A few months "off"

June 12, 2017

A few words and photos from the months before leaving for residency

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You live your life a little differently when you know you a leaving soon. My workshop of crafts went from a brainstorming centre with multiple projects partly completed to a place that is winding down with each finished piece. I am finishing books that need to be returned. I am visiting people that I'm not sure I will see again for a while. I am so fortunate enough to be able to see both my siblings and all the Jennings siblings before I leave.

This blog post is a mishmash of the time I've been able to spend at over since finishing school in December. I say that I have this time "off" with air quotes because there is so much logistic prep and medical board studying happening alongside the fun stuff. It's been grand but eventually we all need to return to a normal work schedule. I can't stress enough how happy I am that I am not in med school rotations right up until starting residency.

Flew to Ottawa to help Michelle drive her car home

This is us after getting complimentary beer at our hotel

Love seeing more of my besties

Our deerest friends

They are eating like kings and queens over here

Celebrating getting my MD!

United Way Gala

Care packages!

Spring in Cape Breton

Digging my car out

This is what April looks like

Family

Sibs with Memere Aucoin

Lunch with the Poirier side of the fam

Ladies laser tag!

St Patty's Day at the fiddle

My road to minimalism

I had naturally adopted some of the principals of minimalism over time by traveling light and spending any money I had on experiences as opposed to things, but there were things I wanted to work on as far as being a mindful consumer and doing away with anything that was not useful or did not bring me joy.

The product of that was roughly 15 bags worth of garbage, recycling, and donations.

I am not a perfect minimalist - I still love shopping - but I am trying!

Foodie forever

Craig's homemade bread

My workshop

Upcycled this old frame with paint, string, and maps of all the places Craig and I have lived

Nova Scotia string art

Making wood slice coasters

Instructions: Craig cut down the tree with a hand saw and then we cut slices with a chop saw between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. I put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 6 hours and then laid them by the wood stove to continue drying overnight. I used an electric sander to sand both sides of the coasters. I pencilled in various words and phrases that came from songs, quotes, speeches, and concepts I loved which I went over with a wood burner. I applied varnish to both sides and the edges following the directions on the can (thin coats every 3-4 hours, sanding in between if 12 hours passed between coats) which ended up taking between 5 and 10 coats depending on my patience level. The ones that I followed the directions closest actually did come out the best. I knew I was done varnishing because there was a beautiful shine with no rough spots. We already had the saws and the sander, the varnish was leftover from the kitchen table, and the tree came from the backyard, so the only cost was for the wood burner which was $12 at Walmart. I made 19 coasters total.