Hurricane Irene aftermath

Well I'm back in town, Irene is gone, and school is on! In case you were curious, the following pictures describe what Irene left around my neighborhood. It got much worse than this around other parts of town so I consider myself pretty lucky. I never lost power or water and though cable tv/internet was gone for a night I have it back today.

This fish got left behind after the flooding receded.

Concrete steps got knocked around by the flooding and wind.

I hope others who were affected by the storm are safe and sound and don't have to deal with too much damage!

Hurricane Irene is coming

Waves break on the beach at Buxton, NC on Friday, August 26, 2011 as Hurricane Irene approaches the Outer Banks. (Steve Early | The Virginian-Pilot)

I was evacuated out of my city on the Southeastern coast of Virginia. Actually I left before the mandatory evacuation was even called....and I'm so glad I did! Thanks to encouragement of my boyfriend and parents. I kind of wanted to stay to ride out the storm and experience the rush, but it's probably more smart to leave. The storm surge is expected to be up to 9 feet, and living in a flood zone, it just didn't make sense for us to stay.

Those who are riding out the storm out there, stay safe and Good luck!

School is kicking into high gear

and I'm afraid I won't have time to do....ANYTHING! I don't want to have that approach though. I'm a bit more mature age-wise than at least half the students and I don't want to fall into the old undergraduate pattern of studying and going to class that so many people do (which is: study all day and night, maybe go to class, get very little sleep and then do the same the next day until the weekend when steam is blown off by getting trashed at a bar).  I need to have some semblance of a life outside school. Something to do besides study and I'm going to try my darndest to do it. I mean, I have a boyf and little doggie (this sweet face was waiting for me when I got home)

to take care of and spend time with too. Some (or many...ok, most) medical schools will make it hard for you to do this. However, I think it's important to realize, it's not about the grades. It's about what you learn. In medical school you study for your patient, not your next test. I will not embrace gunner status. I will do the best I can with the resources and time I have and still maintain my relationships and my sanity (and this can apply to anyone who feels busy/overwhelmed/everyone!).

There are med students in my class who are married and have kids, too. More power to them. It's gonna be rough but if they can get through it and still make time for their kids, I can get through it too.

My pretty flowers need my time too! (this sunflower just bloomed - after FOREVER)

(sorry for the grainy pics - I lost my camera battery charger and my phone camera sucks!)

My new little craft corner

Yesterday I promised a picture of my new craft nook. In a corner in my living room there's a sweet little table where I can look out the window, bask in the sunshine, and not worry about a thing =)

By the way, that's the tiny little sewing machine made for babies that I wrote about many moons ago!

It's Saturday

and I'm still tired. Yesterday I took the hippocratic oath and received my white coat. I nearly lost it on stage and started tearing but I got a hold of myself. It's been a long journey 'til this point and I guess it's overwhelming that I'm finally here. Most of my class is straight out of undergrad - maybe they lost the sense of accomplishment and significance of the moment. But it was definitely not lost on me. I'm three years out and it took me 2 attempts to get into medical school. I entered the workforce for a couple of years and even got a Master's degree on the way. Boy do I understand the privileged position I'm in. My parents came down for the ceremony and I was glad to share it with them and the boyf. It feels like my life is finally beginning!

I missed a thrifty Thursday edition this past Thursday...my apologies! But, medical school kind of took over. I did go thrifting today but sadly, I found nothing. I went to a couple new stores but it seemed like everything was way over-priced. Sometimes I want to go up to management and say, "Do you realize you run a thrift store and not a designer boutique?" I mean where do some of these prices come from? I should have taken a couple of pictures but I definitely was not expecting a beat up side table to cost me $100. Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe the situation.

In better news, I was finally able to set up my new little craft nook. I had bought a table from Ikea up near my parents' house. But when it came time to come back here, it wouldn't fit in the car with all my other luggage! So, when my parents came down for the ceremony, they graciously brought it with them for me. I'll share a pic of what it looks like tomorrow when I have some natural light to take good photos. Hope everyone's relaxing during this weekend!

Aki

First day of the rest of my life

First day of med school today. It was pretty boring....learning about loan disbursement and repayment, where to park, getting IDs, etc.

Thinking about starting an etsy shop because I'm having a bit of a surplus in thrifted items/pyrex.

Pretty tired right now....can you tell? I'm still planning on doing a tutorial on how to make some thrifty artwork. Stay tuned! It's coming, I promise =)

New blog design

What do you think???

Thrifty Thursday on Friday

Yes, I'm still alive!

We just got back home from:

1. Renovating a house with the boyf's parents
2. Visiting my parents
3. Having a reunion at the beach with some college friends!

We had a great time but I'm ready to stop hopping around the east coast. Plus, school starts Monday....dun dun dun! First day of the first year of medical school! Am I excited? Mmmm....kind of. I'm excited to begin the first steps in my career as a doctor but I'm not excited to start cramming a mountain of information into my tiny wittle brain...

Anyway, on our way home from....everywhere, I totally made a few stops and collected some thrifty items! Take a look see:

I found this hounds-tooth fabric and thought it'd make some fabulous, modern throw pillows for the living room couch. 

I was collecting these pots for three succulent plants I got from Ikea. As you can see one of them (on the right) died a little while we were away. Yes, I killed a succulent - the hardest plants to kill =(.

I thought this table cloth was pretty. I wanted to use it outdoors on our new balcony (which I'll share later) but it might have to stay indoors.

Last, I saw this tray and I couldn't look away. It has no markings and I have no idea what it is...anyone is welcome to let me know. But the colors are awesome.

Here's the grand total:

Thrifty Thursday - From the road!

We have left Philadelphia! The renovation went well, it's not yet completely finished, but, I did finish my job at least! The floors we put in look great. I know I said I'd take pictures of my work but it completely slipped my mind while we worked morning til night. I mean, even my fingers were sore by the end of it!

Anyway, right before we left in a rush last week to help out with the boyf's parents' renovation project I made sure to take some pictures of the thrifty finds that I found last week!

Here they are:

This mirrored tray for my bathroom to put my lotion, toothpaste, etc on. I now have two - they are so handy and beautiful at the same time!

I thought that my new collection of succulents would look grand in this pot I found:

I found this eclectic collection of candlesticks to decorate my mantle. I love that they are not super matchy.

These two pieces of vintage pyrex are my faaaavorite finds of the week. One butterprint and one yellow cinderella bowl that I believe belongs in the yellow daisy cinderella set.

This last find I had been searching for, for the new apartment. I needed a coffee table and I finally found the perfect thing (sorry for the blurry pic)! This vintage wooden table has definitely seen better days. I think it was probably used in somebody's art studio or something of that nature as there are a bunch of paint and glue stains. It doesn't look half bad though and kind of gives it a lot of character. Even so, I might sand it down and refinish it. What do you think?

Here's the total: