sea.side

The past eleven days of my life, summarized:

Friday: Pick up Clay from the airport a whole 45 minutes later than planned, thanks to the bomb scare (AKA plumber trying to check a bag full of pipes) that morning at MSP. Hit the road, and after a rainy, windy and winding drive, arrive in Seaside, Oregon at 10. Get Pizza Hut to go. Check into our home base for the weekend complete with ocean view, Inn at the Shore, and venture down to dip our toes in the (even colder than we imagined) sea. 

Saturday: Rise and shine early to grab a view of the Pacific before the beach fills with people. Wander a mile down the beach at low tide towards downtown Seaside, complete with stops to check out sand dollars and crab shells, and for Clay to play tag with the lapping waves. Grab breakfast in town, and take the famous Promenade back to the hotel, strolling parallel to the ocean. Drive down Route 101 to Cannon Beach to explore Haystack Rock, where we encounter sea anemones and starfish galore. Discover how much I love the word "anemone." Roll up our jeans after losing a battle with the waves to get close-up shots with the sea life. Explore the 1960s-ish downtown Seaside, especially the candy stores (Clay's fav). Try crab cakes for the first time at Norma's (thanks for dinner, Kim :).

 

         

Sunday: Head towards Cannon Beach, and make a (great) last-minute decision to navigate through the rainforest to Ecola State Park. Hike, climb, traverse, watch the (totally crazy) surfers and get a little muddy. Drive past eight moose grazing by the side of the road. Swing by the Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival in Astoria, the little city that has been home to Free Willy, The Goonies, The Guardian, Kindergarten Cop, Into the Wild, and The Ring Two. Sample crab (I'm hooked), taste wine, and eat corn dogs for lunch (don't judge). Introduce Clay to Parkland, and to my host, Vilma. Open up an account at Blockbuster so that I can watch all the great movies Clay can't believe I've never seen this week. (Hope the decision will make me more fluent in movie quotes.) Get all fancied up and head to The Melting Pot for dinner (thanks, Mom!). 

Monday: No work! Drive to Seattle in the morning to stock up on fresh seafood for the week from Pike Place Market and grab fresh sushi for lunch, just one day before some crazy May Day riots broke out around downtown. As for that afternoon and the rest of the week...

Our cooking triumphs: coconut shrimp with thai ginger linguini; seared scallops with roasted red pepper orzo; chicken quesadillas with chipotle sweet potato fries. 

Movies to check off the list: Goodfellas, Blow, Dumb & Dumber, the Social Network, and just for fun-- Easy A and Cruel Intentions. Didn't get to Silence of the Lambs. (darn.)

Memorable meals out: Violet white chocolate mocha and teriyaki pineapple eggs in Gig Harbor; Orange Creamsicle drink & Bang a Gong and Slow Ride pizzas at The Rock; parmesan fries to die for from Harmon Brewing Co. in Tacoma.

As for weekend number two-- Witness the Twins' seventh win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the hometown Mariners at Safeco Field on Friday night, where we battle cold and drizzle, listen to Pearl Jam's lead guitarist strum the national anthem, seat-hop (watching Capps seal the deal in the bottom of the 9th behind home plate) and sample some grub. Explore Gig Harbor on Saturday morning. Play two rounds of mini golf at the impressively well-kept Parkland Putters. (round one: we tie. round two: Clay wins by 2, meaning I buy the smoothies.) Concocted the Clay Breakfast Special-- southwest hash browns, eggs over easy and French toast- on Sunday morning, followed by a serious movie marathon. 

                

    

But alas, all good things come to an end. After an awfully memorable 10 days, Clay headed home this morning to resume his job as interim editor at the Monti Times, while I began my 7th of 11 weeks at MVP, complete with a whopping seven evals and the first double booking of my young PT career. Though the warm and sunny weather was conducive to my 4-mile lunchtime run, it made for a high cancellation rate, so thankfully 7 evals became a much more bearable 3. Back to reality this week, AKA studying for boards, working on my Emergency Medical Responder certification, and perfecting my resume...

On that note, I need sleep first. Good night from the West Coast :)

happy earth day!

What a whirlwind of a week. Long day Monday, then a smooth trip home on Tuesday, where I was greeted at the Humphrey Terminal by Clay and his beautiful bouquet of flowers. Despite two early mornings (5 am CDT/3 am PDT), it was so great to see Mom, Dad, Ben and Clay. The interview itself, for the Fairview/

Institute for Athletic Medicine Sports PT Residency, was awfully stressful but it was a good learning experience. Though it was hard to say goodbye a whole 32 hours after I arrived, knowing Clay will be landing in Seattle this Friday made my departure was just a little easier. 

