Some Nature Therapy

This last weekend I had the opportunity to float the Kootenai ("koo-tin-ee") River with some of the locals. Some of them fished but I just relaxed and enjoyed the smooth ride down stream.
Sunday I went for a Hike to a place called Ross Creek. There is a grove of really old Cedar trees that are 8+ feet in diameter and really tall. It was absolutely breath taking. I wish I could bottle and sell the smell there. After my hike I went to Bull Lake which was nearby, I sat down on the beach for a minute and woke up an hour later! Guess I needed the nap.
Overall my rotation here is going really well. I'm loving the people and the area. As much as I'm enjoying it, I'm really ready to be around people I know and who know me! I've already started counting down the days til I head to Cedar City (9 in case you were wondering)!
Here's some pictures from my weekend…

Blue Heron on the rock and taking flight. He followed us down river for quite a while 

Lost in the Woods

First week of rotations was amazing! I finally have that mental confirmation that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. I love seeing the patients and working through any concerns that they have. Technically this is my OB/GYN rotation but most of what I'm seeing is family practice. Other than feeling like I have no idea what I'm doing, things are going great!
So far I'm loving Libby; it's teeny tiny but it's gorgeous! The trees and the green just go on as far as the eye can see. Here's a few pictures of some of the places I've been…

 Osprey and Libby Dam

 Lake Koocanusa

 Kootenai Falls 

 Loon Lake and a very territorial chipmunk

Ready or Not

It's been a while since I've blogged and it's mostly due to the fact that this past year has been more or less ground hogs day… Get up, go to class, come home, eat, study, sleep, and repeat. I figured I didn't want to write the same things over and over again just about as much as you didn't want to hear them. As of a week and half ago I officially finished my first year (didactic year) of PA school! I can't even express how incredibly excited I am to be done with that portion of my schooling… Now I'm on to the fun part; 8 clinical rotations each lasting 6 weeks and each in a different field of medicine. My first rotation starts tomorrow and is my OB/GYN rotation that takes place in a family practice clinic so I'll get to see a little bit of everything; the catch - It's in Libby, MT (aka Canada). Libby is a little town way up in the the northwest corner of Montana. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty bummed to be assigned a rotation so far from anything I'm familiar with, but now the initial shock has worn off I'm pretty excited! I'll try and keep the blog updated with my what-doings and pictures of the absolutely gorgeous place I get to spend six weeks…Here are some pictures of the drive up and the house I'm staying in.

 Summit Lake

  The view from their yard

The house