...and then they do this...

This is what they do....

Summer, so close!

Only 3 finals and no classes stand between me and summer!

My best friend since elementary school came this past weekend which was so awesome! She finally got to see where I live, meet my friends, go out dancing, and generally enjoy being together which we haven't gotten to do in a long time. I really missed that kid.

My boyfriend has been super amazing, per usual, but this time it involved sending me gorgeous flowers during a really busy week. They are so gorgeous! They are some style of lily with pinks, oranges, and yellows. It's been more than a week and they haven't even started to droop. I have gotten so much enjoyment out of these, they make our kitchen so bright and sunny!

Speaking of summer, I have been having fun despite still having class. I have been boating with the family, laying by the pool, getting blood from dogs, and generally really enjoying this whole block. It is seriously 105° in Missouri but I choose to embrace the heat and try to enjoy the sunlight.

The dogs are still deeply enjoying each others company. To give you a little snapshot into my life, I share the following description of approximately 4:30pm everyday, about half an hour before dinner for dogs:

Dynia - loud yawn with half whine, sad puppy eyes, run frantically to the food bowl.
Myself and my roommate - "it is not dinner time"
Both dogs hear the word dinner
Harvey and Dynia - cock head to the side, wiggle tail/nub, do half dance towards the food bowl
Harvey - jump on top of my roommate's notes and curl up with his face near to hers to be in the best possible location for the dinner announcement.

5:00pm:
Roommate or myself - "are you a hungry puppy?"
Both dogs - frantic jumping , running to bowl and back, wagging tail/nub, ears perked up
Humans - "tell me!"
Both dogs - quiet whine with frantic running
Humans "tell me louder!"
Both dogs - "obnoxious bark"
Harvey then dashes upstairs and Dynia runs to her food bowl.

And that repeats.....Every evening....
At least they are smart crazies.

I am so happy to be finally done with classes, even if we do have 3 finals left. It just gives me hope that the summer is coming. Even though I will be working in the lab pretty much full time, at least there won't be studying and homework and my evenings will actually belong to me. I really can't wait for all the fun trips we have planned for VRSP (the research program I'm doing). I will get to go camping and go on a float trip which will involve just enough learning to make feel productive while I float down the river while drinking. It's hard being a research scholar ;-) 

On a more serious note, I am really learning a lot in research. Even if I wasn't learning anything about inflammation and Sepsis because I haven't really started the lab work on my project, just going into the ICU a couple times a week makes me feel like a part of the hospital and keeps me up to date on what is going on. I also get to meet a lot of clinicians and look at numerous patients to get a feel for the cases and what kind of problems are common in the intensive care unit.

The summer is trying to drag me in, my brain keeps telling me to study for my finals, but my summer brain keeps telling me that there are so many books I want to read. Just wait summer brain, all in due time.

One of friends is fostering kittens for the humane society. There a 3 kittens with a combined weight of 4.5 lbs. If you are too poor for cable, I suggest kitten fostering. Food, litter, and toys are all paid for. All you gotta do is keep them from electrocuting themselves, feed them, and let them entertain themselves and you. Absolutely crazy and hilarious. I will try to post a video of them later.

Go enjoy your summer you lucky ducks, I'll be joining you soon!