(FYI: In honor of Earth Day, in addition to my extra Earthy photos, everything in BLUE is a link.)

Point Defiance

Albeit, life here is slightly less interesting and more solitary than life at home. Here's how I've spent the weekend:

- Eating a lot of taco chicken chili. (Yum. But I easily have 10 meals worth...so slightly less yum.)

- Running around Point Defiance-- but I guess I didn't do a very good job of staying on Five Mile Road because I only ran 3?

- Catching playoff hockey on NBC... at 10am (Giroux! 14 points. Flyers are going far. And WHO is this Holbty guy?)

- Spending quality time with my boards review book. (I won't bore you with details.) 

- Listening to my awesome Basilica Block Party 2012 playlist on Spotify (Train, Mat Kearney, Avett Brothers, OAR, The Head and the Heart, Fitz and the Tantrums, Tyrone Wells and Imagine Dragons...)

- Wasting time on my new fav website: Greatist. Addicting. It tells me that St. Olaf, Bowdoin and U-Pitt (where Ben starts this fall) are amongst the nation's top 25 healthiest colleges!

- Drinking sparkling lemonade, my weekend treat from Trader Joe's, out of my German beer stein.

How convenient-- my top 2 played artists in the past 6 months are BOTH at Basilica!

As I get ready to face the work week, the countdown continues: t-5 days till Clay lands! Fun fact: my CI's birthday is next weekend, so we both get next Monday off-- meaning we can take our time as we venture back from our weekend in Seaside, Oregon. Woo! 

Last but not least, a bon voyage shoutout to Ben, as he tackles manual farm labor and conquers swing dancing competitions living in France over the course of the next three months. Safe travels, bro!

soak up the sun

Another week down in the clinic-- hard to believe I've already been here 3 weeks, and have been away from home nearly a month. Life at MVP is pretty good. I'm learning lots from my CI, and see an average of 8-10 patients a day. My current favorite patient is a 90-year old man recovering (quite well, I must say) from a hip replacement. Despite the fact that we communicate solely through an interpreter, we get along quite well. I've seen loads of shoulder patients so far, am becoming more comfortable with the neck, and even have a high schooler with chronic regional pain syndrome, the most bizarre diagnosis I've seen in an orthopedic setting yet. 

can you spot the only hockey memorabilia in the clinic? (at least it's a signed Miracle On Ice photo!)

Considering many Tacomites are employed by Boeing or JBLM (Joint Base Lewis McChord), a huge Air Force base, we see quite a few vets, and kids of military men who incessantly call me "ma'am," regardless of how many times I ask them to call me by my first name. MVP also plays host to future PTs, PTAs and ATs who are looking to boost the volunteer hour numbers on their grad school applications. Pretty cool to be followed around and to field PT questions-- I love teaching!

We've been blessed with sunshine most of this week and weekend, which resulted in several lunchtime runs through Lakewood. I maintain that the best way to really see a city is to run though it-- that's how I got to know Brunswick, Northfield and Rockford. During the rare rainy days this week, I was introduced to "sucker holes," as they're lovingly called, which refer to temporary breaks in the clouds which suddenly turn back to rain. Thought it was going to be a sunny day after all? Sucker! One day, it was sunny on one side of the building, and around the corner, it was pouring. I rest my case. 

As for this weekend- I've ventured back into the kitchen, where I've spent little time since living in Rockford. Alas, I'm taking a hiatus today, as I no longer have any A) free Tupperware, or B) room in the fridge. Between Friday and Saturday, I whipped up: 

-a thai shrimp spinach wrap with zucchini (my own creation, nice and zesty)

-baked apple cinnamon chips (so dang easy, and just as healthy-- delicious)

-sweet barbecue crock pot chicken (my #1 favorite recipe, maybe ever)

-no bake energy bites (quick energy, perfect for when I'm en route to the gym)

-coconut-crusted French toast (not my best meal yet)

-quinoa mac and cheese (the ONLY way I'll eat quinoa from now on--awesome)

quinoa mac & cheese, with leftover bbq chicken

I couldn't be more excited for this week, well until next week, that is (when Clay visits for 11 days!, and we head to the ocean!). 12 hours in the clinic Monday, then on Tuesday, 1) I will be officially 8 weeks post-op (with full ROM, and rapidly improving strength :), 2) Train's latest release, California 37, will be music to my ears en route to... 3) sweet home Minnesota! I fly out that evening for a brief 30-some hour trip back to the midwest.

