, headache, fatigue, general misery are my current symptoms. i don't want it to get worse so i'm chugging emergenC and nyquil.  i learned that from my mom, not from medical school. maybe next semester i'll start learning useful things.

 

i really hope it works because i cannot afford to take a study break right now! i have an exam on monday and i'd really like to do well. that means i have to stop blogging and go study more, despite my yuckness. this is how i feel about feeling miserable in a far far away city with no one to take care of me:

until we speak again,

drama queen & princess barks-a-lot

working hard or hardly working?

maybe a little of both. all i know is that i don't have a lot to say except that there is only one thing keeping me going right now:

{courtesy of www.nataliedee.com}

anywho, since i don't have many original words in my brain and i have so much to go memorize, i'll just leave you with an awesome picture of two lovely ladies in my life:

grammy and great-granddog in dc

until we talk again,

k & e

we are okay

we are grown but cannot see 
lost our world of make believe
simple times now seem so far
used to be in my backyard
yeah, the world was still in my backyard

but, we are okay, we are alright
we sing very loud,
yeah, we're singing
we are okay, we are alright
close our eyes, close our mouth
yeah, we shut our eyes though we're in doubt

build me a home from a cardboard box
many windows never locked
this is how we used to play
shorter nights and longer days
with faith we would not fade away

but we are okay, we are alright

thank you x 1,000,000

i was remiss in my last post since i did not mention anything about today being the anniversary of 9/11.

i want to thank all the men and women who serve in the military to protect the united states, as well as those in need around the world. several members of my family have gone above and beyond to honor their calling in the armed forces. i wish everyday that we lived in a world where war didn't happen and love conquered all differences. i hope we can all do our part by expressing love in the face of fear and misunderstanding.

today i also remember my dear grandfather mark r higgins. nine years ago today we gathered in kansas to celebrate his life. i was so blessed to know him and spend time with him as long as i did. i know last week he would have been pleased with kstate's victory over ucla, and hopefully he is proud of how far the higgins clan has come in the last nine years. we love you grandpa. 

 

vanilla twilight

i watch the night turn light blue 
but it's not the same without you 
because it takes two to whisper quietly 
the silence isn't so bad
till i look at my hands and feel sad
because the spaces between my fingers
are right where yours fit perfectly
 
as many times as I blink
i'll think of you tonight

when violet eyes get brighter
and heavy wings grow lighter
i'll taste the sky and feel alive again
and I'll forget the world that I knew
but I swear I won't forget you
oh, if my voice could reach back through the past
i'd whisper in your ear,
oh darling I wish you were here

tonight as i took e for a walk around the neighborhood, i had a peculiar feeling. i don't know if it was sadness, or homesickness, or worry, or contentment, or anything else. it's a bit past dusk in the city and the smell of a backyard fire was wafting past on the gentle breeze. it took me back to high school, when i'd arrive home from work or play on a perfect almost fall night like this and find my family out back having s'mores and being perfect, calling my name to join them in the fun.

the perfect fall weather also reminds me of college when i'd be bustling to and fro my various commitments even though school would have just started up again. right about now i'd hole up in my dorm room to be a good RA, or hit the books. those were good days, too.

fast forward to today: i'm in medical school. finally. i've passed my first class (it was a real nail-biter). i'm duly intimidated by my second class. when e and i were out walking, we passed the house where the "class unity" kegger is being held tonight. i probably won't go - it is very intimidating to hang out with all of these classmates. studying and e take all the energy i have, so there is none left for awkward social encounters (to clarify: they are awkward encounters because i'm the most awkward girl you'll meet. but then again, if you know me then you already know that). unfortunately, this is probably putting me on the fast track to being the class loser with few to no friends. we'll see. maybe i'll surprise myself eventually. for now i'll take joy in the small things: jersey shore on the television, java chip espresso ice cream in the freezer, zinnias in the flower beds on my walk to school, the smells of change and promise in the air, and my {occasionally} sweet pup e.

much love for you all,

k & e

let us be grateful to the people who make us happy

 . . . for they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom {marcel proust}

flowers from friends

i had a lovely birthday weekend. i got lots of mail with lovely birthday surprises:

housewares from the ultimate homemaker

lots of jewelery from a lovely lad

new spectacles from, well, myself

the perfect backpack from the perfect grammy

then, on saturday, my wonderful dc friends had a party for me! old and new friends gathered in my apartment for veggie burgers, corn, watermelon, cookies, georgetown cupcakes (!!!), kstate vs ucla football (go state!) and of course, fun and games :)

the yummy spread

happiness

they were a personalized smorgasbord

mr newsweek himself carved me a melon basket!

lovely, amazing friends who made my party happen :)

all in all, i had a lovely time. i hope everyone else did too! i only wish i would have captured a group photo of all the attendees . . . next time i promise i will so you can meet all my new friends.

and this post would not be complete without a picture of the princess pup:

just don't touch her while she's snoozing and we'll all be ok . . .