Spring break!

This time last year I was on a cruise ship with 13 other girls, dancing, laughing, and soaking up the sun! This year I decided to spend spring break in Virginia and play in my own backyard. Before kicking off the break, we all gathered back at the hospital for our Master’s Symposium. I completed my master’s thesis on the Norwood procedure in hypoplastic left heart syndrome. I became interested in this topic during my month of pediatric cardiology at UVA. My clinical question was “In an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome undergoing a Norwood procedure, how does a Blalock-Taussig shunt compare to a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit in post-operative hemodynamics and outcome?” Although the work involved was at times tedious, I honestly enjoyed working on this paper! The symposium was great, and I learned a lot of useful information from my colleagues.

After the symposium, I headed up to Charlottesville to see Cary and Anna! We caught up over a wonderful pasta dinner and had fun decorating Easter cookies with the kids. The next morning we ran the Charlottesville ten miler, one of my favorite races of all times. The course features UVA’s beautiful grounds, “the corner”, and the downtown pedestrian mall. All along the course were screaming fans, bands, and much needed water and Gatorade stops. My chip time was 85 minutes, an all time personal best for this distance. After the race I visited the children I used to babysit in Charlottesville. Pheobe was having a birthday party and had a huge blow up “bouncy thing” in the backyard. We had so much fun jumping around, playing popcorn and being silly. And of course, no visit to Charlottesville would be complete without a trip to Arch’s!! Who knows… maybe one day I’ll settle down in this sweet little town!!

One of the most exciting things I did over break was go to Shannon and Lance’s engagement party. I felt like I was in the setting of a movie! The party was on a family farm, in the middle of nowhere, Virginia. We had appetizers on the porch and I felt as if Paula Dean herself was going to pop out at any minute. It was so wonderful to meet Lance’s family, and spend time with some of the other bridesmaids. After walking around the farm and seeing the baby animals, we all gathered in the dining room for a southern feast!! I can’t wait until the wedding!!!

Other highlights of my break include sailing with my dad, spending time with my niece and nephew, catching up with friends, and discovering a new hot yoga studio in Williamsburg! I haven’t made it over to Busch gardens yet, but can hear the whistles of the trains from my neighborhood. Having this time off is such a teaser to the summer!! I have one more rotation to go before I GRADUATE and take the boards!! In the meantime, I will certainly enjoy my last little bit of time in good ole Winston-Salem!