Let's hope the next few days fly by so I can fly home. In his words, only one more edition of the Monti Times before my sports writing beau picks me up from MSP. See you soon, MN!

elevation

EL-EV-AT-ION

high, higher than the sun

you shoot me from a gun

i need you to elevate me here

at the corner of your lips

as the orbit of your hips

eclipse, you elevate my soul

[~U2]

Hoppy Easter! (So says my part-time Easter bunny bf...read this and you'll know what I'm talking about.) I was lucky enough to be able to spend the weekend in Richland with Brad and Kim, Laura and her hockey-playing BFF Sam. Getting off work at 11am on Fridays was especially nice this week, so I could start the 240-mile drive through the mountains and through Washington's wine country. 

Arriving before the Sawatzkes returned home that afternoon (they had ventured off to a Bavarian mountain town for the day), I had a sudden urge to run up a mountain. Considering this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, I decided to act on it. Conveniently, the Badger Mountain trailhead was a quarter of a mile from their house. Garmin, shades, iPod and sparkly white (which needed to change) running shoes donned, I started to run up the mountain. Less than a minute later, I realized how unrealistic of a goal that was, given the fact that I'd run a total of 5 times since my surgery, hadn't run outside since last fall, and had never run up a mountain. Too stubborn to quit just yet, I turned my uphill jog into five 45-second "hill" sprints, bringing back the glory days of Ole hockey captain's practices at Thorson Hill. Needless to say, I no longer had the urge to run up a mountain. Problem solved. (New problem: my legs were crying.)

The rest of the weekend was significantly more successful, as we visited Terra Blanca winery that night, where I've pretty much decided I want to get married, or at least go to a wedding one day. O.M.G.Gorgeous. Though it was too chilly to eat our flatbreads and enjoy our wine (for me, a deliciously sweet '05 Chenin Blanc Ice wine) outside, we certainly got some pics with the sunset as our backdrop. Saturday, we decorated dozens of Easter eggs with some of the Sawatzkes' Richland friends, in what had to be the most extensive and elaborate decorating effort I've ever been a part of-- I'm talking silk, stamps, toothbrushes and  acrylic paint, in addition to the traditional dyes. That night, we had Brad's boss and his wife over for Kim's chicken saltimboca, perhaps my new favorite dish, after which Sam, Laura and I decided to hike partway up Badger in an effort to see the full moon (which we couldn't...because it was cloudy...which apparently we didn't think to check before we left). 

This morning, we celebrated Easter morning by hunting for our baskets-- lucky me, I got two! My absolute faaaavorite late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Bookwalter Winery from Brad and Kim (plus lots of candy, and of course, nail polish), and a selection of my favorite guilty pleasures from Clay because he's only the most thoughtful person I know (caffeinated Crystal Light, Hot Tomales, Peeps, Sour Patch Kids, and Reese's bunnies). We headed to the First Lutheran Church of Kennewick for a 10:30 service, complete with a choir that sounded like they belonged in the Duomo in Milan-- bravo. After Kim took us on a drive next to the Columbia River and we devoured a late morning breakfast courtesy of Brad, we participated in an egg hunt put on by more Richland friends. Very reluctantly, I headed back to Tacoma in the early afternoon. This was the first Easter I spent away from my family-- freshman year of college, Dad and Ben visited me in Maine and Mom and I celebrated on a cruise ship a few years later-- and though I missed our traditions in Minnesota (including Grandma's incredible Easter brunch), it's always fun to try something new, and it was a blessing that although I was halfway across the country, I was able to spend the holiday with what's turned into my second family. 

In an effort to make me feel a little better for having to leave such a beautiful city (I semi-like Tacoma, I really like Seattle, but I LOVE Richland), the sun followed me home and the drive couldn't have been smoother. Podcasts helped me pass the time during the first half of the drive through wine country, while I drove through the mountains jamming to "Drunk on You" on repeat, dreaming of summer and lazy days on the lake. Though it was annoying at first, Washington is smart to outlaw cell phones while driving because some of those passes require two hands on the wheel and lots of concentration on the curves of the road. Nothing like signs that say "ROCKS" and ever-changing computerized speed limit signs to keep you focused on the road. 

For my next entry, I promise to write more about the whole reason I started this blog in the first place: school (including the presentation idea that I'm hoping will land me my top pick of sports residency programs...), but right now I'm on too much of an Easter/chocolate bunny/sugar high to think about work. And as I sit facing the mountains of candy I brought home, I find myself looking forward to my workouts this week, though at the same time wondering if they'll do me any good. Time for a Skype date with Clayton... Night, all!

sportho in tacoma

One week down at MVP (click here), and I'm already at nearly 50% of a full-time caseload-- not a bad start! It's so refreshing to be back in an sports/ortho (sportho) setting after having challenged my patience and creativity with pediatrics, and after constantly having to think about falls, cognitive function and comorbidities in neurorehab/acute care. Lucky for me, my CI's primary interest is sports ortho, and she's highly qualified: OCS, SCS, FAAOMPT, CCCE, and PES (though I have yet to figure out what the last one stands for). One of my coworkers is even the President of the Private Practice section of the APTA! So far, I've had a pretty good mix of patients-- shoulders, knees, necks, low backs, ACL reconstructions, ankle sprains, total hips-- and have surprised myself by how much I remember from my first ortho internship at ORS months ago. 

the snack selection at Cedarbrook Lodge!

I've also spent the week getting used to a whole different part of the country, the Pacific Northwest. I love the midwest and I love the northeast, and this almost seems to be a combination of the two, with an 80% chance of rain. It is similar to what I expected, with plenty of North Face and Subarus. The area I'm living in (it's either Parkland, south Tacoma, Lakewood, or Puyallup, I'm still not sure) certainly lives up to Washington's nickname, the Evergreen State. (I sit wondering, is it ever green because it rains so much? Probs.)

It would be hard to publish this entry without mentioning rain at least one more time, so I'll share a revelation... Mount Rainier. I have a picturesque view of the highest mountain in Washington during my drive home from work, and it didn't take me long to figure out the relevance of its name-- it's not just rainy here, it's rainier. Duh. Good thing my windshield wipers had the snowless winter in Minnesota to rest up for all the work they're doing here. Ok ok, enough with the weather, I promise.

the chandelier at 13 Coins,
where Clay and I had
dinner Sunday

I'm staying with a former coworker of a friend of a high school friend (get all that?). I have yet to meet her, as she's off vacationing somewhere, but I've made myself at home in the guest room she rents out to foreign exchange students (around here, Minnesota just might be considered foreign territory). I even have my own bathroom and cable, though unfortunately no hockey channels. Last fall, I was extremely concerned with not being able to watch the Wild in the postseason, back when we were hanging on the #1 spot in the league. But at this point, considering how far we've fallen (yes, I'm still grudgingly using "we" instead of "they") I'm not too torn up about being thousands of miles away from the team, especially when I can watch Wild plays in the "Best Jeers of the Year" on ESPN2 (as I'm doing at the moment-- we landed both #41...and #2. Way to go, Setoguchi.). 

So, what am I doing with all of my free time, you wonder? Well, Tacoma is littered with LA Fitnesses (I've found 3 so far within a 10-mile radius), Targets (can you ever not find something to buy?), and coffee shops (for when I stop procrastinating and start studying...tomorrow). I've also recently become fascinated by Skype-- makes home feel oh so much closer. And I have visits from Clay, Mom and Dad (and Kristy?!) to look forward to, plus Easter in Richland next weekend. 

new Train song + baseball opener-- ahh, a lovely combination

Thoughts from this week--

1) People know very little about Minnesota. A few have friends from the area (yesterday, Irondale and Monticello were name dropped) and one asked if I live by Prince, but so far, no one has known that Minnesota is the State of Hockey. Someone actually asked how our field hockey teams are. Get with it, West Coast. 

2) 40 hours can be split up a bunch of different ways. I've worked four 10-hour days, five 8-hour days, and now I work three 10-hour days, one 6-hour day (Tuesday) and one 4-hour day (Friday). 

3) Southwest flights from Seattle <--> MSP are cheap! I just couldn't stay away...so I'm flying home on April 17 :) 

4) Iced Gingerbread Clif bars are ridiculously great. I stocked up on power bars for Africa,  and as a result, I'm becoming a power bar expert. With a close second place finish: dark chocolate cookie dough Luna bars.

5) TV shows are on at weird times.

6) I'm so over Spotify. Hellooo, Pandora. I've taken over control of music at the clinic, and I could listen to the Matchbox Twenty station for years on end (and I just might). 

All in all-- though I miss home like crazy, it's nice to be back in a routine. Don't get me wrong, I will not complain about the five weeks I had off because I did lots of sleeping, traveling and other fun things, but I need to be busy, back in the clinic and back into a workout routine. Though that doesn't mean I'm not counting down the days till I'm home for good. 


Last but not least, one of my favorite songs from this week, Some Nights by fun.

Happy Friday!

oysters

Bainbridge Island

Again, our "live" promise was short-lived. So, to recap from Friday: Hunger Games was awesome (if you haven't seen it, do), as was the sushi made in front of us and served on a conveyor belt in Kennewick for lunch. We drove past Brad's work, the Columbia Nuclear Generating Station, and I was fascinated by the role Richland played in world history, as it's the home of the atomic bomb. Dinner at Bob's Burgers-- jalapeno popper style for me-- was delectable, and the live music and Sauvignon Blanc (the best glass of wine I've ever had) at Bookwalter Winery (click here) couldn't have been better. 

Saturday, we hit the road again (get me out of the car already) for a weekend in Seattle with Brad, with a stop at the breathtaking Snoqualmie Falls. Although it took 7 green lights to get through one intersection to our hotel (we heard Seattle traffic was bad, but this bad?), it didn't take me long to start to love the city. Skyline + Puget Sound + Mt. Ranier/Olympic Mountains backdrop = one pretty picture. We were lucky enough to enjoy the view from a multitude of vantage points: 1) from the pier, 2) from a ferry en route to Bainbridge Island both during the day and at night, and 3) from Alki Beach, across the Sound from downtown.

We perused the go-to downtown attraction, Pike Place Market-- which was incredible. The fish throwing, rows upon rows of fresh flowers (especially the daffodils), and the photography displays certainly left an impression. Lunch was off the beaten path, at Emmit Wilson's Oyster House. We wandered down to the pier and headed to Bainbridge Island, where we tasted wine at Eleven Winery (click here). Named for the number of teeth on the smallest cog of a racing bike, it was started by a former professional racer and donates 100% of it's profits to charity (and 100% of it's revenue to charity during major disasters). We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Elliot's Oyster House-- Clay: crab-encrusted salmon, Brad: oysters and Coho salmon, and me: yam gnocchi with scallops (which may or may not have been from the Atlantic, not the Pacific). The restaurant's policy: if you've never had an oyster, the first one's on them, so Clay and I took the chance. To be honest, I barely chewed mine, so it wasn't too bad. 

               

I've come to the conclusion that everyone in Seattle lies to the rest of the world about their weather to deter tourists, because it's been sunny both days we've been here. No complaints there. This morning, Clay and I headed to the market early, and ordered coffee at the first-EVER Starbucks, founded in 1971. We stocked up on snacks (chocolate covered Oreos, Hawaiian caramel apple, chocolate-covered orange peels and truffles) at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Co., avoiding the chocolate-dipped jalapenos and potato chips. After checking out of the hotel, we drove to Alki Beach, ate lunch at El Chupacabra (awesome), and said adieu to Brad, who headed back to Richland. 

Because I am unable to move into my house until tomorrow night, Clay and I are spending the night at Cedarbrook Lodge, which I love because it has a free snack lounge, and borthGolden Gopher hockey AND Wild hockey on TV (what?). Off to round up some food (really, that's all we do), and to rest up for day #1 at MVP PT tomorrow! 

first. ever. oysters.

post-badger

As soon as my fingers thaw, I will update you about our trek... which, to our credit, took 65 minutes. Like Clay said, we have athleticism on our sides (ok, who am I kidding, my athleticism is at an all-time low after 2 months of poor gym attendance).


Thawed. The climb was beautiful and the view of the Tri Cities breathtaking. The hike up was indeed a workout, and yes, chilly with the wind, though the more rambling path down allowed for Clay to carioca (you know, that crossover thing you do with your feet in football warmups and at Acceleration Minnesota) on the way down. We did take the walk down a bit slower though because, as Clay noted, there are no runaway Anna ramps like the runaway truck ramps on the freeway out here. And everyone we passed was incredibly friendly, making our morning that much brighter. 


So now, we pause to keep up our "live" blogging promise. And to watch Top Play #5 on Sports Center this morning, coming from the Hopkins-Osseo boys state bball game. MN pride. And of course, congrats to Osseo's Coach Sawatzke on the W! Now, we eat, and go watch HUNGER GAMES. 

pre-badger

And we're live!!

Good morning from Richland. After a real night of sleep in a real bed (there really haven't been many of those this last month!) Anna and I are up and ready to get after it this morning. We split a naked juice for breakfast, ensuring that we would both get 1000% of our daily Vitamin C (Score!) and are almost ready to tackle the world (or locally) famous Badger Mountain (or hill). 


It's cool and cloudy this morning, but we don't expect the weather, or mountain, to be any match of either of our athletic abilities. Most people say it takes about two hours up and down, so if I were you guys, I would check back for another blog post within the hour. Until then... hang loose? carpe the diem?


Sorry guys, guess you're going to have to go elsewhere for motivation.


P.S. Here's a shot of the fire in Davidson, ND that we wrote about-- guess they closed I-94 sometime after we passed through!